Stabbing victim...

I ran my usual Zoo / Hampden / JHU / Chaz St loop, which is something around 9 miles if I'm remembering correctly. It was hot, and I wrung what felt like cups of water out of my shirt coming up Keswick. Yick.

I also cut myself pretty badly on my hand. Coming back into Bolton Hill off North Ave, I stepped on a piece of broken glass. It was wedged pretty deep in the sole of my shoe, so I grabbed at my shoe to flick it away and somehow pushed the glass right into the palm of my hand. I immediately started bleeding all over the place... I left a trail of blood the last two blocks back to the house. Dr. Ahmad (pictured, from when I stabbed myself with a gift Leatherman at Christmas two years ago) cleaned me up and helped me pull the ~1in shard from my shoe with some pliers.

Planning to run a half marathon at Gunpowder Falls this afternoon if heat allows.

Thursday

I wasn't up for hills after all, so I started with 3mi on the treadmill (2mi slow warmup--legs a little tight after lifting--then last mile in around 6:45), then a Spring Garden Loop (=3.75mi). I finished the workout feeling better than when I started.

The next 1000 miles...

Last winter, I mentioned to a friend that I was going to start training for BSR, and she said something to the effect of: "start training? but you run every day." I had to explain the difference between running 'cause I like it and training.

The time off (essentially since May) has been great, but I'm chomping at the bit to get going. Happily, the next cycle begins on Monday. I'm going to try a new training plan for this race. Here's the weekly mileage it calls for: 52, 55, 57, 57, 60, 60, 55, 62, 65, 65, 68, 70, 70, 70, 70, 60, 45, 15 (+ 26.2). Just over 1050 miles to the starting line.

I'm so ready. My body feels sturdy (the result of two races last fall + better dedication to lifting this winter?)... hoping it will be up to the task.

Pottruck 5

Forgot to mention yesterday that my run up Sweetbriar was interrupted by the ... Tour of PA! I was happy to stop my run for a minute as le peloton wooshed by.

Ran 5mi at Pottruck in 36 minutes and a few seconds (can't remember.) Did this one as a slow-start progression run (AKA an iFartlek). I started at 7:30 pace and went up .1mph every 7 minutes through 21. Then for the last two miles I hit the up button every time I changed the song on my iPod, finishing around 6:20 pace. It's amazing how 5mi on the mill feels like a good workout but a run up the drives to Girard would not.

Finished with leg lifting circuits minus calf raises.

Tomorrow... Fairmount Park hills? Weekend... Gunpowder Falls!!

Tuesday

A hard Strawberry Mansion run. I think this is a bit under 10. Kicked it from US Grant to Lloyd hall and felt great. Then, suddenly did not feel great, so jogged the last few back to Pottruck.

Monday

5k run at Pottruck, lifted upper body.

T-Minus 19 weeks

Friday: 3mi run, upper body @ Pottruck.

Saturday: The Loop, in maximum heat. Around 1h20m.

Sunday: Rode out to Conshy and back with Alan. Was going to run Strawberry Mansion, but I was too pooped. Ended up just doing a truncated (by a trip to TJ's) AM loop.

One more week until Real Training begins!

AM, Montgomery Loops

Yesterday: AM Loop (about 30 minutes.)

Today: Montgomery Loop (1 hr on the nose.)

Sweetbriar

This week is busy with Alan visiting. Ran a little more than 6 in around 45 minutes.

Pottruck

4mi on the treadmill up the ladder from 7:30 down to 6:30 pace., .35mi cooldown.

T-minus 20 weeks: Acclima-SHUN!

Apologies for the silence. There was no wireless at SIGMOD/PODS, so I found it difficult to blog. I did run though: 3x that 7mi (?) loop of Stanley Park, one shorter (25min) run in the park, and a 6am trail run with Karl from UCSC up Grouse Mountain. The last one kicked my butt: Karl is a regular trail runner and aspiring ultramarathoner and I'm used to running in flat-as-a-pancake Philly. It was a really fun run--we made it up over the snowline and into a cool Pacific NW rainforesty type bit near the top. The view of Vancouver from the peak, normally spectacular, was a whiteout with all the fog, but it was still great to reach the peak.

It's been a rude awakening returning to Philly (high 80s, muggy) after Vancouver's perfect running weather (mid 60s.) Made it out for a Strawberry Mansion loop (1h17m) and a Montgomery Loop (1h5m) this weekend. I am still acclimating to the heat, so took both runs at an easy pace and enjoyed my last weekend before real training begins. T-Minus 20 weeks to NYC!

Stanley Park II

Monday's run was another Stanley Park Loop. Call it between 6.5 and 7mi.

Stanley Park

My day: red-eye to Seattle, Amtrak to Vancouver, check in to wonderful Westin Bayshore, run the Stanley Park Loop. The weather (cool, 50s) made me grateful to be here in the Pacific Northwest vs. Philly's heat wave; the length of this city's standard loop (10k) vs. Philly's did not. Still, it is a start and I felt strong today. It really feels great to have a marathon to train for!!

Back!

Not back to Philly, but back online... Alaska was amazing. Not much to report on the running side of things (for the sake of logging: 45min on Sunday, 1hr on Wednesday, 25min on Friday, and a warmup + 5k race today) but kayaked the first half, and hiked the second.

Two exciting pieces of news:

• My lottery number came up for NYC! My training is now organized around November 2.
• I ran a little 5k this morning here in Anchorage and placed third overall and won my age bracket! More on that later--it involves kicking in the last mile to beat a military-looking guy, then letting up in the last quarter to let a local middle-schooler ("Gil") have second. By my watch my time was just under 20min, but I'll wait for the official results.

Running for a plane...

But snuck 5.25 in. Those may be the last miles for this low-mileage in.

Treadmill Speedwork

2mi warmup, 4x800m with .2mi jog between, 1mi cooldown. Total was just under 6mi.

Pottruck

Did an evening workout at Pottruck. 3.5mi on the 'mill (up the ladder from 8mph to 9.5mph). Then full leg lifting circuit.

Catching up

• Monday: Drank beer, ate BBQ'd veggie burgers, did not run (first off day in 20!)
• Tuesday: Sweetbriar Loop from Pottruck. 5mi, untimed.
• Wednesday AM: South Philly Loop with Jeff. 5.88mi.

Most of a SuperLoop®, Bonky weirdness.

Ran the SuperLoop (extension out to Ridge) which, if I'd finished, would have been around 13. But on the return leg on Kelly Dr, I felt my gut starting to cramp up. I *just* made it to the toilets at Lloyd Hall in time, and even after clearing out the old system, twice, when I started running the last bit, I started cramping up again.

I'm not going to read much into this (i.e., really strange to have been hit so hard by a truncated 12 miler). Obviously, for whatever reason, I found my limit today. I think I may have been starting to bonk? I didn't eat a whole lot today and I felt progressively weirder until getting something in me. I'll just take it as a sign that I got a good, hard workout in. Meh.

Montgomery Loop

Did my usual Tuesday loop in reverse. This takes one up to the Belmont Plateau and is about as hilly as one can get in a run of this distance from my house (i.e., without going up to East Falls or Manayunk.) Total was 8.65mi in a few ticks over 1hr.