Friday, January 24, 2014

Cross-Training 1.24.13

Friday morning I set the alarm extra early to make sure I could get the whole 60 minutes of cross training in today.  My plans we foiled by a slap to the snooze button, but I was up and out earlier than normal.  A quick (because it was freaking cold out and I my car wasn't very war) drive over to BSC and I claimed a spot in my spin class.

Even with the snooze I was early so I stretched and started in with a light bike ride.  The class started to fill in around me and after one quick warm-up song we were off in earnest.  Amanda pushed us today starting off with a lot of jumps (which I've been skipping to try and save my legs for Saturday's group long run) and some up hill sprints.  I pushed myself harder than last week but not 100%, even still my legs were pretty tired by the end, tired but not sore.  All in all I just missed the 60 minute mark.

15.6 mi in 54:15 a 17.25 MPH pace

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Pace Run 1.23.14

With temps in the single digits and wind chills in the negative teens I decided I was going to do my pace run inside today.  I grabbed my gear and headed out to the gym.

At 5:15 about a quarter of the treadmills were already taken so I grabbed on up front and started off with a warm up mile at 10:49.  Since they're programmed to stop after 60 minutes I stopped my workout and restarted it rather than having to stop half way through my pace run.  I got it back up to speed and by the end of my first mile I think I had finally thawed out.  My pace at a 1.5% incline was a little slower than what I had been running outside but I was able to keep all of my miles under 10 minutes (9:55, 9:54, 9:53, 9;54, 9:51, 9:45) but failed to keep my speed getting progressively better due to a mental error more than a physical limitation.

Once my 6 miles were up I only had about a minute before my 60 minutes were up and the treadmill went into cool down mode for another 5 minutes.  I added on another 0.36 miles in cool down and then headed out to start the day.

7.36 mi in 1:45:49 a 10:18 pace

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Boston Marathon Miles 3 & 4

Today is the second part in weekly look at the Boston Marathon course.  Today we're (virtually) tackling miles 3 & 4.

The start of Mile 3 is the first water stop on the course which water tables on both sides of the road each mile to mile number 25.  Here the tree lined streets of suburbia continue but it's at the end of mile 3 where you come to the strangest part of the modern-era Boston Marathon.  You have traveled 3 miles and have not yet past a single Dunkin Donuts.  That's a pretty difficult feat inside of I-495 these days.

Mile 3 33:00 /11:50AM mile change -55 ft net change -225 ft

About a quarter of a mile into mile number 4 you finally hit the first Dunkins on the course.  On race day this is Dunkins is overflowing with runners jogging off the course to get their caffeine fix.  In 2011 Geoffrey Mutai used his iced double turbo shot to propel himself to the fastest marathon ever run (not true, well the Dunkins part isn't, the fastest marathon part is).

Ashland is also the home of the inventor of the electric clock Henry E. Warren which is why it's called "clock town" but doesn't include Watch City Brewery (that's in Waltham if you're looking for it but I wouldn't, I think both the beer and food are mediocre).  At the corner of Union and Chestnut Streets (about half way through mile 4) is a large clock tower which Marty McFly used to get back to the future after being hit on by his mom (that is a joke, apparently not a good one I've been told).

Mile 4 44:00 / 12:01PM mile change -85 ft net change -310ft





Part 3 Miles 5 & 6 Due out 1/29

Part 4 Miles 7 & 8 Due out 2/5

Part 5 Miles 9 & 10 Due out 2/12

Part 6 Miles 11 & 12 Due out 2/19

Part 7 Miles 13 & 14 Due out 2/26

Part 8 Miles 15 & 16 Due out 3/5

Part 9 Miles 15 & 16 Due out 3/12

Part 10 Miles 17 & 18 Due out 3/19

Part 11 Miles 19 & 20 Due out 3/26

Part 12 Miles 21 & 22 Due out 4/2

Part 13 Miles 23 & 24 Due out 4/9

Part 13 Miles 25 & 26 Due out 4/16

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Boring Days of Training 1.19-1.21.14

Sunday through Tuesdays on my training plan have been pretty standard, cross-train, easy, intervals.

This Sunday we were heading up to meet some friends for brunch as Massa on the Woburn line.  Our 10:30 reservation meant that we weren't able to do spin at 9:30 so I headed to BSC right when it opened and headed to one of the stationary bikes.  I did 35 minutes there not pushing myself really hard as I was still a bit drained from the run on Saturday.  After my 14 plus miles there (not sure why I only wrote down 14) I headed over for some weightlifting and core work.  I’m glad I cut it a bit short because when I walked out it was snowing again!  I showered up and we headed to Massa (http://www.masarestaurant.com/) which was a wonderful brunch with my “Ultimate Breakfast Burrito” and reasonably priced too!  If you've never been before I suggest you check it out.



Monday was pretty boring if I'm being honest.  4 easy miles on the Waverly Ave hill.  I had to get up extra early to finish my run in time to take Julie to the airport (again) but I somehow still managed to wake before my 4AM alarm.  

I headed out for a warm up lap around my neighborhood before tackling the up and down twice.  I might need to change this route up heading up and down Belmont street, for a change in scenery, but I'm hesitant since Waverly is wider and has less traffic.


Tuesday I woke up to bitter cold.  I set up an interval workout on Runkeeper, geared up and drove down to the river.  I found some street parking and then wondered if the pending snow would mean I would get towed faster. Only time would tell as I locked up Julie's car and headed out.  I decided to go with the river as the path on the southern side is plowed where as the track I knew was covered with snow.  

As I headed out I was cold and my Audible app wouldn't work properly.  Trying to play with the iPhone and run resulted in some frozen fingers but I finally got it working.  I headed out towards Brighton fighting the wind.  After a slow-ish warm up mile at 10:24 I headed into my first half mile interval at blistering 4:38 followed by another recovery at 5:18.  I plowed through another fast interval at 4:42 but I was really freaking cold my hands had warmed up by my core felt really cool.  Also when the really cold weather comes my knee bothers me.  The combination of the knee and cold along with the fear of getting Julie's car towed made me bail on the rest of the work out, but I did find a place to park my car for Thursday!  I did another 0.8 miles just under 10 minute miles and headed to the car.  I'll have to try and make up some mileage on Thursday!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Long Run 1.18.14

Saturday was another miles for miracles group run out in Wellesley.  Before we started the coaches told us this was the largest group run in our history.  We had a very personal and moving dedication and then without a clinic we warmed up shortly after 8 and headed out for our run. People were going everywhere from 6 to 15 miles, and I signed up for 13.  As we made our way down route 16 the skies were ominous and threatening rain and snow.  

Shortly after starting up I fell I with my pace pal, Mary and we headed out just under 10 minute miles aided by the downhill trajectory.  About a half mile in it stated to sleet which lasted until mile 2 was done and we were at our first water stop.  

Despite the cool weather and precipitation I was sweating pretty good at this point, so while grabbing some water I took off my slight sweatshirt. With the sleet sopping I thought I would be good but it didn't take long for me to cool down.  I gutted my way through the next two miles thinking I would warm up but it didn't happen so while we waited for the light at the corner of comm ave I out it back on a bit too late.

Making the turn on to comm ave we started the hills of Newton. We make good progress at about a 10:20 pace fighting up the hills. Since we started promptly at 8 we didn't start hitting a lot of other charity runners until these hills. Floods of runners were making their way past us dreading downhill (as we had done) only to go back up to finish their runs (as we will).  I've already started to notice the same people week to week.

We hit mile 5 and the next water stop where I grabbed some water and downed a Gu.  Back on the course we started to hit new areas for me after just a half mile.  We made our way through Newton commons and up and down some more hills and arrived at the start of heartbreak hill marked by Heartbreak running store on the corner.  Heartbreak will have two wait two more weeks (we're running by the river next week) as we turned around and made out way back.  As we did we got hit in the face by a wind that I swear wasn't there when we were running the other way.  

As we made our way down the hills we hit the water stop again but because of all the people this week we had run out of cups so we had to rinse and re-use the two ones left.  Glad took my vitamin C this morning!  A mile down the road I faced a decision, keep running or turn off and pee at the firehouse (they graciously open their doors to runners this time of year).  I debated and debated and finally decided to go in, which turned out to be the best decision of the day since when I arrived back at the church I was informed that the toilet was clogged. Big props to the coaches for wet vac-ing up the exes water so we're allowed back!

After my break I headed back up 16 and was caught by one of ours coaches Jeff who chatted with me for a while. When I looked at my watch I was going well under 10 minute miles without knowing it.  It's nice to get my mind off running but was a bit worried with the hill still to come. At the start of the hill back up Jeff went ahead to check on some others and I started my trudge up. My pace was about 11 minutes per mile which I would take and I made it non-stop to the water.  

At the water break I grabbed a quick cup (they still had some here) of Gatorade and started back out with Mary again who was there when I arrived.   By this time the rain had picked up and just a giant pain.  We kept a sub 10 minute pace the last two miles and then sprinted the last tenth of a mile or so.  

Back at the church I stretched out and changed into some dry clothes before chatting up some of hone other runners and heading off to Whole Foods.  There were a couple of fig glazed sea bass steaks with my name on them!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Training 1.16 & 1.17 Tempro Run and Cross-Training

Work was pretty busy yesterday so I didn't get a chance to do a quick recap of my training so here's a 2 for 1 special.

Thursday morning I rose with the goal of a 4.5 mile tempo run.  I headed out for a quick once around the neighborhood before I headed down towards the center of town to complete my warm up mile.  The first mile I held back warming up and getting ready for my pace run.  Just before the track I hit 1 mile and picked up the pace.  I headed down past the school and through the square keeping on the north side of the Charles.

The first mile was good at a 9:40 pace, but the lighting on this side left something to be desired once you move off the square.  A little more than halfway through mile two there is a pretty nice sized hill which ate up a little bit of time but not too bad pushing my time to 9:52 for the mile.  Normally I run by the river but there was no way I was attempting that narrow trail (which I know at one point has a tree over it) in the dark.  My plan was to turn around at mile 3.5 and go back the way I came, but I was close to the bridge that I could use to get to the south bank of the river so I went a bit father and crossed over.  This side it lighted much better and is much flatter the whole way.  Running along this side finished mile 3 (9:44) and 4 (9:39).  Just after mile 4 I found myself at my daily bus stop waiting for the light to change.  A quick cross and through the square I picked it up for the last 200 yards or so to bring the final half mile down to 4:34.  Overall the 4.5 mile pace run was 43:27 or a 9:39 pace, much faster than I hope to run on race day.

Out of breath but with my legs feeling pretty good I started my cool down heading down route 20 giving a walker with two big dogs a wide birth as they barked and strained at their leashes.  I finished up with a slow jog up Waverly Ave finishing on a nice hill.

6.5 mi in 1:05:31 a 10:05 pace

Friday morning Julie and I headed over to the BSC for a spin class with our favorite instructor.  Today she was having a class right up my alley, 90's music!  I didn't want to push myself as hard as I had been because my legs were trashed after the 11 mile run last week, and I wanted to have something in the tank to do some cross training and weight lifting on Sunday.

I started a little early trying to get to the 60 minutes of cross training per the schedule.  Throughout the class I didn't turn the resistance up to much but tried to keep my cadence around 85 to make up for it.  It seemed to work as my heart rate was above 130 when I was done, but my legs didn't feel nearly as sore as they had in the past.

The 90's music was a good mix from the entire decade.  At one point the class got to choose between Ace of Base and No Doubt, and for some strange reason only me and one other lady had the good taste to select No Doubt.  Unfortunately there was no Puffy Daddy and the Family, but thankfully the set list only included on boy band song, before throwing in "Baby Got Back" near the end to get the motivation really going (or would that message demotivate people, I'm not sure).

15.85 mi in 50:30 an average speed of 18.83 MPH

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Boston Marathon Miles 1 & 2

With the start of the Boston Marathon 13 weeks away (and since I don't have any training on Wednesdays) I thought I would bring you on a virtual tour of the Boston Marathon for those of you who aren't local.  Every week I'll profile two miles of the course and where I hope to be when I hit it (I actually hope to be a little faster but 11 minute miles gets me under 5 hours so I'll take it).  With the start of fourth wave being 11:15 (I assume I'll end up there) I assume that it will take me two minutes to get to the start so I've assumed an 11:17 start.  First up are miles 1 and 2.



The race starts in Hopkinton.  Because it's such a small town and there are tens of thousand of runners/spectators and volunteers, runners are bused out from Boston Common to the starting line.  The first mile is the steepest downhill mile dropping 130 feet.  The wheelchair racers are paced out at the start for fear that the downhill will make them go to fast resulting in a crash with serious injuries.

Mile 1 -130 ft 11:00 /11:28AM mile change -130 ft net change -130 ft

Mile two continues downward trend as runners lose another 40 feet along Route 135.  This rual two lane suburban road is teaming with runners making their way down tree lined streets before reaching mile marker two just over the border in Ashland.  Ashland hosted the start of the marathon until it was moved out west to Hopkinton in 1925.

Mile 2 22:00 / 11:39AM mile change -40 ft net change -170ft



Part 2 Miles 3 & 4 Due out 1/22

Part 3 Miles 5 & 6 Due out 1/29

Part 4 Miles 7 & 8 Due out 2/5

Part 5 Miles 9 & 10 Due out 2/12

Part 6 Miles 11 & 12 Due out 2/19

Part 7 Miles 13 & 14 Due out 2/26

Part 8 Miles 15 & 16 Due out 3/5

Part 9 Miles 15 & 16 Due out 3/12

Part 10 Miles 17 & 18 Due out 3/19

Part 11 Miles 19 & 20 Due out 3/26

Part 12 Miles 21 & 22 Due out 4/2

Part 13 Miles 23 & 24 Due out 4/9

Part 13 Miles 25 & 26 Due out 4/16

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Interval Training 1.14.14

Tuesday morning was another nice (relatively) warm morning.  After a short warm-up I headed back to the track from some speed work doing half mile intervals 5 times. The guide says that I should be doing them at my goal time in minutes (just moving the hours into minutes and minutes into seconds), so in my case for 5 hours I should be doing my half mile intervals in 5 minutes but as always I have to do better than that.

The weather was nice as I did just over a mile warm up around the neighborhood before heading down to the track.  The track isn't the most interesting place so I again decided to listen to my audio book starting in on book two of the Black Flagged series by Stephen Konkoly. 

The intervals started out good with each interval being around 15 seconds ahead of pace, and I was feeling good during the recoveries. The last interval was a killer thought and really had to struggle to make it under pace.  After a light jog back home it was time for some breakfast!

Interval Milage Time Pace
Warm Up 1.09 11:31 10:35
Fast 1 0.52 4:46 9:10
Recovery 0.47 5:00 10:38
Fast 2 0.52 4:47 9:16
Recovery 0.50 5:17 10:28
Fast 3 0.51 4:43 9:11
Recovery 0.50 5:22 10:43
Fast 4 0.51 4:45 9:19
Recovery 0.51 5:26 10:42
Fast 5 0.51 4:53 9:38
Cool Down 0.86 9:53 11:32
Overall 6.50 1:06:23 10:13

Monday, January 13, 2014

Monday Recovery Run 1.13.14

"Ouch" is all I have to say.  After taking Sunday off because I felt stiff and sore Monday morning came and I felt only moderately better but headed out on a slow recovery run.   I headed out with the intention of just going to the track so I didn't take my lighted visor, but decided to take a lap around the neighborhood first.  About half way around the loop I realized my mistake as I had very little light and needed to run in the road to avoid tripping like I did last week.  After that thankfully uneventful loop I headed down to the track.  I picked the track so I could zone out and not worry about uneven footing or cars and just zone out and listen to my mediocre book "The deep zone".  It's kind of boring in my humble opinion, but it's starting to pick up for the last 10%.

It was about 32 degrees so I thought I would be fine in shorts and a long sleeve tech shirt. which normally I would be, but since this was an easy run I wasn't pushing myself very hard I ended up warming up as I was used to.  As a result it was a cold run!

The track was pretty uneventful, but reminded me of a spring or fall day as the one guy who runs intervals the other way and the group of ladies doing some sort of boot camp training were both there while I thought I would have the track all to myself.  I was able to keep my pace around 11:20 the whole time with each mile getting a bit slower as I tried not to push myself.

A couple of laps later I was at 3.5 miles and headed home along Orchard where I again cursed myself for not wearing a light and had to step carefully along the sidewalk.  Thankfully I made it to the end of my 4 miles without incident and headed home where some farmers market Sausage waited to be cooked for breakfast!

4 mi in 45:20 an 11:20 pace

Saturday Long run 1.11.14

Saturday was about as good weather for training as anyone could ask for our  Boston Children's group training run.  High in the low 40's at the start warming up to the mid 50's with a chance of rain.  I arrived at St. Paul's church which was our base for today about quarter to 8 and stretched while we waited for our latest clinic on gels and hydration to start.  After a 45 minute presentation we warmed up and headed out the door.

We started off at about mile 13.5 of the course and immediately started on a gradual uphill until just before mile 2 and our first water stop.  By this time I had fallen into a good 10 minute mile pace (just less to allow for some time for water stops) with Lauren and Mary who I had met on two previous runs.  Just before and after the water stop the road went on a deep dive dropping 136 feet in 0.65 miles to the lowest part of the race course.  The course then starts back up hill for the next 0.6 miles as you go through Wesley peaking just after you cross 128 where it slowly descends 50 feet over the next mile to Comm ave.  At the firehouse we took a right starting to tackle the hills of Newton (which ultimately end in Heartbreak Hill).

The course was packed with runners from different charities which we had been passing all morning coming the other way (I guess we got a late start because of our clinics), and it was very evident here on Comm ave as many of the charities (including ours) had a water stops set up on the carriage road that runs parallel to Comm.

Just before a mile on to Comm Ave. the route peaked at 166 feet which is a net increase of about 30 feet from where we started but represented about a 130 foot climb from the low point of our run.  I was pretty tired at this point but right at my 10 minute mile pace.  At mile 5 there was another water stop but we passed on it as we were just going another half mile and then turning around so we would hit it on the way back.  Another half mile and we hit Lowell Street which was our turn around for today, and we started making our way back.  When we hit the water we stopped this time taking about a minute to get some water and down a Gu before hitting the road again on the decline.

You would think that because we're going net downhill now that we would be faster but by this time my legs were trashed and it was all I could do to hang on to the ladies and maintain a 10:20ish pace before hitting the big hill (I think our Coach Jeff named it Mildred...he says the jokes get better as the mileage goes up).  As much as I wanted to walk up the hill I knew I needed to push myself in training to be better on race day so I continued my slow trot up to the water stop just before the crest of the hill.  A little water and Gatorade and we're off again with a pretty good pace of just over 10 minute miles for the next mile and a half.  After waiting for a light to change about a third of a mile from the church we put it into high gear until the end pushing the last mile down to about a 9:30 minute mile.

I headed around back to do some lunges and squats before heading inside to stretch and change.  Inside I ended up talking to a group from last year which were all trying to do X number of marathons before they turned 25 or 30 (which made me feel kind of old) but it was great to hear how much they enjoyed the team and wanted to run again.  On the way home I hit Whole Foods to get some food for the week but the fatigue was settling in and I forgot my wallet in the car.  After running out I was able to pick up a few items and headed home for a big lunch!

11 mi in 1:52:58 a 10:14 pace

14 Weeks until the Boston Marathon!!!

Week In Review 1.12.14

Monday started off rainy so I decided to try the BSC in my building for a change.  I headed down just after 11:30 to grab a new paid of headphones and beat the rush.  The gym was hot and it made the slow recovery run feel much harder than it should have.  Also I think running on the treadmill for so long on Saturday gave me a case of nipple chafe which was exacerbated by this quick run.  Ouch!  It's nice having a gym in my building but it was pretty crowded (especially the locker room) so I think I'll just try to use the gym as a shower when I run to work when it gets warmer rather than on my lunch break going forward. 4 mi in 44:34 an 11:09 pace

Tuesday was supposed to be cold and icy so I got ready (with pants to get to the gym, I learned my lesson from Sunday) and headed to BSC for interval training sponsored by my old PwC co-worker Emily White!  As I made my way out it was cold but much warmer than expected (18 degrees) from what the new folks had been talking about.  Half mile warm up followed by intervals of a half a mile at 6.6 MPH followed by another half mile of recovery (at 5.7-5.8 MPH) with a half mile cool down.  After my run I got dressed and headed over to Panera for some breakfast since I was running a bit late and didn't want to make something at home.  I'm not sure if it was the sweat from running or the wind (or both), but it was SIGNIFICANTLY colder than it was when I got in.  The cold is settling in, but Saturday looks pretty warm for our group run! 5.5 mi in 53:19 a 9:42 pace

Wednesday was a nice day off so I headed out Thursday for a tempo run feeling pretty good.  Adding to my good luck was the heatwave that has taken over New England.  That's right it was nearly twice as warm on Thursday than it was Wednesday making it a balmy 12 degrees (vs 7 on Wed).  I decided to take a different route today rather than the normal down and back to John Brewers so I headed out and did a lap around the neighborhood for a warm up before heading down past the track and out to Mount Auburn St, before taking a right on Main.  This portion is all pretty much down hill so I was able to keep my times under 10 minutes (despite what RunKeeper says).  From here Main has a slight incline all the way to the police station so I fell off my pace a bit for mile 3, but pushed it and made it back under 10 the rest of the way.  As I hit John Brewers I took a left and headed for home.  About a quarter mile from being done I caught my foot on a tree root and nearly did my best "Superman" impression but I was able to catch myself.  It didn't feel like much at the time but after my run my ankle was pretty sore.  A short mile cool down and I was done walking in the door as Julie was putting breakfast together.  Nothing ends a run well like huevos rancheros!  This run was sponsored by our college friend and Julie's twin from anotha motha Heather Osowski!  Thanks Heather I really needed the motivation to get out of bed!!!    6 mi in 59:48 a 9:58 pace

Friday I headed over to the BSC for another spin class for cross training.  I was supposed to do 60 minutes but got there a little late so 45 would have to do.  I got to try out my new cycling shorts which made the ride much better but I kept getting the cushion caught when I tried to sit back down from a hop.  It also begs a question, "if cycling saddles are so uncomfortable that you need to wear padded short to ride then why don't they make more comfortable saddles?"  Am I the only one thinking this?  I wonder if I can I get a patent on a saddle that doesn't make you walk bow legged for an hour after you get on the bike.  If anyone out there has some money they want to give me to start a company to try and build this new idea let me know.  If you don't have enough money to help me start a company you can always just help me by donating to my marathon run (link below).  21.8 miles in 45:27 or 28.78 MPH

This is my last week in Review as starting on Saturday and going forward I'll be writing individual posts for my training to take you through what it's really like day to day!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

2013 Year in Review

2013 was quite a year for running.  I kicked off this blog to have people join me as I traveled with my Tour pass and made my way to all sorts of places.  Here's a look at some of the highlights in case you missed them:


  • 14 races 
  • 21 medals
  • 5 new person records
  • 136.3 race miles
  • Almost an entire day spent racing (23 hours 32 minutes and 19 seconds)
  • visits to 10 states including first time visits to Tennessee and Oregon
  • 1,033.3 miles run (a little more than running from Boston to Jacksonville, FL)
  • Over a week spent running (7 days 17 hours and 58 minutes)
  • Acceptance into the Boston Marathon
  • 59 Blog posts resulting in almost 2,500 page hits (seriously people get back to work)
Here's to 2014!!!

Week In Review 1.5.14

Monday is the day for a recovery run.  I think I finally got the hang of this easy (aka slow) thing down.  I headed out early since I had to take Julie to the airport at 6:30 and found the roads to be a bit slippery.  I took care not to "superman" out on the road shortening my stride, it was a nice easy run that got the juices flowing but didn't leave me feeling tired.  A quick shower and it's off to the airport.  3.1 mi in 35:56 an 11:36 pace.

New Year's eve I headed two the track on a cold morning (14 freakin degrees) for some interval training.  Half mile warm up followed by intervals of a half a mile at around 9 minute miles followed by another half mile of recovery with a half mile cool down.  After my run it was time to go to the dentist and run some errands before a quiet night at home eating way too many wings and drinking some sangria!   5 mi in 48:19 a 9:40 pace

Wednesday was supposed to be may day off but with a storm coming I switched with Thursday and did a tempo run.  I snaked my way down the familiar rout towards John Brewers (where I bought all the wings the night before) successfully keeping my pace at less than 10 minutes per mile until the cool down mile on the back end around my neighborhood (10:35).  This was my first sponsored run by Gus, Ty and Stephanie Solivan!  Thanks guys!    6 mi in 59:51 a 9:59 pace

Friday was my cross training day which was broken out into two parts 1) shoveling the foot of snow we got and 2) 30 minutes on the newly cleaned elliptical.

Saturday was scheduled to be brutally cold, but I dutiful woke up at 6:15 to get ready for group run number three for Boston Children's.  I got breakfast together and started checking my e-mail as I ate and found out that because of the cold weather and snowy conditions that practice had been cancelled, and we were encouraged to either run on a treadmill or later in the day when it warmed up.  Since I was already up I check the opening time of the BSC and saw it as 6:30 so I got ready in my shorts and short-sleeves (since I was running inside), downed a Gu and headed out the door.  I arrived at BSC about 7:30 only to find it closed.  Apparently Google pulled up the Waltham hours so there I was freezing my butt off in shorts outside the gym, so I quickly made my way over to Panera for a hot coffee to warm myself up while I listened to my book on tape.  After a half hour the gym was open and I braved the cold again to start my run.  I jumped on the treadmill and now my headphones weren't working.  Two hours on the treadmill with nothing to listen to.  I guess today just wasn't my day, but after that the run went pretty well using a 1.5% incline (normally I've been using 1% but I might as well start liking the hills) as I covered 6.2 miles in the first 60 minutes (the limit on the gym machines).  I downed a second Gu and started in again going pretty good just above the 6.2 MPH but with just a little over a mile to go I really hit the wall.  I think since I took that first Gu so early I was a bit low on fuel, but I fought through it to finish well under the 10 minute pace. After I hopped of the treadmill I went over and did some lunges and squats before heading home. This run was graciously sponsored by Dick and LJ Pasternak down in PA.  10 mi in 1:37:04 a 9:42 pace

Sunday is again a cross training day headed back to the gym for another spin class.  Julie was feeling a bit under the weather so I headed in alone.  This being so close to the new year I knew it would be packed so I headed down early even though I had signed up in advanced, and I was right.  There was maybe one bile available by the time class started.  Getting there early allowed me to up on early and get some miles done before class started.  The 4th new teacher I've had (only had the same person twice so far) was pretty intense often jumping off the bike to encourage people up close.  I pushed myself pretty hard and by the time I was done I felt like I needed a new shirt!  After the ride I did some light weights but was pretty wiped to do much of anything  1 hour 6 minutes on the bike covering 19.6 miles

Miles run last week 24.1


14 Weeks until the Boston Marathon!!!