Monday, April 9, 2018

Two Down,Twenty Four To Go.......

Second race of the season in the books,{blog} medal # 176 for the career and another Age Group Award to the collection.....just another race day for the Pale Kenyan......

Hard on the heals of my Love Run Half Marathon two weeks ago it was back to the Ben Franklin Parkway and W.River Dr for the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k,a race in it's 5th year now but new to me as this time two years ago I was still running round in circles on the track and this time last year still on a running hiatus.
15K is a seldom ran distance,between 01-05 when I was  a road racer I had a handful of 15K's out in Downingtown on July 4th and my last 15K was a XC in NYC at Van Cortlandt Park back in 14 but I was excited at the chance to continue to lower my mile pace,having set out to run 7 mins miles at the afore mentioned Love Run I managed 6.42 pace so getting down to 6.30 from 6.42 felt easier than the 7.00 I was at in pre season shape.....however thinking it and doing it..........#horse/differentcolour

I arrived at Eakins Oval by 6.45am for an 8am gun time,while a tad mild at 46 degrees it was positively balmy to the below freezing 32 degs from two weeks ago,I do look forward to next months Indy Half and Broad St Run race weekend and not require base layer of 3/4 length running tights and long sleeved running shirt.....he typed hopefully.....
Stripped down to race gear as the 5K runners went off at 7.15am I duly took my place in the corral,not sure how my predicted race time of 60.00 got me into the 4th corral and not the 1st but I eased my way up through said corrals to the lead corral and waited for the starting siren to go off
After a little zig zagging I found my way out to the right hand side of the Ben Franklin Parkway and into clear space a la the Love Run two weeks ago,by the time I hit Logan Circle and made my way back up the Parkway the field ahead of me had thinned out as I clocked 5.47 for my opening mile

Briefly there was a small cluster of four of us running together the lead two females and one other runner who were all younger than me and they soon pulled away as I clocked a 6.21 second mile followed by a 6.19 third mile my 5K time was 19.25.
By now I was in "no mans land" but also "in the zone" so I kept my focus on the runner ahead of me and made sure my arms were pumping and my knee lift and leg turnover was  correct.
6.33 for mile 4 b4 a 6.25 at mile 5
The turnaround was between the Conrail bridge and Falls Bridge and by now the leaders were heading back south on W.River Dr towards the Art Museum steps finish line,I counted off each runner ahead of me as I made the turn in 13th.
I wasn't surprised to be relegated to 15th as I'd seen two runners working together after I made the turn, a 6.43 mile at mile 6 and  40.00 at 10K,60.00 was there for the taking.

6.52 at mile 7 my slowest mile.....anytime I can run sub 7 and have 6.52 as my slowest mile I'll take it!!!
Remembering the Jen Rhimes quote about giving it everything I had over the final 2 miles I dropped a 6.38 mile at mile 8,clearly the three weeks of 8 mile tempo runs around the Art Museum Loop are paying off!
Passed again but for the final time inside the last mile I then threw in a 6.35 mile as I made my way towards the finish line
60.39 a shade over the 60.00 I had hoped for but off of 6.28 mile pace I had to be tickled pink by that.

16th across the finish line but 18th on the official race results which leads me to believe runners from the corral behind me ran faster......no harm no foul 18th in a field of 5032 is not to be sniffed at,nor is 2nd in the 50-54 age group my second age group award in two races......

I have a month now b4 an ambitious race weekend on May5th/6th Indy Half on the 5th BSR on the 6th
Hopefully w/ warmer weather on tap I can get close to the 5day/60mpw routine I want and w/ the 8 mile tempo run continuing and a return to the track for interval work who knows maybe I can continue to lower my mile pace????

Sunday, April 1, 2018

No Rest

Four o clock in the morning,still we cannot sleep,turning over turning round, twisting in our sweat they say there is no rest for the wicked ones dear God what is this evil that we must've done?

No Rest- New Model Army

Seldom one to rest on my laurels it was back at it this week following my Love Run half marathon success last Sunday.....there is after all a race on the horizon in less than a weeks time{Hot Chocolate 15K} and time it is said waits for no man.......not even a Pale Kenyan!!!
I was astute enough to know a half marathon followed by a 7 a side football game Sunday meant even though I had Monday off work I should also consider Monday a day off from training also,sometimes it's not what you do on your days off but what you don't do.....

Tue Mar 27th 12 Mile Recovery Run
Won't lie my upper thighs were still a tad sore from Sunday but figured what better way to get any residual crap out of my legs than running?
Easy 12 miler out and back along Kelly Dr,pretty soon my midweek runs are getting bumped up to 13 miles as I aim to start churning out hopefully 5day/60mpw training
If I thought I could ditch my Running Tights,Thermal Hat & Gloves I got a rude awakening out there this afternoon being sans gloves but I do hope ye olde Running Tights have been packed away till late November/early December

Thursday Mar 29th 8 Mile Tempo Run
Wednesdays rain scuppered any hopes of a Wed Tempo/Thur Recovery run combo,as Mick and Co once sang " you can't always get what you want but you'll find sometimes you get what you need"???
Knowing my previous Tempo Run was conducted on a weekend....when I'm NOT getting up at 4.45am and putting in a full day at work I knew going in that Mar 17ths time of 56.21 was probably not realistic.....that said I was going to give it my all otherwise what was the point?
A sunny warm 67 degree afternoon as I made my way counter clockwise up Kelly Dr,over Falls bridge,down W. River Dr and finishing in front of the Art Museum steps
My splits were"6.28-7.10-7.13-7.31-7.27-7.30-7.45-7.24 for a 58.29 off of 7.18 mile pace
Yes I'm disappointed w/ that....but not the effort and as the weeks go by and a midweek Tempo Run becomes part of my weekly agenda I hope to lower that time

Sunday Apr 1st 13 Easy Run
Sadly Saturdays run was a non starter but not because I wasn't ready,willing and able to "throw down" but because I answered the call of Overtime at work,I still need to book a return flight from Indy for my May 5th race and the $200 entry fee for San Francisco still needs paying.....and evidently Monopoly Money and or Shirt Buttons are NOT considered "legal tender" so Commerce won out over a training run......that said I was up at 7am and out the door by 7.30am this morning to "handle my business"
There is a certain satisfaction that comes from getting up early,getting the miles in by 9.20am and having the whole of my day to do whatever needs doing.
Since Saturday wasn't a go my March tally of miles was 123,5 miles down on the 128 I logged in Feb but "fingers crossed"w/ better weather to come I see no reason why weekly 60mpw totals don't flow in April.
Saturdays race looms large on the horizon which is why I'd prefer Wednesday this week for my Tempo Run,having earnt an age group award at the Love Run 1/2 another at the Hot Chocolate 15K would be nice,sure you gotta put the work in first but as Anthony Joshua said post fight last nite "No Risk,No Reward"....

Sunday, March 25, 2018

The Road To Redemption{ And San Francisco} Starts Here......

There's an old adage in running that you are only as good as your last race..........my last race was the Nov 19th Philadelphia Shit Show......sorry I meant Philadelphia Marathon and while not wishing to continue that diatribe let it be stated" for the record" that the  bitter disappointment of that race has "fueled a fire" inside me for the last few months, as John Lydon once sang "anger is an energy" and often in running I feel I run best when I either  have a chip on my shoulder.....or a point to prove......sometimes both......

January was a bitch to train in given I lost the opening two weeks to a two week long sub zero arctic blast but slowly but surely I got back out there to log semi reasonable miles
Febuary was much better in terms of conditions and miles logged,mid week runs became 12 milers I was no stranger to longer runs over 13 and 16 miles on the weekends and when March arrived I went w/ one 17 miler and one 8 mile tempo run.
Come March 25th and race day at the Philly Love Run 1/2 marathon I was confident of a 1.30 finish,7 min miles would get home in 1.31 so I "hedged my bets slightly" that I could better Septembers Rock & Roll 1/2 marathon of 1.30.16.
In the realm of the "once bitten,twice shy" saying I made sure the "cock up of biblical proportions"  that screwed me in the Marathon  wasn't  repeated,I arrived on the Ben Franklin Parkway at 6.30am an hour b4 gun time and even though it was "a bit taters" out there at that time {32 degrees} I made sure I was  stripped down to race gear by 6.55am and my gear bag safely on the UPS Gear Bag truck and in my corral a full half hour b4 the start.
Was it cold?.....fuck yeah it was cold but I thought "warm thoughts" and relied on the fact I'd gone w/ the correct running attire for a 7.30am start at the end of March,Thermal hat, Thermal gloves,long sleeved running shirt under my Kenya running vest,three quarter length compression tights under my shorts,only my calves were exposed to the "elements" and even thought my first few steps at the horn felt like my feet were two ice blocks and opening few miles even w/ thermal gloves my fingers felt numb I was "good to go"

Given the Blue corral behind the elites and fastest runners I couldn't have asked for a clearer start down the Parkway and as I made my way up the JFK Parkway I logged a 5.58 opening mile.....
According to "my detractors" last time out I should've known my pace was too brisk,unlike last time out "shock horror probe" mile markers  in  clear view, a sub 6 felt comfortable so I saw no reason to back off
6.01 for mile two,two miles in a 2 mins ahead of the scheduled pace I'd set myself,granted 11 more miles to go but  this was something along the lines of my 30th half marathon since Leicester way back in 1985......#notmyfirstrodeo
Around City Hall,down Market St to 5th and back up Arch St I now clocked a 6.32 mile 18.31, still "playing w/ house money", I missed the 4 mile marker{probably going back up the Parkway} but thanks to Garmin I can confirm it was a 6.43 mile for 25.14

Out along West River Drive I passed the 5 mile marker in 6.44 for  31.58 at 7 min mile pace I'd have been looking at 35 mins so providing it didn't go "tits up /pear shaped" over the last 8 miles I was on for a "banner day"
At this stage I began to focus on the runners ahead of me using the old "reel one in each mile" ploy, sure I was getting passed by other runners at this stage but at least I wasn't in "no mans land"
BOO!!!! 7.01 for mile 6 and 38.59 still 3  mins ahead of schedule,back down to sub 7s at mile 7 w/ a 6.58 for 45.17
Heading towards Strawberry Mansion bridge there was a pack of us so I drafted off the back of them,as the "proverbial Boy Scout" I had done my homework/research on the course and knew we were going over Strawberry Mansion bridge.....which meant a sharp incline, I guess  a runner behind me wasn't aware of this "wrinkle" in the race and exclaimed a loud audible "fuck!!!" when  he saw the field heading up the incline
Said incline probably resulted in my slowest mile split of the day a still respectable 7.12 for 52.29 at mile 8 as we looped around the  Robin Hood Dell East venue and back across Strawberry Mansion bridge..... not  because I work at Einstein I know that "what goes up,must come down" and sure enough a down ramp off of Strawberry Mansion bridge back to West River Dr
6.43 split 59.12 for mile 9 still over three mins in hand but also w/ my next race a 15k{9.3 miles} an endorsement that going sub 60 is not a pipe dream.

Making the turnaround and now heading back towards the finish at the foot of the Art Museum steps along W.River Dr I symbolically rolled my sleeves up b4 we hit mile 10,one I was finally warm enough to do so,two we were now getting to the business end of things....and I meant business!
6.52 split 66.04 having passed the 11 and 12 mile markers on the way out to the turnaround I had a visual of were they'd be on the inbound section and continued to drive myself towards a possible sub 1.30
 I was a little in "no mans land" to be fair but also very much "in the zone" all I had to do was keep doing what I'd been doing thus far
6.57 for mile 11  1.13.01 little by little a couple of runners ahead of began to go backwards,I knew how they felt in September at the Rock & Roll 1/2 I was going "gangbusters" until Falls bridge and then the final 4 miles began to take a toll on me,interestingly in this campaign I had  a 17 miler under my belt prior to the 1/2,in September my first 17 miler was post race,perhaps why I felt strong and based on mile splits consistent as fuck

6.48 at mile 12, 1.19.49....or thereabouts as I realize that the 100ths of seconds probably make my actual time closer to 1.22,infact I recall seeing 1.21.47 on my Garmin but still inside the 1.24 7 min mile pace would've had me.....and only a mile to go,my feet weren't failing me now as I recalled hearing Jen Rhines once at a PDR Expo say inside the final 2 miles you have to give it everything you've got......cos it's only 2 miles
I saw one more runner coming back to me and  under the Spring Garden St bridge I went by him,I was going to be close to 1.30 so "pedal to the metal"....
A 6.40 mile and 1.28.03 on my Garmin......200m to go this is well and truly "Pale Kenyan Time"  and while I joke about being 'Eeyore" at work cos I "do all the Donkey work" in my running w/ 200m to go be it track,road or cross country I'm kickin' like a mother fuckin' Donkey.....
Clipped one last runner b4 the finish line to cross the line in 1.29.03 off of 6.42 mile pace....
132nd overall,110th in the men's field      HOWEVER third in the 50-54 age group which means more race swag for the Pale Kenyan......not bad for a runner who "can't judge pace??" eh

The medal I won today is #175 in my career,I need 25 more to get to 200 and hopefully as long as my body holds up I'm "all in" to make that happen
Does today make up for Nov 19th?...no,nothing will make up for that,however b4 I consign  today to" I'm only as good as my last race" I am going to savour the performance and bask in it's afterglow....till Tuesday when I begin to re set my sights on the next race a 15k,I said going into today 7 min mile pace was the target w/ the hopes that come the 15k and then the next two subsequent 1/2 marathons in May and June I was down to 6.30 pace,7.00 to 6.30 is a huge drop....but off of 6.42 pace today not unrealistic and that's the motivation when the next phase of "Road To Redemption" kicks off Tuesday afternoon

Monday, March 19, 2018

Getting Down To Brass Tacks Time.....

As the saying goes "we're at the business end of things" my final week b4 Sundays 2018 race debut a half marathon at the Love Run here in Philly.
I did throw in a 17 miler on Sat Mar 10th,the significance of that was last September when I ran the Rock & Roll Half Marathon in Philly I didn't manage to get upto 17 miles till after the half, this time I'm ahead of that curve
While my focus has been on Sun Mar 25th and said Love Run 1/2 marathon I have been looking at two bigger pictures,the reintroduction of the 8 mile Tempo Run this week went a long ways towards both but I'm not ready to divulge what the second bigger picture is.....just yet,the big picture is obviously July's San Francisco marathon.

Thur Mar 15th
Easy 12 miles,following Sundays epic long run over 17 miles{2.11.59 off of 7.46 mile pace} I backed off of a 13 mile recovery run Sunday due to a double header of 7 aside football that nite,subsequently on Monday my legs were still suitable trashed to not go for a run......sometimes at my age I feel it's not so much what I do on my rest days as it's what I don't do and giving myself a complete recovery day felt prudent
I hedged my bets Tuesday as a third Nor'easter was predicted for Philly....thankfully we got off scott free and while Wednesday was an option I opted to catch the second half of Barcelona vs Chelski game,no excuses Thursday out for a 12 miler.
W/ the clocks going forward last Sunday I knew I'd finish this run in daylight,even at 6.40pm.....a far cry from my late December/early January runs that were shrouded in abject darkness by 4.50pm.
Psychologically that makes a huge difference and while Spring isn't "official" till Tue Mar 20th and lets face it March tends to be a bear of a month at the best of times we're not out of the woods or the grip of "Old Man Winter" just yet but his grip is loosening.

Sat Mar 17th
8 mile tempo,I'd been "threatening" to reintroduce the 8 mile tempo run around the Art Museum Loop along Kelly & West River drives for a few weeks now,better late than never period but it will also help transition into the almost two year hiatus from Intervals on the track that I hope come mid April will along w/ the tempo run become a weekly staple.
Due to an 8.15am Spurs game and post match podcast it was mid afternoon b4 I ventured over to the Art Museum Loop by which time the temps had gone up considerably from when I left home at 7am to hit the bar for the Spurs game, I kept my gloves on just because I have poor circulation in my fingers but did roll my sleeves up a tad b4 beginning the counterclockwise from Lloyd Hall up Kelly Dr,over Falls Bridge,down W.River Dr and finishing in front of the Art Museum steps route.
Having last done a 8 mile tempo run in early Dec post marathon I wasn't sure what to expect of myself or how realistic 7 min miles/56.00 was....but given I hope to clock 7 min miles Sunday albeit over 13 miles not 8 there was no better time like now to throw caution to the wind and have at it.......
6.17 6.56 7.06 7.03 7.18 7.30 7.16 6.55 =56.21 off of 7.03 mile pace.....
Chuffed is as good as any adjective to describe my reaction post run,sure I came up a tad short but what would I have gained aimed for 7.15 mile pace and a 58.15 time?
Bummed about he 7.30 split on mile mile 6  but that gives me something to work on the next several weeks

Sun Mar 18th
13 mile recovery run,w/ another 7 aside footie game on my slate Sunday evening going longer seemed to fly in the face of conventional wisdom so a nice easy recovery run out and back along Kelly Dr to the 6.5 mark at 9.30am.....plus technically I'm in taper mode a week out from my race.
Along those lines this coming week will be once again dictated by the weather......another  Nor'easter/Coastal Storm is predicted for Tuesday which if it hits could bollocks up my Tue/Wed/Thur easy 12/8mile tempo/12 mile recovery plans so we'll have to sit tight and see what the weather brings ....or doesn't bring.

Saturdays successful tempo run endorsed my belief that a 1.30 1/2 marathon off of 7 min mile pace is doable and not a pipe dream all I ask of the Running Gods between now and Sunday is decent weather,no illness/injury worries and ZERO cock ups w/ pre race check in,bag check and mile markers.......NOT that much to ask is it?

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Mirror Mirror

Back to back three day/40mpw w/ 12,12 and 16 milers,sadly an unforgiving weekend schedule....plus a temperamental laptop put the kybosh on a post last weekend......no such issues this weekend

Tue Feb 27th
12 Miles Two things of note on an otherwise run of the mill 12 mile run,50 degrees so shorts and short sleeves again{shades not an option given it's 6.20pm when I'm done and there's only a glimmer of daylight}
Since this would be my final run in Feb{Spurs game on Wed,very little trumps a Spurs game!} it brought my monthly total mileage to 128,not too shabby,I began the month at 10 milers and worked my way up to 16s w/ 12 my mid week run du jour

Sat Mar 3rd
12 Miles I had to hedge my bets on Thursday it looked like it was about to piss down and I wasn't willing to risk getting caught in the rain period,muchless potentially jeopardize getting sick so close to the Love Run,last Saturday on my 16 mile run between 7.5 & 9.5 miles it rained but at 50 degrees it was something I could work around,although getting out of my soaked running gear and into a hot shower was paramount once inside the front door followed by a steaming mug of hot Cider.
Friday was a doozie weather wise,rain that turned to snow complete w/ strong winds,that said ever the Boy Scout I set my alarm for 6.30am,looked out the window said "fuck it,let's have the bastard!!" and promptly dressed,stretched and out the door just gone 7am.
33 degrees but not too uncomfortable,windy but sunny,however w/ slush underfoot not to mention tree branches strewn throughout the out and back to Columbia bridge it felt more important to look where I was treading....not look cool doing it,nowt cool about a runner on the side of the sidewalk bemoaning a tangle w/ fallen timber
The biggest challenge seemed to be avoiding falling snow and ice off the tree branches that hadn't fallen....it'd take a lot to damage my bonce but even so I wasn't wishing it upon myself
W/ a slightly later Spurs kick off..or a Sunday game I needn't have been up and at it so early but a 10am kick off dictated a 7am run...that said something tres satisfying returning home at 8.35am knowing the run is in the books!

Sun Mar 4th
16 Miles Having "gone long" last Saturday over 16 I saw no reason not to do so again this weekend
Ironically out the door around 8.35am.....24 hours after finishing yesterdays run,I'm clearly motivated not just for the Love Run 1/2 marathon in three weeks time but for the season,my entries to the Hot Chocolate 15k on Apr 7th and the Indy Mini Marathon May 5th are already taken care of and providing a return flight from Indy to Philly that afternoon can be booked I'll have at it w/ the Broad St Run the next morning,it's all part of the #roadtoredemption mind set as July's San Francisco marathon is very much my target race for the season.
Completed the loop in a respectable 2.03.40.....six seconds down on Saturdays  time....however last Saturday I wasn't required to circumnavigate not one but two downed trees on West River Drive which clearly slowed me,I was tempted to hurdle the second one but couldn't be sure what I was landing on once over it so caution won over valor today!
My splits were:7.20-6.51-7.52-7.47-7.45-7.42-7.46-7.54-7.42-7.35-7.27-7.39-7.48-8.16-8.10-8.06 for 7.44 mile pace....a second down on last week!!

As I transition in March and Spring it's time to reintroduce the weekly 8 mile Tempo run into my weekly rotation,hopefully this coming Thursday the mindset for the Love Run is 7 min mile pace for a stab at 1.30.....after that at Hot Choc 15k,Indy Mini Marathon,Broad St Run and Odyssey Half I want 6.30 mile pace heading into San Francisco,come mid May I expect weekly trips to the track for interval work plus the tempo run and frankly if I'm already at 16 miles at the start of March and eyeballin' a 17 miler Saturday it won't be too long b4 Sunday 20 milers are the norm,the sting from Novembers Philly Marathon debacle/cock up has fired me up and I aint quittin' till I level the score...

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Pump Up The Volume

So it's been a few weeks since my last post,fear not the Pale Kenyan has been diligently loggin' some miles...just not enough time to post them
So last time out I'd just gotten my feet wet w/ 10 milers and as of this weekend I'm back up to 13 milers,the two things I'll say in my non blogged runs are the evenings have gotten lighter later which means we're moving out of the arse end of Winter{hooray!!} and the Schuylkill footpath now extends south of the South St bridge
I think it was my Sat Feb 3rd 10 miler I discovered this fact.....sadly as is more often my won't I was running sans Garmin so I was unable to take advantage of this new found wrinkle in my training...however the following morning I made sure to take my Garmin w/me so I could recalibrate my routes.
Basically if I up and back from South St bridge to the Conrail bridge out and back it adds half a mile to my runs so now an 8 miler is upto the Art Museum, a 9 miler to Lloyd Hall and essentially taking half a mile off all my previously calibrated runs
Which brings us to this week.....

Mon Feb 12th
10 Miles W/ several 10 milers under my belt I felt it was time to bump up to 12s,the only fly in the ointment so to speak was this run came 12 hours after my first soccer game in 25 years......
Early on I was gung ho about making this a 12 miler but by the time I hit Kelly Drive at mile 4.5 bravado took a back seat to common sense
While delighted I had the chutzpah to want to run I felt it was prudent to channel my inner Dirty Harry......"a man's got to know his limitations" so 10 it was w/ the promise of "another day"  to follow come Thursday

Thur Feb 15th
10 Miles Settled for 10 again but knew the weekend was ripe for a 12 miler,if not two
Biggest take away from this run times two A how warm it was,mid Feb and a balmy 54 degrees,any time in Feb I ditch the thermal hat and gloves and roll my sleeves up is a good day
Unlike several of the masses I saw out there during my 10 miles I didn't ditch my jacket or running tights, a couple of nice days in mid Feb does not a Spring make
B Beginning at 4.25pm I was delighted to still have the last vestige of daylight over the West Philly as I returned home around 5.55pm
It's only a matter of time b4 I return to runs that start and end in daylight.....even if and when I bump up my midweek runs to 12 miles

Sat Feb 17th
13 Miles SO this was meant to be a 12 miler till I went all "Billy Big Bollocks" on myself and ran a 13 miler.......
Out the door by 9.25am I was loving the sunshine and lack of killer wind as I reached South St bridge at mile 2,even at an early hour there were numerous fellow runners out there gettin' their miles in
Sans Garmin I figured I just had to make the turn at 1.5 along Kelly Dr which comes in just b4 the Columbia bridge,the only problem was I guess my mind was  somewhere else as I was the other side of the bridge when it dawned on me"oh shit I should have turned back there".....
At this point several options were available to me but having felt  last week I had the measure of 10s  I thought why not push the envelope and see if 13 was doable...it was

Sun Feb 18th
13 Miles Seemed counter productive having gotten upto 13 miles albeit by accident yesterday to dip back to 12 so 7.30am I was out the door in ironically warmer temps than two hours later yesterday...
W/ trusty Garmin on my wrist I not only got an "eyeball" on where the 6 mile turnaround is for future reference I also was able to see what my splits were
7.22 7.18 8.07 7.52 7.56 7.54 7.56 7.55 7.58 7.55 7.58 7.55 7.54
Pretty fuckin' consistent,would love mile 3 back as my non sub 8 min mile,average pace 7.51 per mile for a 1.42.01 time

W/ five weeks to go till the Love Run Half Marathon I'm happy w/ where I'm at,were the race next Sunday I'm confident I could grind out a 1.40  off of 8 min miles.....since I have five weeks of training my hopes of a sub 1.30 time off of 7 min miles are realistic

Moving forward this week I'm hopeful of a 5 day training week,12s Tue,Wed,Thur and 13s on the weekend.../although w/ a 7am Spurs game and a 8.20pm Philly Spurs 7 a side kick off Sunday might be a stretch.....ah feck it 14 miles on Saturday for a 4 day/50mpw......

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Back Upto Double Digits

Another week in the books,three runs.....could and should've been four.......read on McDuff.....

Wed Jan 24th
8 Miles
I could've had 8s both Tuesday and Wednesday but for "Postman Pratt" on Monday.....
So I arrive home around 5.30pm,too late for a run but what I figured would happen,shock,horror probe mail delivered.....this was a shock since last week mail was arriving gone 6.30pm!!!!
Tuesday morning at 5am as I was leaving for work I find the time honoured "we tried to deliver" bullshit card through my door.......fuckin' seriously you had to have attempted delivery gone 5.30pm when I returned home and found mail sitting inside the door but god forbid you ring a fuckin' doorbell!!!!
The upshot of this ....and NOT for the first time is yours truly having to schlep to the "boonies" to collect my mail and getting home gone 5pm,I need a good 15 mins to change and stretch so Tuesday was shot,pity it was a mild evening
No such worries on Wednesday,home by 4.25pm changed,stretched and out the door by 4.45pm for an easy 8 miler
If last weekends 8s had seen me "huff and puff" a tad I had no such issues on Wednesday,more a result of running after I'd been upwardly mobile for the best part of 12 hours and not tackling a run of any distance not long after waking up
Back to back 8s would've been nice but I felt Wednesdays smooth outing meant I could bump back up to 10s next time out....

Fri Jan 26th
10 Miles
I figured Thursday was shot for a run thro work and wasn't disappointed by that guess....however I had scheduled Friday off and figured why not period but w/ the threat of rain in the forecast for Sunday it would be prudent to make the proverbial hay while the sun shone today
A rare Friday run to begin w/ muchless mid morning but I was happy to be out there period,sunny enough for shades but mild enough for gloves....ie typical January weather!!!
Only a month removed from my last 10 miler on Boxing Day the step up in mileage didn't phase me and while it was an unspectacular run it was at the very least  solid,I'll settle for solid right now

Sat Jan 27th
10 Miles
Out the door just gone 9am as I had a 12.30pm Spurs kick off to factor in, more of the same from Friday solid if unspectacular and even though I went w/out the Garmin as is my won't I'd hazard a guess it was a 1.20/1.25 time so give or take 8 min mile pace
Could've gone w/ a lighter base layer under my training top but hedged my bets w/ the conditions,working up a good sweat in Jan never hurts....and hurts less than under dressing and freezing out there period muchless running along the river
So at three weeks in I'd say I'm 2/3rds of the way back,speed is lacking but will come,strength and stamina are both there

So I'm back to 10 milers and in double digits again,this bodes well moving forward,also three runs not two.....if work ever settles the fuck back down I could forsee a return to 4 runs a week sooner rather than later......of course "old man winter" will still have some say over the next 8 weeks but fingers crossed a pair of 10 milers during the week and the potential for back to back 10s next weekend would have me back upto 40mpw.......easy tiger.....someone will mistake you for a real runner......

Sunday, January 21, 2018

{Re}Building The {Im}Perfect Beast

So it feels like a while since I last blogged,quick recap going into the final week of the year I needed 5 x10 milers to round out a 1,000m season,notched back to back 10s Christmas Day & Boxing Day and promptly didn't run for two whole weeks due to temps never getting above freezing!!!!

How cold was it? last Tuesday when I logged my first run in two weeks as I crossed the South St bridge that links to the Schuylkill foot path and eventually the Schuylkill  trail I saw first hand that said Schuylkill River was frozen solid........yeah it was that cold for two weeks!!!!
My other takeaway from my first evening run in a while was at 5.08pm it was still daylight a small victory but none the less a valid one post Marathon training in late November by 4.50pm it was dusk so we're getting there little by little

The following evening I notched a second 6 miler,given my two weeks of in activity I felt it was prudent to ease my way back into things,6 miles felt comfortable and had I've gotten out again on Thursday I would have nudged it upto 8 miles w/ a view to making the weekend 10 milers.....cue "old man winter" sending another arctic blast that stuck a fork in that notion!
I did however hit the trifecta on Wednesday of an idiot runner,an idiot pedestrian and a idiot driver over my six mile jaunt so I guess things were returning to normal afterall......

While the weather improved this past week my workload was brutal,I finished the week 58 mins shy of a 50 hour week,glass half empty too late to go out and run each evening when I did finally get home,glass half full w/a couple of races coming up in March & April paying for them just got a lot easier!!!

Cue the weekend,not since Dec 23rd/24th have I been able to get out the door to run but yesterday lunchtime I was able to log an easy 8 miler and enjoy some quote/unquote warm weather training which I must say felt nice
Despite a 11am kick off today for a Spurs game I was up by 7am stretched,and out the door by 8am for a second 8 miler in reasonable conditions for January period muchless 8am

I'm 9 weeks out from the season opener a half marathon on March 25th at the Love Run so it's important to continue to up my mileage,fingers crossed this will be a less brutal work week and a few more midweek 8 milers would set me up for back to back 10s next weekend,anytime I get into single digits for training I know it's serious but b4 I can tackle a half marathon I need to get my baseline miles back to 10 milers b4 slowly tweaking it upto 12s and 14s