An Exercise In Utility: 2006

Ni!

Sunday, December 31, 2006

1:08:30 :: 10 miles

Frustrating run. Just ten miles, roads are very bad. We got hit with eight inches of snow last night in 30 degree temps, so a lot of the snow melted on the road, then turned to ice overnight. Basically back to the poor traction we had a few weeks back--compacted snow on top of ice. Plows hadn't gotten to some of the roads yet when I was out, so anywhere from 10-40 seconds per mile slower in various places on the route. Ran six outdoors and started feeling my hamstrings and shin, so I went in to run on the mill, but quickly fell victim to wussiness and stopped after four miles.

Tried to go for a second run later in the day, but it didn't work out. Just not a good day.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Saturday, December 30, 2006

1:25:06 :: 13 miles

Another great run. Snow and ice on the roads again, but still averaged 6:31 pace, ranging from 6:40 down to 6:15s. The whole run was just in the sweet spot of being comfortable, but a bit more challenging than 'easy'. Average HR of 144. The last three miles slid down just under 6:20 pace, so I cut the run at 13 rather than going for 14, knowing the goal for today is to be recovered well for the next three days (long run, fast run, moderate longer run).

Snow and ice caused a couple of little tweaks in the hamstrings and caused my left shin to flare up for a couple of miles. Both went away quickly, but reminded me to take steps to prepare them for the next couple weeks of 'modified traction'.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Friday, December 29, 2006

1:10:53 :: 11 miles

Legs felt pretty good. Breathing was a bit out of sync through the first few miles--breathing more than the pace should have required. HR was averaging 142-144 with pace at just under 6:30. Once I settled in to a slightly faster pace (~6:20) the breathing settled down, HR went up to 148-150, and I felt smoother.

Overall, the run was comfortable, but I thought to myself several times during the run that this effort had a fair amount of 'pressure' to it. It didn't feel easy--just beyond that, but not a challenging effort. And an hour later, I feel great. Really good run. The overall pace was right at 85% of goal MP--again, no meaning, just a comparative number.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Thursday, December 28, 2006

1:11:46 :: 11 miles

Moderate to hard run. Felt a bit tired heading out the door, but everything came around nicely within a half mile or so. Nine miles in 55:26, 6:10 pace, 155 average HR, then two miles on the mill at 8:00 pace to cool down. Felt good, good conditions. No problems from the shin(s) at all, which makes an amazing difference in how these runs feel. I actually do have a positive attitude when I'm not writhing in severe pain!

Pace was kind of sloppy--all over the place, but the effort felt consistent. Break it down:

6:47|140 : 6:13|150 : 6:08|152 : 6:09|156 : 5:50|158 : 5:55|162 : 6:04|161 : 6:12|160 : 6:03|163

I don't think the 5:50 is accurate, as it was on the mile with a 180 degree turn. Maybe five seconds off. Something happened around mile six. The pace slowed with no perceived change in effort, and continued dropping before heading into the last mile, which always seems faster due to the 'git done' effect. Overall this is right at 90% of goal MP (probably 98-100% of current) which is nothing more than mildly interesting. At least it isn't 80%. Then I'd be in trouble.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

1:59:17 :: 17 miles

Easy run. Felt kind of tired and borderline depleted the whole run, and heavy legs with a tinge of soreness started creeping in around eight miles through about fourteen. Different than I have felt before.

Legs feel good a couple of hours later. Not feeling like going for another run or anything wild like that, but feeling pretty relaxed. Average HR was 134 for the run, and the trend of 'minus five bpm' seems to be holding up over the last several days. Interesting. BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN!? =)

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

1:02:55 :: 10 miles

Moderate run. Feeling a little tired from yesterday. First mile was 7:15, then down into the 6:15 range. Had a few miles right at 6:00-6:05 in the middle, then back to 6:15s to finish. Average HR right at 150, got into the low 160s during the faster parts.

Shin was pretty good. Not much discomfort, and only tightened up for about two miles between three and five.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Monday, December 25, 2006

1:29:46 :: 14 miles

Moderate run. Recovery must have worked. Started with a 6:45 mile at 136 average HR, then dropped the pace a few seconds per mile for the next several miles while maintaining a 140 HR. Mile five was 6:27 and 143 average HR, so I pulled back to 6:40s so as not to get carried away on a 14 mile progression run. Stayed at 6:35-6:40 pace and 139-142 HR through mile nine, then decided to throw in five miles between 150-155 HR just to check the pace, which ended up being 6:05-6:10. Last half mile was an extended pick-up from about 5:30 pace down to 5:00 pace for an overall 5:41 averaging the typical 162 HR.

Left shin locked up moderately bad through mile four and legs felt kind of thick, like I was running through syrup, but regardless, everything was working. Got a massage after, which made any lingering tightness from the long run and today disappear. HR was a good five bpm lower at 6:40 pace than it has been. Maybe a new level of fitness, maybe just a good day. Either way, good run.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Sunday, December 24, 2006

2:20:00 :: 20 miles

Another tough run. After a few miles of feeling like shit, I just decided to let my legs find the pace they were happy with. That ended up being 7:15 to 7:20 for a few miles, then down into the low 7:00 range for most of the rest of the run. Finally, by fifteen I was feeling better and started dipping into the sub-7:00 paces. I threw on a 5:40 mile to finish, which felt good (and burned off some frustration).

The left shin locked up on me again for about four miles, at 7:00 minute pace, which is incredibly frustrating, but expected, following these three mile test runs. It's good to know I can run fast without the lockup issues as long as I get some miles in first. I'll have to do some other test workout, because the shin thing is absolutely wrecking any chance of these things being a positive experience.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Saturday, December 23, 2006

41:16 :: 6 miles

Another horrible test run. Right out the door I knew it was going to be a bad day, but I thought I would try it anyway on the chance that I would come around after a warmup. Three mile warmup at seven minute pace, and the HR averaged in the mid-140s. Not a good sign. Breathing was heavy as well. Didn't get any better as I started the fast part. Locked in to 5:40 pace quickly, but both shins locked up within half a mile and I turned into the wind and started struggling along at 163bpm. I managed a 5:42 for mile one, and another 5:42 (167 avg HR) through a painful second mile, then called it quits a mile early, recalling the shin and quad problems following the first test run. I recovered from 169bpm to 153bpm in the first 30 seconds or so, then to 105 after about a minute. At two minutes, I was at 98bpm.

Minus the incredibly painful shin muscles, the workout would have been fine. Still, I think I was not recovered from the previous few days, if not the last week or so, of workouts. The HR at seven minute pace was a good ten beats high, especially that early in the run. I think it will end up a Good Thing that I cut this run. Something just wasn't right today.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Friday, December 22, 2006

1:22:18 :: 12 miles

1:22:18 :: 12 miles
Originally uploaded by esondag.

Bread and butter run. Easy running with eight strides in the middle. Strides between 5:30 and 5:00 pace, about 150 to 200 meters each. Felt very smooth and fast. Quads were better, but still not one hundred percent. Good run.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

1:06:30 :: 10 miles

Felt easy for the most part, but HR averaged 146, so it was in the moderate range. Nice morning, no wind, 15 degrees. Perfect running weather. Legs are still a bit sore, no better than yesterday, but no worse. Knee was good. No other problems.

Feels like the paces are getting faster with a consistent effort. Finally starting to feel as fit as I did 10 weeks out from TCM, but now I'm 21+ weeks out from Fargo. Don't get hurt...don't get hurt...don't get hurt...

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

1:29:22 :: 14 miles

Moderate run, hard finish. Legs were about 70%, much better than yesterday. Took a few miles to shake out, feeling better around 7-8 miles. Most runs lately I've started feeling good around 50-55 minutes into the run, regardless of the pace. Not sure if there is a reason for this or not. First mile in 7:00, then several miles at 6:25-6:30, dropping down to 6:05-6:15 for the rest of the run. Finished with half mile in 2:44 feeling strong, good stride. Average HR of 148.

Post-run, the legs feel great. Almost like they're filled with helium. Sounds strange, but they feel light and full of zip. Still icing the knee, just to be safe.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

No Run :: 1:00:00 bike

Did a (short) run to test the legs, didn't last very long. Very sore to the point it's affecting my stride. Like I don't have one it hurts so bad. Stuck to the bike, and will try to fit in a short run later today depending on how the legs feel.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Monday, December 18, 2006

55:11 :: 7.75 miles + 50min bike

Recovery run. Legs pretty beat up from the hills, feeling the DOMS. Hit the bike to offset some of the pounding and warm up well, then got in just about 8 miles before the kids woke up. Worked well to take care of that .25 miles from yesterday. =)

Knee felt good, left calf was good too. A light massage last night and icing the quads this morning should help clear off the pain a bit quicker.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Sunday, December 17, 2006

1:45:38 :: 15.25 miles

Moderate run over hills. Ran in the St. Johns University wildlife refuge/campus area. Really nice rustic trail system. Footing was dodgy at times, lots of rolling hills. Not as severe as yesterday, but much more numerous. Windy in the open areas. Around fourteen miles the hills started irritating the knee just a bit, so I stopped just over 15. The effort was solid, and I'm not used to hills like this. Two days of hills turns out to be like starting weight lifting--lots of DOMS in the quads.

On the flatter parts of the run, I was hitting 6:40-6:45 pace at 145-150 heart rate. Good follow-up effort to the 10 miler yesterday.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Saturday, December 16, 2006

1:03:40 :: 10 miles

1:03:40 :: 10 miles
Originally uploaded by esondag.

Big hills, soft dirt, good times. 10 miles in 1:03:40. Felt fast and strong. Long run tomorrow. Looking forward to it. Paces ranged from 5:20 to 7:20. Avg HR 155, range 145 to 170. Windy in places. Have a good weekend.

22:15 :: 3 miles

Test run. Everything went fine with the knee, so I'll do a longer run this afternoon once we get to the grandparents' house. Still icing for the next couple of days to keep it managed. Some problems with the left shin again. I was wearing flats on the treadmill, which is supposed to help rather than make it worse. Will try some massage techniques to loosen the muscle sheath and hopefully prevent the pain.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Friday, December 15, 2006

No Run :: 55:00 bike

Thursday, December 14, 2006

10:00 :: 1.25 miles

No run this morning. It rained most of the night and temps hovered between 30-35 degrees, so it's water on top of ice everywhere. Just like how hockey rinks are polished.

More importantly, the tendinitis in my knee is still bugging me, and it got pretty painful after the last two days of slipping around. I'm going to continue icing and try a run after work, which will give it more time to loosen up.

Knee has gotten somewhat less painful, but still hurt a bit on a test run, so I'm going to rest it until it's feeling better. Iced five times today and did some light massage.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

1:22:19 :: 13 miles

Frustrating run. Still slippery. Managed seven miles in the middle around 6:05 pace, about 160 HR. Bookended the faster stuff with three milers at an easy pace. Sick of the ice, sick of six-minute miles feeling like a sprint, and sick of thinking about old goals. My goal isn't to crack 2:30. My goal is to crush 2:30 and crack 2:27. Right now I don't feel like I'm progressing toward that goal, but I'm an idiot. Maybe I am making progress and I need to be patient. Maybe I just can't get there from where I am in 150 odd days. I have no idea. That is what is so frustrating.

Yesterday I read about this 20-something dude from Alaska who got second in the Fargo Marathon this past May in 2:32. He followed that up in October with a 2:28. He's coming back to Fargo in May and I want to be able to compete with him. 20 weeks.

Run Two Weather Supplemental Nutrition Sleep Injury

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

1:38:41 :: 14 miles

Recovery run. Really, really, really slick outside today. Aside from a few patches that were sanded for cars, the roads and sidewalks were a 29 degree wasteland of freezing drizzle and fog. Absolutely awful traction to offset the otherwise beautiful December morning.

Hit 6:55-7:05 pace for nine and change outside, then ran on the mill for a total of 14. Overall decent run, but the poor traction the last two days has my hamstrings acting up again. Ice, ice, baby.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Monday, December 11, 2006

1:17:43 :: 12 miles

Moderate run. Short warmup, a bit over a quarter mile, then nine miles around 6:15 pace. Took a few miles to settle in, but felt good otherwise. Heart rates very consistent in the 155-158 range. Not too much fatigue in the legs, they seemed to turn over just fine. Tried to stay closer to 6:20, but everything locked in better around 6:15s. Required a bit of focus to fight the mental fatigue. I'm finding I'm not as 'tough' as I thought I was mentally. It will be good to do some work on that.

Finished with 2.7 on the mill at 7:00 pace. Overall, this went really well.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Sunday, December 10, 2006

2:21:48 :: 21 miles

Long run. Ran with College Guy, Skip, and That Guy. Good times, let's do it again sometime. Run went really well until I started to bonk at mile 17. Held on and tried to work through it. Quite painful, but managed to maintain pace until the wheels fell off at 19.5. Managed a 6:57 for mile 20, then took a 200m walk break and resumed running the final mile home in 6:33. This bonk was definitely more mental than physical given the quality of the last few miles (6:25, 6:35, 6:57, 6:33). Even though I felt like I was crawling, when I was focused and fighting the pain, the pace stayed strong. Mile splits mostly 6:40-6:45 with a few outliers. Pace felt easy until about mile 14, then a took a little more effort until 17 when it took a lot more focus. Average HR 144 overall. Reached average of 147-149 for mile 16 through 20.

Took GEF at the beginning of the run rather than in the middle, which probably did me in. Today just wasn't my day to burn fat, I guess. Good learning experience and mental exercise.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Saturday, December 09, 2006

December 3-9 :: 91.5 miles [8 runs]

Total miles: 91.5
Core miles: 91.5 in 8 runs (87.5 in singles)
Supplementary miles: 4 in 1 runs

87.5 in singles, one second run of 4 miles. The four miler was decent quality though, so I'll count it in the week core total. Week was screwed up by a couple of minor injuries which I would attribute to going too hard on the Sunday run, and slipping on the ice at higher than normal speeds (5:50 pace) for 10 miles. Lesson learned. Had to cut the next day's run in half and cut out the second runs due to time constraints, otherwise the mileage would have been consistent with last week.

Feeling good about the change in paces so far. It will take some getting used to but I'm confident I can adapt.

1:16:32 :: 11 miles

Recovery run. Wore the Icebugs, and unfortunately had some problems. They are heavy and chunky shoes, which aggravates my shins and causes that 'lock up' condition I always bitch about. Even at seven minute pace my shins were getting painful, so it's time to put those shoes back in the box. Intended to go 12-14, but it didn't work out. Figured a couple of miles at easy paces is nothing to worry about.

Also added a four miler (26:57) in the afternoon as temperatures reached an unseasonably warm 43 degrees. After a week of unseasonably cold weather, I didn't want to miss the opportunity.

Haven't been doing the second runs like I wanted to as it has been to difficult to get them in and get back to work. I may try to ride the trainer instead, as this would be a way to elevate the pulse and get some blood flowing without having to warm up and do all the other time-eating stuff that a run requires.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Friday, December 08, 2006

1:01:32 :: 9 miles

Evaluation run. C-. Three mile warmup in 21:15, avg HR of 138, then three miles in 17:06 (5:43|158, 5:43|163, 5:40|167). Stopped and took heart rates for recovery. Averages for each 30 second period for two minutes--:30(157)-:60(109)-:90(107)-:120(106). Three mile cooldown on the mill around seven minute pace, avg HR 135. Had a slight tailwind, maybe five mph. Traction was good with the new studded shoes.

Shins locked up around the end of mile two, which messed up my rhythm and was very painful. Working on dorsiflexor strength to prevent this from happening. Really sick of this problem over the past year. Overall, the run was tougher than I hoped it would be. Still good though. I'm excited to track my progress over the next several weeks, as I have a feeling I will be moving much better soon.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Thursday, December 07, 2006

1:32:17 :: 13 miles

Recovery run? Woke up late due to the kids messing with the volume on the alarm clock. I'll have to thank them later for that. Blisters are back due to the excess heat and sweat from running indoors on the mill, so had a bit of taping and such to do to get comfortable. After that, one mile warmup and 12 miles at just under seven minute pace. Felt okay until mile eight or so, then started feeling really good. Good run overall. HR in the low 130s for most of the run, then up to low 140s for the last few miles. Overall average HR was 131, which gives the appearance that I am pretty well recovered from the two previous days. Actually a bit surprised by that due to how the efforts felt. Good good.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

1:47:53 :: 16 miles

Seppuku run. Would have killed myself at mile seven but I was too tired to pick up the knife. Only half joking. Mile one to warm up just under 8:00 pace, then down to steady 6:40s on the treadmill. Mentally quite difficult due to some lingering fatigue and from being on the treadmill. The legs felt pretty good, which is important. Stuck it out and started feeling better around mile ten. Heart rate stabilised around 148-152 at mile ten and onward. Good run, but mentally very tough.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

1:18:59 :: 12 miles

Easy run? How about the 'new' easy run? The new easy is the old moderate. Anyway, had some problems with my ankle this morning before I even started running. In a eureka moment, I realized that even the pressure of a sock across my sore ankle tendon caused pain, so after a bit of fiddling, I sliced my sock open to expose the tendon and pulled the tongue of my shoe way over to expose the area, et Voila! No pain. I wish I had figured that out yesterday.

The first two miles were full of fiddling with shoes and socks, but the last ten were good solid effort, right around 1:04:15. On the treadmill, I find the effort is harder for the time, so I'll take it. Heart rates for the first seven were 140 rising up to 150, At just after nine miles, a strange good feeling hit me and continued through the end of the run. The last five were at 153-155 HR, and 6.3 pace on the mill, equating to 6:23 pace on the watch. I was definintely tired at the end, but felt I could continue for some time longer. Good run.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Monday, December 04, 2006

51:51 :: 6.5 miles

Recovery run. Started outside, but had a familiar problem with my ankle. On the left leg my shin tightened up once yesterday on the icy part of the run, and today after about .25 mile on the ice, the front of my ankle really started burning. So, I turned for home, got on the treadmill and hoped it would go away. It was okay for a while, but didn't last. Icing it today and will probably be on the mill tomorrow. Overall, really slow, but otherwise felt fine.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Sunday, December 03, 2006

2:06:16 :: 20 miles

Long run. I've been frustrated with feeling slow lately, and after getting some comments from Fatboy and an anonymous (probably a genius, and very likely kind, generous, and handsome) reader, and reading about some of Andrew's Renato Canova-inspired training, as well as some Daws, and some Lydiard, it's become very clear that base training doesn't mean slow training. I've been conditioned over time to think that anything faster than 6:00 pace is 'hard' and 'fast'. I need to get past it, and today I took a step.

I did five sets of two miles on two miles off. The 'on' portions were at my best guess at a high aerobic pace, a pace that felt comfortable enough to settle into and feel good for a while, but still quite strong. This ended up consistently being 5:45-5:50 pace and a heart rate of 158-160. Here are the splits: 5:47-156|5:50-159, 6:20-158(hill)|5:45-160, 5:44-159|5:48-160, 5:44-158|5:44-160, 5:54-158|5:56-160. The last set was interesting. I was coming back into a breeze, maybe a 5mph wind, and I got really cold. I could also feel my form wavering. I don't know how much was just getting tired, and how much was the cold and the breeze. HR was consistent though, so I would guess 50/50.

The 'off' portions ended up being 6:30-6:45 pace and heart rates of 140-145 early and 145-150 later in the run. 6:19 pace and 152 average HR overall. Felt like I could have gone another two or four miles, but it was very cold and a good time to stop.

Overall, I felt great, and 1.5 hours later, I have some general tightness and a bit of a depleted feeling. The weather was a big factor today, as you will see in some pics I will post, but I overcame it pretty well, I think. I'd better get used to it, because the weather won't get much better until March. WooT!

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Nov 26 - Dec 2 :: 95 miles [7 runs]

Total miles: 108
Core miles: 95 in 7 runs
Supplementary miles: 13 in 5 runs

Not sure how I will break this diown going forward. This is an attempt. The extra miles are really just to shake out and move blood, so no real benefit other than recovery. So, I hesitate to count them in the total. It's not about miles, it's about training, but the number is motivational to some extent.

1:25:27 :: 12 miles

Friday, December 01, 2006

1:25:15 :: 11 miles

Recovery run. Ran on the treadmill due to slippery conditions outside. A light snow on top of ice provides about the worst traction possible, so to avoid injury I just hit the mill. Interrupted a couple of times by kids waking up too early, but otherwise uneventful.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Thursday, November 30, 2006

1:18:05 :: 12 miles

Moderate run. Did as much as I could given the conditions. Patchy ice on the roads, 10mph wind, and -2F temp made it tough to get the pace down. Had about five miles of strong pace (6:00-6:15s w/ 145-150 HR) and another seven of easy to moderate pace (6:25-7:00s). Felt good, just couldn't cruise on the streets. Final four miles on the treadmill at 135-155 HR.

Building up volume now, so I'm not going to worry about these sub-par workouts in sub-par conditions. Frustrating, but not too big a concern.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

2:02:20 :: 18 miles

Easy run. Mother nature is a dirty !@#$ing @%$#@. Really cold, windy, and ice covered everything. Did three out and back sections of a N-S road with some tree cover to stay out of the west wind. Worked pretty well. Footing was poor, so the run was not as fast as I wanted, but better pace than expected. Overall feeling really good. No niggles to speak of. That hasn't happened for a long time.

Second run was very good, probably the most relaxing and comfortable I've had.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

1:27:15 :: 11 miles

Monday, November 27, 2006

1:10:53 :: 11 miles

Moderate progression run. Started with a 7:24 to warm up, then waited to see if I was going to feel better today. 6:38, 6:33, 6:46 into the wind. Feeling okay, but still a bit tired. 6:22, 6:26, 6:19 and feeling a bit better, HR into the high 140s/low 150s. 6:15, 6:10, 6:06 with HR in the mid-to-high 150s, and 5:47 to finish with average HR of 167.

Overall average HR of 147 and pace of 6:26. Good run. Took a bit to feel loose, but it came around.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Sunday, November 26, 2006

2:20:01 :: 20 miles

Long run. Went easy pretty much the whole way. Wind and cold again today (10 degrees and 15 mph wind) really put me off. Feeling really uncomfortable, wet, and cold so I came indoors at 12 miles and finished on the treadmill. Tried to increase the pace, but it just wasn't there today. First poor long run in quite a few weeks, so I'm just going to look past it, and have a good week. The leg and calves are feeling better, so onward and upward.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Saturday, November 25, 2006

November 19-25 :: 72 miles [7 runs]

1:02:30 :: 8 miles

Friday, November 24, 2006

1:32:12 :: 14 miles

Moderate to hard progression run. Ran in the park back home. Nice ~1200 meter mostly dirt road around the park took a good deal of the pounding out of the run. A couple of easy miles to start, then a steady progression down from 4:35 per lap (1150 meters) for a few to 4:20 for a few to 4:10 for two laps to 4:02 to 3:52 for the final lap. Finished with several easy miles. Solid workout.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Thursday, November 23, 2006

1:38:17 :: 14 miles

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

1:01:44 :: 10 miles

Hard run. Felt okay. This really felt more like a tempo run than a hard run. The wind was a big factor in how poorly I felt, as well as some 'stomach issues' that cropped up in the last five miles. Heart rate steady at 152-157 for miles two through nine, but the pace varied between 5:53 and 6:17 depending on the wind. So I just had to go by effort. Other than the warmup, the final mile was the only outlier--a 5:38 averaging 162.

Pain from the left leg was non-existent, no thanks to the two days of biking, which seemed to make it worse. Stretching and some isometric exercises really make it feel better, and I don't feel it at all when running. Good news.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

No Run :: 1:15:00 bike

Well, the biking seems to be hurting rather than helping. The soreness is more significant after an hour on the bike than it was when I was running. So I guess I'll stick with the light strength work, stretching, and icing, and ease back on the running in order to get rid of this. According to the info I found on google, I should get significant improvement from the srteching alone. We'll see.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Monday, November 20, 2006

No Run :: 1:00:00 bike

Sunday, November 19, 2006

2:10:50 :: 20 miles

Long steady run. Felt good right out of the chute, so I went with it. Started with a 7:15, then 6:40 pace through the next several miles. Felt the zip go out of the legs around mile 13. I changed my pattern of taking GEF at one hour in, and intstead took it at about 1.5 hours. I could tell the difference in the last six miles or so. Felt sluggish and my breathing changed to a near tempo run pattern even though my HR stayed steady around 155. Just different with a different fueling pattern. Ran just under 6:20 pace for miles 5, 10, 12, 17, and 20, otherwise in the 6:25-6:35 range. Avg HR 149, 6:32 pace overall. 143lb post-run weight.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Saturday, November 18, 2006

November 12-18 :: 79 miles [10 runs]

52:12 :: 8 miles

Moderate 'oreo' run...good stuff in the middle. One mile warmup, then 6:24, 6:01, 5:52, 5:58. Left shin locked up through a portion of the third faster mile. Not cool. Three miles easy to finish. Left achilles was perfect. Iced it four times yesterday, which seems to have worked really well. Left quad is feeling strange. Good during the run, but sore after. Icing and stretching should bring it around.

Overall, didn't feel good today. Whatever fitness I had that allowed me to run easy at six-minute pace is gone.

Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury

Friday, November 17, 2006

24:34 :: 3 miles

Recovery jog. Used a heat pack on the left achilles for a few minutes while riding the trainer to warm up. Worked great. No problems at all during the run. Felt good. Really enjoying these short, slow jogs.

54:52 :: 8 miles

Easy run. Left achilles had a slight twinge in the first mile, then felt fine. Iced and light massage on the left achilles and calf, as well as right calf. Will try to ice three to four more times today.

Light snow last night so the sidewalks were a little slick. No problems though. New shoes on Wednesday (Asics 2080). Seem to be helping, as legs are feeling better in general.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

45:44 :: 6 miles

Recovery run. Everything felt good, other than the weather--breezy and about 20 degrees. Stretched and iced both calves as well as right leg crotchal region (technical term). Calves have been a bit moody since the fartlek workout on Tuesday, so I'm trying to get out ahead of any further problems. I have been stretching well and doing 80-100 calf raises several times a week for the past few months in order to avoid the calf problems this time around. Hopefully it works!

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

25:07 :: 3 miles

Recovery jog. Started at 10 minute pace and worked down to 7:45 or so. Avg HR 123. Felt good. Stretched some and iced calves after.

1:19:23 :: 12 miles

Steady run. First few miles slower to warm up the niggles, then started to gradually drop the pace. Legs felt a bit heavy until about mile six or seven, then everything felt good for the balance of the run. Last four miles in 6:15(151), 6:16(152), 6:10(153), 5:49(161) average HR in parentheses. Avg HR for the run was 145. Good run.

There was a nice 1.5 mile dirt road left over from the flood protection project that I made a regular part of my runs, helping to keep the wear and tear on my legs reasonable. This morning I found out the hard way that the entire road was tilled up and seeded with grass. Fortunately, I didn't break an ankle.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

24:51 :: 3 miles

The first, of what I hope will be many, second runs of the day. The plan is to do 3-5 miles at about 8:00 pace five to six times a week in addition to the core mileage. Average HR of 126 for the run. The idea is blood flow, time on feet, and recovery enhancement, so the heart rate should stay below 130, but probably over 120.

Good run. Actually relaxing as well as energizing. Usually I go back to work feeling kind of lethargic, so this may provide a nice boost there as well.

52:06 :: 8 miles

Fartlek run. Not a real fartlek, as this was overly structured, but still speed play. Did 1.5 mile warmup, then 800 (2:55), 400 (1:26), 800 (2:35), 400 (1:13), 800 (2:38), 400 (1:13) with full recoveries at 6:45 pace. The first 800 and 400 were into a decent wind, and the rest were with the wind. Stride felt strong and smooth by the second 800, and average heart rates on the repeats were in the 165 range, controlled and comfortable. I felt a bit of lactate creeping in a minute into the last 400, so I shut the fartlek down and finished with two miles easy. Good run. Already feeling the recovery from the reduced miles this week.

Monday, November 13, 2006

55:40 :: 8 miles

Easy run. Didn't feel all that great from the start, so I tried to just relax and get it done.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

2:14:25 :: 20 miles

Long run with eight mile progression (50:52 :: 6:21p). Decided to do a cut-back of about 20% overall this week to recover a bit from the last several weeks of the build. Averaged 6:43 pace with an average HR of 140. Felt really good except for the last two, when I slowed from 6:15 pace to 6:50 pace thinking I would have a nice cooldown. Never doing that again, as I felt absolutely terrible. What a way to ruin a good run! Did my recovery drink after and .5 liter of GEF around nine miles. Nothing to eat before the run, and no problems. Small niggle in the right quad, tightened up a bit at the beginning of the run, fine during.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

November 5-11 :: 83 miles [6 runs]

1:24:22 :: 12 miles

Overall easy run. Split time between 7:30s and 6:40s for an average just over seven minute pace. Decent run, feeling a bit better, but still kind of off since the rest day. Considered running the Vet's Day 8k, but the course was very rough and I had some cramping in my quad during the run today. Made a smart decision (for once) and didn't race. Unfortunately, this would have been a good year to go for the win. Winning time was 31-something, and I ran 29:51 last year before I was even in shape. I've run the race five different years, but have never won, so that's disappointing. Maybe if I stay healthy, I can come back next year and win it in 26-something!

Friday, November 10, 2006

1:08:42 :: 10 miles

Easy run. Felt like absolute crap. I generally don't run well following a rest day, and today was no exception. Niggles were fine, but the stride just felt awful and clunky. Couldn't wait to get out the door this morning, and after a mile or two, couldn't wait to get done.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

30:00 bike :: Rest Day

Feeling some niggles in legs starting yesterday evening and overall a bit tired, so playing it safe and taking a rest day. Stretched and iced some spots, also did a few sets of body weight squats to start off the strength training very easy.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

1:57:53 :: 18 miles

Steady pace longer run. This one was a little bit challenging from a mental perspective. I think some general fatigue may have set in, as it required a fair bit of focus to stay on pace. Lungs and legs felt strong, with heart rates in the 145-150 range for the first 14 miles or so, picking up to 155-160 for the last four (at nearly the same pace). Finished feeling more than pleasantly tired, but still not depleted. Average pace of 6:33, with a final two miles of 6:19 and 6:14. Average HR of 149. Good run overall. Looking forward to a recovery run tomorrow. Did my recovery drink, ten minute cooldown spin on the bike, stretching, and quick self-massage in the shower. Not that kind of quick self-massage. Cheers!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

1:21:14 :: 12 miles

Easy run with 6x200 strides. Strides were at approximately five minute pace, give or take 10 seconds. First three were slower, last three were quicker. All felt fine, but clunky, as expected. Strides were done at the beginning of each of the last six miles, after which I would settle in to a 6:5x pace. Overall the run was really good. Legs were still a bit sluggish at the beginning, feeling much better in the second half. 6:45 pace overall, average HR of 142.

Monday, November 06, 2006

1:07:11 :: 9 miles

Recovery run. Set out to run only as fast as I naturally felt comfortable, and locked in at about 7:30 pace. Strange to think that during my first go around with 100 mile weeks I did that kind of pace nearly every day. Looking forward to feeling fresh tomorrow.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

2:25:54 :: 22 miles

Strong pace long run. It worked well last week to break up the long run into different paces, so I did it again this week. The first mile was a leisurely 7:40, then the next eight were in the 6:50 to 7:05 range. I found a nice 1.5 mile dirt road close to home that I did several out and back stretches on to get to 10 miles. Felt okay, but a bit out of sorts. Miles 10 to 14 were 6:30-6:40 pace. This is also where I took in a half-liter of GEF. From 15 on, I decided I was feeling good, and would go strong for as long as it felt comfortable. Splits from that stretch were 6:03, 6:18, 6:16, 6:24, 6:18, 6:13, 6:06, and 6:01.

No heart rate info from this run. Apparently the battery died. The strong section felt similar to the stronger paced run I do during the week, and the last two miles felt about like a tempo effort, maybe a touch easier. I finished feeling tired, but not depleted.

Several hours later, the legs feel good, no cramping or soreness anywhere. Good run.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Oct 29 - Nov 4 :: 86 miles [7 runs]

1:09:17 :: 10 miles

Easy run with a couple of strides at the finish. Seven minute pace for the first six, then 6:40s for the last four. Thought about going as far as 14, but I decided it's still early and I would just have been going for the '90' in the log book.

Friday, November 03, 2006

1:26:53 :: 12 miles

Recovery run, finished with three miles on the treadmill. Between 7:05 and 7:10 miles outside. Felt good. Coldest day yet. Weather Channel said 13 degrees. Very light winds though, which helped. Nothing compared to what will come in January. =)

Thursday, November 02, 2006

1:02:08 :: 10 miles

Great run. Pretty tough running for the most part. Felt more like a tempo run due to the wind during the first 4 miles. Settled in nicely with the wind at my back. Defintely took some focus to keep up the effort. Splits of 7:16, 6:30, 6:13, 6:17, 6:05, 5:51, 5:59, 6:01, 5:49, 6:00. Mile 10 was a spur of the moment addition, and I ended up running over a lot of ice. Otherwise it would have been in the 5:50 range. It was a nice little fartlek between 6:30 and 5:30 pace. Stretched well and massaged the legs afterward.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

1:50:23 :: 16 miles

20 degrees, windy, and icy in spots. Overall a decent run with challenging conditions. Had to wear a slightly heavier jacket and supertights. First 9 in 63-something, then final seven at 6:45 pace with final two miles of 6:27 and 6:06. Average HR of 142 for the run. It's frickin' NOVEMBER.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

October 2006 :: 292 miles [27 runs]

A good month coming back from injury. Took four zero days, all intentionally, just riding bike and recovering so as not to ramp up the miles too quickly.

43:45 :: 6 miles

Easy run on the treadmill. Didn't get to run this morning due to some work stuff. Originally planned on 10-12, but wasn't feeling good on the mill, so I stopped. It's been a long day, and just wasn't feeling up to it. There is ice on the roads now with the snow and 20 degree temps from last night. Running is about to get interesting! Ready for a pair of these...

Monday, October 30, 2006

1:10:07 :: 10 miles

Mixed up paces. Had to run a quick 7 miles outside, final mile of 6:15, then add on 3 more slower miles on the treadmill. Decent run, but a little tired and sore from the long run yesterday.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

2:33-ish :: 22 miles

Hit the wrong button on the watch and missed timing about 8/10s of a mile at 6:40 pace. I'll figure it out later. Good run overall. No problems with fueling. First 10 miles in 1:13 or so, 7:15 pace, then down to 6:35-6:45 pace for the second 10, and finally 6:25, and 6:18 for the last two miles. Started to feel tired around 18 miles, so there was a good 25 minutes of tough aerobic running at the end. Drank half-liter of GEF from miles 8 to 11, which seemed to work very well. Enough to get me through the majority of the run, but not so much as to prevent feeling gassed the last few miles.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

October 22-28 2006 :: 76 miles [6 runs]

1:03:12 :: 8 miles

Super easy run on the treadmill. Avg HR was 134. Trying to recover from the last couple of days, get ready for tomorrow's long run, and moderate the toll of increasing mileage. Eight today should get me 75 for the week, a nice total for six days of running.

Friday, October 27, 2006

1:02:53 :: 10 miles

Moderately hard run. Trying out the idea of running relatively hard after a long day. By the end I was feeling like I had finished a well-run marathon, at least how I've heard a well-run marathon described. Good but not great, tired but not exhausted. 6:17 pace, 157 avg. HR. Splits 6:26, 6:41, 6:15, 6:22, 6:12, 6:03, 6:17, 6:20, 6:10, 5:59. About a 10mph wind and 35 degrees.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

1:57:07 :: 17 miles

Another good run. No food or anything prior as I am fasting for a cholesterol test this morning. I was expecting to have some problems around 14 miles, but ended up feeling strong the whole way. Average HR 142, 6:53 pace. Nice morning, just about 40 degrees and light winds.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

No Run :: Rest Day

Just a couple of hours sleep last night. Getting a cold. No sense in trying to jack the miles up too fast anyway. Still averaging ten a day with a zero today. Should still hit mid-70s for the week.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

1:18:46 :: 12 miles

Good progression run. Still have a ways to go to get back to pre-injury fitness, though. I was able to find my steady comfortable aerobic speed at about 6:30-6:35 pace. This registered an average of just under 145 heart rate. Overall, 6:33 pace, average HR of 150. Last few miles in 6:17, 6:11, 5:54 feeling strong.

Monday, October 23, 2006

57:07 :: 8 miles

Felt like the day after a 20 miler. Legs were tired, so eight miles was about right. I let the pace slip to whatever felt comfortable, which was well over seven minute miles toward the end. Good recovery run.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

2:19:14 :: 20 miles

Really great run. Felt like going for another few miles after finishing, and my legs still feel that good 12 hours later. No tightness or soreness at all. Last three miles in 6:40, 6:40, 6:31. Averaged 139 HR, 6:58 pace. Very excited to be running 20 milers again.

October 15-21 2006 :: 64 miles [6 runs]

Saturday, October 21, 2006

47:28 :: 7 miles

Didn't feel like going out this morning, but was better after a mile or two. Except for the first and the last, seven minute miles was the order of the day. Finished with a 5:23 mile averaging a 164 heart rate, which is about what a 5:43 did to me a week or two ago. Legs felt good throughout the run.

Friday, October 20, 2006

56:37 :: 8 miles

Recovery run. Heart rate consistently under 140, although I wouldn't call this easy. The recovery runs seem to cause more suffering than the other runs sometimes. Legs were wooden today.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

1:38:24 :: 14 miles

Good run. I got that pleasantly tired feeling in my legs at the 12 mile mark. It was good to feel that again. Ten miles outside in 1:10, then another four on the treadmill. Nice morning, although it was 25 degress. Wind died down quite a bit. No problems with right leg or hip. Feeling tired, but good.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

52:02 :: 8 miles

Medium pace run. Somewhat windy, so it was tough. Didn't feel very good, not strong today. Another day when a 5:55 mile felt like a 5:35. Just frustrating. Also got stopped twice by trains.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

1:11:00 :: 10 miles

Nasty weather outside, 20+ mph winds and raining. Ran four outside in 27 something and another six on the treadmill. Ticked up the incline on the mill to between one-and-a-half and three percent. Good run. Right hamstring a touch sore and tight from the day off. WTF?

Monday, October 16, 2006

30:00 bike :: Rest Day

Felt fine on the bike. Right hamstring actually started to get tight and sore later in the day. Ridiculous.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

1:58:30 :: 17 miles

Longish run. Bonked between 13-14 miles, struggled home for 17. I would have gone longer otherwise, because my legs felt the best they have in months. No tightness or twinges anywhere. Average HR of 140, 6:58 pace for the run.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

October 8-14 2006 :: 54 miles [6 runs]

Sunday - 8 mi - 55:54 - 6:59 pace - 135 ahr
Monday - REST - 30:00 bike
Tuesday - 9 mi - 57:27 - 6:20 pace - 154 ahr
Wednesday - 12 mi - 1:23:10 - 6:56 pace - 141 ahr
Thurdsay - 8 mi - 56:16 - 7:01 pace - 138 ahr
Friday - 7 mi - 46:20 - 6:40 pace - 151 ahr
Saturday - 10 mi - 1:07:03 - 6:42 pace - 142 ahr

1:07:01 :: 10 miles

Easy run. Feeling better toward the end. Average heart rate in the low 140s, with the last three miles in the high 140s to low 150s at sub-6:30 pace. Final mile of 6:15 with 155 average HR. Fitness is coming back slowly.