Monday, December 31, 2007
Another perfect running day. 28 degrees, mostly cloudy, breeze from the west (the direction I usually go out). A leisurely stretch and I’m out the door by 3:30. Today is an open day – run what I feel, as long as it’s easy. It had been snowing most of the day, beginning promptly at midnight, so the roads were in ideal conditions: well packed and mostly firm, with some icy spots just to keep you alert. Unlike yesterday, when I was still tired from the long run Saturday, my legs felt fresh and happy to be out on the roads, so I went past the normal turnaround at 1.4 miles and down the same steeply downhill road taken on November 18. The nastiest part of the hill is the second half of the third mile, which I was conveniently able to avoid by taking a new road. It’s New Year’s Eve, I feel good, I’ve got an hour to kill before dark – time to explore! And a very pleasant loop it is too, a gradual downhill access road, a nice whoop-de-doop very low density development loop, access road up, each between .6 and .8 miles. Not a single car for over three miles. I felt strong and ran easy throughout the run, and ran the last 1.6 miles in 13:30 (8:26 pace), then added on a bit at the end to take it up to an hour. I figure the distance at 6.5 miles. I’ll gmaps-ped it later. I’m pleased that one day was adequate rest after Saturday.
December by the numbers. 131.4 meq total, 88.2 miles running, 43.2 meq swimming. 3 dnr. 3 weeks sick. No injuries.
It was a totally fun run. It wasn’t snowing, not from the sky. Most parts of the roads I run are heavily treed, mixed hardwood and pine, mostly pine. The pine trees really hold a LOT of snow up in their boughs, especially if there’s not much wind as the snow falls. As there wasn’t today. Just around 3:30, however, the wind began to pick up, and ahead of me up the road I saw random areas seemingly buffeted by snow squalls. Actually, they were avalanches of snow, starting at the top of the pines and gathering strength and speed in some sort of swarm mentality. By the time I reached one which had been visible from about 300 m, it was gone and the sun was shining brightly near the horizon in the distance, the only sign of a squall one minute earlier being the new hatched miniature snow drifts frozen in their gradual trek across the road. I got caught in the next squall, though, and it was, to understate things, robust. Within about 10 seconds, I was coated with about ¼ inch of snow. Seriously, I couldn’t see! My face was completely covered. Totally cool – I couldn’t help laughing. Most runs are fun, but this one was especially so. It sure was one fun run.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
December 30, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Train with a purpose.
The purpose of today’s training was to determine my threshold pace/HR/effort. I have to start with some assumptions. First, max HR. Fifteen years ago it was slightly over 200, if I recorrect collectly. Somewhat arbitrarily, I choose the number 188. This gives (using Jack Daniels definitions) an easy (E, 75%) HR of 142, threshold (T, 90%) HR of 169 and an interval (I, 98%) HR of 184. The E pace running seems pretty accurate. My HR during the 8 miler yesterday was right around 142 for most of the run, probably a little more during most of the last two miles. So my current E (75% HRmax) pace is pretty close to 142 bpm at about 8 minutes/mile (I’ve gotta find some flat roads for the calibrating), supporting the HRmax=188 bpm theory. Today I intended to test the T pace. “I” running will have to wait a bit. The plan was to use the first two miles of my standard 3.2 mile loop from home as a warmup, then use the third mile to maintain a consistent HR, preferably at about 169. I wheeled the road myself, and the mile markers are accurate and intuitive. The third mile consists of a bunch of small, gradual rollers, almost as much up as down. The weather was nice, 27 degrees, calm air, cloudy skies, and I started with a good stretch. For some reason, however, I felt a little tired. I can’t imagine why; at least it was a good, long run the previous day kind of tired, not an exhausted and sick kind. The heart monitor provided suspect data. I got up to 145 quickly enough in the first mile, and kept it thereabouts. On the last big hill near the end of mile 2, it read 154, then back to 145. But when I tried to bump it up to tempo pace, it stayed locked in the 154-156 range, even when I know I was at the high end of T pace. And every now and then, it would read 171 or 172, which I suspect was the correct measurement. I’ll swap out the batteries and break out the backup monitor. I should swim tomorrow. Current Daniels VDOT rating estimated at 48 plus or minus 2. 20:00-21:30 range for racing 5k. I’m guessing it’s closer to the 21:30 (VDOT 46) right now. Most of my PR’s correlate to VDOT 68-70. My estimate for when I started November 11 is VDOT 38-40. If I can get halfway from current fitness to PR level fitness, the resulting VDOT 58 corresponds to a 5k of about 17:30. I would be satisfied with that.
8:12, 8:15, 7:27 (23:54), :45 (24:40 for 5k), :50 (25:30 for 3.2)
Train with a purpose.
The purpose of today’s training was to determine my threshold pace/HR/effort. I have to start with some assumptions. First, max HR. Fifteen years ago it was slightly over 200, if I recorrect collectly. Somewhat arbitrarily, I choose the number 188. This gives (using Jack Daniels definitions) an easy (E, 75%) HR of 142, threshold (T, 90%) HR of 169 and an interval (I, 98%) HR of 184. The E pace running seems pretty accurate. My HR during the 8 miler yesterday was right around 142 for most of the run, probably a little more during most of the last two miles. So my current E (75% HRmax) pace is pretty close to 142 bpm at about 8 minutes/mile (I’ve gotta find some flat roads for the calibrating), supporting the HRmax=188 bpm theory. Today I intended to test the T pace. “I” running will have to wait a bit. The plan was to use the first two miles of my standard 3.2 mile loop from home as a warmup, then use the third mile to maintain a consistent HR, preferably at about 169. I wheeled the road myself, and the mile markers are accurate and intuitive. The third mile consists of a bunch of small, gradual rollers, almost as much up as down. The weather was nice, 27 degrees, calm air, cloudy skies, and I started with a good stretch. For some reason, however, I felt a little tired. I can’t imagine why; at least it was a good, long run the previous day kind of tired, not an exhausted and sick kind. The heart monitor provided suspect data. I got up to 145 quickly enough in the first mile, and kept it thereabouts. On the last big hill near the end of mile 2, it read 154, then back to 145. But when I tried to bump it up to tempo pace, it stayed locked in the 154-156 range, even when I know I was at the high end of T pace. And every now and then, it would read 171 or 172, which I suspect was the correct measurement. I’ll swap out the batteries and break out the backup monitor. I should swim tomorrow. Current Daniels VDOT rating estimated at 48 plus or minus 2. 20:00-21:30 range for racing 5k. I’m guessing it’s closer to the 21:30 (VDOT 46) right now. Most of my PR’s correlate to VDOT 68-70. My estimate for when I started November 11 is VDOT 38-40. If I can get halfway from current fitness to PR level fitness, the resulting VDOT 58 corresponds to a 5k of about 17:30. I would be satisfied with that.
8:12, 8:15, 7:27 (23:54), :45 (24:40 for 5k), :50 (25:30 for 3.2)
Saturday, December 29, 2007
December 29, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Run 8 miles at steady pace, mostly hr ~140. 8:09, 8:51, 7:32, 8:59 (33:31 out), 8:17, 8:10, 7:42, 8:13 (32:22 in). 65:53 total, 8:14 pace. Nice day, 37 degrees, calm. Cloudy at start, sleet and freezing rain during mile 2, clear and sunny for last 3 miles with a lovely sunset. I was a bit worried about my left knee, which I tweaked on Christmas day while leaning over to grab a donut, or something like that. It’s been hurting ever since, and I wasn’t sure how it would feel while running. That’s why I didn’t run Thursday night after darts; with the new slushy snow I didn’t want to risk slipping and really injuring the damn thing. If it had interfered with the running today, I would have cut the run short without hesitation. I can deal with a running related injury by replacing the running with pool running. But the knee felt fine! I must admit though, my arms felt like they ran long yesterday.
More positive data. HR at end of run was 139 – just where I wanted it. After 2 minutes it was under 100, after 4 minutes under 90, and sub-80 after 6 minutes. I note that at the beginning of the stretch it was about 56, and at the end of the stretch about 80. Active-Isolated Stretching works. For the 800th time, thank you Jim Wharton.
I’ve been thinking about the ironman triathlon distances. 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. Top triathlon times might be something like swim 55 minutes, bike 4 hours 45 minutes, run 2 hours 45 minutes. Luc Van Lierde, in his world best 7:50 in 1997, turned splits of :44, 4:28 and 2:36. Yikes, those are incredible splits! For runners and cyclists, it’s pretty rare to go on a training run/ride as far as the race, but competitive swimmers regularly do training swims two or three times the ironman distance. Based solely on time, the ironman seems highly weighted to favor the bike specialists. Yet despite the small proportion of overall time, the swim ruins more triathlons than the bike, especially at Hawai'i where the water is hot and wetsuits banned. Believe me, 1.5-2 hours of hard swimming in hot salty water can leave you dangerously dehydrated. I remember finishing the Waikiki roughwater swim (the same weekend princess di was killed) one year when I was a bit out of shape and the current ran against the swimmers. It took me well over 2 hours to finish, and when I made it back to land, my tongue was swollen twice its normal size. For the skilled swimmer, however, 2.4 miles is pretty much a sprint. I know with an absolute certainty that I could not possibly run a marathon right now, nor could I come close to 112 miles on a bike. Yet I could go out and swim twice the ironman swimming distance without much of a problem. I'm fortunate I grew up in the water.
Run 8 miles at steady pace, mostly hr ~140. 8:09, 8:51, 7:32, 8:59 (33:31 out), 8:17, 8:10, 7:42, 8:13 (32:22 in). 65:53 total, 8:14 pace. Nice day, 37 degrees, calm. Cloudy at start, sleet and freezing rain during mile 2, clear and sunny for last 3 miles with a lovely sunset. I was a bit worried about my left knee, which I tweaked on Christmas day while leaning over to grab a donut, or something like that. It’s been hurting ever since, and I wasn’t sure how it would feel while running. That’s why I didn’t run Thursday night after darts; with the new slushy snow I didn’t want to risk slipping and really injuring the damn thing. If it had interfered with the running today, I would have cut the run short without hesitation. I can deal with a running related injury by replacing the running with pool running. But the knee felt fine! I must admit though, my arms felt like they ran long yesterday.
More positive data. HR at end of run was 139 – just where I wanted it. After 2 minutes it was under 100, after 4 minutes under 90, and sub-80 after 6 minutes. I note that at the beginning of the stretch it was about 56, and at the end of the stretch about 80. Active-Isolated Stretching works. For the 800th time, thank you Jim Wharton.
I’ve been thinking about the ironman triathlon distances. 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. Top triathlon times might be something like swim 55 minutes, bike 4 hours 45 minutes, run 2 hours 45 minutes. Luc Van Lierde, in his world best 7:50 in 1997, turned splits of :44, 4:28 and 2:36. Yikes, those are incredible splits! For runners and cyclists, it’s pretty rare to go on a training run/ride as far as the race, but competitive swimmers regularly do training swims two or three times the ironman distance. Based solely on time, the ironman seems highly weighted to favor the bike specialists. Yet despite the small proportion of overall time, the swim ruins more triathlons than the bike, especially at Hawai'i where the water is hot and wetsuits banned. Believe me, 1.5-2 hours of hard swimming in hot salty water can leave you dangerously dehydrated. I remember finishing the Waikiki roughwater swim (the same weekend princess di was killed) one year when I was a bit out of shape and the current ran against the swimmers. It took me well over 2 hours to finish, and when I made it back to land, my tongue was swollen twice its normal size. For the skilled swimmer, however, 2.4 miles is pretty much a sprint. I know with an absolute certainty that I could not possibly run a marathon right now, nor could I come close to 112 miles on a bike. Yet I could go out and swim twice the ironman swimming distance without much of a problem. I'm fortunate I grew up in the water.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Back Home! December 28, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
OK, vacation is over. Swam 5050 m, 1:45 (non-stop). 10:01, 9:46, 9:48, 9:52, 10:02 (49:28), 10:04, 10:32, 10:49 (80:53 for 4k, see 12/22), 11:42, 11:01 (1:43:36), 1:40 (1:45:16). Looks like I might have done an extra lap during the 9th 500 m block. Freaky. I was getting a little tired after 4k, but worked out an ultra-economic stroke for the last 500 m which could be maintained (at 11 minutes/500 m) even longer.
OK, vacation is over. Swam 5050 m, 1:45 (non-stop). 10:01, 9:46, 9:48, 9:52, 10:02 (49:28), 10:04, 10:32, 10:49 (80:53 for 4k, see 12/22), 11:42, 11:01 (1:43:36), 1:40 (1:45:16). Looks like I might have done an extra lap during the 9th 500 m block. Freaky. I was getting a little tired after 4k, but worked out an ultra-economic stroke for the last 500 m which could be maintained (at 11 minutes/500 m) even longer.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
December 23, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Crazy warm day today, 45-50 degrees. I overdressed intentionally, but not by too much. Ran the usual hilly 8 mile out and back. 8:17, 8:43, 7:23 (24:22), 9:12 (33:34 out), 8:38, 8:33, 7:51, 9:01 (34:03 in). 67:37 overall, 8:26 pace. Wind in the face on the way back, but not too bad. I could have busted ass the last mile to get the neg split, but it would have hurt like hell and looked worse. I opted to finish feeling good. Overall, a very nice weekend of training.
Crazy warm day today, 45-50 degrees. I overdressed intentionally, but not by too much. Ran the usual hilly 8 mile out and back. 8:17, 8:43, 7:23 (24:22), 9:12 (33:34 out), 8:38, 8:33, 7:51, 9:01 (34:03 in). 67:37 overall, 8:26 pace. Wind in the face on the way back, but not too bad. I could have busted ass the last mile to get the neg split, but it would have hurt like hell and looked worse. I opted to finish feeling good. Overall, a very nice weekend of training.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Solstice - December 22, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Swam 2500 m, 49:58. Checked splits every 200 m. 4:10 (warmup), 8:06, 12:03, 15:50, 19:45, 23:38, 27:36, 31:31 (1600 m), 35:38, 39:44, 43:46, 47:48 (2400, used last 100 as easy cooldown). It was fun. I counted blocks of 8 laps (checking splits halfway through). I would take the first lap of each set of 8 easy, accelerate through half a lap, then go at a brisk tempo pace for the next 6 ½ laps. I tired a bit in the last 1000 m, but could probably go 4000 m in 80 minutes for a good hard workout. Sounds like a nice swim sometime during the next two weeks.
Six weeks complete. 166 meq
December 21, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Another late-night struggle. After several hours of intense (Simpsons inspired) soul searching, I decided the psychological stress of sustaining a streak of consecutive training days was beginning to outweigh the benefits. It would probably do me some good to take a day off, and today would be a good day. I still feel lousy - sneezing, coughing and dripping all the live long day. What a relief to be able to slug out all night and fall asleep early. Of course, I was imagining this sense of relief while donning my running gear and stretching. Despite my immediate desire to chill on the couch, part of my brain had considered how I would feel tomorrow, and next week, and next month. Which would I ultimately regret more, running when I felt like relaxing, or missing a day I could have run? D’oh! I don’t recall ever regretting a run, and I’ve gone on over 7,000 of ‘em.
Once on the road, though, I decided to make the run as short as possible. What’s the shortest run which I’d count? About 2 miles. So I ran one mile out and back. But as I was nearing the house, I figured there was no way I was running slower than 10 minute pace, and my definition of aerobic exercise requires more than 20 continuous minutes. So I tacked on an additional .4 miles just to make sure.
I didn’t get out until after 9:00, but it was a nice evening. Maybe 15 degrees, no wind, bright sky. You know what would have happened if I decided not to run? I would have regretted it sooner rather than later and gone out at 11:00 or 11:30 instead.
My feet and legs feel great. Of course, at about 30 miles per week, they should. Based on experience, my risk of overuse injuries becomes significant at about 45-50 miles per week, a level I shouldn’t approach until mid-March. If I’m careful (and my 6 month schedule is very conservative) and lucky I should be able to reach 55 mpw by mid-May without overuse injury. Then I plan to start serious training (race preparation) for the fall racing season.
Another late-night struggle. After several hours of intense (Simpsons inspired) soul searching, I decided the psychological stress of sustaining a streak of consecutive training days was beginning to outweigh the benefits. It would probably do me some good to take a day off, and today would be a good day. I still feel lousy - sneezing, coughing and dripping all the live long day. What a relief to be able to slug out all night and fall asleep early. Of course, I was imagining this sense of relief while donning my running gear and stretching. Despite my immediate desire to chill on the couch, part of my brain had considered how I would feel tomorrow, and next week, and next month. Which would I ultimately regret more, running when I felt like relaxing, or missing a day I could have run? D’oh! I don’t recall ever regretting a run, and I’ve gone on over 7,000 of ‘em.
Once on the road, though, I decided to make the run as short as possible. What’s the shortest run which I’d count? About 2 miles. So I ran one mile out and back. But as I was nearing the house, I figured there was no way I was running slower than 10 minute pace, and my definition of aerobic exercise requires more than 20 continuous minutes. So I tacked on an additional .4 miles just to make sure.
I didn’t get out until after 9:00, but it was a nice evening. Maybe 15 degrees, no wind, bright sky. You know what would have happened if I decided not to run? I would have regretted it sooner rather than later and gone out at 11:00 or 11:30 instead.
My feet and legs feel great. Of course, at about 30 miles per week, they should. Based on experience, my risk of overuse injuries becomes significant at about 45-50 miles per week, a level I shouldn’t approach until mid-March. If I’m careful (and my 6 month schedule is very conservative) and lucky I should be able to reach 55 mpw by mid-May without overuse injury. Then I plan to start serious training (race preparation) for the fall racing season.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
December 20, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
5.2 miles at night. It snowed about 3 or 4 inches during the day, so the road was well coated. It was a very comfortable 25 degrees, with a bright, if somewhat occluded, gibbous moon. I went through about 100 tissues today, but otherwise had no symptoms other than haywired sinuses. And total mental and physical exhaustion. I’m so damnedly tired. But I know the time spent running would be my only time today with clear sinuses, so there was no real doubt about my making it out.
I was scheduled for 5.6 miles today, but planned on either 2.8 or 3.2, depending on how I felt, confident about feeling crappy. Go figure. I felt good. Running at night in winter is wonderful training. You’re forced into a nice efficient stride, staying balanced over your center of mass, with any overstriding putting you quickly on your ass when you hit that first patch of icy road. It was such a nice night, and I felt so easy and strong that it was an easy, early decision to run longer. Over the final quarter mile I found myself subconsciously picking up the pace. Today is day 40 of my training; it’s time to add another piece of the training puzzle. Form drills and strides with every run, even if only a short set. It felt good – the legs want to run fast. I wish them luck.
5.2 miles at night. It snowed about 3 or 4 inches during the day, so the road was well coated. It was a very comfortable 25 degrees, with a bright, if somewhat occluded, gibbous moon. I went through about 100 tissues today, but otherwise had no symptoms other than haywired sinuses. And total mental and physical exhaustion. I’m so damnedly tired. But I know the time spent running would be my only time today with clear sinuses, so there was no real doubt about my making it out.
I was scheduled for 5.6 miles today, but planned on either 2.8 or 3.2, depending on how I felt, confident about feeling crappy. Go figure. I felt good. Running at night in winter is wonderful training. You’re forced into a nice efficient stride, staying balanced over your center of mass, with any overstriding putting you quickly on your ass when you hit that first patch of icy road. It was such a nice night, and I felt so easy and strong that it was an easy, early decision to run longer. Over the final quarter mile I found myself subconsciously picking up the pace. Today is day 40 of my training; it’s time to add another piece of the training puzzle. Form drills and strides with every run, even if only a short set. It felt good – the legs want to run fast. I wish them luck.
December 19, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Ran 3.2 miles after staff party, about 27:00-27:30
Tired, sick, exhausted
Darts after, kicked butt
Too tired, too late to blog
So very tired
Ran 3.2 miles after staff party, about 27:00-27:30
Tired, sick, exhausted
Darts after, kicked butt
Too tired, too late to blog
So very tired
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
December 17, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
~4.1 miles from school, 35 minutes (~8:30 pace). 18 minutes out, 17 minutes in. Cool, 11 degrees, breezy. Nice day.
24/37 days running – total 101 miles
13/37 days swimming – total 45 meq (~24,000 m, 15 mi.)
Please, let me make it to March.
~4.1 miles from school, 35 minutes (~8:30 pace). 18 minutes out, 17 minutes in. Cool, 11 degrees, breezy. Nice day.
24/37 days running – total 101 miles
13/37 days swimming – total 45 meq (~24,000 m, 15 mi.)
Please, let me make it to March.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
December 16, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
3.2 miles, 31 minutes. 25 degrees, freezing rain, 40 mph wind gusts. Poor footing, but otherwise a very nice day. Pleasant recovery run.
3.2 miles, 31 minutes. 25 degrees, freezing rain, 40 mph wind gusts. Poor footing, but otherwise a very nice day. Pleasant recovery run.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
A Friendly Competition - December 15, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Tensions have been simmering for weeks, and only my own weakness has prevented them from boiling over into an overt confrontation. Today, incited by ideal weather, clear lungs and rested legs, war broke out. It might not be all out war, perhaps more of a friendly rivalry, but today the inbound Don called the outbound Don a pussy. One of our goals during the long run is to run negative splits – always come in faster than you went out. But the last two weeks the outbound run has been so slow as to present no challenge to the inbound runner, even weakened by a cold. 38:02 last week, 36:05 the week before. Geez, Don, you could at least get under 9 minute pace. Make me work to get back in time. Pussy.
I was about 3 minutes into today’s run when I heard that conversation in the back of my head. It was 3:25 pm, about 70 minutes before darkness (sunset at 4:07), and it was about 5 degrees, clouds heavy with the threat of 12-18 inches of snow, and only the slightest breeze. Near perfect running conditions – I’m finally dressed properly for the temperature. I’ve got a bandana over my mouth and nose to warm and humidify the air. If I take it away from my mouth, it freezes solid in about 15 seconds. Cool. But anyway, back to the story. Outbound Don doesn’t like to be called a pussy, especially by some fat, bald, slow, middle-aged punk. Outbound Don throws down a smooth first mile in 7:59, and easy uphill second mile of 9:14, and a brisk third mile of 7:56. About 25:08 for three miles. Taking pity on inbound Don, to whom he is suddenly feeling much more sympathetic, outbound Don eases through the fourth mile in 9:36 (34:44 out). That’s more like it. You want to run negative splits, you’ve got to run 8:40 pace. Inbound Don takes the baton at the turnaround and cruises mile 5 in 8:44, which sounds fine except that mile 4 is mostly uphill while mile 5 is mostly downhill. And my legs are totally beat. Running in the slush, while easier on the legs, really requires more energy. I feel as if I’ve gone about 10 miles, and I’ve only gone 5. Mile 6 is all uphill, and takes an exhausting 9:41. Mile 7 is mostly downhill, but I’m so tired it feels as if it’s uphill and take 8:28. Thinking back to such classic hill races as Hamilton College 1980, Mount Greylock 1994 and Ocean to Sound relay leg 6 1997 helps the anchor leg come home in a strong, all uphill 8:39. 34:44 out, 35:32 in, total 70:16. No negative split - inbound Don learns to watch his mouth. weight 167 lbs before, 163 lbs after.
All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall.
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Tensions have been simmering for weeks, and only my own weakness has prevented them from boiling over into an overt confrontation. Today, incited by ideal weather, clear lungs and rested legs, war broke out. It might not be all out war, perhaps more of a friendly rivalry, but today the inbound Don called the outbound Don a pussy. One of our goals during the long run is to run negative splits – always come in faster than you went out. But the last two weeks the outbound run has been so slow as to present no challenge to the inbound runner, even weakened by a cold. 38:02 last week, 36:05 the week before. Geez, Don, you could at least get under 9 minute pace. Make me work to get back in time. Pussy.
I was about 3 minutes into today’s run when I heard that conversation in the back of my head. It was 3:25 pm, about 70 minutes before darkness (sunset at 4:07), and it was about 5 degrees, clouds heavy with the threat of 12-18 inches of snow, and only the slightest breeze. Near perfect running conditions – I’m finally dressed properly for the temperature. I’ve got a bandana over my mouth and nose to warm and humidify the air. If I take it away from my mouth, it freezes solid in about 15 seconds. Cool. But anyway, back to the story. Outbound Don doesn’t like to be called a pussy, especially by some fat, bald, slow, middle-aged punk. Outbound Don throws down a smooth first mile in 7:59, and easy uphill second mile of 9:14, and a brisk third mile of 7:56. About 25:08 for three miles. Taking pity on inbound Don, to whom he is suddenly feeling much more sympathetic, outbound Don eases through the fourth mile in 9:36 (34:44 out). That’s more like it. You want to run negative splits, you’ve got to run 8:40 pace. Inbound Don takes the baton at the turnaround and cruises mile 5 in 8:44, which sounds fine except that mile 4 is mostly uphill while mile 5 is mostly downhill. And my legs are totally beat. Running in the slush, while easier on the legs, really requires more energy. I feel as if I’ve gone about 10 miles, and I’ve only gone 5. Mile 6 is all uphill, and takes an exhausting 9:41. Mile 7 is mostly downhill, but I’m so tired it feels as if it’s uphill and take 8:28. Thinking back to such classic hill races as Hamilton College 1980, Mount Greylock 1994 and Ocean to Sound relay leg 6 1997 helps the anchor leg come home in a strong, all uphill 8:39. 34:44 out, 35:32 in, total 70:16. No negative split - inbound Don learns to watch his mouth. weight 167 lbs before, 163 lbs after.
All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall.
Friday, December 14, 2007
December 14, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
The verdict is in. I prefer running at night, even in winter. I'm surprised, because, well … because running at night in winter in the mountains of northern New Hampshire just seems silly. I almost didn’t make it out. So comfortable inside, so windy outside. At about 9:00 I began to gather my running gear together. My running pants weren’t in my bag, or the laundry basket, or on the floor. Where the hell are they? I went around the house twice, but couldn’t find them. I didn’t want to go out bare legged – I wanted to stay warm tonight. I briefly considered taking the dnr, but was able to resist temptation and found the pants on the third go-round. No reason to rush the stretch, the longer I delay, the fewer cars I’ll be likely to see. Like 4 instead of 5. I finally made it out the door at about 9:30.
It was about 20 degrees, with 20-30 mph gusts of wind, and I was dressed for about 10 degrees colder, so was toasty warm. There were no cars, no moon, no sounds except my breathing (easy now, not gasping for air like last week) and the soft crunching of snow underfoot. After about a mile I was warm enough to take off my gloves, and the hat came off for the final mile. The snow coating the road makes for the ideal running surface – it’s soft and forgiving and predictable and gentle on the feet and legs, and it shines so prettily in the starlight you’d think it was luminescing. I briefly considered doing another loop, or even getting in my long run early before the big storm Sunday, but was able again to resist temptation. I’ll probably go long tomorrow. We’re expecting over a foot of snow Sunday.
I really love this place
The verdict is in. I prefer running at night, even in winter. I'm surprised, because, well … because running at night in winter in the mountains of northern New Hampshire just seems silly. I almost didn’t make it out. So comfortable inside, so windy outside. At about 9:00 I began to gather my running gear together. My running pants weren’t in my bag, or the laundry basket, or on the floor. Where the hell are they? I went around the house twice, but couldn’t find them. I didn’t want to go out bare legged – I wanted to stay warm tonight. I briefly considered taking the dnr, but was able to resist temptation and found the pants on the third go-round. No reason to rush the stretch, the longer I delay, the fewer cars I’ll be likely to see. Like 4 instead of 5. I finally made it out the door at about 9:30.
It was about 20 degrees, with 20-30 mph gusts of wind, and I was dressed for about 10 degrees colder, so was toasty warm. There were no cars, no moon, no sounds except my breathing (easy now, not gasping for air like last week) and the soft crunching of snow underfoot. After about a mile I was warm enough to take off my gloves, and the hat came off for the final mile. The snow coating the road makes for the ideal running surface – it’s soft and forgiving and predictable and gentle on the feet and legs, and it shines so prettily in the starlight you’d think it was luminescing. I briefly considered doing another loop, or even getting in my long run early before the big storm Sunday, but was able again to resist temptation. I’ll probably go long tomorrow. We’re expecting over a foot of snow Sunday.
I really love this place
Thursday, December 13, 2007
December 13, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
There’s another nor’easter today. It’s a traditional coastal nor’easter, though, so my son Matt, at UNH in Durham, is seeing a lot more snow than I am. But we got about 4 inches, mostly over a 2-3 hour period, so it was coming down pretty heavy while it was coming down. Which was during the precise period I was driving to the pool. Big deal.
Today seemed like a good day for a bit of a tempo workout, as much as I can in the pool. I feel that, after a good month of training, I’m finally in good enough shape so that I’m not exhausted by the time I get warmed up. 500 m warmup, 3 x 500 m tempo effort w/100 m easy between, 500 m cooldown. 9:30, 9:42, 9:48. Total distance 2700 m. I would have been happy to do another 500 easy, but 1500 m at tempo pace was enough for me. Sometime in the next week or so I’m going to fit in that 5k swim. Mostly easy, but not all. It should be fun.
I tried to check my hr after each rep. After the first one I got 110, so I tried to kick more during the next two. It messed up my mechanics and efficiency went way down, but at least I got the hr up to 125. I figure it dropped about 10 bpm by the time I was able to get a reading, but now I know why I’ve felt so relaxed while swimming lately; I’ve probably done at least half my swimming at about 90 bpm. A couple months ago I could hit 90 bpm by eating a sandwich. At least now I’m fit enough to swim hard enough to get the ole pulse up to decent rate. I’m also beginning to recall, from long ago, how much harder it is to get the heart rate up by swimming. It’s why swimmers do 100 sprints every day.
Uh-oh, I think I made a mistake. Roy Tuller’s yearbook quote was “A man’s a man who looks a man right between the eyes.” I think it was Frank Farance who said “He who gazes at the stars is at the mercy of the puddles in the road.” I can see my yearbook from where I sit, but am far too lazy to actually check. Maybe tomorrow. Hi Frank! Hi Roy! Leave a comment and let me know if I remember correctly.
There’s another nor’easter today. It’s a traditional coastal nor’easter, though, so my son Matt, at UNH in Durham, is seeing a lot more snow than I am. But we got about 4 inches, mostly over a 2-3 hour period, so it was coming down pretty heavy while it was coming down. Which was during the precise period I was driving to the pool. Big deal.
Today seemed like a good day for a bit of a tempo workout, as much as I can in the pool. I feel that, after a good month of training, I’m finally in good enough shape so that I’m not exhausted by the time I get warmed up. 500 m warmup, 3 x 500 m tempo effort w/100 m easy between, 500 m cooldown. 9:30, 9:42, 9:48. Total distance 2700 m. I would have been happy to do another 500 easy, but 1500 m at tempo pace was enough for me. Sometime in the next week or so I’m going to fit in that 5k swim. Mostly easy, but not all. It should be fun.
I tried to check my hr after each rep. After the first one I got 110, so I tried to kick more during the next two. It messed up my mechanics and efficiency went way down, but at least I got the hr up to 125. I figure it dropped about 10 bpm by the time I was able to get a reading, but now I know why I’ve felt so relaxed while swimming lately; I’ve probably done at least half my swimming at about 90 bpm. A couple months ago I could hit 90 bpm by eating a sandwich. At least now I’m fit enough to swim hard enough to get the ole pulse up to decent rate. I’m also beginning to recall, from long ago, how much harder it is to get the heart rate up by swimming. It’s why swimmers do 100 sprints every day.
Uh-oh, I think I made a mistake. Roy Tuller’s yearbook quote was “A man’s a man who looks a man right between the eyes.” I think it was Frank Farance who said “He who gazes at the stars is at the mercy of the puddles in the road.” I can see my yearbook from where I sit, but am far too lazy to actually check. Maybe tomorrow. Hi Frank! Hi Roy! Leave a comment and let me know if I remember correctly.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Meteor Run - December 12, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
A long day, with no delay. Stupid winter solstice season. I arrived home at 3:30, which is about as early as I can without skipping out early, and decided not to rush out to get my run done before dark. I was tired, and wanted to recline for a bit with my eyes closed, and it was cold and windy outside. So warm and comfortable inside, and the sofa is so soft. Thinking quickly, I decided that the wind would ease up once it was dark out, and it might even warm up a bit. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Four hours later, it’s clear the wind has picked up significantly. I’m stretching to the Simpsons, accompanied by the howling of the wind and banging of the shutters. Maybe not shutters, but something is banging out there. There’s no moon out tonight, so the road is pretty dark, but the stars are out for what seems like the first time in a month. And it isn’t all that cold or windy either; I’m a bit too warm if anything. I feel good. My road runs generally east-west, and I live near the eastern end. On the run back I was facing eastward, directly toward Orion, still patrolling the mountains near the horizon, and was reminded of the meteor shower over the next 2-3 days, originating not to far from our intrepid bowman. So I ran for a mile and a half, in the dark, in the snow and ice, looking up at the sky. I was reminded of Roy Tuller’s HS yearbook quote (1976) “He who gazes at the stars is at the mercy of the puddles on the road.” So be it. I saw the first meteor after about 15 seconds. It was a fun run.
I felt good.
A long day, with no delay. Stupid winter solstice season. I arrived home at 3:30, which is about as early as I can without skipping out early, and decided not to rush out to get my run done before dark. I was tired, and wanted to recline for a bit with my eyes closed, and it was cold and windy outside. So warm and comfortable inside, and the sofa is so soft. Thinking quickly, I decided that the wind would ease up once it was dark out, and it might even warm up a bit. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Four hours later, it’s clear the wind has picked up significantly. I’m stretching to the Simpsons, accompanied by the howling of the wind and banging of the shutters. Maybe not shutters, but something is banging out there. There’s no moon out tonight, so the road is pretty dark, but the stars are out for what seems like the first time in a month. And it isn’t all that cold or windy either; I’m a bit too warm if anything. I feel good. My road runs generally east-west, and I live near the eastern end. On the run back I was facing eastward, directly toward Orion, still patrolling the mountains near the horizon, and was reminded of the meteor shower over the next 2-3 days, originating not to far from our intrepid bowman. So I ran for a mile and a half, in the dark, in the snow and ice, looking up at the sky. I was reminded of Roy Tuller’s HS yearbook quote (1976) “He who gazes at the stars is at the mercy of the puddles on the road.” So be it. I saw the first meteor after about 15 seconds. It was a fun run.
I felt good.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
December 11, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Swam 2000 m, 42:00. I broke it up mentally into (10 lap) blocks of 500 m, with about 0.5 seconds rest between blocks, just enough time to check the watch. 10:41; 10:08; 10:30; 10:41; passed the mile mark in 33:40.
There’s just a little congestion and coughing left, and today for the first time in a week I felt strong, as if I could go 5000 m easy at 10:40 pace. If it hadn’t been 10 minutes past pool closing I would have gone another 500. I wish my heart monitor were waterproof. Later this week I’m thinking of 3x500 m with 100 m rest as a tempo workout. The 10:08 felt like a nice tempo pace, but I would like to know the hr.
It’s snowing pretty good out – about 6 inches since it started at 4:00, and the roads between here and the pool are pretty slick. During the drive I was reminded of another reason I love the north country – many drivers up here love driving on slick roads. You see cars all the time (including mine) intentionally fishtailing, powersliding and generally having fun testing the limits of their traction. Near accidents and driftsmacks which would elicit screams from a flatlander are done as casually as changing lanes. The snow is sposed to come down steadily through tomorrow morning, so one thought comes to mind, as it would for any teacher. Two hour delay. That would be great. I could run in the morning, through the new snow. C’mon Snow!!!
Swam 2000 m, 42:00. I broke it up mentally into (10 lap) blocks of 500 m, with about 0.5 seconds rest between blocks, just enough time to check the watch. 10:41; 10:08; 10:30; 10:41; passed the mile mark in 33:40.
There’s just a little congestion and coughing left, and today for the first time in a week I felt strong, as if I could go 5000 m easy at 10:40 pace. If it hadn’t been 10 minutes past pool closing I would have gone another 500. I wish my heart monitor were waterproof. Later this week I’m thinking of 3x500 m with 100 m rest as a tempo workout. The 10:08 felt like a nice tempo pace, but I would like to know the hr.
It’s snowing pretty good out – about 6 inches since it started at 4:00, and the roads between here and the pool are pretty slick. During the drive I was reminded of another reason I love the north country – many drivers up here love driving on slick roads. You see cars all the time (including mine) intentionally fishtailing, powersliding and generally having fun testing the limits of their traction. Near accidents and driftsmacks which would elicit screams from a flatlander are done as casually as changing lanes. The snow is sposed to come down steadily through tomorrow morning, so one thought comes to mind, as it would for any teacher. Two hour delay. That would be great. I could run in the morning, through the new snow. C’mon Snow!!!
Monday, December 10, 2007
One Month Complete - December 10, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
3.2 miles from school, untimed and easy.
114.5 meq total (30 days)
78.7 miles running
35.8 meq swimming
0 missed days
a good start
3.2 miles from school, untimed and easy.
114.5 meq total (30 days)
78.7 miles running
35.8 meq swimming
0 missed days
a good start
Sunday, December 9, 2007
December 9, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Scheduled 8 miler, same route as last week. 20 degrees, calm, partly cloudy. I took it easy most of the day and took off at about 2:45. Nice running conditions. Though I thought I went through a thorough stretch, by the first trough in the road, during the first mile, I sensed trouble. The first mile is mostly downhill (it loses 110 feet over the first .8 miles). Going as slowly as I could, and still call it running, I was gasping for air, wheezing like an asthmatic. First mile, downhill, 9:31, I feel like dogshit. I figure today is a good day to bail at 2 miles. No problem; I’m not compulsive, and if I need the rest I need the rest. The HR is only 143 going up the hill, so I concentrate on maintaining a quick tempo and keeping the breathing rate 3/2 uphill and 3/3 on the downhills. There are no level sections. I felt better by the 2 mile mark and decided to go on to 3, especially since all the really long, killer hills are in the first 2.3 miles, the 1.7 after that are short, fairly gentle rollers (after that there is 2.5 mile mountain climb that gains something like 900 feet, fun spring running, no doubt). I kept it nice and easy, and of course once I hit the 3 mile mark why not finish the damn run, right? Turned around right around 38 minutes, and I thought no matter how tired I am, I can sure as hell run a negative split off that. It seems most of my fatigue is mental and respiratory; as long as I thought strong thoughts and kept things together mechanically, I felt pretty darn good. No aches or pains at all in the legs either, not during nor after. Let’s hear three loud power claps and big Hoo-Rah!
9:31, 9:11, 9:22, 9:58 (38:02 out), 9:13, 9:43, 7:46, 9:43 (36:24 in) (1:14:26) 9:18 pace
Wicked slow, but I like the fact that I felt stronger later on in the run. The last two miles were faster than last week.
Hacked my lungs out for 10 minutes immediately upon finishing.
Scheduled 8 miler, same route as last week. 20 degrees, calm, partly cloudy. I took it easy most of the day and took off at about 2:45. Nice running conditions. Though I thought I went through a thorough stretch, by the first trough in the road, during the first mile, I sensed trouble. The first mile is mostly downhill (it loses 110 feet over the first .8 miles). Going as slowly as I could, and still call it running, I was gasping for air, wheezing like an asthmatic. First mile, downhill, 9:31, I feel like dogshit. I figure today is a good day to bail at 2 miles. No problem; I’m not compulsive, and if I need the rest I need the rest. The HR is only 143 going up the hill, so I concentrate on maintaining a quick tempo and keeping the breathing rate 3/2 uphill and 3/3 on the downhills. There are no level sections. I felt better by the 2 mile mark and decided to go on to 3, especially since all the really long, killer hills are in the first 2.3 miles, the 1.7 after that are short, fairly gentle rollers (after that there is 2.5 mile mountain climb that gains something like 900 feet, fun spring running, no doubt). I kept it nice and easy, and of course once I hit the 3 mile mark why not finish the damn run, right? Turned around right around 38 minutes, and I thought no matter how tired I am, I can sure as hell run a negative split off that. It seems most of my fatigue is mental and respiratory; as long as I thought strong thoughts and kept things together mechanically, I felt pretty darn good. No aches or pains at all in the legs either, not during nor after. Let’s hear three loud power claps and big Hoo-Rah!
9:31, 9:11, 9:22, 9:58 (38:02 out), 9:13, 9:43, 7:46, 9:43 (36:24 in) (1:14:26) 9:18 pace
Wicked slow, but I like the fact that I felt stronger later on in the run. The last two miles were faster than last week.
Hacked my lungs out for 10 minutes immediately upon finishing.
Power of Three, December 8, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Swam 2000 m, mostly easy, about 47 minutes. I didn’t count laps, but used a new method to keep track of distance. I pictured myself on a track, and each lap in the pool corresponded to a 50 m portion of the track. Starting the first turn, coming off the first turn, beginning of the backstretch, end of the backstretch, etc. Every 8 pool laps = 1 lap around the track. I simply visualized a mile (ok, 1600 m) race, even checking my split every 400 m (9:12, 8:30, 8:46, 8:52). Add a nice little 400 m cooldown, and I managed to swim 40 laps without counting by numbers or letters. The left shoulder felt much better today. I'm very reassured that after four weeks of steady, if gentle, training, nothing chronic appears imminent. My most significant concern, long term, is the left knee. It hasn't even reached phase I (most days, but it's knockin on the door), so I'll stay vigilant but not worried.
It was over 30 degrees today, and I considered doing my long run early. But then I checked outside and saw how very windy it was. I’d much rather run in a calm 20 degrees than a blustery 30.
Four weeks complete. Weekly Meq: 22, 28, 26, 28. Schedule for next four weeks: 30, 33, 30, 32.
Photo is from mid-summer. I'm the skinny one. Any wonder I suffered at The Running School two weeks later?
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Alone in the dark - December 7, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Another late run today, this time by choice. At some point, I know there will be a lot of midnight runs, some to avoid the dreaded dnr, some to avoid the oppressive summer swelter. Many of my most memorable runs were at night (including several “nude mile” races back in the ‘80’s, and probably the only nude two mile relay in the history of the planet – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the Bellmore Striders Rule). Night runs and extreme weather runs. I’ve run in many hurricanes, blizzards, nor’easters and one “storm of the century.” In fact, most of the running I’ve done over the last 3 years or so has been during major storms. I’ve sat idly during week after week of perfect running weather in October, but ran twice one day in February when we got 26 inches of snow.
But today was an example of my trying to make things difficult for myself intentionally. I’m really tired from fighting this stoopid infection (it’s almost over, I think), plus it’s been a busy week at work, including the inconvenient afternoon duty. Don’t get me wrong, I laugh at myself every time I whine at spending 40 minutes in the playground with the kids, waiting for all the buses. It’s actually fun watching free-range children play. The inconvenient part is that I have to stay until 3:15 rather than 3:00. Wahhhh, poor baby. (Don’t get the idea that teaching is easy, my work isn’t done at 3:00, there’s still loads of work to get done; I either do it later at night, early in the morning, or not at all.) I went home after school and made myself comfy on the couch, with a book by my side and Stargate SG-1 on the telly. I was intrigued to find out how tempting it would become to stay on the couch, crack a homebrew, and gently drift off to sleep. As it turns out, it wasn’t that tempting. Reclining on the sofa, the postnasal drip aggravated my coughing, and that wasn’t relaxing at all. And I’m not senile enough to have forgotten how, over the last 5 days, the only time I was NOT coughing was when I was running (or swimming). Finally, I had been reciting the same mantra today as I do every day. It goes something like this.
Only the most unhealthily compulsive athlete never misses a day. The athlete who says “I haven’t missed a day in ten years” is either lying or has OCD. I don’t have OCD and I don’t want to lie. I will take a day completely off. There will be plenty of days I have to write DNR in my training log. But it will not be today.
As much as I tried to make it difficult to get out and run, I KNEW, with an absolute certainty, that before midnight I was going to put on my running gear, stretch, and run. Which I did, right after the Simpsons. In fact, it took a lot of willpower to wait that long, but I told myself I wouldn’t go out the door until the three dragons sang their song at the end of the episode.
American jerks are going home
Now we sleep for a thousand years
When we wake the world will end
And out the door I went.
3.2 miles, no time. My road is very dark when the moon and stars aren’t out and it’s not snowing. Luckily, I know from driving it several times a day that there are no potholes on the driving surface, and there isn’t much traffic (about 4 cars for a ~30 minute run, on my long run last Sunday I saw 6 cars over 8 miles), so I stayed off the shoulder. Because of the thick cloud cover, it was also much warmer than I expected. This morning it was 7 degrees, and it got up to the mid-20’s this afternoon. Running at about 9 o’clock tonight it felt just a couple degrees below freezing, still in my sweet spot, especially with no wind.
This week was scheduled to be a hard week (I alternate hard/easy weeks similarly to hard/easy days). With the urti, though, ordinary training becomes similar to altitude training. The cardiovascular, psychological and immunological stress doesn’t correlate to running-specific physical stress. I may be emotionally and internally exhausted, but my legs have had a real easy week, and they want some action. I can hear them even now (Saturday morning), whispering to the rest of the body “C’mon, let’s go, let’s RACE!!” They’ll just have to be satisfied with a nice long run tomorrow, but that smoldering competitive ember has definitely been fanned into a flame. It feels good. It feels dangerous. It is just getting started.
Wooo Hooooo!!!
Another late run today, this time by choice. At some point, I know there will be a lot of midnight runs, some to avoid the dreaded dnr, some to avoid the oppressive summer swelter. Many of my most memorable runs were at night (including several “nude mile” races back in the ‘80’s, and probably the only nude two mile relay in the history of the planet – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the Bellmore Striders Rule). Night runs and extreme weather runs. I’ve run in many hurricanes, blizzards, nor’easters and one “storm of the century.” In fact, most of the running I’ve done over the last 3 years or so has been during major storms. I’ve sat idly during week after week of perfect running weather in October, but ran twice one day in February when we got 26 inches of snow.
But today was an example of my trying to make things difficult for myself intentionally. I’m really tired from fighting this stoopid infection (it’s almost over, I think), plus it’s been a busy week at work, including the inconvenient afternoon duty. Don’t get me wrong, I laugh at myself every time I whine at spending 40 minutes in the playground with the kids, waiting for all the buses. It’s actually fun watching free-range children play. The inconvenient part is that I have to stay until 3:15 rather than 3:00. Wahhhh, poor baby. (Don’t get the idea that teaching is easy, my work isn’t done at 3:00, there’s still loads of work to get done; I either do it later at night, early in the morning, or not at all.) I went home after school and made myself comfy on the couch, with a book by my side and Stargate SG-1 on the telly. I was intrigued to find out how tempting it would become to stay on the couch, crack a homebrew, and gently drift off to sleep. As it turns out, it wasn’t that tempting. Reclining on the sofa, the postnasal drip aggravated my coughing, and that wasn’t relaxing at all. And I’m not senile enough to have forgotten how, over the last 5 days, the only time I was NOT coughing was when I was running (or swimming). Finally, I had been reciting the same mantra today as I do every day. It goes something like this.
Only the most unhealthily compulsive athlete never misses a day. The athlete who says “I haven’t missed a day in ten years” is either lying or has OCD. I don’t have OCD and I don’t want to lie. I will take a day completely off. There will be plenty of days I have to write DNR in my training log. But it will not be today.
As much as I tried to make it difficult to get out and run, I KNEW, with an absolute certainty, that before midnight I was going to put on my running gear, stretch, and run. Which I did, right after the Simpsons. In fact, it took a lot of willpower to wait that long, but I told myself I wouldn’t go out the door until the three dragons sang their song at the end of the episode.
American jerks are going home
Now we sleep for a thousand years
When we wake the world will end
And out the door I went.
3.2 miles, no time. My road is very dark when the moon and stars aren’t out and it’s not snowing. Luckily, I know from driving it several times a day that there are no potholes on the driving surface, and there isn’t much traffic (about 4 cars for a ~30 minute run, on my long run last Sunday I saw 6 cars over 8 miles), so I stayed off the shoulder. Because of the thick cloud cover, it was also much warmer than I expected. This morning it was 7 degrees, and it got up to the mid-20’s this afternoon. Running at about 9 o’clock tonight it felt just a couple degrees below freezing, still in my sweet spot, especially with no wind.
This week was scheduled to be a hard week (I alternate hard/easy weeks similarly to hard/easy days). With the urti, though, ordinary training becomes similar to altitude training. The cardiovascular, psychological and immunological stress doesn’t correlate to running-specific physical stress. I may be emotionally and internally exhausted, but my legs have had a real easy week, and they want some action. I can hear them even now (Saturday morning), whispering to the rest of the body “C’mon, let’s go, let’s RACE!!” They’ll just have to be satisfied with a nice long run tomorrow, but that smoldering competitive ember has definitely been fanned into a flame. It feels good. It feels dangerous. It is just getting started.
Wooo Hooooo!!!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
December 6, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Today would have been a great day to take off. Firstly, I’m tired from trying to fight off this cold. It’s been pretty mild, just some sinus congestion, which led to the lung congestion and coughing. But the coughing has been getting worse, and now my throat is getting sore. Add to this my afternoon playground/bus duty, and I didn’t get home until 4:00, meaning I couldn’t possibly get out before dark. I can’t even swim tonight, because there’s a semi-formal for the entire school district tonight at the fancy resort up the road. It starts at 5:30. As much as I’d love to recline, maybe nap, I put on the gear, do a nice 10 minute stretch, and head out the door (with reflective vest, of course). Oddly enough (or mayhaps not so odd), I felt great while running. A blissful half hour without coughing. On the way past the resort, I wave to the Superintendent, who’s getting there 15 minutes early, no doubt to check on the food, and stop for a minute to greet a couple other teachers. “I didn’t know you were a runner!” There’s a sentence I don’t like to hear. Can you imagine? You know somebody for 14 months, and she doesn’t know the one thing that most defines me. Yet how would she? Anyway, I headed back down the road, still feeling good. My legs have really enjoyed the rest from swimming 4 of the last 6 days, and the coughing and congestion cleared up within about 4 steps. Best of all, the road now has its winter patina of dried snow, so it’s much easier on the legs, yet still has good traction. I continue truckin’ on down the road, enjoying the night, when a car passes me from behind, then slows down and stops. It’s three members of my track team, just getting home from an after school workout. They drive alongside me as I run, and we chat about track, school and stuff. I told them I’ve been running for the last month, partly because I need to be able to run with them in the spring, because there’s a lot of technical work I want them to do early in the season (hr, breathing patterns, stride rate, mechanics, etc.) which is much easier to do with them while running. It was a great way to end the run, talking track with kids who love track. Funny thing is, two of them are my neighbors on opposite sides (not within sight from the house, but still pretty close). 2.8 miles, no time, no care. Tomorrow I could go over 100 miles. Quick shower, put on the Canali, and I made it to the party by 5:45.
I’m glad I ran.
Today would have been a great day to take off. Firstly, I’m tired from trying to fight off this cold. It’s been pretty mild, just some sinus congestion, which led to the lung congestion and coughing. But the coughing has been getting worse, and now my throat is getting sore. Add to this my afternoon playground/bus duty, and I didn’t get home until 4:00, meaning I couldn’t possibly get out before dark. I can’t even swim tonight, because there’s a semi-formal for the entire school district tonight at the fancy resort up the road. It starts at 5:30. As much as I’d love to recline, maybe nap, I put on the gear, do a nice 10 minute stretch, and head out the door (with reflective vest, of course). Oddly enough (or mayhaps not so odd), I felt great while running. A blissful half hour without coughing. On the way past the resort, I wave to the Superintendent, who’s getting there 15 minutes early, no doubt to check on the food, and stop for a minute to greet a couple other teachers. “I didn’t know you were a runner!” There’s a sentence I don’t like to hear. Can you imagine? You know somebody for 14 months, and she doesn’t know the one thing that most defines me. Yet how would she? Anyway, I headed back down the road, still feeling good. My legs have really enjoyed the rest from swimming 4 of the last 6 days, and the coughing and congestion cleared up within about 4 steps. Best of all, the road now has its winter patina of dried snow, so it’s much easier on the legs, yet still has good traction. I continue truckin’ on down the road, enjoying the night, when a car passes me from behind, then slows down and stops. It’s three members of my track team, just getting home from an after school workout. They drive alongside me as I run, and we chat about track, school and stuff. I told them I’ve been running for the last month, partly because I need to be able to run with them in the spring, because there’s a lot of technical work I want them to do early in the season (hr, breathing patterns, stride rate, mechanics, etc.) which is much easier to do with them while running. It was a great way to end the run, talking track with kids who love track. Funny thing is, two of them are my neighbors on opposite sides (not within sight from the house, but still pretty close). 2.8 miles, no time, no care. Tomorrow I could go over 100 miles. Quick shower, put on the Canali, and I made it to the party by 5:45.
I’m glad I ran.
December 5, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Relaxed 51 minutes swimming. Didn’t bother counting laps, probably about 2200 m. My left shoulder/arm went squirrelly at about 1700 m; I figured it was either that old injury or a stroke. It felt mostly better by 2000 m, so it was probably a stroke. The warm, moist air is very therapeutic to my poor congested lungs.
Relaxed 51 minutes swimming. Didn’t bother counting laps, probably about 2200 m. My left shoulder/arm went squirrelly at about 1700 m; I figured it was either that old injury or a stroke. It felt mostly better by 2000 m, so it was probably a stroke. The warm, moist air is very therapeutic to my poor congested lungs.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Dozin' in the deep end - December 4, 2007
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Still some congestion/coughing. Swam a very leisurely 34 minutes. Soothing and relaxing. There was one point somewhere in the middle where I thought I might actually be able take a little nap.
Still some congestion/coughing. Swam a very leisurely 34 minutes. Soothing and relaxing. There was one point somewhere in the middle where I thought I might actually be able take a little nap.
Monday, December 3, 2007
December 3, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
School was canceled but the snowstorm has been disappointing. Only about 7 or 8 inches, and it’s almost six o’clock. I waited all day for heavy, blizzard-like conditions (it's supposed to be a nor’easter, after all), but by 3:30 there were only about 4 inches. It was pretty warm today, so I ran in shorts, and it was very comfortable. The roads were extremely slippery, not in a cold, icy slippery, but in a wet snow almost slush but cold enough to be ice underneath slippery. While I was out, the snow began falling much faster, and its been coming down at greater than an inch an hour since. My eyebrows and eyelashes were crusted with snow when I finished. I really love this weather.
2.8 miles very easy. My left knee hurt afterward! (I feel like I’m in some sort of club)
Sunday, December 2, 2007
December 2, 2007
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Slept late and took it easy again today. It’s much warmer (about 25-28 degrees), with no wind and buckets of latent moisture saturating the air. I didn’t want to get caught up in any macho crap, what with this bug trying to get me, but I knew the schedule called for eight miles today, plus we’re expecting 12-20 inches of snow in the next 36 hours (I love snow on my birthday!!!!!, but it makes for fun short runs, not long runs). I dug out the heart monitor and told myself I could go as far as I wanted as long as I kept the HR down. I also did a full 25 minute Wharton warmup stretch. Once on the road, I quickly correlated HR, perceived effort and breathing pattern. 3/3 goes up to 140 and feels very comfortable; 3/2 goes from an easy 142 to a tempo-esque pace at 150. I didn’t go over 150, and only hit that momentarily on the steepest upgrades. I kept it mainly from 142 to 145, which felt pretty low stress. The nicest pace was in mile 7, where there was a moderate steady downslope with a snow-dusted shoulder which allowed me to run easily at 142, breathing 3/2 and covering ground at 180 steps/ minute and 6:30 per mile.
Total distance 8.0 miles in 1:11:20. Wow. That actually felt like a long run! I feel good, just a little chest congestion. 8:55, 8:43, 9:04, 9:21 (36:05 out), 8:38, 9:06, 7:49, 9:44 (35:15 in)
Tomorrow I’ll run 49 miles on my 49th birthday.
Unless it snows.
Slept late and took it easy again today. It’s much warmer (about 25-28 degrees), with no wind and buckets of latent moisture saturating the air. I didn’t want to get caught up in any macho crap, what with this bug trying to get me, but I knew the schedule called for eight miles today, plus we’re expecting 12-20 inches of snow in the next 36 hours (I love snow on my birthday!!!!!, but it makes for fun short runs, not long runs). I dug out the heart monitor and told myself I could go as far as I wanted as long as I kept the HR down. I also did a full 25 minute Wharton warmup stretch. Once on the road, I quickly correlated HR, perceived effort and breathing pattern. 3/3 goes up to 140 and feels very comfortable; 3/2 goes from an easy 142 to a tempo-esque pace at 150. I didn’t go over 150, and only hit that momentarily on the steepest upgrades. I kept it mainly from 142 to 145, which felt pretty low stress. The nicest pace was in mile 7, where there was a moderate steady downslope with a snow-dusted shoulder which allowed me to run easily at 142, breathing 3/2 and covering ground at 180 steps/ minute and 6:30 per mile.
Total distance 8.0 miles in 1:11:20. Wow. That actually felt like a long run! I feel good, just a little chest congestion. 8:55, 8:43, 9:04, 9:21 (36:05 out), 8:38, 9:06, 7:49, 9:44 (35:15 in)
Tomorrow I’ll run 49 miles on my 49th birthday.
Unless it snows.
December 1, 2007
Saturday, December 01, 2007
I’m ill. Some little microbe has managed to gain a foothold in me, and is bent on taking over. I noticed it after swimming yesterday, sore throat, coughing, headache, muscle aches. This morning there could be no doubt. urti. Time to crank up the defense machinery. I spent the day resting, and made the easy decision to swim today. My immune system should be ready for this. I’ve often thought about the similarities between training the body/mind for athletic competition and training the immune system. My definition of training is “improving fitness through the systematic application of alternating stress and rest.” As athletes, it is easy to recognize the effects of all stress and no rest (physical and mental breakdown{me in 1980}) and all rest and no stress (no fitness {me in 2006}). The effects on the immune system are analogous. If your immune system is infrequently used (living in germaphobic isolation), it becomes weak and sluggish. If it is constantly stressed (e.g. chronic low-level exposure to allergens), then all sorts of auto-immune conditions are exacerbated. Up till the age of about 18, I had a host of allergy and asthma problems. At one point I had four different asthma and allergy medications, and they only helped a tiny little bit. Seasonal allergies used to drive my sinuses haywire. I am happy to report that my allergies haven’t bothered me (enough to affect my life) in many years and my last asthma “attack” was in 1975. I haven’t missed a day of work due to illness in more years than I can count. It’s not that I don’t get a cold when everyone else does. Sometimes I can feel that little tickle in the back of the throat, or a couple wayward sneezes, that indicates a nascent infection. When that happens I take it real easy, get lots of extra sleep, and visualize my adaptive immune system cranking up, from B cell activation to clearing of the antigen-antibody complexes. No bullshit, it works. Invariably over the last couple decades, that first little tickle is all there is, then I’m fine. Immune system kicks infection’s ass. I figure my immune system was constantly stressed when I was young, a combination of pollution (long island, ny), cats in the house, indoor carpeting, and volatile organic compound emissions (1955-1965 construction standards). Results, chronic autoimmune issues and pitched battles with every urti going around. Now I live in the north country, in an old house with leaky windows and hardwood floors and no animals. My medicine cabinet is empty and this infection will be remembered as just another easy workout.
I know there will be missed days (the dreaded “DNR”). I just don’t want it to be today.
Swam 1600 m, 34:18. Steady, very relaxed pace all the way. I use a three stroke breathing pattern for virtually all my swimming (except warmup and cooldown), if anybody cares.
I found a blog with some great descriptions of some of my favorite trail races. Ron’s running adventures. Kind of a boring blog title, but he writes well. I’m thinking seriously of going on the circuit this spring. It’s too bad a few of the races are on Saturdays and conflict with track. The Grand Tree Trail Race Series. They had 23 races last year, and you accumulate points equal to the percentage of your time vs. the race winner. The race winner always gets 100 points.
Huge, possibly no. 1 race goal is the 2008 USATF Club National Championships.
December 6, 2008 (3 days after I turn 50, and about 13 months since training commenced. It would be a great honor to have represented the Bellmore Striders over a 25+ year period, especially if I can race at a high level. And when are we going to sweep open, masters and womens championships at the ocean to sound relay? 2008? Alex?
I’m ill. Some little microbe has managed to gain a foothold in me, and is bent on taking over. I noticed it after swimming yesterday, sore throat, coughing, headache, muscle aches. This morning there could be no doubt. urti. Time to crank up the defense machinery. I spent the day resting, and made the easy decision to swim today. My immune system should be ready for this. I’ve often thought about the similarities between training the body/mind for athletic competition and training the immune system. My definition of training is “improving fitness through the systematic application of alternating stress and rest.” As athletes, it is easy to recognize the effects of all stress and no rest (physical and mental breakdown{me in 1980}) and all rest and no stress (no fitness {me in 2006}). The effects on the immune system are analogous. If your immune system is infrequently used (living in germaphobic isolation), it becomes weak and sluggish. If it is constantly stressed (e.g. chronic low-level exposure to allergens), then all sorts of auto-immune conditions are exacerbated. Up till the age of about 18, I had a host of allergy and asthma problems. At one point I had four different asthma and allergy medications, and they only helped a tiny little bit. Seasonal allergies used to drive my sinuses haywire. I am happy to report that my allergies haven’t bothered me (enough to affect my life) in many years and my last asthma “attack” was in 1975. I haven’t missed a day of work due to illness in more years than I can count. It’s not that I don’t get a cold when everyone else does. Sometimes I can feel that little tickle in the back of the throat, or a couple wayward sneezes, that indicates a nascent infection. When that happens I take it real easy, get lots of extra sleep, and visualize my adaptive immune system cranking up, from B cell activation to clearing of the antigen-antibody complexes. No bullshit, it works. Invariably over the last couple decades, that first little tickle is all there is, then I’m fine. Immune system kicks infection’s ass. I figure my immune system was constantly stressed when I was young, a combination of pollution (long island, ny), cats in the house, indoor carpeting, and volatile organic compound emissions (1955-1965 construction standards). Results, chronic autoimmune issues and pitched battles with every urti going around. Now I live in the north country, in an old house with leaky windows and hardwood floors and no animals. My medicine cabinet is empty and this infection will be remembered as just another easy workout.
I know there will be missed days (the dreaded “DNR”). I just don’t want it to be today.
Swam 1600 m, 34:18. Steady, very relaxed pace all the way. I use a three stroke breathing pattern for virtually all my swimming (except warmup and cooldown), if anybody cares.
I found a blog with some great descriptions of some of my favorite trail races. Ron’s running adventures. Kind of a boring blog title, but he writes well. I’m thinking seriously of going on the circuit this spring. It’s too bad a few of the races are on Saturdays and conflict with track. The Grand Tree Trail Race Series. They had 23 races last year, and you accumulate points equal to the percentage of your time vs. the race winner. The race winner always gets 100 points.
Huge, possibly no. 1 race goal is the 2008 USATF Club National Championships.
December 6, 2008 (3 days after I turn 50, and about 13 months since training commenced. It would be a great honor to have represented the Bellmore Striders over a 25+ year period, especially if I can race at a high level. And when are we going to sweep open, masters and womens championships at the ocean to sound relay? 2008? Alex?
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