Halfway - 15 miles (508 total)

15.00 miles
2:00:07
8:00 pace

Did the East Falls loop from home, ending up at 38th and Spruce. Nice day for running for a change, although it was blustery at times. Temp in the high 40s. Lots of groups out running on the path - maybe people preparing for the Philly Marathon next weekend. I have to say that I'm both disappointed and relieved that the marathon did not work out for me this year. I don't think I'm quite prepared to do it the way I would like. The last mile of today's run was tough - imagine if I still had 11.2 left to do.

Happy to have broken the 500-mile mark today, about a month early. I may take a week off since my legs have been bothering me. Don't want to end up with shin splints again that could put me out of business for a month or more.

Wet, Gray and Rainy - 9 miles (493 total)

9.22 miles
1:13:07
7:55 pace

Took yesterday off - partly because I got busy and partly because my legs were hurting. So when it started raining mid-morning today, I didn't feel like I could put it off again. Once I got used to it, the rain wasn't bad. Kept me cool, at least. Tried out my new long running pants. Started to feel tired after 6 miles, but it didn't get any worse after that. Soaked to the skin by the end, but had a full change of clothes in the office. Legs are aching afterwards. Might be able to ice up after a 2:00 meeting.

Faster - 9 miles (484 total)

9.01 miles
1:08:25
7:35 pace

Did the same run out to Fountain Drive on the river path as last Thursday, but lengthened it a bit by running up to 38th street then out to Market. Circled Franklin Field at the end in order to make an even 9 miles. Tried to go a little faster today, especially the last couple of miles. Beautiful day; temp in the high 40s.

Rainy Loop Plus - 16 miles (475 total)

16.35 miles
2:13:53
8:11 pace

Started from home just as it began raining. Rained steadily through the whole run. It wasn't bad, though; not cold and it made me feel like a hardcore runner. ;-) Took an easy pace since my legs have been bothering me, and resisted the temptation to go full out for the last mile.

Went down to the rec path at Market Street, then back to the start of the path and out to Falls Bridge, back on West River Drive to the start of the path, up Market, Chestnut, Walnut and Spruce to Hamilton Walk, and hit 15 at the VA Hospital. Went down Woodland and took the loop around USP and Clark Park and finished outside the Green Line Cafe and the Farmer's Market at 43rd and Baltimore. (The links will give you a tour of our immediate neighborhood!) Had a Gu packet at about 9.5, and think that really helped avoid fatigue. Did not feel particularly worn out at the finish - think I could have done 20 without too much strain.

Work to Fountain Drive - 8 miles (458 total)

8.19 miles
1:06:35
8:07 pace

Legs have been hurting since the 15-miler Sunday, so took an extra day off.

Today I felt like I was running at a medium pace, but it was actually a bit slower than Sunday's, when I was trying to keep it slow. Weather was damp and very gray, but not cold. Didn't get a lot of sleep election night, or the night before, so that might have slowed me down.

Will aim for 12 on Saturday to make my minimum of 20 for the week.

Regent Square to Falls Bridge - 15 miles (450 total)

15.01 miles
2:00:12
8:00 pace

Afternoon run today, after pancakes, pollworker training, and Doug's baseball game - undefeated after 10 games in the fall league!

Was feeling a bit tender after yesterday's race, so took it slow; increased speed a little on the way back. This is only the second time I've attempted the East Falls loop from home - the first time I stopped at 13 miles and walked home from the rec path. Today I hit 15 miles a couple of blocks from home at just about exactly 2 hours.

Will have 2 days off, since Barbara and I are serving on the election board on Tuesday and working at our neighborhood polling place.

Penn Homecoming 2-mile Race (435 total)

2 miles
13:01
6:31 pace

Barb, Doug and I all ran. I was really proud of Doug. He finished in 8:09; 7:45 at the one mile mark. Barbara looked good finishing - fastest I think I've ever seen her go. And to top it off, I took first place!

The crowd seemed to be about half students or young alums and half older folks like myself. After the race, a cop came up to congratulate me and said, "Score one for us old guys!"

Route was from College Green straight up Locust Street to between 44th and 45th, then back. I was in 3rd place most of the first mile, then passed one guy near the turnaround, and the lead guy at about 1.5.

Afterwards we stopped by Pottruck Gym and got complimentary smoothies. Beautiful day - would have liked to have stayed on campus for the Homecoming game, but had to get Doug to his guitar lesson.

Fountain Drive - 8 miles (433 total)

8.15 (plus .5)
1:01:41
7:33 pace

Lunchtime run; sunny, 45 degrees. Medium fast pace, tried to maintain a long stride. Legs were still a little achy along the insides of the shins. Will pay close attention to this and try to avoid full blown shin splints again.

Ran an additional .5 miles at the track calibrating the Nike+. (It was off by about .5 miles for the 25k.)

Checkup yesterday - 170 lbs (practically unchanged from 173 on 6/28.) Blood pressure 175/115; heart rate 48 bpm. Would like to lose ten or fifteen pounds, but other than that feel in best shape of my life.

25k - 15.5 miles (425 total)

15.53
2:04:03
8:01 pace

Was a bit apprehensive about this run - longest yet - and probably took the first half a little too slow. The route started at boathouse row, went out to Falls Bridge, then back down West River Drive to the halfway point, then back along the same route. The time was 1:02 at the halfway point, so I expected to do a little better than I did. Sped up quite a bit for the last quarter, and was running almost at a sprint for the last mile. Tried a Gu gel packet at about mile 10, and think that, combined with the slower pace, kept me feeling strong to the end.

Track - 6 + 1 miles (409 total)

6.11 miles
45:51
7:29 pace

This morning Scott reminded me about a 25k race on Sunday. I've been kind of tired and achy and was thinking about scaling back for a couple of weeks, but I would like to take advantage of this opportunity - and collect another t-shirt - so I signed up.

Northeast Roadrunners 25K Marathon Tuneup

Went to the track at lunchtime, figuring that would be a little easier on the legs. I was aiming for at least four miles, to make 20 for the week, but ended up doing six at a fairly brisk pace, then another mile at about the same pace to re-calibrate the Nike+. Looks like I've been about 2% off - my first mile read 1.02, and six miles was 6.11. Hopefully, the re-calibration will keep me honest now, but my actual pace has probably been 5 or 10 seconds slower than I thought. The calibration seems to be sensitive to pace - I think it was more accurate at slower speeds, but has gone a little out of whack as my pace increased over the past six weeks or so.

Will try to get some extra sleep tonight, take it easy tomorrow, and we'll see how the 25k goes on Sunday. Not aiming to break any speed records.

Windy Eight - (402 total)

8.29 miles
1:07:18
8:06 pace

Chilly, sunny, very windy - temps in the 40s for the first time for a mid-day run. Ran from work to trail marker 95 at Fountain Green, with my usual backtrack from Chestnut street to the beginning of the trail. Took it easy, legs still kind of tender after pushing the speed on Monday. Was thinking about running Friday and Sunday, but will probably take an extra rest day and just do a long run Saturday.

Happy to break 400 miles before the 4 month-mark on the 25th. From here on in, I'm going to try to make at least 100 miles each month.

Little Faster - 8 miles (394 total)

8.01 miles
59:23
7:24 pace

Posting this a day late. That's the danger of running at lunch - things can be so busy that you either can't get away to run in the first place, or don't have time afterwards to cool out and record the details.

I spent the weekend trying to get mentally psyched to attempt the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23, but when I went to the site Monday morning, saw that it was already sold out both for the marathon and half marathon. I'm pretty sure it was not sold out last week. When you snooze, you lose, I guess. Although I'm somewhat disappointed, I'm also a little relieved, since I'm not sure I'm quite ready. If I'm not ready a year from now, I probably never will be.

Ran 8 miles about as fast as I could. Fastest pace yet, I'm pretty sure. I think I will do another 6 or 8 tomorrow, then try a long run - 14 or 16 - on the weekend.

Mid-day Long Run

11.65 miles
1:31:45
7:52 pace

Chris is taking some time off until his ankle heals. So, on my own my times have been a bit slower. My pace usually seems to be faster on the return than for the first half.

Rather than run in the dark and cold this morning, I started work before 7, then took a long lunch for my run. Gorgeous mid-fifties fall day. Set iPod for 6 miles, but wanted to do more if I felt like it. Ended up turning around a little past the 6-mile mark, and finished feeling strong.

I'm hoping to do 14 miles on Sunday to make 400, then next week start a new program. My buddy Tony, who ran many marathons before having to quit a couple of years ago, recommended Hal Higdon's marathon training guide. I might take the last 6 weeks of one of his programs, and aim to run the Philadelphia marathon on November 29.

It remains to be seen if my current physical condition will be a good match for that point in the program. I will be running shorter and more varied distances, which is probably a good thing, but will be running more consecutive days than I am used to. So we'll see. I have until November 14 before I have to make a final decision on the marathon.

Change of Pace - 10.5 miles (374 total)

10.53 miles
1:27:08
8:16 pace

Was feeling a bit tired this morning in general, although aches and pains were at a minimum after taking two days off. The main reason for the extra day off was my right foot, but that did not bother me at all today.

Left from work and took the river path out 5.25, then back to 38th and Spruce via Market Street. Noticed a lot of guys my age and older out this morning - more than I remember seeing. I wonder if these are the guys who I will see running through the winter.

Ate a big dense slice of homemade whole wheat bread with peanut butter before the run, which is heavier than my usual banana, and tanked up on water before leaving the office. I think this made it a little harder to breath and slowed me down a bit; I never got a good pace going. It is hard to believe that this would have been a fast pace a couple of months ago.

Accidental Distance Record - 15 miles (364 total)

15.00 miles
1:56:10
7:44 pace

Was aiming this morning to do no more than 11.2 miles, which would break 30 miles for this week and put me at 360 total. Starting from home, I set the iPod for 12 miles and figured that I would turn around at 6, then stop at the Wawa near home for Gatorade and coffee right at 11.2.

As sometimes happens though, I was feeling so well at the halfway mark that I decided to go a bit further. Turned around at Hunting Park Avenue, almost within sight of the East Falls Bridge, about 7.1 miles. As I approached 12 miles returning to the beginning of the path, was feeling well enough that I turned around and made it back to the Art Museum - 12.75, then back to the turnaround, and hit 14 miles just at the Chestnut Street ramp. Hit 15 miles at 36th and Locust Walk, about two blocks short of the Wawa.

That was enough. Although it was a good run, I was nauseous at the end, for the first time since the Broad Street Run last spring. I think 400 miles is within reach by 10/26, which would be a nice even number for my four-month point.

TGIF - 6.5 miles (349 total)

6.57 miles
50:23
7:39 pace

This really is the best time of year for running. 55 degrees when we started, and that seems to be perfect. Chris and I were both feeling a bit achey - his ankle and my foot, so we kept this run on the short side. I broke 20 miles for the week, which is just over what I need for my schedule. So anything I run this weekend will be gravy, or I could take the weekend off to see if it improves the foot situation.

Two in a Row - 6 miles (342 total)

6.33 miles
49:24
7:47 pace

Wanted to get three runs in during the work week, and since I'm relatively injury-free, tried another run this morning. I swore off consecutive days since we returned from Utah in August, and I think it was a good rule while I was trying to heal, but eventually I'd like to be able to run five or six days a week.

Chris and I started out this morning only about 15 hours after finishing our last run, and I could feel yesterday's run in my feet. Still, it was a nice cool morning, about 45 degrees, and we had a good run. A little shorter and slower than yesterday. Planning to run 5-7 miles on Friday, then 11-12 on Sunday. If so, this will make 30 miles for the 4th week in a row.

Fall Afternoon - 7 miles (336 total)

7.32 miles
54:56
7:29 pace

Met Chris at work at 7:00 this morning, but he forgot his shoes. Not a tragedy, since the temp was 43 degrees, and I was happy to wait until the afternoon after Jane dropped off the shoes.

So we ended up going out on a fantastic, sunny fall day about 20 degrees warmer than it was this morning. We went out to Girard Street train bridge, dropping to the bike path at Chestnut street, which has a ramp instead of stairs and adds a quarter mile or so to the run.

Chris pushed our pace a bit as usual, and I was pleased with the near-record time. We're going to try again tomorrow a.m. - I've been feeling good enough to experiment with some consecutive-day running. Will have to break down and get some cooler weather gear soon. If I'm smart I'll do it before I need it.

Playing it Safe - 12 miles (328 total)

12.27 miles
1:36:53
7:53 pace

Was a bit apprehensive about running this morning. Although I've been feeling great, the aborted 15-mile run last week was unpleasant. My physical and mental tanks just ran dry at 13 miles. Today was undecided if I should play it safe with 10-11 miles or try a little further.

Since Chris was biking today, I left directly from home at 6:30, and decided to take the river path about 6 miles, double back and end the run at the Wawa (a PA version of 7-11) half a mile from home. That way I could extend the run a little if I felt good at the 6 mile mark. Ended up going about .5 farther - to the Strawberry Mansion bridge, about a mile short of the East Falls bridge, where we would normally cross the river.

Beautiful weather, sunny by the end of the run, and made it home in plenty of time to take Doug to baseball at 9:00.

Nice Weather - 6 miles (316 total)

6.3 miles
48:25
7:40 pace

Weather was perfect for running this morning, about 55 degrees and sunny at 7:30 when Chris met me at work. I think the fall is the best time for running in Philadelphia, and I'm going to try to get ahead of schedule between now and Thanksgiving. It may be harder to get out and run regularly in January and February.

We started out a bit faster than usual, and ended a bit slower, but still ended up with a 7:40 pace. I continue to be incredulous with how our times have improved in the run up to the PDR. I think I lost some weight over the past month and that probably helped - all my pants are baggy now. Hope we can maintain and continue to improve.