Finland snow hike | snowshoe

Nice!

After our daily (almost literally!) nap I took off for a twilight/sunset walk. It was magic out. MAGIC.

I decided to set out on the snowmobile trails and after a bit I recognized where I was and so decided to walk out to the hut we had gone to a few nights ago to watch the northern lights. I expected it would take me about 45 minutes one way but it only took about 30!

Moving constantly for a change made me unzip my puffy jacket that I had on under my snowmobile suit, unzip the suit's main zipper and just hold everything shut with the Velcro flaps. I also opened the thigh zips a bit and then I was comfy.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	hike - 3:00 PM snowshoe - 8:30 PM
Workout Type
Weather	hike -28 c snowshoe -30 c
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment
Clothing

Technorati Tags: Lapland,Finland,Muotkan Maja Wilderness Lodge

Cougar 10 | SRC Trail Work Party | north end of Lake WA on a single speed

What a day of being outdoors! And my first trail run in ages! Super bonus.

After my run I joined the Seattle Running Club for a Trail Work Party on Cougar Mountain. Good times (read: hard work) and great people. And a delicious lunch after. Can't complain.

Topped off the exercising with a great ride with Chance Reschke and then we both topped off the day with a visit to Stoup Brewing.

Here are all the pictures.

Sleep	7
Waking HR	47
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	run - bottle w/1.5 scoops HEED ride - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	run - 7:00 AM ride - 3:00 PM
Workout Type
Weather	80, sunny, calm
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment	run - Brooks Cascadia 9, Garmin Fenix 2 ride - Kona Paddy Wagon, Garmin Edge 500
Clothing	run - Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

Technorati Tags: Cougar Mountain,Seattle Running Club,trail work party,Stoup Brewing

SRC trail work party | S Dose Terrace stairs

At the end of the day I decided I would not be able to finish the Beacon Rock 50k. Shit. Add this to the list of races I have signed up for and had to bail on.

On the upside I joined the Seattle Running Club for one of their trail work parties and had a super time.

We got to use tools like this:

The trail work party was on Cougar Mountain today, we met at the Sky Country trailhead and our job was to clear brush! This meant white collar people like me got blisters on our hands. I am such a wimp/softie when it comes to manual labor.

After slaving away we were treated to a fabulous lunch. It was an awesome spread.

Here are all the pictures.

When I got home and after deciding that I was not racing tomorrow (because my right calf is still crazy tight/injured) I decided to hit the stairs. I know, I know... it sounds stupid, right? Well I was just going to walk - to see if I made the right decision about scrapping the race.

Instead of driving to my favorite set of steps (Howe Street), I opted for something close to home and went to S Dose Terrace instead. Funny how after you have been on Howe Street, nothing else even comes close. These stairs were shorter, each section was a different length, the grade was shallower, the flat sections were all different, etc., etc. I stuck it out for 30 minutes and then 1) had enough and 2) realized I was not doing my calf any favors and walked home.

Man I hate being injured. Especially when I don't know exactly what the problem is.

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	trail work - water stairs - bottle w/1.5 scoops HEED
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	trail work - 9:30 AM stairs - 4:45 PM
Workout Type
Weather	mid 70s, sunny, dry, calm
Course
Results
Time	trail work - 3:00 stairs - 44:52 (30 min of stairs)
Distance	stairs - 16 flights
Pace
Equipment	Garmin Fenix
Clothing

Technorati Tags: Seattle Running Club,Cougar Mountain,trail work,trail work party,Sky Country,S Dose Terrace stairs

Mailbox Peak

Mailbox Peak. What a NW classic.

I knew this was probably going to be too much for my knee but when I got the invite from Greg Kauper I said what the heck and rolled the dice. The result? I could feel my knee acting up on the climb and it got really sore on the way down and I was limping around the rest of the day but I survived.

And the hike was a blast!

It took us AGES to get going for various reasons but once we did it was awesome to be out with Greg, Suzie Kauper, Dean Jasper and Laura Miller.

It was cool but not cold and the climb (as usual) warmed me up really well. Here's to non-extreme conditions!

On the way up I caught this woman that was hiking pretty quick. At one point she stopped and then so did I to let Greg and Dean catch up (not sure why I was going so fast...) and just after they caught me so did she and suddenly she is telling us all about her her life.

"I just has two shoulder surgeries."
"I used to swim butterfly all the time!"
"I'm just getting back into shape."
"I climb a ton, mostly 5.11."
"I never had any issues with my shoulders and then one day I went into the doctor and this happens...!"

Lady... Please. Shut. UP. Finally she asked to get by us and when we let her she had to tell us that, "This is my first hike in a year so I'm going like a bat out of hell." Lovely, whatever. Did I mention that when Greg and Dean started to talk about back country skiing she started going on about all the places she has been and how good/bad each location was? All without ever being invited into any of our conversations. People are hilarious.

At the top I went to grab my camera for the obligatory summit shot and my heart sank. My camera was gone. I have this ridiculous, elastic pocket on my CamelBak that is 1) pretty stretched out and 2) kind of lame in the first place and my camera was no longer inside of it. Dang.

I was also way later than I wanted to be so these two things gave me a great excuse to say goodbye to this woman and beeline it back to the car. On the way down we met Suzie and Laura coming up and I unfortunately had to excuse myself again because of time.

I was keeping my eyes open but honestly I thought there was no way I would find my camera... Luckily it's orange and as I was hiking/skiing down the snowy trail I suddenly caught a glimpse of something. I literally did a double take and there it was. Nice! That sure made my day.

It was so much fun to be out on a trail, wearing my running shoes and to be in the snow!

I have to admit I jogged as much of the descent as my knee would allow; I just could not hold back. The snow at the top was slick and I could sort of ski my way down and it was a little treacherous when the snow was mixed with mud in the middle of the descent but once the snow disappeared the dirt trail was actually not very slippery and I made good time.

So happy to be out and about.

Sleep	5
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	water, 2 almond butter & jam sandwiches
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	11:50 AM
Workout Type
Weather	low 40s at the start, probably mid 30s at the top
Course
Results
Time	2:45? (I started my watch a little late)
Distance	6.5 miles?
Pace
Equipment	Brooks Cascadia 8, Garmin Fenix, my really old CamelBak Mule
Clothing	Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Patagonia Capilene briefs, 2XU Compression 3/4 Tights, Craft long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve fleece top, Patagonia Capilene 4 Expedition Weight Beanie, Patagonia Capilene gloves, Patagonia Houdini Jacket

Technorati Tags: Mailbox Peak

Ajaccio waterfront run | Sentier des Cretes hike

Oh happy day.

I went for my first outdoor run today since I laid waste to my left ankle. The result? If felt great. And kind of cool that my first outdoor run was in Corsica, France.

One thing this kind of vacation is good for is REST. I have been getting plenty. I've also been getting plenty of bread, cheese, pate, chocolate and wine which has not seemed to hurt my ankle any. :)

After breakfast Shelley and I went for a stroll in the hills just above the town and somehow I managed to turn my GPS off after just 30 minutes. Rats. The blue line is what my watch missed.

Although my ankle felt great on my run, my lungs did not. And I am right at sea level. Oh well. I can only go up from here.

While hiking I realized I have GOT to get back up here and run on these trails before we leave. the views are SO good and the trails super fun.

Sleep	7
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	run - 7:00 AM
Workout Type	testing the left ankle
Weather	65, sunny, dry, calm
Course	flat, mostly pavement/sidewalk with some dirt path
Results
Time	run - 40:45
Distance	run - 5.5 miles
Pace	run - 7:28 min/mile
Equipment	run - Brooks PureCadence 2, Garmin Fenix
Clothing	run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

Technorati Tags: Ajaccio,Corsica,France

Cycle U CompuTrainer | snow hike

Like a lot of my teammates I did not get outside to ride yesterday as that is when the snow started falling in earnest here in Seattle.

Luckily one of our sponsors is Cycle University and they have a first-rate training facility.

I met Ryan D and Dean J and we did two 60-minute workouts. Nice.

And by nice I of course mean hard! I think this is the first time I have bonked on the trainer.

Starting this early in the morning there is a limit to how much food I can eat prior to the ride and I should have known better and brought some snacks or something more substantial in my bottle. Live and learn.

Here is our first workout.

Name: CRIMINALE, MARTIN
Gender: Male
Athlete Type: Recreationa
Date of Birth: 0/0/1900
Weigh-in: 200
Track Position: 6
Finish Time: 02:00.00 Seconds
Anaerobic Threshold: 330
Average Speed: 23.28 MPH
Peak Speed: 26.12 MPH
Average Power: 275.99 Watts
Peak Power: 396.00 Watts
Average Pulse Power: 0
Average Watts/Kg: 3
Rolling Resistance after 5 Minute Warmup: 2.11 Pounds
Average HR: 0 BPM
Peak HR: 0 BPM
Average RPM: 0.0
Peak RPM: 0.0
Average PP: 0.0
Peak PP: 0.0
Average WPKG: 3.0
Peak WPKG: 4.4
Average SS: 0.0
Calories: 1040.0

As you can see I started with my threshold power set to 330 watts for the first(?) time and managed to hang on. Yes. That second-to-last two-minute interval is a bitch. Truth be told, I had to quit pedaling for a couple of seconds just before that interval, you can see the dip in my power file below.

And here is the second workout.

Name: CRIMINALE, MARTIN
Gender: Male
Athlete Type: Recreationa
Date of Birth: 0/0/1900
Weigh-in: 200
Track Position: 6
Finish Time: 00:00.00 Seconds
Anaerobic Threshold: 320
Average Speed: 21.85 MPH
Peak Speed: 26.60 MPH
Average Power: 258.18 Watts
Peak Power: 389.00 Watts
Average Pulse Power: 0
Average Watts/Kg: 3
Rolling Resistance after 5 Minute Warmup: 2.11 Pounds
Average HR: 0 BPM
Peak HR: 0 BPM
Average RPM: 0.0
Peak RPM: 0.0
Average PP: 0.0
Peak PP: 0.0
Average WPKG: 2.8
Peak WPKG: 4.3
Average SS: 0.0
Calories: 914.7

I tried to ride this at 330 watts too but that dream only lasted about 120 seconds and after that first spike I caved and dropped the threshold power setting to 320 pronto. Holy crap did my legs feel burnt.

I slowly managed to pull it back together but you can see from the power file below that I quit pedaling three times for a couple of seconds each time just to catch my breath. Also, my legs were DYING.

About half way through this second workout I realized I was running out of calories but what can you do? It was one of those rides where you just meter your output and try to survive. Ryan was Mr. Steady and just did not waver - way to go.

After this was all said and done I RAN home and ate food. Bonking is not a good feeling.

After shoving food in face Shelley and I decided to hit the mountains for a walk in the snow! It was absolutely gorgeous out and the snow that was falling was so dry you never needed any rain gear. I like that. Unfortunately Shelley had her heart set on snowshoeing and the place I took her ended up being just a hike in the snow and we never needed our snowshoes so after a bit we turned around. My bad. On our way back to the car we passed a family that must have been determined to wear their snowshoes at all costs and man were they moving slow… tennis shoes would have been better than snowshoes. Too bad I forgot my camera!

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast	5:00 AM - banana, gel
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	trainer - large bottle w/1 tablet Nuun and 1 scoop Cytomax, water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	trainer - 6:00 AM hike - 11:30 AM
Workout Type	endurance, intervals
Weather
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment	Road Bike
Clothing

Technorati Tags: Cycle University,CompuTrainer,Thumbprint Racing

training-Mt Teneriffe

Hours Sleeping	6	Time of Day	9:00 AM
Body Weight		Body Fat
Distance	12 miles	Power
Time	Total – 5 hours Moving	Speed	Overall Moving
Total Ascent		Max	Speed Elevation Gradient

Breakfast	6:15 AM – cereal
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	Promax bar at the start, PowerBar at the top, water
Injuries
Therapy
Workout Type
Weather	upper 30s to low 30s, snow on the ground, some rain for the first hour, lots of wind at the top but calm in the trees
Course	Mt Teneriffe
Results
Equipment	Brooks trail running shoes, CamelBak
Clothing	cycling socks, wool socks, Under Armor tights, shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, Patagonia Capeline top, OR rain coat, OR Gripper gloves, OR rain overmits, SmartWool hat

I have done two (three?) hikes with TNAB before and so I was psyched for a good workout on this the annual Turkey Burner which would be heading up Mt Teneriffe.

I like their style – get up quick, don't wait for anyone (unless it's a safety concern of course), regroup at the top, take a summit photo and then head down together and get some beer and food. And they don't race up, they just hike at a purposeful pace and don't stop much. The point is to hike AND get in a quality workout.

My excitement for the hike was tempered by my shady equipment meaning I did not have the ideal footwear. In fact I might go so far as to say that with my circulation issues my footwear was kinda silly. I was counting on the activity keeping my feet warm and that it would be nice and cold up there so I would not get soaked.

As we pulled into the trailhead it was raining. I guess it was not going to be cold enough. Rats. I've never been a fan of starting a hike in my raincoat but had to today. I also had to start with my overmits to keep my gloves dry and my hands warm.

The first mile or so is walking up a dirt road. It was covered in three to five inches of slush but not a big deal. It got a LOT steeper as soon as we hit the trail. I guess a new trail has been installed in an attempt to level out the grade somewhat but it adds at least one mile to the trip each way and so since these guys are about speed, we took the old trail. The old trail pretty much goes up. And up. And up. Then along a ridge spine (which goes up steeply) and then you scramble through an alpine meadow to the top.

About half way up we came to a waterfall that was mostly frozen. It was beautiful! Sadly, because of the rain I had left my camera in the car thinking it would just get soaked and/or my hands would freeze trying to take pictures. Damn.

The spine was less than 10 feet wide at times and really fun.

Towards the top the snow got deep. As we started to climb out of the trees the wind had piled up drifts and not having any snow shoes meant I was pretty much floundering in snow that was up to the middle of my thigh. Luckily this section was not so long and within about 15 minutes of hitting the deep stuff we were standing on the top.

It was really blowing up here! We had stopped just as we exited the trees to put on one more layer and I'm glad we did. No one wanted to linger here so we took about two pictures and headed right back down.

At first going down was a blast. Up here it was really cold and the snow was fantastic meaning nice and dry. I was not getting wet at all and could plunge step/jump down the mountain as I would sink in three feet each time I landed – sliding down the slope was not a concern. But as we got back into the woods it was a different story and I suddenly realized why people take trekking poles along on hikes.

I was sliding all over the place and ended up bouncing down the mountain like a pachinko ball using trees to slow my descent. Luckily it worked surprisingly well. I never bit it and arrived at the bottom in one piece.

By this time we had actually take off our raincoats and I had removed my hat and gloves so I guess descending was taking more energy than I thought it would. I sure wish I Had taken my camera... the waterfall and the snow at the summit was spectacular.

On the bright side my right knee was totally fine to day! With all the descending that is a big deal for sure.

Here are all the pictures.

Technorati Tags: TNAB,Thursday Night After Burners