10.5

This was my morning (starting at 7:30).  All roads, today, too (lately, most of my non-(beloved)-T-mill runs have been paths and trails).  Pretty glad to have gotten through it feeling strong, too.  Also pretty glad to have married a massage therapist.

The heat's been aggressive here but broke massively Friday night (in time for a 6 mile tempo on the towpath!).  I've been doing hills and making most of my mileage (school's settling out and I'm figuring out a schedule that works with work), but utterly FAILING to get to the gym for lifting and swimming.  Here's to hoping I can get back on track!  I have my SwiMP3, afternoons largely off (though with Grandma moving soon, I need to be at her place here and there helping her pack), and weather that's beginning to cooperate.  I need not to miss workouts with the half looming (10.10.10!).

Too exhausted and hungry to write more.  Perhaps if I make my gym workouts this week, I'll write to crow about it by Friday.

long run today

Distance: 9.85 miles
Time: 1:43:09
Pace: 10:27/mile
Temperature: 10 degrees (feels like -1)
Time of Day: 10:30 a.m.

This week's run felt infinitely better than last week's. I chalk it up to 14 hours of sleep, taking a Gu, and not having to fight through piles of snow. I accidentally overslept my CRC long run after going to bed at 7:30 p.m. and not waking up until 8:00 a.m. Oops. That wrecked my January resolution #3, but at least I got to do a run.

long run today

Distance: 13.54 miles
Time: 2:30:04
Pace: 11:05/mile
Temperature: 70 degrees
Time of Day: 8:45 a.m.

The malaise is back. Earlier this week I ran 38:34 at what I think was 8:10 pace (I just mapped it so I might have messed up) but noticed that my left hamstring was acting up. I played 187 points of ultimate last weekend (no women subs for seven games) and took so many ibuprofens that I might not have recognized any hamstring injury. Today I stopped running after 2.5 hours because both hamstrings and hip flexors on each leg were starting to cramp up. Arrgh!!

Wendy 2, deer 0

I arguably ran eight miles this morning…closer to ran six and walked here and there to a little over eight miles covered. Ostensibly, the walking bits were where/when I wanted to take in the scenery along the towpath (map at left courtesy of orcno.com), but I’ve also felt kind of sluggish lately (although when I got back to the car and checked the time, I realized I must have been running faster than I thought). I’m not sleeping well, and have resorted to sleeping pills on more than one occasion. Then again, if I were running more, I think I’d be sleeping better…

It was the first time I’ve run the towpath alone. I saw slugs (out in full force, maybe 50 of them here and there), two matching caterpillars, a heron, a few sparrow-type birds, and had a showdown with a deer. This happened the last time I ran the path, too. Deer are a little scary up close; they look like they could kick you to next week, particularly if they seem to be guarding a fawn. These park deer seem to be fairly used to people on the path and this one merely stared back at me as I slowed my approach, then shuffled off to the side to let me pass. Unfortunately I didn’t see any eaglets, though the park website says it's out and we can make noise on the path again.

I’m frustrated that my endurance seems to have taken a beating, though I didn’t feel that tired when it was over. I think I need to work on slowing myself down, and running steadily (though I keep reading that interspersing bouts of walking in a long run can improve endurance over time, better than running alone). By now, a few hours after showering and lunching, I feel strong. If only I could have felt this capable while actually RUNNING.

And guess which four-mile “interval” run I didn’t do yesterday? Yep, THAT one. I think I ran early enough this morning to allow myself to make it up tomorrow afternoon, even if I follow it up with an easy five-miler on Friday morning. Weekend off!

Standout track of the day: “M 79,” Vampire Weekend (BPM unknown, but it’s not for pace, it's for joy!)

long run today

Distance: 14.66 miles
Time: 2:35:56
Pace: 10:39/mile
Temperature: 76 degrees
Time of Day: 7:17 a.m.

I tried to make it to 15.5 miles today but only got to 2:35. The humidity was worse than on my last long run and I took a bottle of water instead of Propel. I thought that eating a lot of pasta might have canceled out my lack of sleep, but it did not. I'll try for 15.5 miles again next week.

long run today

Distance: 12.51 miles
Time: 2:05:19
Pace: 10:02/mile
Temperature: ~79 degrees
Time of Day: 7:45 a.m.

MapMyRun was being finicky today so there is no picture to accompany this blog entry :( Today's run was much better than last week's long run. The weather was probably 5-10 degrees cooler, and I hydrated and ate properly last night. I had a cup of coffee with an espresso gu and headed out with my new geisha water bottle. I went down to the Western Ave bridge and started on the Boston side rather than heading toward the Eliot bridge.

It's so much better than when it was under construction last year--no more stinky gravel path! The shade from the trees was quite pleasant. I wish I'd run on this side more during previous long runs. I'm going to miss having the luxury of doing long runs on weekday mornings. The Esplanade is much less crowded, and the catcallers aren't out in full force (except for one that yelled "Mmm! Calm my soul!" from his bike).

I'm still a bit confused about how to pick up the Cambridge side of the path after crossing the Museum of Science bridge. I ended up running through East Cambridge and picking it up at Wadsworth Street, where I usually come off the path to Broadway. The second half of the run wasn't as pleasant as the first because of lack of shade. I felt better after hydrating at the Eliot boat house water fountain. I decided to stop at Whole Foods for some sparkling water after the run--I suppose I could have gone another half mile to make it to 13 miles, but I'm still happy with the run!

run with james

Distance: 8.79 miles
Time: 1:23:36
Pace: 9:31/mile
Time of Day: 9:30 a.m.
Temperature: 81 degrees
Notes: Stopped for water in the Divinity School, boat house, and Shell.

James and I got up to run in the hot Mexican sun today. We went through Cambridge neighborhoods and then ran from the Eliot bridge to the Mass Ave/Harvard bridge, switching from Boston to Cambridge at River Street. James commented that it is windy along the river and that the Boston side is hilly. We saw a bunch of crew boats on the river. There weren't any insane geese out on the Boston side today though. Usually I have to dodge goose poop like an obstacle course. Maybe James wards away the geese.

I have to tell my mom I went to a Baptist church today. That makes two churches in one weekend (we went to check out the Tiffany windows in the Arlington Street Church in Back Bay).

James needs to not have shin splints and to update the layout of this bloggie.