I had some pretty clear goals going into this race. The primary goal was to run a controlled but sharp effort, injecting some fatigue into my legs without blowing out the tanks and adversely affect my training. Secondary goals were to get some more experience running at night, preferably at a fast pace, to get some additional mileage in, and finally, of course, to have some fun.
In the interest of that final goal, G (who was running the 5k) and I went out and bought some battery-powered light strings to wear during the race. I found a way to wrap them around myself, tucking the batteries into my shorts' key pocket, without adversely affecting my running. The lights had a side effect of causing other runners to not take me as seriously as they otherwise might have. Nobody else in the front line, or seemingly in the entire race, had thought to decorate.
Their loss. G and I were a huge hit with the race staff and the aid station volunteers, who promptly dubbed me "Christmas Tree" and G "Ms Purple Sparkles."
To keep myself from going too quickly, I set a max heartrate goal of 166 on my Suunto. This would keep me roughly at a marathon pace, making me work hard while leaving something in reserve. If I strayed out of this zone for too long, the watch would beep, letting me know that I was going too fast and to ease up a bit. It turns out that the watch allows you some leeway, so that I could stray from the target zone while running uphill. Overall, the method worked well (with a few mistakes on my end which I will outline later on).
The race itself was run over three laps of a ~4.3 mile course, which lends itself to a report by lap write-up:
Lap 1: As I said, nobody seemed to take the guy with Christmas lights wrapped around him seriously at the start line. At the same time, nobody seemed to want to start at the front, so I had half a yard on everybody before the race started at 6:15. Unfortunately, as I tend to do, I started too quickly. I ran the first mile in 7-flat, far too fast and over my heartrate. Once I realized this, I slowed down a bit and, after allowing a few more ambitious runners to pass, settled in to my rhythm for the evening.
(It was around mile two, as I slowed myself down, that somebody asked in passing "what are you plugged in to?" I bit back a sarcastic quip, "a really long extension cord," and told him it was a battery pack.)
The slower pace allowed me to fully appreciate the view at mile 2-3, as we ran along the Mississippi River Bluffs with (first) a phenomenal view of the sun setting over the skylines of Minneapolis and St Paul and (later) a view out along the river itself, with clouds lit up in purples and oranges by the sunset now behind us.
The course itself was technically very easy, running on wide, mown ski paths, which would allow for more confident footing after dark. It was not too challenging, with only 300 or so feet of elevation gain and loss per lap. But what hills there were proved remarkably steep, uphill and down. Coming on to one, you felt like you might run straight into it, and coming to the downhills, the trail simply seemed to disappear, particularly after dark. That said, the footing on the downhills was good, and I surprised a good many people by charging down each hill without worrying overmuch about injury.
One thing I've learned in my years of trail running: my legs and feet can take most anything I throw at them on the downhills as long as I relax and pay attention. The runners here seem much more tentative on the downhills than runners in Colorado, a fact I plan to continue to use to my advantage in future races.
Lap 2: By lap 2, the sun had fully set, with enough light left still in the first half that I did not need my headlamp and flashlight (the combination I've found works far better than either alone) until we were under the trees. By this point we had all basically settled into the paces and positions we would hold for the duration, barring the inevitable fadeouts from those who were more ambitious than prudent. I fell in behind a runner who was using the same headlamp/flashlight combination as me. I felt no real need to pass him, but rather stuck to my heartrate-based racing strategy.
I definitely felt the pace, but it felt sustainably hard: something I could hold on to for a good deal longer than 13 miles. And so the second lap passed without much incident.
Lap 3: By the third lap, it was fully dark, with lights required. I have run in the dark before, on trails and on roads, often running with the night run group in Boulder. But this was the first time that I had ever raced in the dark, and there are some definite differences. Mostly, I found it harder to concentrate, and kept letting my pace slip.
Nevertheless, around halfway through the lap, I glanced back and realized the runner I had been trading spots with for the last couple laps had disappeared behind me. This was also around the time when I started catching up to runners in the 5k and 10k races (and lapped one unfortunate half-marathoner). This snapped me out of the pace-slipping conundrum.
With about a mile and a half to go, I decided to let loose a little bit. My strategy of keeping the heart rate low seemed to have worked, and I had a ton of pep left in my legs. In fact, my strategy worked a little too well, because the pace I set (7:20 or so) still felt pretty easy, and, after passing two other half marathoners, crossed the finish line convinced that I had somehow cut the course.
I finished in 1:40:30 for 11th place over all.
More importantly I learned a few things.
Pacing: I can, in fact, keep an easyish pace during a race (something I have not succeeded at in the past) and let it not affect my training overly much. Heart rate is an excellent way to do this.
Starting: I still go out too fast in races. I will definitely have to keep this in mind for the 8-hour race, lest I blow up horribly.
Racing at night: I have never done this before, and so had little idea what to expect. The combination of a headlight and flashlight worked very well. It was not a technical trail, but I think this combination will work well for those as well. I did, however, find my pace slipping in and out a bit as my concentration wavered. I had trouble keeping my mind in racing mode. I looked down at my watch and saw my heart rate down a zone, and was not sure how it happened.
All in all, I think this was a successful training race. I managed to keep my pace in line for the most part, and hit 9 miles on Sunday to boot. I found out a few things about racing at night. I reigned in my start before it killed my race. And, had I raced rather than used it as a training run, I might have won.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Week Ending 10/12/2014
Monday: 7 miles, 55 minutes. 3x8 minutes at half marathon pace or above, with a 3 minute rest interval on a hilly course. I decided this particular day to run a half marathon on Friday night as part of my training for the Icebox 480.
Tuesday: 4.75 miles, 38 minutes. Nice, easy run down Summit. Recovery from the hard workout the day before.
Wednesday: 4.75 miles, 38 minutes. Same run as yesterday, but I added 6x10s sprints in to get the leg turnover going.
Thursday: 3 miles, 25 minutes. This was originally scheduled as a hard run in my training plan, but given the half the next day I opted for an easy run with 5 striders. I wanted to train through this race, but I also didn't want to risk injury by overdoing it. As I grow more experienced in running, I can tread the line between training enough and overtraining with more ease. My gut told me that I would risk injury running a hard workout even if I took it fairly easy in the race the next day.
Friday: 13.1 miles. 1:40. Night Lights Half Marathon. (Race report coming soon).
Saturday: Off. I considered running, but again, did not want to injure myself. Since the race was in the evening, I figured I could still get the back-to-back benefit by running Sunday morning.
Sunday: 9 miles. 1:21. My legs definitely still felt the race on Friday, but I succeeded in getting a longish run in on a gorgeous fall day. I shuffled my way down to the River Gorge and back. THere were far more people than usual out on the singletrack above the Gorge today. I purposefully kept the pace slow and steady, trying to average about the pace I hope to hit in the 480 on November 8th. I did, successfully hitting 6.2 miles (the length of a lap at the 480) at almost exactly 57 minutes. That would give me 3 minutes at the aid station each lap and still let me hit my goal of 8 full laps.
Assuming that I can keep that pace.
It was a solid week of training. 42 miles and one half marathon under my belt. My training seems to be moving along well. The night race was fun, and I learned a thing or two about pacing. I also learned about night running, something I imagine will be useful if I continue pushing out to longer and longer distances.
Plus, I got to wrap a string of lights around myself and still run a decent race.
Tuesday: 4.75 miles, 38 minutes. Nice, easy run down Summit. Recovery from the hard workout the day before.
Wednesday: 4.75 miles, 38 minutes. Same run as yesterday, but I added 6x10s sprints in to get the leg turnover going.
Thursday: 3 miles, 25 minutes. This was originally scheduled as a hard run in my training plan, but given the half the next day I opted for an easy run with 5 striders. I wanted to train through this race, but I also didn't want to risk injury by overdoing it. As I grow more experienced in running, I can tread the line between training enough and overtraining with more ease. My gut told me that I would risk injury running a hard workout even if I took it fairly easy in the race the next day.
Friday: 13.1 miles. 1:40. Night Lights Half Marathon. (Race report coming soon).
Saturday: Off. I considered running, but again, did not want to injure myself. Since the race was in the evening, I figured I could still get the back-to-back benefit by running Sunday morning.
Sunday: 9 miles. 1:21. My legs definitely still felt the race on Friday, but I succeeded in getting a longish run in on a gorgeous fall day. I shuffled my way down to the River Gorge and back. THere were far more people than usual out on the singletrack above the Gorge today. I purposefully kept the pace slow and steady, trying to average about the pace I hope to hit in the 480 on November 8th. I did, successfully hitting 6.2 miles (the length of a lap at the 480) at almost exactly 57 minutes. That would give me 3 minutes at the aid station each lap and still let me hit my goal of 8 full laps.
Assuming that I can keep that pace.
It was a solid week of training. 42 miles and one half marathon under my belt. My training seems to be moving along well. The night race was fun, and I learned a thing or two about pacing. I also learned about night running, something I imagine will be useful if I continue pushing out to longer and longer distances.
Plus, I got to wrap a string of lights around myself and still run a decent race.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Two Weeks Ending 10/5/2014
It has been a solid two weeks of training for me. I feel more and more like this training program, which is slightly more intense with slightly less mileage than programs I've done recently, is pushing me towards greater fitness. It is enough that I am considering (strongly) entering a half-marathon that's being run on Friday night.
On with the summary.
Monday 9/22: Off. Drove back from a BWCA trip and was in no shape to go for a run.
Tuesday 9/23: 6 miles, 48 minutes easy down Summit. Preparing for a tough week of training. Added in a brief sprint every 5 or so minutes to get the turnover going. After several days in a canoe and a car, my legs were more than a little stiff, so the pickups were much needed.
Wednesday 9/24: 6.25 miles, 49 minutes. 5x3minutes at a hard (6:10-6:30 pace) effort with 2 minute rest. Chose a hilly course to get some strength work in.
Thursday 9/25: 5 miles. 40 minutes easy down Summit. Recovery day.
Friday 9/26: 5.1 miles, 54 minutes trail running on the River Gorge area. This was a hill day, so I did 10 hard repeats up from the river to the bike path. I lowered the average time for these below 1:10 this time, despite a hard week leading up to this point. All 10 felt relatively even and hard, though I naturally blew out the tubes on the last one for a 1:03 to close it off.
Saturday 9/27: Off, if you consider 7 hours of wandering around the Ren Fest an off day.
Sunday 9/28: 16 miles, 2:20. 1800'+ elevation change. This was my first time out at Afton State Park for a run, and I chose to do the Afton 25k loop. Weather was sunny and nearly 70 by the time I finished my run at 11 or so.
I was pleasantly surprised by this loop. It was long, varied, with a large amount of elevation change. I was trying to keep it at a very easy effort, since I had not been on a long trail run since my last race in May. That said, I think it went fairly well. The trail was not consistently technical, but there were enough single-track and technical sections that I think this will be a good prep course for the other races I have planned for the future, particularly if I get to the point where I start doing repeats on the hills.
Weekly Totals: ~38.5 miles.
Monday 9/29: 3.5 miles, 30 minutes to start my off week.
Tuesday 9/30: Off.
Wednesday 10/1: 5 miles, 40 minutes down Summit with a few up-tempo portions thrown in for fun.
Thursday 10/2: 5 miles, 37 minutes. Added a fast stretch (5:40 or lower) at the end for a little extra workout and to get the remaining kinks out of my legs.
Friday 10/3: Off.
Saturday 10/4: 15.5 miles, 2:12, out at Afton again.
Sunday: 10/5: Off. Spectated the Twin Cities Marathon and 10 mile. It was fun to see some friends from Colorado come out and throw down on my local course. Lee Troop ran a controlled 49:54 for the 10 miler. He even responded to my cheers with a "cheers" of his own. Tyler McCandless took 1:20 off his PR to finish strong in 5th place in the US marathon championships.
Weekly Totals: 29 miles.
What a difference a low-intensity, relatively low-mileage week makes. I went out to Afton on Saturday with much fresher legs than the week before. The temperatures were also 30 or so degrees colder than the week prior.
I did not consciously push the pace on this run anywhere but the flats, but due to fresher legs and a better understanding of where I was (read: fewer stops at trail signs) I came in around 10 minutes faster than I had the week before. I pushed myself just a bit on the flat portions along the St Croix, just to see how my turnover would go on a long run. I did ok, averaging just over 7-minute pace in the middle of a long run. And it didn't feel like I was pushing that hard.
I think, over all, my training is progressing well. For a given heart rate, my pace is getting steadily faster. I can run farther each week than I could before. My long runs are coming along nicely now that I found a fun place to go. All in all, things are looking good.
This week, I have a half-marathon scheduled on Friday night. I am training through this one, and am going to set some heart rate alarms on my watch so that I don't end up pushing too hard. The course is three laps of Battle Creek Park in St Paul, and takes place just before and just after sundown. My fiancee will be participating in the 5k at the same time, so it should be a fun night.
My goal will be to also run long on Sunday, and thereby get nearly a back to back long run in. With that in mind, I intend to take the first lap of the half really easy, using it as a scouting lap for the next two. After that, I'll consider where I am, and pick up the pace either on the second or third lap. Regardless, I intend to close at speed.
I am excited.
On with the summary.
Monday 9/22: Off. Drove back from a BWCA trip and was in no shape to go for a run.
Tuesday 9/23: 6 miles, 48 minutes easy down Summit. Preparing for a tough week of training. Added in a brief sprint every 5 or so minutes to get the turnover going. After several days in a canoe and a car, my legs were more than a little stiff, so the pickups were much needed.
Wednesday 9/24: 6.25 miles, 49 minutes. 5x3minutes at a hard (6:10-6:30 pace) effort with 2 minute rest. Chose a hilly course to get some strength work in.
Thursday 9/25: 5 miles. 40 minutes easy down Summit. Recovery day.
Friday 9/26: 5.1 miles, 54 minutes trail running on the River Gorge area. This was a hill day, so I did 10 hard repeats up from the river to the bike path. I lowered the average time for these below 1:10 this time, despite a hard week leading up to this point. All 10 felt relatively even and hard, though I naturally blew out the tubes on the last one for a 1:03 to close it off.
Saturday 9/27: Off, if you consider 7 hours of wandering around the Ren Fest an off day.
Sunday 9/28: 16 miles, 2:20. 1800'+ elevation change. This was my first time out at Afton State Park for a run, and I chose to do the Afton 25k loop. Weather was sunny and nearly 70 by the time I finished my run at 11 or so.
I was pleasantly surprised by this loop. It was long, varied, with a large amount of elevation change. I was trying to keep it at a very easy effort, since I had not been on a long trail run since my last race in May. That said, I think it went fairly well. The trail was not consistently technical, but there were enough single-track and technical sections that I think this will be a good prep course for the other races I have planned for the future, particularly if I get to the point where I start doing repeats on the hills.
Weekly Totals: ~38.5 miles.
 |
| From Afton, looking out over the St Croix river valley. |
Tuesday 9/30: Off.
Wednesday 10/1: 5 miles, 40 minutes down Summit with a few up-tempo portions thrown in for fun.
Thursday 10/2: 5 miles, 37 minutes. Added a fast stretch (5:40 or lower) at the end for a little extra workout and to get the remaining kinks out of my legs.
Friday 10/3: Off.
Saturday 10/4: 15.5 miles, 2:12, out at Afton again.
Sunday: 10/5: Off. Spectated the Twin Cities Marathon and 10 mile. It was fun to see some friends from Colorado come out and throw down on my local course. Lee Troop ran a controlled 49:54 for the 10 miler. He even responded to my cheers with a "cheers" of his own. Tyler McCandless took 1:20 off his PR to finish strong in 5th place in the US marathon championships.
Weekly Totals: 29 miles.
What a difference a low-intensity, relatively low-mileage week makes. I went out to Afton on Saturday with much fresher legs than the week before. The temperatures were also 30 or so degrees colder than the week prior.
I did not consciously push the pace on this run anywhere but the flats, but due to fresher legs and a better understanding of where I was (read: fewer stops at trail signs) I came in around 10 minutes faster than I had the week before. I pushed myself just a bit on the flat portions along the St Croix, just to see how my turnover would go on a long run. I did ok, averaging just over 7-minute pace in the middle of a long run. And it didn't feel like I was pushing that hard.
I think, over all, my training is progressing well. For a given heart rate, my pace is getting steadily faster. I can run farther each week than I could before. My long runs are coming along nicely now that I found a fun place to go. All in all, things are looking good.
This week, I have a half-marathon scheduled on Friday night. I am training through this one, and am going to set some heart rate alarms on my watch so that I don't end up pushing too hard. The course is three laps of Battle Creek Park in St Paul, and takes place just before and just after sundown. My fiancee will be participating in the 5k at the same time, so it should be a fun night.
My goal will be to also run long on Sunday, and thereby get nearly a back to back long run in. With that in mind, I intend to take the first lap of the half really easy, using it as a scouting lap for the next two. After that, I'll consider where I am, and pick up the pace either on the second or third lap. Regardless, I intend to close at speed.
I am excited.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
2 Weeks Ending 9/20
Monday 9/8: 6 miles. 46 minutes. 3x5 minutes at medium hard effort on a hilly course. This workout felt solid. Not hard enough to leave me trashed, but built a lot of confidence.
Tuesday 9/9: 4 miles. 32 minutes easy plus 12x10s sprints. Really opened the legs up on these, dropping down to sub-4 minute pace on several.
Wednesday 9/10: 4.75 miles, 40 minutes. Easy. Needed a recovery day after the last two. The workouts in this training plan are more intense on a more regular basis than I am used to, but my top speeds and certain heartrates are getting faster. I'm not feeling burnt out or like I'm not recovering, so I will keep going with it.
Thursday 9/11: 4.5 miles (and a bit), 53 minutes. 8 x River Gorge Hill hard. Good, hard hill workout. Averaged about 1:12-1:14 per repeat. Unfortunately, at the bottom of the hill, on the bank of the Mississippi, there was a very dead corpse of some animal. The smell, and the sight of the ribs poking out, definitely motivated me to get back up that hill.
Friday 9/12: Off.
Saturday 9/13: 13.1 miles, 1:57. That's not going to win me any half marathons anytime soon, but it got me out for a long run around the River Gorge loop. I didn't quite break the 2 hour mark with this run, but my next long run should do it.
Sunday 9/14: Off. I did wander around Afton State Park for an hour or so. Probably added a couple miles to the weekly total.
Weekly total 32 miles
Monday 9/15: 4.75 miles, 40 minutes. Easy start to a truncated week of running.
Tuesday 9/16: 6.2 miles. 50 miles. 4x5 minutes hard with a 2 minute rest on a hilly course. Another boost of confidence. These intervals were suggested to match my half-marathon pace based on my heartrate, and I kept them between 6:30 and 6:40 pace, save for one that was particularly hilly and topped out over 7 minute pace. All in all, a solid effort.
Wednesday 9/17: Off.
Thursday 9/18: 5.8 miles, 48 minutes. 5x10s sprints followed by 6x1minute at 5:20-5:30 pace. Some of these were in fact slower than the prescribed pace. I am unsure whether this is correct, as the pace on my watch suggested I was consistently going faster than recorded ultimately. However, as the majority of these were uphill on a trail, I think I'm ok with the results.
Friday 9/19: 3.75 miles, 31 minutes. Easy recovery day before heading up to the BWCA in the afternoon.
Saturday-Monday: BWCA trip. No running, but lots of canoeing and general hiking, with a little bit of portaging mixed in.
I didn't quite get the prescribed mileage in, and got no long run in the second week of this training segment. Even so, I feel like my training is progressing well. My legs continue to recover better than I expect, and nothing untoward is happening with my heartrate, so I don't think overtraining is an issue.
That said, I really need to get my long runs in the next few weeks. This week I will be aiming for 2:30 at the least, with 3 hours the next week and a subsequent double (3+ hours followed by 1+ hours the day after, getting half of my ultimate race time over the course of two days.
After almost two months of this particular training plan, I am not quite sure how I feel about being on a fixed plan again. I love the structure, and I feel that I am definitely improving my speed and general endurance. At the same time, I miss the freedom I had previously. I need to start running more freely on some of my non-specific days. This weekend's long run grants a little more freedom to my heart rate, so I think I will head out to Afton without my heartrate monitor and just let myself enjoy my long run.
Tuesday 9/9: 4 miles. 32 minutes easy plus 12x10s sprints. Really opened the legs up on these, dropping down to sub-4 minute pace on several.
Wednesday 9/10: 4.75 miles, 40 minutes. Easy. Needed a recovery day after the last two. The workouts in this training plan are more intense on a more regular basis than I am used to, but my top speeds and certain heartrates are getting faster. I'm not feeling burnt out or like I'm not recovering, so I will keep going with it.
Thursday 9/11: 4.5 miles (and a bit), 53 minutes. 8 x River Gorge Hill hard. Good, hard hill workout. Averaged about 1:12-1:14 per repeat. Unfortunately, at the bottom of the hill, on the bank of the Mississippi, there was a very dead corpse of some animal. The smell, and the sight of the ribs poking out, definitely motivated me to get back up that hill.
Friday 9/12: Off.
Saturday 9/13: 13.1 miles, 1:57. That's not going to win me any half marathons anytime soon, but it got me out for a long run around the River Gorge loop. I didn't quite break the 2 hour mark with this run, but my next long run should do it.
Sunday 9/14: Off. I did wander around Afton State Park for an hour or so. Probably added a couple miles to the weekly total.
Weekly total 32 miles
Monday 9/15: 4.75 miles, 40 minutes. Easy start to a truncated week of running.
Tuesday 9/16: 6.2 miles. 50 miles. 4x5 minutes hard with a 2 minute rest on a hilly course. Another boost of confidence. These intervals were suggested to match my half-marathon pace based on my heartrate, and I kept them between 6:30 and 6:40 pace, save for one that was particularly hilly and topped out over 7 minute pace. All in all, a solid effort.
Wednesday 9/17: Off.
Thursday 9/18: 5.8 miles, 48 minutes. 5x10s sprints followed by 6x1minute at 5:20-5:30 pace. Some of these were in fact slower than the prescribed pace. I am unsure whether this is correct, as the pace on my watch suggested I was consistently going faster than recorded ultimately. However, as the majority of these were uphill on a trail, I think I'm ok with the results.
Friday 9/19: 3.75 miles, 31 minutes. Easy recovery day before heading up to the BWCA in the afternoon.
Saturday-Monday: BWCA trip. No running, but lots of canoeing and general hiking, with a little bit of portaging mixed in.
I didn't quite get the prescribed mileage in, and got no long run in the second week of this training segment. Even so, I feel like my training is progressing well. My legs continue to recover better than I expect, and nothing untoward is happening with my heartrate, so I don't think overtraining is an issue.
That said, I really need to get my long runs in the next few weeks. This week I will be aiming for 2:30 at the least, with 3 hours the next week and a subsequent double (3+ hours followed by 1+ hours the day after, getting half of my ultimate race time over the course of two days.
After almost two months of this particular training plan, I am not quite sure how I feel about being on a fixed plan again. I love the structure, and I feel that I am definitely improving my speed and general endurance. At the same time, I miss the freedom I had previously. I need to start running more freely on some of my non-specific days. This weekend's long run grants a little more freedom to my heart rate, so I think I will head out to Afton without my heartrate monitor and just let myself enjoy my long run.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Week Ending 9/7/2014
Monday: 8.5 miles. 1:20. Long run for Labor Day. This is the first longer run I've done since starting my new training regime. I felt slow, out of it, and incredibly happy to be out and about again. In point of fact, I was both slow and out of it, since I did not notice two of my friends running along the same road.
Tuesday: 3 miles, 25 minutes. Easy.
Wednesday: Off.
Thursday: 4.75 minutes, 40 minutes. 20 minutes ever-so-slightly up-tempo (just sub-8 minute pace).
Friday: 4 miles, 33 minutes. Easy.
Saturday: 11 miles, 1:44. Long run again. I took a route down Summit and along the River Gorge trail, taking whatever chance I could to drop down to the river and back up, to get a good 500' of elevation in. Again, I felt slow, particularly on the trails.
This week was my off week, officially, which is why I did not do any intensity. Due to the two longer runs, my distance for the week was still a bit over 31 miles. That marks the most I've done since the race in May, and makes me think that I might just be able to get back into it.
That being said, I still felt really slow on my long runs. I have been trying to keep within a low heart rate range, which seems to make me really slow on the trail sections. On the plus side, to run the way I want to run in November, I don't have to run any faster than I am right now.
On a more annoying note, I think my strength routine has ended up giving me a pulled muscle in my left arm and chest. I worried for a bit that it might be something more serious, but after a doctor's appointment the other day, I am not worried about that. And it seems to be gradually feeling better now that I'm taking a few days off from strength work.
Sometimes it seems like it's always something.
Tuesday: 3 miles, 25 minutes. Easy.
Wednesday: Off.
Thursday: 4.75 minutes, 40 minutes. 20 minutes ever-so-slightly up-tempo (just sub-8 minute pace).
Friday: 4 miles, 33 minutes. Easy.
Saturday: 11 miles, 1:44. Long run again. I took a route down Summit and along the River Gorge trail, taking whatever chance I could to drop down to the river and back up, to get a good 500' of elevation in. Again, I felt slow, particularly on the trails.
This week was my off week, officially, which is why I did not do any intensity. Due to the two longer runs, my distance for the week was still a bit over 31 miles. That marks the most I've done since the race in May, and makes me think that I might just be able to get back into it.
That being said, I still felt really slow on my long runs. I have been trying to keep within a low heart rate range, which seems to make me really slow on the trail sections. On the plus side, to run the way I want to run in November, I don't have to run any faster than I am right now.
On a more annoying note, I think my strength routine has ended up giving me a pulled muscle in my left arm and chest. I worried for a bit that it might be something more serious, but after a doctor's appointment the other day, I am not worried about that. And it seems to be gradually feeling better now that I'm taking a few days off from strength work.
Sometimes it seems like it's always something.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Two Weeks Ending August 31
Monday 8/18: 5 miles, 42 minutes. Easy run with 8x10s surges at the end. Workout called for 6, but it felt so great to stretch my legs out and sprint a bit, that I added a couple extra on the end, bringing the pace down to 3:30 miles, according to my Suunto.
Tuesday 8/19: 46 minutes, 4.2 miles. I had a hill workout on the schedule for Wednesday, and wanted to see if my favorite River Gorge hill was long enough, so I took to the trails for an easy (very easy) scouting run. Sadly, even at a very easy pace, the hill I was hoping for was still less than 2 minutes long. This relegated the next day's workout to the roads. This run, though, reminded me again that I am, at heart, a trail runner.
Wednesday 8/20: 5.5 miles, 48 minutes. 4x400m (125') hill repeats, + 3x2min repeats between 6:10 and 6:30 pace. Stepped out the door with the legs feeling flat, and they didn't feel that much better throughout the run, but I sucked it up and bore through the workout any way. I missed starting my watch on the first repeat, but the others were 1:53, 1:53, and 1:51 for the Ramsey Repeat. Even at a moderate pace, I haven't lost that much. I would love to see what I can do full bore on this hill again. I liked doing the additional post-hill repeats (well, they were difficult at the time, but I like them now). I think it builds some mental toughness that I will need in the Icebox 480 in November.
Thursday 8/21: Off? I Think I may have actually run this day, but I don't see it in my log.
Friday 8/22: (AM) 6 miles, 48 minutes. Easy and then a section of moderate down Summit and back. Felt good despite the hard week so far.
(PM) 4 miles (est) and 4 hours on my feet at the Fair. The Great Minnesota Get Together was as vast and confusing as always. I'm not sure whether my distance was accurate, but I would bet we walked at least one mile per hour. Probably more. And I ate absolutely nothing that came on a stick.
Saturday 8/23: 5 miles, 5 hours on my feet. We headed, you guessed it, back to the Fair. This time we decided to see the animal barns and take in some of the glory that is the Fair during the daytime. I did not make it through without a pretzel dog (on a stick), but we did a fair amount of roaming once again. Thankfully, it was a relatively cool day, with the temperature hovering between 70 and 75 under cloudy skies.
Sunday: Off. Travelled to Pittsburgh.
Monday 8/25: 4.75 miles, 49 minutes, 500'+ elevation. Headed over to Frick Park in Pittsburgh to see what the trails were like. There were a lot of ups and downs. In fact, I'm not sure there was anything but ups and downs for this entire run. If anything, I think the elevation is low. I ended up on some mountain bike trails that, at times, I was unsure if I was supposed to be on. But I will say that I find dashing up, and jumping off, mountain bike obstacles to be very entertaining. I added surges into my run this way.
Tuesday 8/26: 4 miles, 33 minutes, 250' elevation. Took it easy and ran the three quarters of a mile over to Schenley (sp?) park in Pittsburgh from my Hotel. Saw, for the second day in a row, what I think must be either the Pitt or CMU women's cross country team doing a long hill workout. Surprisingly nice trails, even if they were wide gravel bike paths.
Wednesday 8/27: Off
Thursday 8/28: 6.75 miles, 56 minutes, 400' elevation. Again over to Schenley. This time I ran with my friend and coworker E for a little while before taking off to do 7x2 minute intervals. Workout said for 6:10 to 6:30 pace again, but I had to run based on effort due to the hilly nature of the park. This meant that during my intervals, my pace ranged anywhere from 4 minute pace to 9 minute pace on a particularly nasty uphill. The day off must have done wonders, because my legs didn't feel tired even at the end, even though I definitely pushed myself.
Friday 8/29: 3.5 miles, 30 minutes. Squeezed in another quick lap of Schenley before heading to the airport.
All in all, a very satisfying two weeks, even if I did not get my long runs in like I need to. My turnover is coming back, and I know that I can run for long periods of time.
My focus now, though, has to shift to getting my long runs in on the weekends. This past weekend I opted to sleep in on Saturday (on which day I still walked around the Minnesota Zoo for several hours), headed to Duluth on Sunday (and proceeded to longboard, which is a much better workout than you might think).
Monday I did run longer, hitting an hour twenty. This week, my goal is to push that out to 1:45 and up it as much as I can the following weeks until I reach 3+ hours. From that point on, I plan to sub out one shorter, harder workout during the week for a longer mid-week run. Ideally, I will also get a back-to-back weekend in in October before the race in November. If I can pull that off, I might have a shot at running for a full 8 hours.
Tuesday 8/19: 46 minutes, 4.2 miles. I had a hill workout on the schedule for Wednesday, and wanted to see if my favorite River Gorge hill was long enough, so I took to the trails for an easy (very easy) scouting run. Sadly, even at a very easy pace, the hill I was hoping for was still less than 2 minutes long. This relegated the next day's workout to the roads. This run, though, reminded me again that I am, at heart, a trail runner.
Wednesday 8/20: 5.5 miles, 48 minutes. 4x400m (125') hill repeats, + 3x2min repeats between 6:10 and 6:30 pace. Stepped out the door with the legs feeling flat, and they didn't feel that much better throughout the run, but I sucked it up and bore through the workout any way. I missed starting my watch on the first repeat, but the others were 1:53, 1:53, and 1:51 for the Ramsey Repeat. Even at a moderate pace, I haven't lost that much. I would love to see what I can do full bore on this hill again. I liked doing the additional post-hill repeats (well, they were difficult at the time, but I like them now). I think it builds some mental toughness that I will need in the Icebox 480 in November.
Thursday 8/21: Off? I Think I may have actually run this day, but I don't see it in my log.
Friday 8/22: (AM) 6 miles, 48 minutes. Easy and then a section of moderate down Summit and back. Felt good despite the hard week so far.
(PM) 4 miles (est) and 4 hours on my feet at the Fair. The Great Minnesota Get Together was as vast and confusing as always. I'm not sure whether my distance was accurate, but I would bet we walked at least one mile per hour. Probably more. And I ate absolutely nothing that came on a stick.
Saturday 8/23: 5 miles, 5 hours on my feet. We headed, you guessed it, back to the Fair. This time we decided to see the animal barns and take in some of the glory that is the Fair during the daytime. I did not make it through without a pretzel dog (on a stick), but we did a fair amount of roaming once again. Thankfully, it was a relatively cool day, with the temperature hovering between 70 and 75 under cloudy skies.
Sunday: Off. Travelled to Pittsburgh.
Monday 8/25: 4.75 miles, 49 minutes, 500'+ elevation. Headed over to Frick Park in Pittsburgh to see what the trails were like. There were a lot of ups and downs. In fact, I'm not sure there was anything but ups and downs for this entire run. If anything, I think the elevation is low. I ended up on some mountain bike trails that, at times, I was unsure if I was supposed to be on. But I will say that I find dashing up, and jumping off, mountain bike obstacles to be very entertaining. I added surges into my run this way.
Tuesday 8/26: 4 miles, 33 minutes, 250' elevation. Took it easy and ran the three quarters of a mile over to Schenley (sp?) park in Pittsburgh from my Hotel. Saw, for the second day in a row, what I think must be either the Pitt or CMU women's cross country team doing a long hill workout. Surprisingly nice trails, even if they were wide gravel bike paths.
Wednesday 8/27: Off
Thursday 8/28: 6.75 miles, 56 minutes, 400' elevation. Again over to Schenley. This time I ran with my friend and coworker E for a little while before taking off to do 7x2 minute intervals. Workout said for 6:10 to 6:30 pace again, but I had to run based on effort due to the hilly nature of the park. This meant that during my intervals, my pace ranged anywhere from 4 minute pace to 9 minute pace on a particularly nasty uphill. The day off must have done wonders, because my legs didn't feel tired even at the end, even though I definitely pushed myself.
Friday 8/29: 3.5 miles, 30 minutes. Squeezed in another quick lap of Schenley before heading to the airport.
All in all, a very satisfying two weeks, even if I did not get my long runs in like I need to. My turnover is coming back, and I know that I can run for long periods of time.
My focus now, though, has to shift to getting my long runs in on the weekends. This past weekend I opted to sleep in on Saturday (on which day I still walked around the Minnesota Zoo for several hours), headed to Duluth on Sunday (and proceeded to longboard, which is a much better workout than you might think).
Monday I did run longer, hitting an hour twenty. This week, my goal is to push that out to 1:45 and up it as much as I can the following weeks until I reach 3+ hours. From that point on, I plan to sub out one shorter, harder workout during the week for a longer mid-week run. Ideally, I will also get a back-to-back weekend in in October before the race in November. If I can pull that off, I might have a shot at running for a full 8 hours.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Week Ending August 17, 2014
Monday: 6.2 miles. 51:22. Easy run with 6x20s surges, + leg/foot strengthening. Felt slow overall, but I think that was more because I was constraining myself by heart rate for the first time. Surges felt good.
Tuesday: 5.4 miles. 45:00. Easy + core/upper body strength.
Wednesday: 5.4 miles. 45:00 with 5x2minutes stated at sub-6:30 pace. Two were slower than 6:30 pace, but they were also uphill. Legs felt slow going in, but the surges themselves felt good. This was my first time revisiting my hilly course from my training for the 50k. Felt good to be back.
Thursday: 4 miles, 32:55. Easy recovery run + leg/foot strengthening. Legs were tired from the prior three days of running. I had not actually planned to run, but my weekend plans precluded any running whatsoever, so I bit the bullet.
Friday: 3.8 miles, 31:13 + core/upper body strength. Legs were still tired. Got to do some (mildly) faster running, based on pace rather than heart rate.
Saturday-Sunday: I was out at a friend's cabin on Lake Minnetonka, on an island if you can believe it. Through the two days, we probably spent 1.5-2 hours, or more, in the water (swimming and treading water) over the course of the weekend.
I am definitely back at it, and have the sore legs to prove it.
The Cool Impossible lists a range of times/repetitions for each of the workouts listed in Orton's training plans. For this week, I aimed for somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. As I go through, I hope to move myself up towards the upper threshold of the workouts. For now, though, the workouts I've done have left me fairly tired.
But I am back in the game, and feel like I'm making progress towards my Icebox 480 race later this year.
Tuesday: 5.4 miles. 45:00. Easy + core/upper body strength.
Wednesday: 5.4 miles. 45:00 with 5x2minutes stated at sub-6:30 pace. Two were slower than 6:30 pace, but they were also uphill. Legs felt slow going in, but the surges themselves felt good. This was my first time revisiting my hilly course from my training for the 50k. Felt good to be back.
Thursday: 4 miles, 32:55. Easy recovery run + leg/foot strengthening. Legs were tired from the prior three days of running. I had not actually planned to run, but my weekend plans precluded any running whatsoever, so I bit the bullet.
Friday: 3.8 miles, 31:13 + core/upper body strength. Legs were still tired. Got to do some (mildly) faster running, based on pace rather than heart rate.
Saturday-Sunday: I was out at a friend's cabin on Lake Minnetonka, on an island if you can believe it. Through the two days, we probably spent 1.5-2 hours, or more, in the water (swimming and treading water) over the course of the weekend.
I am definitely back at it, and have the sore legs to prove it.
The Cool Impossible lists a range of times/repetitions for each of the workouts listed in Orton's training plans. For this week, I aimed for somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. As I go through, I hope to move myself up towards the upper threshold of the workouts. For now, though, the workouts I've done have left me fairly tired.
But I am back in the game, and feel like I'm making progress towards my Icebox 480 race later this year.
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