Ni!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

53:00 :: 7.5 miles

Easy run. Didn't feel like doing a longer run this morning, and I needed to re-mark the course for the 5k/10k coming up here on the 4th, so I grabbed a couple of cans of spray paint and headed out for some easy miles. I had planned on running another 30 minutes later in the day, but it didn't happen.

Recorded a 49 HR while standing around waiting to start the run. Recovery from yesterday seems to be fine.

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

Friday, June 29, 2007

1:15:15 :: 12 miles

Taper workout. Ten minutes easy to warm up, then 30 minutes at 156HR, followed by 10 minutes at 6:15 pace, then 4x1000 around 3:06 on five minutes. Everything went as planned except for a couple of details. I thought I had read 154HR, so I was holding back a bit on the 30 minutes, and on the 1000s, I was supposed to be looking for 'something slightly faster than 10k pace--go by feel'. Well, it was obvious I had no feel for 10k pace today, as I was all over (and under) the suggested 3:06. To the numbers...

5:41(154) | 5:47(154) | 5:46(155) | 5:49(156) | 5:47(154) | 1:11(156) 5.19 miles

Not sure what was going on with the last minute of that run. Also not sure how the HR came down 2bpm and the mile got faster. I *was* trying to relax, and there was some wind, but still it strikes me as kind of weird. I've never had a malfunction with this new Garmin, so I trust it. Hmm.

Too fast again on the 6:15 segment, until I had to run in to use the facilities AGAIN. This happened last time as well, and it is starting to piss me off. Anyway, I slowed down slightly over the last few minutes, and ended up on pace for this part. About a two minute break five minutes into the 10 minute segment, and the HR went right back to 150, where it was when I ran in. Probably not a big deal to have to stop, but I think part of the workout is the continuous movement.

3:02(167-1:17) | 3:09(163-1:05) | 3:08(164-1:09) | 3:03(165-1:01)

The 1000s all felt good, though the slow ones were too relaxed at times. After the 3:02 (I don't think I'll be running any 31:00 10Ks in the next week), I tried to get a feel for something a bit faster than 10k pace, and though they felt fairly easy, they were probably about right. On the fourth one, I tried to recapture the easy speed of the first, but it was actually pretty hard, and a bit slower.

Overall, a really solid workout. The stride is definitely coming back well, and while I felt some of the aerobic strength I remember from the late stages of marathon training, it wasn't all there. I think mentally the 154HR limit may have allowed me to avoid focusing on the pace and just relax, which may explain why it felt so good. The 1000s were very good, and the speed is coming back bit by bit.

The race is Wednesday, and I'll probably actually write a race report this time. Hopefully, I will feel like winding up and taking a good shot at this one. I know I'll have good competition this time, which will make it easier.

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

Thursday, June 28, 2007

1:10:00 :: 10+ miles

Easy run. Slept in a little longer, so I just did a 30 minute run outside before coming indoors to hit the treadmill for the last six or so miles. Nothing special, just a bunch of easy miles.

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

1:05:42 :: 10 miles

Easy run with speed. Nice to get a break in the weather, finally. Fifty-five and breezy with low humidity, which is the kind of weather I look forward to all winter long.

Ten miles today with 600-800 meters of speed every fifteen minutes. I started with 3x200 in 35, 34, 35, with 200 jog recovery between reps, then 1x800 in 2:25, then 2x400 in 68, 66, with 400 jog recovery, and finished with 3x200 in 32, 31, 30. The 400s felt the best, pretty smooth and strong, and the 800 was probably the least comfortable in terms of turnover. Recovery was quick from each set, and overall I felt really good getting back into some turnover again.

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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

42:00 :: 6+ miles

Easy run with hard mile. Went out in the clear and ended up running hard to get back to the house and out of a lightning storm. I was not feeling great after two nights of terrible sleep, it was 76 degrees and 80% humidity already, and I was not in the mood for a run. Just over a mile from home, the sky started dumping rain, and lightning started flashing a lot closer than I cared to be exposed to, so I picked up the pace and high-tailed it home in 4:55. It ended up being my first sub-5 mile since 1999. I remember thinking way back in 1999 that I wanted to stay in good enough condition to be able to run a sub-5 mile at least once a year. Ah, to be young and naive again.

The hard mile ended up being the kick start I think I needed after a couple of days of blah running. Recovered to 120 in 1:06 and 110 in 1:28 from a maxHR of 177. Legs felt really good the rest of the day after this, so the low overall volume and the hard effort seemed to do me some good.

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

Monday, June 25, 2007

1:00:01 :: 9 miles

Easy run. Picked up in the middle few miles, but just wasn't feeling it, so I backed off to 6:45-6:50 and finished it out. Kind of a crappy feeling run. Very hot and humid the last few days, and I haven't been sleeping well.

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Sunday, June 24, 2007

1:29:01 :: 13 miles

Easy run. Felt good going out, but the heat and humidity really hit me toward the end. I would also like to add that I hate Minnesota's bugs. I swear I have never come across such an annoying running environment as anywhere in Minnesota in the month of June, July, or August. Ran the first six miles up and down a 1/2 mile section of dirt road, but got bored with it and hit the pavement for the rest. Legs felt fine the whole way, so I definitely didn't race too hard. I'm just not ready for this heat, though I don't suppose you can get ready for it.

Average heart rate of 140 for the run, and 55 standing around before the start. Legs felt really good before the run.

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

Thursday, June 21, 2007

55:11 :: 8 miles

Easy run. Felt very heavy and sluggish, although the legs felt fine. I have been getting slightly less sleep than normal and eating less carbs and more protein lately, so I may be depleted on a couple of fronts. Didn't get under seven minute pace until the third mile, averaged 132 HR for the entire run. Very much a recovery pace run, although it felt like more effort than that.

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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

1:21:44 :: 12 miles

Easy run. Ran almost entirely on the golf course this morning, just to get a bit less stress on the legs. I have been having some goofy little sore spots all over my legs the last week or so, as well as the muscle spasms I mentioned yesterday. It can't hurt to get off the roads a couple of times a week, and there are a few rolling hills, which is a nice change. Nearly as boring as a treadmill, though, for some reason. Running up and down the same six fairways on a golf course is almost as boring as walking up and down them with clubs, hitting a ball.

Standing around heart rate of 49, so I don't think I overdid anything yesterday, even though I could have felt better. I didn't mention my resting heart rate yesterday morning was 37, which I believe equals the lowest I've ever recorded. If that happened in a hospital, the docs would probably think something was wrong and shoot you up with something to get you going again. Anyway, legs felt good today. Started around 7:00 pace and got down into the 6:30s by the end. Average HR 137. Good run.

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Monday, June 18, 2007

1:12:00 :: 10+ miles

Easy run. Ran each of the two courses I set up yesterday, and both came out dead on by GPS. The courses were walked first with a surveyor's wheel, so I know they're extremely close to start with, but I was pretty surprised to see that they came up exactly right on my Garmin 305. The other two Garmins I own (201 and 301) would typically be off by +.05 per 10k. Always long, never short. The 305 appears to be right on though. Interesting, because the Fargo Marathon course measured 26.41. I know they have to add some distance for certification, but two tenths of a mile is a bit much. No wonder they haven't gotten anyone to break 2:30 on that course yet.

Anyway, good run.
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Sunday, June 17, 2007

47:00 :: 6.5 miles + 6.5 mile walk

Recovery run. Walked and measured a course for the YMCA 5k/10k coming up on July 4th, then ran the course later to add painted mile markers to the chalked and flagged portions of the course. Everything felt good.

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Saturday, June 16, 2007

1:30:31 :: 14 miles

Easy run. Well, maybe easy *plus*. I did a bit more than half the run at 145HR, and bookended with some easier miles. Mystery Coach indicated that the 160+ heart rates during yesterday's MP miles put me on the edge of my recovery ability, and with races coming up, I'll get plenty of opportunities to extend myself without creating any in training. Ninety minutes was on tap today. No long run for this week.

Most of my runs leading up to this have been in the sub-140 average HR range, which I usually call easy, or even recovery pace, so I was a little bit anxious to see what had happened to the 140-145 range since the marathon. One of the things that keeps me motivated, and something that I have always loved about running, is gaining a great depth of knowledge about my body's abilities, feelings, sensations, reactions, etc. It's just amazing to me to know what I can do, and what I will be able to do in a narrow range of effort. Anyway, I digress...

So what appears to have happened is, my pace in that range has improved from 6:25 or so to about 6:20, but it seems that I can't hold that pace (without stacking the HR) as long as I could during the marathon build up. Probably a bit of aerobic erosion following the marathon taper. Overall, I averaged 141HR with eight miles in the middle at 144 avgHR.

Anyway, the run went well, and I should recover nicely from the last two days with an easy run tomorrow. Enjoy the weekend!

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

Friday, June 15, 2007

1:15:32 :: 12.25 miles (with 7@5:41)

MP run. Everything was feeling good, so I had a seven mile MP run at 5:45 pace to do. The conditions were relatively tough, although 65F and breezy sounds beautiful, with 98 percent humidity, it starts to take something out of you. It's a very strange feeling to get cold from the breeze, but feel like you're breathing in toothpaste at the same time. As Fatboy would say, Mmmmm...minty.

5:47(151) | 5:47(156) | 5:42(159) | 5:42(161) | 5:39(162) | 5:38(162) | 5:41(164)

Couldn't find a happy medium during the run. Felt sluggish the first two miles, so I tried to snap out of that a bit, was holding fine at 5:42, but then the effort got out of control. I felt out of sync slowing down, and felt the effort was too much holding pace, so other than just stopping and taking a 30 second walk, I couldn't think of what to do. My body let me know what it thought of the effort during the last half-mile, as I started to feel the wave of fatigue that is usually reserved for day two of the back-to-back. I actually found myself missing my winter weather today, which is completely nuts. Two plus mile cooldown to finish.

Did the full recovery routine after this one--cold bath and chocolate milk. I probably overcooked this workout a tiny bit, but not too terribly bad. I'm very happy with where things are at less than one month post-marathon--I can afford to be a bit more conservative on the efforts right now in order to make sure I'm recovered. It's a long summer.

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

Thursday, June 14, 2007

1:07:50 :: 10 miles

Easy run. Average HR for the run was 135, which is quite low. Legs felt good, no problems.

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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

1:18:28 :: 11+ miles

Volume speed workout. Screwed this one up. Mystery Coach asked me to watch the HR and keep it below 163 by the end of the rep. Rather than being logical and thinking about it for two seconds, I went merrily on my way thinking I needed to keep my HR below 163 during the five to ten 3:12 1000s. Needless to say, I didn't because I couldn't. I can't run at anywhere close to 10k pace without elevating my heart rate into the 166-168 range by the end of the rep. After the workout was done, I figured out that coach meant AVERAGE--just like every other workout that I've ever done. I get no points for being thoughtful at 3:30 in the morning.

The weather was...interesting for the run as well. Dumping rain, 70 degrees, and fortunately no lightning this time. I know I always say I like running in the rain, but this was a bit much. I like rain, not jungle rain. Not Indian monsoon season rain.

Three mile warmup in 20:31, then nine (more on that later) by 1000m on the 5:00 as follows:

TIME(avgHR-recoveryto120HR)
3:15(163-:50) | 3:17(158-:42) | 3:15(159-:??) | 3:20(161-:48) | 3:21(157-:46) | 3:17(159-:44) | 3:19(160-:47) | 3:14(162-:46) | 3:12(163-:50)

I thought that I had done ten, but found out after I got home that I miscounted. How many things could I screw up in one workout? As you can see from the time and HR info, I was going back and forth between trying to stay below 163 peak, and just saying SCREW IT and running comfortably fast, which turned out to be exactly what coach had prescribed (3:12 or so). The last two reps I basically gave up and ran the way I was used to running 1000s, and lo and behold, the pace and the avgHR lined up nicely. Two mile cooldown.

The workout wasn't bad by any means. I had a few that were reasonably fast, the volume was decent, and the slow reps were good pacework for the upcoming 12k. I felt great, and I could have added quite a few more. Also, the workout didn't take much out of my legs, and I recovered very well by the next day. Nothing wrong with a mistake once in a while...
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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

53:04 :: 8 miles

Easy run. Really tired yesterday evening. Went to bed early, got 8+ hours of sleep. Felt a little bit snappier today. Legs less tired, although still flat. Standing HR of 53, average HR for the run at 138 (again!). Tomorrow or Thursday I should be ready for a workout. Running a 12k on June 23.

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Monday, June 11, 2007

1:14:36 :: 11 miles

Easy run. Felt pretty tired all around today. Legs, mind, etc. Standing around HR was 57, and average for the run was 134. even though the heart rates for the last week of runs have been consistently below 140, the volume seems to be wiping me out. It was a fun week though!

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Sunday, June 10, 2007

1:17:55 :: 11 miles | 34:09 :: 5 miles

Easy run. Ran on grass for a bit over half of the run, which I think I'll try to do more often this summer. Too much asphalt and concrete in general. Felt really good from the start, though I was running just about 7:15 pace for the first hour. The pace felt right, and with the sun shining and a slight breeze blowing, and with kittens and puppies to numerous to count snuzzled by Brazilian swimsuit models scattered all along my route this morning, and with my new sunglasses, today's run was pretty good.

Easy five miles in the hot, hot sun. Put the hose to the legs after, which felt terrific.

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Saturday, June 09, 2007

2:01:05 :: 18 miles

Long run. First longish run back since the marathon. Felt better than I thought I would, with just a small amount of fatigue in the last mile of the run. Average heart rate of 138 for the run, including about four miles under 135HR at the beginning and four miles over 145HR at the end. The breathing seemed to even out today, and I didn't experience the strange heavier than normal breathing from the last few days. I'll be ready for an easy day tomorrow. Good run.

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Friday, June 08, 2007

1:20:05 :: 12 miles | 29:00 :: 4 miles

Easy progression run. First four miles were slow, 6:50-7:20 pace, then 6:30-6:40 for the next four, then about 6:25 for the last four. Heart rate averaged just over 140 138. Still noticing the breathing being a bit harder than I would expect at all paces, although better at 6:30s than at 6:50s. Started the run feeling tired and slow. Felt better once I hit four miles.

Easy four miler in the afternoon.

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Thursday, June 07, 2007

1:05:00 :: 10 miles

Evaluation run. Fifty-six degrees with torrential rain, wind, and lightning. I almost had fun this morning. At points, I was at risk of enjoying myself. Yes, I'm being sarcastic. Three mile warmup in 19:53, about a minute faster than the workout I was trying to replicate. The wind and temperature were better than the March 19 workout today, but conditions overall were just as miserable.

That said, I frickin' pwned Mother Nature this morning. You could spend a lot of time bitching about the weather around here, and at the end of the day, it won't change a thing. Get out the door and own it.

I'm going to read that in a year (or tomorrow) and think, 'Man, you are a tool'. Right now it sounds good though. I'm going with it.

Anyway, I did a four mile evaluation, trying to hit 5:42-5:43 for each, to check the HR and general reaction to my marathon pace of several weeks ago. Here's the breakdown:

6/07: 5:43(158) | 5:43(161) | 5:41(165) | 5:39(167) | 120(:57) | 110(1:16)
3/19: 5:48(157) | 5:44(158) | 5:42(161) | 5:38(163) | 120(1:02) | 110(1:19)

The last mile the lightning was getting pretty bad (and very close based on the noise), so I think I must have subconsciously sped up. Other than the first mile, this ended up making the eval compare pretty well to the March 19 eval. Heart rates were up, but the recovery was slightly better, which was good to see. The legs felt good--no rigging up or tiredness. I think the best way to describe the reaction is, it felt just like the last four miles of this long run, except slower. Breathing was like the last few miles of that run, a bit too heavy for the pace. I would expect my legs to be burning with vents that high, but they felt very comfortable. Finished with a three mile jog on the treadmill in 22:30.

Good run overall. It felt good to put out some effort again after several weeks of easy running and days off.


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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

1:14:01 :: 11 miles

Easy run. Longest run since the marathon. Felt a bit of heaviness in the legs starting around eight miles, and noticed the HR was starting to go above 140 without changing effort. Legs felt strong otherwise, all of the little 'recovery tweaks' seem to be gone. Good run overall.

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Tuesday, June 05, 2007

52:40 :: 8 miles

Easy run with strong finish. Last few miles of 6:12(148), 6:10(152), 6:00(153). Legs felt great, breathing was a bit more labored than normal for a 153HR, but still felt fine. Recovered to 120HR in :45, and to 110HR in 1:07. Good run.

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Monday, June 04, 2007

No Run

Travelling back from Vermont today, so no run. Repeat hugs and kisses with the kids, minimal rest periods. It was our first time away together in three years, and though it was enjoyable, I'd prefer to travel with the kids in the future!

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