A Couple

I got in a good run on Friday at my parents' house. It's a route I haven't run in a while and it felt good. Just a smidge over 4, and I did it quickly.
I'd intended a bigger weekend, but sort of vegged on Saturday which spilled into Sunday. I didn't get out Saturday -- the Olympics and some beer and popcorn side-tracked me.
I did get out today, but went shorter that I'd planned. I did get to run with Red C. and it was great. We went out late and did 4.55 (I need to add in a bit more on that route to get it up to where I thought it was, which was 5. Having a buddy to run with was huge -- it wasn't too cold but it was windy and gray and it was sort of blah. Running with someone was great. I'm not too stressed out about the miles -- I'll get them in. Just running, that's all.

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Finding The Stroke

As we all know sometimes ballplayers get in a slump. They lose their stroke. The only thing to do is to keep on swinging, keep on taking your cuts. Well, today I came out of my slump.
I found my stroke again. I also achieved a really nice level of flow that I've not reached in months -- surprisingly so. I headed out today in a poor mood -- angry, mainly. Sometimes anger is good for a run, sometimes it blows it up. You go out too hard to burn off the aggression and whatever hormones, and amino acids and residue of your fit are coursing through your veins amps you up early and leaves you flat later and it ends up being a lousy run. Today, I went out just to burn off the substances and see what would happen.I settled into a comfortable rhythm early and just ran -- it was a lope, really. Everything came together, and nothing bothered me. Stop for a light, or to wait for traffic while crossing a street? No worries. Run along some icy stuff -- why not slide it, it's fun. Shoe untied -- tie it. I'd pick right up where I left off. Right into my lope, right into my zone. It was fluid. I found my stroke and reached that state of comfort and exertion that is very rare. It felt great. I came back in a good mood, with my anger dissipated. With sadness (which I think is the flip-side of anger) abated. I fed off the energy of my emotion and burned it steadily along the course. Ah yes, running as therapy. I found my stroke. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

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Up & Down

Not sure what it is, but my training runs have been very up and down these past few weeks. I think I need the adrenaline of races to help me -- but no adrenaline is to be found as I grind it out solos through the streets of suburban Boston. Oh well. Spring is on the way -- today was mid-30s, bluebird and lovely. Tomorrow forecasts to be a bear. Winter returns. Pitchers and catchers report soon, this weekend maybe. Almost there. I think I can I think I can I think I can.

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Race Report: Super Sunday 10K

I headed out on a beautiful bluebird of a day to run the Marathon Sports Super Sunday 5k/10K race. Held along the Boston waterfront this race is only in it's third year and it is well attended, and, like Marathon Sports other races, very well run. This years course was very similar to last year's except that we started at 390 Congress St which was much more roomy and comfortable for the large field. Last year we started from in front of the Harpoon Brewery and it was a little crowded -- so that was a good move. This year's race also went off on time which was appreciated because it was only about 20F with a stiff breeze.

The course wound its way through the rapidly changing Boston waterfront, down Congress St and back, around the new courthouse, by ICA etc. The course was pancake flat as is to be expected on harbor roads and quite fast. The field was quick -- lots of Boston trainers I think -- and trending young. One of my favorite sites on the course is the tiny Our Lady of Safe Passage Chapel -- located between two huge parking lots and across from some very new, sleek glass office buildings (the thought of the value of that property is astounding -- it's diagonally across the street from 56).

<br /><small>View Larger Map</small>

I ran a nice first half, 23:43 or something and felt pretty good coming into the second half (the race was a couple of loops of the same course). Out to mile four was a nice tail wind, but mile 4-5 was right back into a stiff headwind, and I sort of flagged on this leg and recorded what was probably my slowest mile ~7:55 (39:35). The buildings broke the wind around this point and I dug down and worked a bit harder. I crossed 6 miles at just about 46 even and finished around 46:43, I think, it was definitely below 47 which was cool but the official results will be posted and I'll know for sure tonight. I had a nice kick through the last .2 and was working hard down the home stretch and trying to catch a guy who was in front of me. He picked it up too and held me off by a step. After we crossed the finish line he turned to me with a huge grin and said "thanks for pushing me!" and shook my hand -- that was cool. I had a huge rush at the end of this and totally felt that ever elusive runner's high, It was fun. I remembered why I love to run.

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Race tent super Sunday 5/10k

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Commute

I went out just before dinner yesterday. I ran 4.2 miles or so. I felt pretty good. I'm having trouble with pace right now, but it was the best run I've had in a while.
Will try and get out today, too.
tv

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February Begins

So, February begins with a run, about 4 miles at 3:30 PM. I had a morning-mid-afternoon meeting north of boston, came home and hit it after a PBJ and some pretzels. It felt OK, not great, still shaking off January.
Big headwind on the way out, and a nice tali wind on the way home (I'm big on out and backs). The weekend was tough between frigid temps and zero routine. I'll catch up to it this week and we'll get rolling.
Inspiration is at an ebb, but it's coming back, I'll work into it just through repetition -- I'm finding myself jonesing for the run if I don't get it in and that's a good sign. today's run while not great left me energized and focused and amped up (though my goal of getting work done this evening is not panning out... I don't feel like working tonight).

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Grinding it Out

When the alarm went off at 6:15 today, I was already sort of awake. The howling wind outside our window had woken me up. It was freezing. The streets were covered in ice and windblown snow, it was black out.
I turned off the alarm and went back to bed. I headed out just before noon. I vaVelined the face to protect it. I had my base layer on my legs (huge difference) and a couple of technical tees over a polypro shirt, hat, gloves, shades.The first half mile wasn't bad around .6 miles I make a right hand turn and ran right into the teeth of the wind. Now this stretch of the run is a false flat, so you always work a bit more than you think you should, but today was like a mile long steep uphill climb. I was laboring and at times barely moving forward. Headwinds are devastating and today's was fierce. My eyes were watering, parts of the face without Vaseline were stinging and the lungs were laboring (dry frigid air is not my friend). I'd considered 5 today, ratcheted it back to 4.2 and when I came to a turn that would make it 3.3, I took it. I got out. I got the heart pounding and lungs working. I built character... tomorrow is another day. Hopefully it's one with less wind.

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Whattaweek!

What a week it's been. I ended last week on a poor run on Friday. Then got buried by familial obligations etc. over the weekend that essentially killed my weekend.
I got back on it today (yesterday I set the alarm, but our clock was 12 hours fast so it never went off). I headed out this AM and it was cold. The bank thermometer downtown said
31F but it was wrong. The cold-ache on top of my thumbs and the sting on my face let me know it was colder than that. I again did not have the right base layer and my legs
froze up and got very hard to move. I'm tired of the winter right now. I got in a solid five, and I've got plans to hit the road the next few days. It's time to get serious
about this and start buckling down. I think the days of Zen running are over, it's time to get a little type-A.

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Frozen Charles #wcbos

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Western sky

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Cold & Un-fun

I've said for years that "some days you eat the miles and some days the miles eat you." Today I was chewed up and spit out. Nancy dropped me off about 4.5-4.75 miles from home while we dropped child Two off at school and I ran back. I fought for every step. I needed one more layer on the legs but didn't have it, so the legs sort of froze up and didn't fire like I'd expected them to. My lungs weren't functioning great in the cold, dry air. Footing was pretty poor with long stretches of ice as well as dozens of stealth-patches all along the course. Some days you have runs like this one. The effort to get out and strive and the repetition (one more run for this week's total) are what I take away from runs like today's. I embrace the Dean Karnazes* mantra that we are overly-comfortable and that running breaks us out of our overly-comfortable existence. Today was assuredly uncomfortable and definitely a character builder. Now it's out of the way and it's on with my day.

If you want to read a great book to get you fired up about running pick up <em>Ultramarathon Man</em> by Dean Karnazes. In fact I might read it again myself.... it's a fun, easy, and most importantly, inspiring read.

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Another Handful

I logged another solid handful today. Footing was poor, and it was raw and damp, but I enjoyed it and am glad that I got out in the middle of the day. It was a refreshing change to run in daylight.
Not much to report really, just a solid run, I'm getting in a groove and it feels good. I signed up for the Timberman Tri in August in New Hampshire, so that should shake up training this summer.
Add another challenge to the list.

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Finally

I finally got back out yesterday. AS I think you can tell from Nancy's post last week was a nightmare of scheculing and overbooking, sick children and just general "stuff."
It was highly frustrating. Yesterday's run was good. It was dark and not too cold which was a nice change. Today is a miserable day, but I'm trying this week to get on the marathon training cycle: S, T, W, T, S.
Training for Vermont City starts in earnest next week.

I modulated my pace yesterday speeding up and slowing down and spent much of the run thinking about other things (dissociation). The time went by and the miles fell away. A pretty good start to the week.

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Sluggish

Got in a sluggish five today. Not a great run, but I got it in and that's all one can ask. Sometimes the hard ones are more beneficial. I had trouble with pace and footing.
My calves really tightened up afterward which is most likely related to the slippery crummy conditions. Puddles are slushy to slick, snowy stretches of sidewalk aren't melting and if they do, they refreeze and get worse with each day. I'm sort of done with January to be honest.... Well, I'm feeling more consistent at least, and getting one in early in the week is good. I should have gone yesterday, but bailed, bad on me.

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Thanks Teich

Our friend gave us this a couple of years ago. It is what a pinot is supposed to be: refined, light but strong. Thanks Jeff. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Running Haiku

Running in the dark
Snow falls upon the pathway
A Fire burns inside

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Cool Fitness Related Link

Hey Blossoms, just found this via Seth Simonds (an excellent follow on Twitter, FYI: @sethsimonds): http://bit.ly/7uSwJ6

Full URL: http://primalstride.com/double-crunch-a-seven-day-challenge-from-primal-stride/

Since some of us are running for fitness, some for time, some to change our lives I thought that this might be of interest. Tons of support and tons of folks just like us on the web.

Keep running, and having fun.

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A Handful in The Dark

I got in a handful today, in the dark. The stars were out and Mars and Jupiter were with them.
I worked hard on finding my rhythm and just letting it flow. Darkness and ice and snow make for some tricky conditions but it also forces you to
focus. It felt good. This was my longest in a while as I've been dinking and dunking around with my running. It's time to get down to it. This was a good
step.

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Welcome, Cherry Blossom Ten Milers et al

This is the first post on the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler Posterous site. We're a bunch of folks in our thrities, of varying running abilities who've all signed up for the Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler in Washington DC in april, 2010. This site will hopefuly be a useful tool for folks to stay motivated and share their training experiences. Wish us luck.

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