PM: 1M (4:59); 4 x 200-200-400 (64 avg/63.4 last); 1M (4:46); rec - 1 min/200s; 2 min/400s; 3M wm/4M cd :: 11M
The original plan was to do mile repeats tonight, but, even though I was feeling fine, I just wasn't motivated to do long intervals on the indoor track. So I decided there would be some benefit to working the faster end of the spectrum since I have rarely run faster than 5k pace this year.
I started off with what was supposed to be a "tempo" mile. Well, I'm coming off two rest days so my legs were a little juiced. The result was 4:59. A little faster than it was supposed to be, but I didn't care. I was excited because it felt so easy. I can remember years where I've gone through the mile at the Human Race in 5:00 and thought my legs were going to fly off.
The 200-200-400 sets were a struggle. My legs just have not worked that hard/fast in a long time. The sets broke down like this:
1. 32.6, 32.3, 66.1
2. 32.7, 31.9, 64.9
3. 31.4, 31.8, 63.3
4. 31.6, 31.7, 63.4
I had originally planned on doing 5-6 sets, but after four I knew I was done. It was getting harder to hold form and I was little sore form the turns on the indoor track (even in lane 6).
After jogging with Greg S. for awhile I recovered well and decided to close out the workout with another tempo run. When I hit 800m in 2:24 I decided to see how fast I could run "comfortably" the rest of the way and ended in 4:46. My high school coach, Mr Schmitt, would have kicked my ass after a stunt like that. But it felt good, so sue me.
On a completely unreleated note, I came across a funny quote from The Office today: "The best way to learn is by watching. Thats why porn is a multibillion dollar industry." Words to live by.
Good stuff.
LINK
File under "All in the name of science"
Colbert wins the lottery
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Morning Slip And Slide
AM: 68 min :: 10+M (11:04 for last 2M)
Another easy day following the long run Sunday. Not too much to report. The River Rd trail is pretty nasty right now. All the melting/freezing going on is making the track pretty slick. Never fear, warmer temps are in the forecast for the end of the week. So maybe we'll finally be able to move on.
I'm trying to decide how to spread out my workouts over the next couple of weeks. I'd like to go to the track twice, do 2-3 hill workouts and another medium long/hard run.
Of course I have to factor the Human Race in there as well. I'm very interested to see how I make out there this year. In the past I've generally come in under-prepared, just racing off base and hill workouts. Last year I somehow managed to run 24:20 doing that. With all the speed work and high mileage the past couple of months there is a certain expectation that I should run faster. Wait and see I guess.
LINK
An interview on the 2-year anniversary of "Boom Goes The Dynamite".
Marmaduke is an asshole.
Another easy day following the long run Sunday. Not too much to report. The River Rd trail is pretty nasty right now. All the melting/freezing going on is making the track pretty slick. Never fear, warmer temps are in the forecast for the end of the week. So maybe we'll finally be able to move on.
I'm trying to decide how to spread out my workouts over the next couple of weeks. I'd like to go to the track twice, do 2-3 hill workouts and another medium long/hard run.
Of course I have to factor the Human Race in there as well. I'm very interested to see how I make out there this year. In the past I've generally come in under-prepared, just racing off base and hill workouts. Last year I somehow managed to run 24:20 doing that. With all the speed work and high mileage the past couple of months there is a certain expectation that I should run faster. Wait and see I guess.
LINK
An interview on the 2-year anniversary of "Boom Goes The Dynamite".
Marmaduke is an asshole.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Rest and Reflection
A big goose-egg for the day. Its been three weeks since I took a day off, so it seemed like I was due. Ten weeks into 2007 and here is what my weekly totals like:
105
112
121
103
115
70
131
118
131
Not a bad stretch, especially considering that each week involved some sort of quality work and there is a 50M race thrown in there. Now the volume will drop leading up to the 100k in April, but hopefully the intensity will increase.
LINK
Matt Downin interview
US 50k results
105
112
121
103
115
70
131
118
131
Not a bad stretch, especially considering that each week involved some sort of quality work and there is a 50M race thrown in there. Now the volume will drop leading up to the 100k in April, but hopefully the intensity will increase.
LINK
Matt Downin interview
US 50k results
Week of Feb 26 - Mar 4
Total Miles For Week (Year): 131 (1006)
Long Run: 37+
This week had a little bit of everything: track work, hill work, and a long run. The intervals on Tuesday definitely showed that I'm progressing. The hill run on Thursday was a new kind of workout that I found to be a good challange. And while the long run didn't go quite to plan on Sunday, I still got quality time in on my feet. I was happy with the overall pace of the run and I hope with a taper at the end of the month I'll be able to hold that pace a little longer into the 100k.
Long Run: 37+
This week had a little bit of everything: track work, hill work, and a long run. The intervals on Tuesday definitely showed that I'm progressing. The hill run on Thursday was a new kind of workout that I found to be a good challange. And while the long run didn't go quite to plan on Sunday, I still got quality time in on my feet. I was happy with the overall pace of the run and I hope with a taper at the end of the month I'll be able to hold that pace a little longer into the 100k.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
The Long Run
AM: 4:00 :: 37.25 (6:26/mile)
Someone out there must really not want me to get my long runs in. I walked out to the car this morning to drive over to Lake Calhoun and it wouldn't start. Okaaaayy... I guess I'll have to do the same River Rd. loop I usually do, which while convenient, doesn't exactly help with the boredom factor in a four hour run. But I was determined to get this run, so I set off hoping that by some miracle the River Rd path would magically be clearer than it was yesterday. Well, it wasn't. The Minneapolis side was in fairly good shape, but a little icey. St Paul was bad and getting worse as the sun came out and turned the hard packed snow to mush. And don't get me started on both bridges or should I say "hardened snow craters". The last straw was when I got across the Ford Pkwy bridge to find that the sidewalk hadn't been plowed forcing me to either run on the road against traffic or cut across and take the shortcut down to West River Rd. I took the shortcut. So my first loop was 9 miles in 59 min. What I found most frustrating is that I was feeling great. The first mile out the door was 6:35.
Now I don't want to sound like a wuss, because in the grand scheme of things the path wasn't that bad. I mean I think back to the long runs I did in Duluth on Skyline Dr. and how it was basically taking your life in your own hands. I could have run four hours in the conditions today, but a) all the slipping and sliding was aggravating the minor soreness in my foot/achilles and b) I've done enough long runs where I just run for time in order to build strength. I'm at the point in my training where I need to be more conscious of pace.
So at the end of the first loop I quickly stripped down and threw on some shorts and a different pair of shoes and finished out the remainder of the run on the treadmill. Its a good thing I had that first hour out of the way, because I found out that three hours on the mill is my limit.
The first hour went by quickly enough. 6:27 pace felt pretty relaxed in comparison to the first hour outside. I had my aid set up on the console so I would only have to jump off for potty breaks.
Hour #2 was still comfortable (6:22/mile pace), but required a bit more focus. I tried to "forget" that I ran an hour before getting on the treadmill in order to trick my body into thinking the pace should feel easier. It worked for the most part. I kept track of total time on my watch, but the 'mill time read an hour less.
Going into the fourth hour (#3 according to the mill) I was still with it. I employed the tried and true trick of telling myself "I can run an hour. No matter what I can always run an hour!" Now this is an obvious fallacy. Towards the end of almost all my 100k I've questioned whether I could run another step (sometimes I couldn't; for awhile at least). So the deception only works to a certain point, but luckily for me I was feeling good today and it didn't take too much convincing to barrel into the last hour (6:18 pace).
I took advantage of the fact that I was running on the mill to analyze my stride, breathing, etc. I focused on hip flexion and running with a "sitting" form (keep that ass down!). The last half-hour was a struggle, not so much physically, although my calves were sore and the hamstrings were definitely tighter. The biggest obstacles were mental. I had to break it down into 10 minute blocks. I felt like a zombie by the time the run was finished. It wasn't the 40 miles I had hoped to get it, but four hours is nice run nonetheless.
Its hard to compare this run with others because I've never done this sort of run on the treadmill. I still feel it was a quality run and the pace I kept was encouraging. The nice thing about the treadmill is that I had no option to slow down (oh, I suppose I could have slowed it down, but I tend to be a bit OCD about avoiding that). So I really worked the mental aspect of holding pace. Hopefully that translates back to the road.
I strayed from the usual long run recovery meal of a Denny's Grand Slam/IHOP Stuffed French Toast in favor of Rocky Rococo's, a delicious decision.
Bring on the warm weather.
LINK
Somebody is sleeping on the couch....for the rest of his life
Keyser Soze!
Someone out there must really not want me to get my long runs in. I walked out to the car this morning to drive over to Lake Calhoun and it wouldn't start. Okaaaayy... I guess I'll have to do the same River Rd. loop I usually do, which while convenient, doesn't exactly help with the boredom factor in a four hour run. But I was determined to get this run, so I set off hoping that by some miracle the River Rd path would magically be clearer than it was yesterday. Well, it wasn't. The Minneapolis side was in fairly good shape, but a little icey. St Paul was bad and getting worse as the sun came out and turned the hard packed snow to mush. And don't get me started on both bridges or should I say "hardened snow craters". The last straw was when I got across the Ford Pkwy bridge to find that the sidewalk hadn't been plowed forcing me to either run on the road against traffic or cut across and take the shortcut down to West River Rd. I took the shortcut. So my first loop was 9 miles in 59 min. What I found most frustrating is that I was feeling great. The first mile out the door was 6:35.
Now I don't want to sound like a wuss, because in the grand scheme of things the path wasn't that bad. I mean I think back to the long runs I did in Duluth on Skyline Dr. and how it was basically taking your life in your own hands. I could have run four hours in the conditions today, but a) all the slipping and sliding was aggravating the minor soreness in my foot/achilles and b) I've done enough long runs where I just run for time in order to build strength. I'm at the point in my training where I need to be more conscious of pace.
So at the end of the first loop I quickly stripped down and threw on some shorts and a different pair of shoes and finished out the remainder of the run on the treadmill. Its a good thing I had that first hour out of the way, because I found out that three hours on the mill is my limit.
The first hour went by quickly enough. 6:27 pace felt pretty relaxed in comparison to the first hour outside. I had my aid set up on the console so I would only have to jump off for potty breaks.
Hour #2 was still comfortable (6:22/mile pace), but required a bit more focus. I tried to "forget" that I ran an hour before getting on the treadmill in order to trick my body into thinking the pace should feel easier. It worked for the most part. I kept track of total time on my watch, but the 'mill time read an hour less.
Going into the fourth hour (#3 according to the mill) I was still with it. I employed the tried and true trick of telling myself "I can run an hour. No matter what I can always run an hour!" Now this is an obvious fallacy. Towards the end of almost all my 100k I've questioned whether I could run another step (sometimes I couldn't; for awhile at least). So the deception only works to a certain point, but luckily for me I was feeling good today and it didn't take too much convincing to barrel into the last hour (6:18 pace).
I took advantage of the fact that I was running on the mill to analyze my stride, breathing, etc. I focused on hip flexion and running with a "sitting" form (keep that ass down!). The last half-hour was a struggle, not so much physically, although my calves were sore and the hamstrings were definitely tighter. The biggest obstacles were mental. I had to break it down into 10 minute blocks. I felt like a zombie by the time the run was finished. It wasn't the 40 miles I had hoped to get it, but four hours is nice run nonetheless.
Its hard to compare this run with others because I've never done this sort of run on the treadmill. I still feel it was a quality run and the pace I kept was encouraging. The nice thing about the treadmill is that I had no option to slow down (oh, I suppose I could have slowed it down, but I tend to be a bit OCD about avoiding that). So I really worked the mental aspect of holding pace. Hopefully that translates back to the road.
I strayed from the usual long run recovery meal of a Denny's Grand Slam/IHOP Stuffed French Toast in favor of Rocky Rococo's, a delicious decision.
Bring on the warm weather.
LINK
Somebody is sleeping on the couch....for the rest of his life
Keyser Soze!
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Snow Hurts
AM: 70min :: 10+M
Just one run today as I allow my body a moment of respite before tomorrow's long run. I ran outside thinking the River Rd would be clear, but found out that, while a plow had gone through at some point during the week, it definitely was not within the last 24 hours. I was feeling good so I didn't mind the slower running, but it did aggravate my foot in the same spot Monday's run did; sort of the achilles to plantar area of my right foot. It reminds me how lucky I've been the last couple of years. No serious injuries that required extended time off/cross training.
So there are basically no excuses tomorrow. The temps will warm. The wind will be reasonable. The snow...well lets just hope there is a little melting that happens today. I plan to run the ten mile loop over at Harriet/Calhoun/Isles four times or at the very least four hours. The 50 mile race was only a month ago, but it feels like its been much longer. It will be hard to overcome the "just get through the run" mentality that sets in the last hour or so of these runs. I'm really focused on running a certain pace (clear track willing) so I need to push when I'm tired. Easy to say sitting here sipping my chai by the fireplace.
LINK
The worst rhymes in music history
Zack Attack - Friends Forever
Just one run today as I allow my body a moment of respite before tomorrow's long run. I ran outside thinking the River Rd would be clear, but found out that, while a plow had gone through at some point during the week, it definitely was not within the last 24 hours. I was feeling good so I didn't mind the slower running, but it did aggravate my foot in the same spot Monday's run did; sort of the achilles to plantar area of my right foot. It reminds me how lucky I've been the last couple of years. No serious injuries that required extended time off/cross training.
So there are basically no excuses tomorrow. The temps will warm. The wind will be reasonable. The snow...well lets just hope there is a little melting that happens today. I plan to run the ten mile loop over at Harriet/Calhoun/Isles four times or at the very least four hours. The 50 mile race was only a month ago, but it feels like its been much longer. It will be hard to overcome the "just get through the run" mentality that sets in the last hour or so of these runs. I'm really focused on running a certain pace (clear track willing) so I need to push when I'm tired. Easy to say sitting here sipping my chai by the fireplace.
LINK
The worst rhymes in music history
Zack Attack - Friends Forever
Friday, March 02, 2007
Change Of Focus
AM: 66 min :: 10M
PM: 57 min :: 10M
Ten and ten. It seems like a broken record by now. But this is the end for now. Starting next week, my recovery days will be just one run of 10-15M. It is my first step towards cutting back my volume. I'll still double up on "hard" days for now, but the morning run will gradually start to get cut back. In a way it is difficult to cut back to one run. I know there will moments of guilt as I feel I'm wussing out. But at this time, my body feels like it could do these kind of days forever and that is the precise reason I need to sacrifice volume for intensity. My body has adapted so I need to change the stimulus.
I know I've linked to stories about it numerous times recently, but I can't get over how much I love This American Life. Now with the new Macbook and Itunes I can subscribe to the TAL podcast. I'm, like, all technological and crap. Its difficult for me to describe why I'm so enamored with this show. The fact that it is a radio show leaves room for a certain amount of imagination with each story. The stories are always a unique view of regular life sorts of experiences. A lot of my favorite writers are featured (Chuck Klosterman, John Hodgman, David Rakloff, et al). So if you are around a radio (MPR, Sat 3 pm), are on the web (thislife.org), or, like me, are an internet genius (free podcast) I encourage you to listen. The website has all the archived shows. My recommendations are:
24 hours at the Golden Apple (one of the first shows)
Superpowers
The Fix Is In
Prom
Allure of the Mean Friend
Good luck to Greg Crowther at the US 50k Champs this weekend. Hopefully the weather will hold out.
LINK
Wino wisdom.
Unearthed Radiohead B-sides.
PM: 57 min :: 10M
Ten and ten. It seems like a broken record by now. But this is the end for now. Starting next week, my recovery days will be just one run of 10-15M. It is my first step towards cutting back my volume. I'll still double up on "hard" days for now, but the morning run will gradually start to get cut back. In a way it is difficult to cut back to one run. I know there will moments of guilt as I feel I'm wussing out. But at this time, my body feels like it could do these kind of days forever and that is the precise reason I need to sacrifice volume for intensity. My body has adapted so I need to change the stimulus.
I know I've linked to stories about it numerous times recently, but I can't get over how much I love This American Life. Now with the new Macbook and Itunes I can subscribe to the TAL podcast. I'm, like, all technological and crap. Its difficult for me to describe why I'm so enamored with this show. The fact that it is a radio show leaves room for a certain amount of imagination with each story. The stories are always a unique view of regular life sorts of experiences. A lot of my favorite writers are featured (Chuck Klosterman, John Hodgman, David Rakloff, et al). So if you are around a radio (MPR, Sat 3 pm), are on the web (thislife.org), or, like me, are an internet genius (free podcast) I encourage you to listen. The website has all the archived shows. My recommendations are:
24 hours at the Golden Apple (one of the first shows)
Superpowers
The Fix Is In
Prom
Allure of the Mean Friend
Good luck to Greg Crowther at the US 50k Champs this weekend. Hopefully the weather will hold out.
LINK
Wino wisdom.
Unearthed Radiohead B-sides.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
My Own Private Fluorspar
AM: 66 min :: 10M
PM: 65 min :: 10M (run at 7% incline)
The U finally decided to call off classes and close campus at 2:30 today. A lot of my coworkers left around lunchtime since they lived in the 'burbs. I garnered brownie points by volunteering to stay. The Light Rail runs regardless of weather so it wasn't like I was putting myself out.
Any-who, I wanted to repeat the hill workout I did last week (6x400), but the snow was coming down at such a rate I didn't think that it would be that productive. Not to mention the effect of slipping around on my achilles, which has been a little sore since the run on Monday. My first thought was to do 15M on the treadmill for an over-distance day. But looking at my training, I've done enough "distance". I need to up the intensity of some of my runs. So after warming up for a couple of minutes I took the treadmill up to a 7% incline for the rest of the run. I remember reading about Moses Tanui and the hill run he did in Kenya. It was called Fluorspar: a 21 km climb with 23 switchbacks. The fact that his best time was 1:24 (6:25/mile) should give you a good idea of the grade of the climb.
For the first half or so it felt pretty easy. I was working, but it felt more like the easier side of a tempo run. But once I had been running about 45 min and the pace was down to 6:22/mile I was working pretty hard. By an hour I was paying very close attention to the remaining time. Then with a couple of minutes of running left I took back down to 2% (my normal setting), but lowered the pace to 5:56/mile. Man, I felt like I was flying downhill.
Its hard to determine the total effect of a workout immediately afterwards, but I felt like this was a pretty beneficial run. Looking ahead I think I will repeat this workout the week after the Human Race.
This snow is a little crazy. I shoveled a bit last night just to keep up and by the time I had finished everything was already covered with a good half-inch. It seems like we can always count on an early March snowstorm.
LINK (Chuck Klosterman theme)
A great interview with Britney Spears (doh!) by Chuck (woo-hoo!)
The interview appears in Chuck's latest book (a great read)
The most precisely average rock song in history according to Chuck (1/2 rock songs are better, 1/2 are worse)
PM: 65 min :: 10M (run at 7% incline)
The U finally decided to call off classes and close campus at 2:30 today. A lot of my coworkers left around lunchtime since they lived in the 'burbs. I garnered brownie points by volunteering to stay. The Light Rail runs regardless of weather so it wasn't like I was putting myself out.
Any-who, I wanted to repeat the hill workout I did last week (6x400), but the snow was coming down at such a rate I didn't think that it would be that productive. Not to mention the effect of slipping around on my achilles, which has been a little sore since the run on Monday. My first thought was to do 15M on the treadmill for an over-distance day. But looking at my training, I've done enough "distance". I need to up the intensity of some of my runs. So after warming up for a couple of minutes I took the treadmill up to a 7% incline for the rest of the run. I remember reading about Moses Tanui and the hill run he did in Kenya. It was called Fluorspar: a 21 km climb with 23 switchbacks. The fact that his best time was 1:24 (6:25/mile) should give you a good idea of the grade of the climb.
For the first half or so it felt pretty easy. I was working, but it felt more like the easier side of a tempo run. But once I had been running about 45 min and the pace was down to 6:22/mile I was working pretty hard. By an hour I was paying very close attention to the remaining time. Then with a couple of minutes of running left I took back down to 2% (my normal setting), but lowered the pace to 5:56/mile. Man, I felt like I was flying downhill.
Its hard to determine the total effect of a workout immediately afterwards, but I felt like this was a pretty beneficial run. Looking ahead I think I will repeat this workout the week after the Human Race.
This snow is a little crazy. I shoveled a bit last night just to keep up and by the time I had finished everything was already covered with a good half-inch. It seems like we can always count on an early March snowstorm.
LINK (Chuck Klosterman theme)
A great interview with Britney Spears (doh!) by Chuck (woo-hoo!)
The interview appears in Chuck's latest book (a great read)
The most precisely average rock song in history according to Chuck (1/2 rock songs are better, 1/2 are worse)
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