28 February 2014

bike commute

Two words: rest day

On the other hand, I am only as sore/tired as I expected to be after yesterday's run and my body is NOT thrashed. Just tired. Very, very tired.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day  
Workout Type active recovery
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  

it's all about the base

Whatever. If nothing else, it's a good excuse to run lots of slow miles.

Just nine short weeks ago I was down in the dumps worried if I was ever going to be able to run again. Then during a trip to Las Vegas over Christmas things suddenly turned a corner. I ran! I didn't just run, I strung three days together back-to-back.

Comeback 2.0! Or something like that.

For sure I had to recover some after those three crazy days but I was finally on my way to running.

Here is what my weekly mileage has looked like since then.

week ending on Dec 21 - 0 miles
week ending on Dec 28 - 13 miles (all in three days!)
week ending on Jan 4 - 12 miles
week ending on Jan 11 - 17 miles
week ending on Jan 18 - 26 miles
week ending on Jan 25 - 24 miles
week ending on Feb 1 - 34 miles
week ending on Feb 8 - 41 miles
week ending on Feb 15 - 36 miles
week ending on Feb 22 - 46 miles
week ending on March 1 - 57 miles (and I'm not even done!)

And now I'm pretty tired. But my knee does not hurt and that makes me VERY happy.

What's next? In three weeks I am going to join the Seattle Running Club in their weekly track workouts to try and beg/borrow some speed and starting in a couple of weeks I will try to pick up the pace on the trails as well.

I know from experience that you can't effectively build volume and speed at the same time so after a couple more weeks with this kind of mileage I think it will be safe to pick up the pace.

Thank you body - I very much appreciate your ability to recover from hardship.

27 February 2014

Tim Mathis Seattle Running Tour

Yes! I had been looking forward to this outing for three days.

Tim Mathis turned 34 today and so he wanted to run 34 miles. He charted out his route and even created a Facebook Event for this. When I first saw it I thought, "How cool...!" but then the reality of trying to keep moving all day started to set in and I wavered. Finally I realized that being out all day, eating all the time and being with friends is what I enjoy the most and so I would just take my bus pass along in case I needed to bail. Vacation day - check. Martin's longest run on pavement here I come. GO!

Foster_Island

I honestly was not sure I could make it the whole way but I did. Whew. I ate a ton, in spite of this I actually got a little bonky toward the end and except for the last three miles it was surprisingly easier (less hard?) than I thought it would be. Thanks to Tim's 100-mile pace no doubt. When it was just Tim and I we ran at a moderate pace. We slowed a bit when we were joined by Betsy and Deby and we walked the entire Discovery Park loop as we were joined by people that could not run during this time. We also stopped several times to take pictures and enjoy the views.

I had my Garmin Fenix in UltraTrac mode so that I could turn it on and forget it. This means the actual mileage might be a tad longer and the pace is not so accurate. Still, it worked very well. I can't say the same for my Strava upload.

Special shout out to Betsy Rogers who provided the most incredible aid station for lunch. And then joined us for a run!

In contrast to my usual uber wordy style I will try to tell this story in pictures.

P1010061

P1010062

P1010064

P1010067

P1010070

P1010076

P1010078

P1010083

P1010086

P1010089

P1010093

P1010097

P1010098

P1010101

P1010113

P1010117

P1010121

P1010124

P1010127

P1010128

P1010130

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food breakfast burrito, tea, berry pie, turkey wrap, home-made energy bar, Justin's Maple Almond Butter, Sport Beans, more home-made energy bars, lots of water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 6:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather low 40s to upper 40s, cloudy, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time 10:07
Distance 37 miles
Pace 16:22 min/mile
Equipment Hoka Stinson Trail, UltrAspire Surge, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft sleeveless undershirt, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, The North Face arm warmers, Patagonia Nine Trails Jacket

26 February 2014

core | Ravenna lunch run | walk home from bus stop

Made it to the gym for some core this morning and it felt incrementally better than Monday. 'Incrementally' is a long word meaning not very much.

At lunch I was going to hit the treadmill to shake out my legs but guess what - Mother Nature cooperated and it was brilliant out so I ran outdoors. The plan was to try and pick it up in the second half of the run but I felt pretty blown! So much for that plan, I just ran it back in and hit he showers.

Still, what a beautiful day! Short sleeves no problem. Beats the treadmill every time.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 183 lb.
1:00 PM - 184 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 1:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
on the ball leg lifts 3 x 20 each leg
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 75/25
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 40
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
run - 41:44
Distance run - 5.5 miles
Pace run - 7:38 min/mile
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
walk - Garmin Fenix
Clothing run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

25 February 2014

strengthening | bike commute | Fleet Feet run

I went to the gym this morning with no real plan and ended up doing some of my old rehab exercises. It felt good and they were HARD. Ironically, now that I am 'healthy' I am also weaker because I have stopped doing all these exercises. I guess this is more fuel to the theory that strength training year round is a good idea. All it takes is time; unlimited time.

I thought I was going to be super flat for the Fleet Feet Sports Tuesday night run but it turns out that was not the case! I had my best outing this year which was a really nice surprise. I ran with Andy Lin who is faster than I am but who also runs every day at lunch so he didn't have to wait for me much during this his second run of the day. It was great motivation being with Andy. We eased into the run and then went pretty hard/steady up the hill. At the top Andy had 100' on me but he waited - thanks Andy.

I think the yoga yesterday helped me today.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food gym - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day gym - 5:30 AM
run - 6:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather run - mid 40s, dry, calm
Course
rapid step-ups 4 x 60 sec
walking lunges 5 min
donkey kick 3 x 15 each leg - 70 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 15 - 115 lb.
leg curls 3 x 15 - 120 lb.
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time gym - 45 min
run - 42:07
Distance run - 5.4 miles
Pace run - 7:46 min/mile
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt

24 February 2014

core | hot yoga | walk home from bus stop

After my miserable plank experiences last week I opted for a different exercise today. Really, I should mix it up more anyway.

After work I went to Breathe Hot Yoga and man did it feel like this was exactly what I needed. After all that running last weekend this hit the spot. Note to self - do more of this. Unfortunately the instructor I had today was the worst I have ever had at this location. The instructions were incredibly vague and the whole session was pretty disjointed. It certainly helped that I had done this before.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 184 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food gym - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
yoga - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
on the ball leg lifts 3 x 20 each leg
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 85/15
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 50 each leg
clam knee lifts 80 each leg
roman chair knee lifts 40
push-ups 16/14/8
Results  
Time core - 40 min
yoga - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment walk - Garmin Fenix
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

23 February 2014

Cougar 10

What do you know... a second run with Bryan Estes in two days.

Yesterday I had a recovery drink after my run, did some stretching and eating when I got home, this morning I got up early to have some breakfast and then I still felt flat and slow when I hit the trail. Once again my expectations are getting way ahead of my body and I need to watch it before I dig myself a hole or get too discouraged.

Trail conditions were super today and there really was not much mud out. And there were some sections in the middle of the run where I didn't feel completely buried and was enjoying myself - probably the sections I had to walk. :)

We saw a TON of people out running today including Eric Sach from The Balanced Athlete leading his Trail Running Adventures group. Nice. WE saw several people twice which is testimony to how many different routes/variations there are on this mountain.

Today Bryan and I ranted about technology, planned obsolescence and how some hardware vendors make your life difficult for no apparent reason. For me it's always a plus when the person I'm running with has some common interests outside of running so the discussions don't get too lame. I can only handle so much talk about splits, gear, race stories, you get the idea.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 10:30 AM - 181 lb.
Body Fat 8
Breakfast 6:00 AM - 2 bananas, almond butter
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food right before start - PowerBar Energy Gel
during - bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather low 40s, calm, mostly dry
Course  
Results  
Time 1:30:36
Distance 8.8 miles
Pace poop
Equipment Brooks PureCadence 2, Ultimate Direction Fastdraw Plus, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft long sleeve undershirt, Patagonia Nine Trails Jacket, Brooks gloves, SmartWool cap

22 February 2014

Cottage Cheese Ass Tiger loop + Poo Poo Point

I had a big run planned today! Bryan Estes and I were going to do the Cottage Cheese Ass loop on Tiger Mountain and we were going to throw in Bryan's little variation out to Poo Poo Point. It adds about two miles or so which would make this my longest or second longest run this year. Heck, in the last 5.5 months!

Thank God it was not dumping rain at the start like last week so I was in much better spirits today. I was also eagerly expecting the snow and we were not disappointed.

P1010050

ASIDE - it was great to run with Bryan again, it's been about six months!

I'm glad I was psyched about the conditions because I was not having a good day. I suppose I need to (significantly!) taper my expectations as I have only been running again for just over one month but it's hard to do... I want to go faster but I can't. And I'm walking/hiking way more than I am used to. Can't rush the comeback, that's for sure. So I'll dispense with my bitching about my fitness or lack thereof and instead talk about the freaking great conditions we had.

Half way up we got snow on the ground, from there it was all gravy. The best part was descending from the summit. Bryan took off and it was all I could to do to get my camera out in time to film him.

Time to fly!

The rest of the descent was almost as awesome with snow, not much mud and then really clean trails at the bottom when it finally did get wet again.

The detour to Poo Poo Point was a bit of a letdown for me. The first stretch is a steep single track descent but then you need to climb about 1.5 miles on dirt road. It was steep, I was tired and that's all I'll say. At the top it was pretty spectacular, all foggy but still super cool to be on the edge of a giant cliff that all the parapenters jump off of.

photo_2

The last descent back to the car was not so tiring as going up but I still could not really let myself go. Bryan slowly pulled away from me. Hamming the quads is something you need to train - I learn this over and over again.

All in all, a great day. I really should be thankful that I can go out and run 20 miles again.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM - applesauce, banana, 1 scoop protein powder, Udo's Oil, tea
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/2 scoops HEED, 2 PowerBar Energy Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather upper 30s, light drizzle/snow at times
Course  
Results  
Time 3:37
Distance 18 miles
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 8, UltrAspire Alpha, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft long sleeve undershirt, Patagonia long sleeve Capilene shirt, Patagonia Capilene 4 Expedition Weight Beanie, Patagonia Capilene gloves

21 February 2014

Howe Street stairs

Today was hilarious in retrospect but crushing at the time.

This winter while running the Howe Street stairs Jim Kodjababian and I noticed that our times (1:10 or so) were just five or so seconds off of the Strava CR (1:05) for this climb. We talked about how in the past we were pretty certain we had gone under one minute so we decided to rest up and then come out here and claim that CR for ourselves!

We had some trouble coordinating the date so I was here alone but figured no big deal. It was GO time!

The last couple of days had not involved any running and I was thinking I was pretty fresh. Wearing my light/fast shoes I parked, walked two flights to get the blood flowing and then ran one flight one step at a time to up the leg speed. Finally I descended, turned around, grabbed a lung full of air and took off.

I was flying! It's amazing how fast you can go when don't hold back. During our weekly workouts I was always pacing myself so I would not blow at the top and so I could repeat the effort a few more times.

Things started to get hard as I neared Broadway but I still managed to accelerate as I crossed the flat street and I had a good head of steam going into the final pitch.

<< !!! B O O M !!! >>

If there wasn't an audible sound surely there was a small mushroom cloud because just two steps into the final pitch my legs exploded. Big time. Man was it bad... in the matter of three seconds I went from running to hobbling to hands-on-quads-barely-able-to-take-the-next-step. Ridiculous. At the top I looked at my watch and saw 1:18. Fuck me.

I went straight to the car and drove home. No way was I going to post a respectable time today. I spent the rest of the day consoling myself with chocolate and then after work I met Shelley and a bunch of friends at the Polish Home for sausages, piroshky, cabbage, potatoes and beer. At least I walked a bit from the bus stop to the Polish Home.

My first ever pre-meditated Strava CR attempt was an epic fail.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:15 AM - 185 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 6:00 AM
Workout Type max effort
Weather low 40s, calm, dry
Course Howe Street stairs
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks PureCadence 2, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt

20 February 2014

core | bike commute

Tried some core again and plank was a huge fail. Once again I held it and held it and held it before looking at my watch... and when I did it only read 2:00. I was so demoralized I collapsed to the mat instantly. I tried to start again but it only lasted 15 seconds, today was not starting out good. I did manage to finish the rest of my core routine but holy cow, I need to start planking at home or something.

On the up side, the weather was clear today and so I took the long way home for the first time this year. I forgot how tough this route is on a single speed but it was a blast being out and about. So glad I took this opportunity.

Watching was the sunset while riding through Myrtle Edwards Park and along the Seattle waterfront was beautiful.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 184 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather  
Course
plank 2 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lift each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 85/15
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 40/30 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 40
push-ups 16/14/10
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

19 February 2014

cardio | walk home from the bus

I needed a break today.

After running four(!) days in a row, two of them long and one of them hard I was pooped. The elliptical trainer was just what the doctor ordered.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day cardio - 5:45 AM
walk - 5:30 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather  
Course cardio - elliptical trainer, 12 incline, 12 resistance
Results  
Time cardio - 30 min
walk - 19:00
Distance cardio - 3.6 miles
walk - 1 mile
Pace cardio - cadence 140-upper 150s, heart rate peaked around 136
Equipment  
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

18 February 2014

core | Fleet Feet run | walk home from bus stop

Finally got to the gym for some core and the plank sucked. Hard. It was so hard... I recall looking at my watch when I thought that I had finished at least three minutes and it was like 2:10. Damn.

After work I headed up to Fleet Feet Sports and joined the Tuesday night run that is frequented by so many or my Seattle Running Club club mates. This course is great in that it has a substantial hill and then about 1.5 miles of flat after to see if you still have any wind/leg speed left. Today was the first time that I tried to go a little harder and it sort of worked. I guess it did work, I just want to be able to go even harder. :) Gotta give it time.

Last week I ended up running with two guys one of which was named Ned. This week Ned found me before the start and was asking all the usual questions posed by someone that wants to pick up the tempo like, "What pace are you going to run tonight?" and, "How fast do you usually run this route?" Okay Ned, lets go.

We cruised into Interlaken but I could tell Ned was itching to go as he got a bit aggravated when we had to wait for the light at 10th and Roanoke. By this point we had separated ourselves from the main bunch but they caught us right at the light and once it turned green Ned was off like a shot. He even warned me just before it was going to turn, "Are you ready...?!"

As we hit the climb on Interlaken I was determined to do well. Ned had been leading up till now but here I went to the front and tired not to let our pace drop too much. as we headed up Galer I was sucking wind for sure but never walked and ran straight through 15th and up into Volunteer Park. Today I was not able to hit the gas as soon as we got on the descent as I had to catch my breath! But slowly I was able to speed up and by the time I exited the park I was striding pretty well.

The last couple of blocks are always a challenge as you sometimes have to stop for traffic and you (meaning me) are tired. Today I did okay and cruised into Cal Anderson Park without slowing down much. Whew. This is just what I need more of. Thanks for the push Ned.

After the run I walked to the bus, rode the bus and then walked home from the bus. Not a bad cool down.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 6:00 PM
Workout Type run - tempo
Weather mid 40s, some wind, dry
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lifts each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 70/30
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 40/30 each leg
clam knee lifts 80 each leg
roman chair knee lifts 40
push-ups 16/14/10
Results  
Time core - 40 min
run - 43:48
Distance run - 5.5 miles
Pace run - 8:01 min/mile
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
walk - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing run - Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt

17 February 2014

Tiger Mt run

Two words: winter wonderland
Two more: first tracks

Today was positively religious. It was POURING rain as I woke up and only got worse during the next two hours. I was going to meet Dave Swoish for a run but then received the, "I woke up feeling like I have the flu!" text bright and early. Rats. Luckily some guy named Ian Goepferd was supposed to show up too so I drove out with fingers crossed.

I parked the car and huddled in the driver's seat watching the rain hammer the windshield. I was seriously about to drive home when I saw some guy in a raincoat and running pack walking around. Hello Ian; I guess I need to do this. Donning my own shell (Patagonia Houdini Jacket) I got out and we headed off.

The trail was a literal river. At first I was trying to hop over the deeper puddles but within about .125 miles I stepped into some deep, running water, got soaked, and so happily splashed along after that. Honestly, it was not freezing cold so my feet were fine.

As we climbed the rain turned to snow and as the precipitation changed so did my mood. First it was just a dusting, then there was even coverage and near the top I was plunge stepping through 12" of snow! For most of the climb I could see one other pair of Brooks Cascadia 8 footprints in front of us but then just before the summit they turned off and were finally getting our first tracks. Awesome.

Just being in the snow is a blast but descending in the snow is what I love. It's kind of like skiing in the powder in that it no longer much matters where you land, you just launch yourself down the mountain, land in fluff, repeat. I bet I was screaming like a 12 year old girl at her first One Direction concert.

Going down the snow lasted a long time... no complaints from me. And when it finally abated the temperatures rose just a bit so other than my hands which were in wet gloves all day I never got cold.

Today was one of those days you wish you had your camera along. And thanks Ian, I am SO glad you showed up. It was a blast running with you.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 12:00 PM - 182 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/2 scoops HEED, 1 GU, 2 Hammer Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather low 40s at the bottom, somewhere around freezing at the top, calm at the bottom, windy at the top
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 7, Garmin Fenix, Ultimate Direction Fastdraw Plus
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft long sleeve undershirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt, Patagonia Houdini Jacket, SmartWool cap, Patagonia Capilene gloves
Technorati Tags:

16 February 2014

Lake WA Blvd run

Last night I had dreams of going long again today... then I had a huge breakfast. Then I caught up on the Olympics. Then I had some chocolate. Then it started raining. Then I watched more Olympics.

Finally a break in the weather corresponded with me not eating so much and I headed out for a quickie along the lake.

The wind was out of the south and it was not light. I felt like I was barely moving as I shuffled down to Seward Park and then I didn't speed up nearly as much as I had hoped when I turned around. Oh well, today turned into what most people would call a recovery run and it highlighted yet again that I need to start working on some speed.

When I finally got back to Mt Baker Beach I headed up the ravine on the spur of the moment. It's short but it's a trail.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 12:30 PM
Workout Type recovery
Weather mid 40s, windy, one shower otherwise dry
Course  
Results  
Time 56:04
Distance 7.2 miles
Pace 7:47 min/mile
Equipment Hoka Stinson Trail, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt, Polypropylene gloves
Technorati Tags:

15 February 2014

Cougar Squak Cougar trail run

Nice! Two words: weather window

The forecast was for wet all day but it held off until the last 30 minutes or so and even then it was just a light rain. Five minutes after getting into my car it started dumping.

Also, today was my longest run in five months and in spite of it being physically hard I managed my nutrition well and did not bonk. I just need to get stronger and faster.

ASIDE - have I mentioned how freaking fantastic it feels to be able to run again? It feels awesome! Being out of shape is one thing, not being able to exercise is quite another.

I met up with Todd Morse Tucker and the plan was to run up and over Cougar, up and down Squak and then back up Cougar. Basically a Cougar 14 plus the detour up Squak. We did it and I could not have done it without him.

Right from the start I felt SLOW. My heart rate felt high, I was out of breath and it was all I could do to follow Todd in spite of our relaxed pace. In the beginning I wasn't even recovering well on the flat sections and the descents. I had to walk a few times on climbs and the big descent to 900 down Wilderness Cliffs just kept my heart rate up for some reason.

Climbing Squak I had to walk several times! And when I was 'running' it was just shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... About 1/4 mile from the top that finally started to change.

Descending Squak I felt MUCH better. I was running easier, going faster and feeling more relaxed all at the same time.

Climbing Cougar wasn't easy but I felt a little less pegged than when we were going up Squak for sure. The last five miles is when I finally felt 'normal' and it was great to finish stronger than I started. We finished the loop and jogged it all the way back to the car instead of stopping at the bridge.

Good times. Thanks for the company and support Todd.

Today was my first run using Perpetuem since my injury - because it was the first run long enough to need it!

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM - apple sauce, 1 scoop protein powder, banana, Udo's Oil, tea
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/2 scoops Perpetuem, PowerBar Energy Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather upper 30s to low 40s, calm, dry until the end and then some light lain
Course  
Results  
Time 3:34:53
Distance 19.6 miles
Pace 10:59 min/mile
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 8, Garmin Fenix, UltrAspire Alpha
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft short sleeve undershirt, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, The North Face arm warmers, Brooks gloves

14 February 2014

core | walk home from bus stop

Another day of core. Today was slightly better than Wednesday.

I took clothes to work in case the urge to grab some cardio would move me. It did not. Oh well, I'm planning a big run tomorrow so rest is good. And my legs did feel pretty beat to tell the truth.

I didn't wear my GPS watch today because I'm so excited about my new non-GPS watch!

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 181 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lifts each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 70/30 [I still can't do 100 in a row!]
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 40/30 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 35
push-ups 14/14/10
Results  
Time core - 40 min
walk - 20 min
Distance walk - 1 mile
Pace  
Equipment walk - Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

13 February 2014

treadmill run | bike commute

It really was wet this morning so treadmill it is... and what a soul sapper it was.

Originally the plan was to do something faster or perhaps try a progression run but no dice! It was all I could to not step off and/or slow it down. Sheesh. Sometimes I wonder if I should just bail when I feel like this or if I should HTFU. Bottom line is I'm in for the fun so the number of times that I can muster the will to harden will be few and far between. I actually had to stop for 5-10 seconds with 10 minutes to go and again with five minutes to go. :( My body/legs/breathing was fine, my head was just not in it today.

Anyway, I did finish, but it was a cruiser all the way. Whatever, check that box and move on.

After work since the rain was holding off I grabbed my bike that I had left at work on Tuesday and rode home. Sometimes I really like riding at night! Especially when it's dry.

On the way home I paused on Capitol Hill for some time with friends and a Seattle Running Club board meeting. Hence my ride in the dark. Did I mention the buzz on the hill is awesome? I just love it. I had some food at Rancho Bravo Tacos for the first time, it's in the building that used to be a KFC and it is a tremendous value and quite good tasting too. Uber urban for sure.

Sleep 5 (because of ski racing last night)
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 5:30 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather  
Course run - treadmill, 1% incline
Results  
Time run - 40 min
Distance run - 5.5 miles
Pace run
10 min at 7:30
29 min at 7:00
1 min at 6:30
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

12 February 2014

core | Lake Union lunch run | CityLeague ski racing

Finally, a real core workout. And it was hard... I need to get back in the (core) game.

I thought the weather forecast was for crap so I took the bus to work and was getting mentally all geared up for a lunch treadmill run when boom! A sunny, dry, warm afternoon to the rescue. So instead I ran out side and was absolutely comfy in just shorts and a short sleeve shirt. It was 50 degrees! Awesome when that happens. I felt super slow during my run but the stats indicate I did okay so nice surprise. I just kept it steady and managed to finish a tad faster than I started. Before my knee injury I was able to easily cruise at 7:30 all damn day, now that pace is a struggle and I cruise at 8:00. But I'm running! Speed will come when I train for it.

As I was running north on Westlake I got a shout out from Trisha Steidl. Uli Steidl was there too. It was nice to be recognized.

After work Shelley and I headed up to The Summit at Snoqualmie. She skied and I raced. I have been getting a little faster each week and this night I was up against a 'real' opponent. I got late in turn four and that was all she wrote, he schooled me and won by about one second. In the second run I paid attention, stayed focused and beat him by .5 seconds. Whew. This stuff is fun. It was relatively warm and the snow was fun so I lapped the race hill for a bit and then zoomed back over to the summit to pick up Shelley after my second run. Good times.

There was a noticeable wind today and you can see it in my pace. I was slower going south and faster than going north. :)

My week of 'clean living' is going great! No alcohol, lots of water, no garbage food and my weight is already down a couple of pounds and I feel MUCH better. Go figure, right?

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 182 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 11:30 AM
skiing - 6:30 PM
Workout Type endurance
Weather run - 50 degrees, sunny, some wind, dry
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lift each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 80/20
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 50/30 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 30
push-ups 14/14/12
Results  
Time run - 59:43
Distance run - 7.9 miles
Pace run - 7:33 min/mile
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt
Technorati Tags: ,

11 February 2014

Howe Street stairs | bike commute

Yes! Today was the last official day of stair workouts. Jim Kodjababian and I have been doing these together every winter for as many years as I can remember and it's not getting any easier but having him there sure makes it bearable and gives me huge incentive to show up week after week.

Every year we start with five flights and add one flight per week until we hit 15. The last couple of years as my focus has turned to running I have tried to show up a bit early and get in some 'warm-up' flights before Jim shows up (usually five) and so today I did 20 flights. No need to stick a fork in my legs. They are done.

While I was at work it started pouring rain so I called Shelley and got a ride home...! I am soft.

Jim absolutely killed it on our very last flight. I was dropped instantly and only just caught him as we crossed Broadway. God that was hard.

I mentioned yesterday that I was drinking too much alcohol and I felt so much better today after not drinking that I'm going to go dry for a week and see if that's hard to do. If it is I might want to reconsider my habits.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:15 AM - 180 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 40s, dry, calm
Course stairs - Howe Street
Results  
Time stairs - 1:31
Distance stairs - 3.5 miles (20 flights)
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  

10 February 2014

core | Expresso exercise bike | walk home from bus stop

Boy, this last weekend was filled with way too much drinking. Friday I drank too much wine at home with dinner, Saturday was a friend's birthday party (too much wine and beer) and Sunday was dinner with friends (way too much wine). Why does it take three days for me to realize this?

This morning was a lame excuse of a core workout. I almost pulled the plug and in hindsight should have just stayed in bed. I wandered around looking dazed doing various exercises half-heartedly that I never do and that don't really do my core any good. Sad.

The walk home after work felt refreshing at least. And I did get in a cleansing sweat at lunch.

Expresso_2014-02-10

All I tried to do during my trainer workout was keep the cadence at or above 90. I succeeded.

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight 186
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
ride - 12:00
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course ride - Lost Valley
Results  
Time core - 20 min
ride - 39:35
Distance ride - 11.53
Pace ride - 17.4 mph
Equipment walk - Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

09 February 2014

Gait and Shoe Analysis at FootWorks Physical Therapy

It's interesting that I am a huge fan of getting a bicycle fit but getting analyzed so you wear the shoes that suit your body/stride/gait the best? This had not occurred to me when I started running.

That changed in the last couple of years. As I ran farther and farther I started noticing that my body had certain 'issues'. Combined with some visits to my PT, a greater understanding of my feet and one over-use injury, I am now convinced that people should pay attention to not only shoes but gait/form as well. So much to learn!

To shed more light on all this, last Friday I took several pairs of shoes to Neal Goldberg at FootWorks PT and we spent some quality time with his treadmill and video camera.

P1010043
I also shot some video but the quality of my video is only marginal when you slow it down and try to see exactly what is happening. Sorry.

First a little about my feet. I think I have this correct...
  • I have tall arches but they don't flex. This means that my feet don't absorb shock like an average/normal foot does.
  • Less flexible arches means impact/shock is transmitted up my leg instead of being absorbed by my feet. Luckily I have been fairly free of knee/shin injuries with the exception of one IT band injury that was due to wearing the worst possible shoes for my body and one over use injury that was probably due in large part to me attempting a long run before my body was ready.
  • I strike with the outside of my foot (supinated) and then in part because my arch does not flex I roll across my foot and end up supinated.  I think this is my body trying to absorb shock since my arch does not flex.
  • My natural tendency is to heel strike lightly. Luckily this is not a problem on trails. On pavement I could probably help myself by working on minimizing that and striking more with my midfoot at least. Striking with your midfoot or forefoot lets your calf and ankle absorb more impact which would be beneficial in my case.
All this means my feet kind of go "slap, slap, slap" (think fly swatter against a hard surface) when they hit the ground instead of going "pad, pad, pad" (think jungle cat sneaking up on some prey). My heel usually touches the ground first and then my forefoot follows suit more roughly than is ideal. One result of this is I am more prone to getting blisters under the ball of my foot no matter what shoes or socks I wear.

I have been wearing neutral shoes ever since I started running and after seeing my feet collapse I naturally assumed that I would want stability shoes instead. According to Neal this isn't the case. Turns out I do want my shoes to collapse and absorb shock since my feet are not doing this themselves. What I ideally want is a shoe that is also torsionally rigid so that when my foot collapses it doesn't put my ankle in jeopardy by twisting/collapsing too much.

Are any of the shoes that I currently use torsionally rigid? Turns out not so much. Here is how they stack up. If you want to see my videos in slow motion, just click the Settings icon and change the speed like so.

YouTube_Settings

Brooks Launch

P1010044

The Launch was my first pair of nice shoes. I took it on faith from two friends that these were the bomb and got some. They were indeed comfy and this is my third pair. They are light, soft, but it turns out they are also super flexible so very poor at stabilizing my foot when I run. There is no shank or midsole insert in these shoes, I have heard them described as 'half Hokas' by one friend which is pretty accurate. You are just running on soft foam with no support whatsoever.

This shoe is a great light trainer if you are also light and a super race shoe without going all out minimalist. I also know three people who have worn them from start to finish in a 100-mile trail race and I have worn them for a 50k trail run with no issues. I just had to be a little careful where I stepped while running downhill as they did not protect me very well. I am not very light.

That said, these have got to be the most purely comfortable running shoes I have ever worn.



Brooks PureGrit

P1010045

The PureGrit was my first pair of 'high performance' (read: light) trail running shoes. They are incredibly comfortable and there is something to be said for the intimate contact and feel and control you get from a thinner shoe. At first I just used these for shorter training runs but then I tried them at a 20-mile race which went well and finally I ran a 50k race where I sprained my ankle (the shoes did not contribute to that particular injury) but my feet were fine.

The foam in the PureGrit is significantly firmer than in the Launch and you get reasonable protection from sharp objects but I would not want to wear them on a long, rocky descent. Knowing they are light makes them 'feel' fast. To me that is the biggest value in a shoe like this.

Pictured is my first pair of these and I liked them so much I got the Brooks PureGrit 2 which I have yet to run in.

As you might expect these do not help stabilize my foot but they feel great on the trail and I feel very connected to the ground.



Brooks Cascadia 8

P1010046

The Cascadia is straight up meat and potatoes when it comes to trail running. As far as I know it was the first trail-specific shoe that Brooks ever made and it's still hugely popular. The Cascadia does have a protective layer between the rubber sole and the EVA foam to insulate you from sharp rocks and this edition (the 8th variation that Brooks has made) has a cool lacing system that keeps the tongue securely in place.

These shoes are very comfortable and have been my go-to off road shoes ever since I got my first pair. This is my third pair. I have worn them for a 50-mile race and wore them for the first half of a 100-mile race.

Going in I thought these would be the clear winner.

Not. Turns out that although the sole does a super job of protecting the foot from impact and sharp objects, it still twists pretty easily and so doesn't help my situation much. That said, they have worked very well for me and I will continue to wear these as my go-to trail shoes.



Brooks PureCadence 2

P1010047

Why did I get these shoes? Because they are light and cool as hell. This is as close as I will ever get to a minimalist shoe. My body just isn't built for them and I'm not such a small guy.

How do they feel? Freaking light! And fast. Do they support my foot? Nope. Can I run in them? For short distances only. I did seven miles once and that felt okay.

Did I mention they look cool?



Brooks Glycerin 11

P1010048

I thought this shoe would come in 2nd for sure. After my knee injury I got these in an attempt to get something with plenty of protection, slightly more stability and weight was not a concern. This is a real 'trainer' and it's all I have been wearing on the road/stairs/treadmill since I have been able to run again.
They do help stabilize my foot a little more but it's not as much as I was hoping for. This is still a very neutral shoe with very average torsional rigidity. Just like the Cascadia, they do offer more protection from the ground and you can get more miles out of them but they still twist.

This is my first pair of the Glycerin and I do like them. And by 'like' I mean that they feel more supportive and protective than any other road shoe I have worn.



Hoka Stinson Trail

P1010049

The shoe that I have is actually the Stinson Evo which has been replaced by the Stinson Trail.

When I started running trails and then started running more in general I was getting beat up. This was probably due in part to the rapid ramp up in mileage that I subjected myself to and the fact that my feet do beat me up more than normal feet would. So I got a pair of Hoka shoes. Everyone said they were the ultimate recovery run shoe and that you could hammer rocky descents and not even feel it. Of course you need to take advice like this with a grain of salt but they do insulate you from the ground WAY more than anything else I have ever worn. I have come down Mt Teneriffe pretty quick in them and could tell that they were helping big time.

These shoes twisted the least. They don't have an insert or shank so it must be due to the extra EVA foam. More is more after all and in this case more foam is less likely to twist.

What's interesting is that even though they feel like they protect me from the ground better than anything else, it feels like I collapse to the inside MORE with these shoes on. I'm not sure if it feels this way because there just is more stuff to collapse or what. The video is unfortunately only so good.



So what did I learn? Let me attempt to paraphrase what Neal said and I'll add some personal opinions.
  • Neutral shoes are okay for me.
  • I should try to find a shoe that is vertically compliant and torsionally rigid. [For those of you that are into bicycles this will sound incredibly familiar...] Neal recommended the Brooks Dyad 7. This is very similar to the Glycerin but with more EVA foam underfoot. I plan to get these once I wear out my Glycerin shoes.
  • Neal also recommended more Hokas.
  • It might just be the case that my body will not tolerate 100-mile races well. Or at least that I need to ease into them most slowly. Every body - but especially mine it seems - needs time to acclimate to the stresses of running and it might have been the case that I did too much too soon.
  • I love trail running! Thinking back I would never have said this even four years ago. Now it's hard to describe the thrill, the joy and the rush of cruising along some pristine single track under your own power. This means I will pay more attention to my shoes and what I wear each pair for.
In conclusion here is how my shoes stacked up from best (for me) to worst (for me). Honestly, there was not a huge difference between #2, #3 and #4.
  1. Hoka One One Stinson Evo
  2. Brooks Glycerin 11
  3. Brooks Cascadia 8
  4. Brooks PureGrit
  5. Brooks Launch
  6. Brooks PureCadence 2
Which shoes do I subjectively feel protect my foot and ankle the most? That goes something like this.
  1. Brooks Glycerin 11
  2. Brooks Cascadia 8
  3. Hoka One One Stinson Evo
  4. Brooks PureGrit
  5. Brooks Launch
  6. Brooks PureCadence 2
And lastly, which shoes are the most fun to run in? 'Fun' is hard to define but it usually means what shoes feel fast, are light and what shoes are comfortable when I use them. Here you go.
  1. Brooks PureGrit
  2. Brooks Cascadia 8
  3. Brooks Launch
  4. Hoka One One Stinson Evo
  5. Brooks Glycerin 11
  6. Brooks PureCadence 2
I should say that many of the shoes that are not ideal for me are great for other people! And in spite of the fact that I have been logging miles in some models that are not ideal for me, it's definitely the case that all these Brooks shoes are incredibly comfortable. That is worth quite a lot.  And finally, it might well be the case that there is no 'perfect' shoe for me and that I just need to be careful and listen to my body when going longer.

Popular Posts