30 December 2014

Howe Street stairs | Fleet Feet run

Boom! 'Time to train' and all those tired clichés.

Take it from me, after 10 days  of almost total inactivity these stairs are HARD. Not only was I gasping for breath, my legs were freaking wobbly after just the first runner. Ouch.

Shelley needed the car this evening so for the first time ever I ran to Fleet Feet Sports Seattle for the Tuesday night run and then ran home after. In retrospect this might have been a tad ambitious as my hip did not feel stellar on the way home.

At least it felt fantastic on the way there and just fine during the actual run. Thanks to Evan Williams for giving me some company on the way home. Man was I dragging.

We started the run and right away the lead group took off. Normally I can hang for a bit until they turn it up but tonight Olin Berger was on a mission and took it out too fast for me. And then he dropped the rest of the lead group!

I was resolved to hit the Howe Street stairs and did but I was the only person besides the lead group and the last person to do so. :)

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
run - 6:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - upper 20s, calm, dry
run - low 30s, calm, dry
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Transcend
run - Brooks Glycerin 12, Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Clothing run - Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Under Armour tights, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, SmartWool hat, Brooks Vapor Dry Glove II

more 2015 Partners - Hammer Nutrition

What a nice belated Christmas present.

A couple of days ago I heard that my sponsorship application to Hammer Nutrition was accepted and I'm excited to announce that for 2015 I will be a Hammer Nutrition Athlete Ambassador.

These nutrition and hydration products have been my favorites for years now so it's exciting to partner with something I wholeheartedly endorse already. As a bonus, I am able to give out a referral discount. You're welcome. :)

Hammer Nutrition Referral Discount

I'd write more but I need to go for a run! 2015 is shaping up nicely.

27 December 2014

Finland snow hike | snowshoe

Nice!

After our daily (almost literally!) nap I took off for a twilight/sunset walk. It was magic out. MAGIC.

I decided to set out on the snowmobile trails and after a bit I recognized where I was and so decided to walk out to the hut we had gone to a few nights ago to watch the northern lights. I expected it would take me about 45 minutes one way but it only took about 30!

Moving constantly for a change made me unzip my puffy jacket that I had on under my snowmobile suit, unzip the suit's main zipper and just hold everything shut with the Velcro flaps. I also opened the thigh zips a bit and then I was comfy.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day hike - 3:00 PM
snowshoe - 8:30 PM
Workout Type  
Weather hike -28 c
snowshoe -30 c
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

26 December 2014

XC ski in Finland

When I think of cross country skiing (classic or skating) I visualize people gliding effortlessly across the snow in sexy outfits much like what a cyclist wears. We didn't so much ski as we waddled around bundled up like so many Michelin Men.

Our skis had bindings that were able to accept our Sorels! My feet were so wide they would drag on the sides of the groomed tracks so I opted to glide on the center of the groomed trails that is actually for skate skiing.

That said, being out in the dark was a blast.

The automobile roads here don't have street lights but all the XC ski trails do. It's awesome. They even have traffic signs like, "100 m to Intersection" and distance signs letting you know how far it is to the next destination.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:30 PM
Workout Type  
Weather -25 c
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

23 December 2014

snowshoe in Finland

Wow... It's freaking beautiful here. And cold.

We got all bundles up, learned how to attach our snowshoes and then shuffled around the woods near the Muotkan Maja Wilderness Lodge. My feet and hands were FREEZING so I kept taking little detours through the untracked snow in an effort to stay warm. It didn't really help.

For lunch we stopped in a teepee and cooked reindeer burgers and sausages over a fire!

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 11:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather -20 c
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

20 December 2014

19 December 2014

training basics and the benefits of zone 2

I've been talking to a friend about training recently and after he came to the conclusion he needed to do more zone 2 (read: endurance pace) work I had a bit of an epiphany and realized I do too. The sources of information are these.

When I was cycling a lot I had a huge aerobic base. Now that I'm running - and because my body can't tolerate running seven days/week and because of some injuries - that base has eroded significantly.

I'm resolved to 'put in some base miles' as they say and try to build that aerobic fitness back up. How to do this? The key will be to not go too fast unless I'm doing an interval or similar workout. This is a classic rookie training mistake that so many athletes make and obviously I'm not immune to making it as well.

A good example is the Fleet Feet Sports Seattle Tuesday night run I do. There is a big bunch of people that show up regularly who are significantly faster than I am. When I try to keep up - and because I can't actually keep up and get dropped - I end up running at something between an endurance pace and a proper race pace. This is not usually fast enough to benefit me much and it's not slow enough to let me recover or build my endurance. Classic junk miles in other words. It also prevents me from going really hard on Wednesday when I try to run the track or cross country workout the Seattle Running Club puts on.

Ditto for most of the times I ride the Expresso exercise bike.

Last Tuesday and yesterday I finally held back and it was a bit of a revelation. On the run I had to let people go while climbing up Interlaken and I had to resist closing fast. On the ride, half way in I had to watch my ghost (my PR on the course I was riding) pull ahead and if I wanted to keep my heart rate under 140 bpm I had to let him go. And for once I did.

How long do you need to dedicate to building base fitness and increasing your zone 2 efficiency? Most people say about two months. Since Shelley and I are going on vacation and I won't really be able to start this until January, that means I need to chill until March.

Do I have races schedule before March? Of course I do, my calendar has me running a 50k in January and another that I would really like to enjoy in February.

I see two good options.

  1. Treat the race as a long training run and really keep the heart rate down.
  2. Start slow and finish strong if I am able.

Luckily me goal events are not until August. Not that I want to feel like crap in the early races but hopefully I can keep them in perspective.

Does building your base mean you can't go hard? Nope. You just need to make sure your easy days really are easy and your endurance days are not too fast. For sure it's okay to throw intervals in there.

We'll see how I do.

18 December 2014

Expresso Exercise Bike | Breathe Hot Yoga

The alarm went off. I woke up. I went downstairs. I did not go to the gym. Oh well.

At lunch I did head down to the IMA for a spin on the Expresso exercise bike and it never disappoints.

After work I headed over to Breathe Hot Yoga for a great session. I've been taking all these Hot Pilates classes and it felt great to finally take a Vinyasa class again. Less of a pure work out but more balance stuff and more stretching.

Sleep 6.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 45
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day bike - 12:15 PM
yoga - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time yoga - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment bike Expresso exercise bike
Clothing  

17 December 2014

weights

Just the gym today thankyouverymuch.

But then in the afternoon I got totally crazy and took off from work early to see The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies...!

It was awesome! If you are a Tolkien nerd that is. Which I am.

Not to mention the fact that the Cinerama is the best movie theatre in Seattle. New, bigger (leather!) seats, reserved seating, reasonably priced concessions, BEER, colossal Dolby Atmos sound system and zero bullshit advertisements before the show. Done and done.

Sleep 7.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 47
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:15 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
hack squat 3 x 12 - 90 lb. (this movement was hard)
incline leg press 3 x 12 - 270 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 12 each leg - 110 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 12 - 195 lb.
leg curls 3 x 12 - 195 lb.
calf raises 3 x 14 - 135 lb.
Results  
Time 35 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

2015 Partners - The Balanced Athlete and Brooks

Exciting!

2015 is looking (way!) up. Here are two reasons why.

The Balanced Athlete
The Balanced Athlete has been a supporter of and partner store with the Seattle Running Club for years but for 2015 they approached me and offered to give me some additional support.

I'm psyched to work with a store that promotes so many different kinds of healthy activities; and is completely immersed in the local running scene and community involvement. Among other things The Balanced Athlete hosts multiple group runs from the store, they support the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series, they staff an aid station at the Cascade Crest 100 and the list goes on.

No to mention they are instrumental in organizing one of my favorite events ever, the Fat Glass 50k.

I'm thrilled to promote a company that shares my love of an active lifestyle and lifelong fitness.

Brooks
Brooks has been sponsoring a subset of SRC members for quite some time (thanks Brooks!). I submitted my application a month ago and just heard back that it was accepted. I'm super happy to once again be part of the SRC-Brooks Competitive Team and to represent the best club and some awesome product.

I have been running in Brooks shoes and clothing for two years now and I'm looking forward to a third. The PureGrit (2 and 3) has been one of my favorite trail shoes ever since it was available and their EZ T material (which our team shirts used to be made from) has got to be the most comfortable tech shirt material I have ever worn.

Partners are good to have and I am very grateful to have these two. Bring on 2015.

16 December 2014

Howe Street stairs | Fleet Feet run | walk

Whew... solid stair day! Jim Kodjababian and I are up to 10 flights now, five more to go.

Every year when we hit 10 we mix it up and throw in a few "up downs" where we run up two sets, come back down one and repeat to the top. I like this variety and it might actually be easier as those couple of seconds rest you get between efforts really help me out.

At the Fleet Feet Sports Seattle Tuesday night run I challenged myself to finally take it easy. A friend and I have been talking training techniques and I suspect I need to do more zone 2 work and really go easy when it's an easy day. Seems I am not immune to making the classic rookie mistakes.

Of course the winter route heads up the Howe Street stairs so for a couple of minutes I was not going very easy at all. :)

Sleep 7.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 50
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
run - 6:00 PM
Workout Type stairs - intervals
run - endurance/zone 2
Weather stairs - upper 40s, dry, calm
run - 50, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Transcend
run - Brooks Glycerin 12, Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Clothing both workouts - Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt

15 December 2014

weights | walk

Good gym session this morning.

It's funny, I have not really lifted weights in ages but every winter I kind of get the urge and as long as I don't get too agro it's pretty fun.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 50
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food gym - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day gym - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell step-ups 3 x 15 each leg - 35 lb. in each hand
incline leg press 3 x 12 - 270 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 12 each leg - 110 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 12 - 195 lb.
leg curls 3 x 12 - 195 lb.
calf raises 3 x 14 - 135 lb.
Results  
Time weights - 35 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

14 December 2014

Cottage Cheese Ass Tiger Mt trail run

Finally! A trail run.

I connected with Bryan Estes and Justin Angle and the conditions were SO good. It was crazy dry for this time of year and the trails were a blast.

We had a windstorm last week and I guess it was stronger than I thought... This was the trail.

But how cool is it to do this kind of thing? That's rhetorical, climbing over stuff brings out the kid in my every time.

Too bad my hip was complaining pretty much the entire way today. :(

Sleep 8
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM - banana, applesauce, 1 scoop protein powder, walnuts, Udo's Oil, tea
8:00 AM - Omnibar, Hammer Bar, tea
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/2 scoops Perpetuem, shot of Hammer Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 10:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather upper 30s at the start and then it warmed up big time, sunny, dry
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment demo pair of Scott Kinabalu - 12.5, Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest 2.0, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Patagonia Capilene boxer briefs, Mountain Hardware long johns, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks Podium SS shirt, SmartWool hat, Brooks EZ T gloves

13 December 2014

weights

Had a good gym session today. I wanted to tack on some cardio but I got home and started watching YouTube you know how that goes... :)

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 15 each leg - 85 lb.
incline leg press 12/12/14 - 250 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 12 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 14 175 lb.
leg curls 3 x 14 - 135 lb. (lying down)
calf raises 3 x 14 - 115 lb.
Results  
Time 35 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

12 December 2014

walk

Work really sucked up the day today and I didn't have the energy to do anything before or after. That's how it goes sometimes.

11 December 2014

walk

Work got in the way of exercising today but I was not regretting it, I was beat from the last two days.

Shelley and I went to see Maria Bamford tonight and it was an incredible show. I had heard her a couple of times previously but never seen her. Her presentation absolutely adds something.

Finally saw a bike that was secured properly today, glad someone knows what they are doing.

Technorati Tags:

10 December 2014

weights | treadmill run | Hot Pilates | walk

Everything went well except I really did not have the motivation on the treadmill. And seeing as how I need to have fun, when it stopped being fun I quit. :)

At Breathe Hot Yoga during the Hot Pilates class I felt a bit wobbly and tired. I guess stairs yesterday and weights today will do that.

Sleep 6
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 50
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food weights - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day weights - 5:30 AM
run - 12:30 PM
Hot Pilates - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 15 each leg - 85 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 12 - 250 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 12 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 12 - 175 lb.
leg curls 3 x 14 - 180 lb.
calf raises 3 x 14 - 115 lb.
Results  
Time weights - 35 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 12, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt
Technorati Tags: ,

09 December 2014

Howe Street stairs | sauna | walk

Super morning on the stairs today! The weather really cooperated. It was absolutely dumping rain when I woke up and then it stopped for the duration of the workout. Nice. It took me a few flights to get warmed up but then I felt pretty good.

After work I had intended to go for a run but because of a long dentist appointment [Martin's first root canal!] I went for another sauna instead. I lasted a long time and it felt awesome.

After all this I met a friend and we went to see Ueli Steck speak. The guy has some natural comedic talent for sure. And who can forget stuff like this? Breathless.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 50
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
sauna - 5:30 PM
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - low 50s, wet ground, dry skies, calm
Course stairs - Howe Street
Results  
Time sauna - 30 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing stairs - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt

08 December 2014

sauna | walk

This is what you would call a rest day. After a solid weekend of activities I needed it.

Went to the sauna at the IMA during lunch and boy did that feel nice. On the way back to the office I saw this.

Although I could tell someone had blown the leaves into a pile it was fun to imagine they had all fallen that way.

Sleep 7.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 44
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day sauna - 12:15 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time sauna - 25 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment walk - Brooks Transcend, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

07 December 2014

weights | showing Wheeler where to run

Day three of leg weights! And today felt a little better for sure.

After the gym I met Jennifer Wheeler for a run. She does not get out much so I felt like a tour guide while I took her on some of my favorite little streets, stair climbs and dirt trials in local parks. Our pace was mellow so we could talk, good to catch up.

My hip felt pretty bad at the start of the run but it slowly got better and better.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 7:00 AM - grapes, banana, tea
9:00 AM - Hammer Bar, water
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food gym - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day gym - 8:00 AM
Workout Type run - recovery/endurance
Weather run - upper 40s, dry, calm
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 20 each leg - 75 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 12 - 230 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 12 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 12 - 155 lb.
leg curls 3 x 14 - 150 lb.
calf raises 3 x 14 - 95 lb.
Results  
Time gym - 35 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 12, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing run - Fitsok CF2, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III
Technorati Tags:

06 December 2014

Cottage Cheese Ass Tiger Mt loop

Nice!

This is one of my favorite trail runs without a doubt. It has a substantial climb, some super fun, technical, classic NW trails and a screaming descent. Throw in good company in the form of Bryan Estes and it's hard to go wrong.

I was a little slow on the climb due to fitness and on the descent due to my hip but I did have a great time. And on the bright side, my hip is not hurting so much as it's just really inconvenient.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 5:30 AM - apple sauce, 2 scoops protein powder, Udo's Oil
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/2 scoops Perpetuem, shot of Hammer Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 6:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 40s, wet trail but dry skys, some wind at the top
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 9, Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest 2.0, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft Active Extreme Short Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks Podium LS shirt, SmartWool cap

05 December 2014

Expresso Exercise Bike | Hot Pilates | walk

Too tired to get to the gym this AM but I did manage to sneak out for a quick trainer session at lunch. It felt pretty good and for a change, I didn't race a former ghost/PR of myself. It felt great to ride at a moderate tempo for a change.

After work it was off to Breathe Hot Yoga for anther Hot Pilates class. THIS IS A GREAT CLASS! You can challenge yourself as much or as little as you want and it is kicking my butt. In a good way. As a bonus, the instructor incorporate ALL of the suggestions I gave her Wednesday. How cool is that? And she said they all made sense. :)

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day trainer - 12:15 PM
Hot Pilates - 4:30 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course trainer - Sunday Afternoon
Results  
Time trainer - 21:55
Hot Pilates - 60 min
Distance trainer - 7 miles
Pace  
Equipment trainer - Expresso exercise bike
Clothing  

04 December 2014

weights | walk

Day one of leg weights! I did this for a few months last fall and winter and am convinced it helps in the general wellness category. Cross training (read: doing a variety of 'stuff') has got to be the best thing to build all around strength and health. Only specialize if you want to excel in some particular activity.

On the bus to work this little kid had on some classic sneakers. Very cool.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 44
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food gym - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 20 each leg - 65 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 12 - 180 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 12 each leg - 70 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 12 - 135 lb.
leg curls 3 x 14 - 135 lb.
calf raises 3 x 14 - 95 lb.
Results  
Time gym - 35 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

03 December 2014

Hot Pilates | walk

Hot Pilates at Breathe Hot Yoga after work baby. I swear, if not for training partners or group exercise classes I would not do nearly as much.

After class today I made a couple of suggestions to the instructor about how to change up the routine, they seemed to make sense to me, we'll see how that goes. :)

Sleep 6
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 48
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

02 December 2014

Howe Street stairs | Fleet Feet run | walk

Solid day.

Met Jim Kodjababian for another stair session and then joined the Fleet Feet Sports Seattle Tuesday night run and pushed the pace a bit more than I have been lately.

As a 'bonus', we went up the Howe Street stairs once during the run. :| I learned that in spite of being slow on the flats and in spite of having already done several flights this morning, I was doing just fine on these stairs compared to the other runners that went up. :)

I did my five warm-up flights before connecting with Jim. Today the workout got serious as we ran four flights. Two weeks from now we run five. Ouch.

Today was my first day in the new Brooks Brooks Glycerin 12. I really like my 11s and so was hoping the 12s would be at least as good. They were great.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 46
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
run - 6:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather low 40s, wet ground but dry sky, light wind
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Transcend
run - Brooks Glycerin 12
Clothing  

01 December 2014

Hot Pilates | walk

Core work baby! I need it! And this Hot Pilates class at Breathe Hot Yoga has it.

The instructor switched up the routine again, very nice.

Sleep 7.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 42
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day Pilates - 5:45 PM
Workout Type strengthening
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time Pilates - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

30 November 2014

pacing Lucca at the Seattle Marathon

What. A. Day.

You can't buy a smile that big.

In what has become an awesome annual tradition I paced Lucca at the Seattle Marathon today. This race seems to agree with her as she keeps doing well in spite of the hilly course. Two years ago she got a marathon PR here and last year she bettered her PR by about three minutes.

As much as people like to joke about men and testosterone, especially competitive athletes setting the bar low to ensure success, it seems women are not immune. As evidenced by the below emails I got from Lucca.

This one is from about four weeks out.

"I am once again going to run the Seattle Marathon... just for fun!"

And then this one from one week out.

"I have a tentative plan to try and beat my PR... but we’ll see how it goes. I’ve been doing lots of trail running lately, but not much road work. But maybe I can pull it off, will be fun to try!"

Game on.

As anyone who reads this blog knows my left sartorius has been a pain in the butt hip lately. Running, especially on the flat and on pavement, has not agreed with me at all. Originally I was hoping to run the entire race with Lucca just like I did two years ago but as the day drew closer and closer I got more and more tentative as my body was not healing fast enough. Yesterday clinched it. I went for a trail run and felt positively hobbled the entire time. I sent Lucca a text letting her know I would only be able to join her at mile eight which is the first time the course passes by our house. I'd by lying if said I didn't almost send her another message saying I would meet her at mile 17 which is when the course passes our house for the second time. :(

In true mule fashion (if you're going to pace, why not do it right!) I loaded up my running pack with two large bottles, lots of snacks, my camera and headed out.

It was cold! Running in the cold is one thing but having to stand around in the clothes you want to feel comfy in after an hour of running is another. Lucca had to stand round at the start where it was 25 degrees and I had to stand around at mile eight where it was 30. Brr.

Right from the beginning I was having fun. On the way down to the marathon route I did a few warm-up exercises and my hip felt fine! When I got there watching all the runners pour off of I-90 floating bridge was pretty cool as everyone looked so excited and determined. Even the volunteers were having a blast. Then Lucca showed up and we were on our way to Seward Park.

Right away I'm asking Lucca, "Is there anything you need? When was the last time you ate anything"? To which she replied, "I've been drinking Gatorade at the aid stations..." Oops. So right away I start offering her some carb chews, gel and sips from the bottle in an attempt to catch her up on nutrition. In fact, since I was carrying everything, I was able to offer her something to eat and drink pretty much every 20-30 minutes all the way to the finish.

Lucca had put down a couple of fast miles at the start. The course follows 5th Ave and as that street heads south it descends a hill so it's easy to pick up the pace and not realize it. Then heading south on Lake WA Blvd we had a tailwind and were again a bit ahead of schedule. But I figured we were in good shape, having a little time in the back without needing to work for it is a good thing on this course for two reasons, 1) we were going to be running into a headwind on the way back up Lake WA Blvd and 2) most of the hills come in the second half.

As we rounded Seward Park and headed north into the wind I was surprised by how good Lucca looked! Not that I didn't expect it, but it was fantastic to see her run so easily. We slotted in behind this other woman for a while and then as Lake WA Blvd climbs a little by Mount Baker Park Beach and Lucca surged ahead I knew it was going to be a good day.

Same thing at Galer (which is 'the' hill on this course). Lucca kept a perfect pace on the climb, didn't go too hard and we kept it up when the climb leveled off some.

After crossing 23rd Ave there was my dad. Without a doubt, he is our biggest fan.

Interlaken is where most people come apart. Not Lucca, not this year. We kept on passing other runners and she kept running on schedule. Actually, we were just a bit ahead of schedule all day but since aerobic activity severely impacts my rudimentary math skills I was still not willing to blurt out any prediction about a finishing time.

Heading north on Lakeview the sun was shining right at us and the temperature was quiet comfy. Lucca kept the pace up as we climbed up and over I-5 and then finally it looked like she would easily set a new PR. I offered to carry her gloves so she could feel 'fast' for the last mile and to her credit she hardly put on the brakes as we descended down to Dexter.

There was no need to push Lucca on the last climb up to the stadium entrance so I got out my camera instead.

Awesome! And 4th place to boot! What a thrill to be part of this effort.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 7:30 AM - apple sauce, protein powder, Udo's Oil, tea
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food HEED, Hammer Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather 30-35 degrees, sunny, dry, light wind
Course  
Results official results
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Hoka Stinson Trail, Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest 2.0, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing Fitsok CF2, Patagonia Capilene boxer briefs, Mountain Hardware fleece knickers, SmartWool shorts, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Patagonia Capilene wind front shirt, SmartWool hat, Brooks Vapor Dry Glove II

29 November 2014

Cougar 14

My first snow run of the season! Not a ton of coverage but it's always beautiful.

The "Cougar 10" loop is such a versatile route. You can just run the 10 (nine miles actually), turn it into 12, 14 and even 16 miles. I was hoping to do the full 16 today but it wasn't in the cards. My sartorius was like a governor, it didn't hurt much but it sure slowed me down on every flat section and every descent. Rats.

So I decided to enjoy other things. Like the awesome scenery.

God I love the white!

It wasn't really that cold. The temperature was just above freezing and it had been raining like mad the previous two days so the trails were quite wet. Still, whenever the opportunity for first tracks just to the side of the main path presented itself I took it. :)

I don't usually run with music but brought it along today and turned it on at the bottom of Bear Ridge. It was fun to have something to listen to.

Here are all the pictures.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 7:30 AM - banana, Omnibar
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 1.5 bottles each w/2 scoops Perpetuem
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day  
Workout Type  
Weather mid 30s, wet ground but dry sky, some wind in exposed areas
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 9, Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest 2.0, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Patagonia Capilene boxer briefs, 2XU Compression 3/4 Tights, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Patagonia Capilene long sleeve top, Brooks Vapor Dry Glove II, knit hat

Popular Posts