Back to the Loop

Ran with Pavol and Blitzer this morning. We all started out from the Chestnut Bridge. They had to get back early, so turned around at Strawberry Mansion. I continued up to the Ridge Ave, then came back by W River Drive. About 1h40m all told, easy pace.

Ramping up...

Friday: did an easy 4mi up to the Art Museum and back. Just stretching legs out...

Saturday: out to Sweetbriar, across on Girard, down Lemon Hill, and back around PMA to 20th. I didn't know how far this was, so GMap'd it. The answer? A little more than 6mi.

Back on it

A trio of Pottruck workouts during recovery week.

Tuesday: 30min bike, lift upper body.

Wednesday: easy 3mi run.

Thursday: 5mi total (1.5mi warmup, 3mi fast, .5mi cooldown)

Exposed (not-actually-so-long Chicago Marathon LBRR)

So yeah, the Chicago Marathon was ... OK. As you've probably read in the papers, race day conditions could not have been worse: temperatures were in the low 90s and very humid. Several hundred runners were admitted to hospital and one died. The race was called around 11.30am and only about 24k out of 46k registered finished. I did manage to finish, and was safe (though it took me 3-4hrs, a cold Jama Juice, and a cool shower to feel normal again), but nowhere near my goal time (goal = 3h20m, actual = 3h49m).

The thing is, while I'd like to blame the weather, and it was certainly a factor, I think the real culprit was my training. I didn't do enough long runs, and they weren't long and slow enough (longest was 2h40m). Next time I will do them based on time, not distance. I went out too fast (again), weaving through the crowd with a really nice guy Mark, but paid big time at the end. We stupidly did 7m30s miles, moving up from a slow start behind the 4hr pace group to the 3h20s. Things were good until around miles 19 when the wheels came off and I totally blew up. I overheated, my knee acted up, and the miles turned in to 8 minute miles, then 9, then 10. Managed to run the last two after getting a pick-me-up from a nice girl ("yeah buddy") but did not kick at the end. Yuck yuck yuck. The next one will be better.

Shout outs to Dr. Cipriano and to the Kopinski boys for coming out and cheer, and for the good company post-race.

The bird is in the nest...

...and so on. Last training run last night: easy 3.5mi or so up to the Kraft labs on Broadway. Few days of rice w/ bagels, cereal, yogurt, and rice now!

Tapers

A couple of 3mi runs. One down to Lyndhurst last night (OK, maybe that's 4). Then tonight: 10mi warmup down to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetary, back up to the high school. Then 4x400 in 85, 83, 82, 79. Then a 6min cooldown to CTown. Last run tomorrow + loading up begins!

Weekend

Itching to run long, of course, but sticking to the taper plan.

Saturday: 3-4 easy miles on the OCA North.

Sunday: 8mi on Rt 9: down to Dobbs Ferry and back.

End of week

Yesterday was 4mi in 28 something.

Today should have been a rest day, but I was feeling antsy... and ansty I was: 3mi in 19:53. Then some elliptical to cool down.

Tapering off...

Tuesday: 6mi, fast.

Wednesday: 4mi progression run, lifted upper body.

A Weekend in Charm City

Friday: snuck in a cheeky 3 @ NYSC before catching train to Baltimore.

Saturday: was really, really tight. Did the start of the trail loop up behind the zoo, but was really struggling so turned around and finished around the Dru Hill reservoir. Maybe 5mi, maybe.

Sunday: 12mi along NCRT @ Gunpowder Falls SP. 45min out on the nose, 43min on the return. Felt strong, wanted to do more (tapering = sucky).

Monday: 5mi @ NYSC, full leg lifting circuit.

Evening Speed

Did my "speedwork", tho' on the 'mill: 2mi warmup in 14:30, then 8x800s at 9.5-9.9. Absolutely knackered now.

On biking...

I took the longer (10mi) route to work this morning. I wish I could spare the time to do it every day. The weather is so fantastic right now--crisp and autumny (although it's supposed to hit 80 again today)--and it's nice to get off the busy roads.

Just out of curiosity, I plotted the profile of the first hill on my normal climb out of Tarrytown. It's short, but kind of steep (about 8% average grade for the first mile; the steep bits are 15%+!)

Main St Irvington

Wanted to keep today easy. Came home straight after work to try to catch the end of the sun, and set out over the Tappan Zee ramp to the OCA South. Turned onto the trail at Lyndhurst (and clicked on my headlamp--it was dark already), and followed the dirt to Irvington Main St. At Irvington, I looped back and returned on Broadway. Picked it up a bit on the way home, and really picked it up for the last .5 mile. 24min out, 20.5min in for just under 45min total.

NYSC 8

Ran 8mi @ NYSC Hawthorne. Started at 7:30 pace, and went slowly up the ladder to 6:44 during the first 6. Kicked it up for the last two miles and finished in 57min = 7:07 pace. Jogged an easy .5mi cooldown. The shoes? Still awesome.

NYSC

A weird workout at NYSC. Was going to do 8, but it was clear after a few minutes that my legs weren't up for that. So I shortened to 3mi warmup in 22 even, then 3x1mi at 6:40, 6:30, and 6:20 with ~1min recovery between... enough to break a sweat. Then lifted upper body.

(The shoes are still awesome.)

Birthday Weekend

Had a fabulous birthday weekend in Tarrytown.

Friday night DNR: wanted to take a rest day with the weekend I had planned, and was throwing a dinner party for John, Bill+Jeri, and Katie.

Saturday: Long run down to The Bronx. New shoes are awesome! I think it was 17-18mi, and except for some annoying heartburn in the first 5mi, I wasn't even tired until 2hrs in. Discovered The Right Way through Yonkers, and the Old Put trail. Great stuff.

Sunday: woke up early and did the Golden Apple ride with the Westchester Cycling Club. Total mileage for the day was 94: 19 getting to/from White Plains to catch the other arm of MetroNorth, and 75mi on the ride.

Now, as per usual, tea, radio, and refueling.

Did I mention the new shoes are awesome?

Well shit dogg...

I was supposed to meet Pete and Marianne for dinner + pesoi, so did a quick workout at NYSC Hawthorne instead of going outside (which would have been fantastic on this crisp fall day). I was even stiffer today, so did a nice long (3mi) warmup in 22 flat, then 5x800s at around 3:15 pace, then a quick upper body. Was ready to bike down to Dobbs, but Pete's car crapped out on I-287, so he had to cancel! Shit indeed.

ps. Beeauuteeeful new orange and black 2120s arrived today!! They are noticably lighter than previous models, and supposedly stiffer. I loved the 2100s I owned, and the 2110s have always seemed squishy to me. Hoping these are like that first pair.

NYSC, Irvington

Monday: did 4mi on treadmill at NYSC + upper body circuit.

Tuesday: 7mi on treadmill (50:1x) + legs circuit.


Wednesday: exceedingly stiff (especially with my new longer ride to work); evening run to Irvington on the OCA with (depicted) torch).

T-minus 4 weeks

Finally getting my butt in gear, just in time to ... taper. Hrm. This race will be interesting.

Monday: had C drop me at Cook County and ran back to her place via UIC and Halsted. A nice 5-6mi recovery run.

Tuesday: zonked from the early AM flight back to NYC; worked late and got home after dark. Took my headlamp and ran to Lyndhurst, which I think is around 3.5mi at a pretty good pace, but still a bit shorter than I would have liked.

Wednesday: can't remember. I think I did 5mi at NYSC?

Thursday: also at NYSC. 4 or 5mi.

Friday: same 3mi out-and-back as on Tuesday.

Saturday: OCA to Rockefeller State Preserve. Got lost, so have no idea which trails I was on, but the run was about 50min, so hopefully 6-7mi.

Sunday: ran OCA south from Tarrytown to the Bronx. By my watch, and this crude map, around 16mi.

Debrief: well, I didn't break 50mi this week. Honestly didn't have the time to get in any quality workouts during the week and some weeks will be like that. On the other hand, the long run was easy this week (at least, compared to last week's bonk.)

Another big catch up

Let's see... I can't actually remember all the way back to this last post. I think I did 7mi on one day, and one day of speedwork (something like 2mi warmup, 6x800s @ 3.15ish, 1mi cooldown). I ran every other day that week, but none were remarkable. Weekend was Colin's wedding and DNR either day, although was in Boston near first love (the Charles) and would have been great to say hello to her (her? are rivers feminine?)

Last week was a blur. 5mi on Monday, 5 more on Tuesday, I think I did 8 on Wednesday, 4 on Thursday, and only had time to sneak in 2 on Friday before rushing off to JFK. Friday in ChicagoLand did the SurfHaus <-> Bean Loop, Saturday did 5-6ish down to Oak St Beach, and today did a 2h20m long run. Not exactly sure of the distance--I bonked in the Loop on the way home so didn't finish what I'd planned. But I think 17 or so?

And now, enjoying a breezy Sunday evening in the SurfHaus with SymphonyCast, chicken/portobello/marsala thingee, Tita's fabulous squash salad, good tea, and some rest. What's missing is C: she is covering nights this month ...and also Sundays, and so is at the hospital all night.

Monday

Did a study for Iqbal that involved me wearing a few monitors while running for 10 minutes on a treadmill. Started slow, but decided to crank it up to break a sweat for 1.41mi.

Then went to NYSC and did 5mi more in 35:20.

Weekend

Friday: did 3mi to stretch my legs at NYSC

Saturday: 4mi in Philly!

Sunday: 14-15mi in Philly; East Falls Loop with extension into the Wissahickon.

Big Catchup

I haven't felt like blogging in a while... but I have been running. At this temporal distance, I can't remember the details of every day, but it should go something like this:

Present minus 3 weeks: was doing NYSC workouts during the week. C flew out to White Plains and we drove down to Philly to take care of some shit. Took a rest day on Saturday and then did the East Falls loop on Sunday.

Present minus 2 weeks: did two-a-day NYSC workouts during the week for 7-10 miles / day, although split into a morning 3 and an evening whatever. Did 6x800s on Thursday. Drove up to NH for the weekend and did a 10mi out-and-back down to where Rt 10 hits 25C. Then did 6mi from the VT side across at Newbury(burgh?) bridge and down to the common.

Present minus 1 week: ran outside during the week including a few longer runs north towards Ossining and south to Dobbs. Went to Chicago on the weekend and did the run from SurfHaus down to the bean, about 9mi. Rested the other day.

Present week: have been doing 5-8mi runs on the OCA, strictly north. Ran 10mi at NYSC today.

So I've been doing 40-50 miles a week, but my long runs are not long. I am worried. My race is less than two months away and I have not run more than 15mi in longer than I can remember. I need to ramp up, but the next two weekends are busy with weddings. I will try to squeeze them in. Really there is no excuse. The biking has made it harder to recover, but my body should be used to it. The traveling has been exhausting, but I should deal with it and insist on more sleep. I am not worried about finishing the damn thing, but it could be ugly. And my time goals are out the window. Let's hope for an improvement on number one.

Tues, Weds

Went to NYSC both days. A mirror workout of Monday's 5mi yesterday, then 7mi today in 51min (30min easy, then iFartlek for the last 3mi). Had a nice spindown on the way home: 9a to 117, to 448 down into Sleepy Hollow. Saw a few other bikers around Blue Hill Farm.

C is coming to town this weekend, so I need to try to get my 16 in tomorrow. Dreading it a little...

NYSC Hawthorne

I bought a student membership to a swanky gym, NYSC. At first the guy was going to make me buy a full membership (at $80/mo) but when I balked and said that I'd seen the summer offer on the website, he said "OK, I'll pretend you're 22" and gave me the cheaper membership.

Ran 5mi in 36:1x on a good ol' LifeFitness 95-series treadmill.

Catchup

It's been a long couple of weeks. The last push to get the POPL paper out took all of my energy last weekend and I biked on Friday (Loop), but then did nothing until Tuesday.

In between, I moved to Tarrytown, so that run was on the OCA Trail. I didn't map my runs yet, so they're almost not worth blogging. But I think I did 3 x 5-6mi runs on the OCA last week, plus a number of bike rides: from HPN to TTown, over to White Plains, down to Manhattan.

This week I must get back on track with running. CM looms just under 9 weeks away. Yikes.

Thurs-Sun

Thursday: 5mi treadmill run. Very slow warmup, then progression up to mid-9mphs? 35:xx

Friday: Pottruck to 34th to Mantua to W Fairmount Park to Girard Bridge to River Trail to Pottruck. This is between 4-5mi.

Then, a fun weekend:

Saturday AM: out-and-back run to Columbia Bridge @ pace; around 7mi.

Saturday PM: biked SuperLoop, betweeen 13-14 flat miles.

Sunday PM: ran SuperLoop, same 13-14 miles. Accidentally ran through Philadelphia Women's Triathlon.

Sunday PM: 24mi bike ride with Chuck. Went through the park, past the Mann, through to Wynnewood, Ardmore, then into Upper Merion. Fun part by Old Gulph Rd, back by Conshy St Rd, Belmont bridge to Manayunk, then Kelly Drive.

Presently enjoying a quiet Sunday night; am ensconced in my lantern-lit room with tea and Hélène Grimaud on NPR (and cranking on a POPL submission).

Attacked!

Ran Sweetbriar, but not without incident. Just after coming through the tunnel of the Girard St bridge, I felt claws grabbing at my scalp. A small bird had swooped down and was picking at my head! I swooshed it off, but was quite surprised!

Other than that, an uneventful run. Ran through 4th festivities near the PMA, then back down 19th, and walked to TJs from Rittenhouse for good company and good burgers.

Tuesday = Monday

This whole week is going to be staggered. It's an odd week anyways -- worked from Chicago yesterday and flew back today, and tomorrow is the 4th (but no holiday for the Harmony guys).

Ran an easy 4mi at Pottruck, then lifted upper body and spun down on the bike. Looking forward to more miles on home turfs tomorrows.

Monday = Long Run

This whole weekend got staggered by Saturday's rest day. Ran long
today, about 1h45m. Not sure of distance, and don't have time to
GMap, but hoping it was around 12-13mi.

Catching up

Wednesday: I think I did 3mi (can't remember?) on the treadmill, then lifted legs.

Thursday: 5mi on the treadmill in iFartlek style (plus .2mph on each
song change). 35:15 or so? FULL Upper body circuit, biked.

Friday: 3mi, again iFartlek. 20:4x.

Saturday: rested.

Sunday: Ran this

9mi loop in Chicago.

Have not had any caffeine in two days. Yesterday was rough and I slept about 16hrs. Today is much better, and I'm thinking of trying to kick the habit (but maybe after POPL deadline).

Hills

Hill repeats on the W Fairmount Park hill between Sweet Briar and the Civil War Memorial. Probably 6+mi all told? Biked 10min at Pottruck to loosen up.

Sweetbriar

Did an easy, slow Monday run: Thornton Manor to W River Dr to Sweetbriar to 34th to Pottruck. Then lifted upper body.

NCRT

Did my long run with Tita and Ahmad at GP Falls SP. Went nice and slow, and covered about 11.2mi, according to trail markers. So 88min = about 8min/mile pace.

End of Week

I kind of overdid it with the lifting on Wednesday (good rule: don't lift as much as you used to lift whilst training for EUSA Championships!) and spent the rest of the week shuffling around and grimacing. Not good.

Thursday: ran for 25min, maybe 3.5mi + bike.

Friday: biked the Loop. I was debating taking a genuine rest day, but it felt good to get out and stretch.


Saturday: ran a slightly longer variant of the Dru Hill / Hampden / JHU / Charles St loop in Baltimore. The map is from December. I think I did an extra mile up Keswick near the top.

Pottruck

3mi run, full leg lifting circuit (hurts!) + bike.

PM: Pottruck Speedwork

I was not excited for this workout, but after the warmup, all my sluggishness melted away.

2mi in 14:15, then 4x800 in ~3:10 each, then 1mi cooldown.

Early Week

Monday: 4mi run + a short cooldown + upper body circuit.

Tuesday AM: Between 3-4mi early morning run. Speedwork to come...

SuperLoop

It's Sunday, which means running long. I was kind of stiff all weekend and wasn't really looking forward to this. But after the first 30 minutes it wasn't so bad. I believe this slightly-longer-than East Falls loop is ~13mi. Took me about 100 minutes, which is about right.

EndOfWeek

Friday: 3mi on the mill, full upper body circuit + bike.

Saturday: woke up and beat the heat by running W River Dr/Sweetbriar/Girard/Lemon Hill/Parkway/22nd. I think this is 6mi.

Pottruck x 3

A solid first week of training.

Tuesday: 35min tempo followed by leg lifting circuit + biking.

Wednesday: Easy 3mi followed by upper body lifting + biking.

Thursday: Easy 3mi followed by 3mi pace + biking.

Catching Up

Been to Chicago and back in the last week.

Tuesday: woke up at 6 and did a 4mi run before packing up Cara's stuff onto a Penske truck; also did an afternoon 3 at Pottruck.

Wednesday: was zonked after driving through the night to Michigan. DNR.

Thursday: Ran in Chicago from SurfHaus down to the LaSalle Bridge and back. I think this was 5-6 miles.

Friday: Antsy for a longer run. Did 9.25mi down to the Bean and back.

Saturday: Did a quick 4.5mi run around Belmont Harbor

Sunday: Ran long (1h20m), 11.3mi up to Foster Ave, then back down to Grant Park where met Cara and Julie for Chicago Blues Festival.

Monday: Legs were sore. Did an easy 2.5 on the treadmill, then 15min on the bike. Hoping for Strawberry Mansion tomorrow.

17 weeks to Chicago. Back on the Higdon program now.

Pottruck

Did a hair under 4mi on the treadmill, then a quick leg lifting circuit before rushing off to Pico de Gallo for dinner.

Arizona

Week of vacation, and not much running.

DNR Friday, Saturday.

6mi in Tempe on Sunday morning plus a long hike in Sedona.

DNR Monday.

4mi Tuesday AM.

4mi Wednesday AM, 6mi PM.

DNR Thursday.

DNR Friday, hiked up into Superstitions.

Tried to run on Saturday, but was zonked and had a splitting headache.

Back to Philly yesterday, rainy US Grant run in evening.

Pottruck

Another day at the gym. Warmed up with 2mi easy, then 6x800, then just a brief cool down. It feels good to be doing treadmill workouts again, especially on a Thursday. Off to Phoenix and the HEAT! We'll see if I can bear to run in it.

Pottruck

It's been too long. Did 5mi on the treadmill in just over 35, then did a brief leg and upper body lifting circuit.

W River Dr

Ran ~7mi up W River Dr and through W Fairmount Park. Back via the Civil War memorial, Girard, Lemon Hill. Started out feeling great, but did not finish that way--kind of limped it in. Still, miles.

Chestnut Hill

Biked out to Chestnut Hill through the (pretty!) Wissahickon. Made a quick jaunt up into Montgomery County, then came back by Ogontz / Broad St. About 28-29mi total. North Philly is rough!

SuperLoop

It's been too long since I really ran long. Chicago is only 20 weeks away so it's time to start ramping up. Finally ran more than the East Falls Loop. Only ~1.5mi more, but ... more. Ran the extension up to the start of hte Wissahickon at Ridge Ave. I think this is 13+. Got caught in a great downpour on the way home.

End-of-week

Friday: ran the Loop, but only Art Museum <-> Art Museum (squeezing in Art after 5 at PMA).

Saturday: essentially DNR. Started out for a leg stretcher, but felt really tight, and it was a nice day for a walk, so I did.

Mid-week

Wed: snuck in a short workout at Hutch before hitting shrew at Shakespeare Festival with C. Knee started acting up after only 2mi on treadmill, which suited me fine because those treadmills stare at a wall of mirrors. Did an upper body circuit.

Thurs: ran to the Columbia Bridge and back in a light rain just after sunset. A fantastic run.

Tuesday

Another busy day. Did 2mi up to Lemon Hill, then 6 x hill repeats, then a (slow!) cool-down run to home. Well tired.

Pottruck

Not a lot of time for a workout last night, rushing to Penn Med's graduation at the Kimmel.

Did 3mi on treadmill in 20:3x, then an easy 2mi (~15min) as a cooldown.

Weekend

Sat: morning bike ride with C and her dad up around the regatta, evening 5mi run (Girard St Bridge on the W River Dr).

Sun: 11mi (East Falls Loop).

Same again

Another jaunt around the Art Museum. Call it 3. Knee still hurts.

Hope to get a long run in this weekend.

Thursday

All my posts seem to be staggered. Just a quick run around the Art Museum. Maybe 3mi?

I secured a place for the Chicago marathon! October 7th!!

Pottruck, East Falls

Ran 4mi on the treadmill at Pottruck. 3.6 or so in 25min, jogged the rest as a cooldown.

(Then met C to bike out to BBQ in East Falls.)

Busy

Monday: At IBM PL Day up in Westchester and so DNR.

Tuesday: W River Dr / Montgomery / Girard / Lemon Hill loop. I think this is well over 7 (maybe 8?) miles?

Weekend

Friday: sunset ride to Manayunk with a couple of jaunts up the hill to Ridge Ave.

Saturday: easy ride to the Linc to get my BSR bib... but on the way home, after stopping at Reading to pick up supplies for a big pasta meal for some other runners, I hit a hole on Spruce St and went over the handlebars. Helmet saved me, but scraped my face, shoulder, and knee up and bent my wheel.

I was still planning to race, but woke up feeling more swollen and the bruises hurt. Also didn't sleep much because Mom and Cara called me at 2hr intervals to make sure I was still lucid and didn't have bleeding in my head.

Sunday: skipped the race, obviously, but got out for a sunset run to John B Kelly. Beautiful weather, 7mi+, I just wish I could have run them on Broad Street 12 hours earlier.

Sweetbriar

Did this loop, about 5.5mi.

I am getting pretty excited for Sunday's race.

Mon -> Weds

Mon: Girard St on the W R Drive. Should be 5+?

Tues: Didn't head out until 10.30pm and straight into a huge t-storm rolling in. Turned around just before the Art Museum. Not sure of distance: more than 2?

Wed: Pottrock <-> East Falls Loop. I think this is 11 miles.

Weekend

Saturday: Loop (11-ish?)
Sunday: Sweetbriar (5-ish; would have been 6, but my legs were absolutely aching and I walked in from Market St).

Pottruck

4.5mi on the mill: warmup, intervals in the middle, 1.5mi to cool down.

Mid-week

Wednesday: 4mi on the treadmill

Thursday: Columbia Bridge (so 7ish?)

US Grant

Another warm, crowded day on Kelly Dr. Squeezed in a run up to US Grant and back before biking down to CBP for the Phillies / Nats game. Somewhere between 40-45min.

Catching up

Was in NYC of the weekend with C, and did not run. Saturday was in Brooklyn and still feeling sore from Thursday and Friday. Started out running over to Hakon's in Fort Greene, but then decided to turn it into a walk. Walked back via Prospect Park and Lolo's old apartment.

Sunday was in Dobbs Ferry and didn't have time to squeeze anything in while a houseguest.

Monday, back in Philly, ran Strawberry Mansion (9ish?)

Conshy

Biked out to the Conshy REI (what up, the right Ben Katz!) to get my new hiking boots. About 35mi total. It was a nice ride--first warm day of spring--but my bad bike luck this week continued. On two nights this week I went for late night rides with C, only to get a flat (or bust my tire off the rim). Tonight, just as I was coming down the hill on Walnut into 33rd, my %#$!ing CHAIN broke! Sheesh.

Off to NYC tomorrow; hope to get a couple of good Brooklyn runs in.

Multi-Blog

Tuesday: 5mi on the treadmill
Wednesday: IM volleyball playoffs (lost), 5k on the treadmill (21:1x), late nite bike ride with C.
Thursday: ran the Loop home <-> home, about 1h20m.

Still running, kinda

Friday: did 5mi on the treadmill.

Saturday: in Chicago, did 5k on the treadmill (21:1x)

Sunday: in Chicago, ran for somewhere between 45min and 1hr along Lake Michigan

Monday: zonked, DNR

Wednesday, Thursday

W: Woke up at 4.30am to see C off to the airport. Exhausted by day's end, so just 3.5mi on the mill.

R (using Williams registrar notation): Feeling better, but weather was yicky. 25min on the treadmill to warmup, then 40min (Pottruck to 34th through Mantua, around Zoological St, across Girard St bridge, down Lemon Hill, back on river trail to Chestnut St).

Sweetbriar Loop

Ugh. Legs did not feel great today. Ran the Sweetbriar loop from 34th & Walnut. 37 minutes.

Easter in Baltimore

Whew! Least runningest span in a LONG time. DNR Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Finally got out for a 6-7 miler in Baltimore (Maybe house, around reservoir, down to Inner Harbor, back up Light/St Paul). Was chomping at the bit and ran the Loop to/from Pottruck on Monday back in Philly.

Pottruck

Late night for the Harmony guys, so I didn't get to Pottruck until around 10.30. Ran 5mi in 35:2x, then did a 3min jog to cool down.

W Fairmount Park

I love this loop. Did the shorter version, cutting in at Sweetbriar to get back to Hutch. Played VB with HammeRED, and sucked, then ran the last ~.75mi home. Probably up around 6mi total?

W Fairmount Park

Absolutely beautiful today. Ran a 7.3mi loop along W River Dr, then up through W Fairmount Park. Back through Mantua/Powelton Village.

Weekend

Saturday: Pigs played in Wharton tournament. We didn't do so well (knocked out in pool play). Had a tough pool--Harvard and Wharton A--and the games were close, but we should have done better than that. Argh.

Sunday: Ran 4mi around Art Museum. This will be a low-mileage week, I think, with paper writing...

Big catchup

Wow. I have fallen off the blogging.

Wednesday: ran 4mi--around the Art Museum--with strides on the return.

Thursday: hit some vbs, for about 20min before being kicked off by the Festival Latino. Sigh.

Friday: Did a late tuneup workout at Pottruck. Feeling sluggish and lazy and wanting to do something depleting, but knowing that would be stupid with tomorrow's tourney. So, just 1.5mi warmup run, then some jumprope and blockjumps. Hope I am nice and fresh and antsy tomorrow.

More catching up

Monday: did a run on W River Dr and back by the zoo and down 34th St. I think it was about 6mi. Biked 15min to stretch out the legs.

Tuesday: played vb @ Hutch, ran around the Art Museum, some strides at the end.

Loop

Catching up...

Friday: Ran 2.5mi on the 'mill, lifted full upper body circuit.

Saturday: Ran a fast 6.5mi loop on the river.

Sunday: Ran THE Loop at dusk.

Conshy

And on the rest day... he cycled. 28mi: through W Fairmont Park then out Bryn Mawr Ave to (hilly-ish!) Conshy St Rd to W Conshy. Crossed the river and came back via the path through Rox/Manayunk, then down Kelly Dr to Locust St. Nice break from the pounding of running.

NewLoop®

Ran a new version of the East Falls Loop: up 34th St, past the zoo, the gates with PA civil war generals, behind Memorial Hall and down to the river, then a regular W River Dr -> Kelly Dr loop, returning to Pottruck on Chestnut. 11mi, around 1h20m.

Columbia Bridge, Spin

Ran Pottruck <-> Columbia Bridge on the W River Dr side. There was a swirling wind the whole way, especially coming through the bridges. Ran a 6:20 measured mile from the 6.75 -> 7.75 markers on the way home, but otherwise the pace was easy--total time was around a few ticks under an hour.

Cooled down with a 10min spin on the stationary bike at Pottruck.

Hutch + Pottruck

Played ~90min of vb with Wharton and a few Pigs. It's so sluggish. Not too excited about vb currently.

Went to Pottruck after work for a 4mi run on the 'mill. Nothing special (29 min?)

Sunday

Ran a slushy East Falls Loop, or rather out-and-back (the W River Dr path was not powed). Except for scattered bits of muck on the ground, it was actually a nice day for it: sunny, blue skies and mid-40s; I didn't even wear a hat. The way back in was wind-aided, and therefore much faster than the out.

Saturday

Pottruck: 5mi on the treadmill in 34:4x, although I suspect that the thing was miscalibrated (or maybe I was just bouncy--got two new pairs of Asics 2110s on deep discount last week and they feel great). Then did 10min on the stepper, reluctantly. I hate that thing, but I must do something to get some vertical back for this volleyball shindig at the end of the month.

Friday

It was admitted student visit day, so I was swamped with meetings / presentations all day. Snuck out for a 3mi run at 3pm and another at 5pm. The first was nothing special, just miles; the second was a little quicker: mile splits of 7:06, 6:41, 6:19 for 20:06. Oh to be fast.

Thursday

3mi treadmile run in 20:4x, 15min stationary bike intervals; volleyball with Pigs/BEasts/HammeRED @ Hutch.

Pottruck

4mi on the treadmill, around 29min. That is all.

Die ZauberfLöop

Ran ye olde East Falls loop, with Mozart in my ears. My highlights CD gets me from home to the Art Museum, leaving an Overture, and Der Vogelfänger to bring it home down 22nd.

Beautiful day for running, I kind of feel like heading out for a short spin on the bike.

Catch Up

Yesterday afternoon got to do a 12mi spin with CDeux through Fairmont Park. Caught the tail end of the Philly Phlyer bike race around Memorial Hall and saw the last of the wintry trees.

Today: another run up to the Girard St bridge, this time from Levine over to the Kelly Dr side. Then back to Hutch and VB with Chris, Matt, Jen. Trying to get back in shape for Pigs reunion / Wharton tourney at the end of the month.

Girard Ave

Oy. Legs feel like lead today. Started out planning to Loop it again, then revised to Strawberry Mansion, then decided to turn around at the first post-museum bridge. Not disappointed though, and this is the beauty of running for fun vs. training, had a nice run, beautiful weather, got to catch a bit of the St. Patrick's Day parade on the Ben Franklin coming home.

KimmelLoop ®

Ran the E Falls loop, then back down the B Franklin Pkwy to City Hall and down to the Kimmel Center to swap vouchers for orchestra tix. Miles. Hooray.

Burbs

Friday afternoon was beautiful, so went for a 30mi spin out to the main line burbs. Nice hills, but it would have been nice to make it back before dark.

Pottruck

30min run=4.2mi, 30min bike=16.5 virtual miles.

Pottruck 10K

Did 10K on the treadmill in 43:24, which, coincidentally, is exactly 7min pace. Damn you recalibrated treadmills! I thought I was getting faster.

Spring Break!

And 27 freaking degrees in Philly. Woo.

Stubbed my toe pretty bad wandering around downstairs to fetch water for CDeux in the early morning, and wasn't sure I'd be able to run. It was all swollen when I pulled my running shoes on, but managed 25min on the mill. Then lifted legs (squats, hamstrings, curls, calfs). Tried to do lunges, but the curling of my toe was too painful. Then did 20min on the bike to spin down. Maybe I'll run long tomorrow.

Back to the gym...

Biking and cycling go hand in hand: my legs were not happy after yesterday's ride, but felt fine as soon as I hopped on the treadmill. Did 5mi in 35:0x, then did a full upper body lifting circuit.

Norristown

Went for an afternoon bike ride on the river path. Turned around at Norristown when the stiff headwind and snow blowing in my eyes made it ridiculous to continue. The ride home, aided by a tailwind, was significantly faster. Don't know the exact time, but a couple of hours and change, 38mi total.

Loop

Yesterday: rested, ate.

Today: Ran the East Falls Loop, starting from FitzH2O and finishing near City Hall. Rough estimate is 10-11mi, no idea of time.

Pottruck

It would have been a great day to run outside--today is one of those days that makes you realize that spring is just around the corner---but my research meeting lasted almost three hours. So, instead, I found myself at Pottruck. I don't know what came over me, but I was ravenously hungry around lunchtime, then had an afternoon snack, and cookies at DBGroup; which is to say that I was well-fueled. Nine miles on the hampster wheel in 63:xx (they've recalibrated the treadmills so they are back to a normal incline, and a bit harder, so these numbers feel more realistic.) Which means that my BSR goal should be within reach; just have to remember to eat enough cookies.