No Longer a Fool

I'm guessing your Friday fatigue was more about the 5K the day before than the miles. How are the free massages going? I have been trying to get a PT-type massage once a month and it's really been helpful as she targets the specific running muscles that ache.

JohnP wrote:I'm guessing your Friday fatigue was more about the 5K the day before than the miles. How are the free massages going? I have been trying to get a PT-type massage once a month and it's really been helpful as she targets the specific running muscles that ache.

The medium moderate run (the 12 on Friday) was tough to run after the 5k.  We knew that to be the case, though, as it was scheduled that way for the purpose of running on tired legs. 

I think what hurt me was that we went out to dinner on Friday night that lasted from 10:00 to 1:30 am and I was up at 7:30 to head to Wisconsin.  But the dinner was at NEXT, which included 19 courses, and was worth sacrificing some sleep. 

The massages have been great. I was supposed to have one Sunday but had to cancel because of the late run.  Hopefully I can get in sometime this week as part of my recovery week.

Week 7 of Chicago Marathon training: August 19 – August 25

Monday: 4 miles easy (8:07) + FS1.  I was tempted to take today off.  I felt exhausted from last night’s strong 22 miler.  Flaherty instead advised a super easy 4 miles and a hard functional strength routine.  It was a good call.  I definitely felt refreshed afterwards. 

Tuesday:  4 miles easy (7:47) + FS2 and 8 miles easy (7:07). Same routine as yesterday at lunch; short, easy run followed by hard FS.  I started to feel back to normal on the 8 mile easy run home. 

Wednesday: 16 miles total.  6 miles moderate (6:42, 6:24, 6:37, 6:34, 6:37, 6:17); 6 mile progression (5:59, 5:48, 5:38, 5:35, 5:30, 5:45); 1 mile easy; 2 miles 30/30 (5:50, 5:54); 1 mile cool-down.  I went hard today.  I felt good on the 6 mile moderate portion. I did the first 2 miles of the progression on my own and then met with Brandon Mull (2:18 marathoner) for the first part of his tempo, as I purposely wanted to push it today.  Hung with him for 3 miles until the 90 degree heat caught up with me.  I was pretty spent by the end of the 6 progression run. Nevertheless, I gutted out the scheduled 2 miles alternating 30 seconds hard/30 seconds easy fartlek.  I was wrecked by the time I got home, and was even a little lightheaded. 

Thursday: 4 miles easy (8:02) + 10 miles easy (7:01).  Not really any muscular soreness, but overall quite fatigued. And definitely dehydrated, no matter how much water I chugged today.  

Friday: 8 miles easy (7:29). I’m standing up this weekend in my friend’s wedding in Champaign.  To kick off the weekend, we golfed this morning.  So this run was sandwiched between golf and the rehearsal dinner – while the rest of the wedding party took a nap.  To say I was jealous is an understatement. 

Saturday: 16 miles total with 4 x 3 miles at goal marathon pace. 

Set 1 – 5:55, 5:55, 5:51
Set 2 – 5:53, 5:56, 5:50
Set 3 – 5:53, 5:48, 5:46 
Set 4 – 5:54, 5:51, 5:50

First two sets were smooth enough. I started to feel some fatigue in the 3rd, and the 4th was a complete grind (and included about a 30 second break halfway through to collect myself).  I finished feeling similar to Wednesday – i.e. the workout was complete but I was definitely spent.  The weather was a little warm (~85 degrees when I finished) so I’ve been really battling to stay hydrated.  Looking at the data, the results are about where I wanted them to be, but I didn’t feel as good as I would have liked.  I’m at that point of the training cycle where I’m fighting through the cumulative fatigue.

Sunday: 10 miles easy (7:29) + FS2.  Some fatigue, but that was partly due to the wedding-related partying last night.  

Week: 80 miles. Overall, a nice mental refresher.  Legs weren’t as fresh as I’d have liked, but that usually seems to be the case during recovery weeks.  Between Wednesday and Saturday's workouts, 20 of the 80 miles were at MP, so there was a decent amount of quality here.

Looks like training is going well, Dave.  I expect great things from you this year! 

Was it still the Vegan menu at Next?  And did you get the wine pairings?  
Looks like some great training!  Especially with the sticky weather we've been having. Definitely nice to hit marathon pace for so many miles. What type of strength workouts are in your strength routines?

4 weeks since a weekly summary, huh?  When did I become so lazy when it comes to blogging?  

The high level review: The focus shifted to quality these last 4 weeks.  Before that, I had 6 weeks over 100 miles (average of 106/week, to be exact) and a recovery week of 80 miles.  The plan now was to cut out 15 miles per week with the main goal being to nail 2-3 workouts per week.  For the most part, it's been a success, save for 2 bombs. I'll just highlight the key workouts of each week --- 

Week 8, Aug. 16 - Sept 1: On Wednesday I put in 16 miles at a 6:20 cumulative pace, broken down as first 8 at 90% of MP (i.e. 6:25 pace) and 6 miles at goal MP (5:50). I nailed it. I did not, however, nail Sunday's planned workout.  I was scheduled for 20 total with 10-12 alternative between 5:30 and 6:10 pace each half mile (so targets of 2:45 and 3:05). For whatever reason, I am 0 for 3 attempting this workout. It owns me. I made it 4 miles into the planned workout and felt like I had just raced.  What. The. Fuck.  I swore off the workout forever, and ended up walk/jogging for 5 miles back to my condo in Wisconsin (after contemplating hitchhiking) because I was so beaten.  To make matters worse, I was obviously late getting home and my friends that were coming up for the weekend were waiting outside. I may have punched a wall out of frustration (real mature).  If not for a great day on the lake, I might have quit running forever after this one. 

Week 9, Sept. 2 - 8: Once again, 2 hard workouts planned this week. The first was a new one: 1 mile hard alternating 30 seconds hard/30 seconds moderate; 4 sets of hill drills; 4 miles at goal MP; and another 1 mile 30/30. The purpose is to tire your legs before running the MP portion. With that in mind, I hammered the first 30/30 mile in 5:00 on the dot, then made my legs quiver on the hill bounding and hill springing. After that, it took a half mile to settle into 5:50 pace, but once I did, the 4 miles passed without a problem. I couldn't quit hit the same pace on the last 30/30 mile (5:13), but boy did I finish spent. 

The second hard workout was the Chicago Half Marathon, which now ranks somewhere in my top 5 worst races of all time. And I didn't even really race it. The plan was to aim for about goal MP, which was easy for 8 miles (5:49, 5:48, 5:43, 5:45, 5:46, 5:46, 5:50, 5:54).  Then things went south. The 90% humidity and 70 dew point got me. I don’t know if my body handles humidity worse than others, but when I crash in the humidity, it’s a total body shut down.  At mile 11 I didn't know if I could even finish.  I was light-headed, and thought I was on the brink of simultaneously crapping and puking on myself. Running is awesome.  

So for those scoring at home, that's two consecutive horrible running weekends.  But...

Week 10, Sept. 10 - 15:  I turned it around this week. It started with a simple, even-paced 8 mile MP run on Tuesday. I stuck to the treadmill because for some unknown reason the weather in September has sucked. But I got my mojo back and stopped panicking that I can't run 5:50 pace.  

Then on Thursday I reclaimed my Fastest Attorney in Chicago title. My only goal was to win the race, so put no stock in the 16:46 finishing time. I let others set the pace for 2 miles - 5:22, 5:38.  The lead pack was 4 at this point, with 2 more not far back.  At soon as we hit mile 2 I made a move.  One came with me.  And not only came with me, but tried to gap me at 2.5.  I didn't check my watch but knew we were moving.  We went through mile 3 in 5:02, just about dead even.  I put my head down and did my best Mo Farah impression to pull away.  My Garmin had me at 4:17 pace for the last .15.   Sometimes winning tactically is more fun than a time-trial. 

More important for marathon fitness was my 20 mile run on Sunday. The schedule called for 5 x 3 miles with a 1 mile interval at MP +15-20 seconds.  So yeah, 18 hard miles.  The results:

Set 1- 6:01, 5:54, 5:54 (6:22 interval)
Set 2 – 5:56, 5:52, 5:52 (6:13)
Set 3 – 5:48, 5:55, 5:45 (6:11)
Set 4 – 5:49, 5:52 (emergency bathroom stop, then a 6:35)
Set 5 – 5:47, 5:47

Though the bathroom stop sort of ruined my groove, I still consider the workout a major success.  That's 13 MP miles and 20 total at a 6:10 pace. As pissed as I was last weekend, I capped off this week back in the "I am in PR shape" camp. 

Week 11, Sept. 16 - 22:  I've learned that when my coach says, "we have two beastly workouts scheduled this week," he means it.  The first was my last chance at revenge at the 2:45/3:05 alternating half mile workout.  Flaherty wanted 12.  Oof.  Complicating matters, I flew into Napa Tuesday night (poor me, I know) for a Wednesday afternoon wedding.  Didn't matter. I was pissed off at this workout and determined to get the better of it. I found a 2.5 mile paved bike path not far from our Motel, and the weather gods cooperated with a temperature of 48 degrees at 8:00 am.  Finally, on the 4th try, I won.  

2:44, 3:08 (5:52)
2:45, 3:05 (5:50)
2:45, 3:03 (5:48)
2:45, 3:05 (5:50)
2:45, 3:05 (5:50)
2:45, 3:07 (5:52)
2:42, 3:05 (5:47)
2:43, 3:05 (5:48)
2:44, 3:06 (5:50)
2:40. 3:07 (5:47)
2:42, 3:05 (5:47)
2:38, 2:56 (5:34)

That's a cumulative pace of 5:48.  I finished with a fist pump and a "screw you, bitch!" directed at the workout. Have I mentioned running is awesome? 

With my confidence as high as its been in years after that workout, I was left with 20 miles at 95% of MP on Saturday morning. With a goal pace of 5:50,that means 6:08 as a target.  I've never done such an aggressive long run, and frankly, was worried about it.  With no taper, that's a serious workout. That point was reinforced when Flaherty reminded me via text that this one would require a race-like focus and effort.  

It turned out to be one of those runs where you know from mile 1 your body had its "A" game. Splits for the 20:  6:18, 6:15, 6:00, 6:04, 6:06, 6:05, 6:05, 6:05, 6:06, 6:12, 6:09, 6:06, 6:14, 6:05, 6:02, 6:03, 6:10, 6:08, 6:17 (hurting), 6:05 (took everything I had).  Looking back, the first 12 were smooth and easy.  I hit some fatigue during mile 13, and after 14, stopped for my first water break.  I got back into the groove through 16, and on a normal day, I probably would have backed off there and cruised in at 6:45 pace. But I remembered this was a test run of sorts, and I had permission to “go to the well." The last two were as close to last 10k of marathon I've come in a workout, but I was thrilled to finish it right on pace.  If the goal of the week was to focus on the two workouts, I don’t think I could have asked for much more. 

Summary: Goofing around aside - of which there's a fair amount above - I reminded myself last night to not overreact to either the highs (the 5 x 3 mile, 12 miles of 2:45/3:05, and the 20 at 6:08 pace) or the lows (the Chicago Half, the first attempt at 2:45/3:05). There's still work to be done in the next 20 days, but I am fit, healthy, and in position to gun for a PR.  Can't ask for more than that!

The good with the bad, and that is how it goes and how it should be.  Nice work, Dave-O - keep it up.

These past four weeks were quite the roller coaster - but the progress you've been making is very real. You're in good position for that PR.

Very nice week 11!

I like the part where very fast and talented runners (ie yourself) sometimes feel like they need Depends, too.  Makes us normal folks go "oh, EVERYBODY poops."

Some ups and downs in running over the past few weeks, but the ups probably outweigh the downs.  It looks like you're t-ing up nicely for a PR soon!!!

One last update before race day?  One last update before race day. 

My last summary ended with 20 miles at 6:08 pace. It went great, but it was a mini-race effort of sorts. Thus I was thrilled when coach emailed me the following week's plan and it started with 5 straight easy days, with just some strides, form drills, and core work included. This is where having a coach is truly beneficial - I would have never taken it so easy on myself. 

That weekend (and before leaving for a bachelor party in Vegas), I did 18 miles with the first 10 at 6:15 pace and the next 6 at 5:50 pace. It was smooth and easy, always a good sign 15 days out from the marathon. 

Since then, the real taper has kicked in, with just a few moderate efforts: (1) A 4 mile tempo cut-down with splits of 5:50, 5:39, 5:28 and 5:17; (2) 6 moderate miles followed by 2 miles of 30 seconds hard/30 second moderate that came in at 5:08 and 5:10; (3) 12 miles at 90% of goal pace, 6:25 pace; and (4) 3 miles at goal pace, 5:55, 5:49, 5:45.  

I'm all systems go.  I'm healthy and fit. The weather may not be ideal, but its good enough for a PR.  And work has kept me busy enough this week that I haven't suffered from the usual taper madness. 

I realized this week that this will be my 10th consecutive Chicago Marathon started. The previous 9 have brought both highs (BQ, first sub-3, PR of 2:34) and some lows (DNF at mile 22 due to cramps, intentional DNF at mile 14 because it was 90 fricken degrees, and a 1:13 "half" in which I was on 1:09 pace until vomiting during mile 9).  

In other words, I never know what the day will hold when I line up on Columbus and Balbo. But whatever the case, I'm mentally and physically ready to give it my all.  Best of luck to everyone else running, and I hope to share a post-race drink with you!

I often read about elite runners taking 2 weeks off following a goal marathon.  I've always wondered -- do they really take that time off?  As in, not run a step?  Or does "off" mean a handful of short easy jogs? 

In the past, I've always adopted the later definition. Following my fall marathon, I've taken it incredibly easy for two weeks, which has meant running 4-6 miles, often untimed, every other day or so.  If for no other reason, its what I've done because I enjoy running. I haven't wanted to take 2 weeks off. 

This year, I had my incentive: A 10-day trip to Italy with Britt. I've always run during our vacations, but that's easy to do when the vacation mainly involves lounging on the beach. But this trip was different. I knew we'd be out and about every day, with travel between Rome, Florence, and Venice.  So I took the leap of faith; I planned to take the two weeks completely off. (Okay fine, I packed 1 set of running clothes in case of emergency.)

We landed in Rome last Saturday morning at 8:00 am, and for the next 36 hours took in as many sights and tours as possible.  And we drank as much wine as possible.  I had been to Rome once in the past, but that doesn't make the attractions any less surreal. On Sunday night - i.e. noon central time - we found an American pub televising the Bears game and took a temporary reprieve from wine to sample the local beers.  

(Quick Sidenote: I was in Riviera Maya when Cutler broke his hand. I was in Aruba when Rose tore his ACL. And now I can say I was in Rome when Cutler tore his groin and Briggs broke his shoulder. I may never leave Chicago again). 

On Monday we took the train for Rome to Florence.  Why can't we have high speed trains here?  Damn, so convenient and nice.  We spent three days in Florence doing much of the same: sight-seeing, wondering around, drinking wine and relaxing.  I think its my favorite of the three cities though I reserve my right to change that answer.  I think the only stress I had was when Britt found the Roberto Cavalli flagship store, which was surrounded by Prada, Gucci, et al.  

I realized sometime during the Florence stay that I was content not running.  Perhaps it was because we kept ourselves so busy each day and night, but after running every single day - often times twice - for 14 weeks, the complete break was welcome.  Some nagging marathon training pains I had were subsiding, but I didn't feel like I was falling completely out of shape. 

From Florence we made our way to Venice, which is unlike anything I've ever seen. I mean, I knew of the Grand Canal and the side canals, but I didn't know there were so many.  It's essentially a series of mazes consisting of three feet wide "streets" crossed with tiny waterways.  No picture could have prepared me for how unique it was! As the travel guide suggested, we would purposely try to get lost, and stop at our heart's desire for food and drink. It's the least touristy of the three places we visited, and that's a good thing.  

As great as the trip was - and it was everything I hoped for - I was ready to come home yesterday.  I was ready to get back into a routine, and yes, to start running again.  The two weeks off was needed and I believe beneficial in the long term. But I am on the brink of a breakthrough, despite what the Chicago Marathon result suggests.  During part of the 9 hour flight home, I started outlining how I'm going to divide the 25 weeks before the Boston Marathon in order to conquer my goals. I have some fun and unique ideas -- pending coach's input and approval.

Stay tuned for of discussion of those 25 weeks.  For now, I need to go for a run.

What a great vacation and I'm glad you enjoyed it!  I did basically the same trip in reverse this summer with my daughter and I didn't run a step either (it was right after I had run Steamboat Springs).  You deserved the break as it allowed you to unwind and re-juvenate.  So glad that you loved it!

The recent Jonathon Martin-Richie Incognito bullying story prompted me to reflect on my college experience. I've seen too many people, including current and former players, suggest that Martin needed to "man up" and accept Incognito's harassment as part of locker room culture. That somehow what he went through was "paying his dues."

That pisses me off. 

My experience couldn't have been further from that stereotype. Until the end of my senior season in high school, I never even considered the possibility of playing football in college.  I was cut freshman year as a quarterback and told to pick a new position.  I didn't become a full-time starter until my senior year.  Even after I agreed to play for Illinois Wesleyan, the idea I was good enough to play at the next level was very new.  

Showing up to camp the following August was terrifying.  Set aside the fact that there were already three classes of talented guys competing for spots, but there were 4 other freshman wide receivers.  One of them was named to the all-state team the previous year and put my stats to shame. The other joined me on the all-conference team a few months ago.  Everyone seemed so goddamn big and fast.

The starting WRs that season were both seniors.  One was two-time all-conference and a potential all-american. The other worked his ass off for three years to earn the chance to start.  Watching them play, and serve as vocal leaders on the team, intimidated the hell out of me. I had no idea how I was going to fit in or compete with these guys.

Then, the night after the first day of practice, my dorm phone range.  It was the starting wide receiver.  Oh God, why is he calling me?  What did I do wrong? Well, he was calling me to ask me to come over to his apartment to hang out.  He called the other freshmen wideouts as well.  I had never uttered a word to the guy in my life and just watched him dominate our defense for six hours.  But I figured I couldn't say no to a team captain. 

I got there and all the other WRs were there too. We didn't do anything in particular.  We just got to know each other. i think we played some video games and learned about the coaches and other upperclassman. There definitely wasn't any rookie hazing.  They simply wanted to welcome us to the team. 

The senior WRs took us under their wing for the rest of camp. We did something different every night to make sure we weren't feeling homesick or in over our heads. By the end of the two weeks I considered myself friends with them. I stayed friends with them even after their playing days were over.  And more than anything, I never forgot how much they helped me those first few weeks.  I made sure to do the same the following years. To this day I am friends with wide receivers from the three classes below me. 

My point in all of this is that hazing is not a necessary part of building a team. It's barbaric. We're better than that. Or at least we should be.  You want to earn someone's respect?  Go out of your way to make a rookie or a freshman feel welcome. Incorporate them as part of your team. Chances are that person will never forget it and will forever be thankful for making a tough transition a little easier.

Italy sounds like it was an amazing trip, and glad you had a physical and mental break from running.

Agree, hazing is entirely unnecessary.  Welcoming / including others/ being kind speaks far more about a team's maturity, and you're right, leads to friendship.  If I were ever a team coach and found out that the older guys were hazing the new ones, I would kick them all off.

I think that the seniors who invited all you guys to be part of the team were way bigger than I think most college athletes are - especially football players.  They should be commended for such mature behavior.  I guess I'm not surprised by the Martin-Incognito incident, but I am sickened by it as I would think these guys to be adults by the time they are making the NFL salaries and playing at that level.  I get the having the rookies carry your pads and crap like that, but what is coming out in the media is far more than that kind of stuff.  And you wonder why high school and younger kids do the same - they are sadly only imitating their heroes.

Totally agree on the Martin-Incognito fiasco.  And, like Michele, I think those upper classmen that took you under their wing did a great thing that unfortunately doesn't get copied often enough.

Had to chuckle about you trip.  My wife and I spent 17 days in Rome, Florence, Venice and Lerici for our 20th anniversary, 13 years ago now.  Still the greatest trip we've ever had and yes, while Venice is amazing, Florence was by far our favorite.  And we got seriously lost in Venice one evening too - that was fun…

That trip was before I took up running however...

Thanks for the comments about our Italy trip and sharing my college experience.  Now back to running....

On the 9 hour flight home from Italy, I started to map out how to get from where I was to a PR in Boston. I came up with a plan, emailed my coach, and now we're off and running.  Here's the breakdown:

1. Oct. 28 through Dec. 1 (5 weeks): Compete the recovery phase while getting back into things.  Focus on the functional strength routines; drills and strides; and rebuilding my mileage.  I'll be using Hal's post-marathon program as a rough guide so there will be some "light" speed-work included. The phase will culminate with the Ditka Dash 5k.  It's mostly a fun run, but I wouldn't be opposed to a decently fast time either.

 
2. Dec. 2 through Jan. 26 (8 weeks): Mileage, mileage, mileage.  No joke, I want to run 500 miles, minimum, in December. This is purely a base phase to continue to build on the endurance built this summer and fall. I still think it’s my weakest link, and that’s why I think I need a period like this before Boston. I am fully committed to the marathon distance and need to continue to find ways to get better at it. 

One of those ways might be to incorporate marathons and 30 milers as training runs.  I say might because that aspect isn't set in stone yet.  We have until December 2nd to discuss and iron out the exact details.  For example, I am interested in perhaps running a Boston Marathon simulation in December, if Martin would be so kind to let me pound his treadmill for three hours.  

What is set in stone, though, is that on January 25^th I am going to run the Milwaukee Icebreaker Indoor Marathon. Yes, I know it's crazy.   But it really intrigues me and I've never minded running on an indoor track.  Plus, I need experience at 26.2 miles. I have no idea what pace I'll shoot for in this race, and probably won't know until the week of. But I will be there circling the ice rink 95.5 times.

3. Jan. 27 through April 20^th (12 weeks): Marathon specific phase for Boston. This is where I'll rely on Matt Flaherty the most.  I should enter this phase fit and ready to rock.   The details will be hashed out much later but we envision a 10-15 mile per week reduction in mileage, with more focus on hills and specificity.

 

So that's where I'm at.  The first week of the 5-week recovery phase is in the books with 70 miles, two easy workouts (8 x 400 and 2 x 2 miles), some hill work at Waterfall Glen, and a few vacation pounds shed.

Sounds like a plan, Dave-O.  I hear you on the mileage for endurance as that is where I need to continue in the next 2 months before Boston training as well.  Not having the real base I wanted caused me to dial back my goal for Indy.  I just knew.  Of course, I'm a month behind with November being my recovery month, but I promise to get on it in December.  And well, if you are ever in Cleveland, I have a treadmill that allows you to simulate the Boston course as well.

Two things I think helped me in getting ready for NYC.  I ran the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon as a pacer (at basically my long run pace +15 seconds) and got that last 10K of the marathon feeling fresh in my mind so it wasn't a shock to the system when it hit in NYC.  Second, they closed the trails right by my house that I normally start my runs on and I had to detour, which meant going up and down a 1/4 mile hill at the beginning and end of every run for the last 4-5 weeks of training.  It was noticeably much easier to do this after just a couple weeks and I think that little change made the hills of NYC a much smaller factor for me.

Good luck on that indoor deal!

Not sure I'd be a runner if I had to train on the treadmill!  Good for you for doing what it takes to get to that next level.

Dave-O wrote:
1. Oct. 28 through Dec. 1 (5 weeks): Compete the recovery phase while getting back into things.  Focus on the functional strength routines; drills and strides; and rebuilding my mileage.  I'll be using Hal's post-marathon program as a rough guide so there will be some "light" speed-work included. The phase will culminate with the Ditka Dash 5k.  It's mostly a fun run, but I wouldn't be opposed to a decently fast time either.

Ok folks, the 5-week recovery period is over.  I rebuild my weekly mileage to 70, 78, 80, 84 and 60, with some moderate speed work mixed in.   On Saturday I ran the Ditka Dash 5k in 16:20.  The race was billed as a fun run with a different wave going off each hour from 9:00 to 1:00.  I won my wave by about 3:00 minutes. There's no way to know for sure, but the lead cyclists said I was by far the fastest of the day. So I'm chalking it up as a win.  

More importantly, I am 100% healthy and ready to kick off Boston training!

 
2. Dec. 2 through Jan. 26 (8 weeks): Mileage, mileage, mileage.  No joke, I want to run 500 miles, minimum, in December. This is purely a base phase to continue to build on the endurance built this summer and fall. I still think it’s my weakest link, and that’s why I think I need a period like this before Boston. I am fully committed to the marathon distance and need to continue to find ways to get better at it.

That brings us to Phase 2. I call it Base Building, my coach refers to it as the fundamental phase. Either way, its time to pour on the mileage. 

To keep me motivated and disciplined through the holidays, I created the December 500 challenge.  31 days, 500 miles. My previous high is 482 so this is not going to be easy.  And to keep things active in this blog, I'll post daily to update my progress on the December 500:

December 500, Day 1: 18 miles, 7:10 pace.  I haven't gone longer than 14 since the marathon, so I wanted a nice, easy 2 hour run.  I came in at 2:09.  Aerobically it was a breeze, but my legs definitely started to fatigue after 90 minutes.  Good first day.

I'm glad that you are going to continue blogging through Boston - it really keeps me motivated.  Thanks and congrats on your 16:20 - sounds like a fun approach and I'm betting you won.

By the way, your coach is one heck of a runner.