T Minus 6 Days: Souvlaki & The Lou Ristaino Workout (4/14/15)

6 days away until the Boston Marathon!

Today's plan is to:

1) Run "The Lou":

Thanks to Coach Joe O'Leary, the Somerville Road Runners has a Tuesday before marathon track workout.  "The Lou" (or "Lou Riggatoni" or "Lou Rissoto") is a workout designed by local runner and coach - Lou Ristaino. It has become, for Somerville Road Runners', THE rite of passage for a marathon.  Several years ago, at the New England championship track meet, Lou told me he had figured out the workout as one where you achieve three thingsdo "something" for nervous energy, don't kill yourself, and keep your body fluid in the week leading up to your big race.

"The Lou" workout:
800m warm-up

4800m continous, with the first 800 at goal Marathon Pace and each successive 800 four seconds faster:

800 @ 3:32

800 @ 3:28

800 @ 3:24

800 @ 3:20

800 @ 3:16

800 @ 3:12

1600 cooldown.

Meanwhile in actual existing workouts.

2) Continue to obsess over the weather forecast: 

At Noon, the forecast saiad: High of 55 with 50% chance of showers in the PM; three and a half hours later, it hadn't changed.

3) Carb up #1 meal: Pork Souvlaki with Potatoes

mmmm... Pork and Potatoes

1 lb. of ground pork

3 Tbsp of 365 souvlaki spice mix

1 egg

1/4 cup panko 

1 lb of russet potatoes sliced

a- Preheat oven at 400°F

b- Chop up potatoes, put in greased pan with olive oil and spread herbs de Provence

c- Place in oven

d- Combine pork, spices, egg and panko

e- Form around kabob skewers into 4-6 long sausages

f- place on greased cooking sheet

g- Place in oven, bake 25 minutes.

dill yogurt sauce: plain greek yogurt; lime juice; dried dill.

T minus 7 days: The Boston Memorial Run (4/13/15)

One week out from my first Boston Marathon.  It's been a long time coming and here in the final week it's time to obsess over things I cannot control.  So I intend to do three things today that can help me.

1.  The Boston Marathon Memorial run - For the third year Somerville Road Runners will hold its memorial run during its Monday BurRun.  So I'll do some easy miles, jog there, have a pint with the boys, run the 5k and jog back.

2.  Watch the replay of Paris-Roubaix - Hell of the North - on the channel that was up until very recently called Versus.

3.  Obsess about the weather on Next Monday.  When I woke up this morning they predicted a high of 58°F, mostly sunny with 10% chance of rain and gentle breeze from the W.  At 4:30 pm, the prediction had changed to 59°F, partly cloudy with a 20% chance of rain and heavier breeze but from the SE.

Photos by Tom Cole

Little Ones Before the Big One: Shifters and Doyles (4/4/15-4/12/15)

Race #1 - Shifters 5k

Eva, Victor (129), Mike and Melissa (288)
photo by Tom Cole

Date: 4/4/15
Location: Waltham, MA
Goal Time: 22:30
Actual Time: 19:09

My goal had been to run to Waltham and then do MP during the race...

I couldn't get myself going early enough this morning, so I had to ride my bike instead. Then that took so long riding directly into 25mph winds all the way, that I didn't warm up.

So I decided to not worry about anything for the race. The start lead to a XC narrowing about 100 yds ahead. So, I took the start easy and hung with Toledo Steve for the first 1/2 mile.

Once the crowd dispersed, I started to run. At the one mile mark, I looked at my watch: 6:45. Pretty good considering the first 400 was probably on 8 min pace.

So, right in front of me was Deb Downs. I figured, I'd catch up with her and then run with her for a while. The first part happened, but the second part didn't. I felt good so I just blew by her.

As I approached the second mile, I was catching up with Jim Normile. I caught up with him and tried to catch my breath. Instead he put in a bit of an attack on me. I figured I didn't have that energy and would lose him.

But as I crossed the mile 2 mark, I just felt okay. So I put in some effort to catch him and instead of staying with him when I caught him, I just blew by him. So, I figured I only had a mile left, I would see what I could do.

At about 2.5 you take the left back onto Wavery Oaks. And this is the signature hill of the course, back to the parking lot. I figured I wasn't going to let Jim back into our little race. I took the first part of the hill at a good clip. Then for the top third, I dropped whatever hammer Seth could pick up later.

I made the right turn before the quarter mile snake through the parking lot. I looked over my shoulder and Jim was a good distance behind but once I caught my breath from the hill I took the downhill and then the last left into the finishing straight.

I hadn't looked at my watch since the mile one mark, so when I got in sight of the finishing clock, I wasn't surprised to see I would barely miss breaking 20 minutes. But then I realized it was 19 minutes that I would barely miss. Wow.

Really good surprise race.

shoutouts -

Aharon & Andy were 2nd & 3rd overall
Deb was 2nd woman
Bradley, Joe, Barbara and Melissa Glockenspiel all won their age group
Carrie-Anne and Todd were second in their age group
John Wichers took third in his




Race #2 - Doyle's 5 Miler

Finishing Doyle's!

Date: 4/12/15
Location: Jamaica Plain, MA
Goal Time: 31:30
Actual Time: 31:26

At 9:45, I went downstairs to grab my bike to get out to JP.

And it was not there.  This is weird to me since I had put it in the bike room.  Crap stolen! After about 10 minutes of searchng the basement for...(Maybe somebody moved it?)  And then 10 minutes of not having a clue what to do...I pulled out Ajax Telemon - which I haven't ridden since the 300K Brevet last year - reattached the wheels, pumped up the tires, greased the chain and hopped out onto the road.  I got into JP with very little time to spare.

At the gun, Mariah and I decided to stay back.  Once the crowd disbursed, I started moving my way up.  I had two targets in front.  First I wanted to catch Mike Quinn.  And then when I got to him, I moved on to catch Matt Ridout.  So by the end of the first mile I was up with Matt.  In front of me was Nichole.  I decided to leapfrog to catch up with her.

I never did.

From the turnaround at mile 2 until the end of the race, I kept closing on Nichole.  But I never got within 20 yards of her.

But I managed to run at the limits of my ability.  I never looked at my watch except for the mile 3 time, because when the volunteer said it, I thought it was fast.

It was fast and also short... It was more like mile 2.9.  I did apparently run a 6 minute mile, but they had be a bit under.

That's when I started to pick up the women's race.  I was sitting behind woman in purple and looking ahead where Nichole and Amanda Watters were.  I didn't actually know the placements of the three woman and I didn't know how much energy I really had.  So I didn't want to run hard to catch up with Nichole with the purple woman in tow and then get tired and drop off where the only thing I'd done is make Nichole's race harder.

But in about 1/4 mile we passed a volunteer who was calling out the woman's places - Nichole and Amanda were 3&4 and purple was 5th.  "Ok," I thought, "Nichole isn't the leader and she'll have to fight Amanda for 3rd anyways."  So now I charged ahead a bit right as we got to a little bump.  Purple woman didn't come with me so I charged the little hill hoping to open up a lead.

On the downhill, Nichole had gone ahead of Amanda.  So I decided to leapfrog to Amanda and then catch my breath and then leapfrog finally to Nichole.  I passed Amanda and went toward catching Nichole.

Right before we turned off the road on to the trails by the golf course, I heard my watch beep for mile 4.  And then passed the volutneers who were stationed where the course said it was mile four - probably 4.1 or so.  They called the times - 25:25.  I was thinking, great, 6 flat could give me a PR.

Nichole looked back - probably to see where Amanda was.  I looked back and saw purple woman reasonably close behind me.  I yelled: "you gotta run! She's closing!"

That was the closest I got to catching Nichole.  She started running harder.

I finished with a 31:26 and a Masters PR!!!

Shoutouts -
Picklesheimer - 4th Overall, 1st AG
Jake - 6th Overall, 2nd AG
Nichole 3rd Overall, 2nd AG
Gordon MacFarland defeated Matt again.

Tuireann and St Patick: Craicfest (3/15/15)

No green beer (thankfully); but green beer socks!

Race: Craicfest 5k
Location: Cambridge, MA
Goal Time: 19:00
Actual Time: 18:58 (Masters' PR and 2nd Place, Masters)

My favorite story about St Patrick has nothing to do with snakes.  On the night of Beltane - the feast of fires - the High King of Ireland lights the first fire atop the hill of Tara; and then, in a Promethean construct, each other fire is lit with fires from the King's.  In rejection of the Irish gods, Patrick lit his own "Easter Fire" before the king had lit the one atop Tara.

The King - who may or may not have been an Ui Neill - was none too pleased with this rival fire coming from a rival religion to the Irish-Celtic religion.  And he sent his charioteers down to extinguish Patrick's Fire.

Even though I am coordinator of the SRR Grand Prix, I chose not to run the New Bedford Half Marathon. I didn't have that fire I needed for a Half - especially 5 weeks before Boston. Instead, I decided to to a shorter St Patrick's Day themed race - closer to my house.  I chose Craicfest from the Cambridge 5k. After a quick jog over to East Cambridge and settling my geara quick chat with Eddy, I made it to the start line.

The First Mile wound through East Cambridge and Kendall Square.  I bounced between running too fast and easing up too much.  The runner who usually wins the Masters at Cambridge 5k races - Thor Kirleis - was right ahead of me and in my sights.  Just at the corner of Binney and Cardinal Medieros was the mile one marker.  At right under 6 minutes, I felt good and I didn't feel spent.  We took the right onto Broadway...

I drink from the Pint Glass of Glory!

The High King's charioteers made it down to Patrick's fire.  And in what can bee seen as a ceremonial attack, circled the fire counter to the sun's path.  And there upon came and attacked Patrick's "Easter Fire" with the goal of putting it out before the High King would light the Tara Fire.

Throughout the Celtic world in the Bronze and Iron Age, the chariot wheel and the sun's travel were connected with the god Taranis.  Caesar even went as far as to liken him to Jupiter.  If not actually as powerful as Caesar claims (Lucan and Strabo both place him of lesser importance), he was also known as the god of thunder.  He enters Irish as Tuireann, the ruler of tórnach (thunder).  These charioteers may have been attacking such a way to invoke Tuireann.  So it was Patrick against the thunder god.

As we made the right onto Broadway, I could still see my own thunder god rival - Thor - right ahead of me.  Unfortunately the entire way up into Inman Square, he not only stayed three or four people ahead of me, but he kept making that gap larger.

I kept up my pace and effort into Inman Square.  I kept trying to run in the bike lane but it kept being all rock salt and dirt.  At Inman we took the sharp right onto Cambridge Street for the run back down to East Cambridge.  In front of S&S I made my move past one guy and hit the two mile mark ... 6:04.

When the charioteers reach Patrick's fire, they are incapable of extinguishing it.  In a moment oddly reminiscent of Elijah in 1st Kings, the pagan fires are not as strong as the Judeo-Christian ones. Despite the obvious superiority of Patrick's fire to the Druidic fire from Tara, Patrick was not able to convert everyone in one fell swoop.

While, I did not give up on catching Thor in the third mile, I definitely decided to go one thing at a time.  Running down Cambridge through East Cambridge to 6th Street, I slowly pulled back the gap with the next person.  There is a hill on Cambridge (the only significant one of the course) that runs from 6th upto the Courthouse on 3rd.  Recently I had watched a video where Ryan Hall explains that he doesn't kill himself on the hill but waits until it near the crest.  I decided to take that advice.  And as we passed the East Cambridge Savings bank, I started my attack over the crest.

I hit 3rd Street within 20 yards of the next person.  I decided to bring him back in all the way down to 1st street.  Then I would gauge the finish as start a sprint.  We made the right on 1st and I was right behind him.  We were right in front of Amie and Ryan's house as a tried to go by him.  Then he threw in a gear I didn't have...  Thor had long since finished and I decided to run hard in but not try to catch this guy.

Patrick would move onto converting Ireland to Christianity.  (Although probably not "Roman Catholicism" as we think of it today.)  And he would express the Trinity with the Shamrock... (but that's another story...)

I finished in 17th overall; 2nd Masters with my second fastest 5k ever.

Second Masters' Man and Dana, Second Masters' Woman

Shoutouts -

- Dana Second Masters woman and PR

- Deb Downs won the Asheville Marathon

- PRs at New Bedford for Allison Lackey, Melissa Glockenspiel, Emma Kosciak and Aharon Wright

- Greg S. won the Spring Thaw 6 Hour

Tino Pai,

Jesse...

CRASH and SMASH: World Indoor Rowing Championships (3/1/15)

Race: CRASH-B Sprints, World Indoor Rowing Championships
Distance: 2K
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston University
Goal Time: 6:45
Actual Time: 6:44.4

I looked up at the computer and it said I had 1124 meters to go.  Oh crap, I might not finish this race.  I don't know if anyone has ever DNFed a rowing machine race before....

Two months ago, I hadn't thought of doing the CRASH-B or any rowing indoor rowing race.  A couple of years ago, Kelsea had tried to convince me to try rowing since I had the size and running back ground.  But it took Barbara registering for CRASH-B. It seemed like something fun and a short training period; so, I registered too.  (Don't get confused about CRASH, it has nothing to do with crashing rowboats.  However it does give me an excuse to post this video:)


They covered the ice of Agganis with boards and placed - in the competition area - 96 ergs (that's rowerspeak for what the rest of us call: "Rowing Machines").

Each age group went in different heats.  40 - 49 year old heavyweight men all went in the same heat. There were 91 registered and 78 raced (or at least 78 finished - maybe somebody did DNF).  I milled around for a while after getting into the Agganis (checking out the BU Hockey History) and eventually made it to the floor for about 5 minutes of warm-ups.

Warm up area

In line for the race

Once I got to my erg, I was "ready."  Ready was a relative term.  I had no idea what to do.  Fortunately my volunteer coxswain was very helpful.  He told me exactly when to grab the handle.  Maybe if I had been more prepared, I would have been nervous.  But my total lack of preparation required me to wing it on the most basic stuff.  The heat was in three sections.  Each section had 32 ergs that were interconnected and the computer screen was set so that you could see how you and the leaders of your section were doing.  

My erg - #49

On start, I started pulling as hard as I could.  I felt really good: (You can watch the computer graphic of the section here).  As we went through the first 200, I was in fourth in my section of the heat.  I hit the 500 meter mark in a blazing fast 1:34.1 (6:16 pace)! But I definitely wasn't excited about how well I was doing. Instead I realized it was like running the mile and I had just gone two fast.

At 800 meters, I had taken over second in my heat; at 875 meters, I considered DNFing.  Needless to say, my second 500 - which had me 2nd in my section - had slowed considerably.  I dropped 5 seconds slower to 1:39.6.  Then I had to dig deep.

With 1000 meters to go, I just told myself to keep going. I told myself the worst that could happen is that this would suck for 3 and a half minutes.  And it did.  At 1400, I dropped back down into third in my section.

With 500 meters to go, I was spent.  The third split had been 1:45.4 (11 seconds slower than the first one).  This is where I was glad I had the information about my placement right in front of me.  I told myslef: Don't quit, don't quit! Stay in third! I hammered everything I had left to keep up some sort of pace.  The last 500 was 1:45.3...

I finished 30th out of 78 in my age group!  Pretty good I think for someone with no crew background.

Scenes from Agganis

3 of the 4 Terriers on the Miracle Team:
"Mike Eruzione, Winthrop, MA"

Jim Craig, the 4th Terrier

Zamboni parking!

One From the Vault
That time I rowed a real boat - Plitvicka Jezera National Park, Croatia, 2009

Took a lotta right turns since I had problems putting both oars in the water at once

Winter of My Discontent: February Racing (2/1-2/22/15)

(With apologies to the Bard of Stratford) 

Barded Steeds: Super 5 (2/1/15)

Oh, Captains, my Captains (wait wrong poet...)

Race One: Super 5

Location: Cambridge, MA

Goal Time:  ??:??

Actual Time: 36:56

Now is the winter of my discontent;

Last year had shone beneath the bright gold sun.

Short pants did I deem dare to wear back then.

This great annum no such cold gold was spent.

Championship Sunday icy frigid

The winds did blow. Aligned as knights to fight

Against the sun, Lancastrian hibern

Girds its shining armor: black steel, rigid.

From past winters I thus did take the leads

Battling miles but five; each l’il faster

At end Catching on Carrie-Anne then Scott

Running as I was mounted barded steeds.

                Ere long, the run n’er fast nor slow was done

                Neither by me the race was lost nor won.

Lour’d Clouds: Martha’s Vineyard 20 Miler (2/14/15)

Martha's Vineyard - 2014
There was apparently more snow and problems this year so they had to cancel.

Race Two: Martha’s Vineyard 20 Miler

Location: Vineyard Haven, MA

Goal Time: 2:30:00

Actual Time: --:--

The White Winter blizzards coldly did blow

Then feet, now meters, are piled mountain-

Like high. Fuji-esque mound do climb about

As white frost falls first once then thrice as snow.

For then the fourth cold storm came forth aloud

Not hiding deep among ocean’s bosom.

Instead the race - twenty long clicks - cancelled.

Again we are lour’d  o’er by winter clouds.

Nat and I ran: Carriage Road and Comm Ave

Meeting the girls at Newton Fire House

Then over Newton hills – marathon pace(?)

Oh times are slipping down what the legs have.

                A long run back along the course to home

                And over the river of frozen foam.

               

Average RunMute (2/18/15)

11 Miles from Cambridge-Seaport-Cambridge

Inman Street, Cambridge

Back Bay from MIT

Esplanade

Boston Common

Snow Farm, Seaport

Skating Rink, Common

Comm Ave

Detour?

No Delight: Five Colleges 10 Miler (2/22/15)

Finishing under my goal time!

Race Three: Five Colleges 10 Miler

Location: Amherst, MA

Goal Time: 1:10:00

Actual Time: 1:09:19

The race in Western Mass of No Delight

Away fast from Amherst High School we dash

Into the rural fields and roads of snow

Third mile climb: fifty three meters in height.

Appearing distrustful of Tom at Mile One
photo by Tom Cole

Then, across miles of snow mush and dirt road,

The sixth – the first to race running hard down

Before it climbs again – seventh and ninth.

But, the eighth I get into sprinter mode.

Finally catching up to Michael Quinn

Passing many who left me back for dead

Slowing with miles of muddy roads ahead

The tenth I dashed with lightning speeds and grins.

            Survived I have the winter months but one;

            Man, soon I hope the sun of York will come.

photo by Tom Cole

One From the Vault:

That time Culla let Harrison drive, Martha's Vineyard February, 2014

"Now I'm driving the bus!"

Winter Wonderland: Indoor track 2015 - (1/3 - 1/25/15)

January - not with a bang...

Event #1 - BU Mini Meet (1/3/15)

Mike and I in the 3000m - photo by Tom Cole

Location: Boston University

Race #1: 3000m

Goal Time: 11:00
Actual Time: 10:53 PR

Mike and I got into the heat with largely high school runners.  So while the high school kids took off (like I would have 25 years ago) we stayed to the game plan.  My goal had been 44 second laps.  The first one was really 41, but I soon hit the grove and started clicking off 43 to 45 second laps.

At 2000m, Mike and I were off the back by about 50 meters.  But I noticed they were slowly coming back toward us.  With three laps to go, Mike made his move past me.  While I couldn't go with him, I was able to follow at a distance.  The last lap I did around 41 seconds, passing people all the way to the end.

200m - photo by Tom Cole

Race #2: 200m
Goal Time: 0:30
Actual Time: 0:32.21



Event #2 - Lazy Dog Classy 3 Miler

Brendan and I in the Lazy Dog - photo by KrissyK

Location: Lynn, MA
Race: 3 Miler
Goal Time: 18:30
Actual Time: 19:31

I have nothing to say...

Event #3 - Greater Boston Track Club Invitational

Finishing the mile - photo by Tom Cole

Location: Harvard University
Race: Mile
Goal Time: 5:30
Actual Time: 5:35.35 PR

The second year of the USATF-NE All-Terrain Series started with the mile at the the GBTC Invitational.  My seed time got me into the first heat of the Masters' mile. (The back of the Masters' Mile).  My goal was 5:30, but I figured I'd start at 5:20 pace and try to hold that.  I didn't.

With 2 1/2 laps left Matt came by me.  Once again, like the 3000, I couldn't stay with him.  The last lap I brought my last lap down to 42 seconds.  It was still my fastest track mile since high school.

...but a whimper