The Loop-ish

Ran a version of the East Falls loop: starting from 30th St, ending at Tuscany's in Rittenhouse. Today felt great--one of those days you wish you could save for a race.

Leif

31min jaunt out to his statue before the madness of NYE (up to 11 crashing at Thornton Manor with SKG in) begins...

Monkton

Biked up Falls Rd up into roadie country, then across on quiet Springtown Rd, up York Road to Monkton Rd, ending at the NCR trailhead where I warmed up with coffee and met Mollie, Tita, Ahmad, and Cato on the tail end of their hike. 30mi on the nose @ 16.5mph avg, 41mph (!) max.

Tour(s) de Balti-More

Biked down to Fells Point and back, via the JHU Medical Center with Ahmad and Clare for delicious almond croissants at Bonaparte. To quote Smokey: mark it eight dude (actually, 8.4mi, thank you cyclocomputer. Heh. I can see how people get numbers obsessed with these things).

Then ran a big loop at dusk through Dru Hill Park, the hills behind the zoo (which thankfully didn't kick my butt as hard as last time), Hampden, JHU Homewood, and the crack/heroin/tranny hooker (no really!) section of Charles St between 24th St and North Ave. 65min. Call it another 8mi.

Gunpowder Falls

Finally made it out to run on the old railroad trail at Gunpowder Falls. Cristie recommended it to me when I was down in Baltimore back in August and I tried to run it then, but was foiled by lack of sunlight. Have been riding around up on the roads near there, and got Tita, Ahmad, Cato, and Clare to come for a sunset walk/run. I did 25min out, 23min back, for somewhere between 6-7mi. Beautiful trail, would be perfect for the high mileage that marathon training demands.

Christmas, Boxing Day

Christmas: rest day, though Clare and Mollie and I did a nice walk from Bolton Hill down to see the lights at the Washington memorial at Mount Vernon. Sliced my hand open during gift opening; here's the report copied from an email to a new friend:

my sister and aunt each gave me cool tools for general and bike-specific fixing-upping. i was using the knife from the first to detach the second from its package when it slipped and the blade went into my palm. everyone, including me, was laughing at my klutziness, then pain came and i looked down and saw that the blade was in sort of deep and there was a fair amount of blood and my aunt muttered something about tetanus shots and i started to worry that it might be serious. then the room closed in and i apparently (i don't remember much past this point) got really pale and announced "i'm passing out!" and mollie, seeing me go pale got woozy too and shouted "hey i'm passing out too!" she was already lying down so didn't actually lose consciousness, but i (apparently) tried to stand up and go over to the other couch but only made it one step before i collapsed. luckily clare and my uncle jumped up when i did and caught me when i fell. i came to about 20 seconds later, lying on the floor with my feet propped up, and my uncle checking me out with his scope. he said everything was fine, but the others were still a little freaked out.

Boxing day: biked down to DC on the Bike Washington club's route. 52.8mi total (which I know, thanks to my new Christmas bike gizmo), most of it at 15-20mph; hit 37mph on one of the downhills. It's not the prettiest route--most of MD is built-up, suburban ugliness--but the bike club does a good job keeping it to quiet roads and East Coast Greenway trails. My quads are really feeling it today.

Steeplechase Country

Did the same ride up Falls Rd as a few days ago, but continued further north. The little roads off the main drag are amazing: tiny, hilly little lanes that wind past 100 year-old horse barns (and McMansions, sigh). I knew I was in the right spot when I saw a mailbox with a "VeloNews" sticker attached. Saw a bunch of roadies out for their Christmas Eve spin; everyone was friendly and said 'hello' or 'Merry Christmas'. Met the crew at Towson mall to catch a ride back to Baltimore.

Not sure of the distance, but 3hrs+ of hard riding; my legs are feeling it now.

Robert E. Lee

...park is beautiful! And while I prefer Philadelphia's US Grant statue, if you're going to go with a confederate general, Lee is not a bad choice (that said, this city must have been crawling with confederate sympathizers 140 years ago--see also the statues of Lee and Stonewall Jackson in Wyman Park!)

Did about 5mi of trails. Reminded me both of Bird Hills Park near Mom's old place in the Deuce, and of the east river loop in Grenoble. No doubt: this is the place to run in Baltimore.

Hills!

Ran an out and back along the road that goes behind the Baltimore Zoo in Druid Hill Park. It's hilly and, on a rainy, overcast day perfect for being out and feeling like you're kicking butt while everyone else is inside staying warm. Threw in a reservoir loop to round out 10km on the nose. After a 3 days of biking, running felt great, although my quads are a little (ok, a lot) worn out.

To the District!

Did a long ride with my other sister, Mollie: Light Rail to Linthicum to the BWI Airport trail, to the B&A trail, through Annapolis, to Riva on a nice country road, then to the DC Metro stop at Largo on a huge, ugly road (with no alternatives). About 43mi according to Google, and Mollie rode them very well. Bonded with sisters over delicous French food and Beaujolais Nouveau at the noisy, fun Bistrot du Coin near Dupont.

Word observations o' the day: my aunt, Tita Mary, says that 'Linthicum' sounds like the place you go to have a soothing balm applied to your nether regions, or maybe the balm itself; we're not sure. Annapolis always makes me want to found a city and call it 'Natepolis'. Ahh, the narcissism of first-borns.

Falls Road Loop

Took advantage of the beautiful, crisp afternoon and did a ~35mi loop up Falls Road out to horse country and back. Unlike Philly, Baltimore actually has some hills in the center, which makes for fun riding. The potholes are less fun and Timonium suuuucks.

Warmed up with coffee (and Xtie) in Hampden on the return.

We made it...

So maybe trying to bike 70-80mi on one of the shortest days of the year wasn't the best idea. We only had ~4 hours of daylight, and didn't move as fast as I thought we would; in the end, we only made it to Baltimore because of the kindness of a MARC conductor who let us catch a free ride (and bring bikes) on an empty train heading back to Charm City. But bottom line: we had a lovely day of biking and are here in the lovely maybe house, and that (along with lovely pub food) makes me happy.

I barely slept 4.5hrs last night so the debrief, and photos, will have to wait for tomorrow.

John B Kelly

Out and back up past my favorite statues: Leif, random bucking bronco dude, US Grant, and John B Kelly, Philly's favorite rower. Back via the Art Museum / Parkway / 22nd. Call it 'more than 7'.

The Loop

Ran the loop with Blitzer on a stomach full of beer and whiskey (hey, carbs right?). Clare came too (!) and finished the whole thing--a little slower, but freaking impressive for someone who doesn't run long often. The weather is unseasonably warm and everyone was out: saw Tom from DB group, Profs Ungar and Weinstein, Kilian and Colin, and I think I saw Kate zoom by on her bike right at the East Falls bridge. The pace was easy for most of it, but he started to fade a bit on the back half so I asked him if he mided if I kicked it up for the last bit. Ran a good 1.5mi stretch in from Columbia to Lloyd Hall, which, after putting 8mi in to start, left me feeling good and worked out.

It feels good to be getting some miles in again. This was my first week with two 10mi+ runs since November and up above 35 for the week.

I'm looking forward to our bike ride to Bal'mer on Tuesday... I'm now the proud owner of this topo map.

Tour de Philly

Took the Raleigh for it's real maiden voyage on an evening spin 'round Philly. Yes, I rode it to Manayunk yesterday, but that was with running shoes on clipless pedals (works OK, but just OK) and without my derailleurs property tuned. This morning I got my shifter housing cut at Bicycle Therapy, put a few more links in the chain to get the length right, and properly tuned all the shifters; and, most importantly, slapped the cleats on my shoes. The thing FLIES.

Our route: up the tow path up Kelly Dr to East Falls, then back down to Washington, around to South St and over to Front St, past the tall ships on Columbus, up to the Ben Franklin, around through the galleries in Old City and by Independence Hall, and finally back down Walnut. Am thinking of biking down to Baltimore for Christmas (or maybe SEPTA to Wilmington, then bike from there).

'Ruck 'n 'Yunk

Clare did her best Klara impersonation to sneak into Pottruck. I did 1.5mi warmup, then 6x400s, then 10min bike to cool down, then brief upper body lift. I felt kind of crappy actually. I guess I should have gone for a slow easy day after yesterday's long run instead of trying to punch up the intensity.

Then we did a sunset ride to Manayunk where I bought a pair of fancy Nike carbon fiber-soled road shoes at a big discount.

The Loop

Ran the drives loop, with Clare, sorta. I wanted to run long so she graciously agreed to bike. We started out together, then she rocketed ahead and did two clockwise laps, while I completed one counter-clockwise loop. It worked out perfectly: I was going slightly slower than 1/2 her speed, so she passed me just before Strawberry Mansion on the west side, right at it on the east side; we reconnoitered for the last time just before the Rocky statue in front of the Art Museum and returned to the G-Ho ensemble on 22nd. Don't know the time and don't really care. Today was fun and I felt like I ran it well. Call the distance 'more than 11mi'.

DNR

Walked Clare all over the city (Italian Market, Reading, Trader Joe's) buying supplies for our dinner party and other generally foodie activities. Then cooked from 4-8pm before eating with TJ, Dubin, Matt, Heidi, Jered, Wendy, Ravi, Shruti, and BCP. Dinner was fun--not raucous enough, but the Thai-themed menu was very tasty and I think people had fun. But I missed my run. Am itching to run long tomorrow. Maybe the loop? Strawberry Mansion? Will have to see what the schedule allows...

John B Kelly

Clare and I were foiled in our attempts to work out together at Pottruck ($20 guest fee), then Hutch (no treadmills), so she did elliptical while I ran across the bridge to the river trail and out to rowing shell. Not sure of the distance from Hutch, so let's call it "more than 6mi".

Clare's expertise in bike tuning (her senior project and job at the end of high school were both at Two Wheel Tango) is coming in handy. Unfortunately it's still not done--while we were adjusting the derailleurs, we discovered that the chain is a few links too long. And having purchased a fancy Shimano chain, I can't break it without fancy reinforced rivets. Sigh. One more trip to the bike shop tomorrow morning for a few of those, and then we should finally be in business.

Catch Up

A few months ago, some friends mentioned that it wasn't good when I stopped blogging--it's their only way of knowing that I'm alive! So, dear reader, in case you were wondering what happened between a post whose last words were 'Beer now' and today, four days later: no, I did not go out on a bender and spend the last 96 hours lying in a Philadelphia gutter / laid up in the hospital / thrown in the slammer after my Knob Creek-tastic Friday night. No, I've been to Michigan and back for my grandmother's 80th.

Saturday: nothing (drove 8.5hrs Philadelphia -> Ann Arbor).

Sunday: ran ~4mi along the basins of the Huron in Gallup Park. It's kind of weird that I don't have a favorite place to run in Ann Arbor. My running loops are a big part of the connections I feel to the places I've lived--Boston, Cambridge, Philadelphia, Grenoble, etc. And it's strange that I don't have that in Ann Arbor.

Monday: woke up at 5am and drove Westland -> Philadelphia; did an evening run with Clare up the river. She ran up to Girard St and I did a little extra leg out to US Grant and caught her on the return leg, then back down 22nd St. Mostly an easy pace, but kicked it up for ~10min in the middle, so felt like I got a good workout.

Also built up my bike! Modulo fiddling witih the shifting, it's ready to ride!! Planning a bike trip around Philly for us tomorrow.

Here's Clare's report of our roadtrip back:

Overall the trip was fairly uneventful. We didn't run out of gas, or get run off the road, hit anything, or have anything hit us. It was smooth and quiet, like Asphalt. We left in the dark of the Detroit suburbs, still lit brightly with extravagant Christmas decor. The lit, sometimes moving, 'deer in the lawn' seem to be the most popular. Other versions of Moose (nice) and polar bear were less trendy, but I appreciated their display. It was so colorful driving through the neighborhoods last night I almost didn't notice when we turned out of the Wayne County Festival of Lights tour and started home. I was bit bleary eyed when we left, but like I said, I "naturally" woke up at 4:15 am was swiftly diagnosed with bronchitis, sent on out with bags of food and hot tea (decaf, what the?).

We made a vow to not stop in Ohio (since Ohio sucks) but later remember that they have cheaper gas, causing a break at the PA border for McDonald's coffee and gas. The real pleasure of Ohio was the vanity license plates. I started to notice them due to the boredom, and then liked interpreting them following it up by checking out the driver and usually being totally surprised.

The winner was a confident plump man in his mid-30s who named himself or his killer Chevy Aero car " STRM FOX". Storm Fox, well that makes it more fun I guess. Runner up was a Cutlass Supreme complete with a hanging rack in the back seat with button up shirts on it. The driver, even larger that STRM FOX, had long balding blond hair, hadn't shaved in a few days, and was wearing glasses from 1989. This was "Bandito". yeah. Honorable mention was really a puzzle, a woman with 3 MDF - we only mention her because we remarked that if you're going to get a vanity license plate, you at least have to make it good. Which is why STRM FOX is the obvious winner.

Good Day

Orals, check. (I thought it was okay, but just okay. But BCP said 'it was truly excellent'. Bottom line, I passed!)

Bike, check!!! (will try to post a photo when I can get my hands on a camera).

Pottruck, check. 4 mi in 28:04, ~12min spin down.

Beer now.

Speed day

2mi warmup in a little under 14min. Then 4x400 at 9.8-10.4mph and a brief cooldown. Only about 3.5mi, but the intervals stretched it out to a 30ish min workout.

Also picked up my bike!!! Still needs to be built up, but the fork, bottom bracket, and cranks are all in. The biggest job that remains is cabling. The final box of parts (clipless pedals, silly finishing things like bottle cages and bar tape) is due to arrive tomorrow. I could be riding by Saturday.

Pottruck

The upper floors at Pottruck are better than the lower ones, but the treadmills downstairs go to 60min. Except for one second from the far left---the one that I always get---that goes 25min. Ran two back-to-back 25min runs: easy 3.33mi for the first one, a little faster for 3.5mi on the second. Man. Last year around this time, I'd hit 3.65 or 3.7 for a 25min run. Gotta work more speed days in.

An easy spin to cool down, then a half-hearted JeRM circuit upstairs.

Kashi crunchy protein and fibre bars are my new favorite things; so much chocolatey-peanuty goodness....

Pottruck

Ran easy 3mi, biked 12, lifted legs (press, curls, hamstrings, lunges, yes/no abductors).

Pottruck

Pushed (for the kind of slow shape I'm in) 3mi in 20:34, then biked for 20ish minutes + change for 12mi. Then did an abbreviated JeRM upper body circuit.

Long Run

Ran the East Falls Loop--out on W River Dri, back on Kelly--in something like 1h35m. A little more than 11mi from my door to Omega at 22nd and South. The running felt good; my first long run in two weeks and infinitely better than the same stretch felt two weeks ago.

I got my last batch of photos from Doug on Friday; here they are, along with a piece of gratuitious Mansard porn just because (and to make an even 6 photos):

Salvage

Running for fun today. No clocks, no distance, just enjoyment. Went up the W River Dr ~3mi and the enjoyment stopped: I suddenly felt nauseous. Maybe the whiskey from last night? Stretched out, regrouped, and put in a solid 2mi to Trader Joe's to buy curry supplies. Making Johanna's red lentil dal tonight with modifications (ginger + butternut squash).

I'm itching to do a long run, but it's hard to motivate in this sudden vacuum of fitness goals. Very well, my goal is to do a long run tomorrow. Done and done (i.e., the goal making part, obviously).

Pottruck

Ran 3mi, biked 13'mi' of rolling 'hills' (i.e., 45min cardio) then lifted legs (press, extensions, hamstrings, yes/no abductors, calves).

Was supposed to get my bike frame back from the shop today with the new headset pressed in, fork cut, and bottom bracket installed, but the bb that EP gave me is Italian threaded and I need English. Now it won't be ready until Thursday.

Pottruck & Hutch

Ran a quick warmup (just 5min) then did upper body circuit (bench, rowing, presses, curls, tris).

Beasts also won semis and finals at Hutch so we are IM champs! I didn't play very well in the final, but Clement stepped up big.

Pottruck

3mi in 20:40, 20min of biking.

Day of acronyms

Morning: Mom and I had our breakfast, and she wanted to swim beforehand, so I found myself back at the NBRC at 7.30am. The morning patrons are much friendlier. 5km on the treadmill, bench, leg press, quad, hamstring, and calf extensions on the machines. I didn't weigh myself during the taper, but all this Thanksgiving exercise has me down to the mid-150s again. Must lift more.

Afternoon: Hike in RMNP before incoming snow storm sent us back to car.

Evening: to DEN for red-eye to PHL

Last full day in the Republic of Boulder

Morning: EP and I did a quick hike in the Flatirons again, up to the Royal Arch. It was fun to just have two of us and to scramble up and back at a good pace. The payoff for the ~50min hike up was a beautiful rock arch and a view of a fog-covered town below. About 1h30m total hiking.

Evening: Went to the North Boulder Recreation Center and discovered the nasty side of this fitness-crazed town. My mom is very excited to have moved here and has spent most of the past week telling us how wonderful Boulder is. And she's mostly right. The weather is amazing (the clouds break up as they come over the mountains, so your typical day has brilliant sunshine), the mountains are a stone's throw from your front porch, everyone is active, everyone's liberal, drivers share the roads with cyclists; etc. Paradise, right? Sure, like most perfect towns, it's too-rich and too-white, but it's not a bad place to spend your retirement. Well tonight I discovered what can happen when you come between a Boulderite and their treadmill. The county rec center is a busy place at around 5.30pm, and there are only three treadmills. I wanted to run for 45min+, but it was so busy I quickly revised that goal to 25min. I put my name on the cardio list and went over to spin a little to warmup and lift upper body. I wasn't sure if I was next or not, so when a girl got on the treadmill I was waiting for, I figured I'd let her go and then go camp out 20min later to be sure to get it. When she finished her workout, I stepped up to take the machine and another lady came over and huffed "this is my treadmill." I asked where she was on the list and showed her that I was next in line. She was really ticked (I guess the girl had told her that nobody else had signed up while she was on and she assumed she was next?) and gave me hell about how she'd now have to wait for 30 more minutes and asked me twice during my workout how much longer I would be using the machine. So much for this nice town, eh? Bottom line: 10min spin, upper body lift (bench, rowing, presses, pulldowns, biceps), 3.5mi in a few ticks over 25min (and not a second to soon!)

Flatirons, MTB

Morning: Hiked up around the Flatirons with Mom, EP, and Clare. Beautiful views from the top back towards RMNP.

Afternoon: Biked around Gunbarrel and Niwot with EP on the mountain bikes. Mostly dirt trails through Open Space; finished with a cool singletrack section along a dried up riverbed.

Lefthand Canyon

Long ride today. Set out for Jamestown mid-morning with Clare and EP. Did the section from the turnoff to the Merc in 41min, but lost about 10min because I got a goathead in my tire and had to stop to change a tube. Mom and Mollie drove up (see Mollie and I gleefully doing the wave for Clare's arrival in the pic above) and we all had a big pancake breakfast at the Merc. Then EP drove the van down, the girls rode back home, and I set off down the hill to the turnoff for Ward. The climb is gentle but constant until Indian Gulch where the road suddenly turns straight up to meet the peak-to-peak highway on the other end of town. I made it up the hill--it wasn't pretty--and then rolled back down 16mi of downhill back to Rt 36. Came home (exhausted) by Nelson Rd. 56mi total, more than a vertical mile on the two climbs.

Friday

Thursday night: did a nice post-dinner walk up to the watertower ridge with EP, Mom, and Clare. We saw a thousand stars once we got up above the glow of the city.

Today was a great non-stop day. It reminded me of my favorite vacations from years past (Tahquamenon Falls, Shenandoah, Wales, Norway).

Morning: Ran for 38:30 up to and beyond the watertower. The thin air and hills make it difficult compared to Philly/Pottruck, but once my lungs got used to it, it felt great to get out and stretch the legs a little.

Mid-day: Went for a hike at Green Mtn with the family. Beautiful views of the back of the Flatirons and Boulder.

Evening: my day to cook (I baked up some thin pizza crusts and topped one with artichoke, mushroom, spinach, red onion, and sundried tomato the other a Thanksgiving-leftover version with cranberry sauce, stuffing, and turkey left overs, also a pomegranate, mandarin, apple, pine nut salad, and a roasted squash), so I biked to the grocery store with Clare and Mom to get some yeast for the crust. Heading out for another evening walk now.

Turkey Spin

Yesterday: biked up to the reservoir to try to run. Ran for about .5mi and my feet and ankles still felt beat up, so I walked about halfway around the reservoir and then biked home.

Today: put on the lycra again (and Nate Robertson tribute glasses) and biked with Mamma Sharon. She was worried about time so we drove to the trailhead just past the reservoir. Then I did a nice 45 minute climb up to Jamestown and biked all the way home. 1h30 total. Feels good to get some exercise, and riding EP's sweet Gios Torino was amazing.

Also, PLAN-X paper was accepted! I'm going to Nice!

Race Report

As promised, here is my race report from last Sunday. The story actually begins on Saturday. I was worried because, for all my fastidious diet preparation, I didn't do the other half of race preparation---getting tons of sleep--- because I'd been working on my WPE II report. But my sleep deprivation actually lined things up perfectly. I was so tired that I slept from Friday 4am-10.30am Saturday, went to get my bib with Pavol, slept from 12pm-3pm, watched the UM OSU game, and then slept again from 6pm-6am. So in total I slept for 21.5 of the last 26 hours before the race.

Saturday I woke up just before the sun, and without my alarm. I ate a breakfast of banana, kiefer, and oats, worried about what to wear---the temperature was about 40 degrees---and left for the starting line. I stopped at Wawa to buy a cup of coffee and ran into Lauren and Jen from the Bioengineering Department (they were running the half). Eakin's Oval was a mess and I had trouble finding the gear drop. After finally stashing my bag, I waited in a long line for the bathroom, not wanting to repeat my PDR experience. While I was waiting the race director announced that the start was less than 2min away. I decided to ignore it---I'd go across the start line with an empty bladder, even if I was the last one across. But in fact, the start was was delayed for 5 minutes, and I was in the corral with time to spare. Just before the starting gun I saw friends Doug, Matt, and Mary, there cheering on their friends.

The race started and I found myself in a large group of runners near the 3h40m pace group. I ran the first mile very slow, in ~8m30s, and just enjoyed running down the Ben Franklin Parkway. I gave a high five to a woman holding a Williams College banner and shouted 'Go Ephs!'; she laughed and wished me good luck. About halfway down Arch Street I started running behind a guy working at around 7:45 min / mile pace. I followed him for the next three miles as we went down Columbus Ave, through South Philly, back north towards South Street, and finally up to Chestnut Street. Around Chestnut and Broad Street, I decided to move forward a little, into a less crowded spot. I passed the 3:30 pace group as we went over the Schuylkill River and settled into a good rhythm. I wasn't running very even splits, but the average was around my goal pace, so I didn't worry too much. I saw Doug again shortly after the turn onto 34th Street, but the real fun was going past a very loud Drexel fraternity, with about twenty fraternity brothers drinking beer and banging pots and pans. I have never been so happy to see Greeks!

The miles between 8-13 are a blur. The running was easy, but I got disoriented as we wound through a confusing course in West Fairmount Park. Doug reappeared on his bike at one point and rode back and forth between me and his girlfriend, snapping photos and chatting. We ran
past Memorial Hall and the Japanese House, at one point the half-marathoners took a short cut and we were on our own, then we merged back up to run down West River Drive back to the Art Museum together. Amazingly, despite some up and downhills, my knee was holding up fine. A little sore, but no sharp pain.

As soon as we came back across the river the crowds picked up and we shot out down Boathouse Row for our first traversal of Kelly Drive. As expected, the crowds thinned out, but those of us from Philadelphia got a lift just from the course. This loop is the "home turf" of every runner in the city, and most of us could run it in our sleep. We also got to see the first elite runners gliding along at 5:00 pace on the return leg. The leader was paced by a Hummer with a giant clock on the back reading off his splits to him.

At the water/gel stations around mile 18, right before the Falls Road Bridge, it because obvious that my oats had worked themselves through, and seeing a free portable toilet, I dashed across and hopped in. Two minutes later I was back on the course again, which had become much more crowded. I quickly figured out that I'd lost the gap between myself and the 3:30 pace group and there were a large number of runners holding on. Running in that bubble was no fun, and I found their leader a little annoying ("niiiice and easy, just keep it niiiiice and easy") so I ran ahead about 10-15secs. We ran down to Ridge Ave, saw the first female elites, and then down the hill into Manayunk.

Manayunk, perhaps because of its experience with pro cycling, knows how to put on a street party. Main Street was packed, and everyone was handing out freebies: orange wedges, bananas, even beer! Mile 20 was right at the end of Main Street, and we turned around to do the same 6.2 miles in reverse. At this point, I must have started slowing down. The pace group swallowed me up about halfway into Manayunk, and I ran with them for miles 21 and 22. The gratuitous climb onto the overpass and then back down at Ridge and City Line Ave was unexpected and made me a little mad, but I still felt OK. Then at the same water stop at the Falls Bridge I slowed down to grab some water and when I started again, everything was hard. My legs felt like lead and every muscle group---calves, quads, glutes, hamstrings---were all aching. What's worse, I'd lost the pace group by slowing down and now I needed to run faster to catch them! I didn't feel like I had it in me right there---probably the mistake of the race---but I knew that I had a minute or so on them chip time because I'd started further back at the start.

The next two miles were the hardest I've ever run. My stride was so short and my legs hurting so much, and my mind so weak, it seemed like years between mile markers. I don't remember much from that perioud. I stopped twice to strech my calves and hamstrings, and I remember using the landmarks (Strawberry Mansion, Columbia, US Grant) to convince myself that these were all short distances that I'd done before. Then, mercifully, mile 24, and we're within a few minutes of Boathouse Row. I don't remember hitting the mile 25 marker, just getting mentally geared up for the little hill that follows it. I glanced at my watch and saw 3:28:00; 3:30 was probably out of reach, but I decided to go for it. Somehow, a combination of the crowds and knowing the course well, I lengthened my stride a bit and went up the hill. Running harded actually loosened me up a bit and when we came around the final curve to the finish I felt like I was sorta-kinda sprinting. I went across the line and into the chute, hit stop and saw 3:31:13 (actual chip time was 17 seconds faster, for some reason). I was disappointed to miss the goal, but mostly my immediate feelings were first relief and second thirst.

So overall, the marathon was a lot of fun. Going into it I didn't know what to expect, but it definitely lived up to its reputation. I want to do another one next year, this time with a real time goal, and I know some things I should have done in training that would have made a difference on race day. In particular, running enough miles at your goal pace to have it completely internalized into your muscles, and not skimping on hill workouts and weights would have made a difference for me. But analysis another day...

Foster Family Fun Ride

Yesterday: post-marathon + travel to Colorado meant no exercise.

Today: Mom and I woke up and did a walk up a hill to get a view of the town and the front rance. Then she went to pick up the girls from Denver. When they returned we, what else, clad ourselves in lycra and set out for a bike ride. Mom and I had to ride the heavy mountain bikes, because EP broke his titanium frame on their trip to the Pyrenees a couple of months ago so the family livery is down to (gasp!) "only" 7 bikes (this for two people, mind you). We did about 20 miles, not sure about the time; something more than an hour, less than 90 minutes. Some photos above (yes, we're not sure what Clare is doing in the one).

Legs feel good now, I might try a run tomorrow morning. The trail along the river near the university is beautiful.

3h30m57s bitches...

This may sound obvious, but that was the most physically demanding thing I've ever done (e.g., Alpe d'Huez was a cakewalk in comparison). Saw a few people at the start: big Doug from volleyball (who I saw through most of the first 15mi as he was on his bike chasing his gf and snapping photos), Matt (he lives!) and Mary, and a woman holding a big 'Williams' banner.

As expected, first mile was slow with the bunched start, but it spread out pretty quickly. Was just above 8min/mi pace at 10mi, right at it at 20mi (including one pitstop at 18mi, and not a pee break; I must figure out this pre-race diet thing better), everything was going well down the hill into Manayunk and back up, and then around 22-23mi, it was Nate, meet wall. And what a wall. Miles 23 and 24 felt like they'd never end. I was turning my legs over as fast as they'd go, but my stride was about 1ft long. Number 25 was better just because I was nearing boathouse row and knew it'd be all over soon. Number 26.2 I somehow pulled it together to charge up the little rise near the museum and sprint through the chute. Or at least that's what it felt like. I felt like I was flying, and was passing people, but I was probably running at around 6mph.

Definitely a unique experience, and it won't be my last one (though maybe my last Philly; spectators really give a boost and with the exception of a little street party in Manayunk, most of miles 8-25.5 are quiet, deserted miles.)

A full blow-by-blow to come later.

Loaded.

It's all coming together. Submitted my orals report. Carbified myself (6 sesame bagels, 2 bags pasta, much oatmeal, much cereal, ~1 loaf bread, 1/2 carton frozen yogurt, all in the last ~72 hours). Race tomorrow. Fly to Boulder on Monday night.

Weather looks good. Slept most of the day and hitting the sack again now. Consulted some time-predicting calculators and have decided to go for 7:40 pace. First few miles might be slower with a bunched start, but hope to be hitting those times when we reach Penn's Landing. Then I'll see what I have left when we turnaround at Manayunk. I will be happy with anything under 3.5h for a first attempt.

1.75mi

Training plan calls for 4x400. Hrm. Almost not worth doing is it? Pavol was on the treadmill next to me doing his last workout too.

Also played with BEeasts vs. Wharton. Easy win for us, although we almost had to forfeit for lack of players. Turns out one of their guys was Dartmouth '02. We reminisced about the good ol' NECVL during hitting lines.

Pottruck

3 treadmiles in 21:16, then lifted (the usual: bench, rowing, pressups).

Tuesday

Morning: ran the old Waterworks loop, somewhere around 20 minutes. I'm supposed to do 2 today, so that ought to cover it.

Evening: BEasts beat Diggers (vet students) 3-0.

Setting up at Van Pelt for another long night of writing. Carbs in the morning; this depletion/overcompensation shit is making me hate egg whites, and nobody is even sure if it works. Carbs. Woot.

Back to tha Illadelph

It's raaiiiiinnning again :(

Did 3.5mi in 24:14 on the 'mill, then lifted (bench, row, press, tris).

Doing the whole long run on Sunday followed by two days of low-carb to maximize the effects of loading later this week. Today's menu: eggs + bacon, a slice of wheat with pb (I caved!), cheese, bean wrap, salad, fish, salad, lentil curry, jello+cool whip. So kind of a "half-half-Atkins" here ("my friend" Cynthia tried "the half-Atkins" a few years back; I don't believe it--eggs and bacon for breakfast, whatever you want the rest of the day--was especially effective). I can't wait for oatmeal and bagels and the remnants of my ginger/molasses cake on Wednesday.

Last North Country Loop

Alarm rang at 6.30 this morning, but the dormer room stirring was just enough slap the clock quiet. Finally pulled on my Asics a little after 8am and set out down Rt 25. I did an abbreviated version of what I wrote about yesterday, but it turned out to be 1hr on the nose, so ~8mi.

Now enjoying the free wireless in MHT and catching up on orals report writing (!). This week is insane: orals report and Algebra problem set due Thursday, Friday = sleep, Saturday John and Lia are planning to come to town, Sunday is the race, and I'm on a plane for Colorado on Monday.

Round Barn

Did a morning 35-ish run down past the round barn. The run went fast. It's amazing how just being in a new locale makes the miles tick by faster. There was a cast of strange NH types out this morning: a man in a tattered trench coat and elongated hot pink/florescent green beanie running then stopping then running, all while pushing a 3-wheeled lawnmower, and another grizzled old NH type riding a bike (and who shouted, with a thick New Hampsha accent: "gettin' some exercise, eh?"). I felt much too high tech with my various wicking fabrics and iPod.

Tomororow is my last day here. I'm really tempted to get up early and run the river road down to where it meets Rt 25c, then make a left back to Rt 10, and do the big hill up back past round barn and into Haverhill. But I think it's 10-11mi, which is more than than the schedule calls for. But I really want to do it. So I might say schedule schmedule and just do it. I really want one last satisfying run.

Railyard

Went to the Railyard in Woodsville, NH for an illegal taper workout. Kept it easy though: 35min easy cardio (mostly on the bike) then an upper body lift (bench, rowing, presses, curls, tris, shoulders). 12mi on this final weekend of training, and I'm looking forward to running them on these roads. Ahmad and I went for a ~3mi walk at sunset; the ridge overlooking the Connecticut river is beautiful.

River Road Run

Did a 45min run up and down the River Road from the Fogarty House. I set out right as the sun was setting behind the Green Mountains; it was in my face on the run down towards the river, but lit up the White Mountains on the way back, giving me a spectacular view for the tougher (uphill) return leg. The hills are easier than the last time I ran here, and gave me a little confidence boost for next Sunday. I've been worried that the little rise in W Fairmount park might be difficult since most of my training has been flat, or even on a treadmill, but I felt strong today on hills much larger than the ones I'll do Sunday week.

Being here is both wonderful and difficult. We all sat around and listened to some tapes that Lolo made for NH NPR about summers on Stinson lake. My favorite, 'Mahler and macaroni', was written by Lola and describes the annual Congo (that's Congregationalist) summer cookout over in Orford. It really gave the sense of the pace of life up here in the North country during the summer and made me feel connected to these places and people all over again. What's difficult is that everything reminds me of that cold day from two Julys ago: our last run together up Rt 10, sleeping in the same dormer room bed where we sat and I--feeling empty and 'dead', and crazy and manic and frantic at the same time--pushed her away, the same note she wrote about 'stealing away like a thief in the night' saved by Lola, for some reason, and staring at me from the fridge whenever I go into the kitchen. Being here feels like time stopped, and it's the day after all over again. I guess the good thing is that time did not stop; so even though I feel sadness and even regret about those days, I also feel whole and alive and at peace.

Pottruck

Yesterday: Pigs (aka Beasts) beat Wharton to improve to 2-0. We're running a very pared down offense--essentially the Matt & Nate show (with emphasis on the Matt)--but with Darren back setting it should be enough to contend...

Today: 5mi run: 3.5 in 25, 1min to stretch/restart the machine, 10:40 for the last 1.5. Then lifted (bench, rowing, presses, pulldowns).

Now: Off to catch a plane to NH for Lola's birthday!

US Grant

Morning run up to my favorite statue, starting at home and ending at 20th & Fitzwater polling place.

4mi

Ran at Pottruck: 4mi in 28ish. Then jumprope/blockjump/attackjump circuits.

Evening lift

They don't call it 'taper madness' for nothing. I am itching to run. This is bad, but I scratched that itch by going to Pottruck for a bike and lifting session tonight (it's for volleyball, right?) Luckily, my life gets busy enough in the next 2 weeks that I think I'll only have time for the short workouts.

East Falls Loop

Morning traversal of the East Falls loop--probably around 11? I'll have to GMap it [update: the r/t to Chestnut is 10 on the nose, so just under 11 with the jaunt from home]--with Pavol and Blitzer in just under 90 minutes on the wall clock. I don't have a good estimate of pace, but I believe we started out around 8min/mi for the first 3, probably slowed a bit around the turnaround, and then Pavol and I picked it up for the last 1-2.

Last double digit run of marathon training! < 45mi to run before racing.

Catching up

Friday: a compressed workout before rushing down to DC. 20min intervals on the bike, then lifted (bench, rowing, press, tris).

Saturday: out-and-back to US Grant statue. It was a beautiful crisp late fall afternoon, great for running.

Thursday Speedwork

2mi warmup at a decent clip (alas, no watch), 6 x Lemon Hill repeats, 2mi jog home down Parkway/22nd.

Pottruck

45min run at the gym, 6.3mi.

Pottruck

5mi on the 'mill: 3.5mi warmup in 25:2x, then 1.5mi in 10:20; lifted upper body after (bench, rowing, presses).

VB

Couple hours of volleyball with BE kids: Matt, Darren, and Steve. First IM game is Thursday.

Morning 10

Well, maybe not 10. Home to Strawberry Mansion along the W River Drive, then back on Kelly Dr and around the Art Museum and down 22nd until South St. Total time was 1h10m and I certainly was not doing 7min pace.

I left the house at 8.30, but it didn't feel like a morning run. The sun was too high in the sky. Still, it is a beautiful morning and holy shit... do I actually have the whole day in front of me? Crap. I forgot what that feels like.

Recovery

Took a delicious nap this afternoon... and slept through the rest of the daylight I was going to run in (damn this time change!) Swapped my 10 miler for tomorrow's recovery run: 5mi in 36:17 on the treadmill at Pottruck.

Eschenbach announced this week that he is leaving the orchestra. Am I really the kind of person who cares about such things? Lordy.

Last Long Run!

Friday: played vb with the Wharton crew.

Saturday: Ran my last peak distance run with Blitzer. We set out from Pottruck, went up W River Dr to the Wissahickon, to Forbidden Dr, to the same stone bridge as before. Then he caught SEPTA back from the station at Ridge Ave and I returned along Kelly Dr. Close to 3h total. Walked the last 5 blocks back to the gym from Chestnut and 33rd. It was a good run. Slower/longer than my last time, but that's good: part of the point of these long slow runs is to get out there for a span of time comparable to the time for the full marathon. This being the last long one, the taper begins now!! I'm glad that the big boys are all behind me. I like the running, but it has taken over all my free time. I ran today, and that's about all I did (besides getting ready to go and recovering after). Next week's long run goes 0down to 12mi, then 8mi, then the race!

Two musical oddities:

• Today is Homecoming at Penn, so all the frats are having parties. The building at 34th and Walnut had a band playing... a cover of Wagon Wheel! It was a nice surprise.
• The house band on Prarie Home Companion just did their old timey Powdered Milk Buscuits ad and did a little bridge where they playhed with the theme from Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto... on a banjo!

Thursday

Speedwork day. 2mi warmup in 13:30ish. Then 8x800s. Started at 9.4 then went up to 9.8-10.2 depending on how the set was going. So 6mi total. Then did 3 circuits of leg press, quads, hamstrings, dumbell lunges. I think I might be a little sore tomorrow.

Pottruck

5mi in 35:15, then lifted upper body (bench, pulldowns, raises, curls).

Strawberry Mansion

An epic, blustery day. I like days like this. The swelling winds make me feel like I'm in some battle with nature, and also keeps the riffraff off the trail. Pushed it hard today: whatever Pottruck <-> Strawberry Mansion is in 71min. Legs are sore, but not hurting; knee is great--I hope it's the rest, new shoes I've rotated in, and maybe the Jello (is it possible that eating horse hooves actually works?)/joint support supplements I've been taking all kicking in...

Pottruck

Ran 5mi in 36:25, then lifted upper body (it's been a while since I did that!). Legs were sore after yesterday's long run.

Long Run

Same run as earlier this week, but my knee didn't act up so ran back instead of taking SEPTA :-)

Don't have mileage or accurate clock (stopped it a few times for road crossings / to stretch and forgot to start it back up). But around 17-18mi, 2h20m. Will plot it, write more later.

Princeton, G-Ho -> US Grant -> Rittenhouse

Nice visit to Princeton: sushi and a nice evening of Catan (sadly, no wins for S) + J's delicious ginger cake + pots and pots of tea, great for my scratchy throat and leaving me with that nice bloated-with-milky-tea feeling. J and I were going to do a run along the Lake Carnegie towpath but everyone slept in and her cornmeal/blueberry pancakes were above running on the agenda. Worked the afternoon away at the Small World Cafe, then took the Dinky + SEPTA back to Philly.

The rest and overeating did me good I think. I don't notice how worn down I am getting during the week. Or rather I notice, but don't put two and two together and identify cause. Rest days are good!! Running felt great today: fresh legs, sturdy joints, strong lungs. I ran up to US Grant then back down the Parkway to Logan Circle and into Rittenhouse. First mile was too-fast (6:40 to the RR bridge), then slowed it down to a steadier pace for the rest. 45min total for 6.2mi according to Google Maps.

Pott-ruck

Speed day; 40min run: 15min warmup, then 800s to fill out the rest. Zonked, but felt strong. Last set finished @ sub 6min pace (and felt like I might puke). Knee did fine today, but icing just to be safe.

To Tigertown tomorrow (the one 40min away, not the one near any Great Lakes, unfortunately) for a workshop and weekend with friends. Received their warranty replacement wedding gift. It came accompanied by a catalog--i.e., Bodum-porn. Trying to resist buying yet more devices for preparing teas and coffees in beautifully-designed (and far from modestly-priced!) receptacles.

Long run-ish

Set out for a long run at 5pm. Did the W River Dr loop, the extension down to Ridge Ave, through Wissahickon to the dirt road I like so much. Turned around at the second stone bridge, a little farther than last time, and started back... the downhills started to make my knee act up again and by the time I got back to Ridge, it was in serious pain again. SEPTA'd back to Penn. 1h40m, should be about 13ish. Am dissappointed: my muscles and lungs both had lots more and would have happily finished off the last 7. Damn these joints!

Bottom line(s): (1) I need to get a couple more of the genuine article in during the next few week; time is getting tight, but not impossible. (2) it's also important to listen to my body. I'm just not sure how to balance (1) vs (2). Icing now, I'll try again for a 20miler thils weekend and to get into the physio at the sports clinic in the next few days.

Rain

Running 20mi on a treadmill sounds as least as bad as the sixth circle. I did an easy 40min run (5 1/4) and postponed my long run again. Sigh.

Catching up

Exhausting weekend in Brooklyn celebrating the Morikawa wedding.

Sunday: Allyson made it her mission to ensure that I did not do my 20mi. I conspired against myself by claiming that tequila 'makes me sober'. We were all out carousing until late, and I didn't get up until 10, didn't feel well enough to run until 11, and therefore only did ~7mi.

Monday: Even more exhausted after the actual wedding revelry. Made it back to Penn in time for Algebra, then got my list of papers assembled for WPE II (which officially starts Wednesday), then ran 3.5mi around the Museum. Boys are over for MNF + dinner tonight.

Making up my long run tomorrow .

Let's do 10, again

This has been a sparse running week. I guess it's a measure of how far this traning program has come when I did 3x10mi runs and am feeling under-exercised.

Friday: started out down Chestnut to do hill repeats at Lemon Hill. My knee started acting up immediately so I turned around a mile in and went to Hutch to bike; got there arne remembered that they have no good bikes, but then saw Peter, Joe, and Sergei playing volleyball so I went down and played for about 45 minutes. First time in months (and it showed!) This knee thing is bothersome, but still low grade--the pain is low enough that I could just run through it, but I don't want it to get worse. I think I know how to manage it. I just need to be careful to do my stretching, and ice it down after runs. Also my shoes should have about 300mi on them each, but pair #1 feel dead while pair #2 feel ok. I just got my new pair in the mail this week, so I think I'll rotate them in right now and rotate the dead ones out. Also, no more long runs on treadmills. My knee always hurts after those, but not so much after running on pavement/trails. Or if I need to take some more days off, I can lose some of the 4-5mi recovery days and just do the longer runs.

Saturday: woke up early and ran Strawberry Mansion. I was ready go to at 6.50 but decided to wait for the sun to rise a little higher and burn off more of the frost. Finally left the house around 7.45. Beautiful morning for running and the drives are shut down for some regatta so had the pleasure of running sans cars.

Now off to NYC for the Morikawa wedding!

Let's do 10.

First 8.1 at, uh, 8.1mph, then up the ladder to do the last 1.9 in 13:20. Hooah.

5.5mi

Raaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiinnnnnn. Actually, it's all good: the paper went off last night, but I am still recharging my batteries. I slept 11hrs last night and just ate a huge dinner. Did 5.5 on the 'mill at Pottruck. Hoping I can do my 10 tomorrow on the river.

5mi

Got my workout in today: 5 treadmiles right on pace, in one chunk, for 35:09. Chances of me getting a run in tomorrow are next to nil. I'm making the last push on this PLAN-X paper. Only 23 hours to go!!

Is it just my current state of half-zombieness, or is this hilarious?

Sunday Run

Did my Sunday "long" run. East Falls loop, although I walked back from Cherry St. My knee was starting to have that twinge again, a little sharper than usual, and I don't want to take any chances. But otherwise, the run felt good! A little less than 12 then, call it 11?

US Grant

Ye olde training plan calls for six on Saturday and twelve on Sunday. These distances match up perfectly with my favorite river rules: US Grant and once arond the East Falls Loop.

Well rested (slept in until 11) and well fed (mashed up some bananas and made flax-yogurt-walnut muffins), today felt great. I didn't time it, but I pushed a bit, so I hope my mile splits were around 7:15 for most of it? The last mile was not fast; I took the alternate route back--around the museum and back down 22nd--and had to stop at just about every crossing and traffic light.

I ordered another set of 2110s today:

so, after breaking them in for a few weeks, with the fancy Nike shirt and Asics shorts I picked up at the 50% off sale, I'll be all ready for the race.

This last bit is completely random, but I just love the civil war. So in honor of today's turnaround point, and the concert I went to on Tuesday, I leave you with Union Maid, another one from Woody Guthrie served up by a great contemporary alt-country band.

There once was a union maid, she never was afraid
Of goons and ginks and company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid.
She went to the union hall when a meeting it was called,
And when the Legion boys come 'round
She always stood her ground.

Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union, I'm sticking to the union.
Oh, you can't scare me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union 'til the day I die.

This union maid was wise to the tricks of company spies,
She couldn't be fooled by a company stool, she'd always organize the guys.
She always got her way when she struck for better pay.
She'd show her card to the National Guard
And this is what she'd say

You gals who want to be free, just take a tip from me;
Get you a man who's a union man and join the ladies' auxiliary.
Married life ain't hard when you got a union card,
A union man has a happy life when he's got a union wife.

Stationary Bike

Very tired--was up until 4.30 working on results for paper and PLClub, then up at 7 to receive new toilet.

Still, did an angry bike workout: 30 hard minutes of cascades, then 20 minutes of foothills (i.e. LifeCycle Cascades® and Foothills®).

Easy weekend: 6mi tomorrow, 12mi on Sunday.

My sentences are even shorter than usual. I think I shall eat tilapia and watch baseball. And then sleep.

Speed, Hot Hot Heat.

Thursday is speed day, although I haven't been doing my workouts very dilligently. My typical week for the last little while has seen my long run get pushed back to Monday or Tuesday, and then everything just stacks up behind it. Well, finally, everything fell into place. 1.5mi warmup, 5x800m: first 400m at about 6:15 pace, then took it down to 6:05 or 6:00 depending on how the set was going, with 1:30 recovery in between. After this thing is over, I think I'm going to train for some 5 and 10Ks in the spring. I like these workouts better.

Oh, and this pisses me off. When the Yankees win, it's 'this is what happens when the varsity playing the jv'; when the Tigers bring the heat its 'yanks beat themselves'?

Blech. Who care's what stupid sports writers think. Go Tigers, let's shut them all up by wrapping this thing up in Detroit.

Pottruck

5mi on the mill, but in increments. 2mi warmup in 14:20. 1.5mi in 9:55, 1.5mi in 10:23. I like trying to push a little again. And damn. I'm slower than I was last year. No more marathons.

OCMS and the sublime?

I took the Art History survey course my senior year at Williams. I've always been glad I did, but the kind of knowledge that it imparted to me, even at five years distance, is strangely like the flash cards I used to quiz myself with: mention a term, and an image, a period, or even a decade instantly springs into my head. The word 'sublime' always triggers this image:

and then the name, Friedrich, and then maybe the title, Morning in the Riessengebirge. I realize this whole preamble is random, but it made me laugh as I was biking back down Walnut from 3rd St because of how that word and those three facts are hard-wired into some fold in my brain.

Back to the sublime. There have been times in my life when I've experienced things sublime. Some of those moments were predictable high-art or high-altitude induced experiences: Bach's chroales; Hélène Grimaud playing Rachmaninoff with the Philadelphia Orchestra; my friend Cynthia standing up and stealing the show doing a Porgy and Bess number at the one-man Girshwin act; the last part of compline at Genesee; summiting at Chamrousse, totally spent, and seeing the Isère and Drôme valleys spread out below me. Others have been downright ordinary: running on that beautiful, deserted dirt road in the Wissahickon Sunday, being one of a dozen or so voices singing (not very well) Grosser Gott at 8am, waking up and hearing the sound of a river churning by, or bouncing around with a bumbly polka band until 3am with my teammates in Maribor. But each gives me that feeling--a tingle of the spine sending a buzz all the way up through my hair--and for an instant makes me feel connected to an idea, a person, or--indulge me with total new-agey gobbly gook for a moment--to everything at once.

I doubt if bluegrass has ever been associated with the sublime, at least not in the academic sense, but I had that tingly feeling many times at the tonight at the OCMS show. Part of it was being right down near the stage, bopping around with a bunch of their old fans (a group that I am not a member of: I've only known them for a few weeks, but have been listening to their albums non-stop) and belting out the words and clapping our hands over our heads on every number. Part of it was just their coke-induced energy for the second set. It was pretty blatant, they did a mediocre, tired 30min set, went off for ~25 minutes before the WXPN broadcast started, and came back flying high. But it made for an awesome show. Part of it was just civic pride or something, shouting "I met a trucker out of Philly had a nice long toke!" with a few hundred people in unison. Anyways, I'm already writing more than I intended to, but they totally rocked. A different band live than they are on their albums, and I like their albums just fine! My favorite tunes were Union Maid, (of course) Wagon Wheel, Minglewood Blues, Fall on my Knees, James River Blues, and (how could you not give it up for the fuel behind the show?) Cocaine Habit.

Oh yeah, this is a running blog. I did some of that today too, hitting Pottruck for a midnight workout. I felt like running hard--treadmill workouts are best when they are short and intense--so I let myself go beyond what I could sustain for the whole time. It broke down like this: 3mi warmup @ 8.6mph for 21min, then 1.5mi at 8.6-9.0mph for 10m15s, then 1.5 going up the ladder from 8.7-10mph for just under 10min! I'd love to do that 1.5mi in 9:30. Maybe on Thursday.

Recovery Run

4mi on the 'mill at Pottruck, 28:30 total. Then lifted arms (bench, lifts, rowing). Slept ~4hrs last night. Sooooo tired. Can't wait for OCMS tomorrow night!

Long run

I have lots to write, but zero energy. I ran for 2h30m (total elapsed time was a bit longer with a few breaks for water, stretching, and bathroom). I hope that puts the distance up around the 17-18mi range; I'm not going to GMap it, but using my watch I must have run 2m+ past the parking lot where I turned around during my 15 miler on Monday. That would put it at 19mi, but then I cut off the last mile-ish by walking back from the Art Museum. So I'm still falling short of the mileage assigned in this training plan, but my long run is getting longer and my legs are surviving. Deo volente, I will actually do this!

I started out from Pottruck with Blitzer. He set the pace up W River Drive and all the way to the start of the Wissahickon. The pace was slower than I usually run it, but a slow start was good--I always go out too quickly and then fade late in the run. At Ridge Ave he turned back towards Center City and I went up the trail. It's AMAZING. I'd never gone more than a mile or two in, but this time I went for a solid 45 minute run. Once you make that left at the Lincoln/Forbidden Dr parking lot, you really feel like you're out in the wilderness--no sounds, no cars, just a dirt road, a gurgling stream, a few runners, bikers, and horses (I saw one today!). The picture above is a satellite photo from near where I turned around. I was telling Blitzer how I almost went to Cornell for graduate school and that I missed the wilderness, but some approximation of wilderness has been right under my nose for four years!

The run back was rough. I stopped at the gas station next to Kelly Dr at 1h50m to get a Gatorade, drank it too quickly and quickly cramped up. I kept running and made it to the Art Museum, but then was truly pooped, so I just walked it back to Chestnut.

Total mileage this week (OK, it's skewed because last week's long run got bumped to Monday but still... using an estimate--conservative!-- of today's mileage): 15+4+0+(4+10)+3+10+17=63!

Saturday's Ten

Spent all day writing, and then dragged myself out around 6.30 for ten miles. I did the river path up past Strawberry Mansion (which, I am sad to say, is lit up at nigt with what look like bridge-glowsticks, like some teen raver in Ibiza. Yuck!) to the 3mi hash. Then came back around the musum, down the parkway and all the way down 22nd to the front door. Took it nice and slow, about 1h20m I think. Hope it works and I have plenty left for the longest run of my life tomorrow...

Pottruck Compromise

To make up the rest of this week's miles, I should have run a 45min tempo. To get some rest in after yesterday's 14mi (I woke up feeling great, but could feel myself stiffening up all day), I should have done nothing. Instead I did a short, intense 3mi, and then did 10min easy biking. 30mi this weekend!

"Unless of course you wanna take that scenic view"

"...Then East or West River Drive is right for you." That song came on right as I was running on the West River Drive, next to I-76. G-Love == word.

Did my evening 10 miler: Pottruck to the river path to W River Dr to Strawberry Mansion (the best bridge), down the stairs to Kelly Dr, then to the water fountain by the rowing shell where I saw John Blitzer. We've been talking about doing workouts together and we ran the last ~4mi back to Penn. Wrapped it up with a very brief lifting circuit at the gym.

Up all night...

I couldn't run yesterday. Chris is leaving for six months in the UK/Oman so I arranged to throw him a blowout goodbye dinner party. My contribution was way too much (but not too much for Teagan and I) butternut squash (about 3 or 4 quarts?) and two apricot/shallot-stuffed pork tenderloins. Klara and Andre brought some of their never-ending sourdough batch, a chivey and goat cheesy spread on melba, and an expensive box of wine (no joke!); Teagan made a fantastic salad and peach buttermilk dumplings for dessert. Tasty all around. I'd arranged to have everything in the oven, or ready to go in by 5.30 and was going to head out for my 10 miler, but Chris got caught up at the Penn Museum so I had to stay to watch the oven. It was perfectly reasonable, not his fault at all, and he was very considerate in letting me know bad he felt. But dammit, I was itching to run! I tried not to let my inner hissy fit ruin my mood, but sometimes it's hard not to be bitchy sheep...

After dinner I was up until 4am writing, not particularly well. All nighters, and even near all nighters, are for the birds. Was grateful for Allegri's beautiful Miserere in my ears as I burned the midnight oil.

This morning: 4mi up to Boathouse Row and back. Will try for the long one tonight.

Pottruck Recovery

Another crazy Tuesday. Algebra TA did a better job with recitatation this week though, so I didn't mind being at Penn until late. Then 4mi on the treadmill @ 1% incline, 8.4-8.6mph. Four miles is a good distance. Better than three, which is really just a little more than a warmup, but still short enough to be anti-strenuous. Then lifted usual arm circuit. Home to work on TLDI submission (and listen to Mollie's radio show allll niiight! Jam bands, baby, jam bands!)

Long Run

The plan to wake up and do 19 was replaced with an afternoon run of 15. I don't feel like I'm at a wall training-wise, but it's just really really hard to find more than 2 hours of daylight with the semester in full swing. So this'll have to do for this week. The run today was good. It was a beautiful fall day, if a little cold for no shirt (oops). After 1:40 of keeping the pace nice and slow, I hit the 2 bridges just past US Grant and decided to go a little. I was glad to see that I had energy in my legs for those last ~2.5mi. The whole thing was just a few minutes under 2hrs.

All that said, I am a little worried because my knee has been giving me some subtle trouble ever since the Strawberry Mansion run last Tuesday. I think I went too fast on a steep downhill and may have strained it. It feels fine while I run, but as soon as I stop, I feel the stiffness. I'll have to ask Johanna--she had ITB issues after her half-marathon last fall and may know more. Or maybe it's time for new shoes? The pair I'm rotating have each seen a lot of miles since I got them in late June.

A few random tidbits:

• As seen in Van Pelt this morning: "Classics Resource Room: This room is primarily for those using the Classics Room." In other news, tautologies are indeed true in every possible world.


• Slate has a story on the lameness of mass-marathoning that has been getting a lot of (negative) action in the Fray.


• Google Maps replaced their Philadelphia satellite photos with new ones! Better resolution and has the whole river path. Here's US Grant:
  

Feeling weak :-(

Rain is back. Ran 4.5 on the 'mill at Pottruck. Yick. So tired.

Je ne suis pas rapide.

The Parkway 5k was this morning. I was nowhere close to my goal time (19:30); instead I finished nearly 2min off that for 21:20. Sigh. Even my 8k time was better, pace wise.

Pavol, however, kicked butt and reached his goal of finishing within 2X the world record :-)

Stretching out...

Today is an off day, but I was feeling frisky around 7.30pm, so I went for a run up to the Art Museum. Got going at a good pace for the second mile, then stretched out at the top and walked home. I think it's exactly what I needed for a pre-race workout: get the sluggish feeling out of your body, but don't tire out. I'll see how it works tomorrow.

The plan for getting this week's miles in is to do the 9mi tomorrow late morning after the race, and then wake up early and do the long run--19mi--up Kelly Dr to Manayunk and continuing the Forbidden Creek trail.

Bike, PDR Photos

Going to a Demography party tonight (?) but hit the gym for a quick workout beforehand. 30min on the bike = 15mi on the nose. Then lifted (bench, rowing, press, tris); went up 10lbs on bench and presses!

The real highlight of the day though, was getting these pictures from PDR. As I was coming down the chute I was passing people left and right, including this guy:

Yes, that is a pink tutu, pink sunclasses, hot pink Nikes, and, although you can't see it in this photo (it is in the first photo below), a pink princess wand. I was hoping that my finish photo would have a shot of both of us and it did not dissapoint.

Here are the rest of the photos: