Sunday, June 29, 2008

Week in Review

Time: 445:00
Distance: 64 mi.

Decent week of training with 64 miles in 6 days. Happy enough with my mid-week medium long run, and it was good to do something faster to try to get my legs back to that. I should have planned better and gotten another decent effort in on Sunday, but whatever.

Unfortunately, the next two weeks will not be ideal for running most of the time, as I'll be traveling through Alaska. My goal is to get 3-4 good runs in each of the next two weeks. I'll probably just do a comprehensive update of the online log when I get back.

Day Off

Packing, flying.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Mt. Orient

Time: 66:50
Distance: 9 mi.

Afternoon run from Nick's house on the classic Mt. Orient loop through Amethyst Brook. Taylor and John came with me and Nick brought two friends from Chicago. This is some of the best running I've done anywhere.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Brandywine State Park

Time: 57:05
Distance: 8 mi.


Trail along Brandywine Creek

Morning run with Taylor in Wilmington, Delaware. We headed over to the Brandywine State Park, which was near our hotel. We ran there on a previous visit to Wilmington and knew that there were some trails. After exploring a bit we found the trail that runs along Brandywine Creek. Body feels good and my hip is much looser than it has been, which is surprising after the long-ish run and drive yesterday.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Moody Bridge, Bay Road, 116

Time: 93:30
Distance: 14 mi.
Map


Cows at a farm along Bay Road

Solo morning run from the house. I started out heading towards Moody Bridge Road, not knowing where I might end up but not particularly enthused about the prospect of running for 90+ minutes. Of course, once I got out there there was nothing I would really prefer to be doing, except towards the end when my legs got very stiff and tired. Instead of making this an out-and-back to the end of Moody Bridge, I turned left on Bay Road and made a loop up around Hampshire College and 116. I finished going Potwine to Middle Street and South East Street and Station Road.

An ice bath would've been nice after this... my legs, right hip, and lower back are all quite sore.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Bike Path, Echo Hill Trails

Time: 76:00
Distance: 10.5 mi.

Easy morning run with John Tyson again. I headed out the door thinking that I was going to run 90 minutes, but the stiffness in my legs from getting on the track yesterday informed me otherwise. I did 30 minutes on the bike path before meeting up with John, and then we looped around the Echo Hill Trails, which were a little muddy, but not too bad. Maybe I'll do that mid-long run tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Bike Path, AC Track, Amherst Center

Time: 82:51
Distance: 12.5 mi.

Target: light track work, something like 8 x 200m in ~33s
Workout: 3 x 200m, 2 x 400m, 3 x 200m; 34.0, 33.4, 33.5, 68.0, 67.5, 33.9, 32.6, 31.8

I ran over to the Amherst College track on the bike path with John Tyson who then headed on his run. I did this run more to break up the monotony of my training more than anything else, but it will be good to get used to some faster running again as well. I was just generally shooting for turning my legs over but after three 200s which felt as fast as I could comfortably go but not as far as I could go, I decided to mix it up. My legs were very much not ready for this, but this is how it starts I suppose. Particular tightness in my right hamstring, hip, and lower back.

The "cool down" was through town and past the high school and then to Stanley Street, Wentworth Farm and Old Farm Road. The water in the river near Stanley Street was higher than I have ever seen it, covering all of the beach and getting relatively close to the bridge. I couldn't help but jump in.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Harkness, Amethyst Brook, Echo Hill

Time: 68:40
Distance: 10 mi.


Entrance to Amethyst Brook

Morning run with John Tyson. I met him at his house and we ran out Harkness and over to Amethyst, mosty avoiding the trails that were fairly muddy from last night's run. The trails in Amethyst Brook weren't too bad, though, and we did a short loop without heading up Mount Orient at all. We came back directly through Echo Hill and Old Farm Road. I added on about 2 minutes at the end to make sure I hit 10 miles.

My hip and glute were stiff, but not quite as sore as yesterday.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Week In Review

Time: 487:15
Distance: 71 mi.

A combination of boredom and a feeling that I might want to be in shape by this fall have helped me get back on it a bit with a 50% increase in milage since last week. Next week should be another good one, but the month of July will be a little bit all over the place, as I'm spending the first 10 days in Alaska, one week in Amherst, and then moving to the District of Columbia. I'm marginally concerned about my right hip, but hopefully if I spend a little time working on it I can get out whatever imbalance is throwing it off a bit.

Echo Hill, Rosen Loop

Time: 92:30
Distance: 13.5 mi.
Map


Looking East down Station Road near the end of the Rosen Loop

I'm working on getting back on the Wednesday-Sunday longer run schedule. I started off doing the short loop through Echo Hill to get in about 30 minutes before meeting up with John Tyson, who wanted to go about an hour. I was fairly tight out the door, particulalry in my glute/piriforms, which continued throughout the run despite stretching it out a few times. It was sneaky-humid, too, as it wasn't that hot, but even by about 4 miles I was sweating quite a bit. The pace slowed some towards the end of the Rosen Loop before I dropped John off at his house, which was fine with me.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Northfield Mount Hermon Trails

Time: 33:30
Distance: 5 mi.

Easy run from Shadow Lake on the Mount Hermon campus of Northfield Mount Hermon School, where my dad went to high school in the '60s. I went up there with the family to relax and play a little fetch in the water with the dog and I took advantage of it by exploring a bit. The trails there are great and may be used (and very suitable) for a cross country course. I did a few loops, not wanting to get lost, but there was clearly more trail there for exploring.

My right hip/IT band/glute is very tight and a bit sore. Nice that I only needed to go 5 miles to hit around 70 for the week.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Holyoke Range, Rosen Loop

Time: 63:11
Distance: 9.5 mi.


Trail in the Holyoke Range State Park

I started in the entrance to the Holyoke Range trails near Atkins and ran on the trails there for about 30 minutes before coming out the entrance on Bay Rd. From there I connected with the Belchertown half of the Rosen loop to get home. I turned onto the southern extension of the Bike Path and was accosted by horse flies! That led to about a 5:30 mile to get out of the woods up to Station Rd. and I clipped in the last mile in 6:05 feeling fairly good. I have no idea what my pace was like in the hilly trails of the first half of the run, but it couldn't have been too fast.

I do have some lingering pain and soreness in my right piriformis and occasionally my right patella. They are probably related, so I should start working on the piriformis a bit.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

North Amherst, Amethyst Brook

Time: 70:16
Distance: 10 mi.

Ian, John and I met Coach Gould at the high school in the afternoon for a run in North Amherst. We headed out on the Juravich trails, and some UMass trails out to Amethyst Brook, and then back on a section of the Robert Frost trail and Northeast Street. I felt pretty good and it was nice to catch up with Gould.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Stanley Street Loop, Trails Loop

Time: 93:00
Distance: 13.5 mi.

I met Ian and Tyson again, in the morning this time. I got out to do the Stanley Street loop before meeting them both at Ian's house, which got me 32 minutes. We then connected a bunch of trails segments together in Amherst Woods, over Mount Castor, by Groff Park and back by Amherst College and Stanley Street. Back to my house that was just over 60 minutes. I felt surprisingly good running over 60 minutes during the run, but afterwards am definitely tired. Happy about getting a longer effort in, and I will probably shoot for something similar on Sunday.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Amethyst Loop

Time: 69:23
Distance: 10 mi.

Easy afternoon run with Ian and John Tyson. We met at Ian's house and then headed into the Echo Hill trails to Amethyst Brook. Coming back we hit the trails off of Harkness. Nice evening. I added on the loop around Woodlot, Wildflower and Teaberry to get it up to close to 70 mins.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Rosen Loop

Time: 65:11
Distance: 9.5 mi.
Map

Morning run on a cool, rainy morning in Amherst. At 30 minutes in I put in an easy fartlek of 10 x 30 sec. hard with 60 sec. easy. My hamstrings were fairly tight while I was doing that, but my legs did loosen up as it went along. I finished heading on the bike path and all the way back Woodlot to get over an hour.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Week In Review

Time: 335:30
Distance: 49 mi.

Starting to build... tired in general, but my body feels pretty good.

North Amherst Robert Frost Trail

Time: 9 mi.
Distance: 63:00


The Robert Frost Trail in Amherst

I stopped at Puffer's Pond when I got back in Amherst from NYC to get in a run. It was good to get the drive out of my legs and I was happy to get in an evening run after putting it off this morning. The trails up there are beautiful, and it was good to be on soft surfaces. The trails wind and are a bit technical and up-and-down, so pace there is usually pretty slow.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Central Park

Time: 84:21
Distance: 12 mi.


Bridge in Central Park

A fairly nice run in Central Park from Craig's place on West 48th. I headed up there with Craig and Cory who were shooting for about 5 miles and ran to the reservoir. After they turned back I did a big loop around the northern section of the park and then a smaller loop around just the reservoir. I was shooting for 80 minutes, but miscalculated a bit at the end. I was fairly hot and dehydrated by the time I got back.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Day Off

Day off in NYC.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Amethyst Loop

Time: 68:00
Distance: 10 mi.

A slightly extended Amethyst Loop with Ian. I ran to his house first and then we took the trails near Harkness to get into Echo Hill. Beautiful morning for a run. My quads, hamstrings and calves were all sore by the end of the run... probably a good sign as they get used to running again.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Misty Bottom, AC Trails

Time: 50:00
Distance: 7.5 mi.

Easy morning run... much cooler than yesterday, luckily. Ian is back in town after graduating from Dartmouth on Sunday. Great to have some company. A little general soreness, but overall felt good.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Bike Path Farm Loop

Time: 70:00
Distance: 10.5 mi.
Map


The Bike Path nearing 5 miles

This was a fairly good run and could definitely be used again in the future. Especially with the first 5 miles on the Bike Path, this is one of the flatest runs around here. I really had to just get out there, despite the fact that it was... really hot:

THE HEAT ADVISORY INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...AMHERST...NORTHAMPTON... TAUNTON...FOSTER AND SMITHFIELD.

THIS AFTERNOONS HIGH TEMPERATURES NEAR RECORD LEVELS IN THE MID AND UPPER 90S IN COMBINATION WITH 65 DEGREE DEW POINT TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN HEAT INDEX VALUES TO RISE TO AROUND 100.

AVOID PROLONGED WORK IN THE SUN OR POORLY VENTILATED AREAS. SUNBURN MAKES THE JOB OF HEAT DISSIPATION THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT. ALSO...DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND TRY TO STAY IN AN AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT. AVOID ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. HEAT CRAMPS...IF NOT ACTED UPON... CAN LEAD TO HEAT EXHAUSTION OR POSSIBLY HEAT STROKE...WHICH IS A SEVERE MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

A HEAT ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN HIGH HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED TO COMBINE WITH HOT TEMPERATURES RESULTING IN HEAT INDICES OF 100 DEGREES OR GREATER. AVOID PROLONGED WORK IN THE SUN OR IN POORLY VENTILATED AREAS. ALSO...DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND TRY TO STAY IN AN AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Day Off

I really should've run, but I needed a day to recover. Plus, I was on a small island in the middle of the lake. Excuses, excuses. It ended up being a great day of lounging around.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Week In Review

Time: 190:45
Distance: 27.5 mi.

A bit of a disappointing week running-wise, though I did have a good time visiting Taylor and a few of the guys in Boston. Motivation was pretty low mid-week. Looking to at least build some next week and get in a decent routine.

Day Off

Day off... drove from Boston to Hanover, NH and then to Lake Winnipesaukee.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

South End

Time: 30:00
Distance: 4 mi.

Easy run with Taylor in Boston in the afternoon. It is hot hot hot. I'm not great with Boston geography, but we headed down to the South End this time. Did I mention that it was hot?

Friday, June 6, 2008

Day Off

Day off in Boston.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Tour de Boston

Time: 51:35
Distance: 7.5 mi.


The Back Bay neighborhood in Boston from the Prudential Center

Met Taylor after he got done with work in Boston and headed out for a run in some of the nicer areas of Boston. We went from his place in Back Bay up to the North End and back by the Garden where the Celtics were preparing for Game 1 of the NBA finals. Lot of hoopla ovah theah.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Day Off

Legs feeling a bit shot... particularly right hip and both IT bands. Motivation low.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Bike Path, AC Trails, Stanley St.

Time: 36:00
Distance: 5.25 mi.
Map

Easy afternoon run. My hamstrings are both VERY tight still. This is a good loop.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Holyoke Range Loop

Time: 73:15
Distance: 11 mi.
Map (very approximate)

Headed out the door not knowing where I was headed, but divine inspiration struck and I ran towards the Holyoke Range State Park, where I have not run for two years or more. It is almost 3 miles there on Middle Street and I was shooting to come out where Bay Rd. intersects with Rt. 116 but without any real idea of which trails would lead me there. Luckily, with just a few times backtracking, I managed to find it. I then headed back on 116 and Pomeroy.

All-in-all it was a good run, that I'd be happy replicating in the future. For some reason, though, my hamstrings/IT bands are tight as all hell. Maybe it's because I bumped the milage on hilly terrain but haven't done anything to take care of my body. Hmmm...

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Week In Review

Time: 278:30
Distance: 40 mi.

Got this week's runs in in five days. Not terrible. Hoping to start feeling more rested.

Rosen Loop

Time: 65:00
Distance: 9.5 mi.
Map

Interestingly, the "full" version of the Rosen Loop took the same amount of time as the "shorter" version that I did earlier this week. This is probably because (a) this version is not as much longer as I thought, and (b) I was running significantly faster. Coughing up some stuff, so I'm definitely actually recovering from being sick, it seems, but legs are feeling better.