Sub-6 before 6

3 mile w/uTarget: 5x3 mins. w/2 mins. rest; 5x2 mins. w/1 min. rest; 5x1 min. w/30 secs. restActual: Above~2 mile c/dTotal: 11.5-12 milesIn my opinion, there is no reason to ever get up at 5am. The one exception might be if you have to catch an early morning flight (which I will be doing next week) or perhaps want to snag some killer deals at a Saturday morning garage sale. Today, however, waking up before the rooster was an absolute necessity due to the rigors of the sales meeting. The fact that Jordan and I were at the office preparing for said...

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Week in Review

86 miles3 doubles21 mile long run2 nights in State College, PA30 hours in the car6 states (MA, NY, PA, WVA, OH, KY)Praise the Lord, we survived! The drive to and from Ohio was no picnic but well worth the time spent with family and friends. Many would say that the highlight of Thanksgiving is the delicious meal, and while ours was certainly tasty, the running nerd in me must admit that nothing beats starting the holiday off with a spirited race and an enthusiastic cheering squad. (Well, winning would've been better. But I tried.)Another unexpected...

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102nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Race Recap

2-2.5 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 10k race @35:30-35:50Actual: 35:39; 2nd place overall femaleResults1/2 mile c/dTotal: 9 milesEver since deciding to come to Ohio for Thanksgiving, I knew Jordan and I had to run the Cincinnati turkey trot. Two years ago we'd planned to race the 100th anniversary event, even going so far as to pre-register and pick up our packets a few days in advance, but then Jordan very selfishly came down with the swine flu the...

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Week in Review

95 miles3 doubles3 runs with Caitlin19+ miles in PVD5 AFDsBoth 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...

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Marblehead Neck Tempo With the Three Musketeers

3+ mile w/uTarget: 8 mile tempo @6:10 paceActual: 13.47k (8.4 miles) in 51:11 (3:48/k ~6:05/mile)3k cooldownTotal: 22k/13.8 milesCaitlin's in town! Caitlin's in town!Okay, giddiness aside, it was awesome to have my training partner back matching me stride for stride on today's workout. I have no doubt that I pushed harder and ran faster than I would have solo or even solely with Jordan, simply because of the positive energy and affectionately competitive spirit that our presence brings out in each other.In a stunning turn of events, Jordan is caught...

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Longest Track Workout Ever

3 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 3200, 2000, 1600, 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200 all w/400m jogActual: 11:50 (5:55/5:55), 7:14 (5:46 through mile), 5:44, 4:14 (2:49 through 800), 3:30 (2:48 through 800), 2:44, 2:01 (79 through 400), 76, 35Total time: 58:17 for 14.2k/8.8 miles (11k workout plus 3200m jogging)3k cooldownTotal: ~14 milesAny way you dice it, this workout was destined to take up a large chunk of time. Jordan and I were up well before 6am to prepare, and after firing off a few work emails we put on our costumes and headed out the door. Continuing...

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Week in Review

87 miles3 doubles2 runs with the BAA girls5 AFDsBelieve it or not, I actually spent the entire week at home--that's seven consecutive nights in my own bed, which is just craziness--and actually began forming some semblance of a routine. Jordan was gone from Tuesday until Saturday night, which made my solo Wednesday workout particularly challenging, but his absence also afforded me the opportunity to hook up with a new group of girls that I will hopefully continue to train with throughout my Trials progression.On Friday evening, facing a completely...

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Threes

2.5 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 10-12 x 800m @2:40 w/90 sec. restActual: 2:40, 2:42, 2:40, 2:41, 2:39, 2:40, 2:40, 2:40, 2:40, 2:392.5 mile c/dTotal: 10+ milesAfter Saturday's workout debacle in Central Park, I was feeling less than confident about hitting even faster splits for just a slightly shorter distance today. It also didn't help that Jordan is busy changing lives in upstate New York all week, which meant I would be rolling solo. The section of trail I'd selected along the Marblehead dirt path, which is flat as a pancake and almost as straight,...

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Week in Review

87 miles1 double3 days in NYC27 hours in the car8 states + 1 districtThe fact I was able to run almost 90 miles during what could arguably be considered one of the busiest weeks of my life is a small miracle. That I also managed to complete two workouts (notice I said "complete," not "successfully complete," thanks to my underwhelming effort in Central Park) and a long run, all with only one double, gives me the confidence that my upcoming marathon training cycle can be executed no matter the location or life circumstances. Each week, each workout...

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NYC Marathon Weekend

Friday, 11/4: Rockefeller Preserve w/Madeleine78 mins. + strides10 milesSaturday, 11/5: Central Park w/Jordan4.5 mile w/uTarget: 8x1k @3:30 w/2 min. jogActual: 8x1k @slow w/2 min. jog4 mile c/dTotal: 14 milesSunday, 11/6: West Side bike path, Prospect Park, Brooklyn w/Jay, Heidi and Jordan1 hour 48 mins. + 7 mins. ; 16 milesWow, what an amazing weekend of all things running-related. If you aren't a fan of the sport you could probably think of better ways to spend a few days in the Big Apple, but as far as Jordan and I are concerned it was an absolute...

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Ipswich Bike Path Tempo

3 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 8 mile tempo @6:05-6:10 paceActual: 13k (8.08 miles) @50:00 (6:10 pace)2 mile c/dTotal: 13 milesAfter two consecutive days totaling 20+ hours in the car, a 10pm arrival to our new home in Marblehead and an alarmingly early 5:30 wakeup call on Wednesday, I was not super pumped about attempting this workout. My legs were still quite sore from packing and moving, not to mention tight from being crammed in the car, and I was running on little sleep. Fortunately/unfortunately, when your boyfriend also doubles as your roommate...

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