Sugarloaf Marathon

Start: 7:00am
Weather: Clear and Hot
Time/Distance/Pace: 5:30:05 - 26.2 miles - 12:36
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/89557992


Thoughts: I had three goals heading into the marathon: complete it, go the entire time without stopping to walk, and finishing in under 5 hours. I accomplished the first one. The temperature was in the low 80s and the course followed the sunny side of ME 27. I made it to mile 17 fine, running a 10:30 pace, but at that point my feet, ankles, shins, knees and back started hurting. All of the small issues I had during training came to a culmination at that point. From mile 20 on I struggled; running until it hurt too much, walking until I felt I could run again. My brother met me at about 25.5 miles and ran with me the rest of the way. It was a pretty great moment.

Day 207

Start: 5:11am
Weather: Clear and Warm
Time/Distance/Pace: 20:38 - 2.07 miles - 10.00
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/88637118


Thoughts: My final training run. I started off going real slow but then met up with a friend on the road and ran with him at my normal pace. Now all I can do is wait until Sunday.


Total Training Distance: 549.02 miles
Total Training Time: 4D 3:41:58

Day 205

Start: 5:04am
Weather: Rainy and Cool
Time/Distance/Pace: 30:37 - 3.06 miles - 10:00
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/88184391


Thoughts: Another run without any leg pain. I'm starting to feel good about taking four weeks between my longest run and the marathon as I feel that I've recovered a lot in this final week. I just hope that running the big distance won't be harder after a fourth week as compared to after the third week. I looked up the weather report for the marathon and it said it would be a high of 90 degrees, so that should make things interesting. I checked again later and it said 77 degrees. Either way it is going to be hot.


Total Training Distance: 546.95 miles
Total Training Time: 4D 3:21:20

Day 204

Start: 5:11am
Weather: Clear and Cool
Time/Distance/Pace: 31:42 - 3 miles - 10:33
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/87948874


Thoughts: An easy three miles that went by quickly. No part of my legs hurt at all, so I was pretty happy with this run. I'm just about there, only two runs left.


Total Training Distance: 543.89 miles
Total Training Time: 4D 2:50:43

Day 202

Start: 8:34am
Weather: Clear and Warm
Time/Distance/Pace: 1:14:34 - 7.08 miles - 10:32
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/87538522


Thoughts: My last "long run" on training. It is coming to an end. I felt pretty good for this run. My left knee finally didn't bother me. Maybe reducing my distances leading up to the marathon will pay off. My left achilles still has some pressure, but at this point I'm pretty sure it will hold up. It's crazy to think I'll be running a marathon in just one week.


Total Training Distance: 540.89 miles
Total Training Time: 4D 2:19:01

Day 200

Start: 4:42am
Weather: Rainy and Cool
Time/Distance/Pace: 32:05 - 3 miles - 10:42
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/87093557


Thoughts: A soaking wet run, by the end I was drenched. It feels so odd to be running such short distances before the marathon. I sort of feel like I'm under training and ruining my odds of completing. But, I'm following a proven method of training.


Total Training Distance: 533.81 miles
Total Training Time: 4D 1:04:27

Day 198

Start: 5:02am
Weather: Clear and Cool
Time/Distance/Pace: 33:48 - 3.28 miles - 10:19
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/86625013


Thoughts: Again my legs felt good but my left knee was pinching at the start of the run. There was an amazing sunrise so I changed up my regular route and ran down to South Beach to snap a picture of it. I ended up running further than I was supposed to, but I felt good so it didn't matter.


Total Training Distance: 530.81 miles
Total Training Time: 4D 0:32:22

Day 197

Start: 5:03am
Weather: Clear and Cold
Time/Distance/Pace: 30:05 - 3.01 miles - 10:01
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/86368353 


Thoughts: A nice quick run. It was surprisingly cold out, but the sun was coming up so it warmed up quickly. My left knee continued to pinch a little at the beginning of this run, but again loosened up and didn't bother me for long.


Total Training Distance: 527.53 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 23:58:34

Day 195

Start: 11:47pm
Weather: Clear and Warm
Time/Distance/Pace: 2:09:40 - 12.01 miles - 10:48
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/86036068


Thoughts: I ran the first half of this run by myself and then two of my brothers joined me for the second half. Within the first mile my left knee started to bother me. It was pinching ever once in a while and one time it was painful enough to hinder my stride and caused me to yelp. After that it loosened up and I was fine. The best news for me was that my foot didn't hurt the entire run. It was nice to have a warm and sunny run to end such a rainy week.


Total Training Distance: 524.52 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 23:28:29

Day 193

Start: 5:05am
Weather: Clear and Cold
Time/Distance/Pace: 43:47 - 4.01 miles - 10:56
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/85521622


Thoughts: My legs felt pretty good for this run. I've been worried about my left foot for a few weeks now, but as my mileage tapers off in preparation for the marathon my foot is getting a better recovery between runs. Hopefully it will be 100% by May 20th.


Total Training Distance: 512.51 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 21:18:49

Day 191

Start: 4:55am
Weather: Rainy, Windy and Cold
Time/Distance/Pace: 55:06 - 5 miles - 11:01
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/85037018


Thoughts: A rainy morning run, and I was worried about my foot. But, it made it the whole 5 miles without becoming painful.  It probably helped that I missed yesterday's 3 mile run.


Total Training Distance: 508.5 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 20:35:02

Day 188

Start: 6:29am
Weather: Clear, Windy and Cool
Time/Distance/Pace: 3:49:21 - 14 miles - 15:49
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/84411094


Thoughts: This was a cool trail run through Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Massachusetts. I got up early and drove the 15 minutes to this forested park from my parent's house and the park was empty besides one other trail runner. The first half of the run was through rocky and rooted forest trail. It was mostly flat but was enjoyable for having to be careful about footing. The second half was along paved bike trails that wandered around Andrew River Reservoir and then through more forest. One of my favorite parts was running across the top of the dam that creates the Reservoir, with water on one side and a big, slopped, concrete drop-off on the other. By the time I puttered to 14 miles my foot was killing me again and the park was pretty crowded. A 5K was organizing as I was leaving the park and there were people everywhere. My time was terrible during this run because of my foot and for having to stop every half mile or so to check my map to make sure I was taking the correct turn on the multitude of trails.


Total Training Distance: 503.5 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 19:39:56

Day 186

Start: 4:59am
Weather: Clear and Cold
Time/Distance/Pace: 42:00 - 4 miles - 10:30
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/84012240


Thoughts: This was supposed to be a 5 miler, but after skipping Tuesday's 9 mile run because my left foot hurt I decided to just run until my foot began to aggravate me again. It was for the best that I shortened this run because I hadn't laid out my clothes the night before so I was off to late start anyway. Needless to say, I'm concerned about being injured this late in my training and having to skip and shorten runs.


Total Training Distance: 489.5 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 15:50:35

Day 183

Start: 4:54am
Weather: Rainy, Windy and Cool
Time/Distance/Pace: 44:00 - 4.06 miles - 10:50
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/83362961


Thoughts: This run was during a complete downpour and I chose the wrong direction to run around the island so when I hit the front of the island I had the wind going against me. I had my iPhone in my pocket in a ziploc bag and it said I was done before I actually was and even tagged some people from my address book in the run. By the time that I was done the tendon to my big toe on my left foot was very sore, I'm hoping it doesn't hinder my training.


Total Training Distance: 485.5 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 15:08:35

Day 181

Start: 2:49pm
Weather: Clear and Warm
Time/Distance/Pace: 3:51:43 - 20 miles - 11:35
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/83104521


Thoughts: I finally did it. And by "it" I don't mean complete my longest run of the training for a marathon. I mean that after the third or forth time that people saw me run by within a four hour period I finally got them to shake their head and mumble "is he fucking crazy?" Yeah, I'm fucking crazy. So why don't you go sit back down on the couch, your BP is rising.


So yeah, I made it through the 20 miler. That's supposed to mean that I'm ready for the marathon, but it is still hard to imagine running another 10k on top of that. The RunKeeper is off because my iPhone died before I completed the run, I guess that means it can't handle tracking runs that long and playing audiobooks. Good to know for the marathon in four weeks. I hurt more than I have before during a run, but it helped that friends of mine came out on to their porch to cheer me on each time I ran by their house.


Total Training Distance: 481.44 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 14:24:35

Day 179

Start: 3:46pm
Weather: Clear and Warm
Time/Distance/Pace: 54:36 - 5.47 miles - 10:00
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/82690549


Thoughts: This was a beautiful run around the Race Point bike path in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The family went on a mini-vacation and I was very excited to find this bike path for my run. It was a perfectly clear blue sky, very warm and pretty windy out, but despite its location the run was pretty sheltered from the wind. I only saw a few bike riders the entire run. The path went from sand dunes to beech forest to swamp and back to sand dunes making the run feel very exotic. I enjoyed the run so much that I continued to run until I made the full loop, even though it was beyond my 5 miles.


Total Training Distance: 461.44 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 10:32:52

Day 177

Start: 5:46am
Weather: Clear and Cool
Time/Distance/Pace: 1:56:04 - 10.01 - 11:36
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/82153447


Thoughts: I was pretty sore for this run. I definitely ran my short run the day before too quickly. But, when I feel good it is hard to keep the pace down. The sun began to rise as I got to the east end of the island, which always make it worth getting up early to run.


Total Training Distance: 455.97 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 9:38:16

Day 176

Start: 7:09pm 
Weather: Clear and Warm
Time/Distance/Pace: 48:44 - 5 miles - 9:45
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/82079669


Thoughts: A nice warm evening for a run. The highlight was an incredible, bright red sunset near the beginning. I had the normal pains in my left knee and achilles, but I ran this pretty quickly and they never got real painful. I'm slightly concerned that I ran this in the evening and that'll be running ten miles early the next morning, but my legs are getting pretty well conditioned to the distances. This is the longest week of the training, so as long as I make it through the week it is downhill from here.


Total Training Distance: 445.96 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 7:42:12

Day 174

Start: 11:47am
Weather: Clear and Warm
Time/Distance/Pace: 2:27:39 - 13.78 miles - 10:43
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/82066339


Thoughts: This was an incredible run on the Rec Bike Path in Stowe, Vermont. I ran it with my brother and the weather was perfectly warm. I ran through downtown Stowe and then next to a river for three miles and then met up with my brother to do eleven miles on the bike path. The path twists between farms, through woods and across bridges spanning the river. The entire time there were spectacular views of Mansfield Mountain. My legs felt fine the entire time and when the run ended I still felt great. 


Total Training Distance: 440.96 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 6:53:28

Day 172

Start: 5:56am
Weather: Clear and Cold
Time/Distance/Pace: 52:58 - 5 miles - 10:36
RunKeeper: http://runkeeper.com/user/cadebro/activity/81103143


Thoughts: This run actually felt pretty good. My left knee and achilles weren't better, but they felt fine during the run. I tried to keep my pace between 11 an 12, but kept speeding up. I was working from home so I started later than usual. I'm glad that I don't always run at this time because the newspaper delivery lady drives like a maniac. If I always ran at this time, I'm certain that I'd eventually get hit by her.


Total Training Distance: 427.18 miles
Total Training Time: 3D 4:25:49