BIB #1804 112th Boston Marathon

I am totally psyched to be starting in corral 1 this year! It will be wierd to start actually seeing the starting line (if I get there early enough). It had been a very hard training season. The NE weather has not cooperated and I am just getting to run trails in the last few weeks. I have pushed as hard as possible in March and have paid dues by getting the flu and a GI infection that I am still shaking. I may have pushed too hard and paid, but I have continued to train though it - the addiction is too strong and only yesterday did I take what could be considered a rest day. The last week has not been fun and I look forward to the warm weather approaching later this week. My numbers are still okay this week: 65mi running with one day off (no speed workouts), plenty of bike time ~ 150 miles and two easy swims (4200yards). The final few weeks approach for Boston and I will down shift long runs and focus on speed. I still want to keep my mileage high though, as always. Runs will be broken into doubles to keep the numbers high.
I hope everyone is healthy and injury free. We are odds on for a good race day this year!

-Kyle

Race Report New Bedford 1/2 Marathon

No Nor'easter made this a typical race day in New Bedford; cool in the mid-30s and breezy. Not nearly as windy as last year. Once again, a big crowd with some top NE runners making the trip to whaling town. I opted to run in a coolmax long-sleeve, shorts and gloves, but could've easily gone with a spandex tee. I had the gloves off my hands after mile one. Managed to hold 6:15s through mile 8. The next few miles are tough though, as they go along the ocean and make for some pretty breezy conditions, especially at the turn to head for mile 10.

Here are the numbers:

1:23:09 (6:21 pace) - gun to chip time 1:23:19 - why was I so far from the line??

199th overall, 29th AG

team 6th (I scored 4th behind Vitelli, Stumbras the machine and Bernie O'Reilly, then Kaiser)

My PR of last year stands 1:22:08. The good news is that I am closing in on where I was last year very quickly. In the last week or so I have started to get that feeling again, which is good news. I believe if I work hard enough, I can actually cross where I was last year and take this thing to a new level. I have five weeks until the marathon.

Here are last week's numbers:

Run: 59 miles (1-track, 1-race)

Bike: 6 hours (1.5 outside)

Swim: 8500 yards

All in all a good week. Sore lower back made good timing for small taper before the race.

Congrats to my BAA, MRC team-mates and friends that ran!

Big Training Numbers

A lot of people are looking for inspiration this winter and are curious about my training schedule, so I'll post this once a week for folks to gander at.

Running: 73mi (1-track, 1-LSD (20mi) and 1-tempo) - above avg.
Swimming: 8500 yds (approx., but probably more, 3d) - about avg.
bike: 6 hours ~ 96mi (1-outside) - below avg.
Weights: 1
Cross Train/S&C: 1/2 day easy downhill ski

Overall a pretty good week. I am focused on marathon training into the first half of this week. I'll then bike/swim later to give my legs a rest for the New England Half Marathon Team Championships this weekend.

-Kyle

Sunrise Winter Duathlon

My second one of these this year and ever. I never thought I would ever do a XC ski race. After skate skiing for the first time over up at Waterville, I figured out I should rent a pair of these for the race and it made a big difference. This race was put on by my pals at Channel Mulitsport http://www.channelmultisport.com/ and was a lot of fun. A definte race for next year. I think I'll drop for a real pair of skis too. Don't forget to put the machine screws into the bottom of your flats, as the run is XC style over snow base and was deep this time.

Overall Place: 19th
Total time: 1:08:56
Run 1 (4K): 18:57 (7th)
ski (6K): 31:06 (30th)
Run2 (4K): 18:53 (4th)