Last Chance for Boston Recap

The Tokyo Marathon has become quite the spectacle, Nick Willis wins at home, and Haile. Last, but certainly not least, Crystal Harriss wins in Columbus!!!

Running took quite a hit this week, and pretty much shut it down in anticipation for my race/workout in Columbus, OH over the weekend.

Thursday, Feb 24 - 1 mile. Rain and hard sleet prevented much of anything.

Friday, Feb 25 - 0! Travel Day to Columbus right after work. Met up with Tim at the hotel, had a few drinks and caught up over the night.

Saturday, Feb 26 - 3 miles. Eventually peeled myself out of bed, got out and decided to preview the course for the race on Sunday. 1 mile loop course in a business park, about as easy of a course as you could ask for. Tim and Pat joined me for this one, very easy effort. Ken and Mick eventually met up with us, all of us had lunch/drinks at this awesome brewery in Columbus called Barley's Smokehouse. Great food, great beer, and our group eventually took over the backroom for pool and electronic bags. Dinner at Applebees, then stopped by a place in Dublin called Dub Pub for a bit. Probably stayed out too late, but worth it to watch Ken and Tim have me nearly in tears with their comedic bantering and antics.

Sunday, Feb 27 - ~14 miles total: 5K - 19:47 (yes you read this correctly), many ~7:15 laps, and a relay lap. Woke up for quick warmup with Crystal - weather was overcast and cool, but just about perfect. Finally got an official look at the course, which was scenic enough to make the mile loop go by quickly since you looped around a few tall buildings and weaved through a small park, and could see almost everything within a 1/2 mile area. Every quarter mile was marked, which made this very easy to pace. Did some dynamic stretching and strides, lined up at our start line which was 0.1 miles behind the official finish line, which was clever (so everybody could finish at the same area). Felt very lethargic during warmups and was cursing myself for the late night. 5K and 1/2 marathon started 3 minutes before the 10k and full marathon, so we lined up and took off! Felt like I was moving too fast during the first mile, but realized that was not the case as I was right at where I had planned according to my quarter mile splits. Second mile, caught up to the rest of the pack that had started after us. My worst fears came true, as I was weaving everywhere through the congestion. After 3/4 of a mile or so of this, got very frustrated and very tired and moved out to the other lane which was a longer tangent, but at least clear. My 2nd mile was an awful split, and mentally gave up on the spot. Not my finest moment by any means, and just lost all focus and desire. Finished the third lap equally as slow, and was shocked when they told me I placed 2nd overall. Splits were terrible (6:04, 6:37, 6:30) - ran an additional 0.1 or so according to Garmin, which makes sense since I ran on the outside. A big thumbs up to Mick, Pat, and Tim for their raucous and unmistakable cheering on each lap. 2nd place was cool, even though very well undeserved.

Joined the cheering section after a cooldown and running Megan in (11th place woman 5k and PR!) and watched the relay teams and Crystal finish. Ken was given the first relay position, and asked to pace Crystal through which he did successfully. Both looked very smooth, and Mick took over the reigns after Ken checked out. I jumped in for a mile here and there to keep Crystal company and see how she was doing, and we were nailing the quarter mile splits like it was nobody's business. Before we knew it, she was halfway done and was clicking them off pretty consistently - she looked tense but definitely focused. Jumped in with her at mile 15, and she was starting to cramp but was working through it. Talked with Ken, decided that we would alternate laps to run her in to mix it up and keep it fresh for her. Ran 20-21 with her, everything seemed to be on pace but her breathing has definitely picked up - around here is when the marathon truly begins. At mile 22, an announcement was made that the female leader was on that lap (could it be?), so ran down there to confirm that it might be Crystal, which it was. Ken did his work, and got her to striking distance when I jumped in for the final two miles.

It was announced over the loud speaker that Crystal was in the lead with 2 to go (right when I joined), and she just started to lose it. I pretty much knew she couldn't lose control, and pretty much yelled at her to stay focused which she pretty much snapped back into mode. Tried to keep her mind on smaller distances (run to that sign up there, concentrate on that corner, etc.) and tried to have her work off me since it was getting windy (unsuccessful, since I was surging a little and kept a crappy pace). Flew through Mile 25 with one more to go! Saw 3:03:12 on the clock, and told Crystal that a 7:30 mile was going to do it! At this point, she was fighting, so started aiming for the quarter mile markers and was barking out at her, hoping she would concentrate on me instead of her tired legs and body. Got past the 1/2 mile and was cruising along. Told her to pump those arms to get her to the finish line. With less than a quarter to go, Pat joined us and he and I pretty much made a blockade for her to make sure she had a clear path to the finish. Was watching the clock, realized there was a shot at sub 3:10:30 and yelled at her to kick. She did, and flew across the finish line in 3:10:29 for the P.R., win, and most importantly the men's BQ standard!

Immediately, Crystal lost last night's dinner and the morning's breakfast right on the finish line, which was in all actuality one of the coolest things I have ever seen, and she eventually joined our group as we watched the relay finish up. Tim and Pat ripped off a very fast couple miles to get us set up for the final lap, where our entire group (minus Crystal) jumped in. Really enjoyed that last mile, as we walked/jogged it in and basked in our glory. Crystal actually walked and joined us with a quarter mile to go to make our group complete, and we got to all cross the finish line together, which was very fitting (the fake group dry heave at the end was equally awesome). Another extremely fun and successful group trip with some amazing friends, as well as more bling for Team Sullentrup! And I'm very proud of Crystal for all her hard work, and I'm glad she finally got to experience the thrill of hitting the 3:10 mark, one of my favorite moments ever. I hope that I was able to help her a little, even though she did 100% of the hard work.

So roughly 27 miles this last week, pretty amazing with as much time as I took off. Easy run scheduled for me tonight, and going to try to get some much needed rest and good nutrition for this week. 5K on Sunday, and very low expectations since I'm a good month's of work away from where I need to be...

Dead Legs

Mo Farah has a new coach - Alberto Salazar! Speaking of which, his group has somewhat separated from the Oregon Track Club and will now be called the Oregon Project. Alan Webb needs to learn patience in his racing, and Hicham El Guerrouj is enjoying anonymity in Portland. And finally, Denna gives birth to a baby girl!

Monday, Feb 21 - 0! Legs were tired, and just needed the rest day.

Tuesday, Feb 22 - 8.5 miles total: 1/2 mile warmup, 2 mile (11:59 - 5:59, 6:00), 1 mile (5:52), 3 X 1 mile at marathon pace (7:14, 7:13, 7:14), 2 mile cooldown (8:18, 8:02). Went to the track on a cold evening, but otherwise perfect night to run. Pat and Crystal ended up joining me for some track work. Felt a bit refreshed from the day off, and did a quick warmup before starting. Had scheduled workout of 2 mile tempo, 1 mile 10-15 seconds faster, 2 mile tempo but given my current state of conditioning, I knew this would be difficult to hit. Felt decent starting out and pretty controlled, but was struggling on the 2nd mile big time. Form was a mess, and barely hit my pace before finishing out. 5 minute rest (oops!), then hit the mile which started out ok, but was struggling big time at the end (2:52, 3:00 half mile splits). I knew the 2 mile wasn't going to happen - would have resulted in me quitting or hitting god-awful splits, and decided to have an extended cooldown instead. Well, Crystal ended up finishing her workout right at the time I started my cooldown, so jumped in for a mile which turned into 3 total with her, one minute rest in between. Felt more controlled on her workout, 2 mile cooldown to finish. I was proud of Crystal for not surging ahead and hitting a consistent pace. Used the watch as reference, but was pretty much dead on the entire time. She is ready for Sunday...

I feel a bit demoralized with another crappy track workout, but need to be patient and realize it's early in the game and I still have a lot of work to do to get to a decent level. Time was ok, but effort was almost too much, as my legs were just finishedI found myself really relaxed on the mile repeats with Crystal, and realized I have been running very tense which may be some of the problem.

So, I signed up for the 5K at Columbus, OH this weekend as part of the DBA Running Trip. This will be used primarily as a workout, and am looking to hit 6:00-6:05 even splits on all the miles. AOH Toolen 5K is the weekend after, then St. Pat's. An all-out assault on St. Pat's is looking very unlikely at this point, and may just use as a tempo run and try to hit around 32 minutes. But maybe the speed work will have kicked in at that point, so we shall see.

New World Record!

Mary Keitany sets a new world record in the women's 1/2 marathon this weekend! Pretty ridiculous 1:05:50, and she suddenly throws her name into the favorites category for April's London Marathon. Deriba Merga won the men's race in 59:25 and had some ridiculous splits thrown in there (13:37 5K, 21:51 8K (world's fastest time for 2011), 27:31 10K, 44:53 10 miler (4th fastest time ever!), and looks to be rounding into amazing form. Cool partnership with Galen Rupp and Mo Fareh, and some good workout tips from several coaches for the marathon long run.

Thursday, Feb 17 - 4 miles total, 3 X 1 mile (5:58, 5:52, 5:48). Because of the Big River Running team meeting, went over to a neighboring high school (Parkway Central) and used their track to hit my workout. Nice weather, but a bit windy. Quick warmup, started my attempt at 2X2 mile at tempo pace but started to have some massive G.I. issues. Bathroom break, then started back up but legs were not cooperating. Really started to struggle and have that "dead leg" feeling you have during short races, and ended up having to change my workout to mile repeats. Barely got in the last rep, and was discouraging to have to really struggle to hit a workout that shouldn't have been that difficult. But thumbs up to me for finishing this workout despite wanting to quit many times. A big thumbs down to the team working out that was like a herd of cattle on the track, refusing the move to the side for their rest periods and refusing to relinquish the fast lane. If your 600 meter repeat pace is slower than my mile pace, then you need to move over. Meeting at the South City store was a lot of fun - got caught up on the state of the team, and got to see a lot of my teammates that I hadn't seen in a while since I hadn't made group run lately.

Friday, Feb 18 - 5 miles (7:55, 7:50, 7:50, 7:23, 7:02). Legs felt pretty rubbery starting out, but definitely got in a good groove once I was moving. Gorgeous evening to run after work - hit low 50's and was really cool, perfect for the trail! Let it loose coming home, not the best idea but I felt pretty good and used very little effort.

Saturday, Feb 19 - 8 miles (71 minutes). Felt like poop from Tim's going away party shenanigans, but managed to get out on the trail with Tim for a nice run. Gorgeous weather once again, our 4-6 easy run got extended because we were both feeling decent. Thank goodness this turned out pretty good, was on cruise control the entire way. Sadly, last run with Tim for a while (well, until next weekend, but who knows after that?) - was nice to have the additional company, and he definitely helped quite a few times to get me out the door for some runs. A quick shout out to Shane for his 32nd birthday - Happy Birthday Shane!

Sunday, Feb 20 - 12 miles (1:43 (I think), 8:32 average pace). Have been feeling really sluggish lately (change of season kills me for the first week), and managed to sleep for a million hours. After a monster early afternoon nap (had spent literally 95% of my day asleep at this point), finally got out the door with Mike to do our scheduled long run. Super windy, but still felt decent outside. Did the Troy route, out and back, had major chafing problems coming in, curses to me for not using any BodyGlide! Felt like garbage starting, a little better towards the end, but happy to hit this run. At night, was invited to a wonderful dinner at Pat and Crystal's - homemade lasagna, grilled peach salad, angelfood cake w/raspberry whipped topping. My fat butt consumed three helpings of lasagna, undoing a ton of my earlier workout, but it was well worth it. Just delicious!!!

42 total miles this week, a couple of quality workouts, and a pair of tired legs. 15 consecutive running days, and race week (well, sort of) may equal a few more rest days coming up this week. Not to mention, the chafing between my legs is pretty horrific and very painful. 5 more days till Columbus!

New Boston Marathon Qualifying Standards?!?!

Very controversial and shocking news in the running world concerning the new standards for the Boston Marathon. It is getting so ridiculous that this should be done. And lastly, a chat with stud miler, Russell Brown.

From Running Times:

2012 Boston Marathon

For the 2012 Boston Marathon, registration will extend for two weeks, beginning on Monday, September 12 and continuing until Friday, September 23. The qualifying times for the 2012 Boston Marathon will not change from recent past years since the standards had been previously announced and have been in effect since last September. However, the new registration process addresses the increased demand among qualified runners to participate in the Boston Marathon and will accommodate those who are the fastest qualifiers first. Registration will occur on a “rolling admission” schedule until the maximum field size is reached, beginning with the fastest qualifiers.

On the first day of registration for the 2012 Boston Marathon, those who are eligible for entry by having met the qualifying standards for their age and gender group by 20 minutes or more will be able to enter on the first day of registration (September 12). On the third day (September 14), registration will open for those who have met their qualifying standards by 10 minutes or more. On the fifth day (September 16), registration will open for those who have met their qualifying standards by five minutes or more.

During this first week of registration, applicants will be notified as they are accepted and their qualifying performance verified. If the field size is not reached after the first week and additional space remains, then registration will open to all qualifiers at the beginning of Week Two (September 19) and those who have met the qualifying standards by any amount of time will be able to apply for entry. The application process will remain open for the entire week, closing on September 23.

At the conclusion of Week Two, those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants in their age and gender will be accepted. Accepted athletes will be notified on September 28. If space remains available after this two week process, registration will remain open to any qualifier on a first come, first served basis until the maximum field size is reached. The field size for the 2012 Boston Marathon will not represent a significant increase from the most recent past years.

Registration Process for the Qualifiers from entry during second week of registration are notified of their acceptance. If the field is not filled at the conclusion of the two weeks, then registration will remain open and qualifiers will be accepted on a first come, first served basis until the maximum field size is reached.

Then it gets worse for 2013, when all the standards are lowered by 5 minutes, as well as keeping the rolling admissions process. On top of it, the 59 second cushion is removed, so in actuality the standards are pretty much lowered 6 minutes.

I could go on and on and on about this, but will summarize my initial thoughts on this:

- I am not disagreeing with lowering the standards, but the real issue at hand is the women's qualifying time is far too lax. 30 minutes between the men and women qualifying times is ridiculous, and basically B.A.A.'s hinting that a typical 18-34 year old man is 30 minutes faster than a typical 18-34 woman. Seriously?? That is an insult to women, and needs to be addressed. 20 minutes should be time difference - look at the typical results between men and women, and it makes more sense.

- The rolling admissions standard is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Basically, this is rewarding older people. A 45 year old woman has a better chance at getting into the 2013 Boston Marathon with a 3:35 marathon than a 34 year old man who runs 2:45:01. Think of how ridiculous that sounds. I understand that it gets harder as you get older blah blah blah, but you have to reward the faster qualifiers and not just the sub 2:45 marathoners. And this may come off as extremely sexist towards women, but I'm sorry - a 2:45 marathon for men is harder than a 3:15 marathon for women.

- The charity element may need to be readjusted for more slots. Charity is a great thing that does amazing things for people and places in need, but we're talking about the Boston Marathon. It's Bragging Rights. It's unique in that it's one of the very few QUALIFYING marathons. You need to hit the time to get in. I have been a big proponent of charity in races, because it does give people the chance to participate in one of the greatest races out there, but not at the expense of the actual qualifiers. Cut back on the guaranteed slots, give the real qualifiers a chance. Case in point, my own experience last year when talking to people that were running, it was almost shameful to the several charity runners I talked to when I asked where they had qualified at.

- My thoughts go out to my friends that have been working at the 3:10:59 standard, only to pretty much be screwed out of the opportunity and needing now to lower their marathon times by virtually 10 seconds/mile. Also, my thoughts go out to the qualifiers that hit it, that now need to engage in a ridiculous race to register this September when the slots open up for the actual qualifiers. You think 8 hours was fast? I guarantee if the slots aren't completely filled by the time the 3:10 qualifiers can register, it will take less than 4 hours to fill up.

Do I reaccess my goals and try to hit the new standard? I am pretty sure I could nail it with hard work, but with the new rolling admissions thing, I would be screwed. So what's the point???

Tuesday, Feb 15 - 1 mile. Grabbed dinner with Tim at Blackthorn's after work, got home late and this was pretty much all I could get done. Pathetic, I know.

Wednesday, Feb 16 - 6 miles. Crystal hit her Forest Park pace run earlier that day, so that killed off any motivation for me to do solo. Not the end of the world, since I will have better legs for the second speedwork workout this week. Gorgeous day outside, actually hit 73 degrees which is a welcome change from the 12 degree weather we had a couple nights last week. Legs felt like wet noodles, blah.

Ok - so with impromptu schedule switch, today is speedwork so we shall see how that goes. Tomorrow, farewell dinner with Tim as he leaves the STL area and takes his talents to Cleveland!

Twilight Sucks

I was going to wait to blog later this week, but saw this article and couldn't stop laughing. For those crazies out there, don't involve the wonderful sport of running for your troubles. Keep your fetishes in the bedroom! 2012 London Olympics schedule, and a pretty stacked USA 15K Championships field.

Monday, Feb 14 - 6 miles - 1/2 up, 20X400, 1/2 down. Happy Valentine's Day! Tim joined me for this workout, kind of a chilly evening to start out which got worse at the evening progressed. Quick warmup, stretching, then got into the actual workout. 400 meter repeats, sets of 5, starting at 10K pace and speeding up each set. Because of tired legs, intentionally kept the first set light to ease into it. Really felt decent out there, and kept going out too fast but reigned it in at the finish. Last few reps were tiring, but was very pleased at this workout - felt very in control, and was running very even splits on the last 2 sets. Let it go on the final rep, will probably pay for it on the Wednesday pace run, but nice to push. Tim hit 16 reps - great effort by him to hit some aggressive splits, and the company made the workout much more easier. Easy cooldown and stretching to finish - track was getting slick at this point, and starting to frost over. Splits were: 1:34, 1:33, 1:34, 1:34, 1:34, 1:31, 1:31, 1:31, 1:30, 1:31, 1:27, 1:28, 1:28, 1:28, 1:27, 1:22, 1:23, 1:22, 1:21, 1:16.

Easy run tonight, then the big Forest Park pace run with Crystal to effectively complete her training and coast until next weekend. Still undecided as to what race to sign up for, but leaning towards a good workout 5K...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bernard Lagat is a stud - new U.S. American indoor 2 mile record holder, now holds 5 American records currently! Also, a Runners World chat with him. Here is a name to keep on your radar - Isaiah Koech, a 17 year old that just ran a stunning 12:53 5K in a meet in Germany! Kim Smith ran 1:07:36 in New Orleans, just ridiculous. And more on the Meb/Boston controversy...

Friday, Feb 11 - 5 miles - 8X600. Got this one in after work - ran up to the track to bust it out, and discovered what used to be the track was basically an ice skating rink. Jogged part of it, decided there was a chance of decent traction with the slightly warmer temperatures. Started rep 1, quickly saw that the other side of the track was as icy as it gets, went through the quarter split at 1:27 while slipping and running flat footed, then called it quits before things got ugly. Ran back over to Village Circle, measured out the distance, had some major Garmin problems before estimating. Long story short, just a mess, felt awful and never got into a rhythm at all. Splits were all over the map - 2:05-2:15, cooldown with Pat and Crystal who joined for moral support and company.

Saturday, Feb 12 - 5 miles - Big River Truffle Shuffle! Went over to St Charles for the Inaugural Big River Running Truffle Shuffle. Long story short, was a complete success and had an amazing turnout! Lots of fun, had a great time and would highly recommend for everyone to do next year. Did not race it, but Tim did great and had a very good race recap on our other site.

Sunday, Feb 13 - 12 miles. Team Sullentrup in full force with a fun group run over in Village Circle. Gorgeous day outside, got above 60 degrees and very sunny! Tim, Mike, Pat and Crystal all participated, so great company. Legs felt like complete garbage, and just motored along and got the mileage in. 8:37 average pace, glad we didn't push it because I don't know how long that would have lasted.

48 miles for the week (ok) - legs feel like poop, and have another aggressive week of workouts so let's see how this goes. Mother Nature is cooperating though, so may not be as bad as advertised...

9 more weeks till Boston!

The Boston Marathon releases its elite field! A 75 year old Kenyan STUD. And girls benefit from training with boys :)

Wednesday, Feb 9 - 10 miles, 1 mile up, 8 at MP (avg 7:11 according to me, 7:07 according to Crystal), 1 mile down. Another bloody cold day, met up with C at Forest Park, which was inhabited with the other Big River Runners doing their Wild Wednesday workouts. A balmy 16 degree evening with a slight breeze. 10 minutes up, did a 2 mile loop over and over and over and over again. Wasn't too flat - first mile net down hill, second mile was rolling hills, but could definitely feel about 4 miles into it. Got faster as the workout progressed, go figure. Anyways, felt decent and got through the workout, but legs were a little rubbery afterwards. Wings and beer at Buffalo Brewing Company afterwards!

Thursday, Feb 10 - 4 miles - nice and slow - legs were feeling the strain of the last few days, but got through it ok. Got to try some amazing pizza at Blackthorn Pizza - looks kind of trasky at first sight, but a fun place to go! Chicago style deep dish pizza - say no more!

Speedwork tonight, then some excess mileage planned over the weekend...

Meb, Meb, Meb

NYC 1/2 Marathon is coming up, and already a stacked field with Ryan Hall, Abdi, Meb, and the lovely Miss Kara Goucher already entered! Meb's possible plans for the year, and a chat with him from Runners World. Finally, for those who saw Hood to Coast, an interview with the Dead Jocks team...

Monday, Feb 7 - 6 miles. Easy run around the neighborhood, legs felt like complete garbage and went pretty slow. Ankle was still sore, probably from the uneven ground. C-O-L-D outside!

Tuesday, Feb 8 - 6 miles. A glorious, windy 14 degrees. Bundled up, and literally froze my buns off. Looped around Village Circle 4 times to stay away from the wind. Ipod saves this run, because I was focused more on my Sportsguy Super Bowl podcasts than the bitter cold. Felt a lot looser when I was done.

Tonight, headed to Forest Park for the scheduled pace run. Looks like the Big River Wild Wednesday workout will be ongoing, so will be nice to have some company.

Shalane!

Brent Vaughn and Shalane dominate, diary of Ryan Hall talking about Houston. And a pretty cool article about my Big River teammate Julie Lossos!

Friday, Feb 4 - 4 miles. Got home from work, had dinner plans at Laurie's with a group, so had to kick it into high gear to get this done. Roads were better, but slushy in parts. Did my Village Circle Loop due to the only roads being clear. Pulled a Sullentrup, and killed the first mile - felt pretty decent, and kicked it into the next gear on the second half of the run. 26:32 overall (13:52 first half, 12:40 second half)

Saturday, Feb 5 - 0! Had a rockstar night with Tim, ended up sleeping most of the day, and the 5" of snow in the morning just detered me from going out later. Kicking myself for missing, but needed to save up energy for Sunday long run.

Sunday, Feb 6 (Super Bowl Sunday!) - 20 miles. Got a nice group out for our long run. Because of roads, did the Village Circle Loop which was awesome for Crystal to get a simulation feel of her upcoming marathon (Last Chance for Boston is a 1 mile loop course). Pat and Tim also ran opposite of us, so first half of our run went flying by. Weather was decent, and felt pretty awesome all around. Total time was 2:50:32 (8:28 average pace, I think), had a lot of problems keeping a slower pace so ended up negative splitting. Left ankle was really sore afterwards, so may need to watch that. Afterwards, hosted an impromptu Super Bowl party and got to watch a pretty decent game, as well as undo all my running through an impressive eating and drinking display.

So a so-so week of running (45 miles), but most importantly nailed the long run pretty easily, and managed to get in some small speedwork as well. Easy mileage tonight, but the big run will be the marathon pace run at Forest Park on Wednesday for Crystal and I. Should be challenging on a hilly venue, but I think we'll be able to hit it....

Super Bowl Weekend Eve

The Krispy Kreme Challenge! This is definitely on my list of races to conquer over the next few years. USA Cross Country Titles is on this Saturday in California, and quite the stacked fields! They have broadcasted this on NBC the last few years, so excited to see if they do the same this weekend. The lovely Miss Kara Goucher will be in attendance as well, so will be interesting to see how her training is going. Bernard Lagat is shooting for the 2 mile indoor record at the new Balance games next weekend. Apolo Anton Ohno is running the NYC Marathon this November! And finally, Lukas Verzbicas is racing in the New Balance mile - a definite can't miss prospect that will be dominating for years to come.

Wednesday, Feb 2 - 6 miles. Went out pretty late in the nasty cold. Roads were still a bit sloppy, so took it easy. Negative wind chills made it a tad bit nipply.

Thursday, Feb 3 - 7 miles. Trekked out there nice and late again. Did my Village Circle Loop, which is quickly becoming a favorite since it is pretty flat and almost like a mile circle, as well as very little traffic. This might change when the weather gets nicer - this used to be a pretty dangerous area (just a bad area because it's almost like the hood) but I think it's cleaned up now. We shall see. Anyways, roads were better, but still slushy at points. Worked the slight hills initially, then did my 270 loop to finish it out, picked it up substantially at the end to get some speed work since it's been almost impossible this week. Fat negative split, and felt in control. New mechanics are slowly starting to sink in, and don't feel as awful and sluggish as before. Can't wait to get on the track to really push it. Total time out was 50-56 minutes, last 3 miles were sub 7 minutes, dropped the last one around 6:15.

So Part 1 of my master plan is about complete - get in some mileage and build up some strength. I am ready to transition into some hardcore speed work to get ready for AOH Top of the Morning 5K and possibly St. Pat's. Will be running in the inaugural Big River Truffle Shuffle 4 Mile Race next weekend for fun (registration spots still open, sign up!), and start gearing up for late February race or pacing duties (TBD) for the Last Chance for Boston race which is gearing up to be a really fun weekend with Mick, Ken, Pat, Crystal, and Tim committed already. January 2011 is in the books - ran 181 miles, which is a lot more than I expected considering the impromptu non-running last week and compared to my crazy running partner Crystal's totals. She hit 248 miles, which is just amazing, and definitely starting to peak at the right time! Weekend plans involve running (possible 20 with Crystal, 6-10 on the other day), cheering on the....wait for it.....Pittsburgh Steelers! Should be an amazing game, and definitely amped up for a fun evening of festivities.

Snowocolypse!

Ryan Hall outkicked, but not his wife! Great performances from the Halls - not too disappointed about Ryan, as he ran well and just got caught at the end. This is the beginning for his buildup for Boston, so he has a few more months to kick it into gear. Sadly Bernard Lagat was unable to win his 9th consecutive Wanamaker Mile, but a great attempt nonetheless...

Fri, Jan 28th -5 mile fartlek, 2 minutes on, 1 minute off. Felt ok.

Saturday, Jan 29th - 4 miles - ran with Tim around his area, did out and back in Maryville roads. Got faster on each mile, and felt overall decent. 33:15 I believe was the overall time...

Sunday, Jan 30th - 12 miles. Ran first 7 with Tim at pretty easy pace, looped around my neighborhood and town. Last 5 did solo, hit MP effort and felt decent doing so. 43 miles total this week, ok for now.

Monday, Jan 31st - SNOWOCOLYPSE!!! 0 Miles, Mother Nature wins with her ugly sleeting, so stayed inside all day/night instead.

Tuesday, Feb 1st - 8 miles - the guilt of not running caught up to me, so strapped on the shoes pretty late. Roads were covered, but not awful. Looped around the neighorhood, then ran around town. Streets were clear of cars (awesome!), so ran on the roads. Wind was brutal, but got through it. Coolest moment of the run was getting pulled over by a cop (flashing lights and all), and getting called "crazy" by him.