Zero Weeks

Zero weeks suck, I read guys who bitch about zero days. I can take the zero days, but the weeks set you back. I met my goal of 35+ per week in March and then had a collosally bad week ending 4/8.  The great part is all this crap happened on the same week:
1. Stomach bug Sunday night through weds (bonus lost 7 lbs)
2. Poison ivy flare up, left leg blown up so big my ankle was huge.  I actually went to the doctor thinking the poison ivy was so bad it was causing the stomach issues, but he said unlikely and in fact he would rather hold off on the prednisone until the stomach issues went away. Got the prednisone on Thursday and it started to go away-two weeks out and it is still there. I must be really allergic to this stuff or I got into a really bad plant along the Potomac on my DC trip.
3. Broke my left toe. I have never stubbed my toe so bad. Two weeks out and I am still favoring it when I run.

Anyhow, this was a miserable week and totally unpredicted, hopefully this is the only one like it this year and I can continue to put some distance on it and get back into shape for the 1/2 end of May. I need to start doing some speedier work, I might start finding some shorter between now and then to wake up. I had a nice jog on the charles today-what a nicer place to run. This crap in east boston is so uninspiring for pushing hard.

East Boston Track (1mile, 1/2 mile, 1/4 mile)

If you can call it a track workout. I just wanted to run a little faster than my normal plod lately. Rainy, windy and all alone out there, just a few basic laps to dust out the cobwebs. 1/4 mile jog in between, 1.5 warm up and 1.5 cool down.
1 mile: 7:13
1/2 mile: 3:16
1/4 mile: 1:28

Baystate Marathon Training Buildup

I thought I'd post my training calendar for the buildup to Baystate last year. Although this year has been off to a rocky start, I am confident I can work towards a fall marathon. Here are the 3 months of Marathon Training:

Where have I been?

Since my last entry after the new year I have:

1. Moved
2. Got a membership to the East Boston YMCA
3. Competed in the Indoor Rowing Championships (CRASH-B's)
4. Cancelled my membership to the East Boston YMCA
5. Worked way too much
6. Not done my taxes
7. Not forwarded all my mail to my new address
8. Done a miserable total mileage for 2012 year to date of 83 miles
9. Done an even more depressing total for the last 3 months of 197 miles

Now I could blame the move, or work, or this or that for my depressing training these last few months. But no one reads this blog, so who am I trying to convince? Something has to be done. Small goals first, bigger ones later. So how about 35 miles a week for March, sounds achievable, so there it is.

Year End-Look Back

Taking a look back at last years goals, some good green below.
2011 Goals and Objectives

• Take stock in the positive, appreciate the small things, focus on family (Did my best w/ this one, need to focus on the small things more, keep getting bogged down w/ things beyond my control)
• Stay flexible (did my best, 6 months commuting to CA this year, think I was successful)
• 40 mpw consistent w/out injury or illness, slow and steady fitness improvements (38.8 mpw average, no major setbacks w/ injury or illness)
• Take GMAT (ughh-should probably set a date for this)
• Apply to MBA program (ughh-date for this as well)
• Take time off this summer with family for vacation (Kick ass 11day RV trip)
• Yankee Homecoming 10 miler (6:45 pace, back in the saddle after last years)
• Marathon (3:08/7:12pace BQ, oh yeah)

Baystate marathon 2011

Finally got around to writing about this one. Really pleased with the work that I did going into this. No real hiccups. 4x20mile long runs, a 10 mile, 7 mile, 18.5 mile, and 13.1 race leading up to it. So I would say this time around I was plenty prepared. My last two weeks were not the best, I never felt like I was getting stronger during the taper, just holding on. I had some wierd stomach things going on during those two weeks-wierd pains and gas stuff, but nothing too severe, just enough to make me worry. In retrospect I think that the 1/2 Marathon all out two weeks before was too much. I should have geared towards a 10 miler or 10k instead. I was really beat after that race and it topped off about 6 really big weeks of running. Lesson learned there, hard to tell going into it, but I knew by 4 days after the race when I was still sore that it probably wasn't the best idea. But still my marathon result was all within 4 minutes or so of a bunch of predictors (i.e McMillan, Daniels etc). As far as the marathon goes,it was a perfect day dry and mid 50's (probably a bit warm), the Baystate course is plenty flat and I really grooved in a good rhythm. My big fade happened at mile 23 (about the same length time wise as all my long runs, coincidence?) I was 6:57 pace through 10, 6:57 pace through 13.1, 7:02 pace through 20, and the wheels came off the cart at mile 23. Just lead legged for the last 3.2 miles (almost a death march). Felt like I was gonna pass out after finishing and then like I was gonna throw up when I felt the chaffe in my inner legs (third degree burn style). But other wise held it together. Good enough for 70th place overall and a Boston Qualifying time. Given my first 23 miles I definately feel like a sub 3:05 is possble. Splits below:
1-7:14
2-6:54
3-6:47
4-7:01
5-7:12
6-6:47
7-6:48
8-6:53
9-6:49
10-6:55
11-7:00
12-7:01
13-7:01
----1/2 1:31:14/6:57pace
15-7:02
16-7:09
17-7:07
18-?-----------30k-2:11:11/7:02pace
19-?
20-7:17 -----2:20:51/7:02pace
21-7:17
22-7:20
23-7:33
24-7:39
25-7:52
26.2-9:33:08/7:57
Total: 3:08:16/7:12 pace
First Half: 1:31:39/6:57pace
Second Half: 1:36:38/7:22pace
Last 6.2: 47:16/7:37pace

Charlestown Track 3xmile/3x1/4

Did this one last Thursday and never logged it. I wanted to do some more mile repeats but wanted to wake up the legs with some faster running so I settled on this: mile-1/4-mile-1/4-mile-1/4 all at a hard but not full out effort, jogged a lap in between at around 2:15 between each interval
mile: 6:27
1/4: 1:25
mile: 6:31
1/4: 1:27
mile: 6:19
1/4: 1:27