Super 5K

Jan 31st, 2011 - No, this isn't Groundhog Day (well, not yet at least). One last shout out for this great race taking place this weekend.

I don't have too many other races on my calendar this year besides Boston. One of those other races just happens to be the Super 5K in Lowell, directed by the 365 Days Race winner, Jim Rhoades.

This is a great race held on the greatest American Holiday, Super Bowl Sunday. I've run this race every year since I started to seriously run and race early last year.

Although our underachivieing New England Belichicks won't be in the big game this year, you can still come out and burn off some of that lingering frustration with a 5K run on Feb 6th at 12PM.

Don't drop the ball like Deion Branch and go sign up early and often!

Going Back To Your Roots

Jan 30th, 2011 - It was almost exactly a year ago today that I participated in my first GLRR group run from Gold's Gym in Drum Hill. I can't recall the last time I ran from this location, but it might have been almost exactly a year ago today.

I went back to my roots this morning and ran with some of the same people that I ran with back then.

Today's group included Glenn, Frank, Fil, James, Mike B., Jill, Paul K., and Andy C. We were all running different distances and paces, but pretty much over the same course: Drum Hill to Chelmsford to Tyngsboro to Lowell and back to Drum Hill via Technology Drive, 3A, Dunstable Rd., Westford St. back out to 3A, Tyngsboro Bridge, Sherburne/Varnum Ave, School St/University Ave/Aiken St., Pawtucket St, Wood St, Westford St, and finally, the finish at Courthouse Lane.

My plan was to get in at least 18 to get myself up to 70 for the week and 250 for the month, both of which would be personal highs. Goal pace for today was 7:15 when I started, but that always changes depending on how I felt during the run.

Weather was mild with temps in the low 20's at the start, so I opted for the shorts and calf sleeves. I went with one layer up on top per Jim Rhoades' advice since two layers trap in moisture. It was the perfect advice as it was just enough for the temps and I stayed dried and cool throughout the run. Thanks, Jim!

I took off with the group a little after 8AM and opened it up a bit at the end of Technology Drive and when we got onto the long stretch into Tyngsboro. Much less traffic out here and the shoulder wasn't too bad considering the amount of snow that we've been getting.

These were my old stomping grounds when my parents use to live near Dunstable/Westford for over 10 years, so it was like running down memory lane. I later discovered that Jill lives less than a mile from where my parents use to live, basically in the same development. It's amazing that I never ran into her during one of our workouts in the old neighborhood!

I was so nostalgic that I took a detour up the steady hill on Chandler, around mile 4, and then up another steeper hill on Joco Dr before running past my parents' former abode. This detour tacked on about a mile and put me roughly 5-8 minutes behind everyone else at this point.

I figured that an 18 mile run would be kind of boring without a challenge, so now my goal was to try to catch as many of them as I could before the end of the run. This gave me a chance to lay down some marathon pace miles (6:30's) over the next 5-8 miles in order to catch up. I figured that I'd be able to catch some of them by mile 10 and the rest by mile 13 if they were continuing at their original 7-8 minute paces.

I caught glimpse of Glenn in his orange jacket after the first hill on Sherburne at mile 9. I passed him, Paul, and Mike a little after that and I continued on for another two miles before catching James, Fil, and Jill running 7:30's at mile 12. Frank was about a quarter mile down the road and I ran with him for about a minute before passing him at mile 13. Frank quickly mentioned that he hadn't seen Andy for quite some time, so I knew that it was highly unlikely that I'd be able to catch Andy who was "only" doing 16 today.

I continued down the boulevard and headed up towards the UML north campus before crossing the University Ave bridge for the turn home. This part of the route always puts me to sleep due in part to the fact that I basically lived on this stretch throughout most of last year and in a previous running life. Very boring.

Things got more exciting by Market Basket on Wood St where there was more street traffic and hardly any running room on the shoulder. I just ran as hard and as fast as I could just to get through this short stretch in one piece.

I got back to the Gold Gym's driveway entrance at exactly mile 17, so I had to tack on an additional mile along the first part of the Carson 2 Mile course to hit 18. I purposely red-lined myself over the final mile to see what I had left in the tank and managed a 6:11 to put me right at 6:50 for an overall pace.

This ended up being my fastest 18 mile training run ever.

This was my first lone long run in a long time, so it was a nice mental test to see if I was ready on that front. I felt fine throughout the run, but more importantly, I stayed focused and was very comfortable with the pacing. The miles once again just came and went with ease, which is a sign of a great run.

Looking forward to coming back here again next year for the 3rd Annual Gold's Gym Group Run.

Since tomorrow is a rest day (gotta do some drinking and eating at the GLRR club meeting tomorrow night), I'm closing the book on Jan '11 with 250 miles (7:30 pace).

This is the most mileage I've put in for one month since August (237) of last year when I was getting ready for RTB Ultra/Hartford/Baystate/JFK. 

Jason's Revenge

Jan 29th, 2011 - The plan for today was to squish the southern style stomach sickness with a dosage of Fudge 5K fun.

I actually woke up on time today, but still managed to cut it real close getting to the starting line with my two mile warm up run from the apt. The temps were a balmy 25 degrees at the start, so an almost record crowd (87) turned out for this week's Fudge 5K festivities.

I got to the school minutes before the start, which was once again a little after 8AM. So far, the Fudge has been 4 for 4 with the late starts. Must be the new management. No complaints here since I've also been perfect with my tardiness. Thanks for coming out and volunteering gang (Pat, John, Mike, Scott, Zach, Glenn, Nancy, Jim, and everyone else I forgot)!

Dan Verrington made his first appearance of the series and we talked a little before the G-O command was given. He asked me what I was shooting for today, and I said today felt like an 18:30 run. He said that he hasn't done any speed work recently, so he'd try to hang with me. HA! Good one, Dan.

I believe either Dan or one of the other CMS boys holds the Fudge 5K course record. Correct me if I am wrong, Glenn. UPDATE: Dave Dunham holds the course record and we believe it's 14:58.

Dan and I ran together for the entire run with us exchanging leads about a dozen times throughout. One of which was when we ran pass the Tewksbury High Girls XC team (Dan), and the other time as we passed the heard of wild turkeys (me). I think the turkeys were quite impressed.

(fear the turkey)

We went through Mile 1 in 5:50, Mile 2 in 5:56, and Mile 3 in 5:55. I crossed the finish line, in front of Dan, faster than I had planned in 18:29. Sorry for the poor pacing, Dan.

We heard John R. pretty much over the entire final mile, so we thought he was going to make a move, but he held back and eventually arrived in the chute 10 seconds after us. Nice running once again, John!

Results for my final Fudge 5K of the season (more to come on this later).

My butt cheeks managed to hold Montezuma at bay throughout the run, but I definitely still felt the remnants of his anger right on my tail. I'll just say that I am glad my entire workout this morning was once again within a two mile radius of my toilet. Me thinks that Tex-Mex lunch from Monday is going to be with me for awhile. I've got a feeling that I'm either going to eventually end up on that Animal Planet show, Monsters Inside Me, or a remake of Alien.

Saturday has turned into one of my favorite workout days. I love incorporating the Fudge 5K for race pace, a few miles at tempo pace, and then the 3 x Catamount Hill workout for a total of 13 miles. A fantastic overall workout that keeps things interesting and the miles just fly by.

Looking forward to a long run with the Gold's Gym group tomorrow morning. Just like the good old days of last year.

Katy, sorry to hear about the passing of your cousin. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I know running is the last thing on your mind right now, but send me a message if you're up for a long run. It's been too long.

Remember the Alamo

Jan 26th, 2011 - 3+ days of southern hospitality was enough for me, so I was more than ready to make like Santa Anna and leave the Texans alone.

I got in a slow 5 mile recovery run to shake out the legs in preparation for the 7+ hour flight home to the frozen north. I did most of my final SA run around, appropriately enough, the Alamo. During the run I wished I had had more time to check it out (and to also confirm the basement question), but time did not allow for it...

Even though we knew that there was a major snow storm (again) making its way up the coast towards Boston, we all still hopped in a cab and went to the airport in the hopes that we could get out before the worse of it arrived.

...As luck would have it everything going into Boston was cancelled for the rest of the day, and the next flights out of SA wouldn't be until tomorrow morning. We all got back on our horses and made our way back to the hotel deep in the heart of Texas.

After lunch we decided to head over to the Alamo and explore it a bit more now that we had ample time on our hands and feet.

(Photo Courtesy of Richie Blake)

This historic attraction is an amazing monument to one of the greatest sacrifices in US history. This was the site of the final stand of the 200+ brave defenders of the Alamo vs Santa Anna's overwhelming army of 2400+ well armed soldiers.

These odds didn't really hit home until we saw the detailed depiction of the EPIC 13 day battle in a gorgeous diorama in the gift shop.

It's definitely something that I won't soon forget.

Local Flavor

Jan 25th, 2011 - As much as I enjoy running in shorts and t-shirts in 60 degree weather, while my New England brethren chisel out their running sneakers, I do have some complaints about running in San Antonio.

My Tex-Mex lunch from Monday is still lingering somewhere in my GI tract and its made for some really bad "runs". I had to remind myself to stay within a mile of my hotel on my latest run to make sure I could take care of business, in a civilized manner, just in case Montezuma decided to exact revenge.

(from beyond the grave)

I remember when we went to the Tex-Mex place and the waitress said that even the locals ate here. I think what she meant by locals were the pigeons perching in the tree above our table, and the homeless guy battling with the pigeons for table scraps.

The food overall has been decent, but it's Texas, so if ain't meat, then it ain't edible. I've eaten more meat in the three days that I have been here then I have eaten in the first 26 days of the new year. My stomach feels like a meat grinder, and my body is probably more tired from processing my carnivore diet than from the 40+ miles I've put in.

The running routes haven't been much to write home about either (blogs don't count). Every inch of San Antonio is covered in either poured concrete or slate, which makes for a hell of a lot of pain for the joints. I would actually rather run on frozen asphalt up in Mass than...um, maybe not.

I thought I might have found some running reprieve from the concrete jungle of downtown SA when I stumbled upon a sign that read, Mission Trail ----->. I optimistically followed the concrete walkway into the park only to find out that the concrete walkway continued on for about four flat miles along the San Antonio river. This was the trail, and it definitely wasn't what I had in mind i.e. trails!! Ah, it's always great to be separated by a common language!

For the second half of my double today I decided to look for the longest and straightest road that extended away from downtown SA. I found it in East Commerce St and it suited my goals perfectly. It was wide, had light automobile traffic, and was scenic (I could actually see all three major highways and overpasses at one point!). The only problem was that it ended abruptly, due to road construction, at mile three of my planned ten mile run.

I discovered that this tends to happen a lot in SA. Roads, trails, and walkways ended abruptly without any warning. No traffic cop. No detour signs. It's like somebody was playing SimCity and ran out of funds to continue building the road. WTF?

So I turned around and continued on down Marting Luther King Jr Ave before turning onto an interesting looking side-street that contained the first hill that I'd seen out here.

And then there were the dogs.

After today, if anyone asks me where pit bulls come from, I will say without hesitation, San Antonio.

Every single house and shack (Disclaimer: I SHIT YOU NOT) on this three mile long side-street had AT LEAST one pit bull in their fenced-in yards (thank god). This either means San Antonians really love dogs or this is a good indication of the crime rate here.

(hey good lookin')

Even behind their weak looking enclosures, I was completely terrified that one of the Cujos was capable of jumping the fence and using me as a teaching tool for their little pups.

And then somebody let the dogs out. Who?

I have no idea, but HOLY SHIT! You read about this on the news every few weeks, a jogger getting mauled by a pack of dogs.

I would slow to a walk when I came upon these collarless, leashless, and worse of all, ownerless packs of pit bulls patrolling their neighborhoods. I couldn't believe what I was seeing since I come from an area where you get yelled at for not having your Yorkie-poo on a leash, let alone three or four pit bulls hanging out at the street corner waiting for the school bus.

And then Montezuma came looking for payment.

I didn't know if it was the Tex-Mex or the fact that I was being stalked by ravenous hounds, but whichever it was, I just knew I had to get back to the hotel, and fast! NO! Dogs. Slow down. But I have to really go! Poop in shorts or sport for pups?

I'll spare you the gory details and just say that it was a very long, slow, and shitty run by the time I got back to the hotel 11 miles later.

Five Star Run

Jan 24th, 2011 - I wish I could say the same about the Omni Hotel, the hotel at which I'm staying at for the Chronotrack Conference. It's supposedly a 4 star (formerly a 5 star hotel), but it does everything possible to make you think it was a Motel 6. Apologies to Motel 6 because that would be an insult to all cheap motels near truck stops.

I've been here for two days and I still can't figure out the physcial layout of this hotel. Is it a U shape? A horseshoe? A human shoe? It was probably designed by a casino in the hopes of you never finding the exit. Just think of the most organized and most well-laid out hotel plan and throw it in the trash. That's the Omni.

I swear that the maids are changing the room numbers while I'm at my meetings because it takes me a good 15 minutes just to find my room again at the end of the day. I pray that this hotel never suffers a fire. The poor souls. 3 stars.

Well, there's nothing you can do about layout at this point, but at least have a gym or a room with some workout machines in it! Yeah, I know, the Riverwalk is in your backyard, but have you tried running on the Riverwalk during peak hours?! Think single track trail running with a very good chance of drowning. 2 stars.

So you advertise yourself as a conference center that caters to the needs of the business crowd? Um, no. One requirement for this is a very useful thing called the Internet. Google it. 1 star.

All of this makes for a very unpleasant experience to hang around the hotel during my down time, so this gave me plenty of motivation to put in 7 miles in the early morning and 7 miles in the early evening for my first double on the year. 5 STARS!

(cozy)

Dear Jason,

Jan 23rd, 2011 - My flight from Boston to San Antonio, which included two stop-overs in St. Louis and Dallas, landed in a relatively warm Texas (55 degrees) at 1PM. It was about 10 degrees (and dropping) when I left Boston at 7AM.

Interesting observation, the people boarding the plane got bigger and bigger at each stop-over as we headed further south. On the last leg of my flight I sat next to a body builder, and she/he was basically sitting in my seat and its neighbor's seat. This is when the saying that they raise 'em real big in Texas really hit home for me and my left arm.



After landing in San Antonio we (Bill, Richie, and I) got over to the Omni Hotel on the Riverwalk by 2PM where we met up with Dave.

I was dying to go for a run after sitting on the same plane for over six hours, and I wanted to check out the much touted Riverwalk area. I've always felt that there's no better way to check out a never before visited destination than to go for a long run.

Instead, we all went to an early dinner, since all we had on the entire flight were about six bags of peanuts courtesy of Southwest. It was 5:30PM by the time I finished my shepard's pie and two Stellas, so my original plan of finishing off the week with an 18 miler was already in bed and under the sheets back in the room. Sound asleep.

It doesn't get completely dark in the heart of Texas until about 6:30PM, so that (and the weather) was enough motivation for me to get in some mileage before turning in. The Riverwalk was also enticing to run on too, but it was too jam packed with tourists to put in a meaningful run.

I'd also like to add that there's no safety railing for the entire stretch of the narrow walkway. To think that there are over 50+ bars along this route and there's not a single railing separating you and one drunken step from falling into this man-made (think Disney's lazy river) stretch of the San Antonio River. Gotta love the Historical Society of San Antonio!

So I ended up running "above ground" on the wide avenues of Spursville. I kept it simple and just went out three miles, along Broadway, and back the same way. Of course I wouldn't post an entry tonight if something crazy didn't happen.

Around the three mile mark, shortly after I turned around, I ran past a Valero gas station, when a lady in a car comes barreling out-of-nowhere off of Broadway, honking her horn to get me out of the way. Plus, she gave me a dirty look and the finger too! Holy shit, lady. Relax!

Not more than five seconds after I run past the gas station do I hear a loud CRASH! I turn back to find her car reeling from a head on collision with a parked car in the gas station. For no apparent reason other than utter stupidity, she nailed this other car (a Porsche too I might add)! Yikes, that could have been me!

Not only do they raise 'em real big in Texas, but they also raise 'em real stupid too.

Thank You,

Karma

To Race or Not to Race

Jan 22nd, 2011 - Before I get to enjoy the sun and fun of San Antonio, I had to endure another frozen Fudgcicle 5K this morning in Tewksbury.

I woke up late, yet again, and didn't get out the door until 7:45AM. This time I made sure I correctly WALKED the dog and ATE the breakfast. Doing that didn't give me enough time to jog the 2+ miles to the starting line as my warm up, so I opted for a different warm up. I drove my car to the start.

My legs were still tight from last night's late treadmill run, so I knew I had to be careful in the close to zero degree temps this morning. I told Fil that he would probably have some company during today's run.

Of course, once the race got underway a little after 8AM, my adrenaline kicked in and I took off with John Rheaume and Dave Corbett. Dave is running the Boston Prep 16 Miler tomorrow, so he went easy on me today.

Andy C. made a quick cameo in jest, but he too went back to his usual tempo pace for the rest of the run.

The weather wasn't actually that bad even though the temps were about the same this morning as they were last week when I couldn't feel my fingers for a good 15 minutes AFTER the run.

This was due partly to the fact that there was hardly any wind, therefore no windchill, and partly because I used some kick-ass disposable hand-warmers for the first time this season. I'm writing this 16 hours after the run and the hand-warmers are still warm to the touch!

Dave, John, and I stayed together through the first 2 miles and averaged above a 6 minute pace, which was considerably slower than the previous two weeks for me. John wisely fell back after mile two in order to conserve energy for his race tomorrow. Dave, on the other hand, decided to stretch out his legs a bit as a final tuneup for Derry.

I stayed right on his tail and was only about 20 yards behind him at 2.5. I knew I could catch him, and when I did at mile 3, I just tucked right in behind him. He gave a slight burst of speed and a look of shock that I was still with him.

I considered passing him, but I knew that he didn't give full effort today, otherwise he would have easily beaten me. Dave was the better runner this morning, so I backed off and followed him into the finish chute for second place with a time of 18:56.

(Good Luck Tomorrow, Dave!)

The bulk of my mileage for today actually came after the "race" when I headed over to Catamount Rd with Fil and James. We jogged the two miles to the Hill, and Fil followed us up for the first interval before heading back to the high school. Fil is running BP16 too.

James and I continued on with the rest of the hill workout with two more Catamount climbs before we called it a day ourselves and headed back to the school.

I actually needed 12 miles today to stay at 60 for the final time during this training cycle (65 to 70 next week). I only had 10 miles on the day by the time we were almost back to the school (missed pre-race warm up run), so I bade James farewell and did part of the Fudge loop in reverse in order to get in at least another two miles.

I'm a complete moron when I run a course without the usual course markers, especially in reverse, so I ended up missing a turn and tacked on an extra mile to the Fudge loop.

I finished the day with 13.1 miles, no worse for the wear, and actually feeling pretty good.

In the end, this turned out to be one of my best workouts, which incorporated tempo, hill, and distance.

Now to go find that basement at the Alamo...

A Tale of Two Running Clubs

Jan 20th, 2011 - The always reliable Rat Dome in Lexington once again came through and cancelled GLRR's Thursday night track workout for...wait for it...a track meet!

EJ then said enough's enough and took matters into his own hands.

He got in touch with visting Chinese President Hu Jintao and got executive approval to crash the Shamrock's track workout at the Joyce Middle School in Woburn.

(Hu?)

Unfortunately, I didn't pack any workout clothes with me when I left for work thinking that it was going to be another deadmill run in place of track.

Once again, EJ came through and found me some clean undies that I could use if I showed up for the Shamrock's workout at 7PM.

I showed up at 7PM and true to his word, EJ brought me his underwear and thensome! I quickly went into the barthroom to change into his gear, and truth be told, I was feeling fast already!

By the time I got out, the Shamrocks (along with EJ, Bash, and Jeff) were lining up for the first interval of the ladder workout.

A little background before I continue.

I've always heard of the Shamrocks, based out of Woburn, and their fun ways, but never really knew how much fun they really were. In fact, they're a lot like GLRR in many ways, and different in others.

For example, they're an Irish themed running club. We like green.

They have a clover as their logo. We have a chicken as our logo, and dinner on most nights.

We have the Rat Dome. They have the Ferret Dome. Both of which incorporate the insane 11 laps to a mile.

We like eating and drinking. They like eating and drinking more.

They have cuties at their workouts. We have Fil.

They have The Irish American. We have Mario's.

We have pizza. They were supposed to have pizza.

(If you feel like joining their club, then sign up here)

Differences?

We go up and down on a ladder workout. They go up and...wait for it...nope. That's it. 

What?

Yep. EJ, Bash, Jeff, and I were just  getting warmed up by the time we got through with the 400, 600, 800, and 1000 portion of the ladder when the workout came to a screeching halt.

Ah, they must be catching their breath for the downside of the ladder. How quaint. Let's just keep moving and try to stay loose.

Five minutes later.

Uh, are you guys going back down the ladder?

No, we're going over to the Irish American for some beer and food. Wanna come?

EJ once again took control and got the four of us back on the line to finish the workout. Coach Stronach would have shed a tear, and then we would have made fun of him.

Back down the ladder we went, and then we tacked on 22 LAPS for the cool down to round out another excellent track session.

Thanks to the Shamrocks for hosting the workout and not throwing us GLRR bums into the cold night.

Thank You Steve Blair for pacing us through half of our workout and all of your's.

Thank You Irish American for letting this Asian American enjoy your fine establishment.

Splits:

400   - 1:24

600   - 2:02

800   - 2:45

1000 - 3:24

800   - 2:43

600   - 2:01

400   - 1:14 (whoops)

Death Be Damned!

Jan 19th, 2011 - It's not that often that Rachel sanctions one of my long runs, but when she does, I'm all over it like Teddy in heat.

(good boy)

Even when that long run could mean the difference between life and death.

Tonight was the first of many Wednesday night long runs, between now and April, from my office in Burlington to the BU area in Boston. I'm hoping to put in 15+ miles each time out. This run should help me spread out and reduce my weekend mileage, which was starting to get redonkulous.

Here's the route

If you know this area, especially Lowell St in Burlington, then you know what I mean when I say it's life and death. This stretch is dangerous on a good day, and stupidly dangerous on a bad night like tonight.

No shoulder. No sidewalks. Speeding mall traffic. Blind turns. Snowbanks as tall as Cody. If I was Death, then I would just hang out here to save on gas.

(Run Dawg Run is available) 

Unfortunately, in order for me to get there from here I have to run on Lowell St for about 4 miles. Four very scary miles.

I left work a little after sunset at 6PM, and was walking up Lowell St by 6:15PM. I had to walk about 1/4th of a mile in order to pretend that I wasn't a crazy nut job running down the middle of the road due to the construction and snowbanks taking up the breakdown lane.

I was ducking in and out of the snow covered sidewalks for the next three miles, barely breaking 8 minutes per mile. My shoes were soaked and my breathing a little out of control. It felt like a really tough trail run with the uneven terrain and puddle splashes. I wore my sturdy Newton trail sneakers, which held up nicely and I didn't slip or fall once during the run.

Anyways, I kept thinking to myself that this could be a very long run in more ways than one.

I did, however, still had three hours before Rachel got out of class at 9:30 from BU, so I was in good shape by the time I got to the Park Ave Extension at 6:55PM. My pace was down to a more respectable 7:45.

EJ was going to meet me around 7PM at the intersection of Mass and Park Ave to help me push my buggy up the Park Ave hill to get to the top of Arlington Heights. My original route plan had me doing this hill loop twice, but not tonight. The run here was already a good enough workout.

I waited at the intersection for all of one minute before tackling Park Ave by myself. I later found out that EJ came through and couldn't find me. I guess I shouldn't have worn all black tonight.

(damn straight)

It's been more than 6 months since I last ran up this half mile beast of a hill, and I can confirm that it hasn't gotten any smaller in those 6 months. The great thing about Park Ave is that there's a bike lane for most of the climb, which gave me ample room to drag my carcass up it. I guess if a city or town wants state funding for road work they are required to put in a bike lane. Give those great city planners in Arlington some state funding!

It was a great climb and I was actually tempted to try the loop again since I was making good time, but I decided that getting to BU in one piece was a little more important on a first run.

The best part of this climb is the view at the top. You can actually see the Boston skyline. Always breath taking and always a chance to take a breath before you begin your descent back down to Mass Ave.

(you get the picture)

At the top of Arlington Heights, near the former water tower thingy, I checked my laces and strapped myself in for the downside of a very steep Eastern Ave. How steep?

(this steep)

The drop itself runs for about 2 miles before turning onto JASON st, which is a VERY GOOD LOOKING and VERY CHARMING climb in and of itself before dumping you back onto Mass Ave near Arlington Center.

The footing was now getting worse with sleet falling from the sky. It didn't help that Arlington likes to use historic i.e. very slippery, looking bricks for their sidewalks. I was surprise I didn't take a single spill on this stretch.

I was able to open it up a bit for the next 4 miles, running between oncoming traffic and the parked cars lining the wide avenue. I was now in the People's Republic of Cambridge.

Porter Square was as busy as usual with the college youngins' doing their shopping and heading out to dinner. Hmmmm....dinner.

The crowds only got younger and more crowded as I went through Haaarvard Square where all of the wicked smart kids hang out. It was nice to finally see other runners out and about as I got closer to the city. I liked them apples. Hmmmm....apples.

I took a left once I got to Memorial Drive, staying on the Cambridge side of the river for the next 2 miles. The bike path along the Charles was clear of snow so I was able to get my overall pace down to about 7:35 without much effort.

It wasn't until I got closer to the BU Death Bridge crossing that I experienced any major obstacles.

At one point I noticed an oncoming jogger running on the snow banks next to the bike path. I was like, wow, that's some good cross-training. Little did I know that he was doing that to actually avoid Charles River Junior. It was too late when I discovered the glacial lake for myself.

It was actually soothing since it dulled the blister on my left foot, which I had acquired the evening before while running 5 miles on the treadmill. The blister was actually my only discomfort throughout the run, but now that my foot was a frozen block of soiled ice, I felt great!

And there it was, off in the distance like a beacon guiding me in:

I got to BU at mile 12 and figured that I might as well just head down to the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston and then head back to BU. That should give me a good 15 miles, and besides, it was only a little after 8PM at that point so I had plenty of time to kill.

So, for the third time in three weeks, I came close to crossing the finish line, but not quite. I'll save that for April 18th.

(so close, yet 3 months away)

By mile 14, as I headed back to BU and Rachel's car where my warm soft dry cotton clothes awaited me, I felt the cold front that was going to settle in for the next few days. The temps must have dropped about 10 degrees in the span of 5 minutes. Nature, you scary!

I first felt the cold in my fingers, and then it just travelled right into my bones and throughout my body. I sprinted the last block and a half and right up to Rachel's car in the K Lot garage.

There it was in the back seat of her car. My bag of clothes and plenty of refreshments....

...and the doors were locked.

FUCK!

(oh deer)

Vandals!

Jan 18th, 2011 - First they mess with my training, then they mess with my goal for Boston, and now they're messing with my blog's banner.

I'll show them at Boston...

(thanks, guys)

A Win, a Course Record, and a Brawl by Glenn Stewart

The following is Glenn's unbelievable record setting marathon run at the Phoenix Marathon over the weekend. Remember to tinkle before reading this or you may wet yourself. I've warned you.

A Win is a Win

A win is a win – no matter how improbable at the start. I came to Phoenix for my fifth Rock'n'Roll Marathon and my first as an official senior citizen (60) to win – and ultimately I did.

I knew it would be a struggle and the first few miles confirmed that – what I didn't know is that it'd turn into a brawl – and give an additional meaning to “Mile 14”.

One thing I love about this race (and conversely hate about Boston) is the start is on a 4 lane wide road. Add in the parking lanes and we have about 200 feet of side-to-side room within 400-500 feet of running. Ah – just spread out and find your pace. After a ¼ mile it turns onto an avenue with even more room (about 9 lanes). All of this is pancake flat – so no excuses for going out too slow or too hard.

For me the plan was to try and find a 7:35 pace and stay under control through at least the first 4-8 miles. I hit mile one at 7:20. That was faster than planned – but close enough. But my heart rate was a bit high at 142. I was hoping to run the first 4 at about a 137 HR. I was not sure I could hold 140+ for 3 and a ½ hours. So the goal for the next 3 miles was to relax and get the HR down – and find a place to unload some liquid (or as Linda McC says take a tinkle). The tinkle place – bush at the entrance to an alley appeared half way into mile 2. That made mile an 7:55 and dropped the HR a bit but not enough to make me comfortable this would hold up.

Miles 3 and 4 were right on plan at 7:32 and 7:39, but the HR was 140 – still too high. So I'm through the first 4 at 30:26. Only 6 seconds off pace and one tinkle done.

When I run marathons I break the race into blocks of four miles – and I try not to worry about anything but those four. This was advice I got form running guru John Barbour long ago and its served me well. So at this point I'm happy with the pace, but concerned about the heart rate. The weather so far is on the cool side – cloudy and about 44 degrees and a very light breeze. But the forecast is sunny mid 60s by the time I plan to finish.

The next four block (miles 5-8) is used to settle down and find a grove. It goes pretty much as planned – it's 30:22 for the block – only 2 seconds off pace. But the HR is still too high at 139.

The next block will take me almost to the half way mark – miles 9 to 12. About half way through mile 9 my tinkle bell alarm starts sounding again. I'm thinking if I give in too soon – this will end up a three stop run – so I resolve to suffer for the next couple of miles.

The goal is to reach Mile 12 and reward my self with a pit stop. So now the pace quickens (a little) to try to get there. But halfway through mile 11 it's getting unbearable – and it's too early to let it go on the run (wet pants for 15 miles is a sure recipe for walnut rot). I decide that as soon as I finish Mile 11 I'll look for a discrete spot. This is not easy because we are in the upscale town of Scottsdale (like Belvidre but more security and spots to hide). But before long – thank goodness – there is nice nook. It's a rather long stop – more than 30s.

As I rejoin the race I see the 3:20 pace group has passed me. The leader is about 40M ahead and I'm in the middle of a huge pack. Because of the potential congestion at the water stops, I don't want to be here – so I drop the hammer for a bit to pull ahead of the pacer. Surprisingly I feel better (either because my bladder is happy or the pace is more comfortable). Anyway the block is done in 30:11, so now I'm 1 second ahead for almost half way – so I'm very happy with pace and I'm still concerned about the HR which is still 140 – but it's been pretty steady so I'm starting to feel this will hold up. Also the weather is cooperating – it's still cloudy and the temp is only about 50 now.

I hit the half way at about 1:39 which is right where I want to be. Little do I know that The Brawl is about to happen. I'm working my way through block 4 (miles 13-16) trying to stay relaxed so I can reach Mile 16 – 10 to go and decide just what kind of marathon this will be (success or disaster).

At the Mile 14 water stop I pull over to the left – I almost never go to the left (if there is a choice). As I reach for my cup of water – the moron in front of me comes to a complete stop. Not a shuffle and not a walk – but he slides to the right and stops! I see him for an instant before I crash into him. I stick out my right hand and push him on the shoulder, which I think causes him to turn to his right even more into my path. His foot clips my left foot and now I'm headed to the pavement.

All I can say is F*&^ as I go into a roll landing on my left elbow, shoulder, hip and knee. The other runners are horrified. I hear several asking if I'm OK. Someone is asking if they should call medical. Me – I'm just pissed! I complete the roll (at which I have plenty of practice from trail runs gone bad) and I'm on my feet and running. I shout I'm fine and keep going. Oddly there is still some water in my cup – so I pour it on the blood running down my arm from my elbow. Someone points out my shoulder is pretty raw – which I can sort of feel. The knee and hip – I don't even feel. So much for my rush to stay ahead of the 3:20 pace group – I got taken down anyway.

Now I'm really pissed. I've also got a load of adrenaline coursing though me. I figure I might as well take advantage of the adrenaline as long as it lasts and get as much as I can before stiffness sets in. I run Mile 14, even with the brawl, in 7:23. I finish the block in 29:48, so now I'm 33 seconds ahead. I finish Mile 16 with the adrenaline gone and feeling bit stiff but not bad. Mostly the stiffness is in my back.

The 17 to 20 block goes OK – it's 30:29. So I've given back 9 seconds, but it passes without further incident. It's still cloudy and about 50, but the clouds are starting to break.

It's time for the last 10K of the race. This is where marathons are won and lost. After all it's a 20 mile warmup and a 10K race. I'm still on pace – actually a little ahead. My HR still hasn't changed – it's still right around 140. Despite the brawl – I'm feeling pretty good – In fact it's starting to feel a lot like Sugarloaf (when I ran 3:15). So I decide to push the pace and see where it takes me. I run the 21 to 24 block in 30:11, so it's 9 more seconds for me.

At about mile 22 I start doing the arithmetic that all marathoners try to do during those last 4 miles or so. I can see that 3:20 is looking really good. So I figure that unless someone special shows up I'm in good shape to win – but you never know. When I get to 23.7 miles I know I have only 2.5 miles to go and I ran that same 2.5 miles the day before. So I know all of the landmarks and I'm starting to see that breaking 3:19 is possible. I've got to go for it. I'd looked up the previous results fort this marathon and the fastest time by anyone 60+ is 3:19:05 set by Mel Williams, then 66 (damn good!) in 2004 in the first running of this race (on a slightly different and easier course). I've got to break that! So I drop the hammer and push hard for the last 2.5 miles.

Mile 24 is 7:20 and Mile 25 is 7:25. The last .2 is a left onto an access road and then a right on a driveway behind Arizona State U's stadium. I really start pounding. Just before the right, with about 200M to go I see a guy with gray hair – no f*&*ing way is this guy going to rob me of the win. I drop to yet one more gear – I'm red lined now – and power past him. I can see as I pass him, he's cooked – no way will he be able to respond. He doesn't. Turns out he's 54 and he finishes 3 people back 21s behind me. I run the last .2 miles in 1:18 at a 6:30 pace.

I cross the line at 3:17:44 gun time – new record and 3:17:38 chip time!

I do my jog down to get my heart down from 159 to 125. That done I get my medal and the medical staff, who have been watching me, intercept me to direct me to the med tent for cleanup. First I get my finish picture taken. Then it's the med tent. The first thing they see is my knee – which I didn't know was bleeding. The blood has run down to my ankle – it's their number one concern. My number one concern is the elbow. We get those cleaned and bandaged. I ask them to check the shoulder – which they hadn't noticed. Turns out that this is the most sore spot. But we get it cleaned.

All in all – it's a great run. I win and I set the course record.

I'm writing this the morning after – my elbow, my shoulder and my hip hurt (from the brawl) but my legs are fine – so I'm headed out for a run (at least 3 miles) to officially start my training for Boston. There's no time to rest on laurels.

Super 5K

Jan 17th, 2011 - I don't have too many other races on my calendar this year besides Boston. One of those other races just happens to be the Super 5K in Lowell, directed by the 365 Days Race winner, Jim Rhoades.

This is a great race held on the greatest American Holiday, Super Bowl Sunday. I've run this race every year since I started to seriously run and race early last year.

Although our underachivieing New England Belichicks won't be in the big game this year, you can still come out and burn off some of that lingering frustration with a 5K run on Feb 6th at 12PM.

Don't drop the ball and go sign up early and often!

Options Exercised

Jan 16th, 2011 - The worse thing about running and training in this winter wasteland is trying to put in a long run. The best thing about running and training in this winter wonderland are the options for a long run.

Feel like running 9's with some hills? Meet up with Linda, Jess, Cullen, and Fil in Dracut. How about 7's with also some nice hills thrown in? Then meet up with James, Jeff, Jim, and Mark over in Jim's ritzy neighborhood. What about meeting up with Glenn in Phoenix for a 3:17:38 marathon (Nice job, Presidente)!?! Or Jill and Andy in Drum Hill for the start of their marathon training run? Matt could have use some company for his 13 miler. Same with Marli in Tewksbury.

In the end I opted for a good size group run with some fine folks from Whirlaway/SRR/GLRR on part of the Boston course. There was Jim, Joe D., Reno, Joe N., Frank, Steve, Craig, Chris, and Ephraim accompanying me on a relatively mild morning (30ish degrees throughout).

I knew right off of the bat that I should prepare myself for some a lot of sub 7's with this crew of runners.

We got off the line around 8:45AM from Newton and got to the base of Heartbreak by 9AM. The Joe's set the pace early on and broke away by the time we reached Cleveland Circle. Chris and Steve gave chase. The remaining peloton of runners stuck together for a good chunk of the rest of the run to, in, and away from Boston proper.

Not too many miles over 7's after the first five (only 1), and it felt great to see the miles fly by like nothing.

That's the biggest benefit of running with a group. You feed off of the energy between the runners, and it just pulls you along, making a hard workout feel easy. That was definitely the case today.

The carriage road on Comm Ave was already showing the first signs of spring with a good number of runners putting in their own runs in preparation for Boston. Spring can't get here soon enough!

My group turned around after crossing the Marathon's finish line (#2 on the year) on Boylston at mile 10 before heading back to home base with a couple of slight detours that incorporated a nice and steady climb. The top of the climb, mostly "behind" the BC campus, dumped us back onto Heartbreak on Comm Ave.

The Catamount hill workouts from the past three weeks came through for me today on the climbs. My legs felt fresh and strong, the effort consistent throughout, and no sign of getting my ass kicked by the Newton hill(s).

We had 18 miles in the bag (6:55 pace) by the time we got back to Ephraim's place. No worse for the wear.

This one definitely ranks up there as one of my best long runs on this young season.

Thanks for the invite, the great company, and the fantastic pacing, gang!

Interesting Fact of the Day: We learned that Jim is/was the "fattest" one in our group, although he probably burnt off that excess fat by the time we finished.

(Does not apply to the Kenyan Joes in our group)

Wardrobe Dysfunction

Jan 15th, 2011 - I got up nice and early for Fudge #2 this morning...and then I went back to sleep.

It wasn't until a little after 7AM that Deric texted me to let me know that him and Fil were on their way to the 8AM race. That's when I finally woke up and jumped out of bed still half asleep.

Fortunately, I had nothing ready so getting race ready in under 10 minutes got my heart rate to race pace. I ate the dogs and walked the breakfast, and was out the door by 7:40AM for the 2 mile jog to the start.

Hot damn it was cold out! The official reading at race time was 4 degrees, but I think it was closer to 3 degrees.

I got to the school at 7:55AM and the same large crowd from last week (88 finishers - another record!) was already there and ready to go.

I decided to go Yak Trax-less as the roads on the run in were pretty clear, so there was no need for extra traction. Unfortunately, in my rush out the door I just grabbed the sneakers with the Yak's already on them (pain in the ass to switch them), and those sneakers were my much maligned Nike Frees.

Matt Germaine was back so it was a battle for second place from the get go. I took off with a lead pack that included 4-5 Tewksbury High runners, Frank Georges, and John Rheaume.

Frank, John, and I slowly picked off a couple of the THS runners through the first mile, but the cold air was definitely impacting our pace with a 5:58 first mile for me. John pulled out ahead shortly after the first mile.

Frank and I ran together towards mile 2 and that's when I realized that my race was literally coming undone.

I told Frank that my shoelaces on the Frees were coming untied. Any other pair of sneakers and I would have been fine, but the Frees have absolutely no support above or below the ankle. The faster I ran, the faster they were going to come flying off of my feet.

Rex Ryan was salivating at the thought.

(Go! Pats!)

Why didn't I just stop and tie the laces? Well, it was 2 degrees out, I had on gardening gloves, my fingers were still frozen, and the Free's laces were made for Smurf fingers. Stopping, removing the gloves, bending down, controlling my breathing, tying the damn kid laces, and getting back into race mode would have been futile.

So the next most logical thing that popped into my oxygen deprived mind was to kick them off at the Mile 2 marker (6:09). No, I was not suffering from extreme hypothermia. Nothing else was coming off other than my pace.

I knew that the rest of the course was pretty clear of snow and ice based on my warm up run through this stretch 20 minutes earlier, so the footing was going to be fine. It was just a matter of how my feet were going to handle the cold.

My pace over the final mile dropped to 5:51 (fastest mile on the day), and I managed to pass John and one other runner with a half mile to go.

I crossed the finish 4th overall with a time of 18:44, and two holes on the bottom of my socks to show for my effort.

I quickly jumped into Coach Jim's car and hid out there to warm up, help with the timing, and to wait for Fil, Cullen, and Rex to return with my Frees so that I could trash them when I got home.

Completed my running day with a 3 x Catamount hill workout with Jeff and Melissa. Nice job guys!

Of course it wouldn't be a GLRR sponsored event if food wasn't involved. After all of the running I headed over for the main course, breakfast at The Deli King.

The best part about today? It was only 10AM and I was able to do all of this within a 2 mile radius of my apartment!

The Running Dead

Jan 14th, 2011 - It took three quarters of a Celtics game, almost the entire GnR album from 1991, my Ipad blocking the treadmill display, and a Mile 14 at mile 10 for me to obtain a new distance PR on the treadmill.

It was only fitting that by the time Knockin' on Heaven's Door came on that I was ready to end it all.

This was the longest run (time and distance) that I've ever put in during one treadmill session. Never to be repeated again.

My head was spinning, my legs were wobbly, and my ears were ringing from being serenaded to by Axl Rose for over an hour. Never to be repeated again.

Looking forward to the weekend. Plan is to pack in the mileage again to make up for being a lazy ass during this past week. Will be repeating again. I'm sure.

(I felt fine before I got on the thing)

Same Day, Different Consistency

Jan 13th, 2011 - There's a reason why we no longer see Boston Marathon winners from this area. Look out your window. That white stuff ain't crack.

God bless Bill Rodgers (check out his running log) and Clarence DeMar, and all of the past local winners, for training through this winter wonderland we call New England.

Well, that's been my excuse for being a very lazy Bui this week. I took Monday off as a rest day, forgetting that we were going to get slammed by the storm on Wednesday.

Yesterday ended up being a waste of a day since working from home usually means getting nothing done and posting naughty images on your blog. Let's just say that I thought about running a lot of miles yesterday.

So tonight, in lieu of Lexington, I managed to get myself over to the UML indoor track with 1/3rd of the J boys to get in my weekly track workout. It's always nice to have track to change it up a bit and to shake out the lingering stiffness from the long runs.

The UML indoor track is a 160 meter (10 laps to a mile) track that runs around the perimeter of the basketball court, which is on the lower floor. Just think of Lexington, but without the rats.

It's a tough track to do any sort of speedwork since there are four sharp turns on a very short track, but Jeff and I gave it go anyways.

We did 1.5 miles to warm up (Jeff had already ran 8 earlier in the day) and the following splits for the 6 x 800's:

2:44
2:44
2:40 (whoops)
2:43
2:43
2:41

We rounded out the great workout with a 2.5 mile cool down, pacing a fellow Tewksburian over the final mile. I think we might have managed to get another runner out to Fudge this Saturday! There's always room for Fudge.

Hopefully I'll be more productive and efficient with the mileage in the coming weeks. I gotta stop packing all of my miles into the weekends. My goal is to hit 70 miles by the end of next week, and stay there for a few weeks before bumping it up again.

Slowly, but surely I'll eventually get myself back into marathon shape. Slowly, but surely this winter is going to suck even more.

(EJ has just the thing for you little buddy)

F'n Snow!

Jan 12th, 2011 - Well, the first of many blizzards of 2011 managed to put a damper on two days worth of Boston training, specifically, getting to an indoor track to do some speedwork.

Not only did it close down the track at UML, but it also managed to cancel Thursday night track in Lexington too!

Winter, you're ruining my winta'!

No matter what though, I'm strapping on the Yak Trax tomorrow night and heading to Mario's!

(F'n Snow)