30 June 2013

south end of Lake WA + Mercer Island on a single speed

I'm a bit unsure what to do here. I have my biggest run coming up in two weeks, I just put in a hard day Friday and I know my body does not tolerate too much abuse. I did take yesterday off so erred on the side of caution today and went for a ride instead of running.

I think it was the right thing to do.

I kept feeling better and better the more I rode and the swelling in my feet when down a little as well.

Ironically while I was recovering from my run I met Win Van Pelt who has a case of 'runner's knee' (whatever that means) and was also out riding his bike. We rode together a bit and chatted.

On Mercer Island I saw two guys, one who was in a House Wine kit. I love that wine and thought it was really cool that they have thrown their hat in the sponsorship ring for local athletes. They were doing intervals or something and I managed to keep up with them, then I dropped them when they took a break and then they caught up to me again when they did their next interval. Good times.

At the end of my island loop I saw the 20/20 Fuel Cycling team heading out for their usual Sunday lap of Mercer Island.

The weather was fabulous!

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/2 scoops Perpetuem, large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 6:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather upper 60s to low 70s, sunny, dry, light breeze
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Kona Paddy Wagon
Clothing bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap

28 June 2013

North Bend Triple Challenge (Little Si + Mailbox Peak + Mt Si trail run)

Oof, my biggest run to date since my ankle injury (and maybe ever in terms of total time). Here goes nothing.

An old friend of mine - who also happens to be named Martin - invited me on this run and I impulsively said yes. I figured it would be the perfect topper to a solid week of training as I try to get ready for my first 50-mile trail race. The day could not have been better. Yes, it was hot but I prefer that to cold and wet. Seven of us showed up at the start (one had yet to arrive).

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If you look closely you will notice that I am the only person carrying food and drink... what's with that? Turns out everyone else had a 'support crew' there to assist them. They were planning on grabbing water before and after each climb and I even heard one person talking about changing shoes for crying out loud. Me? My goal was to carry all that I needed and to work on keeping moving as I usually stop way too much on longer runs.

Go!
I think I have never been up Little Si in my life so it was kind of cool. The trail is pretty wide, pretty rocky but fun and runnable. As we pulled out my friend Martin turned to me and said, "Why don't you lead us..." so I obliged but boy did I feel slow. Then again, no one passed me.

We pretty much stuck together on the 2.5 mile climb up Little Si and at the top it was obligatory video time.



It's a 'summit' but it's a little one.

One the way down I pulled a little ahead of everyone in spite of being conscious about taking it slow. I was resolved not to pound my quads and didn't. At the parking lot I took a short break to make use of the outhouse and as I stepped out the next person was just arriving. Since I didn't have to grab anything from my van I just took off.

After crossing the river we turned left on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail which is just a big, wide, flat gravel path.

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"Go slow...!" I kept telling myself. I also kept wondering if I was going to be running this entire event alone! :( But as I settled into my 9:00 pace my concern was short-lived as just three miles later I was run down by two guys.



Martin can't run fast.

I was able to pick up my pace a bit once I got caught and went from 9:00 down to about 8:30 and then 8:15 but that was all I could do. Turns out these guys probably just wanted to catch me because once they did they didn't feel the need to go much faster and I just about hung on to the base of Mailbox Peak.

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You can't really tell from the picture but that road climbs something fierce. I was walking as soon as I went around the gate.

The pavement ends in about 100 m and then the road goes through another gate at which point it turns to gravel. Funny, but once the surface changed I was able to jog again... I started running and almost immediately I saw a trailhead. What...?! This can't be right I thought, plus there was lots of orange webbing blocking the trail. I walked up and read the sign and it turns out the DNR is building a new trail that will take twice as long (and be correspondingly half as steep) to reach the summit. I bet a lot of folks will appreciate that!

But I was confused... Having only been up this trail once before in my life I walked up the road for a bit and not seeing another trailhead right away I walked back down. Then I second guessed myself, turned around and started running back up the road. The old trail had to be just around the corner and sure enough it was. Done. And within about 300 m so was my running! God Mailbox is a steep trail.
And unrelenting! Once it tips up for real it just keeps going. You are on this 2.5 mile staircase and there is almost literally zero letup. I tried to shoot some video while climbing but it doesn't really capture the grade.



If stairs had roots this would be one long ass flight.

I climbed and I climbed and I climbed. Early on I could hear and see two from our party behind me but they faded back a little and after a while they were out of sight and sound. At times I had to use my hands to grab trees and roots - this was STEEP.

Finally I broke out of the trees and there it was, the mailbox.



I'd like to shake the hand of whoever carried this up here...

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After some pictures and a bite and a few words to the other guy up here (who kindly agreed to take my picture) it was time to go back down.

This part was kind of tricky... You can't really run down a trail like Mailbox, you sort of hop, skip and jump and half the time you are grabbing trees to arrest your fall. I was pretty cautious but still made reasonable time. I still stopped for Salmon Berries thought, man were they perfectly ripe.

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Then came the hard part. Flat road.

I think that has to be my least favorite kind of running. Thank goodness I had the foresight to bring along my iPod! As I ran along I slowly unwound the cord, threaded it under my shirt and vest, clipped it to my shorts and pressed play. Boom! Suddenly I was transported to a land of great music and boy did it help.

On the run back to Little Si I actually went a little faster than on the way out and as I ran back I realized why... the road climbs just a little as you head east so the run back was down perhaps a half of one percent decline. Still, it was noticeable. And it helped.

In spite of the gravity assist I had to walk for a bit. That 5.5 miles was killing me.



Long runs mean you aren't always running.

Did I mention that it was hot? Yes it was! The Mailbox trail was mostly in the shade but I was still sweating up a storm and the run to and from Mailbox was mostly NOT in the shade. By the time I got back to the parking lot my bottle was empty and I was feeling the bladder in my vest and it did not feel so full... Then I remembered I had a mostly full bottle of San Pellegrino in the van! Can you say 'life saver'? I downed that bottle one go. And my stomach did not feel sloshy. A quick trip to the same toiled I had used on the way out and then it was time to run.

One more peak. I don't mind admitting that my legs were pretty tired at this point. Whereas I had run about 95% of the Little Si trail the first time up, this time I ran maybe 50%. But I was plugging away which was my goal for the day. Don't. Stop. Moving. Foreword.

Climbing up Mt Si I went on trails that I have never travelled before. It was cool and super scenic and there were hardly any other people here but damn was this old trail steep. First you head up Boulder Garden Loop and then onto the old Big Si Trail. There are two spots were you can enter the Bolder Garden Loop and Martin had told me that the second one was, "Shorter but more rugged. I recommend you take this one." Okay Martin. And you were right, it was more rugged. I felt like I was right back on Mailbox for a bit.

When you finally do get to the old Si trail there isn't any sort of sign except for one that says to stay on the Boulder Garden Loop go this way. So by employing my powers of deductive reasoning I went the other way. Which was also straight freaking up. And which also DIDN'T EVER LET UP. Holy cow, this is one steep ass trail.

I climbed. And climbed, and drank and ate gel and drank some more and kept on climbing. Whew. Finally I could see the trees start to think and then there was the new Mt Si trail to my right. But the old trail kept going up so I just stayed on it and finally it merged with the new trail just before you break out of the trees.



Stuck in traffic.

After clearing the rock garden I was able to run again and finally I tagged the bench which we had agreed was our turn around spot.



So close...!

Yes! Climbing all done. I was beat but thrilled at the same time. I sat down and enjoyed the sun, the view a bit more gel and what turned out to be my second-to-last sip of water. Pretty good timing I must say. I also realized I had a couple of giant bug bites on the inside of my right calf. How does that happen without you noticing it...?!

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As tired as I was the descent from the top of Mt Si was still fun. I had managed to give myself a couple of small blisters today but they didn't pose a huge problem and gingerly bounced down the mountain. The old trail was FUN this time around. Much of the surface was way softer than the new trail and there were fewer rocks. And when I got down to the Boulder Garden Loop I went the opposite direction from what I had taken on the way up and it also was smoother and softer. Very runnable.

Down, down, down. Pound, pound, pound. At one point the trail tipped for more than a few feet and I found myself walking! Ouch.

But then I was done!



Hello familiar outhouse!

And there was Heather (Martin's wife) offering me a giant beer and ice cubes! What a dream. So as not to fall over I walked a couple of laps around the parking lot, changed my clothes, ditched my running shoes, had my recovery drink and then took advantage of that beer and ice. Let me tell you, an ice rub when it's 85 out is pretty damn nice. Not only does it get rid of the grime and salt but it felt SO good on my muscles. Thank you Heather!

All in all it was a huge day for me. I achieved my goal of basically not stopping during a long run, I ran for more time than I ever have in my life and I managed my nutrition (food and drink) really, really well. There was one point on Mailbox where I realized I was getting a bit behind in calories and I made it up and never looked back. And thanks to that bottle of water in the van I had enough fluids as well. I only consumed two Endurolytes all day but I didn't need any more so again, it worked out well. The only issue was my feet which suffered more than they should have. I'm going to try some new socks ASAP to see if that helps. The shoes are super comfy so I don't want to stray from them, new socks will have to work as blisters are not cool. Lastly, as of the start of the Mailbox climb I was on my own and I'm not usually good at pushing myself, that was another breakthrough for me.

How much longer will it take me to run another 20 miles? I have NO idea. The Mt Hood course is supposed to be mostly shaded and there won't be any monster climbs like we did today so here's hoping it won't be much more than two additional hours. I think I can fathom two more hours, longer than that and it seems kind of incomprehensible. I will need to go in ready to 'enjoy the journey' as they say.

Thanks to Martin for organizing this! And to everyone else who was so nice and encouraging out on the trail.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast 4:45 AM - apple sauce, 1 scoop protein powder, 2 scoops Perpetuem, Udo's Oil, banana, walnuts, tea, water
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food 2 l water, bottle w/2 scoops HEED and 2 Endurolytes, flask of Hammer Gel, 2 Hammer Bars, 6 Perpetuem Solids, 1 bottle San Pellegrino
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day 7:15 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather upper 60s to low 80s, sunny, dry, calm
Course
Results
Time 6:52:44
Distance 28 miles
Pace 14:44 minutes/mile
Equipment Hoka Stinson Evo, Garmin Fenix, UltrAspire Alpha
Clothing Brooks Infinity Short III, Craft sleeveless undershirt, Headsweats Visor

27 June 2013

Cougar 10 trail run

I got out to Cougar Mountain this morning with Bryan Estes and man was it a tough outing.

You start this run with a .5 mile hill and right from the gun I was completely out of breath. This feeling didn't really go away and I had to walk three times during the run just to give myself a break from breathing so darn hard.

Luckily today Bryan was not interested in going fast so didn't drop me until about 1.5 miles to go.

My legs also felt a little more tired than I was hoping for... we'll see how it goes tomorrow when I have a pretty stout run on the agenda.

It was drizzling just a bit but the temperature was really warm. Sort of nice combination to be honest.

At lunch I hit the IMA for some stretching - much needed that.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 1 Hammer Gel right at the start
run - half a bottle w/2 scoops HEED and 1 Endurolytes
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 5:15 AM
stretching - 1:30 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather mid 60s, light drizzle, muggy, calm
Course  
Results  
Time run - 1:28:53
stretching - 20 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 8, Garmin Fenix, Ultimate Direction Fastdraw Plus
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt
Technorati Tags: ,

26 June 2013

core | Lake Union lunch run

Had a good core workout this morning and then headed out for a lunch run with Edgardo Balansay.

ASIDE - Edgardo is kind of funny. He doesn't eat for the first half (or more!) of the day and the concept of a mellow run (or ride for that matter) seems foreign to him. I warned him that this run would be MELLOW and he liked it! Next up, Martin tries to get Edgardo to eat while exercising.

The sun was shining, my legs felt okay, all good things.

When I got home my left foot - not the actual ankle mind you - was sore. I took a couple of Ibuprofen and iced it for a long time. Not sure what is up and why my forefoot hurts but the ankle joint is fine.

We started easy and sped up just a bit the last two miles. Perfect.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 12:15 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather 70, partly sunny, muggy, light breeze
Course
ball leg lifts 3 x 20 each leg
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 10 sec leg lifts each leg
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 90/10
back extensions 3 x 30
push-ups 20/16/10
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Launch, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short
Technorati Tags:

25 June 2013

treadmill run

I got sucked into watching highlights of various European Road Race Championships this morning and so didn't get to the gym. Oh well.

I knew I wanted to go for a run today but where/what kind/how hard? These are the kinds of questions you ask yourself when you don't have a coach or even a program...

In the end I chose the cautious option meaning the treadmill. I guess I was still a bit worried that the pounding I took Saturday (and which I exacerbated on Sunday) would stick with me today and I chose the path of lowest impact.

I had a good run so I think it was the right choice.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 180 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 12:00 PM
Workout Type endurance with a little tempo thrown in
Weather  
Course treadmill, 1% incline
Results  
Time 40 min
Distance 5.4 miles
Pace 10 min @ 8:00
10 min @ 7:30
10 min @ 7:00
1 min @ 6:51 (roughly)
1 min @ 6:42 (roughly)
1 min @ 6:33 (roughly)
1 min @ 6:24 (roughly)
1 min @ 6:15
5 min @ 8:00

5 min @ 15:00 (cool down walk)
Equipment Brooks Launch
Clothing  

24 June 2013

core | lots of active recovery stuff

Let me just say that my legs are DONE. Holy hate, my quads are so sore, walking down stairs is crazy difficult. That was a tough weekend.

I made it to the gym this morning for the usual core routine and then at lunch did myself a favor and went to the IMA where I did a warm-up, some stretching and hit the sauna. Much needed that was.

I left the IMA feeling way better than when I walked in so that's a good sign anyway. My legs are crushed.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:45 AM
active recovery - 12:00 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather  
Course
ball leg lifts 3 x 20 each leg
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 10 sec leg lift each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 30
push-ups 20/16/12
elliptical trainer - 12 incline, 12 resistance
Results  
Time elliptical trainer - 10 min
stretching - 20 min
sauna - 15 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

23 June 2013

Cougar 14 trail run

Nice. This is my first weekend of back-to-back runs. Up until now I Had to ride my bike on the other day in order not to stress my left ankle too much but I was able to tolerate this so say hello to yet another sign that my recovery is going well.

I got the invite from Todd Morse Tucker to join him on Cougar Mountain and I jumped at the opportunity.

I had to start S L O W but Todd was game for company so we jogged and chatted. I almost pulled the plug and only did the 10-mile loop but before I had the chance to think on it much my body had already turned left and headed down the hill.

I walked about half of Wilderness Cliffs and again half of De Leo's Wall but I was able to run it in and in the end I was glad I did the whole loop.

Today was just about adding more volume after yesterday and although I did get pretty sore after, some time with an ice pack calmed my ankle right down and it held up fine. The only limiter now seems to be fitness which is awesome.

I switched up my shoes and in spite of the fact that these are not super cushy they felt great today.

Note my max heart rate, that was all I could do!

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food bottle w/2 scoops HEED and 2 Endurolytes, 2 Hammer Gels
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather low 60s, super muggy, calm
Course  
Results  
Time 2:23:49
Distance 14 miles
Pace 10:16 min/mile
Equipment Brooks PureGrit, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks short sleeve top

22 June 2013

Mt Teneriffe + Mt Si trail run

Boom!

Just like that Martin goes for his longest and hardest trail run since his ankle injury.

ASIDE - I should probably start shutting up about my ankle now as it appears to have healed up to at least 80%. There is still some swelling and weakness but if it can handle the descent down the Teneriffe road at speed it's well on it's way to coming good.

What's my recipe for success you ask? One part time off, two parts gradual recovery, a little lot less obsession with pace, one brilliant day and some super company. Done. Was it easy? Uh... no. This was one tough run, as evidenced by this after shot. Note hands on knees.

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I met up with Edgardo Balansay and Bryan Estes for what promised to be a day or vertical gain. The goal was to run up the Mt Teneriffe road (because that way is longer than the trail), bag the summit, cross over to Mt Si, go down and back up the Mt Si trail, cross back over and finally descend the Mt Teneriffe road. Figure on about 24 miles and five hours. Which is pretty much exactly how long it took us.

I broke out my new race vest for this run to see how it feels, to be able to carry a camera and because it was going to be warm and I wanted the water. What do both Bryan and Edgardo show up with? One bottle each!

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From the car the road climbs gradually for about 1.5 miles and then it's UP. The pitch is pretty darn unrelenting and you just need to find your pace and not exceed it. It appears Bryan's pace was slightly faster than I could go because I lasted all of 42 minutes before I was walking. The first time. Before I got dropped I tried my best to keep Bryan talking (and correspondingly out of breath) per this video but it was to no avail.

The key is to never ask yes or no questions, you want long, elaborate answers.

Surprisingly (to me anyway), before Bryan dropped me we both dropped Edgardo. That guy usually hands me my ass on anything that goes up but I guess he was just getting warmed up. There was some talk of beers last night...

I spent a good deal of time alone on this climb. For a while I kept Bryan in sight but this road just keeps going and going and going... Near the top there was a cool section where it flattened out and where the trees had provided enough shade that not all the snow was melted.

If you have to run on a road it might as well be this scenic.

When you get to about 4,100' you turn off the road and hit the trail. This was one of the most fun sections of the day and on any trail I have been on in recent history for that matter.

After that you are soon on what is nothing more than a crazy scramble to the summit where you are grabbing trees and anything else that will prevent you from sliding down the mountain. Even today on a 'dry' day the ground was covered in a layer of wet pine needles which were in turn on top of a layer of soft, loose soil. Good times. We got our summit shots and climbed and then ran back down. Of course I dorked it up and somehow and did not press play while attempting my spectacular summit video that had me cresting and then taking in the panoramic view... I suck. But the run down that awesome section of trail did NOT suck. What a freaking blast!

I need a hands free camera!

From here it was back down the road just a bit to the crossover. This is a one-mile section of what used to be a road but is now mostly singletrack and it dumps you out right at the base of the Mt Si haystack. And from here? Well now it's down the mountain you go...

By this time the trail was crammed with hikers (and a couple of trail runners!) and Bryan didn't hold back that much so in short order we were flying along. Bryan did a really good job of skirting walkers by going around the other side of trees, slowing just a bit or skying over stumps and rocks. One of these moves was positively Killian Jornet. I was keeping up and a little later I tried the same thing but almost caught my toe on the stump I was trying to jump over and came this close to biting it big time. The people I passed even gasped. One word: adrenaline!

Near the bottom Bryan did pull away from me a little. My legs felt okay but I was scaring myself every time I would accelerate to catch up after being held up by traffic so decided to cool it just a little.

At the bottom we drank water, topped off our bottles and without much to do headed back up. Note look of slight apprehension.

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This time Edgardo was sticking with Bryan and I got dropped pronto. Sigh. At least I was running all the sections of trail with no stairs down here so decided to be happy with that and just kept plugging away. As it turns out, Bryan dropped Edgardo soon after and I slowly caught up to Edgardo. It was nice to have company! By the time we got most of the way up I was walking more than just the stairs.

I had the presence of mind to ask Edgardo to film me for a change so here is proof that I was near the Si summit.

So many hikers!

Yes! 99% of the climbing was now done so it was 'summit' shot time.

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On the last climb of the crossover I finally heard Bryan express some acknowledgement of the effort.

Steep!

Then we hit the road. And boy did we hit it hard! The steep part of the descent is fully four miles long and we pretty much let it rip. For a while I was right with Bryan and we even talked some. My eyes were GLUED to the road because I was pretty freaked out about making a misstep and torching my ankle but thankfully nothing like that happened. We would run around switchbacks and one time Bryan was on the inside and pull ahead and then the next time I was on the inside and would catch up. Fun!

But then the pounding started to get to me. At some point my quads were no longer feeling ultra stable and so I had to slow down. Bryan eased out of sight and for what was probably the last mile of the steep section I took it easy.

I had hoped that when the road flattened out I would be able to pick it up and run it in at a good clip but no such luck! My legs were totally hammered. Instead of speeding up I slowed down even more. And then I was walking! Yikes... I felt a bit like a rag doll and my hips were not doing such a good job of keeping me level as I proceeded down the road in what must have looked like a drunken shuffle.

I did run it in but my pace was around 8:00 and I had to walk a couple of more times just for a few seconds. Wow.

ANOTHER ASIDE - if there is one thing I have learned it's that you need to train descents just like you need to train climbs.

As I neared the finish I pulled out my camera to document the last few seconds and it promptly flew out of my hand and smashed into the ground. Thank goodness I got a water resistant, shock resistant camera! it survived unscathed.

On the descent we had dropped Edgardo pretty quick and so now Bryan and I waited. Then we had our recovery drink. Then we changed our clothes. Still no Edgardo. Then I checked my phone and saw that I had missed THREE calls. Sorry Edgardo... :( I called him back and he was still a ways up the road. Walking. Ouch. After thinking about what would be the best course of action I finally grabbed two bottles - one more for me and one with calories for Edgardo - and headed back up the road to meet him.

And soon there he was. Running! With a smile on his face! What a goddamn trooper. This guy is tough as nails. Big, iron spikes. A whole bucket full.

Nice job Edgardo!

So we did it! No one got hurt, no one even fell down and we all finished safely without even bonking or getting dehydrated. And now Edgardo and I have a better understanding of what a 'real' trail run involves. That's a powerful lesson.

It was super to be able to finish this. I have been adding a bit of mileage and difficulty every week and hope to step it up one more time next weekend before I toe the line at the Mt. Hood 50-Mile race. As long as I get sufficient recovery after today and after next weekend I am guardedly optimistic about my chances of finishing. Which is my only goal at this point. Anything else is total gravy.

Thanks Bryan! Thanks Edgardo! Today was awesomely hard but still awesome.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 4:45 AM - apple sauce, 1 scoop protein powder, 2 scoops Perpetuem, banana, walnuts, tea
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food run - 1.5 l water, 6 Perpetuem Solids, 1 flask Hammer Gel, 1 bottle w/2 scoops HEED and 2 Endurolytes
recovery - large bottle w/3 scoops Recoverite
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:15 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather 60 to low 70s, dry, sunny, calm, muggy
Course  
Results  
Time 5:00:53 (total elapsed time)
4:35:56 (moving time)
Distance 24 miles
Pace 12:32 min/mile (total)
11:30 min/mile (moving)
Equipment Hoka Stinson Evo, Garmin Fenix, UltrAspire Alpha vest
Clothing Teko organic SIN3RGI Light Minicrew, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft tank top

Technorati Tags: ,,

21 June 2013

core | mini progression treadmill run | walk

Made it to the gym this AM for my core workout but I forgot to do my back extensions. Again! I am just spacing out.

Daniel Paquette told me about this workout he does called a progression run. I figured I would give it a go at lunch but tone down the duration as I just don't feel up to 10 miles on a treadmill. It went okay, the last two segments were tough but it did pick up my foot speed which was nice.

On the way home I walked from my bus stop, if it's not raining this has actually become a regular thing for me s the views are pretty cool.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 182 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:45 AM
run - 12:00 PM
Workout Type run - tempo
Weather  
Course
ball leg lifts 3 x 20 each leg
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 10 sec leg lifts each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions forgot to do these...
push-ups 20/16/10
run - treadmill
Results  
Time  
Distance run - 5 miles
walk - 1.5 miles
Pace

run
.5 miles at 8:00
.5 miles at 7:45
.5 miles at 7:30
.5 miles at 7:15
.5 miles at 7:00
.5 miles at 6:45
.5 miles at 6:30
.5 miles at 6:15
.5 miles at 6:00
.5 miles at 8:00

Equipment run - Brooks Launch
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

20 June 2013

Cougar 10 trail run | bike commute

I connected with Bryan Estes for a Cougar 10 this morning and it was great.

It was threatening rain all morning but never did and the trail conditions were perfect. Super muggy but perfect. We started very leisurely and then as we passed 20-Minute Tree Bryan turns to me and says, "Ready to PR this section?"

Yep. Nope.

That fantasy lasted for about 100' at which point Bryan started to pull away from me. Within about 300' he was out of sight! Good grief.

I had to throttle it back almost down to our previous pace but ran it in. Turns out Bryan did get his PR. Nice.
Home, shower, ride to work. The bike commute really is the perfect way to spin out a run.
On account of the conference I had been attending the last couple of days I got home pretty late and didn't get much sleep but for this one day I survived.

I rode home in the rain, first time doing that in ages. Not so bad when it's warm out.

Sleep 5
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food 1 gel right before the start
run - bottle w/1.5 scoops HEED, gel
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day 5:15 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather mid 50s, muggy
Course Cougar 10
Results
Time 1:27:01
Distance 10 miles
Pace 8:42 min/mile
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 8, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt

19 June 2013

Marathon Park and Capitol Lake road run

I felt much improved over yesterday... whew. I did start out feeling sluggish again but kept getting better and better.

Today I got out of bed earlier resolved to get in a quality run before going to the conference at 7:30.

Yesterday I found a trail around part of Capitol Lake that is like a mini Green Lake. It's about 1.5 miles around the loop so I ran it four times. There is a gravel shoulder by the sidewalk when you are running next to the road and the path around the park is gravel as well so the while thing was softer than pavement. Nice.

Another thing that was nice is my last lap was my fastest and then on the way up the hill back to the hotel I pushed it pretty hard (for me). It sure felt like my heart rate was higher than 160 but that's probably just a reflection of where my fitness is right now.

I saw several folks two and three times and each time I would pass them their smile would be just a little bigger.

Today was a bit of a moral booster and a nice start to the day.

Today I also did not eat before heading out and did not take anything with me. This early in the day and at this pace and for this length of a run I guess it works.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather low 50s, muggy
Course Capitol Lake gravel path loop
Results  
Time 1:00:07
Distance 7.8 miles
Pace 7:42 min/mile
Equipment Brooks Launch, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt, Brooks Podium LS shirt

18 June 2013

exploring Capitol Lake road run

I'm down in Olympia for a conference and (of course) had too much to eat and drink last night so getting my sorry ass out of bed in time to run and be at the conference by 7:30 was tough.

I also felt pretty tired still from Sunday.

At least I did get out for a bit. I explored the shore of a lake near our hotel and ended up finding a lot of trails that dead ended in the marsh. I got completely soaked from the condensation and covered in grass seeds. But it was warm. And incredibly green!

Getting to the lake involved running down a big hill that I took pretty slow going back.

I did find a cool place to go tomorrow so here's hoping I get more motivated to rise early.

Not having my usual foods and stuff I went running today on an empty stomach and took nothing with me. It worked okay.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 6:00 AM
Workout Type active recovery?
Weather low 50s, muggy
Course  
Results  
Time 37:50
Distance 4.4 miles
Pace 8:36 min/mile
Equipment Brooks Launch, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt, Brooks Podium LS shirt

17 June 2013

core

Rest day!

I got to the gym this AM for my usual core routine and I had hoped to do some stretching at lunch but my work schedule did not cooperate.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
ball leg lifts 3 x 20 each leg
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 10 sec leg lifts each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 30
push-ups 20/16/10
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

16 June 2013

Cougar Mt 20 trail run

Today was all about adding volume and continuing the upward progression in distance. Thank goodness I went for a moderate road ride yesterday and Bill Huggins went for a really hard MTB ride yesterday because we were almost exactly the same speed.

We ran, chatted, ate and drank. I had to walk for short stretches about three times but ran in the last three miles uninterrupted feeling okay. It was great to have company and great to go this far with no ankle discomfort. I gotta say, the Hoka Stinson Evos do help.

I was able to run all the way up Wilderness Cliffs and everything else except for De Leo's Wall which was one of the times I walked.

The weather was gorgeous, shirts off from the start!

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/2 scoops HEED and 1 Endurolytes, 4 gels
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 1:15 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather  
Course start at Coal Creek Pkwy + Cougar 14
Results  
Time 3:12:13
Distance 20 miles
Pace 9:37 min/mile
Equipment Hoka Stinson Evo, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Teko organic SIN3RGI Light Minicrew
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15 June 2013

around Lake WA on a single speed

I think this is the first time this year I have ridden my single speed bike...?! It's been too long in other words.

Today was glorious. The sun was shining, it was dry, not too hot (but I rolled up my shorts and sleeves anyway - as is my nature) and I felt fine. I also had some great music along for the ride.

Unlike some single speed rides this bike is not light by any means but it is a freaking blast to cruise around on. Since I was taking the same route I do when I commute I casually glanced at my cyclometer when I hit the UW to see if I was going any faster than when I ride my town bike and I wasn't. Interesting.

I felt a bit flat heading north but at the tip of the Burke-Gilman Trail, just before I turn to head up Juanita, I caught up with this guy on a geared bike. It was one of those situations where he 'felt' me coming and accelerated to avoid being passed. I totally recognized this behavior and smiled, for the moment I did not care how fast I was going.

After turning right to head up and over Juanita I saw that Mr. Competitive had been stopped by a traffic light at the base of the hill and before it turned green I pulled up along side him.

  • The light turns green.
  • Mr. Competitive takes of like a shot in the big ring.
  • Martin "I guess I'm also fairly competitive" thinks, I wonder if I can take him on this hill...?

It was on.

I dialed in a rhythm that I hoped I could maintain all the way to the top and waited. Soon Mr. C had to shift down. Then he shifted again. And then I started to catch him.

When I caught him I went straight past but because of my loud music I couldn't hear so well. I had to stop at the traffic light near the entrance to Saint Edward State Park and guess who was right on my wheel, none other than Mr. C.

I actually beat Mr. C down the back side of Juanita but then climbing up toward Kirkland he put in another surge and gapped me big time. Once again I dialed in a pace I hoped I could maintain and ended up passing him half way up the hill.

I have to admit, I was pretty out of breath. But this was also kind of fun. :)

Riding along the waterfront in Kirkland I put my head down and found a good groove and never saw him again. Yes! Martin wins. The race that only he knows about. I am nothing if not shallow like that.

A bonus of this little dual was that it warmed my legs up good and proper and the rest of the ride was great!

The wind was coming out of the north so I had a tailwind riding south on the east side of the lake. As I rounded the bend and got onto Rainier Ave I could feel the resistance but for some reason I found it was not so bad. I got down in the drops and still managed to keep my speed up relatively well. Even more so on Lake WA Blvd north of Seward Park.

Nice.

Which pretty mush sums up this day on the bike.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM - apple sauce, 2 scoops Perpetuem, walnuts, tea
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 1.5 large bottles each w/2.5 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather mid 60s, sunny, dry, light wind
Course  
Results  
Time 2:48
Distance 49 miles
Pace 18 mph
Equipment Kona Paddy Wagon, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap

14 June 2013

bike commute | lunch walk

Active recovery baby, just an easy commute and then an easy walk around the UW during lunch.

Glad I could enjoy the day outside.

It's always fun to walk through the UW marsh/wetland preserve and check out the turtles and to walk behind the UW crew house and see the ergometer shed and the crew shells. Memories...

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day walk - 12:00 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather walk - mid 60s, partly cloudy, dry, light wind
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
walk - Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

13 June 2013

Cougar Mt trail run | bike commute | stretching | sauna

Yes! Martin goes running three days in a row with no ankle pain! And likes it! I am taking a moment to declare myself no longer 'injured'. I am now officially just 'weakened' and with some more rehab and training I'll be back.

Got in a quick Cougar 10 this morning with Bill Huggins and although I could not keep up during the second half of the run I did post a reasonable time (for me) AND I HAD A GOOD TIME. Bonus points for that. And the no ankle pain bit too.
Bill and I started very slowly which I for one was appreciating. We chatted and jogged.

At the second road it was piss break time and I could tell by the hill prior to he road that Bill was warming up and that I was falling back. At some point during the next mile he started to ease away from me. It was kind of funny actually, he was telling this long, involved story and slowly he just got out of sound and then eventually out of sight. But I'm not sure he ever stopped talking. :)

Once I was alone I slowed down for a bit and then found my own rhythm. And I enjoyed the perfect trail conditions and the scenery.

At the bridge/finish Bill (who finished in 1:22) was waiting for me and pointed out that the bridge railing was COVERED in tent caterpillars...! The wood was positively crawling. Very cool and slightly disturbing to be honest.

After the run I was NOT sore or beat down, the only limiter was fitness. I am excited about that.
At lunch I got down to the IMA for some more stretching and the sauna. Good stuff and I was marginally looser than on Tuesday.

Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 180 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast 5:00 AM - apple sauce, 2 scoops Perpetuem, tea
5:35 AM - PowerBar Energy Gel
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food run - bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day run - 5:45 AM
stretching - 1:00 PM
sauna - 1:30 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather run - upper 50s, dry, clear, calm
Course
Results
Time run - 1:25:54
Distance run - 10(?) miles
Pace run - 9:45 (per my Garmin), 8:35 if it was 10 miles
Equipment run - Brooks Cascadia 8, Garmin Fenix, UltrAspire Isomeric Magnon Handheld
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt
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12 June 2013

core | Lake Union lunch run

Fooled again!

I don't recall which weather forecast was predicting rain today but I fell for it and left my bike at home. So of course it was a fantastic day ALL DAY LONG. Sigh. At least the bus is good people watching and I did meet both Dave Hecht and Tim Toyoshima in the I-90 pedestrian tunnel as I walked to my bus. It was great to chat and catch up.

On the up side it was beautiful weather for a run so I figured I would try my first back-to-back run. It worked. I'm so happy.

ASIDE - at some point now I guess I can say that my left ankle is truly not injured and is just weaker than my right. That is HUGE progress.

On my run today I was resolved to go at whatever pace allowed me to complete this loop. The goal was just to put in the time after a harder day yesterday and see if my ankle could tolerate back-to-back running days. I am happy to report that my ankle did fine, I felt fine and I was able to pick up the pace a bit toward the end of my run. Awesome on all fronts.

Running along Westlake Ave N there is a spot where the trail turns to old railroad ties. I love that bit and always opt to run over the ties rather than avoiding them and running through the parking lot. Today I stayed as close to the water as I could while approaching the Freemont Bridge and discovered there are more railroad ties along the water. Only these don't have anything underneath them! I had to slow down a bit as I hopped from tie to tie making sure I did not stick my foot in a gap. That would have been disastrous. As it was I had loads of fun and felt like a little kid.

The only bummer was I had music along but as I started running and tried to turn on my iPod I discovered the battery was dead. Oops. I needed up just leaving the headphones in my ears... it seemed easier than sticking everything in my pocket.

As I passed Gas Works Park and headed back to the UW I dialed up the pace and slowly went from 7:45 to 7:00 over the course of the next mile and held it there, for at least a few seconds anyway. :) Glad I was able to do that.

Core work/my back is feeling just a little better these days...

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 182 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 12:00 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather 70, sunny, dry, light breeze
Course
ball leg lifts 3 x 20 each leg
plank 3 min, 2 min each side w/2 x 10 leg lift each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 30
push-ups 20/14/10
Results  
Time core - 30 min
run - 1:02:46
Distance 7.9 miles
Pace 7:57
Equipment Brooks Launch, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Nike gym shorts, sleeveless shirt

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