Training 1/23 to 1/29

1/23 Monday: 8 miles in 60 minutes

Easy running on the treadmill at home. Very boring.

1/24 Tuesday: AM: 10 miles in 71 minutes PM: 4 miles in 32 minutes

AM: An awesome day for running, there is noting like running in shorts in January. Ran the Rattlesnake Hill Loop with Scott McGrath. I had a really good run and felt strong. Must have been Scott's recap of him winning the Derry Prep 16 Miler over the weekend that had me all pumped up. We also ran into new CMS team member Nate Jenkins who was out there pounding out the miles on the roads of Andover.

PM: Easy running around Haverhill

1/25 Wednesday: 8 miles in 60 minutes

Easy running along the Shawsheen River Trails. Stepped in a pile of crap today.....not cool.

1/26 Thursday: 8.2 miles in 62 minutes

Shawsheen River trails to Andover High and a short loop on the trails behind the school. Felt a bit slow and heavy today. Almost time for a day off.

1/27 Friday: 5 miles in 40 minutes

Easy running on the treadmill at home. I was planning to double today but the day got crazy and the weather was bad. So today will be my "off"/easy day. I will run tomorrow instead of taking it off.

1/28 Saturday: 8.5 miles in 61 minutes

Ran out towards Crystal Lake in Haverhill. I did the first few miles with Heather, we even got chased by a wiener dog.. too funny. Then I was on my own. I picked it up on the way back home and turned the run into an impromptu progression run the last 3.5 miles went 6:59, 6:33, 6:08, and a 2:48 (5:36 pace) last half mile. It felt good! I feel like I am heading in the right direction.

1/29 Sunday: 14.5 miles in 1 hour 45 minutes (MAP)

Overall I am very happy with this run. I kept the pace very even throughout the run and I felt comfortable and relaxed almost the whole way. I tried out a new loop today over through Bradford and Groveland and back by Kenoza lake. A little bit of urban running and some country running. I liked it.

Total Miles: 66.2

Another good consistent week of running. The mileage is going up slowly and the long run is getting a bit longer. Most important is I am still healthy. I even started getting in some strength training this week. More of the same to come in the next few weeks. Four weeks till the Amherst 10 miler!

Training 1/16 to 1/22

1/16 Monday: 8.1 miles in 61 minutes

Easy treadmill running at home. I actually felt pretty good today. I stayed inside today because the cold really seemed to do a number on me yesterday.

1/17 Tuesday: 10 miles in 72 minutes

Ran the Rattlesnake Hill loop. I felt heavy and tight, but the pace overall was decent. Great day out there for a run! The warmer weather was nice.

1/18 Wednesday: AM: 10 miles in 77 minutes PM: 4 miles in 32 minutes

AM: Ran with CMS stud and recent New England Runner cover man Scott McGrath. We ran the trails along the Shawsheen River, behind Andover High, and around the pond at Bakers Meadow. Had a pretty solid run and some great talk about all things running.

PM: Easy running on the treadmill at home

1/19 Thursday: 8.3 miles in 63 minutes

Another day on the Shawsheen River Trails. Felt really good today, my right calf is a bit tight but everything else felt pretty good.

1/20 Friday: 8 miles in 60 minutes

Easy running along the Shawsheen River trails in the snow. With 1-2 inches of snow on the ground this was an awesome run on the trails.

1/21 Saturday: OFF

A planned day off from running. I spent the day skiing with my Dad, Brother, Niece, and Daughter at Bretton Woods. It was cold, but the lack of wind made it a great day to be outside.

1/22 Sunday: 14 miles in 100 minutes

What an awesome morning for running! Temps were cool, but there was barely a wind and the sun was shinning! I felt really solid today, never felt all that tired, or like I was working to much at all. I picked it up a bit in the last three miles going 6:49, 6:31, and 5:56 to finish up nice and strong.

Total Miles: 62.4

A very solid week of running. I was very happy with getting in just over 60 miles and getting one day off from running. The day off is really giving me a day to recover from the pounding of running. Next week should look pretty similar to this week. The goal is to be over 60 miles for the week and try to get in a day off.

Training 1/9 to 1/15

1/9 Monday: 8 miles in 60 minutes

Easy running along the Shawsheen River Trails. This is part of the AVIS trail system in Andover. I felt okay today, a bit tired from yesterdays longer run, but overall it was as I expected.

1/10 Tuesday: AM: 4 miles in 32 minutes PM: 8 miles in 64 minutes

AM: Easy running on the treadmill at home.

PM: Shawsheen River Trails very slowly. Felt a bit tired so I took it real easy.

1/11 Wednesday: 7.5 miles in 57 minutes

Another day along the Shawsheen River Trails. I hope its not my last this winter. Snow is in the forecast for tonight! I hope we get rain.....the trails are helping to keep me healthy.

1/12 Thursday: 7.3 miles in 53 minutes

Running on the treadmill at home. Boring. At least we got mostly rain and not snow down here. Keep it in the mountains!

1/13 Friday: AM: 4.2 miles in 34 minutes PM: 5.3 miles in 40 minutes

AM: Easy running on the treadmill at home. Not going to run in the cold rain

PM: Easy running on the treadmill at home. Dark and windy....I will stay inside.

1/14 Saturday: OFF

Planned day off. I spent the day in NH celebrating my Dad's 60th birthday. Happy birthday Dad!

1/15 Sunday: 12 miles in 87 minutes

Cold as all hell out there!! I must have had on like 15 pounds of clothes to keep me warm. Started out very easy and finished up strong. Last three miles were sub 7 minute pace, the last mile was a 6:27. I also saw the legend Craig Fram out there putting in the miles. He was moving faster than I was!

Total Miles: 56.3

A very solid week of running with one day completely off. The foot is feeling pretty good and I am starting to feel like I and getting in better shape. I just have to keep it going!

Training 1/2 to 1/8

1/2 Monday: OFF

Went skiing at Bradford ski area with my daughter Caityln. It was a great time!

1/3 Tuesday: 8.2 miles in 60 minutes

Ran the Shawsheen River Trails in Andover. Felt pretty good and being able to get into the trails in January is great!

1/4 Wednesday: AM: 4 miles in 32 minutes PM: 7 miles in 53 minutes

AM: Easy treadmill running. It was too cold to venture outside.

PM: More of the same...easy treadmill running. This was my first double in a very long time. The foot seemed pretty good with it.

1/5 Thursday: 8.5 miles in 62 minutes

Easy running from the Whirlaway with CMS teammate Mike Quintal. Great night for running and the foot felt really good.

1/6 Friday: 8 miles in 64 minutes

Easy running along the Shawsheen River trails. Great running weather out there. Very slow going though. I needed a real easy day.

1/7 Saturday: 4 miles in 32 minutes

Very easy treadmill running very early in the morning. Then it was off to Bretton Woods for some skiing with my favorite little skier.

1/8 Sunday: 12 miles in 87 minutes

Great day for a run! Started out nice and easy and finished up with my last three miles under 7 minute pace. All while feeling very relaxed. The foot even felt good today, barely even thought about it the whole run.

Total Miles: 51.7 + 2 days of skiing

I am very happy with this first week of 2012. The mileage wasn't high, the runs were not fast, but the foot was well behaved and I got in all the running I planned on. Goals for the rest of January: 1. Keep healthy and keep working on the foot to maintain pain free running. 2. Consistency in training, run 50+ miles a week for the rest of January working up to 60 miles a week. 3. Start some kind of strength training, 2-3 times a week. If anyone has a great strength program for endurance athletes please let me know!

Training 12/26 to 1/1

12/26 Monday: OFF

12/27 Tuesday: 8 miles in 57 minutes

Easy running out to Crystal Lake.

12/28 Wednesday: 9 miles in 68 minutes

Exploring the Bradford rail trail as it continues along the river beyond the official section. felt pretty good.

12/29 Thursday: 8.5 in 60 minutes

Easy running over to Winnekenni and back. Got in a few miles on the trails.

12/30 Friday: 7 miles in 53 minutes

Easy running with Heather on the Windham Rail Trail. Went pretty easy because I am going to race tomorrow......thats right race.....or at least try to race.

12/31 Saturday: 10 miles in 71 minutes

Went to the BU open indoor track meet in Boston. The idea was to check to see if my foot could handle racing and see how bad a shape I am in. I entered the 3k with an optimistic seed time of 9:20 (5:00 min pace). The race went exactly to plan through the mile (4:59) then it all feel apart and I came home in (9:38). A full 51 seconds slower than I ran last year at this same exact time. I still left BU with a smile because I had absolutely no pain in my foot at all! The bad news is that I am in aweful shape and really need to put in some miles to get ready for 2012.

1/1 Sunday: OFF

Recovery from racing and celebrating Heathers birthday....and the new year.

Total Miles: 42.5

More miles than last week. Had a really slow race, but the foot didn't hurt at all! Things are looking a little bit better on the running front.