Finally got a nice longish run in. It had been quite a while since my last true long run. The weather was beautiful, sunny, maybe a trifle hot, but there was a breeze and I decided to run down the bike path. Originally I had planned on 16-17 but cut it short because I didn't want to push it too much too quickly and 14 was more than enough. I only brought a PowerBar and a bottle of cran-rasberry juice, because that's all I could carry. It wasn't much too big a deal except I was flagging quite a bit on the 4 miles from the bike path back to my house. I am actually quite surprised I made it in the time I did. But my first few miles were strong and the miles on the bike path I kept getting faster and faster. Here's the damage:

14 miles in 1:58:41 (8:28 pace)

including:
1st 4 miles- 33:35.31
mile 5- 42:13.75 (8:38.44 mile)
Mile 6- 50:39.45 (8:25.70 mile)
Mile 7- 58:59.56 (8:20.11 mile)
Mile 8- 1:07:12 (8:13.31 mile)
Mile 9- 1:15:25 (8:12.57 mile)
Mile 10- 1:23:30 (8:05.33 mile)
last 4 miles- 1:58:51 (35:21.15)

By the time I got home I was shot. I ran inside and turned the shower on, cold!, stripped down and jumped in. It was FREEZING but it felt SOO GOOD at the same time. And I completely credit it with my lack of general soreness afterwards. If only I had the time for an ice bath. Oh well. This was a quality run and next week I'll up it a bit further. No knee issues to speak of really.

One of the best parts was actually before my run, I was getting set to leave and I tell my dad goodbye and that I was going for a run, he asked where and I said down to the Jones Beach bike path, he said, "You mean you're driving down to it?" and I replied, "No, I'm running down there, running it and running home." He just stared at me incredulously. Runners, yeah, we're different.

Tonight I drove Laur into Manhattan where she was babysitting on the Upper East Side. My plan was to hang out in the city while she babysat and use it as an opportunity to do a nice, leisurely long run, taking advantage of Central Park and surrounding areas. First I ran from the east to the west sides looking for a Citibank and a grocery store, which took me about 30 minutes and 3 miles, I figure. Then I took a little break and finally set off on my long run about 2130. I decided I would run to Central Park from my car, do a loop, head back to my car for refueling, and then run around the city a bit. That's just what I did, and to great success. I don't know EXACTLY how far I went total, but I mapped out my approximate route from memory afterwards so here's the damage:

14 miles in 2:05:30 (8:55 pace)

including:
Central Park lap: 54:24 (9:04 pace)

For the second half I ran back to the Park, clockwise around it attempting to follow the NYC marathon finish route, then over to the West Side and back to Columbus Circle. Then I headed downtown along 6th & 5th Avenues. Basically whenever I came to a red light, instead of stopping to wait I just crossed the street or ran up towards the next avenue so I could be in constant motion. I made it down to 42nd & Broadway, where I ran into a bajillion tourists and ran in the street for a bit. Then I got a call from Laur around 48th & 5th that she was done, so I booked it back to 72nd & 1st, coming in just over 2 hours for the entire run. Mid-run refueling consisted of a few handfuls of peanuts, some orange and cran-apple juices, and some milk chocolates. My legs felt good (I had both wrapped with pre-wrap) and while they were sore and tired afterwards, there are no lingering or nagging injuries or pre-injuries. They actually feel BETTER than they have been! Hope this continues for the next 5 and a half months :)

I decided that today I would do my long run of the week in the morning, after I dropped off some food at the lab, instead of waiting to do my run in the evening. My rational for this was primarily because today is Thursday which means an all new Office episode at 2100. I have Clinical Measures in Exercise Physiology on Thursdays from 1600-1900 so doing long runs means I'll be cutting it very close getting a run in and getting home in time. The Office takes precedent over almost everything, including running. Last week I found myself cutting my run short, but also running too fast because I was worried about getting home in time. So today, I solved my problem by doing my 12 miler at 0930! Yikes! I think this is the furthest I've ever run before noon, races notwithstanding. It's also the furthest I've run since my marathon. I was really excited about today though. Here's the damage:

12 miles in 1:40:26 (8:22 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 8:35.20
Mile 2- 17:18.95 (8:43.75 mile)
Mile 3- 25:46.58 (8:27.63 mile)
Mile 4- 34:10.32 (8:23.74 mile)
Mile 5- 42:35.95 (8:25.63 mile)
Mile 6- 50:50.70 (8:14.75 mile)
Mile 7- 59:08.48 (8:17.78 mile)
Mile 8- 1:07:23 (8:14.99 mile)
Mile 9- 1:15:37 (8:14.04 mile)
Mile 10- 1:23:58 (8:20.62 mile)
Mile 11- 1:32:16 (8:18.64 mile)
Mile 12- 1:40:26 (8:09.85 mile)

1st half: 50:50.70 (8:28 pace)
2nd half: 49:33.92 (8:15 pace)

1st third: 34:10.32 (8:32 pace)
2nd third: 33:13.15 (8:18 pace)
3rd third: 33:03.15 (8:16 pace)

Like I said, I started off a little after 0930, which is when T-Th classes start, they get out at 1045, at which point I was still running and had to dodge the influx of undergrads walking to and from class, which actually added some interestingness to the run. I had my short shorts on today which cover about a quarter of my pretty impressive thighs. I decided to check out of the corner of my eye how many people took notice and gave me weird looks as I passed them. Needless to say, I lost count around a dozen by halfway ha! Around 4 miles in, a light drizzle started that was actually very welcome because it wasn't too cold and it helped refresh me because I was getting a little heated.

Throughout the entire run, I kept thinking to myself that the McMillan running calculator told me my long runs should be about 8:03-9:03, and I was focusing on keeping my pace there. I knew I felt good, despite still being a little sore from lifting Tuesday night, really good and really strong and I knew if I didn't focus I'd let the pace drift too fast and I wouldn't gain as much as I should out of this run. I'm very proud of how my pacing went to that end. Tomorrow possibly a run in Philly while waiting for Laur to get in after picking up our race packets, then a 5k Saturday (not a race, just the distance) and the Broad St. 10 miler with Laur on Sunday :)! to round out the week. Hooray running!

Tonight I had visions of doing a 12 miler around campus by doing the 6 miler from earlier in the week and doubling back on it. But Thursdays revolve around The Office for me. As much as I love running, I can do it whenever. An all new Office episode is only on at 9pm Thursdays. It's very personal time. Laur and I watch and call each other during the commercials, and later on in the week I'll have a talk with my best friend Andie about it too. This will be the same for Mondays at 9 starting next week when House starts. So tonight, to make sure I wasn't going to miss any part of The Office, and also because the heat was pretty brutal, even at 2100, I cut the run to 9 miles (using the 3 mile run of Main St. and The Green, out, back, then out again).

Like I said, the temperature was prolly still in the upper 60s/low 70s. I brought a bottle of Gatorade and figured that this would be a good way to study what I'm learning in Advanced Physiology of Exercise (which would be thermal regulation and heat acclimation and all the fun stuff that happens when you exercise in heat, etc.) Here's the damage:

9 miles in 1:10:28 (7:49 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 7:34.57
Mile 2- 15:18.56 (7:43.99 mile)
Mile 3- 23:14.39 (7:55.83 mile)
Mile 4- 31:01.82 (7:47.43 mile)
Mile 5- 39:11.24 (8:09.42 mile)
Mile 6- 47:18.12 (8:06.88 mile)
Mile 7- 55:13.32 (7:55.20 mile)
Mile 8- 1:02:53 (7:39.99 mile)
Mile 9- 1:10:28 (7:34.90 mile)

first 3rd- 23:14.39 (7:44 pace)
middle 3rd- 24:03.73 (8:01 pace)
final 3rd- 23:10.09 (7:43 pace)

I was a little surprised when I saw the first mile split but I didn't feel like I was pushing particularly hard. Even still, I told myself to ease up a little. By the end of mile 2, I realized that this run was going to hover around 8:00 pace throughout and I accepted that. I rationalized it by telling myself that this was still conversation pace so really, it was ok, even if it was near the faster limits of ok.

I can't believe how many people still are stupid enough to smoke! I know I sound like a broken record but there is NOTHING I hate more on a run than running past a cloud of smoke, especially if they are walking ahead of me in the same direction. My runs turn into fartleks there, because I speed up to get away from it and try to hold my breath as long as possible. Tonight it seemed there were more than usual even, but maybe that's just because I ran longer around populated areas. I was particularly annoyed at the audacity of three shitheads who were walking across the North Green, in broad daylight, smoking marijuana! I don't care what people do in the privacy of their own homes- be a degenerate and get high and whatever, fine, but DON'T SUBJECT ME TO YOUR FUCKING SMOKE! It felt like I was back on my HS track at night in December with the local stoners getting high in the bleachers and talking about their guns. Only worse! I had to run right through this thick, visible cloud of marijuana smoke. I managed to get through most of it with my breath held (and I had half a mind to tackle all three of the assholes and beat the crap out of them-adrenaline can be a dangerous thing!) but I definitely got more than a whiff of the very unpleasant and overpowering smell. UGH! >:O

Aside from that, my run was pretty good. There was a noticeable lull in the middle when my legs started to feel heavier and the calves started getting tired from the mid-foot striking. But I had enough to not continue to slow through the end. In fact, my last third was my fastest third, which I consider a positive.

I noticed probably a 4:1 ratio of females to males running, myself included. This is an observation I've been making for years now around here, and I wonder what gives because it's definitely not representative of the campus population on the whole. I also noticed that of the dozen or so people running that I passed, ONE acknowledged me and gave a smile and a nod. Everyone else looked quite miserable and/or unpleasant. What gives people? You're running outdoors and it's beautiful. oh well.

Not much else to say, it was a nice 9 miler. It felt good to get my legs moving for longer than a couple miles, I'm up to 19 for the week, hopefully I'll tack on another 11+ by the end of the week. My legs feel like they can handle it.

and on an unrelated note- I noticed that online registration for the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon is now open! I'm excited!

Tonight was the last longish run of marathon training for me. I decided that I wanted to run on campus again and I enjoyed breaking up my last Delaware long run into smaller, repeated segments, so I mapped out this four mile route:


I'm getting pretty fancy here with this embedding routes in my blog and everything now, huh? go me. Anyway, I got myself a new knee strap, The McDavid Jumper's Knee Strap, which I found worked phenomenally- it stayed on my knee and didn't slip AT ALL and it helped alleviate some kneecap pain on my left knee. Here's the damage:

The schedule called for:
12 miles, easy, w/last 8 miles @ goal marathon pace (8:00/mi)

12 miles in 1:39:03 (8:15 pace)

including:
Mile 1- 9:21
Mile 2- 18:12 (8:51 mile)
Mile 3- 29:19 (11:07 mile)
Mile 4- 39:06 (9:47 mile)
Mile 5- 46:40 (7:34 mile)
Mile 6- 54:28 (7:48 mile)
Mile 7- 1:02:03 (7:35 mile)
Mile 8- 1:09:43 (7:40 mile)
Mile 9- 1:17:16 (7:33 mile)
Mile 10- 1:24:38 (7:22 mile)
Mile 11- 1:35:04 (7:26 mile)
Mile 12- 1:39:03 (6:59 mile)

1st 4 miles- 39:06 (9:46 pace)
last 8 miles- 59:57 (7:30 pace)

1st half- 54:28 (9:04 pace)
2nd half- 44:35 (7:28 pace)

So as you can see, I went out very leisurely the first 4 miles, I was steeling myself for the last 8, I wanted to make sure this was a good, solid run and a confidence booster so close to show time. I stopped a few times during the first 4 miles, twice to pee, a few times to stretch out my legs and rub down various sore parts. My legs were tight, especially my right leg, around the back of the knee. I can't tell if it's a hamstring tendon, a knee stabilizer, or something else but I know it doesn't feel quite right. But it didn't get worse as I went along, just annoying, so I took that to mean it's ok to run on it and I'm not worsening anything.

Once I hit the 4 mile mark on Main St, I turned the speed up a notch or two. I had sucked down a PowerBar PowerGel, which I'm really starting to like, around 3 miles, and then had another one right before I started the final 4 miles. These really helped. I also finished my water bottle around the 8 mile mark. I wanted to run strong and my legs felt better almost as soon as I started opening up my stride and moving at the faster pace. I have to say, I'm really pleased with the last 8 miles. I ran consistent times for each one of them and got faster and stronger as I went along. I was really cruising down Main St. at the end there and remember hitting the watch, glancing down and seeing a sub 7:00 and doing a little jump/fist-pump combo and letting out a "YES!" much to the bewilderment of the Wednesday night bar crowd at Kate's and Iron Hill. Oh well, none of them had just run a 7:28 pace for the last 8 miles of their 12 miler. I know this was over half a minute faster than goal marathon pace but it felt SO GOOD to push it like this- incidentally I'm almost positive the final 8 miles set a PR for me for any 8 mile run, ever- this was a HUGE confidence booster and really encourages me for the marathon. Afterwards I walked around the parking lot area excitedly relaying the details of my run to Laur and preventing venous pooling in my legs. There's only one more pretty hard workout and then one moderate workout left and the rest are easy to really easy runs before the 26.2 in Va Beach. A run like tonight has me really stoked for it

Tonight, exactly one week after the debacle that was the 20 miler with an attempt at running the last 5 at marathon goal pace, I set off on a similar run with optimism in tact. I got a bit of a late jump on it, not starting the watch until 2110ish. It didn't matter though because my evening prior was spent preparing and having good conversation, and furthermore I don't have anything I need to be awake for Thursday, just Clinical Measures in Exercise Physiology at 4pm (in which we will be putting Justin through a full PFT and VO2 test...I'm really looking forward to this, this class is so much fun!)

Learning from last week's weather issues, I was more prepared this time. I was not going to let the fact that I was freezing to death affect my run appreciably. So I had my UnderArmor coldgear long sleeve, my Livestrong t-shirt, and then my awesome, bright orange vest that dad gave me last weekend. I also had on my tights and my knee strap on my left knee (which frustratingly kept slipping down). I went to Pathmark before my run and picked up some Powerbar PowerGels in strawberry banana flavor. I also picked up a Detour Runner Bar for some more solid food for the run. And I downed a Chocolate flavored Nutrament shake about 2 hours prior.

I was supposed to do 18 miles w/ last 6 miles @ goal marathon pace (8:00/mi). I'll get into specifics of the run in a sec. Here's the damage:

18 miles in 3:00:27 (10:01 pace)

including:
first 12 miles in 2:14:05 (~11:00 pace)
last 6 miles in 46:22 (7:43 pace)

Now the first 12 were supposed to be easy, and the 11:00/mi pace definitely indicates that was the case, but I can tell you they were far from easy for the most part. Factored in to that 2:14:05 is multiple and somewhat frequent stops to adjust my kneestrap or give my aching right knee a rest. Right before mile 1, I felt a searing pain shooting up my left ankle, from the medial condyle. It hurt to put any weight on it or touch it, I was sure I had just suffered a stress fracture. I was so pissed at this I remember throwing my water bottle at the ground in disgust with my shoe off. Magically, after a few minutes of moving my ankle around and stretching it and rubbing the area, I was able to continue gingerly at first and worked into a more steady pace and it has not bothered me since. Go figure.

More troubling was my right knee which was tight to start. I wasn't sure exactly WHAT was the issue, hamstring, calf, MCL, other. I have a feeling its something of a combination but the tightness is centered around the medial side and to the back of the knee and most pronounced when I push off. hm.

So all of that and the fact that it was frakkin' cold conspired to slow me down considerably during the first two 6 miles loops of the UD campus. I had one powergel at mile 3, then again around mile 8ish, I downed 2 bottles of water in the first 12 miles and I ate the Detour Runner bar at the end of mile 6. At mile 6, I also popped 2 Advil in hopes that it would kick in at least by my last 6 miles (which it did!) I paused to call Laur and tell her I'd be a little late in calling at the end of my run at mile 12, before I started the last 6 which I was a bit nervous about given how poorly last week went and how slow I'd been running to that point tonight. I wound up walking around my car a bit and downed half a bottle of water because I didn't want to bring it with me, I also had the third powergel then hoping it would give me energy enough to carry me home.

I started my last 6 feeling good, my breathing was relaxed, my stride felt comfortable and the pacing was right on. Throughout the last 6 miles I felt like I was getting stronger and the knees became less and less of an issue which was great! I started going under marathon pace and I just told myself to run comfortably and see what happens. Around mile 1.5 I turned onto Delaware Ave and was hit with strong winds which sucked but when I turned onto The Green the wind was with me and definitely helped some. Running into the wind as I was going west on Main Street right near the end also sucked, but at that point I started repeating to myself what laur had told me on the phone earlier, "NO ROOM FOR WHAT IF!" Over and over again I said it and thought of her and Kenny cheering me on near the finish line and the adrenaline boost that provided really helped me not to slow down and instead speed up until I got to the crosswalk, crossed Main St. and started running back East toward the high school and the finish, with the wind. I finished strong, and :17 on marathon pace! I'm happy about it but my knees are really tightening up now, I'll deal with them tomorrow which figures to be an easy day.

A few miscellaneous things from the run that I remember:
-running near the light at Main St & S. College Ave. and some girl yelling "RUN FORREST RUN!" out her window, ha!
-I mentioned this to Laur as I drove home: Along Main St. the run takes me past Iron Hill Brewery. Every time I passed it, there was a line of college kids, probably 30-40 deep, waiting outside in the sub-freezing temperature and cold gusting winds to get in. Some of the girls were wearing stereotypical sorostitute outfits- high heels or uggz (UGH!), mini skirts that were a little too mini, and tops that they were spilling out of, however unflattering they may be. As I ran up to the crowd and past it, I could see many of them turning and looking at me with a look like I was absolutely insane. I mean who runs in this weather and at this hour?! Well to me, what's more insane, being out in this weather running, burning kcals and thus producing heat, or those people standing on line out in the freezing cold? hmmmm, I KNOW I'm crazy, so I guess we all were!
-the powergels tasted pretty darn good!
-UD has such a pretty campus!
-A quick phone conversation w/ Laur was the next best thing to a kiss
-I overheard after I ran past a number of people walking along Main St them stop their conversations and start saying something about how crazy that guy must be to be running now, or who the hell does that, or something that was clearly about me and what I was doing, mostly all in an incredulous manner. It made me feel like I was doing something special, which I know I am, and something that nary a soul on campus was also doing at the same time I think it's safe to assume. :)

so good run overall. I just have to make sure this knee tightness doesn't get worse and the next few days will thusly be pretty easy and relaxed and involve lots of stretching, hot showers, and sugar scrub. Happy running!

So if Sunday was super encouraging and uplifting and other words of a similar vein, today was pretty much the opposite. I realize that not every run is going to be the best run ever, some runs are going to feel hard and miserable and I'm going to have to suffer just to get through them. I suppose this becomes even more likely when there are big distances involved. For example, the 20 miler I did today.

The schedule called for 20 miles easy with last 5 miles @ goal marathon pace. For me, I've come to the conclusion that goal marathon pace is 8:00/mi based on a predicted 3:30 finishing time which has seemed more and more reasonable of late. So my goal going into this run was to do an easy 15 miles through the University of Delaware campus and surrounding neighborhood and then get to the James F. Hall Trail at mile 15, and do the 5 miles on the trail where I would have 0.1 mile markers the whole way to keep me on pace. This is what happened, sort of, but with some not-so-minor snags.

First the here's the damage, then I'll discuss:

20 miles in 3:05:17 (9:16 pace)

including:
first 15 miles in 2:22:00 (9:28 pace)
last 5 miles in 43:17 (8:39 pace)

So, overall, not a terrible run. The overall pace is comparable to the other two 20 milers I've done, a bit slower but not by much. However, the way I felt at the end, and the epic fail that was the last 5 miles and my attempt at running 8:00 pace, which was abandoned in favor of just finishing the distance, is not really that great or encouraging. In fact, this has the opposite effect, mentally, that my 8x800 workout had...it's created some doubt and apprehension. Feelings I will do my best to push out of my mind and focus on positives and go from here.

I can't say that I went too fast initially, because the 9:28 pace for the first 15 was right around what I feel I should be doing. Other factors came into play that negated my otherwise pretty solid and smart pacing.

A few of these factors I think contributed to this failure at achieving my goals for the run:

First of all, I really underprepared nutrition-wise. I don't think I ate enough during the day leading up to my run (which started a little after 1600) nor did I eat well the night before, as I did before the other two 20 milers... there was no carb-heavy dinner last night. During the run was an even bigger nutrition problem, and one of the largest factors, I feel, towards my ultimate bonking. I had a 16 oz Gatorade that I mixed up from the powder, that was it. And I was done with it by mile 10, halfway through my run. For the rest of it I had nothing to replenish my electrolytes or calories that I was burning. By the end, my muscles were screaming for something, anything and my body had nothing to give them. I could feel this especially so in my calves which felt like they had gone on strike indefinitely.

Secondly, I completely failed to anticipate or account for the weather. At all. When I started, it was snowing a bit, but the temp wasn't terrible, the sun was still up albeit hidden behind clouds and whatnot. I wore shorts (which was not really the issue, my legs were ok and the cold probably did some good in keeping them from overheating), a Dri-Fit t-shirt and a sweatshirt. Gloves and a Dri-Fit skull cap. The biggest problem was the gloves. I have pretty bad circulation in my hands, and it is exacerbated in cold weather- it doesn't take much for my hands to get REALLY cold. It doesn't help that I was holding the water bottle full of cold liquid in them. The gloves were clearly not meant to keep hands warm in very cold weather and my left hand got increasingly number. Around mile 10 I realized that my face was almost completely numb as well and ice crystals had begun forming on my beard. My core felt ok, as it was protected and all the blood was being directed to my legs and to my core, but my head and my hands got really cold. By the time I started my last 5 miles I could feel the effects of hypothermia starting to set in. I was getting that extremely overwhelming tired feeling, making me tempted to just stop and lay down and go to sleep...from which I would never wake up. I began realizing my brain wasn't functioning properly, when I tried to talk out loud I was slurring everything, things were starting to shut down, and I was panicking. By around mile 18 I was earnestly worried that my hand was frostbitten and by the end of the 20 miles I was borderline delirious and had to coach myself through crossing the street, opening my car, and finding something to drink. I left my Lauren an insane voicemail because I was afraid I was going to pass out and not wake up. I think once the sun went down and the weather got much colder, my body felt the effects and like I said, I was caught very underprepared. This is a consideration I need to be mindful of come marathon weekend.

Another factor that I think played some role, though maybe not as big as the first two, was the topography of the route. I've been running on tracks and on the flat streets of Long Island for the past few months. Newark is not exactly NH or CO, but it's much hillier than Wantagh. Not so much on the main campus, but going from campus to up by the Towers and back and parts of the James F. Hall trail are kind of hilly, especially so when legs are tired and glycogen stores are completely depleted and your body is shutting down from the cold. I really felt some of the pretty slight ups and downs on the trail during my last 5 miles that normally wouldn't really register. So while normally this wouldn't be a big deal, this being my first longish run in town and the other factors accounted for, this just exacerbated things.

I dunno what else to say about this run. I'm disappointed and slightly disheartened but I can't do anything about it now. It happened, I have get over it and move on and have a better run next time. There is still 3+ weeks til my marathon, plenty of time for good, quality runs. Better I have a bad run now then March 16th right. And glass-half-fulling here, this is a learning experience. While it would have been nice to hit my pacing precisely and crush this run like most of my previous ones, I can look at what went wrong and take steps to not repeat those mistakes again, in my next few long runs and in the marathon itself.

So Laur and I went to Virginia to see her dad for his birthday Saturday and planned on coming home to watch the Super Bowl and do a 4 mile race in Central Park in the morning prior. This didn't go as planned, but it worked out fantastically! Instead we stayed over Saturday night and decided to stay for the game, partly because this way we could watch it with her family who are big Giants fans and we were having such a good time with them and partly so I could get in my 18 mile run. Everything worked out just great, including Eli Manning turning into an all-world QB, outplayed bitch-ass Tom Brady, and driving the Giants down to the game winning touchdown with a mere 35 seconds to play. BEST. GAME. EVER!?! And the fact that I shared it with who I did made it EVEN BETTER. Anyway, about the run. Laur so nicely mapped me out an 8.25 course that took me on a tour of her surrounding 'hood. It was on paved walkways and it was scenic and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Here's the damage:

18 miles in 2:35:19 (8:37 pace)

The first 8 or so miles I did faster than the last few, so no negative split for a change, but I probably COULD HAVE, I just made a conscious effort to slow myself because this was a long run and I didn't want to tire my legs for speed work next week. Also, at the very end- the last mile or so- my legs started feeling the effects of the 18 miles of pounding, especially my left ankle which felt tender. But my knees didn't give me much issue which I was thrilled about.

After my first 8.25 mile loop, Laur met me outside her house with lots of fruit and an OJ to take with me (SHE'S THE BEST!) and told me to SLOW DOWN! which I listened to. When I finally got done, the game had kicked off already, so I just ran right up into the house and downstairs in time to see Eli move the Giants down the field for the opening field goal. A quick shower at halftime, SORRY TOM PETTY, YOU WELL DRESSED HOMELESS MAN!, and the rest of the game was AMAZING!!!!! The run was fairly speedy, considering the pace of the previous 18 miler and the 2 20milers I've done, and it gives me encouragement that the speed work is already having an effect and furthermore, that my goal of a 3:30 marathon, which works out to ~8:00 pace, is realistic and within reach, albeit it will be tough.

BEST. SPONTANEOUS ADVENTURING. EVER.
BEST! GIRLFRIEND! EVER!
BEST. WEEKEND. EVER!?

Tonight I went down to the Jones Beach bike path that runs from Cedar Creek park to Jones Beach State Park. It is conveniently marked every mile for the 4+ miles it runs. I decided I'd do some out and backs on it to get my 20 in, getting every mile split from 1-20 along the way, mostly for my own personal amusement when I get to play around with the times and what they mean later. When I started (around 1600, I was worried that I would have to cut it to 18 or even 16 because I had to pick up Laur at the train station at 1900, and I didn't want her to have to wait.) 3 hours was slightly less than I ran my first 20 miler and I was shot after that, it means an even 9:00 pace and I was hoping that was attainable. Halfway through I wasn't so sure, but by the end, as you will see, it certaintly was, and then some! Here's the massive damage:

20 miles in 2:58:36 (8:55 pace)

Miles
1- 8:48
2- 17:48 (9:00 mile)
3- 27:08 (9:20 mile)
4- 36:05 (8:57 mile)
5- 48:52 (12:47 mile)
6- 58:40 (9:48 mile)
7- 1:07:10 (8:30 mile)
8- 1:16:14 (9:04 mile)
9- 1:27:36 (11:22 mile)
10- 1:36:08 (8:32 mile)
11- 1:45:17 (9:09 mile)
12- 1:53:57 (8:40 mile)
13- 2:02:36 (8:39 mile)
14- 2:10:50 (8:14 mile)
15- 2:18:46 (7:56 mile)
16- 2:26:52 (8:06 mile)
17- 2:34:57 (8:05 mile)
18- 2:42:58 (8:01 mile)
19- 2:50:59 (8:01 mile)
20- 2:58:36 (7:37 mile)

I will update this later to fill break down what the various splits and what it all means. Suffice it to say, it was a very good run, it gives me a lot of hope that a good marathon is well within reach, possibly even a 3:30! It gives me a lot of confidence going into this last segment of my marathon training and the fact that my legs had so much energy and felt so strong at the end is supremely encouraging and I feel tells me that my training thus far has been solid. Now for a relaxing weekend with my amazing girlfriend, including a comedy show at the Upright Citizen's Brigade theater and an eastern-LI excursion!

So I may be just the slightest bit pumped up about my latest MILEstone. At the advice of travelogger I changed up my running plans for the next week or two and did a 20 miler today so I can do another one next Friday before starting my speed work and tapering for the marathon. Yikes, it's getting so close! It such an odd feeling leaving for a run at 2:30 in the afternoon and getting done sometime after dark, which is exactly what happened yesterday.

I layered up because it was chilly out, I put some nourishments in a bag in my driveway along with changes of clothes. I set it up so I would do an 8 mile route, a 5 mile route, a 4 mile route, and then 3 mile laps, in between the first three longer sections I would change into dry stuff and refuel.

My goal was to take this very easy, this would be a distance PR by 4 whole miles and I didn't want to go out fast and burn out or hurt myself. To that end I think I did a very good job. I was also smart about avoiding knee issues. For the first few miles I stopped periodically to stretch, relace shoes as needed, basically just make sure I was warmed up and comfortable. This helped me avoid any issues that would cause me to stop completely for an extended period of time. Naturally there were SOME aches along the way, as well there should be (ankle tightness towards the end, aches and pains everywhere afterwards) The biggest concern is that hours after, when I got to Trivia Night @ La Negrita in the city with Lauren, Scott, & co, my right knee, on the outside IT band possibly (?), was fairly painful and didn't really ease up. I'm going to look up some stretches and try that out on my off day, and might possibly take 2 days off from running for the first time since I started training for this marathon!

Here's the damage:

20 miles in 3:04:51 (9:14 pace)

including:
1st 8 miles in 1:15:41 (9:28 pace)
(3:40 break to change and drink) 1:15:41-1:19:21
miles 8-13 (5 miles) in 43:47 (8:45 pace) 1:19:21-2:03:08
(:52 break to change drinks) 2:03:08-2:04:00
miles 13-17 (4 miles) in 35:08 (8:47 pace) 2:04:00-2:39:08
mile 17-18 (1 mile) in 8:32; 2:39:08-2:47:40
mile 18-19 (1 mile) in 8:42; 2:47:40-2:56:22
mile 19-20 (1 mile) in 8:29; 2:56:22-3:04:51

So what the times show me is that I started easy and got faster, definitely negative splitting which makes me happy, and also that I didn't let my speed get out of control at any point. There was no wall that I ran up against, I got tired but I was able to refeul at enough spots along the way to maintain enough energy through the end. Had a 16 oz. water through the first 8 miles and a Nurti-grain bar at mile 5, then a 20oz. Gatorade along from miles 8-13, a banana at mile 13, and another 20oz Gatorade from miles 13-17. This worked well and also allowed me some brief breaks where I walked around and stretched out.

Some things that I remember along the way. Around mile 4, some kid was at the window of his house and he yells out "HI!" to me, I yell hi back and then as I'm running off his block he starts yelling to come back, it was funny. Around mile 6.5, I saw what seemed like a grandma walking with a little girl who couldn't have been more than 3 years old coming towards me. As I was approaching them the girl looked all wide-eyed at me, then almost as I reached them she waved, so I waved back and she goes to her grandma excitedly, "I want to run, I can run!" while running in place. I hear the grandma say something to the effect of, "You don't want to run, you walk" and I know she probably meant at that specific moment but nevertheless I turned my head, as I was a few yards past them, and yelled to the girl, "YOU CAN RUN HOWEVER FAR AND HOWEVER FAST YOU WANT AND DON'T YOU EVER FORGET IT!" I felt a little bad about stepping on the grandma's parenting toes and sounding like I was encouraging her to misbehave, but it was important to me at the time to let her know that running is a good idea for ANYONE! And I hope if she someday grows up to be a track superstar that I subconsciously had something to do with that. Just after mile 5 I came across a huge group of what had to be middleschool kids just loitering around Sand Hill Park, some were tearing up bushes, most were on their BMX bikes. As I ran down Sand Hill Rd. towards Wantagh Ave. a few of them took to following me and chanting the obvious and trite "Run Forrest Run!" and then trying to ask me why I was running and basically heckling me for a bit, all while struggling to maintain my pace on their bikes. They eventually gave up following and I turned on Wantagh Ave, they went back to do some sort of degenerate-ness. Then around mile 9 I was in running in the street as a man got out of his truck. He looked to be about 45-50ish and somewhat overweight. He takes one look at me running by and exclaims, "I wish I had your energy!" In my head I replied, "I wish I had some more!" but I hadn't the energy to vocalize that sentiment, ironically enough. Also saw a runner on the opposite side of Wantagh Ave. around mile 15 and gave him a thumbs up but it went unacknowledged. And around mile 18.5 I saw my godmother Diane walking her dog around the block from her house (which is around the block from MY house). This is the second such sighting this week for me. I was so focused on form and pace that I hadn't noticed her on the sidewalk and she yelled out "HI MARK!" I said hi back and she said "LOOKING GOOD!" which was very encouraging at that point because I wasn't feeling great but that was a shot of adrenaline. Finally, on my last lap, right around the 19.5 mark, I see two girls who were probably in 10-11th grade light up a bowl of marijuana right there on the corner. I know this is what they did from the overpowering smell and emanating from the thick cloud of smoke I had to run through. I swear one of these days I'm going to actually get high from running in my neighborhood. It's sad to say I wasn't even that shocked.

As soon as I finished and started walking up my block to recover, my legs felt it, big time. I took my pulse and it was around 168, good. I walked up and down the block for a bit while the soreness in my legs became more and more prominent. Walking in the house was more of a hobble initially but it let up a bit with some stretching and just moving them. I feel so proud of myself, this was very daunting at the onset and I managed it well and got through it and it gives me some more hope about this marathon. It also gives me an appreciation of just how much of an undertaking a marathon is. It's a whole 10k MORE than what I ran. Wow! It's gonna be a challenge, but one I cannot wait to take on.

As the title suggests, today's long run did not go quite as planned originally. All week long I've been shifting around mileage and planned on doing 18 miles today, a distance PR by 2 miles, and it would give me 48 for the week. This did not happen for a few reasons. I got up later than I had hoped for, but no earlier than I was physically capable of doing, somewhere around 1300, right near the start of the early AFC playoff game, Colts-Chargers (a shocking win for San Diego!). Doing a little math in my head I figured if I left at 2, I still wouldnt be able to realistically get in 18 miles and be done, even, in time for the start of the Giants-Cowboys game. Normally, running takes precedent over everything and anything, Christmas dinners, hanging out with friends, sports on tv, anything. But this was the Divisional round of the playoffs, and the GIANTS were playing the Cowboys, a team I hate more than most in football just on principal. I had planned on watching the game with Lauren at the Loeven's. So as I left on the 8 mile initial route I was doing, I tried to calculate just how many miles I could run before I should call it quits, shower, and go pick up Lauren in Bayside. I also figured that cutting the run short, while a little disappointing, was probably a decent idea given the spate of knee issues I'd been experiencing this past week, and which I experienced to a lesser degree around mile 3-4 again today (a stop to really stretch out and massage the area and walk a little helped me run pain-free the rest of the way). To top it all off, my watch did not start, AGAIN, until I was almost around the first mile, so I just decided to add 8 minutes to whatever time I ran. Here's the damage:

11 miles in 1:35:39

including:
1st 8 miles in 1:11:38 (8:57 pace)
mile 9: 1:20:33 (8:55 mile-stopped for water and to pee)
mile 10: 1:28:30 (7:57 mile)
mile 11: 1:35:39 (7:09 mile)

TMI ALERT:
for some reason, I had to pee as soon as I started today. Running in suburbia in daylight offers a significant challenge to going to doing that, as there's little places to hide along the route. I found a sump around mile 1.5 fortunately, but had to go again by mile 4, and had to hold it til I got done with the first 8.

The last 3 miles were done in one mile loops around my neighborhood and felt fantastic obviously, given the times. I definitely could have gone to 16,17, 18 miles or so, and wouldn't have allowed myself to go as fast as I wound up at the end, but at that point I realized if I stopped at 11, I'd have just enough time to shower, dress, eat something quick and get out to Bayside by the start of the game. Fortunately I made it by the middle of the first quarter and we got to the Loeven's by halftime. I toyed with the idea momentarily of going out after the game and doing another 6 (I had decided right away to cut it from 18 to 17 before making the final decision, 47 miles this week would have been plenty) but I was too elated post-win to tear myself outside. So I guess I was listening to my body and eased back. Still a great run, started very easy and finished strong and relaxed.

Had a bottle of water for the first 8 miles, some Gatorade and a blueberry Nutri-grain bar after.

I think Monday, instead of taking a day off, I'll do an easy 6 miles on the track, giving me 47 miles for a 7 day period, even if according to the way I order my weeks that means I only did 41 last week. This upcoming week is a cut-back week so I'll take it very easy during the weekdays and try to get a nice long run in Sunday morning in Boston, EARLY, so I can get home to watch the Giants-Packers NFC Championship game at 6:30. Sometime this week, I've got to get to Dick's too, to buy a crucial piece of clothing for next week's game.

Giants win, good run, GREAT company, excellent weekend. Hopefully next week follows suit.

Total Weekly Mileage: 41 miles
Total Training Mileage to-date: 359 miles

Today was a superb day! I slept in because I didn't get to bed til 7am. Waking up at 1pm is usually fun, but today the Giants were playing the Bucs in a first round playoff game and I had wanted to watch it with Lauren. eep. So that plan fell through, but I did get to see the game here, and the Giants kicked some ass after a tepid first quarter. And they were 3 point underdogs, psh. I wish I knew where to go to bet on football; I wouldn't do it all the time, just games with point spreads I was sure of, like this game. (Aside: I was also very pleased with myself when I mentioned during the game that they were 3 pt dogs, dad asked something about the late game (Chargers-Titans and then I made a commented that it wouldn't be nearly as interestng, the Chargers should win big and "they're probably a 10 point favorite" after which I went and checked the paper to see that they were EXACTLY 10 point favorites!)

Getting closer to back on track...Went to Bayside at the end of the Giants game to hang with Lauren and the dogs, which involved more football watching, dog walking, a carb-heavy dinner, and finally plotting a route and going running. She was scheduled for 8 miles today which would set a PR by 2 miles for her. I was scheduled for exactly twice that. So my figuring is that we'd run the first 8 miles together and then I'd do 8 on my own, negative splitting while I was at it. This plan worked perfectly! Here's the damage:

16 miles in 2:45:18 (10:20 pace)

including:
1st 8 miles (done w/ Lauren, run 5 min, walk 1 min): 1:39:00 (12:22 pace)

second half was broken up into four 2 mile loops
mile 8-10: 1:55:20 (16:20 lap, 8:10 pace)
mile 10-12: 2:12:20 (17:00 lap, 8:30 pace)
mile 12-14: 2:28:56 (16:36 lap, 8:18 pace)
mile 14-16: 2:45:18 (16:22 lap, 8:11 pace)

second half: 8 miles in 1:06:18 (8:17 pace)

So before we set out, we mapped out a course that would take us up Northern Blvd to the Cross Island, up the Greenway that runs parallel w/ it along the bay until we got to Bell Blvd, then take that back to Northern and back home. As Coach Manz (despite lacking the appropriate short shorts and aviators) I decided in the interest of avoiding injury and tackling personal record distances, we would do the 8 miles on a run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute strategy. This worked fantastically for almost the entire run. Around mile 6, which is the furthest she'd ever gone, Lauren's knee started to act up. I suspect the hilliness of the area had something to do with it. So we extended some of the walking breaks which ain't no thang. When we got to Northern Blvd again I was saying how every step she took set a new PR for furthest she's run. And then I thought to myself how that would be true later on for me. I was SO PROUD of her when we finally made the turn onto her block and finished strong to her house, first half done for me. I asked her to pretty please fill up my empty water bottle halfway with cranberry juice, and went on my merry way.

The second half was a bit quicker with no one to keep me from getting ahead of myself, but I think still within the realm of acceptable. The 2 mile loops helped to sort of break it down into manageable portions which was good because I think if I had tried to tackle another 8 mile route, it would have seemed to daunting. I like how 2 miles can add up quickly when put backtobacktobacktoback. After the first 2, Lauren was standing outside, ready to give me my bottle and a kiss (and came outside for a morale boosting kiss and a "slow down!" admonition at the end of every 2 mile loop!)and I was off again. The second and third loops I felt like I was dragging a bit, the last one felt better but by then my legs were decidedly sore and I knew I'd feel it in the morning. There's something decidedly unnerving about running in Queens in the middle of the night by oneself, even if it is a relatively good neighborhood (after all, I'm still by yourself and its still the middle of the night and after 8+ miles, I'm a little less energetic to fend for myself if need be!)

As I was coming up the street to finish Lauren was outside with Dulce, taking her out for a walk, which I joined them on as Scott called. My body felt weird and wobbly as I stopped running after almost 3 hours on my feet in movement. Everything felt tight, especially my calves. Came inside and got a lovely foot and calf massage and the best peanut butter and jelly sandwhich in recent memory.

Running with Laur, the few times I've done it, has really provided me with some great runs, and I'm happy that she finally had a good one from start to finish for once with me. It keeps me on pace and keeps her pushing, we both benefit, win-win-win!
I'm sure my legs will feel this, and I can't wait to take a nice hot shower and possibly a hot bath to relax them and stretch it out Monday, maybe even some yoga, but definitely A LOT of lounging and relaxing and recovering. 10 weeks til the marathon, next Sunday sees another distance PR (17 miles) and I am feeling good, fresh, strong, and confident.

Total Weekly Mileage: 45 miles
Total Training Mileage to-date: 318 miles

So I was EXHAUSTED yesterday, and wound up coming home considerably later than I had planned from our little excursion upstate (stopping to hike part of the AT with Lauren, her first time on it at all!) and generally taking a no-rush, meandering route home through sleepy towns upstate. I got home and collapsed on my bed, stirring briefly to remove my lenses and brush my teeth and re-collapse, probably muttering something along the lines of "tomorrow's another day". Well that would be today. I know I have a 4 mile race at midnight, but what's a little 15 mile warm-up of sorts?! I know it's not the most intelligent thing to do, and could have disastrous results, but I NEEDED to get the long run in, they being the most important runs in training, and the 4 miler won't be at extreme race pace so I figure it's all gravy baby. Did a 7.5 mile route, followed by a 5.5 miler, than two 1 mile loops of the neighborhood. Here's the damage:

15 miles in 2:02:16 (8:09 pace)
including:
0-7.5 in 1:02:32 (8:20 pace)
7.5-13 in 44:41 (8:07 pace)
13-14 in 7:55
14-15 in 7:08

I got consistently faster as the run went along, felt good albeit a little tired second half. Had some nice breaks resting/walking around while waiting to cross some roads. This is the furthest and longest I've EVER run! It's weird to say that these long runs are more interesting than the shorter ones but they really are somehow. I have to admit: I brought my ipod today. Not sure really why, I'm usually very against music whilst running outside but I felt like it today, and it helped at times, especially getting me up to run at all.

I had a nutrigrain bar and 14oz of Low Acid OJ during the first 7.5 miles, then 14oz of Vitamin Water and half a banana the next 3 or so miles.

The only physical issue was my left foot, on both sides of the arch, was very tight and sore afterwards.

Overall, this run was fantastic. A GREAT way to end the year, stronger, faster, and smarter than last year when I got pretty badly hurt right around now training for the half marathon. This time, I've already got 8 weeks of solid training under my belt and with 11 weeks to go til my marathon, I think I will be more than fine.

Total Weekly Mileage: 43 miles
Training mileage to-date: 273 miles
Total mileage 2007: ~450 miles

The past few Sundays, pretty much every Sunday in recent memory, have seen miserable weather that I've had to endure for my long runs. 12 miles in freezing rain comes to mind instantly. Also the 11 miles in frigid conditions, and last weeks post-snow 13.1 miler. Compared to all those, today was positively balmy and tropical! Weatherbug told me the temp was in the low 50s with a very real threat of rain all day. Fortunately for me, the rain decided to hold off during most of the afternoon, so when I set off it was humidish but felt pretty nice and I was comfortable in shorts and a long sleeve. Just in case though, I put a short sleeve t-shirt on the windshield of my car if I wanted to change after the first loop of my run (which I did masterfully on the run, tossing my long sleeve shirt on Scott's car, picking up the t-shirt, and putting it on all without breaking stride...probably quite a curious sight!). Today was the culmination of cut-back week, which meant the long run was cut-back too, and supposed to be run easily, both of which I did to varying degrees of success. Here's the damage:

9 miles in 1:13:49 (8:12 pace)

including:
1st 5.5 miles in 45:38 (8:17 pace)
final 3.5 miles in 28:11 (8:03 pace)

This was a very good run I'd say. It was broken up into a 5.5 mile loop and a 3.5 mile loop, obviously. I started out nice and easy, the first few miles were probably close to 8:30-8:40s and so I guess I got a good deal faster than that by the end. It wasn't a forced acceleration, I just ran at a comfortable pace I knew I'd be able to easily maintain. There was a lot of energy left and the final mile-ish I did a good deal faster methinks, mostly because I was raring to go after waiting almost 2 minutes to cross Wantagh Ave. I know this is a bit quicker than my goal pace for the run of 8:20-8:30, but given the way it felt, I'm ok with it.

I had 14 oz. of cran-apple juice and a nutrigrain bar, all before the end of the 5.5 mile section. Didn't have any aches or pains, except for my right knee being a little tight early on that worked itself out.

Overall, this week went very well. I took it easy and let my legs rest and get ready for 3 hard weeks, each one is going to be a mileage record for me. Everything feels fresh, I know I'm not overtraining, and I'm getting faster and stronger. Everything is going so well, and I just want to keep on keeping on right up to March 16, which is only 12 weeks away now. Now to get the house ready for Christmas and all. Hope everyone gets where they're going safely and has a happy holiday!

Total Weekly Mileage: 30 miles
Total training mileage to-date: 230 miles

Yesterday, Dec. 15, was Bri's 14th birthday. It's crazy because I can remember Greg and James being excited that they were getting a baby sister, I distinctly remember watching her (and Zach and Maxine and all of those former little kids) grow up. Kinda makes me feel older than I know I am.
Anyway, that doesn't have much, or anything, to do with my running or training, except that it pushed back WHEN I was going to do my long run tonight.
See, I didn't get home from NYC until 10:30 this morning, a combination of an awesome night swing dancing and other fun shenanigans after. So I passed out til after the early NFL games ended, in time to check and see that MY DOLPHINS FINALLY ONE A GAME! Anyway, we were supposed to be at the Loeven's at 1600, it was already 1630, and if I were later I'd miss the food and fun. So we went first there, stayed til around 2000 to watch the end of the Cowboys-Eagles game and eat lots of hero sandwhich wedges, cake, and watch present-opening. Then back home, after explaining to a bunch of people that yes, I was in fact leaving to go for a run at this hour and in this weather, I decided not to tell them it was 13.1 miles because they probably wouldn't have believed me anyway.

The run itself was great, no complaints to be had. Here's the damage:

13.1 miles in 1:49:56 (8:22 pace)

first 7.5 miles in ~1:04:20 (8:34 pace)
final 5.6 miles in ~45:36 (8:08 pace)

I knew I was in for the long haul here tonight, so I didn't even think about starting too quickly. I let the way my legs felt and the way my breathing was going dictate when and if I sped up. There was a foot cramp around mile 2 that worked itself out and other than that, no significant complaints on the injury front. It was real cold but fortunately the snow and sleet had mostly gone away and the conditions weren't that wet where I ran. I did the 7.5 mile loop of Levittown, where I went through a 16oz bottle of cran-apple juice and a nutri-grain bar. On my way back, around mile 7, I phoned the house and they brought me out half a banana and half a bottle of water, Dad came out and it was like a hand-off at an aid station and I was on my way again.

The last 5.6 miles felt easier and I had finally settled into my rhythm and my legs felt fresh. I was able to finish strong with a negative split. This marks the longest amount of time I have ever spent continuously running, and my body totally handled it. Next week is a step-back week with the mileage going to be cut by about one quarter of this week's total. I know I'm going to be going crazy not running nearly as much, or as often, as I'm getting very used to but I don't want to get hurt and I want to be fresh. Next week the cousins come in for Christmas, I'm going to have to be good about getting up early to get runs in before holiday happenings.

Total Weekly Mileage: 40.2 miles
Overall training mileage:200 miles

I must be crazy, like that mom on Friday wondered, because all week I've been looking forward to tonight's long run. Last night was 3.1 miles on the track and I realized how much I prefer the longer distances. I don't want to say shorter distances are boring, bc they don't get a chance to be boring really. My problem with them is that they're over too soon. I LOVE running, and the more I'm doing it, the less time I have to deal with other, less enjoyable things, the better for me. Going for a long run, like on Sundays, is a chance to really get away from everything, really get lost in my thoughts and my surroundings, and explore! I get to go places I can't get to on my shorter runs, and that's always fun. Tonight, for instance, I got to see all of this. A tour of parts of Seaford, Plainedge, Massapequa, and Wantagh. Here's the damage:

12 miles in 1:36:56 (8:04 pace)

including:
mile 1: ~9:22
mile 2: ~17:30 (8:45 pace)
mile 3: ~25:45 (8:35 pace)
mile 4: ~34:10 (8:32 pace)
mile 5: under 42:00 (sub 8:30 pace)
mile 6: 50:30 (8:25 pace)

mile 8: 1:05:25 (8:10 pace)
mile 9: ~1:13:30
mile 10: ~1:21:25
mile 11: 1:29:10 (8:06 pace)
mile 12: 1:36:56 (8:04 pace, 7:46 mile)

1st half: 50:30 (8:25 pace)
2nd half: 46:26 (7:44 pace)

Ok, so basically what those numbers are telling me is that from start to finish I was continually getting faster, which is EXACTLY what I want to do. Ran a very big negative split, a more than 4 minute difference. My middle 4 and final 4 miles were probably comprable in time which means I settled in and was running steady and smooth for 8 miles after the first 4- it usually takes me 3-4 miles to get into my groove. Once again, I didn't really feel like I was pushing it too hard. I said I had wanted to do about 8:30-8:45 pace and this was obviously much faster than that. I'd be worried if I was struggling to finish or slowing down significantly, but that wasn't the case. I finished feeling strong and with a heart rate ~160 which is well within my aerobic training range and not over the lactic threshold. Also I need to take into accont that there were a few instances where I had to wait to cross busy streets like Sunrise Highway, but those probably helped give my feet and legs brief breaks from the pounding.

I brought 16 oz. of OJ mixed with water, and a blueberry nutrigrain bar. I ate half of the bar around mile 4 (the other half fell on the ground) and was done with the OJ at mile 6.

I also have to make mention of the absolutely horrendous conditions tonight. I started feeling drops around mile 1.5 and by mile 2 it was raining in earnest. It wasn't a big deal for most of the early part of the run as my feet and everything stayed pretty dry. By mile 8 though my feet were kind of wet and the rain was very cold and generally miserable. After some deep, unavoidable puddles on Wantagh Ave, I ran the last 3 or so miles with my feet sloshing in soaked sneakers, which is one of my pet peeves usually (the feeling of my feet in wet sneakers, if I'm running I can deal with it until I'm done). By this point my lips were numb and most of me was frozen solid. By the time I got inside I saw that my right shin was covered in dirt and mud and my legs were bright red. My mom freaked a little when she saw me walk in and said I was insane and this was a stupid idea. I just laughed because she doesn't and can't possibly understand. It's a different mindset, we runners have to have. The mindset that enjoys running in the snow and rain. The conditions may have been miserable but a not-so-small part of me was relishing the fact that I was almost certaintly the only person in a very large area who was out in that running 12 miles and enjoying doing so.

Overall, this was a great run and a great way to end a fantastic week.

Total Weekly Mileage: 39 miles

IT SNOWED! I was sort of starting to forget what it looked like, seeing as how this is the first snow and it's already December 2nd! Oh well. First run in the snow today too, and it was a doozy! A long run that can really call itself long, for sure. But a very enjoyable one at that, for the most part. Here's the damage:

11 miles in 1:35:33 (8:40 pace)

1st 7.5 miles in ~1:06:30 (8:52 pace)
final 3.5 miles in ~29:03 (8:18 pace)

Started pretty slowly because I wasn't sure what the footing would be like with the snow and the cold. It was icy in patches, mostly on the roads that were less main than others. Did a lot of sidewalk running too because I didn't trust some of the cars near the icy spots on the more narrow roads. It amazes me how some jackass drivers go so fast and irresponsibly given the conditions! I saw one SUV tailgating another car on some back road and the car pulled over and started screaming at the idiot! good for them!

I did a 7.5 mile lap and then a 3.5 mile route which re-traced much of the beginning of the 7.5 mile route. The snow on those re-traces provided a neat opportunity to see my stride length from the early miles and compare it to my stride length nearing the end. I was going further, and thus faster, nearing the end which I took to be a very good sign. It was also nice seeing the houses decorated for the season. Running these neighborhood routes gives me an, at times, fairly intimate view of my neighbors (neighbors in the sense that they live in or around my zip code). I get to see a lot of families putting up lights, or having dinner or watching tv, its nice. I'm not saying I run up to their windows and peer in, just, as I'm running past, if a window or door is open I get glimpses of people going about their business. More often than not, it seems like I'm invisible to most- which is not great when its drivers I'm invisible too, PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE AND STOP AT STOP SIGNS!

Anyway, felt fantastic, as the times and splits show. Had 14oz of OJ up to mile 6 and some of a banana towards the end. Legs held up, no injuries, no severe aches. A nice cold bath right after and now for a nice hot shower and some stretching. Next week I hope to near 40 miles total.

Total weekly mileage: 36.3

So I was in Newark, DE tonight. Primarily because tomorrow I have to take care of some student loan nonsense that requires me to see an actual UD official in person which hopefully will go smoothly enough and not cause me a headache and/or the desire to shake someone. Secondarily because, well, I miss Delaware sometimes, a lot, and moreso I miss the people that inhabit it. I have a lot more friends there now, than anywhere else. Which is good when I'm there, and makes other places a trifle more lonely. But it also makes for fun times whenever I visit. Like going to Deer Park to see Chorduroy play their awesome cover songs with Kenny and Vanessa.

But I do miss the place too, not just the people. It is a truly beautiful campus, and an area that just begs to be run around. Which is precisely what I did, the longest run I can remember running in Newark ever actually! Here's the damage:

8 miles in 1:08:05 (8:31 pace)

Mile 1: 9:00
Mile 2: 18:05 (9:05 mile)
Mile 3: 26:25 (8:20 mile)
Mile 4: 34:34 (8:09 mile)
Mile 5: 43:00 (8:26 mile)
Mile 6: 51:30 (8:30 mile)
Mile 7: 1:00:06 (8:36 mile)
Mile 8: 1:08:05 (7:59 mile)

first half: 34:34 (8:38 pace)
second half:33:31 (8:22 pace)

I did this 8 mile route through Newark, covering pretty much the whole of south campus which was quite nice and relaxing and a bit nostalgic. Although, I felt significantly better than the last time I was training for a distance event on campus, and was going about things much wiser. I felt great throughout, no injuries, just typical aches and pains associated with 8 miles of running.

Had about 12 oz. of Powerade and a PowerBar Performance Bar along the way, all before mile 5. Obviously I finished strong, with a significant negative split, and definitely had another gear or two I could have gone to easily with little extra effort. Great night, great run

So today was my displaced long run. Newsworthy is the fact that I did this IN DAYLIGHT! Turns out I actually enjoy running during the day as much as I do at night, it's just hard to when it gets dark around 4:30-5. Also of note is the fact that I decided to map out a 10 mile course instead of doing two 5 mile loops or any other combination. It actually took me significantly longer to MAP it than to RUN it. Grrr MapMyRun. Anyway, here's the damage:

10 miles in 1:25:07 (8:31 pace)

That time also includes more than a minute of waiting to cross streets and at lights for what that's worth, although I think that helped slow me down when I was getting to ahead of myself and when my knees needed a break around mile 3.5.

This now takes the top place on the list of 'Longest Training Runs Ever', and I'm only in my third week of marathon training. I'm pretty sure I did a 9 miler before the half. This is also the second longest I've ever run in a sitting; only the half was longer, by a 5k. The biggest thing I take away from today is the fact that I felt good throughout, or as good as one can feel running 10 miles. There were some side stitches about 2/3 through, but no lingering pain in any joint or muscle leading me to believe that the rest yesterday was worth it.

I took a Nutrigrain bar and about 8-10 oz of OJ, figuring that this was significantly longer than any run I'd been on in a while and refueling would be a good idea, which it was.

The coolest part of the run was ~mile 9.5. I was passing in front of the middle school, with the high school next to it, and I see a big group run out from between the two and turn, it was the track team doing "tours" which are ~1 mile laps around the school property. I was a ways behind but something just clicked and despite it not being the greatest idea and all, I went up a few gears, I actually couldn't believe how much energy I still had after all that. I was FLYING! I caught and passed the big pack, continued on my route as the turned in the parking lot and I was off all the way to my block, where I finally managed to slow down a bit. But this was SUCH an awesome feeling! And knowing that that reserve is there is really encouraging for my 5 mile Turkey Trot and for the rest of marathon training. Hopefully I keep building on it.

A nice, freezing ice bath, 2 ibuprofins, a long hot shower, and some stretching later and I'm feeling pretty good, not as sore as I thought I was gonna be right after. Overall, much cause for optimism and enthusiasm.

Set out almost midnight tonight to do my Sunday long run, a 10 miler. And for once in my life, I actually listened to my body, listened to reason, and nixed it. And I don't feel like a quitter, which is how I would've guilted myself into doing it back in the day. My legs are tired. I didn't sleep last night, I took a nap from 330-8pm this evening, I was beat. I would've finished but my body would've paid for it too severely. Instead, I'm gonna get back on a normal sleep cycle, get a good 6 hours, get up early and do it tomorrow morning, then get back on track for the rest of the week, cut next Sundays long run because of the Thursday 5 mile race, and next week it'll be business as usual. Plus this way I'm not experiencing a huge jump in weekly mileage after one week, giving my system a little more time to adjust.
win-win-win