From the beginning of this year, I had this week slated as the week to do the longest run of this training cycle. Not only that, I had already chosen where I would do the long run. Of course, this was my favorite River Gorge loop. I thought that, if my training progressed as I hoped, I would be able to do 4-5 laps of the 5.5+ mile loop (it is likely around 5.6, but I'm not entirely sure). So going in to this week, I planned to take it mostly easy, only doing one hill fartlek on Wednesday, taking Friday off, and then seeing where I was on Sunday.
I found out last weekend that there was a race planned on the roads circling the River Gorge: the Get in Gear 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon. I worried that it might interfere with my run, or worse, that my run might somehow interfere with the race (how? I'm not sure). In the end, though, I decided to press ahead with the planned run.
Read on to see how it went.
Monday: 4 miles, 32 minutes (or so) easy.
Tuesday: 5 miles, 39 minutes easy.
Wednesday: 8 miles, 56 minutes. Hill/Fartlek. I added on yet another hill repeat. This was much more of a tempo run than past iterations, as I didn't ease up quite as much on the downhills or on the flats. In the midst of a tough workout, I still managed to set a PR on Ramsey Hill of 1:30. Taking a solid 5 seconds off my previous best was a big boost of confidence.
Thursday: 5.5 miles, 43 minutes easy. I had to restrain myself in order to keep the mileage low. I figured I would need my legs to be as fresh as reasonably possible for Saturday.
Friday: Off.
Saturday: 29 miles, 4:07. 3500' of vertical. The longest training run, and second-longest run, of my life. (See below for full description).
Sunday: Off. Well, I wandered around the Mall of America for a couple hours, but I did zero running. My legs, however, felt (and feel) much better than I anticipated.
Totals: 51.5 miles, almost exactly 7 hours.
As I intended, I did 5 laps of the River Gorge loop (alternating CCW, CW each time). I parked my car on Summit, making it an Aid Station. My goal with this run was to make it as similar as possible to the race situation. The Superior 50k will have 2 aid stations on an out and back course, at 7.5 and 13 miles, approximately, which we will hit twice. By doing 5 loops and stopping at my car to refill my Jurek Endure each lap, I could come close to simulating race conditions (albeit at a slower pace) and test whether the belt would be sufficient for the course.
As it turns out, I did not pack enough water in my car, but as long as I'm at the pointy end of the field (and I intend to be. There, I said it) I anticipate that the aid stations will have ample water for all runners.
Lap 1: 51:55. I took it intentionally very easy on this lap. A secondary goal to just finishing the run was to try and keep even splits if possible, and ideally make the last lap the fastest. I took off about 45 minutes before the start of the 5k, and so completed it shortly after the first race started. While my legs felt ok on this lap, by no means did they feel fully rested, which again was part of the goal.
With the river higher again than it was last week, I did do a bit of trail-searching here, and one small stretch of bushwhacking, but I do not think that added significantly to my overall distance or time for this lap. The one annoyance was my shoelace: the outer casing had broken earlier in the morning, which required me to retie it once on each of the first two laps.
Lap 2: 48:30. After a quick stop at the car to refill water bottles, I turned back the way I had just come for a reverse of the first lap. This one was pretty much a blur. My legs settled in easily to a faster, run-for-the-duration pace, and the lap sped by. I corrected my navigation error from the first lap, and now lahad the route down pat for the rest of the run. This involved me dropping down a series of limestone ledges, which I would have to scramble up the opposite direction for two additional laps. I was rewarded after dropping in, though, with the glimpse of a Pileated Woodpecker that I roused while running by.
At the tail end, after crossing the Lake Street Bridge, I ran into the only other runner I would see all day. I would run into her two more times over the course of the run.
Lap 3: 47:40. Lap three I was fortunate enough to be bolstered on by the Half Marathon and 10k runners heading the opposite direction on each bridge. After overtaking the young female runner I had passed coming back to the car a few minutes before, I hit the Lake Street Bridge, and saw the lead 10k men taking the turn onto Mississippi Boulevard.
On my way across the bridge, I made sure to regularly cheer the runners coming towards me. I actually saw a friend of mine from Colby chasing down the lead women in the 10k. Sadly, I only realized who it was in time to cheer at her back, but that's better than nothing!
In my turn, I got a big mental boost seeing so many other runners working so hard. Bolstered again by the runners on the Ford Parkway bridge, Lap 3 was my fastest of the 5 laps. I felt bad overtaking the same runner again as I closed in on my car for the third "aid station," but I was not going to slow down.
Lap 4: 48:41. Surprising myself, lap four still felt pretty good. I began to feel the mileage somewhere around halfway through this clockwise lap, heading up one of the steeper hills of the lap. I still managed to push it hard up the hill to hit the Lake Street bridge for the fourth time. But I knew there that I was venturing into unknown territory on the next lap.
Lap 5: 50:34. Early in this lap, I got another big boost: students from St Thomas were out cleaning the garbage from the woods in the area. The exchange went something like this.
"How's it goin?"
"Lap 5, mile 23, I'm hurtin."
"You go!" "Usaiiiiiiiiiiin."
I assume he meant Usain Bolt? I don't know that he's ever run 23 miles in a row. I doubt it.
I needed that boost, as I was now in uncharted territory for me on a training run. Surprisingly, though, I felt good for most of my 5th lap, through the marathon or so. On the last straightaway upriver from the Ford bridge. I started to really feel it. I must not have slipped off the pace too badly, though, since I still managed a faster lap than my first.
As I said, this run was a huge confidence boost for me. With the runs back and forth to the car, this may have been close to 30 miles. And I felt good for most of it. Sure, I got tired at the end, but I managed to keep a relatively even pace (approximately 8:30) throughout the run. I matched aid stations to the race as closely as I could, and my nutrition worked out well.
I ran out of water on the last lap, because I did not quite have enough in my car. I anticipate this not being a problem during the race, as I certainly hope the aid stations won't run out of water.
Things are looking good for the race. Training has gone exactly according to plan, and better than I could have hoped.
The only problem now is that I have no excuses.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Week Ending 4/20/2014
Ow.
That's what I have to say about this past week. If you recall from my last post, I closed out the week finishing 4/13 with the longest (distance-wise) training run of my life on Sunday. It was also the longest week of my training cycle thus far. I had decided that I wanted to run tired this week, and put in some serious intensity while my legs were tired from the prior week.
And that's what I did. It's been a huge week for my confidence. Not only did I run the long run on Sunday, I put in three "intensity" workouts this week including my longish run on Saturday. This, as might be expected, left me exhausted on Sunday, still tired on Monday, and slightly off full form today (Tuesday).
Monday: No running. I went to the gym and did thirty minutes on the elliptical trainer. The machine said I went approximately 3 miles (how it computes this I don't know). A decent way to get a low-impact workout post long run. Next time I'll probably try either cycling or rowing.
Tuesday: 7.5 miles, 55 minutes. This was the same hill/fartlek course I've been doing for the last month or so, but I added yet another hill repeat on this week. I have been running down a cobblestone street the last few times on this course, wondering why I don't run up it. So, naturally, I did. I kept it pretty easy on the flats and the downhills this time, which explains the longer time. But the hills themselves were still run at a sharp pace.
Wednesday: 5.5 miles, 42 minutes easy.
Thursday: 8 miles, 58 minutes. 3x800, 4x400, 3x800. First half was mostly downhill, second half was mostly uphill. I lost some of my splits, so the last few are estimates: 3x800 (2:47, 2:45, 2:49), 4x400 (1:11, 1:12, 1:16, 1:15), 3x800 (2:51, 2:55 (est) 2:42 (est)) .
I started not quite sure whether I would be able to get through the workout. My legs were not feeling particularly springy. So I took the first set of 800s out at a moderate pace. Then I blew it out of the tubes on the 400s, and picked up the pieces on the second set of 800s. All in all a very satisfying workout (particularly the last 800, which I think may have been yet faster).
Friday: 6 miles, 47 minutes easy. I've started finding it hard to keep slow enough on my easy days. I want to hit between 7:30 and 8 minute pace on my easy runs, but find myself holding back to do so. I'm thinking this is a good sign.
Saturday: 12.5 miles, 1:37. Long run with up-tempo sections. Took it out slowly from home down to the Mississippi Gorge, then went slightly up-tempo around the gorge loop that I do so often, and hit it harder on the way back up Summit. I ran the River Gorge loop (about 5.5 miles) in 45 minutes at an up-tempo pace, which did not stop me from pausing at certain points to explore places I had never noticed before during the winter (due to snow cover).
Strava says that my pace on this section was around 8:30, which is fair but not indicative of how quickly I was running where I could. It turns out (go figure) that the Mississippi is pretty high right now, and has flooded a few of the trails that I would normally run, leading to some interesting bushwhacking sections.
The final 3.5 miles up Summit and home I hit it at closer to half-marathon to marathon pace. Despite tired legs, I managed a 7:10 for the hardest uphill, followed by 6:50, 6:37, and 6:31 for the last half mile. Not half bad, for me.
This next weekend I plan to push out the long run yet farther. I had a plan to run five loops of the River Gorge, which would make it mentally easier to quit (something I want to get through) and physically easier to deal with nutrition. It would also provide 4 aid stopes at my car, mirroring the 4 aid stations during the race. The only issue I can think of now is that there is a race going on at the same time, on nearly the same course. I am not sure how much that'll impact my running plan, but I'll have to keep it in mind.
That's what I have to say about this past week. If you recall from my last post, I closed out the week finishing 4/13 with the longest (distance-wise) training run of my life on Sunday. It was also the longest week of my training cycle thus far. I had decided that I wanted to run tired this week, and put in some serious intensity while my legs were tired from the prior week.
And that's what I did. It's been a huge week for my confidence. Not only did I run the long run on Sunday, I put in three "intensity" workouts this week including my longish run on Saturday. This, as might be expected, left me exhausted on Sunday, still tired on Monday, and slightly off full form today (Tuesday).
Monday: No running. I went to the gym and did thirty minutes on the elliptical trainer. The machine said I went approximately 3 miles (how it computes this I don't know). A decent way to get a low-impact workout post long run. Next time I'll probably try either cycling or rowing.
Tuesday: 7.5 miles, 55 minutes. This was the same hill/fartlek course I've been doing for the last month or so, but I added yet another hill repeat on this week. I have been running down a cobblestone street the last few times on this course, wondering why I don't run up it. So, naturally, I did. I kept it pretty easy on the flats and the downhills this time, which explains the longer time. But the hills themselves were still run at a sharp pace.
Wednesday: 5.5 miles, 42 minutes easy.
Thursday: 8 miles, 58 minutes. 3x800, 4x400, 3x800. First half was mostly downhill, second half was mostly uphill. I lost some of my splits, so the last few are estimates: 3x800 (2:47, 2:45, 2:49), 4x400 (1:11, 1:12, 1:16, 1:15), 3x800 (2:51, 2:55 (est) 2:42 (est)) .
I started not quite sure whether I would be able to get through the workout. My legs were not feeling particularly springy. So I took the first set of 800s out at a moderate pace. Then I blew it out of the tubes on the 400s, and picked up the pieces on the second set of 800s. All in all a very satisfying workout (particularly the last 800, which I think may have been yet faster).
Friday: 6 miles, 47 minutes easy. I've started finding it hard to keep slow enough on my easy days. I want to hit between 7:30 and 8 minute pace on my easy runs, but find myself holding back to do so. I'm thinking this is a good sign.
Saturday: 12.5 miles, 1:37. Long run with up-tempo sections. Took it out slowly from home down to the Mississippi Gorge, then went slightly up-tempo around the gorge loop that I do so often, and hit it harder on the way back up Summit. I ran the River Gorge loop (about 5.5 miles) in 45 minutes at an up-tempo pace, which did not stop me from pausing at certain points to explore places I had never noticed before during the winter (due to snow cover).
Strava says that my pace on this section was around 8:30, which is fair but not indicative of how quickly I was running where I could. It turns out (go figure) that the Mississippi is pretty high right now, and has flooded a few of the trails that I would normally run, leading to some interesting bushwhacking sections.
The final 3.5 miles up Summit and home I hit it at closer to half-marathon to marathon pace. Despite tired legs, I managed a 7:10 for the hardest uphill, followed by 6:50, 6:37, and 6:31 for the last half mile. Not half bad, for me.
 |
| River is running high. |
This next weekend I plan to push out the long run yet farther. I had a plan to run five loops of the River Gorge, which would make it mentally easier to quit (something I want to get through) and physically easier to deal with nutrition. It would also provide 4 aid stopes at my car, mirroring the 4 aid stations during the race. The only issue I can think of now is that there is a race going on at the same time, on nearly the same course. I am not sure how much that'll impact my running plan, but I'll have to keep it in mind.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Week Ending 4/13/2014
This was another breakthrough week for me. I did not do much in the way of intensity this week (only one hill fartlek the whole week), but the volume for the week was up quite a bit. Considering I was not sure I would be able to fit in a true long run this week (I was able to, in the end, last minute), I'm very happy with the numbers for the week.
As an added bonus, these numbers come in a week when I am transitioning, once again, to zero-drop shoes. I used Altras in my first 50k, and while I was not entirely happy with the fit of those shoes, I liked the general idea and feel of them. My primary beef with the shoes I was wearing was that they were too long in the toes, which has been corrected in my new pairs.
I had forgotten, however, that even though I've been wearing 3-4mm drop shoes for some time, the transition to zero drop still takes a bit of time. And during that time (there's no way to put this delicately) your butt is sore. The zero drop, foot shaped shoes Altra produces require the firing of different muscles than I am used to. That leads to increased soreness for a while in some areas, even while it reduces soreness in others.
Enough on that, to the summary already!
Monday: 5 miles, 40 minutes easy. I took this run on part of my hill/fartlek route from the week before, as my attempt to a) add more variety into my runs and b) add more hills into same.
Tuesday: 7.5 miles, 52 minutes. Hill/Fartlek run. Took the same route as last week, but added in an extra hill for some more fun. The first hill HURT, as I gunned it up a set of steps along I-35E. I passed a pair of young women running (well, walking up the steps) and heard a muffled "Holy s**t!" from behind me as I took the stairs two at a time. I must have looked strong.
The rest of the run was an effort to keep the tempo up on the flats, and pound out the ascents. I finished this one a little wobbly.
Wednesday: AM: 4 miles, 30 minutes easy down the middle of Summit. I am so, so glad that this stretch of path is open again. I much prefer it to running down the sidewalk or in the street.
PM: An unexpected 3 on the treadmill and 250m swimming. G decided to do yoga class after we got to the gym, so I put in a few miles and added a bit of swimming in there. I just set the treadmill to "random" and went with it. Turns out that this was probably too much after the hard workout yesterday.
And so . . .
Thursday: Off.
Friday: 7 miles. 56ish minutes? I started out thinking an easy 5-miler was in order. I was planning on doing a longish run both Saturday and Sunday, so I wanted to keep things short. My legs felt good, though, and I felt like I was finally getting used to the Altra Superiors. So I popped down to the end of Summit at the Mississippi and got in 7.
Saturday: 4 miles. Slow (probably 32+ minutes) Woke up feeling just awful. I clawed out of bed at 7AM, hoping to get a run in before meeting my parents at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts at 10. They were in town to head to a play at the Guthrie, and we decided to take in the Matisse exhibit with them and grab lunch before the show. But at 7, I got out of bed, head pounding (why? I had two drinks the night before. Has it really come to that?), fed the cats, and crawled back in bed for another two hours of rest.
I finally headed out for a run around 2:30, put in 4 miles, and headed home. At that point, I was unsure if I could even get in my planned 11 miles the next day.
Sunday: 22 miles. 3:08. This was a big one for me: the longest (distance-wise, I've run much longer times in Colorado) training run I've ever done. It was broken into two identical loops, with a return home (to see if we were going to church) in the middle.
I bolted out of bed a little after 7 (I don't set an alarm on weekends, ever), fed the cats (priorities are critical), wolfed down some bread and hummus and was out the door within a half hour of waking up. I left the phone at home for the first lab, thinking it might rain, and took off down Summit towards the river gorge. I figured Summit out and back, plus the section of trail from Lake to Ford, would make about 11 miles all told.
After an initial two miles or so of stiffness, my legs loosened up a bit, proving once again that you should never judge a workout until you're two miles into it.
I found the trail along the edge of the gorge south of Summit to be even more technical and scary than I remember. I think, all told, this route is probably faster on packed snow than on mud and dirt. At points, running on wet dirt just a few inches from the ledge, I found myself walking rather than risk a misstep. I doubt I would actually fall, but I have no desire to risk it.
I hit Summit again at a bit under 1:10 and took off for the house, coming in the door at 1:35 on the dot. It was around 9:15 or so, and after checking with G to find she wasn't up for church this morning, I refilled my Jurek Endure with water and a gel, grabbed my phone, sucked down a VFuel and was out the door and on my way again, hoping to be done with the run before 11.
Halfway down Summit, I was feeling surprisingly fresh and quick, so I took a look at Strava to see I was on a 7:15 or so mile pace. Once on the river gorge trail again, that pace slowed considerably as I again picked my way along the ledges. On the way back to Summit the final time, I ran into the first other runner I've seen on the Gorge. He looked to be straight out of Boulder, with a mustache and handheld, and after chatting a bit and introducing ourselves, we went our respective ways. Hopefully I will run into him again at some point.
Back on Summit again, I was still feeling good, so I decided to push it just a bit and try to negative split the whole run. I averaged 7:15s on the uphills and 7min or so on the flatter portions, coming in to my back yard at 1:33 on the clock. Not a huge negative split, but along with the overall distance and time (good for 8:30 pace over all), this was a huge boost to my confidence in my training going into the last month before my race.
Totals: 52.5 miles, almost exactly 7 hours.
The plan now is to take a shorter long run this week after putting in some intensity (Saturday is, after all, my 31st birthday, Sunday is Easter, and Monday is Boston!), hit another high-volume week with a very long run the next week, then maybe do one more week of intensity before tapering. I don't plan to do an extreme taper until the week of, but I do plan to lower the mileage and not push the length of long runs so much for the last three weeks before race day.
As an added bonus, these numbers come in a week when I am transitioning, once again, to zero-drop shoes. I used Altras in my first 50k, and while I was not entirely happy with the fit of those shoes, I liked the general idea and feel of them. My primary beef with the shoes I was wearing was that they were too long in the toes, which has been corrected in my new pairs.
I had forgotten, however, that even though I've been wearing 3-4mm drop shoes for some time, the transition to zero drop still takes a bit of time. And during that time (there's no way to put this delicately) your butt is sore. The zero drop, foot shaped shoes Altra produces require the firing of different muscles than I am used to. That leads to increased soreness for a while in some areas, even while it reduces soreness in others.
Enough on that, to the summary already!
Monday: 5 miles, 40 minutes easy. I took this run on part of my hill/fartlek route from the week before, as my attempt to a) add more variety into my runs and b) add more hills into same.
Tuesday: 7.5 miles, 52 minutes. Hill/Fartlek run. Took the same route as last week, but added in an extra hill for some more fun. The first hill HURT, as I gunned it up a set of steps along I-35E. I passed a pair of young women running (well, walking up the steps) and heard a muffled "Holy s**t!" from behind me as I took the stairs two at a time. I must have looked strong.
The rest of the run was an effort to keep the tempo up on the flats, and pound out the ascents. I finished this one a little wobbly.
Wednesday: AM: 4 miles, 30 minutes easy down the middle of Summit. I am so, so glad that this stretch of path is open again. I much prefer it to running down the sidewalk or in the street.
PM: An unexpected 3 on the treadmill and 250m swimming. G decided to do yoga class after we got to the gym, so I put in a few miles and added a bit of swimming in there. I just set the treadmill to "random" and went with it. Turns out that this was probably too much after the hard workout yesterday.
And so . . .
Thursday: Off.
Friday: 7 miles. 56ish minutes? I started out thinking an easy 5-miler was in order. I was planning on doing a longish run both Saturday and Sunday, so I wanted to keep things short. My legs felt good, though, and I felt like I was finally getting used to the Altra Superiors. So I popped down to the end of Summit at the Mississippi and got in 7.
Saturday: 4 miles. Slow (probably 32+ minutes) Woke up feeling just awful. I clawed out of bed at 7AM, hoping to get a run in before meeting my parents at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts at 10. They were in town to head to a play at the Guthrie, and we decided to take in the Matisse exhibit with them and grab lunch before the show. But at 7, I got out of bed, head pounding (why? I had two drinks the night before. Has it really come to that?), fed the cats, and crawled back in bed for another two hours of rest.
I finally headed out for a run around 2:30, put in 4 miles, and headed home. At that point, I was unsure if I could even get in my planned 11 miles the next day.
Sunday: 22 miles. 3:08. This was a big one for me: the longest (distance-wise, I've run much longer times in Colorado) training run I've ever done. It was broken into two identical loops, with a return home (to see if we were going to church) in the middle.
I bolted out of bed a little after 7 (I don't set an alarm on weekends, ever), fed the cats (priorities are critical), wolfed down some bread and hummus and was out the door within a half hour of waking up. I left the phone at home for the first lab, thinking it might rain, and took off down Summit towards the river gorge. I figured Summit out and back, plus the section of trail from Lake to Ford, would make about 11 miles all told.
After an initial two miles or so of stiffness, my legs loosened up a bit, proving once again that you should never judge a workout until you're two miles into it.
I found the trail along the edge of the gorge south of Summit to be even more technical and scary than I remember. I think, all told, this route is probably faster on packed snow than on mud and dirt. At points, running on wet dirt just a few inches from the ledge, I found myself walking rather than risk a misstep. I doubt I would actually fall, but I have no desire to risk it.
I hit Summit again at a bit under 1:10 and took off for the house, coming in the door at 1:35 on the dot. It was around 9:15 or so, and after checking with G to find she wasn't up for church this morning, I refilled my Jurek Endure with water and a gel, grabbed my phone, sucked down a VFuel and was out the door and on my way again, hoping to be done with the run before 11.
Halfway down Summit, I was feeling surprisingly fresh and quick, so I took a look at Strava to see I was on a 7:15 or so mile pace. Once on the river gorge trail again, that pace slowed considerably as I again picked my way along the ledges. On the way back to Summit the final time, I ran into the first other runner I've seen on the Gorge. He looked to be straight out of Boulder, with a mustache and handheld, and after chatting a bit and introducing ourselves, we went our respective ways. Hopefully I will run into him again at some point.
Back on Summit again, I was still feeling good, so I decided to push it just a bit and try to negative split the whole run. I averaged 7:15s on the uphills and 7min or so on the flatter portions, coming in to my back yard at 1:33 on the clock. Not a huge negative split, but along with the overall distance and time (good for 8:30 pace over all), this was a huge boost to my confidence in my training going into the last month before my race.
Totals: 52.5 miles, almost exactly 7 hours.
The plan now is to take a shorter long run this week after putting in some intensity (Saturday is, after all, my 31st birthday, Sunday is Easter, and Monday is Boston!), hit another high-volume week with a very long run the next week, then maybe do one more week of intensity before tapering. I don't plan to do an extreme taper until the week of, but I do plan to lower the mileage and not push the length of long runs so much for the last three weeks before race day.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Week Ending 4/6/2014
This was a recover week for me, so the mileage and intensity was lower. I did manage to get a fun run in on Saturday, as well as a new type of hill/fartlek combination on Thursday.
Monday: 3.5 miles, 30 minutes. A short, easy run to get my legs moving again. Saturday, as you may recall, had been my second-longest training run ever. Hopefully that will drop to third after this next week.
Tuesday: 4 miles. 32 minutes. Easy down Summit. My workout plan for this week, each day, said "whatever I feel like," and for once I think I kept to that, without pushing to do extra mileage or extra intensity.
Wednesday: 6 miles, 48 minutes easy down Summit. The melt had almost completed by Wednesday, and I was out in shorts and a long-sleeve shirt for an easy run. About a mile into it, another guy slotted in behind me. It was an easy run for me, and I ended up feeling bad because he was clearly trying to keep up with me and working hard at it. In the meantime, I was concentrating on smooth, easy form and not breathing hard at all.
Thursday: 7 miles, 52 minute hill/fartlek. I found a new, fun workout to do on Thursday in the rain. Running straight down Selby to the Cathedral, I dropped down to the path along 35E. Then, any time I saw a path uphill to my right, I ran hard to the top. I took it easy on the downhills, and went at an up tempo pace for the flat areas. Many of these little hill sprints were partially or fully up staircases. Others were long and shallow. And in the middle, I ran a 1:34 up the Ramsey Hill, setting a 4 second PR on that section.
Later that night, we got 8 inches of snow . . .
Friday: 3.5 miles, 30 minutes easy.
Saturday: 10 miles, 1:42 long. The snow was starting to melt as I got going. I slept in a bit, since my long run was not going to be quite as long this week. I took the opportunity to explore the River Gorge area even more than I previously had.
It was an absolutely gorgeous morning to be out, with sun, warming temperatures, and little wind to speak of. Every runner in the Cities seemed to be out running on the bike paths above the gorge, and I got more than a few curious glances as I popped up and down from the trails as I found or lost them. It was another of those runs where I was happy to just be out having fun and doing what I love.
(Pictures to come).
Later that day, I stopped by Midwest Mountaineering to pick up a guidebook for the Border Route Trail. The more I learn about this 65 mile trail across the Northeast tip of the Arrowhead region of Minnesota, the more intrigued and intimidated I am by it.
It seems there are many reasons that the FKT is over 24 hours for this trail. Not only is it difficult to navigate period, because of a faint, overgrown trail and numerous cross trails, the iron in the rocks in the region will actually make compasses spin.
Intrigued. Intimidated. And interested.
Monday: 3.5 miles, 30 minutes. A short, easy run to get my legs moving again. Saturday, as you may recall, had been my second-longest training run ever. Hopefully that will drop to third after this next week.
Tuesday: 4 miles. 32 minutes. Easy down Summit. My workout plan for this week, each day, said "whatever I feel like," and for once I think I kept to that, without pushing to do extra mileage or extra intensity.
Wednesday: 6 miles, 48 minutes easy down Summit. The melt had almost completed by Wednesday, and I was out in shorts and a long-sleeve shirt for an easy run. About a mile into it, another guy slotted in behind me. It was an easy run for me, and I ended up feeling bad because he was clearly trying to keep up with me and working hard at it. In the meantime, I was concentrating on smooth, easy form and not breathing hard at all.
Thursday: 7 miles, 52 minute hill/fartlek. I found a new, fun workout to do on Thursday in the rain. Running straight down Selby to the Cathedral, I dropped down to the path along 35E. Then, any time I saw a path uphill to my right, I ran hard to the top. I took it easy on the downhills, and went at an up tempo pace for the flat areas. Many of these little hill sprints were partially or fully up staircases. Others were long and shallow. And in the middle, I ran a 1:34 up the Ramsey Hill, setting a 4 second PR on that section.
Later that night, we got 8 inches of snow . . .
Friday: 3.5 miles, 30 minutes easy.
Saturday: 10 miles, 1:42 long. The snow was starting to melt as I got going. I slept in a bit, since my long run was not going to be quite as long this week. I took the opportunity to explore the River Gorge area even more than I previously had.
It was an absolutely gorgeous morning to be out, with sun, warming temperatures, and little wind to speak of. Every runner in the Cities seemed to be out running on the bike paths above the gorge, and I got more than a few curious glances as I popped up and down from the trails as I found or lost them. It was another of those runs where I was happy to just be out having fun and doing what I love.
(Pictures to come).
Later that day, I stopped by Midwest Mountaineering to pick up a guidebook for the Border Route Trail. The more I learn about this 65 mile trail across the Northeast tip of the Arrowhead region of Minnesota, the more intrigued and intimidated I am by it.
It seems there are many reasons that the FKT is over 24 hours for this trail. Not only is it difficult to navigate period, because of a faint, overgrown trail and numerous cross trails, the iron in the rocks in the region will actually make compasses spin.
Intrigued. Intimidated. And interested.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Lunchtime Run Thoughts.
People regularly ask me what I think about when I'm running. The answer truly is "anything." The other day, however, it was more specific to running:
There used to be a theory that a person only had a finite number of heartbeats available to them during their lifetime. There was no scientific basis for this, but many people took it as fact in any case. This “fact” was then used to justify why a person should not exercise: it used up extra heartbeats by increasing heart rate.
However, we also know that resting heart rate decreases with increasing fitness. . My question is this: even supposing that the finite heartbeat theory were true (it’s not, of course, at least not in any time frame that will limit our lifespan) would the decrease in resting heart rate be enough to compensate for the increase in heart rate while exercising?
I think I should try a few calculations.
So, average resting heart rate according to Mayo is between 60 and 100 bpm. I will assume 75 or so as an average. Currently, my resting heart rate is about 45.
My maximum heart rate, estimated based on age, varies between 179 and 195, depending on who you ask. That sounds low to me, but I’ll go with it and say 185. Seemed to be the consensus.
So, let’s say I train at 85% of my max heart rate for about an hour a day. That’s a high estimate, as 85% of your max heart rate is about your lactate threshold. I don’t train anywhere near that level most of the time.
Beats per week = (60 min/hr x 23 hrs/day x 7 days/week x 45 resting heart rate ) + (60 min/ hr x 1 hr/day x 7 days/week x 185 x 85%) = roughly 500745 beats per week.
I realize this is an estimate, and probably not accurate. But, let’s compare that to somebody sedentary, with a 75 bpm resting heart rate:
Beats per week = (60 min/hr x 24 hrs/day x 7 days/week) = 756000 beats per week.
Even if I adjust my heart rate up to 50 or 60 bpm I end up ahead by 100000 beats per week.
So, though that was already disproven, had the doubters done a little math, they should have encouraged exercise, if only for the benefits of a lower resting heart rate.
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