Tuesday 1/26/16- I wanted to make up for missing miles Monday night, so I opted for a Bear Notch Rd run gate-to-gate. Big difference from the last time I ran it on dry pavement. This time was fairly soft, so it made the 14.2 miles much slower at 8:41/mi pace and more difficult. I didn't mind the challenge of it, though. Spot came along and we enjoyed some pretty amazing clouds roll in along the way.
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| Road looks solid enough, but it was deceptively soft. |
We didn't do much the rest of the day except run a few errands and then go to John's ninja class.
Wednesday 1/27/16- Up early for my usual 5 mile progression run on the treadmill. I don't really change this one up, other than speed. I'm not motivated that early to run more miles or make up new workouts. I'm happy to just stick with this routine. For me, it's really just getting something in before my long shift at work. If I'm feeling good, I'll run it faster. If not, I cut it back. Not really a high priority run during my week. This week I felt good and ran it at 7:08/mi pace. Good enough.
The 34 hour shift was fairly slow. We had a transfer and a few 911s. We made a stop at Trader Joe's in Portland after dropping a patient at Maine Med. I was surprised to see my favorite flowers there already. They were a $1.25. I couldn't pass it up. They hadn't bloomed yet, but by the next morning, they had fully bloomed and lasted for weeks. Nothing like a daffodil to smell in February.
Thursday 1/28/16- Ran down Ossipee Lake Rd after work, but bumped it back up from 6 to 8 miles. I had been running an 8-mile run during the summer, but since coming back from injury, I was only doing 6 miles. I finally decided to bring it back to 8 and see what I could do with it. It ended up being a really good run. I surprised myself by running it faster than I had last summer!! 45 seconds faster, in fact. 6:42/mi pace and ended up as 8.2 miles. Granted, the summer runs were scorching hot, but I'll take it. It was a good sign that I'm improving.
Friday 1/29/16- I needed a longish run for Friday, and I was a little worried I would be tired after Thursday night's run, but I woke up feeling pretty good. I needed to fill my water jugs at the Sandwich Spring so I decided to come up with a route in Sandwich. Parking at the Brook Path trailhead in Wonalancet, I ran an out and back on 113A through North Sandwich, with a small section on 113 before turning around. It was unintentional, but this run was a good mock run for Boston. Although the entire run was hilly, it was a general downhill on the way out, obviously making it a general uphill on the way back. Definitely good training, and I was shocked at how well it went. I was super happy with my average pace. 15.2 miles at a 7:16/mi pace with just under 1000ft of elevation gain. Here's a shot of the elevation profile:
I won't lie and say I wasn't hurting after this one, though, which is how all of my long runs are going. I'll be honest that I'm not very optimistic about my performance at the Boston Marathon. It's just too soon. I'm not ready. I can feel it. And when I say not ready, I mean not ready to run FAST. I doubt I'll break a 3:10, and I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for that, but I know I will still be disappointed. I should have been on my way towards a 2:50 right now, but instead I'll be struggling just to run something respectable. This time a year ago, I felt like I could go out and run a sub-3 no problem. I'm nowhere near that feeling right now. I've been really happy with my runs and getting back quickly from the injury, but I'm still running with pain and struggling. I'm not 100%. I almost have that feeling that I never will be, but I can just keep trying.
I filled up my water jugs after the run then picked up John at his homeschool group after. He always gets out for a walk there, so we've been laying low at home on Friday nights lately.
Saturday 1/30/16- I hit Heavenly Hill in the morning for 3 repeats. I wanted to stay off the road for a bit of recovery on the trail. I ran slowly and brought the dogs along for 2 repeats. 4 miles with 1452ft of elevation gain. Trying to keep up with my uphill training.
The weather was grey, but the temperature was comfortable, so I decided we needed to get out for a hike. I wanted something short that John hadn't done yet and remembered a run last March in Brownfield, Maine when I ended up on a different mountain than I had intended. It's not well-known, and the trail isn't even marked. Even the sign near the top is written with a sharpie. Peary Mt. It's the perfect distance for a great view. To get up there, John, the dogs and I followed a snowmobile trail that climbs for about 8/10 of a mile before a trail to the summit veers off to the left. As we approached the top, I was surprised to see someone else up there. What was also surprising was that it was my ex-husband's (now ex) girlfriend. Haha. Totally random. We both actually started laughing at how odd it was for us both to be up there at the same time. Funny how things happen like that. She's missed the dogs and got to pet them all, so it really made her day. Even though it was odd, it was a nice encounter. She hiked back down, and John and I stayed up on the top for awhile enjoying the view. John climbed a tree and then we headed back down. John hates running, but he seems to like running down trails. I even caught a photo of it for proof to show him later! Haha. It was just a simple 2-mile hike, but it was perfect for the day. We were getting up early for the drive to Providence for the USATF East Region and NE Masters Indoor Champs the next day. I wanted to rest up in hopes of improving my 3000m time for the All-Terrain Series.
On a side note: Six03 attempted to make up for the lack of snow shovels to the women winners from the week before by sending us belt buckles. Ha! Nice try, boys. Nice try. We will never forget this!!
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| I feel like the newspaper boy in Better Off Dead . I want my snow shovel!! |
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