31 May 2014

Cougar 12 + Bear Ridge trail run

Yes!

Ran with Bryan Estes today and I felt better today than I have in at least three weeks. Boy did I need that.

I felt like we kept up a pretty steady/good pace climbing Bear Ridge and then instead of fading I was able to push the pace just a little at the top of De Leo Wall. Nice. My nutrition was also spot on. Bonus.

The only bummer is my GPS crapped out and lost the satellites on what can only be described as a stellar, cloudless day?!

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 4:45 AM - banana, Hammer Bar, water
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food bottle w/1.5 scoops HEED, PowerBar Energy Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather low 50s, dry, sunny, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance 15 miles?
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 9, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt

30 May 2014

bike commute

Rode my bike to work and on the way home I got a haircut! It's been ages and I saw about 3" on the floor. Feels good.

I was beat this morning. All the studying Tuesday and Wednesday night... it seemed prudent to just torn the alarm clock off this morning and sleep in a bit.

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

29 May 2014

treadmill run | bike commute

My running has not been so great lately. I tried to think back and recall what worked for me when I was feeling better and one thing I did was spend a bit more time on the treadmill. As lame as that sounds to some people (me included usually), if you have not done something for along time - even if it's boring - you can usually do it again.

I think the treadmill is easier on my body and it lets me run at a faster and more controlled pace. So I gave it a shot this morning. After a somewhat sluggish start my body warmed up and it felt pretty good! I think today it was the right choice.

It was anther fabulous day so I took the long way home. That was not bad either.

On the way home I ran into Ryan Dean and we chatted for a good 10 minutes on 1st Ave. More cheap therapy.

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food run - water
commute - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 60s, sunny, dry, light wind
Course run - treadmill, 1% incline
Results  
Time run - 40 min
Distance run - 5.7 miles
Pace run
5 min @ 7:30
30 min @ 7:00
4 min @ 6:30
1 min @ 6:00
Equipment run - Brooks Transcend
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing run - Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

28 May 2014

core | bike commute

My core workouts seems to be getting few and far between. :( At least I checked the box today.

Today was another day of rushing home after training and hitting the books! I have not crammed like this in ages.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
commute - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 60s, mostly sunny, dry, light breeze
Course
on the ball leg lifts 2 x 60
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 3 x 20 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 20/16/12
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  

27 May 2014

Howe Street stairs | bike commute

I'm participating in some ITIL training today through Thursday and I suspected I would have to study in the evening rather than go running. I was right. Good thing I hit the stairs this morning.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/1.5 scoops HEED
commute - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - low 50s, dry, calm
commute - mid 60s, sunny, dry
Course  
Results  
Time stairs - 45:55
Distance stairs - 2.1 miles (13 flights)
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Transcend, Garmin Fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing stairs - Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

26 May 2014

around Lake WA on a single speed

Nice!

It's been way too long since I got out on a proper road ride and today - being a work holiday and being a beautiful day - was the day.

On the east side of Lake WA I saw these prayer flags that had been strung up above the bike path. I had a great song playing at the time [Did I mention that I had music along? Oh yeah.] and it all seemed somehow appropriate.

prayer_flags

My ride of choice? The Kona Paddy Wagon. Was it easy? NO. It seems I have lost even more road fitness/strength and I was out of the saddle pretty much all the way up Juanita but was it fun? YES. There was a bit of wind out so I chose the direction that would give me a tailwind finish and it was a good call. I still felt great coming up Rainier and Lake WA Blvd.

On the Burke-Gilman Trail I saw Martha Walsh and Mick Walsh, that was nice.

I was impressed by the difference in attire between cyclists and runners. I don't mean obvious stuff like running shorts vs. cycling shorts, but runners seem to dress down more, I suppose it's the wind chill? I saw all kinds of people in tights, arm/leg warmers, jackets, you name it. I never got cold.

Sleep 7.5
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food right before start - Promax bar
during ride - 2 bottles each w/1.5 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather 60, sunny, dry, some wind
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Kona Paddy Wagon, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing knit shoe covers, bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, short sleeve jersey, cap

25 May 2014

SRC Sunday Squak MT run

What felt scary at the start turned out to be good. Really good.

After yesterday morning's attempted run ['attempted' always sounds better than 'aborted'] I was so down in the dumps! But one thing I think I have figured out is that for now at least, I need to be around other people or I will work myself into a frenzy. To that end I joined the Seattle Running Club Sunday run which was on Squak Mountain today.

As we headed out my mind went back to where it had been yesterday and It took a bit of an effort to just run, listen to other people talk and to enjoy the trails. Which were in epic shape today - that helped. Four or five miles in I was doing much better and it just kept improving from there.

We hit three summits today and then took this new trail (that SRC made!) which was pretty steep, pretty rugged but also pretty beautiful. The whole way down I'm thinking, "Oh man, we have to come back up this?" But I ended up feeling pretty good on the climb and ran probably 80% which was WAY more than I thought I was going to manage. Bonus.

From there it was the usual - and very pretty - trail back to the car. I'm really glad I went on this run. For sure there was a lot of stopping and waiting (at least 30 minutes total - I waited 20 minutes at the top of that new out-and-back trail alone) but today, for me, it was very worth it. I was starting to feel like I could not run more than a couple of miles without bailing.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/1.5 scoops HEED, Hammer Bar, PowerBar Energy Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 50s, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 9, Garmin Fenix, UltrAspire Alpha
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Infinity Short III, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III

24 May 2014

Cougar Mt trail run (aborted) | Tiger Mt MTB ride

Okay, so yesterday I thought I felt crummy but I didn't realize just how bad things were going to get until today.

I woke up with big plans. I was hoping to do a Bryan Estes special today meaning a long run on Cougar Mt with one Squak Mt summit thrown in. I thought I was ready so got my gear in order and headed out.

Wow. I have not seen the Cougar Mountain Red Town Trail parking lot this full in a LONG time. I guess part of it was my arrival time which was way later than I'm usually here and part of it was a giant school field trip/hike that was heading out. I quickly got me shit sorted and managed to pass this group on the first hill. Whew.

I'm not going to over-share here or anything but I have had some stress in my life that is obviously affecting me in all kinds of ways. I already know that it is sabotaging my sleep and my motivation to exercise but usually when I actually get to the gym/trail/whatever I can execute the plan. Not today.

ASIDE - and in retrospect, not on several other days as well.

Once I passed these kids and was alone my brain shifted into overdrive. And that was not good.

You know when you overthink something - to death - and the more you do the less you are able to come to terms with it? That was me. 1.8 miles into my run I'm walking. .5 miles later I'm walking again. It wasn't because this was a hard route or because I was beat, I was just letting my brain go crazy. Around 2.6 miles in I found myself standing in the trail staring at my watch thinking that I was not even half way through the shortest loop I knew on Cougar Mt and all I wanted to do was cry instead of run.

So I did. I think it helped. A little.

After my tiny meltdown I turned around and ran back to the car. Perhaps because this was mostly downhill or because I could imagine myself finishing (heading the other way I could NOT) I was able to speed up. For a few brief moments I really pushed the pace but mostly I just wanted to get the hell back to the car and get out of here.

That was a humbling experience.

Lucky for me I have a friend (Tony Callen) with a very flexible schedule who likes to ride mountain bikes. I texted him as soon as I got home and two hours later were were riding on Tiger Mountain. Nice.

This was the perfect antidote to my morning misery. We talked, I told him what was on my mind and he was supportive. After the ride - which was a BLAST - I got us nachos and beer at the Roanoke Inn on Mercer Island. Therapy at a bargain price.

Oh yeah, I also tried my new Brooks Cascadia 9 shoes today, they felt kind of narrow(?) but it was nice to have new shoes. I bet I just need to break them in. And that will need to be some other day.

Sleep 7.5
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food run - a few sips from my bottle but not much really
ride - bottle w/1.5 scoops Perpetuem
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 9:00 AM
ride - 12:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course run - the first 2.5 miles of the Cougar 10 loop
ride - up the road, Preston Railroad Grade Trail, Fully Rigid, Joy Ride, Timber Trail
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Cascadia 9, UltrAspire Alpha, Garmin Fenix
ride - Performance Access XCL, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing run - Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Infinity Short III, Brooks Podium SS shirt

23 May 2014

walk home from bus stop

Man, my motivation really seems to ebb and flow. I had hoped that yesterday was the low tide but nope, today was a bit lower.

No gym in the AM and then it started to rain so no bike commute.

On the upside I met my good friend John Phillips on my walk home and we talked for about 10 minutes. And it was a super afternoon. Sunny, kind of muggy, I loved it.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day  
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

22 May 2014

core | bike commute | Breathe Hot Yoga

Oh man, I hate it when this happens...

I got to the gym and figured I would mix up my exercises some since I had been here yesterday. I haven't done an actual plank in ages so I started off with that and just when it started to get physically hard (two minutes in) I got mentally weak and quit.

The rest of the aborted core workout was basically me wasting time with random cables and machines and then going home because I was 1) not getting in any quality work and 2) was driving myself crazy.

Riding to work helped some, it usually settles the mind.

After work I went to Breathe Hot Yoga and that was the ticket. I have not been in a while and it was not any easy workout but it sure felt good after.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
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  
Results  
Time core - 15 min
yoga - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

21 May 2014

Santa came early, and he was wearing a Brooks t-shirt

My shipment of Brooks shoes arrived so last Monday I jammed up to Fleet Feet Sports Seattle and picked them up. When I got home I took some time to check out my loot.

20140519_160405

Run happy indeed!

Since I already have some lighter weight shoes for the trail and road I got some meat and potatoes shoes this time round.

First off all I needed a good road trainer. Enter the Brooks Transcend.

20140519_160552

I'm super excited about this shoe! Brooks calls it a stability shoe but to me it's the most stable neutral shoe I have seen. I have worn it twice and so far I am loving the comfort and lateral stability without a rigid feeling. Those guide rails really seem to living up to all the hype.

Next up I needed a new pair of everyday trail shoes. Enter the Brooks Cascadia 9.

20140519_160533

I wore out my last pair of Cascadias, literally, so I know these work for me. I'm excited to try the latest iteration.

Thanks to Brooks, Fleet Feet Sports Seattle and the Seattle Running Club for making all this possible! I'll see you on the road. And trails.

core | bike commute | SRC hill workout

Each week when I show up to the Seattle Running Club Wednesday night workout we do something different. Today it was short hills. The goal? 20 minutes of work meaning if it takes you one minute to run up the hill, you do 20 repetitions.

It was taking me about 1:30, one fast group (Joe Creighton, Evan Williams, Brett) was clocking 1:10 consistently and the two fastest (Uli Steidl, Erik Barkhaus) were around 1:05. Wow.

As a special treat David Longdon showed up! Sounds like he wants to round out his fitness with a spot of running and perhaps he even has some 5k time goals that he would like to realize. Very fun to have another friend out here - and a cycling friend at that.

Core was okay but nothing else. Ditto for my commute. I was a bit late leaving home for the run and had to run a bit instead of my usual jog to get there in time.

The running workout was a bit less in terms of time and distance than usual. Including warm up and cool down I usually get in 10+ miles and today it was 'only' nine. Today we ran the last three blocks of the longer hills we did one month ago. It's a potent three blocks!

Interestingly my heart rate never climbed above the low 150s for these hills! And yes, I was working hard. I guess just like on a bicycle, going up in a big gear isn't the best way to spike your heart rate.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 6:15 PM
Workout Type run - hill intervals
Weather run - upper 60s, dry, sunny
Course
on the ball leg lifts 2 x 60
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 3 x 20 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 20/18/14
wobble disk 2 min each leg
run - E Yesler Way from 32nd up to 29th
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance run - 15 hills [So that's roughly 22.5 minutes of work? Goal accomplished.]
Pace run - Not exactly sure what my first hill was but it felt too fast. I slowed down a touch and was doing 1:27-1:28 after that. After a while I slowed to 1:30 but then managed to post 1:25 for me last two.
Equipment commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
run - Brooks Transcend, Garmin Fenix
Clothing run - Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Infinity Short III, Brooks Podium SS shirt

20 May 2014

Howe Street stairs | bike commute | Fleet Feet run

Total Fitness Tuesday! Or something like that...

Got in a reasonable Howe Street stair session, rode to work and then went on the Fleet Feet Sports Seattle Tuesday night run. Today I kind of gassed coming back up the hill, perhaps it was the stairs?

On the upside I got try a pair of new shoes today, the Brooks Transcend. The shoe felt great but my right calk got tweaked on the run for some reason.

Super weather all day long. But that and my new shoes didn't make the stairs any easier. :( Still, it's pretty fun to have it be daylight right from the start! Total contrast to the winter workout sessions.

At the Tuesday run it felt to me like we started out a tad fast but someone else said it felt pretty easy. I guess that should be a sign things are not going so well. :) I was with the front group until we hit the gravel path in the Arboretum and then they started to pull away. I managed to drop the guys I was with on the hill but it was hard and for the first time in weeks I had to walk for a bit at the top of the dirt trail. Oops. I also was not able to close fast and just kind of maintained my pace. Joe Creighton and Brett ran me down with about .25 miles to go.

As bad as I felt, my time was only about 1:30 slower than a really good time for me on this run.

I have taken it easy for several days, I'm sure that is not helping my fitness.

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 - 5:35 AM
run - 6:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time stairs - 47:19
run - 46:53
Distance stairs - 2.1 miles (13 flights)
run - 6 miles
Pace run - 7:46 min/mile
Equipment stairs - Brooks Transcend, Garmin Fenix
commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
run - Brooks Transcend, Garmin Fenix
Clothing stairs - Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt
run - Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Infinity Short III, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III

19 May 2014

errands by bike

Just a quick trip to Fleet Feet Sports Seattle today to pick up MY NEW Brooks SHOES. More on that later.

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

18 May 2014

Cougar 10 trail run

Nice.

Looking back this is the first time in a long while that I have managed to run twice in the same weekend.

Hooked up with Bill Huggins for the benchmark of all benchmarks - the Cougar 10. The result? A pretty average time; which is not so bad after a really hard run.

I was pretty freaking slow getting going but started to feel better half way in. On account of yesterday no doubt.

It was great to catch up with Bill, we chatted the entire time.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM - apple sauce, banana, tea
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food bottle w/1 scoop HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 50s, partly cloudy, dry
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks PureGrit, Garmin Fenix, Ultimate Direction Fastdraw Plus
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

17 May 2014

Rattlesnake Ridge, Rattlesnake lake trail run

I ran a new route today! The middle 12 or so miles were incredibly beautiful. And the rest was not bad at all.

My goal going in was just to run all of this, just like I managed to do last Sunday. But in the back of my mind was a Strava CR or two that I thought looked attainable...

Ready, set, go!

I started at exit 27 off of I-90 with Lars Larson and friends. We ran up and over Rattlesnake Ridge to Rattlesnake Lake and back. Just like last weekend I started nice and slow, found my granny gear and ran the whole thing. The only time I stopped was at the porta potty which was conveniently located at the turnaround. Yes!

ASIDE - unfortunately my slow was too fast for the rest of the group. Within about half a mile I was with just one other guy and half a mile later I was alone. Oops. If it hadn't been for this 'other' goal that I had today I would have been much more social. :(

I cruised (meaning I did not go too fast) the first descent but then started pushing the pace near the top of the second climb and after checking my elapsed time and the miles I had left tried to scorch the second descent. That lasted about three miles when I realized I was BEAT and had to slow down for a bit. Thankfully I managed to pick it up again for the last mile.

There are some AWESOME sections of trail up here...! A little foggy today so no views but the trail surface was mostly nice and soft. Except for the rocky parts at the start/finish and heading down to the lake.

No incidents today except for one stumble that scared me pretty good. I almost bit it at speed but instead pulled out a massive recovery that lasted probably 20 steps. Yikes! So glad I didn't fall down.

Descending back to the car I turned on some music and it was the perfect playlist. Love it when that happens.

I was hammered at the finish. I tried to close like it was a race and I sure felt it after. Had to walk two laps of the parking lot just to normalize.

Regarding Strava and the Cars I was shooting for, here is the deal.

My run: http://app.strava.com/activities/142261103

The previous CR: http://www.strava.com/segments/6298391

Another previous CR: http://www.strava.com/segments/3434543

As far as I could tell, there is only one way to go so how could I have missed this opportunity at some fleeting fame? At my age, they don't come along all that often. Whatever.

On the bright side I think I got the nutrition just right today. I never got bony and kept topping off with gel and liquid food and managed to drink some plain water as well. Even so, I was a bit dehydrated after I finished and when I squatted down to stretch my quads my hamstrings cramped! I guess I really did push it at the end.

Sleep 4
Waking HR.  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 3:45 AM - applesauce, banana, Udo's Oil, tea
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food 2 bottles each w/1.5 scoops Perpetuem, 3 PowerBar Energy Gel, 20 oz. water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:15 AM [Because Lars likes it early...]
Workout Type  
Weather low SC to upper SC, alternating cloudy and foggy, dry sky and trails
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks PureGrit 2, Garmin Felix, UltrAspire Alpha
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium Core Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, sleeveless undershirt, Brooks short sleeve AZ T III, Head sweats Visor

16 May 2014

core | bike commute

Got to the gym and checked the core box.

And even though it was not quite as stellar outside as the last two days it was still plenty fabulous so I opted for the long way home which I have not taken in way too long. As a bonus I stopped by my friend Tony Callen's house on the way to drop something off and he decided to join me for most of the loop! Not often I get company on a towny, platform pedal bike ride. Nice.

I was reminded how many, unique, diverse neighborhoods you see on this route!

  • UW campus
  • University District
  • Fremont
  • Ballard
  • The Locks
  • Discovery Park
  • Magnolia
  • Seattle waterfront
  • Belltown
  • Downtown
  • Pioneer Square
  • China Town
  • Rainier Ave
  • Leschi/Mt Baker
Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 184 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
commute - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather upper 60s, mostly sunny, light breeze
Course
on the ball leg lifts 2 x 60
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 3 x 20 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 20/14/10
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing  

15 May 2014

walk

Back when I injured myself and couldn't do anything I was pretty bummed. To cheer myself up I started logging walks when I was finally able to do so just to make myself feel better. I'm kind of laughing that I kept up the habit...

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day  
Workout Type active recovery
Weather It was 70 degrees when I left home! 80 later in the day.
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

14 May 2014

core | bike commute | SRC track workout

I was still a bit sleepy tired this morning but ended up having a good core workout.

Even better, I had really good track workout! Here (I think) are my keys to success.

  • Get enough sleep. Duh.
  • Jog to the tack slowly! Those first three blocks from our house are straight up...
  • Start the workout at a reasonable speed. I'm still learning what that is and today I got it pretty much spot on. Previously I was perhaps starting too fast - easy to do when you are the slowest person at the workout!
  • Don't let the workout get inside your head too much. It's going to be long so just take it one interval or set of intervals at a time.

The goal was 3 x 200 m followed by 3 x 400/800/400 m followed by 3 x 200 m.

Ran my first 200s in 43/42/41 and my last 200s in 42/41/38 and all my other intervals were pretty consistent. I think I am slowly getting the hang of this.

I should have brought some water, it was 80 degrees!

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
track workout - 6:30 PM
Workout Type  
Weather 80, sunny, dry
Course
on the ball leg lifts 2 x 60
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 3 x 20 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each leg
clam knee lifts 80 each leg
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 20/14/10
wobble disk 2 min each leg

track
200 m on, 200 m off
200 m on, 200 m off
200 m on, 200 m off
400 m on, 400 m off
800 m on, 400 m off
400 m on, 400 m off
400 m on, 400 m off
800 m on, 400 m off
400 m on, 400 m off
400 m on, 400 m off
800 m on, 400 m off
400 m on, 400 m off
200 m on, 200 m off
200 m on, 200 m off
200 m on

Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing run - Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Infinity Short III

13 May 2014

bike commute | Fleet Feet run

Still not sleeping well and felt pretty lethargic all day including at the beginning of the run but picked it up on the hill and had a reasonable finish/last mile.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 6:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather run - upper 70s, sunny, dry
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500
run - Brooks PureGrit, Garmin Fenix
Clothing run - Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Infinity Short III

12 May 2014

Lake WA Blvd jog | Tiger Mt MTB ride

A little active recovery run followed by a quick Tiger Mountain ride w/friends.

I finally got to check out some new trails; Fully Rigid and Joy Ride. The verdict? They are freaking fantastic! At the top you drop into Fully Rigid which is all swoopy and burmy and it flows into Joy Ride which is more of the same. Tighter and slightly more technical than most trails on Tiger but not crazy and a blast.

Man, I slept like garbage last night. Tossing and turning, night sweats, you name it. I hate that.

On my run today I had a relapse of low motivation. It's apparently hard for me to run on flat roads and/or go easy. The goals was just to get out for an easy 'spin' and it felt labored mentally. I walked twice just because my head was not in it. But it was an amazing afternoon so I tried just to enjoy the sun.

The ride was a whole different story. I was with lots of friends, all of which were not what you would call super fit and so on eh climb I was going really mellow. But we were talking, joking and I had not problem going slower. Was it because we were climbing? Because I was not alone? I need to figure this out.

And of course the descents on the ride were FUN.

Sleep 4
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food run - water
ride - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED, gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 1:20 PM
ride - 5:20 PM
Workout Type active recovery
Weather 70s, sunny, dry
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
ride - Performance Access XCL, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing run - Fitsok CF2, Brooks Infinity Short III

11 May 2014

Cottage Cheese Ass Tiger Mt loop

Finally. I so needed this day to happen.

Today I ran every step of the way on this loop which is something I'm not sure I have ever done. It was not my fastest time by any means but it was a steady effort and I have been struggling with just keeping going so it was awesome to finally find my granny gear for the climbs.

I drank while running, I ate while running, today was about running.

I made it to the hiker's hut in 1:40 (average I guess) but then on the second half of the descent I dialed it up and for a short section I was really flying. And I topped it off with a good last mile back to the car on the flats.

It felt fantastic to close strong. Hopefully I learn this lesson.

The very last bridge on the climb has been washed away, it was a muddy trip down into and back out of the creek gully.

I am really liking these Brooks PureGrit 2 shoes! I think these are my trail race shoes on anything unless it is insanely rocky.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food drive to start - Hammer Bar
run - 2 bottles, each w/2 scoops HEED, 2 VFuel gels
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s to mid 50s, some sun, some fog, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks PureGrit 2, Garmin Fenix, UltrAspire Alpha
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, SRC long sleeve sublimated shirt

09 May 2014

core | walk | Prost Challenge

I have this friend Martin de Vrieze and he loves beer. Today we ran to three Prost German Pubs and drank at each one. I almost survived unscathed.

shin

I got to the gym this morning and then walked from work to the start of this run.

We started at Feierabend by REI, ran up to Die Bierstube on Roosevelt and drank .5 l of beer. From there it was west to Prost Tavern on Phinney Ridge for another .5 l of beer. Finally we ran back to Feierabend for the final .5 l followed by some food.

Here are some things I learned/confirmed today.

  • I am not 25 years old anymore. 20, 10, heck even five years ago this would have been a blast. Today it seemed like too much beer. Sure I had one beer during he Cascade Crest 100 but that was ONE 12 oz. beer on a long, hot day and not three 17 oz. beers in fairly short order.
  • I am a klutz. On the final leg of the run we were heading south just after crossing the Fremont Bridge where I opted to run on the (old, rotting, slippery) railroad ties next to all the houseboats. My eyes were riveted on my footing and that combined with my visor prevented me from seeing a rather substantial branch that stuck out across my path. I cracked it with my head and was promptly on my butt. After getting up I took perhaps five steps before I slid off the ties, stuck my foot between them and tore up my shin. Truthfully, it could have been a lot worse... I could have broken my leg.

All-in-all this was a good time but I need to be careful and maybe not involve alcohol with so many activities.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 179 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food gym - water
run - 3 x .5 l of beer
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 4:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather run - mid 50s, mostly cloudy, dry
Course
on the ball leg lifts 2 x 60
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 3 x 20 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each leg
clam knee lifts 80 each leg
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 20/16/10
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft Active Extreme Short Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks Podium SS shirt

08 May 2014

bike commute

Taking it easy after yesterday.

I had to ride home in the wet for the first time in ages but it was not cold.

Sleep  
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  

Popular Posts