TGIF – ATM Run
this morning greeted me with clear skies and lots of stars. temps were in the upper teens with little to no wind. i headed to the gas station with my trusty Ziploc® baggie and my debit card to get some cash out of the ATM. all told, i ran 6 miles at slightly slower than 8 minute pace.
here is a fact that may only impress a few people. the distance around the world at the equator is estimated at 24,901 miles. at the moment, i’m only 50k short of that. early next week i should be done with my first lap around the earth.
MTD – 131
YTD – 532.7
Odometer – 24,870
ides of march
this morning i headed out with temps in the mid 30’s. i improvised a course down past bethesda park and noticed that the fox river was overflowing it’s banks. on the way back, on the glacial drumlin trail, i stepped on a doggie "land mine" that some irresponsible owner left on the trail. i guess it would pay to have my headlamp with me. i actually slid a few inches so i’m assuming it was "fresh". regardless, i mustered 7.1 miles at 8:22 pace.
while the "ides of march" had one meaning for Julius Caesar, it means something completely different to someone prepping for the boston marathon. at this point in the training cycle, physically you’re beat up and mentally you’re spent. you’ve got some nagging tweaks as well as some aches and pains that begin to creep up on you.
that being said, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 10 more days in the training phase and then 3 weeks of a taper. all told, one month to go before race day in beantown.
double down
tuesday evening was so pleasant that i headed out for another 7 miles after work. temps were in the upper sixties with a strong south wind. i ended up running slightly under 8 minute pace, showered up and headed home.
wednesday morning i headed out with a balmy 50 degrees and a bit of humidity. i headed north up university and headed home after making it up to I-94. the pace ended up to be slightly over 8 minute pace for 7.1 miles.
MTD – 117.9
YTD – 519.6
Odometer – 24,857
march heat wave
it was all of 47 degrees this morning. surprisingly, my hands were a little cold so i pulled my jacket sleeves down over them. there is a difference between mid 40’s with sun and mid 40’s at 5AM in the morning…in the dark. i ended up heading out for 3.5 miles and back on the glacial drumlin trail. on the way out it took me 29:30 and on the way back it took me 27:45 for an average pace of 8:11.
sunny sunday
i headed out in the afternoon with sunny skies and temps in the mid 40’s. winds were from the WSW so i headed out on the glacial drumlin trail. i ran 9.5 miles out in 1:20 then came back over the same route in 1:17:30. granted, it’s downhill on the way back (plus a tailwind) but it was positive to see a negative split for the effort. overall, the pace was 8:17 per mile.
i ended up with 56.8 miles for the week. two more weeks of training remain then a three week taper to boston.
this morning i skipped running. my legs were a bit heavy from the previous few days and i was a bit short on sleep. overall, the weather looks favorable for the week.