Monday - Despite the mileage over the weekend, I was ready once again to 'push it' so I planned a 10 miler with the middle 6 at tempo effort. I ended up running the last 8 miles at tempo effort over some hills, and had splits of 6:37, :59, :29, :48, :41, :49. Then I ran the final two on flat ground and brought my heart rate back in to the 150's and had splits of 6:54, 6:56. Felt good and recovered well.
Tuesday and Wednesday - I didn't get up to get my run in on Tuesday morning before work, and paid for it. It started raining/sleeting/snowing/freezing and continued to do so until Wednesday. So, I guess I'll consider the shoveling cross training. Zero miles both days or running.
Thursday - I was in suburban Chicago for a seminar for the next three days. There would be some free time available, so I still had hopes of catching up on my mileage and getting to 60 for the week. After the work was finished, I found a local bike path (7.7 mile loop) and got to work. I felt great and managed 11 miles with a 6:36 average. I was pushing it at times and had a high HR, but it felt great to run fast! The only downside of the run was a very tender pressure point on the top of my right foot and some aching and stiffness in my right outer knee, between the back part of the IT band and the hamstring (biceps femoris). I blamed the shoes for it at the time...
Friday - I ran 7.7 miles over lunch and felt terrible. My foot was throbbing, my knee was really sore, and my stomach felt like it was full of concrete.
After the work session in the afternoon, I stopped at a New Balance store and picked up some Road Minimus shoes. Then I went out and ran 7.5 miles and felt great! My foot and knee were still bothersome, but I noticed a definite change in my cadence and stride in the new shoes. I ran 6:51 pace for 7.5 miles.
Saturday - simply having shoes on this morning was tender to my foot. My knee seemed to have a bit of swelling to it as well. I rested and hoped for better body parts on Sunday.
Sunday - I ran about 3 miles before the foot was throbbing and the knee was tight. I could have continued on, but instead pulled the plug on the run. I was supposed to run my last 20 miler before tapering down for St. Louis, but instead it was a measely 3 miler. Not good.
So, I guess my decision has been made for me. I was pondering whether to taper down for St. Louis for a full 2 weeks or to continue to train towards Ice Age. I'll be tapering this week for sure to make sure that knee and foot heal up. Is 3 hours a possibility? Not sure. I think my speed work indicates I can do it, but I'd much rather have a solid 20 miler under my belt. My previous sub-3 efforts (3:02, 3:21, 3:00, 3:03) have all involved stomach issues and bonks in the last 3-5 miles.
I'm frustrated quite a bit with this little issue, but I guess by dealing with it properly, it won't become a BIG issue, so I'll get it taken care of and be fully rested and ready to rock at St. Louis.
Or I'll struggle in St. Louis, and come back stronger at Ice Age.
28 March 2011
21 March 2011
7 wks 2 IAT50k
Monday - 8.2 miles. My Garmin died halfway through the run. I'm just proud of myself for getting out and running after realizing my watch hadn't been charging and that I would only have 1% of my battery available. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was considering not running at all simply because my watch wasn't charged. Yikes!
Tuesday - 45 minutes basketball. There were enough guys there this morning to divide the gym in to an 'old guys' court and a 'young guys' court. I was a young guy. I definitely worked more this morning than in the previous two weeks, but my morning ended early after a knee-to-knee hit.
Wednesday - Rest.
Thursday - 16 miles, 1:50. I ran a 4 mile warmup, then ran a tough 12 mile loop at tempo pace. Only one mile slipped over 7 minute pace, and it was a tough mile that included wind, rain, and a decent sized hill in my face. My legs felt really heavy, and my gut wasn't feeling all that great either. Despite that, my heart rate was a decent 156. To be able to run 12 miles at sub 3 hour pace despite such heavy legs was promising!
Friday - Ellie's birthday. Rest.
Saturday - 10.76 miles, easy. I was up early to get in this 10 miler, and my stomach protested the majority of the run, but I was happy with a decent pace (7:30's) at a low HR (140's).
Sunday - 17 miles, easy. Rainy/slushy weather forced me to start this run on the Treadmill. I was going to simply put in 2 hours on the treadmill watching basketball. That idea lasted all of 30 minutes. I simply can't run on treadmills. So, I got outside, wandered around town at a very leisure pace and put some miles under my legs. Again, my legs felt good during this run, and I feel like I'm bouncing back and recovering faster and faster.
So, overall, a good week. I'm really happy with Thursday's run, not only because of the pace, but because I battled some rain, some wind, and some voices in my head telling me to cut the run short. I even ran PAST my car and put in an extra two miles when 95% of me wanted to just stop at the car.
This week I am travelling to Chicago for a seminar Thursday thru Saturday. I still want to get in 60 miles, so it's going to take some work to pull it off. This week will really show me where I am in preparation for St. Louis (can I break 3 hours?) and will likely determine how I set up the next couple weeks of training. Bring it on!
Tuesday - 45 minutes basketball. There were enough guys there this morning to divide the gym in to an 'old guys' court and a 'young guys' court. I was a young guy. I definitely worked more this morning than in the previous two weeks, but my morning ended early after a knee-to-knee hit.
Wednesday - Rest.
Thursday - 16 miles, 1:50. I ran a 4 mile warmup, then ran a tough 12 mile loop at tempo pace. Only one mile slipped over 7 minute pace, and it was a tough mile that included wind, rain, and a decent sized hill in my face. My legs felt really heavy, and my gut wasn't feeling all that great either. Despite that, my heart rate was a decent 156. To be able to run 12 miles at sub 3 hour pace despite such heavy legs was promising!
Friday - Ellie's birthday. Rest.
Saturday - 10.76 miles, easy. I was up early to get in this 10 miler, and my stomach protested the majority of the run, but I was happy with a decent pace (7:30's) at a low HR (140's).
Sunday - 17 miles, easy. Rainy/slushy weather forced me to start this run on the Treadmill. I was going to simply put in 2 hours on the treadmill watching basketball. That idea lasted all of 30 minutes. I simply can't run on treadmills. So, I got outside, wandered around town at a very leisure pace and put some miles under my legs. Again, my legs felt good during this run, and I feel like I'm bouncing back and recovering faster and faster.
So, overall, a good week. I'm really happy with Thursday's run, not only because of the pace, but because I battled some rain, some wind, and some voices in my head telling me to cut the run short. I even ran PAST my car and put in an extra two miles when 95% of me wanted to just stop at the car.
This week I am travelling to Chicago for a seminar Thursday thru Saturday. I still want to get in 60 miles, so it's going to take some work to pull it off. This week will really show me where I am in preparation for St. Louis (can I break 3 hours?) and will likely determine how I set up the next couple weeks of training. Bring it on!
13 March 2011
8 Wks 2 IAT50k
Monday - I didn't know what to accomplish with this run. I was surprised I even felt like running after the relatively big weekend, but got out there, ran a couple 'pick-up' miles, and finished with 8.18 miles in 1:04.
Tuesday - 1:15 of Basketball. Felt much better this week than last week. Good sprints, good soreness in the legs and core.
Wednesday - Rest. I considered a late night run with Parsenn, but time with my wife on Wednesdays is more appreciated (by both of us). Wednesdays are always grinds at the office.
Thursday - 8 miles in 55. I ran a one mile warmup, then ran 7 at 'tempo' effort, trying to keep my HR between 155 and 165, hoping to find a pace around 6:50. Miles were between 6:52 and 6:40, with one uphil, into-the-wind mile of 7:10 and the same road, going the other way giving a mile of 6:32. This run felt good--not great--and I'm hoping to have that same pace, but 5-10 heart beats slower next time.
Friday - Easy DogJog 4.5 miles.
Saturday - 21 miles, 7:30 pace. My last two miles were my fastest miles, 6:52 and 7:00. Stil, I feel like I may have pushed too hard on this run. The AvgHR was 151, and that's probably too high for a long distance training run. This is probably why I should have a coach.
Sunday - 9.5 miles, 7:22 pace, 141 heart rate. I was surprised to see my AvgHR that low. My legs felt heavy but I still managed a decent pace and am happy with getting the mileage in.
Overall, 51 miles of running and 75 minutes of basketball. I'm still not sure how to quantify the basketball. Last week I said I thought it was about 7 miles. I'm wasn't necessarily thinking I RAN 7 miles that morning, and after Danny pointed out in the comments that it's estimated a soccer midfielder only covers 6 miles in a game, there's no way I ran 7 miles. Still, when I consider percieved exertion and overall effort, I'd liken last week's basketball scrimmage to a fartlek 7 miler. This week's hoops outing was a bit easier on the effort front, but lasted 15 minutes longer, so I'd consider it 8 miles, in my own weird way. So, either 51 miles on the week or 59, you pick.
I can already hear Pat Matten saying, "Nic, today I walked up 3 flights of stairs and jumped over a puddle. Can I call that .75 miles?"
Next week I'd like to hit 60 miles of RUNNING, and still get an hour of basketball in as well. That will be a definite career high in weekly mileage (60) and will be followed up by the decision of whether to try to hit 3 hours in St. Louis or whether to keep working without much of a taper towards Ice Age.
Tuesday - 1:15 of Basketball. Felt much better this week than last week. Good sprints, good soreness in the legs and core.
Wednesday - Rest. I considered a late night run with Parsenn, but time with my wife on Wednesdays is more appreciated (by both of us). Wednesdays are always grinds at the office.
Thursday - 8 miles in 55. I ran a one mile warmup, then ran 7 at 'tempo' effort, trying to keep my HR between 155 and 165, hoping to find a pace around 6:50. Miles were between 6:52 and 6:40, with one uphil, into-the-wind mile of 7:10 and the same road, going the other way giving a mile of 6:32. This run felt good--not great--and I'm hoping to have that same pace, but 5-10 heart beats slower next time.
Friday - Easy DogJog 4.5 miles.
Saturday - 21 miles, 7:30 pace. My last two miles were my fastest miles, 6:52 and 7:00. Stil, I feel like I may have pushed too hard on this run. The AvgHR was 151, and that's probably too high for a long distance training run. This is probably why I should have a coach.
Sunday - 9.5 miles, 7:22 pace, 141 heart rate. I was surprised to see my AvgHR that low. My legs felt heavy but I still managed a decent pace and am happy with getting the mileage in.
Overall, 51 miles of running and 75 minutes of basketball. I'm still not sure how to quantify the basketball. Last week I said I thought it was about 7 miles. I'm wasn't necessarily thinking I RAN 7 miles that morning, and after Danny pointed out in the comments that it's estimated a soccer midfielder only covers 6 miles in a game, there's no way I ran 7 miles. Still, when I consider percieved exertion and overall effort, I'd liken last week's basketball scrimmage to a fartlek 7 miler. This week's hoops outing was a bit easier on the effort front, but lasted 15 minutes longer, so I'd consider it 8 miles, in my own weird way. So, either 51 miles on the week or 59, you pick.
I can already hear Pat Matten saying, "Nic, today I walked up 3 flights of stairs and jumped over a puddle. Can I call that .75 miles?"
Next week I'd like to hit 60 miles of RUNNING, and still get an hour of basketball in as well. That will be a definite career high in weekly mileage (60) and will be followed up by the decision of whether to try to hit 3 hours in St. Louis or whether to keep working without much of a taper towards Ice Age.
07 March 2011
9 Wks 2 IAT50k
(I'm getting very cryptic in my blog posts.)
Monday - Easy hour at Parsenn pace...which means we stopped to pee and smell stuff a lot. 7.29 miles, 144 AvgHR.
Tuesday - 1 hour of morning basketball. I've decided to add this back in to my weekly routine as a form of cross training. I'd guess the running equivalent would be 7 miles. Maybe 7.3.
I couldn't make a layup to save my life but actually hit several jump shots. An hour after getting done, I was already getting sore.
Wednesday - Very sore in my hip flexors and peroneal muscles from basketball. Combine that with a full day at work, and it's a rest day all the way.
Thursday - I had hoped for 20 miles in the morning, only to have pretty much everything go wrong in the morning. Knowing I had to be home by 8:30 AM, by the time I could have left, I didn't have enough time to get 20 miles in. Instead of getting ANY miles in...I took another rest day. Ugh.
Friday AM - I went to play basketball, and half the town showed up. Maybe 3 miles of running.
Friday PM - 1 hour, 8.32 miles. I'm not sure what I set out to accomplish on this run. It varied from a limbo run (each mile faster than the previous) to a hard fartlek, to a get-in-the-miles run. In the end, I had a decent AvgHR, and I did slowly bring down the miles. Add in the 3-ish miles from this morning, and I'm over 11 for the day.
Saturday - 10 miles, easy. Very windy, and my legs were heavy.
Sunday - 14 miles. I wanted 20, but was feeling some aches in my left foot, so I cut the run a bit short.
So, for the week I had an about 50. This week I need to get in a 20 miler, and I'd like to build the mileage a little more as well.
Monday - Easy hour at Parsenn pace...which means we stopped to pee and smell stuff a lot. 7.29 miles, 144 AvgHR.
Tuesday - 1 hour of morning basketball. I've decided to add this back in to my weekly routine as a form of cross training. I'd guess the running equivalent would be 7 miles. Maybe 7.3.
I couldn't make a layup to save my life but actually hit several jump shots. An hour after getting done, I was already getting sore.
Wednesday - Very sore in my hip flexors and peroneal muscles from basketball. Combine that with a full day at work, and it's a rest day all the way.
Thursday - I had hoped for 20 miles in the morning, only to have pretty much everything go wrong in the morning. Knowing I had to be home by 8:30 AM, by the time I could have left, I didn't have enough time to get 20 miles in. Instead of getting ANY miles in...I took another rest day. Ugh.
Friday AM - I went to play basketball, and half the town showed up. Maybe 3 miles of running.
Friday PM - 1 hour, 8.32 miles. I'm not sure what I set out to accomplish on this run. It varied from a limbo run (each mile faster than the previous) to a hard fartlek, to a get-in-the-miles run. In the end, I had a decent AvgHR, and I did slowly bring down the miles. Add in the 3-ish miles from this morning, and I'm over 11 for the day.
Saturday - 10 miles, easy. Very windy, and my legs were heavy.
Sunday - 14 miles. I wanted 20, but was feeling some aches in my left foot, so I cut the run a bit short.
So, for the week I had an about 50. This week I need to get in a 20 miler, and I'd like to build the mileage a little more as well.
04 March 2011
2 Straight Zero Days
Well, I played basketball for the first time in 6 months on Tuesday morning. I ended up playing straight for about 75 minutes, and was sore everywhere within an hour. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but I had fun.
That resulted in Wednesday being a rest day. My hip flexors were more sore than they've ever been, along with the outsides of my calves. I decided Wednesday that Thursday's long run would be a slugfest.
Thursday's long run didn't happen. I woke up early knowing I had to have my 20 miles done by 8:30 am, so that I could have breakfast ready for Ellie and Eddy (my Thursday tradition). I woke up to see the Garmin hadn't charged, my shoes were still wet, and my headphones had busted.
Instead of gutting out some miles, I decided I'd run 'later.' Yeah, right. And SteveQ will run later in the day, when it 'warms up.' --ps, I have NO IDEA why I can't make a link work. I type it in...and for some reason blogger sticks "left-right-blahblahblah" in front of it. I give up.
So Thursday slowly slipped away, and now I'm looking at a total of 15 miles on the week so far, when my goal was 50.
BUT, I'm gonna get 50 in.
Tonight will be a 10 miler after Eddy's sleeping, and tomorrow will be another 10.
Looking ahead to Sunday, it appears I'll still get to take part in a 20 mile slugfest with Mother Nature. Bring it!
That resulted in Wednesday being a rest day. My hip flexors were more sore than they've ever been, along with the outsides of my calves. I decided Wednesday that Thursday's long run would be a slugfest.
Thursday's long run didn't happen. I woke up early knowing I had to have my 20 miles done by 8:30 am, so that I could have breakfast ready for Ellie and Eddy (my Thursday tradition). I woke up to see the Garmin hadn't charged, my shoes were still wet, and my headphones had busted.
Instead of gutting out some miles, I decided I'd run 'later.' Yeah, right. And SteveQ will run later in the day, when it 'warms up.' --ps, I have NO IDEA why I can't make a link work. I type it in...and for some reason blogger sticks "left-right-blahblahblah" in front of it. I give up.
So Thursday slowly slipped away, and now I'm looking at a total of 15 miles on the week so far, when my goal was 50.
BUT, I'm gonna get 50 in.
Tonight will be a 10 miler after Eddy's sleeping, and tomorrow will be another 10.
Looking ahead to Sunday, it appears I'll still get to take part in a 20 mile slugfest with Mother Nature. Bring it!
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