Wednesday, November 28, 2012

11 26 to 12 2

mon 7
tues 8
weds 10 track workout, only the 2nd one in 8 months. 2,2,4,4,8,4,4,2,2 (37,37,79,77,244,77,74,34,33). for a long time this year ive felt tight and uneven, like i had one leg longer than the other. not today. i felt smooth for the first time in a long time. considering the huge amount of time away from the track, i am very pleased with how it went.
thurs bowling was awesome. i had my best night ever (161,190,224,180,266) 1021 total. 9 strikes the last game (5 in a row, spare, 4 in a row, spare). if i had gotten a strike in the last frame, it would have been my best game. i did get my best 3 game series though. i finally capitalized on a rare off night by naj (811). he had been lighting it up the last couple of weeks. now im up by 275.
fri 13 advil wouldve really helped on this one. i was incredibly sore in my hips and groin, but mentally i was able to let my mind go. that made it so at least some of the time i didnt notice how bad i felt. this was no doubt the most uncomfortable run ive had lately. the good news is i know ill feel better tomorrow, cuz its just not possible to feel worse than i did today.
sat 10 with ferenc. he is getting better really fast.
sun 14 the clearing. ran it really tough. i was tired on the climbs, but thats what happens the day after running in saxtons river.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

11 19 to 11 25

mon 8 turkey trot at school. 27th annual. this is a huge tradition and the whole town shows up for it. its one of my favorite days of the whole year. every kid in the school runs the race. i run every race with whoever is leading, to make sure they go the right way. k,1, and 2 run 0.4 miles, 3rd and 4th run 0.7 mi, and 5-8 run 1.1 miles. i was tired from running 15 yesterday but i knew each race would only be fast for the first 200 meters. the only races that were tough for longer than that were the 5th and 8th grade races. there were two 5th grade boys i had on my team this year that were legit and they ran the race at 613 pace, so i had to work a little bit. by the time i got to the last race, the 8th grade, i was getting tired. a girl i had on the team ran 622 pace so i had put some effort in again. the average pace looks way easier than the effort because every race started with about a 35 sec first 200. it ended up being kind of a workout. after the turkey trot, there was a ceremony where the school gymnasium was dedicated to a good friend of mine. he taught at the school for over 30 years and is one of the most important people in my life. the best part was when they opened up the mic to anyone who wanted to say a few words about him. of course i had to get up there and give my thanks. what i didnt expect was after i was done, about 50 kids lined up and said how much they loved him and that they miss him. it was awesome.
tues 8 ran up beech hill. hit the trails at the top. i stopped to check out the view looking out over the city. ive lived in keene for 7 years and this was the first time i did that. i think i spent at least ten minutes taking it all in. the sun was going down and it looked really cool. i couldve easily spent an hour up there but it was getting dark so i had to keep moving.
weds 6 really sore, no advil, so i kept it easy.
thurs 10 thanks, advil. dinner at my moms neighbors house. this dude is the best cook ever. i didnt bother with the turkey and mashed potatoes. i filled up on stuffing with sausage, fresh mozzarella, and banana peppers stuffed with prosciutto and provolone.
fri 14 had to make it a good one after i somehow packed on 8 pounds of thanksgiving goodness. i dont know if its a world record but its gotta be close. i felt heavy and the headache was bad but i felt great after.
sun 17 did 3 sets of the 6 min,5,4,3,2,1 with 1 min rest. all of it was on single track. that made it go by really quick. solid workout.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

11 12 to 11 18

mon 12 i was planning on doing the railbed tempo, but i could tell after the first mile that it wasnt happening. i shut it down and just ran comfortably until the turnaround. i figured i would try to run one fast mile just to see if i could get anything going. it was one of the toughest 6 min miles i ever ran. bummer. i had nothing today, so i went back to just running. at 10 miles i thought maybe if could run another 6 min mile that late into it, then the run wouldnt be a total loss. i was able to do it, but it wasnt easy. i guess for a day when felt horrible, it wasnt too bad. i really need my new kinvaras to get here. my joints are aching. might be why i felt so shitty.
tues easy 7 on the robin hood park trails. felt ok other than the sore knees and ankles. finished in the dark. i dont recommend doing that after spending the previous 2 days watching 20 episodes of the walking dead. every noise i heard had me ready to pick up a huge rock and crush the skull of a groaning blood dripping zombie.
weds 0 i planned on working out, but i totally screwed myself on that. i stayed up almost the whole night watching more of the walking dead. i am totally hooked. i got about 2 hours of sleep, so i was tired when i showed up at the track. then i realized i forgot my watch at home. i took it as a sign that i should bag it, bank on the new kicks being there when i got back, and workout tomorrow. i felt bad leaving cuz andy was the only other one there, but i think i made the right move. also, im caught up on all the episodes so i wont be up all night watching them.
thurs 12 solid night of sleep, new shoes, track workout. ran from my house to the track (4.5 mi), then did 4x200, 2x400, 4x200 (39,38,37,37,78,75,36,35,34,33). i felt better and better the further into it i went (thats what she said? probly not). started the run home with a 2 mile tempo, then did a 2.5 mi cooldown. not bad for the first time on the track since march. no bowling, naj hurt his achilles. hope its not serious.
sun 15 gave the calf a few days rest and it helped with the soreness. it didnt help with running fast. i ran the lil rhody runaround. i tried to race it but at 4 miles i was done. i switched into 'just enjoy being out there mode'. it worked. i wasnt fustrated about how i ran. that made it so i could enjoy seeing all of my friends get their best times. 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

11 5 to 11 11

mon 13 calf sore, felt good other than that. i could say that about every run in the last 6 weeks. its not that bad, i guess. or maybe im just getting used to it.
tues 17 ran hard up beech hill (1.85 miles uphill, 13:53), hit the trails at the top, then ran hard back down (10:20). 3 mile cooldown, 10 total. then i busted out the headlamp and ran 7 on the trails with some friends from work.
thurs bowling i had an average night and naj had a great night. the lane was slippery, the worst ever by a lot. i just couldnt get used to it. it didnt affect naj that much. the scores will confirm that. me (169,190,164,169,202) naj (187,191,212,195,183). my lead took a serious hit. good thing that the first week we said that total pins (not win/loss) will decide the winner, or id be totally screwed. either way, i have to do better next week.
fri 13 did 3 sets of the 6 min-5-4-3-2-1 with 1 min rest in between. i usually do 2 sets but i felt good.
sat sap lines 13 with ferencs dogs and the neighbors dog. went the opposite direction, which meant going up the switchbacks. it was the first time i made it to the top without walking or stopping. i had ferencs gps watch so i was constanly looking at the elevation changes. it was cool. the 2 big climbs are both about a mile long and over 700 feet of gain. maybe that doesnt look that bad, but it seems twice as hard as that when youre out there doing it.