Week 7; How Sweet You Were

Well, this was one dandy of a week!  Today's 18 miler concluded a  50 mile effort in, sometimes, pounding rain and driving wind.  It was a good effort and I finished strong.  Next week's 20 miler on Sunday will be a good test but then, today's was too.

There were some great runs to be had this week.  On Tuesday, I was up at the crack of 4:45 and out the door at 5:10 to get in my 10 mile tempo run before work.  It's so crazy running hard in the dark before going off to work.  It often feels like a dream.

Thursday's 11 miler was at the other end of the spectrum as I ran in the afternoon after work and got to see one fabulous sunset at the harbor.  There was one cloud above the horizon as the sun set that was on fire.  A quick glance farther up revealed the new moon with Venus right below. Is this living right or what?

Saturday's 7 mile run and 8 X hill sprints was a great way to start the day and today's 18 miles really flew by.  There was one tough stretch at about mile 10 on the Interurban Trail  where I was feeling a little low, but some hydration and energy drink perked me right up.  At mile 11 I changed paces and ran the last 7 miles, including the hill at Bill McDonald Parkway, at 9:10 pace which is right where I was supposed to be.

Running in crappy conditions for 18 miles, meeting the time goals, and finishing strong was a good confidence builder.

A 15 minute cold bath to soak the legs, a long  hot shower, and a tasty omelette later it was time to move on to looking at the taxes.  Oh reality beckons.

Tomorrow's a day off from running and that's probably a good thing.

Fundraising is going well.  Today we crossed the $3,500 threshold and there are 30 people who have RSVP'd yes so far for the wine tasting party on the 24th.  So far only a handful of RSVP no.

The second glass of wine along with the high mileage today should mean a good sleep tonight.

Also there was good news in the mail this weekend (see below) as well as a recent posting on the BAA (Boston Athletic Association) website, even though they have me as being from Bellingham, Massachusetts,  instead of Washington.  

On to Week 8.

IB	WAVE/ CORRAL	NAME	AGE	M/F	CITY	ST	CTRY	CTZ
		Schick, John M.	56	M	Bellingham	MA	USA	USA

Week 6 is a wrap

Hard to believe that I'm 1/3 of the way done but week 6 out of 18 is done. The next 9 weeks will be getting harder quicker but, so far, I have to say, "So Good."
As this was a recovery week, my mileage was cut back to 37 down from last weeks 45 and next week's 50. Today's long run was only 12 miles and will be the shortest "long run" until the week before Boston. Next week is 18 and the week after is the first of 3 times at the 20 mile distance. Today's run seemed like a breeze and it sure was nice running on pavement with no snow. And it was so much better than running on the treadmill yesterday.
The days are definitely getting longer now that we are one month out from the solstice and that will make running after work a lot easier for sure.
If the next third goes as well as this one has, I'll be in good stead.
The checks continue to show up in my mail box and the wine party is taking shape with people RSVPing on a daily basis.
Knock on wood, things are looking good.

A snowy week 6 indeed

Well, they weren't kidding here.  Monday was a 5 mile easy run with about an inch of snow so no big deal.

Tuesday's 8 mile run with 10 X 100 meter strides was a different story. There was 4 inches at my house but closer to a foot of snow around Lake Whatcom. My run took me through Bloedel- Donovan Park and into Whatcom Falls.  It was an absolutely beautiful run and quite tricky trying to run strides in that much snow, but I got it done.

Wednesday was an even different story yet because the arctic chill did arrive. When I left the front door for an easy 5 mile run at 10:30 am it was a balmy 14 degrees with a cold wind blowing out of the North East.

Time for the Yak Trax.  

For those of you who don't know, Yak Trax are like chains for your shoes.  I was happy because I knew that there was a brand new pair left over from last year AND I knew where they were.  My happiness switched to alarm as I managed to cut through one of the Yak Trax as I cut open the package.  

We all do bone-headed things and this was my turn. Fortunately, I looked and found 1 Yak Track left over from last year.  It was a different model but managed to work fine.

Running on the trail is hard in this snow.  Even though it's packed down it's kind of like running on the beach and my legs definitely feel it.  The Yak Trax make it easy enough to run even on sheet ice, which is what most of the side streets have turned into so that's where I've been running when I can.

Today (Thursday) was another cold day.  It was 17 degrees when I left for my 8 mile run this time heading down Squalicum Parkway past the harbor and then back home through the lettered streets neighborhood. 

It's kind of fun running past people all bundled up (I mean really bundled up) and feeling very comfortable with tights, 2 shirts, gloves, and a wool hat. The shoe chains are really amazing allowing you to just run on anything. Tomorrow is a rest day and the long run this weekend will only be 12 miles. Depending on conditions (when will all this snow melt?) I may end up at the Y running on the treadmill.  Hope not.  Stay tuned.

Week 5 is in the bag

Now it's on to week 6 which is a recovery week.  Yahoo!
Week 5 featured some great runs.  On Thursday I went out for a 10 mile run, and, after 1 and a half miles was settling in to the Adele CD Live at Royal Albert Hall when who should pass me going the other way on the trail but Craig Bartlett. He turned around and ran the route with me which was so much better than running alone.  Sorry Adele, maybe later.
We ran into the dark and had a fantastic run.
Friday was a day off and then Saturday's 16 mile run which included the Nookachamps Half Marathon.  The plan was to get there early run 3 miles and then start the race with 3 easy miles and finish the last 10 miles at marathon pace.  (for me 8:20 miles)
Saturday morning dawned with 37 degree temperatures and heavy rain.  By the time I got to the race, it was 35 degrees with chunky rain and heavy winds.  I didn't get out the door until 9:40 so only got 2 miles done in unbelievably bad weather.  I was drenched before the race even started.  My timing was pretty good though.  By the time I got to the start line, I went to the back and kept running down the street, turned around, and got there right before the start.  This was nice because I didn't need to stand around and freeze.  Both last week and this week, I've enjoyed the difference in starting the race at the back.  I wouldn't want to make a habit of it, but it's been interesting.
For the first three miles I just let people stream past me, knowing that I'd be catching up to many of them in the miles to come.  At mile 3 I reset my watch and got into my rhythm. As a diversion I started counting how many people I passed before the finish.  I really didn't know how many that would be but I was surprised when the total was 109. That made me wonder how many people ran the race. (I was 142 out of 425) Not bad for a training run.
I had a great run, ran relaxed and held a 8:15 pace throughout.  Another spot of good news was that after about 4 or 5 miles the weather calmed down, the chunky rain stopped, the wind quieted down, and it got quite pleasant for running.  By the time we crested the hill at mile 11 there was even clear sky ahead off to the west.
A great, great run.
Since daughter Emily is visiting this weekend with boyfriend Travis, we all made a night of it by going out to eat and then off to Contra Dancing.  I wasn't sure how my legs would hold up, but they were fine and we had quite a time.  I apologize to all the women I led astray with my clumsy feet, but they didn't SEEM to mind too much and it was a blast.
This morning my legs were on the heavy side but not too bad.
The recovery week will feature runs shorter by a mile or two and Sunday's long run will only be 12 miles.
Next week we bump up to 18 and the week after will be the first of 3 runs at 20 miles.
Fundraising money continues to come in and the wine tasting initial email list has been created and will go out soon.

Week 5

Whoever thought that running at Sea Level would feel so good. After running at the higher elevations, running 14 miles at sea level was a joy and the air felt so thick with oxygen. Although, when I finished and Diane asked how my run was I started coughing and couldn't stop.
Go figure.
Week 4 has come and gone and I managed to get the 40 miles in despite going back to work after the holidays. Several of my runs have taken place at 5am and a couple have taken place after work. Either way it involves running in the dark. Incredibly enough, not too many rainy runs yet, BUT there's still a long way to go and I've probably jinxed it. Now it's in to Week 5 and I'm looking forward to next week which is a "recovery week" where I'll be able to take it a little easier. Sunday's Lake Samish run was a treat. I got to run with good friend Mike Finger and we were able to catch up running together for 2 hours as we completed the 1/2 marathon at a comfortable training pace.
Here's what we looked like.
This Saturday the Nookachamps Half-Marathon will be part of my 16 mile run and I'm looking forward to that beautiful course and my training plan also calls for running 10 of the miles at my marathon pace. I'm looking forward to being able to open it up a little bit.
This morning's 5 o'clock tempo run was a blast and it was nice to be able and hold a 7:30 pace for 5 miles.
Fundraising is continuing to go well and remains humbling but also amazing. I have raised $3,000 up to this point, and even though there's a long ways to $8,000 when I stop and think about it,
$3,000 is a LOT of money for people to have donated. A big thank you to all who have contributed!