Feb. 28

AM: weights, core, stretching

PM: 15 miles easy

Went to the gym in the morning, loosening up nicely. After work, I ran through Bethesda, up Western AVe. and around the neighborhoods in Rock Creek Park. It was pretty cold, but the wind died down to make it a little more bearable.

Feb. 27

AM: 7 miles easy

PM: 8x800m w/ 200m jog recovery, 4x200m w/ 200m jog recovery, 10 miles

Ran the Capital Crescent in the morning; the legs were tired and heavy until about 5 miles.

After work, I met up with Mike Fleg and P. Murphy at B-CC high school. The weather was about 30 degrees, but we also had to labor through some stiff, frigid wind that sufficiently turned my hands into numb rocks. It was rough enough that we cut the cooldown short. I negative split the workout, so that, at least, suggests it was a controlled effort. Splits: 2:32, 2:29, 2:29, 2:28, 2:26, 2:26, 2:25, 2:24 (2:27 avg.)

Feb. 26

AM: 13 miles easy/moderate

PM: weights, core, stretching

Ran through the neighborhood and Rock Creek Park in the morning. I almost ran into a deer, scaring the crap out of me...three different times. Because they stand so still and blend into the woods, I usually don't see them until I'm just a couple of steps away. The first was a loner, and the second was with a family; both of them looked at me and slowly walked off the trail. The third one, however, was a fawn, and completely freaked out, stumbling and dashing into the woods. He was grazing with a six-point buck; I'm glad I didn't run into him first. I spent the rest of the run wondering, "What would I do if I were on a run and was suddenly gored?"

That being said, I'm contemplating releasing a pack of wolves, soon to be taken off the endangered species list, into Rock Creek Park. The deer are running the place!

After work, I went to the gym with Valerie. Apparently, only the coolest people get stress fractures in their left foot.

Feb. 25

AM: 8 miles easy

PM: 4 miles easy

Recovery day. Ran out-and-back on the Capital Crescent in the morning; an easy loop around the Chevy Chase Supermarket. Legs a bit tired after all of the hills yesterday.

Also, this is a great piece by Michael Wilbon in the Washington Post. It illustrates exactly why Tiger Woods is my favorite athlete to watch--and, in my opinion, is the greatest athlete in the world. I didn't think it could be possible to bring so much intensity to golf, but he does it every time he plays:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/25/AR2008022502782.html?hpid=sec-sports

Feb. 24 (107 miles/week)

AM: 4 miles warmup, 10 miles tempo (at RRCA club championships), 4 miles cooldown, 18 miles total

I decided to go ahead and run the race this morning as a tempo run as planned, trying to take my mileage, fear of peaking early, and last week's 10k into consideration.

The goal was to run 5:40s over a difficult course, and I ended up running comfortably under that in 55:42 (5:34s). I was definitely relaxed, so this was a real tempo run, and not a race, which I was worried it was going to turn into given the setting. I shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow GRC'er Chris Bain through 7 or 8 miles when the hills broke us up slightly through the end.

Ultimately, the run turned out to be great practice for Boston: I got to practice drinking while running fast (I'd never normally when racing a 10-mile), going out conservatively at the start, and running some rolling hills.

I had a hard time not going out with the pack in the beginning of the race, especially since I saw some guys who I've raced against (and beaten) before. But, I really wanted to make this a genuine tempo effort, so Chris and I held back and spent most of the race rolling up guys who fell of the back instead, doing our best to keep the effort in check. As a result of going out conservatively, no one passed us the entire time, which was a good sign we were running steady.

The mile splits were all over the place; I can't be sure which ones were accurate, as they ranged from 4:45 and 5:13 to 5:49 and 6:36. Judging from the effort, we even split the race halves. Even on the hills, I never really rigged up. The only real stinger was a decent hill around 6 miles, but after that we rolled through them well enough without much fighting.

We did a long-ish warmup and cooldown to make it a full long run for the day. I was admittedly hesitant to run a tempo run during a race, worried that my ego was going to get in the way, so I'm glad it worked out. That being said, I'm definitely looking forward to racing an 8k in a few weeks.

Feb. 23

AM/PM: 12 miles moderate, weights, core

Ran with Mike Fleg and Adam Ambrus came down to visit, and we went for an out-and-back on the Capital Crescent Trail.

I'm still 50-50 on this race I'm scheduled to run tomorrow. I'm weary of running too many long races after my stress fracture last fall. I'm planning to run it as a tempo run, but I don't trust myself to run a tempo effort in race-type setting. I may opt instead for some MP work--something I've been sorely missing up to this point with just eight weeks to go before Boston.

We'll see, I guess.

Feb. 22

AM: 20 x 1'on/1'off, 11 miles

PM: 5 miles easy

Ran a fartlek through Rock Creek PArk and up Beach Drive in the morning. I worked from home today, so I got to run in the daylight. In the evening, I ran easy with Valerie through the neighborhood.

Feb. 21

AM: 13 miles easy

I felt like hell this morning. Though it may have been a placebo effect, my coffee maker freaked out on me when I turned it on, acting like an overworked locamotive, so I didn't get my morning fix. How terrible. Regardless, I never seemed to wake up. I planned on going longer, but I stopped at home instead of tagging on an extra loop.

On the plus side, Valerie told me this morning that I'm "getting tiny." I felt like a fullback next to some of the guys I raced against last weekend, so I was happy to hear her remark.

Feb. 20

AM: 3 x 2 miles @ goal 10-mile w/ 2:30 jog recovery, 12 miles

PM: 6 miles easy, treadmill

After Tuesday night's wash-out, I opted to get in a good effort this morning. I used the Meadowbrook stables loop: 10:47, 10:49, 10:36 (closed in 5:10). I was considering 4 reps, but considering I did at least start a workout last night, I erred toward conservative. Felt good enough to negative split on the last interval.

Speaking of conservatives, I had more intimate time watching Lou Dobbs on the treadmill with Valerie after work. For some reason, he's always the best of the worst stuff they have on TV at the gym around the time I go after work. One cool part was that the John McCain NY Times story broke while I was there; one uncool thing is that my stomach is still giving me a little trouble.

Feb. 19

AM: 7 miles easy

PM: 9 miles moderate (aborted workout, again...)

Ran on the Capital Crescent Trail in the morning.

After work, P. Murphy and I attempted to run a fartlek up Western Ave. As it turned out, he had just pulled an all-nighter at work, and I faced the same G.I. problems that I had last week, so we bagged this about two reps in. Better to live and fight another day.

Feb. 18

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 4 miles easy

Ran down the Rock Creek Park trails and up Beach Drive in the morning. Because today was a federal holiday, most of Beach Drive was closed to cars. The fog, warm weather (60 degrees), and stillness this morning made for a beautiful run. A scarcely saw any other people. I did, however, almost run into a deer, which I didn't see until it was about 10 feet from me. I also saw some sort of enormous, labrador-sized bird, which I'm assuming was just a really big a turkey. Or maybe an emu. I don't know--it was the biggest bird I've ever seen in the wild.

In the evening after work, I set out for a run with Samy from his place in Columbia, and it became obvious about a mile in that he was horribly sick. He kept telling me to run on ahead, but aside from the fact that I had no idea where I was, I was sure I'd be picking up his lifeless body somewhere on the way back if I left him. He didn't look good. When we finished, he was obviously out of it--he could barely stand up and walked us into the wrong apartment building to get back to his place. This reminds me of a lesson that I, too, have learned the hard way: don't ever run with a fever.

Afterward, I hung out at his place with Valerie, Pat, and Jen, eating Samy's mom's spinach pies and watching "My Dad is Better than Your Dad"--which may be the worst reality/game show ever conceived. Thank God the writer's strike is over; it's obvious that the networks were starting to get desperate.

Feb. 17 (89 miles/week)

AM: 19 miles easy

PM: weights, core, stretching

Met up for a group run at Difficult Run this morning. Some respectable hills, but the real challenge today was all of the mud. I also had to stop to take care of #1 at least 3 times, which can be attributed to the fact that all I'd had to drink since 6:00 p.m. Saturday was a diuretic time bomb of alcohol and coffee.

I took an ice bath when I came home for the first time in many months, just to be sure that I was recovering. We didn't hammer the run today, which was nice given the race yesterday.

After the ice bath, I redefined "power nap" when I passed out in a 45-minute coma. Nothing could have woken me up--I had trouble recalling my location, the time, or my last name when I woke up.

I got a much-needed haircut, but I felt good enough to go the gym with Valerie before dinner. We watched most of "Rain Man," and I understand now why it won so many Oscars--great film.

Feb. 16 - GW 10k Classic

AM: GW Birthday 10k, 32:32 (PR), 10th place, 12 miles total

This morning was the first race in a string of races for me getting prepared for Boston on April 21. Since this race was really just to shake some of the competitive cobwebs out, I'm pretty pleased that I was able to run a PR.

I headed down to Alexandria, VA and met up with a bunch of Georgetown Running Co folks. Our rival running store team, Pacers, also brought a fleet of runners. Thank god a street fight didn't break out, as they grossly outnumbered us. It seemed like a lot of guys came out of winter hibernation and wake up at this 10k.

Before the race, I could still feel my hamstring, though it wasn't as tight as it was Thursday and Friday. It irritated the most when I stopped and started, so I was a little worried while doing some pre-race strides. But by the time we ran over the bridge in the first 400m, I totally forgot about it.

After the bridge, the course was flat through 2 miles when it went into a park. There, the course slowed a little because of a ton of tiny turns, though I thought I did a decent job of trying to swing wide and accelerate through them. The last two miles were the same as the first two miles, hitting us with the bridge at the 6-mile mark, making for a fast final quarter mile.

The race went out a lot slower than I thought. I tucked into the back of the lead pack, feeling that, given the competition, the pace went out fairly slow. Seeing some of the guys I knew at the starting line, I expected to have my doors blown off from the get-go.

At the mile, I was still in the pack with training partner Jake Klim, who was at the front, and what seemed like an army of Pacers jerseys. Shortly thereafter, the pack started to string out. GRC teammate Allen Carr passed me around 2 miles, as did a couple of Pacers (Bert and Baillie). But by then everyone started to settle in, so I tried to move up as much as I could. I ended up repassing Allen, who I thought would be at the front but has been fighting a bunch of injuries, and trying to close the gap on Baille.

By the time we exited the park, I closed the gap by about 50%, but I had trouble making the final move to go. The last two miles were tough--the guys I could see were all separated by 10-15 seconds, trying to close the respective gaps, but facing a strong headwind, this proved difficult. I could see Bert, Klim, and Baillie just ahead, but the gaps weren't closing or widening at all. Worried that I was fading, I managed to compose myself around 4.5 miles, but I lacked that final gear to really kick it in the last 2,000m of the race. This especially showed on the incline of the bridge, when I lost a lot of concentration, making my last mile the slowest, unfortunately.

What this race definitely showed is that I still have some more hill work left to do if the incline of the bridge could throw me off. I'm concerned, too, that knowing I was safely in PR territory, I may have unconsciously settled going up the bridge--that, of course, is no good at all.

I ended up in 10th place, but I was happy with a 25-second PR because this was the first "real" race of 2008 (apologies to the Shooting Starr 5-mile). I'm not sure what my 5k split was because I missed the 3-mile mark, but I would have run a PR for 5 miles if I'd stopped there (26:09). No one else I talked to hit their PRs today, so this wasn't exactly a "PR course," either. Granted, right after me, a lot of people made a wrong turn, adding an additional quarter mile to the race, so that definitely could have contributed to this, though it didn't sound like many of the guys in front of me ran PRs.

Splits: 5:04, 5:09, 10:39 (missed mile #3), 5:16, 5:24.



(Credit to fellow GRC'er Peter for the photo/graphic.)

Feb. 15

AM: 7 miles easy

My hanstring still feels like crap this morning--inexplicably sore. I get little hotspots like this from time to time, so I'm just going to wait to out, which is the usual remedy.

I want to be sure it feels better before I race in the morning. I feel it the most when I stop and start running, so I suppose one solution is just to keep running wihout stopping. I'm going to heat and ice it when I get home tonight, and I might even ice today at work. This could be logistically difficult, what with the company policy that requires us to wear pants and all.

That, and for some reason I haven't slept well this week. Usually, I jump out of bed in the morning, hungry to take on the world, but for almost every day this week, all I've wanted to do it crawl back into bed.

Feb. 14

AM: 13 miles easy/moderate

Got in a mid-week long-ish run up Connecticut Ave, through Chevy Chase and down Western Ave, and through Rock Creek Park. Some decent hills and sections of faster clips.

I felt tired and sluggish today, still suffering from the same G.I. issues as last night. I was planning on running 14, but I had to stop--again--to take care of said issues. Fortunately, it hit me the worst about an hour in, so I was able to use one of the bathrooms along Beach Drive. I'm probably a little dehydrated from all of last night's issues.

I'm frustrated as I don't like stopping during runs, but I wasn't convinced I was going to make it back. My lower left hamstring or IT band was also uncharacteristically tight, most likely from some abrupt stopping and starting last night.

Everyone has bad days, I guess--even moose occasionally have bad days like the rest of us.

Feb. 13

AM: 5 miles easy, treadmill

PM: 5x(4:00 on/2:00 off)--aborted workout, 9 miles total

Because of the morning's ice storm, I ran on the treadmill, even though it seemed like most of it was just cold rain.

The evening's workout started off fine, but it quickly went south. I met up with P. Murphy after work to run a fartlek, something just to get the legs moving before Saturday's race. After our second or third interval, I found myself in the woods, hugging my knees and wishing I were...well, someplace else. I tried to hold it together, on account of being just 1.5 miles from home, but the abdominal pain was just too great, so off to the woods I went. I managed to get in a few more reps after that before the lower intestinal pain just became too much to handle.

This is the first workout I've had to totally bag in a long time. Though I jokingly blame Patrick for this, because whenever I have G.I. issues, it's always with him. However, I think it has more to do with trying to run after work, and what I eat during the day. I wasn't particularly adventurous or foolish with my diet today, save for a latte I drank at lunch. I should have known better--fewer things give me worse gas than frothy, steam-infused milk (raw apples are a close second). Lesson learned today, I guess.

Feb. 12

AM: 12 miles moderate

PM: weights, core, stretching

Ran through Chevy Chase and Rock Creek Park in the morning. After work, I bagged the gym and watched the primaries instead, using some free weights I have in the apartment. Obama rocked the Potomac primaries.

Feb. 11

AM: 8 miles easy

PM: 4 miles easy, core, stretching

Rock Creek Park Trails in the morning. After work, I looped around the Chevy Chase grocery store and came back for some core work and stretching while I cooked dinner. I need to start getting some more sleep.

Feb. 10 (98 miles/week)

AM: 17 miles with 5 x 2 miles @ HM pace w/ 1 mile jog recovery

I went out with a big GRC group on the towpath, running point-to-point from Sycamore Landing to Old Angler's Inn. I'm pretty pleased with the workout as the total quality gave us 53:49 for 10 miles. The goal was to run closer to 5:35-5:40 pace, but though we dipped under that a little, it all felt very controlled.

We split off in two main groups, regrouping after every effort for the recovery. There was definitely a pack-running type feel; i spent most of the workout shoulder-to-shoulder with Dwyer, Klim, Allen, Matias, and Bain--working with each other on each rep to make sure we stayed grouped. We also finished with out last one as the fastest, which pleases me--this was my first real marathon-specific workout of the season.

Klim wrote a summary of the workout on the GRC blog, so why reinvent the wheel? Here are the splits from Klim:



26 to 24 (1.97) =10:53

24 to 23 = rest

23 to 21 (1.97) = 10:40...From 23 to 22 we ran 5:01...I checked the site and this is actually .95 miles...or a 5:16 mile...so still fairly quick. 5:16 "feels" right, no?

21 to 20 = rest

20 to 18 (1.99) = 10:59. We tried to get this rep back under control

18 to 17 = rest

17 to 15 (2.01) = 10:50. We ran 5:25 and 5:25 even

15 to 14 = rest

Bain, Me, Dwyer and Reaves ran a 5th rep and finished four abreast in our quickest deuce of the day...

14 to 12 (1.95) = 10:25...the first mile is 1.11 and the second is .84

Feb. 9

AM: 10 miles easy/moderate

Ran from the GRC store with a bunch of folks down the Custis Trail in Virginia, around Hains Point, before heading back to Georgetown.

Feb. 8

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 7 miles recovery

Same route as Monday for the morning run. After work, I ran with Valerie for a few miles with P. Murohy before finishing on the CCT.

Feb. 7

AM: 15 miles progression run

PM: core, stretching

Ran up Connecticut Ave, through Chevy Chase, and down Western Ave, finishing with three loops around Meadowbrook stables (2.35 miles). I finished well enough given that I felt like crap in the beginning.

I gradually picked up the pace through the run before hitting the stable loops 45 minutes in: 13:34 (5:46), 13:05 (5:34), 12:54 (5:29). Finished up with a mile cooldown.

Feb. 6

AM: 7 miles easy

PM: 5 miles easy, treadmill

Recovery day. Rock Creek park in the morning. Ran with Valerie in the gym after work on the treadmill, trying not to yell at Lou Dobbs on CNN.

I tried a new pair of New Balance 1061 (trying to find a replacement for the discontinued original Vomeros)--they were so-so. They were starting to cut into my achilles tendon on my right foot. I had planned for 7 miles in the evening, but after seeing the blood on the shoe, plus general fatigue overall, I just called the run short after a quick bathroom break, especially with a quality effort on Thursday morning.

Feb. 5

AM: 6 miles easy

PM: 10x800m @ 5k pace w/ 200m jog rest (<1:30), avg. 2:29, 11 miles

Ran Rock Creek Park pretty easy in the morning.

After work, I met up with P. Murphy at B-CC high school for some 800s. I started off fairly conservatively but finished where I was aiming. The short, active rest is pretty key to this workout. Last time I ran this workout (home over Christmas), I averaged a few seconds faster, but that was in spikes (wore flats tonight), on Westminster's mondo-surface track, and with 2:00 jog recoveries. So I'd say I'm not too far off the mark here--in fact, it may have been a better quality workout this evening. Splits: 2:28, 2:32, 2:31, 2:29, 2:28, 2:29, 2:30, 2:29, 2:28, 2:27.

Feb. 4

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: weights, core, stretching

Ran through Rock Creek Park and Meadowbrook stables.

Sidenote:

Maurice Greene retired today. Some know him as the greatest 100m runner of all time. He certainly believed it--considering he has G.O.A.T. tattooed on his arm. Three Olympic gold medals (100m, 200m, 4x100m) in Sydney certainly suggest that, as does his world record in the 100m (9.79).

But what I'll remember him for is the greatest post-win celebration ever. Terrell Owens has nothing on Mo Greene:

Feb. 3 (105 miles/week)

AM: 18 miles easy/moderate

Ran on the Greenway Trail with Chris and Klim, starting from Riley's Lock. The trail was muddy, and we ran some decent hills, with a few stretches that were a little uptempo. Nothing too crazy, though.

Feb. 2

AM: 5-lap tempo @ Buddy Attick lake, 11 miles total

I took a solid group of guys to Buddy Attick ("The Lake"), where I ran almost every tempo run and XC workout in college--Chris, Klim, and Max, as well as Bert and Crane from the Pacers. The lake has a few small hills that get more difficult with each lap, as well as a few sharp turns. For cross-county training, there really isn't a better place I've run. Running on the road feels like a track after running here.

Klim, Bert, and Crane put on a little acceleration after the first lap; if I'd stayed with them (and that's a big "if"), I'd probably been a little over-extended. Still, despite running the last four laps solo, I was pretty consistent, running right where I wanted to (under 35:00) in 34:53. Splits: 6:52, 6:56, 6:58, 7:05, 7:00.

This is on par with some workouts late season in college, though I definitely felt I stayed within myself on this one, not turning a tempo run into a race--which happened more than once in college, I admit. That's three good workouts this week, on top of my highest mileage since last February, so I'm happy overall. In the past, running 105-110 mpw made me feel completely trashed, but that hasn't quite hit me yet, fortunately.

Feb. 1

AM: 6 miles easy, treadmill

PM: 6 miles very easy

Ran inside in the morning, rather than outside, where it was 34 degrees and raining. Connecticut Ave. in the evening. Good recovery day all around.

Jan. 31

AM: weights, core

PM: 15 miles easy/moderate

I made it to the gym in the morning before work. After work, I ran up the CCT, through Bethesda and Chevy Chase with P. Murphy for a mid-week long run.