Random Thoughts While Not Running

I usually take time off after a marathon until my leg soreness is gone. It will probably be Sunday although I feel 100% better today than yesterday.
My age-graded equivalent time for the Boston Marathon is 3:06:51. I'm sure this is only significant to people that are older and runners 18-40 would dismiss this but I believe this this is more significant than the younger runners think. I did run 15-20 miles 3 times a week in the Summer after my senior year in college and I felt strong all Summer and ran 7:30-8:00 per mile for at least 15 weeks. I wasn't training for anything and did not run any races since there were few to run and I didn't think of myself as a runner.  
If I read the qualifying times correctly, I am 13:07 faster than the qualifying time foe 60 year olds for Boston next year (I'll be 60 in January). I think this is correct. If I'm reading this wrong PLEASE let me know.
My peeps at Fleet Feet made me feel so good yesterday when I walked in for work. They cheered my Boston results and one person even said I inspired him to run a marathon. I felt so bad at the end of the marathon and felt my time was so slow that I hoped that this was not going to be the time I was now going to aim for as a result. I am better than this. I need to run more and get back to where I was when I was runnig doublr digit miles at least 3x's a week.
This is my 2011 goal. I hope to take a step toward that goal in Vermont. 3:39+ would show me I can do this. That is the time I am aiming for now. Then in September who knows?

Boston: Reality but Disappointment

I should have known what the outcome would be but I held out hope that I could rise to the occasion and run a 3:30 something. I knew my average of 31+ miles per week this year was way below what I usually run for my best times in marathon (40-45 mile/week). But I was hopeful.
I started off too fast. 7:35 for the first mile. I tried to cut back but I was carried along by the crowd. I thought I could keep up if I stayed mentally tough. My first 5 miles were about 8:05/mi. Too fast! At mile 7 I thought I would not make 26.2. It lasted until mile 10 when I felt much better. Let me digress.
I ate pizza for my supper the night before. I hadn't had much beer and I didn't drink enough water. I woke up at 3 AM and ate some oatmeal/granola mix for breakfast. I never usually eat. I had a banana at 8 and a Powerbar and by the time the race started I felt full, just like in Miami.
I was OK from mile 10-17 but as the Newton hills piled up I felt my calves weaken. By Heartbreak both calves were cramping. My left continued to cramp every few steps until mile 25 and then it was almost every step.  When I got to the 23 mile marker I had to steel myself because I felt I had little left.
I ran down under the last overpass and up and around the corner and turned to see the finish line. I kept my eyes down just trying to put one foot in front of the other to make the finish. The final straightaway took 4 minutes.
I finished ans as I moved through the line to the metal and food my calves cramped up and I couldn't move. One of the medical folks came over and asked if I was OK. I said I couldn't move. She stayed with me and my calves loosened up so I left for the Back Bay Hotel where the Hartford Track Club had our rooms. I got inside and put one foot on the stairs and my leg locked up again. A women behind me asked if I needed help; I said I couldn't move for the moment but I'd be OK. I finally made it upstairs and after showering I was OK.
On the bus I sat next to Marc who had #191. I said wow that's a low number and I wondered how fast he ran per mile. Ha said 4:45-5/mi. I thought I had misunderstood him. He finished #88 in 2:31. He ran 5:46/mi. I think he had said 5:45/mi after I thought about it. Impressive he ran almost exactly the pace he said he would. He is 36 years old. Marc Robaczynski.
Today my legs are sore and I do have some nerve pain behind my knee. I think it will go away and I am looking forward to Vermont.

Boston

Well I didn't have any beer for about 2 weeks but I had some today because I felt tired and out of sort. I do feel better now. I only ran 3 times this week, I was tired today and wanted to run but felt it was best for the race not to run. Since last Thursday I ran 19.3 miles, I will go to the Expo tomorrow with my daughter Tiffany. My wife's mom had a stroke on Wednesday and so with a heavier heart than usual I will run and celebrate the Boston Marathon. I hope I will qualify for next year but at 59 you just don't know. My right leg gives me a shock every once in awhile; what it is trying to tell me, right now I am trying to ignore. I do understand the new qualifying standards but I have come to think of Boston as my race and it will definitely leave an empty feeling if I can not run next year. Hopefully, my leg will be OK and I will be able to run a qualifying time in Vermont.

A Good Week and a Shoe Decision

I was able to run Monday on the treadmill, 5.4 miles. After taking Tuesday off I was able to run during the day on Wednesday. I ran outside 10.6 miles, 1:28:17, 8:18/mi. in Adidas Boston. My legs feel so good in them that I really want to try to run the marathon in them. Today I ran outside in the Adidas Aegis 5.3 miles. They have more cushioning but don't really seem as right for my feet. They do have more stability which I may not need but they feel good too. After over 27 miles outside this week my legs feel tired tonight but no nerve pain.

Weekend

Well the big news is the UConn men are in the NCAA Final. A very exciting game against Kentucky which they won by 1 point.
Saturday I ran 4 miles before work. Today I just got back from an 11.3 mile run. I felt slow at the beginning and I find if I run on a treadmill that my legs take some time getting use to running outside. I felt good between mile 8-12 but my big toe on my left foot hurt by the time I finished. I'm still uncertain how I will feel in Boston. I hope I have made the right choice in orthotics and footwear.
The Adidas rep Michael was at Fleet Feet (with AJ) and he gave me an official Boston Marathon jacket. It was such a nice surprise!

Happy April Fools Day

I haven't written for awhile, I have been really busy but still focused on Boston. I ran a hard 10 last Sunday and felt great. I feel like finally I have fixed my right leg/back problems. I don't run as much per week that I have in the past but I do feel prepared for Boston. It may be my slowest but I'll give it a 100% and try to be smart in my race strategy. Hopefully, I can break 3:40. That's my goal. I do think I will run better in Vermont in May with Boston behind me. I will go out at Hopkinton with the aim to have fun all the way to Boston. It'll be fun riding the Hartford Track Club bus to and from the race.

Over the Injury?

I felt good today after running 5.2 miles in 46:38 and working the afternoon. I feel like I might be over my injury after 8 months. I guess it just takes a lot more time as you get older. I am determined to qualify for Boston next year and be able to run. It's funny how the 2 are separate and not, for the first time, equal. I realize that many people did qualify for Boston last year and will not be able to run in 2011 but 2012 will be different. I know that people don't want to hear this but some were fast enough to qualify but not fast enough to register. I have heard some complaints from these runners. They should have taken a Monday off and signed up. I had Monday off and it took me 2 1/2 hours to be accepted. I knew something was up but most of the runners I know who qualified are faster than me and probably would not have listened to me if I told them they better sign up now.
They will be taking my place in Boston in the near future. I hope they feel the race is as special as I have felt.But I have my doubts. There are other marathons at this time of year but since I have qualified I never thought of running any other than Boston. I had hoped to run at least 10 in a row. So I need to get better at 59 to qualify.

End of Week and Turning Point

I took several days off last week; I still haven't been able to balance my 2 jobs after working at them for weeks. Maybe it's my age I don't really know. I did run 7.0 miles in 1:00:31 on last Friday and took Saturday off in anticipation of a 20 on Sunday.
Sunday I started running the 20 miler around 11:30; it was cool in the mid to upper 40's. I ran to the Fermi HS track about 4.3. I then ran almost 11 miles around the artificial track. My thinking was that I had had some left foot arch problems in the 1/2 in Colchester and I wanted to take it as easy as I could to see if I didn't break down trying to run 20. I felt strong at the end of the track run; I had taken 2 porta-potty breaks of about 1 minute each and stopped to drink out of a quart Gatorade bottle 3 X's (2/3 water, 1/3 Gatorade). I then took off for home.
I felt strong all the way home, even hitting 7:50 at one point. The totals 20.1 miles, 2:52:53, 8:36/mi. and a 13.1 of 1:52:30.
I have felt no pain in my right leg at all, even after 48 hours. Today I ran 3.1 miles on a treadmill in 29:13. My right leg felt a little weak twice but NO PAIN! I have recovered well. I will be somewhat conservative this week in the length and speed of my workouts but I am very pleased with my preparation for Boston.

Running Problems and the Larger Picture

My left arch and my nerve problems in my right leg have popped up again this week. But with the problems in the world they seem insignificant and if I have learned anything from all the miles I have run, it's to remain positive and hopeful. I ran 5.2 (outside), 6.5 and 6.3 the past 3 days but I'm so tired today after starting work earlier that I will take today off. The nerve pain in my right leg is back I think because of 2 days in a row outside. That is really sad. But after no pain after the 1/2 I am hopeful for the run in Boston.
I wish they would have 3 waves next year of 10K each. Or give people 1 minute for each year they have run ie if you ran Boston for 10 years you would get in 10 minutes below your qualifying time. I really wanted to run 10 years in a row and I think about it every day all year long. I know this is crazy but I do. I think this will probably be my last year though if stick to their plan. I will enjoy this year regardless of the time I run the marathon. I have taken the whole weekend off so it will be special.

Finally Outside

Well  I have worked every day except one in the past 13 and I only get a day off on the 20th. I am trying to fit my running in at different times. I still don't know which shoes I'm running Boston in because I have some arch issues. I ran 31.8 miles last week and 5.2 today. 11.2 miles outside in the past 2 days even with work. I hope to run a 20 miler outside next week.

Better and Better

The past 2 days my running has been better. 5.2 miles yesterday and 6.9 miles today in 59:56. I felt good.
I went to my friends funeral Mass today; it was crowded, nice to see so many people paying their respect to Mark LePak. I'll take tomorrow off; it's been an easy week trying to recover from the 1/2; just 16.3 miles total. I have found that as I get older it is best to listen to my body and not over due the miles.

Perspective

I've been sore this week after running the half. Monday I ran 1 mile on the treadmill and did 1.5 miles on the elliptical. I was more sore after but used both "The Stick" and the Trigger Point foam roller and felt better. After work today I ran 3.2 miles, 29:48, and used the elliptical for 1.25 miles. I'm feeling better; I'm about 1/2 way back.
I have a second part-time job, I am a Dial-a-ride driver. It's tough to see the elderly who were once good athletes reduced to using walkers or in dialysis. I must say I have been very appreciative of  my ability and even my speed which is consistent if not really fast. I saw in the paper today that a friend who I had recently seen at the gym died from ALS, he was 57. He was another person who was always active and I thought was in good health.
Appreciate every run and every race. Never be disappointed if you give your best that day or if you just enjoy the moment.
I love working at Fleet Feet if I just help one person a day be able to run better and enjoy running more than they did before they came to us. I'm lucky that most days I help several people run better.

Colchester Half Marathon

I hadn't run a 1/2 marathon since 2004. This was a hilly course and since I hadn't been able to get out much this winter I thought it would be perfect. I saw many people I knew and since I run alone most of the time it was a lot of fun running with so many people. They had a record crowd today and I got to talk to a lot of runners. One of my cousins' husband was there, Bob, and I got to talk to him before and after. I passed him at one point and was ahead for about 5 miles but he beat me by 1 second. I was happy with my time, 1:42:39 in 112 place. The winning time was 1:14 something; really fast for such a hilly course. I got to talk to the 3rd place finisher; Chris is a tri athlete in grad school at Yale. he came in in 1:17 something so you can see the times were fast. In fact, many of the top 200 runners are running the Boston Marathon or have run it in the past.

1/2 Tomorrow

Well my left ankle has been hurting for 3 weeks. It's ironic since my right leg has been my problem since August.
Hopefully, everything will be OK tomorrow.

Adidas Adizero Aegis

I really like the Aegis. I ran 6 miles and my legs felt great. Some posting but still fairly light weight. I didn't push myself but still ran 8:42/mi. I felt less tired after running than before running. I really like working at Fleet Feet. I was thinking of all the people I helped this past weekend; it's a great feeling helping people have the opportunity to improve their running plus I get to make new friends.

Yesterday and Today

Before work yesterday I ran 4 miles in 34:53 and 1 mile on the elliptical. Today I hope to do the same only after work. They gave me a pair of Adidas Adizero Aegis yesterday. It was a great surprise. I can't wait to try them out today. They might be beefy enough to run Boston. I'll have to take them out on the road in the next 2 weeks.

February is My Favorite Month

Both my son and my wife were born in February so I guess it's my favorite month since 2 of the family were born then. But my body never feels too good right now. I ran Tuesday through Thursday  4.5, 4.5, and 3.2 miles and then took 2 days off due to work. 32.2 miles for the week. Today I ran 7.0 miles early then I was bust until almost 5:30. Next weekend is the half and I hope to have a good race. Saturday we has a presentation from Nike at work and then received some great swag. I will wear it on next Saturday.

20 Miler Yesterday

After taking Saturday off, I decided not to wait until later in the week to run a 20 miler. I didn't know if running 62 miles in 8 days would be smart but I felt good yesterday and I thought if I wasn't feeling my best that I would run less. I ran the 20 on a treadmill, I don't want to go outside until the 1/2 on the 26th, 20.0 miles, 2:52:58 at 8:38.9/mi. I felt good after but it was a struggle from mile 11-16 and I had thoughts of not going the full 20. But I got a second wind at 17 and knew I could go as long as I stayed mentally tough. When I got home and was eating I lost part of a tooth which had a lot of fillings and my ankles were sore but I feel OK this morning.

Continuing a Good Week

4.2 miles Wednesday, 7.0 miles yesterday in 59:37, first time under 1 hour in a long time, and 6.0 miles today in 53:08. I signed up for the Colchester 1/2 and the Hartford Track Club bus to the Boston Marathon yesterday. I did feel a little pain in my right knee this morning and my back didn't feel right after work last night. I had picked up a bench at work before I left and I should have bent my legs more. I'm sure I can work through this. 42.2 miles for the week. I will probably take tomorrow off since it's been a week without a day off. I'm listening to NPR and their coverage of Egypt.

I'm Feeling Faster

I feel like I'm getting a little faster; today I ran 7.0 miles in 1:00:35 and actually I was taking it easy. This was on the treadmill which is harder for me to run as fast as on the road. I feel good now hours later too.