Getting back to Boston

10-miler in three segments. WAR meeting was at Reynolds Cancer Support House, so I decided to run to the meeting (2.4). Then we had a group run, three laps around the Creekmore Park perimeter (2.3). Then, after the meeting, decided to take the long way home: Up Old Greenwood to Cliff, around Cliff to Valley, past Hardscrabble, down 58th and home. Totaled 10.63.

Easy run, after LooHoo gave me a virtual kick in the rear to get me out the door. Started raining the last mile. I decided to do hill sprints on Duncan anyway, and it started POURING while I was running hills. Got six sprints done anyway, then jogged home. Tentative plan is to do 18 tomorrow morning, but we'll see if the legs, the sleep pattern and the weather cooperate.

9.07 miles at 9:07 pace. How weird is that?

Probably shoulda just gone ahead and done the full 18 LR, but wasn't prepared for it (gels, more drink, etc.) So I cut it off after 9. The last 3 was dead downwind, and I could tell it (unlike Boston, where the 'downwind' was mostly illusion by the time I got downcourse). Last mile was darn near MP.

CIM is one month from tomorrow, which doesn't give me very much time to get ready (but also limits my opportunity to overtrain. Which is nice.). Let's see what I can do with these 31 days. 

Interesting long run today. Didn't go well, in that I bonked massively, but interesting. Features included:

* High five from a very cute carhop at Sonic, where I stopped to refuel at the 16-mile mark. I'd stuck a $5 bill in my pocket for just such an eventuality. It was fairly obvious I'd been running; the shorts, the bit-out-of-breath, probably the salt-streaked clothes, the headband, the water bottles. Told her I'd run 16 with about 3 to go and she gave me the high five. Then she refilled my water bottle. Didn't need it much after a giant VK and an ice cream cone, but the thought was nice. Then she wished me good luck as I resumed the run.

* Two gels stuck in other pockets and ignored/forgotten until about 14 miles, or about 5 miles after I'd intended to take the first one. Never did take the second one.

* Tried to push the first lap of two around the golf course at Ben Geren, with lackluster results. Second lap, no pushing at all, but lots of walking. I pretty much bonked at 10.5. Of course, having eaten only a bagel three hours earlier might have had something to do with that. And I've definitely decided that I can't depend on Ultima Replenisher to replenish my carbs. CIM might be a 5- or 6-gel race. Speaking of which, I need to restock on gels.

* In spite of the bonking, still wound up with a 10:14 average for 18.22. I've had much worse, trust me.

Done an ice bath, a warm shower and a glass of chocolate milk since I got home. Now to get horizontal for a while, then restock carbs with a huge spaghetti dinner. 

Tight schedule today. Have a date in Rogers at 12:30, tailgating with T and Rick B after that, then the game. I had to scramble to squeeze in a 6-miler on Phoenix before leaving for Rogers. Felt pretty strong for having done 18 yesterday, and was able to progress the pace a tad, although still on the easy side. Probably 10ish tomorrow which would give me about 66 for the week.

Really struggled for the first three miles; legs felt like they did in Kenmore Square last April. I think they loosened up on the downhill from Cliff to Phoenix, and really warmed up on the uphill on Leigh. Felt pretty strong for the last 3.5 miles. Got in 66 for the week and am well over 1900 for the year. Now back to work.

Easy 6.5, then hill sprints at the end. Felt pretty good in spite of sniffles. Legs felt much better than last night. Now off to work. Bleah.

HMP intervals on the mill, 3 X 3K. Was supposed to do 4X, cut it short for two reasons. One, the big toe is still really sore after I took yesterday off; two, I was paranoid I'd get called to do an admission once the workout crossed over 10 a.m. So I dropped the last rep and the cooldown run. Might get in a late 3 after work tonight if time and energy permit, to make up for it. Went pretty well, though, despite the sore foot. A guy there working out gave me the thumbs-up during the last rep, then came over to semi-congratulate me in the locker room afterward. I guess he was impressed.

It's so weird that all this running I do, and this toe injury happened while I was standing still at the football game. My shoes just don't protect the top of my foot at all, which is a price I pay for their light weight, and when the woman stepped on the toe, I might as well have been barefoot. I don't think she broke anything, and there's not even any more blood under the toenail than there was Saturday morning, but it's just sore, sore, sore. 

Took off two more days with the toe, but it felt better last night (bigger toe box of the Green Silences helped). So I ran with the WAR crew this morning in the GS. It was a ROUD, which wound up being 11.1. Felt pretty good, no major toe discomfort, legs loosened up OK after the first few miles. Probably 6 or so tomorrow, then I need to do 20 on Monday -- with 20 days left to CIM, I gotta do a long run some time.

I was supposed to run 4 X 3K at HMP tonight,. Wasn't gonna happen, but I pushed it and almost got to 3 X 3K, or the equivalent. Close enough. One rep is not going to make any difference 20 days out from a race.

 Fortunately, the sore toe was not an issue at all. I suspect the reason the toe isn't hurting as much is that the nail has let go and relieved the pressure. Which also means it's gonna fall off. That's OK. I expect to take off my sock some night and find the nail in the sock, not on the toe. 

Indoor progression run at MAFC, thanks to daylong rain. I was really stiff for the first two miles, loosened up nicely, and ran the last mile in 8:10. Should go over 2000 miles for the year this week, maybe during Friday's 20-miler. Tomorrow, I'll try to do some marathon pace work.

MP run at Southside: Warm up for 1.5, then dynamic stretches. Plan was to do 3 miles at MP, jog a mile, then another 3, but I felt like I was in a good rhythm so I just kept going. Then I jogged 2.5 to cool down instead of 1.5, so I still got in the full 10 miles. I've needed a lot more workouts like this. Wouldn't say I'm ready, but I feel more confident after this run than I have in a while. Average was almost exactly 8:00.

Weather was good: 50ish, overcast, breezy. Maybe too breezy, but the wind helped keep the sweat out of my eyes, which is good, and I wasn't having to work too hard to overcome it. 

 Now heading to Fayetteville. Going to unload some of my old running shoes at Fleet Feet, go by the ticket office to buy a basketball mini-pak for the SEC season, then go to dinner with Tyler before the basketball game tonight. 

ROUD today, which became 9. Went to Southside, kept going on Gary to Old Greenwood, back up OG to Rogers, crossed on to Free Ferry, then kept going on FF instead of turning on either Waldron or Burnham. Down 66th to Rogers, back home. Nine. Felt pretty good, so I kept going; I may regret that during tomorrow's 20, but whatever. I in no form, shape or fashion pushed the pace. This was strictly easy.

Then, after tomorrow, it's taper time. Still have to figure out how I'm going to handle the taper. 

Got my long run done. Also went over 2000 miles for the year. Also bonked bigtime at 18.5 and struggled home. Still averaged 9:04, which ain't bad for as sucky as this cycle has been. Now for an ice bath, a nap and a trip to Bryant with T.

Dropped in on the Crackheads this morning at the River Market, and who's the first person I see but Pat! Then Ali is there too and she's running with Pat -- perfect. I did five miles with them, then peeled off while they went into race pace mode. I ended up doing 8 with a loop around the Capitol, getting started on my third thousand miles of the year. Ran over the new bridge at the Clinton Library for the first time, which is a very runner-friendly bridge, much more so than Big Dam.

I'm starting to formulate a plan for 2012, and actually December. I'm going to try to take off as little time as I can get by with after CIM, and try to start in on a steady diet of 6- 7- 8-milers with the occasional long run on weekends. Variety will be with speed work. Maybe a couple of short races in the spring, but no marathons until Stockholm. Then shoot for Indy Monumental in early November. The goal will be to build a strong mileage base through March, anyway, train hard for Stockholm and even harder for Indy. Hopefully I can be consistent enough with the mileage to top my yearly PR in 2012.

Took Sunday off for travel/thunderstorms/sleep deprivation, and Monday was actually a scheduled rest day. So I hauled my butt up this morning and went to MAFC for a track run before work. I did 64 slow laps, put the hammer down (relatively) for the last 16 laps. Hard to be sure, but I believe those last 16 were at MP. Total time was 55:30 for 6.03 miles.

Tomorrow the plan is to get in an interval run, probably at SHS. So I'll need to get up early. It'll be 3 X 3K, 2.4K warm/cool, total of 9.08, essentially. Unless the bed magnet gets me again.

Couldn't get into the blog this morning for some reason. Hmmm...

Anyway, blasted my carcass out of bed at 7 and went to SHS a little before 8. Gorgeous day, clear, cool, no wind. Tried to do 3 X 3K at HMP. Was. Not. Happening. Legs wouldn't fire. I struggled 1800m for the first rep, 1200 for the second, then bailed. I jogged four miles, and as I did, the legs loosened up, so I ran the last 1K faster than either of the first two "reps". That last 1K was actually about where I'd planned to run the whole thing. But it was late enough that I didn't want to try to do another rep before work, so I shut it down. Total was 8.11 miles. Went home, showered, went to work, and here I still am.

Easy fish to and from Southside this morning. Cool, overcast, a bit foggy; not bad. Legs loosened up after about 1.5. Now off to work. Happy Thanksgiving, runners!

I had hoped to get in 12 miles at the gym before I got called to the ER this morning. Got exactly half of that. And there was no lull later on to go back and finish the run. It was a good 6, though; sub-9:00 pace. Felt pretty comfortable at that pace. I guess I'll try to get up and do 12 before work tomorrow and finish putting the hay in the barn for CIM.

Good 12-miler this morning. Hay is in the barn for sure, however much hay there was to harvest. Weather was low 40s, a bit blustery, actually could have used gloves (but have discarded all my discardable cheap cotton gloves). Settled in at sub-9 pace after I turned out of the headwind at Creekmore Park and just kinda cruised. Didn't feel like I really pushed the pace at all until the last mile or so. And I got it done before I got called to the ER. Nice.

6.5 with strides tonight at SHS. Felt pretty good as the run went on. Maybe I actually can run a decent race... I'll say one thing, I will be shocked if I get to the line and the clock says 3:2x. But it'll be the best shock of my life.

Dress rehearsal run today along Phoenix. Being OCD, I needed 7.7 miles today to get to 200 for the month, so you knew that was going to happen. With a detour to Academy to look for the restroom, it became 7.95. The MP segment went pretty well, smoother than many of my MP runs have been -- especially since I finished my run last night only 16 hours before.

Shortie tomorrow, may or may not run Friday before getting on the plane, shortie in Sacramento Saturday morning, then try to hang with the pace bunny as long as I can Sunday morning.