Week in Review

75 miles
4 doubles
1 day off
2 treadmill runs
3 days stuck in my house

Well, if I haven't earned my stripes as a New Englander after this weekend, I doubt I ever will. As you've surely seen and heard on every news and social media outlet in the world, a blizzard (let's call it "Nemo") hit New England on Friday, and hit us with a vengeance. It is no exaggeration to say that between noon Friday and tonight, I set foot outdoors exactly three times. One of those times was to snap a few of the photos posted below, and the other two times were to go for a run...on the YMCA treadmill. Yes, fortunately we live literally 50 feet away from the Salem Y; unfortunately, even that wasn't enough to grant us access on Saturday when it, like literally every other business in our community, was closed.

So, understandably, this week was a bit of a bust. After billing it as Boot Camp Week #2, I really only got in one quality session and nothing even resembling a long run. Friday morning we set out for the Neck with the hopes of sneaking in a lengthy tempo before the storm deteriorated every inch of road between here and Marblehead, but even before the first snowflakes fell the wind was already gusting hard enough to render our efforts futile. We jogged it in for a solid 20k instead, a respectable morning run but not likely to contribute to my fitness levels.

As I type this, the fate of next week's runs and planned pre-race workout remain a giant question mark. The roads are being plowed like clockwork, which is great, but unfortunately there's nowhere for the surplus to spill over except the shoulders and sidewalks. A business contact of mine at the Y was gracious enough to hook Jordan and I up with a one-week free pass, but I don't know how many days in a row of indoor doubles I can stomach. None of this is exactly confidence-inspiring leading up to Mercedes this weekend, but I'll try to remain positive in hopes of reaping the benefits of a forced taper. The timing could be worse, I suppose.

The view of the "sidewalk" across from our building

 

Our parking lot on Saturday afternoon...

 

...and on Sunday morning (taken through our window screen, sorry.) If you weren't sure what 8-ft tall snow banks looked like, now you know.

We're number five! We're number five!