Getting back to Boston

Monday was a scheduled rest day, but I would have taken it off anyway with tender right Achilles, cropped up at about 16 miles of Sunday's run. So I went out early this morning with Lia to test it. It did fine. There were some other niggles, but the AT behaved itself. All in all, a good 6.7 at 9:33 pace. Nice start to the new year. Do this run every day for a year, I'll be very bored, but I'll also have 2400+ miles.

UPDATE: Got to work, started walking around the hospital, and the AT starts acting up. Not as bad as it was Sunday afternoon, but still sore. Think Wednesday becomes a rest day. I'm supposed to meet with Kathy M. Thursday night, so may hafta run Thursday morning. Or maybe take off Thursday too. Need to get this under control now.

Intervals at SHS in the new Adios shoes. Went OK, after three days off to rest the Achilles.

Took me forever to summon up the will to get dressed and get out on the road -- like almost 1:30 p.m. But the run went pretty well once I did. AT acted up a bit, but I was able to maintain decent pace anyway on a very hilly course. Finished 26K in 2:36. Had to work a little harder to maintain that pace than I had hoped, but that is of some value too. Twelve days to go...

Easy 7.5 from Marketplace this afternoon, doing (sorta) one of our Just Trippin' 5:15 a.m. routes. Made what I think is an important discovery. I realized I was kinda tightening the sore Achilles, trying to protect it, and it occurred to me that that was probably exactly the wrong approach. Sure enough, I tried to relax it and the pain subsided.

Intervals at the track, in the rain. Well, some of the warmup was in the rain. I went under the stands to stretch and by the time I finished, the rain had stopped. The legs were not up to 5K pace today; 10K pace was all I could manage, and even that was a struggle. I felt like I was going anaerobic to do that. But I ran 1600 repeats in 7:31, 7:29 and 7:27. Achilles started bothering me on the cooldown laps, in spite of my efforts to relax it, so I shut that down two laps early. Not a great workout, but I got it done. I attribute part of that to poor sleep last night, due in large part to iced tea consumption (moron!), and part to lousy nutrition. I gotta eat better for the next nine days.

Low and slow this morning with Kathy L. Just what I needed. Run tomorrow, then a couple days off. Gotta start eating better though. Maybe to OG tonight. Hoping Jennifer will be with us.

Whole buncha people in my cul de sac this morning to run everything from 12 (me) to 20 (Kay). Did the Okie run for the first 12, then I did a loop in the neighborhood for the final 2. Pushed the pace pretty well on the return leg and woundup with 9:25 average. Little faster than I wanted, but it felt comfortrable. And I'd already been called into work an hour before I finished :( So off I go. Hay's in the barn for Corndog now.

Recovery run this morning after stacking two rest days. The Achilles was interesting. It hurt, then it didn't, then it did again, then the pain moved up into the calf. Nothing that did or would slow me down but there nonetheless.

Dress rehearsal tomorrow, then just a shortie or two before Corndog. 

Out for a shakedown run this morning from the hotel in Port Allen. Fortunately, found a two-mile stretch through a commercial area without much traffic on a Saturday morning, and did an out-and back, progressing the pace down near 8:00 for the last mile. AT is there, but if that's all I get, it won't stop me from running fast. Run also set the stage for Aussie carbloading; I had waffles, bagel and a whole lot of orange juice before I even went back to the room after the run, and will load up on the OJ today.

Anyway, I've done all I can do. Trained, rested, babied the AT, tried to load the carbs this week. We'll see if I can perform tomorrow. It'll be nice to hit a goal for once. I really haven't hit a goal since the BQ three years ago. 

Ran a marathon hard and well for once. Not perfectly; I hit the wall and struggled for the last five miles or so. But I raced. And I didn't walk a step.

To be updated later... 

My mental image of  this race will probably start with one thing. I'm parked on a downtown street in Baton Rouge, 6:10am, it's still pitch black outside, and I'm putting on sunscreen. And I'm glad I did. That sun got bright, and I feel a little burn on a couple of areas I missed.

Race started just at sunup. I locked in with the 3:45 pacer. Uh, no I didn't. As usual, I fell back behind her. Then I picked it up just a touch, caught her at the 4 mile mark, and felt comfortable at that pace, which was maybe 8:29. So I kept going. Should I have backed off and stayed with her? Maybe. She caught me again at about 10 miles. I think she did a little positive split (last 10K in 53ish), but not bad, and she ran 3:44. Could I have held that pace? Maybe not. I hadn't started slowing down (much) when she caught me.

Course wound around, through the LSU campus (not many students out there; not a big surprise considering Monday is a holiday and those still around may well have been out late Saturday night) and through some very nice residential neighborhoods around several lakes. Then we headed east on a very long out and back. They threw in twists and turns so it wasn't as mentally imposing as, say, the out and back along the river in Little Rock, but I remember thinking are we EVER going to get to the end? Finally, past 19, we got there.

At this point, I still felt fairly strong. It was humid, although cool, and I was sweating heavily in the first six miles (as a guy who caught up to me on the LSU campus noted). But I was taking fluid every two miles, taking gels every five miles, and I felt OK. Until that return leg. Then the turnover just wasn't there. 8:30 became 9 became 9:30. I'm trying to wring whatever I could out of the legs, but there just wasn't much there. Finally, thanks to that final overpass and dead legs, mile 26 was 10:00 plus.

My friend Angela from RWOL caught me about a mile from the finish and wasn't even sure it was me, I looked so bad. "Is it your Achilles?" No, the Achilles has behaved itself, and it did. Your knee? No, I'm not having any real pain anywhere, I just hit the ^%&@ wall. So she cruised on past me, with her lack of training and sore hip flexor, and beat me by a minute and a half. There were a lot of people lining the course in the final half mile, and their cheering finally inspired me to go faster. Which is a little irritating. If I had that in me for the last .22, why couldn't I get any of it for the last 2.2?

Of course, I wore my Razorback shirt. I couldn't run a race in LSU country without doing that. A guy I saw after the finish congratulated me for having the stones to run through the LSU campus in that shirt. But I was pretty shocked not to hear a single "tiger bait". One guy said "Go Tigers". But that was it for the verbal abuse. One guy said "Go Razorbacks, for today only." I got a chuckle out of that. And lots of people said "Go Hogs". But the highlight was about at mile 23, when three guys who were most likely LSU students called the Hogs for me. That was on the out and back section, so they'd seen me go by at maybe 16. An hour or so later when I came back, they were ready for me. 

So I'm finally through. I see Angela again, along with her BF Shane, who broke his marathon maiden with a 3:15, the dog. I staggered over to the state museum which doubled as gear check and got my bag. Then I moved very slowly over to a little park by the Capitol where the race festival was going on. Beer, Cajun food, people sprawled out on the grass. Sprawling sounded really good, but I wasn't sure I could get back up if I sprawled. So I kept moving. Saw Kenny from Little Rock. I used to train with him (and dust him) fairly frequently. Yesterday, he beat me by 9 minutes. My gait is a shuffle, felt like about 12 inch steps. I saw Pat, who had seen me finish after she got through her half.  Ran into Angela and Shane a couple of more times. Got some food, got some beer, but decided what I really wanted was rest. So I shuffled back to the car (went too far down and had to double back), drove back to the hotel, zoned out and missed my exit, and had to go 12 miles farther to the next exit to turn around and come back.

I'd hoped to be the first finisher from Arkansas, which would have gotten me a cool hat as a prize. Turns out I was fourth. Kenny was third. The guy who got the hat was way faster than me, so that wasn't going to happen, but I didn't know that. If I'd run my target time of 3:45, I would have been 10th in AG (and Kenny still would have beaten me).

I'm OK with this finish, though. The nagging Achilles problems definitely had affected my training. I'm still trying to get back in real racing shape after last year's non-running issues. Not enough running at MP in this cycle. Really, not enough mileage. I need to be doing more 60-70 mile weeks, and I will for Bayshore. I'm not fast enough to get by on  speed; I need to be strong, and this level of mileage doesn't make me strong enough. If I'm ever going to get back to Boston, high mileage will be what gets me there. I sucked it up, I kept running, and I felt like I squeezed out just about all I had to give on this morning. The humidity and the bright sunshine didn't help, although to be fair the course was pretty shady. But my last four marathons had kept getting slower and slower. Today broke that trend, and it was my fastest race since Boston -- faster than Utah or CIM, and an hour faster than Stockholm.

Easy fish. Legs still feel tired and heavy, but no pain. Ran to SHS and back.

Easy 4, then pushed the last four tenths (basically all uphill) at 7:30 pace. That was to see if I could get any speed at all out of them five days after a marathon. Answer seemed to be yes. Can I maintain that pace for an hour on Sunday? Doubtful. Thinking I'll start at 8:00 pace and then adjust. Legs still feel heavy, although they loosened up during the run. No pain. AT behaving for now.

Drove over to the track run at Danville this afternoon. Tried to warm up with George, Rose, Joel, Bill and Don and they were leaving me. I'm thinking, this is the warmup and I can't even keep up. Couldn't keep up with them on the track either, but I accomplished the goal of averaging less than an 8:00 mile. Rose almost lapped me, not quite. Joel lapped me on the FOURTH LAP. Sheesh.

Got 5K and 10K splits. The 5 was 24:46. The 10 was 49:42, faster than my last two 10Ks. Then I ran 5.3 laps in the last 10:18, so there was a bit of a kick there. Not much, but I didn't expect much after 26.2 last Sunday.

Up at 5:15 for a JTTC run with Sherrie. Everyone remained vertical this time. Left knee was a little balky, perhaps due to turning left 60 times Sunday afternoon. Got through it at a 9:58 clip. Then I went back to bed for two hours.

Tried out the Newtons tonight at SHS. Did the first mile on the turf inside the track, felt OK with that, so moved out on to the track. Not entirely easy to take heel striking out entirely, but I managed fairly well. Felt good enough that I put the hammer down for the last two laps at 7:15 pace, although it felt even faster than that. Total of 5.25. Newton experiment is a success so far. Will I run the 5K at Russellville in them? Maybe.

Up before dawn to run with Kathy L. She did 5, I did 7. Temp was 26 when we started, went down another degree, but tights and two layers up top was plenty. My first run on the roads in the Newtons. Seemed to be OK. I'm still adjusting my stride to them somewhat.

Very nice run this morning. Tiffany wanted to go with me, which would have been a very nice diversion, but she texted me at 5:15 a.m. to back out. Oh well. Waited until after 6:30 to start, and did it progression style as usual. Last 2.6 were sub 9:00, overall average 9:20 for 8.6. Kinda run I need to do more often (and a little faster, to be honest). It was cold, but comfortable in long sleeves, gloves and tights, and I probably could have skipped the tights.

Now to work on rescheduling that run with Tiffany. We can discuss Friday when I get my massage... 

Progression run along the canal near the Biltmore in Phoenix. Legs were kinda heavy for the first mile or so until I got going, then I went into a flow and got faster and faster. Got down to sub-9 eventually.

Slow run along the canal in Phoenix. Felt warmer than the listed 72 degrees, and I worked up quite a sweat, even with the dry heat. So when I got back to the hotel, the bellman gave me a cold bottle of water. Exactly what the PA ordered! Home tomorrow, easy run with Kathy L on Friday, race on Saturday, do something on Sunday.

Got a call from Jim Robb while I was out running. Looks like there has been a resolution. Not what I wanted, but probably what I expected. He was already gone when I returned the call, but I'll get with him tomorrow or Friday and find out exactly where things stand. 

Slow and easy with Kathy L. Off to Russellville tomorrow.

Limited goals for this race. Just wanted to get my legs going faster than 8:00 pace for the first time in a long time. Succeeded in that pursuit. Secondary goal was getting under 23:00. Did that too, with nine seconds to spare. If I'd caught the guy in front of me, I'd have gotten my third straight AG award in that race, but not quite. Fourth in AG, 42nd overall is OK. It was about 40 but felt a lot colder with the wind. Fortunately, the trees kept the course pretty well screened from the wind. Maybe I can take this and build on it speedwise.

Plan was for an easy 10 this morning. Hah! Shoulda known better just based on who I was running with, starting with completely-outta-control Rose and way-faster-than-me Joel. Between those two, I was going to be lucky if they weren't going sub-8:30. (And George backed out at the last minute with a sore calf). I wasn't lucky. They got so far ahead of me in the first five miles I could barely see them -- and I was going sub 9. They finally waited for me at the turnaround. Wound up with 10 at about 8:48 pace. That's fast enough, thank you.

Managed some reasonable facsimile of a speed night tonight at SHS. I was sore, stiff (and lazy) all day, and didn't know what I could get out of it. But the first 800 was 3:32, and the last three were all below 3:30. So I'll take that. If I can string together six of those and tough it out the last 200, that'd be a 5K PR. Which is one of my goals, to get a PR this year in something other than a new distance (the 2-miler in Conway is an automatic PR). I decided not to push any more reps; I'd gotten more than I expected out of the workout. So I jogged five laps instead of doing one more rep and called it a night.

Seven along Phoenix after work, progressing to sub-9 pace in the last mile. Tired, but got it done. Just general fatigue, though, not achy legs or anything.

Finally got myself out the door this morning after two extremely stressful days for an 8 miler. Legs were heavier than usual for the first couple of miles until I warmed up (weather didn't; it got colder during my run). Not a great run, just OK, but needed to get out.

Lia was hit by a hit and run drive Thursday morning, appears to have trashed her left knee, although no MRI done yet. Mercy ER did X-rays, made sure nothing was broken and sent her home. Possibility of internal injuries doesn't appear to have entered their minds. But the knee was dislocated, which doesn't sound good from a ligament standpoint. MRI on Monday, we hope. I was supposed to take her to the movies last night. Obviously that didn't happen.

Then Jennifer was sent to Newport yesterday. I knew it was coming, of course, but it didn't lessen the impact. Not sure when I'll be able to go visit. Robb met with me for an hour and gave me some heads-ups on what she and we can expect. Todd and Janis notified. Hopefully I'll hear from her soon with further info. 

And both days were crush jobs at work. Not sure I would have made that movie date with Lia anyway, since I didn't finish the last admit (in IMC, where I'm not supposed to go) until 8. HODs using me for a litter box again. Considering the HODs in question, absolutely not a surprise. We'll see if Acton does it to me today. 

MLR before dawn/work. First half was with Tiffany at her suggestion; nice to have some company and get to know her a little better. We ran 5.65 at 9:15 average. Then I did another 5+ by myself at about the same pace. I got really tired toward the end but the downhill from SHS helped me get home at decent pace.

Now for shower, a little nap and work. I really hope today is light, but that's not very likely. 

Easy 6 along Phoenix this afternoon, once I finally got myself out the door. Beautiful weather. Tomorrow, it might be sleeting at that time. Just took it easy, wound up at about 9:30 pace.

Seven plus. In three inches of snow, with sleet falling on top of that. Felt like more like 15 by the time I was done. I know the drivers who were spraying my legs with slush thought I was nuts. They were right.

Morning run with Kathy M. at Ben Geren. I knew why she asked me to run with her; she wanted me to push her. I obliged for 8 miles. Then I pushed myself even harder for the last 5+. I ran a half this morning in faster than her race goal. It was really cold with a pretty stiff breeze, but I ended up shedding the half-zip and the track pants as I went along.

Morning run at the WAR room with Kathy L, Erica and Daniel. Kathy got wound up and she and Daniel ran off and left us. Not that we were going slowly. Last three miles were sub-10, and I did the last mile in 8:41. I needed this one to get some kinks out, because I'm sure Tiffany is gonna cook me in the morning. Six tomorrow would put me at 40 miles for the week, which isn't bad for taking two days off.

Interesting morning. Met Tiff at 8 for a 10K run from the Support House. We took it easy on the outward leg, then cooked it on the return. I enjoyed the heck out of it. Then we went to Starbucks and got coffee and talked about the store, and a few other things. I'm sensing some attraction here. I hope she follows through, because I'd like to. She doesn't want to date clients, and I get that, but...

Anyway, back to business. I have the mileage just about ramped up to start the 12/70 next week for Bayshore, which is now 13 weeks away. One hitch I hadn't thought of -- my Mondays will be tied up with either work or Women Can Run until early May, so I'll have to work any speed sessions in some other time. Which can be done. If I do a long run on Sunday, I'm not up for speed work on Monday anyway. 

Mini speed session at SHS. Weather was misty turning to all out rain. Rose and Lionel showed up but left pretty quick, and I was out there alone. Decided to do 4 400s. First at 1:41, then 1:39, 1:34 and 1:32. It was pouring on the last one, which made it easy to decide not to do a fifth rep (I probably wouldn't have anyway). Point was just to get my legs turning over, not to do a big VO2 max session. I'm still hoping I can break 14:00 for that two mile next weekend. Not sure if I'll take tomorrow off or do an easy fish. See how the weather is and how my legs feel, I guess.

Fairly easy 8 before work in 1:15 around the horseshoe.

Got off work 30 minutes early tonight, went by the Women Can Run meeting, got a few hugs out of the deal, which is always a bonus. Duly inspired, I went home, changed, drove over to Marketplace and decided to convert my 5 miler into 9. Then I decided to put the hammer down. From the Old Greenwood overpass on 540, I ran the last 3.38 in sub-BQ pace. Now I just have to string together 23 more just like it ... Seriously, very happy with that run, especially after a 10 hour day at work. I think that I will really stress MP work this time. That's where I've fallen short in my training since Boston -- not enough at the speed I need.

Work got in the way of my running plans yesterday, but out early today at Ben Geren with Kathy L for an easy 6. The conversation was good and the miles kinda flew by, even though we weren't much under 10:00 pace. Good start for my March running.

Bed magnet got Tiffany this morning, so I did my run alone. Wound up with 12.25 in 1:57. I think my nose ran even farther than that. Good run though. Had time to do a lot of thinking. Didn't solve any problems, but did a lot of thinking. Tomorrow starts my cycle for Bayshore. Didn't think about that at all, though.

Up at the crack o' chickens to run with the Sheris at Marketpace. Maintained a good 10:00 pace, then after they both finished, I did another 2.6 on my own, including strides. It was in the 40s, but there were snowflakes fluttering by. Wind was strong and constant; for once, it actually helped to run downwind, which I did for the strides. Running into it, another issue.

So this was the first day of Bayshore training. In 81 days I'll be lining up in Michigan. Doesn't seem like much.

 Got a letter from Jen last night, and wrote back immediately. I was very happy to hear from her after a couple of weeks of no contact at all. My paranoia was unfounded. Can't wait to hear from her and, better yet, see her. 

Did three miles on my own at 5, then joined the crew from Creekmore for another 8, then to La Huerta for dinner and silliness. The 11 went OK. I'm getting into shape pretty quickly. We'll see how another 11 on Friday goes, though, although I might bump that down so I have a chance to run fast Saturday morning.

Six on Phoenix with Tiffany this morning. Four at Chaffee with Sheri and Kathy L. And three with the Advanced WRA group. That, folks, is a triple. I believe that's my first triple. And I was feeling it afterward. Rachel S. led the post-run stretch and I was struggling with it (of course she's so damn limber it's ridiculous). The two runs at Chaffee were slow -- just what I needed. 10:07 with Sheri, close to 11:00 with the group. Staci put me out front, so I set the pace. If anyone had wanted to go faster, I would have, but no one did.

Slow and steady with Kathy L. to work out the kinks. It actually seemed to work this time. Feel much better now than I did when I got up. How will it feel in Conway in the morning? Stay tuned.

Very little sleep after taking Heidi to the track meet last night, and that 4:15 alarm was really early. In spite of that, dragged myself out, met the gang and drove to Conway. No taper and heavy/increased mileage for the last two weeks, so I hoped for sub-14 but wasn't sure if that was possible. Ran the first mile in 7:03, dawdled a 7:13 for the last mile. But I got into lung-burning territory, so I didn't leave a whole lot out there. I think I should have checked the Garmin more to monitor my pace though. I didn't think I slowed down in the second mile, but obviously the clock begged to differ. Had a lot of fun on the trip. Crazy Vickie kept things stirred up coming and going. Saw a lot of people I knew, which is always nice.

Lousy weather for a cold run. Rain, wind, cold front coming through. Glad I did it, and glad I had some support. David L., Staci and Joel ran with me. David pushed me on my second loop ar Ben Geren, and they all three got so far ahead of me that I had to run MP to try to catch up -- and never quite did. The plan was for 15 with 8 @ MP. Wound up 14.7 with 7.7 @ MP. As they say, close enough. I didn't think I could get that much out of my legs as much as I ran this week and only one day after a hard race. But man, will I need that semi-day off tomorrow, although I'll still get in a short run at the clinic.

Double today -- slow and slower. Sheri et al were going 10ish, then I ran with the back markers of WRA at barely under 12:00 pace, ran being a relative term here. That's OK. Legs were quite sore after the weekend, and today was supposed to be a rest day anyway. May take that rest day tomorrow or do an easy 5. Tomorrow is supposed to be 12, but I don't have time to do 12, nor probably the motivation. So 5 tomorrow would actually be more miles than the plan calls for, albeit without the rest day.

Easy 6 after work. I'm trying to figure out how to wedge a 55-plus week in with work. If I just do runs like this every day, I'd have 42, then throw in a 12 and an LT workout and I'd be darn close. But it's getting in that little extra quality that's tricky. May have to get up and do the 12 in the morning tomorrow.

Twelve before work. Plenty of hills. Heavy legs after running at 9 pm yesterday. But I got it done, and even managed a little bit of progression. Took 1:54 to do the 12, so barely over 9:30 average, after the first four miles were >10. Now I've gotta go do a shift and a half at work. That oughta be fun... Early to bed for me, I suspect.

After two days off for sheer exhaustion, felt up to undertaking a tempo run tonight at SHS after work. I didn't hit the full 4 miles of LT on the schedule, but I did manage 2.5. Considering that it was 75 degrees when I started, I thought that was pretty good. Now to shower, bed, and up at dawn to run with Tiff.

Heard some thunder rumbling this morning as I got ready for my early run. Decided not to chance it, drove to MAFC, got in 5 on the track, showered, had breakfast upstairs, then came home just long enough to make a cup of coffee. Glad I got it done, though, instead of dawdling.

Six and a half with the Sheris this morning, 6 with Kathy, 4.5 by myself. That made up today's 17. And doing Massard at the end made it that much tougher. Wound up with a 9:21 average, which was decent. First long run in the Newtons, and the calves are mooing right now. Think I'll go hit the ice bath.

Another 11 with the Wednesday night crew, or 3 on my own then 8 with them. Pushed the last three at sub-9, including the Old Greenwood hill. Surprised at how well I ran given that I did a reasonably hard 17 yesterday. Another hard 8 with Rose, Jamie and maybe Tiffany tomorrow. Maybe I am actually getting back in shape, spare tire notwithstanding.

Crack o' dawn run with Joel, Rose and Jamie from the schoolhouse. As expected, they tried to cook me. Not so expected, I held up pretty well, with the last mile or so at MP. Pretty good with the kind of mileage I've been putting in lately.

I told myself I was going to be a good boy on today's 14 with David Langford and not push the pace. Then we got to the return leg of the second loop on Phoenix. Uh, no. We cooked that last 3.5 fo' sho'. Last mile was in 8:15 into the wind, and felt even faster. That was in spite of my left quad complaining loudly. So I've done 55 miles since Monday. Yikes. I can definitely tell I'm getting stronger. If the speed comes with it, I just might have a chance in Traverse City.

Today was supposed to be an easy recovery run. But as usual when I run with Tiffany, it wasn't. I had to dial her back a couple of times in the first couple of miles, then when we got to Southside and headed down the hill by Hardscrabble, the hammer went down. She says I did it, I think she did it, but whatever happened, we got faster. I wouldn't be surprised if the last mile was at MP, although I didn't check splits. Good run, though. I just have to make myself take tomorrow off. I enjoy running with her way too much, for a variety of reasons. :)

Wasn't sure what I had in me when I set out on this morning's run. Didn't sleep well, didn't carb up yesterday as I had planned. The 7-mile warmup went OK, even with a significant wind in my face for a while, but the left quad started tightening in the MP portion. And the double out and back meant I still had to deal with the wind some more. But after a bad sixth mile (8:20), I put the hammer down, well under 8:00 pace for all four remaining miles. The result was a 7:56 average for the MP portion, which would put me into the low 3:28s at Bayshore. I'll take that.

Then at the WRA clinic that slavedriver Staci got me to run another 3.55 with the ladies. Very slowly, but I'm glad I did. Legs feel better after I finished than before I started. Nice 20.56 mile day... 

Recovery run after work. Decided to stretch it a bit into a GA run and add some hill sprints. Went pretty well, felt strong on the sprints and maybe even a touch faster. HR stayed in the 130s all the way, even during the sprints (not long enough to get them up high and I took extra time between to let HR come down below 110). Pretty good run, all in all, and took me over 200 miles for the month.

Stress reduction run after work. I'd intended to do a tempo run at 6:00 am, got dressed but never got out the door and eventually went back to bed for an hour. Tonight, I was completely frazzled and I needed to burn off some frustration. So I gave T some money to get his (and my) dinner and headed out. Then I ate and crashed. Felt a little twinge in my left hammy early, but that didn't last long. Otherwise nothing special.

Up at 4:30 to run with Sherrie. I wasn't sure how much the legs had in them after finishing a run at 8:30 last night, and sure enough they were complaining after six or so. Sherrie had enough time to do 9, so we did that and I called it a morning. Not quite up to Pfitz' schedule, but this week, I think, is just about surviving at this point. Just get in what mileage I can, get through the week and deal with training next week. Now for my shower and a little nap before work...

Up at dawn to run with Tiffany. She decided to push me. I let her get ahead about 50 yards, ten reeled her in, and we just kept getting faster and faster. The downhill to Reynolds House was darn near a full sprint, or what passes for one for me. Good to know I can go that fast, though, even downhill.

Hilly and slow before work, including 66th  Street. That's about all I remember.

Planned to do 18 today, but that was without consulting the forecast. Mom Nature dropped 40 degrees, wind and horizontal rain on me, and silly me didn't wear long pants. I made it 6.7, realized that hypothermia was a real possibility and bailed. For once, I made the wise decision.

Since I didn't get my 18 done yesterday, did it today. Ran across the Garrison bridge and back to Creekmore on my own, met up with the Wednesday evening crew there and did 6.7 with them, then ran back home. I think there were 10 significant hills on that run, and right now I'm feeling every one of them. Got it done, slowly, but got it done.

Slow, slow, slow recovery run. I felt beat up when I started, barely able to go faster than 11:00 pace. Loosened up enough during the run to get below 10:00 for the last mile, but still sore. Glad I got the kinks out, although I think the kinks had some kinks of their own.

Out at 5:15 with Sherrie for an easy 5 from Marketplace. I worked until 11:30 last night, so that 4:15 alarm was really early -- especially since I was still awake at 1:15. Got the run done, and the legs felt OK. What will I have for the 10K in the morning? We'll find out at 8. George and I (and maybe Rose) are leaving at 4:30 am to get to Two Rivers Park. I know the layout there, not that that will help me any.

Good run at Two Rivers this morning. I'm a little ticked at myself for losing focus in mile 2 and slipping to a 7:50 mile, but once I locked back in, I actually negative split a 10K, which I think is a first for me. No chip time, so results are gonna take a while, I suspect, but Garmin time was 47:24, which is my best 10K in a while. I was hoping for top 10 AG and top 100 overall and got both. One of those runs where I substituted toughness for lack of speed. Which, come to think of it, applies to any run where I do semi-well, because speed ain't part of my game.

Gun time was 47:26. I got to the line within five seconds of the gun, I think, but then again I'm not entirely certain where the finish was. I'll stick with the Garmin time. 

Ran Phoenix with Tiffany again. As usual, she pushed the pace as we went farther along, but nothing I couldn't handle. We wound up just under a 9:20 average. I thought about continuing for another 4 to get to 10, but decided I'd do a double later today. I didn't eat before the run, for one thing. Better to be smart and spread the mileage out a bit, especially with 18 looming tomorrow. Then I can rest some during the work week. Got the double done in the evening. Two straight days with doubles; can't remember that in a long time.

Up at 4 to run with Jamie and Tiff at 5. Tiff bailed early; her Achilles was acting up. Jamie just cooked me. Then she'd double back until I caught up and cook me again, over and over. I just wasn't feeling it, but I still did 18 7 minutes faster than last Wednesday. Total of 72 during me week off, and I still have to run with WRA tonight. I am NOT looking forward to that, but with Staci not back from STL yet, somebody gotta do it. Got the 4.1 done tonight in spite of upper 70s and humidity. At least there was a breeze. 22 today, 75+ this week.

Slow 5 with Kathy and Erica. I was too sore from yesterday to call it easy, but I eventually loosened up after 3.5 or so. First mile was like 11:30 pace. Ugh. Gotta figure out how to mix quality training with rest. Probably should cut back on some of these shorties.

Hilly 8 at dawn with 10 hill sprints at the end. I was really stiff for the first 2 miles, as usual, and didn't really get going until the middle of the horseshoe. But the rest went well. Lot of traffic, as you would expect, and had to be on my toes, but no major issues. All in all, not a bad run. Now for work.

Bed magner got me this morning, so that and need for stress reduction obliged me to get out after dark for 6. Ended up pushing it pretty hard with the last 0.7 at roughly MP. Legs felt pretty good once I got atop the hill by Hardscrabble, which is probably why I pushed it. That and I wanted to get through with it, eat and get to bed.

Up at 4:30, did 6 with Sheri and Sherrie, then 9 on my own. Ran faster without them. Pretty good run,. all things considered. Then I got slammed for 10 hours at work. Bleah. The 15 wasn't the problem at work, the up at 4:30 was.

Took Saturday off, bed magnet got me this morning after Tiff cancelled, so I felt obliged to get in a fish after work. Waited until almost 9 to let it get below 80 degrees, and it wasn't much below 80 even then. Warmed up slow, finally felt like running the last mile. Tiff is supposed to actually show up in the morning. We'll see ;)

Tiff showed up this morning (knockout as ever) but her AT isn't ready to run yet. So she cut it short after 0.9 and I kept going for a total of 6.33. Humid as heck. Got it up to MP going back to the Support House on M. I think I lost more fluid in 6.3 than I have in a couple of 18s this winter. Now for work and stalking Mary Jo, Abrena and Cindy in Boston.

Wow. Since my last post, spent much of my time, not tracking runners in Boston, but trying to find out if friends were safe after the bomb blasts on Boylston. That hit me hard, not the least of which I was running down that same street 104 weeks ago. So I decided to organize a little memorial run this afternoon. Daniel, Brenda and I did 5 miles at 1 p.m., then Jill and I did 4 at 2. I still owed Jill a cold beverage from the Guess Jeff's Mileage contest a while back, so we decided an 86-degree afternoon would be a fine time to collect. And we went to Applebee's and got margaritas. Boy, did they hit the spot. The run? A struggle with the heat and humidity. Jill could tell I wasn't doing well, and I wasn't. Just too damn hot for me. I felt like I was breathing soup. But I got it done.

About 35 degrees colder than yesterday, and with the wind, felt like a lot more than 35. Great day to do 9. Felt like running, and running fast. At least the part where I was on my own. The second leg with the WRA group, I reined it in.

Eighteen this morning in three segments. First, 5.7 with the Angels, basically practicing race pace for OKC. Went well, and my HR hovered around 120 the whole way. Then 6.1 with Travis, who kinda invited himself to join us but seems to be a nice guy. That was about 10:00 pace. Then 6.2 alone, pushing it to try to get the overall average down to 10:00. Didn't quite get there, but got to 10:02. Legs responded OK when I asked them to move faster even though I was tired. I think I know now how to shift gears in a race.

This run actually took place on Wednesday and I forgot to log it. So the "Wednesday" run happened Thursday and the "Thursday" run happened Friday. This was the Wednesday evening session from Creekmore. Temperature 87, humidity plenty, wind also plenty, which helped keep me cool but also made me work harder. Jill and I were struggling just to do this at 10:00 in that heat.

Out before the Fayetteville trip for an easy 6 with a litle progression built in.

Up way too late last night after some extremely disappointing information obtained from Facebook about someone I thought I knew. Guess I was wrong, and it upset me, thus up until 2:30 and up again at 7:30. Wasn't sure I could actually get myself out the door, but a group run with Kathy, Daniel, Michael and Jim F. was the ticket to get me going. Wound up with a decent run despite mid-70s temps.

Eight plus this morning on the SHS-Free Ferry loop. Went OK once my back loosened up. Tonight, speed work at Ramsey with the clinic group. Not sure how many of them will actually show up. Staci won't be running after her 50K, I know that. Now off to my work waste, uh, monthly meeting.

Intervals actually went well. Needed six laps to warm up even though it was 80 out there due to stiffness from this morning, but then 5x660 went ok.  Reps were 2:45, 2:36, 2:42, 2:34 and 2:36, and 2:37 was target pace.

Easy run to and from SHS, dodging high school kids all the way (no issues, just a lot of traffic). Felt pretty good on the return leg and decided to do 100m strides; wound up doing 8 of them. I think that's going to have to be a major feature of the next 4.5 weeks. The legs have to learn to go fast again. My knees were really achy for the first mile, but that eased up too, thankfully.

Twelve miles progression on Phoenix. Perfect running weather. If it's like this in OKC, or TC, I'll be very pleased. Legs tightened up a couple of times, but I was able to shift gears and keep going, and they loosened again. I wish I'd known how to do that in Boston instead of folding up. Runs like this make me think it just might happen.

Pushed a 10K a bit after work, with last two-thirds of a mile at sub-MP. Felt good. Back it off now for OKC, but maybe the pieces are falling together.

Easy before work with Tiffany. Now off to OKC.

Ran OKC this morning with Sheri. Wasn't going to go fast, knew that months ago. The plan was to get Sheri (and hopefully Sherrie and Heidi) a big PR. Heidi got hurt last month, and Sherrie got caught up in the crush of people and never found us before the race. But Sheri and I stuck together for nearly five hours, and she got a 13-minute PR. Which I find extremely gratifying. She put her trust in me today, and I helped her get what she wanted. And I like Sheri very much, which makes it that much better that she reached her goal.

As for me, I was treating it as a training run, forgetting that no matter how fast or slow you go, 26.2 is a really long way. I didn't cramp during the run, but boy, during our mid-afternoon lunch... Left hammy and quad both locked up within a couple of minutes. I had to quit eating and stand up to get them loose. And then I faced three hours plus in the car back to FS, but with cruise control and one stop, got home with no further issues.

Worried about whether to run today because there's been a tender spot in my left calf since Sunday night, and I'm thinking, what if it's a partial tear? But icing this morning seemed to help, and I decided to try it. It was a little stiff at first, but nothing too bad, and it got better as I went along. Wound up doing 7.40 and got down below 10:00 for the last 3+ miles. Dunno if I'll be ready to do a fast 10K at Toad Suck, but I'm not injured, anyway. Might just go out later for a double to get to 260 miles for the month, 'cause that's the kind of OCD fool I am.

Calf is feeling better. Not completely painfree, but enough that I can ignore it. Today, 86-degree heat was a much bigger concern than the calf. But I got 12 miles done in it at slightly under 10:00 pace, which is fine in this weather. Doing 15 with Tiff (partially) tomorrow, may or may not run Friday, 10K Saturday, run Sunday, LR Monday, and then it's taper time. I may have 75 miles in this week before the taper starts.

Ran 6 with Tiff this morning, then 9.4 on my own. She tried to cook me, getting down in the mid 8s by the end. I backed off after she left, but still kept it in the mid-9s. Average 9:31. Legs felt pretty heavy but kept the pace up regardless. I think I'm in shape now. Get through this weekend, taper like crazy, and then bust one in Michigan.

I'm amazed at how well Toad Suck went today. At the start I felt kinda blah, but I settled into a comfortable pace which was quicker than I expected. Staci and Joel let me know they were there early, and I responded by dropping them. Then, at about 4 miles, I realized I felt pretty good and had more to give, and I got faster. Could I have run a PR? Maybe not quite, but I could have gotten a lot closer than 51 seconds, which is what I did. I'm home now, about 11 hours after the race, after driving to Newport from Conway and then all way back to the Casa, and I'm feeling more aftereffects from the drive than the race. (Very good visit in Newport, by the way, but that's a little off the subject here).

Started out with a 7:27 split per Garmin; girl with stopwatch said 7:38, I think. Second mile was 7:32 per Garmin, then 7:42, which was the hilliest mile, and 7:44. That's when I realized I had more in the tank and accelerated. Fifth mile and sixth mile were both in 7:18 per Garmin. I know the girl with the stopwatch at 5 miles said 38:07, so I ran the last 1.21 in 8:44 if she was accurate. Per Garmin, the last 0.27 were at sub-7 pace. Total chip time was 46:51. My watch read 46:54 when I stopped it just over the mat. Anyway it goes, I'm pretty happy. Especially six days after a marathon.

It wasn't that I felt fast today. I didn't. But I felt strong. That pace didn't bother me, and I could have run faster. And I don't owe Staci dinner -- yet. Somebody said she was upset after the race. I know she wants to beat me. I made her the challenge to motivate her -- and motivate myself. I'm not gonna give up that free dinner without a fight. Now if she wants to go out with me, that's another issue -- but that ain't gonna happen. Which is fine. I have other fish to catch.

Today gives me a load of confidence going to Bayshore. If I felt this strong at 7:32 average pace, it's an indicator I can hold 7:59 for 3.5 hours.

Met Tiffany at her house and we hammered one for almost 11. Dawdled the first mile at 9:30 pace, everything else was low 9s/high 8s. I dropped her on Old Greenwood hill, then let her catch up, then dropped her again on the last three blocks to her house. It was her longest run in a while, and I'm getting into race mode. But, as usual, a very nice time, terrific scenery :) good conversation and she made me work. If I get BQ, she'll get a lot of the credit for getting me ready. Getting me out of the house when I otherwise might have slept in, and making me run hard.

Planned to do 18 with maybe 10 at MP. Nope. All this running caught up to me today. I labored through 12.4 with maybe a quarter mile at MP if that. Decided not to fight it. Waited too late, too darn warm. But it's taper time now.

Intervals at SHS, 5 X 600. Nailed 'em, too. Times were 2:38-2:34-2:34-2:34-2:34-2:34. The splits for 7:00 pace are 2:36ish, so right where I wanted them. Rained part of the time; wish it had been more of the time, because it got real humid after the rain stopped. Good run before work.

Seven before work after taking T to the airport. Felt really sluggish when I first started, but that improved and by the last three miles, I felt pretty good. Knocked out 10 strides during the last mile and a half. Paces went from 10:29 for the first mile to 8:33 for the last, including those strides. Maybe this accelerated taper (skipping a day or two extra) will be helpful.

So-so MLR this morning. Weather was ideal. Legs weren't. I pushed on and picked up the pace on the second loop, and last 1.5 was below 9:00. I'd give this one a C. But it's also in the books. Last MLR before Bayshore.

Up at crack of chickens to meet the crew at MP, and this morning there was a bigger crew. Elaine, Stacy and Kara were there from WRA. Sheri realized (or I told her) that Elaine and Stacy didn't have a light and would be going slow, so she dropped back to tell them the route. I kept going, figuring we'd get back together at the three-mile mark when Sherrie and Kara finished. Well, that didn't happen. Sheri ended up getting with Pattie and Cindy, who started about the time we finished the three mile loop, and I did the last 13 miles by myself. Ended up picking up the pace so that the last 6 was sub-9. Didn't feel great, but got it done.

Easy 4 with the Creekmore crew. Sherrie and I ran together because we were both going 4, and wound up running about 9:10 pace on the return leg. It was humid as heck though. Danny did 7, and by the time he got back his gold singlet was see-through from the sweat. Anyone who didn't know he had a tattoo on his left pec, knows now. Then we went to La Huerta for dinner and silliness. Or silliness and dinner. We "celebrated" Elizabeth's birthday. Elizabeth's birthday is in January, I think. Sherrie was responsible for that particular escapade.

Got in the last MLR before Bayshore. It started out as just 8, but I felt pretty good, the weather was cool if foggy/humid, and I had time, and I figured, get the 13 out of the way and have that much more recovery time. So I did. Ran the first 6.6 with Sheri and Pattie at about 10:00, then put the hammer down in the last 6.4. Not quite to MP but close. Only issue I had was a bit of queasiness at around 11 miles, but that subsided as I accelerated (or ignored it). Off to San Antone this afternoon, to return a certified corch, as Willie Tate would have said.

Thought about taking today off, but I needed to get out and run after sitting in class all day at the RRCA meeting. I'd mapped out a 5-mile run behind the hotel, not realizing that a half-mile of it was through an apartment complex with a security gate. Oops. So I did a little detouring, still got almost 5, then looped around the hotel once when I got back. Pace was OK. Temp wasn't; it was near 90 and I needed a better headband. It was hilly enough to be a bit of a challenge but not terrible. Pace was 9:42 average, maybe even a little faster than I had planned. There was enough breeze that I wasn't dying from the heat, although it was definitely uncomfortable. I'm gonna have to do some runs in weather like this during the summer; I can't do every run at 5 a.m.

Humid early morning run in San Antonio with five other folks from the RRCA class. Pace was 10ish, except Steven wanted to walk some. Temp was not horrible, about 70, but humidity very high. I didn't remember SA being this humid. I guess it is. Not a dry thread by the time we got done. Fortunately, we were right there at the club to shower, change and go upstairs for the class. Off tomorrow to fly home, dress rehearsal Tuesday morning. Oh, and take the test some time. Also have to remember to email Randy a copy of my Red Cross certificate.

Scheduled RD Monday, then thunderstorms wiped out yesterday. So I finally got out in the fog this morning for the dress rehearsal. Legs felt really heavy and I was working too hard, but then the last two miles things kicked in and I felt better and ran faster. The Newtons did OK, except one came untied. I guess they were just tied too tight last week. Probably one more little jog, and then it's balls on the table at Bayshore. Do or don't do; there is no try.

Arrived in Traverse City, went for a shakedown run along Munson Ave. Little did I know that everyone's yard along there is a sand dune. I spent 33 minutes jumping over stuff. More work than I wanted to put in. Then I hammered the last half mile to start the Aussie carbload. Oh well, just show up tomorrow, run as fast as I can for as long as I can and see what happens.

I'll come back with a full race report at some point. For right now, let's just say I crashed and I'm not happy. I cut too many corners in training. Skipped too many tempo runs and MP work. I can't do that. I'm not fast enough to cut corners. I have to do all the work. And it caught up to me very early. I pretty much blew up at the half. I was within a minute of my goal at the half, and then ran the inward half in 2:03. That is not going to get it done until I'm about 65. But I hurt more at the finish today than I did after any of my three faster marathons.

Easy 4 at dawn at Marketplace with Sheris and others. Hammys/glute still a littl sore from Saturday, but not too bad, and I got some good stretching in after the run. Overall I'd say I felt better after I finished than when I started -- but I still want to go back to bed. May go for easy 6 tomorrow at Creekmore, after tonight's undate with Tiffany.

Speaking of dates, things are developing quickly with Emma, more quickly than I would have believed. Stay tuned to this fast-breaking story... 

Niggle in the thigh today, left leg felt weak, quads or something weren't firing. Think I'll take a few days off. Now's when I can afford that most.

Back in the saddle after five days off. Really felt sluggish after the layoff. Kept the pace low and slow for the SHS run and felt better by the end. Today marks the start of training for St. George, so we'll see how that progresses with Alaska and other races thrown in.

Six slow with Kathy. Talked about a lot of things. Jennifer, and Emma, and Tiffany, and marathons, and women in unhappy marriages. That hour just kinda flew by. The run was just OK. Still a little sluggish but not as bad as yesterday.

Hills from the schoolhouse with the Sheris, Ronda, Pattie, and Emily. Uphills made my glutes hurt, but I felt better after the run than before it. Still trying to get back in the swing.

Long run from the Schoolhouse with Lia, Jamie, Heather, George, Spencer and (briefly) D. Langford. I knew they were going to hammer me and they did. Lagged behind until the five-mile water stop. After that, I kept up, and passed them in the last mile. Of course, they were all going another 8... Overall average was 8:28. I didn't have autolap on so I don't have mile paces, but I remember the average was 8:33 at the water stop, so that would make the pace for the last two-plus probably in the 8:15 range. And 8:28 is still faster than I averaged at Bayshore :(

Slow and humid. Summer is definitely here. Bleah. Intervals tomorrow should be interesting.

Intervals at the track. Hot, humid, steamy, lung-burning intervals. 8 x 400 at 5K pace. I was supposed to do 12 of them. Nope. Not in this weather, wasn't in the cards. Eight was all I could do, and even then, I get very lightheaded at the end of my cooldown laps and had to sit in the shade for a while before I drove home. It was 81 degrees with 72% humidity in mid-workout, probably even worse by the end. Only a bit of breeze made it even marginally tolerable.

Since there was no more appropriate option available than "easy", that's what I put, but it wasn't. Threshold might have been more appropriate, as in threshold of heat stroke or threshold of swimming. I felt like I was breathing water and I didn't have gills. Even a 10:00 pace was too fast and I couldn't maintain it. Heather said she struggled too, although she left me way behind. I either have to run before dawn or give up and run indoors. This is not gonna work.

Six slow with Rose this morning. She CAN run this slow, see? It was muggy but not too bad. Main issue was left leg went numb, then recovered, then went numb again, worse. It almost buckled on me coming down off a curb on one street crossing, which was a little scary. Never hurt, just numb and weak feeling. Got through the run, and sensation soon returned.

Mile race tomorrow. Not sure how that's going to go. Equivalence tables say I should be able to run a 6:30. Dunno about that. Especially if the leg acts up again. But I guess I'll target a 6:30 and see what happens. 

Mile race went better than I hoped. I ran 6:31 and really left some time out there I think. If I'd come up with four seconds, I'd have finished 7th AG instead of 10th. And I wasn't ready to puke when I crossed the line, so the effort was obviously suboptimal. :0 But to get a 6:31 out of these legs, as horrible as I had felt 48 hours earlier after my death march with Heather, is OK. I don't think I can go sub-6, but 6:15 might be doable with better training, a little bit more effort and a tiny bit of taper.

Speed work at SHS this morning before work. Didn't want to do it, made myself anyway. I wouldn't say I feel better but I'm glad I got out there.

This was supposed to be a tempo run like 7:50 pace. Legs didn't have it, it was humid, we ran the amphitheater route the wrong way, and the whole thing just sucked. Finally got to run with Debbie Lashley which is nice. Also met Lia's daughter (the only one I beat). Hank drove over too. Overall 6.9 in 59 and change. I think I would have finished 7 in an hour if I'd pushed it, and that included some walking. A tough run, but hopefully one that will pay dividends in, oh, early October.

Report to come

Run at the Schoolhouse with the fasties. I wasn't one of them. Four miles hard trying and failing to keep up, six miles of struggle. Got it done, got to 1000 miles for the year. That's the only good thing. It was miserable. Dewpoint in the mid 70s.

Intervals at the track after dark. Just couldn't get out the door in time beforeit got hot (chat with SAndra might have had some thing to do with that). REps went OK. Just couldn't make myself do that sixth 800.

Recovery run with the Sheris. They were actually going faster than I had planned but was able to keep up, which was a little surprising. This run started 7 hours after I finished last night's track workout, and I was up at 3:45, so not much rest in between. This summer has actually not been brutally hot (yet), but man is it humid. My shorts are dripping and my socks are squishing at the end of every run. And I haven't worn a shirt on a run since the Go Mile.

Tempo run at the storm shelter with the speed burners. Well, tempo is a bit of a misnomer, especially on the bike trail up to the amphitheater. Just running at all was a struggle. Again felt like I was breathing soup today. Three walk breaks, I think, and still averaged sub 8:30, so not too bad. Definitely better than my last attempt at a tempo run last Thursday on the same course.

For now in this weather this will do as an MP run. I forgot my watch so no splits. After two miles I was 100 yards or so behind Lia and Jaycee and decided I was going to catch up. It took me another two miles to do that. When I did catch up she said they were averaging 8:30 pace. I moved ahead of them in the next mile to the water break, then in the last two miles put down the hammer and caught Debbie and Terry too. I suspect there may have been some miles in the 7s in there. I was working, I know that. Total time for 7.00 was 58ish, about a 7:20 average?

Ended June with 11 slow and easy. Ran 3.1 with Sheri before everyone else got there, then 8 with Rose, Jessi and Lionel. I think we were running about 9:30 miles for the last 8, but the Garmin died at about 7 miles so I don't know for sure. The loop got me back to the car at 11.1 and I decided to shut it down rather than stretch it another mile. Only 116 this month with way too many off days. I'll have to do better in July.

Tweaked the schedule a bit. Instead of easy 6 this morning and speed work tomorrow before work, decided to do the speed work today with the crew at SHS and the easy 6 tomorrow. It was a little warmer than forecast when I got out there. The rest of the bunch showed up while I was in my first rep and we only actually did one together, but it accomplished the goal of holding me accountable. 5 x 1000 at something resembling 5K pace. Can't give you all the splits because the Garmin locked up in auto pause at the start of the fourth rep, but they were close. I was still a little tired from Sunday's 11, but it wouldn't have been much better 12 hours later. Would have been cooler though.

Easy run with the ladies from Marketplace, which was just what I needed 10 hours after track work. Felt good enough to put the hammer down for the last mile, sorta, to catch and pass Jennifer, Summer and Summer's fetus. Last mile was 8:26 so I guess that qualifies.

The Garmin is pretty much shot. Barely lasted through an hour run. Sigh. 

Low and slow with the Angels at Ben Geren. I didn't need to be going fast, and I didn't. Picked it up some as I finally got warmed up,. Also met Tracy and Ashley after the run, couple of WRA grads. Hmmm... This one was just getting the miles in.

Bed magnet got me on the 4th. Tiffany asked me to run with her today and I figured that would make sure the bed magnet didn't get me again, then I'd do my tempo run after I warmed up with her. Worked out that way, although the humidity was a complicating factor. I was struggling to maintain tempo pace, especially in the first three miles when I was running downwind. Into the wind I was able to go faster more comfortably but it was still a struggle. Basically broke it down into tempo intervals. My tempo miles were 8:10, 8:06, 8:04, 7:52, 7:55, 7:48. Clearly upwind was faster too.

Met the group at the WAR room but ended up mostly running alone. I forgot the watch, so had no idea of pace, just settled in at something that felt comfortable. My guess is mid-9s but not sure. I was through with 8.1 by 7:30, but not sure exactly when we started. Anyway it felt pretty good. I'd had a concern with a twinge in my left groin at work yesterday but it was no issue today at all.

Went out to Ben Geren at dawn. Couple of people had expressed interest in joining me, neither one did, so I went solo. Legs felt OK, but I had very little energy. I did one extended 5.1 mile Necessary Loop and called it a morning. Realized later that today's my six-year running anniversary. I'll have to figure out the exact mileage later, but I think it's somewhere north of 11,000 miles. I'll see how I feel tomorrow, may do the 10 I meant to do today. Or maybe not, with intervals set on Tuesday.

 OK, so tomorrow is the six-year date. Total mileage 11,154 miles. 

Dawdled around this morning and wound up going back to MAFC for an indoor 6. Legs felt pretty good after Tiffany's massage; I progressed to sub-9 pace easily and held it. Last mile may have been close to MP

Speed work with George and the speedburners at Ben Geren. Half mile warmup, blast 880, walk for 2 minutes, repeat. They were going to stop after four reps, I shamed them into doing two more. I got under 7:00 pace on every one of them without too much problem even with the high humidity. Very encouraging workout.

First running date this morning with Tracey at Ben Geren at dark-30. Couple of Ashleys and Myra along for the run. We were going at 10:40 pace, which was no strain at all for me but Tracey was working hard. I think she had a good time though, and we'll do this again. Like on Friday.

Another morning run with Tracey, this time on the bike trail. Hillier than she was ready for, I suppose, but she got through it in about an hour. Not too bad. She's starting to get the bug, I think, and it's fun to watch. Yesterday wiped out by thunderstorm at dawn. I don't object too much to missing a tempo run because I'll get hammered tomorrow anyway.

Hammered 12 miles from the Schoolhouse with George and the gang. I haven't pushed a long run like this in a very long time. After first two miles were 8:47/8:42, the rest was quite fast and two miles were sub-8. Granted, they were downhill, but so is St. George. It was quite a bit cooler this morning which helped. And Lionel had watermelon for us after the finish. Yum! Very, very encouraging/.

Took it very easy around Ben Geren with the gang today at about 10:30 average pace for 7.8. It took about 4 miles to get over yesterday.

Slow and easy with Tracey, Ashley M and Myra. Tracey was in full whine mode this morning but she actually ran pretty well. She's getting stronger whether she realizes it or not. As for me, just shaking off the kinks from a hard weekend.

Mile repeats at 5K pace. Three of them anyway in 98% humidity. Then I "jogged" the last 1.5 at MP which felt really, really easy. Nailed the pace too -- 7:01, 6:59, 7:00. I'm getting stronger in spite of myself. Maybe I'll have a chance at St. George after all.

Easy 7 this morning. Tracey begged off with a nosebleed so I ran with the Ashleys for three miles, then peeled off on the bike trail and did the last 4 by myself. It was humid as heck but the legs felt good and a 9:40ish pace was comfortable. I cooked Flashley with that 9:40ish, even though I was trying to hang back with her. Then I saw Sheri getting out of G-fit this morning and got my hug so it was a good morning.

Progression run that was supposed to be a tempo run. But with the way my legs felt at the start, getting a progression done was a good sign. Actually got down to MP+5% for the last mile and change. Very humid. Legs were very tired. And George ran us up the big hill to the amphitheater, which is actually what kinda got me going after a 930ish start. Wound up with 8:55 average overall.

Slow and easy with Tracey and the Ashleys

Planned 14 this morning. Didn't get there. Didn't feel good, 91% humidity, no breeze, and twisted my ankle going under the Rogers overpass. I was more than happy to shut down there. I'd hate to think how much I would have dragged through work if I'd done the extra 4.8 miles... Just one of those bad runs. I'm sure 25 degrees cooler on Saturday in Cordova will feel much, much better.

Another stoopid humid morning at Ben Geren with Tracey, Flashley and Myra. Ran 3+ with them and then another 2+ faster alone. And I found a $5 bill on the parking lot with no cars for 100 yards in any direction.

Guilty of sluggishness yesterday and got very little accomplished, zero from a running standpoint. Today, up at COC to go get my hug from Sheri and then meet Tiffany for a not-so-easy 6. She pushed the pace as usual and my efforts to dial her back were not successful. But I guess it was good to shake the kinks out, especially since I blew off speedwork yesterday. In 24 hours we'll be in Dallas on the way to Alaska. In 33 hours we'll be IN Alaska. Wow.

Ugh. Gravel for 15 miles = IT band trouble for 26 miles. 47 minute positive split. But I finished, I wasn't DAL, I broke 5 hours and I'm now a Marathon Maniac. And I will never run three marathons in 90 days again.

Run in the rain with the Angels. Well, once I caught them; I started probably four minutes behind. Then I turned around early once I did catch them because I didn't want to run that far this morning, three days after a marathon. Easy 4 sufficed. ITB behaved itself.

Slow and easy with Sheri and Pattie over the hills from the Schoolhouse. Except that you can't get to the Schoolhouse right now so we parked on Massard. Legs felt OK. Dewpoint of 73 didn't.

Had a lot of fun and a lot of sangria at Heidi's house last night. Then got up at  4:15 to run with Tiff. As usual, she wanted a hilly course and she wanted to cook me. And she did. We averaged sub-9 and it felt faster than that. The humidity didn't help either. My car said the temp was 77 when I finished; NWS only says 73. Whatever. It sucked, But I got it done. Legs were OK, rest of me was dragging.

 Tiff made some suggestions during the run that I'll have to think about, the implications being that if I do these things, the attraction issue might change. Hmm. Expensive way to get where I want to get, but if I get there... 

Progression run with Sheri and the crew. Humid. Not much else to report.

Recovery run with Sheri's 5:15 a.m. group. Kept it slow which worked for me in the 90% humidity.

800 repeats in the dark with the speedburners. Did reasonably OK for my first speed work in a while.

81 degrees at dawn. Yuck. Got it done, barely

Bailed out on the bike trail loop this morning. I was sluggish, slow and nauseated.Then a thunderstorm hit as I was going back to the shelter and my car. No french fry status fortunately. But not a good run at all. Dewpoint was 78 as we ran.

Struggled with the heat, the humidity, the lack of breeze and very little sleep. But not as much as Jenny, who I saw walking three different times. Managed top 10 AG anyway, so a lot of people were struggling. Hopefully there will be more GP points than that as some weren't GP runners. I couldn't even get to my goal pace at the start, much less maintain it, and from there... My goal shifted to not walking and breaking 25:00 and I managed to do both.

Almost two hour slog through the humidity. Overcast, so no sunshine, and a touch cooler than yesterday, but the humidity was no better. And the legs were very heavy. I told Lionel it felt like someone had implanted two flashlight batteries in both calves; they felt swollen and heavy. We averaged 10:18 pace with walk breaks so not too bad on that front. I had planned to do 15, but another 4.5 wasn't happening.

Thunderstorm wiped out the 5:15 speed work, so I did it indoors at MAFC after work. 6 X 1 mile at 7:40ish pace, warm up and cool down and recovery intervals, total of 9.2. The intervals went better than I had expected after Sunday's slog. Goal pace was 7:50; I was slightly under it (I think) on all six reps, although without the Garmin it's difficult to be certain. New Garmin should arrive soon, BTW. Tonight definitely improved my confidence though.

Out on the road barely eight hours after the speed workout, and I had nothing. Kathy and Sheri ran me into the ground. They were running faster than usual, but basically low 9s. I couldn't keep up, and after 2.5 I essentially punted and let them go. The hammies just did not loosen. Weather was great, actually in the 60s. But that didn't help sore legs.

Ran the amphitheater route this morning with Sheri and crew. Handled the hill better than usual then hammered the downhill. Even with early walk breaks, wound up sub-9 pace average. Nice to have a good run after yesterday's fail. With 51 days to go, I can't afford too many fails.

Easy run with the Sheris and James, then two miles on my own. It was mid-60ish, still warm enough to work up quite a sweat but not enough to get drained. Legs were OK once I finally got warmed up.

Yep, it felt like the last 16 miles of a marathon, exactly what the Hansons want. Wound up with about a 9:15 average after getting to 13.1 in almost exactly two hours. Wound up doing just about all of it solo after the speedburners all left me. But that's OK. I've done many many solo long runs, and at least they motivated me to get out of bed at 4:10 when I finally heard the alarm that went off at 4.

Six miles indoors at MAFC after work, felt comfortable at 9:00 pace. Four laps walk to cool down. Then upper body weights and a four-minute plank. All that and a busy 10-hour day after not much sleep. Up at dawn tomorrow for 1.5-mile reps. This should be interesting.

Took Tuesday off after I woke up with an extremely tender left knee, somewhere around the tibial plateau. Decided to test it today. Should have done that at dawn but decided to wait until the resumption of the Creekmore Wednesday evening run, complete with heat index of 96. Yuck. Felt like I was swimming, and 5.15 was a serious struggle. Any longer and I would have been courting heatstroke. But I got through without hospitalization, although the pee was a bit on the amber side when I got home.

Plan was for 4 x 1.5 miles at 7:50 pace. That didn't happen but I got in 3.5 at sub-8 pace which is not too bad given the heat and how I felt. Another 2.5 might have been dangerous.

Did 1.5 warmup, 1 mile in 8:00, .25 recovery,  400 in 2:00, .25 recovery, mile in 7:42, recovery, mile in 7:41, recovery, 400 in 1:49, recovery for 0.9.

Seven in the soup this morning on the Necessary Loop. Tiffany had wanted to run with me but backed out last night, so I had to get motivated to go solo. There was some cloud cover and a bit of breeze, so not as bad as it could have been (and was yesterday), but it was bad enough, Kathy L. and David were out there too slogging through the soup. I wore the HRM and tried to keep it below 130. As it got warmer, the sun came out and I sped up slightly to get the thing over with, not so much, but the average was 134 which is acceptable for this humidity I guess. Definitely the socks and shorts splashed when I threw them in the washer.

Not easy. Tried to start out at 9:00 pace, maybe a tad under, from the Schoolhouse, but couldn't maintain that (and was getting left behind anyway). Humidity got me bad. There was dew on the car when I got back, so I assume we were at 100% humidity. It sure felt like it. Got 11 done somehow at an overall 10:20 pace. The legs just had no snap this morning. Hopefully they have some next Saturday when I'm racin'.

Predawn run cancelled by GI issues, so I waited until after lunch and went to MAFC for indoor run. Got going as the run went on (with one GI interruption) and was near MP for the final two miles. It seemed a little warmer in there than usual but got through with two water breaks, none in the last six miles. Legs definitely felt better than yesterday. Everything felt better than yesterday in fact.

This was supposed to be a recovery run. And maybe it was until the last two miles, which were basically hills, one way or the other. And now my legs don't feel recovered at all,. Also lost three pounds of fluid in eight miles. Dewpoint of 72 will do that. Not much sleep either, so I'm about to go catch up on some of that.

Waited until after work to do my speed/strength workout, which wound up indoors at MAFC. Worked better the way. I just don't think my legs are awake at 5:15 a.m. Plan was 3 X 2 miles at sub 7:50, and once I got the pace down after the first mile, I nailed it. Splits 7:56, 7:41, 7:50, 7:43, 7:50, 7:46. Total with warm, cool and recovery was 10ish. Pretty happy with that one, and it's about time to start having some good workouts with St. George only 38 days away. Now I have to figure out how to handle the rest of the week with a race on Saturday.

Slow and easy on Phoenix this morning. Wore the HRM and tried to keep it below 125 as much as I could. Didn't entirely succeed but the AHR was 122, so I guess that achieved the goal. I was pretty stiff for the first 1.5 then loosened up. I found myself having to consciously slow down to keep th heart rate down.

Progression run over the bike trails. Didn't realy get loose until the water stop at 3.5. After that, I was mostly under 9:00 with the aid of a buncha downhills. Coincidentally that's what I'll see in Utah. Hmmm. Felt much better at the finish than I did at the start or at the water stop. Alyza texting me at 2 a.m. didn't help any; kinda messed up my sleep. Hopefully this sets me up for a good run in Dogtown Saturday morning. Short and easy tomorrow, maybe 4 indoors or something.

Started a little stronger and held on better today than I did at Hope. And almost caught Jenny at the line. I think my chip time would have been faster than hers because she started ahead of me but I just couldn't find enough acceleration to catch her at the end. Top 5 in AG works; hoping that will move me up into top 10 and I should make up some points next weekend at Batesville. Then I roasted at the football game for five hours. Sheesh.

Progression run with Langford from the WAR room, cut short due t being up late and need to work later. Started really slow, hammered the last half mile. Not bad, but not the 16 I wanted.

Recovery jog. That is all. Other things on my mind, much more important than running.

Getting the long run done I didn't do Sunday. A little cooler but still soupy and I chose a course for the last 10 miles with plenty of hills. In spite of that, managed a bit of progression and wound up with 9:56 average and a fastest mile of 9:11. But basically it was just getting 16 miles in the books with 32 days to go.

I'm kinda guessing about the marathon pace part, because I forgot my watch, but I was definitely pushing the pace on a 4 mile route. It could have even been sub MP. Felt much better after I finished, so much so that I might do a shortie indoors this afternoon.

Went back and got that double done, with some weight work before and after. I didn't even notice pace, just tried to keep the HR below 130 (mosty succeeded but not entirely). Got the new Vittaras, my race shoe for St. George, and took them for a test spin. So far OK. I'll get in one LR in them at least before the trip.

Note: the miles listed for WEdnesday the 4th were run on Thursday the 5th. 

Out to the Necessary Loop this morning for a recovery run, to shake the kinks out before I drive to Batesville. Kathy and David ran off and left me; I was doing 10:00 pace and they dusted me while Gallowalking. I got a little faster as I went on, averaged 9:15 overall, but I never did catch them, and I didn't see them again once they topped the hill going down to Crimson.

The Last Lap for Sara today. They're not doing this race any more. And I was one second from getting a trophy. He wasn't GP, so I didn't know him and I couldn't come up with a kick to pass him or anyone else. Or maybe I just didn't. I was very disappointed when I saw the results, and I was more disappointed when I saw that Sara's father was handing out the awards. I didn't have much life in the legs, and the course was very, very hilly, but I did a good job of hanging on. Splits were 7:31, 7:30 and 7:37; last mile had a big uphill. Actually it shows I did kick, but not enough. Good GP points; I'll get 16 for third place.

Shakedown run indoors. Had planned to do somewhere in the 6 to 10 range but shut it down after 4 when the leg went numb again.

Crack o chickens run, six with the crew, six alone. Sheri and Cindy S. pushed the pace pretty good for the first 6 and made me work. Then I did the Phoenix run and decided to keep going past the planned 10 to get 12. That 12 was about my limit though. I was starting to hurt te last mile. Averaged 9:12 overall even with walk breaks in the first 6, so we were moving pretty good.

Eight miles after work at MAFC with 5 at MP. Could have gone farther if I'd started earlier, but didn't want to go too late with a dawn run tomorrow and then work. I finished at 9:07 pm as it was. Glad I got it done though. I've been neglecting MP runs, in part because the legs don't want to go that fast at 5:15 almost every time.

Progression run with Kathy L, David, Jill and Erica. Struggled to keep up for 2.5 until I got warm, then ended up dusting them.

Finally a decent MP run with the fasties. Brett dusted me and everyone else, but I outran Jamie and Terry. Of course Jamie had 11 more miles to do, but it's been a while since I outran her at any distance. Didn't quite get under 8:00 as the last uphill got me, but averaged 8:02. Weather was finally decent, about 64. I probably would have done better with another hour of sleep, but I'll take this. With 21 days to go and the taper about to start, I think all my quality work from here on will have to be about like this, although distance may vary.

Recovery run, the one I should have done yesterday. Kept it slow with AHR below 130. Still averaged 9:50 pace. Never even came close to getting out of breath. Still quite sweaty though.

Tried to do 16 this morning. Legs didn't cooperate after a pitstop at 6ish; they tightened up and refused to loosen. And I was miserable anyway so I bailed at 11.2. I've done some 16s. I'll do 12 .4 this weekend. If that ain't enough, oh well.

I don't even want to try to describe yesterday. No sleep, enormous emotional stress. And no run. I crashed at 7 p.m. and slept pretty well. Out to the Schoolhouse at crack o chickens for a run with the high five group. Legs cooperated, unlike Tuesday, Went ahead and did 7 but no real stresss before the 20k.

Easy 5 in the rain with Kathy. Kept the pace comfortable and the rain helped keep us cool even with high humidity. We'll see if I'm up to 20K in the morning but it should be cooler.

Back for another try at the 20k in Benton. Legs weren't fresh with taper just beginning. I decided to basically do an MP run for 20k, then darn if I didn't run the first 5k in 24:06. Couldn't hold that pace of course, and didn't, but averaged 8:05. I need to run 20k a minute faster in two weeks then hold that pace for 22k longer. Yikes! Fortunately the downhill will help. The uphills sure didn't help today.

Intended to do 10 easy this morning but I let the gang drag me along too far before I realized it was too late to turn around and go back. And on the last downhill on Massard, decided to pick it up to MP to practice that on tired legs, and held it for 0.8. All in all not bad. Overall a 10:00 avertage even with walk breaks.

Recovery run at Ben Geren at 9:30, still actually cool and comfortable in spite of bright sunshine. Legs were OK after a mile or so. Now for my meeting at Mercy.

Mile repeats at Ben Geren with the crew. I don't know if I'm stronger or it's because the weather finally cooled down, but reps around 7:45 were no trouble and the last two were 7:26 and 7:31. Might actually be ready to do something special in St. George.

Interesting morning on the amphitheater loop. There was a pit stop. There was nausea. There was a minor twinge on the left tibia that put me into full taper madness panic. But  got six good miles done anyway. Nice to see Jamie the day after she got accepted for Boston. Had to give her a hug of course.

Low and slow with Sheri this morning. Three on our own, three with Kathy and her bunch. Or watching Kathy and her bunch cruise off into the distance. Hip flexors never fully loosened until the post-run stretch.

Pushed the pace a bit with Lia at the Schoolhouse. A friend of hers named Larry was there with his daughter and she rode her little bike the whole way as we ran. It was pretty cute and she was a sweet girl. Took me a couple of miles to get going then I actually left them behind in the last mile or so. Overall 9:19 pace, 

Eight miles of taper/stress reduction after work. Given the stress reduction part, you could guess it would be a progression, and it was. despite not getting pushed by Lia like yesterday, it still wound up around 9:31 average. Checked my pulse when I stopped and it was about 120, and I'd pushed the last mile pretty hard.

Easy run after dark through Ben Geren. Legs took a bit to loosen, but wound up around 10:00 average which is what I wanted.

Ran on the Vegas Strip this morning. Nice day for a run, cool, clear, not much traffic. Could have done without all the escalators and stairways to pedestrian bridges though. Those were more of a workout than I really wanted. Now off to St. George.

Dawn run down a trail I didn't know was there 10 minutes before. Nice and cool, although not nearly as cool as it's supposed to be in the morning up at Central. I hammered 4 minutes plus on the way back to start the Aussie carbload, then went straight to breakfast and had waffles and OJ. Probably will go to the expo, get my stuff, come back and rest, then go back this afternoon for the first timers lecture. Then the pasta dinner at 4 or so.

Best marathon time since Boston. I got all my legs had to give me today so I can't complain. I knew BQ was highly iffy; my training just did not go that well. Missed too many tempo runs and ran too many 5Ks in there. But if I'm not as fast as I was 2.5 years ago, I can still wring what I have out.

Too dark to see the Garmin for the first 3 or 4 miles so I just ran by feel and what traffic would permit. Which actually didn't work out too bad. I averaged 8:01 for the first 10K, which would have been OK if I could have followed it up with a strong second 10K. But between the toughest part of the course, a 1:43 stop at the portapotty and just some not very strong running, I got to the half in just under 1:51, and 8:27. Third segment was largely downhill and I took some advantage but not enough, averaging 8:08 from 21.1K to 30K. Last 7 miles were largely downhill as well and I just didn't have it. Then I pretty much bonked at mile 24 and struggled for the rest of the way, with 8:39 and 8:44 miles for 25 and 26. Managed a semi "sprint" for the last 0.22 which just got me down to the 8:00 pace I wanted all along.

But thanks to that little sprint and the pitstop in the first half, I wound up with my first lifetime negative split on a marathon. A whopping 22 seconds, but negative split nonetheless. Then I cramped. Bigtime. Hamstrings and calves. Nice volunteer helped me stretch the hammies as I lay supine on the grass. I wound up having to walk most of the way back to the hotel, which actually helped. Although I am hurting like a big dog now. I would say though that I squeezed out everything my legs had to give. I felt the calves trying to go a couple of times in the last three miles; after the finish they just went.

It's my fastest marathon since Boston, 2.5 years ago. I'm just not as fast as I was then; there's a reason why the BAA bumps up the AG standards by 5 to 10 minutes per five years. And I didn't execute the training plan properly either. Maybe if I'd trained properly I could have gone under 3:35. My time without the pitstop would have barely been a BQ next year when I jump up to the 55-59 AG. But I'll need to do better than that (and train better than that) to actually have a chance to get in the race for 2016.

Six mile run this morning then a mile plus walk with Sheri and Jill. Legs felt amazingly good four days after a hard race. I might actually be able to race decently at SC.

Out on the amphitheater loop from the school house with Sheri and the girls. Cindy S. pushed the pace pretty good and got me down to MP for the last 1.13, then a little walk recovery afterward. I thought it was pretty good speed five days out. Maybe I can run a decent SC 10K after all

Did the Southside/horseshoe loop for the first time in months. Nice change of scenery, even with the morning traffic going to AB, SHS and elsewhere. That spot on my left knee was initialy bothersome but settle down. It occurred to me that it could be an avulsion, or tendinitis of an attachment. I need to check out the anatomy of that area. Whatever, running doesn't seem to make it worse, although it may well keep it in a constant state of irritation.

Had to push it to keep up with Kathy L., Lo and Tiffany M this morning. Especially after a shoe-tying break. Wound up with sub-9:30 average even with brief walk breaks.

So much for saving my legs for Saturday. Busted the amphitheater loop trying to keep up with the crew, and largely failed. Even at that though I averaged 8:21 miles even with 8:56 first mile. Weather was great, in the upper 40s. Worked up a pretty good sweat anyway though, with AHR in the low 140s.

Course PR by 1:34 at Survivors Challenge after wrecking my car Friday night. Fortunately only part of me wounded was my wallet between the ticket and the upcoming car repair. I felt good. Second mile uphill was tough, but once I got on the horseshoe I started pushing it, and good thing because Lionel wasn't letting me pass him. But I did pass Lia. It was nice to beat her after she's smoked me on so many Thursday morning runs. Wound up 55th overall, sixth in AG. No bling but should be some nice GP points, especially since Kim Howard didn't show.

Miles were 7:34, 8:03, 7:39, 7:41, 7:27, 7:24, and then the last chunk was at 6:26 pace. Garmin says I ran 6.31; that extra 160 yards slowed me down a bunch :) Calculating my time for 6.214 gives an average of 7:41 instead of 7:35 on the Garmin. Given the hills and being two weeks out from a marathon at my age, I'll take it. But I still should have pushed that second mile more. I'm hoping to run about a 7:40 average next week at Soaring Wings but we'll see how that works.

Legs felt like lead this morning after yesterday's race. I toyed with the idea of stretching it out to 12 or more. Nope. Ten was plenty. Lots of fog this morning with temps in the mid-40s which was kinda surreal. Rose and David disappeared ahead of me into the gloom, and I'm sure I did the same to Kathy, Sheri, Jill and whoever else was out there (can't remember).

Ladder intervals at Ben Geren. It was COLD, folks. Which felt good, actually. 400-800-1600-800-400. Could have done more, didn't feel like pushing it to throw in  1200s or something. Turnover was good, several intervals under 7:00 pace and I actually beat Jamie and Deb on the last 400.

Easy crack o chickens run with Tiff and Jamie. We went all over the place; reminded me of the Monty Python 100-meter dash for people with no sense of direction. Recovery was the idea and I kept it pretty slow.

Pajama run, predawn silliness at Ben Geren for George's last group run. Jamie organized it and then didn't wear jammies -- but what she wore was OK too. Slow, slow, slow.

Legs just didn't have it in Conway this morning. Struggled to average 8:02 on a course I ran nearly 5 minutes faster five years ago. Sucked it up and pushed hard late; good thing or I might not have broken 1:50. Given how the legs felt, I guess 1:45 was OK.

Easy 10K at SHS after work, pretty consistent at 2:25 per lap. Legs still a little sore, but not really tight, after yesterday's race

Slow progression run at dawn through the fog. Only got down to 8:52 for the fastest mile, but two days out from a hard half, that's OK. Now to see if I can do strength intervals tomorrow. If I'm going to run a fast time at Memphis, I'll have to bust it. Now if Jill decides she wants me to pace...

Plan was for intervals at Ramsey. But it was raining and the cinder track turned into a lake during my warmup run. So I drove over to Southside and did the workout there. Still some puddles on the track, but no lake and I could run without fear of slipping in the mud. Wavered between 3 X 2 and 4 x 1.5 on the plan. Wound up with 4 x 1.5 at 7:43, 7:40, 7:38 and 7:36 averages. With recovedry jogs, warmup and cooldown, total of 10.40. I think the rain helped because it was 65 and humid, but the liquid kept me more comfortable.

Hills. Humidity. Lots of soreness from last night's track session. But I got 8.26 done this morning up and down Massard and the amphitheater path (the easy way). Then I took a three hour nap. We'll see if I'm up to MP run tomorrow.

*********

I've tended to give this blog short shrift for a while. Too much stuff to do, too little time. But I think today is an appropriate day to change that, at least for one day.

When I resumed running in July 2007, at age 46 after 21 years of indolence, I didn't think I had a snowball's chance of ever qualifying for Boston. Even the thought of training 40 miles in a week was overwhelming. But Sasha planted a seed in the spring of 2008, that maybe there was more left in these old legs than I thought. And that seed quickly sprouted into an obsession. I trained like a madman and a year and a half later, I had that precious BQ. A year and a half after that, I ran Boston, had one of the most wonderful weekends of my life, and vowed to return.

Then they made it six minutes tougher to qualify. I haven't been able to find those six minutes yet, or even improve on the PR that got me the BQ. I thought I might have to wait for the next age group bump to return.

Then those pressure cookers exploded on Boylston Street last April. The runner in the orange singlet who was knocked down by the blast? He was just about exactly on the path I took to the finish in 2011. After that, I had to be there in 2014. I had to show those bastards, and every other coward who might consider something similar, that runners are not going to be cowered by terrorists. We deal with searing heat, draining humidity, icy winds, foot-numbing cold, torrential rain and the vagaries of our own bodies. A hardware-store bomb is not going to deter us either.

How was I going to do that? Well, I'd run five marathons this year, four since the bombing, with varying degrees of speed but no BQ. So I was left with charity spots. I knew of a charity that friends had run for, more of a national-type charity than the more local ones for the Boston area. And I got hooked up with them. Tuesday night, I got the email that registration for those spots would open on Wednesday. And by dawn on Wednesday, I had registered. And made my hotel reservations shortly thereafter. I will indeed be in Hopkinton on April 21, 2014.  I'll run through Ashland and Framingham and Natick and Wellesley and Newton and Brookline and into Boston. I'll high-five kids, and kiss a coed or two, and hear the boisterous cheers on Heartbreak Hill and on the BC campus. I'll run through Kenmore Square and past Fenway Park, where Red Sox fans celebrated last night. And I'll cross that line on Boylston Street. And I'm sure I'll look over at the spots where the bombs detonated as I come down that final half-mile.

I have no doubt that the experience I have next April will be different than I had three Aprils previous. How could it not be? For all the prestige of qualifying for and running Boston, it had been just a race. Not any more. Now it's a statement, by a city, and by 36,000 runners who are making sure they'll be there. New York is rebuilding at the site of the World Trade Center. There are no destroyed buildings on Boylston, but we are rebuilding  too -- with our passion, our sweat, our endless miles and the molecules of shoe sole rubber we lay down on roads and sidewalks and trails all over the world. We are runners and we cannot be defeated by terror. We are all, indeed, Boston Strong. That's why I must be there, and why I will be there.

Hoped to do 12 with 9 at MP this morning. Uh, no. Couldn't even get to MP in the half mile I tried (maybe 8:10 was as quick as I got) and the legs had less than nothing. It was a struggle just to get 6 done. Oh well, bump up tomorrow to a 16 instead.

Joined Kathy, Jill, Erica, Tiffany and Virginia for a long run from Eastside this morning. They were all going 20+; slacker me (thanks to Hanson) was only doing 16. So I ran with them for 10 miles, turned around and headed back, and averaged less than 9 for the last six. Plenty of hills on the route, as running up and down Massard will do, and they ate my lunch. I was a little surprised I was able to hold pace and even pick up the pace in the last three miles once it flattened (although a little rest waiting to cross Zero, Phoenix and Rogers didn't hurt). I'm kinda glad it worked out this way; otherwise I would have only had one 16-miler before Memphis. Now I have two, plus the 15 from last Saturday.

Ten-miler today starting at noon. I left when Cindy got to 15 at NYC. I figured she'd finish before me. I was wrong. After a 10:30 first mile, I cranked it up pretty good and the last mile was essentially at MP. Not sure I could have picked a hillier course. Burnham to Free Ferry to Old Greenwood to Phoenix to Leigh to Cliff and back past Hardscrabble. Run that a few times I'll definitely be ready for Newton and HBH. Of course I've run this route before but not in a long time, and I don't think I pushed it this hard when I did.

Wound up with 57 for the week. I need to sustain that kind of mileage and build on it in the next five months to get where I want to be.

Cindy got her BQ anyway, despite a big fade. So pressure's on me now to get there for 2015.