Road to Boston SLR 6

The Road to Boston SLR 6 was a bumpy one!

I went into week 5 with expectations and a plan to try a few new things. Overall, everything worked out great and I was happy with my run.

Running SLR 6

The goal for Sunday Long Run 6 was 16.5 miles, which is quite a jump up from 12.6 miles the previous week.

My plan was to run 10 minute miles for as long as I could and look to average out at 10:10 or so per mile.

Unfortunately, my knee bothered me all week. I probably pushed it too hard on SLR 5. Then on Tuesday night a ran a pretty aggressive 10K.

My PT worked on my knee Wednesday night and I wore a compression sleeve on my knee for several hours each night and took Ibuprofen each day.

By run time on Sunday morning my left knee still had not settled down.

I did yoga on Saturday and Sunday morning before the run and did more stretching in the parking lot.

I started the run right after the group photo so I could run slow and not be at the end of the group. For the first mile or so I ran basically by my self and managed a 10:012 pace, mile 2 was 10:25 due to a small hill.

Then I started running with my old running buddy Jeff Rushton.

We used to run together all the time and took turns pushing each other.

This week Jeff pulled me along at a pace I didn’t really want to run, but it was fun talking with Jeff like we used to always do. Miles 3 and 4 were 9:46.

During mile 5 we started to get into the hills in Winchester. Running up them was tough, but the downhills hammered my left knee.

By the time we got to our second water stop just before mile 7, I told Jeff and the other guys we caught up to, to just run ahead.

As we looped back through Winchester and through the center of town, I could see that they were getting further away at each turn.

My goal was to keep them in sight as this route has a lot of turns that often mess me up.

Running in SLR 6 on my own

I had been loosing these guys from mile 7 to 10 and was essentially running on my own.

I could see them headed out of the next water stop before I even got there.

Paul Locke asked me how I was doing and I told him about my knee acting up and expressed my doubts.

I knew if I hung out too long my muscles would tighten up and my knee wouldn’t be my only problem.

Starting back up after that stop was hard. My knee was tight and ached at probably level 5. My PT would had told me to stop, but I still had over six miles to run.

By the time I turned onto Park street I couldn’t see anyone in the Peloton. I knew I was running to the next big intersection, but wasn’t 100% on what to do when I got there.

This intersection is where Park Street turns into North Border Road and there are ramps to I-93 north and south. Cars can come at you from several directions here.

I was pretty sure that I was following Park as it turned into North Border Road, but just to be sure I stopped my watch and took out my phone to check the email.

I re-started my watch and hobbled down the road.

At the intersection by Spot Pond I took the right and knew the rest of the route.

As I ran up the hill by Spot Pond I could feel my energy draining. Fighting pain can take a toll on you.

I had been nibbling on a Honey Stinger waffle and finished it on this section of road. It gave me enough energy to keep running until I got to the I-93 overpass.

I told my self to keep running until I got out from under the bridge and then started walking.

At this point of the course, there isn’t a cut off or short cut. I was on the far side of the pond and there was only one way to get home.

I decided to start running again and kept it up until I got to Elm Street and had to walk most of that street.

I knew that the last water stop was a short distance away at Flynn Rink. While I didn’t really want to stop running, my body was telling me that I needed to.

This wasn’t a marathon and no one was keeping track of my pace or if I even finished.

When I got to Nicole Jacob in the parking lot of the ice rink, I told her I was done.

Eventually Bobby Taylor drove up and I got a ride back to my car from him. I felt bad getting into his nice new truck reeking like a runner.

It felt good to take a shower and know I was done for the day. My only goal for the rest of the day was to re-hydrate and tend to that knee!

Run well my Friends!

Andy