Loss of Momentum

In an attempt to get right into marathon training, last Monday I decided to try and put in a good week of mileage. Ride the tide of momentum.

On Monday I ran an easy 9 with Sam. My legs were pretty trashed and I felt as if I was hobbling along.

On Tuesday I got in an easy 10 in/around NW Washington. I looped through Georgetown and then enjoyed the soft surfaces on some seldom run trails in Rock Creek Park. It was beautiful outside; leaves drifted through the air and littered the earth floor, the sun was shining and temperatures permitted likely the last shirt-less run of the season. I saw a mammoth 10-point buck near the Klingle Mansion. Amazing how he's gotten so big while living in such a populated area. Near the end of my run I started to feel a sore throat coming on and by the time I finished showering I had the first stage of a head cold.

The cold was nasty enough to knock me out of training on Wednesday and then again on Thursday. I am sure I could have gotten something in, but it was best to shake it.

I ran an easy 8 on Friday near Rock Creek in Rockville, but still felt like poo.

An easy 10.5 with Murphy and Sam on Saturday felt a little better.

On Sunday I drove to "Duel Ferries", initially (as in early in the week) with the plan of running 20...then it became 16...then 14. I ended up with 11. I was hacking, my stomach hurt and I just felt run down.

So much for momentum.

I was able to get in a run on the morning of Frankenstorm. A cold rain came down in buckets, but it was not very windy...yet. I was soaked to the bone and saw just a handful of people meandering about the town. At one point a deceased, waterlogged raccoon washed past my legs. I hammered the last 2 miles home simply to get out of the weather. A hot shower and chicken soup helped bring my temperature back up.

On Tuesday afternoon, Emily dropped me off in Bethesda and I proceeded to run the Parks course back to my house. Beach Drive was still shut down so I was able to run down the middle of the street. I felt good, and again wanted to get out of the weather, so I decided to run 3 miles at my desired marathon pace. The goal was to try my best to practice staying at 5:40 (no faster/no slower). I ran 5:40, 5:37, 5:40. Oh, and I saw a red fox.

I am off to New York City today to work the marathon. It'll be tough to get in adequate training this week, but I'll do my best.