Welcome to Taper Town

In spite of several curve balls, my final long run went really well yesterday and I'm now officially in taper mode!

Well over a month ago I began planning to do my last 20+ miler of the training cycle in Boston along the marathon course. I recruited a couple of teammates who are also running to join me for the trip, booked an Airbnb spot near the course in Newton, and worked on the logistics. The plan was to drive up early Saturday and do an easy run in Boston on Saturday afternoon. Then on Sunday we would take a cab to Ashland, run the last 22 miles of the course, and take the T back to our AirBnb so we could shower and drive home.

The first thing that went wrong with this plan was the forecast. Early in the week it became clear that it would be cold and snowy in Boston on Saturday. No big deal, we would do our respective runs in New York first thing in the morning and then drive up. Obstacle #1, easily overcome.

Then my wife and I decided somewhat last minute that instead of me driving to Boston with my teammates, I would drive up with her to see her brother and sister-in-law and their new baby, our adorable nephew Matthew, in Kingston, Mass. I could then take the commuter rail from there to Boston later in the day and meet my teammates who would drive up separately. Along the way, of course, we hit some snafus with our doggie daycare spot and had to adjust our departure time by a couple of hours. Again, not the end of the world: obstacle #2 dealt with.

The drive to Kingston was fine, just a little snowy, and we spend a couple of hours hanging out with our new nephew (who may in fact be the world's best-behaved baby). Of course, just as I was getting ready to leave for the train, I got a message from our AirBnb host that she had the flu. She was still more than happy to host us and tried to reassure us that our chances of catching her flu were minimal, but with Boston just over three weeks away, none of us wanted to take any chances. I did some quick research followed by some frantic phone calls and booked us a room at the Lenox Hotel. Obstacle #3 overcome.

The final obstacle was a pretty minor one. Since we were now going to be staying in Boston near Back Bay Station we decided that taking the commuter rail to Framingham made the most sense. Well, Framingham is only 20 miles from the finish and we wanted to get in 22 miles. What did we do? When we got there were jogged a mile west before turning around and tackling the rest of the course.

After all of those minor bumps in the road the actual run went great. All of us finished with extra energy, though of course we replenished our stores with a great brunch in Boston before heading back to New York. With that run out of the way I feel confident heading into my taper. I know a lot can happen over the next three weeks and race day itself can be unpredictable, but I'll worry about things as they happen. For now all I can say is, bring on the taper!

Friday Haikus: Endless Winter

After a long final week of training before my Boston taper starts next week, it's Friday! This weekend I'm traveling to Boston with a couple teammates so that we can do our final long run on the course. I've made this trek four of the last six years and have generally had pretty good weather for it. In fact, in 2012, I remember wearing shorts to dinner the night before my run because it was so nice out. Of course, we remember how that heat wave played out on race day...

Given the winter we've had, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that it's supposed to snow all day tomorrow in Boston. Nevertheless, after running in near 60 degree weather last night, it's hard to accept that Old Man Winter is again rearing his ugly head. That sentiment inspired today's haikus. Hopefully you enjoy them more than I'm enjoying the weather.

I hope it's not this bad on Sunday. Source: http://modernsurvivalblog.com/

Melted ice and snow
Reveal four hundred meters
Polyurethane



Tights are packed away
Shorts and tees at the ready
Spring weather is here



False alarm it seems
Cold is back with wind and sleet
I'm so over this


 

Back on the [Training] Wagon

Holiday season is in full swing and as of Tuesday so is Boston training. If it seems like only a few weeks ago I was running a marathon that's because I was.

I had planned to hold off training until after the New Year but on Monday one of my teammates sent out the following email:*

Hey guys,

A few of us were reflecting on how we can come together as a team and compete better in the NYRR points standings next year. We have a good core group of runners so I think half the job will be showing up to the races.  I see no reason why we could not challenge the 3 teams directly ahead of us.

Concerning training I know I have been guilty of doing most of my workouts/runs on my own. On many Tuesdays/Thursdays I contemplate going to team practices in the Park/6th Street track but when juggling my schedule I usually end up working out near my house. I figure I will end up running alone anyway so might as well run close to home. In the spirit of team camraderie I will start making the effort more often to workout with the team. When I know I can make it I will RSVP on the meetup site (will try a few days in advance) and drop you all a quick line via e-mail to let you know I will be there.

Hope all is well and see you out there (I will be in Park tomorrow for 7PM workout),

Chris 

 

Obviously the guilt-trip worked because I showed up at both our Tuesday and Thursday workouts. Tuesday night was hill sprints, the first speed work I've done since Philly. Because we took a full rest period between each sprint, the workout itself didn't feel that tough, but boy was I sore on Wednesday!

 

Last night the workout was 5-8x800 at 5k pace. I got off work late and had to run directly to the track which means I ended up with a 3 mile warm-up. Apparently, that was a good thing because the repeats went  great. Along with two teammates, I did 7, though I'd planned at stoping at 5. We managed to do all of them pretty close to pace, though for the last one we kind of let it all out.

 

The point of this rambling is that I think my abbreviated recovery went pretty well because I felt fresh for Thursday's workout and on my Friday morning recovery run as well. I'm going to continue cutting myself a little slack for the next few weeks, but I think this training cycle has the potential to be pretty awesome!

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*Edited for reader clarity.

Exploring on the Run: Boston

As my Friday post may have hinted, I was out of town this weekend. For the first time in ages I went to Boston for reasons completely unrelated to the BAA marathon. Although I went to hang out with friends that doesn't mean there was no running involved in my visit.

Every year during race weekend I get to do a short shake-out run and every year I think: Gee, wouldn't it be swell to explore a Boston's running paths? Well, this weekend offered a perfect opportunity for me to cover some new territory. I was staying in Brookline right on the marathon course but my goal was to avoid the course as much as possible.

Lot of green around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir

I finally got to run the Chestnut Hill Reservoir which is right next to the course. Although its circumference is almost the same as the Central Park Reservoir, it feels much bigger because the path is much wider and its surrounded by open space.

From there I made my way to the Charles which has both paved and unpaved paths on either side. I crossed into Cambridge over the Weeks bridge, ran around Harvard Square and the Cambridge Common, before taking the Harvard Bridge back into Boston.

At that point I followed Beacon Street back towards where I was staying, retracing the marathon route in reverse. It felt like more of a climb than I remembered, but just to finish on a high note, I took a detour up Summit Ave which climbs to Corey Hill's 515 peak and offers great views of the city from Corey Hill Park (I'm told they're even better in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees.

It was a wonderful run and an even better weekend. With any luck, I'll be back in Boston before next April.

Random Friday Rant: Packin' Ain't Easy

Most of the time I have nothing but good things to say about running: I love the way I feel after a hard workout, I love planning trips around awesome races, and I love spending time outside every day. One thing I don't love? Packing.

No, not that kind of packing.

The downside to being a runner (the only real one that I can think of) is packing for a trip. No matter how short your travels, you need to bring nearly twice as much stuff as a normal person non-runner.

For example, this weekend I am going to Boston for a couple of days (and hopefully the beach as well). If I were a a non-runner, I could get away with the lightest of bags. I would bring the shoes on my feet, some flip-flops, swim trunks, an extra t-shirt, and some clean socks and underwear. However, since I am a runner, I have to pack my running shoes, running clothes, running sunglasses, running watch, and running water bottle. Suddenly my packing list just got a lot longer and that little backpack I could have used has been replaced by heavy duffel bag.

Okay, so this is clearly a superficial first-world problem, but sometimes I do wonder how the other half lives packs.

Beer Review! Sam Adams 26.2

Usually after running a marathon I indulge in several rounds of beer and nachos. This year, because I was pretty darn dehydrated, I decided to play it safe even after finishing 7L of sports drink. Still, there was no way I could pass up trying Sam Adams special 26.2 Boston Brew which they made special for the marathon. Since they only distributed this beer to a limited number of Boston spots, I figured a review would be in order so those of you unable to make it to the Hub over Patriot's Day weekend could live vicariously through me.

26.2 is a Gose beer, a relatively obscure style closely associated with the German city of Leipzig. One thing that makes this style so special is that it departs from the standards of the Reinheitsgebot (the German beer purity law).* Gose is a top-fermented beer, brewed with more than 50% malted wheat and finished with malted barley. So far, sounds pretty standard, right? Well, in addition to hops, the beer is spiced with coriander and salt--yes you read that correctly, salt. It's also relatively low in alcohol, with the 26.2 interpretation coming it at 4.5%. Now you see why the Sam Adams folks figured it would be a good post-marathon beer!

I had this beer on tap at Fenway during the post-marathon open house so I was drinking from a plastic cup. It had a nice light golden color and was a little cloudy (though since my cup wasn't completely clear hard to say how much of this was the cup). I could certainly smell the coriander, but also some citrus rind. Anyway, I was far more interested in drinking this one than smelling it--I was still very thirsty.

At first taste you certainly notice the citrus notes and the breadiness of the wheat. Next, though, you notice the salt which gives the beer a nice dry finish. This is really perfect on a hot day and Monday was a very hot day. The brew was moderately carbonated which helped to add to the overall refreshingness (that's not a word, but I'm using it!).

My overall verdict? If you're in Boston in the next few days and see this on tap, it's certainly worth a try.


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* The Reinheitsgebot was a Bavarian law while Gose hails from Saxony. That means Gose brewers weren't subject to the law's restrictions until the unification of Germany by which point the style was so established as to be effectively grandfathered in.

I'm Back!

To all my loyal readers, I'm back in Harlem after a great weekend in Boston. I'll have a recap of my race in the next day or so, but for now, in case you're wondering, I'll just say that I met my two goals for this race: (1) cross the finish line; and (2) no walking during the race.

Let me also give a huge public thank-you to the people of Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston for their awesome support and hospitality this weekend.  Alright, time to get back to recovering...

Shipping Up to Boston

Note: As if my title hasn't been dropkicked to death.... Haha. Don't worry, I won't quit my day job.

Somehow I've managed to focus on Boston this entire week without really talking about running. Funny how things go... Well, with just over 48 hours until the race, I guess it's time to evaluate how things have gone these past few months.

This training cycle has been different for me than my previous 6 marathon cycles*:

• It's my first full cycle as a member of the working world.
• It's the first time I used a 12 week training plan instead of an 18 week plan.
• It's the first time I've been "injured" during training.

But I've put in the miles, got in some on-course training, and had some fun tune-up races along the way. There's really nothing I would change about my training this winter.

Originally I was hoping a PR might be in the cards for Monday, but the current weather reports are not looking promising, calling for highs in the 80s. (My guess, this is nature's payback for our mild winter!) That means it's time to start rethinking my goals and expectations.

Above all else, I want to enjoy my experience Monday. This will be my third trip from Hopkinton to Boston and I want this time to be just as enjoyable as the first two. One thing I don't want is to seriously blow-up in the second half. I haven't decided on my exact strategy yet--that may have to wait until Monday morning--but I can tell you that I'm going to come back with a finisher's medal, a big smile, and, hopefully, an entertaining race report.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank all my readers from the first fourth months of my blog. With any luck this will be merely the first of many training cycles I document on this site.

All right, wish me luck! I'll be back in Harlem on Tuesday.

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*I've run 7 marathons, but New York was so close to Chicago the two didn't get separate training cycles.

On Track

Today was my last "hard workout" before Boston. I've used Pete Pfitzinger's training schedule for several marathon cycles now (although this was my first time using the 12-week plan instead of the 18-week one) so I know what to expect. That said, his final track workout always gets me a little nervous--it's mile repeats. 

I dread mile repeats. Last night I lay in bed thinking, Do I really need to do these? I know what a mile feels like... Couldn't I just run 800s instead? Or better yet, skip the speed work altogether? Well, I conquered that inner voice, though not until this morning when my alarm finally went off. (I'd probably been awake for at least an hour wondering when the misery would start.)

As with a lot of my speed work, I do mile repeats around the Central Park Reservoir. Because it has markings every 20 yards and is clearly labeled 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, and so on, it works pretty well. You don't get the same hamster feel that a track can sometimes give you and it's easier for me to get to than the nearest track.

As much as I was dreading today's run, it went pretty well. It was definitely brisk out this morning, but I got to enjoy the sunrise over Central Park about halfway through my run. Even before the sun comes up, the pre-dawn reservoir is a nice sight to behold:

Photo from Central Park.com (You think I do speed work with my camera?)

The repeats went pretty well. I started out aiming for 10k pace, but probably ended up closer to 8k. They were 6:07, 6:04, and 6:02. Those are better than I did last cycle and my legs felt pretty fresh. Hopefully after a week of easy running they'll feel even better.
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Today's Run: 8.3 miles at 7:28 pace (that includes the mile repeats and recovery jogs).

A Friday Field Trip: Boston

Today after work I'll be heading to Penn Station for a little field trip to Boston. A few weeks ago I heard that one of the local running clubs had planned a weekend trip to Boston to do their long run on the marathon course. This little factoid set the wheels in my head turning. You mean, you can go to Boston on a normal weekend? The trains run year round? Not just for Patriot's Day? I was as shocked as you undoubtedly are.

Since I booked far enough in advance, I was able to get a "cheap" ticket for the train which is so much more relaxing than the bus. I'll be arriving this evening and staying with the cousin of a runner friend (I just love the way I always meet new people through running!). Tomorrow, I will wake up early, take the commuter rail out of the city and run back into town. Then it'll be time to shower, repack, and head back to New York.

Wish me and my Achilles luck!