Today's Run - 1/30

I was able to get my run in before the big snow storm started. I was out early and it was cold and a little windy. It was nice to run in the day light. I can not wait for spring to bring the longer day light hours. I did not got to run the track I had mapped out because I could not remember the entire loop. I was able to piece the 12 miles together, but I had to circle a few blocks for the last mile. I was surprised by the flat terrain of South Riding. The 12Miles run felt pretty good and boosted my confidence for the longer runs I have coming up.

Planning for this Weekends Run

I am looking for a place to run this weekend when we head to NOVA to see some friends. I am planning to run 12 miles and think I can modify this route to meet my needs. Hopefully the foretasted SNOW will not prevent me from getting out.

Today's Run - 1/27

A tough 6mile run this morning after a late night at work and limited sleep. I successfully pushed myself out of bed and headed out into the cold for a quick run. After the first mile I was able to get into a groove and was able to work through the remaining 5 with out much issue. I headed for the hills again working on running up and down. The overall pace was a bit slower than I would like, but I guess having limited sleep will have that type of impact on a run.

Today's Run - 1/26

A simple 3mile run. Weather was a bit warmer than usual and it is starting to get lighter sooner. Almost timed the finish of my run with the sunrise.

Today's Run - 1/23

My long run this weekend did not seem that long compared to previous weeks. It was nice to get a little bit of a break.

I decided to run the C'Ville 10Miler course backwards starting from the downtown mall. I only needed to do 7 miles so I cut the course short by not going onto campus, and just coming straight down the UVA corner and back downtown. Unfortunately this cut ~4miles off the course and I needed to improvise a bit to get the last mile in.

I was happy with this run. My training is starting to show in my endurance and strength. I was able to continue with my sub 9min pace. I found that the hills were worse running this course backwards, especially the hill on Grady heading towards Rugby.

So far I continue to run with out any injuries. My legs are holding up pretty well and the only thing that is sore after the long runs appears to be my feet. I expect my paranoia of getting hurt will increase as I get closer to race day.

More thoughts on Boston

I am debating if it is better to know everything or very little about the challenge that lies ahead of me in Boston. Every article I read points out how hard the last half of this race is going to be. Running the downhills is apparently going to be as difficult as running up the hills. I hope the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains will be a good training ground to prepare.

I can't help but read everything I come across about running Boston. With every article I read about how hard it is, their is a theme of how great the race is going to be. The huge number of people and the adrenaline are going to create an environment like no other. The more info the better, I hope to use the information to realistic expectations for my race.

My real goal is to finish in a sub 4hr time and my stretch goal is to finish with a sub 9min pace. My current training results show that a sub 4Hr finish is obtainable. I hope that my training and expectations provide me a foundation to enable me be successful in meeting these goals. Who knows maybe I am just sandbagging and will break 3HR:50Min... anyone want to bet?

ASICS... how they holding up?

My ASICS 2150's have ~110Miles on them and are about 2 months old. They seem to be holding up pretty well and hope to get at least 250-300Miles out of them. At my running rate, I will need to get a new pair of shoes in April and break them in before the the Boston Marathon. The soles of my running shoes are wearing out before the tops even get dirty. I may have to switch to trail running!