Chicago- Weekly Log: March 6 to 12

 Had some time off work and took the opportunity to explore Chicago which I had never been to before. 

Monday: 4 Miles- Westerly, RI

Still recovering from Gate River. Felt flat and sore.

Tuesday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

PM 4 Miles- Norwich, CT

Typical morning and afternoon runs. Tried to find another route at Norwich reservoir but the entrance was gated off with clear no trespassing signs. Bizarre as there's a lot of heat (on the global heatmap) and a popular segment there so I guess people run there illegally?

Wednesday: 11 Miles- Chicago, IL (+10 walk)

Went for a 5 mile walk through downtown. Massive buildings and cool/modern downtown but felt boring after while. While much cleaner than NYC, NYC never got boring with so many attractions to look at whereas Chicago felt all the same. 

Crowded, but I really like the design of O'Hare airport.

Another 5 mile walk to the Lincoln Park zoo and back. The zoo felt a little disappointing after coming from Jacksonville's more impressive zoo but it was free so I couldn't complain too much. Although many of the animals weren't out, guess winter isn't the best time to visit the zoo in colder climates. Certainly still plenty of cool exhibits. 

Zoo rankings (hopefully I'll add to this list over time):

1. Jacksonville Zoo- Jacksonville, FL

2. Lincoln Park Zoo- Chicago, IL

Aquarium rankings:

1. New England Aquarium- Boston, MA

2. Georgia Aquarium- Atlanta, GA

3. Mystic Aquarium- Stonington, CT

I've been to other aquariums and zoos, but these are the ones I remember well enough to really evaluate. Went to Odysea Aquarium in Scottsdale AZ in 2017 but I can't remember any of the exhibits. Chicago has Shedd Aquarium and in the suburbs the Brookfield Zoo with both supposed to be among the best in the country. Might make for a fun visit post Chicago Marathon one year. 

I was wiped after all the walking and didn't set myself up for an enjoyable run. Ran 11 miles into downtown through Millennium/Grant Park and then Northerly Island loop past Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum. Back on the Lakefront trail (18 mile path along the Chicago lakefront) and added on a lap around Navy Pier. Legs were super heavy the whole time both from the combination of walking so much before and just about everything being cement. The cement was pretty disappointing as even the major/popular Lakefront trail was cement. Navy Pier was nice and less crowded than some other sites (guessing this is crowded in summer) and even ran in the middle of the road coming back. Cool views of the lake and the skyline but did not enjoy this run with it being 80% cement or so. Tried the famous Chicago deep dish pizza for dinner and I didn't think it was great. 

Thursday: 13 Miles- Chicago, IL

Headed North instead of south today (away from downtown) for a significantly better route. Still some cement here and there, but much of the paths were path or even dirt. Generally a pretty nice route and would have been more enjoyable if my legs weren't so heavy (although better than the previous day). Much of the run went through Lincoln park with few road crossings. Lots of geese. Had to really go to the bathroom and took a while but eventually found a port a potty. Ran on an outside path right next to the lake and got too close as I got splashed by the big waves. Better than falling in. Maybe 2 miles or so of dirt on the way back, very nice. 

Some city rankings: going to include the 4 northern cities that I feel I've explored somewhat- Boston, NYC, Philadelphia and now Chicago. 

Overall:

1. Boston

2. NYC

3. Chicago

4. Philadelphia

Attractions:

1. NYC

2. Boston

3. Chicago

4. Philadelphia

History:

1. Boston

2. Philadelphia

3. NYC

4. Chicago

Urban Parks/Running Routes:

1. Philadelphia

2. NYC

3. Chicago

4. Boston

Subway: 

1. Boston (by far)

2. Chicago

3. NYC

4. Philadelphia

Racing scene:

1. NYC- basically just NYRR but there are so many iconic or high profile races in the city. Would imagine this is the best road racing scene in the world.

2. Philadelphia

3. Boston- maybe it seems Boston should be 2nd but keep in mind the Boston Marathon only has a few miles in Boston at all (more like the Greater Boston marathon), the B.A.A. half has a terrible course in my opinion with several OABs meaning no good halfs in the city, the BAA 10K also has a terrible course. So that really leaves just the BAA 5K for competitive races with a nice course entirely in the Boston. Philly on the other hand has a great marathon and two great half marathons highlighting the best areas of the city. 

4. Chicago- Chicago Marathon and Shamrock Shuffle, don't know any other high profile races here

Friday: 8 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Enjoyable perimeter loop of Carter plus an extra grassland lap. Such a nice place/trails although the amount of fallen trees was annoying to go over in the second half. 

Saturday: 10 Miles- Stonington, CT

Was going to do my long run/workout but steady rain so I pushed it back to Sunday and joined the WTAC group run at Barn Island. Was mildly annoyed to run solo the first 2 miles (well first 5 I guess as I did 3 before)  as everyone was going slower than 9 minute pace, but fortunately Dad, Brady and Matt Sweeney broke away and I had company for the rest. Rain/wind was comfortable enough, not too bad. 

Sunday: 17 Miles- Charlestown, RI

First 17 miler in a while but with no planned races for a few weekends, decided it was time to get back to a solid LR (15+) and get in some quality work. Did 6 easy, 6 moderate then easy back. Started at burlingame campground and ran around the pond on roads adding Shumankanuc loop. Then finishing on Ross hill road and a little bit on E/W beach. Got back at 16.7 so naturally just ran until I got 17. Felt good on this one- fairly comfortable 6:30-6:50 for the easy miles, then ran around 6:00-6:10 for the middle 6 over some decent hills (GAP generally 5:40-5:50). Sometimes I'm completely gassed after 16+ and/or the 6 miles at a harder pace and both felt like I could have easily done 2-3 more. Difficulty: 2/5. Overall 6:26 pace. 

Middle miles. Slower than usual but hilly.

Weekly Total: 75 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Exploring a new city. Have always wanted to go to Chicago so it was fun. Also always fun to travel. 

Weekly Lowlight: Nothing terrible, but legs were really heavy and uncomfortable running on the Chicago cement. Haven't felt that flat in some time. 

Movies Watched: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Gate River Run: Weekly Log- February 27 to March 5

Travel race this week at the Gate Run River in Jacksonville, FL. I've been looking at this race for a long time. It's a pretty big one with around 10,000 finishers each year and serves at the USATF Road 15K championship each year, so the competition is very good. With a focus on shorter distances this winter, I thought it would be good to do at least one longer race to check in where I'm at endurance-wise as half marathon and marathon will be more of the focus going forward. With a full taper and training block behind me at Philly Half, I thought it would be unrealistic to expect to run the same pace, even for 4 miles less. I did however think with consistent training and still running an average of 70 miles week that sub-5:30 would be a good goal. Those expectations went down a bit checking the forecast to be mid 60s, very high for this race which is usually low 50s. 

Monday: 5 Miles- Westerly, RI

6AM and no longer dark which was nice (although this didn't last long with the daylight savings times). Feeling like spring with the light and birds chirping even though it's still chilly. Ran down to the beach, little bit on the beach but bailed as it wasn't low tide. Nice views though. 

Tuesday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

Snow run. Thought it might be tough pre-work but roads were mostly clear and the snowfall, while steady was not especially heavy. Not too windy either. Only issue was the busier roads were slushy on the side. Went down towards Watch Hill, ocean view highway was quite nice with a 1 inch layer of now- enough to be soft surface but not too much to make it difficult running. I did twist my ankle fairly hard on some divet I didn't see under the snow but fortunately harmless. 

PM 4 Miles- Norwich, CT

Went for my typical Mohegan loop but the first trail portion was rough to run on as I was slipping and stumbling on the snow and things beneath it that I couldn't see. Did the rest on road including some sections outside the park I hadn't gone to before. 

Wednesday: 10 Miles- Stonington, CT

Mid-day mystic loop with Dad. Opted for a mini-workout to feel out Gate River pace without fully exerting just 3 days out. Ran 5 miles easy then did 2xmile at goal pace/effort with half mile rest. Was pleased with the first one- 5:15 feeling mostly controlled over some rolling hills but then the second one felt pretty hard- 5:23 on mostly flat although into a headwind. Completely fine, really just wanted to be sub-5:30. Felt pretty good on the easy running. 

Thursday: 8 Miles- Westerly, RI

Usual pre-work run but opted for no double two days out from a longer race so ran an extra mile. Didn't feel good on this one. Changed it up and went up east ave and back down beach street (plus some extra add-ons).

Friday: 4 Miles- Westerly, RI

Pre-race, did the same loop as before Philly around Misquamicut and back. Didn't look at the watch much and unintentionally ran a 6:37 average. Felt smooth enough although breathing was a bit uncomfortable today. 

Absolute disaster of a travel day down to Jacksonville. Flight out of hartford originally at 7:30AM and I was fine with the initial delay to 1:30PM as it meant I could sleep in later and run in the light. But it ended up departing around 2:50PM which made things really stressful as I (and Andrew) had to get to the expo to pickup our bibs before 6PM. I tried my best to pre-arrange a Lyft but missed it. Ended up getting a very expensive Uber ($80) and made it to the expo with literally no time to spare (they were closing the building entrance as we walked in). After that, I failed to figure out the very confusing bus system and started to walk towards the hotel before giving up and taking another Lyft. Got to the hotel after 7PM then waited an hour and half for domino's (pasta) to be delivered to eat. Just a bad and frustrating day and didn't feel great heading into the race. 

Saturday: 14 Miles Run, 6 Miles Walk- Jacksonville, FL

Woke up at 5AM. Breakfast wasn't great as my oatmeal didn't come out well (really watery/poorly mixed) and I had significant stomach distress/gas. The bigger issue was that the initial 64 degree forecast had increased all the way to 74 degrees with an 87% humidity. Basically terrible conditions and it was March. Meaning zero heat/humidity acclimation at this point. Finished the warm-up (or warm-up 1) feeling hot, sweaty and expecting a sufferfest. 

On the bright side, I got most of the gas out and pre-race went very well. Many parts of pre-race have been a disaster at bigger races (not all- Detroit and Manchester Road Race were fine) so it was a pleasant surprise to easily make into the race area and zero line to bag check. The bathroom lines weren't nothing like Detroit but took less than 2 minutes. Ended up having plenty of time for everything especially with a 10 minute delay, including using the bathroom 2 more times and some strides and then slipped into the top 300 corral pretty easily. Despite the impending doom that was about to happen from the conditions, I felt decent now and not having a stressful pre-race experience made me more relaxed and confident. I lined up in about the 3rd row, not far behind Hilary Bor the olympian and eventual winner. 

Starting and getting out was easy enough due to my good position. I was unusually distracted early on thinking things such as "Why am I breathing like that", "This feels good, but what if I feel bad before the mile mark?", "racing is weird". I felt I went out at a hard yet comfortable/sustainable effort so I was surprised to check my watch a third of a mile in and see 4:35 pace. Guessing that was off but clearly went out too hard so I allowed anyone around me to pass me and I fell back a bit more. 

Even with the slow down and letting another few guys go by, I still hit the mile in 5:13 based on GPS (mile 1 clock showed 5:05 which can't be right). Probably a full 10-15 seconds faster than I would have liked but it felt pretty easy so just kept the effort relaxed. We turned away from downtown soon after and went over the first of two major bridges (over the St. John's river, the river referred to in the title). This was the main street bridge at 1.3 miles in. Slight incline but didn't affect the pace/rhythm too much. The surface was rough to run as it was metal grates. Got through Mile 2 now in the south side of Jacksonville in 5:23 still feeling pretty good. It didn't really feel like I was exerting hard, just trying to run consistently and conserve energy but somewhere in this third mile I started to feel a little sluggish and losing some energy. Managed a 5:28 3rd mile and saw 16:40s on the 5K clock but the official split was somehow 17:04. 

Main Street Bridge

I was already feeling rough starting the 4th mile which was a long ways to go given even after I made it another 5K, I still had a final 5K to go. I mentally noted that this was likely going to be a sufferfest and I'd probably just be looking to get myself to the finish line in one piece rather than have any final moves or be able to push to the pace. While the first 5K had been on major roads, much of the second 5K was through quiet neighborhoods. We turned towards the water with the river just meters away and tempting to jump in. For this turn, there were cars parked on the side of the road which made for a tight angle. The neighborhood sections were a blur as everything looked at the same and my fatigue/lack of energy was slowly increasing. While there weren't any big crowds, there were consistently groups of people on the edge of the roads cheering. I took water at every stop but it didn't seem to help. We turned on a more major roads and one guy passed me said "Almost at 10K". Kind of helpful but at the same time even when we got to 10K, still another 5K. Shortly after we passed someone with a sign "You're not almost there". Ouch. This probably would have mentally broken me 2 miles later. Everyone ahead of me seemed to have more energy than me as 3-4 people hit the "touch here to power up" sign but I had zero energy to waste. Turned back into neighborhoods for the final time as everything after that would be on major roads. 

Got the 10K split here- 34:33 with a 17:29 second 5K. Still fairly respectable especially given how I felt and the trend of slowing down. 5:36, 5:39, 5:50 splits. But I knew the last 5K would be the hardest and I felt like finishing at the 10K. Worth noting that this official 10K split was still 16 seconds faster than Beach to Beacon where I didn't have another 5K to run. Another slog of mile- 5:50 for Mile 7. The clock just ticked over 39:10 at the 7 mile mark, only seconds slower than Falmouth Road Race where I didn't have another two miles to run. But the last two miles were where the real suffering was. Turned out of the neighborhoods. While I was able to mentally break the end of the race in two parts, get to the bridge then get over the bridge, it didn't help that this section of road felt long and endless. Probably the hottest and most exposed section of the course as well (it wasn't particularly sunny but there wasn't any shade either). I was really struggling here and quite happy to turn off this road towards the end of the mile. Now we'd climb 150ft over the next third of a mile or so to the top of the bridge. With no energy at this point, I struggled up the bridge at a pace well over 7 minutes. Hit the 8th mile in 6:09. Really just trying to focus on the fact I'd be done shortly after the bottom of the bridge. I thought the 9th mile would end up being 6:50 or so with how slow I was running up the hill. It was nice to hit the top after a while and I was rewarded with a fantastic view of the Jacksonville skyline and the river below. The downhill seemed steeper and I was running low 5s despite the fatigue. Normally I'd try to lean into the downhill and make up some time, but there was nothing in the tank. There were 2-3 blocks of flat ground coming off the bridge but I opted to wait until I could see finish line to "kick". It wasn't much but it's not a fun feeling to be passed right at the end and I at least prevented that from happening. 

Last 5K in 18:45. Not great but dead at that point and the hill kept me from running sub-6 at least. 5:50, 6:09, 6:03 and 5:31 pace for the last .3. 53:18 for 47th overall. Interestingly the conditions helped my place significantly. As much as I was struggling/fading, the time for 47th last year was almost a full 5 minutes faster (about 5:10 pace) which I certainly would not have done in perfect conditions. You could see the effect of the conditions on the results. I got my top 10% hat and the cut off for this was several minutes slower than last year. Emily Sisson won in a minute slower than she did the previous year. The guys race is typically very close/tight and the winner was about 40s clear of 2nd place. The only person the heat didn't seem to affect was Hilary Bor who ran faster than he did last year despite worse conditions, won by 40 seconds, ran even splits, never took water and said the conditions don't matter in his post race interview (Emily Sisson on the other hand said it was a grind). 

I was quite fatigued post-race but felt okay after downing a bunch of water. The post race food spread was not great but also not the worst I've seen. My quads felt absolutely destroyed after but okay after stretching and running a bit. 

Hard performance to evaluate. Easy to say it was a failure with a massive fade and quite a bit slower than I should be running for this distance, but the conditions definitely should be taken into account. A good comparison is to the Detroit Half. I had a similar goal there (about 5:30 pace) and also faded badly. I ended up averaging 2 seconds faster/mile than Detroit, which I think is worth something given 1) the conditions were terrible here, the conditions were perfect in Detroit and 2) I was training specifically for longer distances for Detroit and I wasn't here. So I think this was a decent performance and I'm confident with how easy the first few miles felt I would have been 10-15 seconds faster per miles in good conditions. 

I thought it was a very organized race and offered great value for the $50 price. By now I've done 7 big road races with over 5,000 people and the only one that felt easier to navigate (lines, getting to the start, etc.) was the Detroit Half. I'd say this one was a little easier to get to the start but Detroit had zero lines for the bag check or bathrooms whereas there were small bathroom lines here. Overall though no complaints- so many of the bigger races I've had to skip strides, spend 20 minutes waiting in the bathroom or just pee in public, skipped bag check because the line was too long and have to weave through a massive crowd to get to the start line only to be stuck behind much slower people. Today's was relatively easy and they clearly organized it well to avoid those things. As for the price, $50 is quite cheap to run in a competitive 15K. And the "gear" was more than usual as I got two short sleeve tech shirts (I'm pretty sure this was a mistake), a glass, a nice finisher's medal and a top 10% hat. So definitely a race where you get your money's worth (I would get maybe get one of those things in some of the other races). I did a ranking on several features of the bigger races I've done and saved this for the end. 

Showered after, got lunch, tried to figure out the very confusing/terrible bus system (we waited at a stop but the bus blew by us) and went to the Jacksonville Zoo after. Took 3 hours to see all exhibits, very nice zoo. Here's a pictorial highlight:

Zoos are cool. Hadn't been to one in a while and definitely makes me want to see some of the bigger zoos. Southwick's Zoo in MA only a little over an hour away looks quite nice and I'm hoping to get there in the summer. 

Uneventful after and flew home late (with the flight getting delayed of course). 

Virginia Beach from the plane. Love looking out the window.

Sunday: 10 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Typical VG + burlingame loop. Quads were fairly sore, think 8 probably would have been preferable. But still felt decent. 

Weekly Total: 64 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Getting to run in another really cool big road race.

Weekly Lowlight: Being screwed over by bad race weather and plane delays.

Movies Watched: None

Big Race Rankings

Having done 7 bigger races: Beach to Beacon, Falmouth, Detroit Half, Dash to the Finish Line 5K, Philadelphia Half, Manchester Road Race and now Gate River Run, here are some ratings/rankings on those races. 

Price (it's worth noting these are not necessarily the lowest prices, but what I paid):

1. Gate River Run- $50, $5.37/mile

2. Manchester Road Race- $32, $6.75/mile

3. Detroit Half- $130, $9.90/mile

3. Philadelphia Half- $130, $9.90/mile

5. Beach to Beacon- $65, $10.48/mile

6. Falmouth Road Race- $110, $15.71/mile

7. Dash to the Finish Line 5K- $65, $20.96/mile

"Gear" (what the race gives you):

1. Gate River Run- tech shirt, running hat, finisher's medal, glass

2. Detroit Half- buff, tech long sleeve, finisher's medal

3. Philadelphia Half- tech long sleeve, finisher's medal

4. Dash to the Finish Line 5K- (very nice) Winter running hat

5. Falmouth Road Race- mug, finisher's medal

6. Beach to Beacon- (ugly) tech shirt

7. Manchester Road Race- nothing

Course: (top 3 are awesome courses, bottom three mediocre)

1. Philadelphia Half

2. Falmouth Road Race

3. Beach to Beacon

4. Gate River Run

5. Manchester Road Race

6. Dash to the Finish Line 5K

7. Detroit Half

Logistics (bathroom lines, gear drop, getting to the start, etc.):

1. Detroit Half

2. Gate River Run

3. Manchester Road Race (figuring out where to park is the only issue)

(rest are terrible)

4. Beach to Beacon (long bathroom lines, hard to get to start)

5. Philadelphia Half (waited 30+ minutes to get into the start area)

6. Dash to the Finish (no gear drop and in a massive city, no bathrooms)

7. Falmouth Road Race (no gear drop, very complicated/confusing shuttle and parking system)

Crowd Support:

1. Falmouth Road Race

2. Manchester Road Race

3. Gate River Run

4. Beach to Beacon

5. Philadelphia half

6. detroit half

don't remember about dash to the finish

Some minor categories:

Best views: Falmouth

Best Start area: Philadelphia half

Best finish: Falmouth

Best setting (municipality): Beach to Beacon

Best post-race refreshments: Beach to Beacon

Best expo- falmouth

How often I'd like to do each:

Beach to Beacon- every 2-3 years, great race but lots of other races at that time

Falmouth- every 2-3 years, same as above

Detroit Half- probably not again but wouldn't rule it out

Dash to the Finish Line- I would do it again but certainly not too often

Philadelphia half- not often given the longer distance but I'd definitely like to do the full in the next few years and wouldn't be opposed to doing the half again

Manchester Road Race- every 2-3 years, very close and competitive but Pie Run is there as well and it was very tough to do coming off Philly

Gate River Run- every 1-2 years, great race and nothing else going on at that time, just hope the weather is better. Hoping to do in 2024 and if not, definitely 2025.

Other notes: Didn't get into Mount Washington road race and one of the track meets I was looking at isn't allowing unattached athletes. So I'm not sure what my upcoming race schedule will look like. 

End of Indoor- Weekly Log: February 20 to 26

Wrapping up the indoor track season this weekend with one more meet. I was originally looking at the BU Last Chance Meet but opted against it given the entries had possible strict cutoffs and were expected to be similar to last year's fast results. That's not to say I wouldn't have a chance of getting in but likely I would be one of the slowest seeds and the top of my heat would go out much faster than I wanted. I also had originally been looking at either a 5K or 3K depending on whether I felt I wanted another opportunity to run a good 3K. Being a little off my goals last weekend meant I did want another shot at it, so I opted for 3K. Mildly disappointed to miss a 5K opportunity but mostly fine with it as it means I don't have to run 25 laps. 

Fortunately being located between two major metros meant there were several NYC meets to pick from rather than either dealing with being one of the slowest BU seeds or just calling it a season. I looked at two meets- Fastrack College invite at Ocean Breeze (Staten Island) and Twilight Indoor at the Armory (Manhattan). I liked the idea of racing on a new track and getting it done Friday, but the public transportation options were not good for Staten Island and a 3-3.5 hour drive in NYC traffic didn't seem like optimal conditions for a PR attempt, so I went for the Armory. 

I recovered really poorly from the USATF-NE meet. Legs/energy came back right away, but I had allergy like symptoms throughout the week that didn't improve until Thursday and was concerning to race through. Fortunately, this coincided with a week off from work so I was able to fully rest and recover. 

Monday: 8 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Easy Monday. Legs felt somewhat flat on the roads but felt better than expected aside from respiratory symptoms (sneezing, runny nose). Parked at Vin Gormley Buckeye brook road trailhead to get the road done with (Klondike to campground) then finish on Burlingame into VG trail in the familiar direction. 

Tuesday: 10 Miles- Exeter, RI

Usual Arcadia 10 mile dirt road loop with a small amount of trail. With Brady. Saw no one. I love this loop- soft surfaces and some nice ups and downs without being a technical slog. Much of Rhode Island's forests are bare in the winter so the pine trees lining the roads at many points is really nice. And with the exception of crossing Route 165, it's so quiet and empty. More wintry conditions this week with mid 30s and 40s on runs I did around noon time (whereas last week it'd already be close to 50 at 5AM). Nice to sleep in this week although getting early will probably be tough when I get back to work soon. 

Wednesday: 10 Miles- Richmond, RI

Carolina-Carter. I probably prefer the Carolina loop I do sometimes (out on switch road, back on the trails) but I wasn't sure if could follow it without navigation so opted for the Carter-Carolina. The road connectors are mediocre but I like the breakup into distinct sections: mile of road to Carter, 4 miles of trail in Carter preserve, 2.5 miles of road to Carolina and then 2.5 mile of trail in Carolina (finishing on the dirt road through the fields). With my respiratory/allergy issues of the week, I opted not to workout. I don't like to do too many easy efforts in a row so I opt for pickups on days where I would have worked out- I feel that it keeps the legs much fresher and faster pace is less of a shock in the next hard effort compared to just easy running. Plus, it requires so little effort. I don't think strides or pickups do much to increase fitness but I think they do a lot to keep the legs fresh and ready for a harder effort. I did 4x2 mins harder effort basically just a faster effort but completely controlled/comfortable with 2 minutes easy inbetween. This ended up being around 5:40-6:00 minute pace and felt very easy. The allergy symptoms were worrying but it was nice that running or running hard didn't seem to have any effect. This took up the entire road section which was nice and then finish in Carolina. Felt pretty good. 

Thursday: 10 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Frustrating day as I was sneezing quite a bit before the run and contemplating whether it was worth it to race. Fortunately the run itself was much better with a lot less runny nose during it. I procrastinated a bit and ran at 1:30 instead of 12PM. I definitely get a bit lazy when I don't have to be up for something. Felt a bit weak as I probably didn't eat enough for running a little later but still strong. Burlingame lollipop, another trail/road mixer. Picnic area to VG, VG up to the dirt road loop north of buckeye brook, the dirt road loop and then return down Kings Factory all the way back which is a nice (and fast) section of road. I felt cold on this one as the conditions were wet. I may be starting to rely on doing specific routes rather than making it up as I go along. I feel I like used to go to certain areas like Burlingame and run in a certain direction then make it up as I go a long. Now I feel it is more comforting to have a familiar route that I've done before. I guess the most common one is probably Burlingame + Vin Gormley trail as it's a nice loop and comes out to 10 exactly. Also really liking the 680s. I've always liked the shoe but tried this newer fresh foam version and it's just really comfortable. Going to be my go to shoe for easy running which isn't a bad choice as it's very cheap (about $50 right now). I used to have several other shoes I'd like for general/easy mileage but it seems to be the only one available now.

Friday: 8 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Usual Ninigret pre race. Took the legs a few minutes to feel good, but felt good for the most part. Allergy symptoms generally better today, still a little sneezing but much less and runny nose completely gone. Felt a little flat on strides but that's typical. Huge wind gusts in the open areas. 

Saturday: 10 Miles- New York, NY

Long commute to NYC but felt fairly comfortable not driving too much. Picked up Andrew in East Lyme, then drove to New Haven. Took the commuter rail to Harlem which is actually fairly comfortable/decent when it's not crowded (it's no amtrak, but also much cheaper). Then a few legs on the subway which is much worse than the Boston subway but went by quickly. Found it really confusing on where to go to switch lines. Arrived at the Armory at 4:00PM, 1.5 hours before my race. Weirdly I was not assigned a bib (just about everyone else got one). Tried to use the bathroom and relax the best I could before the race. 

Huge, epic facility

I felt good on the warm up and confident I'd have a good race but also a little nervous. Some guy in the warm-up hallway randomly said to me/anyone who was listening: "You better kick ass out there, or I'm going to kick your ass!". Weird. It wasn't long before I lined up. Crowded start line with 22 guys which was definitely worrying. Being more of a community/specialty meet, there were pacers for every heat with ours being paced for 8:40. This sounded great, given I went out too hard last week and didn't have it at the end. If I felt similar to last week, I think even pacing should lead to a PR. It was one of those things that sounds great in theory, but really just wasn't at all in the race. Something that was concerning just before we went off I heard the pacer saying he'd go through the 1600m in 4:40-4:42. Which if you do the math, is 8:45-8:50. Meaning I'd have to negative split to PR (8:44). This made me a little angry and I think I shook my head after hearing that. 

Soon the gun went off and it was chaos. I had visualized the race over the last 48 hours and thought I'd slip into lane 1 close to the pacer and run in a string of guys somewhere in the top 5 in single file. Instead everyone converged in and I wasn't quick enough. I probably ended up in 15th to 20th place, way back from the leaders. I wasn't even able to settle in as lane 1 was completely occupied and no one was budging an inch. I ended up running the first 4 laps in the outside of lane 2 just trying not to fall. This was the race where you'd constantly have to put your arm as people would cut me off and there was all sorts of jostling and touching. I was finally able to take the rail after that but I was way back and could see the leaders a full turn ahead of me. 2:57 through 1K- already a bit off the pace and I'd need a good negative split for a PR. Couldn't really move up without risking getting stuck in lane 2 and being  unable to move in, plus it would waste a lot of energy. I didn't feel very good either despite the conservative pace- heavy legs, difficulty breathing and stomach felt funny. Energy-wise I felt completely fine. Stayed where I was through 1600m through 4:44- about 8:52 pace. With how I felt, how far behind I was and the amount of people I'd have to pass just to maintain pace, the race was really over for me. I wasn't going to run a magical 4:34 2nd mile (really 1400m) mostly in lane 2. The PR wasn't happening and even sub-8:50 was out the window. I'm just going to drop out there- I've run in the 8:50s so many times and came here specifically just to go for a PR. But dropping out still isn't really something I want to do. I stayed in the same position through 2K- 5:57 which meant a 3:00 second 2K. Really not good at all. I definitely had something left but mentally checked out the last 1K and pretty much gave up the last 600m. I really didn't care at all whether I broke or 9 as it's not what I came here for. It wouldn't matter if I ran 8:50 or 9:30, it's a failure either way and I've run in the low 8:50s enough that it's meaningless to get another. Ran slower than I felt I was to finish in 9:07. 

Normally, when I drop a dud of a race like that I'm pretty disappointed and sad. Today, I was really just angry. I spent the time to travel to NYC and back solely to go after a PR and 1) the "ideal PR conditions with pacing" was actually horrible PR conditions with the amount of people out there, 2) I didn't have it  today. Even if I had got out with that group without issue, I doubt I would have been able to hold that. I was sneezing and congested maybe just 15 minutes after that so I clearly made the wrong call on deciding to do this one. Hard to know though beforehand. This race really means nothing to me- it was just a random last minute decision to go for a fast time here and didn't work out. I don't think of it as an ugly race in otherwise good season, I'd prefer to pretend it didn't happen. Normally I'd be disappointed to give up like that but I think I was the right call today. I have another race next weekend and not going to the well (to run a still mediocre/poor time) should help with recovery. 

Went for a 5 mile cooldown with Andrew. The first mile was on busy streets but the rest was nice on bike paths or quieter roads. Cool view on a small beach of the GW bridge and Manhattan skyline. The subway trip back was not so fun- decided to walk about a mile instead of taking the 3 subway trips and Harlem seemed pretty sketchy at night. Got home okay but it was a late night going to bed at 12:30 feeling exhausted. Overall, really not a big deal to bomb here but of course I wish I didn't show up and save myself the journey and fatigue. End of indoor for me. I think it was still a decent season but I wish I could have gotten the 3K PR. May or may not find a 3K to do in outdoor as I'm not really sure how far I'll take the season. 

Sunday: 12 Miles- Exeter, RI

Recovery dirt roads with Andrew. Pretty landscape with some light snow on the ground (much more winter-like week) although Frosty Hollow road was a bit slick. Felt quite tired in the legs the last third. No allergy symptoms- sneezing/runny nose today so I'm glad not to get that back. 

Weekly Total: 69 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Being able to catch up on sleep/fully recharge. I'm really not a 5am/early morning and don't usually get a full 8 hours of sleep on workdays so it was good to reset a bit. 

Weekly Lowlight: Deciding to go for another fast 3K attempt and coming up well short. It's not one that will sit with me and bother me, but I definitely wish I could hop into a time machine and skip the experience. 

Movies Watched: Get Out, Inglourious Basterds, The King, The Banker, The Pianist

All Rewatches, All Good Movies

Gate River Run (US Championship) 15K next weekend in Jacksonville. I enjoy road racing quite a bit more than track so it'll be fun. Not sure where my fitness is for longer stuff with the track focus, but I think I should be able to put in something respectable. 

USATF-NE Indoor Championship- Weekly Log: February 13 to 19

Ending the indoor season with a 3K at Harvard this Sunday at USATF-NE and then either a 3K or 5K at BU the following Sunday depending on how this one goes. Goal this week is to to break 8:40. Unsure what the fields will be like. 

Monday: 5 Miles- Westerly, RI

Normal AM run. Didn't want to go really short again but didn't feel like doing a full 7 miles so went in between. Warmer (37 degrees) but windy mornings this Monday and Tuesday. Ran through Tom harvey and newbury, nice how quiet it is this time of the day (not that it's usually busy in winter, but shore road is much quieter in the early hours). Getting some light at the end of these runs which is nice, haven't had that in a while. 

Tuesday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

Moonlight loop. 

PM 4 Miles-  Norwich, CT

Mohegan park loop. I've run in the 860s in the past but recently they've just been stiff and uncomfortable. Maybe I'll try them again but the 680s feel great so I'm not sure. 

Wednesday: 10 Miles- South Kingstown, RI

Last URI workout. Got there too late for the open hours, but as I suspected the open hours mean nothing given I did my workout roughly from 8:55-9:30 and the track was supposed to close at 9 (plus I've been basically kicked off during the open hours anyway other times). My goal was 5x1K in 3:07-3:10 on 90s rest + the usual 4x200m. Felt aerobically decent today but legs locked up early and I was a little off the pace. Went 3:09, 3:12, 3:14, 3:13, 3:13, 32, 33, 32, 30. Not stellar but fine with it. Never really felt comfortable here at URI for some reason which was strange. Possibly bad air quality that takes a while to get used to given the UNH 160m can't be much slower and I did much harder workouts there. When I finished the last 200m (last 2 in spikes) I had a sharp pain in my ankle. Felt it a few times on the cooldown but haven't since so probably nothing. Difficulty: 3/5. 

Thursday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

Very warm morning at 50 degrees (at 5:30AM), strange weather recently. Legs did not feel fresh. Bathroom break in Avondale. 

PM 4 Miles- Ledyard, CT

Got out of work late which was a shame since I had committed to exploring a new trail route and would now be finishing in the dark. I was pretty sure the route was in Preston but turns out the dirt parking lot is on the town line and I was several feet into Ledyard. Most of the trail system was in Ledyard anyway. I think the system was called Tri Town trail- Preston. I thought this would be a primitive and confusing trail system that doesn't see a lot of visitors and was surprised that it was very well marked not only with blazes, but many maps and even mileage markers. The trails were quite difficult with a lot of rocks, twists and steep sections- ended up averaging around 10 minute pace which is definitely too slow/hard for an easy double. It did get dark towards the end and I rolled my ankle pretty hard. Trails and darkness don't really mix well. There were a lot of construction wooden boards down (that were a pain to run on/cross), apparently there is a 14 mile (?) bike path in the works from Preston to Groton. Overall fun to explore new routes but won't be coming back given the difficulty. 

Friday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

Another very warm morning. Ran down Atlantic avenue/Misquamicut beach parking lot. Like yesterday I again suddenly had to use the bathroom, not sure what's up with that. 

PM 4 Miles- Groton, CT

Typical Bluff/Haley double I've been doing. 

Saturday: 8 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Usual Ninigret pre-race. Unlike last weekend, the strides felt heavy and forced. Not really concerning though as they probably feel that way more often than not and I felt good otherwise. 

Sunday: 13 Miles- Boston, MA

Usual trip to Boston I've been doing. Up to Quincy Adams and then take the subway in. Was able to relax and sleep in with my race at 2:45- I think I woke up around 8:30. Not sure which approach I prefer- on one hand I don't have to get up early and will definitely get a quality night's sleep, on the other hand I have to drive home in the dark and go to bed pretty soon post race. For a local race, I'd definitely prefer to race in the morning but not sure when taking several hours to get there. 

This time the subway was very slow, taking a full hour and 5 minutes when it should be 45 minutes. Kind of frustrating. I wasn't late but after checking in and using the bathroom, I had to get going on my warm up. I like having a 15-20 minute buffer to relax. The meet felt less frantic and busy than last time in 2020. Despite that being 3 years ago, that was actually the last edition of the meet at Harvard due to COVID. 

I went for my usual 3 mile warm-up along the river paths. Harvard is a nice spot for this as you don't have to do much on sidewalks or cross many roads- unlike BU, The Track and Reggie Lewis as it's close to the river and their athletics facilities are so big. I felt sluggish on the warm-up but fine. I felt pretty nervous for this one as it was an important one. Probably every meet so far was more to compete and get used to hurting again- but today I wanted to finally beat my 6 year old 3K PR of 8:44. I think I had been to shape to do so at certain points but this was the first time in quite a while I was in shape and had a good race for it. I had been a little nervous that only a few fast guys were signed up on Wednesday but I guess everyone signed up last minute as the field was more competitive the next day. Just outside the indoor track is a bunch of a port-a-potties for Harvard's bubble (their field hockey unit on the football field) which is great given the long indoor lines. 

Soon I was on the infield again putting on spikes and getting prepared to go. I wanted to go out in the 4:38-4:40 range to give myself a shot at a sub 8:40 and a PR. They lined us up about 10-15 meters ahead of the finish line which I thought was strange. I later realized that Harvard's track is actually 220 yards per lap and not 200m (this is about 201m) so that explains it. This was my third race here but I had never noticed that before as I had been in the stagger. The race was chaotic from the gun with plenty of jostling for position. Ben Drezek and Aaron Willingham went to the front quickly to race for the win while the rest of us would be racing for 3rd. I didn't realize that the winner of our pack would get third until later as I was in contact but somewhat far back. I found myself behind Aaron Lucci of Battle Road who had seeded himself at 8:31. I figured if an 8:31 guy was content to sit behind a bunch of guys, then I was fine as well. 

The pace felt uncomfortable from the start. It made sense why when I saw 31 on the clock at 200 and 64 at 400. These split were actually slightly slower given the distance (we started a little ahead of the finish) but still way too fast. 1:39, 2:14 and 2:50. I was quite concerned about the pace but not much to do so I continued to sit in that position. Made small moves to stay with Lucci and pass any guys who were falling off. The pace had corrected itself by the 1600- about 4:38 but not a good way to run 4:38. The race hurt quite a bit at this point but I could tell that I had one more gear. I told myself to get through the 2K before even considering to make a move which we went through in 5:50- now slightly off the pace. 

This last 1K hurt quite a bit- been a really long time since the 3K has been that hard. I stayed where I was for a bit, as it would be really difficult to hold a move for 4-5 laps. I ended up going into 3rd at 500m to go and made a good move. I possibly got separation before being lapped by Drezek going into my final lap. I think I went through 1 to go around 8:10-8:11. Normally I can hold these kinds of moves, but not today as I completely ran of steam and struggled my way into the finish, getting passed by 5 guys who were kicking hard. A disappointing finish for sure, easily my slowest last lap of any race this season. I saw Lucci cross the line in 8:42 but it seemed I was so far away and wouldn't make it under 8:50. Somehow my final time ended up being 8:46.97 which seemed like they cut a few seconds off. 

Disappointing result- certainly put myself in it but I needed another 3-4 seconds somewhere and didn't have it, likely from the fast start. I'm surprised I had nothing the last 200m but that's again probably from the fast start. So 8th place- worse than 4th here in 2020 even though I ran 4.5 seconds faster. It was a little tough to leave without the PR. Not a bad result- this was the first time since Yale 2017 and only other time I broke 8:50 but I wanted more. I'll give the 3K another shot next weekend and hope for better pacing. 

Did an 8 mile cooldown after to get 70 on the weekend. Felt wiped out, very tired from the race effort. Did 5.5 on the river- having to stop halfway as I got a side cramp and then 2.5 more on the Harvard athletics grounds after a short refueling break. Overall this was still a decent/respectable run but I really wanted a big performance and fell a bit short. I do think sub 8:40 should be doable in the right race, but this just went out too quickly. 

Weekly Total: 70 Miles (on the dot)

Weekly Highlight: Overall, I still have to say this was a good week- consistent training, no injuries and finally breaking out of the 8:50s in the 3K when I've been stuck in the range for so long. 

Weekly Lowlight: Not getting that 3K PR. Can't PR every time and this wasn't a bad race, but it was right there and I just missed it. 

Movies Watched: Hacksaw Ridge, The Hateful Eight, Chef

All Rewatches

Super Sunday 5K- Weekly Log: February 6 to 12

Back to racing, this time a road 5K. Fast and competitive being the USATF-NE 5K championship on pancake flat roads in Cambridge. This kicks off 4 consecutive weeks of racing and a more serious group after January was more getting to used to racing again and getting fit. Goal is to PR every weekend with different distances of Road 5K, Track 3K, Track 5K, and Road 15K at Super Sunday, USATF-NE Championship, BU Last Chance and Gate River Run. After that I'll take 2 weeks off from racing but continue training and have at least two more track races (on the outdoor tracks) March 25th and April 1. Goal will be to run a fast 5K at Monmouth and UConn but that will depend on how the next few weeks play out. Original plan was to go until April 15th and race the BAA 5K but it sold out. Disappointing as I didn't think that would sell out quickly with 10,000 runners but it closed the same day it opened and I didn't check until a few days later. I feel the BAA did a poor job with this as the race date/registration date wasn't announced until a few weeks before and there was no information indicating that it would sell out so quickly so I wasn't in a hurry to sign up. This was going to be a big/goal race for me as it's a very competitive field and pancake flat. So I'm not sure what I'll do for racing after April 1st. There's plenty of track races, road races, trail races and mountain races after mid April and I'm not sure which route I'd like to go down right now. Also was dealing with foot issue from last week, but fortunately it was much better this week. Although still some issues there. Last week I was thinking about going to a physical therapist or chiropractor to get it treated as it was getting miserable to run on, but it was so much better through the weekend and early week that I didn't have to. 

Monday: 3 Miles- Westerly, RI

Easy Newbury loop. This was an "off" day but I'm trying to run every day in 2023 so off days will be 2-3 mile runs instead. Foot felt pretty good which was a huge relief after being so uncomfortable last week. Felt pretty tight/flat though but much less of a concern than the potential foot issue. 

Tuesday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

Basically done with road grab so running from the house now. Which is really nice as I save 15-20 minutes not having to drive. So I get to wake up 10 minutes later than usual. The roads around here are much better for running than central/northern Westerly as well. Still did 2 new roads- the lead up to the Yacht club and one off shore road. I only have two left now in Watch Hill. Ran up through babcock road, then down to Misquamicut. Had zero of last week's foot discomfort but some on/off discomfort in my arch and under the ball of my foot. Not a surprise as I likely unintentionally slightly modified my form with last week's foot pain. Generally tolerable though and happy not to have that serious discomfort again. 4 second difference between moving time and elapsed time, unsure what that is about. 

PM 4 Miles- Norwich, CT

Usual Mohegan loop. Like the morning, last week's foot issue was not present but I did have quite a bit of arch discomfort in that foot. Possibly related to shoes as that pair is getting pretty old. Going to retire that pair. 

Wednesday: 11 Miles- Westerly, RI

Slept in really late (I don't work Wednesdays) so went locally from Avondale rather than spend too much time driving. I was a little nervous about yesterday's arch issue which I spent a lot of time at night rolling it out, stretching and icing. Some very mild discomfort but felt mostly good in the warm-up so good to go. I unfortunately had some stomach discomfort and had to use the bathroom in an inconvenient spot which caused some bad chafing later on. Today's workout I did a 4 mile tempo and 5xplimpton hill. No specific goals, but probably wanted to be under 5:40 pace or so. First tempo in quite a while. A better workout is 6 miles at tempo but that can be an absolute grind and I didn't feel ready for that so opted for 4 and threw in a short hill set which I also haven't done in a while. Started with a loop around the Avondale Preserve. Onto Avondale road and then watch hill and shore road finishing on ocean view highway. Got out pretty hard as the avondale circle is so fast. Big wind blast (13mph winds, but always windy in Avondale) but didn't slow too much. Hit the mile in 5:24 which was definitely fast but fine given how fast that circuit is. I did not feel great on this and my pace was slowing quite a bit. Had that stomach discomfort/weakness you get when tired/exerting hard and tightening up. Felt like quitting at Mile 2 but able to see it through. Was slowing on watch hill/shore road with sand and salt over the road but was able to pick it up for the last mile on fast ocean view highway. Overall went 5:24-5:36-5:39-5:27 for 22:09 and 5:32 average. Solid effort, would have been fine with 5:35 average. Felt tired/heavy but still reasonably smooth/controlled. Took a short break then a mile over to Watch hill. The hills felt overall better than the tempo but looking at the splits kind of slow so maybe I didn't go hard enough. Finally felt that foot/arch discomfort running back to avondale. Not bad and just glad it held up for the workout. Difficulty: 2/5. 

Thursday: 10 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Burlingame loop with burlingame trail and vin gormley with Dad + Brady. Kind of a slow one. Felt a bit out of it and had some foot achiness but didn't feel bad. 

Friday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

Similar loop to Tuesday, this time heading out Browning/Massachaug. Slept like crap and felt exhausted waking up but actually felt pretty comfortable and easy on this- a bit faster than usual too with 7:06 average. I finished with a stride and then had a discomfort in the foot but not bad. Overall foot was pretty good. Thick fog made vision a little tough. Felt cold to start but then really warm finishing. 

PM 4 Miles- Groton, CT

Usual Bluff double. Like the previous day, foot was a bit achy but really not bad. I did tighten up a lot throughout the run. Much better than the same run last Friday where I was feeling awful though. Very different weather as well being around 20 last Friday and over 60 this weekend. Very warm for February. Been a very warm winter. 

Saturday: 8 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Pre-race with Dad/Brady in Ninigret. I felt tight and out of it for 1-2 miles then felt really good and comfortable for the rest. Strides felt good and not forced as well which is nice. 

Sunday: 12 Miles

5 Miles (Warm up + race)- Cambridge, MA

Got off the subway (MIT/Kendall) only 5-10 minutes later than planned. At the race site 65 minutes before the gun would go off (10AM). I had felt decent up to this point but definitely sluggish and tired. Hard not to feel that way though and still was confident. Then the race setup was an absolute disaster- very long lines for bib pickup. Looked like about a 10 minute wait, but the volunteers were so inefficient it took a full 35 minutes, effectively cutting out any extra warm-up/bathroom time. Worse was there were several lines and I happened to be in the one of the slower ones (Jamie, former teammate was the same starting point as me but got his bib 15 minutes earlier). Fortunately Jackman let us put our bags in the CMS tent which meant we didn't have to try for bag check or hide our bags. I'll have to join a club one of these days. The other problem was I had to use the bathroom and the lines for the bathrooms were ridiculous. There weren't anywhere near enough port a potties to handle the amount of runners just like there were not enough volunteers for registration. Fortunately Andrew spotted a port a potty in a park on the warm-up so took care of business there. Ended up having time for about 1.5 miles which is not ideal for me. The race started 12 minutes late too which is frustrating because I could have done 2.5-3. Getting to the start was crazy as you could only bypass the crowd so far before having to go through the mass of people. I got to maybe 5-6 rows back before it was so tight I had shoulders and backs rubbing against me and I simply could not move. Fortunately it loosened up a bit and I followed some others' lead going to the front where there was a normal amount of room (still tight, but didn't have to rub up against people). Waited like 15 minutes up there, starting in the same row as Keith, Andrew and Jamie before the gun went off. 

First two turns were hard lefts and the first road was really narrow. I shot out to the side to get around slower runners but was careful not to step too close to the curb/sidewalk and risk falling or getting off balance. The race director blew by me on the side with his bicycle (no helmet) and then yelled at runners to get out of his way and move in. I was more cautious than aggressive until we finished those two turns given how crowded it was before then slowly moving up as we got onto a wider road. It narrowed again as cones cut off part of the road but by a third of a mile I had enough to room to run without worrying about my surroundings. I found myself next to Scott Mindel and sat on his shoulder for a few minutes before unintentionally moving up. This felt like a hard yet reasonable and sustainable effort for this distance. I was then in the back of a pack (really the whole race was probably one extended pack at this point, but I don't put much thought into those behind me) that Keith and Dan Vassallo were at the front. Those guys are probably a little too fast for me, but the effort didn't feel like overreaching and I like to get out hard in these kinds of races. I checked my watch around .7 in and saw 5:01. Thought I'd be a little faster than that but figured I was still on track for a sub 5 first mile which was fine. Watch beeped just before the next major turn- 4:49. 

Okay, that's a bit fast. Big Steps was 4:48 but had about 30 ft of downhill whereas pancake flat today. Considering how slow the first two turns were, this was probably about 5 seconds too fast than ideal pacing. It wasn't longer after that my body also realized this as that pack began to pull away from me and I started to tighten up. My legs were really starting to feel strained and lock up which was concerning about 1.3 miles in as it felt I was about to tie up and really struggle finishing. My stomach and comfort level also completely dropped and now the race was hurting. The rest of the race was a blur. I got passed repeatedly until the final section. I was hurting badly the entire way but just managed to avoid that blow up. Hit Mile 2 in 5:01 thinking I was still running pretty great but had zero confidence I could manage anything faster than 5:20 in the last mile with how I felt. As badly as this hurt and despite going backwards, 2.5 came soon enough. Very small hill that wasn't enough of an uphill to make it a grind but wasn't enough of a downhill to hammer. I recognized one of the roads and realized I was in the final stretch once I passed the stoplight, which it felt like an eternity to get to. I realized I had no idea what 5K time I was in for when rounding the final turn and looked at my 3 mile watch split well under 15 minutes. I picked it up a bit but not a great kick and both passed some people while getting passed myself. The finish line felt like much longer than .1 miles and took an extra 15 seconds or so to get to than anticipated. Hit the line in 15:37, which was mildly dejecting to miss a PR by one second but at the same time somewhat relieving as I really had no confidence in that last mile.

Ended up 51st in 15:35, so a one second PR. Full results. Didn't think about the difference in chip time as I started in the third row. I think coming in, my goals were something like: A) sub 15:30, B), PR sub 15:36, and C) sub 15:40. Small differences but each had its purpose- breaking 15:30 would be a big barrier to get under, PR would surpass what I did in the fall and move in the right direction and sub 15:40 would also prove that I hadn't lost much from the fall and going for A/B wouldn't be far away. So to come away with the B goal, I was happy overall. I relied way too much on watch splits as the 4:49-5:01-5:01 indicated I was to going to run around 15:20 which would be awesome but I failed to take into account that I got an extra .04-.05 which is a significant chunk of time. That being said, there were no mile markers so there wasn't any other way to track my progress. Absolutely ridiculous for such a competitive race not to have the basic feature of mile markers. I think given the time, watch splits and efforts this was a pretty good one but not quite great. Certainly nothing to look down on but could have been something really great I had an extra gear in that second half. Makes me wonder how I would have felt with a full warmup...

7 Miles- Milton, MA

We left fairly quickly and ended up cooling down at Blue Hills (on the manicured stuff, not technical) which is a fantastic and huge spot, so much better than the crowded Charles river path right next to major roads or highways. Felt pretty tired/hungry. 

Weekly Total: 66 Miles

Weekly Highlight: Both resolving last week's very uncomfortable foot pain and running getting mostly back to normal this week as well as running a 1 second road 5K PR.

Weekly Lowlight: Very stressful pre-race for the 5K with a rushed warmup due to the poor organization. 

Movies Watched: Leave No Trace, The Departed, Hot Fuzz (rewatches)

I'd probably give the race a B+ overall, generally pretty happy with it. I graded Hartford and Big Steps higher despite running faster here. Just a higher standard now and given the short warm-up plus how I felt during the race, there's certainly a lot of time to take off. 

I've now broken 16 on the roads 6 times. I've only broken 15:30 twice, both on the track so it's nice to be pretty close to that on roads. I'm certainly in a better spot than February 2022 where I ran 15:31 on a banked track. 

1. Super Sunday 5K (2023)- 15:35: Cambridge, MA

2. Hartford 5K (2022)- 15:36: Hartford, CT

3. Big Steps 5K (2022)- 15:43: Needham, MA

4. Oktoberfest 5K (2020)- 15:55: Manchester, NH

5. Dash to the Finish Line 5K (2022)- 15:57: New York, NY

6. Sailfest 5K (2018)- 15:58: New London, CT

Next week back to the track for the USATF-NE championship. 

Weekly Log: January 30 to February 5

 I used January as a rusterbuster, get used to racing hard (and to indoor track) again month. So that meant racing all 5 weekends on January (usually a month has 4 weekends, but it lined up for 5). I feel that the month went well for what I was hoping to accomplish- get used to racing track again, be fitter coming out than going in and run a mile PR. I certainly felt more comfortable later in the month versus the first two races which were a bit tough. February will be more of a goal month for me as I'll try to run a PR in each race. Originally I was looking at racing a 3K at the Armory (NYC) on Saturday and trying to take down my 3K PR which is getting old now. But looking at my schedule, I was worried about going 10 weekends in a row straight racing. So given that concern and that I'd have an opportunity on 2/19 to go for a 3K PR, I decided to cut the race out which I think was a good decision. Going 5 straight (still a lot, but consider that 3 of those races were a mile- so racing for 4:32 or less) and then 4 straight should be manageable and two weeks off racing after that should keep me fresh/strong into late march starting up again. 

Unfortunately the month didn't end well as I woke up with foot pain/discomfort last Friday. It seemed like nothing/manageable during the weekend but is definitely worse now. Seems more of a tightness issue than inflammation as it gets better throughout the run/day as it apparently loosens up (inflammation gets better with rest, worse with activity). Very frustrating problem, the foot is the worst area to get injured in as just mild discomfort really ruins the run for me. So tried to work through this while still getting in quality training to not lose fitness. 

Monday: 4 Miles- Westerly, RI

Skipped road grab and went for a shorter day- gave me an extra 40 minutes of sleep which was nice. Foot was noticeably worse than the weekend as the first mile it just felt completely nonresponsive and very uncomfortable. Fortunately it did loosen up after that but was never really at a comfortable level. Foot felt stiff and awkward walking around at work as well. 

Tuesday: 11 Miles

Bit of testing day- getting through 4 isn't hard but 11 with doubles might be tough. 

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

Road grab in Springbrook area up to Havens road. The first few miles I had that same stiff and unresponsive feeling from yesterday which was really irritating. Then suddenly something loosened up as running became much more tolerable. I stopped to use the bathroom with a mile to go and then barely felt it after that. 

PM 4 Miles- Norwich, CT

Foot felt mostly normal walking around at work, so I was hoping this would feel pretty good. Instead it was the same- took a mile to loosen up. This time I got that stiff/tight feeling in both feet from stiff/tight shoes (?). So not bad but not quite what I wanted either. There are big uphills and downhills in this loop and the first downhill was pretty bad, just so uncomfortable. Uphills on the other hand feel pretty much fine. 

Wednesday: 10 Miles- South Kingstown, RI

Workout at URI- was a little nervous for this as I didn't know how my foot would respond to harder work. The warm up was pretty uncomfortable and I was feeling frustrated. Went for the early session (open 6:30-9, started warmup around 7:45) so I woke up a bit earlier than usual. Goal was 6x800 at 2:30 on 90s rest and then the usual 4x200. My legs felt super flat and heavy and I came through the first one in 2:38 which was disappointing as I was running reasonably hard. But what was more important was that I had minimal foot discomfort. Unsure why after a discouraging warm-up. But happy with it. I picked it up slightly but just couldn't run much faster with the legs feeling the way they did. My foot would tense up a bit during the rest but would be fine after 100m into the rep. Ended up doing 7 on 90s rest in 2:33-2:38, can't remember the exact splits but was inconsistent about it. Probably 2:35-2:36 average. So not a great workout, but much happier just to get through it without making the foot worse. Skipped the 4x200 as my legs felt like they couldn't go faster and I thought the fast pace might aggravate my foot. Difficulty: 2/5- not hard, legs just didn't feel good. Cooldown around campus, mostly barely felt the foot which is good. So keeping with the trend of it feeling pretty bad to start but then loosening up and feeling close to normal by the end. 

Thursday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

AM road grab, started at White Rock again. Got a lot of roads off Canal. Foot felt about the same as Tuesday but was definitely making me more frustrated. Finished with a lap around White Rock which was hard as it was frozen/uneven ground. 

PM 4 Miles- Norwich, CT

Foot felt great on this- only a tiny bit of discomfort but barely there so it was tolerable. Able to enjoy the run being the first one with minimal discomfort this week. I found a new trail that cuts off a section of road so that's pretty nice. 

Friday: 11 Miles

AM 7 Miles- Westerly, RI

Last day of full road grab- only a few roads to clean up but no full runs of getting new roads. Ran the nichols/nutmeg neighborhoods between High street and potter hill as well as the connection between laurel and randeau passage. Hilly run. Legs felt tight and not much rhythm to them but foot felt slightly better than usual. Although I did have some strain in another area of my foot, likely I'm not putting full pressure on it unintentionally which could be causing other problems. 

4 Miles- Groton, CT

Bluff double. Awful run- foot felt pretty bad and I also just felt flat/tight everywhere. Everything just felt wrong and I stopped multiple times due to frustration. Foot felt pretty bad walking around later than night. 

Saturday: 11 Miles- Exeter, RI

Just when I thought my foot issue was getting really serious/worse, this was a good run. Unusually cold day, negative temperatures to start the day so I waited until 1PM and ran on the Arcadia dirt roads. Woke up with zero foot discomfort which was surprising as it's usually the worst by far upon waking. Felt great for about a mile then it steadily worsened through 4 miles. I stopped to stretch and the discomfort was pretty minimal for the rest and just gone by the end. A good run- enjoyed the change in temperature (10 degrees), solitude in the woods and my foot feeling much better. 

Sunday: 14 Miles- Charlestown, RI

Was thinking about doing 16 miles for this long run given no race but decided for 14. 16 is definitely better prep for Gate River but I think 14 is fine given the focus is 3K-5K. Tempo workout with Andrew going 12-10-8 minute tempo blocks with half rest at a moderate pace (shooting for 6:30-6:45). Did this on the Klondike-Ross Hill-route 1 loop finishing up on the campground grounds. Foot felt okay on the warm-up, certainly felt it but not bad. Most of the discomfort went away early into the first rep and it felt fine for the rest of the run. Felt really smooth and controlled for the first 10 minutes then the last two minutes had a decent uphill and I really tightened up. Felt tight for the rest of the workout but regained some smoothness/control. Rollers throughout, only flat part was route 1 which was on a rest so all of the workout portions were uphill and downhills. Second rep was the hardest for sure with the most elevation changes on Ross hill road. Then finishing up in the campground was somewhat hard especially the last few minutes as I started to tie up a bit. Hit about 10 miles there and then cooled down to 14 on the trails. Good day- minimal foot discomfort again, felt reasonably strong in the workout and even though I did tighten up a bit I still felt good and maintained pace/form. Difficulty: 3/5. Basically a good hard workout but always manageable. Unsure on splits as I didn't split any of the reps but likely in the 5:30-5:50 range for the tempos and 6:15-6:45 for the rests.  

I tried this workout in the fall when dealing with knee pain- took extra rest between the 10 and 8 minutes as my knee was really hurting. Regardless of that, this felt much smoother/easier. 

Weekly Total: 73 Miles (been at this exact mileage for a while now)

Weekly Highlight: Not much of a highlight, but glad to get through the full week without making things worse and getting in full volume/workouts. Any injury can be a season/goal ender so I was glad that it wasn't any worse

Weekly Lowlight: The foot discomfort/pain. Made for a lot of unpleasant running

Movies Watched: The Finest Hours, Captain Fantastic

Both rewatches 

Next week I'll be back to racing at the Super Sunday 5K USATF-NE championships in Cambridge. Not sure how that'll go as I'm starting to get comfortable on the track but hoping to at least be in the range of the road 5K PR. Hoping the foot continues to improve as it did in the weekend.