Fletch
I've been AWOL here for several days. It's an incredibly busy time here. I love reading about all of the yard work! That means Spring is here, or at least near. I won't try to catch up on all the happenings, but will say...Deb and adkkev - nice races! Chantilly and Rich - both of you are so consistent with your training. WTG! Dan - nice runs. Sorry it didn't work out for the Badgers.
I'm learning to listen closely to my body. My 12 mile run last Sunday, followed by 5 on Tues., 6 on Wed., 3 on Thurs., and then 5 on Saturday, gave me a total of 31 miles over a 7 day period, which is a pretty hefty increase for me. Sunday was scheduled to be a lsd, but the miles caught up to me, along with other events and obligations, which led to late nights Friday and Saturday, and early mornings Saturday and Sunday. The lack of sleep, muscle soreness from the increased miles, and a slight nagging from my old Achilles tendon, led me to the conclusion that a rest day on Sunday would be more beneficial than a long run. Monday is a scheduled rest day for me anyway, and I left it that way. Unfortunately, an early meeting at work caused me to push this morning's run back to this evening. And now, I've received a message about an urgent meeting called for this evening for our Relay for Life committee (I am the Fundraising Chairman for our event). So this may turn into an unscheduled rest day. Did I mention it's a very busy time here? When I do return to the roads, my plan is to dial it back to about 20 miles per week for a few weeks, then gradually work up from there, dealing with the schedule adjustments as they happen (which will be quite the norm until after our Relay event, and after the US Open golf tournaments in June).
Safe running, everyone. Enjoy the warmer weather!
Tuesday, 4/8... treadmill intervals today, a 1 mile warm up followed by 6 X's 60 seconds @ 7.5 mph with a 60 second break between, then 6 X's 60 seconds @ 8 mph with a 60 second break between followed by a 1 mile cool down. The 8 mph stuff is pretty quick, but it was either keep up with the treadmill or get tossed off the back...
Chantilly... today's workout isn't part of the First plan, they recommend 1 mile repeats, but I need the quicker turnover stuff instead. As far as the First plan goes, I'm running on most of the days they say to cross train, 3 days a week just isn't enough running. And yeah, the railtrail is mostly through the woods, so it's slow to melt.
gito...thanks! We've got a few flowers starting to show as well, is this a great time of year or what?
Fletch... I'm a little hesitant to tell anyone to back-off, because I tend not to do it myself, but I felt like you were racing a little too often for the amount of time you've been running. 5K's take a toll if you run them too often and may be why you're a little run down. Take a little time to recoup though and your body will bounce right back. The main thing for you is to keep building your base, the longer you stay at it, the more resilient you become. Good luck with Relay for Life!
justrundan
Deb- if you get a chance, pick up" Population 485", his first book. It's not crucial, but gives good background for "Truck". If you ever get a chance to see him in person when he's doing a talk/reading, he's very good and very funny!
Dan~Good distraction going to the reading. "Truck: A Love Story" is June's selection for my monthly book club! Didn't realize he is a WI author.
5.1 slow miles today. leaving tomorrow for medical meeting in Orlando. To bad it wasn't in February! We'll see if I can run in the warm/humid climate there.
Dan
Crazy Diamond
Fletch~Sounds like a good plan during crazy times. Remember to get out for a run when you can. In the midst of all the deadlines, meetings, and commitments even a short run can bring some calm into our busy lives. Best wishes with the fundraising!
Rich~Nice work on the intervals. I can see where doing them on a treadmill would be helpful. Every fall I continue to plant spring bulbs until the ground is so frozen I need a pick axe to get them in the ground. Big payoff after a long winter!
Dan~Thanks for the tip. I'll be sure to read it first. Enjoy Orlando! When I was there last July, the morning humidity was too much for me. My niece and I would run around 7PM, and it was much better. travel safe
Planned to run on the parkway this evening, but rain storm was looming in the distance. Parked the car, ran 1 easy mile to the indoor track, ran 5 at HM pace on the track, ran/walked 1 easy mile back to the car. A tough run today.
Run strong friends!
Quo Vadis?
Rich - Nice interval work. You're probably right on the races. Although I think the sudden increase in miles contributed to the drain even more. Either way, I'm toning down the "gung-ho" for a while. I'll pick and choose the races I want to do. And I'm pulling back to about 20-25 miles per week for the next few weeks, or longer. My "gains" can come in my ratio of run-to-walk, more than in total miles. BTW, I haven't seen an update on your son's AT adventure. How's that going?
Dan - nice run. Safe travels. Enjoy the change of scenery, but be careful in the heat/humidity.
Deb - Good job toughing out the 5 miles on the track. And you're right on the money...running helps keep us sane during the hectic times.
The Relay meeting last night kept me from a run, as I suspected it would. Finally made it out this morning, just after sunrise. Shower overnight helped knock down some of the pine pollen (looks like yellow snow around here this time of year). 49 degrees. Ran 4.4 miles at 9:24 avg pace.
Hope everyone has a great day!
Wednesday, 4/9... 2 mile mtn bike ride today on the railtrail. We got a lot of overnight rain and temps above freezing two nights ago and I wanted to check the condition of the trail. I should have checked the condition of my head, thinking the trail would be ok to ride today... Anyway, a little mud and a lot of wet snow made for an interesting 2 miles, but I got back in one piece.
Fletch... you're smart to back off for a bit, what you're dealing with is called Over Training and we're all probably guilty of it. Your training got a little ahead of your body's ability to keep up and now your body's letting you know, quite a system when you think about it. And my son's having a great time hiking the A.T. He's in North Carolina now, but early on had to stop to let a few blisters heal. Meeting lots of people and keeping us filled in on Facebook. I'm jealous... lol
gito... I can picture you outside with a pick axe getting that last bulb in the ground before the deep freeze... lol The pay-off is what's coming this spring, lots of color in your yard! Sounds like a "character builder" on the track for you yesterday. They're a pain, but you'll be stronger because of it, nicely done.
dan... I've got a buddy in Miami who trains in their weather throughout the summer. He complains about his slow pace, but it's usually in the 90's with high humidity, stuff that would slow anyone down...lol Take it easy in that heat, it's probably bad already down there...
Thought I better check in, been a week. I'll respond to questions later.
So tweak of calf last Wednesday was probably a bit more. Calf just got tighter and felt the safe thing to do was take a day off (streak ended at 44 days and 330 miles). Walked 2.8 miles on Thursday and calf started to feel better. Thought I might be able to run on Friday and got in 3.1 miles when I could feel the calf tightening up and walked 2 miles back to work. Saturday was a busy day and no walking or running. Sunday calf was feeling a bit better, so headed out for a 5 mile run, mile in things didn't seem to be loosening up so stopped and walked home. Started walking on TM and at 1.5 miles started jogging as the calf finally loosened up and finished up 4 miles. Monday thought things were getting better so headed out for a short run, but 1/2 mile in there was definite pain in the calf, so ended up walking 4.1 miles and iced things as soon as I got back. Yesterday didn't even pretend that running was an option and walked 5 miles in 65.5 minutes. Leg felt better and pain free for last 4 miles, but iced it anyway. I figure my safest bet is to walk rest of the week and probably step down to 5 mile race on Saturday (paid for 15 miler). Sunday I have a 5K scheduled, but that will depend on how things go on Saturday.
Ray
Ray- sounds like you are doing a good job of taking care of that leg.
Arrived in Orlando later than usual. Do planes every run on time anymore? Otherwise uneventful flight, so I'm not complaining. Got here in time to register for the meeting starting tomorrow and head out for a run. Rule #1- don't take the advice of the clerk at the desk who looks like he's graduating HS this spring. Directions which seemed simple were not, and I got in 5.7 when he said it would be about 2. That is, I got lost! By the time I figured out where I'd screwed up and corrected myself, I had developed a pain in my left instep. What? I've run lots further than that! O well, I'll get some ice on it and may not do any more running whilehere. we will see how it goes.
Run safe (and make sure you know where you are going!)
No running over the past two days ... Tuesday was a rest day (probably a good thing because my legs felt a little tired & I bruised a rib climbing over one of the obstacles in Saturday's mud run) & Wednesday evening we went to see the Goo Goo Dolls in an acoustic concert at The Egg in Albany - it was awesome! Hope to get a run in later on this evening after our weekly Thursday dinner with our younger son & his family.
Happy running everyone!
Thursday, 4/10... 8 mile road run today. Training plan called for 7 miles with the 5 in the middle @ 8:28 pace, something I haven't been able to do yet. I decided on 8 instead to give myself 2 miles to warm up before getting into the tougher miles. Started out running a 9:27, then 8:46 leading into the quicker stuff. Was surprised to see 8:17 in the third mile, but felt like the effort was right so kept it up. Next mile went by in 8:12, then halfway through mile 5, I hit the turnaround point and ran right into a strong headwind. Funny how you never notice when they're pushing you along from behind... Anyway, I dug in and finshed that mile in 8:12, but that was it, I'm not strong enough to run that pace into the wind just yet. Next 3 miles went by in 9:38, 9:21 and 9:31. I'm disappointed I wasn't able to finish the run the way I wanted, but happy to be getting closer. Now I need a break for a couple of days, I'll grab a day off, then probably do a short recovery run before the next hard workout...
ray... take care of that calf muscle, better to back off now than to be forced to later with an injury. Good luck!
dan... should we take up a collection to buy you a GPS device? Enjoy your stay in Florida...
adkkev... good concert and sore ribs, sounds like a reason for a day off to me...
Fletch_NC Rest days are important, too, and you must be careful not to let enthusiasm get you carried away into overtraining.
NH Runner there are some funny videos online, of people getting thrown off the back of a treadmill....hope you don't end up in one.
....extra mud on your shoes should qualify for some kind of weight training....
justrundan agree that desk clerks don't have the best sense of direction...Have a good meeting.
gito57 those tough run days are character building...they also will pay off further down the road..
rmcj001 After your good race recently, it is smart to back off a bit with your leg to head off any further problem.
adkkev those obstacles can take a lot out of a person. Sounds like a fun concert.
yesterday was 4 miles
today was 12 miles.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
6.3 miles around town on a beautiful spring evening! Stars, bright moon, a few passing clouds, just right!!
Rich: enjoy your rest day! Can you give us a link to your son's FB page so we can see his AT progress?
Chantilly: nice 12 miler!!
Dan: enjoy your time down south ... hopefully it won't be too hot & humid for some nice runs.
Fletch: sometimes it's just a good idea to give your body a break ... I've been running 20-25 miles/week for a few months now after consistently running 40+ miles/week for quite a while.
Fletch~How many folks on your relay team? Raise a ton of $$ and let's beat cancer!
Rich~I truly admire the purpose you attach to each run and activity. You're getting stronger every day! Son is living the dream on the A.T. Thanks for updating us. Hope his blisters heal quickly. Moleskin saved many a long hike for me.
Ray~You're taking good care of the calf and staying active despite it. Hope all works out for Saturday's race!
Dan~It's fun to run when in a different city, but not when you receive poor directions!
adkkev~Hope your sore ribs are feeling better! Goo Goo Dolls acoustic concert, sweet! When I hear "Iris", it always reminds me of my little guy's birth day.
Chantilly~4 and 12 miles. You are solid as a rock! Feeling better about your May marathon?
AZ~Thinking of you. Are you back in MN?
Jo~Hope your training is going well.
It has been a tough week, but thinking it probably should be for 3 weeks out from my half. After Tuesday's 7 miles I took Wednesday as an URD. Too many obligations (like many of us!). Thursday, after work and before dinner ran a easy 4 miles (plan said run 6), but nothing easy about it. It was 4 miles, but legs felt like I was pulling crates of rocks behind them. Will head to the outdoor track today for 4 x 1 miles @ tempo, 1 min jog recovery for 8 miles total. More character building!
Rich - Man, your training program is coming along nicely! Mountain biking, followed by a very nice 8 mile run. Keep it up! Glad to hear your son's AT hike is going well. DW and I have hiked portions of the AT here in NC, and would love to do even more. It's a beautiful trail!
Ray - Awesome streak of running! Take care of that calf and you'll be back on another streak in no time.
Dan - Hope the meetings are going well. Sounds like your Orlando run turned into an unplanned Gump run. Have a safe trip back home.
adkkev - nice...Goo Goo Dolls, followed by a nice spring run!
Chantilly - yes, I'm having to temper my enthusiasm. But my body's keeping me in check. Nice running!
Deb - Way to stick with the training, even on the tough days. Hope the tempo run goes well today. RE: Relay - we have about 26 teams and 200 participants registered right now. Our team at the radio station is at 6 right now, but will probably pick up as we get closer. It's a lot of work, but worth it. We have all lost TOO MANY friends and family members to cancer.
Nice Gump run yesterday after work. 77 degrees and sunny. Didn't take the GPS, but according to runningmap.com, it was about 3.5 miles. Rest day today.
Fletch~Nice Gump run, buddy! Organizing and successfully executing events is stressful, but as you said, worth it!
Well, not sure if it was catching the end of the movie "Rudy" last night or listening to AC/DC in the car on the way to the track or a bit of both, but it was a great motivator.. Ran 2 very easy miles on the bike path to the outdoor track. Lots of folks out enjoying the path and 65F with a 25mph gusty breeze. On the track ran 1 mile at 10k pace, then jogged for a minute+ 4x. Don't laugh, splits were: 9:30, 9:26, 9:56 and 9:40. Like Rich's run into the wind the other day, as I approached the turn the headwind nearly blasted me to a stop! Laps 3 and 4 were so hard, but kept moving forward. Ran/walked/ 2 miles back to the parking lot. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't great, but it's done!
Run strong and safe this weekend friends!