Saturday, February 23, 2008

End to a loooong week

Well, largest volume week I've had to date, ever .... 109 miles and we ended it in grand fashion with a 21 miler in Barrington. Chris and I took a relatively pedestrian pace for the first 10 or so, but began picking it up with just over 6 to go. The last three jumped over and under the 7 min mark for an average of 736 per mile. Elevation map and time overview below. Not bad given the previous mileage load for the week and the relentless hilly nature of the Barrington route. Taking the day off tomorrow instead of running the Cookie Half Marathon.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Tuff mutha

Big blizzard today, I squeezed out 20 in the middle of it, rough going. Take that, mother nature.

@ 82 for the week

Put in another 7 miles this AM. Still tired and hoping that I can either muster up the energy to do some hills today and then some distance tomorrow. That way, I can top that 100 mile barrier that I haven't cleared in 2 years. Looking forward to a down week next week already.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

uuuuufff

I'm at 84, I need 2 more 20 mile days here...


Todays speed workout was lame, i did 14 x 600 at an average of 41-2 seconds per lap, 2:03 - 2:04, with a 400 jog between each one.So thats only a 5:25 pace for about 5.25 miles, har5dly anything to get excited about considering the lengthy rest time...

My Week

60 miles so far:

Sunday: Long run: 25 miles
Monday: Easy Run: 9 miles + Peak
Tuesday: AM - Easy Run: 7 miles; PM - Easy Run 4 miles + Sprints
Wednesday: Easy Run 6 miles with hills
Thursday: 10 miles - Speed RB (2 X 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800)
800 - 2:39
1200 - ? (didn't hit the watch correctly)
1600 - 5:30
1200 - 4:10
800 - 2:42
800 - Looks like I skipped this one
1200 - 4:06
1600 - 5:34
1200 - 4:10
800 - 2:40

According to McMillan, for a 2:37, I am about 10-15 seconds per interval slower than I should be. I hope it's the corners on the track :) I was pretty easily recovering to 120 BPM in 90 seconds between the intervals. But my legs were pretty beat by the end. I mis-read the workout prescription. I wanted to do another set, but I was tired and I didn't think the planner called for more than two. It actually called for two, three or four. Good instincts!

Off to get four miles in for my second run today and a Tunisian circuit.

Ladder from Hell

Chris and I decided to do the 800-1200-1600-1200-1600-1200-800 ladder workout this morning at East Bank. Thankfully there was some humorously bad running going on in there to break up the pain and suffering (at least for me). I struggled through the workout, although Chris seemed to have a good bit better time of it. I clocked low 6's for the first climb and the higher 6's for the last climb.
Every part on my body is tired. 9 miles this AM in total with warmup and cooldown. I have somewhere around 5 left for this evening.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

9 more...

Thats 21 for today. this morning the pace was horrid, about 9:00 per mile. This PM I moved it up to about 8:20... Is this SLOW running helping me any? I dont really know. But its all I can do right now, given the fatigue level. Well see how tomorros track work out with the CRC goes...

3 days left and I'm at 71. I need 16.33 miles for each of the next 3 days to get my 120.

Tread-miles

Did the trusty old Central Park 10K course on my treadmill again. Nice and easy. Also did a one hour core/power/strength session with Bill. He's been stressing the plyometrics -- which are certainly helping. I never do the plyos on my own or in the gym -- the only way they get done is to pay someone to make me do them. Sad but true.

Heading to Marco Island, FL for six days. Looking forward to running in 85 degree weather and pleased to be getting a break from the treadmill. It's been a brutal winter and it's good to be getting out of here for a few days.

See you guys next week sometime... maybe.

158 lbs/17.7% body fat (stagnant!!!)

Ditto on the doubles

61 miles into the week and I'm BEAT. Tried to LT this afternoon, but after dodging ice sheets on the way out to the trail, I managed only about 5 at "near LT" pace. I need someone to chase or someone to chase me in order to make this effective. Slip and slide home. Average pace sucks when you count the tiptoe over the ice sections.
I'm beginning to wonder if Mother Nature is working against me having a good Boston this year. I need a total thaw and the streets, sidewalks and lakefront path to clear. 13.6 miles for me this afternoon. That will be my total for the day. I'll regroup tomorrow.

Tired....

These doubles are killing me. I headed out this morningh with the intention to do 20, but it was 12 and i should be thankful... it was freezing cold, I did 8 outside and 4 in the indoor track. my back is sore and I was very slow, even for my standards... tonight I'll do the other 8.

I am not enjoying this 120 mile week.

Freezin' but running

Wow, was it cold yesterday AM!!!!
Before Chris headed to the "tropics" of Dallas (low of 48ish), we endured a blast of cold in the 6a hour. Not fun, but we got a few decently quick steps in around Montrose loop. Just over 7 mi in the AM.

On to the PM. JP, I enjoyed, really enjoyed a couple slices of pizza before heading out on my PM run (Iron stomach rules!!) around 915p. 8 degrees out, but somehow it felt warmer than the same temp at 630a. Might have been my mind. Footing was better on Milwaukee Ave & Ashland Ave than the Lakeshore Trail. Mayor Daley, is there a good explanation for that?

14.2 miles in for the day. Not bad for a day that many hardly left the inside to endure. I have my sights set on a 12 mi or so LT today. We'll see what happens.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Mon./Tues

Following 4 easy miles with some hills thrown in last night on the treadmill -- I did a 30 minute LT on the treadmill. Did 4.75 miles in the 30 minutes at LT -- which is around 6:18 (?) pace or so. Felt fine. Heart rate didn't creep over 84% at any point and was closer to 80% most of that time. It started creeping up at the end -- but just because I'm in lousy aerobic shape. 9 miles for the workout counting warm-up and cooldown miles.

Fairly encouraging.

Finished with a core and strength circuit (From Core Performance for Endurance Athletes by Mark Verstegen --- great book if you don't already have it... covers diet and exercise and understands the calorie demands of endurance training).

155 lb/16.6% fat

Monday, February 18, 2008

What the F..???

The thaw better come soon. Froze my ass off this evening with Chris while dodging sheets of ice on the tail.

Double for me today along with a massage around noontime. Now I can't complain about my legs. So I'll stick to the weather and wind.... that should give me plenty to complain about.
14 and change today. Maybe a better running day tomorrow. Attitude will still be the same. Poor!

doubles

Yep. Its the name of the game now...

7 SLOW. Total today = 25. Still 89 to go by saturday.

Hold your applause, you aint seen nuthin' yet...

Todays LOOOOOONNNNNGGGG 90 min LT:

1.5 mile warm up

Mile 1 6:41
Mile 2 6:28
Mile 3 6:14
Mile 4 5:58
Mile 5 5:52
Mile 6 6:00
Mile 7 5:59
Mile 8 5:58
Mile 9 5:58
Mile 10 5:58
Mile 11 5:59
Mile 12 6:02
Mile 13 6:05
Mile 14 5:58
Mile 15 6:07

1.5 mile cool down

Tunisian circuit.

1:31 for the 15 miles at LT, 6:04 average, except if we discard the first crappy 6:42 mile the average is more like 6 flat. I'll take that to the bank....

Sunday: three hours

I don't know how many miles. My guess is at least 24, maybe 25.

Had plenty of glycogen issues early in the run, but felt great in the last hour.

Looks like great weather after Tuesday.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

6 miles

Not the way to start a 120 mile week. i got 6 in and felt the call of nature, so i had to rush home.

Tomorrow i plan on doing the 90 min LT

Round and Round.... and round

Someone kill me if I have to do another 20 miler at East Bank Club again. Wonderfully warm weather here in Chicago... but I waited too long and downpour ensued. So nothing like 80 laps or so of pure hell inside with a bunch of goofballs attempting to run 2 miles each at EBC. Chris and I managed to keep a decent pace for much of it, but was really bored on this one. Now the rain's freezing onto the pavement. Makes a decision about tomorrow AM all the more difficult. Need a double tomorrow and Tuesday. What to do????

This winter's weather sucks more than any for running that I've endured in the last 4. I can take the cold (to a point), but the footing is completely dangerous. I don't want to end up cracking my head open (wouldn't injure me if that happened) or breaking a wrist.

Thank God I've been traveling for work. Seems like the best runs have been out of town this winter. CA in the first week of March, pre-Boston Caveman.

Sat & Sun

8 miles of slow paced treadmill miles on Saturday and 2:45 of slow miles on the path today.

Puddles on the path are very deep. My feet were soaked within the first mile. Good news is that once they're wet -- they don't get wetter. It was 40 degrees -- but it still sucked.

Left leg held up for about two hours... the last 45 minutes were ugly.

156 lbs/17.1% body fat

Saturday: Ins & Outs

Great workout. In summary, it was ~6.5 miles of Ins/Outs and 12.3 miles total.

It's hard for me to understand and or explain this workout in terms of heart rate or pace. My pace was nothing fantastic, but that may be wind-related in the first half--regardless it seems like my Outs were too slow. My heart rate percentage doesn't even come close to following the workout's prescription, again likely because of the cold temperature. But I was able to rehearse that "fast" technique. And it felt good. I posted a screen shot of the Garmin workout log if you're interested.

Weather was in the mid-teens with Sun and wind out of the south, so I wore shorts. Lots of weird looks and comments, but I honestly got hot on the return trip north.