30 September 2014

Fleet Feet run | walk

After two more days off Martin tries another run... with startling success.

Rest is good obviously. As long as you have some fitness going in.

I started out figuring I would take it easy but felt great right from the first step so hung with the front group for a change. That lasted until we hit the Arboretum and then they started to slowly pull away. On the hill two more guys left me behind (my running hills are weak these days) but I finished better and overall my time was not shabby at all.

I'm sure glad Fleet Feet Sports Seattle has these runs!

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
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Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 6:00 PM
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Weather low 60s, dry, calm
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Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

28 September 2014

Christmas in September

Really, it seems you can have 'Christmas' any time of the year these days. Just buy yourself some shit and pretend it was given to you. In this case I just received my second shipment of shoes from Brooks who sponsor the SRC-Brooks Competitive Team I'm on. Nice!

On the left we have the new Brooks Glycerin 12, the Glycerin 11 has been my go-to training shoe for the road so I am psyched to try the newest version.

In the middle is the new Brooks PureGrit 3. I have run in the original PureGrit, the PureGrit 2 and they just keep getting better. This is my race day trail running shoe.

On the right is the Brooks Mach 16. This is a Cross Country shoe that you can screw spikes into... I am totally in over my head here but XC sounds like fun so figured I would give it a go this fall.

Thanks to Brooks and the Seattle Running Club for making this possible!

27 September 2014

Fat Glass 50k

Every year the Seattle Running Club puts on the Fat Glass 50k and it has got to be one of the best events of the year.
  • Low key/low stress.
  • GREAT people and a GREAT venue host in Peter Kline.
  • Optional distance to encourage everyone to participate.
  • Beer! Is there anything more synonymous with fun? Nope, that was a rhetorical question.


Did I mention the event is free if you are a SRC member? And only $20 if you are not? That's less than the beer alone would cost you at any bar. One word: deal.

Here's the deal. The course is nominally a 5-mile (closer to 6 this year) loop that starts at Peter's house and winds through Bridle Trails State Park. You can run as many or as few laps as you want and you can enter the 'drunk' or the 'sober' category so no pressure. In case you didn't guess, one of those cups above is mine.

When the gun goes off you start by drinking your first beer. Then you run a lap. then you drink another beer and in true Fat Ass fashion, you write down your own elapsed time. Repeat. Peter did supply a clock radio with an old school red, digital readout so telling time was easy.

Since the loop was a bit longer than five miles and since Peter added a little distance to the first and last lap, this event was five laps this year if you wanted to run it all. That meant six 16 oz. beers! Thanks to Eric Sach for procuring the good stuff - Mac & Jack's African Amber. And thanks to Peter for all the great 'aid station' food!



My favorite was the pulled pork.



With all this good stuff my race report is rather boring in comparison but here goes.

Two years ago I ran this event for the first time and was only able to complete four laps. I started out too fast and regretted it. Last year I was unable to attend due to injury and so this year - in spite of still being pretty banged up from the Crystal Mt Sky Marathon - my goal was to finish all five laps. So when the lead group gapped me just 300 m into the race I let them go.

I recall having a significant advantage when it came to the drinking portion of this event two years ago. It seems some runners are lightweights?! That turned out to the be the case again this year and at the completion of each lap my transition through the aid station was pretty efficient compared to most everyone else. Good thing too as my running fitness was not up to par with the leaders.

By lap three I started pulling some of the leaders back and when I left the aid station after the fourth lap my position was pretty much solidified.

Not that it was easy! Lap one and two felt okay but I was much more tired after just two laps than I wanted to be... I managed to recover somewhat during lap three and was still able to 'run' (read: jog slowly) lap four but on lap five the wheels started to come off and I had to walk some of the hills. And believe me, these are tiny hills compared to most trail races. I was beat.

Here are my splits and the 'official' results.
lap #1 - 50:00
lap #2 - 51:00
lap #3 - 52:00
lap #4 - 57:00
lap #5 - 1:03:00



I started with a handheld bottle but because I was drinking so much beer it lasted the entire run! I ditched my shirt after two laps and grabbed my visor for the last lap. I wonder if I could dispense with a bottle entirely next year... the smart call would be carry something.

I'm SO glad my injuries did not hamper me while running today.

Here are all the pictures.


Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food 6 16 oz. cups of Mac & Jack's African Amber, 2 bananas, bottle w/2 scoops HEED, some peanut M&MS, plain bagel, half a PB & J
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day 10:00 AM
Workout Type race
Weather upper 50s at start, upper 60s at finish
Course
Results 3rd - Overall
Time 4:33
Distance 50 km (it might have been a little short, but my GPS is also notoriously short)
Pace
Equipment Brooks PureGrit 3, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Infinity 3" Split Short, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, Headsweats Visor

26 September 2014

treadmill run

Today was me gingerly touching my toe to the water.

I really want to run the Fat Glass 50k tomorrow so figured it would make sense to see if I can run at all. Right?

That was a rhetorical question.

And it went okay! Phew, that's a load off.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:15 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course treadmill, 1% incline
Results  
Time 40 min
Distance 5.4 miles (per the treadmill, my GPS was guessing based on cadence)
Pace

5 min at 8:00
25 min at 7:30
5 min at 7:00
4 min at 6:30
1 min at 6:00

Equipment Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

25 September 2014

walk

Just my usual walk home from the bus stop today. I did take the 'high road' (up the stairs) and it felt fine! Whew.

My right knee is still a little swollen and discolored.

With all my not going to the gym in the mornings I am getting way more sleep. That can't be bad.

Sleep 8
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:00 AM - 184 lb.
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24 September 2014

cardio | walk

I'm trying to move! And to see if my wrecked body will tolerate it.

Interestingly (fortunately?), it seems that the elliptical trainer was just fine today. It's the day-to-day movements that really suck.

I still can't imagine riding my bike to work or running anywhere.

On the way to work I was thinking that my leg just was not looking so hot so got off the bus at the University of Washington Medical Center Emergency Room. Better safe than sorry.

I had a classic ER experience. Everyone was super nice and I was taken care of but since I was not bleeding or in imminent danger of dying, it took a LONG time before I was released. Here is the low down.

  • I should have gone to the hospital for the cut on my thigh right away. Duh.
  • Luckily there are no signs of infection.
  • They numbed me up with about eight injections (right into the cut!) and then irrigated and scraped (with a scalpel!) the shit out of it. I had to look away.
  • I was given a prescription for antibiotics and instructed how to apply a 'wet to dry' dressing and told to change it twice/day. Wet to dry means you stuff wet gauze into the wound and cover it with dry gauze. The moisture helps new cells travel to the surface and the dry gauze helps wick out the crap. Needless to say I am now fully stocked up on gauze and tape.

On the upside my cold is going away.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
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Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day cardio - 5:30 AM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather  
Course elliptical trainer, 13 incline, 13 resistance
Results  
Time 30 min
Distance  
Pace cadence around 140 to start, mid 150s at the finish
heart rate around low 130s at the finish
Equipment  
Clothing  
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23 September 2014

walk

That's right, I walked home from the bus stop today. That was about all the physical activity I could stand. I'm blown away by how uncomfortable it is to bend my right leg, bump my right leg, stand up, sit down, sleep, you get the idea.

It feels like I got a massive charley horse in my right leg. When I think about it, I guess that's exactly what the mountain gave me last Saturday when I went bouncing down that scree slope.

I still have my cold.

Sleep  
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Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:15 PM
Workout Type active recovery
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Results  
Time 18:11
Distance 1.1 miles
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

22 September 2014

And now I'm sick too

My right knee is still wicked big. And purple. And stiff.

The cut on my right thigh seems to be knitting together? Here's hoping, that thing is deep.

What felt like a cold coming on Sunday is a cold now. Rats.

I took the bus to work, could not even fathom riding my bike, TOO INJURED.

21 September 2014

Ouch...

Oh man, my right knee and hip are messed up. :( Turns out I only felt as good as I did yesterday during the race after my fall from the adrenaline, etc. Now that I have been sitting around for a while my knee is huge (swollen) and totally bruised.

Not to mention I am quite sore. Not really from running, from all the falling.

It took eight bandages, one of them pretty big (my hip) to cover all the cuts.

I am tired of falling down!

20 September 2014

Crystal Mountain Sky Marathon

Wow. The Crystal Mountain Sky Marathon is no joke. Here I am feigning a smile after finishing, walking off my cramps, drinking three bottles of water and letting a nurse tend to my various injuries for about 30 minutes. That stain on the right side of my shorts? It's blood.


In addition to being awesomely tough, it was also just plain awesome! Here are some highlights.
  • We went straight up to the top of the ski area. Twice. Once from aaaaaaaaall the way down by Hwy 410.
  • At the top of the first climb you run along a cattrack and then turn right. Straight down a (double black diamond) ski run. It was pure mountain running as we were bounding through meadows and scree fields. There was zero trail.
  • I was hiking about 300 m from the start. For real.
  • I fell twice. Once (at mile 11) was me being stupid and going too fast through a scree field where the trail had narrowed to the width of my shoe and once (at mile 23) was because I stubbed my toe and in my attempt to recover my legs cramped and I had no choice.
  • The weather was freaking perfect!
  • That Scott McCoubrey sure knows how to challenge you.
This was just my third race of the year after (mostly) recovering from some injuries so I was not sure about my fitness and I had no idea what to expect from the course. You hear things like so much elevation gain and 'running through meadows' and a friend tells you there is a 2.5 mile hike but you really don't have any idea until you go there.

We started on a dirt road that went straight up under the gondola. When we hit a bowl we veered off the road onto a trail and finally when the trail flattened out we veered off of it and went straight up through a meadow. We pretty much took the straightest, steepest line to the top. This is where the 1st aid station was.

After a crazy descent through said 'meadow' we ran an incredibly fun (soft, fast, berms) trail down to the 2nd aid station which was just below the ski area parking lot. From here we ran a bit of trail but mostly dirt road all the way down to Hwy 410 and the 3rd aid station.

And then we went up.

Holy cow.

This was like hiking the old Mailbox Peak trail, steep and relentless.

On the first climb out of the gate I had to take it easy, I had no choice! :) All the fast guys flew up the mountain and I could only watch as I settled into my pace. On the descent, in spite of holding back, I started to catch and pass some people and I passed a couple more with a very efficient stop at aid #2. On this climb I found my rhythm and passed about four more people. I was hiking well today.

After cresting the climb you run back up some of the awesome trail we descended. Going up was a tad less awesome than coming down and I was going slower than I wanted to already but in spite of walking some stretches of really shallow climbs I was able to keep the walking to a minimum and at least jog most of the way up.

Just when I felt like I had done okay I met Eric Sach who said something like, "Way to go! Now it's back up through the meadow!"

Oops.

I had forgotten about the meadow climb.

This was hard. I was still hiking okay but it was definitely a kick in the crotch and by the time I got up to Glenn Tachiyama for yet another bedraggled photo or me I was feeling, well, pretty bedraggled.



At the top you jog across to the 4th aid station (same as #1) and then if you have any zip left you can haul ass down the mountain. Oh yeah, there is one more 800' climb in the 'descent' but otherwise it's wicked fast.

After that last 800' climb I was really feeling the effort and could sense some cramps coming on. Like an idiot I had only filled one bottle at the last aid station thinking, "It's just five miles, and mostly downhill!" Guess I was already a little behind on fluids and I could have easily drained two bottles in that last section.

About three miles from the finish I had just rounded a switchback and stubbed my toe on a root. During the attempt at a dynamic recovery my hamstrings (both of them!) cramped up and since I couldn't control my legs down I went. Again. Rats.

I had to sit in the trail with straight legs for a minute and slowly rub them until I could finally stand up. Then I had to hobble for a bit with stiff legs before I could jog and finally I got my run back on.
Thankfully I felt good enough to enjoy the last, exposed descent back to the lodge and thankfully there was no one breathing down my neck so I was able to cross the line with a smile.

It seems that word of my fall/injury had preceded me around the course because I was soon surrounded by folks offering to help and some who wanted to see the cut on my leg. I told this one guy he really didn't want to see it but he insisted so I showed him. He yelled, "FUCK!" and promptly averted his eyes. To tell you the truth, I was not enjoying looking at it either and now the reality of dealing with this cut was starting to sink in. :(

I connected with a nurse who had some numbing gel(!) so we packed it full of gel and then she irrigated the cut as best she could with about four or five water bottles. We sort of closed it up with Steri-Strips, covered it with gauze and I even managed to rinse my legs a bit and apply some bandages to all my other scrapes and cuts.

Then food.



All told, I was feeling okay! Did I mention the weather was fantastic? Well by the time I got home, re-scrubbed all my scrapes and cuts and the euphoria of the day wore off it was a different story.



Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/2 scoops Perpetuem, 2 bottles electrolyte drink from race, half a can of Coke, 5 gels, 3 quarters of a PB & J, 2 slices of watermelon
Injuries bruised right knee, charley horse on right thigh, cut on right thigh
Therapy
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type race
Weather around 50 at start, low 70s at finish, calm, blue sky, dry
Course
Results 1st - Men 50+
4th - Masters (40+)
12th - Overall
official results
Time 5:11:38
Distance 26.2 miles
Pace
Equipment Brooks PureGrit 3, Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest 2.0, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Infinity 3" Split Short, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, Headsweats Visor

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