At Least I Tried

So, in a moment of surprise, I actually felt motivated enough to head out the door in the early afternoon and get my 400 intervals done. When I got to the local High School track, I noticed the football team was practicing on an adjacent field, so I moved onto the track and got things underway.

My mile warm up went well, and I settled into what was planned to be an 8X400  with 400 rest:

• Interval 1: 1:59
• Interval 2: 2:04
• Interval 3: 2:13 (!!!)
• Interval 4: 2:01
• Interval 5: 2:08 (Starting to tire. Tongue dragging.)
• Interval 6: 2:15 (Friction of tongue dragging over long distance slowed me down)

And – just as I was dreading interval #7, the football team made their way over to the field (which is in the middle of the track) for some live drills. I had two more intervals and a mile warm down left (two more miles), but, not wanting to be the Running Flat Guy, I decided that I would wrap up the evening*.

On tap today – 4 easy miles (I’ll add one of the missed miles from yesterday). It’s uncharacteristically warm and humid for Southern California (it rained on me on the way to work this morning), so I’m hoping I won’t melt.

* Analyzing the data, it turned out that things went pretty well anyways – I spend over 9 minutes at heart rate above 88% of max.

Track Time Tuesday

Yesterday was Tuesday, so it was time for the track with Cal Coast. I got there in time to put in a 2 mile warm up before circle fest started. I finished all six intervals, but my times were all over the place:

• Interval 1: 800. 3:37 (What? Are we sure the stopwatch isn’t broken?)
• Interval 2: 800. 3:48 (That’s more like it)
• Interval 3: 400. 1:48
• Interval 4: 400. 1:53
• Interval 5: 400. 1:43
• Interval 6: 400. 1:56

I was able to manage a two mile warm down shuffle with the group to fill out the day at 6 miles.

Then it was back home to ice my right knee. My tendonitis is flaring, but not so bad that I can’t/won’t run. In fact, my knee feels better with use – it’s a couple hours later that it hurts. At this point, my therapy is ibuprofen and icing after use.

Which brings me to this little trick I learned a few years back when my son ran cross country. Ever need an ice bag for a knee or elbow? Looking for a solution that is a little less awkward than a bunch of ice cubes in a zip lock bag? Here’s an idea. It requires some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, water, and a couple large (not sandwich sized) zip lock bags. Measure two cups of isopropyl alcohol, and one cup of water and put in one of the zip lock bags (I add a drop or two of food coloring so that I can easily spot the bag in the freezer). Make sure the bag is well sealed, then for safety, place it inside the second zip lock. Throw in the freezer. The big benefit with this is that the alcohol keeps the water from freezing solid – giving you a frozen mush that you can form around the joint needing the ice. Plus, you don’t end up with smelly frozen peas.

Today is a take it easy day. Six miles later this afternoon. Nice and slow…..

Track Time Tuesday

Tuesday night! That meant it was track time with Cal Coast. I wandered over to the track a little after 5:30, put in a 1.25 mile warm up and then time for the fun and games.

• Interval 1: 1200. 5:59. Rest 3 minutes. If you call staring at the ground doubled over rest.
• Interval 2: Pant pant. 800. Started waaaaayyyyy too fast. Crash and burn at 300. Hit the eject at 400. 1:55. Rest a little longer
• Interval 3: 400. Rested. Sub 100! 99 seconds. Booya!
• Interval 4: Last one. 400. Good. Not sure puke threshold was going to be able to handle much more. 1:43.

I wrapped up with an easy 2.25 cool down for a total of 5 miles. The plates are spinning…..

Not Much to Add Today

Made it to the track with my pals from Cal Coast last night. Two mile warm up, 2 X 400, 2 X 800 intervals, mile and a half warm down for five miles total. It was real obvious that I hadn’t done this in a while. The speed was still there. It was the pain that was the difference.

I engaged in a brief discussion last night about midway through the session. Me to Coach Sumner - “Wow. I can sure tell I haven’t been out here doing this in a while.” Coach to me - “I can too. Add a few pounds there Glenn?”

Hmmm. Motivation *might* be back in full force today…..

Thank You All!

I wanted to take a few words here (actually more than a few) to thank those who stopped by and offered their insights after yesterday's call for help. The answers you gave yesterday have me deep in thought at a number of different levels. I have written down the reasons you give for running on a piece of paper (and will continue to do so as new ones are offered) and have been mulling over them for a while now.

One thing about me - for better or worse I am a goal driven person. I don't just go hike. I'm out to climb a mountain. I don't just climb a mountain. I'm out to climb the highest one around. It's a trait that leads to some destructive behavior now and then, but it's also a trait that keeps me focused and allows me to achieve what I set out to do. And it occurred to me about 30 minutes ago that the one thing I can't tell you right now is: "I don't just run. I'm out to ......"

So there you go. I need to revisit my goals. A year ago the answer to the sentence above was "I'm out to get in shape to climb Mt. Whitney." Well, I accomplished that. Along the way I received a *ton* of benefits - I'm carrying about 50 pounds less that I was, I ran (okay -slogged) through a couple of marathons, hiked some neat trails in the local mountains. But those are all tactical. They contributed to the goal, but they weren't goals in themselves. Will I stop running? NO WAY! But the way that I answer the question above will determine *how* I run. The plan to drop 40 pounds looks a lot different that than the plan to BQ.

Speaking of running, I ended up doing my session on the track last night (track workouts in the AM are a bit of a problem because the school uses the track). The plan was 4X800 with 400 rest. I pushed a little, but didn't feel like I was killing myself:

Interval 1: 3:51 (7:44 pace)
Interval 2: 4:05 (8:14 pace)
Interval 3: 4:00 (8:02 pace)
Interval 4: 4:01 (8:04 pace)

I left pretty tired, but really didn't think much about it until I looked at the last time I ran 800s. These are all 10 to 20 seconds faster than last August. Yes - like three months ago! What's happening here? Am I becoming a Speedy McSpeederson (Sorry Jeri! Had to steal it!). Total workout including warm up and warm down was six miles.

On the plan today - rest. And I need it after last night.

The Annual Night Running Post

Now that it's dark early, it's time for my annual post on night running. As most of you are aware, except for my Saturday long runs, I run in the evening. Luckily, most of my runs are on trails (paved), so I don't have to deal with automobile traffic. But there is a heavy mix of runners, walkers, cyclists, and even equestrians on many of the trails that I run. I've already been a statistic (remember my cycling acident?), and since I have no desire to repeat that episode, I gear up to be seen. Just as important to me is seeing where I'm putting my feet. I don't want to step in a pothole or trip over a crack in the asphalt (a tribute to my lack of athletic ability). Also, remember that equestrians use the trails. And folks walking their dogs.

So, here is how I geek up for a run. First, I will always try to wear a light colored (white) shirt. When it gets colder, I will actually wear a flourescent yellow long sleeve number. Pretty sexy. Then, over whatever I wear comes my reflective vest. Any cyclist with a light should be able to see this. And B.o.B. - you think your shoes smell? You should catch a whiff of this bad boy after a couple or three days of running:

That's not the end of it though. My biggest fear is getting mowed over by a cyclist who is either (a) sans light (yes - I see it all the time), (b) not paying attention, or (c) both. So, I also have this cutesy red blinking light that I clip on:

That pretty much takes care of the "being seen" part. Now for the "seeing" part. I am atually pretty amazed by the number of runners I see with a weak azz led headlamp or no light at all. Seriously folks - how are those going to help you see? Me? I solved the problem with a trip to (yes Meg) REI, where I picked up this headlamp:

It has a couple of lighiting options - 4 LED bulbs that put out a diffuse light (good enough for running at dusk or by a full moon), or a 3 watt halogen bulb that puts out a 100 meter beam bright enough to wak up the roosters. I've had this guy for over a year now and still have not had to replace batteries (3 AA). It *is* a little bulky, but it fits nicely over my running cap (which I wear just to wick perspiration), and provides all the light I'll ever need. I just need to be careful that I don't blind oncoming cyclists.

Here it is in LED mode:

And then, when I need the light of day, I can put it in halogen mode (note the placement of the cutesy blinker):

So there you go. All geeked out for the Vampire Club and read to put in some miles.

Speaking of miles, last night was track night with Cal Coast. After cutting my workouts short the last two sessions, I was determined to finish. The workout on tap was 4 X 800. Much nicer than the 1200s that we had been running the past couple of weeks. I finished all four and actually aired out my first interval:

Interval 1: 3:30 (Yes - really. Pulled out the stops)

Interval 2: 4:15 (Paid for interval 1)

Interval 3: 4:11 (Still sucking wind from interval 1)

Interval 4: 4:20 (Who the hell cares at this point?!?!)

Bottom line is I was pretty satisfied with my workout last night. I ended up in VO2Max range (HR > 90% of max) for about 8 minutes. And, after adding warm ups and cool downs I put in a total of 5 miles.

Tonight I'll get geeked up for 5 miles somewhere. Sigh. Probably after dark....

Back on Track - Literally

I was back on *the* track last night. Even if my running isn't quite back *on* track yet. Last night's interval session was one 1200 and 3 800s. Since I was a little sore and tired, I did the 1200 but then opted for three 400's (basically just peeled off after a lap):

Interval 1 (1200): 5:40 (8:18 pace)
Interval 2 (400): 1:48 (7:55 pace)
Interval 3 (400): 1:52 (8:12 pace)
Interval 4 (400): 1:58 (8:39 pace)

You can see the trend here. Basically, the 1200 wiped me out. I just didn't have the legs to get me through the 800s anyways. Oh well. I *am* still recovering (hands in pockets whistling). With warm ups and warm downs I ended up putting in 5 miles total.

Today I'm going to slow down and take it easy. I'll hit up Crystal Cove for a quick four mile run. Gotta remember the iPhone - the winds yesterday stirred up a lot of dust. Should make for a nice sunset!

Tuesday Track Workout

Now that marathon training is over, I joined my pals with Cal Coast last night and did Tuesday's track workout. Or tried to. My plan called for an easy 4X400 session. Coach had a 1200 followed by 2 X 800. I figured I'd look like a real dunce peeling off after 400, so I went with the flow. The good news is I got that 1200 in. The bad news is I had no legs left for the 2 X 800. So I did a bastardized interval session:

Interval 1: 1200 at 7:30 pace
Interval 2: 400 at 7:30 pace
Interval 3: 400 at 7:45 pace

I was actually pretty pleased with the first interval. I didn't feel like I was really sucking wind right up to the last 100 yards or so. I ended up hitting 98% of MHR (183 bpm) at the finish line. Overall I put in 5 miles at an average heart rate of 79% of max. Average pace was 9:27 per mile. Not too shabby. I'm paying for it this morning though with sore legs and hips. I need to admit that last night was a great ego boost after spending so much time going long and slow the past weeks.

On schedule today is a 3 miler. Nice and easy. I'll keep reminding myself. Nice and easy.

Nine Days - OMG!!!!

I came to a sudden realization yesterday when @anatorias sent a tweet. Nine more days. I really *am* coming down the homestretch. I should be saying things like "nervous", "taper madness", "obsessive weather checking", so on and so on. But I'm actually feeling pretty peaceful. Of course that's because I'm an old fart and know that nine days is waaay too far away to panic about. Yet. Check with me about Thursday of next week.

I put in my last speed work session of this cycle last night. 8 miles total with 3 one mile intervals. My hamstrings felt tight, so I held back just a little. My times:

Interval 1: 9:22
Interval 2: 9:26
Interval 3: 9:40 (slowness caused by friction of tongue dragging on the track)

Today is a scheduled rest day.

This weekend I need to do some important things. I need to hit the Nutrition Superstore here in Costa Mesa to buy gobs of Hammer Gel. I need to break out the painters tape and prepare some gel/Endurolyte packets. And I need to start thinking about my iPod playlist. I'll probably pull together about 3 hours of music. I'm going to try to not use my iPod until I get sick of running (around hour three or so). I really want to enjoy this one. I want to be able to smile for the finish line picture!

And thanks everyone for your opinions and experiences regarding the Saturday 5K. I think I'm going to pass. If there was a 10K option, I would probably go and just run it for fun. But I don't think I can run a 5K "for fun". So, I'm going to play it safe here and not tempt myself to do too much a week prior to my goal marathon. Besides, last year's t-shirt *was* pretty boring.

Starting Down the Home Stretch

I spent my evening trying to keep up with the folks in my track club as we ran 500 yard repeats. Hmm. I seem to have lost some speed in the past few weeks (okay okay - I never had speed to begin with). I can tell you that four 500s had me sucking some serious wind! I did a five mile warm up to start an a mile warm down afterwards, for a total of 7 miles. I have no other stats because I got the old "Batteries are Low" message from the Garmin. And unlike lindsay's experience last week, when a 305 tells you that your batteries are low, they are low. Like non-existent. Sure enough, half a mile from the start, the Garmin shut down for the day. Sigh.

To continue on yesterday's main topic - I think I've settled on a fueling strategy to take me through Long Beach. So far I've been following a long run fueling routine on runs over 16 miles that seems to be working. The routine consists of a Homer Simpson breakfast (mmmm! donuts!), a gel every hour on the run and a snack of a Clif Bar about half way through. This works out to about 500 calories before the run, then 100 calories per gel, and 240 calories for the Clif Bar. These seem to power me through the run in decent shape - in fact my last twenty miler went incredibly well following this plan.

But, there are a couple of differences between a training run and marathon day. I *hope* that I'll be running at a pace 30 seconds to a minute faster than a training run, which means a few more calories and a lot more sweat. I've been picking the brain of an endurance athlete friend of mine. She turned me onto the Hammer Nutrition website, where I found this gem of an article that discusses the whole caloric intake issue. It is rather eye opening - that's for sure.

Evidently at anything greater than 75% - 85% effort, the human body does not respond kindly to an intake of more than 4.0 to 4.5 calories per minute - about 250 calories per hour. Take in more than that and the calories are not processed. This leads to a phenomenon called "gastric emptying". And there are only two ways the stuff can come out. Uh. Yeah.

The article also points out that if you take in too many calories, you block your body's attempt to utilize fatty acids as an energy source. This all means that there is a balancing point where take in too few calories and you bonk, take in too many calories and bonk. Not to mention the humiliation of "gastric emptying".

The updated fueling strategy? The Homer Simpson breakfast is still in. The Clif Bar is out. And at 100 calories per packet, I will take a gel every 30 minutes during the run. We'll see how my body reacts to 200 calories per hour in gel form. I'm not anticipating any issues....

Which leaves the final point - electrolyte replacement. I definitely had cramping issues in San Diego. Not to mention the issues I had on my recent climb of Mt. Whitney. By the time I did anything about the cramping at RnR it was too late. But, electrolyte replacement made a world of difference on Whitney. So - it's pretty clear to me that the electrolytes need to be dealt with. I'll have to stay away from the replacement drinks like Gatorade, etc. After all, my gel strategy will be providing calories and sugars/carbs. So that means I just want to replace the electrolytes. Which means I will be relying on Endurolyte. I have purchased the powder, which I will add to my water on my fuel belt. The powder makes the water taste a little salty, but I didn't have any problem downing it after some recent runs.

Putting it all together, here is what I'm going to do starting this weekend:

(1) Carry two gels per hour of running. For this weekend that means about 6 gels. For marathon weekend that means about 10.

(2) Carry Endurolyte mixed with water on my fuel belt. Each 10 ounce water bottle will contain 2 doses. For this weekend I'll carry two bottles of electrolytes and two bottles of plain water. For marathon day, I'll carry 4 bottles of electrolytes and rely on water stations for water.

So - Saturday here I come! I have a couple of weeks to tweak the equation and get it right. If I do it right, I won't end up looking like death again. Of course, if don't get it right, I'll be able to tell you all about the inside of a porta potty.

Back to the Real Fun

Mini taper is over. I ran for the first time in five days yesterday. Hit the track for a "quality" workout. The heat seems to be abating here near the coast, but the humidity was pretty oppressive. It was only 80 degrees out when I started at 6:30 PM, it felt more like Orlando instead of Newport Beach.

The plan was 5X800 intervals, with 400 a yard rest. I tempered my pace a bit because of the heat and humidity:

Interval 1: 4:20 (8:45 pace)
Interval 2: 4:19 (8:42 pace)
Interval 3: 4:25 (8:53 pace)
Interval 4: 4:23 (8:46 pace)
Interval 5: 4:21 (8:46 pace)

Add to it 3.25 mile warm up and a 1 mile warm down, and I ended up putting in 8 miles. 8 sweaty, soggy miles. In fact, I went to look for quarters on the ground after my last interval (you know, put your hands on your knees and double over) and my hands actually slipped off my knees. That how wet my legs were.

So, these intervals were a little slower than my last set of 800s, but I felt pretty good. It was tiring for sure, but I think a lot of that was the heat and humidity doing their thing.

Today's run is up in the air. I have 11 miles on the plan, but I need to get packed for my trip this weekend and I haven't had a chance to do so. My concern is finding all my backpacking gear, as it's been several years since I last used it. And that really means that I need to pack with enough time to make sure I can hit up REI for any last minute stuff I can't find. It's the little things (e.g., waterproof matches, clothing layers, etc.) that can be a problem if they are forgotten. There is a low pressure system blowing through this weekend, which means temperatures potentially in the 30s. If I don't have "it" with me, I'll have to do without. Warm clothing layers is not one of those things that I want to do without. Jeez - I still need to think about a menu for three days. We'll have to see how work progresses today. But now that I think of it, the run is probably in jeopardy.

The mountains is calling!

Wow it's Hot Around Here!

As most of you know, I am an afternoon/evening runner. I use running as my therapy. I leave my frustrations and stresses on the trails. So it was disappointing yesterday when I went out to put in my afternoon run. I exited from my nice air conditioned office to find out it was 91 degrees out! And that was on the water at the beach!

With everything that has been wreaking havoc lately, I decided that a run in the heat was not going to help me. I also found that the heat is supposed to be here for a few days (weatherman says until Sunday). Maybe running in the morning would be bad after all.

So, I headed out at 5:30 this morning to put in my 9 mile track workout. On the plan was a 3 mile warm up, 5 X 1200 intervals with a 400 yard rest, followed by a mile warm down. I personally find that 1200's are the toughest. It was no different this morning. I managed to get all 5 in, but had to slow a bit on the fifth one to keep my cookies down:

Interval 1: 6:32 (8:44 pace)
Interval 2: 6:26 (8:39 pace)
Interval 3: 6:26 (8:39 pace)
Interval 4: 6:31 (8:43 pace)
Interval 5: 7:02 (9:24 pace)

Even though the times are not that impressive, I can tell you that I was *wiped out* when I was done. But I finished. Woo hoo!

Tomorrow morning will be another early one. I need to put in an easy 11 miles. And get it done before the sun starts baking the asphalt.

Eight Mile Circle Fest

Last night I was back on the track for an interval session. With a 10K coming up this Saturday, this week's workouts are just a tad easier. Instead of the six 800s before, last night's workout was 5 X 800. What a difference that one interval makes! Also, my afternoon snacking seems to have energized me come run time.

The stats:

Interval 1: 4:13
Interval 2: 4:10
Interval 3: 4:13
Interval 4: 4:13
Interval 5: 4:13

That was the consistency that I was looking for the last time I ran these things. And, like two interval sessions ago, last night's session was pretty effortless. Add to that I was able to get into VO2Max range for about 12 minutes last night. Check mark next to quality workout. With the 3.25 mile warm up, mile warm down, and 400 yard rest steps, I put in a total of 8 miles.

On the plan tonight - an 11 mile general aerobic run. I think I'll do another Back Bay loop. Just so I can beat it into submission.

I'm changing things up a little toward the end of the week. Normally, Friday is a rest day, Saturday is a long day, and Sunday is a recovery day. This week's plan has me running a 10K this weekend. I found one that got some good reviews, so I'll be running the Jet to Jetty 10K. A few folks I know should be there, including Kathleen of Write-Sizing fame. It is always cool to put faces with names! Long run moves to Sunday this week.

Finally, I'm going to need to swap Thursday and Friday this week. I was one of those "lucky" folks to have tickets to the now cancelled Aerosmith/ZZ Top tour. In case you hadn't heard, Steven Tyler fell off the stage in Sturgis (I didn't know the guy was a biker!) and broke his shoulder. The tour was cancelled last week. (By the way - I highly recommend LiveNation for concert tickets. My refund including all fees was promptly and painlessly done. Concert cancelled Friday - money back on Monday.) I was really bummed on Friday, because I was really looking forward to seeing ZZ Top. Well, *early* Saturday morning (while I was getting ready to head out the door for my 20 miler) I received an email from LiveNation that ZZ Top was going to do their own tour. Before this story gets too long, I was able to snag three tickets to see ZZ Top tomorrow at the House of Blues at Downtown Disney! I'll be taking my two boys for a night of raucous, and I hope, LOUD Tejas Blues! Yippee! I'll try to bring back some pics!

Back on Track (Literally)

I made it to the track last night. I ended up starting quite late in the evening. The issue the past few days has been heat and humidity. I had a couple hours of running, but when I first tried to head out around 5:30 it was still 78 degrees and about 50% humidity. Now I know all you Easterners and Southerners are crying me a storm, but here in California this is the equivalent of a 90-90 day in DC. We do get some heat here (after all, Los Angeles is really a desert), but we aren't used to the humidity. At all. We think anything over 30% humidity is pretty stifling. So what do we do about it? We complain! And yes - you all can play the world's smallest violin for us.

I ended up starting my run about 7:45. Things had cooled nicely, and there was a nice sea breeze blowing. I was out slogging around the track until 9:15 - long after dark. I broke out the headlamp around 8:30 so I could see in front of me (while the local High School track is open to the public, it is not lighted).

Stats on the run - 3.25 mile warm up, 5 X 800 intervals at 10K pace with 400 rest, 1 mile warm down for a total of 8 miles. Unlike the last time I did an interval workout (back on July 14th) I had no problems with the warm up. But, the consistency of my intervals though left a little to be desired:

Interval 1: 4:20 (8:40 pace)
Interval 2: 4:17 (8:34 pace)
Interval 3: 4:13 (8:26 pace)
Interval 4: 4:18 (8:36 pace)
Interval 5: 4:18 (8:36 pace)

Also, unlike the last time I ran intervals, I was able to get my heart rate into VO2Max range, spending a total of 15 minutes up over 90% of max. I followed up with a slow warm down mile. The only problem was getting my heart to slow down. It would have been ideal to attain a 75% of max rate, but things kind of settled in between 82% and 85% of max. And it seemed like regardless how slow I went, the heart rate wouldn't drop any further. So I wrapped the session up and came dragging into the house about 9:30 last night - starting an all out search and destroy mission for my dinner! Bottom line was even though this workout required more effort than my last interval session (maybe taking a week off has something to do with that?), it was still a quality workout. Paces and heart rate targets were met.

On tap for tonight - an easy 12 miles around the back bay. The weather is supposed to start cooling today - in fact by tomorrow we aren't supposed to break 70. Ah. To live in Southern California (yes - I'm rubbing it in).

Finally - a Good Workout

Sorry I missed my post on Monday. I guess I took "rest day" to heart. In fact, I was in bed asleep by 7:30 Monday night. Yes - you read that right. It has been years since I got 10 hours of sleep in a single night. It was very nice. It sucks getting old. Oh wait - we're supposed to need less sleep the older we get? I did get some time to read and comment on a bunch of blogs that had been backing up in my queue, so not all was lost.

All good things must come to an end though, and I did get out for last night's training session. I say "training session" instead of run because that is what it was. I hit the Corona del Mar High School track for a three and a half mile warm up, 6 X 800 yard intervals with 400 yard rest step, and a 1 mile warm down for a total of nine miles. That's like 36 laps. I used the Magic Shoe 5K course to get in most of the warm up in before running in circles. So I think I ended up running only 22 laps around the track.

It wasn't long before I started to worry about this workout. I was well rested, but had trouble getting to a good aerobic heart rate without sucking wind during the warm up. Once I was on the track though, everything started clicking. The goal was to run each 800 at 10K pace, somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00. I ran by feel for the most part, just checking with the Garmin to make sure it said "10K" on the goal screen. I actually had to slow down a couple of times. In the end I ran the most consistent set of intervals I ever have:

Interval 1: 4:15
Interval 2: 4:16
Interval 3: 4:14
Interval 4: 4:15
Interval 5: 4:17
Interval 6: 4:24 (obviously tiring here)

Two things struck me about this session: (1) The runs were for the most part effortless. After checking my heart rate data this is evident - I barely made it into LT zone (greater than 88% max heart rate); and (2) All of these times are at the lower end of my current 10K range. Maybe all those aerobic miles are starting to pay off.

Now I get to really rest. No more running until Saturday (well, maybe Friday morning I'll try to sneak in a quick 6 miler). I'll be climbing on a plane later this morning for a whirlwind trip to El Paso TX. The only running I'll be doing is from air conditioned building to air conditioned building. Weather forecast for today? 106 and thunderstorms. I have post for either tomorrow or day after regarding lactate training, so stay tuned!

Final Interval Session

I put in my last interval session on this training cycle last night. I wasn't able to make it to the track to run with my club, so I headed on down to the Back Bay and ran some intervals there. It was more like a Fartlek workout - the only difference being I had my Garmin programmed to remind me to slow down and speed up every quarter mile. When all was said and done, I put in my planned six miles. I kept it easy and ran within my target pace - except on the last 400 where I decided to air it out a little (7:04 pace- - wow - was that really me?).

So, here I am. Two more days of light running (today 4 miles recovery, tomorrow 30 minute tempo) until goal race day. Then I have Friday and Saturday off. What will I do with my free time?

Are Those My Legs or are Those Rubberbands?

Last night was track night. It was supposed to be raining. But, the only thing that was dripping on the track was my sweat as I finished another two laps and grabbed my knees looking for loose change. Really - the weather was absolutely beautiful for an evening of running. Me at the end of the evening? Well that's a different question.

Most of the group had finished their goal race last weekend (the Carlsbad 5000). So, that meant a switch from shorter intervals (400s) to longer intervals. Our group ran 4 X 800 with 3 minute recovery. Normally, 800s should be run at 10K pace (for me about 8:40 a mile), but invariably with a group we all run faster. That was true last night for me:

Interval 1: 3:48
Interval 2: 3:43
Interval 3: 3:51
Interval 4: 3:49

These times are *way* faster than I would be running if I were by myself. Were talking sub 8 minute miles here. No wonder I was left gasping for air!

One thing for sure, I was *spent* when this workout was done. I wrapped things up with a mile and a half warm down for a total of six miles. My legs felt like rubber when I got home, but I sure did sleep well! Unfortunately, I had a bit of a Garmin malfunction, so I didn't collect any data during the intervals. I know I hit VO2Max heart rate roughly at the end of the first 400, so at those splits I would guestimate that I was at VO2Max for about 8 minutes last night. Once again a little shorter that my goal, but still a decent workout.

On tap tonight is an easy four mile recovery run. Once again - I'm looking forward to not pushing the pace!

Track Time!

Yessiree! Tuesday nights means time to enjoy some camaraderie with the folks in my track club! Today I'm still paying for last night's fun. Ooof.

It's very interesting being part of this club. We meet three times a week - Saturday mornings for long runs, Tuesday evenings for track workout, and Thursday evenings for tempo runs. Saturday's group tends to be older (I fit in) and made up of folks who are primarily marathoners or are training to be marathoners. Tuesday night's group, on the other hand, is made primarily of younger, FAST runners specializing in shorter races like 5Ks and 10Ks. Not only do I skew the average age up, I also skew the average time down! Its an eye opener when I kill myself to run a 400 in 1:45 to realize that I am almost twice as slow as the fastest finishers. Whew.

Yesterday's workout was "easy" because a lot of runners are tapering for the Carlsbad 5K, coming up this Sunday. So, we ran 8 X 400. My ugly results:

• Interval 1: 1:44
• Interval 2: 1:46
• Interval 3: 1:53 (note the trend here)
• Interval 4: 1:56
• Interval 5: 1:52
• Interval 6: 1:51
• Interval 7: 1:54
• Interval 8: 1:52

This one had my tongue swinging low. I'm still recovering - but I did sleep real well last night! The only downside to the workout was I only spent about 9 1/2 minutes in VO2Max heart range. That's a little less time than I'd like to spend (12 to 15 minutes), but is also a function of shorter intervals.

Today I'm looking forward to my recovery run. A nice, eeeaaaassssyyyy recovery run! Crystal Cove here I come!

A little sore this morning

Yesterday was interval day with my club. After the last couple of Tuesdays, yesterday sounded pretty easy - 10 X 400 with 3 minutes rest. But, as I found out, the issue with running with a group are the paces that everyone else runs at. I was really dragging by number 8, but I finished all 10. Brought up the rear at 1:40s and 1:50s but finished. A little tired and sore this morning, but none the worse for wear.

I was looking forward to my Garmin data, but it appears it had a bit of a hiccup after the third interval. Okay okay. Pilot error after interval 3 (turned the Garmin off while running and on while resting for a couple of 400s), so my data is suspect. I still put in over 8 minutes at heart rates above 90% of max. At one point I hit 182 bpm on a short little 400!

I am soooo looking forward to my recovery run today.

Running Round and Round and Round

Track day! Just the words get me tired. This was the second week that I've run with my track club. And after two weeks I can totally see why. Something about hard running makes it not so bad when a bunch of other people are cursing as well!

The damage - 2 mile warm up, 1 X 1200, 4 X 800, 1 mile warm down. Including recovery I put in 6 miles last night. Average pace 9:38 (including warm up, warm down, and recovery). I checked out time at greater than 90% MHR - 12.1 minutes. Man - no wonder I'm tired today!

Also - sorry for the late post today. This thing called work keeps getting in the way. On tap for today - 4 recovery miles.