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.

Back the Track 5k

Ran a pretty large 5k in Marblehead on Saturday, over 800 people toed the line. Shalane Flanagan was there to help raise money for a new track. Got a great picture with her and the kids. The kids competed in the 1 mile race and did great. It was brutally cold out, in the high teens when we left the house. I went to the line with basically no warm-up, which is never a good thing for me. I think I ran pretty well, within a few seconds of my best to date-but not a ground breaker-which I think I'm do for given my volume and consistency recently. I suffered on the middle mile (there was a decent hill), but if I can iron that out and have a decent day I think I can get down into the mid 18's. Good enough for 31st place in a pretty big field. results

Splits:

1-5:55

2-12:14/6:20

3-18:20/6:05

5k-18:58/6:07

Miles for smiles 5k

Had a pretty good run in Swampscott, I think the intervals are making me a bit better at the 5k. Took the lead in the last uphill 1/4 mile but got nipped at the end-oh well. Happy with the results.
splits
1-5:58
2-12:14/ 6:17
3-18:20/ 6:07
5k-18:56/ 6:05