Running Back Home

On Monday, I got in a moderate 9 miles down and around the Rock Creek Trail. It was cold (not to mention the fact it was about 7:25am), so I was surprised to see a group of Hispanics drinking cerveza on a rotting log alongside the creek. They asked me whether I wanted a swig. I was feeling festive, being that it's Christmastime, but, in the end, I decided it wasn't for the best. For a Monday, the day after a long run, I was feeling surprisingly spry. I checked the watch and noticed I was running along at 6:10 pace near the end, but it didn't "feel" that fast. Good news for sure.

On Tuesday, I got in another 9 miles by running the old TV Repair loop backwards. I hit some neighborhood hills, too, for good measure. Without much effort, I was running 5:55s - 6:10s for the last 4 miles of the run. Again, feeling very strong.

On Wednesday, I ran a hurried 8.5 miles in the rain before taking off for Cape Cod via the BWI and Boston airports. I'm getting sick of running in these conditions, but thankfully it isn't TOO cold.

On Christmas Day, I ran an easy 9 miles around Barnstable Village. I hit up the Cape Cod Pathways Trail, Old Jail Lane and the beach. The rainy weather followed me north, but, again, thankfully, it wasn't cold outside.

On Friday, I ran down to, and out to the tip of, the Bass Hole Boardwalk (see photo above). Thirty minutes of the 75 minute run were run through trails, which, in wintertime, are far more navigable than they are in summer. I got in 10.5 total. I was pretty tired by the end of the run. Later in the day I walked about 4 miles with the dog.

On Saturday, I met my former high school teammate, Mike Merrill, and current Cape Cod superstar, Tom Deeg, at my old high school for a long run. Both are training for Boston. In fact, every runner in Massachusetts trains for Boston in the winter. The weather was damn-near perfect for a long run - mid 40s, but sunny. We covered what seemed like an enormous amount of ground before I got my bearings back and knew where I was. We pushed the last 4 miles or so. I didn't have my GPS, but Mike said we were sub-6 for a couple of the 15 miles. Later that day, my IT band was screaming. I suppose this is a good sign (?) as it means I'm finally putting in the hard training again. 

I actually opted to play it safe and took Sunday off as a precaution. Instead, I walked the dog in a spooky patchwork of old sandy roads and woods called the Hyannis Ponds. It was my first day off in about a month, I think. Still, it was a solid week of running all around; 61 miles in 6 days.