Fartlek Around the Neck

2.5 mile w/uTarget: Whatever Jordan makes upActual: Above, with intervals ranging from 200m to 600m; active rest ranging from 61 secs. to 91 secs.Fastest pace: 2:58/k (4:52/mile)Slowest pace: 3:35/k (5:46/mile)Average pace: 3:17/k (5:15/mile)2 mile c/dTotal: 8.5-9 milesThis morning Jordan and I embarked on a fartlek in the truest sense of the word, especially from my perspective. By his own devious plan, I had no idea how far or how fast each interval was supposed to be, nor did I know how long each of my rest segments would be; instead, I was...

Read More

Week in Review

87 miles1 double17 mile long run4 days in NYC5 AFDsThis week's mileage was right back where I want it to be thanks to a solid long run on Sunday. Although I was exhausted from working the 13.1 event, racing and then driving home on Saturday night, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join Terry, Carly, Betsy and Elle in tracing the first half of the Boston Marathon course. We carpooled up to Hopkinton together in spite of the cold and dreary weather,...

Read More

13.1 NYC Race Recap

~3 minute w/uTarget: Win and run sub-1:17Actual: First place, 1:17:19, $1000ResultsTotal: 14 milesThe Karhu Bear at the start of the 5k. Will he get a new bear record??One of these days, I'm going to run a race like a normal person. I'll arrive to the destination city a day or two before, spend plenty of time relaxing off my feet, then enjoy a delicious pre-race dinner and a restful night of sleep. On race morning I'll arrive to the event site an...

Read More

Pack Mentality

4 mile w/uTarget: 3x1k @3:30 w/3:00 jog; 3x800@2:44 w/2:00 jog; 3x600@2:00 w/1:30 jog; 3x400 @78 w/1:00 secs jogActual: 3:28, 3:30, 3:31; 2:42, 2:44, 2:43; 1:58, 1:59, 1:58; 78, 77, 742+ mile c/dTotal: 12-12.5 milesUnlike last week, the objective of this workout wasn't necessarily to see how far I could push myself or how fast I could go, but rather to practice running comfortably hard with an increasingly short amount of rest. With my trusty coach and newly healthy pacesetter at my side, Jordan and I set off for the soft surface of the Marblehead...

Read More

Week in Review

75 miles2 doubles6 days in Georgia5 AFDsDespite yesterday's epic fail, I'm actually quite pleased with this week's training. Had you asked me last Sunday, I would've predicted this week's total to end up in the 50-55 range given travel and my crazy work/expo schedule. Instead, I was able to complete a respectable 75 and even snuck in 5ish on Saturday morning before an epic 14+ hour workday. The week wasn't perfect, but it was the best I could've hoped for under the circumstances. I choose to believe that Wednesday's workout is indicative of my...

Read More

Publix Georgia Half-Marathon

~8 min. w/uTarget: Finish top 3Actual: 1:19:59; 4th placeResultsTotal: 14 milesPGM Finish LineI didn't decide to run this race until about 12 hours before go time. Until that point, I'd assumed that I'd be too exhausted from working the expo and too busy on race day to even fit in a short run, much less actually toe the official starting line. But by Saturday afternoon, my spirits buoyed by the encouragement of my coworkers and a pleasantly disaster-free...

Read More

Piedmont Park Workout

2.5 mile w/uTarget: 2xmile @5:30-35 w/3 min. jog; 3x1200 @4:08-09 w/3 min; 2x800 @2:40 w/2:00; 2x600 @2:00 w/2:00Actual: 5:29 (3 min jog), 5:26 (3:00); 4:00 (3:00), 3:59 (3:00), 4:01 (3:00); 2:40 (3:00), 2:35 (2:30); 600 @1:58 (1:30); 400 @731.5 mile c/dTotal: 11+ milesI don't really have time to write about this right now, but I'll have even less time until Monday so I want to at least jot the details down. A few quick points:Did this on a ~one mile road loop in Piedmont Park. I'd planned to use the crushed gravel Active Oval but upon arrival...

Read More

Week in Review

95 miles3 doubles22+ mile long run7 nights in my own bed4 AFDsAnd BOOM goes the dynamite! This week I achieved my highest mileage since well before the Trials marathon with relatively few doubles. Admittedly, notching 37 of those miles over a two-day period may or may not be the most advisable course of action, but as of Sunday night I'm feeling only vaguely hungry and surprisingly no worse for the wear. In fact, my body feels strong in a way reminiscent of the final month leading up to the Trials, when I could do a hard long run on Saturday and...

Read More

Weekend Warrior

On Friday night, I went to bed at an embarrassingly early hour, excited to get a good night's rest and then head into the city for a reasonably long, reasonably hard run with Emily. I woke up at 6:30 on Saturday morning to this:Beautiful, yes. Motivating, not so much.In an instant all my aspirations vanished, and I could think of nothing more enticing than the prospect of brewing a hot cup of coffee, retreating back under my warm covers and spending...

Read More

Underwhelming

2.5 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 3x8 mins. @5:40 pace w/3 min. jog; 6x1 min. @5-5:15 pace w/1 min. jogActual: Something resembling the above2 mile c/dTotal: 11+ milesNothing exciting to report here. My legs should've been fresh and strong despite the solo early morning start time, but they weren't. Instead of feeling like I was running fast, I merely felt like I was running hard--and unfortunately, in this situation, those two words aren't necessarily interchangeable. Given that I wasn't running with a Garmin, for all I know I could've been crushing...

Read More

Week in Review

75 miles1 double1 DNF3 flights5 AFDsWelp, this week was largely unimpressive. I planned to hit at least 80 miles, but three evening flights and three workdays ending past 7pm proved prohibitive. (Dropping out of a half marathon less than halfway through didn't exactly help either.) I had a great workout on Wednesday before leaving Boston, but given that it was designed as a "pre-race" effort it likely wasn't long enough to engender any appreciable fitness gains. Nor was the five mile "tempo" that today's race devolved into. Sigh.On a positive note,...

Read More

13.1 Miami FAIL

~5 min. w/uTarget: 13.1 miles @~1:16-1:17Actual: 5 miles @30:20, 1/2 mile walk/jog, 5 mile jog back to startTotal: 11+ miles81 degrees, 15 mph winds, 92% humidity.Am I describing a tropical rainforest? Perhaps a location somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana circa mid-August? Nope, these were the actual real-life weather conditions that greeted me when I woke up at 4:22 for this morning's 13.1 Miami race. I stared at the iPhone screen, shook my head...

Read More