Author: Mark Allman

Nice to be back in the land of the living. Covid-19 Moderna vaccine shots usually knock me out for a day, but this time there were a few lingering issues. Mainly it was pain (probably sinus pressure) like a whack in the head with a hammer if I’d bend over, sneeze, etc.

Today’s run was an easy, rainy 4.37 mile rather flat route with a short 10+% degree hill at the end. Pace was 9:49.

A cool/cold, damp early morning for a run. Some light misting and a few flakes came through overnight. Not icy, though. One of those very dark early mornings.

Felt OK throughout the run, although I thought that I was moving a bit faster than I apparently was. Those are always real letdown runs — you think you’re kinda cooking along and you find out after that you’re weren’t. Ugh. Whatever.

Today’s run was a 11.17 mile hills/rolling hills route. Pace was 10:02. Weight was 148.2.

The first “cold” morning of the season. Temperature around 18 to 20 degrees. Feels just fine. Snow-covered roads are my only problem with winter running. Slip sliding around on a road, especially on a climb, is so frustrating.

Today’s run was a “new show” day, so it was shorter. Bondi X work great. I’ll be mixing the Bondi X and the Mach X throughout each week.

Today’s run was a 2.73 mile hills route. Pace was 9:30. Weight was 147.0.

I decided to take a few days off this week when I had the chance. Looking out into the end of the year and into 2024, this is it. No complaints. I ran a 50K ultra about two weeks ago. Don’t want to let all that work go.

A good, cool morning for an early run. Today was the first day for some modified training routes, so I needed to be out after it started getting light. Glad I waited — there are a few spots that have crumbled and patched holes. It only takes stepping into one of those to wrench something and be sidelined for a few months. Been there, done that, no thanks. The routes are more back roads to avoid early rush hour traffic.

Today’s run was a 9.02 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 10:05. Weight was 145.6.

Nice, mild early morning for a run. Temperature around 41 and no wind. Didn’t feel too bad at all after a week of pretty much no running. Everything feels OK — time to change that a bit.

Today’s run was a 4.22 mile mostly flat route. Pace was 9:47. Weight was 146.0.

Back to it. I figured that it would be a tired run today and I was correct. Not a big deal. It was nice to get out mid-day in the mild air (51 degrees) and bright sunshine.

The plan is to just keep it going. Push higher and harder. Next marathon is the Chevron Houston Marathon in January, so no point in taking a break.

Today’s run was a 5.1 mile hills route. Pace was 9:22. Weight was 146.8.

Race day. What a crowd. The wait line for packet pick-up on Saturday was (apparently) well over an hour. We got there early.

The race start line was not obvious at all and was quite a walk from the Pentagon Metro stop. Also, I didn’t realize that the 50K starts about 50 minutes earlier than the marathon. Lesson learned: dig into schedules and start details more. I made it (had to run a bit) to the start just as the starting gun went off!

The first 9.5 miles weren’t too crowded, since it was only the 50K runners. That totally changed when we came back to the bridge where we merged into the marathon mob. Wow! People everywhere. Screaming people on the sides of the course everywhere. Forget trying to keep to a constant pace and maybe ramping it up a bit. The water stops were crazy and got worse as we got further into the race. Whatever. I was primarily focused on keeping it going, managing the energy level, and dodging people.

I was considering ditching the CamelBak and depending on water stops. So glad I didn’t. It was mild and cloudy for most of the race, but at about mile 20 (for me) the Sun starting popping out. It then turned warm and humid. Lots of walkers for the last 6 miles or so. I timed my hydration schedule perfectly — drained the CamelBak at mile 27 or 28.

Today’s run was the Marine Corps Marathon’s 50K ultra. Pace was a slpw 11:12. No walking, though.

Last run before the train ride to DC. Nice and easy. Also another mild early morning. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Today’s run was a 5.1 mile hills route. Pace was 9:57.

Easy, mid-morning run in the Sun. Just a tiny amount of work without any sort of duration. It’s going to get colder in a few days.

Today’s run was a short 2.32 mile rather flat/easy rolling route with a short 10+% grade hill at the end, similar to what the end of the Marine Corps 50K will be like. Pace was 9:26.

Another very early morning run. Typical 45 degrees for this time of year. It’s dark for just about the entire run. This time of year (coming up on switching to standard time from daylight savings) is the darkest for early mornings. Load up on the reflective tape.

The route crosses several road, including U.S. Route 1. Lots of traffic, even before 6AM. I always take crossing intersections conservatively. I’m not interested in taking any chances. Sometimes that means standing and waiting. Whatever. It’s only a training run.

Today’s run was a 12.5 mile hills route. Pace was somewhere around 10:15. Hard to say with the navigating through intersections.