Fortnight ending 2/15: WINTER!

Ice Beard! 11 miles in single digits will do that. 

Week 1: 26.2 miles. 3 hours 37 minutes. 

Week 2: 30 miles. 4 hours 10 minutes. 

These two weeks brought the worst weather, temperature-wise, of the winter so far. They were also the first two of a three-month buildup period, which means I was ramping up the mileage reasonably heavily the whole time. 

I generally like running in winter, and these two weeks were no exception. I think that having an adversary (of any sort) to run against is what really makes winter running easier for me. Weather gives you an adversary, and the resulting motivation to run against it. 

The last two weeks also marked the introduction of more quality workouts into my routine. Each week, I did a hill workout on Tuesday, and a strength routine following my run on Thursday. I took a different take on the hill workouts this time: rather than repeat one hill over and over, I progress from one hill to the next. For my particular route, the first “hill” is a set of stairs, which rises about 100 feet up the bluffs. The second is a half-mile long, shallow hill that rises 125 feet. Ramsey hill marks the third. And the fourth, which I only ran the second week, is another longer, shallower hill. I still have a good 3 or 4 hills I can add on to this run as I go along. By the time racing season comes along, I should be good to go. 

This fortnight was remarkable in how much fun I had running as well. It was consistently sunny, and snowed just enough that I was often breaking trail on my morning runs. That is, if you count punching through a scant half-inch of snow “breaking trail.” I remember coming back from runs feeling more refreshed and happy than when I left. 

Towards the end of the two-week period, though, winter got a little old. I was planning an 11-mile run the last Saturday of the fortnight, but awoke to find the temperature in the single-digits below zero and the windchill at -25. I chose to run three miles on Saturday and punt the long run till Sunday. 

Sunday I did the planned 11-mile double lap of the River Gorge loop along the Mississippi, and despite the single-digit temperatures and still-significant windchill, I saw more people out and about on the trails than I ever have before. This included another runner, which marks only the third time I’ve seen another runner out on the trail portion of the Gorge. 

I also, despite the temperature and the wind, managed to overheat. 

All in all, it was a good couple of weeks, culminating in a long run that felt, over all, quite good. 

Things are progressing the right direction. 

From long run #1. Morning light over one of my favorite spots on the River Gorge Loop.

I'm sad the focus on my phone couldn't handle this. Just down by Summit ave, this is apparently a place where people come to ice climb in the winter. 

Week Ending 2/1: Rest Week

I’m going to stop posting daily summaries here. The weeks tend to be pretty similar, all told. So from here on out, I’ll still post weekly mileage and time totals, but unless there’s something particularly interesting, I’ll limit it to that. 

Totals: 18 miles. 2:27. ~1000’ 

I find rest weeks difficult. I don’t think that separates me from most runners. I know they’re necessary, and they definitely help my training over all. Strangely, though, despite the lower mileage and the easier intensity, my legs never feel very good on my rest weeks. If anything, they usually feel worse. 

From what I understand, that’s pretty typical. The rest weeks give your legs a chance to heal the damage from the preceding weeks. Naturally, when they’re busy healing, they don’t feel all that great. 

It’s hard from a mental standpoint, too. I know, logically, that the rest week is good. I know in my head that I’m not losing any fitness by taking it easier for a week. But mentally, it’s hard to get past the “I should be running more” block. 

We runners are obsessive by nature, but that obsession does not always extend to resting. 

The Uphill Challenge: I signed up for an Upper Midwest Trail Runners (UMTR) challenge for the first three months of the year. The challenge: to do at least one uphill challenge on the treadmill each month for the first three months of the year. Prizes will be awarded at Zumbro (for which I still have to register). 

For those who don’t know, the Uphill challenge is a treadmill exercise. You set the treadmill at 15% grade, and go as far as you can in 15 minutes. 

This month I went for 1.21 miles. I set the treadmill far to slow for most of it, though. I think, this month, I should be able to hit more like 1.30-1.35. 

It’s not particularly fun while you’re doing it, but I think it makes a good fitness test, and an excellent exercise in mental toughness.

Week Ending 1/25/2014, and dogs.

I am less than inspired to write a post this week. I think it's because, after ramping up the miles 4 weeks in a row, I opted to cut back a little this week. Whenever I do that, I feel a little less like writing about my running for the week.

So, I ran a total of 22 miles this past week, which was at the lower end of my goal mileage spread. But I'm ok with that. I added a mile and a half on to my long run for the week, running 7 on Saturday prior to heading up north for an impromptu visit to Duluth.

The 31st running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon started in Two Harbors on Sunday, despite low snow levels which forced them to use a shortened (319 mile) route this year. G had never seen the start of a Dogsledding race before, and both being animal people we decided to watch it.

I had forgotten how much fun that is. This year, it started out in a gravel pit, in the woods, and felt even more true to mushing's roots than usual. All the mushing trucks were lined up with their exciting, yapping cargo of high-energy running dogs. If you've never been to one of these events before, those dogs want to run. By the time the race starts, the dogs have been well rested, and their energy cannot be contained, so they yelp and howl, but are still calm enough that young children can come up and pet them.

After a beautiful rendition of the Canadian and American national anthems (seriously, this woman sang like an angel, if that angel were accompanied by 600 or so yapping dogs) the first mushers took to the course.

If you doubt that these dogs are true runners, each dog is held back at the start by one person until it is time for them to shoot of the course. To make sure the dogs don't run too quickly too soon (dogs, too, suffer from starting too quickly), most mushers will deploy a snow anchor to slow the sled in the beginning miles until the dogs settle down into their races.

Being myself, I quickly tired of the crowd and ran down the trail a ways to get clearer shots of the teams.

The short course teams were limited to 8 dogs, the long-course teams had 12. Once out on the course, dogs may be dropped from the team at checkpoints, usually due to vet checks, but not swapped out.

Further into the woods. 

All in all, it was a uniquely north-woods experience, and I'm glad I got a chance to go.

Why do you run?

The following are two short (350 words or fewer) essays answering the question "Why do you run?" This is the perennial question for runners, and one that always leaves me struggling to put words to the feeling I get when running. 

I submitted the second one to a contest, run by Geoff Roes (http://akrunning.blogspot.com/), to get in to one of his running camps this year. 

Why do you run?

That’s a question with as many answers as there are runners. It’s a question every runner gets asked on a regular basis. And it’s a question I’ve asked myself on many a below-zero morning in Minnesota since I moved back here from Boulder, Colorado. 

I started running distance, I had been a sprinter for years, in my senior year of high school for two of the most mundane reasons imaginable. The first was because a doctor told me it would be good for my knees, which had been trashed after 12 years. That’s right, a doctor told me, in 2000, that running would be good for my knees. I was that lucky. 

The second reason I started running was because of a girl. Enough said. 

That’s why I started. So why, 15 years later, am I still running? I will give you free reasons. 

Freedom. This is a typical answer, as far as I can tell. I run to get away from the proverbial “all.” When I’m out running, I can do what I like. I can set aside the worries of work and life, or I can sort through my thoughts on work and life. As so many others do, I do my best thinking while running. In college, where I double majored in math and physics, whenever I had a particularly stubborn problem set or take-home exam, I would set it aside, go for a run, and more often than not when I got back, I would have the answer. 

Uncertainty. We live in a pretty secure world, all told. Despite the constant fear-mongering that we see in politics and the media, we are living in the safest situations ever seen in human history. When I toe the line at the race, even if I’ve done my homework, I am never sure how the day will go. 

New Beginnings. Years ago, I slipped on a patch of ice. Normally not a big deal, but I had just had shoulder surgery, and could not catch myself. After 8 months of recovery, I joined my first running club, trained for a year, and watched my PRs fall. Every season is a new beginning. Every race is a new beginning. Every run is a new beginning. And that is why I run. 

Why do you run?

That’s a question with as many answers as there are runners. It’s a question every runner gets asked on a regular basis. And it’s a question I’ve asked myself on many a below-zero morning in Minnesota since I moved back here from Boulder, Colorado. 

I started running in my senior high school on my doctor’s advice. I had trashed my knees with 12 years of soccer, and they were, in the doctor’s words, disintegrating. He suggested a number of exercises I should do, and added in passing that running might be a good idea for me. That’s right, in the year 2000, I had a doctor tell me to run for the sake of my knees. I was lucky. 

I also started running because of a girl, but that’s another story. 

Six years later, in Boulder, Colorado, I slipped on a patch of ice. Not normally a big deal. But I had just had shoulder surgery two months earlier, and could not catch myself. After walking home from, past the ER, I called my sister to take me to the (same) ER, and found out I had broken my leg. A half millimeter more separation between the pieces and the doctor would have put a plate in. But since he was the same doctor who did my shoulder, and didn’t want to see any more of my insides (his words), he let it heal naturally. After 8 months of recovery and rehab, I joined a running group, and a year later my PRs started falling like rain. 

Last year, I moved back from Boulder to Minnesota and the coldest winter in recent memory. Despite -20 degree temperatures and record snowfall, I met more people through running than any other way. 

If you haven’t caught it yet, I run for new beginnings. Every season is a new beginning. Every race is a new beginning. Every run is a new beginning. Whatever else is happening in my life, running always gives me a fresh start. 

Fortnight Ending 1/18

Monday: 3.75 miles. 29:30. Ran down Summit with -5 temps and significant wind. My legs started to feel a bit sore by the end. Added a core workout at the end, but couldn’t add my normal arm routine because they were too tired. 

Tuesday: 3.75 miles. 31 minutes. Ran out in a windchill advisory, and even though it was warmer than the day before. Added to that, there was an extra 3-4” of snow from the night before, which made the trip down Summit a little more interesting. I get the feeling that here, unlike Boulder, I will have to do the majority of trail breaking myself. Full leg stability/dynamic strength routine. 

Wednesday: Rest.

Thursday: 4.5 miles. 35 minutes. I got a scare on this run, which was a little snowy and very windy Right when I got to the snowy section down Summit, I started getting a twinge in my Achilles tendon. After less than a block, it was so bad that I cut over to the sidewalk and was ready to give up on the run. Apparently it was triggered by the loose, unconsolidated snow. Once I got back on the sidewalks again it seemed to go away, and I actually got a good, fast run in. Added another leg stability/dynamic workout later. 

Friday: 3 miles, 25 minutes. 0 degrees with another windchill advisory. Had planned for two miles, but ended up pushing on to three. My achilles tweaked a bit at about a mile into the run, but cleared up quickly. It seems as though the idea of staying on the sidewalks worked pretty well. Did a full core workout plus pushups and inverted rows back at the house. 

Saturday: Took a (mostly) rest day. I can definitely feel that I’m ramping back up into my full-on training mode. Went to Snelling State Park to check out their winter trails day, and ended up doing about a mile or so of classic skiing while we were there. 

Sunday: 2 mile shakedown. Need I say more? 

For some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that something big is going to happen this year. I’ve gone into previous years with big plans, big hopes, big dreams, and feeling good about the year ahead, but I’ve never had the feeling that there would be something majorly different about this year than others before. 

I don’t know what it’s going to be. I know I’m shooting higher than I ever have before and that, despite not making the Altra Ambassador roster (yes, that was the position I applied for earlier), I will do more with running this year than I ever have. 

In short, I have a very good feeling about this year. 

Monday 1/12: Rest day, with a core workout. All of the books I’ve read with workout plans lately have Monday as a rest day. I presume that’s because I’m getting to the point where I need to incorporate Back to Back runs on the weekend. Core workout in the afternoon.

Tuesday 1/13: 4 miles. 5 degrees below zero. Overall I felt pretty good on this run. I ran about two miles in the snow with no Achilles pain. Added a leg stability/strength workout in the afternoon. 

Wednesday 1/14:  ~3 miles, 24 minutes with 4x1 minute pickup. Ran east on summit, and added in some impromptu pickups to get some turnover in. Added a core strength workout. 

Thursday 1/15: 4 miles, 35 minutes + leg stability and dynamic strength workout. The cold spell finally broke!. Of course, this meant that the snow was soft and footing was iffy. After two days, I was definitely getting tired, and am glad to have the next day scheduled off. 

Friday 1/16: OFF. No core workout, no run. 

Saturday 1/17: 5.5 miles, 51 minutes on the nose. I took this one down to the River Gorge area, a personal favorite of mine, to get back on the trails after a long absence. I took it pretty easy, by and large, but decided to pick it up a bit on the bridges (as I tend to do). I was surprised to find that I ran my second-fastest time ever on the Ford Bridge. I clearly haven’t lost any leg turnover during my off season, and my endurance seems to be coming back more quickly than it did last year. 

This was one of those days when I remembered why I love running in general, and why I run trails in particular. I hit my third-best Strava-proven time on the River Gorge loo, and felt fantastic. It was a gorgeous, just-below-freezing, sunny day, and I had the trails to myself. 

Sunday 1/18: ~4 miles, 31 minutes. I again added some pickups in for the fun of it. Frank Shorter once said to always do a little speedwork, however much or little you can do, the day after a long run. I guess I’ll give it a try. 

Week Ending 1/4: Getting back into it

Monday: 3.75 miles.. 30:37. Core strength routine. 

Tuesday: Dynamic Strength/Stability routine. No running. 

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 2.75 miles. 22:42. New years. 

Friday: 3.25 miles. 25:34. Felt a bit sore. This was my first day running twice in a row in some time. 

Saturday: 3.75 miles. 30:18. Felt Flat after the two prior days. Still got in a core and arm workout. 

Later in the day,  G and I met some friends up at Wild River State Park for some cross country skiing. This was my first time skiing in a few years, and I could tell. My form was a bit off, and I got pretty sore really quickly. Even so, it felt great to be back on skis again. 

It was G’s first time on XC skis, and despite some issues getting the skis on (as sometimes happens with new skis/boots) she seemed to get the hang of it impressively quickly. It left her sore, too, of course, but she seemed to enjoy it by and large. 

The conditions themselves were far from ideal. There was only about 5 or 6 inches of snow on the ground (at the outside). While the groomers had clearly been out, there were many branches and bare patches poking through here and there. And there were no classic tracks other than those made by earlier skiers.

Nevertheless, it was good to get out of the Cities, into the quiet, and out on snow again. Hopefully with the snow we’re getting as I write this, and maybe a little more in the next week or so, conditions will keep improving. 

All in all, a good start to the training season. For the first time, I actually have my general training plan mapped out through September when, if all goes well, I should be running in my first 50 miler up on the SHT. 

I’m asking big things from myself this year, and I hope I can deliver. 

What have I been up to lately?

It’s been the off season. Unlike other off-seasons, I came into this one with a plan. After two weeks off from running entirely, I wanted to run 3-4 times per week at a relatively easy level. To this I would add strength training of whatever kind I could  manage. I had visions of going to the gym and rowing, going to the gym and doing treadmill climbing workouts, and cross-country skiing. 

Those visions didn’t pan out. The gym didn’t work out because, as it turns out, I hate the gym. It’s too contrived, and why go to the gym when I can get a good deal of strength training in at home? So I’ve been doing strength training at home 5-6 days per week, alternating between leg workouts (dynamic power and stability both) and upper body/core workouts (primarily with an exercise ball). 

Cross country skiing has not worked out because, unlike last year, we have not had much snow here in Minnesota. We were getting a good base going through the end of November and beginning of December, but then it rained for a week. We are just now getting the cold weather and snow accumulation necessary for the real ski season to begin. If all goes as planned, I’ll be getting out there on my skis this weekend. 

That said, I have been getting out running regularly, 3-4 times per week. This is in contrast to last year, when I did not really do any running between the time of my last race in November and the beginning of January. I am already miles (you see what I did there?) ahead of where I was at this time last year. And I have experiences to prove it. 

Experiences, and an ice beard or two. 

This past week, for Christmas, G and I headed out to Colorado to visit her family. A few days prior to that, we went to Duluth to visit some friends of mine who were in town. Turns out, one had never been sledding before (SoCal girls . . .). So we went to Ace, bought some cheap sleds, and headed to Holy Rosary hill to do some traditional Duluth sledding. 

Holy Rosary hill is dangerous. It’s steep and bumpy at the best of times. On this particular day, there was very little snow, but plenty of ice. This led to fast, and painful, trips down the hill. I had a surfeit of energy, so I paired these with hill sprints back to the top. It turns out, I am in great hill-climbing shape. So far, so good. 

Once in Colorado, I promptly hooked up with a friend for a run from work. There’s a new trail up the backside of Mount Sanitas, so we naturally did that. This route consists of almost 1700 feet of climbing over a 3.5 mile stretch, most of it coming in the last mile or so. I surprised myself, coming from sea level as I was, by keeping up fairly well, and coming in for the 8th place time on Strava. Again, so far, so good. 

On Christmas morning, after a rest day, I took another 4.5 mile run with 500 or so feet of climbing. I felt a little tired still, but averaged 9 minute miles even so. That would be my last run in Colorado, but in the following days I would again go sledding (running up the hill, of course), and walk 3 miles from my car rental place to downtown Boulder in under 45 minutes. 

As far as I can tell, my off season has gone as planned. I seem to have kept a good base level of fitness while leaving my legs rested and ready for the year ahead. 

And I have big goals for next year, and a plan for accomplishing them.