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Sunday, March 29, 2020

Weekly Running Report: March 29, 2020

Hi Everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Everyone staying safe, how about sane? Still getting miles in (social distancing of course) and/or any crossfit/strength training to maintain fitness during lockdowns /stay at home orders?

My race(s) may have been cancelled, but still following my plan for now. This was week 16 of 20 of marathon training. Hope to be able to follow the plan for at least another week to get the 2nd 20 miler in. We'll see how that goes, all things considered. 


My Week in Training:

Monday: 7 miles before work. Sunday, pretty sore from Saturday's 21 miles, made a point to focus on recovery. Ice bath, hydrate, use my Belifu TENS gadget, foam roll and in bed on time. One set back. Scraped my knee on Saturday and retreated it before bed, bad call there. Stung, tossed/turned and  couldn't get comfortable. Just over 6 hrs sleep, which I think is a lie. Slept until my alarm. Coffee and decent workout (core and arms/shoulders) and out the door by 6. Legs still a little sore, but was comfortable at 7:50. 8's after my midway hill. A bit heavy in the last set of hills, but pleasantly surprised and happy with how it went since I was still feeling Saturday's run. 

Social distancing: only saw 2 people. 1 smoker, 1 walker. Couldn't be the rainy Monday, could it? lol.. 
Tuesday: 1 mile before work. In bed on time, decent night's rest, but.. work call just before my alarm! not on-call this week, but as a backup to the on-call. lol.. Checked work. Got my work out in. (core and chest) Checked work a few more times, and out the door around 6:40. A few min late, but plenty of time since I'm working from home and it's only streak day. Felt decent, but not completely fresh. Started out 7:05 to 7:15 today. Didn't want to just go through the motions, but a little sore and mind elsewhere. But felt good to get outside. Social distancing: didn't see a single person! 
Wednesday: 6 miles before work. Tues, foam rolled and in bed on time. Up at like 3:30 for a min, tossed and turned after that. Up shortly after 4. Got a good workout in (core and arms/shoulders) ahead of schedule, but not ready to head out just yet. Morning "routine". Out the door by my normal time of 6. Felt good and comfortable early, but really slowed down in the second mile before my first major hill. Pushed it through the hill a bit rough, brought it down a few seconds but playing catch up through the hills on tired legs. 
Also completed the monthly strava hill challenge, by the 25th! Six days left, but will probably only do decent hills 2 more times by month end. We'll see :)
Social distancing: saw about 5 ppl. 2 smokers, 1 walker, and 2 bus stops. 
Thursday: 1 mile before work. Decent night's rest, and must of needed it, slept until my alarm! Up and getting moving. Solid workout in (core and chest) and out the door by 6:40. (10 min late, working from home take my time and get a few more sets in before stepping out!). Legs still not feeling completely fresh, but a decent run. Few decent pace alerts but faded a few seconds through the hill at .6. Fresh air felt good. A bit brisk, some frost! Social distancing: didn't see anyone today!
Friday: 5 miles before work. Thu, used my Belifu TENS gadget, foam rolled, and a ok night's rest. In bed on time, but up a few times and slept till my alarm. Up and ready to go. Decent workout in  (core and arms/shoulders), and a slight delay getting out the door. Usually aim for 6, but morning routine needed more time. Had concerns I would be able to make it 45 minutes outside, but nonissue. Out the door by 6:10. Felt good early. Settled in the 7:40's. Wednesday, I faded a lot before my my midway hill. Made a conscious effort to work on cadences, breathing, and not daydream. lol.. 7:40's before my hill, lost a few seconds there as expected, resumed and maintained. Kept it under 8. Didn't feel great, but was good to work on fundamentals and was fun. 
Social distancing: only saw 3 people! 1 dog walker and 2 walkers. Only had to space away from one. A sidewalk along a busy road. Found a break in traffic and went around with plenty of space.
Saturday: 10 miles. Long run day, trail day, yay! Friday, carb loaded, relaxed and in bed early. Planned on getting to the trail early today and actually happy that there's rain in the forecast. Up at 4 and dozed off for a few minutes till my alarm. Coffee and at my trail a few minutes after 6. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Still pitch dark out, going to the the more incline side to Rockledge Park. Pacing 7:50 for a bit. Few minutes in the woods and then the trail opens up on the left side for the creek, plenty of moonlight for a bit. Pass the rangers house at 1.5, trying to be quiet. lol..  Start to feel the incline a bit. Faded to about 8 at the turnaround from Rockledge. Thought about pushing it to bring it back down, but a bit early. Comfortable at the moment at 8. Passed the midway parking lot, skipped hydrating. Fueled at 6 mi. To the more wooded side to ByBerry Rd. Faded a bit, but not bad. Made it 8 miles before I saw anyone! And it was one of my friends! Spoke briefly (from 6 ft away). Up to Byberry Rd turnaround and back. Picked it up a bit to try to split. slightly, not much. Finished 10 miles, trail is 10.5. Thought about doing 11, but cut it off and did a comfortable cool down. Plan says 10, felt good, didn't feel the need to do extra. Great, quiet, peaceful,tranquil day at the trail. 
From 8 mi on, saw about 10 ppl! In the parking lot, saw a few more friends, we b.s.'d for a few (from a distance). Didn't see any large groups today, much better than last weekend! I'm sure starting early and the rain helped. Rain was light, but really picked up after. 
Full pics on Facebook
Sunday: 1 mile. Rest day, one for the streak. Run Streak Day 1527. Saturday after my run, light chores, hydrated, took it easy, supported a local restaurant's take out, and eventually offset the hydration with a few drinks. Up past my bed time and slept in. Tired, but eventually got out there around 10. Didn't mean to push it, but feel even if I backed off I would have felt the same discomfort. Social distancing: didn't see anyone today! Not much scheduled for remainder of the day, maybe a light chore or two. Plenty of taking it easy and social distancing to prepare for tomorrow's 7 miler. 
Weekly Summary:
Miles: 28 miles scheduled, 31 completed miles
Strength Training: Minimum 80 minutes, 176 minutes completed. One thing that working from home has helped. May do a few more minutes before my run, and may a few minutes here and there during work. Need a few min break from work? Get a few sets in! 
What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 
Training Plan: 
This was week 16 marathon training, using the below plan.
marathon training plan
Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield
Race Schedule: 

03.29.2020 - Philadelphia Love Run half marathon: Rescheduled to 10.10.20, deferred to 2021.

04.26.2020 - NJ Marathon: 1. rescheduled to 11.15.20. 2. Option to defer 2021. 3. option to take online or in store credit! (minus tax/fees)

05.03.2020 - Broad Street Run - rescheduled to 10.4.2020

10.11.2020 - Chicago Marathon

11.22.2020 - Philly Marathon

Good luck to everyone with training! Kick some butt! 

If you do any races, please remember to review them on ! Your opinions help other runners decide what races to run!  Follow me on BibRave Joe G

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Weekly Running Report: March 22, 2020

Hi Everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well!


I doubt any of you have had races recently, but if so, how did it go? Still following a training plan or lost on what to do now that your race has been cancelled/postponed?


Not sure if you saw, the race I've been training for, the New Jersey Marathon, has been postponed. A bummer yes, but they provided multiple options and in the grand scheme a things not a big deal and the right thing to do. As the date was approaching I could see the writing on the wall, even started tracking other races in the region as one canceled one right after another. Crazy how things have changed so quickly from March 1st to 15th. Be safe everyone, wash your hands, and please practice social distancing. 


This would of been week 15 of 20 my marathon training plan (1st 20 miler of the plan). Figured since I got this far, I would at least try to do the peak weeks. Don't think I could do a virtual marathon. Will be trying to at least follow the plan through week 17 (2nd 20 miler).


My Week in Training:


Monday: 7 miles before work. Sunday, had an excellent rest day. Hydrated, used my 
Belifu TENS gadget, relaxed, and in bed on time. Up once, but still a good night's rest. Coffee and workout (core and arms/shoulders), stretch and out the door by 6. Legs feeling good from the get go. Settled in the 7:40's. 7:55 after my midway hill. Felt pretty good, but starting to feel the hills. Wasn't expecting to keep it at 8, not upset as I added another hill and incline before the end.

Sidenotes: #seenonmyrun was sure to practice #socialdistancing Don't really see too many people in my hood at 6am anyway. Only saw one dog walker, one walker and a few people getting in their cars. Sure to maintain space from them. 
Saw my beer distributor getting a shipment, ironically it was from a truck with a Corona advertisement on the sides. 
The outside loop from my neighborhood has a Giant grocery store across the way, opens at 6, parking lot was packed! Be safe out there shopping!
Tuesday: 1 mile before work. Monday, in bed on time. Good thing, tossed and turned around 3 and a short call from work at 4. That's it, I'm up! Coffee and got a good workout in (core and chest). Took my time heading out after, still pretty early. Out the door around 6:30. Not completely fresh, but going to give it a whirl. First alert, just sub 7. Pushed for a bit, but faded by a few, even on a downhill. Pace alert at 7:15 just before my hill at .6. Pushed a bit to at least maintain, but ended up bringing it down a bit. Light drizzle, not bad. #socialdistancing, didn't see anyone until a dog walker across the street near the end of my cool down. Not a bad morning on reduced sleep.
Wednesday: 6 miles before work. Tues, in bed a few min early with good intentions. Good thing for that. Another work all. This time at 3 am. Worked until 3:30. Tried to go back to bed, but still thinking about work, layed there for few, not falling back to sleep might as well get up. Going to be a long day but pretty much wide awake for now. Coffee and plenty of time, got a good workout in (core and arms/shoulders). Taking my time, but ready to step out at 5:30. (usually aim for 6 for midweek). Settled in. A few seconds slower, but comfortable considering. Low 8's before my midway hill. Maintained through it, but faded by a few. Under 8:15 for the day. Not bad, with a few ft of hills. Sidenotes: the moon was a really cool sliver, wish I could get a good pic of the crescent. #SocialDistancing - saw about 6 ppl, 3 dog walkers and 3 walkers. Didn't think I would see as many, but saw most after 6.
Thursday: 1 mile before work. Wed, in bed on time, and I guess I needed some rest. Slept in a few minutes.  (5:40). Thunderstorm in the middle of the night and I tiredly said to myself I could always run at lunch since I'm working from home.. Up before the updated alarm. Still time to get a workout in. (core and chest). and out the door by 7. Light rain, not bad. A few fast pace alerts, but more of a comfortable mile today. Nothing too crazy. Social distancing: saw 2 dog walkers from afar during my cool down. 
Friday: 4 miles before work. Thu, didn't feel like foam rolling, but did. Hamstring just a bit tight. Decent night's rest, up once briefly, and slept until my alarm. Up and ready to go! Coffee and workout. (core and arms/shoulders), stretched and still feeling a bit tight, out the door by 6:05. Run felt good today! Paced in the 7:40's till hill time, and hung in the 7:50's after. 7:55 a couple times before the last hill, but able to regroup. Weather was great too! high 40's and humid, short sleeves! Dense fog/misty no glasses. Social distancing: Saw a few more people out there today, but only had to space away from one as I flew by a bus stop. :)
Saturday: 21 miles. Long run day, trail day, yay! Friday, carb loaded and relaxed after work, in bed a few minutes late, but not bad. Up before my alarm, tossed/turned for a min, but up and figured I could get there even earlier. Coffee, yada yada, and at my trail a few minutes after 6. Still pitch dark out. No headlamp, will be running in the woods in the dark for a bit! My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Mid point to end to mid point is approx 5.5. Will be doing both sides twice with cutting a bit off of the one at the end. Did the more gradual incline side to Rockledge Park first. Starts out in the woods and then really opens up to the creek on the one side. Head on a bit of a swivel since it's dark and hearing rustling sounds in the woods. Felt good early, had to back off a bit a few times. Passed the rangers house around 1.5, tried to be quiet, trail opens at dawn, not that I have ever seen it enforced. Didn't see anyone until the Rockledge Park turnaround (they were wise enough to have a lamp). Midpoint, passed my car, skipped hydrating. Over to the more wooded side to ByBerry Rd. Fueled at 6 mi. Starting to feel even better. That end and back. hydrated at my car (11 mi). to Rockledge Park and back again. Think I started to feel it around 16. Hydrated at my car again and over to the more wooded side with about 3.5 to go. Pacing 8:45-50 most of the way, slowed down the last few for sure. Legs starting to get heavy! Turned around with 1.6 to go. A few minutes later, not sure if I was day dreaming but tripped on a rock or branch. Scuffed my knee up, but got right back up and resumed. Couple minutes later looked down and had blood going down my leg. 1 mile to go, I'm not stopping. Slow last mile, and people staring at my leg was a bit funny, 1 person near the end asked if I needed assistance.
Sidenotes: accidentally paused my watch/strava at mi 17, but nike/phone was still going. Realized it/resumed. But not making up extra mileage since I had it going with Nike and was beat. On my way home, somehow got more energy and figured since I use strava for Squadrunner I would get my full 20 in there to sync to them.
Social distancing: turns out not a lot of people run in the woods when it's dark out! Didn't see too many people the first hour. Didn't see the usual large running group. Mostly pairs.. My pet peeve, if you are running side by side, and someone is passing or coming towards you, one should fall behind the other for a minute to prevent three people across the width of the trail for social distancing. Width is good for two, three is pushing it.
Full trail picks on Facebook
Sunday: 1 mile. Rest day, one for the streak. Run Streak Day 1520. Hydrated yesterday after my run, but eventually offset with a few drinks. Up past my bed time, midnight! Slept in a bit, almost 8. Up, but very slow moving. Sore and tight. Coffee and taking my time. Eventually out the door around 9. Through the motions for this one. Pacing started out around 8:30, but progressively picked it up. Didn't feel like I was pushing any harder, but comfortable pace, not that it was a comfortable run at all. lol.. Will do better today with recovery for sure. Not looking forward to tomorrow's 7 miler, but will do my best to prepare.
Weekly Summary:
Miles: 37 miles scheduled, 41 completed miles
Strength Training: Minimum 80 minutes, 168 minutes completed. One thing that working from home has helped. May do a few more minutes before my run, and may a few minutes here and there during work. Need a few min break from work? Get a few sets in! 
What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 
Training Plan: 
This was week 15 marathon training, using the below plan.
marathon training plan
Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield
Race Schedule: 

03.29.2020Philadelphia Love Run half marathon: Rescheduled to 10.10.20, deferred to 2021.

04.26.2020NJ Marathon: 1. rescheduled to 11.15.20. 2. Option to defer 2021. 3. option to take online or in store credit! (minus tax/fees)

05.03.2020 - Broad Street Run - A fav, didn't think I would have the legs to run it the week after a marathon. That's no longer an issue. We'll see if the race actually takes place!

10.11.2020 - Chicago Marathon

11.22.2020 - Philly Marathon

Good luck to everyone with training! Kick some butt! 

If you do any races, please remember to review them on ! Your opinions help other runners decide what races to run!  Follow me on BibRave Joe G

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Weekly Running Report: March 15, 2020

Hi Everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well!


How's training going for you? Not too many races going on right now, understandably. Have you been affected by any cancellations? Still training? I had a race coming up at the end of March, Philly Love Run Half Marathon, but with everything closing for a couple weeks, was understandable that this one was cancelled. 


This was week 14 of 20 of marathon training for the NJ Marathon for me. Still on schedule at the moment and they are posting updates of any changes. Join me 04/25-26! (discount at bottom of post) :)


My Week in Training:


Monday: 6 miles before work. Sunday, was pretty sore in the morning from Saturday's 18 miler. Focused on rest and recovery. Hydrated well (not to be offset by any Sunday funday drinks), foam rolled, and used my Belifu TENS gadget. Sunday was also daylight savings change, made a point to try to go to bed early. In bed on time, only up once, 7 hrs sleep. Success. Up before my alarm and ready to go. Coffee and workout (core and arms/shoulders), and out the door by 6. Concerned I'd be sore, but wasn't that bad. Settled in early and somewhat comfortable. Pacing a little quicker than expected but slowed down as the inclines added up. 8:15 before my worst hill, got through it and maintained. Added another hill at the end for fun. Comfortable today, not great, but not bad either, didn't want to over exert on a "recovery day" when I saw my pace was slowing down. Maintained comfort. TMI Sidenote: one thing that may be off due to the time change, morning routine! Done before heading out, but last few minutes of my run may have been a bit concerning, but nonissue. lol..  

Tuesday: 1 mile before work. No real issues yesterday with the time change. Last night, in bed on time and woke up just before my alarm, but groggy as heck! Felt like someone punched me! lol..  Coffee and work out (core and chest). Got my reps in, feeling better. Out the door by 6:30, not as sore today, going to push it a bit. Felt good, a couple alerts sub 7, but not there today. Felt pretty good overall though. And it was nice and warm, short sleeves today! 
Wednesday: 7 miles before work. Tues, decent rest, up before my alarm. Coffee, workout (core and arms/shoulders), stretch, and out the door by 6. Feeling better than Monday, for sure. Settled in 7:50, but the inclines got me a bit, 8:05, somehow got it back down to just under 8 before my midway hill. Maintained pretty well through the hill today. Picked up a few after, but faded in my last hill and incline. Still felt pretty good for 500 ft of hills, especially when I faded before I got there, thought it may be a little slower. 
Miscellaneous cardio: 1 hr yard work. 
Thursday: 1 mile before work. Up before my alarm, but not feeling the excitement today. Started the day with a blah mood. Coffee and workout (core and chest), stretch my back out, and out the door by 6:30. Told myself I may be in a blah mood, but I will at least apply some effort going into this. Started out feeling pretty decent. Sub 7 early and moving right along. Picked it up a bit more and even had a pace alert at 6:29! Hill at .6, couldn't sustain sub 6:40, but hung in there for a bit. Still a bit blah as I head into work, but work was fine, attitude readjusted early. Pretty decent day overall. 
Friday: 5 miles before work. Thu, stayed up just a few min late, up before my alarm but waited it out. Workout (core and arms/shoulders) which was a bit tough but good, stretch my back out and out the door by 6. Knew there may be rain overnight, but may clear, nope, that changed, not clear for a couple more hours. No glasses, dressed slightly warm for the temp, backup headphones, and stayed with my primary shoe. Next up shoe will be ready for tomorrow if needed. Still a little sore, but pacing alright. Could feel the inclines, lost a few seconds, but was ok with that. Definitely wouldn't be holding onto  8 today. High 7:50's before my hill, low 8:00's after, could feel I may fade a bit more. Figured 8:15 ish, but maintained under 8:10. Rain, windy, one shoe submerged in a puddle early the other not much later. But had fun playing in the rain.
Saturday: 8 miles. Long run day, trail day, yay! "Only" 8 miles today! With it being only 8 miles, could easily stray from Fri night routine, but I didn't. Got my gear ready, carb loaded, foam rolled, relaxed. Up maybe 15 minutes past my bed time, but no big deal. Up at my alarm, but taking my time. No real hurry today, but don't want to be too late either. At my trail by 7:15. Definitely a few less cars in the parking lot than normal. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Did the more wooded side towards ByBerry Rd first. Settled in early at 8:15. End and back to mid point, pace still on point. Passed my car at 5.5, skipped hydrating. Off to the more incline side for about 1.3 and back. Turned around before Lorimer Park. Pacing may have been 8:17, worked on splitting the last mile. Pushed it a bit, wasn't easy, but 6:45 to bring the avg down to 8:03. Comfortable with a push at the end. Beautiful day at the trail. Started seeing a few more ppl before I left, parking lot almost full. Saw a few small groups, but could tell people were "social distancing". Someone coming towards me even joked that I was so far over I was almost in the woods. lol... 
Miscellaneous cardio: 2+ hours yard work. 
Full trail pics on Facebook
Sunday: 1 mile. Rest day, one for the streak. Run Streak Day 1513. Hydrated after my run and yard work. Eventually offset by a drink or few. Stayed up past my bed time, almost midnight! Slept in today, 8:30! Coffee and taking my time. Stretch and out the door by 10. A bit sore from yesterday, but a decent start. First alert sub 7, but eventually slowed down to 7:15, even with a decline. Hill at .6, somehow picked it up from there on. Wasn't comfortable, got got the pace down to 7:03 for the mi. Will be restin remainder of the day. Hydrate, use my Belifu TENS gadget, and try to get a good night's rest for tomorrow's 7 miler. 
Weekly Summary:
Miles: 26 miles scheduled, 29 completed miles
Strength Training: Minimum 80 minutes, 164 minutes completed. 
What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 
Miscellaneous cardio: 3+ hours yard work. 
Training Plan: 
This was week 14 marathon training for NJ Marathon, using the below plan.
marathon training plan
Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield
Race Schedule: 

03.29.2020 - Philadelphia Love Run half marathon: Rescheduled to 10.10.20, wont be able to make the rescheduled date as I will be in Chicago, god willing. 

04.26.2020 - NJ Marathon, I am registered for the full! They also have 5k, Half Marathon, and Marathon Relay options. Use code 20NJMBibRave to save $5 off registration!

05.03.2020 - Broad Street Run

10.11.2020 - Chicago Marathon

11.22.2020 - Philly Marathon

Good luck to everyone with training! Kick some butt! 

If you do any races, please remember to review them on ! Your opinions help other runners decide what races to run!  Follow me on BibRave Joe G

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Weekly Running Report: March 8, 2020

Hi Everyone!

Hope everyone is doing well!


How's training going for you? Any recent races or training for one?  Anyone do the L.A. Marathon or any other races this weekend? 
How did it go? 


This was week 13 of 20 of marathon training for the NJ Marathon for me. Join me 04/25-26! (discount at bottom of post) :)


My Week in Training:

Monday: 7 miles before work. Oh Monday, we meet again, but this time I was ready for you. Sunday, hydrated, foam rolled, used my Belifu TENS gadget, and went to bed on time. Up once or twice, but a good night's rest for a Sunday (usually have problems admitting the weekend is coming to an end). Up at my alarm, coffee and workout (core and arms/shoulders) slow to start, but got going and felt good. Out the door by 6. Was feeling Saturday's long run yesterday, a bit today, but giving it a whirl. Pace: goal 8:15, plan on 8 ish until the hills. Well, felt better than expected! 7:40's at my midway hill and 7:50 after. Still 3.5 miles to go, but some hope! In mile 5, still added my short extreme hill that I could easily go around, rather challenge myself with hills than excitement of a few seconds faster. Through the hills, but still have 15 minutes to go, most roads still have at least some incline. Felt it before the end, but made it through. It's my top four 7 milers, looking back at the dates, it's my number 1 with hills vs the 3 ahead that were flatter at the trail.

Tuesday: 1 mile before work. Monday, foam rolled, ready for and in bed on time, but not a great night's rest. Tossed/turned a bit and slept until my alarm. Coffee and workout (core and chest), slow to start but got it done. Stretch my back out and out the door by 6:30. A little sore, but not bad. Pushed it a bit. Alerts in the 6:40's and pushing. Hill at .6, faded a bit and maintained at 7. Exerted, but not all out, felt good for the most part. Temps were nice too. Ditched my hat/gloves before even starting, and was warm midway. Could probably have gone with short sleeves if I checked before stepping out. 
Wednesday: 6 miles before work. Tues, foam rolled and in bed just a few min late, maybe 15 minutes, but tossed/turned for a bit. Watch says 7 hours sleep, with 2 light with a little restless, but I was tired this morning. Overall soreness and stuffy as well. Coffee and workout (core and arms/shoulders), felt decent. Stretch my back out and out the door by 6. Wasn't feeling it today and it showed early. As I was settling in my pace alerts were getting slower. lol.. Through the motions, not feeling it but applying effort. Mile 1 was my slowest (at least 1 alert near 8:25), mile 2 was my fastest. Wouldn't say that I was feeling better, but making a conscious effort/working on cadences/breathing/ foot strike helped. Somehow avg 7:50 ish before my midway hill, 8 after. Took effort to maintain near there and added another hill. Was pretty happy with today's results. Under 8:10 on a day that felt like over 8:30. Sidenote: last night was trash night and we had extreme wind, trash cans down left and right, was wondering if I'd see any scavengers, saw a skunk! about .1 away, no pic as it ran across the street and down someone's yard!
Thursday: 1 mile before work. Wed, could have gotten a better night's rest! Out to dinner and drinks, that couldn't be it, could it?  Up at 3 for a bit, back to sleep and did not want to get up when that alarm went off! Coffee and workout (core and chest). Slow to start, but felt so much better at the end. Wide awake and ready to go. Out the door by 6:30. A little sore. Not all out, but pushed it a bit. Low 7's. A couple alerts sub 7, but knew I couldn't sustain that today. Crazy how tired I was when the alarm went off and was full of energy on my way to work. 
Friday: 4 miles before work. TGIF! Thu, foam rolled and in bed on time, up once, and again a few min before my alarm, up! Ready to go! Coffee and workout (core and arms/shoulders), stretch my back out, and out the door by 6. A little sore, aren't we always? lol.. Neck and shoulder. Maybe slept funny, maybe from working out, who knows. Legs not that bad. Looking fwd to today's run. Only scheduled for 4, first 4 miler since before this training cycle, and that may have been during recovery. So, ready to see what we can do today. My 4 mi route used to be one of my regular runs, my longer midweek runs involve going back and forth each street in my hood. This goes down, around, up, down, up and back. First mi felt good, but almost messed that up early hitting a pot hole. 7:40's before my first hill, mid 7:40's after. Maintaining with another hill in mi 3. Legs did get heavy, but maintaining. Felt good to push it a bit. 2nd best 4 miler! Felt good, but still sore, and intimidated about tomorrow's 18 miler.
Saturday: 18 miles. Long run day, trail day, yay! 18 miles? Good week of training thus far, but a combination of being a little achy and a little intimidation of the distance, wasn't necessarily excited. But ready to go. Friday, hydrated, carb loaded, foam rolled, and in bed on time. Woke up once thinking it was almost time, was only 12:30 lol.. Up before my alarm, coffee and ready ahead of schedule. At my trail by 6:15. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. If I do my trail 1.5 times and back for about 16, may be adding a bit at the ends to avoid crossing the mid section light more than twice. Started out going towards the more gradual incline side towards Rockledge Park. Pacing: planned on 9ish, settled in at 8:50 extremely comfortable there early. Rockledge Park end, left the trail about 24 minutes in, there's a nice steep hill in the neighborhood nearby, did the hill, continued on to the main street of the town, turned around after 10 minutes and head back to the trail. Hill and decent route to add 20 minutes to get the 2+ mi that I was looking to add. Rockledge Park and back to the midway point. Pacing still on point, a few early occasions I may have picked up a few seconds and would pull back when I realized. Fueled at 6 mi, hydrated as I passed my car, and off to the more wooded section towards ByBerry Rd. Trying not to think about the mileage too often, but was happy to hear when I passed 9 mi for the midway point. Still feeling decent. Turn around at ByBerry and back to midway, hydrated at my car again. back to the incline side to Rockledge. Incline as the miles add up, but chugging away. Fueled at 13 mi. Was going to at 12, oops. Rockledge turnaround with 2.3 to go. Heavier legs tightening up, but still some energy somehow. Pacing 8:48, able to split a bit. Mile 17 was my fastest, felt it in 18, but still faster than avg, ended with 8:40 avg. From being achy and paranoid, today's run went according to plan. And that nearby hill I added made my trail run go from the usual 300 ft to 500 ft ascent. :) This was also my fastest 18 miler to date, but long runs are supposed to be slow, not sure if that's a good thing. 
Full trail pics on Facebook
Sunday: Rest day, one for the streak. Run Streak Day 1506. Saturday, thought about doing an ice bath after my run, but got chilly after my cool down and couldn't bring myself to do it, did a hot Epsom salt bath instead. Used my Belifu TENS gadget. Hydrated, and then maybe offset by drinks. Decent night's rest, but woke up tight and sore. Coffee and taking my time, stretch out a bit, loosened up, but still sore. Out the door around 9. Definitely not pushing it today. Through the motions. Will try to do an ice bath and work on recovery today to get ready for tomorrow's 6 miler.

Weekly Summary:
Miles: 35 miles scheduled, 38 completed miles
Strength Training: Minimum 80 minutes, 161 minutes completed. 
What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 
Training Plan: 
This was week 13 marathon training for NJ Marathon, using the below plan.
marathon training plan
Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield
Race Schedule: 


04.26.2020 - NJ Marathon, I am registered for the full! They also have 5k, Half Marathon, and Marathon Relay options. Use code 20NJMBibRave to save $5 off registration!

10.11.2020 - Chicago Marathon

11.22.2020 - Philly Marathon

Good luck to everyone with training! Kick some butt! 

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