BayState 2023

I've entered the 35th Annual Baystate Half Marathon.  It will be on Sunday, October 15th this year -- about 3 months away.

It seems my hamstring has recovered over the last 3 months to the point where I can begin to think about ramping up mileage again.

Working three days a week has turned out to help with strengthening the legs more, so the idea of trying to meet or exceed my 2021 Baystate Half performance in Lowell later this year will be a good goal.  The race in 2021 went well.  I placed 1st out of 16 in my AG with a 9:08 pace for 13.1 miles.  I'll be 2 years older then and it will be slightly tougher since I am still in the same AG.  The time to match will be 1:59:34.

 Workouts since my last post on 7/4 were as follows:

Wed July 5 - rest

Thur July 6 - Biked 4.66 miles at 9.2 mph 

Thur July 6 - Ran 4.0 miles at 9:52 pace at Harvard track

Thur July 6 - Biked 4.85 miles at 9.5 mph

Fri July 7 - Walked 1.0 mile at 24:02 pace

Sat July 8 - Walked 2.83 miles with Concord group at 22:05 pace

Sat July 8 - Biked 4.77 miles at 8.7 mph

Sat July 8 - Ran 3.0 miles at 10:08 pace at Harvard track

Sat July 8 - Biked 4.70 miles at 9.1 mph

Sun July 9 - Ran 5.0 miles on Ayer roads at 10:14 pace

Weekly Summary:  20.0 running, 19.75 biking, 3.83 walking

 

A New Drawing Takes Form

 https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11485776565  biked 4.98 miles

 https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11486181031 ran 4 miles 10:23 pace

 https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11486491300 biked home 5.26 miles

No nature pictures today.  Just a list of workouts.  It was a muggy 4th of July.  I considered a rest day from running, but decided to ride to the track in Harvard to put in a workout.  I added a bit to a new drawing started a few days ago.

 

 

 

 

Pre-4th of July Color on my 4 Mile Run

 https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11481370682

Today's 4 mile out-and-back run after work was good.  Pace was reasonable.  I tried to keep it even and steady -- and slightly slower overall because  of a planned mileage increase from12 (last week) to 18 this week.  It was a hot evening!  82 degrees, but it felt like 85.  

At exactly mile 1 (and 3) of this 4 mile run I passed this annual flower bed planted a few weeks ago for a bank.  Each year they do a pretty nice job with an "explosion" of color.  Very appropriate here, since tomorrow is the 4th of July!

17 Days

This will be a simple post in list format.  It covers the last 17 days.  The bold numbers in blue are links for the respective workouts.  Any number which is not blue or bold doesn't have a workout link.  Most days without entries were work days.

1.  Friday, June 16 

2.  Saturday, June 17 - 2.77 mile walk w/ Concord Runners / Walkers

3a.  Sunday, June 18 - Biked 4.91 miles

3b.  Sunday, June 18 - Ran 4.01 miles @ 10:13 pace

3c.  Sunday, June 18 - Biked 4.7 miles

4.  Monday, June 19

 First tiger Lily to bloom

5a. Tuesday, June 20 - Biked 4.7

5b. Tuesday, June 20 - Ran 4 miles @ 9:42 pace

5c.  Tuesday, June 20 - Biked ~ 4.7 miles (unrecorded)

6.  Wednesday, June 21

7.  Thursday, June 22 - Ran 4.01 miles @ 11:01 pace

8.  Friday, June 23

9.  Saturday, June 24 - 3.13 mile walk w/ Concord Runners / Walkers

 This is 'Young' - proud recipient of the 2023 Mount Washington 

Concord Runners Silver Spoon

10.  Sunday, June 25

11.  Monday, June 26 - Ran 4 miles @ 12:17 pace at 5:10 am

12.  Tuesday, June 27

13.  Wednesday, June 28

14a.  Thursday, June 29 - Biked 4.69 miles 9.4 ave mph

Old poppy seed head with unknown orange perennial

14b.  Thursday, June 29 - Ran 4 miles @ 9:58 pace

14c.  Thursday, June 29 - Biked 4.7 miles 9.6 ave mph

15.  Friday, June 30

16a.  Saturday, July 1 - 3.86 mile walk w/ Concord Runners / Walkers

Chicory found on our walk in Great Meadows, Concord

 

Canadian Geese in Great Meadows, Concord

Our group (some Canadian wildfire smoke present today)

16b.  Saturday, July 1 - Biked 5.01 miles 9.0 ave mph

16c.  Saturday, July 1 - Ran 5 miles @ 10:38 pace

16d.  Saturday, July 1 - Biked 5.15 miles 8.4 ave mph

17.  Sunday, July 2 - Ran 3 miles @ 10:02 pace on roads 

 

Tiger lily pistil after the rain

 

 

 

In the Last Nine Days

Work at the store has been steady and, with a slight increase in my hours (1 more per day 3x per week), I've held off from running in these last two days -- to nap after the 8-4 pm day.  Fortunately, the "exercise" at work has been enough to lead to a bit more distance in the last two runs.  I am up to 3 continuous miles now.  Paces have improved and the hamstring pain is not quite as preoccupying as it used to be.  Taking cared to take rest days  -- and to monitor my pace when I do run -- seems to be working.  Knock on wood.

 Tuesday, 6/6 Run - 2.0 miles.  Pace 10:49

Wednesday, 6/7 Run - 2.0 miles.  9:50 pace

Thursday, 6/8 Run - 2.0 miles.  11:58 pace

Friday, 6/9 - Rested

Saturday, 6/10 - Concord Walk 3.17 miles.

Sunday, 6/11 - Skipped

Monday, 6/12 - Skipped

Tuesday, 6/13 - Biked to track to run

Tuesday, 6/13 Run - 3 miles.  Pace 10:40

Tuesday, 6/13 - Biked home from track

Wednesday, 6/14 - Skipped

Today, Thursday, 6/15 -  Biked to track to run

Today, Thursday, 6/15 Run - Ran 5 miles at a 10:05 average pace.  Accidentally ran 1 extra mile!  Didn't see my watch mileage correctly!  Had a good pace today.  No issues.  Pic taken before the run.

 Today, Thursday, 6/15 -  Biked home from track

 

 

Three Days in a Row!

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday I put in the miles.  Three of them!  Total!  It takes getting used to -- slowing down.  It has it's advantages though -- one being it takes less time to get the "love-hate" relationship I have with running put into perspective and "Done!"  Once completed, life is good again -- or at least better.

Friday's Mile - good run, 10:53 pace

Saturday's Run - cold, slow run on (hard) roads.  felt stiff and ... s l o w. 

Sunday's Run - good run.  cured a bad mood.  pace almost in the 10's

Yesterday - Sunday, was a tough day.  I had the unfortunate experience of completing what felt like a "writing masterpiece" only to find it was rendered "LOCKED UP" on the internet in such a way as to prevent adding all the completed text and imagery.  It's as if the cyber Gods are telling you flat out "Hey fella - You may have nailed your story with all its perfectly cropped, resized and chronologically ordered imagery, but you ain't going here anymore!  I busted this and everything you did since 2021 and this story wont be allowed to have your 32 image summary.  We're done here.  I hope you saved your work, 'cause it ain't going here!"  

Well, it was saved and, yes, I'm over it.  Damn.  Sometimes the God's of creativity stop artist's in their tracks and, well -- they end up literally going TO the track to run the madness out of themselves!

But, back to Saturday!  Earlier, at 8:00 am I met in Concord for a walk with friends.  This picture is one of the walking contingents of the Concord Runners.  Sarah is to the left, followed by Susie, Noreen, Young and her boyfriend to the right.  Young holds some cut Peonies from Sue and Dean's garden (They are off to the right and not visible here). 

 

This picture below is a heavily blooming plant we incorrectly identified last Saturday.  This Saturday's walk included a second visit to the Buttricks Gardens where (below) we saw what is actually something called Baptisia.  Originally we thought it was False Indigo.  Baptisia often is violet in color but this one is a creamy yellow.  I remember this plant (it has distinctive "oval" shaped leaves) from my mother and fathers main garden in Weston, CT.  That one was violet and quite big!  Nice memory.

 

 

This single flower is a white peony in the Buttricks Garden. The edge of each petal has an interesting thin line of purple-violet.  The actual diameter of this flower is roughly 6-7 inches.  It's in full bloom here.

 

 

Finally we have an image which completely blends in quite nicely with all  this "natural beauty" Ha!  A picture of my own running legs!  I add this only because I was about to (on Sunday afternoon) RUN continuously for the first time in a long time WITHOUT interspersed walking intervals.  I was bored with PT and (frankly) a bit moody about just having "lost" those 3 days of written work on the earlier mentioned  Facebook Album.  Sunday's running link (above) captures the run at the track.  Anyway, this was one of those vein images (no pun intended) one takes -- a selfie of sorts -- which marks a new lease on (in this case) running!

 

 

 

 

 

I refuse not to Run

This, being a double negative, means I want to run. I DID run!  The whole PT thing, to be quite honest, has left me obsessing about what I can and cannot take as far as "safe" pain levels go.  Heck, I have no idea what is safe and what is not safe.  All I know is that I need to run  -- and I will do "anything" to make it a daily thing.  Six days a week would be ideal.  5 days is ok too, but the only "way" I can see either of those two things happening is if I monitor my own pain rather than try to equate it to some dumb number.  What does 2/10 actually mean??  Maybe I can mentally AND physically take on more than the average person.   My body will tell me what I can and cannot take.  It took 2 years to fully recover from my 2007 hamstring injury (to the point where my speed was fully restored). Yes, I am 74 now and NOT 58. 

So, I broke the PT rules today and skipped my exercises and just got out there on the Harvard track to see what I COULD do -- as far as continuous running goes. No walking between!  Sure it hurt a little, but I just cannot believe any of that "hurt" was bad for me.  I remember doing it this way back in 2007.  Heck, I'm going to see if I can put together 6 miles in 7 days!  There are other times I can walk / stretch, etc.  Ask any good runner if he or she "likes" interrupting a run with walking and I think the majority will say "No."  The solution?  Cut the pace down!  I'm on it . . . 

Today's 1 Mile (Continuous) Run!