week long update

holy crikeys. work this week was brutal. i put in about 6 x 17 hour days in a row but i was still able to get in 4 runs this week of 5-6 miles each.

I got home around 2 am last night from the trip out of town for work. Today I went on a 10.7 mile run at what was possible a bit too fast of a pace, but I think I needed it to get of the mental block last week's work week gave me. So, I ended up doing it in 1 hour 7 minutes and 15 second for a 6:17 pace. This week, work is light and I have a lot of time off, the glory of being a freelancer. So, I'm going to do my best to catch up on sleep and eat right and just get ready for next sunday.

15.44 mile longrun

Today was pretty much the final of my big longruns before the marathon before I start my taper.

I went out for a 15.44 mile loop that I'll put in below. I felt pretty good for the most part. It seemed to take a long time for my legs to warm up and feel good, but other then that I had plenty of energy the whole run. It's amazing how 2 months ago a 15 mile run seemed like such a monumental endeavor, and now, after doing the 22 miles last weekend, my attitude as I left my apartment today was completely different. Today was more like "Ah, a nice short longrun today. That should be good" Man, running this much, I feel like most people consider me a crazy person, but I know anyone else who is training for a marathon or has done one before knows exactly what I am talking about.

So, today, 15.44 miles. It took me 1 hour 52 minutes and 20 seconds for a 7:16/mile pace.

Now begins the taper. I am leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning to drive down to Myrtle Beach for work for the next 6 days. Work's going to be insane this week and I am likely looking at 12-13 hour workdays every day, but I better be able to make time for some good beach running.

2 weeks to go.

6 mile moderate longrun

Short distance, good pace. 6 miles in 39:25 for a 6:34 pace.

3 day update

I'm getting lazy here. Whoops.

Wednesday I went to the track for some mile repeats at a 5k pace. 2 mile warmup. 4 x mile repeats @ approx. 5:52-5:55 with a 3 minute active recovery jog in between. Finished with a 2 mile cooldown. My legs felt a little heavy that day. I believe it's because I may have gone a little too fast on the longrun the day before.

Yesterday I had planned to run, but the freezing rain motivated me to change my schedule around a little bit and take a rest day instead.

Today, I couldn't sleep so I went out super early this morning for a longrun that was about 7 miles. Around a 7:00 pace. It took me a while to get my legs feeling good, but I think it was because I had only slept about 4.5 hours and I am also much more used to running in the late afternoons/early evenings as opposed to right when I get out of bed.

8.25 mile long run

8.25 in about 56:20 for a 6:50 pace. I started out easy and picked it up to a good moderate pace halfway through. I felt great the whole run. Especially the last 2/3. For the most part I had the new Baroness record on that just came out today. It's good...initially I don't like it as much as the previous record, but I have a feeling it will be a grower with more listens. There are a few glorious riffs on it though. Speaking of glorious riffs, "The Volcano" by Old Man Gloom came on after the Baroness record ended. Holy crap. I just came to my senses recently and put all the Old Man Gloom songs on my ipod shuffle that actually have riffs and aren't just 3 minutes of ambient noise. That song is so brutal and so glorious I must have looked like a crazy man to any bystander I happened to run past as I was listening to it.

22 mile long run

So today was the biggest long run that I will have before the marathon. As a matter of fact, 22 miles is the longest distance at one point that I have ever run in my life, including the old high school cross country days.

I did a big loop that I'll post below. This run felt a lot better then the 2 previous 20 mile runs I did. I consciously tried to start out at an easier pace for once which I think was a big part of my success. Didn't have to stop and walk at all for any cramps today, and I felt good enough to burn in the last mile in 6:40. My legs felt great until I stopped running at the end, then they were pretty damned angry at me. In the end it was a total of 21.91 miles in 2:46:50 for an average pace of 7:37/mile.

Tomorrow = rest day and since I don't have to work, I do believe I am going to rest like it's nobodies business.

Also, many big hugs and congratulations to my brother T.J. and my buddy Chris for finishing the Chicago Marathon today. Totally sweet dudes.

2 day update. easy long run yesterday, hard longrun today

Yesterday I went on a nice 6.5 mile run at a conversational pace. All felt good. About 7:00/mile in the end.

Today, I went for about a mile relaxed for a warmup, then 8.3 miles at what felt like my half marathon pace. Then about a mile easy for a cooldown. I got the 8.3 done in 52:05 for a 6:18 pace. A little slower then my pace in the brooklyn half, but still a great feeling workout. Once I got over the initial soreness of my feet (which i attribute to being on my feet all day at work in less then appropriate shoes) everything felt strong after that.

Tomorrow I'm taking a rest day.

6 mile easy long run

Just as it says, I ran 6 miles at a comfortable easy pace today. About a 7 minute pace overall. I felt fine. My legs were a little tired after yesterday's workout and being on my feet all day yesterday and today at work, but nothing too bad.

8.5 mile tempo/threshold run

I did a 2 mile easy warmup followed by 2 x 2 mile bursts at a 5:35/mile pace with a 3 minute jog recovery in between. I finished up with a cool down that was a little more then 2 miles to get about 8.5 in for the day. I felt much stronger today then I have in the last few weeks. Both physically and mentally. Best run I have had in a while.

Sunday Long Run - 15 miles

I went out for a good 15 miler yesterday. Actually, it was 14.8. Over to Prospect Park and then up Flatbush, across the Manhattan Bridge, up to 14th street and then down the west side to the Brooklyn Bridge and home. Everything felt good and solid the whole run. I picked up the pace quite a bit for the last 2 miles because I felt strong enough to. 1 hour 45 minutes and 49 seconds in the end for a 7:04 pace.

4 weeks to go til the marathon.

Today, I took the day off.

8.24 mile long run

Did an 8.25 mile loop through dumbo and fort greene and then down the west side of prospect park. I ran it in 56:26 for a 6:51 pace. The whole run felt nice and easy and relaxed.

I also ended up getting off my ass to go the Burnt By the Sun and Tombs show last night. I got there too late to see Black Anvil play which bummed me out a bit. It was my first time seeing Tombs, which is weird cos I feel like they play every good metal show in NYC. The were pretty awesome. I hadn't seen Burnt by the Sun play in a good 8 or 9 years. I forgot how ridiculously brutal their drummer is. I was also probably the skinniest guy at the show by a long shot. But, given my stature, put me at any metal show and that will likely be the case. BBTS slayed. I'm glad I worked up the energy to get out of the house. Awesome show.

7.25 mile long run

Yesterday = rest.

Today = 7.25 mile longrun. I did a loop from Carroll Gardens up the brooklyn heights promenade, over the brooklyn bridge into manhattan, then back across the manhattan bridge and headed straight home. 48:25 was the final time for a 6:40 pace. Overall, I felt pretty good. No complaints. Now I'm going to go watch Jeopardy, eat a salad, and drink a beer and decide whether I want to stay in on a friday night by myself watching 6 feet under on netflix, or whether I want to muster the energy to head out to Cake Shop tonight to go see Tombs and Burnt By The Sun.