| Location: Erie,CO, Member Since: Jan 01, 2008 Gender: Male Goal Type: Unknown Running Accomplishments: Pikes Ascent: 2:37.x
Pikes Marathon 4:32:x
Do PRs count if they are older than 10 years? Short-Term Running Goals: Preparing for Pikes 08 Long-Term Running Goals: Run lots of mountains and passes, the Grand Canyon, and the Burro Race World Championships Personal: I have nine toes for the same reason Paul McMullen has eight |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 77.30 | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 84.30 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 13.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 13.50 |
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 My long run came unravelled today. I had thoughts of going 18+ with it being a building effort. It turned out to be 13+ with the effort slowing over the run.
I been down this road enough that I know when a workout is going to go south before it actually does. Some might say with thoughts like that I am setting up for a frame of mind that is not geared for success. There might be some truth to that, but it might also be true that I just know myself in this arena. I tried to get around it - had the gear laid out, the water bottles all set, and heck, the weather was even good. But once the legs started moving down the road, I could smell the burning oil. But even then, I told myself not to sweat it - see how it felt after two miles. Well, see how it feels after the first loop. Well, just run two hours. Finally, I think better judgment kicked in I decided to not do battle today, because I wasn't going to win anything anyway. No need for a morale victory here.
The weather was beautiful though. I had hoped to hit three loops of 6+, with each loop being a bit quicker than the last. The advantage of hitting it in a loop fashion would be that I'd be able to water up, and maybe even get some nutrition on each leg. After I finished the first leg in 50, I knew I was not doing great. Nonetheless, I gimped out for the second leg (I took some Nuun on the break, I held that down okay), throughout it thinking how maybe I just do 2 hours and call it a day. But at 80 minutes, I was pretty waxed and knew I needed to call it a day. The second loop proved it - it was at 51 and it felt harder than that.
All is not lost though. This serves as an opportunity for me to consider what went wrong and what went right. On whole, I had a pretty decent training week (call it a B-), with two solid runs at the front end of the week, a good speed workout on Thursday and fair mileage (73). I have been a bit off all week though on little things: my diet has not been bad but has not had the same degree of focus as prior weeks, my abdominal wall hurts, and I have not done any core in a bit (in part because of the gut). Soooo, to address that, I will - I need to - keep a food log next week. I have avoided this because of the tedium associated with it, but I need to see if there is a relationship between specific things I eat and performance. I mean, I know there is, but I need to track it at that more detailed level. I will schedule a physical (with lab work) re: general health, but also to address the ab issue. And I will do some core anyway, but stuff that does not strain the lower abs.
Other side notes ... I reparied my Suunto x9i watch USB cable (with pieces of paper clips) and so was able to charge it. The GPS read on this run was 7 miles plus per loop (twice, for each loop). I have suspected this run to be close to seven miles but mapmyrun puts it at 6.74 miles. Okay, maybe I am being anal about a quarter mile here or there but ... well, it makes a difference, doesn't it? I guess that means that even though I was feeling like crud, I was still running 7:30s (vs. the 8s I was doing last month on easy runs where I felt good). I like the Suunto, since it has a GPS, a compass, a barometer, and a thermometer (and it tells time), but it is a bit of a hassle to get the sats synched in before the run.
Next week ... I am going to make the long run the event of the week. I want to come back and put this particular run to bed. Nonetheless, I will continue to focus on getting speed back and so will also look to get to the track to do quarters. Additionally, I need to get some striders in ... I have been skipping that a bit too much.
I was at the park with my son today and he did some running with our dog. I was watching him ... poor guy has no knee lift (reminds me of an ugly guy related and living in the same house as him). But he has that explosiveness that we have when we are that age. It is neat to see him in that Spring of his life, with a set of gifts he does know he has and hence does not really appreciate. And why should he? When it is spring, we don't think about the dog days of summer, or the winter that is coming later in the year. Instead, we enjoy those flowers right then and there. Me, I am in the Indian Summer. Or I am trying to be ... staving off the Autumnal equinox for as long as I can ...
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.80 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.80 |
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 I still feel a bit off today - mostly it seems like I am a bit achey and sore, like in the connective tissue - and that mostly in my gimp foot tendons. Nonetheless, the weather was nice, so I had to take advantage. I did an easy 11 miles out to Boulder and back from the office. There was a slight headwind out, and hills back, so it was nearly even on the splits (near 7:30 m/mile).
I got my Skull Candy ear buds today. They are great. I have long had the classic IPOD buds falling out of my ears and so I have reverted to hats, head warmers, t-shirt sleeves, etc to get buds that would stay in. After I read about these on a local tri guy's blog, I was sold. They actually perform better than the regular buds in terms of sound. Since they are in my ears better, I don't have to crank up some of the softer dubbed podcasts to hear the interviews over traffic. I will look to do something hard tomorrow, and then come back for the long run on Thursday. I am having dental work done Thursday afternoon and so I am doubtful that I will get a ton of great work done in the weekend when my jaw is aching.
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
| AM - real easy four miles with Lucy. Just a little shakeout, wake up, get the dog out.
PM - pressed for time after work, and before heading out ... wanted to get a workout in, and it was pretty windy out again today (30 mph gusts). Hit the mill. I did not feel great, so I decided to tempo it, and the thought that bubbled up was 7 in 45 with the warm up. I hit the first in 7, three in 20, four in 26:0x, five in 32:0x, and then seven in 43:40. Again, I can get into the mill a bit easier than I can outdoors right now, but I can't seem to tap in as deep to make myself hurt there. In some regards, this was good for not feeling great ... I hit the last four under 23:40, when four on the mill was a struggle a few weeks ago. Here's the trick - crank the mill to faster speeds (5:20 for example) for like a minute and then back it off. The overall pace, obviously, is better, and then you can manage the slower pace (at least initially) more effectively.
Easy tomorrow, long on Thursday is the plan. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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I got out for an easy eight on the Davidson Mesa today. By the time I had got out, a little snow had begun to fall. At the end of my run, it was really flying. I tried to run easy, but at the same time at an honest pace.
I had thoughts of going long tomorrow - and I will still look to do that. But with a bunch of new white stuff down, I am probably going to look to do it on the treadmill. While I don't mind running in the snow, I don't want to deal with any unnecessary risk on a long run. A couple of years ago, I was running in the snow, slipped off the edge of the sidewalk lip and my grizzle sang loud. I thought I may have actually popped that old tendon that keeps the back of the foot moving. Oh well, at least being inside will make sure that I manage the hydration well.
But I do want to get off the mill. I know it is getting me to train, focus, and I am getting some benefit from it. But I also realize that mill running is different and until I do some of these workouts outside, it just is showing that I can run nowhere in my basement.
My mind was all over the place in my run today on my training. I am about two months back into digging into my training. I am wanting to see more results, but I also know that it takes about three months of anything to really see results. I feel more focused than I have been in a long time, but that also shows me where I am lacking (core exercise for example, but hey - the gut muscle felt a bit better today). I feel like I am doing what I need to for success later this year, but then I feel I am hardly doing enough (particularly when I consider Lucho's log - that is true marathon training). I wonder if I will be able to get back into a fair semblance of fitness (for me). And if I can't then do I still say screw it, and chase it more (because I don't want to give up, give in, ever) or do I resign to wondering why I did not attack it more when I was younger? I won't give up, because there is no damn good reason for me to. As long as I can do this, I will. Even if I am slower. I am training hard for me ... but I want more. I get up from my chair at work, and I gimp. People ask me what the hell is wrong with me and I give my standard answer: "Put your foot in a lawnmower once and you'll never walk straight again." That is part of it, but I would not be walking this way if I was not running this way. But I run this way so that I can run this way.
Tomorrow, we get out there. The farther you go, the farther you go. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 20.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20.00 |
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I have a dental appointment this afternoon that I am expecting to take a couple of hours, and to leave me a bit sore. Additionally, I might sneak to ABC (altitude base camp) this weekend with the kids to do some skiing. So, all that said, I wanted to get my long run in before I had the excuse of being at 10000 feet, and a sore jaw. There is fresh snow outside, so I decided to get on the mill for this workout. While I do feel I need to do a good long run outside (the mill is just different), being on the mill did allow me the opportunity to manage the hydration, the pace and watch HR through the run.
I ate a litte for breakfast before this run - a blonde brownie and some PB. Okay, yeah, that is crap for a diet, but the "cookie" aspect seems to work well for me. I digest it well, it gets me some sugars, and it tastes good.
I got on the mill with the intent of keeping it all very relaxed for the first half of the run, and then building on the effort (and hence the pace) throughout the run. Initially, I had thought I do 18, but then I figured 20 would be a "nicer" number to post in the log. I made sure to take water every five or so minutes. I started at 8.1 (7:24) pace and kept it there for the first five miles, and then began to slowly ratchet the pace up. Over the last five miles, I upped it much more aggressively (as the splits show below). I was fine from an effort perspective the first fifteen. It all felt very easy, and I entertained myself by watching a movie on the DVD. My HR hovered in the sub 150 to 150 range for the first ten, it climbed to the 155 area through 15 and then it was pushing north of 160, to 170 over the last five. The last five were not super hard, but did require some focus.
1.) 7:27
2.) 7:24 (14:51)
3.) 7:25 (21:26)
4.) 7:24 (29:40)
5.) 7:25 (37:04)
6.) 7:18 (44:23)
7.) 7:20 (51:43)
8.) 7:19 (59:02)
9.) 7:17 (1:06:19)
10.) 7:13 (1:13:32)
11.) 7:11 (1:20:44)
12.) 7:08 (1:27:52)
13.) 7:03 (1:34:56)
14.) 7:03 (1:41:59)
15.) 6:58 (1:48:57)
16.) 6:57 (1:55:54)
17.) 6:45 (2:02:39)
18.) 6:38 (2:09:17)
19.) 6:25 (2:15:42)
20.) 6:02 (2:21:44)
At no time did I ever go over the top in the run.
More later. I have been having a conversation with Lucho re: HR, LT, etc. But now I need to go get numbed up in the mouth. |
| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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 Mid afternoon - 6 miles easy, 46 minutes. Felt good. Not sore. My ankles were a little stiff, but then they loosened up. Couple of hours later -5 miles, 37:38. Again, easy and felt good, maybe a touch flat. It was a bit chilly out. Just an easy day, with some easy mileage, under gray skies in Boulder County, and dreams of warmer days to come.
It is pretty crazy to read my logs from last year and see just exactly how much mountain stuff I was doing. I was wholly in belief that would change the runner I was and make me strong on the hills. I think it helped, but it was, in the snow, so little focused on the actual running that I think I lost fitness. And that mentality carried over into the summer. I focused on the mountains ALL the time. I think the right balance of this focus is key for me - a balanace between hills and flat running.
The pic today is one of my favorite from PPA 2007. It has 2006 champ Simon G and 2007 runner up and 8 time champ Scott E on Ruxton. Simon trains a lot on the flats, but then does some key workouts on hills. Everyone who does well at Pikes ultimately is a good fast flat runner too. They just have an uphill problem. True, there are those uphill specialists, but they are more the exception than the rule.
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
|  Various other necessary activities took hold of most of the day and as a result I did not get out until about sunset. I ran so called "steady state" (or what I have called easy plus in the past) on the out and back 10. Out, 34:32, back, 33:52 (I picked up the last 90 seconds). I felt good. I also feel that I am getting back into some form of shape that I was ... well, sometime ago. I felt good, but I feel that I am learning, in some way, how to run quicker again, rather than it just coming into fitness.
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 77.30 | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 84.30 |
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| Night Sleep Time: 0.00 | Nap Time: 0.00 | Total Sleep Time: 0.00 | |
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