Burnt Hills Track Workout

April 25th (Thursday): 6:30am wakeup. Toasted everything bagel with some honey. Work 7:30-3:15pm. Random food for lunch. Bagel (toasted at work, added butter and apple jelly courtesy of work), orange, the rest of the container of yogurt, the remainder of the Nilla Wafers, and a Clif Bar.

Home by 3:30pm to wait for Time Warner Cable to stop by for the setup of cable and internet. The guy stopped in at 3:45ish and set everything up. He handed me a piece of paper with my account number and customer service number. He told me to give them my account number in order to receive my router ID and password. After numerous times being put on hold, resets/refreshes of the router and whatnot, the internet was a success. Only was on the phone for a short amount of time. Not!

 

Way too long.

 

Changed up for a workout and grabbed a couple handfuls of Honey Bunches of Oats. Drove over to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School for a track workout. Started the workout around 6:15pm. The workout was mile, 2x800, 4x400. Half rest. 2 mile (14:37) warmup around campus. I smelt Chinese food before I started and just ignored it. Some strides. One lap at 74 to target pace and 3 minutes rest to gear up for the real workout. 4:59, 2:26, 2:22, 67, 67, 67, 65. Boom! Smooth and total time of 25:18 (5:37 pace overall). 2+ mile (15:32) cooldown on the roads around the school. Within a 1/4 mile of the school, a Chinese takeout place. Track located directly behind it. A terrible combo. A solid 9 miles on the day (pleased with the workout and with tired legs from Wednesday's 16 mile day).

Stopped off at the gas station and Hannafords for a few things. Bananas (for protein shakes) and cold cuts (ham and muenster cheese). Spiced ham and muenster cheese on a toasted everything bagel. Ranch dressing and chili powder to top it off. I obviously crafted the sandwich in the toaster oven and placed the ham and cheese carefully while the bagel was toasted to ensure heated up ham and schmelted cheese.

Shower eventually and bed by 11pm.

 

 

 Yum.

Front-Loading and Monday Traditions

April 22nd (Monday): 6:15am wakeup. 2.5 miles (18:08) with Goup. Ran a loop and it was short. No complaints. Good shakeout with a decent hill in the middle. Work 7:30am-4pm. Normal day at work. Leftover Kashi pizza and wings from the weekend for lunch.

Stopped off at the house to change into running stuff and meet up with Shaun at the SIMBA trails off Daniels Road in Saratoga . About 10 minutes into the car ride, I realized I forgot my trainers. We were already running a little late so we stopped off at Dick’s Sporting Goods to grab a fresh pair. Lunar Fly 3’s. The normal trainers I wear.

Just shy of 9 miles (61:18) at 5:30pm. Shaun led the group and I worked on my footing/rhythm in the trails. Some technical terrain throughout the trails (Great practice for the mountain series). Back to the dirt parking lot to stretch and chill. We were supposed to grab all you can eat pizza ($5) at the local place, but Shaun’s girlfriend started her new job so he headed home to make dinner for her. We are trying to make the Monday trail run a tradition AND the pizza. We will see.

Home to make something for dinner and head to bed at a decent hour.

 

April 23rd (Tuesday): No morning run. Protein shake for breakfast. Work 7am-3:30pm. Spring mix salad with cucumbers, shredded baby carrots, lemon juice, and ranch dressing. Simple ingredients, delicious combo. Car overheated on the way to work. Car worked fine on the way home. Back to the house to switch cars and swing by the old apartment to grab a few more things and my training plan.

Back to the house by 5pm. Out for a workout by 5:20pm. The workout was 3xmile. 6x200. Goup said I was going to the track, but I suggested to do it on a hill. I found the perfect one. Starts on a dead end by the Zim Smith trail and is somewhat secluded from traffic. Ranges from steep to gradual incline. Solid hill. I ended up mapping the mile and it was roughly 7 seconds long. With the added 7 seconds, it went 5:31, 5:26: 5:25. Rest was the mile downhill back to the start. Ended with 30-31 second hill sprints (the 1^st section and the steepest part of the hill). Overall, the workout was similar to a Drummer Hill session. The hill just wasn’t as intense. 3 mile warmup (20 + strides). 3.5 mile cooldown (25:54). 14 miles on the day. Felt strong.

Stretching, foam rolling, icing and a protein shake to aid in the recovery process. Continuing my goal of touching my toes. Threw in a load of laundry downstairs in the basement and relaxed by watching some Family Guy. Bed soon after.

April 24th (Wednesday): 6am wakeup. 3 miles (22:01) on my own in the frigid morning air. Gloves and a hat were required. Protein shake for breakfast. Been adding some Stony Field French vanilla yogurt in the protein shake and it's making them that much more awesome.

Work 7am-3:30pm. I was able to teach contractor safety orientation because 36 people showed up for the class (normal Wednesday class). A couple of my contractor buddies were in there so it actually made it easier. The rest of the day was a scheduled and easy flowing day.

Back to the house to chill and have a nice conversation with my Uncle David. He’s painting a commercial shopping center place and needs to use scaffolding and ladders. I was able to provide him with safety advice and guidance on a couple different things. Caught up on life and off on my way to a run. I mapped out a 7 mile loop (or so I thought) around Ballston Lake. There is no 7 mile loop possibly. I ended up with 13 (85:56). Found some cool roads and trails on my out and back. A guy helped me out and let me check out a map on his tablet he was using. Saw Goup around 10 miles and gave me a funny look. Solid run. At least it was nice weather out (high 60's) and I was fueled up well before the run. No complaints.

Back to the house to stretch, foam roll and make a protein shake. Toasted a couple bagels. Layered on honey on two halves and peanut butter on the other two. Washed it all down with some Gatorade. Goup and I watched The Fast and The Furious (the 1^st one). Shower and bed right after.

 

42 miles in 3 days. Oops! Short workout and a couple single run days with the travel to Leominster this weekend to see my parents and sisters! Local 5K on Sunday with some miles on either side. Should be a fun-filled time!

 

Bored at work.

Longish Run and Mattresses?

April 21st (Sunday): 7:30 AM wake up. Everything bagel with schmelted peanut butter for breakfast. Used the oven broiler (door closed - Bob) to toast since the toaster oven was still at the old place.

Over to the Zim Smith trails with some of the Fleet feet women, Goup and Jeff (Fleet Feet guy) for an easy 12+ miles in 88:23. It was a relaxing run on cinder and pavement. Goup added a couple more miles with Megan so Renee Tolan drove me home back to my house. Kimber let me in since I had no key.

Showered up and over to Clifton Park to pick up a few things (knives, garbage bags, soap, and other items we thought were not essentials) in the old apartment.

Stopped over at Sleepy's Mattresses to check out some of the sales and test out some of the merchandise (Richard was a solid salesman that didn't give me any BS, the guy at the computer attempted to gain my business in some way but I shut him down fairly quickly). Next door to Panera for a half a sandwich and a half of a salad combo. We hit up a couple other places such as Metro Mattress and Raymour & Flanigan for more matrress searching (both salesman were just not great for a variety of reasons). I'm interested in a queen sized bed or a king sized bed depending on the price. We will see how it goes in the next couple weeks.

Back to the house to nap for a couple hours. The Mill for dinner and watch the basketball game. Out of state licenses. No service at the bar. Peace. Recovery Room down the road for wings and Angry Orchard Ciders (cinnamon on the rim). 20 wings. Buffalo bleu cheese, margarita lime, BBQ, and garlic Parmesan. Mmmm.

Home to get ready for bed and pass out for the night.

71 miles for the week and a solid week overall.

Moo-ving

April 20th (Saturday): 8am wakeup. Bagel for breakfast. UHaul was reserved for 10am so we started taking apart the big things and packing up clothes. We gave Kimber the responsibility of the kitchen and dishes. Picked up the UHaul and brought it back to the apartment. The next 3 hours was spent bringing the couch, beds, futon, dressers, weight bench and any larger items into the back of the UHaul. Kimber and I made a short break at Starbucks for a coffee (I grabbed a petite vanilla bean scone) before heading over to unload into the Townhouse on Sylvan Trail.  Snacked on Nilla Wafers all day for energy pellets.

Unloaded all the smaller stuff into the garage space and moved the beds, couch, and futon through the front door. Much easier than the apartment in Clifton Park. Returned the UHaul by 2:30ish or so. Back to the new place to unpack a few things before changing up for an easy run. 7++ miles (50:47). Found a bike path that was secluded, hilly, ran by a river, and possibly short trail off of it. Already waaaaay better than flat, busy, bornig Clifton Park roads.

Kimber and I stopped at Hannaford's (almost brand new at the end of the complex) for a few things for dinner/snacks. Salad, Kashi pizzas, grapes, milk, bagels, orange juice, and yogurt. Heated up a couple medium sized pizzas in the oven and a salad.

Chilled the rest of the night. Bed at a decent hour for a longer run on Sunday.

The Rest Of The Week

April 17th (Wednesday): Standard day. 3+ miles (23:26) with Goup in the morning. Work 7:30am-4pm. Protein shake for breakfast. PB&J for lunch. Beautiful day out. 2nd run. 7.5 (46:27 plus 6xstrides). Solid day of recovery running. No real soreness.

April 18th: (Thursday): Protein shake for breakfast. Chicken, pasta, onions and cheddar cheese in the form of a cake for lunch. Work 7am-4:30pm. Long day. I was supposed to teach in the morning, but not enough contractors showed up.

Up to Saratoga to run with our buddy Shaun Donegan. Wicked sweet trails. 8 miles (58+) accompanied with Shaun's buddy that mountained "with us." It was some tougher terrain so we waited up for him a couple times at intersections. Stopped at Hannaford's real quick to grab a few things. I rocked my short shorts through the grocery store. Might of gotten a few weird looks.

No real dinner.

April 19th (Friday): Cereal and protein shake for breakfast. Work 7:30am-4pm. Stopped off at USPS to get a couple money orders for our security deposit. Made it to the rental office with 15 minutes to spare. Signed the lease and grabbed the keys after forking over a bunch of money. Sweeeet! Called and rented a Uhaul for Saturday afternoon. Boom!

Back by 5:15ish to use the bathroom before heading over to Chen high school for a workout with some of the Fleet Feet guys/girls. 20 minute warmup through the trails with everybody. 3x2k workout with Alex Paley and Ricardo. Solid workout, but couldn't hang after the 1st one. Sub 5 minute pace wasn't what my legs were feeling. 6:15, 6:19, 6:22. 19 minute cooldown through the trails. 10.5 miles on the day.

52 miles for Monday-Friday. Ready for some weekend running and moving into the new townhouse!!

Busy Bee

April 16th (Tuesday): 6:30am wakeup. 3+ miles (22:13) on my own. Protein shake for breakfast. Work 8am-4:30pm. Busy day at work. Nonstop running around, but a productive day.

Back to the apartment to relax and get ready for a 2nd run. The workout was the classic 30, 60, 90 10 mile work. 10+ mile loop. 2 mile warmup. 5 x 30, 60, 90. Through 5 miles in 30:08. Through 7 miles in 41:19. Through 10 miles in 58:32 and finished up in 58:42. Smooth run. Hip acted up on the last 90 seconds on and put a hitch in my step.

Back to stretch, foam roll, and ice my hips. Chilled for the night and used my heating pad while laying in bed. It has an auto 2 hour shutoff so I heated for the 2 hours and fell asleep in the process. Woke up to remove it and fall back asleep.

13 miles on the day and getting back in the groove.

Approved!

April 15th (Monday): 6:30am wakeup. Protein shake and a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast. Work 7:30am-4pm. Bought the Alaskan roll (sushi) for lunch. Cucumber, avocado, crab stick, and raw salmon. Mmm. So healthy and refreshing. Called up Northway 11 Communities to inquire about the status of our application. Approved by management! Boom baby!

Swung by the place after work to put in our deposit to hold the townhouse until Friday. Received the copy of the lease and other essential paperwork. Home by 5pm. Chilled and out at 6pm for 10 miles (68:49) through the Kinns Roads Trails and other parts of town. Some of our last runs in Clifton Park this week. Running all the interesting routes this week instead of just the standard ones.

Back to the apartment to stretch, foam roll and shower. Protein shake and no dinner. My dad and I Facetimed to finish up my taxes (aka file an extension, need to do some research).

I'm happy my family members are safe (sistercelebrating her birthday and cousin running the race) that were in Boston. Both within a mile of the scene. Not much else I wanna say about it. Just an extremely tragic event that hits home as a runner.

Choose Carefully

April 14th (Sunday): 10am wakeup. Downstairs for a banana and some television. Made some eggs with cheddar cheese. Chilled out. Kimber's sister Erin and her husband along with Brookie stopped over for a short while.

Changed up for a run and out the door for a 13.5+ miler (1:34:54). The first 1.5 miles with Kimber up a wicked steep hill. She made it. The rest of the run was pretty hilly (I tried to find every hill along the way), but scenic. Beautiful day out.

Back to stretch, shower, and pack up my things to head back to NY by 5pm. Home by 7:45pm. A few hours spent on filing my taxes with my dad and bed by 11:30pm.

Workaholics.

3 Year Old Birthday Party

April 13th (Saturday): 6:30am wakeup. 3.5+ (24:14) on my own. Back to have a protein shake and hop on the road to Connecticut for Brookie's birthday party. At Kimber's sister house by 10:30am. From 11am-1ish, it was nonstop high energy activties. Cupcakes, ice cream, obstacle course, other mini games, and a room filled with numerous balloons to kick around and scream in. Ahh! Chilled once everyone left for a few hours.

Back to Kimber's parents house to get in 7.5+ (50:58) at 6pm. Hit up some major hills hard. Solid run. Back for a quick shower and homemade pizza. Mozzarella, cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Pepperoni and a dash of chili powder. Mmm. Ranch dressing and orange soda.

Feel asleep on the recliner and bed by 11pm. 11+ miles on the day. Productive day.

Northway 11 Community (Townhouse)

April 12th (Friday): 6:30am wakeup. Protein shake for breakfast. Double decker PB&J for lunch with some energy bars. Goup made a call to the Northway 11 Communities in Ballston Spa. Our buddy Derrick lives in a townhouse there. There was some availability and stopped by after work.

The rental office let us know that there is one townhouse available. Gave us the key and let us go check it out (gave us directions on a paper map). Checked it out from basement to the 2nd floor. Sold. Back to the office to fill out an application and hand the required paperwork (license and paystub). She let us know that the approval time is usually Monday by management at 2pm. So we could call around 2:30pm. Sweetness. It was perfect from beginning to the end. The rental office was pressuring us by showing us the place. Let us do our thang and check it out at our pace. Wayyy better. Immaculate place with all the works. Garage space, washer and dryer, basement storage, full kitchen, dishwasher, big living room, porch, half bath downstairs, and then the 2nd level. Two decent sized rooms. The bathroom is the best part.

 

The only thing we sharre is the shower.

A bathroom entirely to myself.

(I added the doors)

Home to run 10 miles (64:31) with Goup at 6pm. Smooth run. Back to stretch, foam roll, and shower. Protein shake and a bowl of cereal for dinner. Organized my room and watch Red Dawn. Bed by 12am.

I hope we get approved. Cross your fingers!