Week in Review

90 miles
4 doubles
16-mile long run
6x10 mins. core
3 runs in NYC
4 AFDs

I'll admit, this week might have been a tad aggressive. Ninety isn't anything new, but this is the first week since pre-Philly that I've attempted (and arguably succeeded) executing two big-girl workouts and a decent long run. But with great company and perfectly acceptable weather the entire weekend, it was hard not to get carried away. The week culminated in a huge, CRC-esque long run in Central Park with an eclectic cast of characters including Jerry's Kids, Jay, some of his UA teammates, the lovely ladies' NYAC contingent of Sarah, Katie and Heidi, plus my long lost buddy and former couch-surfing roommate Dave Nightingale. In a distinctly cowardly fashion, the boys let the ladies lead the first 40 minutes of the run only to instantly drop us with one quick charge up the Harlem Hills. Fine by us. The final hour would've been torturous for my exhausted legs had it not been for the beautiful weather and great conversation, but Sarah and Heidi held me accountable and refused to let me bail too early. Tough love.

As pleased as I am with this week, I'm dreading next week's inevitably lackluster training in equal measure. Tuesday morning I'm taking an early flight to Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer, and between the work schedule and the weather my running will likely be nonexistent. I suppose I'm due a down week, but this one promises to take that premise to the extreme. Even if/when my running suffers, I'm still going to try to stick with a new goal--some might call it a resolution--of devoting 10 minutes a day, six days a week to stretching/core/rehab/prehab. Mario Fraioli, an industry acquaintance of mine and editor for Competitor Magazine, tweeted this a few weeks ago as a goal of his for 2013. Ten minutes a day sounds like nothing, but added up over the course of the year it totals 52 hours! With my mileage intentionally lower than during this fall's marathon training, I see no reason why I can't carve out a measly 10 minutes per day for the "little things." I have no idea if this will make me faster, but if it contributes to keeping me healthy and consistent then I'm sold. So far--and granted, we're two weeks in--it's been a piece of cake, but next week will be my first true test.