Time: 81:45
Distance: 11.5 mi.
Map
Dave Burnham drove down from his parents' house where he is hanging out for winter break. We got in a nice easy run through Echo Hill to UMass and back through the center of Amherst. The sidewalks still aren't completely clear and the shoulders aren't well plowed, so we had to jump on and off the street throughout the run. Sesamoid still a little bit sore.
Time: 68:40
Distance: 10.25 mi.
Map
Finally feeling decent by the afternoon to get a run in. I ran out to UMass on the bike path and then ran back through the center of town and Amherst College. I felt okay throughout the run and it was good to sweat it out a bit and cough my throat clear. Unfortunately, by the evening it was clear that I was starting to feel pretty sick again.
Today's release of Chinese Democracy inspired me to listen to some classic Guns N' Roses on Live Era: '87-'93 during the run. It is clear why there were serious tensions in the band during the Use Your Illusion tour even beyond strong personalities and drug addiction. The 8-minute version of "Move to the City," one of GNR's oldest songs, features full big band backing, including long horn and sax solos--clearly a reflection of Axl's interest in moving the band in a more grandiose direction. A lot of the rest of the material compiled for the rest of the album is GNR at their best, though, including a rousing sing-along version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." I was two years old when they formed... I'm not sure if that makes me really old or them really old.
Time: 83:30
Distance: 12.5 mi.
Map (approximate due to trails)
I didn't sleep very well last night, so I woke up a bit groggy and decided to wait until the afternoon to run. It wasn't a bad decision, as I was bored and ready for some stimulation by about 2:00. While tying my shoes I was thinking I would just head out for an easy 6-8 miles, which would have made for a perfectly good come-back week. There's something about it being a Sunday, though, that still pulls on me to go on a longer run. Anything longer than this really wouldn't have made sense, so I decided to shoot for about 80 minutes. I was very encouraged with how my hamstring felt through about an hour, but after that it got fairly tired and sore. Still, it is better than it was a week ago, so I should continue to be vigilant about the stretching and exercise regimen.
The run passed right by the UMass library, the tallest library in the United States
The actual run was fairly uneventful, but I felt good covering ground and was content looping through Amherst College and UMass before heading back by way of Wildwood Cemetery and Echo Hill. I'm not sure how this came out to be only 7:00 pace, as all of the measured miles I knew along the way were under 6:40, but few sections of trail were soaked, which must have slowed me down a bit.
Time: 36:00
Distance: 5 mi.
I showed up at the high school to help out with an elementary school meet that Chris Gould puts on. Instead I was immediately roped into a workout with Atticus Brigham who missed the beginning of practice with the team. Despite just putting down some Wheat Thins with hummus and no warmup, I threw down 800m in 2:30, 600m in 1:50, and 400 in 68. After that I ran with Bob Rosen, Atticus, and some of the other high school guys on a slow loop through UMass. Western Mass is Sunday!
Time: 63:30
Distance: 10 mi.
Target: 5 mile tempo under 5:30 pace (27:00)
Workout: a very approximate 5 miles in 27:13
I chose to do the tempo on a 1.6 mile road loop that goes around the UMass football field. Three laps would be 4.8 miles and then I could add on about 60 seconds for the last 0.2 mi. Close enough for my needs these days. I measured the loop only to find that since these satellite pictures have been taken UMass put in a new track on the northeast corner and the loop has changed somewhat. It is not easy to say exactly how much but it seems at least a little bit longer, so I don't have a great way to judge this effort. In addition, there was a tree across the road in one part that I had to run around, adding ~4 seconds? each loop.
Whatever... it was a good longish effort in the pouring rain. I was going to double, but being soaked led to some chafing issues that should be rested.
Time: 92:30
Distance: 13.5 mi.
Map
Frozen waterfall near Puffer's Pond
Ran with Matt Lacey from his house in North Amherst through UMass into Hadley and then back with a loop out by Puffer's pond. The roads have finally (mostly) cleared, so we were able to run a bit more easily, though I was pretty tired getting out of bed this morning. It was nice to catch up with him and have a running partner who was up for a good long-ish run. He ran the blazing hot Chicago marathon and did not fare well, fading badly in the second half and walking some in a delirious state... apparently after the race he was so out of it that he was berating the medical staff trying to help him saying things like, "God dammit! I'm going to die here and you're just going to forget about me and drink beer with your friends!" Yikes. More incentive to avoid the marathon.
My body is generally stiff, but no specific complaints. The weather has also gotten a bit nicer, up to the mid-30s which makes a big difference in feeling good.
