I felt pretty beat up after running 15.5 on Saturday with Monica. I didn't run on Sunday due to snow and wind and ran an easy 4 miles on Monday in the -1 wind chill.
We set out to do 10 X 2 dots (two tenths of a mile each) with one dot (tenth of a mile) jog recoveries. After a mile and a half warm up and some strides, we got rolling.
I went 63.33, 62.07, 62.00, 62.03, 62.16, 61.47, 60.25, 61.73, 60.09, and 54.12. I was really pleased with my consistency, the fact that I got faster as the workout progressed and that I felt strong the whole time. Considering that it was about 20 degrees out and that the footing wasn't the best, I'll be glad to put this workout in the bank. The 54 on the last one (4:30 pace) was especially nice.
I was thinking of all of the people sitting at home on their couches watching TV in their nice warm living rooms while I was out busting my ass....I look forward to seeing you at the next race.
Also got in a 3.5 mile + warm down for a 7 mile day.
Have worked through all of my little minor injuries and my calves seem to be fine. Am picking up my new shoes tomorrow and am excited about that.
See you on the roads.......
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Motivation in the new year
Well, it's the 7th of January and I can say that I have ran every day this year. I've gotten in about 46 1/2 miles in the last 6 days and planning on 6 1/2 tonight for a 53 mile week. I'm feeling a little run down from lack of sleep, but I know that's part of the process that I call 'breaking down', where the volume of training is increased and many subtle physiological changes are taking place underneath the surface. My body isn't used to the increased volume quite yet, so that will take some getting used to. My calf problems seem to have resolved themselves and the snow is melting,so I'm happy about both of those things.
My last week has broken down as follows:
Jan.1
Mile warm up, 1st mile of New Years Day 5K in 5:23, backed off to a jog so that Jenny could catch up, hit 2 miles in 13:06 and paced her to 19:56 for 5K. 3 mile warm down with Eric. 7 miles total
Jan.2nd
4.5 miles on loop in Mountain Home, averaged about 6:24 pace, last mile about 6:05.
Jan.3rd
12 miles-Barber Loop in Boise, mostly easy, dropped down to 6:05 pace from 8.5 to 10 miles and then my last two mile easy at 6:50 pace.
Jan.4th
13.5 miles on the outskirts of Mt.Home with Laurel and the Mt. Home crew. Easy running (7:45-8:00 pace) and cold as hell !
Jan.5th
4 miles out and back in Mt.Home. Out in 15:32, back in 13:55 on snowy icy crappy roads
Jan.6th
mile warm up, then 7 X 2 minutes hard with 1 minute jog recovery (crappy footing), 1.5 mile warm down, 5.5 miles total. Living in a lactic wonderland.
_________________________________________
6 day total = 46.5 miles
Planning a hard tempo effort on Saturday and would like to run 5:30 pace or faster for the 3 mile fitness evaluation. Planning to keep running every day until something prevents that from happening. Will keep adding mileage every week until I'm up to around 65-70 miles per week by the end of January, and then build on that.
My next major race will be the Snake River Canyon Half Marathon on March 7th.
Remember, this time of year, the first step out the door is the hardest one to take !
My last week has broken down as follows:
Jan.1
Mile warm up, 1st mile of New Years Day 5K in 5:23, backed off to a jog so that Jenny could catch up, hit 2 miles in 13:06 and paced her to 19:56 for 5K. 3 mile warm down with Eric. 7 miles total
Jan.2nd
4.5 miles on loop in Mountain Home, averaged about 6:24 pace, last mile about 6:05.
Jan.3rd
12 miles-Barber Loop in Boise, mostly easy, dropped down to 6:05 pace from 8.5 to 10 miles and then my last two mile easy at 6:50 pace.
Jan.4th
13.5 miles on the outskirts of Mt.Home with Laurel and the Mt. Home crew. Easy running (7:45-8:00 pace) and cold as hell !
Jan.5th
4 miles out and back in Mt.Home. Out in 15:32, back in 13:55 on snowy icy crappy roads
Jan.6th
mile warm up, then 7 X 2 minutes hard with 1 minute jog recovery (crappy footing), 1.5 mile warm down, 5.5 miles total. Living in a lactic wonderland.
_________________________________________
6 day total = 46.5 miles
Planning a hard tempo effort on Saturday and would like to run 5:30 pace or faster for the 3 mile fitness evaluation. Planning to keep running every day until something prevents that from happening. Will keep adding mileage every week until I'm up to around 65-70 miles per week by the end of January, and then build on that.
My next major race will be the Snake River Canyon Half Marathon on March 7th.
Remember, this time of year, the first step out the door is the hardest one to take !
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Christmas Run
Wasn't sure what to expect this morning. I've had two calf injuries in the last 5 weeks which have really stifled my training. I ran once this week (Thursday) , a slow 4 miles just to make sure that I could run without limping. Since I hadn't signed up and wasn't sure that I'd even be able to run, I decided that I was goint to "bandit" the race.
Now, normally I don't advocate banditing races, but when I do, it's just a fitness test for me, I don't cross the finish line, and I don't take any of the post race food or drink or anything like that. I just use it as an opportunity to run hard against some other folks.
After warming up for about a mile and opting for racing flats instead of spikes as the roads were pretty bare, I took off with a pack of 3 or 4 other guys. I felt like I was working pretty hard, so when we got to the mile marker and it read 5:38 for me I thought, "Holy schnikes, this shouldn't feel this hard". A couple of more guys passed me and I settled into 6th and was just trying to focus on my form and not falling completely apart. With about a half mile to go I could sense the guys in front of me slowing and I worked my way up to 5th, which is where I ended up.
I ran 14:37, a 5:50 per mile average for the 2.5 miles. That might be easy to handle for a lot of people, but when you've run 5:33 pace for a half marathon and 5:59 pace for a full marathon, I could definitely tell that my fitness was lacking. I do think that the race actually helped stretch out my calf, because it does feel quite a bit better. Monica dug into it last night and worked out all of the knots and that helped too. Thanks, Monica ! On a brighter note, I did notice that my time was only 6 seconds off of last year's winning time, I got to burn some competitive juices, and I think that my calf will allow me to start training normally again.
Next race up should be the New Year's Day 5K, where I'll at least shoot for 17:30 (5:37 pace), and go from there. One step at a time.
Thanks to everyone for putting up with me while I was injured and grouchy ( ;
Dave
Now, normally I don't advocate banditing races, but when I do, it's just a fitness test for me, I don't cross the finish line, and I don't take any of the post race food or drink or anything like that. I just use it as an opportunity to run hard against some other folks.
After warming up for about a mile and opting for racing flats instead of spikes as the roads were pretty bare, I took off with a pack of 3 or 4 other guys. I felt like I was working pretty hard, so when we got to the mile marker and it read 5:38 for me I thought, "Holy schnikes, this shouldn't feel this hard". A couple of more guys passed me and I settled into 6th and was just trying to focus on my form and not falling completely apart. With about a half mile to go I could sense the guys in front of me slowing and I worked my way up to 5th, which is where I ended up.
I ran 14:37, a 5:50 per mile average for the 2.5 miles. That might be easy to handle for a lot of people, but when you've run 5:33 pace for a half marathon and 5:59 pace for a full marathon, I could definitely tell that my fitness was lacking. I do think that the race actually helped stretch out my calf, because it does feel quite a bit better. Monica dug into it last night and worked out all of the knots and that helped too. Thanks, Monica ! On a brighter note, I did notice that my time was only 6 seconds off of last year's winning time, I got to burn some competitive juices, and I think that my calf will allow me to start training normally again.
Next race up should be the New Year's Day 5K, where I'll at least shoot for 17:30 (5:37 pace), and go from there. One step at a time.
Thanks to everyone for putting up with me while I was injured and grouchy ( ;
Dave
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
the comeback trail
After nursing my calf injury for the last three weeks, but making it through my 2 X 2 mile legs in the Rubber Chicken Relay without incident I decided that it was time to test out my calf by working on some speed. We were slated to do 10 X 2 dots (two tenths of a mile or 322 meters each) with one dot (one tenth of a mile) recovery. Since I had Eric to run with (or chase,depending on how you look at it) the workout went pretty well. I wanted to run all of these in 60 seconds each (5:00 mile pace).
I went 61.36, 58.96, 60.38, 59.29, 58.92, 60.51, 60.67, 61.14, 61.53, 58.62, so I averaged 60.13. I definitely was going lactic by about the 7th one and just trying to keep my form. Eric was maintaining a bit better and when we decided to 'blow out the pipes" on the last one I think that he must have ran about a :55. Not bad for a couple of 41 year old guys ! At any rate, it was a solid workout and I had no problems with my calf.
Am really looking forward to the 5K in Memphis on Saturday. I hope to run under 17:00 (5:28 pace), so we'll see how things go. Just happy to be healthy and headed in the right direction !!
I went 61.36, 58.96, 60.38, 59.29, 58.92, 60.51, 60.67, 61.14, 61.53, 58.62, so I averaged 60.13. I definitely was going lactic by about the 7th one and just trying to keep my form. Eric was maintaining a bit better and when we decided to 'blow out the pipes" on the last one I think that he must have ran about a :55. Not bad for a couple of 41 year old guys ! At any rate, it was a solid workout and I had no problems with my calf.
Am really looking forward to the 5K in Memphis on Saturday. I hope to run under 17:00 (5:28 pace), so we'll see how things go. Just happy to be healthy and headed in the right direction !!
Friday, November 21, 2008
frustration reigns supreme
After doing a pretty solid fartlek workout on November 11th I was warming down and felt a major twinge in my right calf. I thought that it was odd that it happened at the end of my workout and as I was warming down, but who knows how these things happen. The next day I couldn't even walk without limping. I tried to get out Friday night and run a bit, but again, I couldn't run without limping. After some fairly aggressive massage therapy by Monica on Saturday and a couple of more days of rest I was able to do some easy running on Tuesday the 18th.
I guess jumping right into it after an injury by running 7 miles might not have been the best idea. Running last night (Thursday the 20th) felt OK through about 3.5 miles and then my calf started to gradually tighten up again until I was almost limping again by the end of the run. After icing it last night, more ibuprofen and massaging the heck out of it, it feels pretty normal again, but I'm afraid that will be short lived.
As of right now I'll have Monica dig into it tonight with some aggressive massage to loosen it up and then give things a go at the Turkey Trot tomorrow. If I can get through that and hopefully a decent 20 miler on Sunday, I'll at least be confident that I can get through the marathon that I'm supposed to run 15 days from now...
Funny how being injured can affect your psyche. Sometimes running's like a drug. If you don't get your fix it sure leaves you craving it.
I guess jumping right into it after an injury by running 7 miles might not have been the best idea. Running last night (Thursday the 20th) felt OK through about 3.5 miles and then my calf started to gradually tighten up again until I was almost limping again by the end of the run. After icing it last night, more ibuprofen and massaging the heck out of it, it feels pretty normal again, but I'm afraid that will be short lived.
As of right now I'll have Monica dig into it tonight with some aggressive massage to loosen it up and then give things a go at the Turkey Trot tomorrow. If I can get through that and hopefully a decent 20 miler on Sunday, I'll at least be confident that I can get through the marathon that I'm supposed to run 15 days from now...
Funny how being injured can affect your psyche. Sometimes running's like a drug. If you don't get your fix it sure leaves you craving it.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Weekend workout/tempo
I got to Richland Saturday afternoon, still sleep deprived and after a 5 hour drive. I decided to get out for 4 miles to shake the cobwebs off of my legs and threw in some pickups on that run. It didn't feel horrible, but wasn't great either.
I really didn't want to get out of bed on Sunday morning, but I forced myself to do it and I knew that if I was going to get in a decent workout that I'd have to have someone to run with. I ate a piece of toast with butter and jam, a couple of swigs of Vitamin water and about half of a can of flat Pepsi from the night before.
I ran an easy one mile warm up and stretched out and felt surprisingly OK. My original plan was to run the first 20 miles of the race (Tri Cities Marathon) and then bag it. My head cold that I'd caught earlier in the week and the lack of a ride back to my car made me revise my plan.
It was a clear cool morning, perfect for running. When the gun went off I assessed the situation and found the guy who was leading the marathon (there was one marathon relay team ahead of us) and started talking to him. His name was Dan, he was from Portland and his goal was to run 'fast enough to win'. We talked a bit for the next few miles and we were clicking off miles at 6:07 to 6:08 (about 2:41 pace)with remarkable consistency. I decided at about the 5 mile marker that I would go to 7 miles and then jog back to the car, giving me a 15 mile day. Dan and I hit 7 miles in 42:55 (6:08 pace) and I ran back to the car at between 6:40-7:00 pace. My half marathon split according to the Garmin was 1:25:33 and I felt pretty decent about that.
I didn't have any problems with my breathing or anything else because of the head cold, and that surprised me a bit. I am still waking up stuffed up every day and am coughing up nasty gunk, but am feeling better than it was.
I am planning on running an easy 6 miles before the Zeitgeist race and then running the course as a tempo run, hopefully around 6:15 pace. Only 5 1/2 weeks to Memphis !
I really didn't want to get out of bed on Sunday morning, but I forced myself to do it and I knew that if I was going to get in a decent workout that I'd have to have someone to run with. I ate a piece of toast with butter and jam, a couple of swigs of Vitamin water and about half of a can of flat Pepsi from the night before.
I ran an easy one mile warm up and stretched out and felt surprisingly OK. My original plan was to run the first 20 miles of the race (Tri Cities Marathon) and then bag it. My head cold that I'd caught earlier in the week and the lack of a ride back to my car made me revise my plan.
It was a clear cool morning, perfect for running. When the gun went off I assessed the situation and found the guy who was leading the marathon (there was one marathon relay team ahead of us) and started talking to him. His name was Dan, he was from Portland and his goal was to run 'fast enough to win'. We talked a bit for the next few miles and we were clicking off miles at 6:07 to 6:08 (about 2:41 pace)with remarkable consistency. I decided at about the 5 mile marker that I would go to 7 miles and then jog back to the car, giving me a 15 mile day. Dan and I hit 7 miles in 42:55 (6:08 pace) and I ran back to the car at between 6:40-7:00 pace. My half marathon split according to the Garmin was 1:25:33 and I felt pretty decent about that.
I didn't have any problems with my breathing or anything else because of the head cold, and that surprised me a bit. I am still waking up stuffed up every day and am coughing up nasty gunk, but am feeling better than it was.
I am planning on running an easy 6 miles before the Zeitgeist race and then running the course as a tempo run, hopefully around 6:15 pace. Only 5 1/2 weeks to Memphis !
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