Brrrrr

Thursday (2/10/2011) - Completed a 3 mile sprint jog at the gym.  The first 2 miles were a breeze and I was on track to making one of my best times yet, but the last mile was a struggle.  After this part of the workout was completed, I did some weight and core training. 13 this weekendddddd.  Ahhhhhh!

Tuesday (2/8/2011) -  I headed over to Run Club at City Sports on Boylston Street after work.   When I went to work in the morning the temperature outside felt as though it was around 38 degrees F.  However, on my walk over to run club I realized the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees F and the wind had picked up significantly.   As other run club participants arrived, I was excited to see a familiar face walk through the door!  A friend of mine that I had not seen in some time came to run club and is also going to be participating in the 2011 Boston Marathon!  Yayyy!  Another Run Buddy for the lovely weekend long runs.  Shortly after 6 P.M. the group headed out and almost everyone was participating in the 5 mile route.  As soon as we crossed the footbridge and reached the Charles River, the wind immediately picked up and was making the run extremely cold.  With my face hidden in my shirt and my legs battling the wind and serious amounts of ice I just kept going step after step.  As soon as I reached the Mass Ave Bridge, I contemplated cutting my run short and heading back to the store.  Then I remembered a saying that a few of my friends have always said, "You never know what race day is going to be like.  You always have to be prepared for anything."  With that in mind, I forced myself to head over the Mass Ave Bridge onto the Cambridge side of the Charles to continue the 5 mile route.  Battling the wind and ice on the path the entire route, I had never been so happy to make it back to the store.  Man did it feel good to say another run was behind me.

Four Day Recap

Monday (2/7/2011) - The temperature in Boston is warm and it feels as though spring is in the air.   When I got home from work, I changed into my running gear and went out for a 3 mile easy jog to begin another week of training.   
 
Saturday (2/5/2011) - The second I opened my eyes, I immediately was thinking about my pre run meal and 12 mile run.  Since I was up in VT for the weekend, I did not have a route already mapped out.  I ate some eggs and toast and headed out in my car to clock a route.  A half hour later, I finally had a route picked out that incorporated lengthly hills (both up and down) and a beautiful winter scenery.  Finally I was ready to run!  I headed out and within the first mile struggled with very tight calf muscles.  I stopped briefly to try to stretch them out and then continued on my way.  When I reached half way I was feeling great.  I checked my blood sugar and ate a gu to refuel my body.  As I continued on the last six miles, it began to snow.  Luckily I had asked some friends to come check on me and supply me with some water.  Next thing I know I hear beep beep!  I turn to see a familiar face looking back at me.  Just when I was starting to slow down I got the boost of a friend cheering me on.  Perfect timing!!  As I approached the ten mile mark, the blizzard like conditions caused the visibility to decrease significantly.  I decided that since mile 11 was all along a stretch of the road with no sidewalks that I would cut my run short and stop where the sidewalk ended.  No matter how many miles were completed, it was another run for the books.
 

Friday (2/4/2011) – Friday is my favorite day of the week.  Not only is it one of the two days of the week that I do not have to run (yessss!), but it is also the start of the weekend :-)  The only thing on my mind on Friday nights is the long run I have ahead of me on Saturday morning.  Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

 Thursday (2/3/2011) - This past Thursday was a quick workout that consisted of 3 miles of sprint jogs.  It was a beautiful night out in Boston, but I decided in order to get the most explosive sprint work in, the gym would be my best bet since the treadmill is typically not icy or slippery.  I did some stretching pre and post workout which had my entire workout complete in around 45 minutes. 

Until next time...

Another Blizzard

Wednesday (2/2/2011):  For my training, Wednesday always seems to be my day of struggle.  Not only were the roads covered in snow, ice and slush again, but it was pouring rain combined with a little sleet by the time I got home from work.  At the end of each block were huge puddles that were ankle deep and seemed to span a few feet wide.  Not wanting to run outside and risk slipping on the ice causing an injury, I knew my only option would be to hit the gym. Ughhh I hate running on the treadmill.  Good thing I shoveled my car off prior to heading into work this morning!  After bundling up to head back out to the gym, I get down to my car to only realize I had forgotten to grab my ice scrapper that was sitting by the door and of course my car was covered in a nice layer of solid ice.  Was this a sign I should stay home tonight and get things done that were on my To Do List?  Hmmm......Since my run was cut short yesterday I knew I had to get my miles in for the week.  So, instead of going all the way back upstairs and grabbing my ice scraper, I decided I was going to be stubborn (and maybe pout a little) and just sit in my car and wait until the ice melted.  15 minutes later, my car was finally ready to begin the journey to the gym.  The trip was slow and steady, and soon my car and I were at the gym in one piece.  Finally, the night felt as though I could successfully get my run in.  3 hard miles and nine pump up songs later my workout was done and I was free to go home and eat a delicious dinner.  yummmm.

Early Week Recap:

• Tuesday (2/1/2011):  Every Tuesday, City Sports on Boylston Street holds a Run Club that meets at 6:00pm.  Generally there are two loops that people run which begin and end at City Sports:
•  One loop is 3.5 miles and focuses on the Boston side of the Charles River
•  The other loop is 5 miles and heads along the Charles River on the Boston side, across Mass Ave to the Cambridge side of the River and then loops around the Museum of Science to finish up the final stretch of the run along Storrow Drive.
• This week only a few of the die hard runners showed up with everyone covered from head to toe in their night gear to be sure that drivers could see us.  It was blizzard like conditions with slush, snow and puddles everywhere.  Due to the fact that the running paths along the Charles River would not be nicely plowed, the six of us that committed to a run (even though we considered just running a block to the bar) completed a new route which was a 2.5 mile run through the park in the middle of Commonwealth Ave to Mass Ave and then back down Boylston Street.  The park was filled with beautifully lit trees that were a nice addition to our route.  However, there was also a layer of snow making our calf muscles work extremely hard just like when running along the beach.   Immediately we began thinking about warm weather and vacations, even though it was approximately 15 degrees F out.  The whole group ran together for the entire 2.5 miles and finished strong back down Boylston Street to the store.  
• Overall the run was challenging, but was completed with great friends who all shared in the excitement of another run completed.

• Monday (1/31/2011):  Knowing that yet another mid week blizzard was upon us, I got home from work and did a decent 3.2 mile loop around Boston which wrapped up with a couple hills.  Luckily most of the sidewalks were nicely cleared and dry which allowed for an awesome start to my training this week.