Monday, December 31, 2012

Last run of the old year. Left the house at about 4:00 pm, and did 8 and a half at just under 7:00/mi. pace. Felt a little tired; tomorrow try to run earlier in the day. Roads still narrow from the inch and a half of snow we got on Saturday night.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Got out just after sunset (4:18 pm) and headed out on the somewhat snowy roads. Ran 6:18's ten and a quarter miles, motivated by the headlights of oncoming cars and icy roads with no shoulder. Felt really good to get this in today; hip is fine after a few days of consistent running, convincing me further that the worst thing for short-term "injuries" is taking days off.

Thank you, Jesus!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

9 and a half this afternoon with light snow starting, which turned to rain, which I think just turned back to snow. Spent the morning in Rockport walking around with family.
Checked on mini meet three results, still looking for 4 x mile...

54 miles for the week on 5 days of running. Hopefully this week will be a little more consistent.

Friday, December 28, 2012

10 this morning in just about 70 minutes. Got out the door just after 7:00, to be back to spend the day with family.

Yesterday went for 12 in the wind and (light) rain in an hour and 19 minutes.

(45 so far this week on four days of running.)

Thursday, December 27, 2012

After another day off Tuesday for Christmas (despite my early AM alarm clock - the snooze reflex is becoming way too good) and a continuation of my poor holiday eating choices: so much pie, cookies, chocolate...anyway,

Yesterday went out feeling like I should get in as much as I could, so clipped along at 6:20's for 13 miles. Nice out and back into Topsfield with some good hills. Today with the milder weather I'm looking forward to another 10 or so.

My left hip is sore from too many hard days on with the following day off, and I'm looking forward to some post-Christmas consistency. I'm off from work until next Wednesday, so finding the time shouldn't be a problem.

Monday, December 24, 2012 (Christmas Eve)

Children are nestled snug in their beds, stockings are hung, presents are wrapped...

Did 9.64 in 58:02 today. (After no run yesterday, travelling home from NJ), started out in 6:46, then 6:24, 6:18, 6:13, 6:01, 5:56, 5:46, 5:38, 5:36; 3:24 for last .64. (a nearly Navas-like second half)

Had a nice (almost) 15-miler, very hilly, with Heather's brother Andrew on Saturday afternoon in NJ.

12 on Friday first day there. Heather's parents love on the middle of a huge hill or small mountain. Left at the end of their driveway is about a .9 mi. climb; right takes you down for about a mile.

Thursday morning I did 7 before work; we left for New Jersey at noon.

Last week (Sunday-Saturday) I was around 75 miles for the week, which is my highest week in a couple months, I think.

Not sure about the mini-meet this Saturday or maybe a race on New Year's Day.

What's Happened?

Since April, a couple big changes. First, our daughter Emma was born on May 21st (two days before her big sister Grace's third birthday). She has been a real joy, the easiest of our three children at this age. I also got a new job as head Cross-country / Track & Field Coach at Gordon College, a small Christian liberal arts college in Wenham, MA. I hung up my tool belt and am relishing the opportunity to coach full-time and really invest in my athletes here and the program as a whole (something I was never really able to do at the high school level - usually I was changing in the car from my construction clothes into my running gear and trying to come up with an appropriate workout on the ride to practice). My new schedule allows for some more time with my family, which is nice, since my son, Benjamin, started kindergarten this fall, and now I can bring him to school every morning. It also means I'm not completely wiped out at the end of the day, which my wife appreciates. And I have ample daylight hours to train. I've been favoring the midday run so far this fall, since the light is short and the mornings and evenings are cold. I can hardly remember what it felt like to get up and run before 5:00 am, like I was doing last summer and fall; now I usually hit snooze at 7:15.

My training has been consistent this summer and fall, if not exorbitant. I had a nice 3k on Saturday at BU in 8:40.80 (about 6.5 seconds better than my previous best). It makes me think there might be a sub-15:00 5k coming some time this winter if I can make it a priority.

Other highlights from the past few months:

winning the Essex Turkey Trot 8k, for the fifth time since 2006, in 25:51 (my third fastest time there);

winning the Scot Trot 5k at Gordon College in October in 15:49, proving to my college athletes that they can still get faster for a lot of years;

winning the Around the Goose 7k in Gloucester in September in a course record (?) 23:05;

finishing 9th at the Yankee Homecoming 10-Mile in Newburyport in July in 54:32.