08/31/2005(b)

Workout: hill reps, 10 X 400m

Nothing exciting to report. Run up the hill. Run down the hill. Repeat ten times.

08/31/2005(a)

Workout: recovery 5mi

Another stroll with Booger on the north end of the MVT. I hope he enjoys the sweaty humidity as much as I don't. It really is disgusting.

After our run we went around the block to AAA to find out if our nation is going to run out of gas this weekend as predicted. That would be a shame for those poor, poor oil conglomerates to only be able to report $1.7 billion in profits next year instead of $1.9 billion. How will they feed their children?

08/30/2005

Workout: V02 max 8mi w/5 x 600m @ 5K, jog 90sec between

Boy this was fun. My plan to get this done at 5:30am didn't happen, since it sounded like Booger was waking up just as I was preparing to head out. Turns out he went back to sleep, but I lost my "window" for a morning run. Instead I was relegated to 8:30pm at the TC Williams track. For maintaining an accurate mileage count, this turned out to be a better venue than the MVT.

I opted to do 6 reps instead of 5, just for good measure.

08/29/2005

Workout: general aerobic 8mi

This morning I was still shaking some of the rust off from Saturday's workout, and luckily it was good and humid even at 5am. Last week's Washington Post ran an article on an ultramarathon in California's Death Valley. Doesn't sound too bad, what with there being no humidity.

08/28/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training

Ahhh...God sure knew what he was talking about when he created Sunday.

08/27/2005

Workout: marathon-specific 15mi w/12mi at marathon race pace.

The conditions--weather and beyond--were less than ideal, though mixed. I headed out around 8/8:30am, thinking I would miss the bulk of the training groups on the MVT South. With a steady rain falling most of the morning, I thought that this might deter even more casual trail enthusiasts. Still, I encountered about 8-10 packs of training groups. I guess these are the "lazy" training groups, who don't get out at 6am or so.

While the rain was annoying, the temperature was nearly optimal, in the high 60s. It was almost cool enough for a long-sleeved shirt as an afterthought, but did warm up a bit. More annoying was the bee/hornet/other stinging insect that zapped me on the lower right lip just before the mile 3 mark. Ouch.

Time and effort-wise, I am very happy with the results. The breakdown:

Mile 01--07:30, 160 average HRM
Mile 02--06:22, 160 average HRM
Mile 03--06:30, 160 average HRM
Mile 04--06:57, 162 average HRM
Mile 05--06:37, 158 average HRM
Mile 06--06:44, 159 average HRM
Mile 07--06:46, 157 average HRM
Mile 08--07:17, 160 average HRM
Mile 09--06:45, 162 average HRM
Mile 10--07:00, 160 average HRM
Mile 11--06:35, 164 average HRM
Mile 12--06:33, 160 average HRM
Mile 13--06:25, 163 average HRM
Mile 14--07:19, 154 average HRM
Mile 15--06:59, 158 average HRM

Total time was 01:42:22, an average of roughly 06:50/mile. For the 12 miles at race pace, the total was 01:20:34, or an average of 06:43. That in itself should be enough to satisfy me, especially considering that miles 5 through 11 were almost all hills; see if you can discern from the splits which direction had more downhills than up!

However, despite my propensity to obey all traffic signals, I still slowed at most stop signs, which by my count added around 15 seconds to the pace miles. Additionally, I'm pretty sure I boned measuring mile 8, which was a 1/2 mile past the trail marker and back. While I was noting my splits at each mile marker, I failed to also take note of the elapsed time at the mile 7 marker, and I'm pretty sure that I put in a few extra yards. This seems obvious when looking at the almost identical times for miles 7 (06:46) and 9 (06:45), mile mile 8 came in at nearly 30 seconds over that (07:17) and it was a reasonably flat part of the trail, as I recall.

Taking into account these factors, and throwing out mile 8, the average comes down to roughly 06:38. With a course with fewer hills than this, I think the 06:45s and 06:50s will even out with the 06:35s and 06:25s.

One preparation item I did not do was to set some HRM zones to help me stay at my "race pace". But based on this workout today, I think I can safely say that the desired pace is roughly 160.

GEL REPORT: I had a Powerade green apple gel pack at mile 10. Best one so far, and a possible candidate for race day.

08/26/2005

Workout: recovery + speed, 6mi w/6 X 100m strides

Even with two days of back-and-forth air travel, which can verily suck the life out of you, this run was a piece of cake. At some point I should use the HRM to gauge what sort of effort these sprints truly involve.

I was able to sleep in and run later in the morning (around 9am) since Pap-Pap was here to watch Alex for a few spells.

08/25/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

The schedule timing worked out well as I needed to make a quick trip up to NH, to say goodbye to my Grandmother. Every now and then, our fantasy worlds need an interruption of reality.

08/24/2005

Workout: medium-long run 14mi.

Today I was starting to feel back to "normal" after a week-plus of deviating from my typical training and sleep schedules. The earliest run so far, as I left the house just before 4:30am. It's pretty evident that summer is winding to a close since the sun hadn't even fully peeked over the horizon by the time I finished up. Smartly, I took some Gatorade with me on the fuel belt, which I should plan to do more religiously for any runs of 10+ miles.

GEL REPORT: I had a Powerade Lemon-Lime gel pack at mile 8. Not bad, but not great.

NOTE: To all you runners and cyclists on the trail who feel the need to say "Hi" etc....I, for one, do NOT get up at 4 or 5am in order to socialize and meet friends. So while your greetings may be met by little more than a head nod or a grunt from yours truly, you should not take this to mean that I perceive you to be a complete jackass, though in all likelihood, you are.

08/23/2005(b)

Workout: hill reps, 14 X 400m

I ended up doing "only" 10, but I think the effort was somewhat commesurate with what was required, since I did them with Booger in the stroller. Yikes! I haven't hauled that 30lb. rock up a hill in months!

08/23/2005(a)

Workout: recovery 6mi.

OK, so there's really not much recovery needed after the prior day's 6mi. run. Maybe the intent was "recovery from weekend festivities"? I needed to shift some workout around to fit the schedule this week and while this run being today wasn't optimal (training-wise), it seemed about par for my intensity level.

We got out on the trail a bit earlier in the morning, so we both managed to stay a bit cooler. Which was nice.

08/22/2005

Workout: recovery 6mi.

We finally got a break in the weather, so Booger and I were able to hit the MVT in the early morning for this jog. Again, a bit slower and more methodical than past efforts, but it was good to get some miles in.

08/21/2005

Workout: recovery 5mi

I managed to squeeze in a quick 4+ miles after breakfast in the morning and before checking out of the hotel in Cleveland. Still, the effects of the weekend revelry were obvious.

Ironically, the sole 'injury" of the weekend occurred during this run. Despite the mercury hitting the upper 80s by 10am, it appeared as if steam was coming out of manhole covers and grates underneath Cleveland. Being curious I, of course, stopped during my run to see if it was indeed hot steam. It was, and it was quite hot, enough to give me some minor burn marks on my right hand. Ouch.

08/20/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training

Workout completed as prescribed.

08/19/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training

Despite my best intentions to put in a few miles once back in DC at 10am, or upon arriving in Cleveland at 4pm, it was not to be, as the weather and airline gods deemed otherwise.

08/18/2005

Workout: medium-long run 12mi.

This was to be the day I fell off the training wagon for hopefully the only time in my schedule. With my interview at 1pm, a good 3-hour drive from the parents house in Sanford, NC, and knowing how I perform in a professional environment after, say, a 20-mile run, I planned to do these miles on my return. Unfortunately, the interviews went a bit longer than expected, and I didn't get on the road (runing-wise) until a bit after 7pm. Running mostly on the shoulder of 55mph 4-lane roads, with darkness well upon me, I opted to limit the mileage. Oh yeah, and we also had a 5:30am airport trip the next day.

08/17/2005

Workout: lactate threshold, 11mi w/6mi @ 15K pace

I didn't have a problem squeezing this in during tyhe morning, as Val had an 8:15am doctor's appointment. I finished the 6mi. portion in 40:16 which, by my calculations (06:43/mi), is a good deal off from the target sub-3:00 marathon pace. Looks like improvement will be needed, and soon.

08/16/2005(b)

Workout: hill reps, 14 X 400

Late last week I received an interview invitation for an out-of town position, scheduled for Thursday in Jacksonville, NC. Due to this, I began moving around my workout for later in the day, knowing full well the elephant in the room scheduled for Friday--a 20mi. jaunt already re-scheduled from Saturday.

08/16/2005(a)

Workout: medium-long run 12mi

Even though this was a relatively short-mileage workout, the weekend food & beverage clearly caught up with me, as did the sedentary lifestyle. Not my best effort.

08/15/2005

Workout: recovery + speed, 6mi. w/6 X 100m strides

I didn't hit the pavement until after we had driven back from the weekend, so it was close to 3pm or so. All the while I was thinking about the compressed schedule coming up later in the week, and was wishing I'd gotten this run in before we left in the morning.

08/14/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

Another day of rest deferred from earlier in the week. I would later this week regret the decision...

08/13/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

Well, not really. Most of the day was spent troubleshooting the antique PCs for two members of the extended family. I think another 18mi. run would have been preferable.

08/12/2005

Workout: long run 18mi.

Because we were all headed to Greensburg PA for four days, I juggled the schedule to get this in before leaving. This would allow me to keep the familiarity of my route and as well I could keep all the long-run schwag (Fuel belt, gels, etc.) at home for the weekend.

Overall I felt good, except for the multiple insects I swallowed, as usual.

GEL REPORT: I had a Powerade raspberry gel pack at mile 9. Not so good; probably won't consider it for any future runs, training or otherwise. Seemed to have a lingering aftertaste, despsite being washed down with almost a full 6oz of Gatorade.

08/11/2005

Workout: general aerobic + speed: 7mi w/8 X 100m strides.

Lucky for Booger, I was able to have him otherwise tasked while I did this in the mid-morning heat. Feeling a bit guilty from missing the workout on Tuesday, I added four more 100m strides for a total of 12. I didn't want to overdo it, though, knowing that tomorrow I have my 18mi. long run.

08/10/2005(b)

Workout: hill reps.

For this week's hills workout, I followed some advice to help determine my maximal heart rate:
"...warm up thoroughly and then run three high-intensity 600-meter repeats up a moderate hill, jogging back down right away after each one. If you run these 600s all out, your heart rate should be within two to three beats of maximum by the end of the third repeat."

I used the hill on King Street between the Metro and Uhler Street for this 'exercise'. By the end of the third repeat, the HRM was hitting about 178-180, so that appears to be the maximal heart rate.

08/10/2005(a)

Workout: medium-long run 11mi.

You know that you're getting up pretty early for your morning run when:
a. At the turn of an 11mi. jaunt the sun still has not risen;
b. Upon crossing US Route 1, you don't see any headlights or tailights...in either direction; and
c. There are still bats flying around along the trail.

A bit cooler today, which was nice. My legs were somewhat tired on the return, not surprising since I was fairly wiped out most of the day on Tuesday. Not sure why. Probably stress with my fantasy baseball team soing so poorly.

08/09/2005

Workout: recovery 4mi.

Ooops. I swear I thought today was a rest day, and treated it as such. Hopefully this lost 4mi easy run won't come back to haunt me...

08/08/2005

Workout: lactate threshold, 10mi. w/5mi @ 15K or half-marathon pace.

Obviously I need to be more diligent about understanding what my own pace would be for such a workout. Using the HRM today, I think I have a better sense of what that would be. The numbers breakdown:

Miles 1-2: 21:41, 138 avg HR
Mile 3: 6:59, 148 avg HR
Mile 4: 6:53, 152 avg HR
Mile 5: 6:40, 158 avg HR
Mile 6: 6:39, 162 avg HR
Mile 7: 6:32, 162 avg HR
Miles 8-10: 22:45, 155 avg HR

A quick assessment would be that the pace should be around 6:30 - 6:40 and 155-165 HR.

Other numbers:
Small gnats inhaled: 4
Small gnats in eyes: 2 (one in each)
Small gnats otherwise striking face: dozens.

It felt like I was running through an enemy crossfire of small gnats.

08/07/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

Does 5+ hours cutting lumber and working on the deck railings count as "cross-training"? In my book, yes.

08/06/2005

Workout: medium-long run 12mi.

Confirmed that the southern MVT is much, much less prone to cycling jackpipes and stupid novice runners in massive training groups. I probably saw all of two dozen people on the trail during my two hours out there. It is s aslightly tougher trail, with more hills and undulations. But well worth the trade-off!

08/05/2005

Workout: recovery 4mi.

Another casual jog on the north MVT with Booger and the jog-stroller. Again, I think I am going cuckoo--maybe it's the training--since we were halfway there in the car when I had to trun around and return home to pack up the jog stroller. D'oh!

08/04/2005

Workout: rest/cross-training.

Ahh...my favorite 4-letter word!

08/03/2005(b)

Workout: hill reps 10 X 400m.

The folks in the neighborhood of this hill down the street must think I'm cuckoo for running up and down it a bunch of times every Wednesday night, especially in this weather. I'm starting to think that perhaps they are not so far off from the truth.

08/03/2005(a)

Workout: general aerobic 8mi.

Another basic workout, though unfortunately my legs again felt a bit tired. Hopefully it is just the lingering effects of Sunday's missed rest day. Or maybe it is just life in 95 degree heat. Who knows.

08/02/2005

Workout: recovery 5mi.

As with most other recovery workouts, Booger and I took the jog stroller out on the trail in mid-morning. Ironically, it is actually less crowded after about 9:30am, though a bit warmer.

As part of his "training", I am trying to encourage him with simple phrases while we are running, repeating them several times as the situation presents itself. Typical phrases inlclude: "Across the bridge", "up the hill", "down the hill" and "jackass biker". The latter normally happens when we are stopped at one of several intersections on the trail marked with a stop sign (where I point to the sign and say, "Stop!" several times), all the while avoiding the speeding bikers recklessly blowing through the intersection without even slowing.

It's such a shame that most bicyclists are too stupid to know how to read. Sad.

08/01/2005

Workout: general aerobic + speed 8mi. w/8 X 100m strides.

As the months pass, the MVT on early weekday mornings seems to be getting more crowded with runners. My guess is that many training for the MCM realize that the marathon is now a mere three months away. Still, the "crowds" are nowhere near the chaos of a typical Saturday morning, when multiple training groups and their ignorant novices teem across the trail like roaches in a restaurant's back alley. Ewww.

For the first time in recent memory, though, I felt "tired". Not in the traditional lack of sleep sense, but rather with regards to my legs feeling heavy and plodding throughout the run. I don't think it is due to overtraining. Rather, it may be that my body has become accustomed to a relative day of rest on Sundays, and was deprived of such the day before.