A few things about running

I took off more or less 8 days from the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, where I did a number on my Achilles tendon, until yesterday. Then two good "M-pace" -- theoretical marathon pace -- runs yesterday and today. Inconvenient time to have to recover with Boston coming in 5 days.

My colleague P__ is a many-times sub-2:50 marathoner, with a best of 2:45 and change in hilly Austin. While running today he described his typical program. It's a "so that's how the other side lives" story, by which I mean, none of this less is more or "you can train to run a marathon in 4 months or less!" type of program, which are the sort I follow. P__ doesn't even start training until he is running 50 miles weekly at his aerobic pace, which I consider to be an aggressive pace. His peak weeks approach 80 miles. On the other hand, he's been injured now for a year, so I suppose that takes its toll on you.

A few principles of P__'s program: never more than one day of high speed running in a week. Two "long runs" -- a mid-week 90'-100' run and a weekend long run -- each week. Tempo runs start at (e.g.) 2 miles on, 1 off, 2 on, building toward 7 miles at tempo pace. Tempo pace is ~10 mile pace.

It has been just phenomenal running weather, both in DC and in Indianapolis. Highs in the 60 degree range and clear skies.

I have two marathons in the next 18 days, in Boston and in Big Sur. I hope I can run both. After that I plan not to run for a month or so, except for a 10K run leg in a triathlon.

Bikram Yoga does frustratingly little to help the flexibility down the back of your legs. There's the Japanese ham sandwich pose and the two leg extension poses, but that's it. It would be nice if they'd throw a downward dog in there somewhere.