28NOV09

3:00 - 21 miles - Beach
Ran 45 minutes one way, 90 the other and turned back for another 45. Legs felt good running on the packed sand.

Thursday/Friday Runs

Left early Thursday morning headed to Maureen's parents house at the ocean. I packed my 5 year old Timex Ironman Performance Monitor that's never had much use since I'm usually on trails where the GPS signal was weak at best. Since I'd be doing some running in a very open area, the beach, I thought I'd give the Performance Monitor (PM) a try. Arrived on Hilton Head Island in about 4 hours 15, no hassels as we were out and in before things started to get crazy out there. Turned on the PM a few times on the way down to test it out and it was right on with the speed and distance of the car. Shortly after getting in I took Tima out to the beach to let her get some running in. Ran for 8 miles / 65 minutes.
Friday morning Tima and I got up at about 6, waited for enough light and headed out to the beach. We went North at an easy pace on hard packed sand for 45 minutes / 5 miles. Turned around and did a 20 minute TT / 3.2 miles. This felt really good most of the way and I struggleded a little at the end going all out for the last minute. I wanted to push it and hurt.
6:12(150), 6:22(165), 6:23(164), 1:04(169).
Finished off the 1.8 in 17 minutes.

Below the Radar?

Ben Nephew for Team Inov-8 has been racing really well. He recently cover 50 miles in 5:47, with an enjoyable race report.

Heading to the beach for Thanksgiving; plannning on doing some long runs on some nicely packed sand over the long weekend. Perhaps some barefoot beach runs with the family. Riley's anxious to try out his headband and Kayle just wants to run as fast as she can while shaking her head as hard as she can!

We Will Rock You

Riley and I have been listening to "We Will Rock You" in the mornings on the way to school. He's usually singing along, shaking his head around and playing some air guitar. Friday I looked in the rearview mirror when the song was on and noticed he was very still and in deep thought. I turned down the volumn and asked him if everything was ok. He said yes, but "I was trying to tell you something Daddy." "I'm sorry, what do you need?" Riley responds with "They shouldn't put that bag over his face, it's dangerous. They should put that bag around his body to keep him dry." I thought to myself - Wow, he was really in some deep thought there. I asked who he was talking about and he said the man in the song. I couldn't figure out what he meant so I just said "Good idea." On my way to the trail yesterday I was listening to "We Will Rock You." Something caught my ear so I rewound it a little and listened to it again - there it was - Riley's interpretation of the lyrics. "Somebody better put a bag into your face. We will, we will rock you."
40 degrees and raining here so Family Trail Run today was a short one. Riley's disappointed he wasn't able sweat in his new piece of running gear this weekend. He picked out a headband to have when he runs - he looks really retro with it on - I'm hoping to get some cool shots of him on our next run.

Thanks Mom!

5 Hours - 6,000' up/down - milage unknown

I know my Mom reads this blog, she calls in her comments rather than post them. Well, this past week she UPS'ed her comment to me. I opened the front door this morning to head out on an epic, and there was a package that was delivered sometime after dark Friday. I asked Maureen if she got me anything - she said no. It was addressed to me so I opened it up and it was a pair of compression shorts - THANKS MOM - LOVE YOU!!
Went out this morning intending to go for 4 hours, if I felt good I'd go for 4.5, and if that wasn't enough, I'd go for 5. My other intention was to get in a good amount of climbing, this is why I was giving myself an out if 4-4.5 was too much. At the 3:40/4,000' mark I started a 4 mile 2,000 climb, I knew this would let me know how I was feeling. I did this in 48 minutes and started to feel the pain with about 300' left in the climb. I knew when the climb was finished it was all down/flat from there and I'd be done. I got to a point where I was 5 minutes from the car and saw my time was 4:44, so I decided to make it an even 5 hours. I'm glad I did, with about 7 minutes left I could feel the very early signs that cramping could come. I finished the run w/o any problems, but have learned that I need to do more to prevent this occurance on race day.
When I wrote "milage unknown" it took me back to when I was about 10-11 years old - watching all star wrestling. They'd inroduce the Moondogs and say "From Parts Unknown..."

19NOV09

8 miles - 1 hour - Felt good.

18NOV09

14 miles - Bear Wallow Rd - +/- 3,000'.

I was all wound up today, must have been the Salmon - I think they are swimming upstream right now and the pound of Salmon I had last night must have metamorophisized me today. This run is 1,000' up, then some flat, then 500' up, then 1,500' down. Turn around and come back. I just had too much energy today and went tempo on all the ups and very easy on the downs. Felt good.

A cup of fat makes the bile come up.

7.5 miles - 1 hour.

Tima ate a coffee cup of fat yesterday afternoon that was sitting on the counter shelf cooling and hardening so it could be disposed of. She threw up twice today and is drinking water like a Lab Retriever. Her coat seems especially shiny though. I plan to run her at MAF the next few days to burn it off quickly.

Compression Shorts

7.5 miles - about an hour.

I'm in the market for some compression shorts. I need something that's going to keep me warm above the knees and keep chaffing to a minimum. Right now I've had some chaffing issues on some long runs due to clothes being wet and not drying. As long as shirt/shorts are dry, there's no problems, but the Mt. Mitchell Challenge in Feb. can have some very cold/wet weather like last year.

Where would you rather be?

This is where I used to live, and this is where I live now.
There are many family/recreation/training advantages to living in both places; today they happen to be obvious if winter sports is not on the calander. Woodland Park was a beautiful place to live, but at 8,500' above sea-level, very often getting long runs in was difficult more due to the ice that would remain for months rather than the snow. If I had the freedom I'd live in CO May-Oct and NC Nov-April.

14NOV09

10 miles - about 100 minutes.
I had nothing in the tank when I started this run and have no idea what my body was using to finish the run. I felt very weak and could hardly move on anything uphill. The past 2-3 days I probably ate just enough to get by being sedatary so when I tried to run today the tank was just empty. Hoping to get some good fuel in me tonight so I can do 20 miles tomorrow. We'll see how I feel.

13NOV09

I was in in Raliegh-Durham for the past 2 days and was not able to get any running in at all. I thought to myself - "Now I know how Brett feels." Then I saw his last post where he gets 16.5 miles in while he's in San Fran!!
Looking forward to a nice weekend of running. After 2.5 days of heavy rain here we are mid 60's, sunny and dry for the weekend. On one of the days I'm thinking of doing 20 miles around the 2:40 mark to see how that feels.

Fixed Pace Training

14 Miles on Treadmill.
Did a 2 mile w/u, then 12 miles at a 7:30 pace for 90 minutes. Average HR 139.
132,134,134,133,133,137,138,142,143,144,146,147.
Felt like a recovery run until about the 7th mile. There was a distinct point at the end of mile 7 where the effort level went up a notch. Then, again at the end of mile 10, I felt the same distinct change in effort; this one felt more like I needed some fluids.
Felt good about this test; I expected by HR to be higher after the Fixed HR test I did last week. But, a treadmill is different than the measured 1/2 mile I was running on outside on a windy day last week. I think I'm seeing evidence that I can run some of my long runs at an average HR in the 130's instead of the the upper 120's that I've been doing. Since the race I'm doing in Feb. is a 40 miler I still want to work on "mastering the distance." Maybe I could do some 20 milers in the 130's HR area and keep increasing my 30 miler at the very cautious pace I've been going for those runs...

09NOV09

6 miles - 47 minutes - 141 ave. HR
Felt good running on some flat trails this afternoon.
Wanted to go a little faster than my usual mid day, lunch break 8:30 pace.
This was definately compfortable.

Family Trail Run

45 minutes - distance unknown - Mountains to Sea Trail.

I'll take a day like this anytime over the planned 10 mile run at my "movie watching" pace. Maureen and Tima came back from their run and as I was getting ready Riley said he wanted to "go run on the mountain." Then Kayle told Riley that she was going to beat him. The game was on from there... After a great run/hike on a blanket of leaves we went to the grocery store for some "recovery treats."

Great day here in Asheville, 70 degrees/sunny/dry. The smell and cruching sound of leaves make this family trail run one that is etched in my memory for life.

Aaron Saft took 3rd at the US Trail Marathon Championships, Shiloh won his 5th consecutive Shut-In Ridge; he "shut" it down after the halfway point and cruised in with an Airdale on his heels.

Going into the Mount Mitchell Challenge I just wanted a challenge; a reason to build a good base and do something I have never done before; I guess you could say I was doing this for some recreation. Have I ever done anything for recreation? When I played soccer in college I was often "challenged" in practice by teammates because I was "going in too hard." No such thing as too hard, I'd say... Apparently some people who've never even met me know that I'm not going to do the MMC "just to finish." I haven't been fit since 2004, was getting close in 2007, but my achilles brought me to a crashing halt. I'm comitted to seeing what I can really do on this MMC course; I would have anyway on race day - doesn't matter if I'm fit or not - I would have tried for something.

The kids don't have school on Wed. so I'm free Wed. AM. I think I'm going to do a little test/assessment on the mill. I need to figure out how to get the most out of my long runs. I'll put it out there - I want to be as close to 6 hours as possible for this 40 miler.

07OCT09

4:30 - about 30 miles - +/- 4,000' - Average HR 129.

Felt great this morning and continued to feel great throughout the run. Mile 30 was a slight uphill, 3% grade, 160'; this was a 10 minute mile with an average HR of 148. Average HR in 10 mile increments were 120/127/140. I ate/drank alot on this run and actually weighed 1lb more after the run than I did when I woke up this morning. I guess that means I can have some bevvies this afternoon!

I didn't expect to do this run until mid-December, but the long run build up has gone so well; maybe I had a little more base than I thought when I started. Either way, I feel like I'm staying within myself, staying healthy and feeling fresh for the most part. It was 10 days ago that I was feeling a little sluggish; I pulled back on the milage for a week and I'm back feeling fresh again.

Made it out onto the Shut-In course during my run - it has dried up well and a CR could be made. Shiloh already had a 100 meters on the next guy after only 18 minutes and much more after an hour. He looked to be on CR pace, but that doesn't mean anything in this race; the 2nd half is loaded with alot of steep, 15%-20% ascents/descents. Ultra hammer Mark Lundblad wasn't too far back, he'll make up some ground in the 2nd half of the race, should go 3rd, probably 2nd. Won't know until tomorrow morning what the results are. I saw last years female winner, Amber Moran (CR holder or 2nd fastest), out for an easy run this morning, so she's not in the mix this year; she set a 15k CR last weekend. I'm also following another Asheville local, Aaron Saft, at the US Trail Marathon Championships today; he won it in 2007 when the Championships were here in Asheville.

MAF Test - 1st Timer - HR 145

6 miles - 46 minutes.

Did 4 miles at MAF - 7:25, 7:34, 7:39, 7:44. Average HR for the entire 4 miles was 144.
Did a mile w/u with the 2nd half of that mile getting my HR up in the mid 140's so I could start the first mile at a 145 HR. From what I understand this test will be a measuring stick to show improvement over the same course at the same HR. I'm curious to see not only if I go faster, but have a decrease in difference for each mile. Running at 145 was a little difficult, I was very comfortable at 146/147. When I'd try to get back down to 145 I seemed to go down to 142/143. This will definately take a little practice. Maybe, since it's comfortable, I should just run at 146/147. Or, maybe this is just defeating the purpose of not going above 145...

The Acquisition

I just received an phone call from not only the coolest person, but also the sweetest peson, my Mom. My previous post had mentioned some changes at work, as well as, more time to to run mid-day. Well, this was certainly a lesson in writing/life. I, far too often, am unclear in my writing style; obviously I have more information in my head than what I'm laying down in this blog. A very obvious deduction from my last post would be that I could have alot of time on my hands for some great mid-day runs because I don't have a job! Yea, this would be ideal right now for training for MMC. However, as most of us know when we have all the time we want - we may not be able to meet our basic needs. And when meeting our basic needs is done every day, we may not have the time that we want. So...
The great company I work for was sold to a company with a pocketbook about 20x's the the size of ours. Only about a handful of us made "the cut." I am not only happy to still have a job for a company I like in an industry I love, but am very much appreciative to have been given more than what I had a week ago. In a day when most people are losing a job or taking less I was given a little more; can't tell you how good that feels for myself and my family. I'm looking forward to all the opportunity we now have to move forward with ideas that we've had. For the past few years we've been a company with a staff of big ideas, but a "small" billfold.
Hey, I wanted to get in a MAF test today, but there were some finishing things that needed to be done today so I hope to do that run tomorrow. Oh yea, our new office, scheduled for the first of the year, will be a about 400 meters form the Mountains to Sea Trail.

11OCT09

7 miles - 1 hour - Felt good.

There have been some changes here at work - I will save those details for a seperate post - this will give me more time to run mid-day. Look forward to taking advantage of this and will attempt my first MAF Test tomorrow. Should be interesting what I can do with a 145 HR for 3-5 miles.

01NOV09

12 Miles - 3 Hours - 7,600' of climbing - average HR 129.

Wanted to do low milage and run slow. But, I wanted to get a big number out of it somehow. Took the extra hour in the day today and woke up an hour early (body clock was the same time) and get a good treadmill climb in and be done by 9:30 so Maureen and Tima could get their run in early as well. Set the mill to 12% grade at 4mph and went to it. Broke this up into 3 x 1 hour segmants. First hour I watch some mountain stages of the 2003 TDF, the one where Lance takes off up the final climb and in less than a minute catches his handle bars on a watchers bag and down he goes taking Iban Mayo with him; you know the rest of the story. Second hour I watched the 1999 Mt. Washington race where Kahara and Carpenter battle it out until the "WALL." I listened to a variety of music this hour as well instead of the race commentating. Third hour watched a mix of classic MTV Unplugged - REM, Nirvana, The Cure and Pearl Jam. Felt pretty good throughout, did start to have to do a little work on the last 2 miles, but nothing too bad. Was hoping that my average HR for every mile would be under 140. Had to really concentrate and relax on the last mile, but just missed. Needless to say I'm still very happy with this run, and the data that came with it. Average HR for each mile was 116,125,128,128,124,127,130,131,127,133,137,140. Stopped for about 3 minutes after hours 1&2 to change shirt, eat and drink. This is why my average HR on miles 5 and 9 dip a little. After about 500 calories of oatmeal for breakfast I had about 600 calories during the 3 hours on the mill.