Sunday, March 1, 2009

Pining for Boston, Spring, Warm Sun on my Face...

How badly has this winter in Cleveland affected me?  Forget the physical pain, how much have all those miles in artic conditions warped my psyche, impaired my judgement?  Here is a simple incident to illustrate.  This Sunday morning, I awoke knowing I needed to do about 22 miles, and be home by 10:00 AM, so I got an early start.  I had not checked the weather the day before, so I had no idea what to expect.  To my surprise and delight, it was a beautiful morning.  I dressed and left the house just as the sun was rising.  As I ran, I witnessed the cloudless sky morph from stunning Floridian pink and turquoise to deep blue.  I though to myself several times, "What a gorgeous morning...what a perfect morning for  running."  

It was 16 degrees.

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February marks three consecutive months over 300 miles.  That, my running friends will understand, is my tribute to the great respect I have for Boston.  I was humbled by that course last year, specifically after cresting Heartbreak Hill around mile 21, looking at my time, and naively thinking, "I can finish around 3:10, maybe under, no problem."  Idiot.  I finished at 3:16:55.  You see, what I failed to consider at that moment of exhaustion-induced addle brained stupidity, was that I had nothing left in the bank.  I had spent it all to get there, and I had hell to pay for the last five miles.  This year, I've been putting miles and miles and miles into my account all winter.  I know better than to think that this will guarantee a good time in Boston, but not doing it will guarantee it will not be a good time.  Again this year, I plan to run strong through the hills of Newton.  Unlike last year, I plan to have something in reserve when the hills are behind me.  As my friend Wayne Vereb likes to say, "After Heartbreak, Boston's very runnable."  Wayne is a funny guy. 

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Training Miles Review for the Week and Month

Total for the week: 87 miles
Total for the month of February: 300 miles

Intervals:  On Tuesday the 24th, I ran 9 miles total, with 3 x 1 mile intervals at 6:00 minute pace
Long Run: On Sunday March 1st, I ran 21.5 miles at 7:39 pace.


3 comments:

Lloyd said...

Our frigid winter makes your running volume is doubly impressive. Good job and good racing luck to you in Youngstown.

E-Speed said...

Your killing it Frank. I hope it pays off for you in Boston!

Janet Edwards said...

Warm sun on your face...as well as a bunch of cold wind 3 out of 4 directions! You really are logging huge miles and can't wait to see how well you run in Boston!