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Training Log: Week Ending 4/4/13

Weekly Total: 39 miles. Nice small-taper week before the Twin State 50!

Saturday AM: 8 miles trail, elevation galore. Another trip to Wachusett with Mr. P and Little Boy — they skied, I ran. Or, “ran.” Spring steadily chips away at the astute snow pack. The trails were 50% slush, 30% ice, 30% snow, 10% bare rock, 10% water… oh, let’s just round down to 100% crap. (And that’s not including the actual crap on the trails, courtesy of dog owners who think picking up after their pets is optional if they’re in the woods — at least get it off the trail!) Hard stuff to run on. I headed over to the steep Pine Hill trail to get some calf-burning vertical hiking up sheaths of ice with my trusty microspikes. I survived three hours on water only, then headed over to the ski lodge to join the boys for some lunch. I was all healthy with the turkey/avocado salad that I brought from home… then less healthy with a beer and bag of peanut M&Ms.

Saturday PM: 4 miles trails, more elevation. We planned to stay only an hour after lunch since rain was coming and the snow was getting increasingly bad to ski on. So I got another 4 miles in. This time I plowed through the puddles and fecklessly tweaked more than a few muscles in my lower legs. It started raining as we all walked back to the car. A good day for everyone.

Meanwhile, on the ski trails...

Sunday AM: Gyming. 30 minutes stepmill, 50 minute spinning class, about 1 mile sprints on indoor track. I don’t know what possessed me to take a spinning class. It was raining outside that morning and I had a limited exercise window for the day, so I headed to the gym. And had no intention of taking a spinning class until, well, I did. I used to love spinning classes — I blog about them constantly. But now, it was boring, annoying, yet a heck of a good workout.

Monday AM: 5 miles speedwork, treadmill. And jumprope, weights. I hate the treadmill but… for speedwork, I admit, the treadmill makes me faster.

Tuesday AM: 8 miles Bread and Butter Loop. Such a dilemma right now, that I’m supposed to be tapering for this Sunday’s Twin State 50-miler… yet my legs feel genuinely fresh, fantastic, and invigorated by this beleaguered Spring. For sure I’ve cut out the speedwork, but the miles may persist.

Wednesday AM: 8 miles Bread and Butter Loop. Another great morning to run.

Thursday AM: 6 miles , mostly easy and flat. Okay, last run before the 50 miler, I promise.

Friday AM: 60 minutes swimming.


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By Meredith – April 4, 2014

No snow! kinda warm! & sun

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By Meredith – April 3, 2014

Training Log: Weeks Ending 3/28/14

Two weeks in one!

Weekly Total: 50+ miles, a mix of snowy trail/treadmill/road. A solid and confidence-boasting week.

Saturday AM: 45 Minutes swimming.

Sunday: 28.5 miles trail running at TARC Spring Thaw 6-Hour Run (though my Garmin said 29 miles). Second Place Girl. Race report here.

Monday AM: 60 Minutes swimming. Legs felt tired for sure, but there was nothing catastrophic and the swim certainly helped.

Tuesday AM: Light gyming. I did some cycling, jump-rope, slow treadmill walking. My legs were still pretty swollen from the race so the goal is still recovery.

Wednesday AM: 60 Minutes swimming.

Wednesday PM: 9 miles road running, sort of fast.

Thursday AM: 4 miles treadmill (fast), some indoor cycling and core work.

Friday AM: 9+ miles road running, Bread and Butter Loop. Legs are still a bit tired, so I’m looking forward to a recovery week and tapering for the Twin State 50-miler.

Weekly Total: 44 mostly easy miles.  Recovery Week;-)

Saturday AM: 10 miles road running.

Sunday AM: 12 miles road running

Monday AM: 60 minutes swimming.

Tuesday AM: 60 minutes swimming.

Tuesday PM: 7 miles road.

Wednesday AM: 2 miles treadmill; assorted cycling, jume-rope, weight-train.

Thursday AM: 5 miles treadmill, speedwork.

Friday AM: 8 miles Bread and Butter loop.

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By Meredith – March 28, 2014

TARC Spring Thaw 2014: Slow and Steady Comes in Second

When it comes to trail races, I do much better (relative to the field) in bad conditions. Whether it be rocks, hills, mud, snow/ice, or a potpourri of the above, I can make up for my lack of raw speed with my pure, old-fashioned tolerance for discomfort and insanity. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when I came as second girl in the TARC Sprint Thaw 6-hour run (though, frankly, I was stunned). Results here.

It works like this: You have 6 hours to do as many 3.5 mile loops on a snowy, icy, and eventually muddy trail in a forest in Andover. Speed will get you more loops, but if you burn out early, then turtles like me might persevere.

I was aiming to do at least a marathon, because a marathon gets you a mention in Ultrarunning magazine (the print edition of which arrives at my door nearly every month, and it’s 100X more thrilling to see my name in printed magazine as compared to Internet results). I actually ended up with 28.5 miles (the first loop was actually 4 miles; there was an option to do a 2 mile loop as your last loop only, which I was planning on doing if I hadn’t had time to do the eighth loop, and which would have given me 26.5 miles). UGH, too much math. Me run, me don’t think math!

The race started at 9am Sunday morning. It was freezing. Low 20’s with a gusty, bitter wind.

Race photographer got a pre-race candid of me -- very cold

I look miserable, but I love TARC races. I always find someone congenial with whom to make small talk. This time it was an older woman with microspikes. We gabbed and shivered until the start. I was unsure if traction would be necessary, and therefore decided to do the first loop without the Yak Trax I tucked away in my drop bag. In retrospect, an odd decision considering I trained with traction all winter…

The start: a brief bit of asphalt

A bad decision: the trail was covered in snow and occasionally ice. I was miserable the first loop. My footing was cautious and clumsy; my knees were frozen, and I couldn’t mentally process “7 more loops.” My stomach felt queasy, rebellious. Lots of runners passed me, including the woman I gabbed with, her microspikes firmly clinking in the ice.

After the first loop, I slipped on my Yak Trax. The pack was thinning out, but thoughts about quitting still haunted me. My limbs were still numb and clumsy.

Second Loop: Just Not Feeling It (yet)

Lap 3 was better. I finally warmed up. I was lonely, so I slipped on one of my earbuds and listened to music (but still socialized with runners I passed, as well as the race volunteers — who are just awesome).

Laps 4 and 5: I began to feel confidence in my progress, but also some worry if I could attain a marathon in six hours, as only complete laps counted. Would I have time for the last lap? Would I have the legs? I needed to pick up my pace. Since long stretches of the trail were flat and fairly runnable with traction, I was able to do some 10 minute miles. I refueled on chocolate peanut butter cups, pretzel M&Ms, and water… and felt pretty good.

Laps 6 and 7: I was still going strong! Running repetitive loops certainly has an advantage, as I entered a “zone”… music helped, and I began looping other runners, many who were walking… I realized I would be able to finish an eighth loop, giving me 28.5 miles and I was elated. I was having a blast.

Lap 8: I started my last loop around hour 5, giving me an hour to finish (I was averaging 40-45 minutes per 3.5 loop). Easy-peasy, yet my legs were starting to feel it, so I walked the hills. The course was softer, more muddy, harder to run on. I perceived that there were significantly less runners still competing, but it didn’t hit me until I reached the end shortly before the sixth hour, and it was me and a dozen-or-so hard core ultramen and some of the easy-going walking women hanging out at the aid station, noshing unabashedly on junk food. I couldn’t hang around — I had grad school commitments — so I finished ALL of the turkey/mustard/mayo sandwiches and headed out.

Major shock when I saw the results: I came in second girl! And I narrowing missed coming in first (first girl finished 28.5 miles too, but 5 minutes faster). All the fast girls stopped had running.

So I came in second and won this AMAZING pottery hollow tree trophy, personally crafted by the AMAZING race director (who even mailed it to me):

Second-Place Race Trophy

A tremendous start to my ultrarunning season. If I do nothing else — if I don’t finish Twin State or Miwok, if I end up with crippling injuries, if my legs fall off — I have this small triumph to cling to, and this exquisite hollow tree to treasure…

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By Meredith – March 18, 2014

Training Log: Week Ending 3/14/14

Weekly Total: 51+ miles, lots of hard miles but lots of fun, too.

Saturday: 14+ miles, Middlesex Fells, 4 Hours. Hard going in the Fells, with a choppy snow pack and occasional swaths of ice. I wore my microspikes and carried a singe pole. I hiked the hills without shame.

Loving my New Sportivas -- But Sick of the Microspikes

Sunday AM: 7 miles, Wachusett trails, 2.5 hours and about 2000 ft elevation gain. I talked Mr. P into taking Little Boy skiing at the ever-popular Wachusett Mountain. It was selfish: I wanted to come along and run/hike the surrounding trails, and be able to meet them for lunch. It was hard getting the fam’ galvanized the morning after Daylight Savings! but we arrived to Wachusett ski area after 9am and, after the shuttle to the lodge and helping the get Little Boy suited up, I was running before 10am. “Running.” Good to get some vertical, but these miles in the soft snow and periodic swaths of ice are hard.

Sunday PM: 6+ miles, Wachusett trails, 2 hours and about 2000 ft elevation gain. After a brown-bag lunch with Mr. P and Little Boy, I bid them a good ski and hit the trails again. I consciously sought climbing. I made a friend on the trail, a 60ish truck driver from Worcester who kept calling me ‘miss’; he engaged me in conversation when I yielded to him because he was ascending and I was (rapidly) descending. He was intrigued that I was running. He wanted to point out things on the vista. I think he was sad to say goodbye. Mr. P and Little Boy had a nice afternoon on the trail and we returned home, everyone happy, and tired.

On Wachusett Summit -- first time of a total six times for the day

At Balance Rock, striving for the head-pic

Monday AM: 60 minutes swimming (leisurely)

Tuesday AM: 7 miles road (leisurely — legs still tired). Also went for a 3 mile walk en route to pick up Little Boy at school in the afternoon, because it was 60 degrees.

Wednesday AM: 9 miles road, bread and butter loop. Warm morning (35 degrees) and sidewalks. Legs felt much better.

Thursday AM: 60 minutes swimming.

Friday AM: 5 miles treadmill, some speed work. I’m taking it easy in anticipation of my season’s first ultra on Sunday, a 6 hour trail loop in which runners try to run as much as they can in 6 hours. I’m aiming to complete at least a marathon, maybe more — though it depends entirely on the conditions of trail, as sustaining 12-minute miles for 6 hours on choppy snow/ice doesn’t sound likely. It’s just a training race after all.

Friday PM: 3 miles road, speedy. Still taking it easy!


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By Meredith – March 15, 2014

Open Window

This evening we achieved an annual New England milestone: We opened a window. The kitty cat went nuts. He could smell fresh air and hear birds for the first time in nearly six months. When we closed the window — because it was dropping below 60 degrees — he was so sad. He methodically checked all of the windows in the house to see if they, too, were open.

Spring, you must come, and relieve this kitty cat of his feline angst.

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By Meredith – March 11, 2014

Training Log: week ending 3/7/14

Weekly Total: 52 miles road and treadmill. Would love to log some hilly trail miles but all reports say “crappy, icy” conditions.

Saturday AM: 8 miles treadmill — In the morning Mr. P had a race (Black Cat 20 miler, which he finished with a more-than respectable 7:30/mile pace), so I imprisoned Little Boy in the YMCA child watch so I could log a treadmill session. Yeah, selfish, but it was 15 degrees outside so it’s not like we could go gallivant on the playground… plus a gal buddy of his from preschool is a regular at the child watch, so he could play with her (although playing with her is a bit like playing with an excitable chihuahua). I loath the treadmill.

Saturday PM: 9 miles road. Big mistake, running a double only 90 minutes after a full lunch (and probably a bit dehydrated). Nausea started at mile 2, persisted, increased. Very lucky that I did not puke on the side of the road. When I arrived home, I found that our afternoon playdate had commenced early and everyone was sucking down beers (except the kids, of course). I gulped water and prayed for my stomach to stop its upheaval. I had to skip fish for dinner and settled for soup. On a positive note, my legs felt great.

Sunday AM: 11+ miles road. I was torn between doing a road run and trying to head out into the woods. All reports from trail runners that I’ve heard said that the woods are not good — a mixture of ankle-twisting choppy snow/ice, and general misery. Yuck.

Monday AM: BLAHHH. I had planned to swim, but also neglected to plan to set my alarm. I woke up too late to get in the pool. I instead ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill (not even worth logging, since the pace was lagging), did some light weights/core work, and about 10 minutes jump rope. As absurd as it sounds, I think this counts as a rest day.

Tuesday AM: 6 miles treadmill, 2-4% incline. It was 7 degrees outside this morning — without wind chill. So, as much as the treadmill is sucking, it’s the only sane option. At the gym I ran next to a woman who I see frequently; I’ve pegged her as a Type A rail-thin road runner. She runs without music, without television, with the speed on 8mph for an entire hour and doesn’t break a sweat until halfway through.

Wednesday AM: 8 miles road. A balmy 25 degrees in frigid winds meant I could leave the facemask at home. I looped all around our hilly neighborhood, consciously doing hill repeats… but still, the elevation gain only totaled about 600 feet (according to my watch). Legs feel strong and the niggle in my hamstring finally seems to be dead.

Thursday AM: 60 minutes swimming. Temps are back to the single-digits so I decided it would be a good pool day. I swam very leisurely and the time in the pool passed quickly.

Friday AM: 60 minutes swimming. Last morning of extreme cold? Perhaps.

Friday PM: 10 miles road. Couldn’t resist a flat, slowish road run in the 40 degree wind. Oooo, spring…

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By Meredith – March 7, 2014

Training Log, Alps Edition: Week ending 2/28/14

The silence on this blog has been us preparing for, enjoying, and recovering from our annual winter trip to France — to visit family, to ski, to remind ourselves what life would be like if we could shun all work and all school and instead spend our days working up an appetite for cheese and charcuterie. In terms of training, the trip featured a lot of great cross-training — XC ski, downhill ski, running up and down mountain roads, walking up the four flights of stairs to get to our condo… Since we’ve been back, the unbelievable single-digit cold coupled with unrunnable trails and sidewalks that are icy, blocked, and/or narrow has me, well, panicked. It’s nearly 2 months until the Miwok 10oK. I do have some training ultras coming up that should help get in some long-runs, but they will almost certainly be in snow or mud. Miwok will be a lot of “me, walk.”

Thursday Feb 13— Rest
Can you call it a “rest day” even if you only slept for an hour? We took the Wednesday night red-eye to Paris. It was a painless flight except we didn’t eat before the 8pm take off, meaning the 10pm dinner came too little and too late. I slept for about an hour before being woken up by the presentation of a yogurt and muffin on my tray table. We had an 2 hour layover in Charles de Gaulle and then a short flight over to Geneva. We collected our luggage, found our car rental, and drove about 2 hours through Savoie and a rain/snow mix. At least we were on the right side of the road! When we arrived to our condo in early evening, we were all pretty hungry. Mr. P made the executive decision to let Little Boy eat one of the eclairs we bought at a market stop along the way. About 30 minutes later, Little Boy’s stomach rejected the eclairs and all the contents of his stomach. It was the first time he’s vomited so we couldn’t get too mad that he did it all over the sofa — now he knows what impending vomit feels like, and that running to the nearest bathroom is paramount. We were unsure if Little Boy was truly sick or if it was the rigors of travel/bad airline food/bad parental decisions (it turned out to be the latter). After dinner with the in-laws, I collapsed gratefully to bed.

Friday Feb 14 — Running: ~7 miles, big hills. XC skating about 2 hours.
Woke up and went running. Where our condo is, there’s only two places to run via road: Up, or down. I started up to the next village, Les Coches. Then I came down so Mr. P could also run up and down. After lunch, Mr. P. took Little Boy (who seemed in better health) and his little girl cousin sledding while I did some XC skating on my beloved XC trail.

Saturday Feb 15: Alpine skiing all day
In the domaine where we ski, Saturdays feature discounted lift tickets because this is the day when vacation rentals end/start. So for 30 euros each, Mr. P and I had the pleasure of skiing in the entire domaine in relatively light crowds with Little Boy and his 7-year old British cousin for nearly the entire day. We stopped for hot dogs and sandwiches at noon after the boys’ incessant pleas for food made us feel negligent. “I only turn when I get scared,” my nephew told me, and he is true to his word. I believe Little Boy is becoming a disciple to this philosophy.

Cousins on the ski lift

Thumbs up for the hotdog

Mr. P managed to find donuts in France

Wining and Dining (but mostly wining)

It is unfair to compare skiing in the French Alps to skiing in New England. We can walk to the ski lift from our condo and instantly have access to some many trails and lifts that one could not really endeavor to ski all of them in one day. The snow is generous, powdery; the views are superlative. Although for pure physicality I prefer XC ski, I truly treasure the time that I can spend with my family as we lounge on a ski lift, knowing we have no obligations for the day except to ski, eat, and perhaps shower 😉

Mont Blanc in the background

Sunday Feb 16: XC ski (classic) morning; alpine skiing in afternoon

Snowing all day. In the morning Mr. P took Little Boy skiing with his sister, brother-in-law, and the nephew who only turns when he’s scared. I headed out on the XC trail in my classic skis. I had to break trail in about 3 inches of fluffy, sticky powder. It was not a pleasurable experience as my skis quickly collected sticky thick ice that prevented any gliding WHATSOEVER. We met back home for lunch and then I grabbed Mr. P’s ski pass to head back out with the crew for about two hours of Alpine skiing.

The View of our Village from the ski lift

Monday Feb 17: Running 1 hour morning, alpine skiing all day

Another morning of up-and-down. I hit the road at 7am, right after dawn. It was a gorgeous morning;  yesterday’s snow clung to the coniferous trees and the sky was a clear deep blue. Running on the side of a snowy mountain road is tricky business, and I do not deny that I feared for my life as cars and trucks sped past me. But, what good training for Miwok!

Mr. P and I took Little Boy out skiing before his first day of ski school at 11am, and then we skied together before picking him up at 1pm, and then after lunch we skied for another 2 hours. After all this, Little Boy found the energy to sled with his cousins.

Tuesday Feb 18: Running 1 hour morning, alpine skiing all day
More dawn up-and-down. It’s about 45 minutes to go up and 15+ minutes to come down, for a total of 5 miles. Today was forecast to be a good day weather wise — like yesterday, only cloudier — so we headed out for another full day of skiing. This time, we left Little Boy with his Papi in the morning so he could take him to ski school — we didn’t want to tire him out before he could impress the teacher.

Wednesday Feb 19: Running 1 hour morning, XC skating 2.5 hours (13 miles)
Bad weather day — a light but persistent snow/freezing rain and a low thick fog. Good thing we were ready for a day from Alpine. I woke up early for some more up-and-down running and then, after breakfast, hit the XC trails for some skating. 2 and half hours of skating, dear lord. That’s cross-training. I took it easy in the afternoon and busied myself around the apartment in anticipation of a well-earned cheese fondue dinner.

Thursday Feb 20 Running 1 hour morning, Alpine Skiing all day
I skipped the mountain road and decided to try running on a flatter trail near our village. The footing was not too bad and after about 2 miles I found an old road that seemed to only service a few farms, so no traffic — only barking dogs protecting their cows. The weather was pretty good. At night, we had signed up Little Boy for the descente aux flambeaux — where skiers (mostly children and instructors) descend the main slope into the village carrying torches. We feared it would be disastrous and Little Boy would hate us forever for signing him up, but he came down the mountain with a big smile on his face amid the cheers and cheesy techno music.

descente aux flambeaux

descente aux flambeaux

Friday Feb 21 Running 90 minutes morning, XC Skating 2 hours

Not a good weather day — snowy and drizzly — but a very good XC workout.

Saturday Feb 22 Running 1 hour morning, Alpine Skiing all day
Very fun but sad day skiing with Mr. P’s sister, brother in law, and Little Boy and his cousin. Sunny but cold day. Last day of vacation.

Little Boy with Auntie and Cousin

Last lunch in France ;-(

Sunday Feb 23: Airplane!

Monday Feb 24: 6 miles treadmill. Hello treadmill, my old friend… It would be the warmest morning all week and I should have run outside, but having just arrived the night before I was unsure of the state of the sidewalks.

Tuesday Feb 25: 7 miles treadmill.

Wednesday Feb 26: 7 miles road, some gentle hill repeats. I needed to get outside. It was cold — 15 degrees. I kept waiting to warm up, but the exertion never balanced out the effects of prolonged exposure. I jogged mostly around a hilly residential area so I could stay on the road and not have to navigate the sidewalks.

Thursday Feb 27: AM: 5 miles treadmill, cycling, weights. PM: 3.5 miles road.

Friday Feb 28: 70-ish minutes swimming. Haven’t been in the pool in awhile, but I didn’t feel too out of shape for swimming. I really tried to get a cardio workout so I pushed the pace a little hard and today I can feel a vague sense of soreness in my obliques.

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By Meredith – March 1, 2014

Training Log: Week Ending 2/8/14

Weekly totals: 13 miles trail, 30 miles road/treadmill. Various cross-train efforts, inside and outside. Solid week.

Sunday AM: 13 miles trail, Middlesex Fells, 3 hours, 900 ft elevation. Warm weather in the midst of winter can be great. Everyone goes outside, like, “Ooo, the air is so warm! I’m going to take a walk in the woods.” But warm air melts snow and makes ice. Trails are particularly prone to ice because the snow is melted and packed from foot tread. So even though it was 45 degrees when I started running (and 54 degree when I stopped), the trails at the Fells were still about 50% ice. Anyone running would need traction. Foreseeing this, I had brought my microspikes. I wore them for the first half mile on ice-free trail, decided I didn’t need them, returned to the car to drop them off… then ran another 3/4 mile, decided I definitely needed microspikes, and went back to the car to get them.

Cringe: my microspikes clash with my socks

Despite the conditions, it was a nice run overall. I can feel myself getting stronger on hills and building endurance.

No such thing as a good running Selfie

Monday AM: 8 miles, Bread and Butter Loop. Snows a-coming. Better get the miles while I can!

Tuesday AM: 60 minutes swimming.

Wednesday AM: 7+ miles treadmill, moderate sprints; plus 4+ miles walking, and 2+ hours snow shoveling/sledding. I awoke before the big snow storm started. But, not knowing the previous night when the snow would start, I had planned to walk the 2 miles to the gym for some treadmill. So I walked to the gym, ran 7+ miles, did some squats and foam-rolling… and I emerged to find about 2 fluffy inches of snow on the sidewalks. Tough walking! By the time I made it home, it was probably 4 inches. Total snow: A foot? Between working at home, I shoveled a bunch of heavy snow and took Little Boy sledding with some neighborhood kids.

Walking home at storm start

Thursday AM: 6 miles treadmill, easy (9-10 min/miles, 2% grade). Woke up to find that yesterday’s snow storm was not a dream. Looks like the treadmill and I will be getting quite cozy.

Friday AM: 3 miles treadmill, 30 minutes spinning, weights.

Saturday AM: 30 minutes intense snowshoe, 40 minutes freeezzing backcountry ski, 6 miles treadmill. With a foot of powder on the ground, I was looking forward to a long morning snowshoe/XC romp in the woods. But… it was cold. 10 degrees, feels like -2, the sort of cold that eats through all the layers of moisture-wicking fabric and creates disquieting, instinctive thoughts like “Go back to the car, go home, get warm, eat fried eggs.” My fingers were numb and my hindquarters were itchy-cold; instead of warming me up, the physical exertion just made me feel worse. Since I have a 15K road race tomorrow, I listened to my body and returned to the car. I then decided to take Little Boy to the YMCA while Mr. P did some shopping to avail ourselves of the free morning child-watch. I planned to do an easy 3 miles on the treadmill, but found myself in simply peak interval condition, and managed 6 miles in 53 minutes — and that’s including the 3-4 breaks for drinking water/sopping up sweat. Must be the restorative power of fried eggs! Little Boy had a good time in the child-watch because there was a little girl from his preschool there, and this little girl adores Little Boy with a ferocity that will probably be unrivaled for some years to come.

Sunrise through Pine Alley

Sunrise at Lone Tree Hill

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By Meredith – February 8, 2014

Training Log: Week Ending 2/1/14

Totals: 40 miles, mostly road. 3 hours swimming. A nice recovery week after the hard snowy miles in the woods.

Sunday AM: 6 miles treadmill. Mr. P was doing geeky work stuff all day, so I had only had a small window of exercise availability in the early morning… when it was 13 degrees (“Feels like -6”). I just couldn’t bring myself to go outside — the polar wind was brutal. I drove to the gym and gladly pounded out 6 non-stop 9-minute miles in climate-controlled comfort. After hearing that an acquaintance-of-an-acquaintance got frostbite on her nose doing 15 miles along the Charles River that same morning, I feel it was a wise decision.

Monday AM: 8 miles road, Bread and Butter loop. I would normally be taking a recovery day, but this was the one morning all week that was not forecast to be in the single-digits. 25 degrees with no wind… balmy! The sidewalks in the Watertown portion of the run were impeccably clear — bravo, citizens of Watertown! You are an example to my fellow residents of Belmont, who apparently could not be bothered to shovel 2 inches of snow off of the sidewalk to avoid creating public ice rinks that force pedestrians onto the roads. (I get snippy when I’m cold.)

Tuesday AM: 60 minutes swimming.

Wednesday AM: 50 minutes spinning, 10 minutes rowing.

Wednesday PM: 3 miles road. Work turned me into a ball of stress, and my (intentional) block of running recovery had my legs feeling wooden. Since everyone else in the world took a 90 minute lunch, I left a bit early to do a small shakeout run in body-numbing cold and wind.

Thursday AM: 60 minutes swimming.

Friday AM: 60 minutes swimming. A lot of time in the pool, but oddly I’ve found the more I swim, the quicker time passes. If I only go once a week, the hour just crawls by…

Friday PM: 10 miles road, Pancake loop. I have my Bread and Butter loop, but I also have my Pancake loop… because it’s flat. There are various permutations to the Pancake loop depending on how far I want to go, but today I cut across Alewife to the Minuteman bike path. It was reverse split run simply because the three-day recovery made my legs twinge at a 10 min/mile pace until about mile 4, when I bumped it up to 9 min/mile and then a couple 8:30 min/miles. On the way back I did do a short hill. It was about 35 degrees and windy. There’s saying snow next week so I’m enjoying it while I can.

Saturday AM: 13 miles road, Bread and Butter loop plus flat miles near Fresh Pond. I only had a limited window to run this morning, so I decided to do a hilly road run. Temps were a nice 35 degrees, with a definite warmth in the air.

I want to post a picture, but since I’m not about to take selfies of myself running on the road, here’s the lovely egg/spinach/fatty bacon breakfast that I treated myself to post-run:

Half-marathon Refuel

Saturday PM: 2 mile walk, Fresh Pond. It wasn’t really that warm, but warm enough (45 degrees) to take a family walk around the Fresh Pond Reservoir. We brought Little Boy’s bicycle. He actually walked most of it because cycling made him cold, but he got back on the bike at the end. At the end, I called my father to wish him a Happy Birthday. My Dad is a class act.

Mr. P helping Little Boy up the slippery slope


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By Meredith – February 1, 2014