Palio Half Marathon Week

89 miles for the week

September 15th (Monday): 10 miles (64:35) in the afternoon. 5 miles with Goup in 34:15, then another 5 miles at 30:20. Felt smooth. Gym for a lift session (setup by my high school buddy Ben Wicki).

 Coming in sideways with a popped collar!

 Deviled eggs (the lazy kind). The ingredients, but not whipped/mixed together.

 The kid said it might not all fit in one bag. Pshhh!

Cannot wait to see her in December.

September 16th (Tuesday): No morning run. Normal day at work. 10+ miles (72:10) with Kevin Treadway at SPAC. Watched some high school cross country races along the way.

September 17th (Wednesday): 3 miles (NT) in the morning. Wednesday workout down at UAlbany in the evening. The goal was 12x400 at a quicker pace. I was blessed with the company of Aaron Lozier who is much more naturally fast at that distance. 200 rest was what evened it out. 2.5 mile warmup. A couple strides and rushed onto the track by Aaron. Splits went accordingly: 75 (not enough strides before), 70, 69, 69, 67, 67, 67, 66, 64, 66, 68, 66. Last few were tough, but managed to hold it together. Rocked my Streak 5's and they felt even better than the Lunaracers. 2.5 mile cooldown. Five Guys for a burger on my own.

September 18th (Thursday): 3 miles (NT) in the AM. 7 miles (48:21) in the evening. Gym for another lift session. Pure recovery.

September 19th (Friday): 10 miles (68:34) in the evening at 7:30pm. Over to my buddy's house after for a bonfire and a couple beers. Crashed on his couch.

September 20th (Saturday): 7++ miles (62:17) at SPAC with Fleet Feet. The 5K XC course, then added on another 4+ miles with a couple different people (a couple teammates, then Charlie and race director Pat). Over to the farmer's market to check it out. Enough cash for a "manwich" - what it was called on the menu. Local eggs, cheese, ham and sausage sandwich. See below.

Stopped in at the expo to pick up my number and Goup's number. The afternoon was spent getting a fresh cut from my barber (Sean), shopping at TJ Maxx (grabbing a few sweet button downs), and laundry/cleaning. Another 5 miles (32:20) in the evening. Ready for the Palio Half Marathon tomorrow.

It was almost too good.

September 21st (Sunday): Up to Saratoga by 6:30ish. 2 mile warmup and some strides on the line. Rocked the Lunaracers and my new haircut. Off the line well with an uphill 1st mile to Skidmore.

Splits:

Mile 1: 5:25 (uphill and relaxed)
Mile 2: 4:57 (downhill)
Mile 3: 4:55 (mostly downhill)
Mile 4: 5:02 (flat down the main strip - Broadway)
Mile 5: 5:10 (25:30)
Mile 6: 5:07
Mile 7: 5:12
Mile 8: 5:10 (41:01)
Mile 9: 5:22 (uphill)
Mile 10: 5:21 (51:45 - ouch, feeling the brisk pace)
Mile 11: 5:20
Mile 12: 5:22
Mile 13: 5:16 (some downhill and forced myself to change gears)
Last 0.1: 0:30 (hammered home)

Kept it together for a 68:14 finish. Slower than last year (67:41), but ran harder/tougher than last year. Felt smooth and just ran a little dumb so my last 5 miles were rougher than I wanted. 4 mile (30:03) with 2nd place, Andrew Foxenburg and a couple others. Awards ceremony and back to the house to relax. Out for another 5 miles (33:24) in the evening to top off at 24 mile day.

Photos courtesy of Pat Hendrick.

Determined. Feeling aerodynamic with my fresh haircut.

 

 Feeling good.

 Finishing sprint.

 Another angle.

 I don't remember doing this.

Done.

Long Run with The Ferenc

87 miles for the week

September 8th (Monday): Work until 5pm. Down to Albany to run with my buddy Pete through the Pinebush trails. 11 miles (77:02) through the trails. Solid run and easy terrain for quality recovery after the 10k yesterday. Stopped at Walmart before heading over to Pete's new apartment. Prepared a salad topped with Cajun chicken, avocado, peppers, cucumber and avocado. Back to the my house by 10pm to crash for the night.

 Boom!

He is not naked.

September 9th (Tuesday): Standard day. Double run recovery. 4+ miles (30:32) with Derrick in the morning. 8 miles (55:23) in the afternoon - part of it with Goup. Over to the local gym for a lifting session.

September 10th (Wednesday): 3 miles (20:47) in the morning. Normal day at work. Stayed late and ended up at the track late (I told people 6pm - I was there at 6:20pm). 5xmile with 400 rest. Goal time was 5:00-5:05. 2.5 mile warmup. Some strides and started up. Solo effort on the workout. Rocked my new kicks (Nike Lunaracers) and they felt friggin amazing. 4:55, 4:57, 4:56, 4:56, 4:50 (last 400 in 69). Total time in 33:10. Kept the rest under 7:00 minute pace. 2.5 mile cooldown. Five Guys for major protein to aid recovery to the muscles I ripped  up on the track.

 Two deliveries today in the mail. Non GMO and USDA organic protein powder.

Lunaracers and Streak 5s.

 

Reward myself with a cheeseburger.

September 11th (Thursday): Double day in the books. Egg salad for lunch. 5 miles (35:40) in the morning. 7 miles (51:51) through Kinns Road trails with Pete in the evening. Gym for a lift session.

Dozen eggs hard boiled.

September 12th (Friday): 4:30am wakeup. Out for 9.3 miles (70:52) with Renee at 5am. Egg salad wraps for lunch. Afternoon was wide open so I hit up the Recovery Room (celebrating Goup's last day at Global), then down to Albany for a surprise party. Slept on my couch for the night because I'm lazy sometimes.

8 eggs, avocado, relish, onions, mayo, paprika, salt and pepper.

September 13th (Saturday): 5 miles (32:20) in the morning hours. Gym, no tanning, and laundry in the afternoon before driving over to Ferenc's for the night. 4 miles at Ferenc's on my own. Mexican food for dinner. Crashed on the futon.

September 14th (Sunday): 8am wakeup. Eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. On the road for a long run by 11am. 20 miles (2:09:40). Felt great and chilled the rest of the day at Ferenc's. Ate a bunch of food, watched Eastbound and Down, and moved 100 bags of wood pellets to his shed. Back to NY at night.

Dunkin 10K Race Report (Entire Week)

90 miles for the week

September 1st (Monday): 2+ miles in the morning with Sarah and Bob to start the wonderful holiday of Labor Day. My mom bought a bunch of breakfast sandwiches from the general store. Scarfed down two of them on the drive downtown for the parade with the family.

 Parade.

 Selfie.

Back to the house for the family picnic. Lots of delicious food and good company. Took a nap for a couple hours on the couch while the picnic was winding down. Exhausted from baking in the sun in the morning hours. Motivated myself to get back out on the roads for another 8+ miles (53:01) at 7:30pm in Newtown. Double 4 mile loop. 27:14 first loop. 25:02 second loop. 45 second bathroom break in the middle of the 2nd loop. Decided to stay the night and leave early in the morning for NY.

 

 Mid sneeze.

 Erin relaxing while feeding.

Madison taste testing Sam Adams.

September 2nd (Tuesday): 3:45am wakeup. 4am on the road back to NY. Easy drive and back in time to get in 4 miles (27:45) at 6:30am before work. Long day at work. 7 miles (48:44) with Goup after work and a lifting session with our buddy Tony G at Planet Fitness.

September 3rd (Wednesday): 3 miles (21:27) in the morning. Ran a pre-task planning class first thing in the morning with a bunch of people. Normal day at work. Busy overall. Home to relax and fall asleep (originally a 15 minute nap turned into an hour). Napped from 5:30pm-6:30ish. Woke up in a frantic panic thinking it was 6:30am and I had to squeeze a morning run before work. Instead it was the evening and I was well rested for my track workout.

Changed up and over to Burnt Hills High School for a mile, 2x800, 4x400 workout. Classic Keene State workout. Half rest. 3+ mile (21:32) warmup. Walked over to the track and started up around 7:30pm. Sorta dark out, but made it more relaxing.

4:56 (2:30/2:26), 2:22, 2:20, 67, 66, 65, 65. Solid work and felt smooth. Started off slow in the mile, but found a groove after that. Little less than a 3 mile (18:30) cooldown and back to the house to stretch and shower. 13.5 miles on the day.

September 4th (Thursday): 3 miles (20:58) in the AM. Standard day at work. 10 miles (69:58) in the evening my buddy Pete at Kinns Road Trail. Drills in the parking lot. Back to the house to change up and hit the gym for a simple lifting session. My buddy Ben Wicki set me up with a plan. 5-6 types of exercises (free weights --> standing scaption, bench, rows, lat pulls, and core). Nothing too crazy, but a quality 30-35 minutes in the gym.

September 5th (Friday): 10 miles (68:24) with Pete at the Kinns Road trails again. Humid, but a fun run. Strides after. Chilled for the night.

 Steak wraps.

September 6th (Saturday): 6:30am wakeup. Banana, yogurt and almond milk shake for breakfast. Jogged out the Malta 5k at 8:30am in the terrible humidity. 3++ mile warmup. Ran the Malta 5k (19:33). 1++ mile cooldown back to my car. Straight to work (I was 1/2 mile from the entrance). Showered and work until 1pm. Home to relax. Another 5.5 miles (40:42) in the evening with Goup and Pete at Kinns Road trails to finish a 13 mile day before the Dunkin 10k.

 English muffin with butter and local honey. Snack before the 2nd run.

 Steak and gatorade. A man's dinner.

September 7th (Sunday): 6am wakeup. Oat bran with almond milk, brown sugar and maple syrup for breakfast. Changed up and down to Albany with Goup for the Dunkin 5K/10K. At the race venue by 7:40ish. 2 mile warmup with my buddy Eamon along the course. Switched into flats and my jersey. Some strides on the starting line before toeing it with some competition.

Off the line relaxed and let a couple people take the lead for a change. 5:15 through the mile and started to push with Jaime Julia. Through 5K in 16:01 and feeling fairly smooth. Sun came out and humidity was higher than the start. Tucked behind Jaime for the 4th mile. Once we passed 4 miles, I surged and never looked back. Pushed to the finish and crossed in 32:02. Even splits and tired. 5 mile (38:09) cooldown with Jaime and Rich. Awards ceremony and back to the house to relax for the rest of the afternoon.

Watched World War Z on Netflix in the evening and out for another 6.5 miles (46:18) at 8:30pm. 20 miles on the day. Bed at a decent hour.

5K and 10K start.

 First 5K.

 Cruising.

 Roughly 4 miles.

FaceTiming with Tupac (aka Madison ready for a day hike).

Month of August (Cape Cod + Alumni)

July 27th - August 3rd: 61 miles

Monday: 7 miles (42:53). Last 1.55 miles in 7:36 (sub 5 pace). Goup had me attack the last bit on purpose.

Tuesday: 9 miles total (with my buddy and his college buddies around UAlbany). Grabbed some beers afterwards.

Wednesday: 8+ miles total. 2 mile TT: 9:58. 6x200: 33, 31, 32, 30, 30, 30. Solid workout to start the cycle. Goup could tell I was hurting during the 2 mile and how smooth I didn't look.

Thursday: 7 miles (51:23) with my buddy Pete in the Kinns Roads Trails.
Friday: 7 miles (NT)

Saturday: Work 8:30am-5pm. Ughh, but OT baby! 10 miles (68:34) in the evening on my own.

Sunday: Slept in like a champ. The local town pool with Renee and her kids. Run at Kinns Road with Pete. Ice cream with Renee and her kids. Yes, ice cream for dinner. Another 7 miles (46:12) in the evening.

 4 months old :)

 One of my favorite pictures of Madison.

August 4th - August 10th: 71 miles

Monday: 8++ miles (58:18)

Tuesday: 3 miles (22:50) in the AM. 5 miles (35:25) in the PM

Wednesday: 3+ mile (23:40) warmup. 3+ mile (22:19) cooldown. 3 x mile. 5:00, 4:58, 4:56. Surprised on how smooth I felt. Gavs and Goup were running on the track ripping miles as well. Always good to have company on workout days.

Thursday: 3 miles in the AM. 5+ miles in the PM.

Friday: 9 miles (61:58)

Saturday: 3+ miles in the AM (paced the Malta 5K run-through). 8 miles (57:20) in the PM.

Sunday: 16 miles (1:54:40) with Megan and Scott around Saratoga.

 Fuel before the workout. Oat bran, almond milk, and brown sugar.

 Big batch of beans and rice for wraps and other concoctions.

 Peanut butter, bananas and honey. Almost like dessert.

 Slight addiction, but could be worse.

 Double whammy. Two scoopers.

 Day on a boat with a couple buddies.

 Sunset.

August 11th - 17th: 73 miles

Monday:10 miles (69:15)

Tuesday: 3 miles (NT) in the AM. 8 miles (56:09) in the PM.

Wednesday: 8 miles (56:21)

Thursday: 2.5 miles (18:37) in the AM. Workout in the afternoon. The goal workout was mile, 2x800, 4x400 + a "tag" at the end. I accidentally did mile, 2x800, 4x200. Still a solid workout. 4:52, 2:24, 2:22, 33, 32, 31, 30. Goup told me to jog it out and hit a 1200 in sub 4:40 pace. 3:28 (69, 69, 70). 3+ mile (23:28) warmup and a 3+ mile (23:19) cooldown. 15 miles on the day. Quality day of work.

Friday: 3 miles (23:33) with Goup and Derrick in the AM. 5.5 miles (44:00) in the PM with a big group plus my sister Sarah. Back to the house to do some major cleaning (exactly what Sarah wanted to do) Parents rolled in late evening. Pizza was ordered.

Saturday: 3 miles (25:11) with Sarah in the morning. Saratoga Horse Track with the family today (Mom, Dad and Sarah). Decided to go all out for this event. Early wakeup to grab a table in the right location. Mom made lots of food to bring in. Cold beverages were bought the night before. Great day overall. Sarah stayed the night. Headed out for another 3 miles (18:29) to wrap up the day.

Sunday: Leah's Cakery in the morning for breakfast. Sarah left in the mid morning hours. Chilled on the couch for the afternoon watching FX movies. Out for 15 miles (1:36:15) solo in the evening.

 Cereal was on sale @ Target.

 Love it.

 This needs to be framed.

 Pizzas on a Friday night.

 Day at the track. Won $125 bucks. Boom!

 Triple peanut.

 New Kinvaras and a hard cider after a long run.

August 18th - 24th: 73 miles

Monday 10+ miles (72:42) in SPAC solo at 6pm.

Tuesday: 3 miles (20:38) in the AM. 7+ miles (48:45) in the PM.

Wednesday: 3 miles (19:37) in the AM. Attempted a workout in 80+ degree high humidity weather on a day where there were millions of flying ants everywhere. Made it through 3 sets of alternating 800, 400 with half rest. 2:30, 71, 2:27, 72, 2:32, 72. Shut it down early. 5+ miles total for a cooldown and warmup. 11.5 miles on the day.

Thursday: Pouring in the morning so I wimped out. 5 miles in the afternoon helping out with the Malta 5K workout group with Fleet Feet at the local high school.

Friday: 10 miles (75+) at 5:00am with Renee. Travel to Cape Cod to camp out with my mom at night.
Saturday: 16 miles (1:42:31) at 8am on the bike path with my mom biking next to me. Slow on the way out. Quick on the way back. 55:49 on the way out. 46:42 on the way back. A couple people running the opposite direction and one person stops and says "I know you!" We both ended up stopping and he recognized from the 10K Boston Build-Up Series race the Sunday I left to move to NY (along with being a mountain runner). He was doing a summer running camp on The Cape. Felt like a celebrity being spotted so randomly running in another state. Cool beans.

Sunday: 10+ miles (71:25) around the local neighborhoods by the house we rented.

 Ready for aerobics :)

 Just a couple landed on me.

 Fuel to stay awake for the drive to Cape Cod.

The Atlantic Ocean.

August 25th - August 31st: 50 miles

Monday: 5 miles (36:19) in Cape Cod - achilles sore.

Tuesday: Day filled with relaxing. Beach, taffy spot and Pirate's Cove mini golf. Couldn't ask for anything much better on vacation with my mom, aunt, and cousins.

Wednesday: 7 miles (50:04)

Thursday: Malta 5K workout. Helped pace 4 sets of 200, 200, 400. Threw on the flats and did 2 legit sets on my own. 28, 30, 62, 29, 29, 65. Solid speed. Felt good. 3 mile warmup. 2 mile cooldown. 8 miles on the day.

Friday: 3 miles (20:45) in the AM. Half day at work. Saratoga horse track in the afternoon. Travel to Keene in the evening. Crashed at Fowler.

Saturday: 2+ mile warmup. Some strides and ready for the Keene State Alumni 5K. Out hard. 4:59, 10:10, and a 15:45 finish (the results say 15:47 - lies). 5 mile cooldown. 10 on the day. Elm City Brewery. Partied it up at Fowler Street and the Keene bars. Fun night with good friends (current guys and alumni).

Sunday: 6:30am wakeup. Pounded Gatorade. Ran with Hammett, TPaq, and Ferenc for 17 miles (2:04:39) through Pisgah State Park. Great run. Travel down to Connecticut for peach/pear/nectarine picking with the family. Carried Madison and shaded her from the sun.

Childhood memories.

Beat Frank at his own game by 1. Ca-chang!

Cucumber salad with ranch and balsamic.

Pete Thomas.

Photos courtesy of Erin.