Beer, Bridges, and Bubbles

A weekend of extremes. Friday night, let myself celebrate the start of a new phase of my life. I am jobless, soon-to-be broke, and settling back into full time classes.

Yoga on Saturday morning took the edge off my post-celebratory state, put the run off until 5 PM. I'll call this the "Easy Run that Wasn't, or BFB Jr." not because of the prior night's imprudence, but mostly because I ran harder than planned. I didn't do arcade sprints like last time, but I'm learning that the nature of the route makes it difficult to run easy. 6+ miles in 51:29. HR 158. Cold bath afterwards to help with the left hip issue, which doesn't seem to be getting any worse.

Sunday morning took a trip to Wissahickon Dr with MM. This was, simply put, amazing. Warmed up nice and easy with MM for roughly 12 min, then picked it up to a steady pace, which I held for about 75 min before returning to cool down. The path to Northwestern Ave is studded with the green shoots of fresh plant growth, and the 5 or so uphill miles were spent picking out these and other subtleties of spring which normally elude me. Glenn Gould provided rhythmic impetus with his Goldberg Variations. I am more amazed each time I hear these. After u-turning at Northwestern Ave it was back to where I started, a bit quicker because of the downhill. The pace became tougher to maintain after this turnaround and the return leg of this run always seems longer than the way out. I was glad to slow down when I met MM at the start of the paved trail. My legs were feeling pretty battered at this point. The pace of this run was around the slower end of my tempo range - not too slow, just fast enough to beat me up a little. I got everything I wanted out of the 13+ miles, including great scenery, wonderful music, and good company. Total time, 1:41:17. HR 168. Afterwards, cold bath. Spent the afternoon at my folks' house, which has a hot tub among other amenities such as a backyard and no cold drafts. I wanted to spend the night in the bubbles and steam. Since I ran out of time in the morning, I did my core routine after all this. Bringing myself to do this was one of the most challenging things I've done in a long while.

[3 x 25 pushups, 3 x 25 situps, 3 x 15 lateral leg lifts, 3 x 15 “donkey kicks,” 3 x 15 piriformis lifts, 3 x 10 single-leg squats, various stretches]

Welcome easy day today with yoga this morning.

Monday Recap

3/24 - PM yoga
3/25 - 6 mi fartlek/49:53, stretch/core
3/26 - 5 mi/42:45
3/27 - 7 mi tempo/52:02, stretch/core, PM yoga
3/28 - 4 mi/34:28
3/29 - 6 mi/51:29, AM yoga
3/30 - 13 mi/1:41:17, stretch/core

41+ miles for the week in 5:32, 8:00 average pace. Focused on consolidating hard and easy efforts. I liked that easy days (such as 3/28) were just that, no strings attached. Easier on the mind too. Legs tired but manageable. Looking forward to Tyler Arboretum 10k next weekend.

T.G.I.Easy

Yesterday whooped me. Tough morning workout with a subsequently tougher yoga class in the evening. A glass of wine left me catatonic. Slept heavy. Short recovery jog this morning, a little over 4 miles in 34:28. HR 148. It wasn’t very hard to run easy.

Biding My Time

Warmed up with some strides and stretches, off by 5:20 or so. Ran about 200 m in the wrong direction, turned around and started over. I was all psyched to revisit last week’s tempo workout, but for some reason I’d gotten confused about where the route started. I vowed to keep a steadier pace than last week, where I started slower and built gradually. It was windier then. Today was perfect, mid-40s, not much wind.

Warmup, then hit the first mile in…what? 6:03? Can’t be right, especially since the first split is uphill. This sort of threw me off for the next few min, although when the second split came in at 7:27 I realized that I’d hit the split button on my watch too soon in the 1^st mile. OK, easy math, average 6:45 for 2 miles. I focused on keeping the pace steady through downtown, and finished the 4 tempo miles in 27:02. This works out to almost exactly 6:45 average, which is slower than last week. I think this is alright, since my goal for these workouts isn’t really to race, but to keep a consistent effort. On this front today’s attempt was better than the last, but I still look forward to improvement. The futility of even splits on an unmarked course will probably lead me to settle for less than I would on a track. I guess I'll be disappointed if that 27:02 doesn't creep slowly downward over the next month, but I'm trying to be patient. Legs feel strong, no pain, tightness in left hip still improving. 7 in 52:02.

[3 x 25 pushups, 3 x 25 situps, 3 x 15 lateral leg lifts, 3 x 15 “donkey kicks,” 3 x 15 piriformis lifts, 3 x 10 single-leg squats, various stretches]

Easy Feels Easy

And this is refreshing after yesterday. Same tour of Penn's Landing I've been doing on my easy days of late. I say I'm sick of it but I'm sure I'd miss it if it was taken from me. There's something nice about weathering the same paths again and again. Tightness in my left hip/gluteal area is waning but is still tender to the touch. Otherwise my legs are feeling markedly peppy. Slightly over 5 miles in 42:45. Average HR 149.

Stormy Tuesday

Felt like Monday though. Things were all bass ackwards. Occasionally I'll make a small adjustment to my routine to see how it affects me. Today I ate a little before my run, something I usually reserve for before long runs. I like heading out the door hungry and returning to enjoy a satisfying breakfast. As circumstance had it I also did my core routine before running.

Needless to say I was tired and heavy when I finally got on my feet. Should have expected this. Returned to last Wednesday's 6-mile roundabout with the following in mind: 15 min w/u - 15 min fartlek - 15 min c/d. The warmup was really slow and more labored than it should have been. The fartlek was really fun, as these have been in the past, and it felt like a game. I let myself run hard for anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and then matched that time with slow jogs. I don't remember what the progression was but I ended up with about 7 or so quicker repeats. Strategically it became easier to run hard for 2 min because I would then get 2 min of rest, as opposed to 30 s on/off which seemed harder. The cooldown was a slog back home. I guess I'm due for one of these days after a stretch of comfortable running. Just over 6 in just under 50. HR high, 163.

[3x20 situps, 3x20 pushups, 3x15 lateral leg lifts, 3x10 single-leg squats, 3x10 standing piriformis lifts, minimal stretching]

Of Mice and Bed

A damn mouse kept me awake last night. I'd worked up quite a sleep deficit last week and all that eating yesterday left me looking forward to some solid shut-eye. To top this off, I was apparently making clucking sounds in my dormant state.

Amidst this weirdness, and considering that Mondays are my rest days, these reasons were enough to convince me that sleeping in was what I needed today. Maybe I'll try my usual Monday yoga after work today.

Monday Recap

3/17 - AM yoga
3/18 - 5.25 mi/45:59, stretch/core
3/19 - 6 mi/46:12
3/20 - 5.4 mi/45:00, PM yoga
3/21 - 7 mi/51:55 (4 mi tempo), stretch/core
3/22 - 5.2 mi/45:40, AM yoga
3/23 - 10 mi/1:24:37, stretch

Just about 39 miles for the week in 5:19:23, 8:13 average pace. Slightly higher mileage than last week but still moderate. I like that instead of all moderate intensity runs (like last week), I buffered harder efforts between lots of easier runs. I'm comfortable with this mileage for a while, building to 45 or so before I run Broad St in May. 6 weeks till then should include tempo runs and some long intervals, periodic (but sparse) hill repeats.

Trespassing at Thomas Point

Yesterday evening MM and I arrived in Annapolis to visit some of MM's family friends.  I've never been here, and I was excited at the prospect of spending this morning exploring a piedi.  It was chilly but sunny when I stepped into the fresh bay air, and I was supremely satisfied not to be in the city.  Right about this time every year the grayness of winter starts to erode my spirit; the thought of leaves on the trees keeps me motivated.

I knew I'd be down here today so I planned this out-and-back.  Yesterday's pre-run hesitation carried over into today a little, but my legs felt much better, and as the miles ticked by, my smile grew wider.  Right at the end of the seemingly high-valued strip of real estate on Thomas Point Rd, there was a fence blocking my path into the state park.  I appreciated this gate for one reason, and that's that it was imposing enough to keep traffic out, but short enough to climb over.  Though I was slightly underdressed the sound of wind rustling the tall marsh grass kept me warm, as did the spectacular views of the bay from the tip of Thomas Point.  The time on my feet today was spent pondering one fundamental reason I do this thing, and that is to better facilitate the simple ability to explore.  In my mind there's no better way to learn about a place than to be in it, walking, biking, running, etc.  I had an overwhelming desire to float off into the bay in lotus pose but I quelled the desire so as not to miss out on the holiday feast later today.  10 miles in 1:24:37 is lighter than recent Sunday's but just enough to work up an appetite.

Snow March

I saw snow this morning. Nobody believes me.

After some yoga I finally made it out the door. Didn't really want to run much, partly because my left hip has been bothering me, partly because I'm sick of Penn's Landing. Alas, you pay for what you get, and I pay more for food than I do for rent. And I wouldn't consider myself obese. So in the end I don't have very many traffic-free running routes to choose from. Folks travel from Maine to Florida via my backyard.

Was taken by surprise when I ended up really enjoying the roughly 46 minutes I was out. I took it very slow. Somewhere around 5-1/4 miles.

Wind Chillin'

It wasn’t that cold when I headed out at 5:20 this morning but the wind took me back to January in my mind. Last night I thought about a route for today and memorized the mile splits, with the idea that I’d do 4 tempo miles between a warmup and cooldown.

After some strides and stretching I leaned into the wind for a 2 mile easy jog. This went by in 17:23, largely uphill and with a headwind, and judging by this time I knew that it’d be a challenge to up the pace. Spring Garden is not a serious hill headed west, but it’s long and steady and coupled with the wind it proved to be more of an obstacle than expected.

First tempo split is 7:03, and I’m still headed uphill, still accelerating. Maybe it’s because I haven’t done an official tempo run for a while, but the image of a newborn fawn comes to mind here, teetering for the first few upright moments but finally gaining control. Once the hill rounds out around 20^th street it’s a different story. Now I’m going down, steadily, and I loop around Eakin’s Oval and the second split is 6:31. Splits three and four are 6:36 and 6:28. By the end I’m breathing heavy and I knew if the wind wasn’t to my back these splits would be closer to 6:40. Jog the last mile back home for a total of 7 miles in 51:55.

I've been running without the Garmin pace display, and this is the 2^nd run of late that I focused on hitting mile split goals, and it’s telling that these splits have been a bit inconsistent. The idea is to improve my perception of effort, which will likely take some practice. Though today’s effort was slightly quicker than I’d anticipated, I always felt in control, and I also have the wind to blame, this time for making me faster. Some great pseudo-yoga stretching afterwards leaves me only moderately stiff.

[3 x 20 pushups, 3 x 15 “donkey kicks,” 3 x 20 situps, 3 x 15 lateral leg lifts, various stretches]

High Life

Or bright life at least. Slept past 6 for the 2nd day in a row, this time because I had a late morning dental appointment (this entailed 2 windy bike sprints). The sun was up when I went out. Nothing extraordinary about today's run, except that it's a palindrome: 5.4 in 45.

Training Wheels

Had the luxury of a day off from work, but had the the burden of studying for and taking final exams. Mid-cram I had to release some tension, process all that info I've been memorizing. Mapped out a 6 mile roundabout, noting the mile split locations. Turned off the pace display on my Garmin and figured I'd do an easy progression run, 8:30-8:15-8:00-7:45-7:30-7:15.

Mile 1: 7:50. Felt slower.
Mile 2: 8:08. Back in range but feels forced.
Mile 3: 7:53. Can't seem to hold my legs back. Just let 'em run.
Mile 4: 7:40
Mile 5: 7:29
Mile 6: 7:13

Funny how things came together when I stopped trying. HR a bit higher than expected at 172.

Diversion Tactics

At 5:30 AM I cross Delaware Ave at E Columbia and head into a moonlit Penn Treaty Park. I never do this, though I’m not really sure why. As soon as I loop back to Del Ave I sense something strange, but what is it? Something’s different here, but I can’t put my finger on it. Wait a minute. What’s up with all the traffic? It’s worse than evening rush hour out here and at this point I realize that one of two possible scenarios is taking place.

A) I’ve stepped through a time portal into a warm January evening, and my clock is referring to 5:30 PM instead of AM. More likely something else is going on, something more serious.

B) A flabbergasted financier from a particular Wall St firm pulled the plug to the Universal Drain in an attempt to flush his/her dubious balance sheet. Incidentally, the Universal Drain exists in the only place on Earth where the Earth is still flat, and you have to take the freight elevator to the 13th floor of this particular firm to get there. When the bone-headed broker pulled the plug, the planet’s water supply immediately started dwindling. This explains why the Delaware River ferry at Penn’s Landing is docked much lower than normal. I knew it. That sign that reads “50 elephants aboard this vessel” is merely a diversion tactic.

In an attempt to bottle the last of the dwindling water supply, the world population has undertaken an overnight pilgrimage to a particular casino’s planned development site, which happens to be on N Delaware Ave, and also happens to be the last accessible source of fresh water on Earth. Explains all the traffic, tractor trailers especially. Ironically, the spigot lies within the perimeter of an 18th century British military fort, and the Historical Society has prohibited any tampering with the site. Shucks.

46 min and 5-¼ miles later, I realize that the real source of all the traffic is the closure of I-95, and that the reason the ferry is docked so low is because the river is tidal. Ebbs and flows. Back to reality.

Figured to shake myself out of this lucid state I’d better get back to my core routine, so I take baby steps.

[3 x 20 pushups, 3 x 20 situps, 3 x 12 single leg squats]

Couldn’t hardly find my Monday morning shoes…

Feeling like I have a life hangover. About right for a Monday after entertaining an unexpected guest for 5 days, and a couple of late week bigger runs. I even almost fell asleep while doing yoga this morning.

Monday Recap

3/10 – rest
3/11 – 22 mi cycling / 1:29:27
3/12 – 7.8 mi / 1:01:33
3/13 – PM yoga
3/14 – 6.1 mi / 49:00
3/15 – 7.9 mi / 59:00
3/16 – 15 mi / 2:02

I’m tired, but I don’t have any regrets about last week. Moderate in terms of miles (~37 for the week in 4:50, average 7:55 pace), but a good week as far as intensity goes. Actually, for a week that I’d planned to take off, this was quite a lot. But that’s what happens when I drift from a structured plan. Looking forward to settling in to one of those in the next few weeks. As far as spring races go, I missed my chance to register for the Mt. Penn Mudfest (15k trail race) but it’s probably for the better since my left ankle is fussy on treacherous terrain. I think I realized that I don’t really want to race on the trails at this point, more just to run on them every once in a while.

This seems laborious, so I’m gonna stop. See you tomorrow.

Equilibrium

Mike says that's what happens when you run on days like this. Cool air, spritzing rain, indirect sunlight. The surroundings suck the heat out of you at the same rate your body produces it, resulting in a comfortable balance.

At just about 9 AM Seebo showed up at the PMA to meet anyone interested in some longer miles. Two takers today, myself and English Mike. While the two of them are gearing up for Boston next month, I'm just looking to maintain and recover from Caesar Rodney, so I decided I'd do 14 miles give or take. Not marathon long, but long enough for me today.

Relatively familiar route, West on Kelly Drive till the Wissahickon, then up to Forbidden Drive. Mike split off after roughly 8 miles out from the PMA, and Seebo and I climbed our way into Roxborough and down into Manayunk via the infamous Wall, an incline that must be steeper than 15% grade in some spots. During this race cyclists climb this hill 10 times on the course loop. I was happy to be descending only once.

At Main St I hung a left to head back to Kelly Drive and Seebo took a right, looking to cross over the Schuylkill onto Belmont Ave. By now the effects of yesterday's workout, my sorry excuse for sleep last night, and my mildly dehydrated state were conspiring to make me feel sorry for myself. This never happened, but the going got tougher the closer I got to Lloyd Hall. In response, I upped the pace ever so slightly and brought in a strong finish (relatively speaking). Doing so when I'm tired seems to loosen me up and give me something to focus on besides my heavy legs. All in all, wrapped up about 15 miles in roughly 2:02. Maybe it's just me, but I thought we were faster than that. I'll sleep well tonight.

BFB

Practiced my procrastination today and pushed my run off until early evening. Worked out for the better, as I ended up with some idle time to think about where I wanted to run. Hard to make this decision today – I wouldn’t be satisfied with a mere joyride. I needed something to focus on. And since I’m feeling antsy these days I didn’t want to go to the track or do a tempo run. So, as an attempt to make use of a great local resource, I decided to run the Ben Franklin Bridge.

This bridge can be divided roughly into 9 sections by the arcades that suspend the traffic lights (lane control lights). I could have done something like 8 x 75 second repeats up a single stretch, but this seemed too formal. I decided to just run the whole bridge back and forth, alternating hard and recovery efforts between the arcades. Turned into the 1st real hard workout I’ve done in some time. Readers beware: the remainder of this post will delve into split times and distances, but I’ll try to be as poetic as I can about it. I’m getting this down mostly as a reference for myself for future attempts.

The approximate distances between the arcades are from 250 to 350 m. Since what goes up must come down, I’d be running 2 hard uphills, then 2 hard downhills, then turn around and repeat back to Philly. After about a 3½-mile jaunt around Penn’s Landing, the workout went something like this:

PA TO NJ
340 m up, 74 s
260 m rest, 87 s
260 m up, 53 s
270 m rest, 86 s
270 m down, 52 s
260 m rest, 80 s
270 m down, 51 s
500 m rest, 153 s

NJ TO PA
290 m up, 57 s
270 m rest, 99 s
260 m up, 56 s
270 m rest, 90 s
270 m down, 53 s
260 m rest, 83 s
260 m down, 47 s

These splits are approximate, but fairly accurate. The bridge turns asymmetrical on the Jersey side so the last rest over there got extended. I adjusted the Garmin so it only showed me my split times. Also HR, only to find out my max. It seems to be just about 197. As it turned out, my splits were fairly consistent, adjusting for the slight differences in their distances. Looking forward to doing this again, but probably not for a couple weeks.

Altogether about 8 miles in about an hour. Average HR 173.

Savings Shmavings

Seems like us morning folk are taking this sudden morning darkness pretty hard. Thinking back on past years, this has traditionally been the week when one hour of sleep just disappears from my routine. In other words, instead of falling asleep when my clock says 10:30 or so I hit the hay around 11:30, when my body tells me to. But my alarm jolts me awake at the usual clock time, one hour early according to my internal clock, and I end up one hour short. Later in the day the extended sunlight makes me want to stay up later and the cycle continues. Needless to say, by summer I'm getting by on a few hours a night. Luckily, this week I've had a break. Between somewhat lax training, shorter commutes to work, and early ends to my days I've managed to sleep a little later.

I awoke around 6 today and decided to hit the streets. Just easy running, nothing structured, and I had to sprint across intersections a few times to avoid traffic. Out and back to the PMA, where I've spotted an exponentially increasing number of runners in recent mornings. Hovered around a pace that felt easy but turned out to be slightly quicker than I expected, progressing to around tempo effort within the last mile or so.

Oh, and according to this chart, we'll gain just over a half-hour of morning sun back in the next two weeks, and by mid-April we'll be back to where we were last week. For the record, just over 6 miles in just under 49 minutes. Average HR 152.

My Life in Musical Analogue

As luck would have it I wound up with 2 extra hours in my day today. Often when this happens I go into sort of a shock mode, like a deer in headlights. What do I do now? And I’d been on my feet all day performing moderately (OK, maybe severely) boring tasks on which I won’t elaborate here, so I was kind of groggy. Not feeling sad or angry, but not good either, just kind of like I was existing in some sort of continuum over which I had no control. The kind of feeling that running can cure.

Parked at Lloyd Hall more out of convenience than because I wanted to run the Drives. Luckily I’d thrown some shoes and shorts in the car this morning. Had no plan, and I set off on a clockwise loop. Figured I’d get in from 45 to 60 min.

I’ve been trying to incorporate strides (or surges, or acceleration gliders, or whatever the hell you wanna call them) into my runs lately, so I decided to very loosely put together around 8 x 20 sec with 1 min jogs in between. This started after about 6 min. Again, these were very loose, some shorter, some longer, faster, slower, etc. Tried to focus on form, as I imagine this is why one would do these sorts of things to begin with.

After 4 of these I decided I’d had enough of the traffic on MLK and turned onto Lansdowne Ave. I discontinued the bursts, not because I couldn’t continue them uphill along Lansdowne, but because I didn’t want to tear my legs up too soon after CR. This ended up working out nicely in retrospect. Ran steadily at a mostly easy pace around West Fairmount on a route that I can’t recall at this point. Very meandering, including onto the grass on Belmont Plateau and into the fire trails briefly, and finally past the lot where I got stuck last Friday. Found my way back to MLK via Montgomery, and when I reached Sweetbriar again I began 4 more bursts. This time with a tailwind, and I felt like I was flying. With about a mile to go I tried to bring it in steady, not particularly fast, but focused and with good form. This became challenging once I turned back West into the wind for the last ½ mile around the PMA, but I never lost focus.

What I really like about this run is that it was unplanned, but it still turned into a decent workout. Two blocks of surges with some slower hills sandwiched between. And I consciously tried to base my efforts on feel as opposed to HR or pace. I think it provides an explanation to me of the difference between seriousness and sincerity, something I’ve been pondering about lately. If I’d been playing music for this 1:01:34, I think it would’ve sounded much like this record.

Epistrophy

‘Twas the right morning for riding. Last night I adjusted my new saddle and packed some spare clothes into a single pannier. Had the idea that it would take me about 1 ½ hours to get to Wayne along this meandering route. Set off a little before 7, and it’s strange that it’s once again pretty dark at this hour. I’ve ridden most of the roads along this route before, and I remember that a few stretches can be kind of treacherous because of the traffic. I was glad to cross over Kelly Drive and onto the path. Slight headwind, but I found a comfortable cadence and cruised along at just over 16 mph.

Through Manayunk, I thought about hitting the Canal Tow Path, but decided instead to stick to the streets for the sake of a smoother ride. I worked up Umbria St, which is mostly uphill, and was glad to dip down to the river basin and find the Valley Forge trail. Now I zone out, ride straight ahead, enjoying an eclectic mix a la Dylan and ‘Trane. I see two runners separately to my surprise. Far way out to be on foot.

Once I cross the river in Conshohocken I see that I’ve been moving along at the same pace as the traffic on I-76. Glad I’m not up there today. Matson Ford Rd is not as bad as I remember it, still some winter debris along the shoulder. Hit Upper Gulph, and I start to think that I may well have chosen the absolute hilliest route possible. I get out of the saddle for a few of the steepest stretches but mostly I’m just steady spinning. Start to worry that I underestimated the time it would take me to get to Wayne.

Finally turn off Upper Gulph around the Valley Forge Military Academy and I’m through the toughest climbs, now the hills are rolling. Not too much later I see the Strafford train station and I’ve reached my destination in 1:29:27. Not bad. Would’ve only been here 15 minutes sooner had I driven or trained it.

My legs are nice and loose, and I think this ride was helpful in quelling some residual soreness from Sunday. I can’t wait for the leaves to bloom.

Forward

Well earned rest this morning. No yoga, just guilt free rest. Actually, back in February I planned to take this entire week as a break from running, and it seems to fit since I don’t have any immediate goals. Those are something I’ve thought a lot about lately. Goals, and perspective, both things I tend to lose sight of in the moment. Some would turn to a psychological or chemical diagnosis of this tendency, whereas I tend to think it’s mostly just a product of our (or my) post-post-industrial digitized lifestyle. Ones and zeros.

Anyway, I’ve learned a lot about myself and this sport in the past 9 months. The good thing about yesterday is that it gives me a clear benchmark of my fitness level. I can point to periods of the past and ascertain how different types of training affect me. I’m thinking the best thing I can do right now is just be consistent. I’ll be focusing on a fall marathon, but this is a long time away. Now I just need miles. Not beating myself into record high-mileage weeks – I found out in January and February that I’m capable of more than I’d imagined, but for the next couple months I don’t want to “walk the knife’s edge” so to speak. Just steady, patient miles, not all easy, but not all hard. And fine tuning my strength workouts. I’ve come up with some key workouts and spring races I’d like to do, but I expect that only a few of these will involve all-out efforts. And, as I don’t like absolutes, instead of no running this week, I’m just gonna run when I feel like it.

Monday Recap

3/3 – 6.25 mi / 52:55
3/4 – 4.7 mi / 36:14
3/5 – 5 mi / 41:25
3/6 – PM yoga
3/7 – 4.2 mi / 31:21
3/8 – AM yoga
3/9 – AM yoga, Caesar Rodney HM / 1:30:37

Short and sweet running week with some excellent yoga. 33 ¼ miles, 7:36 overall pace. First week in a while that I didn’t ride any miles. Legs are sore from yesterday but surprisingly not that bad. Knees feel excellent in spite of all that downhill pounding. Worst is the hip flexors (esp. left), and that’s from the uphills. Feeling good, and looking forward to spring.

Caesar Rodney Half Marathon

Last night we lost an hour, so when I sprung out of bed it was 6:00 AM according to the clock, 5:00 AM according to my body. Good thing I’m used to being up so early. Didn’t sleep terribly well last night, but I expected this.

Warmed up to the breaking day with a light yoga session. Ate my bagel with tomato and avocado, sucked the obligatory favorite morning beverage through my bombilla, and awoke MM around 7:15. Time to go.

As we plowed south on I-95, the wind made itself present in a way that frightened me. It was tough to stay in my lane. I got even more anxious when the “low fuel” light blinked on. Damn, should’ve left earlier. Yanked a right turn onto the exit ramp and to the nearest gas station, where MM pumped and I emptied my bladder.

Calmed down a bit as we pulled into downtown Wilmington around 8:45. Plenty of time to spare. Hopped out of the car to determine whether I’d wear shorts or tights. Decided on the shorts, as it would’ve been the first time wearing those tights and I didn’t want any surprises.

Took care of the race bib and timing chip and waited in the starting area. Warmed up for a few minutes, then ditched my sweats and found Steve K. We found our way to about the 6th row of runners. Nod to a few other Philly folk. Opening remarks, then the cannon blasts.

***

Disclaimer: the following account uses data from my Garmin, which recorded today’s course roughly 250 yards too long. I trust a measured course more than I do satellite reception amidst tall buildings, so I’m not making a statement about the course. As a result of the discrepancy however, the split times are slightly off, but I’m using them regardless.

As soon as the gun goes off, I’m floating downhill towards the riverfront. Sticking to my plan for today, I coast down the hill and stay calm once it flattens out. Mile 1, 6:37. Seems easy, and I feel pretty relaxed.

Runners begin to pass me at this point and I alternate between hanging on to the crowd and holding back, allowing them to pass. Keep it easy, let ‘em go. Small crest into a housing development against the wind. Mile 2, 7:01.

Small hill continues against the wind, but we turn to the Southeast, and we’re going downhill again, wind to my back. Loop back around to where we entered the housing development, then head South, paralleling the river. Mile 3, 6:51. Ok, this is the pace I need to settle into.

We eventually cross a strip of empty restaurants and other commerce, hit the boardwalk, which seems to be of fairly recent construction. Still relaxed, but maybe too much. Mile 4, 7:00. I’ve now taken the time I banked in Mile 1 and turned it into a 2 second deficit (with a 1:30 finish time in mind). No matter, just keep going, I’ll make it up on the downhills.

Continue along the boardwalk and turn to the North when it ends. Mile 5, 6:55.

Mile 6 crests across downtown, and seeing MM along Walnut St makes me smile. I blow her a kiss. 6:54.

We’ve now turned to the West, into the wind and uphill. Mile 7, 7:05. 20 second deficit, and I know I could easily lose up to a minute more in the next 2 miles.

Begin to push a little bit, steadily. Still uphill, still into the wind. Hills begin rolling a bit, and Mile 8 sees the steepest climb. Begin to pass others who are slowing down. Prior to the race I didn’t intend to grab water from any of the aid stations, but for some reason I do during this stretch. Didn’t seem to slow me down too much. 7:18.

Finally hit the top of this damn thing, and I’m passing more runners. I worked to get up here, now it’s time to let the hills work for me. Mile 9, 6:49.

Continue rolling gently, into AI Dupont Middle School for the turnaround, grabbed a sports beverage. Now it’s time to dig in a little. I’m still focused, paying attention to my breathing. Mile 10, 6:48. By now I’d begun to notice the lag between Garmin’s miles and the course’s marked miles. Shucks.

Still headed Southeast, and the wind is mostly to my back, but it starts to swirl around, mixing me up a bit. I take what I can get, letting gravity do its job. I stop briefly to tuck the shoelace that has almost tripped me 5 times already into my shoe. Mile 11, 6:40.

Now I’m sensing fatigue, but I try to stay calm. Just float. Mile 12, 6:24. I’ve decided to just give what I can. By now I’ve lost trust in the GPS.

Still downhill through Mile 13, and I begin to push once I see the Market St hill. 6:33.

This hill is a bear for me, especially with the 30 mph gusts in my face trying their best to discourage me. I can see the ticker, and it reads 1:30:xx. Not breaking 1:30 today folks, but I crest the hill and put in a final sprint, crossing the mat with a chip time of 1:30:37.

***

After catching my breath, I found the other TEKBOD runners and learned that everyone finished well considering the blustery conditions. Of course, I can’t claim any responsibility for the team’s victory, as my finishing time would have been more of a weight than a contribution to the final average. However, I’m honored to associate with these folks, and look forward to widdling my times down closer to theirs in the future. For now, it’s important to me that I know I put in my best effort today, and therefore I’m satisfied with the results. Special thanks to MM, as I seem to be somewhat useless without her.

As for the timing issue, I’m mostly disappointed that I’ve allowed to happen something I’d sworn I wouldn’t allow, and that’s dependence on some gizmo to tell me what I should be able to just feel. But, I’m learning, and with that come minor setbacks. Now I’ve got a new challenge. I could complain about the fact that if I hadn’t stopped for those drinks, and to fix my shoelace, that maybe I’d have held onto that 37 seconds. And maybe I was too relaxed in the first 5 miles. But what’s the use?

I’m looking forward to an easy week, and since I finally replaced my bike seat and seat post, I’ll be taking the ride to Wayne this week, maybe two.

The Wind Speaks

A morning of storms culminated in a relatively sunny and warm early evening, so I laced up. No more than 30 seconds after I stepped off my front stoop, it started to downpour again. I took this as a sign that I should relax instead of jogging 3 miles as I had planned.

I've thought a lot about a goal for Caesar Rodney, and 75% of me has decided on some times. I know the other 25% will adjust tomorrow in the moment. Play it by ear, as I tend to do under pressure. I need to put this down for the record:

1:34:22 would be a PR.
If it's a good day, I think I have a 1:30 in me.

Speaking of wind, supposedly there will be 20-30 mph winds out of the west. We'll be running the uphill segment into this westerly wind. Above all else, my plan is to relax, take it easy for the first 6 miles, work with the wind going uphill (miles 7-9), and unleash on the way back down, saving just enough for the uphill finish. We'll see what happens.

Damned Run

Missed my first opportunity to run this morning. I'd agreed to drive my roommate to the airport and overslept a bit, so I had to rush out the door. Made sure to throw my get up into the car with me. Got to work extra early, where I almost got out for a running tour of Wayne. Would have been nice to revisit some of the suburban loops I know from land-scraping during high school summers. Slipped away. When the downpour started I guessed I'd have to stop at the gym on the way home.

Sitting in traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway irked me supremely today. Inching slowly along, I couldn't decide whether I'd put some treadmill miles in or try my luck on Kelly Drive in the rain. My indecisiveness ended abruptly as my car creeped within sight of the Montgomery Ave exit.

I pulled off the highway and parked in the first lot I saw. I'd changed into shorts and a long sleeve tee before leaving work, so I hopped out of the car and was off. Up a fire trail to Belmont Mansion Rd, then down Chamounix Dr, where I loosely strung together a mile out and back at a moderate effort. Last week's rest and this week's lower mileage certainly has resulted in some pep in the legs. As it grew darker I began to become disoriented, especially since I can't see a damn thing when my glasses get wet. Finally found my way back to my car, but the lot I'd parked in had since been locked. Shit.

What am I supposed to do now? Tried 411 for the Fairmount Park Commission, that didn't work. Tried 911 and made sure to inform them that I wasn't dying, but that I was merely stuck in a parking lot. Shucks. 45 min later two Philly police wagons role up and here's the dialogue:

Happy Cop: What are you doing!?

Me: Umm, I didn't realize the gate would be locked and --

HC: What were you doing down here?!

Me: Well, I was stuck in traffic and I thought --

HC: These gates close at 4 PM! Don't park here past 4 PM!

Me: Actually, I pulled in around --

HC: You heard what I said?! 4 PM! Got it?!

Me: Sure.

HC: Get out of here! You hear me?! GO!

I love Philly. Such pleasant public exchanges. Don't blame 'em though. Had probably been dealing with accidents all night that were causing all the traffic in the first place. Pretty great short run, although I'm not sure what the deal is with all the drama. Fits pretty well in my week I guess. 4.2 miles in 31:21. Average HR 163. Looking forward to CR.

Familiarity

Busy day. Inadequate sleep last night, a little tired. Slept a little later, squeezed in a rerun of last night's route, with minor detours. 5 miles in 41:25. Strides. Average HR 152. Left knee feels good but I iced it anyway.

Fever Returns

This time it's spring fever, and it seduced me into chasing my shadow down to Penn's Landing and back. Really had to hold myself back. Threw in some fartlek. 4.7 miles in 36:14. Average HR 160. I think traffic accounts for 80% of the reason I run before 7 am most days.

Tiptoeing

No predawn cruising today. I count it as insurance that this lingering head cold will not revert to the fever it was last week. If I feel up to it I may check out Penn’s Landing after work.

Dusting Off

Mondays are rest days, but after four days off last week it’s time to get back outside. In lieu of morning yoga I headed out around 5:20 for an easy trip to Eakin’s Oval and back. Straight shot down Spring Garden, an old familiar route. Balance the same white line like a tight rope the whole way. Pretty light on my feet, I’m glad to spot a crescent moon above towering light boxes. In retrospect, more like yoga than I’d anticipated. 6 ¼ miles in 52:55. HR back in normal range, average 145. Light stretches afterwards. Left knee stiff, iced it.

Monday Recap

2/25 – AM yoga
2/26 – 3 mi treadmill/25:45, 20 min indoor cycle, stretch/core
2/27 – rest
2/28 – rest
2/29 – rest
3/01 – 4.5 mi/38:50, AM yoga
3/02 – rest

My routine broke down on Wednesday when I developed some sort of flu, which left me out of commission for the remainder of the week. I’d spread myself fairly thin between higher mileage weeks and various life obligations and I knew at the time that I risked burning myself out. I am fortunate to be feeling better in the week before Caesar Rodney. Almost sure that Grandma’s won’t happen this year due to schedule conflicts. Perhaps for the better, as it’ll leave me more base time prior to a fall marathon build-up.

Three Quarters

Yoga this morning left me feeling warm and nimble, though the plague still lingers. After three days of complete rest (well, I rode to the dentist yesterday, ~5 mile round trip) I decided that I felt well enough for a short run. I envisioned 6 miles today, maybe 10 tomorrow.

Half-mile out the door the legs were warmed up, I was smiling. Took it real easy. Wind was slightly distracting, but the sun felt nice. I was perhaps a bit overdressed. The best I can describe the run is that it didn't feel bad, but it didn't feel entirely good either. I had to hold myself back from steering towards the Ben Franklin Bridge, and I forced myself to turn around early. Still need a bit of rest. Since I'm feeling about 75% recovered, I settled for three quarters of my planned distance. 4.5 miles in 38:50. Average HR a bit high, 156, reflecting my illness. The left knee grew a bit stiff, so I iced it.

On Wednesday, when I came down with this bug, we happened to venture into Renaissance times in my architecture history class. Wouldn't you know that we spent a good 30 minutes discussing the Florentines' resilience and tenacity during the Black Death, a period when Florence lost 3/4 of it's population to the plague. In spite of this, visionaries such as da Vinci, Donatello, and Brunelleschi flourished. At least I don't have bubos.