Caution Is The Better Part Of Valour

 So only the one run to blog last week, another stunning reminder that no matter how willing I am to get out there and do what I have to do somedays things beyond my control just throw an industrial size spanner in the works, at my age controlling my bladder is a full time gig but at least I have some control over that, the weather, work and mass transit all conspired last week to feck me over, the week began well enough w/ a 9 miler on Monday but after that it just got away from me.......what's the old adage " time, money and women all slip through my fingers"..........

Mon April 15th While the masses had descended  on Boston for the marathon  I was happy enough to be out the door post work around 6pm to tackle a 9 mile run, out and back along Powelton Avenue and the start of Kelly Drive to just beyond Girard Avenue bridge

A balmy 80 degrees according to Peco Tower safe to say sleeveless and shorts was the attire and hopefully till mid October now when I'm tapering for Dublin I won't need my half zips and 3/4 length bottoms

Mercifully the Art Museum and Kelly Drive weren't as crowded this evening as Sunday afternoon so a little less weaving in and out....in running as is in life I prefer straight lines

1.16.19 off 8.29 mile and thankfully no repeat of the maniacal 1.16.03 off 8.27 pace I ran on Thursday where I effectively ran myself into the ground tonight felt a tad more under control

Like I said after that the week transpired to get away from me w/ the proverbial one thing and another, some days the running Gods smile on you.....somedays that say" it's not your day" however I will say had I not been erring on the side of caution maybe I could have gotten out there on a few of those days

On Monday while making my way up Powelton Avenue I was forced wide at he intersection of 34th and Powelton by some jobsworth who had tried unsuccessfully to cheat the red light and failed miserably instead of being able to go straight across the intersection I had to veer sharply to my right where not only there's a sizable dip down from the sidewalk to the road but it's uneven and I remember at the time when my right foot struck the ground thinking " that smarts" and probably thinking of a few unflattering comments towards "Mario Andretti" ......

Tuesday morning said right ankle/ achilles  were a little sore at first I thought maybe I'd slept on it wrong my second fear was my achilles was inflamed.......I missed a huge chunk of the 2009 season and my shot at the 800m and 1,500m  at Masters Worlds in Finland due to  tendinitis and it flared up again in 2013

Since my second go round w/ physical therapy I have made a point to stretch my achilles b4 ever run, again I'm at an age where " everything hurts" I also make sure to stretch so that my knees, hip and calves don't bother me so that I can keep running, there's a lot of miles on this frame and hopefully a few more yet to come so I leaned on the side of caution w/ my ankle/ achilles rather than grind away miles for the sake of padding my mileage I sat out a few days, Dublin is 27 weeks away and I'm sure the "Dog Days Of Summer" will have some say in my training the last thing I need is an injury period but also one that can be avoided when a more cautious approach would serve me better

The Return Of Eyore{Doing The Donkey Work}

 Back at it.... training and blogging!

So following my 15k race on Saturday I knocked out an easy/recovery 7 miler on Sunday to round the week up to 16 miles but also get me back into a routine of getting out there and getting the miles in that had fallen by the wayside of late

Mon April 8th

I always say that Monday is the most important day of the week re a training run, handle business Monday and set yourself for the week, miss/blow off Monday and allow for the potential of getting jammed up later in the week

The fact I had this Monday off of work made it easier for me to get out there and start the week off on the front foot so taking full advantage of that fact I ran at lunchtime

Opted for an out and back along the trusty Schuylkill River Trial via the South St bridge which basically takes me to the back of the Art Museum at 4.5 miles then  a quick u turn and back the way I came

They are extending the Schuylkill River Trail beyond it's current end at Christian Street down towards Grays Ferry not sure what the time frame is on that project but once complete it will give me another option on my runs, it'll be interesting to see which construction job finishes first the extension to Grays Ferry or fixing the bridge at the end of West River Drive under the Spring Garden St bridge

Tue April 9th

The acid test....it's all well and good going out on a Monday lunchtime on a day off but could I come home from a days work and get myself out the door for a run......?

Since the clocks went forward on  March 10th I'd only managed to take advantage of the extra daylight in the evenings on March 11th and 12th, after five months of lunchtime 6 milers I had struggled to make that adjustment.....that's all well and good but if I hold any ambitions on  a decent Spring/Summer/Fall I need to be out there post work in the evenings putting the miles in and its what I'm used to, I only ran at lunchtime during the Winter to counter the dark

After a week when it frankly " pissed out of the heavens" almost everyday the fact that not only was the Sun out this evening but also 78 degrees at 6.20pm when I hit the Schuylkill River Trial was a sight to behold.......however in  a reverse Dolly Parton "You Can't Have The Rainbow W/out The Rain" w/ the good weather comes the masses descending on the Schuylkill River Trial and space is limited, this is where West River Dr being out of commission plays a major role hopefully they finish reconstruction on that bridge sooner rather than later and free up both West River and Kelly Drive

Thursday April 11th

I knew five in a row was a big ask when I'm just coming back to full training so reluctantly I sat out Wednesday, mentally and physically I was beat and even the prospect of a shorter 6 or 7 mile run rather the the 9s I'd set myself for the week was a big ask, remembering an old adage my former coach taught me" listen to what your body is telling you" I elected to take a rest day Wednesday and  have at it tonight anyway......given the day I was to encounter at work on Thursday the run would prove cathartic.........

I'm not going to get into specifics re my job that's what my journal is for what I will say is if things don't change and soon swaths of trees will  need to be cut down to provide me the reams of paper I require to pen my daily frustrations at work, while I fully understand bitchin' about our jobs is "The National Pastime" I don't wish to be the poster child for the destruction of more trees and we'll leave it at that.....

Conditions were grey and overcast at 6pm as I headed out for my 9 miler w/ the hint of rain in the air.....I needed this run so if I had to go the baseball cap/ rain jacket route to get the miles in I would have

I also opted for a change of route tonight up Powelton Ave to the back of the Art Museum around the front of said Art Museum to Kelly Drive and down Kelly Drive to just under  Girard Ave bridge to 4.5 miles and then back

I wasn't really paying attention to my mile splits but I opened in 7.56 which is a tad brisk and then followed up w/ an 8.05 fair to say I was on a mission.......

W/ three miles to go  coming back down Powelton Ave I could feel the effects of some uneconomic pacing my final three splits were 8.51-8.42-9.02 as I finished in 1.16.03 off 8.27 mile pace for the record Tuesdays run was 1.20.33 off 8.57 mile pace.....

It's rare I play the "No Mas" card at the end of a run I'm pretty good about rehydrating showering making something to eat........not tonite! I collapsed on the bed post run lay there motionless for over 90 mins and by 9pm channeled  my inner George Burns and said "Good Night Gracie" threw my running clothes on the floor at the end of the bed turned the tv and the light off and called it a night!!!

Sunday April 14th

Saturdays long run got away from me, I should have stuck to my routine of getting up around 7am and out the door by 8am, I opted for the Spurs Newcastle game at 7.30am under the pretense I'd run at 9.30am when the game finished.........

When your team doesn't show up and gets spanked 4.0 it's a bitter pill to swallow and frankly a run of any type let alone a 16 mile long run was about as miserable a prospect as the train ride back to London from Newcastle for the Spurs fans who'd travelled North for that shit show.....

Mercifully Spurs don't play another Saturday game till May 11th which is their final Saturday game of the season so I won't have to worry about that potentially happening again till August 

It had been a long week mentally and emotionally and try as I might to get up early Sunday for a long run it just wasn't on the cards....however come 2pm I did galvanize myself to get out the door and knock out a 9 miler.... mercifully not at the kamikaze pace of Thursdays ran on the same route!!!

1.17.47 off 8.38 mile pace and thankfully no repeat of me crawling into bed at the completion of said run this time........

A 4 day/36 mile week better than it has been of late so that's the blueprint moving forward Broad Street is three weeks away, another week of 9 milers this week and then 2 weeks of 10s leading upto Broad Street and beyond

{Re}Building The {Im}Perfect Beast

 First and foremost apologies for the lack of blogging recently, to be fair there wasn't a whole heck of a lot to blog about as my running hit a wall of sorts, hopefully that's behind me now as I've spent the last three days "pounding the pavements" trying to get back into a routine

There have been two races recently a disastrous Love Run half marathon on March 24th and a slightly better Hot Chocolate 15k last Saturday ,I'm still at a loss as to why my half marathon went "tits up" at 1.39.17 off 7.32 mile pace it ranks as my second slowest ever half marathon only the infamous 2017 Odyssey half marathon aka "the mother of all cock ups"  ranks slower

Why it went pear shaped I'm still at a loss to understand I've been running for 48 years  I'm not naive enough to think there won't be bad days period muchless  days when you just can't put your finger on what went wrong, this was one of them, is it possible I over trained???? I had 4 12 mile runs logged by the end of December and 4 14 milers in January/February and the 3 16 miles in February/March I missed the 2022 Love Run due to a hip injury and the 2023 edition due to my knee, my last two half marathons were the 2022 and 2023 Philadelphia Distance Run both of which were hampered by humidity so maybe I went into this years Love Run a little too gung ho.....it's done now it was a poor race by my standards but to quote the always quotable Roy Keane" nobody died.....life goes on".........

To say I went into Saturdays Hot Chocolate 15k on Kelly Drive a little snake bitten  is an understatement, the 7.32 mile pace over the Love Run had caught me well and truly off guard I expected to run faster maybe I over estimated where I'm at in training right now so the plan for the 15k was 7 minute mile pace and a 63 minute finish

I got my customary good start and eased my way through the first corral on route to a 6.54 opening mile however b4 reaching the second mile marker the 7.30 mile pace runner pulled up along side me as my pace dropped to a 7.35 mile, we went back and forth over the next 3 miles as my splits went 7.35-7.23-7.18 I knew it was windy going north on Kelly Drive to begin w/ plus after  my last outing it might be prudent to go out a bit conservatively  for the opening half of the race and then push the pace for the inbound 4.5 miles

After finally dropping the 7.30 mile pacer at mile 5 I thought I'd have "open road" between the Conrail bridge and the Art Museum finish...........hold my Gatorade!!!!!!!

This year the race offered a 10k option to the already existing 5k and 15k I hadn't given it any thought that the 10k and 15k would start at the same time until I reached the 6 mile mark in 7.06 and the 10k turnaround..........the word Clusterfuck sprang to mind........ my clear run to the finish line was now obscured by the 12 minute mile pace 10k runners don't get me wrong I have untold respect for any runner no matter how slow they may be to put themselves out there and run but the powers that be might want to rethink start times for next years races as I'm sure I wasn't the only one hampered by this

Despite having to weave in and out of the 10k runners my final 3 miles went:7.06-7.04-7.04 for a 67.21 finish off 7.13 mile pace, still not at the 7 min mile pace I would like to be at and where I think I should be at but maybe that's "high notions like the mountain goats in Kerry"  as the auld fella liked to say and maybe all the hill work I've done on my long runs has taken a toll on my legs?

46th overall but more importantly a comfortable winner of the 60-64 age group, adding considerable  insult to injury at the Love Run on top of a poor race and slow time I missed the 60-64 podium by 25 seconds in 4th so today felt like a bit of redemption and hopefully yields another medal to the collection and keeps me on pace for Dublin being #250

I have four weeks now till Broad Street and hopefully time to work on getting that 7.13 mile pace down to 7.00,Dublin is still 29 weeks away if I can get down to 7.00 mile pace by Broad Street I'll have 25 weeks to try and get down to 6.50 mile pace which would get me sub 3.00 in Dublin.....little by little, mile by mile, training run by training run......

Short Term Solution For A Long Term Goal

 Not the week I had planned or written in my running log but sometimes you have to step back and look at the bigger picture to appreciate the greater good.........

Mon  Mar 4th Off the back of Sundays long run I just needed an easy/recovery/shake out 6 miler to get the week started

I'll spare you the play by play call on a very frustrating morning in the office but suffice to say I was in a spit nails, walk thro walls, shit bullets frame of mind gone 2pm when I eventually got out to run so when I discovered early on the Garmin hadn't restarted after a traffic light stop up JFK Blvd I said feck it this would be an untimed run

To be fair it didn't need to be timed I'm just so used to timing my runs but given I was looking to shake the crap out of my legs from Sundays long run this really didn't require time, speed. pace just the miles

One area of concern as I mentioned in last weeks blog I'd racked up 451 miles on my running shoes so this was the maiden run in the new pair, I'm hoping they just need to mold to the shape of my foot as my big toe on my right foot felt like it was jamming into the toe box on the run to the point I had to double check Amazon had sent the right size....they had after a little futzing w/ the laces it felt a lot better

Tue Mar 5th Wasn't sure I'd get this one in as the weather was playing havoc, pissing down pouring rain most of the morning and early lunchtime however by 2pm it had eased up/ stopped and ever the Boy Scout I'd come prepared w/ a running rain jacket and baseball cap so off I splashed up JFK Blvd to the Schuylkill River Trail

A modest 52.30.5 off 8.44 mile pace w/ splits of:8.18-9.04-9.07-8.59-9.02-7.58 out in 26.31 back in 25.59 but the proverbial cheque was in the mail re tired legs, the past few week I've logged some major mileage on a weekly basis partly to get #154 miles for February, maybe the proverbial Chickens had come home to roost..........

Thur Mar 7th Having ridden my luck twice in the last few weeks w/ getting out to run when rain had threatened to derail me yesterday the Weather Gods said they were claiming that one and it pissed out of the heavens, given my legs were feeling it a little Monday & Tuesday I was only to happy to concede defeat but I was back at it at 2pm today

48.22.7 off 8.04 mile pace I could feel the benefit of a rest day in my legs and my pace, splits backed that up:8.22-8.43-8.38-7.54-8.25-6.18 out in 25.44 back in 22.38

Given this was scheduled as my last regular lunchtime run for the foreseeable future w/ the clocks going forward on Sunday and the resumption  of evening/longer runs it was nice to sign off w/ a respectable time and JFK Blvd will be spared yours truly  hammering up and down said Boulevard between 2pm-3pm on weekdays to and from the Schuylkill River Trail

I didn't plan on Thursday being my last run for the week Saturday was going to be my final 16 miler and Sunday would be an easy/recovery/shake out 6 miler to round up to another 5 day/40 mile week.....however...... when I didn't exactly leap out of bed Saturday morning and proceeded to roll over and fall back asleep till 10am which for me is almost unheard of I knew I was tired and while sometime you have to run on tired legs you also have to listen to what your body is telling you and mine was telling me it needed rest

It's never a bad thing to throw in the occasional low mileage week sometimes it's planned like the third weekend of January we go hit w/ snow and it's been full tilt the last 6 weeks, while the heart desired mileage the legs and body desired rest so I took the weekend off to recharge the batteries we'll go again Monday evening after work which after 4 months of lunchtime running will be a shock to the system but will also help shake things up a little

A Day Late, But Not A Dollar Short

 #154 miles for February, another 16 mile long run and the retirement of my old running shoes after 451 miles...it was quite the week.....

Mon Feb 26th Once again the benefit of a rest day on Sunday was a brisk time on Monday on fresh legs 44.42.3 off 7.25 mile pace w/ splits of 7.31-7.46-7.47-7.35-7.39-6.23 out in 23.04 back in 21.38

My previous best time is 43.09.09 ran on Feb 7th I hadn't set out to trouble that when I set off this lunchtime but I was pleased w/ the fast time, w/ the clock ticking down to the Love Run half marathon on March 24th it's good to know there's speed to go w/ the strength and stamina I've been building the last few months

Tue Feb 27th Halfway to the four six milers I need to get me to #154 miles for February

Another respectable time 46.18.13 of 7.43 mile pace, when 8.09 is your slowest split you know you're doing something right!

Having plateaued at #148 mile in December and January I was now two 6 miles away from #154 but I didn't want top tempt fate work has a funny way of  throwing a " spanner in the works" IF I miss 1 day it would be #148 miles again.....NOT the end of the world but to be this  close to beating that total felt like being on a knife edge.......

Wed Feb 28th YES! Got this one in period and despite a forecast of rain, if it all goes " tits up" tomorrow at least I have #148 miles{ again!!} for the month

After two brisk 6 milers Monday and Tuesday I took it easy today 50.23.7 off 8.24 mile pace according to Accu Weather there was a 60% chance of rain between 2pm-3pm to that end I threw a rain jacket and baseball cap into my running bag on Tuesday evening but didn't really need them as the rain held off however at 60 degrees I did work up a good sweat out and back along the river

On Monday when it was unseasonably warm the trail was full of " fair weather runners" taking advantage of the sun and warm temps.......not so  many of them today when it was overcast.......

Thur Feb 29th Nailed It!! 45.58.9 off 7.39 mile pace #154 miles for February

It wasn't lost on me that had this year NOT been a leap year I would have logged #148 miles for the month for the third month in a row,  nor is it lost on me that these 6 miles on Feb 29th mean I'll just miss #200 for March provided I hit all my marks next month..... live by the Leap Year, Die by the Leap Year..... said nobody ever to my knowledge!

March will see a shift in the landscape for me, the clocks go forward on the 10th meaning a transition from lunchtime running  back to evening running and potentially more miles per week and month it also signals the end of Winter {yea!} and brings the first of three races in March, April and May b4 a long block of 20 mile long runs till my next scheduled race at the end of August by which time the magical number till Dublin will be  9 weeks.......

Sun Mar 3rd So it pissed out of the heavens on Saturday morning to the point where a 16 mile run was pointless in those conditions, no point going out in those conditions are running the risk of getting sick so I waited it out till Sunday since I had that option

Out the door by 7.30am a gloriously sunny morning at 48 degrees ideal running conditions period but for those who favour the time honoured Sunday Long Run{ and as is my won't I counted the runners I saw while I was out there this morning and counted 22} this was ideal

Thankfully someone from the Philadelphia Parks Department either got the memo or read my blog from last week.........the former more so than the latter seems more likely and left the bottom gate unlocked this week so I was  able to run my more traditional 16 mile route through Fairmount Park b4 hitting East Falls via West River Dr and Strawberry Mansion Bridge

I had a wry smile to myself when I passed the Japanese Cultural Center on the morning of the Tokyo Marathon  and  thought of my good running buddy Colin who completed  the Abbott World Marathon Series by running Tokyo today, technically I have ran 4 of the 6 Marathons London, Chicago, New York and Boston but prior to the Abbot World Series so I'm not sure if they would count I wouldn't mind a crack at Berlin and Tokyo but let's get through Dublin in October first

Things were ticking along nicely w/ the first 9 miles all sub 9 b4 the always challenging mile 10 up the on ramp to Strawberry Mansion Bridge and up the twisty Strawberry Mansion Dr  registered  a 9.26 split, however I then threw in three sub 9s through East Falls as I crossed the Girard Avenue bridge w/ three miles to go and looked in control........

Somehow the wheels came off in those final 3 miles I had little to no kneelift or leg turnover and it was an effort to get home via 34th St and Powelton Ave but I did in 2.19.31 off 8.43 mile pace not quite the finish I was hoping for but somedays style points count for feck all and it's about grinding it out

At 451 mile these running shoe are now " out to pasture" having served me well, I forget when I first wore them but w/ increased mileage on the horizon I suspect I'll be going through the next few pairs rapidly

Easy Tiger..........

 Another 5 day/ 40 mile week another 16 mile long run.....to quote an old Monty Python sketch " still  I was getting used to it by now"...........

Monday Feb 19th An easy/recovery 6 miler at lunchtime out and back along Powelton Ave and Mantua Ave since today was  President's Day and I had the day off from work

Given I was coming off of my long run on Sunday this was always going to be a easy/recovery run and a chance to get any leftover gunk/crap out of my legs as I took it easy and logged a 53.23.4 off of 8.53 miler pace

One advantage of a day off from work asides from not having to get up at 7am was having sometime at home to catch up on  watching some running on tv, I'd missed the actual Olympic Marathon Trials on Feb 3rd as I was out doing my long run that morning so it was nice to watch the  Men's and Women's races and also watch The New Balance Games from Boston

I miss not running track but sadly the issues w/ my left knee and hip mean it's better to avoid all those left turns on a track which on an indoor track is twice as many but it doesn't stop me from watching the top flight athletes doing their thing, I've already preset Peacock's coverage of the upcoming World Indoor C'ships to  My Stuff  .....when I'll actually get around to watching it is another matter......

Tue Feb 20th Easy 6 miler at lunchtime out and back along the Schuylkill River a modest 50.28.8 off 8.24 mile pace, I was already cognizant of the fact I was looking at a potential 6 in a row having ran Saturday, Sunday, Monday and now today, it was a case of " cutting your cloth accordingly" run  6 in a row and have Sunday as a rest day or take Wednesday or Thursday off and run both days on the weekend which has been the case so far this year ,given Cork have  a Hurling game at 10.45am  on Sunday I figured go for the gusto run today, tomorrow and Thursday and then just the long run on Saturday.

I was also cognizant of the fact that not every  lunchtime 6 miler out and back along the river has to be " hammer and tongs" some days just putting the miles in is enough w/out  being overly concerned about time, speed, pace, splits etc it's very easy to allow the Garmin to dictate how you run sometimes it's good to just log the miles

Wed Feb 21st A slight tweak to my route, last week I mentioned heading up JFK Blvd rather than Market St to cut out a couple of cross street b4 the river the only drawback of that is the steps up and down to the River Trail, I find them a real momentum killer so ever the Boy Scout I looked into a way to circumnavigate them

There's an on/off ramp on the right hand side of JFK Blvd that leads to 22nd St which leads to Race St, sharp left and w/in a block the Conrail tracks and then the Schuylkill River Trail.....no steps!......the caveat to this is IF there's a Conrail train approaching those gates will be locked which then means finding another way onto the trail but I figured I'll cross, burn, jump, paint that bridge when the time comes

So remember yesterday when I said about not allowing the Garmin to always dictate things....... today I ran 50.00.4 off 8.18 pace and won't deny I'm slightly  miffed I didn't sneak under  49.59.99..... live by the Garmin, die by the Garmin........the struggle continues.......

Thur Feb 22nd My 6th run in 6 days.....this was always going to be an easy run as I racked up  46th mile since Saturday 50.29.0 off 8.24 mile pace

In running as in life it's all about choices while six days in a row is a big ask I do now have the luxury of Sunday off which hasn't always been the case so far this year in an ideal world I'd like to run Monday through Thursday then Saturday..... it doesn't always play out like that and in order to get this Sunday off and avoid a potential 6 in a row again next week I had to run today so if you're willing to give a little to get a little in return you'll be just grand

Sat Feb 24th Bollix! woke up at 6.30am to the sound of rain bouncing off my window.......not how I wanted to tackle a 16 miler, however I knew if I waited it out a little it would stop and since time wasn't an issue for once { a rare day for the Shamrock Warrior when " time wasn't an issue"!!!} I figured I could delay my start time, eventually out the door by 8.20am

After Sundays Baltic 16 miler I was relieved to see 38 feels like 32 on my phone for 8am talk about " once frostbitten, twice shy" as Winter is coming to a close I'm hoping I won't be faced w/ another long run in those conditions anytime soon

Things were clipping along nicely for the opening six mile b4 an unscripted " spanner in the works" threw me off......in the past couple of years on this particular route for my 16 miler I've never had an issue w/ this particular gate being locked........until today......double bollix!!!! I had to reroute myself on the fly and  w/ hindsight maybe I could've done a U Turn back to Belmont Ave to Concourse Ave to Lansdowne Dr to Sweetbriar Dr to W. River Dr what I ended up doing was hanging a left to Montgomery Dr to W. River Dr....ultimately where I was looking to end up.....however  I now needed to find 2 extra miles to make up the two I'd lost through Fairmount Park......

Eventually I settled on running my normal route through the drives on East Falls and down Fountain Green Drive to Kelly Dr which give or take was going to bring me out at 11 miles and a give or take 5 miler home along the Schuylkill River Trail to South St bridge and Baltimore Ave

Just b4 the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial aka The Immigrant statue I passed a runner w/ a Palestine flag on his back....I gave him a thumbs up as I passed and we chatted for a minute when he saw my Ireland half zip running jacket he knew we were on the same side and it was good to share a moment w/ a kindred spirit I always say running is about bringing people together and breaking down barriers

Remarkably my time was 2.07.31 off 7.58 mile pace how accurate that is I don't know given this wasn't the route I normally run, maybe like my opening 14 miler on Jan 6th when I " caught lightning in a bottle" today like Grace Jones was a "Slave To Rhythm" I'm a "Slave To The Garmin" I go by what it tells me.....I also know the Garmin can be a fickle bitch  and the issue I have running a different route today is I have no point of reference to what my time would normally be......I could run this route again next Saturday and see what my time is.....and who knows I may have to if the gate in Fairmount Park is locked again  but if that's the biggest issue I have to deal w/ right now then I guess I have it pretty good

This Is A Song For The Souls Of The Departed

 Another successful 5 day week including my first 16 miler.........

Tuesday Feb 13th another week where work cost me a weekday run on Monday so I knew I was in for a Sunday run.....again...... in the immortal words of a Monty Python sketch" still I was getting used to it by now"....

As has become almost customary now it was 2pm b4 I hit Market St up to the Schuylkill River and out and back just beyond Girard Avenue bridge at 39 degrees it was hat and gloves weather

A modest 50.16.9 time off 8.23 mile pace out in 26.06 back in 24.10, always good to get the first run of the week under my belt....even if it's on a Tuesday!

Wed Feb 14th Happy Valentine's Day!💘 a shout out to Mrs Shamrock Warrior/Mrs Gypsy Rebel for not only being my trusty side kick and partner in crime the last five years but also for her unwavering  support of my running, in the past I dated women who not only treated my running like a massive inconvenience  but refused to come and watch me run, the list of excuses w/ one individual read something like this: No I don't want to drive to Albany for he weekend, No I don't want to get up early to go to New York, No I  don't want to come to your track meet to watch you run around in circles, No I don't want to drive to Ithaca or take the bus for the weekend but the absolute topper was when I ran the Rothman 8k which is three miles from where I live, she not only refused to go but was still in bed after I jogged the 3 miles to the race, ran the 8k then jogged the 3 miles home afterwards.......I don't need that negativity in my life period and it  makes me extremely grateful for the love and support from Sibeal💚

Today's run felt like a cross between Winnie The Pooh and Marcel Marceau......yes it was a blustery day and at one point I felt like I was doing that walk against the wind  auld shite! to underline how windy it was out there along the Schuylkill mile three where I'm w/in arms length of the river was a 9.21 split....the same mile in the other direction after I made the turn was 8.10............

49.23.3 off 8.14 mile pace out in 25.48 back in 23.35

Thursday Feb 15th, file this one under "Better Late Than Never" w/out getting too deep in to inter office politics it was 3pm b4 I got to lunch on Thursday, this is where getting boned on Monday when we were short staffed and couldn't take a lunch hour came back to bite me, if I'd been able to run Monday I could have said I'll pass today since it was so late but that wasn't an option and since I wanted my 5 day/40 mile week it was the late show today

Suitably fired up due to the bullshit I cranked out a brisk 47.18.8 off 7.52 mile pace, out in 24.08 back in 23.10, it was also  a run where upon the recommendation  of a co worker I ran up and back on JFK Blvd rather than Market St as it cuts out the last 4 cross streets after 20th St, it's always a bone of contention more so on the inbound leg that I have 7 cross streets I have to potentially slow or stop at moving forward I feel I'll continue to use JFK Blvd

Saturday Feb 17th Woke up to falling snow which had been predicted overnight, did I really want to go long in this????

I went back to bed since as is my won't I'm up early on a Saturday for the long run and by early afternoon the snow had stopped, I never did get an official amount  of snowfall for Saturday but it has to be said doing my trusty out and back 6 miler along Powelton Ave and Mantua Ave the sidewalks and roads were pretty clear which bodes well for the long run on Sunday

Could I have gone long this morning? maybe but since I had the leeway to do so Sunday which isn't always the case I figured it wasn't worry worrying about and a rare Sunday long run it was, I know I quoted Jumbo Elliott the other week about trying to maintain a strict routine but as the Marines often say we don't plan we improvise" and while I'm keen to retain a certain schedule I also know sometimes you have to be flexible w/ it

Sunday Feb 18th Holy Mother Of God..........when I woke up around 7am dressed and stretched and looked out window the sun was shining, looked like a great morning for a run period, long run no worries.......

Ever the Boy Scout I checked my phone to look up the weather........26 feels like 15, warm thoughts were NOT going to cut it I doubled up on socks and  SHOULD have doubled up on gloves as it almost was my undoing......

Out the door by 7.40am sidewalks were clear no melting/refreezing overnight issues for the opening 4-5 miles I always knew once I reached Fairmount Park and then crossed into East Falls this could be an issue but I'm happy to report I managed to stay upright the entire 16 miles and circumnavigated any potential falls, the funniest one came as I reached the Strawberry Mansion bridge roughly around mile 10, I always use the footbridge as it's made of wood and it has a bit of "give" compared to asphalt/ sidewalk......however it was still covered w/ snow and ice so after a brief "oh shit" I swung the other side of the median and ran across the bridge on the road....great thing about it being an early Sunday morning I didn't have to worry about traffic

I knew once I hit Edgley Dr /Reservoir Dr in East Falls the Soccer/Baseball/Softball fields would still be covered w/ snow and the wind whipping off of them as I negotiated them was chilling but I was now in the second half of the run, grit your teeth and keep going, crossing the Schuylkill on Girard Ave bridge the 13 mile marker came up on my Garmin I was too close to home now to quit, however by mile 14 on Powelton Ave my hands now felt like two blocks of ice, early on in the opening 4 miles my fingertips were numb but now my whole hands were frozen solid and as is often the case when I move up a distance those extra 2 miles at the end on the first run always seem that much tougher to get through, it was too friggin' cold to be walking the final 2 miles and while my pace was nothing to write home about I was able to see it through to the finish

2.19.02 off  of 8.41 mile pace, my splits were:7.27-7.59-8.31-8.58-8.30-8.31-8.24-8.28-9.08-8.33-8.46-8.53-9.19-9.19-9.36,I knew mile 10 was going to be 9+ as I have to do the on ramp up to Strawberry Mansion Bridge and the navigate another uphill along Strawberry Mansion Bridge Dr but maybe over the coming weeks of these 16 milers I can see if 16 & 0 is doable, I'm happy enough w/ 12 & 4 today  for my maiden run{ side bar this was my first 16 miler in 18 months} period muchless dealing w/ the below freezing temps throughout the run, I can't be sure if it ever got above freezing the entire run, it was a "comedy of errors" trying to get the key out of my half zip pocket let alone putting it in the lock and turning it when I got home just gone 10am, and it took a while after getting home b4 I could even text Beth to let her know I hadn't frozen to death out there this morning as my fingers were just that numb.......

A successful 5 day/40 mile week and my first 16 miler under my belt, in a week we lost two icons of distance running Kalvin Kiptum at 24 was a rising star who in my opinion was going to be the first man to run a sub 2.00.00 marathon, he almost did it in Chicago last October running 2.00.35 but sadly died in a car crash last weekend

Henry Rono was a long distance runner also from Kenya who in 1978 in the space of 81 days broke world records at 10,000m 5,000m 3,000m and 3,000m steeplechase also that summer he won 2 golds at the Edmonton Commonwealth Games over  5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase both will be missed