7/20 - 7/26

Mon - 540pm - 4.5m (30:32) solo in SPAC. Was to lazy to get up this morning.

630pm - 5.5m with Saratoga crew, 5m (31:17) with .5m cool down

Tues - 520am - 2m (NT)

7pm - 8m (58:18) no motivation today, was a little bit better once I got running. 

Wed - 6pm - 12m (track) met up with the super secret training group in Albany. The plan 3m/2m/1m @ tempo pace followed by 2x400, 4x200. We hit a easy 2m warm up before changing up and getting out on the road loop. The hardest part of the first rep is not getting caught up with others and go out to fast. This was a very good workout! Felt strong and smooth.

Times - 17:23/11:31/5:49/80/79/36/36/35/35

Followed up the workout with an easy 2m cooldown, and a bit of confusion. Macknight brought Pete home (didn't know that) thought he might have forgot we road down together. Rolled up shortly after we finished the cooldown.

Thurs - 5am - 3+ (27:08) sweet rd loop

545pm - 10m (1:16:23) met Pete and Eric at Kinns rd to run on some soft trails.

Fri - 330pm - 5m (37:47) wanted to go longer but was caught between thunderstorms and dinner at Renee's (pre-race routine) followed by some intense games of apples to apples with Sydney, Addy and KP.

Sat - 7am (silks and Satins 5k) 8m good race, report to follow (16:55)

Sun - woo long day! Went up to lake placid to watch ironman. Awesome event to watch, absolutely no interest in doing it. Got up to watch the start and hang out for a bit, ran at 9am (8m - 60:00) made it back to watch the first loop of the bike. After the afternoon of intense spectating I went out for my 2nd run, made an outer loop then popped on the marathon course to cheer people on. My buddy was having some stomach issues, I got his request ran a few miles with him and headed back to get some stuff from the condo (11m - 1:26). Once getting back he asked if I could do the out and back section with him, it was pushing 9pm and I knew it was quite on that section. I got a ride out and ran an additional 9m (1:47:08) to help get him in! Long day on the legs but awesome to see him finish! Highlight of the run was passing an older gentleman and with him stating "if you finish this you can finish any TRI" to the response of "this is my first TRI" all he got for a response was "shut the f*ck up" we died laughing.

Summary - 86m - 2 good workouts and 1 good race. Took a 28m day to put me back on track this week but got it done. Need to be better about morning runs.

7/13 - 7/19

Mon - 530pm - 7m (51:26) met with Shaun in SPAC for an easy run in the heat. 

730pm - 1h massage

Tues - 615am - 5m (38:20) thru the neighborhoods. Could feel some tightness from the massage last night, otherwise felt good.

715pm - 10m (1:09:39) lake rd loop with Macknight. Legs were a little tired towards the end.

Wed- 720am - 3+ (25:02) sweet rd loop.

6pm - 11+ UAlbany track (3m tempo, 4x800, 6x200) goal - GMP on the 3m, 800's at current 5k pace and finish out some strong 2's. After an easy 2m warm up we changed up and headed to the start of the 3m (a permiter SUNY loop)  right off the pace of the 3m wasn't GMP but I just rolled with it, finished up in 16:59 took a 5-7min break getting back to the track then hoped into the 8's i thought 240's would be good (slightly faster then current fitness) these were tough right away 242/247/248/255. The original plan had list 6 of these but after struggling home to a 255 I knew it was time to bag it. Took a min after the final 800 and changed shoes, and made my way over to the 200 mark. Knowing how tired I felt this was a good opportunity to work on my speed, closed out the workout in 32/32/32/33/31/31. We finished up with a world record pace cooldown (first mile in 920) also during the cool down I had a first, not full blown but did have a little vomit session. I've never vomited from running before, damn this workout was tough.

Thurs - 9.5m (1:16:12) killed it, absolutely crushed the pace! Oh oh wait yea...nice and easy loop with Macknight, both of us felt pretty beat up from yesterday. Keep the pace very easy, good recovery day.

Fri - 445pm - 10m (1:10:53) w/Pete in Kinns park.

630pm - 25min Aqua jog @ the Y

Sat - 930am - 12m (track) 800/4x400/4x200/4x150 (full rest) went down to Shen high school, easy 4m warm up. 

Times - 227/73/72/72/71/32/33/33/32/23/22/21/21

Really happy with this workout felt smooth and strong the entire workout, even as the temps raised.

730pm - 3+ (24:23) sweet rd loop

Sun- 1030am - 10m (1:10:16) w/Saratoga boys. Man it was hot out, plenty of water stops along the way.

515pm - 5m (33:28) neighborhood loop just before the storms hit.

Summary - 85m - 2 good workouts! Need to lock down my long runs, Sunday the sound of 5 solo miles I that heat wasn't going to happen opted for the double.

Sarcoma 5K

Saturday 9am- was the 4th annual Sarcoma 5K, I was looking for a race that some people would be at. The results showed the Saratoga high guys had been their the year prior and I was hoping they would be back today. Unfortunately they were not, the goal for today was simple to get another hard race effort in. The weather was pretty warm early on and projected to be high 70's to low 80's by start time. I stuck to the trails in SPAC for my warm up and tried to stay in the shade while stretching. Once on the line it looked as if one runner might be up to push with me, off the line he lead the first 1/4 mile before I took the lead. I could hear him close behind for most of the 1st mile, i didn't look at splits as I decided to wear my garmin (this smaller races usually don't have markers anyways). I made a push in the 2nd mile to try and maintain pace and was able to create a decent gap on the 2nd place runner. The 3rd mile was were I knew things would get tough and I could have used someone to push with, the good thing is I didn't feel my form breaking down I just slowed down. Holding on for the win in 17:08, overall I was happy with the effort and knowing had I been able to hold on a little better in the end that would have been sub 17 solo. Which I haven't done in a while, this was a good step forward in my training. It's also a big confidence booster that my training is working and progressing forward.

Up next - I have Silks & Satins in Saratoga on July 25th this race is typically stacked with winners usually sub 15. And following that up with a return to Run4Kerri.

7/6 - 7/12

Mon - 6am. - 3+ (24:35) sweet rd loop, legs feeling recovered.

630pm - 7m (48:15) in SPAC with Saratoga boys.

Tues - 515am -5m (38:40) neighborhoods

6pm - 7+ (50:20) w/close out mile - holy hot&humid. Keep the first 6m relaxed and pushed the last mile home. Not the fastest of miles but closed in 554. I'll take it with this weather.

Wed - 515am - 3+ (28:20) sweet rd loop

6pm - 11m (3x2mile / 4x200) met at UA with the guys (Eric,Aaron,Pete and John) we were split in 2 groups Based off were everyone is with their training. Myself, Aaron and John did the workout together. We stick to the roads for the 2m repeats and went of the garmins, it was another hot day and I could feel it but never to a point of breaking down. The goal was to do these at tempo pace and not try to kill any parts of it.

Times:  - 1139/1144/1141

These felt a little harder then I would have like, then again I'm not the best at running in the heat. We got back to the track and changed into spikes for some 2's.

Times: 34/33/32/29

Boom! Was much happier with this workout once I wrote it out and looked at it!

Thrus - 7pm - 7m (51:26) nice and easy in the neighborhoods enjoying the rain.

Fri - 830pm - 7+ (51:06) pretty spent from the 3 days of traveling. Got home and decided to relax for a while, felt good to run with the sun going down.

Sat - 830am - 9m (Sarcoma 5k) 1st place 17:08

6pm. - 5++ (42:20) around the neighborhoods, legs were pretty tired.

Sun - 8am - 13m (1:36:06) Galway w/Renee. Same loop as a couple weeks ago, a bunch of hills. The early miles were pretty quick and once the sun was fully out and the heat I started to struggle. The last 3m were the slowest stretch of the run, by this point I had stopped sweating. Good run on quite roads, may need to start earlier in the future.

Summary - 78m with 1 good workout and 1 good race. Fitness is progressing forward and should lead to some good racing late summer and into the fall.

Fire cracker 4

Saturday - July 4th, woke up around 615 and on the road by 720 up to Saratoga. It was suprisingly cool out but you could feel the humidity. Got into Saratoga and found a parking spot just before 8 for the 9am start of the race. Met up with the crew and out for an easy warm up. 

Once on the line it was a bit of a cluster, the timing crew was still tying in the starting mats as the road wasn't shut down early enough. As they were explaining th start commands the starter stated there will be 2 commands runners set and then just shot the gun. So much for and explaining the commands, most of the first mile is navigating thru the large groups that hammer out I also didn't want to be out to quick as Tuesday workout proved I'm not there yet. The first mile came in 5:24 and I had one of the high schoolers with me, we pushed the 2nd mile together and moved our way thru the crowds. It was good having someone to work with an keep me racing, we hit 2m (11:00/5:36.) The 3rd mile of the course has a few quick turns and a steep down that climbs right back up after, I was feeling it on this mile and started to slip back a little. The steep down hill was a smoke to the system my legs didn't enjoy it, once we climbed out I was back with the group charging forward. The final mile has a good climb followed by 600m slight down to the finish, we continued to press and try to catch people. In the final 25m the high schooler I had run with the whole race had one extra gear I didn't and snuck past me just before the line.

I finished out in 22:32, even tho it wasn't a PR or even close to the fastest I have run on this course it was right where I projected I would be. Knowing how the workout went on Tuesday I figured I could be mid 22 on a good day. The good news is physically and mentally my body is heading in the right direction and I don't feel beat to shit like last year.

Right around mile 3

6/29 - 7/5 Let the work begin

Goal of the week: begin to adjust back to training sleeping pattern. I have zero issue going to be early..the early rise is another story.

Mon - 515am 3+ (26:43) Sweet road loop. This run falls somewhere between 3.25-3.5.

430pm - 7+ (52:18) went up to SPAC and explored some of the new trails they cut. Some double back on eachother but otherwise well maintained.

Tues - 6am - 20mins stationary bike, core work. Decided to head to the Y this morning and get some focused core work in before work.

720pm - 7m (47:46) had a longer day today covering for a client. Overall felt good on the run, keep reminding myself to relax and not press the pace down any further.

Wed - My one lazy morning, alarm went off and I wimped out on getting up.

6pm- 9m (2m time trial) Met up with Pete, Aaron and Macknight at the track for a planned 2m. The goal was to try and run quick and controlled, also to give an idea on where the fitness level is. After a botched first attempt at starting (some of us were thinking 3200 while Aaron  was holding true to 2m.) the first 1/4 we caught some lap traffic and had a little mishap, Eric ran into someone and I just missed another. The pace got a little hot early was thinking 75-76 on the back of the pack instead was 72. The rest of the run was tough those 3 held that pace or close to for the next few laps. Right around the mile I saw Pete coming back and wanted to use him as a target (try to reel him in then close together) no dice Pete stepped off the track. I hung on for the next 2 laps before yelling to Pete to help me out. Nothing to impressive 10:39. The positives - no residual from the marathon, also I had noted a need for this next cycle was to work on some speed (this showed I need it) the other plus is I know with a few weeks of workouts this time will come down quickly.

Thurs - 515am - 3+ (27:20) sweet rd loop

7pm - 7m (50:31) first 5 in neighborhoods with Macknight. Added a loop thru the complex.

Fri - 930am - 3+ (25:40) sweet rd loop

545pm - 4+ (32:33) miller rd loop with Macknight.

Sat - 830am - 9m (firecracker 4 - 22:32) race report to follow.

430pm - 3+ (24:22)

Sun - 930am - 13m (1:31:18) awesome group run. From Joe's to Dan&Kelly's. Followed by a cookout. Not a bad way to end the weekend.

Summary - 72m with 1 ok workout and 1 good race.

6/22 - 6/28

Mon - 430pm - 5m (34:53) ugh! Felt tired and legs were pretty tight. Seemed to be loosing motivation all day.

615pm - 1hr Massage - glad to get back to these. Surprisingly half my body wasn't bad, right calf and hamstring where horrible!

Tues - 530pm - 10m (1:06:55) got out between storms and tried to keep it relaxed. I caught myself a few times getting going and was able to back it down.

Wed- 730pm - 7+ (51:15) had a long one today - 11+ hrs of being out in the sun, I was pretty spent when I got home. Overall felt good for the run, and more recharged when I got home.

Thurs - 0 no motivation, laid on the couch for a while with the intention to go out for a run. Turned into - falling asleep on the couch and going to bed.

Fri - 450am - 3+ (24:45) sweet rd loop. Knew I had to be up early for work and woke up prior to my alarm. Felt great getting a morning run in.

7pm - 6m (41:41) easy through the neighborhoods.

10pm - Beer mile - holy hell! Tons of fun, hurt like hell. We all decided afterwards to do a 4x4 and had a 2 team race, we had some added spectators as someone called the police about a large group on the track. They were cool and took splits on the relay.

Sat- 415pm - 11+ (1:21:30) Met Renee at the Y. It was deciding if it was going to rain or just stay cool. We went out and did a loop I used to do when living in Clifton park.

Sun - 830am - 5m (35:40) neighborhood loop, wanted to get something in before heading to the bday party.

4pm - 8+ (58:35) Bday party was still going strong but it looked to be a break in the rain. I hoped out to my car to change and run some trails at Thatcher state park, very relaxing to be on rolling trails. The rain on the other hand came right back as I started to run.

Summary - 58m in 6 days, no formal workout this week. Just never got it in, had a fun week of training along with some added motivation to get the miles back up.

6/15 - 6/21

Mon - 630pm - 7.5m (53:27) checked the weather before the run as it was calling for rain at 7. Decided I could get a small loop out on the main roads before ducking into the neighborhoods. Overall a good run and a nice change of loops, sadly no rain.

Tues - 545pm - 10m (1:12:34) went up to  SPAC and did the 5m course first time in the normal direction then in reverse. It's a nice open loop with some rolling hills, great place to enjoy the run and get on some soft surfaces.

Wed- 515pm 7.5m (track) went up to Saratoga high for my workout today. Finally a day with low humidity! Didn't seem to really matter as I just couldn't find those gears today, no pop in the legs!

Workout - 2x800/2x400/5x200

235/234/77/76/36/33/35/34/33

Initally I wanted to do more 4's but the legs wouldn't go, even in the 2's I was fighting to hit those times. On a plus side the 8's felt pretty smooth.

All in all not a great day but I have had worse.

Thurs - 715am - 3+ (nt) normal sweet rd loop. Legs didn't feel bad, always a bonus to not be beat up after a sub-par workout.

615pm - 7m (49:34) sweet road loop with Macknight. Legs still a little beat up from yesterday.

Fri - 330pm - 5m (34:40) neighborhood loop. Legs feeling better but still have some tightness.

Sat - 8m (greenfield dragon) this is a hilly course and also a low key race (rust buster) usually less then 100 ppl show each year, it's a good place to test yourself both mentally and where the legs are at. Today added a slightly new factor, I met up with some friends for a small bday get together. Ended up having a later night then planned. Needless to say the stomach wasn't to settling this morning. I warmed up the course in reverse, got changed up and to the line. The first 1/2m is the only true flat part of the course (and people tend to push that too much) I had some company for that first part of the course once we hit the hills I was on my own. Despite feeling like shit, I was surprised how locked in I was able to get. I felt smooth up until the final 1/2 mile, this was the only fight I had was to keep pushing when I felt it falling apart. Overall I got the win (unfortuantly no one was there to push with) 18:25 a little slower then last year but that was with Gavs last time. The most impressive part of the day was 2nd overall was a 13 year old girl who ran 19:50 for the course!

Sun - 915am - 13m (1:42:23) went up to Galway with Renee and KQ. We did a loop from Renees parents camp, they were looking for a hilly run and we sure found it. Legs we still a bit tight but the rolling course helped a bit. Afterwards we aided Kevin as he did his swim (training for iron man) I decided to give some company towards then end and swam 1/  2m with him...my thoughts afterwards are simple..I'll stick to running 

Here the elevation map from today's run.

Summary - 61m overall a good week 1 subpar workout and a decent race. I'm feeling some fitness coming back, and looking to have a good day in 2 weeks.

6/8 - 6/14

Mon - 645pm - 7m (49:51) got stuck in traffic in the trip home. Was a bit stiff after slacking on stretching.

Tues - 6pm - 10m (1:07:16) did my normal lake rd loop. Felt good thru 7-8 miles before I started to feel some fatigue, I needa get back on my hydration.

Wed - 645am - 3+m (NT) felt good to get out for a morning shake out.

5pm - 7+ track workout planned (3x2/2x4/8/2x4/3x2) met with Shaun for this workout. Decided I would try to roll with Shaun and see how my legs would respond. Overall felt pretty good, bailed on the 800 after the first 200 felt like I was struggling to recover and needed a little more of a break.

Times: 35/35/35/72/73(2min break) 72/72/33/33/31

Happy with the workout, no lagging issues from VCM. Hardest thing is to adjust to the heat/humidity and some speed work.

Thurs - 1030am - 7.5m (53:29) Worked from home this morning and wanted to get a run during some early morning "warmer" temps. Legs were a bit tired from yesterday's workout.

7pm - 1 hr Hot Yoga

Fri - 8am - 5m (40:05) Normal morning loop, surprisingly I missed this loop a bit. Was pretty humid out this morning.

7pm - 5+ (41:53) Met Gavs down at Shen for an easy run, we got there and both noticed the alerts on our phones saying sever weather and "tornados" haha. We did get caught in the storm after about 15-20min of running. The high winds didn't come until late at night.

Sat - No motivation to run in the morning, went to Addie's birthday party. Got home around 9pm and was spent.

Sun - 5pm - 11m (1:17:58) legs felt good, for some reason my stomach wasn't feeling great. Decided to cut the extra 2m off of the run and call it a day. Stomach seemed to calm down after the run, not sure if it was my lunch or something else.

Summary - 56m up a few miles from last week even with the day off. I also registered for some of my Fall races, looking forward to the process with those (New Haven 20k and Hartford Marathon)
I have a few others planned in but these will be 2 of the bigger races that i'll be attending.

6/1 - 6/7 back to work

Mon - 545pm -  7+ (49:28) met up with Gavs and Alex for a run in Albany. The first mile or so is steep down hills, the pace was hit from the start (took me till the bike path to catch up) once on the bike path it was still a quick pace, I was surprised by this but also intrigued to see how long my legs would hold up. To my surprise I never faded, climbing back to the house was pretty. Good 2nd day back!

Tues -5pm-  8m (3xmile) met KQ at the track and paced her track workout. Legs felt good. (604/609/601) 

Wed - 3pm -  7m (49:32) went up to Spac for a run on the trails. It was fairly quite up there and nice to get on some soft surfaces.

Thurs - 5pm - 5m (35:07) did the normal neighborhood loop.

730pm - 1hr hot yoga

Fri - 530pm - 7m (48:30) Met with Shaun at Spac. Did some variations of the XC course and trails.

Sat - 9am - 7m (@ OK 5k) did the warm up and cooldown with the group. Then ran around to cheer.

Sun - 4pm - 10m (1:18:20) on the bike path with Renee. Was a bit tired from all the traveling and going out in Keene last night.

Summary - 51m good first week back and feeling pretty strong and recovered. The yoga helped loosen things up, might keep that in the rotation.