10/31 - 11/6

Mon - 7+ (53:13) out along the mystic trails and back thru town, got a little turned around coming back but figured it out quickly.

Tues - am - 5m (37:34) Nice out and back towards cambridge
Pm - 3+ (23:36) mystic trails. 5xstrides afterwards

Wed - 10m (12x400 half rest) - 81/79/80/80/81/80/79/80/78/79/77/73

Thurs - Off - No real reason other then I haven't run a full week yet and didn't want to change anything with 2 races coming up.

Fri - 7.5+ (55:25) w/Scott - Planned to go on the Mystic trails but was a bit to dark for that, opted for the bike path instead.

Sat - 5+ (38:38) Battle road + strides. First time running here it was nice a bit busy when I went, could be another good place to get off the roads.

Sun - 11m - USATFNE XC champs 10k (37:47) Not really what I was looking for, I knew it had been a while (4-5years) since my last cross race but this was tough. Felt very out of place racing today, couldn't keep with any packs and slowly ended up in no mans land. The only positives I can see out of the race at this point was 1) I got a race type effort in before the seacoast half - which I wanted to do and not be rusty before. 2) I got my ass kicked!  - most wouldn't see this as a positive but the good thing is that brings everything back into prospective and focus.

Summary - 49m - A good workout, never felt to stressed but incontrol running quick. A tough race but solid workout.
Up next I have the seacoast half (which I signed up for to get myself training again) after this race I'm looking forward to ramping the miles back up and getting to work this winter with some indoor track.

10/24 - 10/30

Mon - Off - Traveling back from FL turned into a much longer day then planned, got home around 6pm and needed to go buy some food for the week.
Tues - 7+ (50:21) around town with Scott
Wed - 10m (Track) 4sets of 800/400 alternating, half rest. Met with Scott and Ricky in the AM to hit the track. Much cooler then last week and a bit more adjusted.
Times: 245/80/245/81/248/81/247/81
Thurs - 9m (1:09:30) thru the backside of town (I think) with Sasha. Still no clue how to navigate around town.
Fri - 9m (1:07:53) Met with Scott, Ricky and Marci. Nice to have a group to meet with in the morning.
Sat - 0 - Traveld to PA with my Mom to see my brothers Rugby game. Decided to travel back that night and forgo the run.
Sun - 10m (1:10:57) Met Coree at the Rockingham rail trail. Nice and relaxed on the trails.

Summary - 45m (5days) Good workout and felt good all week. Miles are still a bit low but nothing to much still getting the miles on the days I am able to run. With a few races coming up before a big gap in racing I'm in no rush to ramp them up until afterwards.

10/17 - 10/23

Mon - 6m (44:13) solo on the Charles before heading back to NH.
Tues - 0 moving stuff into the new place
Wed - 10m (track) 3xmile half rest - met Scott and Ricky at the track - still adjusting to these morning sessions. Today was a rough day - 545/611/602 just didn't have it, even with it going south I know I have to push through even bad workouts to get mentally stronger.
Thurs - 7+ (51:39) first run in the new area w/Scott
Fri - 10.5m (1:21:17) met Scott for an early run before traveling to FL. Legs have felt stuffing since Wednesday so I threw in 6 50-70 meter strides afterwards.
Sat - 5m (34:05) along the ocean front in Panama City, awesome weather and sweet views!
Sun - 0

Summary - 40m - a rough workout and not high miles but overall feeling good!

10/10-10/16

mon - 10m (1:12:44) had the day off and went over to the Rockingham rail trail for an easy out and back.
Tues - 4+ (30:38) forgot shoes at home. Had to wait till pm (when I could get some) thankfully heartbreaks is right next door. Had to cramp a run to make an appointment for an apt showing.
Wed- 8m (track) 2x800/3x400/4x200 (half rest) used the indoor track again to help maintain focus
Times: 244/245/82/81/80/37/38/38/36
Thurs - 10m (1:12:04) Met with Scott and did some loops around town
Fri - 7+ (54:39) solo morning run
Sat - 0
Sun - 0

Summary - 39m - would have liked to run over the weekend I knew Saturday wasn't going to happen and Sunday I got caught up working on the truck before traveling home. Overall had a good workout and feeling good so I'll take it.

Memorial bridge 5k

Sunday October 9th - 4th annual Memorial bridge 5k. This morning was the memorial bridge 5k in Portsmouth NH, I arrived around 845am to pick up my number shortly after I met Coree for an easy warm up down to New Castle. The race starts over the bridge in Maine and crosses back over into Portsmouth quickly, as I approached the line I spotted Derek Hamel. I knew he was coming back from injury but wasn't sure how long he had been back, we caught up briefly before toeing the line. I opted to go with no watch and just compete, Derek advised me there was a sharp turn early in the race and with the rain we weren't sure how that would go. Once the gun went off I moved out to the front early, no one seemed to want to get out to quick. Around 1/2m in Derek pulled up with me and put a stride or two on me, we continued back and forth for the first 1+. He would pull away on the downs and on the flats, I was able to pull away on the climbs. Shortly after the mile there was a decent climb coming up I moved up on Derek's shoulder and wanted to push the climb to see if I could open a gap up, after the climb the course takes a quick right which gave me a chance to see what type of gap I was working with it seemed to be decent enough and I changed my focus to chasing the police cruiser leading the race. As the race headed back into downtown I knew the fire station was about 1/2m from the finish, I was feeling smooth and continued to push as I was approaching the fire station the quick thought came in that I had no clue where Derek was and hadn't heard anyone say anything of any cheering near by. As quickly as that crossed my mind I heard Derek exhale heavily and make a hard push past me, he opened up a quick gap I was fighting to find another gear and could tell the gap was slowly closing. I was trying to get back onto Derek's shoulder before the final turn but was unable to close the gap up, as I could see the final turn I noticed he made one more surge to reopen the gap. I crossed in 2nd overall in 16:49.

I was pretty surprised by the race, last week I felt completely out of place and wasn't sure what type of effort I truly put in but felt good about it. This race I felt smooth and strong on the climbs, I could tell I lacked a bit of speed on the flats and down hills which could have allowed me to wait a bit longer before making a move. It was also very nice to see Coree finish in 3rd overall in 17:08 (which is a nice PR for him) he's been working to get back into running and I think this was a nice confidence boost that the work he's putting in is worth it.

Overall - Happy with todays race its a nice step in the right direction and looking forward to continuing racing

10/3 - 10/9

With this being my first full week at MIT I have been testing some times to see what works best with the current commute and training.

Mon - pm - 9m (1:03:13) ran along the Charles and added some strides on the track to get the distance.
Tues - am - 7m (track) 3x2/2x4/8/2x4/3x2 (half rest)
It was off and on rain this morning so I hopped on the indoor track to avoid any weather.
Time: 40/41/40/84/87/254/85/84/39/40/39
Overall happy with the workout - never got over my head and stayed consistent.
Wed- am - 4+ (32:57)
PM - 7m (51:32) a mix of side streets and the Charles
Thurs - PM - 9m (1:06:54) with Scott thru downtown and parts of Harvard.
6x50m accelerations plus plyos
Fri - 0m - tried to catch the early train home and planned to run then. unfortunately the early train didn't get me home until 7 with traffic.
Sat - Am - 5m (38:46)
Pm - 3m (21:36)
Sun - AM - 9m (Memorial bridge 5k - 2nd 16:49)

Summary - 53m - 1 good workout - 1 good race
Surprised myself with the race today but a nice sign of heading in the correct direction.

9/26 - 10/2

Mon - PM - 5m (35:23)

Tues - PM - 9+ (3xmile) half rest. Stayed on the roads instead of going to the track.

Splits - 5:57/5:50/5:48

Wed. - 0 first day at MIT got lost trying to find the gym buy the time I did it was 6pm and I still had the commute home

Thurs - PM - 8+ (1:01:52) with Scott and Sasha after work.

Fri - PM - 5+(37:53) on the Charles

Sat - am - 8m (appleharvest 5k) first fitness test, really had no goal or plan for the race, I didn't want to get out to hard and die but more stay even and fight. Got off the line a little slow moved up with the group infront of me and tried to stick with them. The first two miles are gradual uphills and short climbs in neighborhoods, the last mile is mainly down hill. I finished up 7th in 18:28, a first step of trying to get back. The positives - my legs and back felt good and I was able to stay focused on the race. Other then that I had a lot of rust and not much speed.
Sunday - 15m (1:46:32) Rockingham rail trail W/ Coree & Keely

Summary - 50m (6days) Good week with a solid workout and ok first attempt at racing. Need to bring the miles up and adjust to my new schedule with work.

9/19 - 9/25

Mon - Am - 3m (nt)

           Pm - 5m (35:50) with having this week as a transition week between jobs it seems like a prime time to see how the body handles doubling again.

Tues - 8m (4x1k @ 6min pace) 

Drove out to NY to finish moving my stuff back to NH. Shot down to Albany to workout with the guys, was a bit tired from moving/driving all day but was still able to hit the times pretty relaxed.

Times - 3:48/3:48/3:46/3:38

Wed - off - finished packing and drove home, didn't finish unpacking till 9pm.

Thurs - AM - 7m (50:49) 3x30/60/90 - Struggled hard today the first set went smooth and gave a false hope that no run yesterday was going to bother me. The 2nd set I started to struggle a bit and pick-ups were getting slower, the last rep I had no pop and could tell I wasn't moving to quick, took the 2m cool-down very easy and trotted home.

Fri - AM - 6m (46:15) @ northwood meadows W/Coree. Nice easy shake out on the trails, legs felt tired but nothing to bad.
PM - 4m (29:01) out & back - legs sore

Sat - PM - 6m (42:51) solo night run.
Sun- 13m (1:30:40) rockingham rail trail, felt good and smooth.

Total - 52m (6days)

Summary - 1 good workout 1 rough on with a solid long run.

9/12 - 9/18

Mon - 6m (41:48)

Tues - 8.75m (1:00:15) pushed the hills and relaxed on the downs, felt good.

Wed - 7m (47:21) first small workout (5x1min on 2min off) got a late start, decided to stick to the peepers course for the workout. Felt good to turn the legs over pick ups ranged from (535-550)

Thurs - 5m (37:30) legs a bit tired and tight from yesterday. Fully expected with the large gap between workout type efforts.

Fri - 7m (49:20) felt much better, keep the pace relaxed and enjoyed running at an earlier time.

Sat - 8++ (1:02:20) much cooler start to the run (48 out) felt great to not be dying of heat.

Sun - off

Summary. - 42m (6days) overall have with this week, had my first workout type effort go well. Just need to focus on getting the long run in.

8/6 - 9/11

A lot has happened and changed since the move back to NH, work got crazy and the fire burnt out. After the Father's Day 5k where I struggled to hang on at 530-540 pace and ran a horrible race (in my terms.) I made a last ditch effort of calling Pete Thomas to see what to do, the choice was clear but I couldn't make the call..time to shut it down. This was the first time I've ever stopped running with out a clear plan of when I would start back up or even if I would. Fast foward nearly 2months, I stubbed across some results from a local race seeing the win not being anything to special and thinking to myself "what the hell are you doing, that's an easy win and $." I knew it was going to take a lot of time and work to get it back but the fire was going again. I met with former Berlin High teammate (and close friend) Coree Kinerson who was also trying to get back in shape. We decided it would be best to work at it together, it's been a slow build with my miles and feeling able to handle it.

The past 6 weeks have been:

27/33/35/37/30/41

No major jumps in miles, very slow building, with the goal of being race ready by late winter early spring. With the start of a new job in a few weeks and aces to top notch facilities I'm feeling that goal will be reached. 

Hopefully I'll have sometime to keep the blog going and see if I can get back to where I used to be.

5/16 - 5/22

Mon - 9m (1:04:07) legs felt surprisingly good after 2 races this weekend

Tues - 5m (35:39) Got home late from work, didn't have much time or energy

Wed - 10m (Track) 3 Sets of 1 mile @ Tempo, 3x200 (200 R)

Met Alex @ UNH for a workout. Plan is to do these weekly and get going for the year. Put myself in a bit of a hole in the first set, plus a little confusion.

Times: 533/37/39/37

           548/39/38/39

           541/36/35/34

Thurs -  6m - (45:58) holy hell my legs are tired. Found a grass field and did loops to get off the road.

Fri - 5+ (37:48) easy shakeout before tomorrow's race.

Sat - AM 8m (Get fit in May 5K) 18:12 (4th Male) WTF!!!! Felt good the first half of the race, legs were responsive and smooth. Right at half way tightened right up and went backwards, ended up falling out of the money and could never get back in.

Sun - 14++ (1:44:06) Met Alex and Jason at the rail trail in Newmarket, good trail running all the way to Manchester. We discussed a long run some day to cover the whole trail. Felt good till 11/12 miles legs started to get heavy and fell off the pace a bit...good mentally need to get my strength back!

Summary - 61m - 1 good workout, a poor race and a solid long run. Next week is the VCM relay (should be tough)

5/9 - 5/15

Mon - 8++ (61:29) decent loop on the back side of Barrington by the pond- has some good rollers thru the frost half.

Tues - 9+ (68:38) in Davers with Casey (college teammate) mix of roads and trails.

Wed - off got home late last night and told felt mentally tired..played basketball instead.

Thurs - 8.5m (57:04) in Dover with Alex, felt good run was conversational.

Fri - 6+ (42:49) Started to down pour right before I got out the door. Decided to stay on the back roads and avoid the main roads as much as possible.

Sat - 10m (Peepers 5k) headed over to the local Peeper 5k (.5m from my house) I knew Alex would be coming but wasn't sure who else might show. Game plan was simple if I was in the top 3 or had a shot at it I would race or keep racing if not I would shut it down for tomorrow. After the opening mile I was well out of the race, I backed off and finished up 7th in 18:44.

Sun - am - 8m (Spirt of recovery 5k) This race is part of the Dover race series, I wanted to make sure I was there as I missed the first 3 races. Warmed up over the course which had some good hills and a lot of wind. It was clear early there was a hand full of guys that could be in the front pack, once the race was off we broke into two groups. After the first mile it was clear I was racing for 3rd, on the down hill Miles Brady built up a good gap that I wasn't able to cover. I tried to close it up over the last mile but was barely gaining ground. Finished up 4th in (17:51) better then last week. 

Summary - 54m (6days) legs are feeling better and more adjusted to being back in NH. Made the plan with Alex to begin working out, i know I still have a ton of work to do hoping by the fall to be back running fast again.

5/2 - 5/8

Mon - am - 3+ (24:39) lucked out and got done before the rain started.

PM - 5m (35:53) @ hotel

Tues - 10m (1:16:15) first couple with the girls while they warmed up. Rest with Aaron on roads and trails.

Wed - 8+ (58:22) Solo around town, over dressed, prepared for 40's and rain and got no rain.

Thurs - AM - 3+ (26:47) sweet rd loop

Pm - 6m (East Berne 5k) A weekly Pub race in East Berne NY. Decided to go up and see what the course was like. I knew it was hilly and the last mile was down hill. Got out hard and tried to chase Macknight as long as I could (fully knowing he is a better climber and let's be honest just a tad faster) I realized early that my climbing legs weren't there. I was caught in the hills of the 2nd mile by Ray, he quickly opened a 5-7 sec gap. As we hit the down hill I continued to work to close the gap (didn't want to be that guy who went out hard and died) was able to catch up with a little over 800 to go and continue to move on the downs and finish 2nd in my 1 and only run to the pub race.

Above is the elevation profile for the East Berne 5k (out and back course)

Fri - Am - 5+ (40:52) had to run over to Malta and pick up my car at the parking lot I left it at last night for the race.

Pm- 4++ (nT) met Renee at the track dos the warm up and recovery jogs with her.

Sat - AM - 5m (39:07) with KQ around the neighborhoods.

Sun - Am 9m (moms on the run 5k)

My first race of the Dover race series, I arrived just before 8am and spotted double J in the parking lot. After picking up bibs (and watching Jim struggle with his area code) we headed out for a course loop. Felt pretty good on the warm up and thought I could build off last weeks race. The first mile has some down hill so I was expecting to see a little faster of a split, when I came across in 5:30 I switched to trying to maintain the effort. I could tell Thursday's effort was still there and was unable to go any faster. Managed to hang on for 2nd and get some points.

Coming into the finish

Pm - 4m (30:10) nice easy shake out

Summary - 63m - 2 ok races. Continuing to build back up, this next week will be interesting with starting a new job and being back home.

4/25 - 5/1

With this week being my 2nd to last week in NY it's been anything but relaxing. The plus side is the running is starting to come around.

Mon - 7m (51:08) round lake bike path on the cinders. Legs felt good after yesterday's effort at James Joyce. Clearly showing I am fitter and should be able to push more.

Tues - am - 3+ (25:59) w/ Renee, KQ and  Eric. Had an early start job so needed to keep it short.

Pm - 5m (35:30) felt a bit off, hoping a small change in diet helps and better hydration.

Wed - 10m (1:06:56) Met Sean at the Corning Perserve in Albany. We planned out to cover 10m with 5sets of 5 min on 3min off pick ups in the run. Felt good on the pick ups while focusing on form (leaning back to much) other then a minor hiccup of my shoes to tight and my feet going numb it was an overall good workout.

Thurs - Am - 3+ (27:10) really didn't want to get up, glad I knew Eric and Mullens were running as well.

Fri - Am - 3m (23:33) got to the hotel late..12hr day and driving to the city I changed the plan from a PM run to an AM run.

PM - 5m (34:33) normal loop with Macknight.

Sat - 8m - Spring forward 5k - 1st OA (17:31) not a great time but faster then 2 weeks ago and solo after the 1st half mile. Felt strong till around 2, started to hurt a bit but held the pace..plenty of work to be done 

528/545/545/32

Sun - 15m (1:47:58) Went to the historical Saratogoa battlefield, had a group of 9 going varying distances. 1 loop is just over 10m with a few places to make a cut off. Good overall run with some nice rolling hills.

Total- 59+ for the week. 1 good workout and 1 ok race

Building back / Big moves

After a winter of sub-par racing and general lack of interest I decided to take some time off in mid March. Since then I have been building back up and trying - key word there to not doing anything stupid (like jumping back into workouts) - (fail) I've jumped into a few races some I have been ok with others not so much. 

I had begun to build out a race schedule to give myself some goal races - which is now taking a big change, as I am moving back to NH (Dover) it will be like starting over, need to find new places to train and new people to train with. Hoping to not lose to much steam and keep working towards getting faster again. A key will be to keep the blog updated to keep myself honest.