Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Week of 02/17/2014: 'Snowmageddon' continues

We just keep getting snow dumped on us.  This week was just plain ridiculous, I was forced inside all week.  Later in the week I opted to skip my long run and nurse some wounds.


Monday 02/17/2014

Scheduled:  6 mile Recovery run
Winter drags on here in MN, we got several inches of snow this morning.  I kept it inside and ran my RR on the mill.  6 12 minute miles really stretched my limits of tolerance when it comes to treadmill boredom



Tuesday 02/18/2014

Scheduled:  8 mile LT 4 @ HMP
Stuck inside on the treadmill.  Actual mileage was a 6 mile run with 2 @ 5K pace.

One of the problems with treadmill running (At with least my particular machine) is that the controls make it difficult  to dial in the pace, especially once you are on the 'move.'  As such, I tend to deal in whole MPH numbers rather than fractions.  For example, the top end of recovery pace or the bottom end of Aerobic for me is a 12:00 mile, or a 5MPH pace.  the next setting up on my treadmill is a 6MPH or 10:00 mile pace.  That is only 15 seconds per mile slower than my 5K pace.  My half marathon pace or ideal tempo pace is therefore some fraction in between 5 and 6 MPH - I'm thinking somewhere in the 10:45-11:00 range.

Because I can really only easily deal with whole numbers, I ran my tempo portion at a 10:00 per mile pace.  I cut the tempo portion short at 2 miles instead of the planned 4.  I was still doing OK aerobically (I did not go over 150 bpm) but I noticed that physically I was starting to get a little wobbly and was requiring more and more noticeable balance correction.  I didn't want to get shot off the back at 10MPH, so I pulled the plug at 2 miles and ran my warm down at a 12:00 pace.

Another thing that I have noticed is that my treadmill's speed seems somewhat responsive to my input - what I mean is, that the first two miles that I ran at a 12:00 pace were slightly faster than 12:00 miles, and the last two that I ran after I was fatigued from the tempo run were closer to 12:15 miles.  Either me or the machine, it seems that one of us gets tired over time and runs slower.



Wednesday 02/19/2014

Scheduled:  Rest
I took it, and it felt good.



Thursday 02/20/2014

Scheduled:  9 mile GA run
Continued my rest theme into this morning.  Heavy snowfall predicted, forcing any evening run inside onto the treadmill.  Arrrrrgh.

I did my full 9 on the mill.  Just to break up the boredom I ran the first 1/4 of each mile @ 10:00 pace and then backed off to 12:00 pace rest intervals for an average pace of 11:30 per mile throughout the run.

When I 'trained' for the 2012 TCM I did not do a lot of mid distance runs and virtually no tempo or speed work.  While I have not experienced the necessary success that will allow me to rightly say that that approach is a recipe for disaster, my 2012 TCM performance certainly backs such a claim.  What running those 9 intervals taught me was that the first 6 were really only a necessary base, I needed to break myself down to a point where I had to run the last three in a fatigued state - Those last three 440's were the real workout.  Learning to run in distress and ignore discomfort.

I also discovered that my treadmill will stop when the timer reaches 99:59.  :-/



Friday 02/21/2014

Scheduled:  XT:  Swim
We got around 10" of snow overnight.  Schools closed and thus the pool.  That was OK, because I was wiped out from last night's run.



Saturday 02/22/2014

Scheduled:  11 mile Long run
Took a rest - plantar fascia and right heel bothering me.


Sunday 02/23/2014

Scheduled:  Rest day


Sunday, February 16, 2014

The Week of 02/10/2014: Our winter of discontent

I got a lot more miles in this week, but it didn't stop me from petering out later on in the week.  The missing workout thing is still early enough on in the program that I can bounce back from it, but the trend started in January is not a good thing.  I really need to buckle down.  Skipping a swim in favor of rest here and there is not going to kill me, but not getting my miles in is a recipe for a repeat performance of the 2012 TCM.

I'm really getting sick of the sidewalk conditions around home, and more to the point the association's lack of diligence in keeping them clear.  We pay good money for a service that is not being provided in a timely fashion.  I think that most residents are shellshocked at this point and staying indoors and thus are indifferent.  I can't wait to be able to run on a clear path again.


Monday 02/10/2014

Scheduled:  4 mile Recovery run
I ran my scheduled recovery run this morning.  It was -11º & cloudy, I ran it @ 12:15 pace overall.  What really happened was that I ran the first 2 miles at or slightly under 12:00 and I ran the second half around 12:30.

The cold didn't bother me much, but my body required a lot of convincing (about 1.5 miles of it) before it acquiesced and accepted the fact that the run was going to happen whether it liked it or not (Yay, endorphins)



Tuesday 02/11/2014

Scheduled:  7 mile R+s 5x 100m strides
Ran my workout as scheduled/designed.  7.27 miles, 12:20 overall pace.  I have discovered that if you find yourself outside in the dark at 5:30 AM running 7 miles when it's -12º, it really isn't all that much crazier to toss in 7x100M striders.

The only real problem with running in the cold is that after 5 miles my base layers are pretty well soaked, and it's only then that the cold actually bothers me.  Not the type of cold experienced by the majority of people who just bolt between their car and a door for a few seconds, but a profound cold that really hits your core.  The kind where when hot shower water hits you, it's room temperature by the time it runs down your legs - know what I'm talking about?



Wednesday 02/12/2014

Scheduled:  6 mile Recovery run
16°, cloudy with light snow.  Almost a 30° difference between this morning and yesterday.  Nevertheless I felt clunky all through this run:  Tight in the knees and ankles at the beginning and an added bonus of soreness in my lower back right above the hips.   As per usual, the ankle and knee stuff went away after I got warmed up, but the back thing was still bothering me late in the run.

I will remember to include the affected area in my light stretching  that I do throughout the day I don't really set aside a designated stretching time or routine that I follow religiously.  I tend to do it more ad-hoc.

The sidewalk conditions were still bad, and the new snow didn't make them any better.  So to error on the side of caution, I listened to my body and kept it down to a near walking 12:45 pace.



Thursday 02/13/2014

Scheduled:  8 mile GA run
My body said "Go back to sleep," this morning, and I listened.  I will try to get in a makeup run on Sunday.  Not sure how that will go considering the distance I intend to cover on Saturday.



Friday 02/14/2014

Scheduled:  XT:  Swim
Another "Go back to sleep" morning, so I did.



Saturday 02/15/2014

Scheduled:  10 mile Long run
19º, Cloudy, light snow.  Recovery run @ 13:00 pace.  I tried the old Sauconys to mix things up, this was apparently a mistake.  My left shin really acted up and took three miles to settle down.  By that time I had already made up my mind to cut the run short at 5 miles, regroup and try again tomorrow.



Sunday 02/16/2014

Scheduled:  Rest day
Once again I observed my Sunday tradition of late & kept it a rest day.  Weather-wise the temps were OK but I slept in in the morning, got caught up in things in the afternoon, and at least for the forseeable future, sunday nights are 'Walking Dead' nights.


Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Week of 02/03/2014: Commited

This was a week of commitment - two major races registered for!

I'm still having trouble getting my workouts in - the cold has had something to do with that as well as my need for shuteye.  It's hard to believe that just a couple of years ago I was able to function on just 5 hours or less of sleep per night.

Lastly my weight has poked up north of 240 again.  Obviously I would like to reverse that trend.  


Monday 02/03/2014

I pulled the trigger today and registered for both the 2014 Twin Cities Marathon in October and the 100% Irish for a day 10 miler in March

I skipped my scheduled 6 mile recovery run in the morning, ran an easy 3.11 on the treadmill tonight.  It was only half the mileage that I wanted to get in for the day, but something is better than nothing, and it allowed me to get to bed before midnight.



Tuesday 02/04/2014

Another 6 mile RR scheduled for this morning, took matters outside and ended up running 4.50 of it.  timing wise my pace was only a few seconds per mile faster than last night's treadmill run, but based on my heart rate, this was an aerobic run all the way.

It was -02º and thus a little nippy. Far and away the worst part was the part at the beginning that I spent standing around and waiting for my Garmin to find the stupid satellites. Also, I was just in a beanie, so for the first 3/4 of a mile or so I was really wishing that I had worn my balaclava, though things eventually settled down. All things being equal if it is that cold or worse, I think that I would go for the second layer on my legs.



Wednesday 02/05/2014

My daughter woke up in the middle of the night (around 3AM) asking for a glass of water.  Heading back to bed afterward I could just feel it in my bones that getting back up at 4:30 for my scheduled 6 mile recovery run just wasn't in the cards, so I skipped it.  I had things to do in the evening, so a makeup run didn't happen.



Thursday 02/06/2014

Got in my scheduled 5 miles this morning, despite it being -09º.  The sidewalks were clear only in the most rudimentary sense, in that the snow on them wasn't as deep as the boulevard.  Still there was about 3/4" of packed snow on them, which gave just enough to replicate that dream we all have where we are being chased by some terror, and we cannot run away fast enough.  In this case I wasn't being chased but nevertheless I could not run fast enough, plus it took more effort to do so.  All the same it was a delightful run, and the predawn skies were beautiful.



Friday 02/07/2014

Skipped my scheduled swim for this morning (Actually slept through alarm to be more accurate).



Saturday 02/08/2014

I went snowshoeing with my son at William O'Brien state park in the morning - it took us quite some time to cover the 1.6 mile loop but I was just happy to get him out for his first outing on a pair of snowshoes:
 

Did a run in the evening - Started at the Lake Harriet bandshell, did a lap around lake Harriet followed by a figure eight around Calhoun & Lake of the Isles.  10.1 miles total, I call the route "The Ant," maybe you can see why:














Sunday 02/09/2014

I considered doing a makeup run today but in the end stuck with the planned rest.

Sunday night weigh-in:   240.2




Sunday, February 2, 2014

The Week of 01/27/2014: Trying to get it back

The motivational dry spell continued into this week.  It's definitely a problem when I miss a morning run.  I either don't get an evening run in at all, or if I do, I cannot get up again the next day and the cycle repeats.

On the bright side I did really well in getting sufficient sleep (Averaged 7:08 per night in January).

It bodes on me that I need to really work on my nightly routine and getting to bed at a reasonable hour - This will be critical as I get into my "Serious" workouts as I prep for Grandma's.


Monday 01/27/2014

Skipped planned 6 mile recovery run



Tuesday 01/28/2014

Skipped planned 5 mile  with 100m strides



Wednesday 01/29/2014

Ran a 3 mile RR on treadmill in the evening (Had a 6 mile RR planned)

Wednesday night Weigh-in:  238.2



Thursday 01/30/2014

I slept in & skipped a planned 6 mile treadmill LT workout (5x800).  Trying to follow an evening run with a morning run back to back isn't working so well.



Friday 01/31/2014

Got in my scheduled 2000 yard swim workout in the morning.
Main set:  5 x 200 yards with 1:00 rests



Saturday 02/01/2014

Due to missing so many runs over the last few weeks, I decided that I am nowhere near where I expected to be at this point so I re-did my running schedule and changed today's planned 12 mile long run.  Instead I ran some Yassos on the treadmill:

  • 1200 Warmup 
  • 5x:  800@5:00, 400@3:45 
  • 1200 Warmdown




Sunday 02/02/2014
Rest day scheduled, but I did do a makeup recovery run.

Sunday night Weigh-in:  240.2