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.