I Don't Waffle. I Eat Them.

My second test of the year came with a little bit of fanfare.  Despite finishing 87 seconds slower than my 5k PR, I finished first in my age group and 8th overall out in Clinton Township.  It helped that the faster runners ran the 15k instead.  And it was a small field.  Still, I'll take the little medal and the sub 7:00/mi pace and move on to the next.

My pacing was pretty good on this somewhat hilly course, as it was during my latest half marathon and that's encouraging to me. I'm going to line up more 5k tests.  Because of their shorter distance, I'm able to test myself more frequently and (hopefully) see progress sooner.  Something around Father's Day would work out best, I think.  And I can sign my parents up, too.

8th out of 186 ain't bad.  But I want faster.

It's May already and I had imagined being faster than this by now. Building this base has been a slower process than I expected.  Adding to the delay was a stubborn series of colds that just wouldn't let up around the end of March. That killed my training momentum.  And I've had to avoid the gym and my love of free weights because of some issues with my back that Leslie is working on.  Can you believe it?  Two visits and she didn't even touch my legs because if the mess that was my back. So my upper body and core are lacking in strength, too.

But it would seem I'm back on track.

I've gotten a lot of miles in on my urban commute workouts.  They are exactly what they sound like and I  normally do them at a pretty fast click.  I like to think of them as fartleks or cruise intervals.  Sometimes I have to slow down because of pedestrian traffic and sometimes I have to come to a complete stop because of car traffic. But when I can let loose and go, I do, like on the Manhattan Bridge on my way home or though Harlem on the way to Yankee Stadium for a game.  Ranging 6 to 7 miles, they've been great to integrate even more into my workout routine.

I've been seeing progress in my long runs, specifically my *bad* long runs.  A bad long run I did last week where I felt sore and sluggish and where my bowels weren't cooperating translated to an 8:43 pace over 16 miles.  A few weeks ago, that would have more likely been a 9:30+ pace. I'm sure my fitness plays a part, but specifically, I'm feeling more efficient with my form.  I'm able to hold it longer and easier, staying relaxed throughout, sometimes even getting more relaxed as the run progresses.  A good 16 miler translated to an 8:30 pace two weeks ago.  Both these runs were done at effort level 2.5ish out of 5 on average.  I will need a good long run at this effort level to equate to a 7:45ish (or less, hopefully) pace to get to a sub 3-hour marathon.

On a 12 mile urban commute and 1/2 mile hill repeat combo day, I took note of the salt buildup on my face.  It is getting warmer and my miles are getting longer.  A sweat test will be in order some time in June.  It will be good to get a measurement of that again before it gets the better of me.

My face is as salty as my attitude.

Last week my mileage was 51.8, including a 7 day stretch that was 60+.  I felt pretty beat up by Saturday, but that is to be expected.  Monday I rested, sleeping 14 hours(!), recovering from that mileage as well as the excellent fun times that happened over the weekend, including the Run for Hope, which raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via the RALLY campaign, and cheering the New Jersey Half and Full Marathons.  This week I have another 50+ miles planned and don't expect there to be any problems. Last night's urban commute was completed at a 7:29 per mile click including a sub 7:00 mile coming off the Bridge.  Thursday, I'll be introducing 1/4 mile hill repeats into my workouts to make my lungs and heart bigger.  I'm hoping the SCBkR tHrILLer group will be out to run with!

TNT BK just before the Race for Hope 5k put on by the students of the NJHS at the Battery Park City School, which was only part of the day's training.  These runners completed between 9 and 18 miles before noon.

With miles up and french fry consumption down, I've been losing fat at a descent rate.  Nothing extreme- it's probably one pound a week now, but I don't weigh myself so I don't really know.  I just go by feel- how my jeans fit, but most importantly, how I feel on a run. I am pretty excited about being at a point that I'm happy enough with to eat fries again.  I miss fries.  Especially from Bear Burger and Dram Shop. And Daisy's disco fries.  Yum.  I think I'm close.  I probably have another month before I start cheating giving myself a french fry allowance. Maybe sooner if I continue with these 50+ mile weeks in a healthy way!

Flea market find after a trail run in the Atlantic Highlands on the Appalachian Trail with the team. Now I'm gonna eat waffles for breakfast, too!