Starting August on Top



(Team David pre-race)

I have been neglecting my blogging duties lately but that should change as things kick in to high gear in the next few weeks.  My training has been sporadic to say the least.  After crushing my 5k pr (now 17:28) at the Hollis Fast 5k in early June, I pictured doing the same throughout this summer in just about every distance.  Things have not gone as planned.  I continued training on the rolling terrain of Southern Vermont for a couple weeks and put in a couple of solid track sessions too.  I mixed in a lot of longer interval training on the track (1000-2000m) and felts things were going really well.  I was hitting 400m repeats in the low 70 range and was beginning to feel "fast."  My next target race was the Harvard Pilgrim 10k at Patriot Place on July 3rd.  My aim was to set a new pr and run someting in the 36:00-37:00 range (something I thought very doable with where my 5k was).  I made a crucial mistake heading into the race.  I was on a 50+ run streak (with a lot of doubles mixed in) and did not take any time to let my body recover before the race.  The day before the race I ran "only" 7 miles (at an easy pace) but this was still probably too much with the longer runs I did on the Saturday and Sunday before the race.  The race started at 6:00 pm on Tuesday night and the temperature was still right around 80 and humid.  I went out right on 6:00 for my first mile, hoping to keep this pace and speed up throughout the race.  My legs, however, had other plans and were not in it from the start.  I struggled the rest of the race, clocking much slower miles along the way, and barely managed to break 40:00.  This was not what I had in mind going into the race.  I was lucky I had such a great racecrew to cheer me on and pick me up after the race!  We watched a great firework show and I still got to sprint across the 50-yard line at Gilette Stadium and live out my childhood dream!  I even Tebowed at the finish (had to keep that promise to my friends)!  Following the race, however, I did what I usually do when I do not achieve the result I wanted.  I trained harder!

I went out for 10 miles the day after the race to loosen up and get my legs back under me.  The next day (still without a rest day in almost 60 days now and having run 3 recent races) I went out for 15+ miles at marathon effort.  I averaged 7:00 for the run and felt tired, but good.  The next morning, I felt a little twinge in my right thigh when I woke up.  But it was my birthday!  I did not put much thought into it and went out for a 10 mile tempo through Providence at a 6:30 pace.  The following day I was finding it difficult to walk but still put in 7 miles.  I figured I could still get in a long run on Sunday but I was in so much pain I cut the run short to a little over 8 miles.  I finally decided on taking an off day (Monday, 7/9).  My next race was in one week, the Jamestown Half Marathon.  The field was not going to be particularly big and I had an excellent chance of doing very well (if healthy).  I tried to run in the week leading up to the race (and did) but the pain was still too much.  I still lined up and ran the half marathon, effectively running my worst time in two years.  I definitely should not have tried to run injured and probably made things worse.  The last two weeks in July were very frustrating.  I had gotten injured, run a bad race, and now was missing valuable training time for the fall.  I iced my thigh constantly, took ibuprofen, heated it, etc. but it still was bothering me.  I wanted to get it properly looked at but I did not have the opportunity being stuck in Vermont.  I started to feel better the first week in August and decided to run up Mt. Snow.  I just decided, on August 1st, that this was the right thing to do to have a clean slate at the start of the month.  What an exhilarating feeling it was standing on top of the mountain looking out for mile after mile!  I felt accomplished that I have ran the whole way up and climbed from 2000 feet to 3600+ feet in a couple of miles.

Things are looking much better this month.  I ran 85 miles last week and put in some good sessions at the beginning of this week before cutting back in preparation for the Falmouth Road Race tomorrow.  I started physical therapy (official diagnosis right thigh strain- much worse earlier in July) this week and will continue throughout the month.   I am certainly starting to feel the excitement again with some big races coming up!  The Falmouth Road Race (8/12) always draws a big elite field full of top Americans, as well as Kenyans and Ethiopans too.  The crowds along the race course are the biggest among any New England summer road race with the finish line having people 10-deep around it.  Next weekend I will be running the Providence Rock N Roll Half Marathon with a chance to redeem myself at this distance.  This will be a fun race with live bands every mile and Karmin headlining at the finish!  My fall marathons are picked out.  I will be running the Lehigh Valley Marathon (9/9- day before Boston registration).  This race gives me a chance to get what I have been chasing after for months- a BQ!  I will then prep for the Amica Newport Marathon (10/14) and look for a strong finish there.  I really want to contend at Newport and place well!  For now, I am going to keep increasing mileage and begin to put in some longer distanced (marathon specific) workouts.  Hopefully I can turn in some good race results in the next couple of weekends!