Stew Chasin'

Training Summary
This was probably my best week of training since June. I got in a solid workout on Tuesday, a crumby workout on Thursday, and a strong race on Sunday. The Tuesday hill workout is the type of session that will help me start to get some of my speed back without having to do anaerobic track sessions. As Frank Shorter said, "Hills are speedwork in disguise." I am banking on the fact that regular hill workouts will be sufficient until I hit the track in May. On Thursday, I was able to go to Reggie for a workout since I did not have evening study. I met up with Ted and Matt B. for a fartlek-type session that was supposed to consist of 2 x 4K with alternating segments of 300 in 54 seconds and 100 in 25 seconds. I was never able to settle into a rhythm and was pushing the rest too much. I managed to get through the first 4K but ended my second interval at 2k.

On Sunday, I returned to racing for the first time since my Rhody disaster at the beginning of June. Leading up to the race, it seemed like things were conspiring to keep me from getting to the starting line. I missed my alarm for the first time since college, my shin was hurting on my morning shake out, and I was very late for my ride to the race. Thankfully, Chris Smith kindly switched up the travel plans a bit and we got on the road to Lynn with plenty of time to spare. Even on my warm-up before the race, I didn't feel very good and my left shin was bothering me enough that I considered not racing. Luckily, it didn't bother me in the least during the race.

The race was not too crowded up front and I was able to get out smoothly, running in fourth place early on. After the mile, the three people ahead of me began to distance themselves from the rest of the racers and a few guys passed me. At that point, I was thinking I was in for a long day. The only split from the race that I heard was 11:09 for 2 miles and I couldn't help but think that things would only get slower from there. At around 2.5 miles, I began to feel much better and started to pick up the pace, working my way up to fifth place by 4 miles. I put in a strong move (all things considered) at 4 miles, dropped the guy I was running with and turned my focus to the runner in third. Over the next 3 miles, I went through a few spells of feeling great and feeling seriously out of shape. I was able to hang tough and stay focused, eventually moving into third place at around the 7 mile mark. I was able to see Andrew in first and the second place runner about 100 meters behind him but I could not close the gap at all. There were a few times when I thought I was gaining ground and really tried to bear down to catch up but I was a bit out of it mentally, as I eased off a bit when it seemed to me that they were out of reach. Overall, I am pleased with the race and how I competed. Going into it, I was thinking that anywhere between 5:30 and 5:40 pace would be a decent opener. This result is a good confirmation that I am rounding into some semblance of decent shape and that I just might be able to run something competitive at the New Bedford Half Marathon in March. After the race, my right hamstring and the ball of my left foot were pretty sore. The plan is to take Monday easy and only do one workout next week (probably on Wednesday) with a long run on Saturday. I'd like to keep it at around 85 to 90 miles, but that will be dictated by how I recover from the race.

Monday
50 minutes
Tuesday
55 minute WU, 6 x Franklin Park hill in 1:42 to 1:46, 20 minute CD
Wednesday
90 minutes
Thursday
90 minutes total, 4k and 2k in the middle alternating 300 in 55 and 100 in 25
Friday
50 minutes
Saturday
AM: 30 minutes
PM: 50 minutes
Sunday
AM: 20 minutes
AM: 15 minute WU, Great Stew Chase 15K in 51:10 (5:30/mile), 35 minute CD
Total
580 minutes on 9 runs (about 85 miles)

Holler of the Week
Nothing too interesting again this week. I am sort of getting bummed out. I guess there just aren't enough people outside when the weather is as cold as it's been. Hopefully by March it will start warming up and I will get more funny things yelled at me. The best I got this week was during my run on Wednesday in the rain. As I ran through a particularly cold and deep puddle, a woman waiting at a bus stop shook her head at me and muttered to herself, just loud enough so I could hear it "get the f#@% out of town." Also, on Monday, I accidentally bumped into a girls bag as I ran by her. She was walking side by side with a friend and the sidewalks were narrow from snow. I said excuse me as I approached them and apologized for bumping her after I passed. Her only response was "Uuuuuuuuuugh! I HATE white people!" My bad.

Epiphany Story of the Week
The 7th graders learn about European history in social studies. They are currently studying the Renaissance. Below is a question and from their latest exam and an actual student response.

List an adult you know who is a Renaissance Person. What makes them a Renaissance Person?

An adult I know who is a Renaissance person is Mr. Bonner. I think Mr. Bonner is a Renaissance person because he's got legs of steel. I think this because Mr. Bonner runs the annual marathon. I think Mr. Bonner is a Renaissance person because he is great at electronics, which is part of science. The last reason why I think Mr. Bonner is a Renaissance person is because he is kind of great at football, not as great as Mr. Jones, but not as wack as Mr. Forrest. He's in the middle. That is why I think Mr. Bonner is a Renaissance person.

Now there's a response that deserves extra credit if I've ever seen one. Stroking my ego while getting in an insult on Forrest? It doesn't get any better than that.

Song of the Week
The only time I ever listen to the radio is when I drive. Living without a car in Boston has significantly cut into my driving time. Consequently, I rarely listen to the radio. I got to borrow my headmaster's car on Friday to run an errand and heard the song below on WERS. The artist is Peter Bradley Adams and the name of the song is The Longer I Run. It is pretty mellow and folksy and has been stuck in my head for a solid three days now, including a large portion of the Stew Chase.