Rhode Island Getaways

June 29th - July 5th: 55 miles

June 29th (Monday): 7 miles (NT)
June 30th (Tuesday): 8 miles (NT)
July 1st (Wednesday): 7 total - 2 mile TT: 9:56
July 2nd (Thursday): 5 miles (NT)
July 3rd (Friday): 4.5 miles (NT)
July 4th (Saturday): Firecracker 4 miler - 20:00. The race was fairly even and better than I thought I was going to run, but I wasn't super smooth while running. Pushing out to a late marathon.
July 5th (Sunday): 13.5 miles (point A to point B) followed by a BBQ.

 Skin and bones.

July 6th - July 12th: 59 miles

July 6th (Monday): 5 miles (NT)
July 7th (Tuesday): 9 miles with Donegan in the Luther Forest Trails
July 8th (Wednesday): 10 miles (65:02) 5 x 30,60,90 with Pete Rowell
July 9th (Thursday): 7 miles (NT) in the rain with Goup
July 10th (Friday): 3 miles (20:06)
July 11th (Saturday): 15.5 (1:44:10) with Chuck Terry and Pete Rowell from Joe Benny's house
July 12th (Sunday): SPAC 5K - ended up being short more like 2.85 - 14:24.

July 13th - July 19th: 66 miles

July 13th (Monday): 7.5 miles (NT)
July 14th (Tuesday): 10 miles (69:50)
July 15th (Wednesday): 12 miles total. 3 mile tempo: 15:35. 6x800: 2:27, 2:28, 2:26, 2:25, 2:25, 2:22. 6x200: 31, 31, 30, 29, 30, 29. Great workout for middle July.
July 16th (Thursday): 9.5 miles (76:57) with Goup. Super super super easy.
July 17th (Friday): 4 miles (26:45)
July 18th (Saturday): 18++ (2:20:43)
July 19th (Sunday): 4.5 miles (40:11) with Sarah in LemVegas

 Suburb life.

 Cooling off in the humidity.

 Straight diva.

Love this picture. Love the owls. 

July 20th - July 26th: 77 miles

July 20th (Monday): 11.5 miles (80:51)
July 21st (Tuesday): 8 miles (55:26)
July 22nd (Wednesday): 8 miles total. Light workout. 3 mile tempo: 15:34. 2x400 (73, 72). 2x200: 35, 34.
July 23rd (Thursday): 10 miles (76:22) with Pete at Kinns Road.
July 24th (Friday): Blessing of the Fleet 10 mile RR. 52:48 and felt not amazing. Splits are as followed: 4:56, 5;07, 5:05, 5:23, 5:35, 5:20, 5:22, 5:13, 5:18. Re-rallied at the end with the thunderstorm and rain rolling in.
July 25th (Saturday): 12 miles (82:04) with Dan V and Matty P.
July 26th (Sunday): 13 miles (85:08) with Matty P. 6:12 last mile. Great weekend with Matty P. Not the best race, but ran a tough race.

Contractor in my class. He fixed it before he handed it in.

 Scott Mason catching me doing strides.

Out fast. Maybe too fast.

 At least my hair is on fleek.

 1st, 3rd, 4th.

July 27th - August 2nd: 64 miles with a day off

July 27th (Monday): Off day.
July 28th (Tuesday): 9+ miles (67:49) with Donegan and Goup.
July 29th (Wednesday): 6x800. 6x200. Legs total junk. 2:40, 2:41, 2:37, 2:37, 2:34, 2:31. 33, 34, 33, 33, 32, 31. Wicked hot out.
July 30th (Thursday): 10+ miles (73:58) with Pete in Kinns.
July 31st (Friday): 11.5 miles (79:23).
August 1st (Saturday): 7 miles (51:16) before heading out to RI for the 2nd weekend in a row.
August 2nd (Sunday): 16 miles on the day. 4 mile before watching Run 4 Kerri. 4 miles after the race. BBQ at the Bessette's was epic until I stepped over the line and throw a plastic boat filled with water on Matty P's foot. 8+ miles (55:07) in the evening once I was back in NY.

Best view in the house. Photo courtesy of Scott Mason.

June (Month of Recovery)

June was spent attempting to bounce back from Vermont City Marathon. I ran the Route 50 Mile in Burnt Hills in 4:29 and felt like my heart was gonna pound out of my chest. We took it out hot and I suffered for second to Pete Rowell (worthy opponent and cruised right by me).

I attended a 6 year old's birthday party with a bouncy house! It was epic. Day off was in store.

Tested out a last mile pickup of a 5 mile run in sub 4:50. Confidence is there, but the legs are not completely back. I am moving in the right direction.

I had a pitiful attempt at the beer mile. I was unable to finish and I never would like to even line up for another one. Off the bucket list.

 Lunch at work. Taco Tuesday.

 Gangsta.

 I found my tongue.

 Too cute.

 Chunker.

On her hog. Mean muggin.

VCM Marathon Cycle and Race Recap

Yeah its been a while since I've updated. Some people weren't sure I was still alive or worst - training for anything. The training cycle for VCM was a quality one, but made a couple amateur mistakes before the race and everything went south quick in the race (and the week leading up).

Rest of February highlights:

• 26 mile long run with Ferenc in VT. 
• 1st snowshoe race the next day with Hammett and Ferenc.

Meat, egg and cheese.

Profile of the 26 miler.

View of the drive to VT. We ran through some snow.

 Breakfast before the long run. Oat bran with maple syrup, brown sugar and Greek yogurt.

March highlights:

• 20 mile long run with the last 4 miles in 23:15.
• New Bedford - raced tough, conditions were tough the last 5k, time wasn't there. 67:51. PR on the course so can't complain too much. Through 10 miles in 50:57.
• 3 x 2 mile - 10:17, 10:07, 9:52 on the roads. Boom.
• 20 miles in San Francisco. Beautiful morning run on the birthday of my niece Madison!

 I love her so much.

Wild Endurance represent!

Looking solid towards the finish.

 Can't get any cuter.

 Automatic seat cover changer. Cool!

 Kate's got the right recovery tools.

 Breakfast.

 Food trucks galore!

 View from the rooftop.

 Christening.

 Panoramic.

 Ray Bans.

 Birthday ice cream.

April highlights:

• A couple 100+ mile weeks.
• 3x2 mile hill workout that was wicked windy. 22.5 mile day.
• Next day 20.5 long run with a couple 5 mile sections in sub 6. Felt amazing.
• 3 x 3 mile - 15:25, 15:29, 15:18 on the roads. Felt smooth.
• 24 mile long run with the last 10 miles in 58:09 to end a 105 mile week.
• 16 x 400 workout. 76 down to 66.

May highlights (prior to VCM)

• 20+ miles in 1:58:12. 5k warmup. 4 miles: 21:14. 1 mile rest. 3 miles: 15:57. 1 mile rest. 2 miles: 10:46. 1 mile rest. 1 mile: 5:18. Felt good. Practiced with fuel. Great confidence booster with the marathon in 3 weeks.
• 13+ miles in 74:58. 7 sets of 30, 60, 90. Averaged 5:25 for the first 5. 5:22 for the next 4 miles.
• 5k in 15:28 - expecting faster, but nursing some achilles pain so not bad for a solo effort. Not the same as my 14:51 the week before CIM.
• A quality tune-up mile, 2x800, 4x400 workout a week out. 4:53, 2:23, 2:21, 70, 70, 68, 69.

Sushi - wicked good.

Mostly comparing long runs.

 Interesting.

A couple days before the race.

 I appreciate my friends (thanks Pete and Emily!)

The mistakes that I am improving/eliminating on the next cycle:

• Deep tissue massage 10 days out from VCM - aggravated things that were not an issue during the entire cycle (hips and IT bands were tight and almost in pain the week of the race - I thought it was just the tapering).
• No true speed heading into the marathon. Focused on the long runs, but not enough on strides and shorter stuff throughout the cycle.
• Achilles tightness - smart about training through it, but don't even want to encounter it next time.
• Not enough sleep. Gotta get the sleep! Rest is crucial.

VCM breakdown is pretty plain and simple. Didn't have the pop in the legs after about 7 or 8 miles. At 10 miles I was averaging 5:18 pace. Dropped off the next 3 miles to 17:21 total. Ouch. Maintained just under sub 6 for most of the rest of miles and made it to a 2:28:xx finish.

Onto the next one. Makes me hungry for the next. Trial and error.

LÄRABAR Ambassador

February 16th - 22nd: 67 total miles with a solid 10 mile road race in Amherst, MA.

Monday: Started off the week terribly with my car battery being dead in Karen’s driveway. She already left for work so I was riding solo. I called a couple towing companies to assess the situation better. They stated there are a few people in the same situation. It would be a while. Ughh. I called my co-worker to cover my training class. Ended up calling my buddy Pete Rowell who came through in the clutch and drove over within 15 minutes of contacting him. We picked up a new battery right down road and drove back to install it. NOTE: The windchill was roughly -25 degrees. A free toolkit (provided by my mom’s old work) was all I had sitting in my trunk to change out the old battery. Somehow, we succesfully changed the battery (a couple indoor breaks to prevent any frostbite and regain feeling back in the fingertips) and my baby started right up. Thanks again Pete and hope you end up reading this!

I made a pit stop at home before heading to work to find a large care package. Ripped it open like a kid on Christmas morning and found 300 LÄRABARS plus a few other goodies. My face shows my excitement...

A free box of LÄRABARs!

6 miles (NT) in the evening on the treadmill after work in Guilderland to top off the day of adventure.

Tuesday: 4 miles (31+) solo in the AM. 4 (28+) solo on the treadmill.

Wednesday: 10 miles total. 4 x Hills Rd with Goup. 2:51, 2:46, 2:41, 2:39. Quality workout and hills are always something I enjoy. Back to work at 6pm for a scheduled meeting for 15-20 minutes. Luckily I live less than 5 miles from work.

Thursday: 5 miles (41:45) with Karen. Snowing a bunch. 5 miles (NT) on the treadmill.

Friday: 3.5 miles (NT) on the treadmill in the AM. 6.5 miles (NT) on the treadmill in the PM.

Saturday: 5 miles (NT) on the roads with Karen in Albany before heading to Leominster, Mass for the weekend. Lee Outlets to hit up the Nike Factory Store. A bunch of deals and left with a bag full of merchandise. Dinner and a movie at my Sarah and Bob's house.

Sunday: DH Jones 10 Miler. 18 miles on the day. A solid 4th place finish in 52:28. Ran tough, smart and consistent. Race report and pictures to follow!

New Tires On The Honda

February 9th - 15th: 69 miles total for the week. 

Decent week. Treadmill makes me want to stop running, but it will get better and winter will end eventually. 

February 9^th (Monday): 8.5 miles (58+) solo on the treadmill.

February 10^th (Tuesday): 7.5 miles (NT) with Renee at the YMCA in Clifton Park at 5am. 3 miles (NT) in the evening through the neighborhoods.

February 11^th (Wednesday): 3.5 miles (NT) with Karen in the AM. 5 miles (NT) with Goup in the PM. New tires mounted on the car. Way overdue, but sitting on all season Pirellis now! The car doesn't look any different, but the ride is so much smoother. Bring on the snow!

February 12^th (Thursday): 5 miles (NT) with Karen in Ballston Lake in the AM. 6+ miles (NT) solo through the neighborhoods of Ballston Lake in PM.

Didn't even plan it.

 Just gotta have one some days.

February 13^th (Friday): 7.5 miles (53+) with Renee and Dave at the YMCA at 5am. 5 miles (35+) with Karen and Goup at Vent Fitness.

February 14^th (Saturday): 10 miles. Attempted a hill workout in Albany and it went terrible. Legs felt like mush and didn’t have any pop. The 12+ miles on the treadmill yesterday could have had something to do with that feeling. Oh well.

February 15^th (Sunday): 9 miles total. 3 mile tempo on the treadmill in 16:30. Sub 60 for the 9 miles.

Always gotta include my favorite niece!

Write a Plan, Stick to It

February 2nd - February 8th: 69 miles

Monday: Off. Snowstorm. Drove to the gym and it was closed due to weather. Shoveled the driveway and walkway for some cross-training.

Tuesday: 10 miles (74+) down in Albany. Sloppy roads, but got the miles in. Easy on the legs.

Wednesday: 8 miles (54+) in Albany on the UAlbany campus due to the sloppy main roads and the concern of bad drivers.

Thursday: 7 miles (NT) at 5am with Willow Street women. 9 miles (60+) with Shaun Donegan at his house in Malta. 16 for the day and felt good. Brutally cold, but bundled up right.

Friday: 7+ miles (NT) with Renee from my house. Goup yelled at me to not run in the afternoon because we are still slowly working back into the miles and I ran 16 the day before between 2 runs. Oops - my bad.

Saturday: 2.5 mile warmup. 4 x Hills Road (1/2 mile). 2:50, 2:45, 2:47, 2:45. 2.5 mile cooldown. Work from 9:30am-6:30pm. Another 4 miles (with new trainers) in the evening to make it 13 for the day.

Sunday: 15 miles (1:50+) on snowy roads in the morning. 1st half on my own. 2nd half with Karen. Work from 11:30am-5:30pm.

A quality week of training with a day off. After this week, Goup is writing a strict training plan because we both know that's exactly what I need to prevent me from running stupid. I  don't have the issue of logging the miles. The issue is when I should stop logging in the miles for the day or week.

Stylin.

Back on the Horse (January)

Week of December 29th - January 4th: 45 miles

Monday: 7 miles (50:13)
Tuesday: 7 miles (NT) in Albany with Joe Benny
Wednesday: 5 miles (33+)
Thursday: 7 miles (45+) at the Hangover Half
Friday: 5 miles (36:00)
Saturday: 8 miles (NT)
Sunday: 5 miles (31:36)

Week of January 5th - January 11th: 54 miles

Monday: 7 miles (NT) with a group in Albany
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: 8 miles (52+) on the treadmill
Thursday: 5 miles (sub 30) on the treadmill
Friday: 10 miles (NT) in the neighborhoods with Goup
Saturday: 13 miles (NT) with Karen in Albany /// Night skiing @ West Mountain with co-workers
Sunday: 2.5 mile warmup, 10K winter series - 34:20 tempo, 2.5 mile cooldown

 That belly.

Week of January 12th - January 18th: 48 miles with 2 days off

Monday: 10 miles (72+)
Tuesday: 5 miles (NT) on the treadmill
Wednesday: 9++ miles (63:03) with Shaun Donegan in Saratoga
Thursday: 7.5 miles (NT)
Friday: OFF (company holiday party in the evening)
Saturday: OFF - Work for 10 hours /// Night skiing @ West Mountain with co-workers
Sunday: 16 miles (1:50+) with Karen in Guilderland

I could eat this for the rest of my life.

Someone wanted to brighten my day at work along with anyone else that passed by this.

Week of January 19th - January 25th: 60 miles

Monday: 8 miles (60:12) with Karen
Tuesday: OFF (bowling @ night)
Wednesday: 5 miles (32:35) in the AM. 7 miles (44:09) with Goup in PM.
Thursday: 9.5 miles (71:25) with a group in Albany
Friday: 7 miles (46:28)
Saturday: 8 miles (54:03) in the AM
Sunday: 1+ mile warmup, 15K Winter series - 52:30 solid effort, 5 mile cooldown 

Week of January 26th - February 1st: 58 miles

Monday: 8 miles (NT) down in Albany
Tuesday: 3+ miles (NT) in the AM.
Wednesday: 3+ miles (NT) in the AM. 7+ miles in the PM.
Thursday: 3 miles (NT) in the AM. 9 miles (NT) in the PM.
Friday: OFF - lazy
Saturday: 9 miles (58:40) on the treadmill. Birthday night celebrations all day! Chowdafest and Das Boot.
Sunday: 16++ miles (1:51:13) in the afternoon with Karen in Ballston Lake.

Chipotle.

 Chowdafest!