Happy New Year

I wrapped up the year a hair under 2k miles. Despite having a solid first 9 months of 2015 running wise, a couple lingering injuries, work and life slowed the last quarter down. However, this summer a running friend who is one of those crazy triathalon types took me open water swimming in the ocean and a local pond a few times. I enjoyed these workouts immensely, however wrapping up school this fall, working, parenting, husbanding, finding a new job etc. had to make "starting a new sport" take a back seat and I just basically focused on trying to "run" everyday. This approach is always my default when things get busy. I defer to "just get my 6 miles in" and basically throw everything else out the window, cross training, core work, racing, etc-this approach seems to either lead to, follow or encourage a reoccurring injury pattern. Once injured, the mileage drops, the lbs pack on, stop, repeat etc. I think that running just cannot be my only endeavor-perhaps the swimming thing might be good. On another note, I took a job in The Woodlands TX, where the weather might be a bit more agreeable to getting out the door early in the morning and swimming year round. We pack up and head south Jan 14th. I'll get my last long run in Lynn Woods this week before the sendoff. Planning on taking a 6 day roadtrip with the fam. to get there. Should be exciting, hopefully a change in venue and weather will ignite some new passion for training-really looking forward to the change and adventure.

Spring Update

Jumped into a couple races over the last few weeks. Trav's Trail race in Newburyport and the Dory Run next door in Swampscott. Both races fell flat. Based on my consistency of 45-50 miles a week, I thought I'd be in for better results, but was a bit disappointed in both. In both races I ended up running alone from about half way on, not a great spot for me. Both cases I should have pushed up to try and hang on ( in both races I had opportunities-like when 49 year old Mimi Fallon made me her bitch around mile 2 at Trav's race). I think lack of racing played a part in the results, but for the Dory run I may have been fighting allergies or a cold. I ran easy the two days after the Dory Run and then took a zero the next day as I felt like crap. I'm going to keep finding 5k's, work towards seeing if I can't handle 50 mpw more consistently, and see if I can't drop a few pounds. I think sub 6 is doable.
Trav's:
1-6:29
2-6:37
3-6:13
total:19:20/6:27
 results

Dory Run:
1-5:59
2-6:17
3-6:19
3.1-total: 19:30/6:11
results

Odd comfort

Life has been pretty busy for me for the last few weeks, family, work, school-not always in that particular order. However, I've managed to keep the running consistent. There is something oddly comforting about looking at a consistent training log when life seems to be spinning by wildly. It is one of the few things you can control (baring injury) and managing to control at least that, when everything else seems out of control-helps.  I haven't managed any races since the beginning of the year but once the snow pack melted down the end of February I started incorporating a weekly fartlek and "longish" run into my daily grind.  Reading Nate Jenkins' blog he put me onto the Mona and 6/1 fartlek type workouts (I do about 3 miles on the Mona and an 8/1 instead of the 6/1). I'm itching to get in a race to test my fitness, it's just been tough finding something close by and on the weekend with other commitments etc. I'll probably look for some less than 5 mile races in the near future-see if I can't get that 5k down into the mid 18's.

Ahhhh this makes me feel good....

Brooksby Farm Snowshoe Race postponed...

Snowshoe race postponed due to snow, that has got to be a first in MA. This sh*&$%'s out of hand.

February....

I'm ready to throw in the towel for Feb. Been plodding around the golf course aimlessly in 3 feet of snow. Friday I got my daughters cold, fever on Saturday, conjunctivitis monday-tues...squinting while I type this. Mix in the rounds of shoveling, 6 snow-days keeping the kids busy, well I'm sure I'm not the only one out there dealing with it. Anyhow...

More snowshoe?

7 Days straight cutting tracks around the golfcourse in Nahant. Linked together the golf course and a heritage trail for a decent 3 mile loop. Mother nature seems intent on making my efforts disappear and having me power walk thru knee deep powder-looks like more snow forecast soon. Did manage a run on the roads today, but a bit sketchy w/ nowhere to go with on coming traffic. I don't think I've seen this much snow accumulation in MA before.

10,000 mile

This is chump change compared to what real runners do but hey, I'm not a runner and I started this whole "yogging" (to quote R. Burgundy) thing 5 years ago.  On October 25th I ran my 10,000 mile, with the GPS watch I could watch it tick down-happened right at the top of Furbush Hill overlooking Boston in Nahant.