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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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Into the Land of the Bales
I left the Garmin home and made a bee line immediately to the land of the bales. After a nice warmup around and diagonally into the land, it was my 6 circuit series utilizing the bales - 360 degree circling, simple weaving, and kick-@ss hurdling. I did finish up with two new additions - sideways running (not sure what it's called
) and a little backwards running. I think these two final gems were the hardest on me, especially considering how dark it was by then on this beautiful evening.
~5 miles in ~50 minutes. Loved the freedom of no Garmin.
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Trail Run
I had originally planned on doing a fairly big trail run today, but a friend of mine wanted to tag along with his dog so things were slightly altered to accommodate his work schedule and his dog's needs. Instead of running Knob Mountain to the top, we ran Jeremy's Run out 4+ miles and then back 4+ miles. This run today was actually what I did two weeks ago (but I thought 2 weeks ago I was on Knob Mountain ), excluding the additional 2+ miles to get to the top of the mountain.
Any way....dreary day with some patches of rain. Lots of stops and gos with the pup wanting to lay in the stream every time we crossed it.....and I'm now so used to running by myself that it was a little different having to think of someone else's needs and their pace. The run overall was okay - legs were heavy and I never got into a good grove or place, but the most troubling reminder of how much work I have yet to do on hills came at the end of this run when my running companion totally smoked me on the last climb.
And I honestly thought I was making progress with these blasted hills! (He did have his dog pulling him though....) Garmin read 8.18 miles, but satellite went out for part of the run so I'm estimating it was closer to 8.5 miles we did today.
Nutrition has gone totally to pot over the last 3 weeks. Way too much crap has crept back into my diet and not enough smart foods, and I do think this is having an effect on my energy level, and it may have contributed to my mediocre run today. Garbage in, garbage out. Some changes to the diet are a-gonna happen!! 0 -
Nutrition has gone totally to pot over the last 3 weeks. Way too much crap has crept back into my diet and not enough smart foods, and I do think this is having an effect on my energy level, and it may have contributed to my mediocre run today. Garbage in, garbage out. Some changes to the diet are a-gonna happen!!
My own diet had gone the same way Dory but I'm now a week into healthier eating and already I can see an improvement in my energy levels and general feeling better. Although I LOVE my chocolate and crisp treats, feeling the results so quickly makes cutting them out for now that bit easier.0 -
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Trainer
Still feeling a bit low on energy, and my legs are borderline tired and sore - it's interesting how all this technical trail running works muscles that aren't normally worked - in particular my feet, calves, and derriere. My feet being sore is the biggest novelty to me - all those tiny muscles being strengthened by the rocks, tree roots, and ever changing pitch of the trail.
So, because of the low energy and borderline tired and sore legs, it was an easy decision to hop on the trainer and gear the bike down to a low resistance and spin away for 15 miles. The first few miles were a hating-life slog-fest at 11 mph, but after the bod warmed up, the speed emerged and life was grand once more. Happy days! Did this session while watching the Redskins get clobbered by the Steelers. Good god, what cruel person picked out the Steelers' uniforms?? All I could think of when looking at them was bumble bees and tactical seizure inducing jerseys and socks.
It occurred to me today that it's been three weeks since my marathon and I have yet to run on the road since that day. All of my runs have been in my field with the bales of hay or on trails in the woods. Well, today the farmer took all but five of the bales from the field, and he moved those five bales that remain so they are now all in a line. Not sure what is up with that, but I did notice that those bales are a bit shabby which makes me wonder if my hurdling has something to do with the state they're in.....and if so, is this line of shabby bales to shame me for my actions??
But back to my point, which is....three weeks and no road running coupled with bales being moved is probably a sign that it's time to move to the next phase of training, whatever that is. It's 24 weeks until Boston, so I've a few more weeks to go before I get stuck in a plan, and my thoughts at this moment are to add some core work and do some road running with hills during the week while continuing my trail running with hills at the weekend. I will also work on my diet. 0 -
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As Hurricane Sandy crashes onto land with its force and focus, so Boston begins. I have wondered if this log would be more suited to the running forum because, unlike my prep for the last marathon, I will be dedicating almost all of my training for the next 24 months to running, but I've already been uprooted once and hated all the packing and unpacking that took, plus there's the little matter of having to notify all of my friends of my new address (and hear them grumbling about the extra strikes of the keyboard), so I will stay put unless my neighbors protest and tell me I play my music too loud. Oh, and I plan on targeting a HIM at the end of next summer.
Diet was good today...and I got up a little extra early to do some core/abs/quickie yoga before I hopped in the shower and skipped off to work. I plan on trying to make both of these additions staples in my weekly routine.
Trainer
20 very solid miles while listening to very loud music that was rife with tension and edge.
First 10 miles were at a low resistance and peppy cadence.
Next 5 miles were spent going up and down the gears (all in the big ring) every tenth of a mile. This was tough. Sweat city!
Next 3 miles were at a medium hard resistance and high effort.
Next mile was at a low resistance, all one-legged pedaling, alternating right leg/left leg every quarter of a mile.
Last mile was at a low resistance and easy cadence to cool down.
20 miles in ~1 hour 15ish minutes.0 -
Up early for 20ish minutes of yoga and abs. Diet was so-so today - better than it has been but not as disciplined as yesterday. My primary downfall was the cup of hot chocolate with gourmet peppermint marshmallows I downed midmorning.
Urban Evening Run
Plan: 3 miles easy
Very chilly out there this evening - a damp chilly that you feel in your bones. I had to dig out the winter gear for this one, plus my very fuchsia rain jacket due to the misty rain. This was my first road run since the marathon, and I could feel the pavement beneath me, perhaps more so because I chose an older pair of runners due to the rain.
This run was supposed to be at an easy effort, and to be honest with you I wish I had gone slower. I stayed within acceptable pace range per McMillan, but I did feel the effort was higher than it should have been, which is a little disconcerting to me. It's Halloween tomorrow and many of the houses in town were decorated for the big event, so that pleasant distraction made up for all the trash bins that were out by the curb for trash day tomorrow I had to weave through. The miles were pretty steady in pace, which, no doubt, was in large part due to the two lines of a Tracy Bonham song I had stuck in my head that I kept singing over and over again.
Actual: 3.75 miles in 31:49.7 for an average pace of 8:29
Because this run was a short one, I got out the yoga mat and did about 40 minutes of yoga and stretching. Felt good!
Edit: after looking at my notes and numbers, tonight's pace should have been closer to 8:40 - 8:50 min/mile. I knew I heard RaccoonQueen's voice in my head yelling at me for a reason.0 -
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Is it time to perhaps considering running with a heart rate monitor?
Gosh, then I'll have to figure out what all the numbers mean, not that I can even see those teeny-tiny little numbers on the watch dial as I'm running - unless there is an option to make those teeny-tiny little numbers bigger on the dial? And the strap tends to constrict my breathing - or am I putting it on too tight? 0 -
Lunchtime Halloween Road Run
Plan: 3 miles steady
I had to do this run as a sneaky lunchtime run due to all the ghosts and gobblins who will be littering the streets begging for chocolate treats tonight. BOO! So.....quick dash out of work, even quicker change into my running duds, and off I went for a brief warmup down the driveway, then with a tap of the button on my Garmin I was off!!!
First mile was way too fast - early on into the first mile I knew I was putting out too much effort. 7:07 read the pace at about the quarter mile so I pulled it back a bit. 7:18 min/mile
Second mile felt much better, but I was still way too fast for the plan. My target pace was around 8 min/mile. 7:38 min/mile
The first 80% of the third mile felt the absolute best, even considering I was running into the wind for most of this mile. Just before the final 20% of this mile (and that last 20% just happens to be a pretty healthy hill) my pace was 7:40...and then the pace started to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. Still a wee bit faster than my target. 7:52 min/mile
I really, really need to work on my pace discipline. I always have great intentions to keep things where they need to be, but this seems to be an area of weakness for me. When I see I'm going too fast, I intend on slowing way down...but then I realize that to slow down the overall pace I have to slow my current pace even more than the pace I'm supposed to be running...which then means I'll have to speed up again on the next mile. Then after putting in a few miles too fast, I worry about making my later miles slower, thus giving the impression that I'm dying because I went too fast early on. UGH!! I think too much. Bottom line, this was too fast - more like a tempo run, but it had some good quality to it.
Actual: 3.07 miles in 23:23 for an average pace of 7:36 min/mile.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2389049090 -
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@hocchiedoubledee - what Yoga are you doing on your mat?
@Kurt - Just doing the same with a nice Rioja myself...
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shotgunmcos wrote: »@hocchiedoubledee - what Yoga are you doing on your mat?
@Kurt - Just doing the same with a nice Rioja myself...
Well, I guess I've mainly been doing a pretty tame power yoga (but it feels good), however tonight I started a Vinyasa yoga that was way above my ability, so I bagged that and ended up doing 36 minutes of Yoga for Runners - loved it!! In the past I've attended yoga classes, but those classes are now near impossible for me to attend so I've turned to the free videos available on my cable provider (tv). You can't replace the benefits of having an instructor and a row of mirrors in front of you, but these videos allow me 24 hour 7 day a week flexibility and an abundant selection. I definitely feel better after yoga.
Burning corks?? Ashen moustaches?? I love you guys!! 0 -
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I really, really need to work on my pace discipline. I always have great intentions to keep things where they need to be, but this seems to be an area of weakness for me. When I see I'm going too fast, I intend on slowing way down...but then I realize that to slow down the overall pace I have to slow my current pace even more than the pace I'm supposed to be running...which then means I'll have to speed up again on the next mile. Then after putting in a few miles too fast, I worry about making my later miles slower, thus giving the impression that I'm dying because I went too fast early on. UGH!! I think too much. Bottom line, this was too fast - more like a tempo run, but it had some good quality to it.
DD, those very thoughts usually run through my head too, but my problem is that when i slow down, then i'm too slow so then have to speed back up to get to correct pace. so then the yo-yo of too fast too slow starts happening and the enjoyment is gone from the run.
I think im going to stick with current pace on display and forget overall pace when i have to run at speific pace and im just going to run by feel for a bit and see where it ties in with new paces.
We have to enjoy some of the runs and not be looking at the watch and missing the scenery!!:D0 -
Try treating your first mile as a warmup. When you go out the door you're not going for a run, just for a jog - you'll only start running when the jog is finished.
My driveway is a quarter of a mile long, so that's what I was sort of trying to do yesterday....but you are right, a proper warmup should be closer to a mile.DD, those very thoughts usually run through my head too, but my problem is that when i slow down, then i'm too slow so then have to speed back up to get to correct pace. so then the yo-yo of too fast too slow starts happening and the enjoyment is gone from the run.
I think im going to stick with current pace on display and forget overall pace when i have to run at speific pace and im just going to run by feel for a bit and see where it ties in with new paces.
We have to enjoy some of the runs and not be looking at the watch and missing the scenery!!:D
+1! Post-your-awesome-marathon, pamper yourself by indulging in running for no other purpose than to make yourself happy. Run like nothing is weighing you down....and as you say, notice and appreciate the scenery!! (Have you come down from your cloud yet?? You owned that marathon course!! Woo hoo!!) 0 -
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Trot Around Town
Plan: 4 miles easy, 6 x 80m strides
I decided to get this one out of the way immediately after work this morning, so gear was packed and off I went out of the clinic and onto the streets of Luray as soon as the last patient had left the building. Very cold morning here, and the town was just starting to come alive. Ran into (not literally) two friends who had just had breakfast at one of the local diners, Uncle Bucks (yes, that is the diner's name), so I had to stop briefly for a little chat about local cuisine, national politics, and the NY City marathon. After we decided the local restaurants were trying to kill the locals, had a laugh at Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter going mad over Gov. Christie's bromance with the Prez, and determined that it would have been in very bad form for the runners to be placing their post-race champagne glasses on the generators in NY city, I trotted off in high spirits and with too much skip in my step. Must. Work. On. Pace.
I decided to hit some of the better hills in town, and I even used these hills to try and keep my pace down, but between fresh legs (yesterday was a rest) and my determination to own the hills, I was way too fast on the second and third miles. But I felt good. I ran into some tough wind on the very last partial easy mile, and I found myself fighting it and pushing into it, probably with too much effort, but when something is pushing against you it's hard not to push back.
Finished off with 6 strides in the clinic's parking lot. I've never done strides and I didn't measure the distance, but I know my pace was supposed to be ~5k pace. After analyzing the Garmin data, apparently the width of the parking lot is only about 50 meters, so my strides were short. Oh well. More strides next Saturday so it looks like I may have to finish that run at the track instead of my parking lot.
Actual: 4.86 miles in 40:50.57 for an average pace of 8:23 min/mile
8:30, 8:02, 8:17, 8:34, 7:26 (8:36)
Stride paces: (these are probably meaningless, but...) 6:33, 6:41, 5:27, 6:14, 5:23, 6:06
Treated myself to 36 minutes of Yoga for Runners when I got home. I had to share the mat with my very limber kitty, Norris, who insisted on being in the middle of every downward facing dog. 0 -
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Early morning quickie Pilates and abs as soon as I rolled out of bed. These early sessions may be brief, but boy howdy do they make me feel good.
Trainer
Plan: cross train
I did Izoard's hill burst trainer challenge tonight and loved it. Using a big, chunky block of wood, I elevated the front tire 8 inches to simulate a bit of a climb. Session was as follows:
10 minute warm up
2 minutes upping the intensity
6 x (20 standing bursty make-my-heart-race pedal strokes each leg, 2 minutes steady)
10 minutes cooling down/warming up
2 minutes upping the intensity
6 x (25 standing bursty make-my-heart-race pedal stokes each leg, 2 minutes steady)
20 minutes easing intensity into a nice cool down.
Actual: 20 miles on a front-wheel-elevated trainer in 70-75 minutes 0 -
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It all depends on what your version of easy is, my idea of an easy run is trying to keep it in Base 2 which is under the 155 mark in HR. This isn't really easy but its not really bad either, its still hopefully aerobic rather than anaerobic training. I am gradually getting back to my pre beer reaching injury shape, what started out at 5.20 average runs for 40 minutes at sub 155 has now gone into the high 4.40's for 10k after a few weeks.
For recovery runs I am well able to trot along with the best of them and I will keep this in base 1 which will be under 140 and if possible closer to 130, now that run is easy!
So we're back to the heart monitor, eh? Okay....I will dig it out from wherever it is and wear it this weekend on the lake loop run to see how the old ticker reacts to the hills. I'm betting it will be off the charts. 0 -
You have to know your heart rate zones though and whats easy, comfortable, hard for you - some of us have a higher heart rate than others, I think Griffin did his entire marathon in the 170s average whereas I would be struggling to hold that average heart rate for a 10k.
You might want to talk to your guy before you go that route anyways, wear plenty of Vaseline on it and that should stop the chaffing.
The Humbert Challenge is moving forward a week now to July 13th/14th (Achill 1/2 on the 6th);););););) 0 -
You have to know your heart rate zones though and whats easy, comfortable, hard for you - some of us have a higher heart rate than others, I think Griffin did his entire marathon in the 170s average whereas I would be struggling to hold that average heart rate for a 10k.
I certainly did average HR of 176 for Connemara marathon. Probably not something I'd like to do again though, it was about 10bpm over where I wanted to be. 0 -
Easy Election Evening Run
Plan: 4 miles easy
Other than the painful lower back I woke up with this morning (no doubt due to having my body in a new position on the bike for over an hour last night), this run was easy peasy and enjoyable. I decided because of my back pain to go as slow as I wanted and not to look at my watch at all - and I did not peek.
The town was buzzing - last minute voters rushing to the polls to cast their vote before the witching hour, no doubt. And with the time change over the weekend, the streets were very dark, making it a bit dangerous in spots. In fact, I nearly ran smack dab into a trash bin on the sidewalk!
Actual: 4.47 miles in 40:33.39 for an average pace of 9:04 min/mile0 -
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Easy Election Evening Run
Plan: 4 miles easy
Other than the painful lower back I woke up with this morning (no doubt due to having my body in a new position on the bike for over an hour last night), this run was easy peasy and enjoyable. I decided because of my back pain to go as slow as I wanted and not to look at my watch at all - and I did not peek.
The town was buzzing - last minute voters rushing to the polls to cast their vote before the witching hour, no doubt. And with the time change over the weekend, the streets were very dark, making it a bit dangerous in spots. In fact, I nearly ran smack dab into a trash bin on the sidewalk!
Actual: 4.47 miles in 40:33.39 for an average pace of 9:04 min/mile
That's nerves. I guarantee you'll have more spring in your step on todays run (and for the next four years:D)0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPDJSblJeMc
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