Perpetual PRs? (Tweeted by Paul Kedrosky)

I'm definitely looking into some of this treatment soon.

Fall Musings

I share Ted and Max's love of the fall.  As the temperature drops so does my time per mile, often dramatically.  Biking time and endurance improves as well.  I only wish I lived in SF or other such place that is temperate most of the year.

Still battling calf problems but got out for a great 7 miler on Sunday on a sunny day in low 50s.  Just over 7 in just over an hour.  compression sleeves help.  massage helps more but isn't particularly enjoyable.

Since I missed the Chicago half, I signed up for a different half on October 20th and a 15K on November 4th which will be my only long ones before Rome in March. 

Speaking of Rome, I finally satisfied the byzantine Italian legal requirements for marathon registration on my third try and will line up for the Rome marathon and go as long and as hard as my body and winter trainign in Chicago permits.

A Pronouncement

Just reached the last year of my age group. I celebrated by leaving the house for a run on my favorite loop through Rock Creek Park, down Beach Drive and back to civilization via the Tilden Street climb. Absolutely wonderful. It's the time of year when all I will care about until 2013 is placing one foot in front of the other. If the weather is like today it will be a hell of a pleasure.

Fall is arrived.

Marathon Training

So, now that my one-race tri season is over for the year, it's time to get back to Marathon training.  I'm signed up for NYC in early November, and if that's not going to be a disaster, I'd better start logging base miles, and long runs.  I had one 19 miler under my belt three weeks ago, but other than that, blessed little running in my schedule for the last couple of months.  In a normal universe, you build your way up to the 20 milers.  No time for that.  Four of us set out this morning for a leisurely very long run.  Two of the runners were folks I'd never run with before, who were both training for NYC, and one was my long time running buddy, along for the first dozen as a good sport.  There's nothing nicer than a fall run in New York.  The weather was perfect.  We snaked through Brooklyn, then came back along the East River, over the Brooklyn Bridge, through Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Red Hook, and then home.  What a great way to spend a weekend morning!

Lobsterman

Last Saturday I did the Lobsterman Olympic Tri in Freeport, Maine.  My racing schedule has been up in the air all summer.  I had initially planned to do the Martha's Vineyard Tri on September 9, but family events, and work obligations got in the way.  I enjoyed Lobsterman last year, so I was happy to do it again.  I really can't say enough nice things about this race.  The swim course is in a sheltered cove.  The water is chilly, but not frigid, and there are plenty of sighting points, both bouys and on shore.  The bike and run course are challenging.  There are lots of turns, and sharp rolling hills (it is, after all, the Maine coast).  I had a great day.  Overall, I was six minutes faster than last year.  Most of that was due to the swim.  I don't exactly understand my swim times.  They range from slow to unbelievably slow.  This time was unusual.  I stayed with the pack through the first turn (500 meters or so).  This is unusual. Then going around the buoy, I got panicky (as I often do, and had to flip over on my back to calm down).  This happened once more, over the next minute or so, and then I settled down and swam the rest of the way at a good pace.  Even with the two "breathers," I was six minutes faster than last year.  On the bike, I resolved to hammer on the hills.  The result was a bike leg two minutes faster than last year.  I averaged somewhere between the 20 mph (on my bike computer) and the 19.3 mph that the scorers assigned my time.  Either way, that's not too bad for a hilly course on an old steel bike.  I really did work hard on the hills.  The result was that when I hit the run I paid.  The transition was fine, and I ran the first two miles at a quick clip.  Then, well, I don't know whether I was paying for the bike leg, or my failure to eat during the bike leg, or my pre-race dinner of a McDonald's quarter pounder with fries, but my glutes simply announced that they were done.  I gutted it out, but I gave back the two minutes improvement on the bike.

All in all, a good day.

Summer Centuries

So I haven't done any racing since May's Brooklyn Half Marathon -- not much posting either, though I've been a loyal reader.  Welcome back Phil!!  Your posts have been an inspiration to me to reappear. 

Over the summer I discovered a new form of endurance sport, Century bicycle tours.  I did two, one in Maine and one on the North Fork of Long Island.  I must say, I am hooked.  These are large group rides, rather than races.  You head out, find a group that matches your pace, ride through the country side, and stop every 25 miles or so for ablutions and snacks.  Very civilized, and very scenic. 

2013 Shaping Up

Already.

I'm signed up for Boston. Again. I can't get over the idea that a race course that includes 20 miles of running downhill should be easy. Oh yeah -- and it's Mecca.

And now Big Sur 2013. Big Sur is a cultural experience. If I weren't running it, I'd be tempted to camp out at Mile 13 next to the piano and observe. Instead I'll join the rest of the hippie runner crowd for the most beautiful 3 and a half hours of running I can imagine.