Week of Redemption

In the spirit of Easter, I thought I'd share an injury update and how I've recovered from it. Few are the training cycles during which one doesn't encounter some sort of injury. During the build-up to Philly, I was able to avoid serious injury, although I was battling a sore plantar for a couple weeks. This time around, I have not been as fortunate. As I warned in my last post, I had aggravated a mild injury (tibialis anterior tenosynovitis for you medical jockeys) during the New Bedford half and it was throbbing by the time I got home. I had raced against my better judgment and now I was paying for the PR!

During the following week, I laid a big goose egg in the running department. As you can see from the graph, I haven't done this in over a year.

3/17-23
Mon: 30 min. core work; irritated tendon
Tue: 45 min. stationary bike (14 miles); good workout and no pain.
Thu: 45 min. elliptical; tendon still inflamed.
Sat & Sun: rested.
Total: 0 miles

This injury is a familiar foe, as it popped up just before New Bedford last year. Anyone else ever experienced injury deja vu? Fortunately for me, the tendon stopped protesting by the beginning of this week, just in time for me to get one more quality week in before tapering. Rationally, this rest week was probably a good thing, but I had to convince the irrational demons in my head that my fitness would still be there. Here's a quick summary of the most recent week:

3/24-30
Mon: 1 hr elliptical, 30 min. core work; great workout and no pain
Tue: 11.2 miles, including 2x4x800 @ 5:32/mile, best interval workout in a long time
Wed: 30 min. elliptical, 30 min. core work
Thu: 10.5 miles @ 7:37; energizing trail run, no problems with the tendon
Fri: off
Sat: 6 miles, including 5 @ 6:03; solid tempo effort
Sun: 22.7 miles @ 6:45, didn't plan on doing a 22 miler at marathon pace, but that's what happened. More below.
Total: 50.4 miles

Now you understand why I titled this blog entry "Week of Redemption." After not running for more than a week, I came back with a vengeance and had 3 really solid workouts. I cranked out my best interval workout in 3 months and then followed that with a solid tempo effort at the weekly Fresh Pond 5 Miler. I'd be lying to you if I said I planned on doing 6:03 miles, but after the 1st 2.5 mile loop, I found the pace comfortable and decided to pick it up slightly. Hard to believe I missed my PR by 23 seconds on a tempo run. However, this was only a preview of what was to come on Sunday. I think my log entry will suffice:

Crewed Dead Runner's Society run

Beautiful day for a long run. Lots of other marathoner's doing their long runs. Ran in a well organized pack with BAA guys (Josh, Mike, Pat, Chris, and John). Felt comfortable for the 1st 6 miles. Had to concentrate a little harder from mile 6-10 to keep up, then hit a nice 2nd wind from Natick to the Wellesley downhill. Still holding pace pretty well over the 1st hill after the firehouse, but really cracking on Heartbreak. Only later did I realize it was because the guys were dropping the hammer (some 6:15s i think) over the hills, while I was probably just holding pace. It was nice with all the well-stocked aid cars! Can't believe I was only seconds off Philly marathon pace. Probably should add about 10 minutes for water stops, but still a ridiculously fast run. Didn't feel completely thrashed after the run, but tomorrow will be a light day. Is this a sign of things to come?

Splits:
7:11, 6:59, 6:43, 6:48, 6:54, 6:40, 6:45, 6:41, 6:33, 6:46, 6:54, 6:40, 6:41, 6:52, 6:50, 6:38, 6:42, 6:47, 6:29, 6:15, 6:16, 6:25, 6:44 pace for .7mi

Alright, time to taper, folks!

2008 New Bedford Half Marathon Race Report

Whenever the New Bedford 1/2 rolls around, it signals the beginning of the spring.... even though the times I've run this race, the conditions have been decidedly un-spring-like. At least the fish chowder is good enough for seconds (although many of my fellow runners detest this post-race tradition). I've run well here in the past, although in the interest of full disclosure, this race has never been a good indicator of future performance at Boston:


2006 - 1:28:54/3:30:07
2007 - 1:26:54/3:12:35
2008 - ?/?

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I had a race strategy and the weather seemed to be holding up, so no reason to make any game time changes. After last week's 23 miler, an old anterior tibialis tendinitis injury flared up, so I spent most of the week diligently cross training and trying to stay off my feet. I went out for short test run Saturday morning and emerged pain-free. I may end up paying for racing on top of an overuse injury...

As the starting time approached, the forecasted snow/rain mix seemed to be staying away, so the conditions were as close to ideal as we were going to get. It was time to take another crack at a half marathon PR! I took a brief warm-up jog with Flash, then squeezed my way to the front of the pack as the national anthem started. I found Pat in the crowd and we decided to work together. We cruised along for the 1st two miles, generally hiding behind packs to stay out of the wind. The first hill was relatively easy and we ran by John Barrett, who seemed to be moving along comfortably. I was also trying to keep GCDavid in sight, as I knew from past races he was slightly faster. We took the 2nd hill starting at mile 3 a little harder, but I still felt under control when we crested the hill and turned into the neighborhood section.

I was starting to feel warm and had untucked my shirt just to get some extra ventilation. Around mile 4, Pat started to pull away ever so slightly, but with the mile 12 hill looming in the back of my mind, I decided I wasn't ready yet to push the pace. He picked up about a 50m advantage on me, and the gap would stay the same for much of the race. I was averaging just under 6:20 at this point and wondering how much the pace would drop on the downhill miles. GCDavid was still rolling along looking very comfortable, and I focused on trying to hang with him. My tibialis tendon started to uncomfortable around mile 6, but it was more pressure than pain and my gait was unaffected, so I decided to press on. I took my GU here and downed it with water. I think I saw a girl with a pet rabbit on a leash, although I could have been hallucinating... Things were feeling pretty smooth when we swung a left on Cove Rd and hit our first unobstructed headwind of the race. I tried to pull up on GCDavid to get some shelter, but the wind made it very difficult to make up ground. I decided to hold off until we hit the peninsula and hope I could use a tailwind to my advantage. As we hit mile 8, I was comforted by the fact miles 5-8 had been in the low 6:00s and I still felt reasonably fresh with the headwinds and finishing hill still to go.

I still can't figure out what happened from mile 8 to 9. My plan was to pull even with GCDavid and work with his pack through the tough portion from mile 9-11. But for whatever reason, I found myself losing focus and running my slowest split of the day for mile 9. This would be my biggest tactical mistake of the day. Now I had the tough job of making ground into a headwind. I felt strong throughout the tough headwind stretch and passed a lot of runners. However, I wasn't making up any ground on GCDavid's group. A BAA runner from his group had gradually dropped back and as I passed him, he decided to hitch up with me. He turned out to be a really disruptive running "partner." At the next water stop, he veered off to get water, then veered back and cut right in front of me. His breathing was pretty ragged, so I couldn't figure out why he didn't tuck in behind me. As he slowed, I moved to pass him, but he responded by surging and cutting me off again. I couldn't believe the lack of teamwork this guy was showing, especially another BAA runner! I moved to pass yet again and this time he sidled up beside and threw a couple light elbows in my direction. This pissed me off and I surged to gap him and was eventually running solo into the wind. Soon, I heard footsteps, but it turned out to be a different runner who was happy to use me as windshield. At the least, the episode had kept me occupied until reaching mile 11. Miles 10 and 11 had been just under 6:20, so I was in good shape for a PR.

I still hadn't made up the gap on GCDavid and I think he started pulling away at this point. I focused on reeling in Pat so that hopefully he was within striking distance on the last finishing stretch. When I hit mile 12 and the finishing hill, I tried to shift to another gear but found that I couldn't. Instead, I could only manage to maintain the same effort level. I felt low on energy, and wasn't sure if it was because I needed another GU, or that I had expended too much energy fighting the headwind. I probably would have been fresher if I had made contact with GCDavid's pack, but now it was a moot point. A PR was still well within reach and it was time to put the finishing touches on the race. As I crested the hill, I stretched out my stride to try to catch a couple more people, and do the same going through the final downhill stretch. Rounding the last right turn leading into the finishing stretch, I spotted Pat and another runner about 50m ahead. I ramped up to a finishing kick and started reeling them in, but ended up about 2 strides short of the next runner and about 8 sec. back from Pat.

So another half marathon and another PR! My half marathon times seem to be much more consistent than my marathon times, which may just point to the unpredictability of the longer race. Here are the race results. Today's effort was good enough for a 1:21:46 (a PR by exactly 1 minute) and 164th place. I have to hand it to fellow BAA runner GCDavid for a strong effort and stronger finish. Overall, I'm ecstatic about the time, although I'll be the first to admit I could benefit from better race strategy in the future. My tibialis anterior is a little tender today, so I'm going to closely monitor it this week. Oh, and the fish chowder was excellent as always.... I needed to exercise some self control to keep from having a third bowl.

Splits:

Mile	Split	Lap	Avg	Max
1	06:19	6:18.6	153	169
2	12:35	6:16.6	166	168
3	18:55	6:19.9	169	172
4	25:16	6:20.7	172	177
5	31:18	6:02.6	169	173
6	37:21	6:02.6	168	171
7	43:28	6:06.8	166	171
8	49:24	5:56.6	170	173
9	55:47	6:23.1	167	170
10	1:02:03	6:15.7	171	173
11	1:08:23	6:19.9	171	173
12	1:14:43	6:20.1	169	171
13	1:21:06	6:22.9	169	172
13.1	1:21:46	0:40.0	168	171
Total	1:21:46	6:14.2	168	177

F**kin' New England Weather!

One of the things I've noticed since becoming a more serious runner is that I've become acutely aware of the weather, but at the same time less concerned with how it will impact me. I know... it sounds a bit of an oxymoron, but New England winters do make your skin thick. Nonetheless, these last two weeks have really tested my patience. Since I've lived here for 7 years now, I think I've earned the right to a paragraph of reproach.

Here's a summary of the weather over the last two weeks:
Nice, rain, rain then windy, cold, really cold, heavy snow, very windy, nice, heavy rain, windy, nice, rain, heavy rain, windy. We got fall, winter, and spring covered in two weeks, no? As a result, I've gone through my entire running wardrobe. Usually the weather doesn't bother me, but there were three runs in particular that I was not prepared for. I ran home from work one day and grabbed shorts and T thinking it was going to be a nice day, but instead was greeted with a steady cold headwind along the Charles River. The next time was on a cool-down run after intervals at MIT. I had brought my jacket knowing it was raining, but on the way back I was faced with the choice of staying dry and overheating, or staying cool but getting wet. I chose to get wet... no soaked. The last was an out and back run up in Maine... there was some intense wind gusts following the weekend's snowstorm and I spent the out portion running at what felt like 8:00 pace, but in reality was closer to a 9:00 pace. It felt like I was "pissin' into the wind" (as the Irish say), and wind was so loud I could barely hear myself breathing. Anyway, that's enough protesting from me. I've aired my wet laundry....

Weather aside, this has been the most consistent two weeks of this training cycle and I finally put in a 60+ mile week.
Mon: no pool run, 30 min. core work-out
Tue: 10 miles, 3x(800,400,800) @ 5:34, forgot shorts so running with shirtless with sweats; looked ridiculous
Wed: 30 min. pool run, 30 min. core work; 7.7 miles @ 7:27, parts against a bone-chilling headwind
Thu: 6.8 miles @ 7:39; moderate run
Fri: off
Sat: 7.3 miles @ 8:3, easy run in the snow near Sunday River
Sun: 11 miles @ 7:5, longish run in Newry, ME, ridiculous headwind
Total: 42.7 miles

Mon: AM - 30 min. pool run, PM - 5.9 miles @ 7:40 on the treadmill, 30 min. core work
Tue: 11.4 miles including 4x2000m @ 5:50, tough workout, no bounce in the legs
Wed: 7.7 miles @ 7:38, very comfortable run after yesterdays workout
Thu: 10 miles w/ 8 miles @ 6:30, great MP workout, some 6:20s, but slowed with the headwind
Fri: off
Sat: 3.1 miles @ 6:54, cruising on this run, good shake out run in preparation for Sunday's long run.
Sun: 23 miles @ 7:11, long run starting in Hopkinton, fast, tempo from 10-15, then eased back on the hills. Hills were tougher than two weeks ago.
Total - 61 miles

I'm psyched to be back over 60 miles and I believe I'm in great shape for Boston. This next week will be a lighter week as I look ahead to New Bedford. I PRed here last year, and I hope to do it again this year. Its a fair and moderately challenging course. The first 4 miles are hilly, followed by 5 miles of gradual downhill. After mile 9, in the peninsula, we usually get a pretty solid headwind, and the last mile is uphill, with the last 200m or so a straight shot to the finish line. I'd like to start in the 6:20s for the 1st 4 miles, drop down to a 6:00s for the miles 5-9, and then try to hold 6:15 for miles 10-12 before giving it all I have over the last part of the course. This should get me something in the 1:21s. If I'm feeling really good, I may shoot for the 1:20s.

Six weeks to Boston!