Training Log Archive: ebuckley

Barefoot on the powerline. Legs felt nice and springy. I bring that up because in the afternoon...

... they didn't. Now, the record high for Boston on April 16 is 84F and I obviously won't be running the marathon at the tail end of a 20-hour training week so today's session was overkill. Still, the humidity was low enough that I was a bit surprised at how poorly I responded to the heat. Ran around CC Lake and then up the ridge. Temps in the 90's had the lakefront looking more like June 1 rather than April 1 - lots of barbeques and bikini tops. Once on the singletrack (about an hour in), I felt much better and really didn't struggle with the decision to tack on a couple miles coming home to get the total for the day over 3 hours. Last long run of this cycle.

Easy morning run. New shoes felt just a bit tight when I put them on. Maybe the heat is making my feet swell. I'll have to remember to wear my lightest socks at Boston.

C • Maybe - but just for refere... 7

Got back and Yaya was already bouncing around. Got the dough kneaded for hot cross buns tomorrow and then we went for a lap of CC lake during the first rise. She's really getting good on the bike. Kept the cadence between 90 and 100 for the whole ride with no complaints from the rear seat. She's tall enough for a real tandem now. I think I'll borrow David Frei's Cannondale and see how she takes to a more serious outing.

Duck (paved)@17:57, 15:00R, 18:00Tempo.

After the ride, we worked the dough for the second rise, ran some errands, grabbed lunch, and then went for a hike at Klondike. We were still wearing jeans from the morning so we were a bit warm tromping up and down the bluiffs. By the time we got home, I wasn't really wanting to run a single tempo set much less a split session. However, as this is probably my last run of the Duck before Boston, I decided I'd better give it a good go.

Put on my fastest shoes and my summer racing hat and by the time I got to CC Lake I had managed to morph my tired shuffle into a decent stride. Once moving fast, I felt as good as one ever feels during a tempo run, which is to say not good at all, but certainly not feeling like anything was wrong. Splits were dead on 18-minute pace the whole way.

The danger with getting pumped up for a tempo run is that it's easy to overcook them.That not only ruins the value of the run, but it also leaves you wasted for your next quality workout. I wasn't wearing my HR monitor, but I can usually tell from my breathing if I'm going too hard. The best way to know for sure is to do it again (which is a lot of the value in split tempo). I didn't have time for that, but I did put in what felt like the same effort coming home and wasn't falling apart, so I think the time is legit.

So there it is, under 18 three times this cycle with one of them (today) coming in fairly warm conditions. While there are still a million ways to screw it up, all signs point to a good run at Boston.

Well, so much for playing the weather. Still legs were no worse for wear running back in under a perfectly clear sky. Unfortunately, that sky had no moon in it, so the decision to go without a headlamp was a bad one. Tripped over something just before the light filled in and popped the shoulder out (again). Fortunately, it's been out so many times now, it goes back in almost as easily. Time includes a couple minutes resetting the joint and then looking around for my phone which is pretty much invisible in the dark since I keep it in a black neopreme case.

The usual easy Friday miles with the usual stop at the Wine Market tasting. Nothing like dislocating your shoulder in the morning to make a wimp out of you in the afternoon. Actually touched the brakes on the Woods descent. Tsk, tsk. Fortunately, that was the only significant symptom. It hurts plenty, but seems to be functioning OK.

In to work, easy.

Looks like I'm just going to have to deal with carrying a few extra pounds into Boston. Too late to try to shed them before the race. Not super bummed about that being that it's a downhill course, but a little more discipline would have been a good thing.

C • I know you've given this th... 2

Riding home would have been more consistent with the whole rest day thing, but I decided to play the weather. I'll run in tomorrow (AM thunderstorms predicted) and have the bike there for when it gets nice in the afternoon.

2x perimeter loop of Faust @13:45. 7:00R. (This is a keeper, so I'll hereafter call it the Butterfly since I start at the Butterfly House). Although it's well groomed trail and grass, I consider it technically advanced when run at Tempo effort because you get going really fast going down through the switchbacks. Some of the grass is really off-camber, too.

As this is the first time I've run this trail at speed, I have no baseline. The effort felt right but I'm guessing the speed was a little off due to the warm temps and yesterday's ride.

C • faust 6

In to work.

Some easy road miles at lunch.

Most of the 6-Flags 6-hills loop starting from work. Climbs of Alt, Forby, 6-Flags, and Woods all taken at firm pace. Getting in Scenic or Orville for the full set would be doable with another 20-30 minutes, which is good to know; a very feasible after work ride in another few weeks. Of course, then I'll be recovering from Boston, so I probably won't do it until mid-May.

In to work. Not quite a zippy as the time would suggest. There was a significant tail wind and the first half mile isn't counted in the time since I was riding on the sidewalk following Yaya as she rode her bike to school.

Easy spin back home in the 60.