Now I get it. I don't post when I'm hurt, cause there's nothing to write about. That's it...
Seriously, who reads this? Its such a conceited exercise anyway...I'm considering giving it up.
But since I'm writing...the day after I last posted I had a pretty shitty workout. The kind where your breath sort of gets away from you and you never catch it, and then you finish the workout, after not hitting any of your times cause you couldn't catch your breath, and realize you aren't that tired. Cause you never really ran that fast. And of course by then you've caught your breath, and you feel like doing the whole thing over again...
But you don't. Cause that would be stupid.
Funny thing though, it seems bad workouts recently portend good races. Went up to Seattle and ran another 3k at UW, once again, PRed by four seconds, and once again, felt maybe I could have gone faster. Got sixth place, so while I was doing better chasing faster guys, I don't think I pressed hard enough. But, also like last time, I was calm and focused throughout. Can't tell you how good it feels to have that feeling back in a race.
The problem afterwards though was that the race did a number on my left hamstring. The cooldown afterwards was kind of comical, as was my walking for the next day or two. I didn't run again until last Wednesday, and didn't run more than twenty minutes until Saturday. Did 45 minutes that day and Sunday, then an hour today. Checked in with the coach, as I didn't notice it most of the run, but it still bothered me from time to time. We're pressing on anyway. 5k in Seattle on Saturday. I feel another PR coming.
Wednesday, 1/28- Track workout:
warmup
3x mile @4:48, 2 min rest and 1 min rest
(Mistake: did it in regular flats, not spikes)
Actual: 4:49, 4:51, 5:04 and it was worse than that
cool down
Thursday, 1/29-45:43 easy
Friday, 1/30-21:17 easy
Saturday, 1/31-RACE Indoor 3k at Dempsey Indoor on UW campus. 6th place, 8:25.22, 4 second PR
Sunday, 2/1-REST
Monday, 2/2-REST
Tuesday, 2/3-REST
Wednesday, 2/4-27:21 easy
Thursday, 2/5-25:58 easy
Friday, 2/6-26:18 easy
Saturday, 2/7-46:19 easy
Sunday, 2/8-46:18 easy
Monday, 2/9-59:05 easy
(Scheduled: 2/2-workout: 8x400m @64 with negative rest, 2/3 1 hr w/3x3min pickups, 2/4 tempo with alternating 5:30/5min miles)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The fuckupedness of my sleep
Two nights ago I went to bed at the ridiculously early (relatively speaking) time of 9pm. I was tired. I lay quietly and comfortably, not stressed, not obsessed about trying to get to sleep, just relaxed. Nevertheless, at around 2am I looked at the clock and realized I was almost fully awake. Suffice to say I have some messed up circadian rhythms.
Yes, those who know me would rightly note that my bedtime is irregular, as is my wake time, and that I have to get one or the other on a schedule to correct this problem. But seriously, if I get in bed tired and comfortable at 9pm, isn't it reasonable to assume I would not be awake five hours later?!
Then last night I went to bed before midnight, not particularly early, but not particularly late either, at least for me. Set an alarm for 9am. I easily kept sleeping after turning it off for another hour, and still felt tired when I got out of bed. Thought I was supposed to grow out of this kind of lethargy when I grew out of adolescence. Oh wait, maybe that's it: I'm still a kid. Dang.
Yesterday's workout was slightly slower on the first effort than has been the case as I felt a slight tweak on my left calf. Second effort was on par though. Calf worked itself out by the time I was on the cool down, and while I felt a slight tweak to my left hamstring, it too worked itself out within mere strides. We'll see how it goes today...in the SNOW (wtf?).
Also was accepted to the 3k at the UW Invitational this weekend. Excited to see how much I can improve on my 8:29...
Monday, 1/26-"6 mile workout":
2 mile warmup to Nike
1 mile fast ~5:16
1 mile easy
2 miles fast ~10:22
2 miles easy (cool down home)
Yes, those who know me would rightly note that my bedtime is irregular, as is my wake time, and that I have to get one or the other on a schedule to correct this problem. But seriously, if I get in bed tired and comfortable at 9pm, isn't it reasonable to assume I would not be awake five hours later?!
Then last night I went to bed before midnight, not particularly early, but not particularly late either, at least for me. Set an alarm for 9am. I easily kept sleeping after turning it off for another hour, and still felt tired when I got out of bed. Thought I was supposed to grow out of this kind of lethargy when I grew out of adolescence. Oh wait, maybe that's it: I'm still a kid. Dang.
Yesterday's workout was slightly slower on the first effort than has been the case as I felt a slight tweak on my left calf. Second effort was on par though. Calf worked itself out by the time I was on the cool down, and while I felt a slight tweak to my left hamstring, it too worked itself out within mere strides. We'll see how it goes today...in the SNOW (wtf?).
Also was accepted to the 3k at the UW Invitational this weekend. Excited to see how much I can improve on my 8:29...
Monday, 1/26-"6 mile workout":
2 mile warmup to Nike
1 mile fast ~5:16
1 mile easy
2 miles fast ~10:22
2 miles easy (cool down home)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Mud and...snow?
This is some kind of winter we're having here in Portland. Ten days of sunshine followed by another dusting of snow. I naively decided to do a trail run today, seeing as how everything had melted around the house. I figured light rain and snow overnight would make for damp but not particularly muddy trails up in the West Hills. I was mildly surprised to find a full two inches of snow still clinging to the log barriers at the parking lot for Birch Trail, and Wildwood was muddy where it wasn't practically snowpack.
Sure was gorgeous though. The sun lit up the city through the trees like you rarely see, a beautiful view, and as I was running I realized one that you would only see in winter; in the summer, the same view would be obscured by leaves. And once I was warmed up it really wasn't that cold. Pretty nice all in all...
Sunday, 1/25- 58:27 easy out and back on Wildwood Trail
Sure was gorgeous though. The sun lit up the city through the trees like you rarely see, a beautiful view, and as I was running I realized one that you would only see in winter; in the summer, the same view would be obscured by leaves. And once I was warmed up it really wasn't that cold. Pretty nice all in all...
Sunday, 1/25- 58:27 easy out and back on Wildwood Trail
What it must be like to be old
One thing about track workouts in spikes, they tend to make you feel like and old man the next few days. Its the worst part: you do your workout, hit your times, feel good about your fitness. Then you go for your run the next day, and you literally move like an old man. Joints are stiff, muscles protest, even your foot strike is off. Definitely was doing the old man shuffle the last two days...sure was nice to feel limber again today.
Thursday, 1/22-56:39 slow
Friday, 1/23-43:11 slow
Saturday, 1/24-1:03:01 easy
Thursday, 1/22-56:39 slow
Friday, 1/23-43:11 slow
Saturday, 1/24-1:03:01 easy
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Now that's what I call a good start to the season
...except for the fact that I haven't posted since the 9th apparently. Damn, guess I officially suck as a blogger. Ah well, I'm still here, still writing, and you're clearly still reading, so maybe both of us don't have lives.
I think I need to develop some sort of style to how I post here. Not sure where I'm going to go with that, addressing whoever you are directly seems to be working out OK, but really I should be writing more often. I know that'll help.
Whatever, truth is folks, I am exhausted, and looks like I have almost two weeks to catch up on, and some of it is really good. So, here we go...
Looking at my log, guess its not so bad. The particulars of any specific run aren't all that interesting anyway, unless they are, in which case I'll make more of an effort to post right away. I know that I have definitely been enjoying the last few weeks of absolutely beautiful weather we've been having here. High pressure has meant we've had close to two weeks of continuous sunshine, almost as unheard of in these parts during winter as a foot of snow is. Must be El Nino. A temperature inversion though means its been quite cold in the valley, which has brought home what I really don't like about running in the northwest: the chill. I don't mind rain, and I don't mind overcast skies. Heck, I don't even really mind the cold. What I do mind is my hands being cold every time I go out for a run, if not my arms and legs, until I warm up. Makes it difficult to get started every day. Suffice to say, I'm pretty sure somewhere since the 9th I meant to put up a post about how glorious the weather was, and how it really felt more like spring than winter. Quite pleasant.
The workouts themselves: as I said, this month is a three harder days/four easier days cycle, with 6 mile workouts on Mondays and track type stuff on Wednesdays. The 12th was pretty good, one of the 6 milers at Nike, and I was quite pleased with the times I was putting out there (though I shouldn't really have been keeping time, as it was more of an effort workout than a time workout, but oh well). The 14th on the other hand was a bit of a struggle; I forgot that school was back in session, so I couldn't use my old high school track like I was planning. So I shifted back to Oak Hills with the half-ish mile loop. I wore my regular shoes, not racers, and the ground was soggy, meaning mushy footing. Hitting the times, even on a three-effort workout, felt like a struggle, and I really didn't feel too confident afterwards.
This was a problem, because I had committed to my first race of the season at UW on the 17th, and indoor 3k at Dempsey. I had submitted my lifetime PR of 8:33, which made me the top seed in the second of three heats. I had a gut feeling that I might be able to better that time, but also the usual doubts about my fitness, and the wisdom of such a lofty goal for my first race.
But warming up for the race, I had a flash of one of those Nike commercials with Lance Armstrong. He says, "This is my body, and I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it, study it, tweak it, listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike, busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?" I must admit, I had been trying to conjure up other such inspirational videos, quotes, vignettes. But suddenly, when that one sprang to mind, fear left me, and only regular old jitters remained. "This is my body" made me realize I was fearful of the pain that others could inflict on me in the race, which is preposterous; I am the only one who decides how fast I go, how hard I push, and when.
I absolutely hate the kind of athletes who need mental coaching to figure out how to do what they do, or even worse, to remember how to do it as well as it used to. But I must be honest, I feel that this was a little bit of a seminal moment for me. I have been fearing what the race would inflict on me, rather than using my body to inflict my will on the race. Its absolutely ridiculous that I had forgotten this, and I feel ridiculous admitting it. But hey, what would there be to read if you didn't know about my ridiculousness.
Suffice to say, it was the best race I've had in a long, long time. Led the first lap in a 68 400, and felt amazingly relaxed. Second lap was maybe a touch slower, and a tall dude took over the lead. I was content to sit in second for a few laps, when I found myself creeping up on him. I checked myself, realized I really wasn't pushing hard at all, and so I let myself take the lead again. I never looked back, and felt I got faster on every lap. I know I probably wasn't, but I had a healthy kick in the end, ended up winning by a few seconds and PRed by four, breaking 8:30 with an 8:29.44. First race of the season. And perhaps more importantly, it felt GOOD. I was confident, aware, never anxious, and every step of the way I was completely in the moment. The best way to race. Don't know what it is, but I must be doing something right. Plus, looking back, I really wasn't that tired afterwards, and recovered quickly. Had I been in the fast third heat, I probably could have broken 8:25, if not better. This is precisely the territory I should be in. It goes without saying it was a huge boost to my confidence.
Sunday's regular run in Seattle was beautiful, and I felt absolutely amazing, not just post-race, but in general. Monday's 6 miler at Nike was on par with the others, and again I felt surprisingly good considering my race over the weekend. Today's workout however was tough by the end, despite wearing spikes and being on the track. And naturally, since I wore spikes on the track, I feel like an old man walking around the house this evening...gotta pay the piper sometime.
Saturday, 1/10-1:03:28 easy
Sunday, 1/11-1:02:13 easy
Monday, 1/12-6 mile workout:
warmup
1 mile easy (combined with warmup)
2 miles fast (10:16 loop of Nike)
2 miles easy (14:34 Nike)
1 mile fast (4:58 Nike)
cool down
Tuesday, 1/13-1:01:13 w/2x5 min pickups
Wednesday, 1/14-Workout @ Oak Hills:
warmup
1 mile @ 4:52, 4 min rest, half mile @ 2:40 (misprint?), 4 min rest, mile @ 4:52
Actual: 4:51, 2:23, 4:54 regular flats and soggy ground made for not so great workout
cool down
Thursday, 1/15-53:20 easy (slow with Fred EARLY in the morning)
Friday, 1/16-26:51 easy (race prep warmup)
Saturday, 1/17-RACE Indoor 3k at Dempsey Indoor on UW campus. 1st place, 8:29.44, 4 second PR.
Sunday, 1/18- 58:52 easy mostly along Burke Gilman trail in Seattle, felt great.
Monday, 1/19- 6 mile workout @ Nike
2 miles easy (just made this the warmup to Nike)
2 miles fast (10:21 Nike loop)
1 mile easy (7:12 Nike)
1 mile fast (4:57 Nike)
cooldown
Tuesday, 1/20-1:00:55 w/2x5 min pickups
Wednesday, 1/21-Workout @ Sunset track:
warmup
4x800m @ 2:20 w/1 min rest, jog 5 min, repeat
with spikes, actual: 2:18/2:20/2:20/2:20//2:19/2:20/2:20/2:18
cool down
felt pretty crummy by the end, walking like an old man tonight
I think I need to develop some sort of style to how I post here. Not sure where I'm going to go with that, addressing whoever you are directly seems to be working out OK, but really I should be writing more often. I know that'll help.
Whatever, truth is folks, I am exhausted, and looks like I have almost two weeks to catch up on, and some of it is really good. So, here we go...
Looking at my log, guess its not so bad. The particulars of any specific run aren't all that interesting anyway, unless they are, in which case I'll make more of an effort to post right away. I know that I have definitely been enjoying the last few weeks of absolutely beautiful weather we've been having here. High pressure has meant we've had close to two weeks of continuous sunshine, almost as unheard of in these parts during winter as a foot of snow is. Must be El Nino. A temperature inversion though means its been quite cold in the valley, which has brought home what I really don't like about running in the northwest: the chill. I don't mind rain, and I don't mind overcast skies. Heck, I don't even really mind the cold. What I do mind is my hands being cold every time I go out for a run, if not my arms and legs, until I warm up. Makes it difficult to get started every day. Suffice to say, I'm pretty sure somewhere since the 9th I meant to put up a post about how glorious the weather was, and how it really felt more like spring than winter. Quite pleasant.
The workouts themselves: as I said, this month is a three harder days/four easier days cycle, with 6 mile workouts on Mondays and track type stuff on Wednesdays. The 12th was pretty good, one of the 6 milers at Nike, and I was quite pleased with the times I was putting out there (though I shouldn't really have been keeping time, as it was more of an effort workout than a time workout, but oh well). The 14th on the other hand was a bit of a struggle; I forgot that school was back in session, so I couldn't use my old high school track like I was planning. So I shifted back to Oak Hills with the half-ish mile loop. I wore my regular shoes, not racers, and the ground was soggy, meaning mushy footing. Hitting the times, even on a three-effort workout, felt like a struggle, and I really didn't feel too confident afterwards.
This was a problem, because I had committed to my first race of the season at UW on the 17th, and indoor 3k at Dempsey. I had submitted my lifetime PR of 8:33, which made me the top seed in the second of three heats. I had a gut feeling that I might be able to better that time, but also the usual doubts about my fitness, and the wisdom of such a lofty goal for my first race.
But warming up for the race, I had a flash of one of those Nike commercials with Lance Armstrong. He says, "This is my body, and I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it, study it, tweak it, listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike, busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?" I must admit, I had been trying to conjure up other such inspirational videos, quotes, vignettes. But suddenly, when that one sprang to mind, fear left me, and only regular old jitters remained. "This is my body" made me realize I was fearful of the pain that others could inflict on me in the race, which is preposterous; I am the only one who decides how fast I go, how hard I push, and when.
I absolutely hate the kind of athletes who need mental coaching to figure out how to do what they do, or even worse, to remember how to do it as well as it used to. But I must be honest, I feel that this was a little bit of a seminal moment for me. I have been fearing what the race would inflict on me, rather than using my body to inflict my will on the race. Its absolutely ridiculous that I had forgotten this, and I feel ridiculous admitting it. But hey, what would there be to read if you didn't know about my ridiculousness.
Suffice to say, it was the best race I've had in a long, long time. Led the first lap in a 68 400, and felt amazingly relaxed. Second lap was maybe a touch slower, and a tall dude took over the lead. I was content to sit in second for a few laps, when I found myself creeping up on him. I checked myself, realized I really wasn't pushing hard at all, and so I let myself take the lead again. I never looked back, and felt I got faster on every lap. I know I probably wasn't, but I had a healthy kick in the end, ended up winning by a few seconds and PRed by four, breaking 8:30 with an 8:29.44. First race of the season. And perhaps more importantly, it felt GOOD. I was confident, aware, never anxious, and every step of the way I was completely in the moment. The best way to race. Don't know what it is, but I must be doing something right. Plus, looking back, I really wasn't that tired afterwards, and recovered quickly. Had I been in the fast third heat, I probably could have broken 8:25, if not better. This is precisely the territory I should be in. It goes without saying it was a huge boost to my confidence.
Sunday's regular run in Seattle was beautiful, and I felt absolutely amazing, not just post-race, but in general. Monday's 6 miler at Nike was on par with the others, and again I felt surprisingly good considering my race over the weekend. Today's workout however was tough by the end, despite wearing spikes and being on the track. And naturally, since I wore spikes on the track, I feel like an old man walking around the house this evening...gotta pay the piper sometime.
Saturday, 1/10-1:03:28 easy
Sunday, 1/11-1:02:13 easy
Monday, 1/12-6 mile workout:
warmup
1 mile easy (combined with warmup)
2 miles fast (10:16 loop of Nike)
2 miles easy (14:34 Nike)
1 mile fast (4:58 Nike)
cool down
Tuesday, 1/13-1:01:13 w/2x5 min pickups
Wednesday, 1/14-Workout @ Oak Hills:
warmup
1 mile @ 4:52, 4 min rest, half mile @ 2:40 (misprint?), 4 min rest, mile @ 4:52
Actual: 4:51, 2:23, 4:54 regular flats and soggy ground made for not so great workout
cool down
Thursday, 1/15-53:20 easy (slow with Fred EARLY in the morning)
Friday, 1/16-26:51 easy (race prep warmup)
Saturday, 1/17-RACE Indoor 3k at Dempsey Indoor on UW campus. 1st place, 8:29.44, 4 second PR.
Sunday, 1/18- 58:52 easy mostly along Burke Gilman trail in Seattle, felt great.
Monday, 1/19- 6 mile workout @ Nike
2 miles easy (just made this the warmup to Nike)
2 miles fast (10:21 Nike loop)
1 mile easy (7:12 Nike)
1 mile fast (4:57 Nike)
cooldown
Tuesday, 1/20-1:00:55 w/2x5 min pickups
Wednesday, 1/21-Workout @ Sunset track:
warmup
4x800m @ 2:20 w/1 min rest, jog 5 min, repeat
with spikes, actual: 2:18/2:20/2:20/2:20//2:19/2:20/2:20/2:18
cool down
felt pretty crummy by the end, walking like an old man tonight
Friday, January 09, 2009
A solid block of moderate
I'm pretty sure I had a more catchy title for that, but what can you do...
Rolling into January the cycle of my workouts has changed. Rather than a hard, moderate, and hill workout each week with a long run, I'm now doing a hard workout, easy run with pickups, then a slightly easier hard workout, either by volume or intensity, with the rest of the week being easy. No long runs, no hills. Makes for a three day block every week that feels moderate over all. Possible 3k in Seattle on the 17th.
Despite all the terrible weather news coming out of the northwest right now, I've been running in surprisingly moderate weather. Everything is wet, but I've gotten away with not getting rained on for the last four days. Plenty of mud to go around though. Definitely forgot the effect of a hard run on wet ground on the back of my shirts. Gotta remember to make sure they're CLEAN before they go in the dryer (oops...). But beyond that it has felt almost spring-like (maybe other natives would disagree). Temperatures got up into the 50s, and Monday and Tuesday did not have a lot of wind. It really was a throwback to high school, running in the damp green. It was nostalgic.
Monday was supposed to be a 6 mile workout, but I think a typo crept in, and there were only four miles listed. By the time I realized it it was too late to check up on it, so I ran what was written. Ran faster than I thought I would.
Same with Wednesday. That workout didn't feel that bad while I was doing it, but MAN I was suffering that night. Haven't felt that beat up in a while. Today was definitely slow. But I'm perfectly ok with that.
Increasingly I notice that not only have I gotten used to training alone, but I almost prefer it now. True, I would probably be going faster with others pushing me, but by the same token, I am not relying on anyone else to make sure I hit my times. There is no one else to drag me along; I have to find the motivation myself. Of course, that is where it always comes from anyway. I don't know, its hard to articulate, but it feels more fundamental, more authentic of a determination that I'm tending. Hopefully it translates on the track.
Monday, 12/5-"6 mile run" (really 4):
~15 min warmup to Nike
2 miles fast (Nike campus loop, ~ 5 min pace)
1 mile easy
1 mile fast (~5 min pace)
~15 min cool down
Tuesday, 12/6- 57:18 w/ 2x5 min pickups
Wednesday, 12/7- 3x2 mile @ 11 min w/2 min rest between:
~17 min warmup to Nike (SLOW)
Nike campus loop x3 (Just under 2 miles, slick bark chip): 10:38, 10:39, 10:38
~17 min cool down
Thursday, 12/8- 58:42 easy (SLOW to the zoo over Sylvan hill)
Rolling into January the cycle of my workouts has changed. Rather than a hard, moderate, and hill workout each week with a long run, I'm now doing a hard workout, easy run with pickups, then a slightly easier hard workout, either by volume or intensity, with the rest of the week being easy. No long runs, no hills. Makes for a three day block every week that feels moderate over all. Possible 3k in Seattle on the 17th.
Despite all the terrible weather news coming out of the northwest right now, I've been running in surprisingly moderate weather. Everything is wet, but I've gotten away with not getting rained on for the last four days. Plenty of mud to go around though. Definitely forgot the effect of a hard run on wet ground on the back of my shirts. Gotta remember to make sure they're CLEAN before they go in the dryer (oops...). But beyond that it has felt almost spring-like (maybe other natives would disagree). Temperatures got up into the 50s, and Monday and Tuesday did not have a lot of wind. It really was a throwback to high school, running in the damp green. It was nostalgic.
Monday was supposed to be a 6 mile workout, but I think a typo crept in, and there were only four miles listed. By the time I realized it it was too late to check up on it, so I ran what was written. Ran faster than I thought I would.
Same with Wednesday. That workout didn't feel that bad while I was doing it, but MAN I was suffering that night. Haven't felt that beat up in a while. Today was definitely slow. But I'm perfectly ok with that.
Increasingly I notice that not only have I gotten used to training alone, but I almost prefer it now. True, I would probably be going faster with others pushing me, but by the same token, I am not relying on anyone else to make sure I hit my times. There is no one else to drag me along; I have to find the motivation myself. Of course, that is where it always comes from anyway. I don't know, its hard to articulate, but it feels more fundamental, more authentic of a determination that I'm tending. Hopefully it translates on the track.
Monday, 12/5-"6 mile run" (really 4):
~15 min warmup to Nike
2 miles fast (Nike campus loop, ~ 5 min pace)
1 mile easy
1 mile fast (~5 min pace)
~15 min cool down
Tuesday, 12/6- 57:18 w/ 2x5 min pickups
Wednesday, 12/7- 3x2 mile @ 11 min w/2 min rest between:
~17 min warmup to Nike (SLOW)
Nike campus loop x3 (Just under 2 miles, slick bark chip): 10:38, 10:39, 10:38
~17 min cool down
Thursday, 12/8- 58:42 easy (SLOW to the zoo over Sylvan hill)
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Nothing special
Saturday, 1/3-Hills, 10x45 sec hard. Moved to the Barnes (?) hill from Peterkort to Sunset TC. I think I got in the way of some people who for whatever reason were videotaping Valeria View. But then as I went by the last time, one called out "thank you!" Don't know what that was about...
Sunday, 1/4-59:38 easy to the zoo and back. And its fucking snowing. Again. I kinda like it, but isn't this supposed to be the Pacific Northwest?
I think this is kinda funny, cause I'm still not sure what I'm trying to accomplish by writing this, and I realize most people have no idea what Peterkort or Valeria View are...anybody got anything they WANT to hear about? Is anyone even out there?
Bueller?
Anyone?
Sunday, 1/4-59:38 easy to the zoo and back. And its fucking snowing. Again. I kinda like it, but isn't this supposed to be the Pacific Northwest?
I think this is kinda funny, cause I'm still not sure what I'm trying to accomplish by writing this, and I realize most people have no idea what Peterkort or Valeria View are...anybody got anything they WANT to hear about? Is anyone even out there?
Bueller?
Anyone?
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Bet you thought I forgot
I didn't forget. Not completely anyway...
Challenge #1 of writing a blog: writing in it consistently. Challenge #2: Writing something interesting. Though that's not quite as much a challenge as it may seem; I'm not really writing for you, I'm writing for me. Who are you again?
Turns out last week was the worst snow Portland has had in forty years. Not much of a comfort, but it is some. Of course, I could only capitulate a day at at time; I ran again on the 23rd. With snow, it was bad, but not as bad as it would be, and I was able to pull of a couple loops of Duck Pond. The footing was pretty treacherous. Not as bad as the 24th though. Christmas Eve was the beginning of the thaw, which meant snow that was frustrating but at least consistent and predictable started to melt into much more hazardous snowy slush. I ran, but a route that is a little over four miles and usually takes me a little over twenty minutes took me more than half an hour. If it were possible to abort before then I would have. Suffice to say I did not run on Christmas, and you simply cannot make me feel bad about it. If you ran on Christmas, you are not dedicated. You are simply stupid.
But of course, I'm kind of stupid too (who isn't who runs like this? C'mon, we're crazy). So the madness resumed on the 26th, another run that usually would take about forty, and this time took more than fifty. But by then, we were past the worst. The 27th was the same run, more than five minutes faster due purely to improved footing, and the 28th was almost completely back to normal. By the 29th my whole run was on wet pavement.
The test was then the 30th, a hard workout, meant to be on the trails or roads, but which I ended up doing on the track, because while I know of an 800m loop, I don't know of a 1k loop.
This workout struck me as one that would be a challenge even without a sketchy week of training preceding it; having gone through that week, I had my doubts I'd be able to keep on pace.
Surprisingly, I was only on pace for one interval, and was under pace for all the others. I don't know if I simply didn't lose any fitness, or if it just wasn't as hard as I thought it would be...either way, it was a nice ego boost.
Apparently we aren't done with the winter weather though: it snowed again the night of the 1st. The fact that it snowed at all is pretty amazing, but given that it was well above freezing AND the ground was absolutely saturated after strong rains all day AND the snow STUCK, you gotta wonder what else this winter has in store...
Tuesday, 12/23-46:43 easy (snow, Hard Workout scheduled)
Wednesday, 12/24-31:08 easy (Cedar Park loop, snow, slush, terrible footing, 1 hr easy scheduled)
Thursday 12/25-REST (4 mile tempo scheduled)
Friday, 12/26-51:10 easy (Duck Pond x2, snow, slush, terrible footing, 1 hr easy scheduled)
Saturday, 12/27-46:25 easy (Duck Pond x2, snow, slush, but better footing, Hill Workout scheduled)
Sunday, 12/28-57:38 easy (Nike x2, mostly wet pavement, Long Run scheduled)
Monday, 12/29-59:04 (Sunset loop, wet pavement, as scheduled)
Tuesday, 12/30-Hard Workout:
10 min warmup
5x1k w/1 min rest btw @ 3:05-3:08
jog 5 min
5x800m w/1 min rest btw @ 2:26-2:28
Actual: 3:01, 3:03, 3:03, 3:04, 3:01
2:28, 2:23, 2:24, 2:23, 2:22
On the track, but regular flats, no spikes.
Wednesday, 12/31-~46 min easy (Duck pond x2)
Thursday, 1/1-REST
Friday, 1/2-1:01:02 easy (Nike x2)
Challenge #1 of writing a blog: writing in it consistently. Challenge #2: Writing something interesting. Though that's not quite as much a challenge as it may seem; I'm not really writing for you, I'm writing for me. Who are you again?
Turns out last week was the worst snow Portland has had in forty years. Not much of a comfort, but it is some. Of course, I could only capitulate a day at at time; I ran again on the 23rd. With snow, it was bad, but not as bad as it would be, and I was able to pull of a couple loops of Duck Pond. The footing was pretty treacherous. Not as bad as the 24th though. Christmas Eve was the beginning of the thaw, which meant snow that was frustrating but at least consistent and predictable started to melt into much more hazardous snowy slush. I ran, but a route that is a little over four miles and usually takes me a little over twenty minutes took me more than half an hour. If it were possible to abort before then I would have. Suffice to say I did not run on Christmas, and you simply cannot make me feel bad about it. If you ran on Christmas, you are not dedicated. You are simply stupid.
But of course, I'm kind of stupid too (who isn't who runs like this? C'mon, we're crazy). So the madness resumed on the 26th, another run that usually would take about forty, and this time took more than fifty. But by then, we were past the worst. The 27th was the same run, more than five minutes faster due purely to improved footing, and the 28th was almost completely back to normal. By the 29th my whole run was on wet pavement.
The test was then the 30th, a hard workout, meant to be on the trails or roads, but which I ended up doing on the track, because while I know of an 800m loop, I don't know of a 1k loop.
This workout struck me as one that would be a challenge even without a sketchy week of training preceding it; having gone through that week, I had my doubts I'd be able to keep on pace.
Surprisingly, I was only on pace for one interval, and was under pace for all the others. I don't know if I simply didn't lose any fitness, or if it just wasn't as hard as I thought it would be...either way, it was a nice ego boost.
Apparently we aren't done with the winter weather though: it snowed again the night of the 1st. The fact that it snowed at all is pretty amazing, but given that it was well above freezing AND the ground was absolutely saturated after strong rains all day AND the snow STUCK, you gotta wonder what else this winter has in store...
Tuesday, 12/23-46:43 easy (snow, Hard Workout scheduled)
Wednesday, 12/24-31:08 easy (Cedar Park loop, snow, slush, terrible footing, 1 hr easy scheduled)
Thursday 12/25-REST (4 mile tempo scheduled)
Friday, 12/26-51:10 easy (Duck Pond x2, snow, slush, terrible footing, 1 hr easy scheduled)
Saturday, 12/27-46:25 easy (Duck Pond x2, snow, slush, but better footing, Hill Workout scheduled)
Sunday, 12/28-57:38 easy (Nike x2, mostly wet pavement, Long Run scheduled)
Monday, 12/29-59:04 (Sunset loop, wet pavement, as scheduled)
Tuesday, 12/30-Hard Workout:
10 min warmup
5x1k w/1 min rest btw @ 3:05-3:08
jog 5 min
5x800m w/1 min rest btw @ 2:26-2:28
Actual: 3:01, 3:03, 3:03, 3:04, 3:01
2:28, 2:23, 2:24, 2:23, 2:22
On the track, but regular flats, no spikes.
Wednesday, 12/31-~46 min easy (Duck pond x2)
Thursday, 1/1-REST
Friday, 1/2-1:01:02 easy (Nike x2)
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