Well…it certainly has been an interesting week, that is to say the least. Cold, sub-zero temperatures, snow, sleet and just some nasty winds made being outside less joyful and more of a chore.

In other words lots of treadmill running – not a bad thing considering the alternative, but I would still rather be outside putting in the miles, just for me the temps have to be a bit warmer for this wimpy old fart. 😉

Although I did make some decisions on what I am going to do for a training plan versus being confused all the time regarding what paces I need to be running to accomplish my goals. Running faster is not always the answer and sometimes I gotta focus on just doing the plan versus doing more when I am feeling good.

While I am not ready to run a marathon this Spring – I gotta see if my hip will hold up to the training or not, running a faster half marathon is something that I would love to do.

However, in the overall scheme of things, that is not really my goal, I want to run a Boston Qualifier time, which for me is 3:55:00 and something that if the old body can hold up that I am pretty sure I can do. At the same time, that is the minimum pace to qualify and since there are a LOT of older faster bastids out there, I have a feeling that a 3:40:00 pace is something better for me to shoot for.

So instead of focusing on a sub 1:40:00 half marathon, this training cycle is all about learning if I can hold up to the Hansons Marathon training program at a 3:40:00 pace.

This is week two and so far, so good. I started at week 5 and have been able to keep up with the Speed, Tempo and Long Runs so far.

No, they have not been easy, but so far they have been very doable. Although due to the weather, most of my runs lately have been on the treadmill.

Which is presenting its own challenges.

While I am loving my adidas Tempo 9s for just about everything, as evidenced by over 270 miles on them. Unfortunately, they are starting to show a little wear in the heel cups and when I get up into the double-digits mileage on the treadmill, my forefoot feels a little too beat up and my hips are kind of grouchy the rest of the day.

I don’t think the Tempo 9s have quite enough cushion for me for lots of double-digit miles. Which is kind of what I thought would happen, but until this week I really hadn’t decided on what I was going to do for my Spring training cycle. They are perfect for that every other week longer run, shorter tempo runs or even slower easy runs at a shorter distance, but not for bigger mileage on an old fart’s legs.

So I did a lot of research and figured out that I either needed to find a pair of Hokas that fit my feet (which is elusive as hell) or go with a brand that fits my feet great, but I tend to have issues with them bothering my PF, because they are not usually flexible enough – New Balance. Well after looking at everything and reading multiple reviews, it seems as though the New Balance Beacons are the shoes that I need to look at next.

I ordered a pair from Running Warehouse and will see how they fit and feel.

Also, I noticed that the lace area, where the mice gnawed on the edges a little of my Adios Boost 3s is starting to let go and probably won’t last a super long time, so I will be needing to get the RunFasts out pretty soon for my speed days…something I would prefer not to do – I want to keep them for 5ks/10ks from late April to June. The speeds I am running for the speed portion of the Hansons training plan are not stoopid fast, so maybe the Beacons can handle this kind of versatility for a while.

I still plan to run a lot in my Tempo 9s, but the forefoot is just a bit too thin for the long treadmill runs, that I foresee in my future this winter.

Next week’s plan (week 8) should be okay and one that I should be able to accomplish. The one that is going to really get my attention is the week 9 and that first 15 mile long run. If I have to do that on the treadmill – that will be tough, but it will tell me a lot about the old body and the shoes that I will be wearing. It would be nice if I could do those kind of long runs outside, but I ain’t going outside in super cold weather or crappy footing for a long run by myself.

Safety first.

Overall, a really good week.