31 January 2015

Rattlesnake Ridge trail run

What a day!

It's been pretty foggy down low and today I was above it all. And the trail conditions up on Rattlesnake Ridge were primo. Everything was covered in pine needles and the ground was soft but not wet. I hardly got muddy!

Fitness wise I'm still struggling a bit. This course is really well suited to a negative split as it's six miles of climbing from the car followed by four miles of descending to the lake so you have a shorter climb and longer descent coming home. In spite of keeping it way under control (under 140 bpm) on the way out I was struggling on the way back and kept slowing down. The result was a positive split by five minutes. Rats.

But there was so much good about today that in the end I was super glad I did this. Here are more details.

  • There was one other car in the parking lot when I started. The lot was full and there were cars parked down the road when I finished.
  • I almost bailed six miles in, SO glad I didn't.
  • Sections of this trail are amazing! So much fun.
  • On the way back to the car I passed a group of 15 hikers, ALL of them were wearing rain pants and knee-high gators?! And rain jackets and fancy hiking hats with neck flaps, c'mon!
  • if I were to write a poem about this run it would go something like this.

crunch, crunch, crunch, peaceful, dark, breathe, breathe, breathe, sunrise, MOUNTAINS, orange, red and wow, pine needles, soft, soft, soft, stairs, climb, climb, climb, indecision, resolve, down, down, down, hop, jump, hop, jump, hiker, hiker, talk, talk, college kids, bro, bro, bro, like, totally, family, family, dogs, dogs, DOGS, HIKERS, KIDS, HIKERS, DOGS, steeps, views, forest, soft, soft, soft, needles, needles. Big. Giant. Smile.

When I started it was dark.

I got to see the forest slowly get lighter and lighter and watch the sun peak over the Cascades. It was beautiful.

I tried to take more pictures and movies but during my second movie my battery suddenly died...

I gotta say, two things I love are Perpetuem and these Brooks Pulse Lite Glove II. So tasty and so comfy.

Sleep 6
Waking HR 5:30 AM - 46
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast 6:00 AM - 2 bananas, 1 scoop Hammer Whey Protein, apple sauce, Udo's Oil
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition 2 large bottles each w/2.5 scoops Perpetuem and 1 Endurolytes, 3 Hammer Gel
Recovery large bottle w/3 scoops Recoverite
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 7:00 AM
Workout Type endurance
Weather upper 30s to upper 40s, calm, dry, sunny
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 10, Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest 2.0, Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, buff, Brooks Pulse Lite Glove II

30 January 2015

Flying Lion 5 | run

My favorite brewery is Flying Lion Brewing. It so happens that one of the brothers that opened this place (Evan Williams) is a runner and a member of the Seattle Running Club (my running club) so when he announced a weekly Friday evening run I was pretty excited. Today was the first time I was able to participate and the course is great!

From the brewery you head NE through Genesee Park, then South along Lake WA Blvd, and then up some honest hills and finally back to the brewery. This route does a great job of avoiding heavily trafficked streets and in just it's third week the Flying Lion 5 has already drawn a crowd, there were about 15 people there today!

Hopefully I can flex my work schedule some to make this more often, I have to pretty much jump on the bus and head straight there to make it, it would be great if I could head home first and then run there...

Notice how the route approximates to Flying Lion logo. Not an accident.

After the brewery run I ran home, with my full messenger bag! That was a first for me and believe me, it's slow going. First of all I was tired and secondly anytime I tried to go faster than 9:00 min/mile my bag would bounce around too much. I did not need any more incentive to slow down today. :)

It was fun running home! All dark but not too cold.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 44
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition  
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day Flying Lion 5 - 6:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 40s, calm, dry
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 12, Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Clothing The Balanced Athlete Fitsok CF2, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, Brooks Pulse Lite Glove II
Technorati Tags: ,

29 January 2015

cardio | Breathe Hot Yoga | walk

My legs are STILL wasted from doing stairs Tuesday. I obviously wrecked myself. Here's hoping I can get back to feeling good soon. It feels like I tore some muscle in my left quad mostly, like after a day of really aggressive weight lifting but even more so.

So at the gym this morning I just did some active recovery and that felt excellent. Good call in retrospect.

Then because I didn't ride or run I went to Breathe Hot Yoga for one of their Hot Vinyasa classes. Ryan was the instructor and he's pretty incredible. To me he's the best at talking you through all the poses so even a beginner can follow along. He also always has two or sometimes three options for each pose so even the advanced folks are challenged. Nice.

Didn't sleep so hot last night, it's been a while since that happened.

Sleep 5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 48
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition  
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day cardio - 5:30 AM
yoga - 5:45 PM
Workout Type cardio - active recovery
Weather  
Course cardio - elliptical trainer, 12 incline, 12 resistance, RPMs just over 140
Results  
Time cardio - 30 min
yoga - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

28 January 2015

core | Green Lake lunch run | Hot Pilates | walk

Wow.

Let me just say that all those stairs I did yesterday are still in my legs. Big time. It's amazing actually, I feel like yesterday was a heavy leg day and I went nuts.

I've been noticing that my heart rate spikes something awful when I start any aerobic activity, today was extreme even for me. Especially in light of the fact that my only goal today was to go EASY. Sheesh.

After work I dropped by Breathe Hot Yoga for a Hot Pilates class. These are fantastic! Yet again I had a different instructor who showed us a different routine. This one was quite aerobic in that we hardly stopped at all, the whole class was go, go, GO.

I felt like I was dying a slow death the entire run, luckily my only goal was to go easy because that is all I could do.

On the upside this route is at least 50% dirt! That's kind of fun. And after that crazy initial spike in heart rate, I did keep it under 140.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition core - water
Recovery post run - Hammer Recovery Bar
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 12:30 PM
Hot Pilates - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb. (couldn't find the 15 lb. ball)
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 2 x 30 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 80 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 20/16/12
wobble disk 3 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Hot Pilates - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 12
Clothing run - The Balanced Athlete Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt

27 January 2015

Howe Street stairs (most flights ever!) | walk

You know how you get a wild hair sometimes?

Tuesdays I'm usually here with Jim Kodjababian but on this day he had to travel for work so I was solo. I figured why not try for 20 flights?

I made it but ouch! My legs were blown after. The last four or five flights felt like the end of a massive set of lunges. Originally I had intended to go on the Fleet Feet Sports Seattle Tuesday night run as well but when I got to the store it was raining pretty hard, I was pretty tired and so I just walked on past and to the bus stop... Day over.

This - I'm pretty sure - is the most flights I have ever done.

Sleep 6
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 48
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops Hammer HEED
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:15 AM
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - upper 40s, light breeze, dry
Course Howe Street
Results  
Time  
Distance 22 flights!
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 11
Clothing The Balanced Athlete Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt
Technorati Tags:

26 January 2015

core | Tiger Mt MTB ride

I took today off from work. Sort of a belated birthday gift to myself. I know, right?

Made it to the gym in the morning and then I got a call from my friend Tony Callen who wanted to go riding. Having hung all the parts on a new 29er frame I had to scramble to get it operational but mission accomplished so I took it out for a shake-down ride.

It was WARM. Like 60 degrees warm. I brought arm warmers in the car and they stayed there. I didn't even need the undershirt I had on. It felt fantastic to be out in the sun and feel all toasty but unless we get a second winter there will be a huge water shortage this summer.

As we descended the Preston Railroad Grade Trail it was suddenly closed! Oh well, it gave us an excuse to ride Silent Swamp Trail which I had never been on. Fun!

Sleep 7.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 46
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 186 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition core - water
ride - large bottle w/3 scoops Hammer HEED
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
ride - 12:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather ride - 60, sunny, calm
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 2 x 30 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 80 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 15/15/15
wobble disk 3 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment ride - 1x10 hardtail 29er
Clothing ride - bib shorts, baggy shorts, Craft Active Extreme Short Sleeve Baselayer, baggy jersey, gloves
Technorati Tags:

25 January 2015

Cross Country Skate Ski

Happy birthday to me!

This is what I need (read: want) to do more of. Why is this winter such crap? You need to drive for 2-5 hours just to get to skiable trails. Luckily on this day I was already in the Methow (Lucca's cabin to be precise) and so all I had to do was walk 50'. Freaking fantastic.

Today Lucca was participating in a 30 km ski race and since my skate skills are not up to that level I chose to explore and hopefully improve said skills. I had a GREAT time.

On Lucca's advice I headed out on the Community Trail and then chanced my luck on some blue trails. The conditions were pretty perfect and going at my own pace I was able to finally glide, even on the climbs. I even tackled one black run but took the easy way (for me anyway) which is downhill. And it was a ripper of a descent! I keep expecting skis to turn when you edge them and skate skis never do... :)

When I had finishing up, cleaning myself up and packing up the car I walked back to the trail to watch Lucca ski past. I also got to see the leaders. Wow!

After catching Lucca I jumped in the car and caught her one more time where the trail crosses a road and I also caught her crossing the finish. What a blast!

Tonight I met friends at Flying Lion Brewing for a couple of pints. Doing stuff you love, watching your sister do the same, good times with friends. Hard to imagine a better birthday.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition  
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather 34 degrees, some fog, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

24 January 2015

Methow Snow Trail Race | XC ski

I've run in the snow many times, but just for a couple of miles at a stretch. Today I did something totally new - a trail race that was almost entirely in the snow. After a 2 km start of icy road that is. Pretty cool.

What is the Methow Snow Trail Race like? It's a great core workout, that's for sure. You are constantly running with outstretched arms and recovering your balance!

The route was a snowshoe trail and only 1-2' wide. If you got anywhere near the edge you would posthole or simply fall sideways into the deep stuff. I did both. More than once. But it was also super fun to embrace the winter.

Did I mention I ran this with Lucca? Awesome.

It was pretty foggy most of time during the race but I was still practically blind every time we were out in the open. I could only see well when we were in the trees. I never would have thought to wear sun glasses but if I do this again I will for sure.

ASIDE - according to James Varner, this was this first race he has promoted AND participated in. It looked like he was having fun.

I tried to start mellow and find my rhythm/pace. In the snow that was not easy as I kept slipping and/or falling down...

As usual, a group of faster folks shot off the front and I had to watch them disappear up the road.

ANOTHER ASIDE - I have never used or owned any screw shoes but on this first 2 km of road they would have been very helpful. I didn't fall here but I had a couple of dynamic recoveries. They key? Look for sand or snow and stay off what looks like smooth pavement because it was always glazed with ice. Did I mention Lucca had screw shoes? About half the field wore some kind of nanospikes or similar, in hindsight I think screw shoes would have been best.

As we hit the snow a couple of people from the front group came back to me right away. I don't have mad snow skilz or anything but one of the guys I passed right away was having a really hard time keeping it upright. Later on I passed the eventual winner of my age category and figured that was that. Nope. On a long downhill he came roaring past me and I figured I would never see him again. Nope again. On the last climb I closed him down but when the trail flattened out he turned on the gas and in my attempt to follow I fell down. Twice. I guess 2nd place is okay. At least he said he was going as hard as he could when we chatted at the finish. :)

We ran through three or four gates on this course.

Most of them creaked so you could hear how far behind the next person was.

I learned today that full-length tights do have a purpose. Since I'm tall, all of my tights run short. That's not usually a problem as I don't like material on my legs right down by my shoes as it usually just gets wet, sags and pulls the rest of my tights down. After finishing I noticed some blood near my ankles. Turns out post-holing through crust is not kind to bare legs. My legs were fine where they were covered.

Lucca was only 10 minutes behind me! I thought I would have all this time to change my clothes, grab a snack, amble back to the finish and take her picture as she crossed the line. Wrong again. As I walked back up to the finish she was already talking to other finishers. Good for her. And obviously I need to update my expectations!

Not 15 minutes after meeting her at the finish we were skiing. Nice. On skis Lucca is in her element and I was floundering trying to keep up. Not that I ever can but sometimes I pretend to try. After just six miles I'd had enough and had to beg off, thank goodness Lucca was fine with this. When you are slow like me your sister takes you on trails with names like, Little Wolf and Beaver Pond.

Here are all the pictures and video.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition 15 min before run - Hammer Gel
run - small bottle w/2 scoops Hammer HEED and one Endurolytes
Recovery post run - half a large bottle w/3 scoops Recoverite, Hammer Gel
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 8:00 AM
ski - 10:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather run - 33-34 degrees, foggy, calm
Course  
Results run
2nd place - Men 50-59
10th - Overall
official results
Time  
Distance run - 15 km
ski - 8 miles (I forgot to turn my GPS on at the start)
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Cascadia 10, Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest 2.0
Clothing run - Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Under Armour tights, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Patagonia long sleeve fleece top, SmartWool hat, Brooks Vapor Dry Glove II

23 January 2015

VO2 Max test w/Pauole Sport at Seattle Performance Medicine

I've been thinking about this for quite a long time now and finally scheduled it.

I used to use heart rate a lot when cycling was my primary sport (and actually had a VO2max test on a bike) but got out of the habit when running took over and I'm not sure how applicable cycling numbers are to running. I think I embraced the minimalism of running and for quite some time I eschewed not only heart rate straps but also running vests/packs and in the summer shirts. Then I got injured, got injured again, and then I took a vacation and suddenly my base fitness had eroded a fair bit. Not only could I not run as fast, my tempo/race pace was a good 30 seconds slower than it used to be.

After talking to friends and coaches it seemed like the consensus was I needed more endurance pace efforts and less of what was now my tempo pace to build my fitness back up. In order to do this I needed to figure out my heart rate zones again.

Enter Kainoa Pauole-Roth, Seattle Performance Medicine and the treadmill.


Here is how this went down.
  • The test (really three tests) was explained to me.
  • I got fitted with a mask.
  • I took all three tests: resting metabolic rate, VO2max (and aerobic threshold), anaerobic threshold.
  • I enjoyed a well deserved shower and ate a snack.
  • The results were explained to me.
GOALS
  • First and foremost I wanted to figure out what my heart rate training zones were for running.
RESULTS
Here are my complete results and here is the Reader's Digest version.

VO2: Max 54 ml/kg/min, 4.6 liters/min
VO2max Power: 5.6 mph 15% incline
Aerobic Threshold
   HR: 129 bpm
   Power: 5.1 mph 7.5% incline
Anaerobic Threshold
   Level HR: 151 bpm
   Level VO2: 51 ml/kg/min
   Level % VO2max: 94%
   Level Power: 8.3 mph 1% incline
   Incline HR: 150 bpm
   Incline VO2: 48 ml/kg/min
   Incline % VO2max: 89%
   Incline Power: 5.6 mph 10% incline
Training Zones
   1 (warm-up/cool-down/recovery): 102-112
   2 (extensive endurance/base-building): 113-123
   3A (aerobic threshold): 124-134
   3B (intensive endurance): 135-144
   4A (tempo): 145-150
   4B (anaerobic threshold): 151-156
   5 (lactate tolerance): 157-max
Resting Metabolic Rate: 2364 Kcal
Protein Utilization: 15%
Fat Utilization: 36.9%
Carbohydrate Utilization: 48%
HRmax: 162 bpm
HR recovery (2 min): 42 bpm

RECOMMENDATIONS
For my current fitness I have been doing too much tempo (4A). I should spend about two months working on Z2/3A to build base fitness and then work in some tempo again at which point my tempo pace (speed, not heart rate) should be slightly faster than it is now. During this base period it is okay to do some high intensity workouts that take my HR above tempo. Currently my tempo is too close to my max and the goal is expand my heart rate range so that there is a larger delta between zone 1 & 5 and especially between zone 4A & 5.

Currently when I hit zone 4A/tempo, I don't have many extra 'gears' and the goal is to give me the ability to accelerate from tempo pace, not blow up, and then settle back down to tempo pace. Right now when I go much faster than tempo I blow and need to slow way down.

TIME
This took almost four hours from start to finish.

COST
$425

Here is the longer version of what went down.
  • Don't sign up for this test if you are claustrophobic! The mask did not bother me but it covers both your mouth and nose and you wear it for 20+ minutes at a time.

  • After getting fitted I had to lie down on a bed and not move for 20 minutes to establish my resting metabolic rate - the first test. The key here is to mouth breathe to ensure the mask captures everything. That was actually a little harder than I thought.
  • Time to get it on! I changed into my running clothes, put on a heart rate strap, the mask and warmed up on the treadmill.
  • The second test (VO2max) started at 2.5% incline and a pace of roughly 10:00/mile. Every two minutes the incline was increased by 2.5%. A couple of times the speed was increased instead and I forgot why.
  • Every two minutes Kainoa held up this chart with a 1-10 scale of perceived effort and I was supposed to point to a number indicating how I currently felt. I'm guessing this was more of a safety/liability issue than anything else and did not impact the test or the results...
  • Somewhere around 12% incline I had to increase my cadence significantly just to stay on the treadmill. I have never trained hills on a treadmill so this was new to me. Somewhere around 12% incline I seem to recall indicating I was at 7 or 8/10 on the effort scale.
  • I lasted 60 seconds at 15% and then Kainoa shut the test down. Yes it was very hard but I could have gone a bit longer. Turns out your VO2max is not your absolute max effort.
  • I had to cool down on the treadmill (jogging on the flat and then walking) so Kainoa could see how much my heart rate dropped in two minutes.
  • Here I got to take the mask off and I was able to cool down some more and then climb off the treadmill and get a drink. There were even gels and bars next to the water cooler!
  • After maybe 10 minutes the mask went back on and I got back on the treadmill for another warmup.
  • The third test (anaerobic threshold) was all at 1% incline. Kainoa told me this approximates running on the flat outdoors the best. I started off at something like 10:00/mile which is 6 mph. Every 3-6 minutes the pace was increased, initially by .5 mph and toward the end by just .3 mph. Kainoa would wait for my heart rate to stabilize after the spike from the increase and then dial up the pace.
  • Interestingly having to run 3+ minutes at each pace level was MUCH harder than 2 minutes like I did in the initial treadmill test. I can wrap my mind around two minutes pretty well, longer seems, well, really long.
  • I was again told to indicate my perceived effort level by pointing to the sign after each increase.
  • Normally when I run on the treadmill I rarely ever go slower than 8:00. By the time I got to 8:00 during this test it already felt kind of hard. :(
  • I only lasted to 8.3 mph which is 7:14 min/mile! And again, the test was shut down well before I physically had to stop.
  • I cooled down for for another two minutes to see how well my heart recovered and then I was free to do whatever, testing was done.
  • Seattle Performance Medicine has (soft and fluffy!) towels and a shower so I availed myself of both and then walked over to the local PCC for my second breakfast.
  • About 40 minutes after I climbed off the treadmill I met Kainoa in her office and she went over the results with me. I got a printed copy and a digital copy.
  • Done!
THOUGHTS
  • I was pretty happy with my VO2max result. Kainoa told me that Scott Jurek tested here once and his number was, "in the high 60s, maybe 70". Lance Armstrong (just because most everyone knows who he his) was around 85 and here are some of the highest ever.
  • I was also pretty happy with my AT VO2 as a percentage of my VO2max. I was 89% and the goal is to be in the 80-85% range. That's right, more is not always better. :) This result means that when I hit my anaerobic threshold I am a bit too close to my VO2max and ideally you would have more headroom so you can accelerate/surge from your race pace and not blow up. Better to be able to recover quickly so you can resume your race pace. I was told I didn't have as many 'gears' as was ideal. Again the analogy was that when I race I'm already in 4th gear and my transmission is a 5-speed. Better to race in 3rd gear (at the same pace of course) or have a 6-speed transmission.
  • I was happy with my heart's ability to recover, I was told that dropping 42 bpm in two minutes is great.
  • I was happy with my body's ability to utilize fat (and protein and carbohydrate). You hear a ton of stuff these days about endurance athletes, especially ultra runners, trying to optimize their fat burning engine and mine is just fine.
  • Initially I was pretty bummed that my max heart rate was so low. 162...?! In training I routinely get up into the mid or high 160s when running stairs/hills and just in the last couple of weeks I have seen 170+ twice. That said, those 170+ numbers were in the beginning of my workout and I am more than a little suspicious about these readings. My heart rate tends to spike something fierce in the first five minutes of exercise and then calms down unless I am doing intervals. And even if I am, it never again goes as high as the initial spike. This could be my body, it could also be my equipment/heart rate strap and watch...
MORE THOUGHTS
  • The more I read about Phil Maffetone the more I respect his heart rate formula. Going into this test I knew my base endurance was eroded and that I needed to rebuild it. According to Phil's formula my zone 2 pace since my most recent birthday should be 129 bpm. That just happens to be smack in the middle of zone 3A based on this test; and look what Kainoa highlighted as my ideal training heart rate to increase endurance - 129. Coincidence?
  • That said, Phil says I could add 5 bpm to his number bringing it up to 134.
  • It is hard to run and not exceed 134 bpm! I am able to stay under 140 but if I encounter any kind of incline even that is a challenge.
  • If I use Joe Friel's formula for running I get 134 bpm for zone 2 (my AT threshold x .89).
  • Could it be that these numbers are correct after all?
  • This test was a great reality check. I have aged quite a bit since I used heart rate on any regular basis and people (read: me) do tend to train too hard after time off or an injury so knowing I need to put in my time at a lower heart rate than I might think is right is important to know.
TAKEAWAYS
  • Slow down. To build back up I need to do most of my running in zone 2/3A and I need to keep doing this for all of February and March.
  • Intervals/track workouts are fine, just lay off the tempo for now.
  • In April I can add in tempo runs again, not more than one/week.
  • In addition to logging some zone 2/3A miles I need to be sure to recover well. Luckily this is something I have recognized as I get older and have been doing better and better lately.
There you have it, the most bullets I have ever used in a blog post. Would I recommend Kainoa and Seattle Performance Medicine? Absolutely. Got any thoughts? I'd love to hear them.


22 January 2015

walk

The quality of my sleep continues to stay very high. It's made me realize how infrequently I actually get a goodnight's rest?!

I dorked around too much this morning at home so ran out of time for the gym and then had to work all day so no lunch session. But it's okay.

While walking around I saw yet another Run Washington sticker, these things are everywhere.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition  
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day  
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment walks - Brooks Transcend
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

21 January 2015

cardio | Hot Pilates | walk

After feeling like dirt on yesterday's run I resolved to treat myself right so hit the good, old elliptical trainer at the gym for some active recovery. And guess what, just like it's supposed to work, I felt much better when I climbed off than when I started.

Why am I worried about taking it easy? I schedule a VO2 Max test for myself Friday morning. Better be fresh for that.

After work I headed on over to Breathe Hot Yoga for another Hot Pilates class. These rule. I'm learning there are a million exercises you can do that involve exactly zero extraneous equipment and that are incredibly difficult. I got my ass handed to me yet again and I will be back for more.

On the way home I saw this in the I-90 pedestrian tunnel. This Run Washington sticker is showing up in more and more places.

I had a great night's sleep again! Love that. I have been waking up at exactly the right time in my sleep cycle and I'm getting enough of it.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 6:15 AM - 187 lb.
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition  
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day elliptical - 5:30 AM
Hot Pilates - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time elliptical - 30 min
Hot Pilates - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

20 January 2015

core | Fleet Feet run | walk

Made it to the gym this morning and had a pretty good core workout. Nice.

The Fleet Feet Sports Seattle Tuesday night run on the other hand felt terrible. I was so winded and going up the Howe Street stairs...! I suspect it's that dreaded day-after feeling. Having done stairs yesterday and having done nothing else, my muscles were still super full of lactic acid.

On the upside Bradlaugh Robinson showed up for his second run of the day and was looking to go easy so we hung together and chatted. It was great to catch up.

I'm also sleeping better (and more). Bonus.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 49
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 186 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition core - water
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 6:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 2 x 30 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 80 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 15/15/10
wobble disk 3 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 12, Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Clothing run - The Balanced Athlete Fitsok CF2, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III

19 January 2015

Howe Street stairs

Jim Kodjababian and I had to move our stair workout to Monday this week because of Jim's travel schedule. Done.

The first couple of walkers and the first runner felt terrible but I warmed up and the rest was better.

Just two more weeks of this. Then what will I do with my Tuesday morning...?

Since both Shelley and I had the day off from work we ran errands, together! How cool is that? One such errand was going to Sephora in Bellevue Square (where I was one of only two males in the store and the other one worked there). I tried a new cologne. It smelled really nice.

Sleep 6.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 49
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition stairs - bottle w/2 scoops Hammer HEED
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:25 AM
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance 18 flights
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 11
Clothing The Balanced Athlete Fitsok CF2, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III
Technorati Tags:

17 January 2015

Cougar 10 + Bear Ridge

I can't run this route and not think of Bryan Estes. He owned it last year in preparation for a super successful run at the Cascade Crest 100. Me on the other hand, I have not been out here in so long it almost felt like I was exploring new trails. Almost.

I got lucky with the weather, it started to sprinkle about .5 miles from the car and then as I drove away it really started raining. Works for me.

The trails were packed today. Not only did I see a Seattle Running Club clubmate in Francis Agboton, I also saw two SRC-Brooks teammates in Evan Williams and Olin Berger. Nice. Not to mention all the hikers out - it was a busy day at Cougar Mountain!

I had hoped to get in about 16 miles/three hours but around 12 miles in my legs started to tighten up a bit and then at the last intersection where you need to decide to either run it in (one mile) or go up De Leo Wall (three miles) my back tightened up as well and I pulled the plug on the extra distance.

Still, great day in the woods. The trails had some muddy spots but in general they were in fantastic shape. And I ran every step today. Not fast by any means but always a nice bonus.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 50
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition large bottle w/3 scoops Hammer HEED
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 40s, mostly dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 10, Ultimate Direction Fastdraw Plus
Clothing Injinji, Patagonia Capilene boxer briefs, 2XU Compression 3/4 Tights, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks Podium LS shirt, SmartWool hat, Brooks Vapor Dry Glove II

16 January 2015

core

Went to the gym but my motivation was pretty low. I tried to offset this by mixing it up and did some TRX stuff for a change. It kind of helped but this is hard and a partner would have been ideal.

After the gym I went shopping.

After work I met Shelley at Flying Lion Brewing for a beer.

Sometimes you just need to let go. Something I'm good at. :)

Sleep 6.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 47
Body Weight 6:00 AM - 184 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition  
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course

TRX crunches + pikes: 3 x 10 each
TRX obliques: 3 x 12
one leg squats: 3 x 10 each leg
wobble disk: 3 min each leg

Results  
Time core - 30 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

15 January 2015

core | run | walk

Made it to the gym this morning and went for a run at lunch... I deserve a pat on the back.

Ran the Lake Union loop from work and really tried to keep my heart rate under 140 today. For a change it worked. Nice. It was also a great day for the middle of winter.

I keep seeing some awesome bikes on the UW campus, here is the latest.

This morning I not only missed my regular bus but I missed the next one as well. So I walked to the alternate bus route and missed that one too. New personal record for sure.

Sleep 6
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 48
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 185 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition  
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
run - 12:15 PM
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s, calm, one sprinkle but mostly dry
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 2 x 30 each side
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 80 each side
clam knee lifts 80 each side
roman chair knee lifts 50
push-ups 15/15/15
wobble disk 3 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 12, Garmin Fenix 2
Clothing The Balanced Athlete Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-Shirt, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Patagonia Capilene gloves

14 January 2015

Hot Pilates | walk

Boy, what happens when you take one month off from Hot Pilates at Breathe Hot Yoga? You suffer. Got my butt kicked good and proper.

On the other hand, I had a new (to me) instructor and the routine was different, that was cool.

Sleep 7
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 50
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition  
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day Pilates - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time Pilates - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

13 January 2015

Howe Street stairs | Fleet Feet run | walk

Just another super Tuesday!

Met Jim Kodjababian in the morning at Howe Street but I almost missed him... I totally forgot I had asked him to show up earlier for these last few workouts and I only got there in time because I usually try to show up early. I was not early today, just right on time. Whew.

My legs felt BLOWN today. Just wasted. I guess Saturday must still be in them, plus I didn't exactly do any active recovery between then and now. :(

At the Fleet Feet Sports Seattle Tuesday night run we had a super turnout. at 5:55 the store was still fairly empty and then suddenly everyone showed up. Nice. I started mellow and was surprised how good (read: not brutal) the run felt! My back is improving and my legs were not as dead as they were in the AM. I even felt okay going up the Howe Street stairs. I did let my heart rate climb a bit higher than I wanted to going up Interlaken but I was trying to keep up with some friends... Once we hit Galer I had to let them go.

Sleep 6.5
Waking HR 4:30 AM - 50
Body Weight  
Body Fat 7:15 AM - 8
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops Hammer HEED
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
run - 6:10 PM
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - low 40s, dry, calm
run - upper 40s, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Glycerin 11, Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
run - Brooks Glycerin 12, Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Clothing The Balanced Athlete Fitsok CF2, Brooks Equilibrium CoRe Short, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft Active Classic Long Sleeve Baselayer, Brooks short sleeve EZ T III, buff, Brooks Pulse Lite Glove II

VO2 Max test - I'm all in

I have been thinking about this for a while now and finally pulled the trigger. Friday, 23 January I'm going to Seattle Performance Medicine and getting a VO2 Max test.

Why?

I used to train with heart rate a fair bit when cycling was my primary activity but not so since I switched to running. For the most part leaving my heart rate strap at home worked out fine as my aerobic base from riding carried over and all I had to do was get my body used to the impact and strains of this new activity.

Then came a couple of back-to-back injuries followed by a relatively long vacation and I found I had to rebuild my base fitness. Having never needed to do this while running I was continually going out too fast and then dying, and I was not ever very fresh for a workout. These last few weeks I have throttled back the intensity in an attempt to build that base back up using Phil Maffetone's heart rate formula.

The only problem is, it's been ages since I knew with any sort of accuracy what my max heart rate was much less what all my exercise zones are. Plus I'm quite a bit older since I last used heart rate with any kind of regularity.

Hence this test.

Here is my favorite paragraph from the "Informed Consent for Exercise Testing" form I had to sign.
The test I will undergo will be performed on either a treadmill, bike or ergometer with the effort gradually increasing. As I understand it, this increase in effort will continue until I feel and verbally report to the operator any symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, or chest discomfort which may appear. It is my understanding that it is my right to request that a test be stopped at any point if I feel unusual discomfort or fatigue. I have been advised that I should immediately upon experiencing any such symptoms, or if I so choose, inform the operator that I wish to stop the test at that or any other point. My wishes in this regard shall be absolutely carried out.
 Can't wait.

12 January 2015

core

Finally, my first full core workout in ages! Now to get the reps back up.

Sleep  
Waking HR 6:00 AM - 185 lb.
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Nutrition water
Recovery  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:15 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 3 min, 2 min each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 2 x 20 each leg
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 60 each side
roman chair knee lifts 30
push-ups 15/12/10
wobble disk 3 min each leg
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

Popular Posts