Pottruck

Ran a 5k (20:3x) then biked for 15min. Going on ~3hrs sleep, so just happy to get anything in.

Pottruck, Vintage Vélo

Another day at the gym, another 10k. 44min-ish?

After I biked through slush up to Powelton Village to collect this vélo fragment:

Going to build it up, perhaps for the girl who likes orange.

Pottruck

The track boys invaded the gym today for their workouts. Something about running next to dudes doing 10mph for their warmup and 11-12mph for the rest makes one want to run fast. So today was a little faster and shorter than I intended: 5mi in just under 34:00, then biked 'Kilimanjaro'® for 20min. Kind of in a rut with this workout (35ish run, 20ish bike) but not fretting too much. Nothing important on the horizon, and there will be a long spring for hard training.

Pottruck

Ran for 33min, then treadmill died. Weird. Finished up 5mi, then biked for 20.

Recovery Run

...or something. I actually felt great today, and would have gone longer except for time constraints and trying to get back into the rhythm of last fall (long Sunday, short Monday, kinda-long Tuesday, etc.) Ran this little 4.5mi loop (measured because I don't know distances from the gym) from Pottruck up around the PMA and back. Then did 20min on the stationary bike. Beautiful weather today; I didn't even wear a hat or gloves.

Super-Manayunk-Loop®

Another beautiful cold but not too cold day on the river. Ran the Loop, then continued on down to Ridge Ave, and then to Main St Manayunk. Nice easy pace, maybe 13-14mi all together?

Pottruck

In which I eliminate the faulty treadmill hypothesis (or there are two). Felt a little stiff when I woke up this morning, but by afternoon it was that perfect just-sore feeling. Hopped on the mill and did an easy warmup, then hit the pace arrow every few minutes to finish 4.42mi in 30min. Then lifted upper body.

Strawberry Mansion

It was a beautiful afternoon and---relatively speaking---warm. So I headed out from Pottruck for a run on the river. I didn't really know how far I wanted to go, but after I got up above Boathouse row, I saw a pack of rowers out for a training run up ahead (the river is frozen!) and decided to go until I caught them, which I did around Girard. Then it felt good so went up to US Grant, then Columbia, then Strawberry Mansion. Considered Loop'ing it, but remembered NY resolution #4 and 'art after 5' plans with CDeux so turned around there and huffed back to campus. It was great to be outside, and the blue sky and orange setting sun were reflecting off the frozen river making one feel surrounded by sky. Down with treadmills!

Down day

Squeezed in a quick run: 3mi, then 10min spindown. Definitely an easy day... looking forward to getting out on the river this weekend.

Pottruck

A quick 5mi: 33:2x! And the first 2mi were in 14:08, which means last 3mi were around 19:15? (I'm actually not really believing these numbers; I did feel great, and the display said I was running above 9.2mph-10.4mph, but I think either the speed or the incline of the 'mill must have been miscalibrated. I'm just not that fast.)

10k

Ran 10km (yeah, yeah, 6.2) in 44:20 at Pottruck. Same formula as always: slow, 20min warmup, then ramping up...

TreadLoop

Morning: 60min on the 'mill for 8.4mi. Started the first 40min at 8.1mph (so 7.24 pace I think?) then kicked it up in the last 1/3. Running "distance" (by which I mean anything more than 30min) indoors takes such patience. I always want to rachet it up too quickly.

Evening: 2.5mi on the 'mill, then leg lifting circuit.

Pottruck

Dammit I wish it weren't so cold out. CDeux made a big pot of penne arrabiata last night, and I filled up expecting to get out for the loop or more today. But I woke up cold and just went to Pottruck instead. Started with a slow warmup then did a fast 2mi to reach 5mi in an OK time (35:30 or something?), then full upper body circuit, then one more mile to cool down. This week doesn't look much better; the projected highs are 19, 22, 29, 29, and 32.

Biking!!

It's a freezing, but beautiful day. I thought a break from running might be in order, so I bundled up, pumped up the tyres on Shadowfax, and head out north of the city. Only went a little beyond Roxborough---my feet would not have lasted much longer---but at least got to climb a few little hills. A little over an hour, 23mi according to CatEye.

End of Week

So, in the end, I do get my comeuppance. The last few days of this week I've just felt lethargic. I brought cold weather gear to run outdoors today, but it started to pour when I left Van Pelt so I just did 3 on the 'mill and a 20min spindown at Pottruck. My mind is itching to do a long run---when was my last one?---but my head wants to sleep. Hoping for a window of sunshine this weekend.

Speedwork

2mi fairly quick warmup (< 7min pace), then 4x800 at 6:15 down to 6:00 pace. Need to do many more of these to reach my 5k goal and more than 4 reps (I think once I get comfortable running 6:30 pace for 4-5, pushing 6:15 for 3.1 will be reasonable). But today I was exhausted---was up at 5.30 to catch the train, and spent the day hacking on PADS @ Princeton (I hate NJTransit)--- and I haven't done any speedwork in a while, so I'm going to proclaim success. But next week, don't let me get away with fewer than 6.

Pottruck

Shorter workout today: 3.5mi in 24min, 20min spindown.

Pottruck

Did a hard-ish workout despite my earlier post. 6mi in 43:xx, 20min spindown, leg lifting circuit. Will see what tomorrow brings.

Had a song picked out, but can't remember at this late hour...

Comeuppance

I feel a little stiff today. Heh.

Dude, where's my pain?

Seriously, this is ridiculous: the running feels so good right now. I don't want to jinx it, but I feel like I can do a good workout everyday and everything is easy. I suppose I am running significantly fewer miles than in the summer/fall, but I've also been taking fewer off/easy days.

Today: another 4.33 in 30min. Started out at 7:18 pace and sweat maybe 3 drops in the first 15min. Then went up to 6:45 pace, 6:30 6:15, and ended the last .5mi at 6:05. Maybe I just had an easy treadmill, or maybe I should do more than a 1.0 incline? Or maybe just push? Finished with a 15min spindown.

Today's song comes from Stevie! TaraGirl (aka assistant to the associate dean) closed with this (I think it was this?) at her concert on Saturday. The lyrics are cheesy, but the first few bars have me doing a little dance in my room...

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
Someone Ive needed so long
For once, unafraid, I can go where life leads me
And somehow I know Ill be strong

The Loop

Relived the summer Sunday routine with Pavol (Blitzer would have come, but e just got in on a red-eye this morning). Beautiful gray wintry running day; just a little soft flurry of snow to make things interesting.

Running has felt like bouncing off clouds these past few days. Maybe just the fancy new Wigwam socks I bought at Pottruck earlier this week? ...Back up above 45mi this week.

Pottruck

Good running day. Warmed up with 30min at 8.0mph, then went up the ladder for the last 3, finishing my 7mi in just over 50 minutes! Made up the rest of my upper body lift upstairs.

Pottruck

3mi in 20:3x, lifted upper body.

Ugh. Strawberry Mansion

Ran to my favorite bridge, but it weren't pretty. If I learned one thing in Grenoble, it was that peanuts, tea, and running don't mix. The first two create some kind of nasty acid that, when combined with the third, equals misery. So what did I do today? Came home from work, wanted to warm up and load up before a long-ish run, and ate peanuts and drank chai. Baaad idea. I was in serious pain during the ~4-7th miles. But then it cleared up around the Columbia Bridge and I felt better for the segment around the museum and down 22nd. Maybe tomorrow's an off day.

Pottruck

Ran hard for 30min: started at 7:20 pace, and went up the ladder all the way to 6:00 pace (for the last ~1min). Something like 4.3mi total. Biked 10min to cool down, then lifted upper body. I just don't have the patience to do any distance indoors. I can't imagine 14-15mi again on a *%$^!ing treadmill.

Then (Clare, you'll be the only one to be able to decode this part so I'll write it as if to you) biked to Whole Foods (whole paycheck) to get red lentils for dinner; made a variation on my friend Johanna's vegan lentil/squash curried "soup" (really a gulash; similar to the one Tita did over Christmas), THE BREAD (1/3 whole wheat... I want to try the walnut version you've been doing; please send recipe?), and orange/almond/avocado salad we did while you were here. CDeux ate more of the gulash than me, and took half home, so (cue Dimitris voice) "it was... OK". No shaved truffle though; seems more like a breakfast thing (plus, with no shaver in the kitchen, it's hardly worth finding fresh truffle eh?).

Have been filling my ears with Maria Muldaur's great, twangy cover of this Dylan song:

Clouds so swift
Rain wont lift
Gate wont close
And the railing's froze
I'll get your mind off the wintertime
'Cause we ain't goin' nowhere
Whoo-ee! Ride me high
Tomorrows the day that
My man's comin' home
Oh, we gonna fly
Down into the easy chair!

Need to find some other favorite songs to mix in, or I'm going to kill it...

Pottruck

Evening session at the gym: 3mi fast in 20:10, then lifted legs.

Snowy Run

Still waking up early... waited for the sun to come out, then headed out for a snowy river run. It's frickin' freezing out there! Stopping to talk to Colin (walking Merlin) at the banks didn't help my frozen hands. Turned back at the Kelly Dr intersection, then came down 19th through Rittenhouse, and back to South and 22nd. Should be a little more than 4mi.

Someday I'm gonna leave this dirty little town,
Where the talk is cheap on the dirty little streets,
And the trees are dying underneath a sky that's purple and brown.

Folks round here say I'll never go,
But there's something about me that they don't know.
I've already left this place in my mind,
Till my body goes, it's just a matter of time.

Back to Pottruck

Woke up to a city covered in snow! Was considering bundling up for another river run, but was freezing, and so worked from home instead. Hit Pottruck late and ran 6mi going from an easy 8.2mph up the ladder in .1mph increments every mile, for 43:00 on the nose, then biked a single "Cascade®" to cool down, about 9mi.

It's weird: when you don't run, "the burn" is gone, and you feel like your training is going to go to shit, but a down week (one where you cram yourself with multiple pains aux raisins every morning, hit every cheese course after dinner, and go for the tartiflette, the croziflette, etc. at dinner time) every now and again appears to actually be beneficial.

Catching Up + Back On (the) Track

My week in Nice was my least runningest in a long time; like, probably in a year. I may not have even broken 25 miles, and that's with an 18mi head start from Sunday/Monday. DNR on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday (went to Nice-Rennes Pro-A volleyball match instead!) Touched down this afternoon at a chilly PHL, and was lycra'd up and on the trail within an hour of reaching Thornton Manor. Not the only crazy out in sub 25 degree weather either. Did a loop up to Columbia Bridge and ending at TJ's, so something between 6-7mi.

Encore une fois

Yesterday I walked up to the museums, but didn't run. The Chagall museum was small but nice: a few dozen large pieces in a space that he designed. The Musée Matisse, unfortunately, was closed. Boo. Next time.

Today I snuck in a run along the Promenade in between the last session and dinner. A little longer than last time, around 35min? Not sure exactly. Am looking forward to being back in Philly and having time to do some long runs.

Promenade des Anglais

Did a shitty pre-sunrise run along the Promenade des Anglais, the long boardwalk that runs along the beach in Nice. Only lasted about 25min, so conservatively, 3mi? I would have liked to go longer, but the trip here was one of the most disorienting trans-Atlantic journeys I've taken in a long time, and both my sleeping and eating schedules are totally out of whack (this used to be old hat for me, shuttling back and forth to London). After my long run on Sunday "The Burn", as Clare calls it, was in full effect, and dinner with Cara (no, not that Cara; more like another C: both are whipsmart, English-majoring, wallet-losing Ephs), lunch with Christoforos (yes, that Christoforos! In the country for a physics conference and to visit Emma friends), and multi-meals on Air France (Delta ticket, Air France flight; take that Fly America Act!) only put a small dent in my appetite. Finally got some food in Nice on Tuesday afternoon, but a late night hacking slides on Sunday plus a screaming baby on the flight led to me crashing sans diner yesterday evening. So I'm chalking up the lack of energy to a lack of sleep and calories. POPL is great; I'm all rah-rah research again.

Dashing off to PHL

...I like to fly tired. Quick trip to Pottruck, 3mi in 20:5x, 5min spin down. Allons-y!

SuperLoop®

Ran the East Falls loop, with an extension up to Ridge Ave and into the Wissahickon Valley Park. I turned around after the second hill but before the parking lot at the trailhead for Forbidden Drive. That's 15mi, so call this one more than 14mi? Today felt so much better than yesterday. Back to basics: eat lots of carbs, get a good night's rest, and, what do you know, the running will be easy (...err until I got to the boathouses up above Columbia Bridge on the Kelly Drive side; the last 4ish miles were a bit of work).

Evidently I'm not the only nut who still thinks Sundays are for running. Must have seen 10 people wearing their race shirts from November. I'm still a gear phobe. I'll stick to my cotton t-shirt (and, OK, the one nice technical ziptop I own) thank you.

US Grant: Run, then Cut.

Finally got outside for a morning run. Felt like crap though. Didn't eat a real dinner after TGIF last night, and felt like I had nothing in the tank on the 2nd half. Bailed out at Market St. So call it 5mi.

Pottruck

Yick. Five gym trips in five days this week. Must get outdoors! 3mi downstairs, went up to get a bike, but they were all taken, so just ran 1mi more. Warmer weather this weekend. Hoping for longer runs on the river if the rain holds.

P'ruck

Didn't sleep much last night as I was hacking slides for talk (Tikz/Pgf is the coolest! It produces beeee-eau-ti-ful graphics. But also a huge time sink). Got a few hours this morning. Strangely, on days when I haven't slept, I seem to have more energy late in the day. Anyways, another easy day: 3mi, fast (or, more like I was doing last year around this time); biked 11mi in 20min. Are 'Cascades' easier than 'Foothills'?

The beater has a flat, so I got to ride 'Shadowfax' (Clare's dubbing) and new helmet to West Philly today. An already-short ride over the bridge was even shorter. Want to ride it eeeevery day.

Pottruck

Another crowded day at the gym. Legs were killing me today (lifting +2 days always hurts) so took an easy day: 3mi in 21:40, then did another half-assed upper-body lift, then did 20min spin on the bike. Stressed about PLAN-X talk...

East Falls, Pottruck

See, now this is why I never did my leg lifting workouts---it's hard to motivate the next day when your muscles are all stiff! But my approach---skipping them---is not the solution. Better to just do them and eventually they'll stop hurting so much.

Unlike last semester, Tuesdays are my empty day, and I plan to work from CC if I can avoid getting sucked onto campus for faculty hiring talks, colloquia, etc. Today I woke up @ 7, got the TOPLAS final version done in the morning, hacked on PLAN-X slides a bit until lunch, took a nap, and set out from home for East Falls around 4.30. Kept the pace easy; my legs were whining until around the Girard St bridge. The middle half was better, and the last bit from US Grant to 36th & Walnut almost felt good. Finished with a quick upper body circuit (bench, row, raises) at Pottruck.

Still not sure what to do with myself sans programme de formation. So far I've been trying to organize each week with one each of a long run (~90 minutes+), a sort-of long run (7+ miles), and a hard day or speedwork, three whatever-I-feel like days, and a day of rest or cross-training. So basically just doing the easy weeks in the middle of marathon training. But it's getting monotonous. Maybe the bike and pool are the solutions.

Pottruck

First day of the semester, and the gym is a %$&!ing mess with all the undergrads back. Ran 5mi in 35:16, then spun down for 8 on the bike (in a sweltering room that must have been 75+ degrees!), then lifted legs: squats, extensions, hamstrings, abductors, lunges.

Finally discovered the provenence of the honky tonk song that I like so much from my shuffle: Chris Isaak's 'I want your love'. The man can sing.

First Love

I will always love running in this fair city, even when my mouth still tastes like whiskey. Ran this loop: Mount Auburn to Brattle to Fayerwether to Huron, Fresh Pond loop, back to Mem Drive, over the bridge near the Cambridge Rowing club, up to the Weeks footbridge, back behind Dunster back to V's place on Banks Street. About 7mi in 50min if my watch and GMap Pedometer are to be believed (I'm skeptical; it seems a little fast--I did kick it up for the Fresh Pond bit, but did the rest at a comfortable pace, which for me is usually a tad slower than 7:30.)

Pottruck

3mi fast, lifted upper body, 10min (~1.4mi) cooldown. Off to Boston now...

Strawberry Mansion

Another day, another minor calamity. I've been clumsy/unlucky lately: sliced the top of my thumb off into my thai squash soup, stabbed myself and passed out on Christmas morning, and had a picture frame fall on me at Pheobe's last night. Today, in the middle of my Pottruck <-> Strawberry Mansion run, I slipped on the wet, leaf-covered stairs coming down from the bridge and fell hard on my tailbone and left forearm. The former is all swollen and the latter scraped the skin off and is starting to swell up too. Damn you Fairmount Park Commission! Clean up your steps!

Anyways, since I was at the turnaround---the furthest point from my bike---I didn't really have much choice, so picked myself up and ran it in, tho' a bit slower than on the way out. ~10mi in some unspectacular time. Maybe 80 minutes?

Pottruck

Mmmoolllliiieeeee! Your trip to the gym is ready!

Run: 3mi in 20:38

Lift: bench, rowing, press, tris, curls.

Bike: 10.1mi of little hills in 20:000.

Columbia Bridge

First run of '07: home to Columbia Bridge to TJ's. More than 6mi. Saw a large pack of runners out for a 6.30 run. Ahh resolutions. Let's see how many of you are still here in February [note: I'm not actually this snarky! Hooray for fitness!] My list is blelow.

Resolved:

• to run a 19:30 5k, 70:00 at BSR, and 90:00 at PDR;
• to ride a century (in < 5hrs?)
• to gain some weight;
• to keep friends and family before fitness.

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.