30 April 2013

bike commute | rehab | cardio | treadmill run

Oh man, I had nothing alcoholic to drink last night, a super (read: healthy and not heavy) dinner and yet slept like dirt yet again. I blame stress.

The result was me not going to the gym in the morning but somehow I rallied in the afternoon and went at lunch.

So on the downside I was dragging all day but on the upside I ran for 20 minutes again and it felt fine! Unfortunately I wore some lousy socks for running and got a big blister on my left big toe but fortunately I didn't feel it until after I completed my run. I also ran slightly faster today than previously. Bonus.

Up, down, half full, half empty; it really is just perspective.

I went to FootWorks PT for another rehab session this morning and the diagnosis is that I am getting stronger and I got the official endorsement for slightly longer treadmill runs.

Sleep 4
Waking HR  
Body Weight 11:30 AM - 180 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day rehab - 8:00 AM
elliptical trainer - 11:30 AM
treadmill - 12:00 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather mid 50s, sunny, mostly dry (I missed all the showers anyway)
Course elliptical trainer - 13 incline, 13 resistance
treadmill - flat
Results  
Time elliptical trainer - 30 min
treadmill - 20 min
Distance elliptical trainer - 3.7 miles
treadmill - 2.7 miles
Pace treadmill - 15 min at 7:30, 5 min at 7:00
Equipment elliptical trainer, treadmill - Brooks Launch
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

29 April 2013

core | Expresso exercise bike

I made it to the gym this morning but my left ankle has been a little sore lately so I opted to skip the rehab (read: jumping around on one foot) today. For some reason that decision also made it hard for me to do my core routine! :( I managed to check the core box but bailed after only one set of push-ups. Oh well.

At lunch I skipped the elliptical trainer and the treadmill in favor of the Expresso exercise bicycle to also encourage my ankle to feel better. I picked a course I have done at least three times and in spite of not feeling tip top and having slightly heavy legs at the start I still got a PR. Small reconciliation for the morning I suppose. Or an indication that I didn't really go that hard during my previous efforts, you make the call.

I did average over 90 rpm, that is not easy for me.

Expresso_2012-04-29

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 181 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
exercise bike - 12:00 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather  
Course
ball leg lifts 3 x 20 each leg
plank 2:00, 1:30 each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 20
push-ups 20
Expresso exercise bicycle - Drifters Peak
Results  
Time bike - 32:59
Distance 10.1 miles
Pace 18.4 mph
Equipment Expresso exercise bicycle
Clothing  

28 April 2013

Howe Street stairs

Nice.

I was dragging a bit this morning but slowly got it in my head that I wanted to exercise on the Howe Street stairs so I went upstairs to tell Shelley and turns out she needed the car in two hours. Time's a wastin'!

I was hoping to get in a solid hour today and I managed it. At first my legs were pretty lethargic and heavy from yesterday but after four flights I was in the grove and kept it super steady all the way to the end. In fact, looking at my GPS data below it seems I went faster today than I ever have in recent memory? By just a couple of seconds per flight anyway.

As a bonus I saw my friend Thom Wagner on the stairs! Turns out he had gone to our gym which is supposed to open at 8:00 AM but the host was late. Undaunted he turned to Plan B and came out to play on Howe Street. Way to go Thom.

Today I was hitting it 'pane e acqua' as they say in professional bike racing. What that meant for me today is I was venturing out without music. I know! But it was actually a pretty good call. I did look at my watch a bit too much but it was nice not to have the same old mix blaring in my ears for a change.

Usually when I say I have drunk a large bottle during this workout I don't really quite finish it but today I did drain it all the way. I think that is a good thing. I think in general I need to hydrate more when I exercise and when I'm not exercising.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 7:45 AM - PowerBar Energy Blasts
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:30 AM
Workout Type intervals
Weather 50, cloudy, dry, calm
Course Howe Street
Results  
Time 1:01:58
Distance 17 flights (2.7 miles)
Pace 3:39/flight
Equipment Brooks Launch, Garmin fenix
Clothing Teko organic SIN3RGI Light Minicrew, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt, Brooks Podium LS shirt
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27 April 2013

Renton, Jones Rd, Maple Valley, Kent, Green River road ride

Nice.

I have recently re-connected with an old friend (John Phillips) and he goes for a ride every weekend with his friends so by association I have been invited to attend these outings and it's great to have company again even if it's just once per week.

ASIDE - I am realizing that John and I have more and more in common... We both used to race bikes (except John was always a little better than I was). We both run (except John has run the Boston Marathon so he's also a little faster than I am). Whereas I injured my ankle badly, John recently BROKE his ankle (a few months before I hurt myself) which required surgery. We are both at the point in our comeback where we are running on the treadmill for a mile or two except John recently went for his first short trail run whereas I am still mired indoors. I guess this means his healing process is a bit further along than mine. Who would have known.

Two weeks ago was my first time riding with John recently and I recall remarking that the ride was the fastest I have gone on a bike so far this year. Well today we went even faster. Yes!

There was a fairly stout wind out of the south so of course we went that direction first. The route John had picked was pretty flat but that was okay with me. I like hills fine but I also like moving quickly and I like drafting. Once we hit Jones Rd the wind pretty much abated as the trees were sheltering us and we didn't really feel it again until we got to Maple Valley.

Riding west on SE Lake Holm Rd we were FLYING. Like 25-30 mph sustained. It's just the slightest bit downhill and the wind was favorable. That was a blast. As was the descent at the end of the road. Wow! 12%, about one mile long and lots of 10 and 15 mph corners. Loved that.

All this fast riding did make me tired and I was very grateful for the tailwind coming home.

On the way home we took one wrong turn and got stopped by a road closure but it was okay, I was in great spirits still.

Some of these roads in the second half of the ride were really nice. Hardly any cars, good pavement and incredibly green.

After this ride Shelley and did a couple of projects and my back was kinda sore... haven't felt that in quite some time. But it was not too bad thankfully. I also felt like I had plenty of strength in eh saddle but standing I felt wimpy! Pretty toasted actually.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 5:00 AM - apple sauce, 3 small bananas, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 scoop Perpetuem, Udo's Oil, big handful of pumpkin seeds, tea, water
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/2 scoops Perpetuem, large bottle w/2 scoops HEED, half a bottle of water, 2 Hammer Bars, 1 packet of PowerBar Energy Blasts, 1 shot of Hammer Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:40 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather mid 50s, mostly cloudy, dry, windy
Course pretty flat with the only significant climb being at the end of Jones Rd
Results  
Time 4:25
Distance 76 miles
Pace 18.7 mph
Equipment Redline Conquest Pro, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  

26 April 2013

bike commute

Oh man... another wave of apathy just washed over me this morning.

I was actually in the car, all dressed for the gym and pulling out of our garage when I stopped, shifted from reverse to 1st gear and drove back in. Holy hate. So much for this morning's rehab and core workout I guess.

I mentioned this Wednesday but I'll say it again, I seem to be motivated by company and going it alone these past weeks has been not so easy for me. One of the reasons I like to exercise is that it's fun and one of the reasons it's fun is I get to push myself with other people along and we can encourage each other. I am not by nature some super, duper, goal-oriented, training zealot.

So today I just rode to work and back home. Slowly. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I get to ride with a friend again.

This morning I noticed that for the first time since it started feeling better my left ankle is feeling worse. As in it's tender and sore when I walk down stairs. Perhaps I did too much 'dynamic' rehab Wednesday? Maybe my run was too long yesterday? Not sure. I rested it today and will only ride tomorrow so we'll see. AT least there is no additional swelling that is visible.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day  
Workout Type mellow commute
Weather upper 60s, sunny, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing  

25 April 2013

cardio | treadmill run | bike commute

"Longest ever!"
"Massive progress!"
"Pain free!"
"Comeback 2.0!"

All ways to describe my treadmill run today. Sometimes you have to bring the hype to keep things interesting. Or something like that.

In all seriousness my run today was my longest and fastest so far since I started this healing/rehab/recovery process so bonus points for that.

I got a really nice compliment on my ride home. I was cruising down the Burke-Gilman Trail toward Gas Works Park when this guy on a fancy 29er with street tires pulls up behind me and says, "I bet that bike doesn't do your legs justice; those like fit legs!" Thanks random guy, you made my afternoon.

I am getting sick of the play list I have on my iPod so listened to radio on my phone instead. That worked great on the elliptical trainer but on the treadmill my phone bounced out of the tiny pocket I have on my shorts. Oops. Luckily it survived the fall unscathed.

After my time on the elliptical trainer I stopped to take a picture but I guess since I had not told the machine how long I wanted to go for it assumed I should still be working out.

pedal_faster

I've got your 'pedal faster' right here...

So I started moving again and somehow managed to take another without falling on my ass.

Elliptical_2013-04-25

Thank god. Nothing more humiliating than getting tangled up in some cardio equipment in an enormous gym with tons of people because you were trying to use your phone. The only reason I wanted to take a picture is so I don't have to remember the time and distance... gotta log that shit!

On the treadmill I almost bailed as well! When my phone fell out of my pocket I almost bit it transitioning from the moving belt to the frame so I could pick it up and then when I put the phone on the console and started running again my arm got caught in the ear bud cord and I almost tripped. I suck.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 1:15 PM - 181 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day elliptical trainer - 1:15 PM
treadmill - 1:45 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather upper 60s, sun, dry, light breeze
Course elliptical trainer - 13 incline, 13 resistance
treadmill - flat
Results  
Time elliptical trainer - 30 min
treadmill - 20 min
Distance elliptical trainer - 3.7 miles
treadmill - 2.6 miles
Pace treadmill - 7:42 min/mile
Equipment elliptical trainer/treadmill - Brooks Launch
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing elliptical trainer/treadmill - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

24 April 2013

strengthening | bike commute | cardio | treadmill run

Headline: Martin runs for 15 minutes with no pain!

Byline: Martin has a revelation about why working out and doing rehab has been so difficult lately... I have been alone! Looking back on these last eleven weeks since my injury I have ridden my bike with anyone else exactly three times and for sure I have never done any of my stair workouts or indoor rehab stuff with anyone. I guess I like the company of my friends.

ASIDE- it's funny (read: interesting) how much of a lift these silly treadmill runs are giving me. So far they not the least bit boring and the time seems to fly. I think I am actually looking forward to doing a few more minutes and am bummed when I need to shut it down. What a huge contrast to when I was running on the treadmill for recovery or extra volume. That was BORING. It's a prime example of the Tom Sawyer Syndrome I think.

It was even nicer out today (by a couple of degrees anyway) than yesterday so I again took the long way home. Beautiful. This time it was a legitimate sleeveless shirt day so of course I obliged.

Today was also my first day doing dynamic hops and jumps for rehab to strengthen my ankle! That's progress for sure.

I had very little time for indoor cardio today so cut the elliptical trainer short so that I could could go as long as I had planned on the treadmill.

It was kind of windy out today and luckily it was blowing from the NW so I was flying along the bike path in Myrtle Edwards Park. Good times. Even on a town bike with platform pedals.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 181 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day strengthening - 5:30 AM
elliptical trainer - 12:30 PM
treadmill run - 12:45 PM
Workout Type strength/rehab
endurance
Weather low to mid 60s, sun, dry, some wind
Course
walking lunges 260 (10 trips up and down the exercise studio)
lateral step jumps 3 x 60 sec each leg
fast step ups 3 x 60 sec each leg
calf raises 3 x 10 each leg
wobble disk 2 x 60 sec each leg
push-ups 20/14/10
ball leg lifts 3 x 15 each leg
plank 2:00, 60 each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 30
elliptical trainer - 13 incline, 13 resistance
treadmill - flat
Results  
Time elliptical trainer - 15 min
treadmill - 15 min
Distance elliptical trainer - 1.9 miles
treadmill - 1.9 miles
Pace treadmill - 7:54 min/mile
Equipment strengthening - Brooks Green Silence
elliptical trainer/treadmill - Brooks Launch
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  

23 April 2013

Howe Street stairs | bike commute

I doth dally too much!

Once again I dorked around way too long after getting up and then had to rush out to the stairs. Since I was short on time I figured why not try running back-to-back flights? I walked one to warm up and then ran eight flights one step at a time. Then I walked one to cool down.

This brought back some of the all too familiar wheezing and shortness of breath from my stair workouts last winter! Good times. Still, running one step at a time is significantly easier than two at a time; I still have a ways to go in other words.

In the afternoon the weather was absolutely fabulous so I took the long way home and wore a sleeveless shirt. That shirt might have been pushing it just a little but what the hell. I also wore some dark sunglasses while riding my bike for the first time this year. All these signs point to things I like.

On my way to work I stopped by FootWorks PT for another check in with Neal Goldberg. I have progressed from doing static balance and rehab to doing dynamic balance and rehab. This means I am now hopping and jumping around and it's tiring! Especially after stairs. 30 minutes of PT and I was pouring sweat. I took it easy on the way to work just to cool down!

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - half a large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
commute water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:45 AM
Workout Type strength/intervals
endurance
Weather commute home - low to mid 60s, sun, dry, some wind
Course stairs - Howe Street
Results  
Time stairs - 36:46
Distance stairs - 10 flights (1.7 miles)
Pace stairs - 4:41/flight
Equipment stairs - Brooks Launch, Garmin fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing stairs - Teko organic SIN3RGI Light Minicrew, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt, Brooks Podium LS shirt
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22 April 2013

strengthening | core | bike commute | cardio | treadmill run

I finally slept well last night; it felt really good. I was still dragging a bit at they gym in the morning but that might be because I did nothing physical all weekend and sometimes starting back up is hard for me.

The big news for today is I ran on the treadmill again, this time for 10 minutes and I was totally pain-free. In fact, once again it felt great! Nice.

It's progress but oh so slow...

In spite of dragging a tad at the gym I felt super on my commute.

Sleep 7+
Waking HR
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 181 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day strengthening - 5:15 AM
elliptical trainer - 12:00 PM
treadmill run - 12:30 PM
Workout Type strength
endurance
Weather
Course
leg extensions 3 x 22 - 115 lb.
leg curls 3 x 22 - 120 lb.
squats 3 x 22 - 90 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 24 - 140 lb.
single leg squats 3 x 20 each leg
calf raises 3 x 10 each leg
wobble disk 2 x 60 sec each leg
push-ups 20/14/10
ball leg lifts 3 x 15 each leg
plank 2:00, 60 sec each side
twisters 50 each side - 10 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 30
elliptical trainer - 13 incline, 13 resistance
Results
Time elliptical trainer - 30 min
treadmill run - 10 min
Distance elliptical trainer - 3.8 miles
treadmill run - 1.3 miles
Pace elliptical trainer - 140-155 rpm
treadmill run - 7:47
Equipment elliptical/run - Brooks Launch
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

21 April 2013

volunteering at the Yakima Skyline Rim 25k/50k

Giving back. Everyone should do it.

Okay, now that all my philosophical pontificating is out of the way let's talk trail racing. Today I showed up at Yakima Skyline Rim 25k/50k (promoted by Rainshadow Running) to assist with check-ins. Way back when (read: before I torched my ankle for the second time in rapid succession) I had intended on running this race. My sister ran it last year and said it was tough! Apparently the word 'tough' is like a magnet to Martin and I was all over it.

Anyway, Shelley has family in Yakima and I was motivated by the not-very-unselfish benefit of getting a free entry to some future Rainshadow event that volunteering gets you so we figured why not kill the two proverbial birds with one stone. Boom.

P1000100

Let me start by saying that the driving directions to the start were probably totally obvious to a local but I'm not. And I'm further impaired at 5:00 AM when it's dark and I'm on unfamiliar roads. The directions said, "Take Hwy 12 west to I-82 W". Oops, turns out if you are leaving from Yakima and get on Hwy 12 heading west you totally miss 82 and are heading out to Naches. Crap.

Lucky for me I tend to leave early for stuff like this so in spite of wasting 30 minutes doing an out-and-back on Hwy 12 I pulled up just when I was supposed to. And it turns out I was there earlier than most of the other volunteers...!

Whatever.

The day was going to be perfect for running. A cool (but not cold) start and then warming up to something like 60 degrees. There might have been some wind on the course but it sure didn't slow Maxwell Ferguson any. Again, boom.

I was doing my volunteer shift at the check-in table.

P1000093

We got to check people in, hand out numbers and shirts and sell hats. Of course we also got answer all the questions I am usually asking like, "Where is the start?" and, "Where is a garbage can?" and, "Can I leave my jacket at this table with you guys?"

Since we had plenty of staff at the table and since things quieted down some when the 50k race started I asked to sneak away for 10 minutes to film the start. There happened to be a picnic table near the bridge so I had a super vantage point.

50k start

The runners went away from the course/out to the pavement and back to spread them out s the entrance to the bridge was tight and only one person could fit through at a time. By the time they came back there was already a separation with two leaders out front.

Maxwell Ferguson of SRC in 2nd place

Working for Rainshadow Running was strange. On the one hand it seemed like they didn't really take an active role in educating volunteers in terms of what they needed to do but on the other hand pretty much everything happened smoothly and without a hitch. I get the sense that many of these people are either 1) Rainshadow Running groupies and/or 2) pretty hip to what goes on at a running race.

It was fun to see so many friends at the race and it was exciting to be here! Also kind of hard as I sorely wish I could have been running instead of standing on a picnic table. On the upside, the recovery has begun.

Here are all the pictures and video.

19 April 2013

strengthening | core | cardio | treadmill run

I'll just jump right to the headline here:
Twitter_2013-04-19
That's right, the real recovery (hopefully) starts now.

Otherwise I went to the gym but didn't have the motivation to do lunges today. Something about striding up and down the group exercise room for nine minutes just didn't sound appealing to me this morning.

At lunch I warmed up thoroughly on the elliptical trainer and then hit the treadmill. Boom. Can't wait to do it again.
Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight 7:00 AM - 178 lb.
12:00 PM - 181 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day gym - 5:15 AM
cardio - 12:00 PM
Workout Type strengthening, rehab
endurance
Weather
Course
leg extensions 3 x 22 - 115 lb.
leg curls 3 x 22 - 120 lb.
squats 3 x 22 - 95 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 25 - 140 lb.
single leg squats 3 x 20 each leg
calf raises 3 x 10 each leg
wobble disk 2 x 60 sec each leg
push-ups 20/12/10
ball leg lifts 3 x 15 each leg
plank 2:00, 1:00 each side
twisters 50 each side - 10 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 30
run - treadmill
Results
Time elliptical trainer - 30 min
run - 5 min
Distance elliptical trainer - 3.8 miles
run - .6 miles
Pace run - 8:20/mile
Equipment elliptical/run - Brooks Launch
Clothing

5 minutes .6 miles. Look out world, here comes Martin.

I went for my first run! YES.

My first run since I laid waste to my ankle that is. That was February 2 so if your math skills have not evaporate like mine you will know this to be ELEVEN WEEKS since I have run at all. Okay, 10.5 really but rounding up sounds more dramatic. Heck, I should have just said three months but I kinda ruined that by listing the date and explaining everything too much.

Note to self - always embellish when you can and ixnay on the explainingway.

Anyway, after a thorough warm-up on the elliptical trainer I hit the treadmill. While on the elliptical I kept thinking I had the slightest pain in my ankle but once I started running I realized it was in my head and just a phantom pain.

Running felt fine. Shit, it felt great!

I turned the treadmill on, slowly ramped it up to 8:00/mile pace and just kept it there. And I stopped promptly after five minutes were up. Yes, that was hard to do... In those five minutes I ran .6 miles; woohoo.

I want to give thanks to those that made this possible.

  • My sports medecine specialist Dr. Maxine Weyant. She was recommended to me by my PT and she knows her shit. She seems to have massive specific experience with runners and cyclists and athletes in general. Not only did she give me a recovery timeline but she told me why it had to be that way. I always want to know why I'm supposed to be doing anything. Understanding the risks of deviating from her timeline helped it all sink in.
  • Neal Goldberg of FootWorksPT. Neal is my Physical Therapist and has helped me with my back (an ongoing issue with a ruptured/herniated disk), an IT band injury and now this ankle business. Not only is the foot and ankle Neal's specialty, he is also an athlete himself. And he has worked with tons of runners and cyclists. Really, really good runners and cyclists.
  • My unofficial running mentor Justin Angle. It's unofficial only because he never actually consented to being my mentor but I have asked him countless questions and sent him numerous emotional emails when I was down in the dumps about this ankle thing and he has always taken the time to reply thoughtfully. He has also been a good reality check when I tend to get a little too enthusiastic and want to accelerate my recovery. Lastly, he has suffered through a much worse injury himself so knows first-hand what recovery and rehab is all about.
If this treadmill run is stage #2 (milestone #2?) in my recovery with rest and rehab being stage #1 then running on the road will be stage #3 and running on trails will be stage #4. Then it's just about regaining fitness. Daunting that.

But it's what I have been waiting for! Bring it I say. Never has 11 weeks felt this long.

18 April 2013

Howe Street stairs | bike commute

Stairs baby! Except today for some reason I could nut muster the will to run so walked every flight. I did walk them two-at-a-time and pretty fast (I lapped a 'runner' twice) but I am starting to feel 1) somewhat unmotivated to do stuff and 2) like I am not recovering very well.

Regarding recovery, it's pretty freaking obvious to me that I need to stretch and get massage. My legs are tight like guitar strings these days and so when I do have an off day or easy day they are not able to recover like they should.

So many things to do, so little time; same old, same old.

One nice thing about today was the sun rising while I was at the Howe Street stairs. It's a blast not doing the entire workout in the dark.

On the other hand today was pretty gray and I rode home in the rain for the first time in quite a while. At least it was not cold. And did I mention my weight is off the charts? Man, I had a handle on it after the holidays and these last two weeks it has been creeping up. Gotta get a grip.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:30 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:30 AM
Workout Type stairs - strength/intervals
Weather stairs - mid 40s, dry, calm
Course stairs - Howe Street
Results  
Time stairs - 1:02
Distance stairs - 17 flights (2.8 miles)
Pace 3:39/flight [This is faster than when I was alternating running with walking!]
Equipment stairs - Brooks Launch, Garmin fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing stairs - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt, Brooks Podium LS shirt
Technorati Tags:

17 April 2013

bike commute | Expresso exercise bike

This morning I had a sudden lapse in motivation. I woke up, got out of bed pretty promptly, went downstairs... and watched La Fleche Wallonne.

Oh well. Perhaps because I didn't go to the gym my ride in felt super.

At lunch I did get down to the IMA and after a short internal debate opted for the Expresso exercise bike instead of the elliptical trainer. And I had a pretty good ride! Not stellar but a solid and steady effort.

Expresso_2013-04-17

After work I rode up to Fleet Feet Sports on Capitol Hill for a Chi Running clinic. I was pretty psyched to learn as I am injured, I have a bad back, my feet are not ideally suited to running and I'd like to stay injury-free if possible. Sadly, no dice.

Turns out this running clinic required participants to... run. And I am still not able to do that. So I had to head home after 15 minutes. Poop.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:30 AM - 182 lb.
12:00 PM - 181 lb.
Body Fat 7:30 AM - 6
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day Expresso exercise bike - 12:00 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time Expresso exercise bike - 40:28
Distance Expresso exercise bike - 13.5 miles
Pace Expresso exercise bike - 20 mph
Equipment trainer - Expresso exercise bicycle
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing  

16 April 2013

Howe Street stairs | bike commute

After a not-so-severe weekend and a relatively easy day yesterday I was hoping I would have the motivation to go a little longer on the Howe Street stairs today and I did. Just barely though.

Lately I have been pulling the ripcord at 45 minutes and today my goal was a solid hour. I tried hard to avoid looking at my watch for as long as possible and when I finally did it said I had done 40 minutes. Whew. Still, funny how long 20 minutes (5-6 flights depending on how fast you are going) can take. In the end I got it done and was breathing good and hard at the top of the last flight.

Today is another day of alternating walking and running stairs! I think this is my third day of running them? Progress baby. And my pace is ROCK solid, no slowing down at the end at all.

My rides felt okay but boy do I need a massage... my legs are tight like guitar strings. I took a new route home - I believe it is the most direct route there is. And it's always fun to explore.

I am bummed about my weight. Stress at work and in life is affecting me and I am a HUGE stress eater. Combine that with having less time to exercise and what had been a pretty regular lunch workout has gone by the wayside recently. Oh yeah, and then there is the extra wine and beer I'm consuming. I blame that on stress too. As long as I can displace blame I can wallow comfortably in my self pity. Still, damn...

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:30 AM - 185 lb.
Body Fat 7
Breakfast 7:00 AM - Smoothie 2.0
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
commute - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:30 AM
Workout Type strength, intervals
Weather stairs - 40, dry, calm, partly cloudy
Course stairs - Howe Street
Results  
Time stairs - 1:00
Distance stairs - 16 flights (2.7 miles)
Pace stairs - 3:45/flight
Equipment stairs - Brooks Launch, Garmin fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing stairs - Teko organic SIN3RGI Light Minicrew, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt, long sleeve Polypropylene shirt
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15 April 2013

weights | rehab | core | bike commute

Made it to the gym this morning and in spite of feeling a little sleepy I managed to increase my plank time and my back extensions. A little anyway.

For sure I can tell that my ankle is getting stronger... I am this close to actually running again.

My day at work was BUSY so no time to sneak away for some yummy, yummy elliptical trainer. I know, wicked fun. At least I took a longish way home on the bike.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:30 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat 7
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day gym - 5:15 AM
Workout Type strength, rehab
Weather mid 50s by the afternoon, sunny, dry, light wind
Course
leg extensions 3 x 22 - 115 lb.
leg curls 3 x 22 - 120 lb.
squats 3 x 22 - 95 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 25 - 140 lb.
walking lunges 312 (that's over nine minutes!)
single leg squats 3 x 20 each leg
calf raises 2 x 10 each leg
wobble disk 2 x 30 sec each leg
push-ups 20/13/10
ball leg lifts 3 x 15 each leg
plank 2:00, 1:30 each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 30
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing  

14 April 2013

road ride up Tiger Mt

Road ride time!

In case I have not said it enough let me say it again. My ankle might be messed up and I might not be able to run but I am SO fortunate to not only be able to ride a bike but also to have tons of bikes to do it with. And the experience to do it safely, enjoy it and get in a great workout.

Today I got out with my good friend John Phillips. Turns out we have a mutual acquaintance in Frank Hodge. Frank rides bicycles with John and used to run with another friend of mine Justin Angle. Now I wonder if John knows Justin. I doubt it. All this made me smile for some reason.

Riding with John was GREAT. He's a super cyclist (we used to race together) and as we were holding a pretty spirited tempo on the flats I was realizing that today is the first time this year that I have been out with anyone else on a bike! Oh the joys of drafting!

While heading up Tiger Mt. I saw Dave Hecht riding over the mountain going the other direction. I bet that guys is more familiar with this hill than anyone else I know.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM - applesauce, 2 scoops Perpetuem, 1 scoop protein powder, banana, Udo's Oil, tea, water
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 1.5 large bottles each w/2 scoops Perpetuem, 2 Hammer Bars, 2 shots of Hammer Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather low to mid 40s, calm, dry (except for one shower)
Course  
Results  
Time 3:11
Distance 57 miles
Pace 18.2 mph
Equipment Redline Conquest Pro, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing knit shoe covers, leg warmers, bib shorts, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, heavy long sleeve jersey, OR Gripper gloves, cap

13 April 2013

cardio | BaDi dance class

I experienced something new today.

Twitter_2013-04-13

There I am, in the middle of what was turning out to be a great little active recovery workout on the elliptical trainer when the lights start to flash and this alarm claxon starts blasting away. Everyone had to clear out of the gym (on the 2nd floor) and the QFC (on the ground floor) as the alarm was for the entire building. As I drove home the fire truck responding to the alarm passed me going the other direction.

When I got home it was snack time and then off to my second ever BaDi dance class with Shelley. These classes are fun and the instructor is excellent but I suck! I have problems following at least half of the moves. Got rhythm? Nope.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day elliptical trainer - 8:30 AM
BaDi dance class - 10:30 AM
Workout Type active recovery
ankle rehab
Weather  
Course elliptical trainer - 13 incline, 13 resistance
Results  
Time elliptical trainer - 29 min
BaDi dance class - about 60 min followed by 15 min of stretching
Distance  
Pace elliptical trainer - 150 rpm
Equipment  
Clothing  
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12 April 2013

weights | core

What's that you say? Martin is still not getting enough sleep? Sadly this is the case. I can not WAIT for tomorrow when the alarm will be shut off.

Made it to the gym and then work was too busy to let me take any time at lunch for cardio. Oh well, I was flagging badly anyway.

Even at the gym I came this close to pulling the rip cord on my workout 15 minutes in... somehow I managed to keep going for five minutes, then another five, and then I was more than half done so stuck it out. I guess I'm glad I hung in there this time.

ASIDE - I am noticing some small improvements in this come-back from my ankle injury so in an effort to keep my glass half full I will list them.

  • I can now walk on the flats, up hills, down hills (even steep hills) and I feel no pain at all. For sure I am thinking about my ankle 100% of the time but it does not hurt. I even stubbed my toes walking home the other day - hard - and it did not hurt my ankle.
  • The strength of my left leg has caught up to my right leg as far as I can tell.
  • My left ankle is getting stronger, I can tell by all the one-legged rehab exercises I am doing.
  • Tonight was was watching television and I looked at my left ankle and the swelling has gone down a little! That got me really excited as the lump that is my joint has not changed appreciably in the last month.
  • Twice now I have spent significant time jogging up the Howe Street stairs and my ankle has not complained.
Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:30 AM - 180 lb.
Body Fat 7
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:30 AM
Workout Type strength, rehab
Weather  
Course
leg extensions 3 x 22 - 115 lb.
leg curls 3 x 22 - 120 lb.
squats 3 x 22 - 95 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 25 - 140 lb.
walking lunges 156
single leg squats 3 x 20 each leg
calf raises 2 x 10 each leg
wobble disk 2 x 30 sec each leg
push-ups 20/12/10
ball leg lifts 3 x 15 each leg
plank 2 min, 60 sec each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 25
Results  
Time 1:10
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

Can trail running develop into an unhealthy addiction?

TrailRunner Blog Symposium Button photo blogsymposiumbutton.jpg

Assuming that by 'unhealthy' you mean:

  • Getting outside most days every week.
  • Working out in the cold and wet which makes you appreciate those bluebird days that much more.
  • Forming incredible bonds with friends and exploring new routes that most people don't even hike.

And assuming that by 'addiction' you mean:

  • Adopting a lifestyle of fitness that is incredibly simple and economical when compared to some other 'healthy' activities (skiing, rowing, triathlon...).
  • Surrounding yourself with like minded people who support you in this habit.

Then the answer to that question would be an unqualified 'yes'.

I am nothing if not the pot calling the kettle black when I say that trail runners are addicted to their habit. Let me illustrate my point with a case study. Me.

I ride bicycles - have for years. I commute to work on a bike, I've gone on cycle tours and I've raced in just about every cycling discipline there is. Cycling caters to everything that gets me excited like going fast, banking around sweeping corners, conquering epic climbs and getting out there with friends. Back in the day running in general seemed to me like the antithesis of all these things. Not only did it look slow but running on the road sounded boring and talk of running on trails caused me to re-live memories of hiking with (read: being drug along by) my parents when I was a little kid, unable to keep up and being miserable. "Are we there yet...?" "I need a rest." "I'm tired." Yep, that was me. And the emotional scars of childhood hikes ran deep.

A few years ago my wife started running. Since she had supported my cycling for many years I figured it was only fair that I support her now. After diligently training the first event she entered was the Iron Girl 10k at Green Lake. This was a run for women only and I was struck by the phenomenal vibe of support. Next up was the Dawg Dash 10k which started and finished in the University of Washington football stadium (which in itself was kind of fun to experience). Wow I thought, these events attract a lot of people. She topped off the year by running the Las Vegas Half Marathon WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. Damn, this running thing sure is popular!

As I watched my wife walk toward me after finishing her first half marathon I was blown away by the sparkle in her eyes and the glow emanating from her body. Overcome with emotion (pride for her and the energy from the thousands of participants no doubt) I resolved right then and there that I would join her next year and run this half marathon myself. I think I purchased my first pair of real running shoes that same week...

At first my running was limited to the cycling off-season. In my head I was still a bike racer and was just cross training. For the next couple of years I would lace up my running shoes every fall, suffer through the initial discomfort of starting to run from scratch and ramp up my running fitness as quickly as my body would allow.

Funny how fate can play a hand in things.

It turns out one of the new members of my cycling team was an accomplished ultra runner that was using the bike to help him come back from a serious injury. Wouldn't you know it, we became friends and suddenly my fall and winter were filled with trail runs instead of road runs. It took me a bit to realize that here I was splashing around in the cold and wet and I wasn't complaining. And before you know it, I'm competing in trail races.

Fast forward a couple of years and I have run my first trail marathon.

The following spring I didn't quit running like I had in past years when my cycling ramped up and instead tried to milk my running fitness a bit. Turns out I milked it enough to finish my first ultra. Man that was hard but what a rush!

As I got used to running I was discovering that I could indeed find the same things on the trail that I loved about the bike; namely going fast, banking around sweeping corners, conquering epic climbs and getting out there with friends. This wasn't just cross training any longer, it was FUN.

So much fun in fact that last year I decided to change my focus from cycling to running and to set some ambitious running goals.

Along the way I joined a running club, made tons of new friends and have been happily re-experiencing not only all the hiking trails I used to loath as a kid but so many more. Those deep scars are healing.

Oh yeah, I did finish that road half marathon I said I would. And a few others. Turns out road running is not boring like I thought it looked. Especially when you incorporate as many urban trails as possible on your 'road' run.

Unhealthy addiction? Nope. I just wish I had discovered this habit sooner in life. I suppose there might be one small downside... running has required me to take a house full of this:

bikes

And find room for this:

shoes

Luckily I was up to the task.

11 April 2013

Howe Street stairs | bike commute

My sleep schedule is not improving much but I still got out to the stairs today! And after a slow start it turned into a reasonable workout meaning that I 1) didn't feel like I was going to die and 2) my pace stayed steady.

Today is the second day that I have been able to alternate running flights with walking flights and it felt fine (on my ankle anyway). Even jogging up these stairs one step at a time spikes my heart rate significantly higher than fast walking two steps at a time. See below.

On my ride home I stopped off at Fleet Feet Sports on Capitol Hill for the Seattle Running Club board meeting and guess what, I'm now on the board. I guess I tend to gravitate to that sort of thing... Plus, I do like to be involved in whatever clubs I join so there you go.

Riding home from the meeting in the dark was FUN. It was dry, calm and my legs felt better than when I rode to the meeting.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
commute - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:20 AM
Workout Type strength, endurance
Weather stairs - mid 40s, dry, calm
Course stairs - Howe Street
Results  
Time stairs - 48:15
Distance stairs - 13 flights ( 2.2 miles)
Pace stairs - 3:43/flight
Equipment stairs - Brooks Launch, Garmin fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing stairs - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt, Brooks Podium LS shirt
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10 April 2013

weights | core | cardio

Got in my usual AM routine which these days is some leg weights, rehab for my ankle, push-ups, and core.

On the up side I am back to doing the plank now and my times are increasing again.

On the down side I slept like crap. Again.

At lunch I still managed to hit up the IMA and added 10 minutes to my cardio session. Thank god for music. And for the tiny monitor on the elliptical trainer. And for whatever channel was playing Red Tails so I could distract myself.

Sleep 4
Waking HR  
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 181
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day gym - 5:00 AM
cardio - 12:00 PM
Workout Type strength
endurance
Weather  
Course
leg extensions 3 x 22 - 115 lb.
leg curls 3 x 22 - 120 lb.
squats 3 x 22 - 95 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 25 - 140 lb.
walking lunges 156
single leg squats 3 x 20 each leg
calf raises 2 x 10 each leg
wobble disk 2 x 30 sec each leg
push-ups 20/14/12
ball leg lifts 3 x 15 each leg
plank 2 min, 60 sec each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 25
elliptical trainer - 13 incline, 13 resistance
Results  
Time gym - 1:10
elliptical trainer - 40 min
Distance elliptical trainer - 5 miles
Pace elliptical trainer - mid 150s rpm
Equipment  
Clothing  

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