Wednesday, 8/17... 14 mile mtn bike ride on the railtrail today. I may try running tomorrow, depends on what the warm-up feels like. If it's good, I'll take it up the road for a few miles...
az... there are all sorts of bikes out there, but I don't think any are propelled with a rowing motion. I wanted something that would give me an upper body workout, but didn't want to peddle with my hands, so settled on the tryke. I know you can go to the gym and use a rowing machine to get the same workout, but I like being outside and Isabel's just plain fun to ride...lol Nice workouts the last few days, you're doing well in spite of your injury. And no, my Achilles doesn't stretch when I'm stretching my hamstring, I read somewhere the Achilles isn't flexible at all, if you stretch it more than a 1/4 inch, it'll completely separate...
Art... you've been solid for quite a while now, here's hoping for a good run on Saturday. I think you're more than ready...
Chantilly... I'm keeping my fingers crossed about my heel, it feels much better, but a run will be the real test. Nice mileage today!
4 mile run this morning getting ready for Saturday. Trying to get up earlier to adjust for the starting time.
AZ - Nice combination of workouts. I've driven through Kanab a couple of times but never stopped. Plan on doing a little sight-seeing. Unfortunately it's just me going so it will be a quick trip. Was going for the weekend but a sewing class came up on Saturday so wife is staying home. Any running plans when you're in AZ?
Chantilly - Another good run for you. Even in the 'stuffy' gym.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
NH Runner Hope your run goes well. Did you plant some corn?
Art in AZ Nice taper this week for you.
az2mntrail I guess we were posting at the same time? Nice and early run for you there, glad to hear that it was a good one.
10 mile run @ 6AM
11 minutes stationary bike
5 mile run.
Maybe mow the lawn after lunch.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
Gym workout yesterday. 20 min elliptical, 20 min bike, 40 min weights, 2 laps of easy running drills.
Today: Ran this MORNING!! WHAT?!? Got up energized, cloudy sky, slight breeze, and before I could get a cup of coffee, I was out the door. WooHoo!! Within a mile, rain sprinkles. Took stretch break with easy 5 squats every 1/2 mile No Matter What. Around 2 miles, light shower. Ran the dirt road to the nearby lake multiple times. By 3 miles, HEAVY shower. Knee/injury was tight from start but loosened up after a mile. I could keep running but forced the stretch breaks. Started getting muddy on last 1/2 mile, nice cool breeze in the rain. Finished 6.1 miles. YAY!! Only slight swelling on back of knee, YES!! One of the few best runs with this injury.
Art: You will have a great run this weekend. There are times when I love solo travel, take my time and stop whenever I want to take in the views. I agree with NH, "you are more than ready." I will run a HM trail race in Chadron, NE on my trip down to AZ. I miss running hills!! I'm planning on volunteering for the Sky Race in Flag, Oct. 1. Then, I might run the Aravaipa 24k Cave Creek trail run, Oct. 15. There are 20k dirt races in 3 of the regional parks around PHX but I need to not run a race every weekend, very tempting but not smart. I guess I'm missing out on 'getting up early to run' as "taper time." LOL!!
Chantilly: WOW!! another awesome run for you!! Stationary bike between running keeps different muscles loosened. Do you practice hydration as well in the gym?
3 miles this morning under cloudy skies and a little 'cooler' because of the clouds. Tomorrow is a rest and travel day. Kind of getting excited for the run but mostly to experience cooler weather.
Went to go to my afternoon appointments and car wouldn't start. Oh no! Figure the battery is going as it's 3 years old. Charged it some and the car started. So I am now waiting for wife to get home so I can get a new battery. Darn, those things are expensive now. Glad it happened today, sort of, rather than on the way to or from Kanab. Then I would really have been upset.
Rich - Nice bike ride. I see that you and I were posting at the same time.
Chantilly - Another good run for you.
AZ - Looks like al of us were running in the morning today. I saw the trail races in the parks. I looked at the Cave Creek and San Tan events. The San Tan is on the same day as my other planned half. Thinking of doing the Hot Chocolate 15K on Dec. 4 because, well they have chocolate. Dark chocolate it seems and I like my dark chocolate.
az2mntrail Sounds like you have several races to choose from in AZ. Hope your MT can help you out down there. I do the stationary bike for knee stability. We're only supposed to have water at the track, but I sneak in a dark water bottle with a mix of oj, water and a magnesium fizzy tablet.
Art in AZ Good to find out the battery problem beforehand, instead of on the side of the road. Good luck this w/e!
7 miles. Back to work.
Thursday, 8/18... 1 mile warm-up, then 4 mile road run. Tried warming up with the heel inserts in my Altras, but was uncomfortable for running. 1/2 mile in, I stopped, removed the inserts and kept warming up. Felt good enough that I decided to try a run. Just 4 miles that went ok, but ended up with a fair amount of discomfort in my heel. Not the end of the world yet, I'll try running in another day or 2 with running shoes with traditional heel lift. If that doesn't work, it might be time for a reality check...
Friday, 8/20... 8 mile mtn bike ride on the railtrail today. Meant as a recovery ride, not much of a workout...
Art... cars are like computers, they're great when they work...lol I'll be thinking about you tomorrow, good luck!
Chantilly... yes, I planted corn as part of the 3 Sisters. They say in small gardens you have to manually pollinate the corn, something to do with corn that's not pollinated won't have any kernels. Lots of instructions on youtube that I followed, the male's the top part of the plant and the female's the hairs that stick out at the top of each ear. When I tried it, the dern honey bees were hogging all the pollen, so I don't know if what I did worked or not...lol The ears are growing, but way behind locally grown corn that's been available for a few weeks now. We'll see. Your workouts are going well, but sneaking stuff into the Gym in colored bottles? Tsk, tsk...
Az... MAYBE this crap's behind you!!! Nice run!
NH: trying new things takes alot of trial and error, and so it goes with insoles as well. Trying the inserts in different shoes should be given a chance. It took me a few runs in insoles to alleviate Morton's neuroma. I knew then that road running will become even more limited. It's odd (and I'm glad) that with this injury, it actually prefers hilly/technical dirt trails. It starts to act up when I run too long on flat terrain. I think the 'different motions' of technical trail terrain helps versus the same motion from running on flat (paved) road.
Today, went for a brisk walk with a new 'friend' who is visiting from CA, we met the couple at a restaurant last night. She's very active and asked if I would walk with her in the state park, she's a fast walker!! YAY!! Bummer, she's leaving tomorrow but she does travel to AZ!! YAY!! Then I went to gym for my usual workout, 20 min bike, 15 min elliptical, 30 min weights. Watching Olympics each evening. The drama D-list celebrity wanna be reality star, Lochte, is getting too much undeserved attention. Sunday is the men's marathon event, YAY!!
Art: There are 3 other trail races, not with Aravaipa, that I was looking at. I can't find the site but will post it when I do. The most distance is 20k so that would be a good training run but not a good idea to squeeze in these races with this injury. So tempting just the same!! I registered for the Oct. 15, Cave Creek Thriller 24k. One trail race a month is probably the best thing to do to appease my need to run an event, and motivate me to keep training. Very smart to get car checked before any long travels, that's my routine. Hope your drive was 'cool.' Good luck!!
Chantilly: how far from work is the gym for your training? Nice to get some mileage in during lunch time!! Our gym has the same rules about 'liquids' and food .......only water is allowed. The area to keep your stuff is close by so I keep other drinks there is I need to but lately, since I'm not running high mileage like you are, I just drink from water fountain in gym.
Dan: hope all is well!
justrundan
August is hot and wet here in WI! 4 short runs this week, hope to go a little longer tomorrow. Or may be TM if raining again.
AZ- You are being consistent with the run/rest cycle, it seems to be helping? When is your next trip to Arizona?
Chantilly- you are really putting in the miles, way to go!
Rich- Isabel! I like that too!
Art- good luck tomorrow.
Dan
The drive up to Kanab was eventful. Took the scenic route and enjoyed the ride. After checking out the finish site and the parking headed to the hotel. Started raining and then it just poured for about 30 minutes before tapering off and quitting a little later. You could see this reddish-brown wave of water and dirt filling the streets and overflowing the curbs. It was raining that hard. This was about 5:00 when it was pouring. Around 7:00 went out for a walk and the water was still flowing down the streets. Not a trickle but a good, fast flow. Sky was clear now though. Thinking I hope it doesn't do that tomorrow morning.
Got to the busses and reached the starting point. Still dark out. And cold to this AZ boy. Temps were the low 60s or less. I was shivering trying to stay warm. Well the moon was shining bright with no clouds. Lots of stars. Low key event. About 80 people, just gun timed for the start with one side of the road closed for us to run to. Started in the middle and after a few minutes thought I was running too fast after passing some people so slowed down a little. Good thing the moon was out otherwise it would have been really dark. Settled in with six runners all around at what felt a comfortable pace. After 3 miles turned into the animal sanctuary. Water belt kept bouncing around so walked while I tightened the straps and fixed it. So far the course has been a gradual downhill. The sun is starting to rise and add more light to the area. In the sanctuary there were two sections where the course went downhill pretty steeply and everyone was slowing a little to compensate. Well what goes down must go back up. Luckily the up parts weren't as steep getting back on the road. We have done 8 miles and one of the women seemed to get a boost and just pulled away from us. As we head into town with the group I look back and don't see anyone close behind. Where did everyone go? The next few miles the 4 of us left change positions a few times until one guy slows down and the two kids are just behind me. Around 11 miles I feel my calves getting sore. Nothing bad just feeling the burn I guess. Got to the end and crossed the line with my time showing 1:54:34. Much better than I thought I would do. Official time was 1:54:35. So I guess training in the warm/hot weather will help you running in the cooler temps. Ended up 13th overall men and 2nd age group. Won $10.00 for second. First place age group finished in 1:28:55.
Chantilly - Darn work getting in the way again.
Rich - Too bad the inserts didn't work with the Altras. But between my pair of shoes I can feel a little difference between them on the sole. One of them causes my feet to be a little higher on the side. Not uncomfortable, just a little different feel. They all feel good when I run in them. I didn't have good luck planting corn here. Easier to just buy it from the farms.
AZ - What a 'friend'. You go out once and then she leaves. It's always good to find someone that enjoys getting out. Are the other trail races by Xterra?
Dan - Weather can really cause issues trying to get in a run.
Saturday, 8/20... took the day off.
Sunday, 8/21... took Isabel out for a 12 mile ride on the roads today. Mildly rolling hills that made for a good workout, averaged low 6 minute miles Ordered a pair of Puma running shoes as well, bought the first shoe I saw with 4 mm heel lift, we'll see how that works out...
az... the inserts I bought are great for walking, but in the Altras cause a fair amount of pain on the outside of my heel when I run. I'm planning a run tomorrow and will try the inserts in a pair of Merrell Road Gloves to see if there's any improvement. The plan with the Pumas is to alternate between zero drop Altras and the 4 mm Pumas and wear the inserts the rest of the time. It may not get me into the half I want to run in 2 weeks, but makes sense for the long term. Looked on line this morning for the start of the men's marathon, site said the race started at 1 pm. At 12:30, turned the computer on and saw the results, I'd missed the race! lol I thought Rupp had a chance to medal, good for him! Now I'll try to find a full replay so I can watch it... Nice workout Friday!
Dan... hang in there, better weather's not far off...
Art... hey, you ran good race, congrats! Enjoyed the race report! Can you believe the 1st placer in your age group? Yikes! lol Yeah, that's my attitude with the corn, local is really good and really cheap. I wanted to give it a try, but won't bother with it again. 1:54:35 ain't too shabby for an old guy, congrats. again...
Did a 25 mile bike ride to Tempe Town Lake this morning. Cloudy and nice out for an easy ride. More people out as the weather was nicer than last week. Then turned dirt in the garden getting ready for the first fall planting next weekend. Going to start a few things from seed and see how they do.
Rich - I'm sure those rolling hills created a good workout. Yes, that guy really moved. I was surprised because the smaller events usually don't get the speed demons. I see them at the larger events around here though. Makes me wonder why I'm so slow. This was the prettiest course scenery wise that I have run. It was just beautiful with the mountains all around. If it wasn't so far I would run this one again. Made me think of Sedona back in Arizona. Much closer at only 2 hours away. Hmm...I see the Sedona Half is Feb. 4th.
Monday, 8/22... 6 mile run today. Started out on the railtrail with an easy warm-up mile, ran the next mile on the railtrail, then onto pavement for the next 4. Goal was to run and not get hurt, (some goal, eh?) which I did, so close enough. I decided against running in a different shoe with inserts and stuck with the Altras. Pace was slow...
Art... right back out there with a 25 mile ride on the bike, eh? Says a lot about your fitness level. Almost everything in my garden is from seed, the exception being tomatoes and Bell peppers. Have you ever grown Swiss Chard? Cut it down and it grows right back, I've harvested it 4 times and it's still going strong...
Art: WTG!! Congrats on the 2nd in AG!! WooHoo!! Overall place was impressive too, WOW!! It was a road race, right? Was it in town or along hwy 89? That was one speedy demon for 1st in AG, WOW!! I looked at results and if I ran it, I would have gotten 1st in AG female ..........would have been the only one in that AG, LOL!! It is worth the drive though even once. It's always exciting to run elsewhere IMO. I've been wanting to run Sedona in Feb but something always conflicts with that date ........might be back in AZ next Feb/March, hmmm. What a great recovery on the bike ride, that is a ton of mileage there!! The 20k/10k/5k trail races are not w/ Aravaipa or Xterra. First one is Sept 24 at White Tanks; Second one is Oct 8 at McDowell; Third one is Oct 22 at San Tan. I've run the trails in these locations w/ Aravaipa and/or Xterra except for San Tan. The Cave Crk Thiller is Oct 15. It's tempting to run the San Tan on 22nd, probably the 10k, not the 20k, but I should be back in MN by then. And I did promise DH that I will not run races a week apart ........
NH: glad the injury wasn't much of a bother on your 6 miler today. Pace slow due to anticipation? or just taking it easy? I know you have been running in Altras but each year, the tiny changes/'improvements' can make a difference, good and bad. I read each year's reviews for subtle changes that might make a difference if I'm considering new shoes. We recorded all the Olympics events so I watched the whole men's marathon, Rupp was smart in his strategy by following the leader as he did in the qualifying by following Meb till towards the end when he picked up his pace and won. This is only Rupp's 2nd marathon!!! and he gets a bronze, just amazing!! The women's triathlon event was a nail biter, WOW!! The winner is from WI but makes her home in MN. She was absolutely determined to get gold this time!! And she did, it was thrilling! Men's and women's volleyball games, beach and indoor, were spectacular. I watched teams other than U.S. as well. Diving was unbelievable!
Dan: short runs are better than none! Getting in a dry run between T-storms/rain is a hit and miss but we can already feel it being less humid! YAY!! BTW: Christie and I might run the 25k trail race in Eau Claire, WI on Nov 5th.
Chantilly: hope you had a great weekend! Guess you're not running in NM? Do you still go to AZ now and then? I thought that you run there sometimes during winter months?
Saturday: Cloudy, overcast, cool around 65 degrees with slight breeze. I didn't get to the park early enough for my run. But by the time I got there, it was beginning to sprinkle. By the time I reached 1 mile, it was pouring rain!! I turned around, barely finished 2 miles. Drove home, changed as I was still hoping to finish another few miles closer to home. It would stop raining now and then but every time I headed out, it would rain like crazy, then a light shower, then pouring rain!! I gave up!! I took it as a sign I was shivering by then as it got more breezy and still in the 60s. I know I will be wishing for this weather when winter comes around!!
Sunday: SUNNY!! slight breeze, in the 70s. Drove back to state park for my run. Stayed with 30 sec stretch breaks every 1/2 mile, got in a couple of decent hill runs on the X-country trails. Tight and stiff back of knee at first till after a mile when it loosens up but it comes and goes throughout the run. Once I get into a rhythm, it feels okay but have to keep short strides, makes me feel like a hamster, LOL!! Took me about 2 hrs but I finished 10 miles, YIPPEE!!
Today: gym workout.
Took today off and called it a rest day. Had early appointments also. Tomorrow starts for the next race.
Rich - It's time consuming trying to get the right combination sometimes with shoes. Planted Swiss Chard last year. You're right, they are prolific devils aren't they? I've had a couple of leaf lettuce do the same thing. Pick some leaves and soon they are more to take their place. I'm working on what gets planted where right now.
AZ - The rain can sure be unpredictable sometimes. It was a road race and dirt road race. First 3 miles were on 89 heading into Kanab from the North. Then about 5 miles through the animal sanctuary there before getting back onto 89 towards Kanab. The scenery was great , after the sun came up. I don't know what other organization is doing trail races at those locations either. Oh well, it must be some secret organization.
You did sign up for the Cave Creek run on the 15th if I remember reading here correctly.