The Shadow of the Past

It seems that I'm running out of blogging steam a bit here at the end of the year. Usually, that means I don't have anything to write about. This week, I feel like I have a lot to write about (even if none of it is really super interesting or funny), I just haven't found the time. So, this ends up being kind of a catch-all post for the last week.

Messing with Texas
My last entry was about (among other things) enduring 40 blisteringly hot minutes on the hotel treadmill in Dallas. Unfortunately, despite my grand plans to get two runs and a weight workout in while on my business trip, that treadmill run on Monday night would be the end of my Texas exercising (Texercising?).

I had not, however, seen the last of In-n-Out Burger. I'll leave it to my readers to decide if that's a good or bad thing, but it was just what my colleague and I were in the mood for again after a long day on Tuesday. I planned to work for while and then hit the gym. I hooked up my laptop, sat down on the bed...and woke up four hours later at 12:00am.

Wednesday morning's breakfast was probably the highlight of the whole trip. "Don't mess with Texas?" Well, what about covering the whole state with syrup and eating it? I really didn't think a big waffle was the best breakfast choice before a long day of meetings, but when I saw they were shaped like the state of Texas I knew I had to have one.

(Yee-haw!)

I had one last chance to get a workout in on my business trip on Wednesday evening, but I chose the path of laziness. These three days had been the culmination of two months of very hard work, late nights, and a lot of stress. To see it come to fruition was very rewarding, and now that I had reached a key milestone in the project, I wanted nothing more than a relaxing dinner and a cold beer. And therein was the problem...

My colleague had departed for another meeting while my flight home was not till the next morning. The hotel didn't have a bar, and so I set the GPS to find restaurants. The trouble is that I was staying in a suburban/business-park type part of Dallas, so I couldn't just walk outside and find a place, so I couldn't really see what I was getting into. The first place looked much fancier than I was prepared to deal with, and the second turned out to be an oyster house. Yes, in Texas. I lost my resolve to sit by myself at a chain-restaurant type place, which did abound, and ended up with Jack-in-the-Box take-out. I stopped at a convenience store to see if I could get a beer, and they (predictably) had only six-packs or 40s, either of which would have been a terrible since I was leaving for the airport at 5:00am. At least my sandwich was really good.

On the Road Again
It was great to be home, but it seems like the trip has taken its toll and that I'm still recovering. I went to the rail trail on Saturday for the first time since my last 20-miler in November. I didn't really have a strict mileage or time goal -- I was just going to run from Hanover Junction to Brillhart Station and back, which is between 12 and 13 miles. I started feeling really, really tired at mile 3, and thought about heading back. I bargained with myself that I would turn around at 5 miles, since 10 would have equaled the previous week's run. Unfortunately, I got a second wind just before the 5-mile point that made me decide to press on to Brillhart. When I stopped there for a stretch break, I had sharp pains in the muscles on the fronts of my shins, which I've now had a few times since the marathon. Stretching my ankles in different directions seemed to relieve the discomfort.

Though I felt a little wobbly as I started back, some Sports Beans and Gatorade seemed to help. I made it back to Hanover Junction for a total of 12.75 miles in 2:03, which is good enough, but I just felt like I was dragging for most of this run. It's ok. For once, I"m not going to overreact to a crummy long run. This is almost exactly where I was at this point last year, and once I get back into my routine after the holidays, I'll be fine. While I didn't do well in Texas, it does seem like in general that motivation to get out and run during the week is back, which bodes well for Virginia Beach.

(I'm a shadow of the runner I was just a few weeks ago.)

That theme continued on Sunday. On the plus side, I lifted in the morning, and seem to be getting back in the habit. Unfortunately, my back has been bothering me a little this week and it flared up yesterday. I woke up on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning with stiffness in my lower back, but would loosen through the morning and really didn't bother me much. However, as I was lifting, while on my last set it just felt like all the muscles in my lower back were cramping up, and it still is aching today. Hopefully this isn't the beginning of something nagging.

Since it was a rare Sunday without plans, Chris and I decided to go for a bike ride, which would be our first since August. It was kind of a disaster. I found that the bike tires needed air, but I'd read that you shoudn't use a pump meant for cars to pump up bike tires. I had a foot pump, and grabbed it to take with us to our starting point at York. Well, first, it wouldn't inflate the tires and then the hose broke off, anyway. Off to Dick's to buy a new pump, and then off to Hanover Junction since Dick's is midway between it and York.

Finally, we were able to get underway, only to find that neither of us had any energy at all. It's totally understandable in light of the long biking layoff and tiring runs the day before, but was still frustrating. I will also say that while I like cold weather while running, cold weather for biking was not fun! It made it seem 20 degrees colder than it really was. I'll definitely be using the cold compression gear next time out.

Up Next
My plan this week was to do "regular" runs on Monday night and Thursday, my first speedwork session tomorrow, lift on Wednesday and Friday, and then run in the Celtic Solstice 5-Miler in Baltimore on Saturday. I'll see how my back feels, but I suspect either tonight or Tuesday will get skipped. I'm also not sure how much I'll race the 5-miler. In 2009, I ran the Al's Run 8K in Milwaukee in 42:45. That's probably not achievable these days, since I pushed myself on pace in all my long runs back then and I really haven't done that since spring of 2010. I'd be very surprised if I could come in under 45 minutes and I think somewhere around 50 is probably a more realistic goal. I suspect the course will be crowded, and I know it's at a very scenic location, so I think the best strategy is to just enjoy myself, run a comfortable pace, and worry about smashing some PRs in 2012.

Catching Up from Down South

Sorry everyone, another boring running-type post. Feel free to scroll ahead for adorable cat pictures.

I'm back. Not all the way back. Not that I was ever really "there", anyway. But, whatever. I'm back. I felt like it really took two weeks after the Philly Marathon-related Debacle before I really felt normal again. But after two well-paced runs, a 7-miler last Thursday and 10 on Saturday, I feel like I'm exactly where I need to be at this point to start training for Shamrock.

Of course, this week is a total mess. Willpower is not the problem, it's just a matter of logistics...which means I guess it is kind of a matter of willpower. I'm on a business trip to lovely Dallas, TX. And let me tell you this, all my sports-related antipathy to Dallas is not just hype -- it really does suck...well, at least the parts I've seen, which have been pretty much limited to the airport, highways and access roads.

The rental car facility was so far from the airport that there really should have been a connecting flight. There's a toll road that I was just magically on with no warning and supposedly drivers are somehow charged automatically and since I told the rental car people that I didn't think I'd be on toll roads now I'm probably going to wind up in a Texas jail. To get anywhere, you have to make these big loops since all the roads are divided. And where is the Jerrydome? I thought you were supposed to be able see it from space.

Anyway...back to my point. I brought all my running gear, and they're having the cold weather that I love, but since my hotel is nestled right off a highway access ramp and without sidewalks anywhere around, I settled on 40 minutes in the treadmill.

Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice treadmill, but it was also 75 degrees in hotel gym! That is why I wanted to run outside! Like I said, it really is a matter of willpower. I could have found a park or residential area, but at 9:30 at night in a completely unfamiliar city, I'll take my 40 treadmill minutes and be content with it.

The real problem, though, is this:

Not just In-n-Out Burger, which is awesome and which we don't have in Pennsylvania, but eating in general. To put it kindly, eating is one of my favorite things. Some people run to lose weight. Some people run because they really, truly intrinsically love it. I run so I can eat more stuff and continue to look relatively the same. But, when I'm on a business trip, I'm less restrained than usual.

It doesn't help that my client, which I'm not going to name, really took excellent care of the people attending the meeting that I'm here for. The attendees at the meeting are provided with a per diem allowance for meals, but when the client provides meals to attendees, it counts them against their allowance at a rate that's more costly than most conference-type food. Because of this, the people in charge wanted to make sure attendees got their money's worth. So, I had an egg sandwich and some fruit for breakfast. Not bad. Lunch? Bad. I mean, good. Delicious chicken in mushroom sauce. I was starving, so I had two lunches. I have no idea why I was so much hungrier than usual, but I still had room for some cookies (and conference cookies are always great!) at mid-afternoon break.

Later in the day, my colleague and I were lured by In-n-Out Burger's neon sign and promise of delicious burgers and fries. It was very good, even though I ordered a cheeseburger and got what I believe to be "Animal Style" by mistake.

I did hit the treadmill tonight, and probably will again on Wednesday. I hope to get to use the hotel's one set of weights tomorrow. But, I probably won't be able to keep myself away from the food.

After my workout, I rewarded myself with chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies, which my wife made me to take along. Did I mention I have the best wife ever?

(There were a lot more cookies...but I stress-ate a lot of them after getting to the hotel.)

She helped me out a little, though, replacing the butter with applesauce. Mmm...applesauce.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to getting home to my family and back out on the peaceful roads of Central PA.

And, without further ado, the cuteness:

(Higgy is "venting")

(There's no time like the present to lay under a Christmas tree.)

Post Marathon Blues & Running Through the Holidays

I had a plan all mapped out. Well, sort of. I hadn't plugged in all the mileages, but I had decided on how I'd set up my weeks to train for Shamrock (base miles on Monday and Thursday, Speedwork on Tuesdays, lifting on the "off" days of Sunday and Wednesday, and long runs on Saturday).

I need to bounce back quickly -- March 18 is not that far away! -- but I'm feeling like I'm already a bit behind schedule. I missed my run last night because of working late, and so I went out this morning instead of doing speedwork tonight. I'm ok with that, and from my uninspiring runs the past two weeks, it seems like waiting another week before hitting the track for the first time in almost a year is probably a good thing.

I've now run three time since the marathon: 3 miles on wobbly legs on Thanksgiving, a 6-miler on Saturday where everything below the knees really hurt, and today I felt really exhausted after 5 miles. In my defense, it was 60F with 90% humidity. That's definitely not my best running weather, but I weathered (ha!) a lot worse in the summer and I ran most of a marathon two weeks ago. I can't have lost that much conditioning in two weeks, right?

I'm not sure if the problem is in my head, my lungs, or my legs (or all of above!). I am very committed to running a better marathon and even doing a better job sticking to the parts of training that I hate (hello, speedwork!), so it seems like my head's in the right place, but I've also had probably the most stressful month of work that I've ever had, and that's definitely taken it's toll both physically and with my level of focus. My legs feel like they're still tired. We'll see what happens on Saturday, but the good news/bad news is that I'll probably take some extra days off from running due to a business trip. Lungs? I can't tell. I'm not breathing as badly as I was earlier in the week before the marathon, but I don't seem quite all there. Of course, it was warm and humid today, and I never feel like my lung capacity is at its best then. If Saturday is dry and cool, it'll be a much better indicator of my respiratory health.

I bounced from Shamrock pretty quickly, I think, but then didn't have push myself. The marathon was a Sunday, and the following Thursday I ran a slow 7 miles, and then for about a month I didn't run longer than 7 or 8 miles. In April and May, while I still had cool weather, I started getting back into the double digits and then pushed myself to my best-ever months in June, July, and August. I don't have the luxury of a month off now, especially when it will be extremely challenging to get the miles in around the holidays.

Last year, I kept increasing my distance in the weeks after the Philly Half. On the next two Saturdays I ran 14 and 16 miles, my two longest-ever runs at the time. I don't think I hit double-digits again until I ran 13.1 on January 1, but I feel like those long early December runs helped me get caught back up quickly in January. Our weekends in December are packed, mostly with fun holiday stuff, but it means I have to get good long runs in when I can. If I can get back into the double digits this Saturday and on next week's long run, I'll feel like I'm at least starting from the same place I was last year. The weekend after that, I have the Celtic Solstice 5-miler, which several people have told me is a great race. Depending on how much I actually "race" the five-miler, I may do a longer run on Sunday to supplement it or I may just be content with it.

Either way, I think a nice long run is on my "nice" list for Christmas Eve.

Sorry for the boring post, but this IS my running blog, not my creepy cat ornament picture blog.

Back on the Roads

Have you seen my legs?

Apparently, they're still somewhere out there between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Manyunk.

If you happen to see them, tell them that they must return to Manchester, because their services are required ASAP. I had seven months between Shamrock and Philly, giving me some time to take it easy and time to run base miles over the summer without really worrying too much about my long run distances for several months.

There's no such luxury this time, with Shamrock looming on March 18. I don't want to rush back, but there's definitely times over the holidays in which the miles are going to be tough to get in so I want to start getting my long runs back in and get started on some speedwork, even if I probably won't get much consistency till January.

This is the weekly plan that I hope to follow (mileages will vary):

Monday: 5-7 mile "regular" run

Tuesday: Yasso 800s (track workout) -- I'm hoping to start this week, but will probably still be taking it a little easy with a slow pace and only 3 sets, adding a set each time until I get up to 10. Supposedly the pace at which you run the 800s predicts your marathon time. I have to do a little more research on them since I haven't really done speedwork (for example, do I run them at a fast but comfortable pace or do I just run them as fast as I possibly can?)

Wednesday: Weights

Thursday: 5-7 mile "regular" run

Friday: Weights

Saturday: Long run

Sunday: Cross training (biking or NordicTrack)

I think speedwork and strength training (and I need to figure out exactly what this routine will be) will help give me more strength and endurance to help this marathon hurt less and hopefully go more quickly. I'd love to get down into the 4:30s. I'm not planning a fall marathon next year at this point, so I'd like have a better one so I don't become obsessed with revenge.

(If the mall can put up Christmas decorations in October,
I can start thinking about St. Patrick's Day before Christmas.)

I have to do a better job recognizing though, that things aren't going to always go according to plan, and that 30min on the treadmill is better than nothing.

Though I'm going to push myself more than I have in the past, the time for that was not this week. I ran 3.1 miles on Thursday morning, and it felt like I was still out at the end of the marathon course. If my legs could talk, they'd have been asking for some walk breaks. Today went a little better -- I ran 6 miles in about an hour (I forgot to re-start Garmin) but it was definitely all I had in the tank. I bounced back more quickly from Shamrock, so maybe I wasn't quite as beaten up. I'd like be back in double-digits by next Saturday, but I know it's most important this point to just be flexible and see how I feel as I recover.

Being Sick is Bad, M'kay?

It's race week and I'm trying to take it easy.

I ran 3 miles on Monday night and 3 miles on Wednesday morning. Neither one was good. On Monday, my calves hurt, my feet hurt, and my stomach hurt. On Wednesday, I had less pain in my legs but just felt like I wasn't getting enough air and didn't have enough energy. I don't feel like I could have run 5 miles, let alone 26.2. I'm undertrained by marathon standards, but not THAT undertrained.

I suspected that I had or was getting a cold, and also that I have just burned myself out too much with work stress and long hours over the past two weeks.

So, part 1 of the remedy is three inhalers, Singulair, loratidine (the active ingredient in Claritin), multi-vitamins, and Airborne, which probably doesn't actually do anything.


I've also been eating a ton of protein in an attempt to give myself some energy, and I'm trying to make sure I get adequate sleep leading up to the marathon. That's been a challenge. I worked Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights, staying up until the wee hours of the morning. I can usually subsist with little sleep, but between being a little sick and stressed out, and oh yeah, since I have a marathon on Sunday, this wasn't going to work.

My brain just stopped working completely at around 9:00pm on Wednesday night, and I vegged in front of the TV and was in bed by 11:30. I woke up not quite refreshed, but feeling much improved. I have to make sure I do a better job resting, or Sunday will be a disaster.

Almost There: The Last Long Run

Today was the last long run before Philly -- 8 miles, as per the plan that I've done soooo well in following. It wasn't a great run or a terrible run. It was 8 miles, I ran it. End of story. I fell off of my plan and struggled for most of October, but the last two weeks have given me a measure of confidence back.

Now, I'm starting to get freaked out about the weather. The forecast is fluctuating wildly. Yesterday, the forecast predicted a 60 percent chance of rain on Sunday, which would be bad news -- I've never really done a long run in the rain. I've gotten rained on and misted on, but going out and running 26.2 in mostly rainy conditions is not something that fills me with cheer.

One day later, the outlook is much better. Weather.com says cloudy with a low of 51 and a high of 57. That's ok, and I know most people would take that in a heartbeat, but I'm signed up for marathon in late November in Philadelphia...I want it to be cold!! Give me a starting temperature in the 30s and I'll be a happy man. But, most importantly I'll be doing my "no precipitation" dance!

The good thing for me if that forecast holds (and it probably won't!), is that it will make gear selection really easy. No need for a long-sleeve shirt, jacket, gloves, etc. It'll be ok, I know it will. I'm just a worrier. I'll have concerns about the weather no matter what it is, so for my own sanity I probably just shouldn't look at it until Thursday or Friday morning so I know what to pack.

I'm ready. As physically ready as I'm going to get, and with some confidence restored after two solid weeks and last week's 20-miler. Mentally? Ok. I wouldn't quite say I'm excited and "looking forward to it" is probably still a bit too strong, but I'm not quaking in fear, either. I want to get started, and I want to get it over with. I am DEFINITELY looking forward to a huge omlet and lots of bacon at my favorite Philadelphia brunch place, Little Pete's, after the race.

Saturday Long Run: So You're Telling Me There's a Chance...

If you read this blog regularly, you know I'm having a crisis of confidence regarding the upcoming Philadelphia Marathon because I haven't done as good a job getting my base miles in as I should have.

If you don't read this blog regularly, I'm having a crisis of confidence regarding the upcoming Philadelphia Marathon because I haven't done as good a job getting my base miles in as I should have.

I'd been debating what do with my long run today. Taper? Or try to get one more 20-miler in? I asked for and got lots of advice here, on dailymile, and on the Runner's World Philadelphia Marathon forum, and opinions ranged from "do it -- there's plenty of time to rest" to "No, at this point you're not going to gain any fitness and you run the risk of injury by not being rested on race day." Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice.

I decided to try for 20 miles, but set up my route as an 8-mile out and back so that I could easily stop at 16 if I didn't feel like going on. I wanted 20, but I know at this late stage it wasn't worth killing myself for. The second I stepped on the trail, though, I had the feeling that this could be a great run. I felt light, I felt fast, I felt strong, I felt like a Kenyan, I felt like a marathoner again...I felt so distracted by how great I felt that I guess I forgot to hit "start" on my Garmin for (I'm guessing) about 3/4 of a mile. That's ok, I know where the 8-mile mark is, it just meant my time would be an estimate.

I felt great all the way up, and if I'd had my four-bottle hydration belt, I would have gone all the way to York and back. Of course, if I'd had my four-bottle hydration belt it would have annoyed the daylights out of me. I started to tire around mile 13, but I had been eating sports beans every two or three miles throughout the run and I think that really helped.

I got back to Hanover Junction with my GPS reading 15.83, which is weird since I'm certain I ran more than .2 miles before starting it. I'm a bad distance estimator but not THAT bad, and I know that at least two songs had played before I noticed it wasn't running. I refilled my bottles, stretched my calves and quads out, and headed south. My new plan was to run a mile down and a mile back, so I could stop at 18 if I needed to. I was tired, but still felt good, and so I kept on going for two miles, and circled back and ran a little past Hanover Junction till my Garmin actually read "20.00."

(I ran 20 and lived to tell the tale and look like a dork.)

It was definitely my best long training run ever. I ran the whole 20 miles without walk breaks, though I did make three quick stops: a restroom break at about mile 10, the refilling break at 16, and a quick stop to photograph some cute goats at about mile 18.5. It took me 3:29:39, two minutes faster than last time, which means I probably was going faster last time and burned myself out, forcing me to walk.

I had no leg cramps during the run and my post-run stretching, which was very surprising and very welcome. I don't think I could have run 26.2 today without some walking breaks, but I feel like this puts me in line to at least equal my performance at Shamrock. Given the bad base miles situation I've gotten myself in, I'll gladly take that at this point.

(This friendly goat came over to say "hi", or probably "Hey old man, let me out of my cage.")

Overall, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful morning for this run, and I couldn't have hoped to feel any better during it. I may regret this 20-miler on 11/20, but right now I feel my confidence needed the boost more than my legs needed the third week of tapering.

(While I was stretching at Hanover Junction after the run,
the sky was the deepest blue I've ever seen.
My crappy cell phone camera doesn't do justice how beautiful it was.)

One Last Long Run? Or Not?

After weeks of not being able to get enough midweek runs in, I did ok this week:


Monday: 3 miles in 29:29 -- It was dark, the sidewalks were clogged with trick-or-treaters, and my headlamp battery was dying. Other than that, it was a good run.


Tuesday: 8 miles in 1:18 -- Good hilly run on Tuesday night through Manchester and Mt. Wolf.

Thursday: 5.36 miles in 55:32 -- This one was really, really tough. I think I undid myself by hitting the steep hills really early in my run today. I was also running at lunch and it was 57 degrees, which is a pleasant running temperature, but is also much warmer than the early-morning or late-evening temperatures I've been running in over the past few weeks, when it's usually been in the 30s or low 40s.

I'm debating what to do with the long run this Saturday. My 20-miler was two weeks ago, and I'm debating trying for another. Officially, I'm supposed to only run 12, but why listen to Higdon now when I've ignored his wisdom for two months? (Next week's long run, in the last weekend before the marathon, is 8 miles)

Another 20 miler would be a good confidence boost, and I don't really have the expectation of a great marathon -- just finishing will suffice -- which I expect/hope will mean running 20ish miles and mixing in some walk breaks to get through the last six.

On the other hand, I don't think the length of my last real long run, whether it's 15-16 or 20, will make or break my marathon. I broke it in October when I lost my willpower at the worst possible time.

Too Late, He Hit the Panic Button

I know you're getting tired of hearing this, but I had the best of intentions this week. I knew this was probably my last chance to pound the midweek miles and still have a chance to taper properly. I ran a tough 4-mile hill workout on Monday, and was fired-up to get out again on Tuesday night. The crisis of willpower that's haunted me over the last month was over.

But then, I started coughing. By the end of the day my throat was swollen and hurting quite badly, and I knew a run was out of the question. On Wednesday afternoon, my doctor hooked me up with a ProAir inhaler and prednisone, both of them steroids, and they made a huge difference almost immediately. Though I felt much better, I still felt like I had too much tightness in my chest, so I put my run off until this morning.

Since a winter storm (in October!) is barreling toward us as we speak, scheduled to drop 6-10 inches of snow tomorrow, I decided to make this my long run, which was scheduled to be 12 miles. I ran 12 miles in 2 hours. Not bad, in and of itself.

For a variety of reasons, most of which have been under my control, I clearly haven't done what I've needed to do to be ready for this marathon. For most of October, nailed my long runs but managed only one or at most two midweek runs.

As I prepped for Shamrock, my level of focus was just so much better. I've trained for both marathons during two of the busiest times of work I've ever had, but while I used work stress as motivation and looked forward to my nightly runs in January and February, in October it became a reason not to run. In hindsight, I think my IT band injury was the best thing that happened to me. I was running very good 16 or 17 milers, right on schedule, and then WHAM!, I could barely even do 5 right after the injury. It made me work really, really hard to get back. I didn't get all the way there, but under the circumstances, I think I did the best I could.

This time? I did a great job staying ahead of schedule all summer and had some great long runs in September and October, and maybe I rested on my non-existent laurels a bit too much during the week and I definitely feel a little burned out on this running thing right now. I certainly took advantage of every possible excuse. I guess it helped that I hurt my knee in late January, a month and a half before the race. This fall, I ignored the warning signs till it was almost certainly too late.

I have to run 26 on November 20th. I ran just 16 this week. And even with my 20-mile long run last week, I still got only 26 miles total last week. If I were a wiser man, I would probably switch to the half marathon. I'm just going to do the best I can on race day, even though it won't be very good even by my Shamrock Marathon standards. With a little bit of walking, I made it through 20 miles just one week ago. As long as I don't let my endurance decrease any further, I think I can finish this race in the approximation of one piece.

My plan? Officially I should be tapering, but I'm going to try to have a last tough week of midweek runs, and then get a last good long run of 18-20 miles. I'll try to follow that with another good week of shorter midweek runs, and then my last long run is scheduled for 8 miles. To make up for the abbreviated taper, I'll do probably do two 2-mile runs and a walk during the last week instead of the two 3-mile runs.


Wow, that was a downer. In summary: Cats...playing football!

Saturday Long Run: To the Pain

Between an insane work schedule, bad weather, and some kind of minor respiratory bug, I've had a pretty uninspiring two weeks of running. Even during the week before, when I pulled off a 19-mile long run, I'd had a week where I just didn't get my midweek garbage miles in. I say all this not to make excuses, but as constructive criticism of myself because all my failings caught up with me yesterday on the trail.

With a goal of 20 miles, I set out from Hanover Junction, taking the trail north toward York, since I'm familiar with the rest stop locations and the elevation changes along this part of the trail. I look forward to seeing the sights on more southerly parts of the trail, but a 20-mile long run is not, in my opinion, the time to explore. It seemed like my perfect running weather, low 40s and overcast. The forecast called for the sun to come out, so I had my trusty visor, but the sun never showed up.

I made a key equipment-selection mistake that I suspect contributed to my undoing. Violating a common-sense rule that every runner -- including me -- has heard over and over, I set out on my long run with two untested pieces of gear. The first was a new long-sleeve Nike running shirt, which I purchased last week. Despite the cold temperatures, I was sweating profusely within two miles. There's nothing wrong with the shirt. It's very comfortable, in fact. I just forgot who I am. I love to be cool/cold while running. I run in shorts and a tank top when the temperature is the 40s. This shirt seems considerably warmer than the cotton long-sleeve shirts I wear for (or at least the start of) my colder weather runs. This shirt will be great in December, January, February, but it just wasn't cold enough, by my standards, yesterday. I took it off just past two miles. Despite my miscalculation, I would become very glad that I had brought it.

My second mistake was a new hydration belt. I know that on a cool morning I can go 15-16 miles with the two bottles on my old Nathan hydration belt, but I thought that I shouldn't push that to 20. Though I can refill bottles at Hanover Junction, I wanted to run 10 miles to York and back, thinking this would be psychologically easier than a loop course with a break at either Hanover Junction or my car, if I parked somewhere else, and had to stop and start again. So on Friday night, I purchased a new four-bottle Nathan hydration belt. And while a differently-mapped course with a refilling stop might have been a pain, it would have been less annoying than bouncing around of the two bottles on my back and the constant re-adjusting of the fit of the belt. I'm very unhappy with this product. I'm going to elaborate further in a product review later in the week. Luckily, with the long-sleeve shirt tied around my waist, I could get the belt to fit tightly over it, so one equipment problem solved another.

(Equipment Fail. Taking the giant cat along probably wasn't smart, either.)

Still, my main challenge was that my legs just didn't feel strong yesterday. On my 19-miler two weeks ago, I stepped onto the trail and felt like the wind. Yesterday, I stepped onto the trail and felt like I was made of lead. Still, I pressed forward at my usual pace, and by mile 4 or 5, felt looser and more comfortable. I ran 10 miles north, which was my worst tactical mistake of all, which brought me just past York College but not all the way to the trailhead in downtown York.

After turning back south at King's Mill Road, I quickly began to tire. I really feel like I bonked just as badly as I did on last week's 13-miler, but since I'd run 10-miles north in my infinite wisdom, I was now doing so with 7 miles to run to get back to my car. My quads were on fire. Though the York County Heritage Rail Trail is a straight north-south course with no branches, somewhere I took a wrong turn, because at about 15 miles, I realized I was no longer in south central York County. I was in Hell.



After 16.5 miles, I started mixing in walking breaks. I ended up taking three, three-minute walking breaks spaced out a little over a mile apart. Unlike my walking breaks during the marathon, though, these seemed to help. My last walking break ended with a little over a mile to go. Running hurt, but I also knew that the more I ran, the faster this misery would be over.

With a mile to go, I saw a familiar friend ahead. But why was Pooka, our big friendly black cat, on the trail? Was I hallucinating? Had I actually died, and this was my spirit animal? That's disappointing. I would have hoped for an eagle, wolf, or some other cool animal. I think, in a weakened voice, I think I actually called out "Poooooooooka help me!" Luckily, I was the only one on this part of the trail because, of course, it was just one of the billions of other cats in the world.

Half a mile to go. A quarter mile. A tenth. In a final indignity, Garmin made me run about a tenth of a mile past Hanover Junction to get meet my goal. I collapsed on the porch of the old train station (which is now a museum and rest stop on the trail) to do my IT band stretches. With Garmin reading "20.00", I felt exhausted, but exhilarated; relieved that I'd finished, but angry at myself because I know that I could have done better these past few weeks and that the race is 6 miles longer than this brutal run. I had nothing left. Dead, but in my pain and exhaustion, more alive than I've felt in weeks.

Lessons learned/Notes:

• No new gear on long run or race day (duh!)
• Don't set up a course where I'm 10-miles away from my car (duh!), especially on the trail where there's not really a good way to have someone pick me up if I need it.
  
• Walking the water stations during the marathon would probably be a good idea.
• I have one more long run next week, technically supposed to be the 20-miler that I took today, before tapering. Then the taper is 12, then 8 miles in the two weekend before race day.
• The focus from here on out really needs to be on getting good, consistent, short runs in during the middle of the week. My schedule is going to be brutal the next few weeks, but I think I need to get in three 4-6 mile runs between Monday and Thursday each week.
• I didn't feel like my 2:45am peanut butter sandwich helped me. As much as I dislike .eating before a run, maybe I can't that much earlier than my run. I also ate one pack of Sports Beans. I think, since I prefer them to GU or Clif Bars, that I probably want to eat at least two packs during the marathon if I want them to help.
• This is my second-longest run ever, but I feel like my 19-miler two weeks ago was definitely a better run. I could have gotten 17 or 18 today without the walk breaks, but there was no way I was getting to 19 or 20.
  

(The best part was when I got back to my car.)

One Month

Am I ready? No, not quite yet. I still have one, maybe two 20-mile long runs to go.

Here is my dilemma -- to which I would welcome advice:

Two weeks ago I ran 19 miles. Last week, I ran 13. Technically, this Saturday is 12, followed by 20.

I'd switched the 19 and 13 for scheduling purposes, but all along had been thinking that this Saturday was 20.

Instead of having two pretty big step-back weeks in a row, my inclination is to try to run 20 on Saturday (It's not a sure thing -- this has been a weird week for a lot of reasons), and thus have another chance the following week in case I don't make it this week. If I do make it on Saturday, then I would probably try another 20-miler, or a shorter but still long run of 17-19 miles before beginning my taper.

So that leaves me with this modified long run schedule loosely based on Hal Higdon's Novice 2 (of which I've followed the long-run schedule really closely until the past two weeks):

Date/Distance Comment
10/8: 19 (Felt good. Started tiring at 15. Primarily blaming poor pacing and not eating)
10/15: 13 (felt really bad for most of this)
10/22: 20 (Bad week, but I feel better than earlier in the week and the weather looks great)
10/29: 17-20 (This is where the 20-miler is actually scheduled.)
11/5: 12 (Taper)
11/12: 8 (Taper)
11/20: 26.2 (Race)

I think I'm closer to being physically ready for this marathon than I was for Shamrock, but mentally this is tough. I'm healthier, but also a little less driven than I was then. I was insanely busy at work leading up to both of them, but I think I have a more complicated maze of deadlines to navigate this time, meaning it's harder to get miles in at lunch, which was a great option for me in the spring.

I know I can finish this race. It won't be pretty, it won't be fast, and I have to re-evaluate my goals a bit, but I'll finish. I'd hoped to drop down to 4:30-4:45 from my current 4:58ish PR. (Don't judge me!). I think even that modest improvement is probably better held for Shamrock, where I'll have the benefit of training in all cold weather, and will know the whole course.

During this last month, I want to keep hitting my long run distances, but get back into the habit of shorter, consecutive-day runs during the week. That seemed to help me with endurance in the Spring, it's just not something I've done as good a job with this time around. No excuses.

My time is growing short, but there's still things that I can do to help myself.

Shuffle On

I ran with music for the first time in quite awhile on Saturday. (A few weeks ago, I used my Shuffle on the treadmill, but I hate the treadmill with music, without some tunes, there's no way I can could endure the torture.But, I digress.)

I purchased my remanufactured (discounted!) iPod shuffle back in 2007, during my first summer of 5Ks. It's proven reliable and easy-to-use, and I used it during almost every training run and every race from then until October 2008, when I started running regularly on my 10-mile York Haven-to-Goldsboro route, on which I feel the road is too windy, hilly, and narrowly-shouldered to navigate safely with the added distraction of music, as I prepared for the Philly Half. I got used to not having it, and for the next three years, I did almost all my running with only the sound of my own footfalls for accompaniment. Over the past year, I've done more long runs in the more suburban, residential neighborhoods of Manchester and Mt Wolf and even taken to the Rail Trail a few times, but the Shuffle has generally remained at home.

What was I thinking?

Afraid that the Rail Trail would be a swamp after all our rain last week and not having a good 17-mile course planned out along the river without the risk of bonking 6-7 miles away from my car, I chose to stay in Manchester and Mt. Wolf, since I have courses of many different lengths mapped out and am seldom more than 1.5 miles away from my car if things go south. On the downside, this route is boring. That, plus a warm, disgustingly humid day equaled drudgery. If I was to have any hope of finishing my 17 miles, I decided that the Shuffle had to come along for the ride.

I think it made a huge difference -- probably in this case the difference between success and failure. Without it, every single thought would have been "It's sooo humid", "I've never sweated so much before," "This is so gross," etc. Instead, every step was powered by pop-punk angst, and while I still had those negative thoughts, I didn't focus on them as much as I did on other disgusting, humid days over the summer. Especially helpful was a long block of music from The Offspring as I was struggling for the last 5 miles. That anger, cheesy 90's suburban anger though it was, helped me get through.


I've got 18 this Saturday. That'll tie my 2nd-longest distance ever. The weather's supposed to be a lot more Brian-friendly, but I'm planning on running it on the Rail Trail, which has proven scenic but also very boring. I'll be sure to bring my background music with me.

Saturday Long Run, The Non-Epic Triumph of Humanity over Humidity

Since the dawn of time, man has struggled to overcome uncomfortable humidity...

I had been dreading today's long run for several days.

17 miles was what Hal Higdon had assigned for the weekend, and as I said last week, I'm definitely getting outside my comfort zone (Getting? Come on. Ok, I'm well outside my comfort zone). On a cool crisp day like last weekend, no problem; I felt like I could I have run forever last Saturday.

But this weekend brought a return of somewhat summer-like conditions. An overcast 65F, which I admit isn't bad compared to July, but with 97% humidity. Warm and humid is the bane of my existence -- at least my running existence.

So I worried. I made contingency plans. I accepted defeat. But I still had a choice.

I could bow to humidity once again, or I could stab it in its warm, wet, sticky, gross
heart.

I could keep complaining and writing whiny blog posts, or I could shut the hell up and run 17 miles, humidity be damned.

And as long as "shut the hell up" allows for the pathetic whimpering noises that I was making for the last two miles, that's exactly what I did.

It took me 2 hours and 59 minutes (a 10:31/mile pace for those keeping score at home) to finish, but it was not a victory without cost. I'll be reminded by my aching calves and quads, as I limp around Lincoln Financial Field tomorrow, that running is stupid and the guy that (according to legend) invented the marathon died while inventing the marathon. But costly or not, I consider it a victory nonetheless. .

It may have been 97% humidity out there, but anything short of 100% just wasn't going to be enough today.

I've gloated enough. More than enough. I'm sure my IT Bands will go all IT Band Syndrome on me as my karma balances out next week. I'm sure it will somehow be even more humid, if that's even possible, on my 18-miler next week. I'm sure my Shuffle will get stuck on "Britney Spears Mode".

But for now, I'm thrilled. After being so nervous about this run over the past few days, I felt like I had won a race when Garmin said "17.00" as I turned back into the high school.

In the endless struggle of man vs. humidity, man wins.

Friday Haiku, Volume XVI: Death to Humidity

Overconfident.
Unlucky with the weather.
Dreaded seventeen.

"17 miles on Saturday? No problem. I got this."

Not so fast, Brian. We're not out of the woods yet. After gorgeous running weather last week, humidity returned in a big way. I got my approximately 4 miles in Tuesday night. I skipped an 8-miler Wednesday night after the Revolution game because it was pouring, and then I was scheduled for another 4 last night.

However, I'd hoped to get 8 in, going out at 11pm after we got home from another Revolution game. (It's the playoffs, so we had tickets on consecutive nights) 8 on Thursday night worked well for me last week, and set me up for my very nice 13.1. With rain in the forecast on Saturday morning, I even contemplated going for my long run last night if I felt good.

Unfortunately, it was about 65 degrees at 11pm at night, with 90 percent humidity, and so foggy that my headlamp did no good at all. I could tell within the first 100 feet that 17 miles wasn't happening and with the thick fog I quickly decided that 8 was even a bad idea. I got in 4,and it was not fun at all.

On Saturday, I'm scheduled for 17 miles. It's supposed to be 66 degrees, 60% chance of rain, and 97% humidity. That's not weather that I'm feeling good about running 17 miles in.

If I have to adjust the plan, I still think I have time. Not that I trust the 10-day forecast very much, but next weekend looks like I'll have lows in the mid-50s. (That's what it said earlier in the week about this weekend, too, though.) I'm scheduled for 18 miles then. Then 13, then 19. That 19 is on October 15, so weather-wise things should be a lot more to my liking then. If I can get 13-15 in tomorrow, then I can go for 17 next weekend and I would feel good about taking the scheduled step-back week and trying for 19 on Oct 15th.

The cool weather will help a lot -- I'm confident of that. Had I not hurried trying for a sub-2:00 half last weekend, which is a pace quite a bit faster than I'm shooting for in the marathon, I feel like I could have (and in hindsight, should have) gotten 17 in then and taken my step-back this week.

Based on my last two years at the Philly Half, I'll probably have exactly the weather I'm looking for on race day. I think I underestimated just how much less I would enjoy training for a fall marathon would be than for the early spring one.

Because I didn't want this post to be a total downer: MORE KITTIES!

(With a perfectly good fleece blanket a foot away, Elizabeth, the cutest, dumbest cat in the world, lies on notebooks.)


(Pooka back in his glory days when he was huge.)

And yes, an entry about all the gross and wonderful things I ate at the fair is coming, but the point of this blog is to really complain about the weather and talk about running. Also, cat pictures. Priorities, people.

Malfunction or Just Mal"run"ction?

I'm sure you're groaning at the title, so if you're still reading, I'm sorry. But, I can't be hilariously witty all the time and after all, you didn't pay to read this. (You didn't, right?)
So I went out for my Tuesday run, which this week is 4 miles. Since I took it late at night and we have York Revolution playoff tickets tomorrow and Thursday nights, I suspect this week's 4-8-4 will become 4 tonight and 8 on Thursday morning.

This wasn't one of my best efforts. The weather wasn't quite as good as it had been for my last three runs -- 64 degrees and 90 percent humidity. Not awful -- especially with no sun to make it feel warmer -- but definitely a step down from the high 40s/low 50s that I got on Thursday and Saturday.
.
Still, the weather alone doesn't explain my slower than usual pace: 4-miles in 40:46. I think Garmin screwed me, though. What it measured as one mile as I ran from the high school into downtown Manchester measured as only 0.7 miles on the way back. So, maybe I ran 4.3 miles. Either way, though, my calves were not feeling great on this one and I was a lot more winded than I should have been on a 4-mile run.

I'm not going to be discouraged by it. There are several things going on right now that I could see contributing to a sub-par run. I had a great, tough week of running last week starting with the previous weekend's 15 and ending with my faster-than-usual 13.1 on Saturday; have basically been in "panic mode" at work all September; had a great, exhausting Super Adventure Weekend (good run, day trip to Philly ending w/a night baseball game, busy Sunday of homeless kitties, York Fair, Revs Game, and Eagles game); and am struggling with either worse-than-usual allergies or a little bit of a cold that I'm guessing is related to rapidly changing weather.

17 miles on Saturday? No problem. I got this.

And because I don't have any running-related pictures today, here's an especially cute picture of Higgy the Cat.

(How is this comfortable?)

In my next blog post: Things I Ate at the York Fair

Saturday Long Run: Half Marathon, Full Speed

I won the Manchester Half Marathon, yesterday.



Unfortunately, it doesn't really exist.

Yesterday's long run, according to the venerable yet-often-ignored Hal Higdon, was to be a half marathon. I assume, since the plan said, "half marathon" and not "13 miles", and officially had the long run on Sunday instead of Saturday (which I ignored due to schedule), that I was intended to simulate race conditions or actually run a real half marathon.

I wasn't sweating it. 13 miles is a distance I covered on several occasions during the summer, and the weather was supposed to be gorgeous (by which I mean cool and overcast). So, a nice, relatively non-challenging (compared to last week's muggy 15), probably even boring long run to kick off a very busy weekend. No problem. And so no problem that, in reaction to a very stressful week, probably had a little more pizza and beer on Friday night than I should have. After all, I wasn't going to race this.

Except, I raced the hell out of it.

13.1 through Manchester in 2:02:56 -- my second fastest 13.1 ever! It was slower than my half-marathon PR in 2010 at Philly (1:59:34) but a few seconds better better than my 2009 Philly Half (just over 2:03) and 4-7 minutes faster than any other 13 mile run I'd taken all summer. At one point, I felt like I had a shot to go 10 miles in under 1:30, which I've only done once since spring of 2009 -- this summer in Montreal, where I died on the super-hilly last 3 miles and finished 13 in 2:07.

I fell a short of my 10-mile stretch goal, coming in at 1:34, which is still faster than I've been most of the summer, but it meant that to come in at 13.1 under two hours I would need to run what for me is an average 5K, but as the last three of a half marathon. In Philly last year, where the last two miles of the course are downhill or flat, I was able to lay down a very good last three miles to considerably exceed my expectations, but in hilly Manchester I just couldn't quite pull it off.

Having been running faster than my usual pace, I hit a wall at the end of a mile 11 in which I'd tried to recover speed, and had to dial it back during the 12th mile. I might have been able to then "sprint" the last 1.1 and finish a bit faster, but without a realistic shot at coming in under 2 hours (I would have needed to run faster than the fastest mile I'd ever run), and with a long, fun day of walking in Philly ahead of me, any potential reward wasn't worth the cost.

I don't really know this one came from. I didn't go out with a goal of running it as fast as I could. I didn't feel very strong or fast for the first four miles and it wasn't till I'd finished six that I realized I was going faster than my usual pace. As I've said before, I care a lot less about my marathon pace than I do in shorter races -- I'd rather keep a slow, steady pace and be able to run the whole thing than burn out too fast and crash on the wall...kind of like I did at Shamrock (I'm still going to partially blame injury!!)...but this was a fun run and it wrapped up the most enjoyable week of running in quite awhile.

Next Saturday is 17, and the following is 18 (which will tie my 2nd-longest run ever). Slow and steady will be the goal. We're getting into the part of the training schedule where I've really never really been before. Last time, my injury robbed me of a whole month and I recovered as best as I could, but only got a single 18-miler in before I had to taper. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous as hell, but I'm excited, too.

Friday Haiku, Volume XVI

Big change in weather
Fifty degrees out today.
Too cold for haiku



I went out for another middle-of-the-night run last night, and the temperature was in the low 50s or the high 40s. Bliss. For other stuff, I like weather in the 60s and 70s best, but if I had my choice I'd run every run in temperatures of 30-50F.

That said, it was a shock to the system, being my first cool weather run (by my probably skewed definitions) since, I suspect, April. For the first two miles, I found myself wishing I'd worn my light gloves or long sleeves so I could tuck my hands in. I ran 8 miles and it was nice to actually be able to enjoy the run and think about nothing, rather than be distracted by how disgustingly sweaty and gross I felt.

My approach to last night's run was a mixed bag. I must have left my Garmin turned on because the battery was dead. Though Chris offered her identical one, I took it as a sign that I should just go out and enjoy myself and not worry about pace. I did time myself with my watch, and I ran one of my most familiar courses so I know approximately where each mile "mark" is, but it prevented me from obsessively watching my pace.

But, despite my resolve to just go out and not worry about pace, once I got out in the chilly night air, it felt like I was pushing myself pretty hard. Though I'd contemplated 10 miles, my quads were aching pretty bad, and it was the middle of the night, so I decided I'd stop at 8 rather than taking the 2ish mile loop down into Mount Wolf. My fast pace turned out to be an illusion, though. My 8 miles was was at a pretty average (for me) pace of 9:54. I enjoyed the run, but I'm curious as to why it felt like I was going so much faster than I actually was. A couple theories:

1. Though I love running in the cold, it seems like I'm a little older and creakier in cold weather. Knees felt stiffer than usual and quads were much sorer than they should have been at this pace and distance. I do my IT band stretches before every run, but I have to remember to stretch the quads out more in the cold.

2. On the other hand, this could have been some leftover soreness from Tuesday's four miles at quite a bit faster than usual pace.

3. The neighborhood where I run is a pretty quiet one, but between it being 10:00 at night and not being distracted by how warm and humid I was, I was much more aware of the sound of my own footfalls than usual (which was kind of neat).

4. It really did seem like I just turned my brain off for a good portion of this run, which was nice, so I suspect that somewhere between mile two and mile five I slowed down w/o realizing it.

Whatever. It was a nice run.

It's been a good week of running. My 15, under pretty gross conditions last Saturday, gave me my confidence back and for different reasons Tuesday night's 4 miles and last night's 8 were two of my most enjoyable runs all summer. I don't think we're quite done with the heat and humidity here in Central PA, but this was a nice preview of the Fall.

I ignored Hal Higdon again this week, but my heart was in the right place (in the middle of my chest, slightly to the left side). Four miles on Tuesday was what he recommended, and that's what I did. I skipped Wednesday's 8-miles because of the rain, but then made it up yesterday, instead of the scheduled 4. Except it turned out that I misread the plan and it was supposed to be 7 miles. Oops.

While not officially a step-back week, this weekend is a step-back. It says "half marathon" on Sunday instead of a Saturday long run. I think that means I'm supposed to either be in a race or simulate race pace. But, since I treat the marathon as a long, slow, distance run, I'll probably just treat this as a regular long run, even though I've "raced" two half marathons previously.

Failure & Antonement

This weekend turned out to be a washout as far as running was concerned. 14 on Saturday turned into 10, and I got up to re-try this morning only to find it raining fairly hard at 6am, with a 75% chance of storms at 7am. Back to bed.

It's probably for the best. I'm humbled and ready to listen now, Hal Higdon.

I'll run four miles on Tuesday. I can find time for that, even though this is looking to be a very busy work week. Seven on Wednesday. Four on Thursday. Saturday calls for 15, and that will be a big challenge. Hopefully I'll get lucky with the weather -- both in terms of having a cool morning to run it and the rail trail not being a swamp.

I think my best bet is starting at Hanover Junction, running 4 miles north, turning around, and then running back to Hanover Junction, 3 miles south and then back will make it seem the least oppressive, give me a chance at the midpoint to refill bottles, and also not leave me 7.5 miles away from my car if I bonk again. Since the rail trail is boring, Shuffle will be a must. If it rains a lot this week -- and the forecast says it will, then I'll be trying to wring 15 garbage miles out of Manchester and York Haven.

I'm not trying to save the galaxy...just run 26.2 miles.

Note: This cartoon is not meant to imply that Hal Higdon is small and green or a stick figure.

What's Next?

Think back to your PSAT or SAT tests for this one.

Complete this series: Earthquake, hurricane....

We here at the Earn Your Donuts Research Labs have concluded that the next catastrophe is right around the corner, and it will probably take one of three forms:

Space rocks.

Dinosaurs coming back from extinction.

Cats rising up against their owners and taking over the world.

Now that I've had my MS Paint fun, I should get back to running.

Even though the above scenarios render the Philly Marathon unlikely to take place, I've paid my entry fee and so I should probably hedge my bets and train for it. Since we'd been without power (and plumbing, since we have a well) from early Sunday morning through yesterday afternoon, it made it difficult to find a way to get our runs in. I finally got out for a nice 10-miler this morning. Though I missed out running on the two nicest weather days in months (Monday and Tuesday), it was a cool, beautiful morning -- the kind of day where running is a joy. So, kind of the opposite of Saturday's run.

Hal Higdon's going to be even madder at me, though, since I lost a run yesterday I'm winging my midweek mileage again this week. I'll also probably do my long run on Monday, when the weather looks cooler, instead of Saturday. I've got a 14-miler this time. I'd rather run it in 50-something degrees than 70-something, but I know I can get through it either way. That's as far as I've run this summer, though, so for runs longer than that (15 miles the next week, and 17 two weeks after that) I'll really be hoping for some cooler temperatures.

Friday Haiku, Volume XIII and a Brief Word About Training

After a tough week,
With Irene now on her way
Step-back week is great.

It's been a tough first week back from vacation, and I've ignored the daylights out of poor Hal Higdon again this week. You see, Hal wants me to run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, rest Fridays, long runs on Saturdays, cross-train on Sundays, and rest Mondays.

I ran my long run on Saturday and then rain prevented a bike ride on Sunday. However, since an off-site meeting would make a Tuesday run more trouble than it would be worth on this step-back week, I cut a run from Higdon's plan and ran 10 on Monday and 10 on Wednesday, which I went into more detail about in my previous post. My long run tomorrow, according to Higdon? 9 miles.

It was a step-back week, which I felt I'd needed because my long runs had been ahead of schedule, so I didn't feel bad about ignoring Higdon (again), but I should probably get on plan next week since my next two long runs are 14 and 15 miles. I've run 14 miles twice this summer, so the mileage doesn't scare me. If the weather's nice it won't be too bad, but if it's hot and humid those mornings...ouch. I probably won't be able to bike this week due to Irene's approach and my cat adoption room duties, but I can get on (and fall off of) the NordicTrack for the first time in years.

After that Higdon wants me to run a half marathon, but though that seems like a step-back I think I'm supposed to run the 13.1 like I'm in a race. After that, the distances get longer and the donuts become more rewarding.

Have a good weekend, and stay dry!