Timed with a calendar

Saturday: 16+ miles Pace: 9.15

Finally - long run range reached ! In the bizzaro weather world we have it jumped into the mid 50s (about +7/8 centigrade) ... along with steady rain interspersed with torrential downpours. Worked on the house in the morning but by 2pm I gave up waiting and took off at the first lightening of the rain.
The rain had made the canal tow path near impassable. So I had to shift back onto paved roads for a while and decided to focus on a sighseeing run around the town. Just as I ran out of paved road I could run on I noticed that the tow path was looking better so I found a lane that led back to the tow path where I found a strong head wind that probably cleared that path but made the run tougher. Surreal world - there was steam rising off the frozen surface of the canal (doesn't water have to reach 100C to boil ?) making for a spooky atmosphere. Eventually I started to hit icy patches and was forced to turn back. The steady rain turned heavy and then torrential. Had to take off the shirt and ring it out. Back into town at 13 miles and had to run up and down the streets of the town until the 16 miles clocked up when I turned for home.

Pretty happy. Finally got into long run territory. Was able to toughen up and get the last few miles done despite being cold, wet and and having to run past the house twice. Did not feel the tank was empty.
Leg was pretty sore once I cooled down but that seems to be something I have to live with. So ... all good.

Dory Dory wrote: »

^^^ Whoop whoop!!!

Well ... maybe one quiet "Whoop". Another slightly louder "Whoop" if I can do it again !


Sunday: 4 miles

Slow run/walk recovery with Mrs P as she starts the comeback trail.


Week: 40 miles.
Not too bad given the conditions and combined with a decent amount of cross training. Weight is the big thing where I need to start making progress, just need to get some momentum (good habits) going. Assuming the leg holds up I'll try to get to 45 miles this coming week and shift the long run to 18 miles.

Marthastew wrote: »

Welcome back Mrs P and Happy New Year to you both:D
I'm definitely with Dory on the double whoop:D:D That's a solid LSR in the bank. Very best of luck over the next few weeks, the new job location and the weather and your comeback are big challenges but I'm sure you'll take it all in your stride. Boston is the perfect, perfect marathon to run for fun so you're sure to have a great day.

Cheers, I'll pass that on. It's tough as she's still struggling a bit, and there is no hint as to whether any run will be ok or "crash and burn". It's actually fun to run together - something we rarely do as I find the run/walk thing a bit frustrating.

Tuesday: am: 4 miles
pm: 6 miles (t/m), hills, @8.30

Ohhh look a double !! Morning run in the rain. Evening : stop at the gym on the wy home. Took the hills option on the treadmill. I' convinced the heat is ramped up as I was finding it very tough towards the end. So a nice cool short swim post the run and all was well.

Started on a sugar reduction this week to try to get my weight down. Rough going. Sugar consumption increases in direct proportion of the decline of free time.:(

Thursday: pm : 4 miles t/m & swim
Friday: 4 miles.
Mid day run. Nice, actually some warmth in the sun.

Saturday: 19 miles @9.09 Time: 2:57
A weather progression run ... cool down, hail, snow, snow & thunder, snow, hail, warm up.
Stepping out the door it was overcast but, oh boy, did it get nasty. Joined up with the club run and had very welcome company for 14 miles. Started to flag around mile 15 and was gutting it out once I was was left solo. Ended up running far enough away from home to mean that the return journey would get me over the 18 mile target. Over did it by a mile.



Mile | Pace | HR |
1 | 9.16 ||
2 | 9.16 | |
3 | 9.06 | 131 - pause @2.16 for regroup |
4 | 9.15 | 141 - hill |
5 | 9.21 | 142 - hill |
6 | 9.18 | 139 |
7 | 8.52 | 138 - pause for regroup |
8 | 8.40 | 136 |
9 | 8.48 | 137 |
10 | 8.48 | 138 |
11 | 9.08 | 137 |
12 | 8.58 | 137 |
13 | 9.06 | 138 |
14 | 8.57 | 138 |
15 | 8.59 | 139 |
16 | 9.20 | 140 - took gel |
17 | 9.46 | 141 - stop for water||
18 | 9.18 | 143 |
19 | 9.29 | 142 |


So yeah ... I really tailed off once I was solo. Physical or psychological... probably a bit of both, but 16 seems to be about my comfortable limit right now.

Sunday: 4 miles

Week: Total 53. Decent week

Thursday: am: Elliptical : 30 mins
pm: 8 miles (t/m)
Couple of miles @8m/m

Well, that is that. I am out of Boston. The curse continues.

Life has allowed a total of 6 miles runnng this week. I'm simply stretched beyond breaking point between the commute, the job, and the new house renovation and the sale of my old apartment. I also need to start looking for a new job which is going to take even more time. So..... while I am bitterly disappointed I'm also a bit relieved to have finally given in.

I have run 4 marathons. In the last two years I have DNSed 6 times. I cannot see that I will be able to BQ again let alone get back to where I was so I think the time has come to retire from the marathon.

... we have lost one of my running heroes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/sports/toshiko-delia-gritty-runner-dies-at-84.html?ref=obituaries&_r=1

A close friend of my MIL and Mrs P, my running books are litter with hand written notes from Toshi asking how I was doing and making suggestions on injuries, training and life in general. She became a bit of a cult legend in Japan after there was a tv movie made base on her story in the 1970s.

I'm regretting not taking more time to share a run with her but she seemed indestructible.

Of course no service for Toshi. Rather a memorial race .

Dory Dory wrote: »

^^^ Wow. She was amazing!!! I am sorry for her loss, but how wonderful she touched your life!

How are you??? It's been way too quiet over here.

Quiet is it ! Nothing interesting to log, not like the blistering stuff going on over in your log.

I'm ticking over with *cough* cross-training and the very occasional treadmill session when I can get to a gym. Really I've thrown in the towel until winter is over. I was thinking this week but the temps dipped to single digits again and snow is due again Monday,

A lot of people have come out the woodwork with Toshi's passing, so Mrs P and I have committed to run the 10k she founded in her later husband's name on Memorial Day. I love this run and it's been a good course for me so if I can get in shape I will give this a serious shot. Actually I have signed up for 10k and 5k ("can you spell injury, children?") though I think a bunch of us who knew Toshi just jog the 5k together.

So finally the winter is starting to ease up a bit (though it is snowing to the east of the city this morning:rolleyes:).

To summarize the last last month: Treadmill, intended 10 miles, managed 5-6 miles, paint dried a little more, occasional entertainment watch women's circuit training group .... rinse and repeat.

Daily early morning meetings mean that morning running is still difficult, but I've started to insist on working at home a bit so midday runs are now an option. Nothing serious in terms of sessions, just trying to re engage with running ( "It's you, not me") again.

last week
6,7 miles on tm (tues-weds),
6, 6, 14, 6 (thurs-sun).

So hopefully I can _finally_ get some consistency going.

I've been talked in a few 5ks, the first in two weeks :eek:. First race in 15 months ....likely to be very very ugly. So plan to visit the track this week.

Monday: 3+ easy miles

Tuesday: 5 miles w 4*800m
There is nothing like a trip to the track to deflate optimism . Was hoping for maybe 800m reps sub 3.15, my plan was to stop once I went over 3.15 ... well maybe in the good old days:

Recovery was 400m due to time constraints; conditions were windy so that there was a direct headwind on the 2nd and final curve, and a sidewind that made holding the lane difficult on half the track. That being said times were:

3.16, 3.17, 3.15, 3.18

At 3.18 I turned and headed for home. Live to fight another day.

Saturday: am Shad 5k: 20.58 (chip 20.55), 3rd

My first race in 15 months. A local race blocks from the new house so it was an opportunity to meet a few local runners. Much as I love running down there I miss running with a group. Route was largely flat, with a combination of asphalt and packed earth.

On the warm up I noticed a few Tri club shirts. As soon as it started, one guy headed off and soon he and the lead car were out of sight. From a little back I weaved to join the back of a trailing bunch of about seven. At a mile this was down to five. By 1.5 miles, one guy had opened a gap, and another two had dropped back, leaving me and my companion in 3rd/4th. I was dying - legs were fine but the lungs were burning badly. Gven that the lap pace was about 6.3x that was a bit disappointing.
So I decided to race "tactically" and tucked in. Despite a couple of problems, - car on the route, and meeting a walker on the a single person bridge, but I was able to rejoin my rival each time. At mile 2 the pace had dropped to 6.52. At about 2.25 miles there was a turn around where I was able to confirm that I was 4th. So ... given how rarely the chance to make a podium comes up... I took off and was soon alone. But then came a short climb where I began to question my will to live, after that I was just hanging on and looking over my shoulder I could see the guy gaining on me again and worse still a new figure just behind him. Looking at the results I held on "comfortably" for 3rd.

Pace: 6.31, 6.52, 6.42, 6.18

Overall. Logically this result is an accurate reflection of where I am right now and given that I have done no tempo work at all and two track sessions I cannot expect better. Perhaps I could have pushed harder on mile2. Possibly a longer warmup might have helped. My lack of recent races really showed as I really did not think much about form, rhythm, race management ... it was all "how long more ... do I need to do this to myself". Hard to judge as there was only one sub 20 result on the day.

PM: After a recovery, (Fulham v Norwich), I took off to get my weekend mileage in. Again I ran my dual canal loop. Down one canal over a bridge across the Delaware river, down the Pennsylvania canal. All was going great ... until I met my nemesis from last week - the physo goose again. Unbelievably he tried to have a go at me again, this time I saw him take off and turned to face him at which stage he landed. But the minute I turned my back again he took off again. F*k sake - why does this bird hate me ?
Finished off my run with an altercation with dog owner who offer to "kick your ass". Once again - I though living away from the city was supposed to be relaxing .

So now I am about to head out for a run again ... and I have to avoid my usual route here or face that damn goose again. If I don't post again it's a fair bet that the goose got me.