Less than a week to go...

Last week started out great with two 6 mile runs in Central Park. I was breaking in my new sneakers and was able to run two of my quickest Central Park loops in a very long time. Not sure if was the shoes or not, but I felt like I was really moving but not straining too much at all. Good little confidence booster going into the homestretch leading into the marathon. Later in the week brought a sluggish run at a more relaxed pace on Saturday morning with JB and JT (after staying out late at a concert the night before). I was planning on doing a run on Sunday but that was derailed mostly by the volunteer assignment at the More Marathon that morning. The combo of getting up at 5AM and standing in the rain for about 4 hours totally zonked me out for the rest of the day. I took a nap for several hours but was still pretty exhausted. Rather than risk feeling worse by going for a run in the gym or outside, I decided to take the day off. Bagging this run wouldn’t really do me any harm.

Now there is not much left to do except wait and minimize any complications from happening between now and Sunday. Like most other people, I have been checking the weather pretty frequently and although it is supposed to be bright and sunny, unfortunately it looks like it is going to be a pretty warm day. I am not the best hot weather runner, preferring to run in the cold rather than the heat. Running in 25 degree weather in Philadelphia in 2008, while not ideal, wasn't all that bad. You can always layer up in cold weather but not there is not much you can do in the heat to stay cool except drink as much as possible. I guess warm and sunny is a lot better than the cold and rain the women had run through during the More Half Marathon this past weekend. Hopefully the high temperatures for the day won’t be reached until after the marathon is over. Most of my training has been in cold to cool temperatures. It is what I am used to and what I was using to come up with my goal time for the race. While I still plan to go after my desired time, I may need to adjust my goal and/or pace during the middle of the race if the temperatures are getting to hot. My training went well and I feel prepared going into this weekend. The best thing to do is to stay on strategy and run at an even a pace as possible for the first 20 miles. Even if it is on the hotter side, running with the pace group will help shoulder the load, keep me loose, and keep me calm. While I am looking forward to attacking the course and seeing what I am capable of, at the same time I need to be practical and reel myself in if the conditions are not favorable.

I’ll be crossing my fingers for cool weather and frequent breezes!

The Heavy Lifting is Over...Time to Taper

Last week was the last "mileage" week on the schedule before the taper began yesterday. You always get a weird feeling going into the taper. I've been used to consulting with my schedule and getting in my long runs (crossing them off each week) and now I'm just supposed to sit back and wait for the marathon to happen. I wish I can fast forward to the big day and not spend the next two weeks over thinking things too much. I've put in the necessary training and I feel that I am ready for the challenge ahead. Although it will be easier said than done, the next couple weeks will be spent figuring out a strategy, trying to eat/drink the right things, and getting in some 6 mile runs to keep my mind and legs busy.

After doing my final 20 miler last week, my long run for this week was a step down of "only" 15 miles. I was excited for the fact that this was going to be my last long run. This was it. Just power through this one and then the heavy lifting on the schedule would be over. I couldn't find someone to run with so I knew that I would have to get through this last one on my own. This would make things a bit tougher, since I always run and feel better with others, but I had to get push through it. I didn't get started until later in the day, but this allowed me to get a meal in beforehand and make sure that I was fueled up and ready to go. I took a deep breath, pressed the start button on my Garmin, and began. I decided to break up my usual run just a bit by starting on the Reservoir. I don't like doing multiple loops if I don't have to but I wanted to give my legs a little bit of a break and allow them to pound on a slightly softer surface for a few miles. Therefore, I went round and round for 3 loops and approximately 5 miles before venturing out on my usual run going through the Park and then up and down the Westside Highway for a total of 10 miles. It wasn't too exciting of a run. It was one that I have done many, many times and I was just looking to get it over with. I didn't feel great during the run, but not bad either. It was a bit odd. I didn't really feel a sense of relief or weight being lifted once it was over. I guess it showed how steady and workmanlike my training has been. It felt like just another run. The total time for the 15 mile run was 2:08:23 for an average pace of 8:33.

Rather than just waiting around for the marathon to creep up on me, I decided that I needed some inspiration and excitement to hold me over and I went up to Boston to watch the marathon. It was kind of an impromptu trip but one that was glad I made. The weather was supposed to be great for running, as well as spectating, and I wanted to cheer on my all of my teammates. I had such a great time and it was cool to be part of the marathon as a spectator. No worries about waking up early. No worries about whether or not I trained enough (that will come later). I was there just to have fun and give my support. I got to partake in the pre-marathon pasta dinner with everyone and cheer on/hi-five all the runners from the Flyer Cheering Zone at mile 17. It was a blast to see everyone I know looking great and soaking up the experience. It was just the boost I needed going into the taper.

Almost There...

Less than three weeks to go until Jersey. I was able to get in my third and final 20 miler last week (for the second marathon training cycle in a row) - while my body was feeling the pain towards the end of the run, I was happy to be able to push through to the end. I have only one more long run to go, a 15 miler this weekend, and then it is onto the taper.

Last week had elements of fun and training all rolled into one. Knowing that I was going down to DC for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler starting on Saturday morning, I had to figure out what my best plan of action would be to fit in my third and final 20 miler. Should I add it onto the 10 miler in DC (probably not the best idea since I don't know the area at all and the race already starts at 7:40AM)? Should I try and squeeze in the run during the week, and if I did would I have enough time to recover before doing a 10 mile race on Sunday? Since I wasn't working last week, I decided to do the Monday night downtown run (6 miles), get in a strength training workout on Tuesday since I have been neglecting it for a couple weeks and my legs were paying the price, take the day off on Wednesday, and then go for my 20 mile run on Thursday. I figured that by running on Thursday, and resting on Friday and Saturday that my legs would have enough recovery by the time Sunday rolled around.

The hardest part about the 20 mile run was the heat wave scheduled for the entire week in NYC and planning out my route with at least one or two people to join me for at least a little bit. With temperatures in the low 70s for most of the day, I waited until 5:30PM to start my run. I was hoping to start a lot earlier, but I did not want to run in the heat if I could avoid it. By the time I started the run, the temperature cooled down a bit and was quite comfortable by the halfway point. I ran the first 10 miles on my usual Central Park and Westside Highway course. Running along the Hudson River felt great its shady areas and cool breezes. This portion of my run just seemed to be flying by - feeling almost too easy. I was cruising along at around an 8:20 pace and felt like I could just keep on going for miles. I knew that this feeling couldn't possibly last for the entire run (although I hoped it would) and knew that I had to reel myself in just a bit. The end of the first 10 miles had me back in Central Park and meeting up with JB and CK. It was a bit tough trying to figure out a meeting spot due to the fact that I didn't want to stop running at all, but I was happy to see them at nearly exactly the time and place we planned. Knowing that I would have some company for the next several miles was a big boost to me. We ran a few miles on the roads of Central Park and then veered onto the Bridle Path for another couple of miles. JB and CK stayed with me until about mile 15 or 16 when I began to feel myself start to tire. I was doing well cardio-wise but my legs were starting to get sore and my knees were getting stiff and painful. Knowing that the final 4 miles were going to be on my own was going to be really tough and a be a true test of mental strength. Only a few minutes after I was on my own, the aches and pains started to get worse. While I thought about stopping the run at mile 18 or 19 (it was becoming a big struggle for me), I knew that had come too far now to stop short of my 20 mile goal and I needed to push through the pain. I would have regretted cutting the run short- feeling that I had given up instead of pushing through. I would have time later on to rest. Luckily I kept on going and was able to even pick up the pace on my final loop of the reservoir. I couldn't wait for it to be over. This run showed me how quickly your body can turn on you no matter how good you are feeling. However painful, this was a good lesson for me to go through only a few weeks to go before the marathon. Don't get cocky. I could be feeling great for 10-15 miles but it can easily be taken away a couple miles later. This was definitely not one of my negative split runs, to my disappointment. Remember this feeling and don't let it happen again come race-day. I was happy and proud of my overall time but not too happy with the run strategy and pacing. I went out too fast and paid for it at the end. Steady...Steady...Steady. It might be a boring but it gives me the best chance of feeling strong at the end of the race.

Overall distance: 20 miles; Overall time of 2:52:39; Average pace of 8:38.

With the 20 miler out of the way, I was excited to head down to Washington DC with the NY Flyer crew and have fun - get in a run, check out the Cherry Blossoms, and visit my cousin all in the same weekend. Although I wanted to get a good run while in DC, I decided to just go out and enjoy myself and run whatever pace I felt comfortable with. Just before the start of the 10 miler, I ran into JT and we decided to start the run together. I glad to see that we were able to run the first 5 miles side by side, chatting and enjoying the scenery. It was fun having some company on the course and we were going at a good pace to boot - around 8:00 per mile. The course was very scenic and fun. The crowds were very enthusiastic and were cheering on the runners for the entire time. After sucking down a PowerGel after mile 5, I was feeling pretty good and decided to pick up the pace. I saw that JT wanted to slow down a little bit so we parted ways for the time being and we would meet up after the race. At this point, I felt strong and wanted to try and get faster as the race went on and go for an overall pace of under 8:00 if possible. Mission accomplished - I was able to sneak in an overall time of 1:19:10 for an overall pace of 7:55. I felt relatively good throughout the race, was able to keep up a consistent pace that got faster towards the end and didn't have many aches and pains. The only complaint about the race was the lack of Cherry Blossoms along the course :) The locals told us that they peaked about a week or two before we got there.

Split	Avg Pace
1	8:26
2	7:55
3	7:57
4	7:47
5	7:47
6	7:52
7	7:51
8	7:36
9	7:35
10	7:20
0.17 mi	6:38
Summary	7:48

Well, the heavy lifting part of the schedule is now over and I need to concentrate about staying healthy and mentally strong for the next few weeks. One more long run and then it is onto the taper.

4 Weeks to Go - 13.1 Marathon Series

This Saturday brought the inaugural 13.1 Marathon Series taking place in Flushing, Queens. Unfortunately, this meant that I would be missing the Scotland 10K (which I've run nearly every year I've been in NYC), but this race gave me the chance to run on a different course and allowed me to get in a race at the Half Marathon distance before next month. This would be the only chance I had to go all out for a Half without being too close to the marathon.

It was pretty much a perfect weather day for a run. Bright and sunny and relatively cool at the start of the race. The majority of it took place during many loops and configurations, both big and small, in Fresh Meadows Park passing some cool landmarks such as CitiField and the National Tennis Center and Arthur Ashe Stadium.

I have only 4 weeks left to go until the marathon and I was looking to use this Half as a test to see how I was holding up. My training was going well so far, so I knew that there was a chance to go for a PR knowing that this would be my only shot at racing a half marathon during my entire training cycle. Even though I was feeling relatively good so far, I did realize that I was 3 months into training and my body was starting to feel some of the effects- feeling sluggish for a couple days after long runs, slightly longer recovery times, and sore muscles. Secretly, I was trying to go for a PR, but I would not be disappointed if I did not get it knowing that I had a bigger goal in mind. The result was pretty good all around - while I did not PR for a Half Marathon race, I did run a faster overall pace during this race than I did when I PR'd at Long Branch last year. I ran an overall race time of 1:39:19 (about a minute behind Long Branch), but according to my Garmin I ran a 7:27 pace for a total distance of 13.34 miles (I ran Long Branch at a pace of 7:30). I am not one of those people who look at their Garmin as gospel and say that the course was measured long and they really got a PR after all - the course is measured correctly for a half marathon, but I just ran a little longer than the course dictates. Either way, this race let me know that things are going well with less than a month to go before the big day.

While the race was relatively flat, there were a few bridges that we went over several times which added some inclines to the the course. This wasn't a "walk in the park." The bridges, although small, got tougher later in the race and the fact that there was very little shade on the course allowed the sun to beat down on you for the last 6 or 7 miles. This was my first race in which I was using my Garmin to help pace me. I paced myself pretty well during the Manhattan Half in January without a Garmin, so I was hoping I would do better now that I had the Garmin helping me out. A PR pace would be slightly under 7:30 per mile. As usual, I got a little bit carried away during the first two miles. I was standing toward the front of the pack at the start and I got sucked in right away and went out way too fast - going at a 7:20 pace for both miles 1 and 2. I knew if I wanted to survive the race feeling good, let alone getting a PR, I had to slow down. The plan was to slowly come down in pace over the next mile or two and then stabilize at around 7:35-7:40 and not go above 7:40 if possible. I have been able to do negative splits during my last several half marathons and didn't want to throw away that possibility in this race. It feels alot better feeling strong at the end and making up time, than going out too fast in the beginning and struggling to the finish. I was able to recover a bit after those first miles and calm myself down. My pace slowed down by several seconds in mile 3 and 4, and except for a dip to 7:20 in mile 5, I was able to achieve a more even pace between approximately 7:30 and 7:40 for the remainder of the race. The last 1.1 miles were my fastest of the entire race, as I like it. You don't want to feel like you were too conservative and left too much in the tank, but I'd rather pick it up at the end than struggle considerably. The only thing I ask the race directors to do next time is to have better signage at the end of the race. After passing mile 12 and running on a straightaway past the USTA, everyone can see the finishing banner in the distance fast approaching. As everybody is picking up their pace and getting more and more excited to see the finish line, they tell you to make a left right before you get there. Now deflated, you see a huge traffic circle in your sights that you have to run around before reaching the end.

I was extremely excited to see the pace that I was able to achieve on my own, and even more proud of the fact that I was able to adjust my plan and pace in the middle of the race. This run wasn't easy but it showed me that my pacing abilities and mental strength during a race are getting better. But, as in other races, I can get too carried away at the beginning and go too fast out of the gate. Even yesterday, I knew I was going too fast but wasn't able to slow down until 3 or 4 miles into the race where I chanced ruining my entire race by tiring out too quickly. The pace group is there to force you to calm down and leave the thinking to someone else for a while. I need to keep this in mind come marathon time if I want to reach my goal.

I took off the Auto Lap on my Garmin, and these are the pace and distance measurements at each of the mile markers on the course:

Split	Distance	Avg Pace
1	1.00	7:20
2	1.00	7:20
3	1.02	7:26
4	1.01	7:27
5	1.03	7:21
6	1.08	7:37
7	1.01	7:40
8	1.01	7:32
9	1.02	7:27
10	1.00	7:35
11	1.00	7:34
12	0.99	7:38
1.1 mi	1.17	6:50
Total	13.34	7:26

Total race time: 1:39:19 ; Overall race pace: 7:34
Total distance run: 13.34 miles; Overall distance pace: 7:27
20/158 in my age group ; 132/2103 overall

Course Map:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28841316?sms_ss=email

5 Weeks to Go and Two Twenty Milers are in the Books

Simply put, today's 20+ miler was the strongest I have felt on a long run in a very long time. Things just seem to click all around and I just felt "on". I need to remember what this feels like in case I struggle or feel sluggish in the next couple of weeks to remind myself what I am capable of on a good day. The weather was perfect for running, about 50 degrees and cloudy, and I was able to run the entire distance with other people, which helps a tremendous amount. When I run by myself, I tend to run slower and feel more exertion, but when I run with others I usually feel alot more comfortable and I'm able to run a quicker, more consistent pace. That is exactly what happened today.

I was signed up for the 15K race this morning and the plan was to run 11 miles before it at around marathon pace and then run the 15K at that same pace for as long as possible. I met up with Scott C and Jon B and we ran a pretty quick but comfortable pace for the 6 mile loop and 5 mile loop route. The pace was faster than I wanted to go but I didn't want to have the other guys slow down too much just because I was running a race afterwards. About halfway through our run I realized that we were going at around 8:10 pace. I was worried about burning out later in the day during the race, but I was feeling comfortable so I tried not worry about it. I felt strong and wasn't straining too much at all. It is amazing what having company can do for you. Jon cut out at Engineer's Gate to run a loop of the reservoir and Scott ran with me to the start of the race which was about a mile and a half away.

I timed the pre run almost perfectly since I got to the start of the race with only about 3 minutes to go. I was in a good groove already and I was hoping not to mess it up by having to stand still for a long period of time With only a few minutes to go to the start of the race, I mentally regrouped and figured out what I wanted to do. One of the great things about incorporating a race into your long run is the thousands of people you get to join you and help you along as well as the water and people cheering along the course (thanks so much to BH, JM, CK, JG, PD, SD, BC taking pictures and other Flyers - you gave me a huge mental boost!). In addition, the race and the people help carry you along and help motivate you to finish your run. The only worrisome thing about running in a race is that it very often makes you go at a much faster pace than you would like. It takes a lot of discipline to stay at a predetermined pace during a long run with thousands of people around you and I've only been able to do that a couple times during a long run like this. You get sucked into the crowd and your competitive juices start flowing and you want to start passing people. So, the plan was to run at about an 8:20 pace, but I knew right away that that was not going to happen. I was still feeling good from the 11 miles before and I ran with the crowd. Before I knew it I was I running splits in the 7:50-7:55 range. I was trying to slow down which worked for a bit but not for long. I figured why fight it as long as I was feeling good. Even though this was very hilly for a long run, I was able to keep up a good pace and feel strong. For whatever reason, having a Garmin on makes the miles feel quicker. I even was able to pick up the pace considerably for the last mile or so trying to avoid having these two girls pass me at the finish line (mission accomplished).

This was a great confidence booster for me. I felt strong and this gave me an indication of what type of a pace I can stay with comfortably (relatively) for over 20 miles. This also made me think of what my race strategy could be. In my past three marathons I have always started out way too fast and then struggled at the end of the race, with a pace that is all over the place. Over the past year, I have seen that I am capable of doing negative splits in half marathons and today during my 20 miler (ran about 8:12 for first 11+ miles and then a 7:46 pace for the 15K race), as well as seeing my pacing ability get a lot better (but still not great). To try and ensure a steady pace during the first half/three quarter of the marathon, I plan to run with the pace group (I need to stick to this) and even if I feel good, I need to stay with the group for at least 16-20 miles in order to keep a consistent pace and not get ahead of myself. If I am feeling good, then I can give myself permission to pick it up.

Total distance run: 20.55 miles; Total time: 2:43:07, Overall pace: 7:56
Overall pace for 15K race: 7:46.

Game On!

The last two weeks began the start of my training surge and gave me my first 20 mile of the schedule and my first 40 mile week. I was happy to see that I got through both milestones and felt pretty good.

I knew last week's 20 miler would be tough to squeeze in due to do all the rain that was scheduled for the weekend. I was checking weather.com and accuweather almost every day to see if there would be any break in the rain all weekend. It was supposed to rain on both Saturday and Sunday, with the worst of it coming on Saturday. I usually don't like to leave my long run to the last day of the week because if something comes up on Sunday than I have no other day to reschedule and I wanted to make sure that I was able to check off my first 20 miler. With the wind and downpours scheduled to come on Saturday, I had no other choice but to go on Sunday. While I was worrying about the weather all week, I was also trying to wrangle together some other runners to go out least part of the way with me. I was really looking to avoid going 20 miles all by myself. I needed someone else to help shoulder the load with me. Luckily, I got Jon B to run with me at the last minute. He was going to run the first 10 miles and then I only had to go 10 miles by myself. The weather held out for the most part. I started at 12:45 on Sunday which is much later that I usually like to start but the other alternative was to run in the rain for most of the run. I ran down to the 72nd St transverse and met Jon on CPW and within about 2 minutes it started to rain hard. We took cover hoping it would stop and luckily it would only last about 5 minutes. Once the rain ended, we headed on over to the WSH and ran along the West Side, along the southern tip of Manhattan and over the Brooklyn Bridge. Having a partner makes a huge difference. We were cruising at a pretty good pace and I was feeling really good - like I could go on like that for miles. Once we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, Jon took the subway home and I was off on my own for the rest of the run. I turned around and went back the same way that I came. Without the help of a running partner, I did feel myself slow a little bit and the soreness in my legs began to get a little worse, but that is pretty much expected at the end of a 20 mile run. Cardio-wise, I felt good but I was ready for the run to be over by the time I reached mile 18 or so. I ran 20.4 miles at approximately and 8:45-8:50 pace. One 20 miler down and two more to go.

After my 20 miler was over, I found myself engaging in my usual post long run routine - sitting back in my reclining chair watching TV, then slowly closing my eyes, and then falling asleep and waking up 2 hours later. This run definitely wiped me out and carried over into the beginning of the next week. I still found myself pretty exhausted on Monday and decided to take a rest day. On Tuesday, I still felt tired but knew that I had to keep going. I gave my body a bit of a rest by going on a 5.2 mile recovery run on the bridle path. I wasn't sure if my fatigue was too due the 20 miler or the fact that my training is catching up to me a bit but I knew that I had to be careful. I still had about 7 weeks to go and the start of 3 consecutive 40 mile weeks had already begun. I felt more awake by Wednesday and went out to Bridgerunners - my weekly kick in the butt. The people who do these runs are considerably faster than me but they push me to go alot faster than I normally would on a weekday and I feel that it has definitely helped me. I use these runs as my interval runs/speedwork and I think they are paying off and increasing my speed.

Since the schedule called for a 40 mile week, and only a 14 mile long run, I knew that I was going to have to run 5 days this week and not be able to do a cross training day. I hate to do that but I want to make sure to always have two rest days during the week. In order to accomplish the 40 mile goal, I ran on consecutive days to end the week - I got in 7 miles on Friday (all on the Bridle Path to give my legs a rest), 14 miles on Saturday with Jamey A (overall pace of 8:31 and I felt good) and 6.6 miles on Sunday (again on the Bridle Path). My first 40 mile week came and went and now I am on to the second one.

I will be able to get in a cross training day this week - I have a 20 miler this weekend and will split the remaining 20 miles over three days. Only six weeks to go! I have a few goals in mind but once put them down on paper until training is almost over and I have a good sense of how I am feeling.

Gearing Up... - Week of 3/1

The week of March 1st is the calm before the storm that will be coming up for the next several weeks. I felt fully back after not running much when I was in Mexico (week of 2/15) and being able to put in a full week of miles, including and 18 miler, during the week of 2/22.

This week was all about preparing myself for the six week stretch that I have coming up which includes three 20 milers and my peak weeks. The total mileage on tap was 35 miles, but with a long run of only 12 miles scheduled I knew that I would have to run 5 days instead of my usual 4 and not be able to get in a cross training day. This worried me a bit since I did not do any strength training or spinning for the past 2 or 3 weeks and I wanted to make sure that the cross training was still an integral part of my training. I let it slide for this week but I was going to promise myself to get a strength day in next week. After 5 days of running in a single week, I knew my body was going to need it.

The first of the month was the downtown run as well as AG's and CK's birthday and these were reasons enough for me to get out for a run on Monday night. It was our usual 6 mile(ish) run up and down the Westside Highway, ending up at a bar eating and drinking afterwards. I adhered to my usual downtown run strategy of taking it easier on the Southbound run and then picking it up for more of a tempo run as we run back North on West Street. It allows me to increase my stride and pick up speed for the last 2 or 3 miles. It felt good. Tuesday and Wednesday runs were out of the question due to the fact that I lost my keys and had get to the situation resolved. I was exhausted and couldn't think about my running. Therefore, although I didn't want to do it, I had to run on four consecutive days if I was going to hit my mileage for the week, or come close to it. I ran 6 miles on Thursday (half on my own and half with CK after running into her on the West side) and 6 miles on Friday which was a combination of two loops of the reservoir and 3 miles on the roads in Central Park (if I was going to run 5 days this week, I wanted to get at least one run on a soft surface to allow my legs to recover a bit). As for the weekend, I had already signed up for the Coogan's 5K a while ago and was looking forward to running it. The question was whether I should create a long run around the 5K on Sunday or just do the long run of 12 miles on Saturday and have fun with the 5K knowing that my long run was already over. I chose the latter.

The weather on Saturday was great - in the 50s and sunny. For the first time in a very long time, all I wore was a long sleeve shirt and shorts. It was nice to be in the sun rather than slogging in the cold, snow and darkness. This run was on my own. I did my usual WSH route and added an extra mile each way in order to get up to 12 miles. With my trusted Garmin with me, I was on my way. I was able to keep up a good pace once I navigated the streets of the UWS and got on the Westside Highway. Overall I felt good and was able to run an overall pace of 8:10 for the run.

Split	Time
1	0:08:13
2	0:08:30
3	0:07:52
4	0:07:56
5	0:07:55
6	0:07:49
7	0:08:03
8	0:08:19
9	0:08:28
10	0:08:28
11	0:08:27
12	0:07:56
Summary	1:38:02

I was looking forward to Coogan's for a while since everyone says that it is a fun race and also because I have not run a 5K since high school and it would be cool to see what I am capable of doing. Friends of mine warned me before the race about the hills and they weren't kidding. For a race that is only 3.1 miles and is an out and back course, there are a total of 4 significant hills. Therefore, you are never too far away from one. Even though I was in the second corral, it was very hard to get going in the beginning of the race. It was very crowded, especially since the race was run on a city street that was pretty narrow, so I knew right away that I would probably not be able to get a PR (not for the 5K distance but I was hoping to come close or beat the 6:44 overall pace that I ran in the Run as One 4 mile last year) but I still wanted to go out and get a fast time. I was hoping to achieve a pace of under 7:00 but the combination of the hills and the crowded start prevented that from happening. My overall pace for the race was 7:08. I definitely picked it up over the last mile and feel that I could definitely go under 7:00. I am hoping to find a 4 mile race soon that I can attempt but I don't want to mess up my training in the process. After the race was over, I was able to enjoy Guiness and breakfast at the famous Coogan's restaurant. It was cool to hang with a bunch of Flyers afterwards and enjoy the morning.

The total for the week was 33 miles, which was close enough in my book to the scheduled 35 miles. For the first time, my legs did feel a bit sluggish this past week. I'm not sure if it is because of the lapse in strength training/spinning or just the increase in mileage do to training (this is the most amount of running I have done in almost a year in a half) but it is not too bad. Now starts the hard part - I have my first of three 20 milers scheduled for this weekend. I was able to get in three 20 milers when training for Philly in 2008 and I am hoping to do that again this year since I feel that it really helped me out during the marathon (my pacing was another story).

Onward and upward...

On Schedule - Week of Feburary 22nd

Well, I was a little worried how my body would react after skipping my long run last week and only going on a few leisurely jogs while I was in Mexico. I figured the best thing to do would ease back into the schedule during the beginning of the week so my body would feel pretty good going into my 18 miler during the weekend. This was going to be my longest run in almost a year and a half. My training was going well up until this point, so while I was a bit nervous to be doing such a long run, but I felt that I would do OK.

I was trying to recruit some friends to do all or part of the run with me but unfortunately everyone was busy. Therefore, I needed to figure out a plan to get through the run and break it up a bit since I would be doing most of it on my own. I ran the first 6 miles with the Saturday morning Flyer group - they kept me company and made me wake up early in the morning to get my run started. It was a comfortable pace - around 9:10 or so which was slower than I was hoping to go. It didn't really matter that much. I wasn't looking to go too fast on this run anyway...the miles were the most important thing. After the first loop was done, I did the remaining 12 miles on my own on various loop combinations in the Park. I was hoping to run on the Westside Highway but I didn't want to chance the fact that it might rain/snow later on in the run and I wasn't sure how the conditions were along the river after the snowstorm. I had my iPod with me and I wasn't ready to conquer the rest of the run. I picked up the pace once I went out on my own (thanks to the Garmin - I love this thing!) and dropped down to about an 8:35-8:40 and it felt relatively good to me. Although my legs were getting a bit sore towards the end of the run, I felt strong throughout and was very happy overall with this run. I rewarded myself with my usual post long run breakfast...chocolate chip pancakes. The 18 miles was worth.

Total distance: 18 miles; Total time: 2:38:28, Overall pace: 8:48

Split	Time
1	0:09:35
2	0:09:28
3	0:09:17
4	0:08:58
5	0:09:11
6	0:08:37
7	0:08:34
8	0:08:38
9	0:08:42
10	0:08:34
11	0:08:38
12	0:08:32
13	0:08:50
14	0:08:35
15	0:08:14
16	0:08:36
17	0:08:40
18	0:08:34
19	0:00:06
Summary	2:38:28

This weekend is a step down week with a long run of only 12 miles, and then the tough part of the schedules starts. After this weekend, there are three 20 miles scheduled over the next 6 weeks. I will enjoy this week while I can. I'm looking forward to the Coogan's 5K. I always heard it was a lot of fun and how bad can a race be that serves Guiness afterwards?

Back in the States and Back on the Road

Well, there is no time to waste. I got back from Mexico last night after a great trip and it is time to get back on the running schedule. Last week didn't start out as I had planned. Knowing that I would be away for most of the week, I was hoping to get in at least my long run of 12-13 miles before I went on vacation, and hopefully one other run of 5 or 6 miles, but unfortunately neither of those things happened. About a week before I left for Mexico, I started getting a horrible pain in my cheek and then my tooth. I figured that maybe I had a cavity or I flossed too hard and inflamed my gum. I was hoping it would go away on its own but it kept on getting worse as the week progressed. It prevented me from sleeping and I was worried about leaving the country with this lingering over my head. Since it was President's Day weekend, I was not able to see my dentist until last Tuesday - only 2 days before leaving. I felt like crap from lack of sleep all weekend so I wasn't able to run on Monday (but I got a day of strength training in), and I spent all day Tuesday in the dentist's office and then finding out that I needed a route canal before I left, which I got later in the day. It was a pain in the butt, however I was happy to get everything settled before heading out of the country. Needless to say, there was no running on Tuesday either. Wednesday was not to be because I still felt very sluggish and I felt it wasn't worth the risk of getting sick before going away. Therefore, I was resigned to the fact that I would have to skip my long run for the week. I wasn't happy with it, but I was OK with it because my training has been going well so far, and it was still early on in the process. I had over two and a half months to go before the marathon to make up for any drop in mileage.

I was looking forward to the warm weather in Mexico. This would be a good way to recharge my batteries a bit and maybe even give my body a rest before the increased mileage begins this week. I knew that I wouldn't get in a lot of mileage on the trip, if at all, but I was hoping to get in a couple runs of any distance or pace just to keep my legs and body moving and to avoid being dormant for an entire week in the middle of training. If I got in at least two runs, that would be good with me and I figured I would be able to start up again with training when I got back to the States without losing much at all. I was pleasantly surprised to have gotten in 3 runs while in Mexico - 6 miles on Friday, 6 miles on Saturday, and 4 miles on Sunday. It was a bit of a shock to my body to run in 75 degree weather and humidity when I've been running in 30-40 degree weather and snow for the past couple of months. I was happy to see that it was a total loss for the week, runningwise. The trip was great and I had a really nice time.

Now it is back to the schedule. I looked and saw that 18 miles is on tap as my long run for this weekend. This will be my longest run in more than a year and a half. I am a bit nervous about it but I am excited to be moving forward with my training. Due to the rain, I got in a 4.5 mile run on the treadmill tonight.

Well, onward and upward.

30 Mile Week in the Books...

Week 7 of training is now complete and I was able to get in my first 30 mile week since training for the Philadelphia Marathon in 2008. I consider this my first "real" week of this training cycle since the previous ones were only marginally different than my usual running workload throughout the year.

The weather gods treated all of us a little better this week with plenty of sunshine and relatively milder temperatures (but still cold).

I was happy to see that I felt really good and strong for the week. The Garmin is definitely helping me out. I haven't used the heart rate monitor yet, but being able to get a real time view of my pace throughout the run is a big plus. It allows me to adjust my pace on the fly and lets me know that I am usually going a little faster than I think I am. I started off the week with a 6.4 mile run as part of the downtown Flyer group. I like getting this run in since it gives my running week a jump start and allows for great flexibility later in the week. As usual, the first half of the run was a bit slower than the second half. Negative splits usually happen on this run which I am totally fine with. The straightaway along the Westside Highway gives me a chance to lengthen my stride and get in some tempo runs for a couple of miles. My pace drops considerably on this backstretch and it feels great.

I got in a 5 mile run on Tuesday and a spinning class on Thursday before preparing for my 15 mile run during the weekend. I was a little anxious for this run since it was going to be my longest one in almost a year and a half. I wanted to see how my body held up and I was happy to see that it felt great. It feels kind of weird to say that but the run seemed to go by pretty quickly with very few rough patches. I was watching the Opening Ceremonies late the night before, so I knew the only way that I was going to get in my long run in the morning was to meet the Flyer group at 9AM. Although it would be tough to wake up, I knew that it posed my best chance to get out of my apartment. I ran with the Flyer group for the first 6 mile loop, mostly with JB, and then did a 5 mile loop and 4 mile loop on my own. I even did most of the run (11 miles) without any music - that's a first. I did the run in about 2:12 (total mileage of 15.3 miles for a pace of about 8:40) and felt pretty comfortable throughout the entire thing. Again, the Garmin was a great companion to have and let me know when to speed up and slow down. Sunday was just a 4 mile recovery run at about 8:50 pace.

This week will be a little bit harder to get in all of my runs since I am heading down to Mexico for a friend's wedding on Thursday. The plan is to get a weights day, 5-6 mile run, and my 13 mile long run out of the way before I leave. Therefore, if I am not able to do any runs at all during my trip, my long run will not have suffered. The training schedule calls for 30 miles this week, so if I do what I planned before I leave, and get in at least one 5 or 6 mile run while I am away, my training will not have suffered much at all.