First of Three

Week of February 18-24.

I’ve now figured out that Coach Terry likes to do only 3 20M long runs.  In the past, I’d do them EVERY OTHER WEEK once I went past the 10 weeks mark.  Now that I’m older, slower and more broken, 3 times for the course of a training set sounds perfectly fine.

This week was a super mix bags.  Going into Monday’s regular run of 6Ms, I was tired for a change.  Good thing it was President’s Day on Monday…after my morning run in Central Park (which I didn’t bring my Garmin)I went home and passed out.

I did a spectacular Faster Finish class and in typical fashion, after a spectacular Faster Finish class, everything goes to crap from there. 

First of all, this Faster Finish class was bit of a cheat for me, as this lower loop run is classic Terry.  I do these like every other month, well, almost.  They were especially a hit during the summer.  As a result, I’ve developed this weird tendency to sprint across 72^nd Street transverse when going East to West.  It’s also a “cheat” because typically, Terry will make me do 3 loops.  For Faster Finish class it was only 2 loops.  I should do spectacularly. 

Wednesday was a mid distance run of 10Ms out in sub 30F weather, at night, slightly drizzly, all by myself.  I got cold and sad.  I just wanted to get it done, any pacing directions went out the window.  I just ran. 

By the time Friday morning’s second set of speedwork rolled around, I knew I was going to have major issues.  Just going up the subway stairs hurt my bum and I was done with running during warm up.  Friday’s run was going to be fairly straight forward run.  Warm up to 72^nd, run tempo pace (7:30-7:40) around the park to other side of 72^nd Street. 

Did.Not.Happen.

In fact, I botched it after going down Harlem Hills, never hit the pace range, and decided to call it a day.  Nevertheless, I was all sorts of emotional mess – and Coach Terry had to calm me down again.  LOL…poor guy.  Having to baby sit a old drama queen. 

It’s under these circumstances that I did my 20Ms.  OBVIOUSLY it did not go well.  I was first too hot, then too cold, then too hot.  Then I got tired of running at 10Ms and mentally declared that I aint no Boston material and that I’m not going to go to Boston. 

It didn’t help that some full marathon was going on in Central Park.  This guy from Dashing Whippets kept on running around me and him stomping behind me got me all nervous.  I finally lost him when I took a turn across 72nd Street off the marathon course.  However, by the time I returned to the course after Harlem Hill, I was met with a pack of Front Runners.  They kept creeping up on me and that got me all nervous.  They followed me around for most of the course, when I finally decided to stop and let them just pass me.  I was at mile 17.8 anyways, and I really didn’t feel like pushing myself anymore.   From there, I just fell apart and decided to just jog it back (was supposed to be "cool down" anyways).

I didn’t follow any of Coach’s pacing tips - not because I didn't want to.  It was more because I couldn’t.  I pushed out 20Ms, and I mean that literally.  It was like slow death.  I felt gimpy and wimpy and passed the weekend wondering if this Boston thing is for me.

Then, last night, I had a dream.  A FU@KING strange dream.  I met Reid Coolsaet.  Most people would be like WHO?  He is Canadian Olympic Marathoner.  He’s been my inspiration for some time now.  He writes funny blogs.  He runs beautifully.  His form is golden and he glides thrrough air.  You probably never have heard of him because his marathon PR is 2:10:55 – in world of professional marathon with speedy Kenyans regularly clocking in sub 2:10s, Mr. Coolsaet isn’t a super star. 

Well, in my dream, he was signing stuff at some marathon expo.  I was coming in from a run (why would I run to marathon expo?) and found out that he was signing.  I run over to him, but I don’t have anything for him to sign…except for my sweaty and stinky Boston Marathon 2012 jersey.  I’m super embarrassed to even go ask him to sign it.  I don’t want him to think that I'm a snob for handing out a Boston Marathon jersey.  I don’t want him to think I’m gross giving him something I’ve worn to sign.  Then he comes over, asks what marathon I’m running.  I mumble, “well, not Boston, no.  I suck this year.”  And he says, “I’m no Kenyan but I still ran Olympics.  You should run Boston.”  And signed my jersey.

ODD!!!  Now my mission is to get my Boston Marathon jersey signed by Reid Coolsaet.  That would be awesome.