Road to Boston SLR 6

Some runs are just tougher than others.
Even the best plans can get shredded.

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

Training Week 8

went very well. My miles are increasing slowly and my knee is under control. Applying RICE to my knee has it feeling better even as my miles have increased.

During week 7, I managed to run 30.28 miles. For week 8 I ran 30.45. The Sunday Long Run was about 3 miles shorter this week, but I had a good Tuesday night run and a good lunch time run on Thursday which more than made up the difference.

marathon training, running, winter

This Sunday we have an 18.1 mile run which takes us down Main Street in Melrose and down the Fellsway to Breakheart Reservation. After we climb those hills its out Farm Street in Wakefield to Montrose, down Salem/Lowell St to Lake Quannapowitt. We loop around the lake and then slog in down Main Street back to Melrose.

This week we will have 5 water stops! I plan to hold back and not start with the lead group this week.

If all goes well on Sunday, I should be able to break 35 miles next week. Not a lot of miles for someone seriously training for a marathon, but it is pretty good for me. I rarely run more than 40 miles while training for a marathon and that is probably why I haven’t qualified for Boston yet.

I do keep getting faster and ran a Boston PR this year. A lot of that improvement can be attributed to my gym work, some of it to the long runs and maintaining a good base all year round.

I’ve been busy working on my new blog so I haven’t had much time to write. If all goes well this weekend, I hope to launch the new blog the first of next week.

Run well my friends and have a safe weekend!

Andy

Miles for March

My grand total is 131.58 miles.

The plan was to run 189.2 miles for March. To do that I would have had to more than quadruple my February miles. Not a good idea. I managed to get in 3 out of 5 Club Sunday Long Runs. The two that I missed were due to races.

I still managed to more than triple my February mileage ( 42.47 to 131.58). I’m feeling strong and healthy. Brian made me run harder than I planned to at the April Fool’s 4 Miler. Last week Louis had me running a Tuesday Night Club run faster than normal also. While I felt challenged by both of those runs, I also felt strong and up to the task.

The Eastern States 20 Miler was my last run of March. After kicking it out at the April Fool’s 4 Miler the day before, I’m not sure what I expected that Sunday. 20 miles is a looong run. Even on fresh legs. The last 4 or 5 miles were painful, but not marathon painful. My time was about 3 minutes slower than last year, but last year Eastern States was the week before April Fools.

My goal for April was 88.2 and I’ve already whittled that down to 73.49 and it’s only the first week of April! Maybe I’ll hit 50 miles? It’s better to show up with rested legs on race day.

As usual, my training plan has gone out the window. I managed through an injury and have come back feeling strong. The Eastern State 20 was my longest run and it’s all down hill from here throughout the taper. Having my longest run as a race was a good thing, in my mind. When you are running for time you don’t take breaks every five miles and chat like you do on a club run.

I’m still dreaming of a 4 hour Boston Marathon. It can’t possibly be as hot as 2012.

Run well this weekend my friends!

Andy

Active.com Intermediate 5K Program

Week 2 Active.com Intermediate 5K program

My total miles were 16.1 this week, which is not great. I planned to run 7 miles yesterday but I left all of my cold weather gear in the dryer at home. I tried to run in a singlet and a nylon vest, running shorts, running hat and cotton gloves. It was about 40 degrees out before accounting for wind chill.

As I ran across the Longfellow Bridge and the wind off of The Charles blew under my shirt, I quickly decided I would try for 5K instead of the 7 miles. That would still be okay.

As I ran along The Esplanade it became clear that I was woefully under dressed for the conditions and started looking for the 1.25 mile marker on my watch. I decided a 2.5 mile out and back was all I could manage. I have the Mill Cities Relay on Sunday and did not want to get sick.

I definitely need to buy more winter running clothes soon. A few years ago I gathered enough clothing for one really cold run. If those items do not make it through the laundry cycle I do not have enough clothes for my next cold weather run.

Do you use a training program for your 5K races?
Are you a member of Active Advantage?
Do you like Active Advantage?

Have a great weekend and run well my friends!

Active Advantage Intermediate 5K Program

Recently I signed up with the Active Advantage program from Active.com. I wanted to review the program, let you know what it’s all about and if it is worth the money. Here is my first look at one of their training programs.

Active Advantage offers free access to training programs

I’ve been running for about 10 years and running 5Ks for a few years. I thought the Intermediate 5K training plan would be a good place to start. I’ve never used a training program before and wasn’t sure what to expect.

The Program

Each week of the plan has three running days and two cross-training days. I started my program last Sunday, November 11. It was a “cross-training” day and the schedule said 30 minutes. I had a bunch of yard work to do before the ground freezes so I logged 3 hours of yard work instead of riding a stationary bike. I think the digging, raking and carrying heavy stuff more than covered what the plan called for.

Monday I ran 4 miles on the treadmill at a 10:00 min. pace in 40 minutes. The plan called for 30 minutes at an easy pace. I felt I needed the treadmill to keep me at my easy pace.

Tuesday night I ran 6.12 miles at a 9:26 pace in 57:47 minutes. The plan called for an easy run. 9:26 is closer to my marathon pace, but at 6 miles it is still an easy run for me.

Wednesday the plan called for a 40 minute long run, I went to the gym and did stretching and some weight training.

Thursday I ran 7 miles at work at a 8:23 pace in 59 minutes. The plan called for cross-training, but I did my long run.

I’m not good at following directions, and I’m already off track!

I’m on a 5 day a week plan, so I have Friday and Saturday off. Tomorrow calls for a 30 minute run and then 4×100 meter strides. I need to find out what “strides” are. I plan on running 8 miles at an 9 minute pace.

First Week Review

I did run three days this week which is my commitment for 2013. If I can establish this habit now I’ll be in good shape to maintain this routine in 2013. I have never done much cross-training and I need to work on that. I think strength training and stretching count, at least it will for me.

Continue reading “Active Advantage Intermediate 5K Program”

Active Advantage Membership

I decided to take the plunge and sign up for Active.com‘s Active Advantage Program.

active advantage,discounts

The first month is $1.99 and then they will conveniently and automatically enroll you for the next twelve months. For the low, low price of $59.95 I will get these benefits for the next 12 months. If you sign up for the trial period and do not plan on keeping the plan, make sure you opt out of the automatic re-newel.

Active Advantage Membership Benefits

No registration fees for any race that uses Active.com for registration. I have saved about $10 all ready.

Free Event entries. They provide a limited number of free entries to running events. The ones that are currently available are in Florida, Illinois and California. Since they know I live in Massachusetts, it makes me wonder why they only send me free entries to races so far away.

This just seems like a gimmick to make me feel like I could get a free race. I’m not saving anything by flying across the country for a 5K. A few free local race registrations would make the cost of membership worthwhile.

They also have product discounts and product give aways. Interestingly enough, each time I have tried to look at these offers their website keeps kicking me back to the registration page of the last race I signed up for on their site. So I can’t tell you much about this feature of membership other than the fact that my skepticism grows.

Free Training Plans. I have never been a fan of paying for a training plan. My running has improved over the years, but I could probably do better with some guidance. They have everything from “Couch to 5K” to “Advanced Marathon” plans. The prices range from $19.95 to $35.95, but are free with membership. Since the plans are included with membership I will definitely try a few of these out over the next year.

I run a lot of races each year and I’m hoping I can save enough on my processing fees to make this membership worthwhile. I’ll let you know.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.