Tri County Ramble

Over last week plans developed that would have me at my folks' abode today for some BBQ. I decided to bike the 40 or so miles out to the West Chester area. A couple of cycling/camping/tomfoolery-ing (!) friends decided to join me for a portion of it. Turned into our first great, albeit somewhat short, trip of the year.

Departed the downtown proper at approximately 9:30 and promptly found ourselves jammed in a gridlock of runners, joggers, skaters, jumpers, shakers, you name it, they were on East River Drive. Once we got to Fall's Bridge it dawned on us that MLK would've been a wiser choice since they close it to combustion engines on Sundays.


We worked our way west along a route that was light on traffic but heavy on hills. After a certain point there's no longer a net upward gain, just rolling up and down. Felt nice to pick up speed on the downs. Highlights included a "river fording" along Old Gulph Rd, various wildlife sightings, getting lost less than 5 times, and perfect temperatures.

We took a very leisurely pace, stopping here and there for various reasons, mostly just enjoying the scenery. At Warren Ave and Providence Rd I continued westward while the other two cut north to pick up the R5 train in Malvern. By now the skies had darkened and I knew I risked getting caught in a torrent if I continued. Also right around this point I took a gel. Between this and the desire to avoid death by lightning I found a reserve of energy and booked it into overdrive. Then it started raining, and hard. So I rode harder. Somehow I made it to my destination feeling like I could have continued on for at least another couple hours. Stark contrast to the 50 miler I did on Wednesday, when I felt like I was sleep-biking for the last 10 minutes. There are a number of reasons that didn't happen today, including a pretty laid back pace for most of the ride, but the main thing is that I brought along a bit of solid food which I ate around 1.5 hours in. Amazing that such a detail made all the difference in the end. Total about 41 miles untimed.

The coming week should hopefully see more running. Not that I have any regrets about not really running for the past two weeks, or about biking 100+ miles last week alone. But I'm eager to get back on my feet, and that's a good sign I think.

2 Weeks Later

Yesterday I bagged my plans due to the rain. Going back to sleep after waking up at 10 t0 6 was more fun.

Today was the first real run in a couple weeks. And what a joy it was. Beautiful blue morning, slight breeze. Warmed up in Penn Treaty and headed west to the Temple track where I took my shoes off for a mile. No problems other than some blisters that I expected. Otherwise, I can't wait to do this more. All in all, somewhere between 6 and 7 miles, untimed. Later in the afternoon, after waltzing and biking all over town on a guided architectural tour of city (school related), I did my core routine.

Big River

The city that turns, turns protracted and slow
and I find myself toeing th'embarcadero
and I find myself knowing the things that I knew
which is all that you can know on this side of the blue
-Joanna Newson

Can't get enough of this lately. I wish I could implant the melody in your minds as you read the lyrics...

Not much running going on lately. Last week I kept pretty still. My calves were shot after racing and it took a while to recover. Not sure why, maybe it's because I didn't wear my orthotics for the race. Put on my shoes for the first time after Broad St on Saturday when I joined MM for a light jog. This happened one other time since then, and although it's pretty insignificant in terms of training, it is some of the most enjoyable running I've done in a while. Care free, no watches or other gadgetry.

This week I've returned to some resemblance of exercise, but still not running really. Just looking to maintain an aerobic base and slowly ramp up to marathon training which will start at the beginning of June. Monday a few hours at the gym, Tuesday some yoga and stretches.

Yesterday was a quick morning jaunt around the 'hood with MM (about 2 miles) followed by some core exercises. After fueling up I hopped on my bike and headed out for a long ride. At the start of the journey I intended to ride out 1.5 hours along the Schuylkill River Trail to see how far I could get, then turn around (I had to be back at noon). I took the hills through Manayunk kind of hard and eventually settled into a steady pace on the flat river trail. It was such a gorgeous morning, and I was absolutely ecstatic to be out there. I realized after a while that I could probably make it all the way to Valley Forge, so that became my focus. Spinning, not pumping really, moving along at a decent clip for me. Made it to the Visitor's Center in 1:29.

There's not much to do here, especially in the morning on a weekday, unless you're with your grandfather (more specifically, my grandfather). I filled my bottle, hit the loo, and swallowed the single gel I'd brought along. After maybe 6 or 7 minutes I was back on the saddle retracing my route. It was 10 degrees warmer at this point and the sun felt really nice. I was trying a little harder now to see if I couldn't make it back quicker than the way there.

Right around the 2:30 mark I started to feel a little funny. The gel that I'd taken gave me a lot of pep, but I started struggling on the hills coming back into Manayunk. By the time I got back on Kelly Dr I was really hurting. Not in the pain sense. Just out of juice. Fried. I've never felt like that even after running a marathon. For the last 20 minutes I pondered what would happen if I was in the last 5k of a possible BQ as opposed to the backstretch of a bike ride. Even though I slowed considerably during this part I surprisingly made it home after 2:57 riding time. I mapped it, but lost the link. It was about 49 miles.

Today was another couple hours at the gym and some evening yoga.

One thing about a break from running is that I can find time to try some new stuff. For example, tomorrow morning if the weather's not too bad, I'll be riding to the track to put in some barefoot laps. This could go into a whole other discussion about why I'm doing that, but it's time for sleep.

Broken Promises

For the sake of bookkeeping...

4/28 - PM yoga
4/29 - 6 mi/46:40 (2 miles tempo)
4/30 - PM yoga
5/1 - 5 mi/41:14 (8xstrides), PM yoga
5/2 - 4 mi/33:36
5/3 - rest
5/4 - 11 mi (Broad St 10-mile race inc. w/u)

An easy 26 mile week topped off with my last race of the season.

***

I ran for the ice cream truck twice already since Sunday. Hoping I can hit 4 by week's end.

Broad Street Run

5:30 wake up. Light breakfast, catch the el by 6:45. It's nice that I can ride for free today by flashing my bib. 45 min later I'm checking a bag and in 5 more I get in the restroom line. Relieved that it's early, and after a quick warmup I decide that today should be a good day. Stretch out for awhile and at the last minute my bladder cues me back to the restroom line which has grown into a mob. Make it out alive with 5 min to spare. Took a spot behind the 6 min/mile sign.

The weather seems to have worked out in our favor. No thunderstorms as they predicted all week. Temperature right around 55, overcast.

I think about a strategy. I'm not sure what to expect but I'd heard over and over how "fast" this race is. I decide 6:30 splits are a reasonable goal. That would put me across the finish in 65 flat. I'm thinking I'll shoot for 6:30s for the first 7, then if I have anything left (or, if I'm not limping along at 9:00 pace by then) just run a 5k like my life depends on it. Mentally this is a convenient approach, it's easy to digest. We'll see how it plays out physically.

It takes 20 seconds to cross the starting mat. It's really crowded and I see why race organizers have decided on corrals for next year. Mile 1, 6:46 including the 20 seconds. I'm feeling good, and I'm surging around various groups now trying to find a rhythm. Lots of pep in my legs to my surprise.

There are slight undulations up here on Broad St. but they're barely noticeable. Still, I try to take what I can from the downs. Traffic starts to slow every now and then and I'm wondering if we're really slowing or if the faster folks are just breaking away. Turns out to be the latter, mile 2 is 6:23.

Mile 3 is the last of the "hills," goes by in 6:25. I realize if I keep this up for another mile I'll have made up that 20 seconds from the start. Then if I can hold 6:30s, which I'm pretty confident I can do, I'll finish in 65 clock time, 64:40 chip time.

Traffic is slowing again and I assume that more runners are surging. I stick with a group and it turns out that it's the other way around. We're slowing down a little, mile 4 6:31. This is fine by me at this point. Lingering in the back of my mind though is that voice that wants me to push more. I decide to take the risk and push past the 5 mile mark in 32:28. I'm still feeling in control.

Now I enter unknown territory. A 5 mile tempo split in 32 flat was tough in training. What happens now? Have I gained fitness since then? Here's hoping I have. Mile 6 is another 6:23. I get all cheesy now as the crowd support seems to give me an emotional lift. I really appreciate these folks taking time out of their day, seriously. Mile 7 passes in 6:26. This race is going by fairly quickly. I've got my fingers crossed that this trend continues.

My legs are starting to notice that I've been running so damn hard for 45 min. My feet feel hot, and I notice some blisters beneath my big toes. I try not to dwell on it and focus on maintaining. My 5k surge seems like a big joke now. Mile 8, 6:27.

There is so little distance between me and the finish now that I don't care whether or not I collapse trying to run progressively harder. I try to play with my competitive drive by pulling up next to others. They try to pull away, I respond. This happens 4 or 5 times until I've picked up another group. Mile 9 is 6:23.

The last mile is spent praying that the finish line appears soon. I overheard two guys talking at the start about how the entrance to the naval yard can be deceptive because the finish is actually a 1/2-mile in. I remember this as I pass through the gates. Just two more laps around the track now. It's in this last mile that I see MM, a good friend Matt, and my parents. I'm glad they're here. A few guys start sprinting to the finish and I kick it as well for a fastest final mile, 6:19. 1:04:24 official clock time, 1:04:04 chip.

So, I'm pretty psyched. Went out with what I thought was a challenging goal of 65 minutes and nailed it with almost a minute to spare. I guess this is why folks rave about this race. Afterwards I chatted briefly with a bunch of locals (John, Steve, Seebo, Dierdre) who seemed pretty happy as well. Couldn't stick around for food with Philly Runners as I had my folks with me. I joked with them that I'm putting my running shoes in the closet until June. Might not turn out to be a joke, especially with my blister feet. Seriously, the entire ball of my foot is full of puss. Next time I make an entry it might be about a ridiculously long bike trip.

Contemplation

Before dawn? Sometimes. To catch me running after dusk though is a rarity.

Biked around town for a while this afternoon, made my way to South Philly to register for Broad St. In the past I dash out of the expo as fast as I can, but today I hung around long enough to pick up a new pair of shoes. Some lighter weight flats that I actually purchased a couple weeks ago; those turned out to be the wrong size and I had to return them. Saw the same ones today so I grabbed them.

It was these that I wore on a quick spin around Penn's Landing. Didn't leave the house until after 8 pm, pretty late to be out there but I couldn't fight off the urge. Entertained the idea of wearing the new shoes on Sunday and even though they're all light and squishy and feel pretty nice, I don't want any disasters. Sticking with the plan. 4 miles in 33:36.

Calm River

I like the view of the Delaware from Penn Treaty Park even though it's sometimes littered with specks of refuse. The reflection of the rising sun makes up for this though. 5 miles, legs had some refuse of their own and I only did 8 of 10 strides as a result. Lungs feel great, but disappointing calf soreness. 41:14.