A run along the coast

59 days until the Boston Marathon.

*

My alarm went off at 6. Reluctlantly, I got out of bed, gathered my running clothes, and took them to the sitting room to dress. We were staying in a small chalet, and I didn't want to wake my wife by dressing in the bedroom.

The chalet was cold as we had turned down the heat for the night. It was near the coast of Scotland, and we'd travelled there for a long weekend during the children's half-term holiday. (Half-term is a week off from school, for no apparent reason, half-way through the school term. I don't remember such breaks when I was a child; I suppose it's a British tradition.)

I made a cup of coffee, and ate a cinnamon whirl that was left in the kitchen. The children started stirring a bit, perhaps excited by waking somewhere new, and I told them it was too early to get up. They agreed, and closed their shared bedroom door, but I could their quiet conversation continuing.

*

It was dark outside, and cold. It had rained the night before, but this had cleared, and now the road was icy in places. I had gloves on, but my fingertips were cold.

The road was a single lane farm track. I chose to stay on this, rather than head onto busier roads, as I was unlikely to encounter any traffic. I left a bottle of diluted juice and a snack bar behind a sign near the side of the road. My plan was to run to the end of the track - about four miles - and then back, and then do it all again.

What does one think about on a long run? Initially, I thought about how unnatural it was to be up and running in the dark. It was almost if you are running in secret. I then thought about how, as I age - I'm nearly 45 now - my preferences have insensibly become more domestic, maybe more staid. For example, air travel used to be wholly exciting for me, and it still is to an extent. But now it's tinged with a dread of jet-lag and the fatigue of travel.

The road led through pastures and bits of wood, with only the occasional house. Suddenly, at a curve in the road, I could smell the sea. It was dark out still, but there was a light from a small boat in the bay. A low cloud hung over open water at the end of the bay.

Up ahead was a light near the shore. As I approached, I could see that it was a red telephone booth, with a light on inside. Next to it were lobster traps and buoys. One could leave the phone booth and in five strides be on the water's edge.

The road narrowed, and ended in a fenced driveway. I turned, and headed back the other way as it started to get light.

*

Later, after the run and breakfast, we took the children to a sea-life center. It had a trail next to the shore, and I took a picture of a fishing boat anchored a short distance away.

A moonlit morning run

88 days until the Boston marathon.

*

My watch alarm went off at 6:11 this morning. I'd set it to get up early for a run.

I'd run the night before, a 6-miler with some hills, and was feeling pleasantly tired in bed. My legs were stretched out, I was warm under my duvet; I didn't want to get out of bed, put on running clothes, and head outside again.

I turned over. Sometimes when I wake up early and don't need to get up I like to think about camping - resting in my warm sleeping bag, somewhere in the mountains, a day of walking ahead perhaps.

I turned over again. The marathon was now less than three months away. Every training day, now, counted. My only chance to run today was this morning because my wife was out tonight.

So, I either got up and went for a run or I didn't run today.

I got up.

I made a cup of instant coffee. My son, aged 5, wandered into the kitchen. I told him that it was too early to get up yet and I put him back to bed.

*

Outside it was cold and dark. I could see the frost on my wife's car. My legs were still tight from last night's run, and from basketball the day before. I had in mind an easy town loop (5.4 miles) just to stretch.

I wore my usual winter running clothes. Hat, gloves, long running trousers, a longsleeve shirt, a shortsleeve shirt on top, and a mesh visibility vest. There was frost on the road.

When I got to the loch, a mile into the run, the moon was full and bright. It was still dark outside, but the ruined palace on the other side of the loch was moonlit. There was no one out. The path alongside the loch was easily visible, and I didn't need my torch (flashlight).

My legs loosened and the running became easier. I made my way around the loch, and around the farm. Heading back into town, there were more cars now about. I made my way back, and arrived home 46 minutes after I'd started. I checked our thermometer, and it read -6 C (22 F).

Looking out the window of the house, the moon was low and still bright, so I stepped outside and took a quick photo.

Running at lunchtime

95 days until the Boston marathon. Oh man, that's just 3 months from now! This isn't that much time from a marathon-training perspective.

*

I went for a lunch-time run today, as it was my only chance to run.

I left the lab where I often work in Old City, and jogged to a park that is near its center. The park is features an extinct volcano, and shear rocky outcroppings, referred to as crags. These are visible from my office window, so I thought a run up to them would be fun.

I left my building, crossed a few streets, and heading into the park. I followed a trail and made my way to the base of the crags. One one side they are shear rock faces; on the other they are steep grassy slopes. I ran up the slopes, and gained a view of Old City.

I made my way along the crags, and then descended to the road that runs around the park. The road through the park was mostly closed to cars for about half of its length - so it was perfect for running.

I was warm and so removed my gloves and head band. It was one of the warmer days we've had in the past month and a half - probably near 40 F.

I ran around the park, and then headed back to work. I was only planning on running for 40 mins or so, but ended up taking 50.

Back at work I had a quick shower, and joined a meeting that I was planning on attending about 10 minutes late.

But I'd got my run in.

Training for a marathon in the winter

102 days until the Boston marathon.

*

I'm now in week 4 of my 18-week training program for the Boston marathon and, given that some of these weeks have included the holidays, things seem to be going well.

Last weekend my schedule called for my first 15-miler, and I achieved it - or something close - by adding extra miles to my Sunday morning run in the woods with my running friends. I felt good, and was tired at the end, but not exhausted. Altogether the run was about 2:40, but this included a lot of running through snow, stopping, and picking my way across ice patches.

The next day, Monday, I took my usual rest day. Tuesday I did 8 miles with a friend in a cold rain, and my legs were tired. Wednesday I did my town loop of 5.4 miles, and felt absolutely beat. There's still ice covering parts of the path where lots of people have walked and the snow has been compacted, so it requires a little care when trying to run it in the dark.

Tonight, Thursday night, I donned my winter running clothes while my children watched TV before supper. I wanted to get a short run in and be back to eat with them.

It was cold - -2C (28F) - and I wore two shirts, a reflective vest, two pairs of gloves, a hat, my running trousers, sox and shoes. I carried a small LED bike light.

I headed up the road and then up a bridle way nearby. On the bridle way I used my light to see the ground. It's a true bridle way - there's a farm with horses adjacent to it. Portions of this way had ice, but it was mostly clear. The ground was hard and frozen.

I turned off the bridle way onto an intersecting farm road. It was a clear winter's night, and the big dipper was visible to the north. There was just a sliver of a moon. My route had taken me up a hill, and the street lights from my town were visible below.

I headed to a bend in the road where there is a small cluster of houses and a farm. When I run past these I sometimes wonder what it must be like living out here, two miles or so from the village. Do the people who live out here feel isolated? More prosaically, as they are up on a hill, how is their water pressure?

I was warm, but had been out for 22 minutes, and so turned around and headed back. I arrived back at the house to find supper underway.

*

Last month, December, was the coldest month in Scotland for 63 years. The cold here is slightly different than what I've experienced in the midwest and northeastern U.S., in that there's a lot of humidity in the air. So, to me, the eqivalent temperature feels colder. Also, you get an accumulatation of frost on everything. This is particularly impressive when the trees are covered, as the one outside my office window was last month.

Training for the Boston Marathon

124 days until the Boston Marathon

*

I started training this week.

I'm following the New York City Official Marathon Program, which worked well for me in the Loch Ness Marathon, and which I think I also followed when I did the New York Marathon 12 years ago.

For those of you who might be interested, this is what it looks like (sorry, the formatting is a bit of a mess):

.............................................Mon Tues Weds Thur Fri Sat Sun
Week 1 Dec. 13 - Dec. 19..6 mi. Rest 5 mi. 5 mi. Rest 13 mi. 3 mi.
Week 2 Dec. 20 - Dec. 26..Rest 5 mi. 4 mi. 5 mi. 3 mi. 13 mi. 3 mi.
Week 3 Dec. 27 - Jan. 2...Rest 5 mi. 5 mi. 4 mi. 4 mi. 15 mi. 3 mi.
Week 4 Jan. 3 - Jan. 9....Rest 5 mi. 6 mi. 5 mi. 4 mi. 13 mi. 5 mi.
Week 5 Jan. 10 - Jan. 16..5 mi.5 mi. 6 mi. 5 mi. Rest 15 mi. 4 mi.
Week 6 Jan. 17 - Jan. 23..6 mi.6 mi. 6 mi. 6 mi. Rest 13 mi. 6 mi.
Week 7 Jan. 24 - Jan. 30..Rest 6 mi. 6 mi. 6 mi. 6 mi. 18 mi. 5 mi.
Week 8 Jan. 31 - Feb. 6...6 mi.6 mi. 6 mi. 6 mi. Rest 15 mi. 4 mi.
Week 9 Feb. 7 - Feb. 13...Rest 6 mi. 6 mi. 8 mi. 5 mi. 20 mi. 5 mi.
Week 10 Feb. 14 - Feb. 20.Rest 6 mi. 6 mi. 8 mi. 6 mi. 15 mi. 5 mi.
Week 11 Feb. 21 - Feb. 27.Rest 6 mi. 6 mi. 8 mi. 6 mi. 20 mi. 4 mi.
Week 12 Feb. 28 - Mar. 6.Rest 6 mi. 6 mi. 8 mi. 6 mi. 13 mi. 6 mi.
Week 13 Mar. 7. - Mar. 13..Rest 6 mi. 6 mi. 8 mi. 4 mi. 22 mi. 4 mi.
Week 14 Mar. 14 - Mar. 20.Rest 6 mi. 6 mi. 8 mi. 6 mi. 15 mi. 4 mi.
Week 15 Mar. 21 - Mar. 27.Rest 5 mi. 6 mi. 5 mi. Rest 22 mi. 4 mi.
Week 16 Mar. 28 - Apr. 3.Rest 5 mi. 5 mi. 6 mi. 5 mi. 15 mi. 4 mi.
Week 17 Apr. 4. - Apr. 10.Rest 5 mi. 5 mi. 4 mi. 4 mi. 8 mi. 4 mi.
Week 18 Apr. 11 - Apr. 17.Rest 4 mi. 4 mi. 3 mi. Rest 3 mi. 26.2 mi.

So, it's 18 weeks all told. I use the RunWell tool in the New York Times to log my runs, and also to edit this schedule. I'll often move around runs, and sometimes I run on rest days, and sometimes, of course, I miss runs. Often, I do my long run on Sunday instead of Saturday.

What I like about the plan is the consistency. You get out 6 consecutive days on most weeks. For me, this seems to be key in preparing for the weekend long runs - I feel stronger if I've been out 5 times during the week.

Something I read in one of George Sheehan's books (How to feel great 24 hours a day) also informs my training. He argued that when you train, you are really training your legs. Your heart, of course, also gets stronger, but really only up until a point; the key is your other muscles - and by that I'm assuming leg muscles.

So, I'm just trying to strengthen my legs, and there's nothing for it but running lots.

*

My first workout was a Yasso session on the track. The snow is still on the ground here, but someone had semi-plowed the track where I work. There were still a few inches of snow on it, but the snow was packed fairly hard.

It was a clear, cold night. Probably in the low 20s F (-5 or so C). The moon, and Mars, were bright. No one else was out. I wore two long-sleeve shirts, running trousers, socks, my Sauconys, a warm hat, and two pairs of gloves.

I did a mile warm up, and then Yassos: 7 x 800 meters, with a 400 meter recovery walk/jog between each interval.

My 800m times were as follows:

3:21
3:21
3:22
3:19
3:20
3:19
3:21

I was feeling tired at the end, so I think if I'd done 10 800s, my times would have slowed for the remaining 3.

November

168 days until the Boston Marathon.

*

I've spent the whole year training for marathons, and so now I'm at a bit of a loose end running-wise.

I began my 20 or so weeks of training for the Edinburgh Marathon the week before Christmas last year. The race was at the end of May, and two days after I started my first of 19 weeks of training for the Loch Ness Marathon. Towards the end of my training for Loch Ness, I was a little consumed by my training, and was trying to get out six times a week.

Now that Loch Ness has come and gone, I'm back to base training I suppose. However, I'm missing the clarity of purpose that a training schedule provides. It was satisfying to enter each of my runs into the interactive RunWell site of the New York Times.

So, last week was comprised of four runs, of 4, 6, 10, and 8 miles, for and a total of 28 miles.

I think that for Boston I will go with the New York City Marathon Official Program, which served me well for the Loch Ness Marathon. In it, I don't start ramping up the miles beyond a baseline of 31 miles per week until late December.

*

The leaves on the large Sycamore tree in our garden are really dropping now. The sun is noticeably lower during the day now, the shadows are longer, and the light is different.

The clocks were set back this weekend in the United Kingdom, and tonight, for the first time, it was dark when I picked up my children from their after-school club. It was pouring rain and cold; November is here.

I'm not ready for the marathon

16 days until my next attempt to qualify for Boston.

*

I know I'm not ready. I did a long run this past weekend and suffered. Even with a run:walk strategy, 8 mins run: 1 min walk, I was reduced to shuffling at the end of my 21-miler.

That's the endurance I possess right now.

My only hope, delusional as it is, was that this was just a bad run. I was jet-lagged. I definitely had a cold. I'd not run the week before.

I've tried to get in a reasonable week of running this week, but my wife is out of town for for days this weekend, so I'll be taking care of the children. Perhaps I can run around the playground while they are there or something, but I won't be getting in any serious distance.

My plan is to do one last long run on the day she returns. Hopefully it will go a little better. After that I'll do some maintenance runs, and then my local 10K the weekend before the marathon. After this, I'll do some easy runs (5 miles or less) in the week before the race.

Perhaps this is a little light in terms of tapering, but I've found that I seem to recover from runs quickly. Also, a lesson I've learned in training for this marathon is that I tend to feel strongest on my weekend long runs when they've been preceeded by a consistent week's running.

*

Fall is in the air here. It was 44 degrees this morning (about 8 degrees celcius), and the house was a bit chilly. The trees in our garden (backyard) are starting to colour a bit and shed their leaves.

Tired

O.K., I did 10 miles after work today, but I didn't feel strong. The run was a loop that included 4 miles on The Road, and then about 6 miles on two other roads, together forming a sort of triangle.

I changed into my running things in my office, dropped off my clothes in my car in the parking lot, and jogged over to The Road. It starts, as I've described in an earlier post, with a steep climb which merges into a moderate climb, before another steep climb. So, in the first mile, there's a lot of uphill. Even after this there's an elevation gain, but it's punctuated with downhill stretches.

In that first mile of climbing I felt like I was just shuffling my feet. My thinking was that I just wanted to get miles in and build endurance - and slow running was fine for this. I wore a head-band, thin gloves, running tights, a long-sleeve long underwear type shirt, and a high-visibility mesh vest. I ran with my phone in my hand.

Eventually, The Road evens out a bit, and I found myself amidst melting snow fields. At points it was several feet deep on the side of The Road, but the tarmac itself was snow free. It's been an unusually snowy winter here in Scotland.

After four miles on The Road I made a left turn onto the road that makes up the second side of the triangle. It's a long, gradual descent, and it was pleasant to run with the sun still out. The melting snow created several gurgling burns (creeks) in the fields and woods along the route, and the water was clear. I wondered if a slow snow melt fills the reservoirs nicely, although in Scotland drought isn't usually a problem.

After this second leg of the triangle, I turned onto a former road that is now only open to pedestrians. This winds through a ravine, and in parts portions of the road - guarded by fences - have eroded into the ravine.

Next there a village adjacent to where I work. By now, after more than an hour, I was starting to feel tiredness in my legs. My route takes me through the leafy back streets of the village, where there are substantial Victorian houses.

I then came to the back of my work-place, and jogged to my car. 1:25 for the route.

The Road

O.K., my road isn't quite a route to uncertain destination in a post-apocalyptic world. It's a narrow road, just behind where I work, leading up into the hills. When I can run it in its entirety, I beleive, I'll be ready to run the marathon.

The Road is 9.5 miles long. It starts with a steep climb, and on this climb the road appears to have been carved out of the hillside long ago. On each side a rock face rises about 20 feet or so, and drip with wet, green moss. Above these rock faces are woods, and their overhaning branch create a green tunnel for the road. If you encounter a car at this point, you have to press against the rock face until it passes. Often the road itself is wet, and after heavy rain it's a nearly a stream.

After this initial climb, the road forks, and the fork to the right takes you into another climb. This one is a touch less steep, but by now you are breathing hard. After 100 meters or so, the road flattens, and a pastures appear on the left and right. Usually there are sheep in the field to the left.

Next there is another sharp climb, but you are rewarded at the top with a brief descent, and an open view to the hills. From here on it's rolling hills for several miles, and then a gradual descent to the road's end.

*

On Sunday my wife took the children to their swimming lessons, and I was free to go in to work and to get in a long run. Long-distance running takes time, and it's a challenge to carve out a chunk of this - especially with small children. Some get up extra early in the morning, but I've never been a morning runner. Still, this is a thought, as the sun rises just before 4 am here in the summer. I listened to Steve Runner's Phedippdations podcast on the drive in, dropped off some necessary work in a colleague's mail tray, and then mapped my run. I wanted to do 12 miles.

The hybrid maps on "map-my-run" were most useful. 6 miles along The Road would take me to a large stretch of woodland beyond a large hill. 5 miles would take me to a farmhouse. A familiar training route, 4 miles, takes me to the sole pub on the road. As I was going to do an out-and-back run, these would give me 8, 10, or 12 miles. To do the whole thing, which I've never done, would be 19. If I can build up my endurance to run to that point, I'd be a long way towards marathon fitness.

It was cool but sunny when I started. On the initial climb I just plodded along, running slow, but getting it behind me. After this, I relaxed a bit, and enjoyed the open views. Occasionally, there were sheep on the road. I also saw three deer crossing the road, and startled one pheasant. It was a quiet Sunday morning though, and most of the traffic was from cyclists.

As I approached mile 4 I felt that I wasn't running too strong. I checked my watch: 37:27. This was a surprise - it was faster that I typically run to this point. After the pub at mile four there's a 1/2 mile climb to a patch of trees, and then a gradual descent. I'd never run beyond 4.5 miles from work.

The view from the pub is impressive. There's open moorland and all sides, and rounded hills. I had my eye out for potential spots to camp with the children someday.

Beyond 4.5 I felt o.k. At 5 or so I started feeling pain in the side of my left knee. This was familiar, and what I've self-diagnosed as illiotibial band syndrome. I hadn't reached the 6 mile mark yet, but at 56 mins I decided to turn around. I was a good distance away from my car, starting to feel sore, and I'd already been out nearly an hour. The 6 mile marker would have to wait for another day.

My runner's knee didn't get worse on the return journey, though later in the afternoon, at the playground with my children, it reminded me of its presence.

So, I called it 11 miles in 1:48.

This is about as much as I can do, on this route, with my current endurance level.

*

In my mind, I'm not actively training for a marathon yet. I'm keeping in some long runs, as the marathon is a distant aspiration, but for now I'm doing road or trail runs for upcoming shorter-distance routes.

Four miles

OK, just a short run yesterday after work.

I went to the track, and started with an easy-ish mile of 7:16. When I say mile, I mean 1600 meters.

I stopped and caught my breath, and then went for a fast mile. This came in at 6:36.

*

When I was in high school, I think my best time ever for a mile was 5:15. I find that a bit hard to fathom now... maybe I'm mis-remembering it. Wonder if it would be possible to track down high school track meet results from 25 years ago.

I was a slow runner in high school. I never won, or placed, in any race. I usually didn't finish last, but I was usually not too far from last. I also ran cross-country, and was dreadfully slow.

But I liked running. I liked training. I would run all winter, on my own. In northern Ohio, this isn't a trivial effort.

*

I was initially thinking of running a fast 3rd mile. However, I was tired after my 2nd mile, and decided to go for another easy one. This came in at 7:36.

This workout was intended to be easy. I'd run a 5-mile hill race two days previously, so this run was just to loosen up the legs a bit. I also have a half-marathon tomorrow, so I didn't want tired legs.

After my third mile, I rested for a few seconds, and then went for a fast final mile. I wanted to get home and see my children before they went to bed. So, I tried to run hard, particularly on the last lap-and-a-half. The sun came out on my last quarter, I pushed my feet out in front of me, and I came in at 6:26.