The Round-The Scratch
First five day week of training in nine weeks as I hopefully laid down a marker moving forward this season and the weather actually warmed up to boot!
Monday Jan 5th an easy 5 miles out and back along Ben Franklin Parkway and Kelly Drive to kick start the week, off the back off Sundays 7 miler I was just looking to flush out any crap in my legs
42.19.4 off 8.14 mile pace is probably a little brisk for an easy run.....but at 37 degrees it wasn't exactly hanging around weather out there,,,,,however I was comforted by the fact there was an unseasonable warm up heading our way this week
Opted to do my online registration for the upcoming Love Run 1/2 marathon as there'll be another price hike soon, first three races of the season are paid for at a time when I'm trying to live w/in my means any $$$ saved on race entry fees areas welcome as the temperature getting back to where it should be this time of year{42 degrees}
Tuesday Jan 6th Untimed 5 miles out and back on West River Dr a pleasant 42 degrees which had me ruing the fact I hadn't thrown a trusty bandana in my running backpack the nite b4, it's crap shoot it's Winter I need to err on he side of caution that the weather is going to be cold ie hat and gloves but on days like today a bandana and no gloves would've been ok.....that said I made sure a pair of bandanas were available for the next two days
Two down,two to go re the new rotation of trying to mix up my runs, the scenery may change but the bullish attitude of gettin' it done remains the same
Wednesday Jan 7th There is always a sense of trepidation....almost dread when it comes to the tempo run, I know it's gonna hurt but I also know it's gonna pay off, there's an auld Jumbo Elliot quote that features quite prominently in my apartment that says"to strive to be world class demands payment of a bitter price but the serious competitor must be willing to pay it,even if he hates it because he must be convinced that the rewards justify his sacrifices".......so a little short term dread and discomfort to hopefully yield fast times come race day feel like a trade off, pain it is said is temporary.....glory lasts forever!
W/ that in mind I set off for my first tempo run in seven weeks, I opted to keep the tempo run on the hills also, I don't remember the exact temperature but it was above 42 and I did work up a bit of a sweat on this run, it's possible the sleeves of my Dublin half zip got rolled up passed the elbows today!!
Bugger!!! whatever pissballin' around they were doing on Lemon Hill Drive in mid/late November is still going on so I continued along Sedgley Dr to Girard Avenue, hung a left over the Girard Avenue bridge then another left onto 34th Street, not quiet enough real estate to be able to make the 2.5 mile turn around b4 the off ramp of I 76 so I have to transverse that twice if Lemon Hill Drive continues to be off limits I may have to tweak this run, the less stopping/slowing down to cross intersections on a tempo run the better
Out in 20.37 and back in 20.10 for a brisk 40.47.8 off 8.09 mile pace.....not terribly unhappy w/ that but I will be looking to get back to sub 40 pace sooner rather than later
Thursday Jan 8th to use a Kneecap lyric/song title "It's Been Ages" since I've managed to go Monday-Thursday w/ my runs, either work or the weather manages to bollox that up but I made sure to make the proverbial hay while the sun shone this week{ long may it continue.....but it probably won't!}
Recovery 5 miles out and back on the Schuylkill River Trail in 52 glorious degrees, I know this can't last forever so fuck yeah I'm taking full advantage of it while it does!!!!
43.41.3 off 8.44 mile pace, another run sans hat and gloves w/ the half zip sleeves rolled up, is it too early to be eyeing up triple digit mileage for January? the application and willingness on my part is there, that three week lay off probably did me a huge favour w/out compromising all the hard work I put in during August to the end of November so I'll just have to hope work and the weather continue to be on my side
Saturday Jan 10th it's been a "hot minute" since I got up early on either a Saturday or Sunday to knock out my long run but A I wanted this to become the rule not the exception moving forward and B they were calling for rain mid morning/lunch time so it felt prudent to get up at 6.50am and be out the door by 7.20am as daylight broke to tackle my 8 miler
A pleasant 46 degrees this early in January is always welcome and while the skies were grey and overcast as I made my way up Powelton Ave I was happy out that one I'd done the hard part, gotten up when the alarm went off, two not gone back to bed and got my running gear on stretched and gotten out he door, the rest now should be gravy.....
Once I hit West River Dr I was aware of the fact I wasn't the only one w/ an early am agenda on tap, having other runners out there always helps, someone to push/pull ye along and also reinforce the narrative that ye are not the only one neurotic enough to get up just as daylight begins!!!
Given it was a pleasant 46 degrees out I opted against the traditional out and back and continued down the Schuylkill River off West River Dr I figured having other runners on the Schuylkill River Trail down to the South St bridge would be to my benefit as opposed to heading west down Powelton Ave alone.
67.24 off 8.26 mile pace, last Sundays 7 miler was 61.49 off 8.50 mile pace so I'm already seeing some encouraging signs 10 days into the new campaign.....but lets keep things in perspective it's still early days yet.....that said I was slow getting back into the swing of things at the start of last season and it took a while b4 I felt I got rolling so if the proverbial hits the fan this week w/ the weather and/or work a five day 28 mile week this week will go along way....it'll go even longer if next week is a 5 day 30 mile week period but w/ the potential of returning to a double digit long run at 10 miles 10 weeks out from the Love Run half marathon I could be singin' Ra tunes on a Saturday or Sunday nite.....Tiocfaidh ar la!!!
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