Today I ran 6 miles in 47:10. I ran the first two miles at 7.5 mph, the second two miles at 7.6 mph, the fifth mile at 7.7 mph, the first .33 miles of the sixth mile at 7.8 mph, the next .33 miles at 7.9 mph, the next .10 miles at 8.0 mph, the next .20 miles at 8.1 mph, then the last .10 miles at 8.3 mph.
I was highly cautious due to my hip. I was very much in tune with what my body was telling me. The good news is that my hip felt TREMENDOUSLY better than yesterday. Though not totally healed, it was still very tempting to not throw in a little speed work. I knew I could do it, my legs were feeling strong. But I just kept reminding myself that I have not fully recovered from my marathon and that I need to run slow today so I can run faster tomorrow.
Speaking of which, tomorrow I will run 10 miles. I will start out cautiously but I want to run most of it at 8.1 mph. We'll see how it goes.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
10/24/11 (Monday) Activities
Today I ran 5 miles in 38:46. I ran most of it at 7.6 mph. I started out doing my usual Monday run, though I did not take the quarter miles at the end of each mile any higher than 8.3 mph. Then my left hip started hurting. I ran Friday for 3:20:25 and did my usual 6 mile run on Saturday and did not feel a thing. During my Saturday run I actually forgot about it. And now it started hurting today? What gives??? I even had a full day of rest yesterday. I was really afraid I would have to abandon the remaining part of my run today, but I backed it off to 7.5 mph (8:00 min/mile pace) and it started feeling better. We'll have to see how things go tomorrow.
This evening I cycled 56 minutes on my trainer. That would equate to roughly 17 miles.
This evening I cycled 56 minutes on my trainer. That would equate to roughly 17 miles.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
10/22/11 (Saturday) Activities
Today I ran my usual 6 mile run in 47:22. It was only about 15 hours since I got done running 16.61 miles and being on my feet for 3:20. I did not want to run and was doing my best to talk myself out of it. I did get up to run and within a short time was already feeling better. My muscles were warming up and I was actually feeling better physically than when I started the run. I was really glad I did this run and think it helped immensely for my recovery from yesterday.
I set up my Kurt Kinetic trainer downstairs. Though it was a nice day, it was a bit cool and I just did not feel like being out on the causeway today. So I cycled for 1:35:00 on my trainer. I bought this trainer because it is the most realistic to an outside ride. And it was tough! I think it may have been a little harder than my usual outside ride, but that might be because my legs are tired from yesterday.
Total running miles for the week = 40.61
Total running miles for the week = 46.25 (this includes the equivalent of ~29 miles on my trainer)
I set up my Kurt Kinetic trainer downstairs. Though it was a nice day, it was a bit cool and I just did not feel like being out on the causeway today. So I cycled for 1:35:00 on my trainer. I bought this trainer because it is the most realistic to an outside ride. And it was tough! I think it may have been a little harder than my usual outside ride, but that might be because my legs are tired from yesterday.
Total running miles for the week = 40.61
Total running miles for the week = 46.25 (this includes the equivalent of ~29 miles on my trainer)
10/21/11 (Friday) Run
Today I ran 16.61 miles in 3:20:00. Now you might be thinking why did it take me that long to run that far (or, why did I even run that far)? The reason is because a friend of mine from work was doing a 50 mile ultra marathon. It runs along the Pony Express trail in the west desert, starting about 20 miles west of Faust, Utah. Another person from work, actually our boss, was acting as his support crew. I already knew how my friend, Zac, was doing after about two hours. He was blazing along, having run about 16 miles. That is a very fast pace for an ultra marathon, and is actually a marathon pace. I was a little concerned that perhaps he went out a little too quickly. It is easy to do on this run because it starts near the top of a mountain and immediately goes downhill for the next 5 miles. But, I was also hoping that, perhaps, he was just having an amazing day. I was a little worried that he would be almost done when I got there (not worried for him, but I wanted to support him and run with him and was afraid I would get there and would not be able to do that). This is also the same first half of the run that we are planning to do when we run the 100 mile ultra marathon in October 2013 (the organizer does a 50 and 100 miler), so to see this course and have some experience with it is also a big plus. If you read what I write, you know I am a big proponent of knowing the course. This course is SO far removed from anything it is difficult to go out there without it taking a whole day (if you include running) as it is two hours from where I live.
By the time I arrived he had been running almost exactly six hours. An ultra marathon has little to do with speed and a lot to do with endurance. It is ALL about conditioning. I seemed to arrive just at the right time. He had been going strong, but by the looks of things and the report from his support person (again, our boss who was great to do this), he was really starting to weaken. So, if you added correctly, I found him shortly after the mile 33 marker. There is one big hill on this course, and this was the start of it. It is a very gradual 5 mile climb until it gets to within about half a mile of the summit and then becomes fairly steep (about 8% grade). When you are out running that long, not to mention being in the sun that long, you do not always think very clearly. It now became my turn to do all the strategizing for him on how we were going to finish the remaining miles. Unfortunately, he began having hamstring cramps and, later, calf cramps (his hamstring cramps got better later) that were at times severe. He was taking in salt tablets with potassium very regularly, so I thought it might be something else (which it might have been), but when we got done I was able to get a good look at him and he literally had salt caked over his whole body (temperature was about 66-68, which is about 10 degrees too warm). We got up that hill by doing 1:1 runs; that is one minute run, one minute walk. That seemed to work for him pretty well. After we got to the top of that hill he was able to run a lot of the next 6-7 miles that was downhill. But we ended up going back to the 1:1 run as it became more level and ran this way all the way in. When there was 1.5 miles left, you actually pass the finishing point, and with the new addrenaline kicking in he was able to run the remaining distance (and did a final, impressive, 8:34 mile for the very last mile). He managed to actually beat his time from last year by almost 30 minutes and I give full credit to him for a well-run race. I know he wanted to give up when I first started running with him. But he kept in there, did not complain, and just kept at it. With all the issues he had leading up to the race and the last half of the race, this is not just a good time overall, it is highly impressive.
This was a great reminder to me, and I am not blowing my own horn here, of the importance of a good support crew. This race provides zero support and so your crew is everything. Our boss who agreed to support him is a four-time Ironman. He knows what it takes to get through a race, including ordering(basically) the runner to do this or that. Then I came along with my experience to help him keep on pace. Now Zac is an experienced runner. He has been running since high school. But as I said, you are not always thinking clearly the longer you are out. More than once he thanked me for taking on the job of thinking for him. He also commented that seeing me running in front of him was like a metronome; all he had to do was keep pace with my movement. There were a number of times when we would get to the support vehicle and either Tim (our boss) or I would tell him he was not going to ingest what he asked for but would be taking in something else instead. It was actually really great to run with Zac and a privilege to support him.
As for myself, this was not a particularly hard run as far as just running goes. Most of the time my heart rate was not even into my fat burning zone. However, the hard part was being on my feet for 3:20. Being just two weeks after my marathon, this was actually a much harder run doing it in 3:20 then if I would have run it in two hours. If you ever train for a marathon you will see that the plans tell you to not run fast on your long runs. The main purpose is getting used to being on your feet that long. It is a very different conditioning than getting your legs to run fast, equally as hard and valuable.
By the time I arrived he had been running almost exactly six hours. An ultra marathon has little to do with speed and a lot to do with endurance. It is ALL about conditioning. I seemed to arrive just at the right time. He had been going strong, but by the looks of things and the report from his support person (again, our boss who was great to do this), he was really starting to weaken. So, if you added correctly, I found him shortly after the mile 33 marker. There is one big hill on this course, and this was the start of it. It is a very gradual 5 mile climb until it gets to within about half a mile of the summit and then becomes fairly steep (about 8% grade). When you are out running that long, not to mention being in the sun that long, you do not always think very clearly. It now became my turn to do all the strategizing for him on how we were going to finish the remaining miles. Unfortunately, he began having hamstring cramps and, later, calf cramps (his hamstring cramps got better later) that were at times severe. He was taking in salt tablets with potassium very regularly, so I thought it might be something else (which it might have been), but when we got done I was able to get a good look at him and he literally had salt caked over his whole body (temperature was about 66-68, which is about 10 degrees too warm). We got up that hill by doing 1:1 runs; that is one minute run, one minute walk. That seemed to work for him pretty well. After we got to the top of that hill he was able to run a lot of the next 6-7 miles that was downhill. But we ended up going back to the 1:1 run as it became more level and ran this way all the way in. When there was 1.5 miles left, you actually pass the finishing point, and with the new addrenaline kicking in he was able to run the remaining distance (and did a final, impressive, 8:34 mile for the very last mile). He managed to actually beat his time from last year by almost 30 minutes and I give full credit to him for a well-run race. I know he wanted to give up when I first started running with him. But he kept in there, did not complain, and just kept at it. With all the issues he had leading up to the race and the last half of the race, this is not just a good time overall, it is highly impressive.
This was a great reminder to me, and I am not blowing my own horn here, of the importance of a good support crew. This race provides zero support and so your crew is everything. Our boss who agreed to support him is a four-time Ironman. He knows what it takes to get through a race, including ordering(basically) the runner to do this or that. Then I came along with my experience to help him keep on pace. Now Zac is an experienced runner. He has been running since high school. But as I said, you are not always thinking clearly the longer you are out. More than once he thanked me for taking on the job of thinking for him. He also commented that seeing me running in front of him was like a metronome; all he had to do was keep pace with my movement. There were a number of times when we would get to the support vehicle and either Tim (our boss) or I would tell him he was not going to ingest what he asked for but would be taking in something else instead. It was actually really great to run with Zac and a privilege to support him.
As for myself, this was not a particularly hard run as far as just running goes. Most of the time my heart rate was not even into my fat burning zone. However, the hard part was being on my feet for 3:20. Being just two weeks after my marathon, this was actually a much harder run doing it in 3:20 then if I would have run it in two hours. If you ever train for a marathon you will see that the plans tell you to not run fast on your long runs. The main purpose is getting used to being on your feet that long. It is a very different conditioning than getting your legs to run fast, equally as hard and valuable.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
10/19/11 (Wednesday) Run
Today I ran 8 miles in 58:21. I warmed up for the first mile to where I was running at 8.1 mph by the end of that mile, and for the next 3 miles continued at the same speed. Miles 5-7 I ran at 8.3 mph and then I started the last mile at 8.4 and increased as usual, running the last 100 meters at 10.0 mph.
I was particularly vigilante of my left hip muscle, due to my muscle twinge yesterday. Though it never really hurt after the run, I could feel it the rest of the day and was worried it would prevent me from running today, particularily at the speed I wanted to run at. All was well and I did not even feel it during my run. However, I did run the last 100 meters just a little slower than I would have normally.
I could feel that my legs are still somewhat fatigued from the marathon. Nothing surprisingly, of course. However, the faster I ran, the better I actually felt.
I was particularly vigilante of my left hip muscle, due to my muscle twinge yesterday. Though it never really hurt after the run, I could feel it the rest of the day and was worried it would prevent me from running today, particularily at the speed I wanted to run at. All was well and I did not even feel it during my run. However, I did run the last 100 meters just a little slower than I would have normally.
I could feel that my legs are still somewhat fatigued from the marathon. Nothing surprisingly, of course. However, the faster I ran, the better I actually felt.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
10/18/11 (Tuesday) Run
Today I ran 5 miles in 35:19. After my usual one mile warm-up at 7.5 mph, I ran 12X200 meter intervals with a one minute recovery in-between each. I ran the first 10 intervals at 10.0 mph, the 11th interval at 10.3 mph and the 12th interval at 10.5 mph for 300 meters. After all the intervals were completed I ran a tenth of a mile at 7.5 mph and then at this point (the 4.30 mile marker) I increased it to 8.3 mph and then increased as usual, finishing the last 100 meters at 10.5 mph.
Something to keep an eye on: In the very last quarter mile I felt a twinge in my left, front hip muscle, right near the bone. It actually started feeling better after a little while and I was able to finish out the run without slowing down. However, I will have to keep an eye on it for my run tomorrow and see if it acts up. It is not injured at this point, but it was reinforcement to not push my body too hard yet.
Another potential variable to this is that yesterday I changed my weight workout rountine. Normally, I work my legs on Thursday. However, after my run last Friday I realized how taxing that is to my legs so I am experimenting with doing it on Mondays.
Something to keep an eye on: In the very last quarter mile I felt a twinge in my left, front hip muscle, right near the bone. It actually started feeling better after a little while and I was able to finish out the run without slowing down. However, I will have to keep an eye on it for my run tomorrow and see if it acts up. It is not injured at this point, but it was reinforcement to not push my body too hard yet.
Another potential variable to this is that yesterday I changed my weight workout rountine. Normally, I work my legs on Thursday. However, after my run last Friday I realized how taxing that is to my legs so I am experimenting with doing it on Mondays.
10/17/11 (Monday) Activities
Today I ran 5 miles in 37:30. I ran the first mile as a warm-up at 7.5 mph, the second mile at 7.6 mph, and the third and fourth miles at 7.8 mph. However, for each quarter mile of the last mile for the first four miles I ran that at 8.3 mph. I increased the last mile as usual, running the last 100 meters at 10.5 mph.
In the evening I cycled 17.21 miles in 54:14. That is a 19.0 mph average.
It is getting much cooler in the evenings. I might have one more evening to ride outside next week, but that will probably be it. I should still be able to ride on Saturdays as long as it is not too cold. I did buy a Kurt Kinectic Trainer based on a recommendation from my wonderful sister-in-law Shelley : ) Just arrived yesterday so I have not used it yet.
In the evening I cycled 17.21 miles in 54:14. That is a 19.0 mph average.
It is getting much cooler in the evenings. I might have one more evening to ride outside next week, but that will probably be it. I should still be able to ride on Saturdays as long as it is not too cold. I did buy a Kurt Kinectic Trainer based on a recommendation from my wonderful sister-in-law Shelley : ) Just arrived yesterday so I have not used it yet.
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