Bloomington to Bedford. One of the best Boston preparation courses consists of a long run from Bloomington to Bedford. Nine of us ventured forth today to finalize our races. In attendance were Allen, Ryan, John T., Miller, WinD, Jimmy, Larry, Robin, and myself.
The weather? Perfect! Fifty-five degrees and overcast, light wind, humidity tolerable. We had plenty of supplies to carry us through, the pace target was easy, and everything was in place for a successful run.
It was for most. Robin had some quad trouble towards the end, and Larry had calf trouble almost from the start. He and I split from the group early, starting at mile 2, and by mile 4 he was growing concerned. By 6 it was certain - his calf was cramping hard. We discussed getting to Johnny's Junction, and failing that, waiting on WinD's cell phone.
We missed the 2nd water stop, slightly. We overran it and decided it wasn't worth running back 50 yards. For me it didn't matter because the berry Gatorade was making me sick anyway. Larry just didn't want to reverse direction for any reason.
Around mile 8 it was over for Larry. He sent me on, and realizing it was hopeless (and really not even desirable) to try to drag him through it, I moved on. We had been going on an 8:10 pace overall, which should have been easy for him. Shame about that calf.
After I left him I let things settle into a more "normal" feel. It turned out to be right at 7:30-7:35 pace. This offered no difficulty whatsoever, and the miles melted away. Even the uphills weren't any problems. Steady effort all the way.
I think this run illustrates how my overall fitness has improved due to biking. My energy levels are very good these days, and it never seemed I would flag or falter today - and I didn't.
The finishing time for me was 2:36:29, faster by over a minute from the run we did 3 weeks ago. That's what should have happened I suppose, if fitness improved as it should have. The make up was different this time - last time I started hard and alone and finished with Larry; this time Larry and I started a bit faster, slowed down, then I did the last part faster. More or less the same result either way.
We ride from Lighthouse Books tomorrow at 1:30 PM. All welcome!
The weather? Perfect! Fifty-five degrees and overcast, light wind, humidity tolerable. We had plenty of supplies to carry us through, the pace target was easy, and everything was in place for a successful run.
It was for most. Robin had some quad trouble towards the end, and Larry had calf trouble almost from the start. He and I split from the group early, starting at mile 2, and by mile 4 he was growing concerned. By 6 it was certain - his calf was cramping hard. We discussed getting to Johnny's Junction, and failing that, waiting on WinD's cell phone.
We missed the 2nd water stop, slightly. We overran it and decided it wasn't worth running back 50 yards. For me it didn't matter because the berry Gatorade was making me sick anyway. Larry just didn't want to reverse direction for any reason.
Around mile 8 it was over for Larry. He sent me on, and realizing it was hopeless (and really not even desirable) to try to drag him through it, I moved on. We had been going on an 8:10 pace overall, which should have been easy for him. Shame about that calf.
After I left him I let things settle into a more "normal" feel. It turned out to be right at 7:30-7:35 pace. This offered no difficulty whatsoever, and the miles melted away. Even the uphills weren't any problems. Steady effort all the way.
I think this run illustrates how my overall fitness has improved due to biking. My energy levels are very good these days, and it never seemed I would flag or falter today - and I didn't.
The finishing time for me was 2:36:29, faster by over a minute from the run we did 3 weeks ago. That's what should have happened I suppose, if fitness improved as it should have. The make up was different this time - last time I started hard and alone and finished with Larry; this time Larry and I started a bit faster, slowed down, then I did the last part faster. More or less the same result either way.
We ride from Lighthouse Books tomorrow at 1:30 PM. All welcome!
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