Easy Means Easy

Today's Run: 9.01 miles through Bath (work)
Time Finished: 72 minutes, 37 seconds (8 minutes, 4 seconds per mile)
Type of run: Easy - relaxed pace
Miles this week: 9.01

The run was slower than what I've been doing the past few weeks, but there's a good reason for this, thanks in part to RK's advice yesterday.

Every so often I get myself into these stretches where I have a lot of energy and push my legs harder than I need to. I'm not at injury-risk stage yet but at the same time I'm not greatly improving my endurance as much as I'm wearing my legs down. A typical training week consists of a speed workout, a long run, and easy runs the other days. The easy runs are what I've been missing for the most part.

This week will be dedicated to getting myself on that more structured track, while there's still time to make adjustments. Less than 6 weeks until Cape Elizabeth, less than 7 to Somesville, and less than 9 until Hyannis.

An Epic Finale

Today's Run: 5km through Bangor
Time Finished: 20 minutes, 19 seconds (6 minutes, 33 seconds per mile)
Type of run: Road Race
Miles this week: 39.73


Running in my home turf can be fun...if the weather is bearable.


The sharp chill of the air made the wet, just-under-40-degree weather a lot harder to bear. It was only after the race was done that I felt reasonably warm enough to resist the wind and rain. It was because of the weather that I imagine many who wished to run didn' show up - I expeted at least 100, and I think there were barely 80 finishers.


The race starts by wrapping around the block where the old Freese's department store was in Pickering Square. Main Street becomes the course for about a quarter mile before ascending up a steep State Street hill. This is pretty much the taskmaster that puts people in line - anyone overconfident and unaware of the course will get humbled fast. The run continues down State Street until Eastern Maine Medical Center, then makes a sharp right turn onto Hancock Street, contunuing the right angle until the road meets the railroad tracks against the waterfront. It's mostly straight and steadily downhill right through to mile 2 and under the Bank of America building. Mile 3 weaves through parking lots, garages, and overpasses of all sorts until the Sea Dog Tavern, then the scenery opens up so there's a clear view of the river. A couple of right turns puts the runners on Summer Street and up a hill that takes out a lot of reserve energy, but once that hill is finished, it's all downhill to the parking garage and the finish line.


There were no mile markers but there were kilometer markers, which changed the timing strategy a bit - the new goal was to get as close to 4 minutes per kilometer as possible. My first kilometer was 4:15 in large part to that hill, but my next one put me at 8 minutes even, back on track. The third kilometer was steady at 4 minutes and the fourth one had me at about 3:50. This made my last kilometer a fairly disappointing 4:30, begging the question if the 5K is actually a little longer than 5 kilometers. In spite of whatever distance it turned out to be, it was still a good run - 20:19 - my best in the three years I've run it.


It was good to run with my mentor/coach in a race again, even if he slowly distanced himself from me throughout the race. He gave me some tips and advice for running over the next 6-7 weeks along with some preparations for the Marathon in late February.


This is my last 5K until the Irish Road Rover in Portland in early march. Though right now my sights are set for 3 important races before that, I can't wait until I get to the St. Patrick's time of the year. That's when the running really gets fun.

Straight On 'Til Christmas

Today's run: 8.08 miles through Bath (work)
Time Finished: 62 minutes, 50 seconds (7 minutes, 47 seconds per mile)
Type of run: Easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 8.08



So there was a little snow in Bath. Not much, but enough to make me wish I brought my YakTrax.

Don't get me wrong; today's run was good. I definitely felt the burn in my legs as I ran through the slush and packed snow. However, that packed snow made it difficult to maintain good speed as I was constantly losing traction every time I had to acommodate for traffic. Today definitely felt like a sub-7:30-pace run even if the total time didn't reflect that.

One thing I do like about running in Bath - at least from a training perspective - is the barrage of rolling hills. I'm beginning to notice what hills work me harder than others by watching my times on certain courses. The twists and turns on those hills provide extra challenge. The sharp downhills really work my quads out. The wind from some of the open fields...alright, well it's difficult to find a pleasant side to that.

All of this, including the wind, is great for winter race prep though because I do not know how weather will be like in February, especially for the 2/28 Hyannis Marathon. It could be 50 and sunny, 40 and rain, 30 and snow, or 20 with windchill warnings. Cape Cod is funny like that.

Chillin'

Today's Run: 9.01 miles through Bath (Work)
Time Finished: 67 minutes, 10 seconds (7 minutes, 27 seconds per mile)
Type of Run: Easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 24.91

It's a bit...brisk out there.

I resisted the urge to run in dangerous windchills yesterday (mostly it was an all-day service call that stopped me) but I haven't missed mich of a beat even with the frigid temps and dance show. The miles this week are down slightly but I should be able to approach 40 again this week.

This run was not easy at the start - in fact this is true for all runs at 20 degrees or colder. When the muscles aren't warmed, I begin to question my sanity. After a few miles, I figured there isn't enough sanity left to care and just keep going. There are parts that do not feel good in a sharp windchill (for modesty's sake I'll refrain from mentioning where) but that's why I get the extra layers on. When I eventually warm up, the run actually begins to feel good. The tears streak the face in a wind gust and evaporate/freeze within seconds. The air is so dry and cold that no water can exist in liquid form for long. If I don't completely cover the ears, I will inevitably get an earache (fortunately they have been covered this year).

I won't sugar-coat it: it's brutal out there. I would not recommend these conditions for outdoor running until you've been doing it for a while or have someone go with you in case something bad happens. While it's alright during the run, you do not want to get caught outside if you can't run anymore and your body temperature starts to drop. Bad things happen.

This, however, is winter running in Maine. Here, it's always go time.

(Almost) Race Pace

Today's Run: 6.62 miles through Yarmouth (Home)
Time Finished: 46 minutes, 26 seconds (7 minutes, 1 second per mile)
Type of Run: Tempo - moderate/hard effort
Miles this week: 31.76

I'm not sure where all the energy came from, but if I can get this every Saturday or Sunday, I'll have some good road races in 2010.

Today's plan was just to do an easy run, but I didn't start my run until quarter after 3, which meant that it was another race to beat daylight. The race mentality always gets my adrenaline going so I figured I would try to make a high-effort run out of this.

My spontaneous plan was to run as normal (approx. 8/mile ) from my apartment to the beginning of East Main Street as my warmup, then go at a hard pace until I returned to the apartment complex.

I didn't realize how elevated of a pace I was running until I turned on to the North Road and found myself barely over 32 minutes. It was quick and the wind was biting a bit but I didn't feel tired at all. I wanted to make the most of this run so I just maintained pace until I got to my car and stopped the watch. Not even glancing at my watch until it was over, I expected around 50 minutes. I shocked myself when I saw 46 and change.

I chalked that one up as a hard tempo run, but in the back of my mind I wished that today was a road race day.

Dashing Through the Snow

Today's Run: 7.34 miles through Yarmouth (Home)
Time Finished: 56 minutes, 44 seconds (7 minutes, 44 seconds per mile)
Type of Run: Easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 16.24


In case you haven't heard, southern Maine is getting pummeled by a snowstorm this morning. I came into work at Bowdoin College only to be told that I should head home. At 10AM, I did just that.

After a dangerously slow drive home, I made a spontaneous decision. Over a year ago, I had purchased YakTrax to use in the winter and never used it last year. This year I was determined to get its first use after some snow. What better time to use it than during a snowstorm. Putting them on took minimal effort and the track was actually quite comfortable and event out the weight distribution on my foot to the point where I barely felt anything different under my feet. The traction, as expected, was superb, providing no slippage at all and little traction loss in up to 3 inches of snow. I'm definitely sold on these.

Anyway, the run itself - it started out pretty crappy, I must admit. It was approaching 30 degrees but the wind was biting and the snow stung my face as the first leg of my route put my face right in it. For almost two miles I endured it and wondered if I should turn around and run back. I forced myself ahead and once I turned on to Granite Street my body (chiefly my face) felt a lot better and my adrenaline steadily increased.

I ran this with a lot of energy and, even with a slight traction loss, a lot of speed. This run was actually exciting as it was my first big run in the middle of a snowstorm. The YakTrax gave me a lot of confidence too as I had nothing to fear from slipping. I timed the plow trucks, stopping myself at a driveway before it came by. This was one of my bigger concerns but it wasn't an issue at all.

Half my body was chapped and red from the run but that's no surprise - any run colder than 30 degrees will do that to me. I was soaked from the melted/refrozen snow but it felt really good.

I'm going to really like winter running this year.

Finding a Way

Today's Run: 5.9 miles through Brunswick (Bowdoin)

Time Finished: 43 minutes, 54 seconds (7 minutes, 26 seconds per mile)
Type of Run: Easy - moderate effort
Miles this week*: 8.9

* - total includes 3 miles on the treadmill after work.

I had finally gotten the gumption to request a full hour lunch for running at Bowdoin, and it was granted. The winter chill has definitely settled in but I was determined to have a good run today. I plotted out my course shortly before lunch - a pleasant counter-clockwise run to and from Cole's Tower - and changed into my running gear in what might as well have been a phone booth.

The winter air was actually refreshing as I made my way out of the college area and into rural Brunswick. There was actually very little traffic on the southern leg of the loop which really was a relief because the snow left no shoulder. The loop itself was very flat which made the high-energy run easily sustainable.

Looks like I no longer have an excuse (and shouldn't have had any) to run outside on my Bowdoin College days.

Snow!

Today's Run: 7.3 miles through Yarmouth (home)

Time Finished: 56 minutes, 31 seconds (7 minutes, 42 seconds per mile)
Type of Run: Easy - relaxed effort
Miles this week: 36.51

An enjoyable run with very light snow. However, note to self: START RUNNING EARLIER. There were no incidents but it does get kinda scary running with little visibility, even if I did wear the loudest shirt in my inventory (thank you, 2008 Bucksport Bay 5K). 3:30-4:30 PM is past sunset in a Maine December; you'd think I would know that by now...

There's just one day left in the week but I feel confident of reaching my mileage goal for the week, even if Sunday appears to be a very long day physically. Between dancing and running this weekend I am and will be getting thorough exercise - and having some fun doing it.

60 Degrees in December

Today's Run: 5 miles through Bath (work)

Time Finished: 38 minutes, 36 seconds (7 minutes, 39 seconds per mile)

Type of Run: Easy - relaxed effort

Miles this week: 29.17

Wow, what a day outside. Rare is the time that someone sees 60 degrees or better in December, at least in Maine. Though I have put in a lot of miles already this week I couldn't pass up this opportunity. The streets were still soaked from the morning's heavy rain but the sun broke out quick enough for the weather to be pleasant for the run.

I've now put on just under 30 miles for the week (starting Monday) and a touch under 40 for the last 7 days, pretty much on par with what I want. By Sunday I should have about 45 miles put away for the week. After that I'll need to decide how best to schedule running time since I'l be working at Bowdoin for the next 6 work days. Because of the long dance practices on the weekends, running long to make up miles isn't exactly the best thing, so I must try to divvy up the routes as efficiently as I can.

Christmas and The Nutcracker may be around the corner, but it sure doesn't feel like it outside today.

Honeymoon of Eating Has Ended

Today's Run: 10.16 miles through Bath (work)
Time finished: 81 minutes, 10 seconds (7 minutes, 59 seconds per mile)
Type of run: easy - relaxed effort
Miles this week: 10.16

40 and rain is not an easy thing to run through. Conditions are near ideal for a long run - no wind, light rain, cool temps to keep the body regulated - but wearing heavy clothes that got heavier with each mile made maintaining pace more difficult. All in all it was a good run, though, and the longest run I've done directly from work.

This weekend was a crazy one, most of it having nothing to do with running except for the fact that it cut into my week's plan. I was aiming for 40-45 miles and got around 36. The successful 4-miler on Thursday helped to offset that disappointment.

My goal this week is to hit around 45 miles, possibly getting an interval workout of some sort mixed in Wednesday. The weight I worked hard to shed over the last two weeks has been negated somewhat, but I'm hoping the next several days will put me right back on track. Getting myself below 190 for mid-December would be really ideal for running and non-running purposes.

It's also important for me to really up the mileage this week because of the upcoming schedule - six days of Bowdoin College work (lunch time cut drastically), dance show tech week, the show itself, and finally the hectic travel that is Christmas. I am going to have to be inventive in how I get my runs in so I can maintain my conditioning. I am hoping to pull off a good time at the Bangor Epic 5K (December 27). If I can pull off a good time at that point, then mission accomplished.

For now, I'll focus on this first week and racking up the mileage as much as possible with putting myself at risk of overuse injury. I still need to burn all those Thanksgiving meals off...

Portland Thanksgiving Day 4-miler Results

Overall Time: 26:27
Overall Pace: 6:37
Overall finish: 123rd (111th among men, 15th among ages 30-34)
Mile splits: 6:37, 6:43, 6:55, 6:12

Mile One: The first mile is not only a great gauge for how you'll feel in the rest of the race, it's also a test of discipline. Many runners will go out too fast, and with the first 1/2 mile plus being downhill, that makes it even more difficult to keep a conservative pace. After shrugging myself from the knot of runners on Franklin street, I was able to get into a comfortable stride that I could use for the duration of the race. The hill began once I turned off commercial street but as the case for all my runs this week, my legs felt great and I had an abundance of energy.

Mile Two: About half-way up the series of streets, I crossed mile 1 with a very respectable time. My energy was still great even after scaling the hill and returning to congress street. I used the down up to and through mile 3 to coast and keep my reserves until I could push for everything I got at the end.

Mile Three: It was about this time that I started to feel a little fatigue in my legs. It didn't bog me down too much, but the uphill felt a lot more difficult this time. As I approached mile four, I did worry a bit about if I was going to wear down before I got to the final stretch. It's been an all-too-familiar theme with my 5K's this year.

Mile four: About half way up Free St, I suddenly had that second wind kick in. I passed a pocket of 10-15 runners while surging with adrenaline, and I could feel that tiredness wash away under the excitement of being able to pull off a good time. I had more power than I thought, and I wasn't going to waste it. Getting to the top and turning at Congress street once again was a great feeling. From that point I slowly picked up speed until I was barreling through the final two turns at One City Center.

Post-race: Even as good as I did, I felt that I did not put all my energy and effort on the line - I felt like I had run a race, but it felt like I still had a little more to expend before I had that "on empty" feeling that overtakes me with I slow down. So in a way, I ran this one fairly conservatively, but it was a great barometer for how my speed was in the short races to this point. The 6:12 pace on the last mile was an incredible accomplishment for me - not only have I had difficulty reaching that pace in any road race this year, I also managed to achieve this on the final mile, meaning that I kept enough in the tank to burn off at the end.


This is probably the final race before the Epic Finale 5K in Bangor at the end of December. The Freeport 5K in early December comes up too close to my dance show to try and risk it. I feel good about where I am, though. At least I can take that to the turkey feast with me today...

...along with the Boston cream pie I just made and assembled. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Thanksgiving Prep

Today's Run: 5 miles through Bath (work)
Time finished: 37 minutes, 16 seconds (7 minutes, 27 seconds per mile)
Type of run: easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 19.01

I'm still running like I'm on fire. I'm not entirely sure I understand why I have this burst of energy and regular adrenaline, but if it continues in the morning, I will have no complaints.

My goal(s) for the 4-miler? Well, first and foremost, set a PR (personal record). By finishing the race I should set that considering I have yet to run a 4-mile road race. With this much energy, I have set my secondary goal aggressively: try to finish the race at or close to a 6:30 per mile pace. It's an ambitious goal at best, but I'm going to try as hard as I can to get there. This may be my last race before my dance show. (The Freeport Jingle Bell run may be off-limits due to its proximity to the show's tech week, but we'll see.)

For now, sleep. Then wake up and head to One City Center in Portland. At 9AM, it's go time.

The Tuesday 9

Today's Run: 9.01 miles through Bath (work)
Time finished: 1 hour, 8 minutes, 26 seconds (7 minutes, 36 seconds per mile)
Type of run: easy - moderate effort
Miles this week: 14.01

It's definitely good to see my steps with a bit more speed this week. Normally I've been averaging a 7:45-8:00 per mile pace in my regular runs. Energy and a new padding in my crumbling running shoes have certainly helped me this week - that is if they haven't been the cause of it. Combine this witht he 7:20 per mile pace I had on Monday and things are looking pretty decent for the Turkey run.

For those who don't know, I am running the 4-miler in Portland on Thanksgiving morning. (details here) This will be my first run on Thanksgiving Day. I am aiming to get as close to a 6:30 per mile pace; this run will be a good indicator of how well my speed is holding up. This run will also be a good way to help get the metabolism going for the turkey, too. It'll be a hard day to resist food.

(Also, this is an abnormally late post for me but I wanted to make sure I got it out. There are just some things I have to get done before bed, you know?)

To Start Things Off...

Well, here we go. My first post on my first dedicated running blog.

To briefly recap my running history, I've been at this for over 37 months. I've taken part in well over 50 road races, 6 of them full Marathons. It's given me a body I never knew existed, a confidence unmatched by anything else in my life, and a hunger that I hope never goes away. The last three years of my life have been beset by many, many changes but one of the few constants in it has been the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. Faster and faster.

I'm a far cry from the 300-pound dude with persistent knee pain and an unwillingness to put myself in motion for very long. In that alone, I know I've been an inspiration to many. However the greatest person inspired is the one who started this in the first place - me. The fact that I've accomplished a very difficult task in my life allowed me to break through the barriers I used surround myself with.

I can't say that I did it alone, though. There are quite a few people who have put various levels of encouragement in me at the right times to keep me focused and still continue to do so, but one stands out the most. My running coach and mentor (henceforth known in this blog as "RK") was the one that I lay the credit/blame for what I started back in early October 2006. Being a distance and Marathon runner himself, RK made a near-impossible task much easier to deal with by giving me a new focus every time I hit a certain goal. He knew which buttons to push to get me to the next step, even when he wasn't aware of pushing them. RK made it a mental test just as much as a physical one. If I thought I would skip out on a run, he would go anyway and challenge me to keep up with what he did. "Just completed your loop? Good, go sign up for your first race - a 5-miler." "Good time on your race! Now do a half-marathon." "Want to do a full Marathon? How about one on Cape Cod...in the dead of winter." It does help that I rarely back down from a challenge. RK learned that fact pretty quickly, I think. To this day he still makes sure I'm keeping myself up in the running scheme of things - and to this day I still am.

Speaking of keeping myself up on things, I do hope to provide you all with regular running updates on this blog. Everything from my (almost) daily running route results to road races to interesting stuff about running in general - I should have plenty to post about. Thank you for taking the time to read this first post!