In what was technically my last week to log serious mileage b4 I begin my three week taper I had to settle for a 4day/50mpw,had it not been for my final road trip of the year to Seattle I might've gotten 60 or 65 in but as the saying goes "if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle".......
Monday 10 miles
Given I was playing w/ a short week to begin w/ I had every intention of getting a rare Monday run in.
The biggest take away from this run was the crisp evening air around 5pm,the like of which I hadn't felt for a while but trust me said cheque is in the mail.
It's questionable if I'll get thro my last three weeks of marathon prep w/out having to pull out long sleeves and the three quarter length bottoms.
Wed 10 miles
Having lost Tuesday to a Spurs Champions League game first and then having"media commitments" post game{I co host a Philadelphia Spurs Podcast "Broad & Hotspur"}I toyed w/ the idea of making this a 15 miler....but w/ Sunday a non starter to begin w/ given the time constraints of my Seattle trip at best now I was looking at 55 miles over 50,was 5 miles going to make that much difference?
So I settled for another 10 miler,pretty much from here on out it's 10 milers on a week nite w/ 20 milers on the weekend
Thursday 10 Miles
Back out there again out and back along Kelly Dr to a quarter mile beyond Spring Garden bridge,unlike Monday that crisp evening air had warmed up somewhat,I can't be arsed to chop and change running attire each day from sleeveless,to sleeves or long sleeves preferring to make do w/ short sleeves.
The bigger issue was why I didn't request Friday off work for this weekends Seattle trip,had I have done so another 10 miler could've been easily squeezed in giving me a minimum of 60mpw and w/ a tweak of say a 15 miler Wednesday OR 13 Wednesday,12 Thursday I could've had my proverbial cake and eat it...........
Saturday 20 miles
A huge psychological boost getting a 20 miler in,hopefully the first of three over the next three weekends
However it could have all turned out horribly horribly wrong for me at mile 4,as I made the left hand turn onto Kelly Dr I looked up to see a crowd gathered in front of Lloyd Hall for a 5k race
My first reaction was "oh fuck I'll have to weave through a crowd of runners.".........SPLAT!!!!!!!
Out of nowhere this kid runs right into my right upper thigh head first,boom he goes down like a sack of potatos,I lose my balance and end up loosing my footing and "kissing the asphalt".........
It could have been ten times worst,if my knee had connected w/ his forehead I dread to think of the outcome.......
I instinctively hit the stop bottom on my Garmin and went back to make sure the kid was ok,he was a little shaken up but no cuts or bruises,his mother was apologetic to me which helped,I felt terrible but it really wasn't my fault,thankfully good karma came back ten fold, rather than pick myself up and carry on running I stopped made sure he was ok and continued my run despite what feels like some deep bruising on my right upper thigh,upshot I clocked a 2.28.54 20 miler off of 7.27 pace
So a 4day/50mpw but w/ a 20 mile run,I'm now officially on taper time the next three weeks but I'm hopeful of another 4 day/50mpw next week upon my return form Seattle on Monday,thankfully two rest days Sunday & Monday should allow my upper thigh a little recovery time
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Bustin' A Little {Re}Cap In Yo Arse.......
So apologies for the lack of bloggin' of late.......somedays Wifi in the Rift Valley is next to impossible......,ok I've been a cat of meny hats recently and finding time to sit and blog has been difficult,plus I have missed a few runs{tsk tsk bad runner,shame shame!!} so here's recap of all things Pale Kenyan since San Diego.
Between spending long overdue quality time w/ my Sister in LA and then jetlag upon my return and throw in a Stiff Little Fingers gig the week of Sept 25th-Oct 1st just got away from me,glass empty lost miles I can never make up,glass half full less miles on my almost 54 year old legs heading towards the Philly Marathon on Nov 19th.......
Tue Oct 3rd easy 6 miler to "get my feet wet" after an 11 day hiatus,could and would have gone longer but for the Eddie Izzard show at 7.30pm,as a fellow marathon runner I'm sure Eddie would've understood me being late for his show......not so much the audiance at the Merriam Theater......
Wed Oct 4th 15 miler,maybe because anything less than double digit mileage feels like a cheat the 15 miler felt easy after 6 the day b4,that and the fact 15 miles has become "the new normal"
Fri Oct 6th another easy 6 miler having skipped a run on Thursday,if I felt ok during and after the run Wednesday, fatigue caught up w/me Thursday ergo no run but w/ 27 miles on tap 60 miles was still there for the taking w/ a 15 miler Saturday and an 18 miler Sunday......sounds easy when you say it....
Sat Oct 7th Early on I felt 15 was wishful thinking and rather than grind it out at the risk of scuppering the more important 18 miler Sunday I settled for 10 miles and took a half hour soak in the tub w/ cold water in the hopes it would refresh my legs for Sunday.........
Sun Oct 8th BOLLOCKS!!!!! early on it was clear 18 was not happening and the further out I went along Kelly Dr the longer back home my walk in the rain was going to be,in running as in life somedays you just don't have it...today was one of those days.....
At this stage the last thing I needed to do was "throw the baby out w/ the bath water" and or "throw my toys out of the pram" so I took a day off from running or even thinking about running......
Tue Oct 10th 12 miles,again I could've gone longer but for a social event at 8 pm but 12 felt good,at the time I marveled at the continuing Indian Summer we were enjoying in mid October,but as I always say treat those days as if they are the last because sooner rather than later they will be......
Thur Oct 12th So that 12 miler would prove to be potentially my last "Three S's"{shades,sleeveless,shorts} run the rain on Wednesday caused me to baulk at a run that evening,I had reluctantly decided that 5 days a week marathon training had become counter productive and ran up the white flag but swore that come hell or high water I'd run 15 on Thursday and as I stood in my kitchen in the wee hours of Thursday am popping my daily vitamins I was reminded by a quote on the kitchen cabinet"Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today" and even though it was 5pm b4 I got out the door I was driven to get the miles in.
Grey and overcast I ditched my shades plus knowing 15 miles clocks in at roughly 2 hours and sunset is around 6.30pm I couldn't risk tripping up in the final few miles if I went w/ shades
This would prove to be one of my final 15 milers,I will miss the out and back along West River Dr to Falls bridge and back but it has served me well
Sun Oct 15th,SO I had set the alarm Saturday for 6am w/ every intention of getting up and getting out the door by 6.30am for a 15 miler like I had a few times in Aug and Sept......I guess it was a tad easier then when it was either dawn or daylight,a much harder sell in mid Oct,glass half empty another missed run,glass half full fresher legs for Sundays 18 miler....
W/ 17 miles as my longest run todate I had to nail 18 today and I'm happy to report I did,out the door by 8.30am in grey overcast skies the game plan was 8 min mile pace for a 2.24 time,I managed 7.38 mile pace to clock 2.18.08
I haven't ran 18 miles in 12 years since my last marathon training cycle but w/ my 15 milers providing a solid base I honestly felt comfortable out there this morning.
So the trick now is to log three 20 milers the next three weekends,again easy to sit and type that as it is to mentally write a training schedule while I'm out there running for two plus hours but as we're getting to the "business end" of my training cycle I have to hope putting all my faith in "going long" over 20 miles the next three weekends will be enough to get to the finshline of the marathon in five weeks time.
Between spending long overdue quality time w/ my Sister in LA and then jetlag upon my return and throw in a Stiff Little Fingers gig the week of Sept 25th-Oct 1st just got away from me,glass empty lost miles I can never make up,glass half full less miles on my almost 54 year old legs heading towards the Philly Marathon on Nov 19th.......
Tue Oct 3rd easy 6 miler to "get my feet wet" after an 11 day hiatus,could and would have gone longer but for the Eddie Izzard show at 7.30pm,as a fellow marathon runner I'm sure Eddie would've understood me being late for his show......not so much the audiance at the Merriam Theater......
Wed Oct 4th 15 miler,maybe because anything less than double digit mileage feels like a cheat the 15 miler felt easy after 6 the day b4,that and the fact 15 miles has become "the new normal"
Fri Oct 6th another easy 6 miler having skipped a run on Thursday,if I felt ok during and after the run Wednesday, fatigue caught up w/me Thursday ergo no run but w/ 27 miles on tap 60 miles was still there for the taking w/ a 15 miler Saturday and an 18 miler Sunday......sounds easy when you say it....
Sat Oct 7th Early on I felt 15 was wishful thinking and rather than grind it out at the risk of scuppering the more important 18 miler Sunday I settled for 10 miles and took a half hour soak in the tub w/ cold water in the hopes it would refresh my legs for Sunday.........
Sun Oct 8th BOLLOCKS!!!!! early on it was clear 18 was not happening and the further out I went along Kelly Dr the longer back home my walk in the rain was going to be,in running as in life somedays you just don't have it...today was one of those days.....
At this stage the last thing I needed to do was "throw the baby out w/ the bath water" and or "throw my toys out of the pram" so I took a day off from running or even thinking about running......
Tue Oct 10th 12 miles,again I could've gone longer but for a social event at 8 pm but 12 felt good,at the time I marveled at the continuing Indian Summer we were enjoying in mid October,but as I always say treat those days as if they are the last because sooner rather than later they will be......
Thur Oct 12th So that 12 miler would prove to be potentially my last "Three S's"{shades,sleeveless,shorts} run the rain on Wednesday caused me to baulk at a run that evening,I had reluctantly decided that 5 days a week marathon training had become counter productive and ran up the white flag but swore that come hell or high water I'd run 15 on Thursday and as I stood in my kitchen in the wee hours of Thursday am popping my daily vitamins I was reminded by a quote on the kitchen cabinet"Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today" and even though it was 5pm b4 I got out the door I was driven to get the miles in.
Grey and overcast I ditched my shades plus knowing 15 miles clocks in at roughly 2 hours and sunset is around 6.30pm I couldn't risk tripping up in the final few miles if I went w/ shades
This would prove to be one of my final 15 milers,I will miss the out and back along West River Dr to Falls bridge and back but it has served me well
Sun Oct 15th,SO I had set the alarm Saturday for 6am w/ every intention of getting up and getting out the door by 6.30am for a 15 miler like I had a few times in Aug and Sept......I guess it was a tad easier then when it was either dawn or daylight,a much harder sell in mid Oct,glass half empty another missed run,glass half full fresher legs for Sundays 18 miler....
W/ 17 miles as my longest run todate I had to nail 18 today and I'm happy to report I did,out the door by 8.30am in grey overcast skies the game plan was 8 min mile pace for a 2.24 time,I managed 7.38 mile pace to clock 2.18.08
I haven't ran 18 miles in 12 years since my last marathon training cycle but w/ my 15 milers providing a solid base I honestly felt comfortable out there this morning.
So the trick now is to log three 20 milers the next three weekends,again easy to sit and type that as it is to mentally write a training schedule while I'm out there running for two plus hours but as we're getting to the "business end" of my training cycle I have to hope putting all my faith in "going long" over 20 miles the next three weekends will be enough to get to the finshline of the marathon in five weeks time.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Short Week,Long Run
Had to settle for a 2 day/27mpw this week as my cross country trek to San Diego and Los Angeles cut into my training,glass half empty I came up short on both mileage and days trained,glass half full weekly long run now upto 17 miles and got a change of scenery to do it!
Monday:10 miles
Hoping to get a 6day/75mpw in required another rare Monday run.....that's what three in a row now?
Settled for an easy/recovery 10 miler to get any lingering crap out of my legs from Sundays half marathon.
While my success at the Rock & Roll 1/2 marathon was/is still pleasing I know I can't "dine out on it" moving forward,had I signed up for the half marathon in Philly in 9 weeks time I could retain the same level of training/mileage that earned me my 1.30.15 to finish 165th out of 8844 and be content......but I signed up for the marathon because having ran 26.2ers in my 20s,30s and 40s I'll kick myself in my 60s if I skipped the 50s so marathon it is,6 more weeks of high mileage and three week taper.
Friday:17 miles
Tuesday & Wednesday got away from me w/ my West Coast trip,it sucks as I wanted to run on tired legs after the half marathon because let's face it over 26.2 miles on Sunday November 19th that's a dynamic I need to be used to however in training as in life shit gets in the way sometimes.
I arrived in San Diego Thursday lunchtime and again would've loved to run but up at "silly o clock" to be at the airport for a 7am flight over 2,367 miles tends not to lend its self to that and so I settled for Google Mapping a 17 run on Friday,at least in a short week increase the long run yeah?
Basically I followed Friars Road for 7 miles till I hit Sea World Drive,hung a right and followed it for another mile and a half,59.15 at 8.5 miles,turned around and came back the way I came.
It was reassuring to see other runners out there between 9 and 11am,there is always that neurotic feeling you're the only one crazy enough to be out running
Arms got a little heavy w/ 3.5 miles to go but hung tough again w/ 2 miles to go I visualized my regular route and thought about how I get through the final 2 miles there,back to where I started in 2.06.07 off of 7.25 mile pace.
Considered myself pleased w/ the outcome,a new route was a nice change from the "same old same old" however not always being 100% sure of where I was going lent it's self to some moments of brief second guessing,always felt if I stuck to Friars Rd I couldn't go too wrong,or too far or just plan old lost
Saturday & Sunday alas got away from me,late nite Friday for the U2 show and less than three hours sleep to be up for a Spurs game at San Diego Spurs home bar The Harp at 4am didn't help w/ a run Saturday and after a train ride upto Los Angeles to see my sister Kim I was a little tired to be honest but truth be told could've ran Sunday morning however the reason to add Los Angeles to my west coast trip was to bond w/ a sister I hadn't seen in 14 years and truthfully have never spent any quality time w/ in our 50 plus lives,there will be ample runs upon my return to Philly getting to know my sister and vice versa feels a higher priority right now,running is great but God and Family are greater....
Monday:10 miles
Hoping to get a 6day/75mpw in required another rare Monday run.....that's what three in a row now?
Settled for an easy/recovery 10 miler to get any lingering crap out of my legs from Sundays half marathon.
While my success at the Rock & Roll 1/2 marathon was/is still pleasing I know I can't "dine out on it" moving forward,had I signed up for the half marathon in Philly in 9 weeks time I could retain the same level of training/mileage that earned me my 1.30.15 to finish 165th out of 8844 and be content......but I signed up for the marathon because having ran 26.2ers in my 20s,30s and 40s I'll kick myself in my 60s if I skipped the 50s so marathon it is,6 more weeks of high mileage and three week taper.
Friday:17 miles
Tuesday & Wednesday got away from me w/ my West Coast trip,it sucks as I wanted to run on tired legs after the half marathon because let's face it over 26.2 miles on Sunday November 19th that's a dynamic I need to be used to however in training as in life shit gets in the way sometimes.
I arrived in San Diego Thursday lunchtime and again would've loved to run but up at "silly o clock" to be at the airport for a 7am flight over 2,367 miles tends not to lend its self to that and so I settled for Google Mapping a 17 run on Friday,at least in a short week increase the long run yeah?
Basically I followed Friars Road for 7 miles till I hit Sea World Drive,hung a right and followed it for another mile and a half,59.15 at 8.5 miles,turned around and came back the way I came.
It was reassuring to see other runners out there between 9 and 11am,there is always that neurotic feeling you're the only one crazy enough to be out running
Arms got a little heavy w/ 3.5 miles to go but hung tough again w/ 2 miles to go I visualized my regular route and thought about how I get through the final 2 miles there,back to where I started in 2.06.07 off of 7.25 mile pace.
Considered myself pleased w/ the outcome,a new route was a nice change from the "same old same old" however not always being 100% sure of where I was going lent it's self to some moments of brief second guessing,always felt if I stuck to Friars Rd I couldn't go too wrong,or too far or just plan old lost
Saturday & Sunday alas got away from me,late nite Friday for the U2 show and less than three hours sleep to be up for a Spurs game at San Diego Spurs home bar The Harp at 4am didn't help w/ a run Saturday and after a train ride upto Los Angeles to see my sister Kim I was a little tired to be honest but truth be told could've ran Sunday morning however the reason to add Los Angeles to my west coast trip was to bond w/ a sister I hadn't seen in 14 years and truthfully have never spent any quality time w/ in our 50 plus lives,there will be ample runs upon my return to Philly getting to know my sister and vice versa feels a higher priority right now,running is great but God and Family are greater....
Monday, September 18, 2017
Redemption Song/Am I Really Done W/ Distance?
Sunday was my 28th half marathon since 1984,here's a little insight:
1st half
1.26.49-9.23.84
PR
1.18.07-3.12.06
1st PDR/R&R
1.21.56-9.17.89
Last PDR/R&R
1.25.24-9.17.06
Last half
1.50.18-6.11.17
As you can see Sunday 9.17 tends to play a role in these,when I crossed the finishline in my last PDR{Philadelphia Distance Run as it was known b4 it became part of the Rock & Roll Racing series} 11 years ago I'd struggled to log a 1.25.24 although compared to three weeks prior when the Virginia Beach half had chewed me up and spat me out w/ a 1.30.50 this was an improvement but having began my masters track career I felt it was time to focus on track ergo my quote"I'm done w/ distance running"
It would prove to be a soundbite that was heard around the running community but for the wrong reasons as some arsehole who shall remain nameless got all up in my grill and said"can I have that in writing?" which leant it's self to a terse reply from yours truly and a near arse kickin' for him.......
Clearly my random choice to run Broad St in May followed by my Oddessey Half Marathon in June underlined I was in fact not done w/ distance running on the roads as I felt the need to take care of some unfinished business this fall,however off a semi decent 1.18 Broad St 10 I quote "shat the bed" at Oddessey in a humbling 1.50.18,had I just got lucky at Broad St and bitten off more than I could chew a few weeks later?........
Conditions were grey and overcast when the gun went off at 7.30am w/ yours truly in the #1 corral of #24,unlike Broad St I would at least get a clear run at it even if the skies were anything but clear.
Again a wise old head on old legs I've ran the majority of my 28 half marathons on the PDR/R&R course/courses all of them in mid Sept when it's pot luck as to conditions,I've ran in picture book clear skies no heat days,broiling heat,humid as hell,pissing down rain conditions one thing I learnt from my second Boston Marathon in 02 don't worry about things you can't control ie the conditions they are what they are you just have to adapt to them and play the hand you are dealt.
5.58 for the opening mile via my Garmin{perhaps the best thing I ever bought for my running} I was probably 10 seconds behind the official clock as I started mid corral but again to revisit an old Coach GP pearl of wisdom run off of feel not the clock my recent runs had shown low 7 min mile pace when all by my lonesome so now w/ a field around me work off of them,
6.37 for the second mile which had me roughly adding 7 mins to each mile to guess my next spilt, another 6.37 split on mile 3 heading up the Parkway as I looped passed the start when corrals were still going off.
Afforded myself a slight chuckle as I passed the Ireland flag and then the Kenya flag that adorne the Parkway in alphabetical order.
6.48 on Spring Garden St a new twist to the numerous courses this race has ran b4 heading back down to "old faithful" Kelly Dr,talk about the road well travelled,and maybe some of that familurity leant its self to a 6.23 split.
6.30 at six miles sub 38 min pace followed by splits of 6.41 and 6.45 as I worked my way towards Falls Bridge,which sadly no longer has the lone bagpipe player like it did "back in the day" it always stired my celtic blood hearing him.
Given I began to slow crossing Falls Bridge perhaps I could have used said Bagpipes as my next split at mile 9 was 7.05,not too shabby I was probably sub 59 mins at mile 9 and sub 66 at 10 miles off of a 7.21 split,remember in May at Broad St I ran 1.18 for 10 miles......
Despite now obviously slowing and having runner pass me unlike the previous 9 miles I had one ace up my sleeve on a 15 mile training run Falls Bridge represents 7.5 miles to go today Falls Bridge was 4.5 miles to the finish at the Art Museum steps and those recent 6.30am 15 milers not to mention Thursdays 16 miler were going to carry me home.
7.25 for mile 11 sure each mile marker felt it was taking longer to appear on the horizon but I just reminded my self of each run home when I come up the steps at South St bridge and get to the traffic lights at the junction of Spruce st and the on/off ramp of I76....two more miles,two more miles....
7.38 for mile 12 but my heavy legs were lifted by a dj spinning the classic Rage Against The Machine track "Bulls On Parade" it is the Rock & Roll Half Marathon and hearing that and seeing the back of the Art Museum ahead was all I needed.
7.28 as I hit the 13 mile mark,once a track runner,always a track runner I went into full blown sprint mode up the slight incline as Carl Lewis once famously said "I just wanted to know I left it all out there".......
1.30.15,even w/ the shit show that was Oddessey in June not my slowest ever half,faster than Virginia Beach 11 years ago,faster than the torrid East London half in 85{1.36.29} and an old PDR in the early mid 90s of 1.33.12.
Clearly the hard work of the last six weeks paid off but no time to rest on my laurals,9 weeks to go b4 the Philly Marathon which means another 6 weeks of high end training b4 a three week taper and doing it all over again,in old math they say take your half marathon time,double it and add 10 mins....a 3.10 marathon on Nov 19th?????
1st half
1.26.49-9.23.84
PR
1.18.07-3.12.06
1st PDR/R&R
1.21.56-9.17.89
Last PDR/R&R
1.25.24-9.17.06
Last half
1.50.18-6.11.17
As you can see Sunday 9.17 tends to play a role in these,when I crossed the finishline in my last PDR{Philadelphia Distance Run as it was known b4 it became part of the Rock & Roll Racing series} 11 years ago I'd struggled to log a 1.25.24 although compared to three weeks prior when the Virginia Beach half had chewed me up and spat me out w/ a 1.30.50 this was an improvement but having began my masters track career I felt it was time to focus on track ergo my quote"I'm done w/ distance running"
It would prove to be a soundbite that was heard around the running community but for the wrong reasons as some arsehole who shall remain nameless got all up in my grill and said"can I have that in writing?" which leant it's self to a terse reply from yours truly and a near arse kickin' for him.......
Clearly my random choice to run Broad St in May followed by my Oddessey Half Marathon in June underlined I was in fact not done w/ distance running on the roads as I felt the need to take care of some unfinished business this fall,however off a semi decent 1.18 Broad St 10 I quote "shat the bed" at Oddessey in a humbling 1.50.18,had I just got lucky at Broad St and bitten off more than I could chew a few weeks later?........
Conditions were grey and overcast when the gun went off at 7.30am w/ yours truly in the #1 corral of #24,unlike Broad St I would at least get a clear run at it even if the skies were anything but clear.
Again a wise old head on old legs I've ran the majority of my 28 half marathons on the PDR/R&R course/courses all of them in mid Sept when it's pot luck as to conditions,I've ran in picture book clear skies no heat days,broiling heat,humid as hell,pissing down rain conditions one thing I learnt from my second Boston Marathon in 02 don't worry about things you can't control ie the conditions they are what they are you just have to adapt to them and play the hand you are dealt.
5.58 for the opening mile via my Garmin{perhaps the best thing I ever bought for my running} I was probably 10 seconds behind the official clock as I started mid corral but again to revisit an old Coach GP pearl of wisdom run off of feel not the clock my recent runs had shown low 7 min mile pace when all by my lonesome so now w/ a field around me work off of them,
6.37 for the second mile which had me roughly adding 7 mins to each mile to guess my next spilt, another 6.37 split on mile 3 heading up the Parkway as I looped passed the start when corrals were still going off.
Afforded myself a slight chuckle as I passed the Ireland flag and then the Kenya flag that adorne the Parkway in alphabetical order.
6.48 on Spring Garden St a new twist to the numerous courses this race has ran b4 heading back down to "old faithful" Kelly Dr,talk about the road well travelled,and maybe some of that familurity leant its self to a 6.23 split.
6.30 at six miles sub 38 min pace followed by splits of 6.41 and 6.45 as I worked my way towards Falls Bridge,which sadly no longer has the lone bagpipe player like it did "back in the day" it always stired my celtic blood hearing him.
Given I began to slow crossing Falls Bridge perhaps I could have used said Bagpipes as my next split at mile 9 was 7.05,not too shabby I was probably sub 59 mins at mile 9 and sub 66 at 10 miles off of a 7.21 split,remember in May at Broad St I ran 1.18 for 10 miles......
Despite now obviously slowing and having runner pass me unlike the previous 9 miles I had one ace up my sleeve on a 15 mile training run Falls Bridge represents 7.5 miles to go today Falls Bridge was 4.5 miles to the finish at the Art Museum steps and those recent 6.30am 15 milers not to mention Thursdays 16 miler were going to carry me home.
7.25 for mile 11 sure each mile marker felt it was taking longer to appear on the horizon but I just reminded my self of each run home when I come up the steps at South St bridge and get to the traffic lights at the junction of Spruce st and the on/off ramp of I76....two more miles,two more miles....
7.38 for mile 12 but my heavy legs were lifted by a dj spinning the classic Rage Against The Machine track "Bulls On Parade" it is the Rock & Roll Half Marathon and hearing that and seeing the back of the Art Museum ahead was all I needed.
7.28 as I hit the 13 mile mark,once a track runner,always a track runner I went into full blown sprint mode up the slight incline as Carl Lewis once famously said "I just wanted to know I left it all out there".......
1.30.15,even w/ the shit show that was Oddessey in June not my slowest ever half,faster than Virginia Beach 11 years ago,faster than the torrid East London half in 85{1.36.29} and an old PDR in the early mid 90s of 1.33.12.
Clearly the hard work of the last six weeks paid off but no time to rest on my laurals,9 weeks to go b4 the Philly Marathon which means another 6 weeks of high end training b4 a three week taper and doing it all over again,in old math they say take your half marathon time,double it and add 10 mins....a 3.10 marathon on Nov 19th?????
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Going For The One
A different week for yours truly,Monday & Friday runs,runs under double digits,and a 16 miler....lead on McDuff,lead on.....
Monday 8 Miles
A rare Monday run,and an even rarer run in single digits but as often w/ my madness there was method involved.
Easy 8 to kick off the week in the hopes of Monday-Friday 62 miles w/ Sundays half Marathon rounding me out at 75 mpw
No Garmin on this run,I could run out and back to Lloyd Hall w/ my eyes closed and know it was 8 miles to begin w/ and given the longer runs to follow this needed to be a gentle pace,the fact I was practically dancing coming up the steps off the Schuylkill footpath leant an air of ease to procedure.
Tuesday 15 Miles
Not too long ago I was huffing & puffing my way through 12 miles,frankly 15 has become quote"the new normal"
Again the road well tested I opted to forgo the Garmin but it felt easy.
Highlight of the run heading up Spruce St passed Penn I spot a cluster of wannabe hoodlums ahead of me forcing a pedestrian to go around them,as she did the one nearest to her jumped at her to try and scare her.......didn't take an Ivy League grad to figure what was coming next as I passed them.......
As "cuz" jumped out at me I leaned towards him throwing a mean left hook that had him back peddling frantically....
"I'll fuck you up old man" was his best comeback as I continued up Spruce St"fuck off junior " my reply as he probably considered donating his shorts to the nearest flower bed as I can't be 100% sure....but I'm sure I smelt shit!!!!!!
Wednesday No Run
Fuck! Best laid plans of mice & men,an impromptu podcast post Spurs Champions League game meant it was 5.50pm when I got home and a 2 hour 16 miler between 6-8pm a tough sell...w/ hindsight maybe I could've done 10 miles????
Thursday 16 Miles
Got my long run for the week in and how!
Out in 59.23 back in 61.37 for a 2.00.52 time
Almost picture perfect conditions at 80 degrees as I went out and back along Kelly Dr,7.5 miles at Falls Bridge and rather than hanging a left went straight for another half mile b4 turing and heading back
Upon my return from my West Coast jaunt next week may revisit this route w/ an extra mile tacked on to get my 18 miler in
Friday 8 Miles
Wow a Monday & Friday run this week!!!
Even w/ my 6 day/75mpw shot I felt it wise to get the "crap" out of my legs w/ an easy 8 on Friday b4 a rest day Saturday and then Sundays half marathon
And so it's all set up now for Sunday,and next week I can hopefully increase my long run to 17 miles
Monday 8 Miles
A rare Monday run,and an even rarer run in single digits but as often w/ my madness there was method involved.
Easy 8 to kick off the week in the hopes of Monday-Friday 62 miles w/ Sundays half Marathon rounding me out at 75 mpw
No Garmin on this run,I could run out and back to Lloyd Hall w/ my eyes closed and know it was 8 miles to begin w/ and given the longer runs to follow this needed to be a gentle pace,the fact I was practically dancing coming up the steps off the Schuylkill footpath leant an air of ease to procedure.
Tuesday 15 Miles
Not too long ago I was huffing & puffing my way through 12 miles,frankly 15 has become quote"the new normal"
Again the road well tested I opted to forgo the Garmin but it felt easy.
Highlight of the run heading up Spruce St passed Penn I spot a cluster of wannabe hoodlums ahead of me forcing a pedestrian to go around them,as she did the one nearest to her jumped at her to try and scare her.......didn't take an Ivy League grad to figure what was coming next as I passed them.......
As "cuz" jumped out at me I leaned towards him throwing a mean left hook that had him back peddling frantically....
"I'll fuck you up old man" was his best comeback as I continued up Spruce St"fuck off junior " my reply as he probably considered donating his shorts to the nearest flower bed as I can't be 100% sure....but I'm sure I smelt shit!!!!!!
Don't fuck w/ me kid less you wanna wear your arse cheeks as earings cos my foot will Kick Your Arse!!!!!!
Wednesday No Run
Fuck! Best laid plans of mice & men,an impromptu podcast post Spurs Champions League game meant it was 5.50pm when I got home and a 2 hour 16 miler between 6-8pm a tough sell...w/ hindsight maybe I could've done 10 miles????
Thursday 16 Miles
Got my long run for the week in and how!
Out in 59.23 back in 61.37 for a 2.00.52 time
Almost picture perfect conditions at 80 degrees as I went out and back along Kelly Dr,7.5 miles at Falls Bridge and rather than hanging a left went straight for another half mile b4 turing and heading back
Upon my return from my West Coast jaunt next week may revisit this route w/ an extra mile tacked on to get my 18 miler in
Friday 8 Miles
Wow a Monday & Friday run this week!!!
Even w/ my 6 day/75mpw shot I felt it wise to get the "crap" out of my legs w/ an easy 8 on Friday b4 a rest day Saturday and then Sundays half marathon
And so it's all set up now for Sunday,and next week I can hopefully increase my long run to 17 miles
Sunday, September 10, 2017
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Glass half empty I only managed a 4 day/54.5mpw,glass half full I upped my long run to 15.5 miles as the magic numbers are now 1/10 for the Rock & Roll Half Marathon/Philly Marathon
Monday 15.5 miles
Taking full advantage of Labour Day I got out and ran since Mondays tend to be a "no go zone" due to work.
Since Monday was a holiday I slept till 9am and didn't hit the sidewalks that lead me to the Art Museum loop till 10.30am which is later than the 6.30am runs I've been doing on the weekends and thus warmer,the sweat stains on my sleeveless running shirt bore that out.
Having done the "out and back" 7.5/7.5=15 miles a few times I was curious to see what the whole loop would come out to,I knew it'd be just over 15 miles so thanks to a tweak here and there I was able to round up to 15.5 miles in 2.08.53 off of 8.19 mile pace
Tuesday Rest Day,given I didn't know what to expect at work w/ Tuesday becoming my Monday I hedged my bets that I'd be balls arsed busy....I wasn't as busy as I thought but frankly my upper thighs were a tad sore from Mondays run so perhaps Rest Day was the way to go
Wednesday Rained out....bugger!
I'm no stranger to running in the rain....I grew up in London for fecks sake however w/ Philly R&R1/2 now eleven days away maybe playing "fast and loose" w/ the conditions was not the way to go and when the heavens opened around 6pm I would've been a few miles from home and shelter and frankly I've worked too damn hard since Aug 1st for next Sunday so while I lost a day I may've saved myself a few between now and Sept 17th
Thursday 14 miles
The most noticeable thing for me on this run was how much cooler conditions were compared to previous runs out and back along either Kelly Dr or West River Dr after work during August,to underline that fact on Aug 16th I ran a 13 miler in 1.48.03 off 8.37 mile pace,tonite I clocked 1.48.24 off 7.44 mile pace.....over 14 miles,yes things have cooled off but I've also gotten more speed,strength and stamina under me,this should bode well moving forward.
Saturday 14 miles
A delightfully crisp 55 degrees greeted me at 6.30am as I headed out for this run,switched from sleeveless to short sleeves but also w/ next Sundays gun time at 7.30am I probably need to be up 6am so it was good to get a "lay of the land" in that respect.
When I reached the turnaround in 53.06 I was twenty seven seconds up on Thursday time,neither here nor there in some respects but always nice to feel you're getting faster.....
1.47.01 off of 7.38 mile pace and almost by default a seasons best,not sure how many more 14 milers are on tap but if there are more 1.47.01 is the time to try and beat
Sunday 11 miles
Not quite what I had hoped for to be honest,the aim was 16.5 miles to round out at 60mpw.
While I'm happy to go"out and back" on either drive the prospect of say running 8.5 miles on a 7.5 loop and then circling back in the direction I just came is....frankly a bit fuckin' boring so unless say I don't know the Swedish Bikini Team are cheer leading the route.....I can dream.....I'm looking at going "off book"
W/ hindsight maybe doing the hills of the Belmont Plateau was my undoing this morning,maybe dancing my arse off at The Trocadero last nite to UB40 didn't help either but either way when I worked my way back down to West River Dr via Sweet Briar Lane,Landsdown Ave,Avenue Of The Republic and Belmont Ave my legs said no mas and I had to settle for 11 miles in 1.31.22 off 8.14 mile pace.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the next time I look to extend my run I'll nix the Belmont Plateau and stay on Montgomery Dr to loop back down to West River Dr,this however won't be for a few weeks,next weekend is the Philly R&R 1/2 and the following weekend I'll be google mapping a potential 17 miler out in San Diego.....something along the coastline would be nice.......Swedish Bikini Team optional.....but very welcome....just saying!
Monday 15.5 miles
Taking full advantage of Labour Day I got out and ran since Mondays tend to be a "no go zone" due to work.
Since Monday was a holiday I slept till 9am and didn't hit the sidewalks that lead me to the Art Museum loop till 10.30am which is later than the 6.30am runs I've been doing on the weekends and thus warmer,the sweat stains on my sleeveless running shirt bore that out.
Having done the "out and back" 7.5/7.5=15 miles a few times I was curious to see what the whole loop would come out to,I knew it'd be just over 15 miles so thanks to a tweak here and there I was able to round up to 15.5 miles in 2.08.53 off of 8.19 mile pace
Tuesday Rest Day,given I didn't know what to expect at work w/ Tuesday becoming my Monday I hedged my bets that I'd be balls arsed busy....I wasn't as busy as I thought but frankly my upper thighs were a tad sore from Mondays run so perhaps Rest Day was the way to go
Wednesday Rained out....bugger!
I'm no stranger to running in the rain....I grew up in London for fecks sake however w/ Philly R&R1/2 now eleven days away maybe playing "fast and loose" w/ the conditions was not the way to go and when the heavens opened around 6pm I would've been a few miles from home and shelter and frankly I've worked too damn hard since Aug 1st for next Sunday so while I lost a day I may've saved myself a few between now and Sept 17th
Thursday 14 miles
The most noticeable thing for me on this run was how much cooler conditions were compared to previous runs out and back along either Kelly Dr or West River Dr after work during August,to underline that fact on Aug 16th I ran a 13 miler in 1.48.03 off 8.37 mile pace,tonite I clocked 1.48.24 off 7.44 mile pace.....over 14 miles,yes things have cooled off but I've also gotten more speed,strength and stamina under me,this should bode well moving forward.
Saturday 14 miles
A delightfully crisp 55 degrees greeted me at 6.30am as I headed out for this run,switched from sleeveless to short sleeves but also w/ next Sundays gun time at 7.30am I probably need to be up 6am so it was good to get a "lay of the land" in that respect.
When I reached the turnaround in 53.06 I was twenty seven seconds up on Thursday time,neither here nor there in some respects but always nice to feel you're getting faster.....
1.47.01 off of 7.38 mile pace and almost by default a seasons best,not sure how many more 14 milers are on tap but if there are more 1.47.01 is the time to try and beat
Sunday 11 miles
Not quite what I had hoped for to be honest,the aim was 16.5 miles to round out at 60mpw.
While I'm happy to go"out and back" on either drive the prospect of say running 8.5 miles on a 7.5 loop and then circling back in the direction I just came is....frankly a bit fuckin' boring so unless say I don't know the Swedish Bikini Team are cheer leading the route.....I can dream.....I'm looking at going "off book"
W/ hindsight maybe doing the hills of the Belmont Plateau was my undoing this morning,maybe dancing my arse off at The Trocadero last nite to UB40 didn't help either but either way when I worked my way back down to West River Dr via Sweet Briar Lane,Landsdown Ave,Avenue Of The Republic and Belmont Ave my legs said no mas and I had to settle for 11 miles in 1.31.22 off 8.14 mile pace.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the next time I look to extend my run I'll nix the Belmont Plateau and stay on Montgomery Dr to loop back down to West River Dr,this however won't be for a few weeks,next weekend is the Philly R&R 1/2 and the following weekend I'll be google mapping a potential 17 miler out in San Diego.....something along the coastline would be nice.......Swedish Bikini Team optional.....but very welcome....just saying!
Monday, August 28, 2017
Going Out In Style
Another 5day/65mpw in the books as the magic numbers are reduced to 3/12 for the Half Marathon/Marathon.
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday:12miles
In what potentially was the last of the "dog days" of August I was able to grind out a 1.41.23 12 miler off of 8.27 mile pace.
It was like running in a Sauna out there on Tuesday to the point where my end game was just to get the distance in,w/ one of my two Rest Days already taken sitting out a run "because it was hot,humid and hazy" was not an option if I wanted a second week of 65s on my resume.
Hopefully the Thunder & Lightning that followed my run five hours later signaled the end of the heat and humidity.....at least for August.
Wednesday:13miles
The difference in conditions was easily noticable but the fact I had to grind my way through 12 miles in 1.41.23 on Tuesday but came out on Wednesday and clocked 1.42.52 off of 7.54 for 13 miles confirms the heat not being an issue and lends its self to the fact after weeks of 36,60 & 65 miles I'm beginning to get the measure of my distances......shame I'll be moving up again next week but in order for a Revolution there has to be Evolution first and I feel I'm continuing to evolve.....ask several people who know me they'll confirm I always Revolt w/out fail........#haters
Thursday:12miles
Since I plan to continue up the mileage ladder the next 9 weeks or so tonite was billed as my final 12 miler untill late October when I {hopefully} begin my taper,where as my Season's Best for 13 miles continues to fall each time out my SB over 12 has remained untroubled at 1.34.33 since June 7th,could I trouble it tonite on my Summer finale?????
Cop That In The Bollocks For Starters!!!! 1.31.33 off of 7.38 mile pace,three whole minutes shaved off my time
The other "highlight" from this run,around a mile and a quarter into the run "Cuz" comes running up to me waving a Cigarette "yo my man,got a light"???? DUDE I'm running do I look like I smoke for fuck sake?????what do you think I do at the turnaround point on these runs,whip out a Marlboro and exault the joys of "flavour country" b4 returning to my runs?.......If God hates Ugly he must detest Dumb!!!
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday:13 miles
Now you're just taking the piss!! on May 31st post Broad St but pre Oddessey Half Marathon I logged 1.58.01 off of 9.08 mile pace for 13 miles,this morning.......1.38.39 off of 7.36 mile pace.
Of the meny "pearls of wisdom" my former coach GP installed in me between 07-09 was the time honoured:somedays you need to forget about the watch/clock and just run off of feel
Today was one of those days other than the almost obligotory 1 mile and 2 mile splits that I usually check to gauge tempo,rhythm early on I think my last look at the watch was at the turnaround as I continued this tear of sub 8 min mile pace this week.
Sunday:15miles
Another 6.30am 15 miler as my schedule wouldn't allow otherwise but to be honest I'm loving how cool things are when I run at this hour plus it's good prep for my three upcoming races which are probably 7/7.30am starts.
Another run where I kind of forgot about the Garmin and just focused on feel,at the turnaround at 7.5 miles I clocked 60.49 so around 2.01/2.02 pace....however having gone 2.00.42 last week and having had a banner week this week minus Tuesday when I was forced to run tactically I figured why not go for it?
1.58.43 off of 7.37 mile pace to not only round out a second week of 65 milers but also send me into next weeks proposed 70mpw{13-14-13-15-15} w/ my confidence still rising.
I said honestly two weeks ago off my 60mpw that had the Rock & Roll Half Marathon been the following week I'd have been fucked,now off of two 65mpws I feel much better about my chances of a half decent time,lets not get carried away a week ago I was having to dig deep mentally and physically over 12 & 13 milers and this coming week I'm ramping it up a little but hopefully next weekend I'll look back on a 70mpw as no biggie
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday:12miles
In what potentially was the last of the "dog days" of August I was able to grind out a 1.41.23 12 miler off of 8.27 mile pace.
It was like running in a Sauna out there on Tuesday to the point where my end game was just to get the distance in,w/ one of my two Rest Days already taken sitting out a run "because it was hot,humid and hazy" was not an option if I wanted a second week of 65s on my resume.
Hopefully the Thunder & Lightning that followed my run five hours later signaled the end of the heat and humidity.....at least for August.
Wednesday:13miles
The difference in conditions was easily noticable but the fact I had to grind my way through 12 miles in 1.41.23 on Tuesday but came out on Wednesday and clocked 1.42.52 off of 7.54 for 13 miles confirms the heat not being an issue and lends its self to the fact after weeks of 36,60 & 65 miles I'm beginning to get the measure of my distances......shame I'll be moving up again next week but in order for a Revolution there has to be Evolution first and I feel I'm continuing to evolve.....ask several people who know me they'll confirm I always Revolt w/out fail........#haters
Thursday:12miles
Since I plan to continue up the mileage ladder the next 9 weeks or so tonite was billed as my final 12 miler untill late October when I {hopefully} begin my taper,where as my Season's Best for 13 miles continues to fall each time out my SB over 12 has remained untroubled at 1.34.33 since June 7th,could I trouble it tonite on my Summer finale?????
Cop That In The Bollocks For Starters!!!! 1.31.33 off of 7.38 mile pace,three whole minutes shaved off my time
The other "highlight" from this run,around a mile and a quarter into the run "Cuz" comes running up to me waving a Cigarette "yo my man,got a light"???? DUDE I'm running do I look like I smoke for fuck sake?????what do you think I do at the turnaround point on these runs,whip out a Marlboro and exault the joys of "flavour country" b4 returning to my runs?.......If God hates Ugly he must detest Dumb!!!
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday:13 miles
Now you're just taking the piss!! on May 31st post Broad St but pre Oddessey Half Marathon I logged 1.58.01 off of 9.08 mile pace for 13 miles,this morning.......1.38.39 off of 7.36 mile pace.
Of the meny "pearls of wisdom" my former coach GP installed in me between 07-09 was the time honoured:somedays you need to forget about the watch/clock and just run off of feel
Today was one of those days other than the almost obligotory 1 mile and 2 mile splits that I usually check to gauge tempo,rhythm early on I think my last look at the watch was at the turnaround as I continued this tear of sub 8 min mile pace this week.
Sunday:15miles
Another 6.30am 15 miler as my schedule wouldn't allow otherwise but to be honest I'm loving how cool things are when I run at this hour plus it's good prep for my three upcoming races which are probably 7/7.30am starts.
Another run where I kind of forgot about the Garmin and just focused on feel,at the turnaround at 7.5 miles I clocked 60.49 so around 2.01/2.02 pace....however having gone 2.00.42 last week and having had a banner week this week minus Tuesday when I was forced to run tactically I figured why not go for it?
1.58.43 off of 7.37 mile pace to not only round out a second week of 65 milers but also send me into next weeks proposed 70mpw{13-14-13-15-15} w/ my confidence still rising.
I said honestly two weeks ago off my 60mpw that had the Rock & Roll Half Marathon been the following week I'd have been fucked,now off of two 65mpws I feel much better about my chances of a half decent time,lets not get carried away a week ago I was having to dig deep mentally and physically over 12 & 13 milers and this coming week I'm ramping it up a little but hopefully next weekend I'll look back on a 70mpw as no biggie
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