March 2011 recap

Continued into the month of March at a good rate of running, still contending with some tough weather. Maintained consistency through two 5K races but then succumbed to an injury which I should have caught and taken care of sooner. Took the last week and a half off completely. Been pretty good at resting the legs, but still feeling a tweak in that left calf. Needs some more time to heal. Trying to stay positive, but certainly feeling frustrated at not being able to lace them up lately. Though I think what's more frustrating than not actually being able to run is not knowing exactly how long it will take for this injury to heal. Hopefully soon, but I'm working at being patient and conservative with it. In any case, here's a summary through March:

2011 Weekly and Monthly Summaries (click image to enlarge)

Happy trails!

Injured - Left Calf Muscle

Bummer, the lingering discomfort in my left calf has become worse. Hindsight says I should have rested and massaged it much sooner. Well, now I'm forced to take an extended, indefinite amount of time off. Probably at least a week, but could be longer. Hopefully not too long though, it sucks to be on the sidelines...

Malden Rotary Road Race 5k

SUMMARY

·                     Date: Sunday, March 20, 2011, 11:00am start

·                     Location: Malden, MA

·                     Conditions: 38F, clear and dry, little to no wind

·                     Distance: 5k / 3.1 mile race (mostly flat)

·                     Finish time: 20:39

·                     Average pace: 6:40 / mile

·                     Overall Finish: 14th out of 174 total runners

·                     Age Group: 7th out of 25 runners in the M30-39 Age Group

PRE-RACE
Decided at the last minute to run a 5k (3.1 miles) in my hometown of Malden, MA. This one was put on by the Malden Rotary Club, their motto being "Service Above Self". Didn't have my normal pre-race dinner, breakfast, favorite flavor PowerBar or any of my normal pre-race stuff - just showed up, registered on-site, warmed up a little getting the aches out of my left calf, chatted with a few folks and toed the starting line.

THE RACE
The starting gun went off and while setting off at a seemingly too fast pace, was comforted by running along a route of familiar roads just near where I grew up. Ended up running very even mile splits (approx.): 6:35, 6:34, 6:31. I knew after that first mile that I wasn't going to run faster than I raced the prior weekend and the last split really wore me out. In the final stretch, there was great crowd support and cheering coming through the little finish line setup.

POST-RACE
This race was run in combination with a 10k as well, so lots of finishers coming through at different times. Not long after I crossed the line, the first place female finisher crossed as well, we high-fived and she thanked me as I apparently paced her through the whole run. Post race festivities and awards ceremony were held at the Dockside Restaurant, where I hung out with Malden native, fellow MC high school alum, and Fast Splits Triathlon shop wrench Mike P. (finished 2nd overall) and also the speedy Jeff H. (finished 3rd overall).

Finish time (5k / 3.1 miles): 20:39 (pace: 6:40/mile)
Finish place (overall): 14th out of 174 runners
Finish place (age group, M30-39): 7th out of 25 runners

Ras na hEireann 5k

SUMMARY

·                     Date: Sunday, March 13, 2011, 11:00am start

·                     Location: Somerville, MA (Davis Square)

·                     Conditions: 46F, clear and dry, little to no wind

·                     Distance: 5k / 3.1 mile race (mostly flat)

·                     Finish time: 20:11

·                     Average pace: 6:31 / mile

·                     Overall Finish: 130th out of 5,114 total runners

·                     Age Group: 51st out of 700 runners in the M30-39 Age Group

PRE-RACE

Was really looking forward to this race, especially the post-race party! Had my usual lentils for dinner the night before and leftovers the morning of the race. Arrived at the race site, and started seeing running friends everywhere. Ran some warm up strides through Somerville with the speedy Tyler H. Luckily I was using my race belt for my bib number and had two emergency safety pins to give to Alex E. of City Sports as we made our way to the starting line.

THE RACE

Started out pretty close to the front. Thought I went out a bit too fast at first, evidenced by a spike in my heart rate, so eased up a bit after that first half mile. After that first mile, tried to hold a fairly even pace through the remainder of the run, with a little extra kick at the end. The course itself was nice, a bit of a loop around the Davis Square area. The finishing stretch was scenic along a bike path. Shortly after passing through the finishing chute, I turned around to see a buddy finish and then heave a bit until he couldn't hold it in anymore and started throwing up. Well, he wouldn't be the first guy that crossed a finish line and puked, nor will he be the last. The finisher's medal was a really cool shamrock.

Here are some pictures of me heading towards the finish line:
[Race photos credit to Capstone Photography.]

See Sunday, March 13 on Endomondo for the workout details.

POST-RACE

The whole of Somerville was abuzz after the race. Met up with friends from City Sports run club at On The Hill Tavern to enjoy post-run splendors.

Finish time (5k / 3.1 miles): 20:11 (pace: 6:31/mile)
Finish place (overall): 130th out of 5,114 runners
Finish place (age group, M30-39): 51st out of 700 runners

February 2011 recap

Another good month of running... very tough Boston weather, cold, crazy amounts of snowfall and barely runnable trail conditions due to uneven ice, slosh and toe-freezing puddles, but managed to run outside all but 3 days for a total of 150 miles. The 10k race I planned to run got cancelled due to weather and route conditions, but had a very positive half-marathon experience showing progress with my speed and pacing. See the image below for weekly and monthly summarized running stats including average paces.

2011 Weekly and Monthly Summaries (click image to enlarge)

Happy trails!