Yeah, thats right! I used an exclamation point in the subject line, you know you're in for it today!
These past few days have spelled progress in all three sports. All of them! Remember the Driven post I had a few days ago? Yeah, the engine is going full steam! Here's the breakdown:
Swimming
Thursday night we did a bike-swim session with TNT. I rode my ass off on the trainer for about an hour, then headed straight for the pool (don't worry, I rinsed off!). I got in. It was just another day. Then my coach said five extremely obvious words that completely made things click: "relax your arms on recovery." Duh. Perfectly obvious, right?
Relax when you recover, so you can recover. As soon as I started doing this, it knocked my stroke count down to 14-15 per lap, even when I was swimming hard! The real kicker? Swimming got a lot easier. Its amazing how 5 words can change your life!
Running
This morning I headed out to Todd's Road to run with everybody. Once again, a new post-injury milestone: 8 miles, 100% pain free. I finished feeling completely fresh. I could have kept going, easily! However, I'm increasing nice and steady just to make sure I don't have a relapse, or cause some new injury. This was also my first run that lasted more than an hour (barely). Here's the numbers for today's run:
8:22
8:02
7:57
7:24
7:27
7:12
6:57
6:57
Avg HR: 163
Garmin data
Biking
I also had a new high average speed for biking! The kicker? I did it just a few hours after an 8 mile run. I set out with the intention of just riding really easy. The result? I paced myself better because I was focusing on high cadence rather than high speed! The wind was killer on the way back in, too, but I managed! Here's the stats:
Time: 1:12:24
Distance: 21.23 miles
Speed: 17.6 mph
Cadence: 93 rpm
HR: 160 bpm
Garmin Data
Needless to say. I'm revved up. Progress feeds the engine, right?
Showing posts with label Todd's Road Stumblers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Todd's Road Stumblers. Show all posts
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Bunch of Arrogant Exercisers!
Yup. Thats exactly what we are.
Last week a group I run with, Todd's Road Stumblers, was brought up in a complaint letter to the sheriff of the county we run in. Someone brought in a copy of the letter today, both to inform people and to poke a little fun at. Why poke fun at such a serious situation?
Because of the style of writing. It was perfectly obvious the author had a lot of bottled up rage and was trying his hardest to keep it there, but couldn't quite do it! About halfway through he slipped by calling us "a bunch of arrogant exercisers going around like the own the road!" (not an exact quote, but the 'bunch of arrogant exercisers' comes straight out of his letter)
From what I hear, we get about two of these every year and nothing ever happens. It is usually someone who wants to drive 70 MPH around a blind turn and could probably use a couple miles out there with us.
For example, last year there was a report that "hundreds of people were out running well before dawn with flashlights, trying to blind the drivers!" What were they talking about? Yeah, Judy and Mark (count 'em: one, two) were out on a long run to beat the summer heat and brought flashlights for their own safety.
When we get a complaint the sheriff always comes out to make sure we're following the rules of the road, which we do. In fact, we have them posted on a rather large poster inside the clubhouse, and always remind new members to look at them; we know who wins in a car-runner collision!
This morning the sheriff drove past me four separate times during my 7 miler; each time I hugged the shoulder as tight as possible, smiled, and waved (with all five fingers). It is a good thing, really, to make sure everybody does get through their runs safely. Maybe a few people trying to fly through the blind turns will take heed too!
Thats all I got about that. Here's this arrogant exercises numbers for the day:
Run:
7:53
7:45
7:28
7:13
7:20
7:24
7:15
(and change)
Pace: 7:28
HR: 163 bpm
Then I came back, ate some food, cleaned up, took an hour nap, and then jumped on the stationary bike:
Time: 1:00:00
Distance: 25.42
Speed: Oh come on, I biked exactly an hour. I don't have to tell you this do I?
HR: 152 bpm
All in all a great day. I felt really strong through everything. It was great to talk to everybody from TRS again; I caught a few people I missed last week! Its good to be back!
Last week a group I run with, Todd's Road Stumblers, was brought up in a complaint letter to the sheriff of the county we run in. Someone brought in a copy of the letter today, both to inform people and to poke a little fun at. Why poke fun at such a serious situation?
Because of the style of writing. It was perfectly obvious the author had a lot of bottled up rage and was trying his hardest to keep it there, but couldn't quite do it! About halfway through he slipped by calling us "a bunch of arrogant exercisers going around like the own the road!" (not an exact quote, but the 'bunch of arrogant exercisers' comes straight out of his letter)
From what I hear, we get about two of these every year and nothing ever happens. It is usually someone who wants to drive 70 MPH around a blind turn and could probably use a couple miles out there with us.
For example, last year there was a report that "hundreds of people were out running well before dawn with flashlights, trying to blind the drivers!" What were they talking about? Yeah, Judy and Mark (count 'em: one, two) were out on a long run to beat the summer heat and brought flashlights for their own safety.
When we get a complaint the sheriff always comes out to make sure we're following the rules of the road, which we do. In fact, we have them posted on a rather large poster inside the clubhouse, and always remind new members to look at them; we know who wins in a car-runner collision!
This morning the sheriff drove past me four separate times during my 7 miler; each time I hugged the shoulder as tight as possible, smiled, and waved (with all five fingers). It is a good thing, really, to make sure everybody does get through their runs safely. Maybe a few people trying to fly through the blind turns will take heed too!
Thats all I got about that. Here's this arrogant exercises numbers for the day:
Run:
7:53
7:45
7:28
7:13
7:20
7:24
7:15
(and change)
Pace: 7:28
HR: 163 bpm
Then I came back, ate some food, cleaned up, took an hour nap, and then jumped on the stationary bike:
Time: 1:00:00
Distance: 25.42
Speed: Oh come on, I biked exactly an hour. I don't have to tell you this do I?
HR: 152 bpm
All in all a great day. I felt really strong through everything. It was great to talk to everybody from TRS again; I caught a few people I missed last week! Its good to be back!
Friday, January 18, 2008
What up Doc?
This post is just a bunch of random bits of information. Even though most my posts turn out that way, this time its on purpose!
- I made the decision to switch to the PhD program. Although I still have to apply, I see no reason they would reject me. But that does mean I have to jump through the hoops of getting recommendations again; oh the joys!
- My healthy diet is turning into habit. Yesterday, my Aunt sent me cookies. This huge tin of wonderful chocolate chip cookies! I ate 3 of them when they got here, and they're absolutely amazing. But, I have no urge to eat them. At all. I see bananas or cookies and consistently choose a banana. I look at my workouts the next few days and feel as though I can't afford to put crap in the tank. A good shift, but even I'm taken aback by it a little!
- Today is a rest day, which means I'm bored out of my mind; I don't feel like I need it, but I scheduled it so I'm taking it! I've had 10 workouts (13 if you count ab workouts) in the past six days, and I'm not feeling it at all. Adapting? Maybe!
- I'm scheduling a massage for next Friday to work any kinks out of my legs that are starting to show their heads; I figure its good for me physically and mentally, so why not? I'll call it a "treat" for working so hard lately.
- Tomorrow has seven miles on the schedule; the farthest I've run post injury! I'm optimistic about it, as always! My hip is feeling stronger than ever, and I'm ready to push it a little bit farther. 9 on the 9th, here I come!
- Finally, an endorsement for Vanilla over at Half-Fast. He's organizing a "Shave Your 5K" challenge. The idea is to see who can cut the most time, or percentage, off their 5K this year. See his post for the official rules. Go participate, even if its just because of his swawesome logo!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Productive Saturday
Unlike most Saturdays, this one turned out being crazy productive. I'll save you the BAM!'s, but I got a ton of stuff done both with working out and school.
My alarm went off at 6am. I swore at it, but managed to crawl out of bed without hitting snooze. After the morning routine, and scraping ice off my car, I was en route to Todd's Road to meet up for a run; my first group run in four months!
Surprisingly, at 7am on a Saturday morning on a day with below freezing temps and really thick fog, around 40 people showed up to run at Todd's Road! I got to catch up with some old friends and put in six miles or so at a pretty good clip. Since nobody at my pace was running the six mile loop, I just ran 3 out with Jim, and 3 back on my own. Here's the splits:
8:13
7:41
7:33
6:56 (Later Jim!)
6:58
7:00
0:26 (0.07 miles)
Average pace: 7:23
Average heart rate: 167
Garmin data
This run had me worried about my hip. Last night after stretching, there was a little pain in my hip on occasion, but it didn't hurt to run or walk 99% of the time, so I toughed it out. After the run it felt fine, so I'm not too worried. I did a few stretches I don't normally do, so I'm attributing it to those, and they aren't happening again! Also, this was my longest run in over 3 months!
Later this evening, I jumped out on the bike for a little bit. I decided beforehand I was only doing 10 miles since I already ran today. The result? I was completely fresh at the end; I should have gone 20! Next week, I'll know better! Here's the (growing) list of stats:
Distance: 9.89 miles
Time: 32:31
Speed: 18.2 mph
Heart rate: 162 bpm
Cadence: 89 rpm
Garmin Data
This was my first ride with my cadence sensor, and I'm a whole lot better with cadence than I thought I was; unless I'm just behaving myself now that I have a number to keep me in line! One thing I'm disappointed in is that MotionBased doesn't show the cadence data. It appears in the Garmin software, but not online. Bummer!
Ryan - The spill actually came closer to mile 11; the HR spike you're talking about was a hill, I think.
Marcy - Oh, its not that bad. You see, its my job to convince you to get a bike and clipless pedals. You know why? Because your average post is pretty entertaining, but the world will be an even funnier place once you get clipless pedals and tip over! I mean.... *cough* when you get clipless pedals and are able to brag about never falling!
My alarm went off at 6am. I swore at it, but managed to crawl out of bed without hitting snooze. After the morning routine, and scraping ice off my car, I was en route to Todd's Road to meet up for a run; my first group run in four months!
Surprisingly, at 7am on a Saturday morning on a day with below freezing temps and really thick fog, around 40 people showed up to run at Todd's Road! I got to catch up with some old friends and put in six miles or so at a pretty good clip. Since nobody at my pace was running the six mile loop, I just ran 3 out with Jim, and 3 back on my own. Here's the splits:
8:13
7:41
7:33
6:56 (Later Jim!)
6:58
7:00
0:26 (0.07 miles)
Average pace: 7:23
Average heart rate: 167
Garmin data
This run had me worried about my hip. Last night after stretching, there was a little pain in my hip on occasion, but it didn't hurt to run or walk 99% of the time, so I toughed it out. After the run it felt fine, so I'm not too worried. I did a few stretches I don't normally do, so I'm attributing it to those, and they aren't happening again! Also, this was my longest run in over 3 months!
Later this evening, I jumped out on the bike for a little bit. I decided beforehand I was only doing 10 miles since I already ran today. The result? I was completely fresh at the end; I should have gone 20! Next week, I'll know better! Here's the (growing) list of stats:
Distance: 9.89 miles
Time: 32:31
Speed: 18.2 mph
Heart rate: 162 bpm
Cadence: 89 rpm
Garmin Data
This was my first ride with my cadence sensor, and I'm a whole lot better with cadence than I thought I was; unless I'm just behaving myself now that I have a number to keep me in line! One thing I'm disappointed in is that MotionBased doesn't show the cadence data. It appears in the Garmin software, but not online. Bummer!
Ryan - The spill actually came closer to mile 11; the HR spike you're talking about was a hill, I think.
Marcy - Oh, its not that bad. You see, its my job to convince you to get a bike and clipless pedals. You know why? Because your average post is pretty entertaining, but the world will be an even funnier place once you get clipless pedals and tip over! I mean.... *cough* when you get clipless pedals and are able to brag about never falling!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Early Five
Today I forced myself out of bed early so I could get in a run before my 9:30 class. The sun came up about halfway through my run; now thats what this college student calls early!
Here's the numbers:
7:25
7:28
7:33
7:17
7:11
3:31 (0.51 miles)
Average pace: 7:20/mile
Average heart rate: 165
My legs were feeling yesterday's bike ride early in the run, but they loosened up towards the end as the numbers suggest. I was holding back a little bit early on, so my heart rate was a little lower than usual.
Saturday I'm planning to run with Todd's Road Stumblers for the first time since I got injured (early September). It'll be great to see everybody again!
Thats all I got today, so I'll leave you with an appropriate quote:
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."
Here's the numbers:
7:25
7:28
7:33
7:17
7:11
3:31 (0.51 miles)
Average pace: 7:20/mile
Average heart rate: 165
My legs were feeling yesterday's bike ride early in the run, but they loosened up towards the end as the numbers suggest. I was holding back a little bit early on, so my heart rate was a little lower than usual.
Saturday I'm planning to run with Todd's Road Stumblers for the first time since I got injured (early September). It'll be great to see everybody again!
Thats all I got today, so I'll leave you with an appropriate quote:
"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Todd's Road Reunion
Yesterday there was a reunion with one of my running groups, Todd's Road Stumblers. This meant I got to go out and socialize with everybody I hadn't seen in two months, without having to destroy my hip! Woohoo!
It was great to see everybody. A few people, apparently, had been talking about me and wondered if I fell off the face of the Earth. Nope, I'm still around! Just need to wait for this hip to give me the go ahead (Wednesday?).
Everybody was asking me about the race, but it almost seemed weird to claim the attention. Sure, I ran 3:21 over a month ago, but have barely ran since. I don't even feel like a runner anymore, but I guess I was a month ago huh? Its hard to remember! Right now the most I run is across the street if the cross walk timer is running out.
Swimming is starting to get quite a bit easier now. I went and swam about 30 minutes yesterday, and did 90 minutes of drills today. Yesterday I started paying attention to my heart rate when I swim and noticed something peculiar. Swimming 25 yards (one length of the pool) gets my heart rate up to around 170, which is similar to my heart rate if I run a 6:30 mile. And believe you me, I'm not swimming anything close to equivalent to a 6:30 mile!
Drills are getting much easier now. I can breathe without gagging (most the time), no longer kick like I'm trying to run across the pool while laying horizontal, and my stroke is starting to look halfway decent. Maybe Susan will have me doing actual swimming sometime this week?
Also, I've had water in my ear for the past two days. It sucks. Anybody have a good way to get it out? Sitting here giving myself whip lash by swinging my head around isn't working, its just scrambling my brains. I really don't want to try and use a plunger, but it might come down to it. Update: There is a God. I got the water out of my ear.
And since I'm procrastinating, some responses to comments left recently.
Marcy: Hmm, I don't know about letting stuff hang out. Maybe I should just get some trunks that aren't black, like these bike shorts: http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2007/02/why-bike-shorts-are-black.html
Amy: Actually, that first swim wasn't too much fun. But its getting a lot better. I can see myself getting really into it. As if I already haven't... I've swam three times in the last four days!
Jess: Go for it! If running isn't doing it for you lately, maybe try mixing it up a bit? I'm liking the variety. Seeing improvement every time really helps with motivation.
Nancy: Yeah. You would definitely kick my butt in the pool. Not to compare you to an old man, but I'm about to. Yesterday I was swimming laps, minding my own business, when an older guy got in the lane next to me. It didn't look like he was going that fast, so I decided to start one of my laps right when he did. He smoked me, bad! And made it look easy!
It was great to see everybody. A few people, apparently, had been talking about me and wondered if I fell off the face of the Earth. Nope, I'm still around! Just need to wait for this hip to give me the go ahead (Wednesday?).
Everybody was asking me about the race, but it almost seemed weird to claim the attention. Sure, I ran 3:21 over a month ago, but have barely ran since. I don't even feel like a runner anymore, but I guess I was a month ago huh? Its hard to remember! Right now the most I run is across the street if the cross walk timer is running out.
Swimming is starting to get quite a bit easier now. I went and swam about 30 minutes yesterday, and did 90 minutes of drills today. Yesterday I started paying attention to my heart rate when I swim and noticed something peculiar. Swimming 25 yards (one length of the pool) gets my heart rate up to around 170, which is similar to my heart rate if I run a 6:30 mile. And believe you me, I'm not swimming anything close to equivalent to a 6:30 mile!
Drills are getting much easier now. I can breathe without gagging (most the time), no longer kick like I'm trying to run across the pool while laying horizontal, and my stroke is starting to look halfway decent. Maybe Susan will have me doing actual swimming sometime this week?
Also, I've had water in my ear for the past two days. It sucks. Anybody have a good way to get it out? Sitting here giving myself whip lash by swinging my head around isn't working, its just scrambling my brains. I really don't want to try and use a plunger, but it might come down to it. Update: There is a God. I got the water out of my ear.
And since I'm procrastinating, some responses to comments left recently.
Marcy: Hmm, I don't know about letting stuff hang out. Maybe I should just get some trunks that aren't black, like these bike shorts: http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/2007/02/why-bike-shorts-are-black.html
Amy: Actually, that first swim wasn't too much fun. But its getting a lot better. I can see myself getting really into it. As if I already haven't... I've swam three times in the last four days!
Jess: Go for it! If running isn't doing it for you lately, maybe try mixing it up a bit? I'm liking the variety. Seeing improvement every time really helps with motivation.
Nancy: Yeah. You would definitely kick my butt in the pool. Not to compare you to an old man, but I'm about to. Yesterday I was swimming laps, minding my own business, when an older guy got in the lane next to me. It didn't look like he was going that fast, so I decided to start one of my laps right when he did. He smoked me, bad! And made it look easy!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
24 Miles: Focus on Strength and Efficiency
"Focus on Strength and Efficiency," that was my mantra at the end of my run today. Sure, it doesn't have a ring to it. I'm not a poet, I'm a runner and a computer scientist, deal with it! It was exactly what I needed, though. Staying focused kept me from accidentally falling into a mental slump, strength as a reminder to focus on a good push off each step, and efficiency is another way of saying "good posture." Posture is what gets a lot of people near the end of races. They get tired, stop holding their body in an efficient position, use more energy, and its a downward spiral from there. Very important stuff!
I started my run with Kristin and Jill at a pretty easy pace. I think I accidentally pushed them a little too hard, but I was only running with them for the first 3 miles since we were running with separate groups once everybody else showed up. Then I ran 2 more on my own because I didn't want to stand around for 20 minutes. After this I took off with Ken, John, and a guy who's name escapes me; I'm bad with names. We ran about 7:45 to 8:00 per mile for most the run, I have a tendency to push the pace of whoever I'm running with, Kristin called it "The Doug Effect." I'm not sure if its a good thing or not!
The miles rolled on. Five dogs, three gu's, a lot of Gatorade, and 23 1/2 miles later, I arrived back at the club house. Wait! Crap! 23.5?! The hardest part of the run had to be running past the club house for a quarter mile and back to get my full distance in, but I made it! Afterwards my legs felt pretty heavy, but I doubt anybody is very surprised by that. I have no pain that feels like injury, just the usual muscle soreness after a long run.
I stuck around and socialized for a while, talking to the various runners who were still around. One guy asked me "Does UK's track coach know you're here in Lexington?", which I thought was quite the compliment, but I definitely don't have time to be on the team! Traveling to meets takes up way too much time, and I'm not sure if graduate students can join the team anyways.
During my run today, I was talking to Ken about various races we were planning to do. I mentioned that I was considering doing a 50k in January. When he was leaving, he said five words that hit home, "good luck with your ultra!" Woah. I've never heard anybody say that to me before! This very well made it official that I'm going to be running that 50k. Five words is all it took.
Eventually I left, and on the way back listened to some of my favorite songs lately, by Switchfoot: This is your life, Meant to live, and (appropriately) Twenty Four.
On the way back, though, I saw a car accident which easily could have been me. It was near an interstate off ramp intersecting the road I was on. The light was green, so I was going through. The van waiting at the light from the off ramp was making a right turn, and was edging forward to go after me. However, the truck behind the van thought they were going. When the van stopped, the truck slammed into it. Not like a fender bender, either. The van's back window completely shattered and the truck's air bag went off.
Nobody looked injured, although the person in the van looked shaken up. I can't help but think if the van wasn't there, the truck would have ran straight into me since he clearly wasn't paying attention. People aren't joking when they say accidents happen fast, either. All of it happened really, really fast.
And now I'm recovering from my run with my post-run lunch of champions: Hamburger Helper. Carbs to restore some fuel, lots of protein to rebuild muscles, and plenty of tastiness to go around! All with a big glass of OJ to get some sugars.
I think its time for a well earned post-run nap!
Happy running,
-Doug
I started my run with Kristin and Jill at a pretty easy pace. I think I accidentally pushed them a little too hard, but I was only running with them for the first 3 miles since we were running with separate groups once everybody else showed up. Then I ran 2 more on my own because I didn't want to stand around for 20 minutes. After this I took off with Ken, John, and a guy who's name escapes me; I'm bad with names. We ran about 7:45 to 8:00 per mile for most the run, I have a tendency to push the pace of whoever I'm running with, Kristin called it "The Doug Effect." I'm not sure if its a good thing or not!
The miles rolled on. Five dogs, three gu's, a lot of Gatorade, and 23 1/2 miles later, I arrived back at the club house. Wait! Crap! 23.5?! The hardest part of the run had to be running past the club house for a quarter mile and back to get my full distance in, but I made it! Afterwards my legs felt pretty heavy, but I doubt anybody is very surprised by that. I have no pain that feels like injury, just the usual muscle soreness after a long run.
I stuck around and socialized for a while, talking to the various runners who were still around. One guy asked me "Does UK's track coach know you're here in Lexington?", which I thought was quite the compliment, but I definitely don't have time to be on the team! Traveling to meets takes up way too much time, and I'm not sure if graduate students can join the team anyways.
During my run today, I was talking to Ken about various races we were planning to do. I mentioned that I was considering doing a 50k in January. When he was leaving, he said five words that hit home, "good luck with your ultra!" Woah. I've never heard anybody say that to me before! This very well made it official that I'm going to be running that 50k. Five words is all it took.
Eventually I left, and on the way back listened to some of my favorite songs lately, by Switchfoot: This is your life, Meant to live, and (appropriately) Twenty Four.
On the way back, though, I saw a car accident which easily could have been me. It was near an interstate off ramp intersecting the road I was on. The light was green, so I was going through. The van waiting at the light from the off ramp was making a right turn, and was edging forward to go after me. However, the truck behind the van thought they were going. When the van stopped, the truck slammed into it. Not like a fender bender, either. The van's back window completely shattered and the truck's air bag went off.
Nobody looked injured, although the person in the van looked shaken up. I can't help but think if the van wasn't there, the truck would have ran straight into me since he clearly wasn't paying attention. People aren't joking when they say accidents happen fast, either. All of it happened really, really fast.
And now I'm recovering from my run with my post-run lunch of champions: Hamburger Helper. Carbs to restore some fuel, lots of protein to rebuild muscles, and plenty of tastiness to go around! All with a big glass of OJ to get some sugars.
I think its time for a well earned post-run nap!
Happy running,
-Doug
Friday, September 7, 2007
Rice, Pasta, Chocolate Milk, and Stretching
Ah, Friday. My much needed rest day this week. Because of my fun run on Monday, I've had workouts of some sort Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; three of which were difficult.
Today I'm mostly getting ready for my long run tomorrow; the game plan is 24 miles, the peak distance in my training. Starting last night, I'm making sure everything I eat counts. Nothing like poor diet getting in the way of a long run. This is especially difficult because I just got cookies in the mail from my family, and I had to limit myself to just a few until Saturday!
I can definitely feel my workout yesterday. I'm not horribly sore, but I can definitely feel it in my hamstrings. With a bit of stretching today, they shouldn't pose much of a problem tomorrow, especially since I plan to run the whole long run at an easy pace.
Tomorrow the run will be out at Todd's Road. I'm still trying to figure out exactly who I'll be running with, but someone will probably turn up. Its very hard for me to find someone to run with on these runs, since my relaxed pace tends to be a bit faster than other's. I know there are a few guys who will run 13-ish around my pace, so maybe I'll just end up doing the last 10 alone; I can handle that!
Unless something goes horribly wrong the next two days, this will undoubtedly be my highest mileage week ever. My current high is 52, and tomorrows run will put me at 51 for the week and I still have some miles to put in on Sunday.
Heres to rice for lunch, pasta for dinner, some chocolate milk, and a lot of stretching,
-Doug
Today I'm mostly getting ready for my long run tomorrow; the game plan is 24 miles, the peak distance in my training. Starting last night, I'm making sure everything I eat counts. Nothing like poor diet getting in the way of a long run. This is especially difficult because I just got cookies in the mail from my family, and I had to limit myself to just a few until Saturday!
I can definitely feel my workout yesterday. I'm not horribly sore, but I can definitely feel it in my hamstrings. With a bit of stretching today, they shouldn't pose much of a problem tomorrow, especially since I plan to run the whole long run at an easy pace.
Tomorrow the run will be out at Todd's Road. I'm still trying to figure out exactly who I'll be running with, but someone will probably turn up. Its very hard for me to find someone to run with on these runs, since my relaxed pace tends to be a bit faster than other's. I know there are a few guys who will run 13-ish around my pace, so maybe I'll just end up doing the last 10 alone; I can handle that!
Unless something goes horribly wrong the next two days, this will undoubtedly be my highest mileage week ever. My current high is 52, and tomorrows run will put me at 51 for the week and I still have some miles to put in on Sunday.
Heres to rice for lunch, pasta for dinner, some chocolate milk, and a lot of stretching,
-Doug
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Todd's Road Stumblers
This morning I joined another running group in the area: Todd's Road Stumblers, as you might have guessed. This group is great! They have a club house several miles outside of Lexington out by a lot of the horse farms, and all their running routes are very scenic. The club house is just great, and designed just for a group of runners! The house is relatively empty, with a trophy case, quite a few chairs, a water fountain, a fridge, and a few tables for food and drink.
I arrived around 6am this morning and ran the six mile loop with five or six others, with the plan being to get back at 7am when the other runners leave and join a larger group for another 15 miles. The start of the run was very, very dark. Since we're in the country, the only light was that from the moon and maybe a small hint of the sun coming up. I kept my pace under control for this first loop to talk with the other runners, the company is always nice!
After our rather uneventful six mile loop, we stopped at the club house to refuel a little and met up with people going out for fifteen miles. There were maybe ten of us doing 15, but at least thirty people at the house! The entire 15 mile course was very hilly, no real killers like in Peoria (i.e. Mount ICC), but the road was always going up or down it seemed.
I ran 16 miles before asking the group for the rest of the route, and took off at race pace. Near the end of the run I could definitely feel the miles taking their toll, I had a slight pain in my back and could feel myself mentally bonking. I think I could have used another gel to get me through, although my pace never suffered; the last five miles averaged 6:30/mile.
Although I had no bad pains during the run, my right ankle had a dull ache afterwards. Giving it the one-two punch with heat and ice calmed it down and it feels great now! I'm very confident I will go under three hours at Chicago after such a promising workout! Alex (with 20 marathons under his belt) thinks my training points to a sub 2:50 finish if I want to go for it.
Here is a link to this workout: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3691359
-Doug
I arrived around 6am this morning and ran the six mile loop with five or six others, with the plan being to get back at 7am when the other runners leave and join a larger group for another 15 miles. The start of the run was very, very dark. Since we're in the country, the only light was that from the moon and maybe a small hint of the sun coming up. I kept my pace under control for this first loop to talk with the other runners, the company is always nice!
After our rather uneventful six mile loop, we stopped at the club house to refuel a little and met up with people going out for fifteen miles. There were maybe ten of us doing 15, but at least thirty people at the house! The entire 15 mile course was very hilly, no real killers like in Peoria (i.e. Mount ICC), but the road was always going up or down it seemed.
I ran 16 miles before asking the group for the rest of the route, and took off at race pace. Near the end of the run I could definitely feel the miles taking their toll, I had a slight pain in my back and could feel myself mentally bonking. I think I could have used another gel to get me through, although my pace never suffered; the last five miles averaged 6:30/mile.
Although I had no bad pains during the run, my right ankle had a dull ache afterwards. Giving it the one-two punch with heat and ice calmed it down and it feels great now! I'm very confident I will go under three hours at Chicago after such a promising workout! Alex (with 20 marathons under his belt) thinks my training points to a sub 2:50 finish if I want to go for it.
Here is a link to this workout: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3691359
-Doug
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