Training Log – May 27, 2008

SCHEDULE: Hill work, weights, and stretch

HILL WORK: 12 intervals of running up a medium sized hill (no measurment – yet), jogged back down to the bottom

WEIGHTS:
      Bench Press: 3×10 (135 lbs.)
      Barbell Curls: 3×10 (65 lbs.)
      Tabletops/Planks: 3×3 (40 sec. per rep)
      Shrugs: 3×12 (45 lbs. each hand)

CONDITIONS: Overcast, humid, warm

NOTES: A decent workout today. This was my first day doing hill interval work, so I think that I did well for my first time out. After about a half mile warmup jog, I ran as hard as I could up the hill, then jogged back down. I did this 12 times. The hill itself is a decent one. The issue is that it’s pretty steep, but the run up does not take a long time. Unfortunately, there isn’t really any other good place near my house to do interval work like this. There are plenty of hills, but many of them are on streets that do not have any sidewalks. Hopefully, I encounter a better spot on one of my runs this week.

My weight lifting was cut a little short today by my dog, who desperately needed a walk before I left for work. I had planned to get some work on my back and another core exercise in, but I had a responsibility to take care of. When I got home, all I had time for was my stretching, which is crucial. If I miss a day, I could get all messed up. Stretching takes precedence over pretty much everything else.

On a non-training related note, it seems like my dad wants to get into this whole running business with me! He has been struggling with injuries lately, but when he was watching me run at the Baldi River Run this past weekend, he claimed that he suddenly felt incredibly out of shape and wanted desperately to start running again. I have tried to get him to calm down and take it slow (he tore his ACL and rotator cuff seven months ago and hasn’t really done anything except rest and PT since) and that he shouldn’t expect to be ready to run a 5K this weekend. He started yesterday and ran/walked 1.25 miles. Today he said he was able to run for three-quarters of a mile, and then ran/walked another three-quarters for a total of a mile and a half today. He said that, other than being woefully out of shape, he felt pretty good. I keep urging him to take it slow and steady, but, knowing him, he will probably try too hard (kinda like me).

Well, long run tomorrow. I hope to run the same route that I did last week. Hopefully my time will be better this time around.

Baldi River Run – May 25, 2008

NAME: Baldi River Run & Fitness Walk

DATE: May 25, 2008

LOCATION: Start and end outside Garibaldi Club; 86 Washington St., Haverhill, MA

WEBSITE

CONDITIONS: Sunny, warm, breezy

RACE:
      Course Difficulty: A relatively easy, flat, out-and-back course.
       Course Appearance: A scenic route along the Merrimac River that starts and ends in what appeared to be Haverhill center.
       Race Organization: A well organized event. Started on time, and the after race events were very well done.
       Course Safety: Good police presence throughout. Controlled intersections, and there were cop cars leading up front and bringing up the rear as well.
       Support: The walkers, who went ahead, were very supportive. Some spectators scattered throughout the course; a large, very supportive crowd at the finish line.
       Recommend: Absolutely. A fun, well organized event.

RESULT: 34/262 – First in age division (Official Results from Cool Running)

BACKGROUND: A five mile run and fitness walk are the main events for the Memorial Day Weekend celebration. However, the fun doesn’t stop with the race, as there is a great BBQ right afterwards in a nice secluded area by the river. Great music and food along with the awards ceremony highlight the event. All proceeds from the event go to the Eric Steinman Scholarship Fund. It’s a great race that attracts many great runners from MA and NH.

MY EXPERIENCE: After learning that I was not going to be able to do the Run for Dave on Saturday like I had planned, I was a little disappointed going into the weekend. Friday night, I frantically was looking for a race that was simply going to fit my schedule, let alone find one that I thought was going to be a great race. Despite my lack of research and hasty selection, I believe that I hit gold in the Baldi River Run.

A 45 minute drive from my house in Lexington, the Baldi River Run starts just outside the Garibaldi Club on Washington St. in downtown Haverhill. The setting is scenic, as it is right along the Merrimac River and the start and end is situated between a nice sretch of historic brick buildings along Washington St. While it may not be the ‘nicest’ block in the world, the area certainly has what many other areas lack these days: character.

Anyway, the runners go off at 10:30 am. This was a half hour after the walkers, which I initially found interesting, but later realized that it didn’t really matter, considering that the course was an out-and-back style route, meaning we would encounter them at some point no matter what time the gun went off. The start was well organized, and the gun went off on time. The police presence was good, as the shut off the stretch where the start/finish lines were, and they also had plenty of cops along the course to control traffic at intersections.

As mentioned before, the course itself is out-and-back. It is flat and fast right along the Merrimac River. Unfortunately, today was a tad too hot, and there was some wind that was great on the out stretch, but it gave me some problems after we turned around and were then heading into it. Wasn’t a huge issue though, the breeze only came in spurts. Another problem was that my dinner was still sitting in my stomach by the time the race rolled around. This was very annoying since it felt like I was carrying around dead weight. It was more of an annoyance than anything else, and it didn’t seem to have a huge effect on my time.

I passed the first split in about 6:35. The mile splits at miles 2 and 3 I missed, but they had one other split at mile 4, but I cannot remember what it was, I was just focusing on the road ahead at that point. It was something like 27+ minutes, but that’s a rough guess. When I crossed the finish line, I was clocked at 34:48, good for a pace of 6:58. I am definitely happy with this result, as it is the first time that I have officially broken the seven minute mark on one of my races.

Immediately after the race, the cookout started. Burger, dogs, chips, and watermelon were all laid out. There was good music and even some bocce ball going on as well. The location was on a grassy spot overlooking the river. It was a great setting, and both my dad and I agreed that this was definitely the most organized and ‘most fun’ of the four races that I have participated in to date. The awards ceremony took place here as well, and they without a doubt had the best prizes so far as well. A glass beer mug with the race decal on it. Since I’m 18, I won’t be able to put it to good use for another two and a half years, but it is still pretty cool.

On the note of beer mugs, the one concern that I had with the event was that beer was flowing freely and often. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that Michelob was the sponsor of the event, but I am generally not comfortable when I see people start downing beers at 10:30 in the morning. A minor glitch on the face of what truly is a great race.

In short, a great event. A good race accompanied by good fun and good people cannot be beat. If I am home from college at this time next year, I will definitely make my way back up to Haverhill so that I can participate in next years’ Baldi River Run!

Thanks to John O for pointing out some mistakes (start time & number of time splits)!

Race Change

Work can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy working where I do and the people there are very nice, but someone has gotten very sick and won’t be able to go in tomorrow. So, guess who is picking up the slack? Yours truly. So, this means that the Run for Dave that I had been looking forward to is now undoable. I simply cannot make the drive there, race, and get back in time to be at work by one in the afternoon (it would be an hour plus drive for me) while maintaining my sanity.

However, all is not lost. There is an equally great race on Sunday that I have chosen to participate in: The Baldi River Run (5 miles) in Haverhill, MA. Boston’s Run to Remember came to mind, but unfortunately, I will end up working late, and I am not sure that I would be able to wake up in time to get to South Boston early enough to register and still put together a good race. The 10 AM start in Haverhill will be much better for me, as it is the same distance and I will be able to snag a couple more hours of sleep.

So in conclusion, I will run the Baldi River Run on Sunday, and not the Run for Dave on Saturday. Oh well, at least I’m still racing this weekend.