First Mile of the Spring!

Finally, I stopped thinking about it and simply went to the track and conducted a mile time trial today. Actually, I put on my racing flats yesterday and jogged over to the track after work, but there was a full-fledged varsity lacrosse game underway, so I had to abort.

The good news is that I met my traditional goal of breaking 6 the first time out, although it was close. I ran 5:57 flat, with rather erratic splits of 88, 3:02, 4:33, and then an 84-second final lap. The 84-second lap was encouraging, likely indicating that I had some reserve, and could have managed a little bit faster time overall. However, I'm fairly satisfied with the result. The next goal, within 2 weeks or so, will be breaking 5:50, and as long as I'm that close to it, I might as well shoot for the Norton Barrier of 5:48 (search on the words "Norton Barrier" within this blog for detailed explanation of the Norton Barrier, and its significance).

Is sub-5 still in the plans? Well, after knocking myself out to run a 5:57, I thought about what it would take to peel off another 57 or 58 seconds, and it's not a pleasant thought. However, I have not started any serious running or speed workouts yet this spring, my longest run of the year has only been 5 miles, and it's not even April, so I guess I'll hang onto the dream for a while longer..............

Mark

Binghamton Makes the NCAA Basketball Big Dance!

(Note: click on the title of this post to see details about the game).
It's true! Today for the first time, the Binghamton Colonials (oops, Bearcats) earned an automatic berth to the NCAA basketball playoffs by winning the America East Conference game at home (61-51 win over UMBC). My daughter Kaila texted me to let me know the game was on TV. This is a relatively big deal!

(by the way, is that Oliver and Basil in that photo?)

What does this have to do with Mark and Eric's Running and Dave's wisdom, you might ask. Everything! Mark and Eric ran Division III track and cross country for Binghamton many years ago. In fact, the cross team likely had one of the longest running winning records of any sports team of that era (70s). This type of heritage laid the foundation for Binghamton's later transition to Division I sports, and now, finally, a spot in the Big Dance. Well, maybe this is a stretch, but so what?

Mark

2009 Biking Season nipped in the bud...

I was blanked in January; too much snow. I put in a decent 128 miles and 50% of my commute days in February. In March, exactly three miles from home to the intersection where a 25 year old woman "failed to yield" at the stop at a T and T-boned me.

Broken collar bone. Four broken ribs. Four days in the hospital. At least three months of healing.

Be careful out there...

Chris

Mid-week update

Skipped Monday, then ran Tuesday (4 miles) and Wednesday (4 miles). May run tomorrow, but will plan on at least 5 days of running this week. If all goes well, I would like to run a mile time trial this weekend..........stay tuned!!!

Weekend Training Update

Although I missed running on Friday, I ran Saturday and Sunday, fairly easy both days. 4.2 miles Saturday, averaging 8:26 per mile, and 4.5 miles Sunday, averaging 8:44 per mile. Both days I ran on the track, just to get used to being on the track again, and I ran a few very short (100 meter) farteks during each run.

If all goes well, I still hope to do a mile time trial this coming weekend.

Spring Training Starts!

Wow! It was a tough few weeks. I was sick for two weeks in late February and couldn't run. Then, my nephew passed away and I was in NYC for the funeral this past weekend. Last week, prior to leaving for the funeral, I did manage to go for 2 or 3 short runs (a couple 2 milers, and I think a 3 miler, maybe a 4-miler). Then, 3 days off for the weekend, another couple days off due to cold weather (worried about aggravating my lungs after the bad cold I had) and finally a return to running last night, with about 3.2 miles at a moderate pace. Tonight the temperatures should be in the mid-40s, and I plan to run 4 miles, then keep right on going through the weekend. I need about a week straight of running, then I'll attempt my first spring mile on the track. I'm not expecting too much, due to nearly a month of not running or not running consistently. On the positive side, the illness gave my legs and body a forced rest and recovery period. Maybe this will turn out well, as I'll need some real stamina to attempt the sub-5 mile this spring or early summer.

I hope I have a mile time to report within about 9 days!

Mark

Illness Break

My legs were forced into a one-week break due to a severe cold. I have not run since last Tuesday, and actually went to the doctor today (although all I have is a bad cold and "pink eye." What this means is that I will probably walk some tomorrow, then do an easy run Wednesday, before returning to normal training. A mile time trial is now at least a week off, unless I recoop faster than expected. Hope to have good news soon!

Track was clear, but I couldn't run!

The snow melted off the track sometime in the last few days, but I have been hammered with a bad cold, and have not run since Tuesday night. Today I felt good enough to go for a walk, so I walked over to the track, walked a couple laps around, then walked home (total of about 2 miles walking). If I feel better tomorrow, I may run a little, but a track time trial will be postponed at least until Wednesday or Thursday, the way I feel now. It was difficult to be on the track without running.

:)

Hope to have more positive updates soon!

Mark

Winter Mile Attempt Aborted

With the February thaw, I had every intention of attempting an informal mile time trial (that wouldn't really count) on Tuesday night in the dark, but upon arrival at the track, there was still a partial snow cover, thus thwarting my attempt. I ended up doing a 4.6 mile run instead, with a few farteks. Today we are supposed to see a few inches of snow, so any additional attempts may be postponed. My logic in attempting a time trial this early is that if I am to have any hope of cracking 5 this spring, I can't be waiting around until mid-or late March for my first mile. I need to get out there soon and at least break 6 with training shoes on, then start approaching the 5:30s by early April, sub 5:20 by May, and then we'll see what happens in June/July, when I could potentially enter some races in Rochester.