Week in Review

95 miles
3 doubles
3 runs with Caitlin
19+ miles in PVD
5 AFDs

Both in terms of quality and quantity, this is one of the best training weeks I've had this year if not ever. I nailed two workouts, ran longer than usual on Sunday and added 95 total miles to the books. Even better, I got to do it with some great friends. It was awesome having Caitlin in town this weekend, just as much for the relaxed hang-out time as the running (although that was pretty grand as well). On Saturday afternoon the three of us loaded up and drove down to Providence for a party celebrating Kim and Tarpy's recent engagement (which also doubled as Kim's "holy crap I can't believe I'm actually 30" birthday party). We saw many familiar faces, including Molly, who delayed what was supposed to be her Saturday morning flight to partake in the revelry and merriment; Roisin, who debuted eight-week-old Hope in full party regalia; former Brown teammate Matt and his wife Danielle; and of course Jordan's all-time biggest man crush Keith Kelly.


Lovers

Though the party lasted until the wee hours, I'm somewhat embarrassed to note that Caitlin and I snuck upstairs and passed out well before 11pm. I'm blaming the mileage and my overall lameness. Lucky for us, the party continued the next morning when everyone who stayed the night suited up for a morning run. Since Kim is only now resuming training post-NYC and everyone else is just lazy, our joyful group run lasted a mere 43 minutes. From there on out it was just Caitlin, Jordan and I trying to find another 14 miles around the mean streets of Providence. It was unseasonably warm and far windier than I would've liked, and there were several points during the second half of the run when my body felt more tired than it had in weeks. Fortunately I had Caitlin and Jordan to help me soldier through, and slowly but surely the miles clicked away. Some long runs are enjoyable and some are just about putting one foot in front of the other, and this was certainly the latter. Regardless, we all had a blast celebrating with Kim and Tarpy and other friends, and I'm so thankful we were able to make the trip down.

Looking ahead to next week, it would probably be wise for me to dial things back a notch. The body is feeling strong and healthy but there are still eight full weeks to go before the Trials. Fortunately/unfortunately, since we're driving to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving--that's 15 hours each way for the folks keeping track at home--I suspect my mileage will naturally take a bit of a hit. And since I'm planning to race the Cincinnati Turkey Trot 10k on Thursday, a hard workout Tuesday is highly unlikely. This week will be about surviving the travel and stuffing our faces and spending time with family--and if we get in some quality miles along the way, then all the better. Happy Thanksgiving!