Monkey Business.

This past Sunday marked the end of week 8 of training.  Outdoor training has been a bit of a challenge the past two weeks with all the snow and frigid temperatures that we have had here in Boston. Yes, I have had to revert to using the old dreadmill again.  Ugh.  Not to be confused with Ugg.  You know, the Australian company with the fashion boots that everyone has to have (not the sparkly glittery ones though- sorry if you are wearing a pair as you are reading this- no offense intended).  I guess this year though, the fashion must have is the LL Bean duck boot. Sorry, "bean boot".  Not that I would know though. Just saying. OK, back to the "expression of disgust or horror" (thanks for the succinct definition Google)-Ugh.  I guess what I dislike most about running on a treadmill is the lack of freedom to get out and explore, the overall atmosphere of the gym and having the treadmill do part of the work for me. Darn it, I want the entire effort to be mine. Not a machine forcing me to move my feet by driving the belt below me. Nope!  On the flip side though, I do know that it is a love hate relationship with the old RunMaster Xtreme Turbo Propulsion Tread Tracker Max 5580 (I just made that name up if you couldn't tell. Had to have something dramatic).  There will be times that, for safety's sake, I will just have to buck up and pound the treadmill deck instead of the pavement.  Oh, that didn't come out sounding quite right.

There was a plus side this week.  It was the week's team long run where we were finally able to run up, and then back down, Heartbreak Hill.  I had drove it before. Oh, that one didn't come out sounding quite right either.  I road in a car down the hill once (that sounds better). That was my only experience with it before Saturday.  It is a pretty gradual hill so it wasn't too bad to run. I say that after having only run 7 miles before encountering it. Much different than running 20 miles and then encountering it like it will be on race day.  The highlight of running the hill was seeing the Boston skyline just past the peak. Highlight indeed. Well, then there was also the photo op at the bottom of the hill with Bill the gorilla who is the Heartbreak Hill Running Company mascot (the store is located at the base of Heartbreak Hill- very clever name that they came up with. The store that is). 

It turned out to be a fantastic and energizing 15.5 mile long run even though it was 10 degrees with a wind chill of -7.  I guess that is winter in New England though.  Once you get going and are a couple of miles in, you do end up warming up.  So much so that you end up having to unzip the layers to cool down and then zip back up to get warm again.  Zip, unzip, zip unzip.  Enough to make you go bananas!

Until next time, keep on runnin'!
 

You're As Cold As Ice.

Cold as ice, you know that you are
Cold, cold, as, as, ice, as cold as ice to me
Cold, cold, as, as, ice
Ooh, ooh, ooh, cold as, cold as ice
You're as cold as ice

Yes, December 31st was cold as ice.  However, I needed to keep with my marathon training and get my run in for the day.  Even on New Year's Eve day.  Even though the weather outside was frightful.  Well, fricking freezing.  Cold as ice cold.  Cold enough for, say... ice sculptures! 

What better way to run the miles away than going into Boston to see how the preparations were going for First Night?  First stop, Boston Common.  The food vendors were setting up their stands and getting ready to try and entice people to buy their morsels.  I could only imagine them practicing their spiel as they were stocking the supplies, "Get a hot slice of cheese with roni over here!"  One food trailer that made me turn my head as I went by was the "Slush King".  Seriously?  The real feel was 11 degrees.  I don't think that they probably sold too many slushies last night.  I could be wrong though.  I continued on past a couple of ice sculptures.  Frogs frolicking with "2015" above them, some super heroes and Albert Einstein.  Pretty impressive.  Luckily it was cold enough for them so that there were no dripping and drooping masterpieces.  I past the pyro technicians setting up the launch tubes with Chrysanthemum, Peony, Palm and heart shells.  Past vendors setting up their stalls selling plastic horns and those goofy glasses which quickly remind you what year is coming up.  Next up, the Public Garden.  Not much at all going on over there so I continued over to the Esplanade.  Again, nothing happening.  Zilch.  Nada.  On to Copley Square!  That is where all of the action was.  A city block of news vans lined up in a perfect row.  Reporters doing the obligatory "So what is your New Year's resolution" interviews with passersby.  Sound checks on the main stage and, oh yeah, more ice sculptures! 

I made my way down Boylston street, past the marathon finish line, down to Mass Ave and back over to the Charles.  I wound my way back to where I started and ended my run with 7.5 miles logged.  I'll take it even though it was definitely the coldest day of running this training season.  A balmy 20 degrees with a real feel of 11 due to the gusty 20+ MPH winds.  These are the conditions that I kind of like though.  The ones that make you buck up and, in the words of Nike, "Just do it".  I could be inside a sweaty smelly gym clomping away on a dreadmill, sorry, treadmill.  Nope, not for me.  I would rather be running outdoors in the freezing passing the artistic creations of frozen H2O.

Cold as ice, you know that you are
Cold, cold, as, as, ice, as cold as ice to me
Cold, cold, as, as, ice
(Thanks Foreigner for the lyrics- they are completely stuck in my head now!)

Until next time, keep on runnin'!

Star Trac #7630 Pro.

Yes, I know, it sounds so official.  So tantilizing.  So mysterious.  "Star Trac #7630 Pro".  Well, it really is not that exciting.  A bit of smoke and mirrors more than anything else.  It's the model of treadmill that I run on everytime I go to the gym when "the weather outside is frightful".  OK, it isn't that tantilizing or mysterious now that you know what it is.  Right?  I felt that I had to spice it up a bit instead of "treadmill" or my favorite "dreadmill".  I guess I should show some respect to the equipment that is helping me to get my miles in.  Just a little bit of respect.  I ended up with 7 miles today consisting of mainly straight miles with some speed work and just a dash of hill work (am I a chef now?).  I want to get another 7 miles in tomorrow but it looks like it is going to have to be on the "Star Trek 7630".  Beam Me Up, Scotty.  Oh, sorry, "Star Trac 7630".  Beam me up, Bob Harper (the guy from The Biggest Loser- people say that I look like him.  Hmmm...).

Until next time, keep on runnin'!

I did it.

That's right. I had to do it. I went to the gym yesterday to run on the despised dreadmill of hell. It was horrible, like a bad case of chaffing at mile 20. Unfortunately, I've been out of commission the past week with something resembling the flu, then a bad head cold which turned into an even worse chest cold. I should have bought stock in Kleenex & Mucinex!  I was itching to start running again yesterday since I was finally feeling better. I decided that I should run indoors since it was pretty cold and it was my first run since meeting up with the phlegm monster. I have to say that I have been pretty spoiled by being able to run outdoors for so much time this year. Damn!  I was so done with the gym at mile two.  The hot, smelly & uninspiring surroundings were getting the best of me. I wanted at least 6 though so I decided to alternate in some "heart break hill" training. That is what I needed as I was able to finish with just over 6 miles. Nothing like making a nice clean & dry running shirt a dripping wet mess!  Sweet. 

Open road, here I come.  Until next time, keep on runnin'!