Author: Mark Allman

A very early morning for a run. Temperature around 53 degrees.. The rain finally moved out but lots of moisture and fog. Traffic early on the weekend isn’t much at all, so it wasn’t too hard to dodge around potholes and lakes.

Time to ramp the distance back up. The run felt fine. Took the pace nice and easy — focused on how I’ll run the 50K in a week and not just today’s distance. Also tried out a different bar (BonkBreakers Real Food Energy Bar) at the 7 mile point. Much easier to get down than the Chocolate Chip Clif Bars I’ve been using . As soon as I got home I put in an order for a box.

Today’s run was a 17.32 mile hills route, with a 5 mile stretch in the middle that’s flat. It’s my 12.5 mile route with the 5 miles added. Pace was 10:33.

Back to the road. I’ve been more focused on some hills work rather than distance for the past few days. The route I have isn’t bad but parts are always rather busy with traffic.

Today’s run was a 6.3 mile hills route. Pace was 9:44.

Good day to switch to some work on the bike. An indoor trainer is like a treadmill: very boring. It is, however, more convenient and safer.

Today’s ride was about 40 minutes at a rather stiff resistance setting.

One more mild/warm mid-day for a run. Today I felt much better throughout the run, as expected. The plan is to ramp up for the next 11 days or so and then taper down to some easy runs for a few days before the Marine Corps 50K on the 29th.

Today’s run was a 5.71 mile hills route. It should’ve been like yesterday (6.3) but I wasn’t paying attention and ran past a turn. Ugh. Pace was 9:39, essentially the same as yesterday (9:38).

Nice mid-morning run today. Mostly sunny and in the 50’s. Didn’t notice anything in the left hip at all. Tuesday later in the day it started to feel a little tender. I hate to take any time off but a few days this week is all I can afford, so take it when you can.

Since I hadn’t run in several days, I paid the price a bit. As expected, I felt really tired and sluggish. It’s what happens after days off and is why I hate to skip days. Well, enough of that.

Today’s run was a 6.33 mile hills route. Pace was 9:38. Weight was 148.0.

Typical Fall morning. Partly cloudy and 43 degrees. It’s unfortunate that we’re back to the 100% dark for the entire run, but early morning is my training time window.

First day on the road after the marathon on Sunday. Started out really slow and stiff, as expected. After a few miles it improved, also as expected. It’s less than three weeks to the Marine Corps 50K ultra. No time to relax.

Today’s run was an 8.05 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 10:16.

Race day. A cold (54 degree) stiff wind but clear skies. As usual, I ended up in the wrong area at the start line. Somehow I ended up in the 11:30 pace area. Whatever. We all lined up and then the pacers appeared. I swear I was right about in the middle of the pack. Ugh!

My goal was to focus on managing the energy level and nailing the climbs (about 400 feet between miles 17.5 and 22.5). Lots of people walking the hills. No walking for me. Head down and grind. About the only issue I had was the knees getting really sore late in the race.

Today’s race was the Newport Marathon. Pace was a not-going-crazy 10:34. I’d rather finish slower to be sure to run it all. It’ll get faster.

One more day of warm and humid weather. I’ll take it. The Sun was out for much of the run as well. In no time it’ll be slipping down roads in snow and ice.

Today’s run was a 4.8 mile hills route. Pace was what felt like an easy 9:42. Weight was 147.2.

Another warm midday for a run. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect training weather. This is about the last opportunity for a run like this until next Spring, so I’m glad I had a chance to get out in it.

Today’s run was 12 24 mile hills route. Pace was 9:29. Weight was 146.6.

As I said, the mornings are getting cool. Temperature was around 45 degrees with clear skies and a bright Moon. Time for more gear (sweats, light gloves, hat, etc.). At least there aren’t any clouds of bugs like there are sometimes in the summer.

No real issues on the road. Everything feels OK. It’s almost odd. Usually there’s something doing at least a little complaining.

Today’s run was an 8.05 mile rolling hills route. Pace was 9:38. Weight was 146.6.