Friday, February 21, 2014

Boston Marathon Mile 11 & 12

10 miles down so that means the warm up is over.  You know what they say "start slow and then back off from there".

Mile 11 has you running through the heart of Natick.  About half through this mile way you pass Natick Common which was the starting point for the Miles for Miracles' team 17 miler.  From here the course runs through the center of this town which looks like it could be right out of New England tour book.  The hills roll a little but keeping on pace is the name of the game here.

Mile 11 2:01 /1:18PM mile change +10 ft net change -310 ft

Mile 12 isn't the most scenic on the rout and is a little bit lonely as there aren't many streets which intersect with route 135 here.  Here runners are settling into their pace and the pack starts to stretch out a bit allowing people to find loved ones and friends on the course and along the route.  This strech has some small rolling hills and as this mile ends the Wellesley portion begins.



Mile 12 2:12 / 1:29PM mile change +15 ft net change -325ft


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

2.21.13 Cross Training

After taking the entire week off of running since the team 17 miler as I fought off a cold but I made it back to the gym today for a spin class.

Today's music was one hit wonders so we were rocking out to White Town, Right Said Fred and Chumbawama just to name a few.  We started off slow for the warm up before moving into building hills.  From there we seemed alternate with pushes and then finally sprints set to Vanilla Ice.

I pushed myself a bit harder than I normally would since I hadn't run at all this week and since this week's run is flat and short (only 12 miles).

14.3 miles in 49:54 a 17.19 MPH pace

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

2.15.13 Miles for Miracles Team Long Run

Saturday's team long run with the Miles for Miracles team was the first of two dress rehearsals for the big race.  Julie dropped me off at the Riverside T stop just before 9:30 where I was meeting up with the rest of the team.  I dropped off my bag (with clothes for after the run) with the team and checked in before jumping on the second bus out to Natick.

The trip wasn't long and we passed the time chatting with those around us.  Before we knew it we were at Natick Common and it was time for us to get off the bus since it couldn't make it around a pair of parked cars.  We all lined up and grabbed a quick team picture before heading out.  There wasn't much warm up so I stretched a bit on my own and noticed that we had another bus which was just starting to unload so I guess it was a 2/3 of a team photo.

I headed out down rout 135 with about a 100 runners in blue and yellow singlets in front of me.  We were running with the Liver Foundation team which got the memo about costumes which wasn't passed on to us.  There were tutus and tiaras galore!  There were even a couple of full costumes at the water stops.  I started out a bit too fast just under 10 minute miles for 3 of the first 4 miles, as I blazed down the road and past Wellsley College without seeing it's strange "dude in his tighty whities" statue .  I averaged just under 10 minutes for the first 6 miles which happen to be downhill which may explain some of the speed and after that i fell into a good rhythm right around 10:30 per mile.




Since we started out later than our normal 8AM meeting time by the time I took a right onto Comm Ave the road was clear of other runners.  At this point we were at 7 miles at the start of the hills rather than our normal 4 leaving from the church but after all the hills work we've been doing over the past couple of weeks I still felt really good.  I read an article on tips for running Boston and one of them was to try and stay consistent both up and down the hills which I tried to do and all in all I felt strong.  The only mile split over 11 minutes was heartbreak hill at just 11:06.

Once up and over heartbreak hill it was down into Boston for the only time that I'll run this stretch of road.  About a mile after BC there the course takes a right near my old apartment and then a quick left on to Beacon st.  This stretch felt pretty long as all the big hills were done and none of the major landmarks are in view.  It was a bit rough running here too since the sidewalks were busy and the streets were full.  I stayed to the bike lane as the snow started to fall.  A couple of miles later we were near the end of Beacon and the Citgo sign was in sight.



We followed the course for the last couple of miles down comm and onto Boylston as the snow thickened.  Our ending point was past the finishline to the BSC just past it.  I missed it on the first pass, but hooked back around and found it just after the second pass.  After a quick stretch and shower it was off to the rattlesnake bar to meet up with the other team members for some appetizers and a few beers.


Big thanks again to Purvee, Deveen and Keeran for sponsoring today's run!

16.74 mi in 2:54:36 a 10:26 pace

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Boston Marathon Miles 9 & 10

Time again to take you on another installment of my Boston Marathon course preview.

Miles 9-12 take the runner of the Boston Marathon through the town of Natick.  During these miles the runner will face a series of smaller rolling hills which continues all the way to Wellesley when the course drops dramatically.  Natick is the home to one of metro-west's largest malls which creates a traffic nightmare from Thanksgiving until after Christmas.  Even those just passing by on the pike are sometimes swept into the vortex of mall traffic as it backs up onto the exit ramp!

I'm just trying to get to work!!!
The first half of mile 10 takes you past frisk pond although for about half the time the runner is passing it, it is not visible due to the thick tree growth.  This part of the course offers some of the better nature views of the race before popping back out into a quaint New England neighborhood.

Mile 9 1:39 /12:56PM mile change -30 ft net change -340 ft

Mile 10 1:50 / 1:07PM mile change +20 ft net change -320ft



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

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Boston Marathon Miles 7 & 8

Today is the fourth part in my weekly look at the Boston Marathon course.  Today we talk about my favorite topic of all time...buffalo wings!

Mile 7 passes one of three places that I've eaten in Framingham, The Chicken Bone.  "The Bone" as it's affectionately know has good cheap wings including and was featured on the TV Show "Bar Rescue", but don't let that dissuade you, so was the place where Julie and I got engaged (I know how to pick a restaurant).  I may lose some time here as I down some wings.  I know what you're thinking "How can you eat that while you're running" and I totally agree,  I'll be sure to tell them to hold the blue cheese please, because I don't want to get an upset stomach!  It's not like I'm crazy or anything!  I'm sure there is much more to talk about in this mile but I can't get past the wings.

Mile 7 1:17 /12:34PM mile change -25 ft net change -335 ft

That's enough for me, but what are you guys going to eat?


Mile 8 passes through one of more built up and least scenic parts of the course.  At this point route 135 is full of pizza joints, gas stations, car dealerships and mini marts.  It's right out of The Talking Head's "(Nothing But) Flowers" song but in reverse!  Just before the 8 mile mark the course crosses into Natick and the scenery gets nice again.  Coincidence?

Mile 8 1:28 / 12:45PM mile change +25 ft net change -310ft



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

Boston Marathon Miles 5 & 6

Today is the third part in my weekly look at the Boston Marathon course.  Today we run out of Ashland in to Framingham.  We probably shouldn't dally it is Framingham after all.

As we move into the fifth mile things become a bit more rural.  The course crosses over (twice) and then runs along the Sudbury River (on your right for a short bit and then back on your left).  Runners are able to take in nice views the budding trees and along the way gather as much tree pollen you like, allergies be damned!

Mile 5 55:00 /12:12PM mile change +25 ft net change -285 ft

Mile 6 starts at the Framingham line and continues here for the next 2.5 miles.  While in the Ham as the locals call it the race was once halted when a train switched tracks and cut off the route for all but the lead pack.  A lot has changed since that happened in 1907 and we expect smooth sailing on April 21st.

Mile 6 1:06 / 12:23PM mile change -25 ft net change -310ft





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