The Free Market Jogger

I ran in a local 5K with my wife this morning.  We can both thank our friend Sara for lending us her car (we have been carless -- and careless-- for 9 months), because without it, we would have never trucked out to Orange, CT for this race.  More on that little car in a bit.

Arrived 45 minutes before the start and was directed to park in an adjacent snow-covered field.  Feeling that the race directors wouldn't allow cars to be parked on muddy terrain, I turn right and follow the car in front of us.   At that moment, we both notice that the 3 inches of snow is covering roughly a foot or so of mud.  Our friend's little volkswagon jetti quickly slumps down and we start slipping and sliding until we find some a fresh patch of snow.   Eventually, park the car at a weird angle relative to the everyone else's SUV and start warming up.  We both jogge a mile or so before the race, wondering to each other whether that car will ever leave that lot.

The course was downhill for the first mile, slightly uphill for most of the second, hilly for the third (including a short but steep hill near the end of the third mile), and then downhill for the last .1.  

According to their website, I finished in 21:51.  My mile splits, according to my garmin, were 6:44; 7:08; and 7:00 (avg 6:58/mi).  I would like to eventually run three 6:44 miles, but I'm not there yet.  Even during the first mile, I never felt like I was moving that fast.  I even thought I was running at a constant pace until I reached the second mile marker.  Whoops. My wife, who doesn't run but is in good overall shape, finished in 25:00, a good showing for a non-runner.

But, overall, it was a good race.  Only two people passed me: one on mile 1 and the other after the hill on mile 2.  Both people were (1.) boys, aged less than 18 and (2.) one of the few wearing only shorts and short-sleeves.  I tried to catch up to the kid who passed me on the hill but he must have heard my huffing and puffing b/c as I closed in, he took off and finished at least half a minute in front of me.

You could eat your weight in chili if interested after the race.  Since the finish line blocked the exit from the parking lot, we thought we could wait, eat some chili and then deal with that car later.  Wrong.  By the time we made it back to our car, half the parking lot was empty, the field no longer frozen but a sea of mud, fit only for monster trucks.   Long story short, with the help of two people, lots of going from reverse to drive and back again, a bunch of fishtailing, a close call with another car that seemingly was surfing on the mud like us, one close call with a race official who was directing traffic, and one epic surge to leave the muddy lot, we fishtailed our way home.   Should have kept my heart rate monitor on during the process.  We still have the car for a week but we're going to stick to the streets. 

5 miles in 15° temp in the morning.  I need some cold weather running clothes b/c my 10-ten old running tights are not blocking a whole lot out there.   Avg. 8:30/mi.

An eight mile afternoon jog in sunny 30° weather.  Legs, knees, toes, lungs.. everything felt really good out there.  Plus, I joined the Yale gym today (at a subsidized price of $7/mo., ridiculously cheap) so my wife and I are going to give weight training a try during my off days.  I've been thinking and talking a lot about training and running recently that it's turing me into a very boring person.  I can only hope that I was dull before all this running.

 Splits:  8:40; 8:27; 8:04; 8:10; 8:03; 8:06; 8:02; 8:45 (whoops).

3 cautious miles.  Last Thursday's run ended with some swelling near my second joint on my second toe.  The swelling hasn't subsided so my uneducated diagnosis is a mild case of metarsalgia.   I took yesterday off and iced it today and ran a few miles.  The pain is more of an inconvenience right now than an utter deterrence.  Probably take tomorrow off as well; fortunately, there's always football to watch.

First run on a treadmill in maybe 9 months.  Ran 7 miles: first at 7.0 mph, next 3 at 8.0 mph, and then 4 at 6.8 mph.  Soaked my feet afterwards.  At times, my second toe pain is throbbing, especially when I curl it.  Unfortunately, I subconsciously curl the darl thing or I curl it when I get tired, but overall, the pain isn't debilitating.  

Today was supposed to be a rest day but I spend the lunch hour at the gym.  4 miles in 32 minutes and 15 miles on the stationary bike.

I planned to run 8 but I felt shooting pain in my right foot in the middle of the fourth mile, so I called it a today.  Iced it when I got home.  Overall pace was 8:04/mi.

Biked 15 miles in about 45 minutes at the gym.  Did some planks & weights as well.   

I'm participating in a "do the equivalent of the Ironman in a month" thingamojob with my sister and various others, so I've been cross training a bit more than usual.  Today, biked 10 miles in around 35 minutes around West Rock and then ran 4 miles in 32 minutes on the treadmill at the Yale Univ. gym.  

 My second toe joint is still being a pill.  I bought a new pair of kicks today (Saucony Kinvara 3) which should give me more room in the toe box.  FYI, if you have wide feet like me, getting a 1/2 size larger, at least in a Saucony, is equivalent to the wide version of the 1/2 smaller.  Thus, you get the extra fabric in the toe box with the 1/2 larger but your heel doesn't move around, and you're not subjected to the hideous colors that wide shoes come in.  Win, win.

Another cross training day: 15 miles on the bike and 5 miles in 38.5 minutes (I ran two miles at 8.3 mph) on the tread.  

Here it goes, I'm going to say it: I'm the only person I know who is not sick right now. 

Ran 5 miles in unseasonably warm and drizzly weather, 45°F at night around hills of Westville.  Progressive run: 

1.  8:27

2.  8:07

3.  7:47

4.  7:37

5.  7:17 

Oh, by the way, GO PATRIOTS!! 

7 easy miles (avg. 9:00/mi), mostly uphill in Westville.   

15m on the stationary bike then 7.5 miles in 63 minutes on the treadmill.  3.5 miles at 7.7 mph.  I'm fighting a cold, so I'm happy with today's workout. 

Jogged three miles (8:26/mi pace) and biked 15 on a stationary bike.  I'm fighting a cold and winning.

6 miles to and from the library and then 4 miles (8:30/mi) on the treadmill.  I'm definitely a bit under the weather and somehow every else, literately, is now healthy.  Oh the circle of my life.

By the way, this Manti Te'o story (see here) about his fake girlfriend has generated some of the best office water cooler talk ever.  

3 miles at 8:30/mi.  This head cold finally got the best of me.  I could barely breath on the run so I cut it way short of my goal (9 miles).  It's too bad b/c it's unseasonably warm today. 

7 miles at 8:22/mi avg. pace during a light snowstorm. 

Ran a bit more than six miles without my watch.  I'm guessing my pace was 8:30/mi, maybe more.  Weather: sunny with a stiff breeze, temp 22 degrees.  

I found this video extremely funny.  For anyone living in the Dakotas or for anyone who has visited either north or south dakota in the winter, you will especially appreciate this link.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAq1Ml3PlGc&feature=share

Jogged 5.5 miles at 8:30/mi pace on the treadmill at 9 pm.  That's some late night jogging for this guy.

Jogged 7 slow miles in pretty cold weather.  AP of 9:00/mi.  

It's been in the single digits for most of last week so today's weather (33 degrees and sunny) felt like a spring day.  I took yesterday off so I was feeling good and looking forward to running 8 miles.    

 I eventually finished 6.5 miles, 4 at 8:05/mi and 2.5 at a much slower pace.  I needed to take 2 breaks after mile 4 b/c of some serious stomach movements.  I will never again drink a chai latte on a running day again.  Wow, I was so glad I was alone.

I'm running a 5K on Sunday so I ran a practice 5K around my neighborhood in the snow.  Average pace was 7:30/mi, which isn't PR-pace but maybe the slick pavement slowed me down.  I'm hoping to run faster than 21:30 on Sunday.

 Lots of lunges and situps afterwards. 

PM: Fit in 4 miles at 6:30 and 15 or so miles on my bike earlier in the day.  Progression was something like 8:30, 8:15, 7:58, 7:45.  Some squats and lunges afterwards.  Expected temp tomorrow... mid 40s.  Can't wait though it might rain.

Only three miles (avg 8:30/mi) during lunch.  Wish I had more time to run today but I slept in.  Whoops.

Ran another practice 5K in effort to hopefully get a PR (faster than 21:30) in tomorrow's race.  

Mile 1: 7:54

Mile 2: 7:28

Mile 3: 7:20

Mile .18: 6:56

Not fast enough for a PR but close. 

My garmin wasn't working so my splits are approximations.  I loosed up a bit before the event by biking to the race (ca. 7 miles) instead of light jogging.  Temps were in the low 20s but no wind at all, so I would say those conditions are pretty good for early Feb. in CT.

First time running this race.  About 800 others ran so I would call that a big turnout.  A state senator and local house representative spoke before the race, so this event is apparently a bigger deal than I realized.  The house band was great: when I entered, they were tearing it a version of "I'm Tore Down", a song often covered by Eric Clapton.  For fans of blues out there, here's a link to Freddie King, a originator of the song, playing the song with a most understated background singers ever.  The song will make anyone's butt move.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHKcbyJntyM

The course contained 2 hills and one long downhill.  About 1/2 of Mile 1 was uphill and most of Mile 2 was uphill and all of Mile 3 + .1 was downhill or flat.  My splits were something close to 6:58, 7:20 and 7:20 (for the the remaining 1.1 miles).  My time was 21:38 (AP 6:59).  A few people ran by end in the last .1 miles which was disheartening.  But, overall, I felt good during the race and had a great time before and especially after the race. Post-race food was catered by my favorite sushi restaurant and my favorite ice cream shop.  So, after all, I did set a PR today: most sushi and ice cream consumed by 10:30 am.   

I'm sure with some harder training, I can eclipse the 21:30 mark and then eventually the 21:00 mark.  

 PM:  Ran 3.1 miles at 5.  

8 garmin-less miles during a beautiful morning.  Wore my five fingers this time.  Afternoon involved car hunting.  

5.4 miles without my Garmin (the short story: I lost it.. the long story actually involves the bezel, trust me).  It's my first jog in five days for two reasons: (1.) there's been some pain behind my right patella.. for me, it's the injury that only hibernates but never goes away, and (2.) the blizzard of the century has converted me into a full-time shoveler.  

My knee was hurting for the first two miles but once I loosened up a bit, the pain was minor.  I think some ice, compression and treadmills are in my future. 

 QUESTION FOR THE FAST RUNNING BLOGOSPHERE:

What watch should I buy?  I owned a 405 in lime green.  I liked it but I have no reference point.  Never tried any other brand or Garmin style.  Thoughts?

I've been nursing my right knee all week so I took both legs out for only the second run this week and only jogged for 3.5 miles at AP of 8:37.  I didn't feel too much pain, just that annoying lingering pain when your patellar tendon is flaring up.  

Here's my data: 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/273576597

4.5 miles at an 8:18/mi pace.  Nothing but hills on this route.  Some right knee pain but nothing major.  Short but fun run.

Afternoon: Jogged ten and change miles up three Westville hills (up 700ft) and down one long one.  I had 13.1 in mind, but I drank a bit too much coffee this morning, so with my house in sight, I called off the jog.

Overall, this run felt pretty pretty pretty good.  Conditions weren't ideal, windy (16 mph) and cold (felt like 12º), but I managed an AP of 8:05/mi.

One of my goals is to run a sub-1:45 half (a PR of over 15 minutes), so I'm ever so close.

Jogged 4 miles in the early PM.   Once the sun went down, it got cold.  Very underdressed but the post-jog bath was worth it.  

5 miles at AP of 8:13/mi. Legs feel good, knee feels good, toe feels good.  All is good.

9 miles at a slow pace (9:00/mi).  Had some stomach issues (drank too much coffee in the morning) but I'm slowly learning about which foods/drinks most affect my stomach.  Overall, knees felt good so that's a good thing.

5 wet and slow miles in the rain.  Overall mileage this week: 33.3.   I'm happy with that.  Off to make some potato leak soup for the fam.

Today was a busy day but I managed 5 miles at night.  Slow miles but enjoyable.  I should have more time tomorrow for something longer.

I took 3 days off because I had no free time due to a work deadline which was today.  PM: 7 miles, slow (8:40/mi), but it was great to be out there.

10 miles @ 8:24/mi pace.  Lots of hills.  After mile 3, I ran 8:00 miles +- 10 secs for the remainder.  Felt good.

6 miles on the treadmill at 7.5 mph.  I'm a bit heavier (176) than normal (171/172).  Taking 4 out of 5 days off last week from running is probably the culprit.      

Ran 4.5 miles outside at an avg pace of 8:30/mi.  I'm growing tired of my running routes.  Probably a good enough reason to sell the house and move.  We'll see what my wife thinks of that logic.

Exercising at night at Yale's Gym is tricky b/c the 30 minute rule seems binding.  However, I managed 4 miles in 30 minutes which is fast for me.  

5.5 treadmill miles @ 1% incline in 45 minutes.  Did some situps and pushups afterwards.  Had to get back home as quick as possible b/c I had to take care of a sick wife (...hopefully, she reads this post).  

6.2 miles on the treadmill in 52 minutes.  No incline.  Hoo hum.  

Jogged 7.0 miles in 1:04 (roughly 9:05/mi):  four of which were 4-6 inches of snow.  Fun in the sun.

6.0 miles on the treadmill @8:00/mi pace.   

7.5 miles on the treadmill @ 6.8 mph.  Slower than usual and sweatier than usual.  

7.5 hilly miles on a beautiful sunny spring day.  Avg = 8:40/mi = slow.  First time running outside this week and I felt it.  My legs felt like two lumps of mashed potatoes.  

8 1/2 miles on the treadmill, avg pace between 6.8-7.0 mph.  Legs felt good and I was easily distracted by opining about my favorite Patriot being traded to the Broncos.  Say it's not so Wes.  

Just under 12 miles without my garmin.  I set a personal record this week for most mileage (drum roll please... 41 miles to be exact).  I think my added miles were due in part to running without my garmin this week.  As much as I love collecting minutiae about myself, I think I let the mileage or pace go to my head (usually in a negative way like my inter-monologue sounds like "god, I'm slow" or "I've been doing this for too long").  I'm not heading to ebay with the watch but I may strategically keep the battery power on low.

Ran for 10,000 meters on the treadmill.  Progressive run starting at 6.8 and ending at 7.5 = 53 minutes.

6 treadmill miles: 3 at 7.5 mph and 3 at 6.5 mph.  Plus, 6x50m or so strides on a itty bitty indoor track.  

PM: squeezed in 6 miles on a hotel treadmill.  

8 miles at an avg pace of 8:30.  Hilly route.  Everything felt good.

Mile	Pace
1	8:32
2	8:04
3	7:58
4	7:51
5	7:43
6	8:09
7	8:16
8	7:59
9	7:53
10	7:32
11	7:38
12	7:32
13 + .1	7:16
	Avg = 7:49

A big-time PR for me.  Finished 1:41:59 (a PR of 20 minutes).

This last minute decision to enter this half turned out to be a blessing.  I decided to enter because (1.) I was planning on jogging 13 today anyways and (2.) the course was near the West Haven beach and I desperately need to feel like spring/summer is coming.  The weather was sunny, temp in the high 30s/low 40s, and since it’s always breezy by the ocean, there was a manageable amount of wind.

I wanted to run (bad pun intended) into Marc Audet before the race, but I arrived at the convention center with less than 5 minutes to spare.  Before the race, I thought that running in 1:45 was a possibility and finishing at 1:40 or less was a pipe dream.

I liked the course layout. First 3: flat, next 7: rolling hills; last 3.1: flat.  This being my third half-marathon ever, I didn’t have a profound strategy except to go out slow and finish strong.  I decided early on in the race that I’ll wait until the last 5K to pick it up a notch.

So, I started at the back of the pack to force myself to take the first mile or so slowly.  At some point, I looked at my watch near the end of mile 1 and it read 10:30/mi: that’s when I decided to stop walking/scampering and to start jogging/running.  I tried to pair up with joggers who seemed to be going at my pace but, alas, no luck.  I spent most of the race in a little bubble between the folks behind and ahead of me.

The next stage contained a slew of rolling hills.  First, a little backstory.  Because I live in an incredibly hilly section of New Haven, I have no choice but to run up and down very steep hills.  I on occasion walk rather than jog up them and, on a regular occasion, curse them. But, today, I have a new appreciate for the local geography, because I flew by lots and lots of people on those hills.  Not one person passed me on a hill.  With that said, I’m not sure what was going on during miles 6 and 7 but I slowed down a bit.  However, I never felt tired out there so I must have been spacing out.  I don’t think my heel hit the ground on any hill.  

Once I reached mile marker 10, I aimed for 7:30 miles for the rest of the race.  Shockingly, I basically nailed that pace for two miles and the last mile was my fastest for the entire race.

So, needless to say, I’m very happy with this outcome.  Dare I say, I even think I could have run it a bit faster.  Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself.

6 treadmill miles at 6.5 mph.  My left heel is a bit sore but nothing too painful. 

5 easy miles with my new kicks (NB 890v3).  Very slow miles.

5.2 miles around the neighborhood at night.  Avg = 8:30.

I have a fair amount of pain in my left achilles tendon.  I was planning between 8-10 miles but my left heel wasn't cooperating.

First day of running all week.  4 slow miles, some running some walking.  I was hoping the soreness of my achilles tension would go away by today (5 days off), but it's still there.   I'll have to be more patient but that's not my strong suit.  

There's no pain in my achilles when using a stationary bike so I went 40 minutes on the bike, sweated like a pig for about 39 of them.  

15 miles on a stationary bike.  I think my achilles tendon is healing.  

According to my nurse/wife, I may have a slight stress fracture rather than an achilles tendon problem.  The pain is isolated closer to the ankle than the tendon, like right next to the tendon.  Anyway, I can walk and use a stationary bike without any pain so I'm going to continue to ride the bike and swim until the pain goes away.

15 minutes in 50 minutes on the bike.  First beautiful 60+ weather day since October.  Enjoying it with my wife. 

More swimming, no running.  Heal feels better so still sore.

3.0 miles on a treadmill at 6 mph.  I wore an achilles brace and I didn't feel too much pain but the tendon was sore afterwards.  I probably should have held off but I thought today would be the breakthrough day where I would go back to running full-time.  I think I'll have to wait a bit longer for that.

3.1 miles outside at 8:30/mi pace.  first outdoors run in two weeks. Wore the heel strap and felt a tingle from time to time but nothing too painful.  

My achilles tendon is feeling stronger, but I'm still taking it slow.  Ran 3.1 miles at 8:35/mi outside.  Same route as yesterday.  

A three week forced hiatus from running has left its mark on my lungs.  Struggled to eek out 3 miles today.  

3 miles at 8:20 pace.  Still had a sore heel but I've added some physical therapy to my exercise routine so hopefully my tendon will be stronger soon.

I'm trying to increase my mileage on a less than 100% heel without causing long-term damage.  So, here's my first attempts:

AM: 3 miles on the treadmill, 8:30/AP

PM: 3 miles outside, 8:25/AP.  

No pain when I run, only afterwards.  On a scale of 1 to 10, the pain is 2.  Not much. 

Another 3 miles morning and 2 mile evening. 8:30/mi pace.

PM: 3 miles at 8:45/mi pace with no ankle brace.  

3 miles, very slow.  

2X3 miles at 8:30 AP. Ran 20 miles in my first week after taking 3 weeks off.  My legs and lungs are still adjusting back to the routine and my heel isn't 100%, but some extra PT and stretching is always a good thing.

5 treadmill miles at 7-7.5 mph.  Heel was sore afterwards, as always, but now you can add my left knee to the litany of ailments.

3.5 miles outside a 8:00 AP pace.  Beautiful day.  I'm finally seeing a sports medicine doc on Monday so I should have a better idea about my achilles tendon soon.  

Meeting with a sports med doc tomorrow.  Ran 3 miles a 8:10/mi pace.  

3 miles barefoot, slow pace.  Sports med doc thinks I have tendinosis not tendonitis.  

The shortest jog of the year - 2 miles.  

Another short and slow 3 mile day.  Cross training will start up on the weekend.  My goal is to pick a 16-week triathlon program which will force me to swim and bike more.  Doc thinks another 6 weeks until the heel pain will completely dissipate.

A quick thingamajob around the neighborhood.  No watch.  Heel pain still lingering...

First five miler since my achilles tendon injury.  I'm not cross training so my physical therapist is going to kill me.  Run was slow (8:30/mi pace) but fun.  First good sweat in a while.

5 miles with some hills at a slow pace of 8:57/mi.  Ran mostly on the balls of my feet and had no pain in my achilles.   Hurray!

PM: 4 miles outdoors.

PM: 4 miles outdoors.

I'm in Baltimore for the next 4 days at an economic history conference.  Ran 5 treadmill miles on the hotel's gym.  AP= 6.8 mph.  Slowing but surely I'll get back in running shape.  

Cross-training day: swam about 800m, then water jogged with a life jacket on (so embarrassing), and then worked the stepmill for 35 minutes.  

4 miles at 7.0 mph and 2 at 6.5 mph.  My achilles is still sore after these workouts but the pain seems pretty localized.  With that said, this was the first good week of workouts in the last two months.  

PM: 7 miles, AP of 8:57.

3 miles, treadmill, fast for me: between 7.5 - 8.5 mph.

6 outdoor, slow miles.  I'm trying to maintain 30 miles/week while doing a (insert: minimum) amount of cross-training.  My achilles is still sore but doesn't hurt once it's loose and warmed up.  It's now a dull pain, which is much better situation than two/three months ago.

4 treadmill miles at 7.0 mph.  Lots of eccentric exercises to boot.

PM: 6 outdoor miles, slow (9:00/mi pace).  Quick summary of run: sweat, lots of it.

4 treadmill miles, 7.2 mph.

6 miles, treadmill, between 6.8-7.5 mph.

5 treadmill miles, very slow (6.0 mph).  Achilles tendon is still sore before and after but not during.  Maybe I should run ultras everyday, so at least for 8 hours my achilles won't hurt.  

Cross-training experiment concludes.  30 miles on the Farmington Canal Trail.  Beautiful day.

Made the mistake of running with a forehead full of sunscreen.  It's like I've never done this before.  Shortened run of 3 miles at 8:10/mi.  

 Seeing an A.R.T. doc on Tuesday and hopefully he/she will have some more info on this achilles tendon issue which has lasted 3 months now. 

4 treadmill miles at 7.2-7.5 mph and then a 3 mile jog home with a backpack full of computer and other things.  

I haven't blogged in a while, so I'm going to get back into that habit of recording my progress.  An achilles tendon injury back in March has set back my running plans substantially.  I have rest, biking, crossfit all a try and still find myself most interested in running.  I've been running off and on for two months but I signed up for a 5K in mid Dec so I'm planning on getting back on that horse and start training.  Week 1 started with a 4 miler today at 8:50 AP.  My goal is get my keep my mileage low (20-25 miles per week) but include 2 speedouts/week until mid Dec.

4 miles along the bike path in Riverside.  Garmen-free run.

4.5 miles at 9:04 AP along the bikepath.  An unusually warm day in RI.  Tomorrow afternoon will involve some sprintwork which will be a nice change of pace.

4 miles @ 8:45 AP.  I got wrapped up in child rearing from Wednesday to Saturday so I missed a bunch of planned runs.  I run around the track tomorrow though.  

4 slow miles in the AM in my Kinvaras.  Beautiful, crisp fall day in Riverside, RI.

Weight: 177. 

4 miles, mostly in the dark at AP of 8:30/mi.  First two miles: 7:55 and 7:56, so that's exciting.  

6 miles.  Mile two was the fastest at 8:25.  First >5 mile jog since June 10th.  I can't completely understand why my achilles tendinitis hasn't been an issue since mid-Sept., but I'll take it.  Maybe that it was the 100,00+ heel drops.  

avg pace 8:45

4 slow miles in the sun.  Legs feel good.

Weight: 178

4 slowish miles in the am along the bikepath. 

Weight: 176

Avg pace: 8:45

First run of the week.  Six miles from 4-5 pm: fastest mile, 8:35/mi.  

Avg pace: 8:50

Weight: 176

6 miles, fairly slo but finished strong.  

pace: 9:10

weight: 176

Took three days off from exercising which was not planned but I'm happy with my 55 minute bike ride and a slow 4 miler.  

6 miles, 3 of which into a 15+mph wind.  

3 miles outdoors, relatively fast.  No pain in my achilles.  

Weight: 177

4 treadmill miles, avg pace 8:13.  Planning on squeezing in a run tomorrow morning before the ritual snacking begins.

Weight: 178

6 untimed miles in a cold fall air.  Legs felt great after 2 days off.  

Weight: 179 (up 3 in 3 weeks).  Need to keep that in check.  

3 treadmill miles, legs felt heavy.  Weight = 178

1 mile warmup, lots of stretching, and 3 miles, two of which were 7:57/mi.  

10K outdoor, two fast miles, four slow ones.

Weight: 179

4 treadmill miles, last one at a 7:57 pace.  

I'm on family leave next semester so I'll have more time to devote to family and running.  Plus, I'm over a 2-week long nagging cold so I'm ready to start the build up towards running a half in late March/early April.  My goal over the next 3-4 weeks to get comfortable at running 30-35 miles/week, all at slow to moderate pace, and take this weekly pilates class at the local y.  After a month of that, I'll work in some speed workouts and run in a chilly 5K in late January to see where I stand.  

4 miles in 33 minutes on the treadmill.

6 miles in the snow and slush.  

3 slow miles outside, slow and unremarkable.  The plan is 8 treadmill miles tomorrow.  I'll have to test out the new tv's at the y~.  

5 miles at roughly 9:00 pace.  Walked almost the equivalent along the bike path.  Good end to the first week of building a base. 

5 miles in the rain with a running group from the y.  Love the rainy runs.

4.5 miles at 8:24 pace in 21 degrees.  Ran around my old stomping grounds in Medfield, MA while visiting my dad's place for Christmas.

2 warmup miles, 2 at sub 8, 1 mile with 2x400 at 6:50 pace, 1 cooldown.

8:48 pace

3 miles outside along the streets of Riverside.

8:10 pace

8 easy miles to the Y and back.

9:01 pace

AM: My running group was a no-show, so I ran on the treadmill.  

A 10K in the cold dark evening to end the year 2013 in running.