Monday: Paris Explorations: another short jaunt around the suburbs outside paris. Everything feels ok.
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday: VCU 100. an encore performance of leadville. except this time i stretched it out to 36miles. the morning started out ok, a little sluggish, but nothing too bad. the temperatures were warm for this time of year.
the terrain was much drier then last year, with only a couple sections of mud. took a short detour about 500' before the 1st aid station, a group of us went off trail for maybe 1/4 mile before turning around and getting back on course.
i grabbed some gels and water at the first aid station and a handful of cookies. the next section is a fun little jaunt through the woods. Around mile 7 a group of bees set up a hive, or so it seems.
several of us were stung on the way through. i got stung on my right achilles.
there was a bit of walk run going on here. I started feeling a little better and decided to try and get some miles behind me while things were going ok.
The alpine loop was a lot of walking up some slick and steeper climbs, and a little slippery section through mudy rocks on the descent back into the aid station.
The next section is an out and back with some ups and downs leading out to daisy hollow. The 13 miles out took me 3 hours and the return 13 miles took me 4 hours.
The return trip from daisy hollow was where things really rell apart. I pretty much walked back with some punctuations of a poor attempt at jogging.
Sunday:
Retrospective: another eye opening week, lots of rest coming up, and an appointment to follow up on the blood work on monday oct 1. after that i'll see how to proceed. until then i'm going to take it easy and try to focus on getting some consistently good meals.
Summary:
Total Time: 11:12
Run Time: 11:12
Distance: 38.8
TSS: 222
Climbing: 7,605'
Friday, September 28, 2012
20120916 week summary
Monday: coronado 10k loop: i started out interested in seeing how i could do on a solid effort at a10k, just a bit short of racing. let's call it a high tempo effort. the first 3 miles felt very comfortable, then miles 4 and 5 caught up to me and i found myself trying to keep the balance between a hard effort and abdominal cramps. i was able to stay pretty consistent and struggled through the last 3 miles. it turned out to be a bit closer to race pace then i was hoping for. and an overall slow race pace. perhaps some faster stuff is calling.
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: torrey santa fe wanderings: i'm really tiring of these lackluster days. after about 50 yards of slogging, i opted for a walk around the neighborhoods
Thursday: short loop around home: sirius and i took a short walk, which he considers more of a longer walk.
Peerless loop: started off nice and relaxed, once i saw things clicking off pretty well, i decided to hold the effort around an easier tempo to see how long it would last. i felt pretty good the entire time
Friday: travel/rest day
Saturday: Paris explorations: run down champs-elysees. my legs felt pretty good, i kept it pretty mellow and easy, just happy to be out in the early morning and feeling good
Sunday: Paris park explorations: legs a little flat, but better then most runs of late. so i decided to wander around one of the parks in paris. my feet are a little beat up. the run was short and easy, just a short jaunt to keep my legs loose and try to keep moving.
Retrospective: another week littered with rest and a couple tempo efforts, trying to keep things low mileage and higher intensity, allowing for more recovery time to see if it helps alleviate the lethargy.
Summary:
Total Time: 3:56
Run Time: 3:56
Distance: 26.1
TSS: 289
Climbing: 1,880'
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Leadville 100 - or in my case 30
Just in case i wasn't having enough trouble figuring things out, there are some new and exciting unknowns brought about by this years experience in leadville.
There was nothing spectacular or really even out of the ordinary leading up to saturday's effort. I had a fairly normal week leading up to the race, full of my typical lethargy i get on a good taper. The only thing abnormal was come race morning the lethargy never lifted, i just dug deeper into the hole of sluggishness.
I was up early and had a light breakfast, mixed nutrition that would last through the 1st 20 - 25 miles and should get me to the fish hatchery. Sara and i were at the start between 3:30 and 3:45, Her brother Eric and dad were out to support her for the weekend.
I went through one last check, the morning was warm so i had only a long sleeve and hat on. there was the usual hooha leading up to the start and then the starting shot and we were off in a grand old walk to the front and starting line. oh so reminiscent of those lovely marathon starts where they cram too many people into too small a space.
yes, this is exactly why i prefer trail runs, to avoid just this predicament. i was hoping to finish leadville this year and not have to return for this part of the experience. Sara and i were together for the first couple miles then we drifted apart and were on our own journeys.
i was feeling ok for the 1st 3 - 4 miles, then shortly before we turned into the single track the lead filled my legs. hmm, i'm sure this will pass. so i kept plodding along.
as i followed the train into the woods around turquoise lake, even the small inclines warranted a walk. i tried drinking and getting in my calories, hoping this would help shake off the sluggishness.
At mile 7 I saw Eric and Craig, smiled briefly and kept plodding along. things continued to degrade as i made my way to mayqueen. Roughly 2.5 hours for the 1st 13 miles and i wasn't getting any better. I grabbed a sandwich at mayqueen, washed it down with some water and continued to drink my calories.
I was coming to grips with the fact that it was likely going to be a much shorter day then i expected. another bad day. going up towards hagerman pass proved as slow. it wasn't long before sara passed me. she smiled and continued on.
I walked much of this section, and the dirt road leading up and over. I attempted to run some of the flat sections, but there wasn't anything there. I was able to muster a very meek showing on the descent down to the road leading to the fish hatchery.
when i got on the road, Eric and Craig were waiting there, smiling and offering words of encouragement. i grimaced and commented that i may be getting a ride from them at the fish hatchery. I had 20 minutes to make it the 2 miles to fish hatchery before the cutoff.
i mustered the best jog i could and beat the cutoff out of the fish hatchery, which promised me another 7 or 8 miles of struggle trying to keep things moving forward. I was hopeful i'd catch Eric and Craig before they left the outward bound section so i could finish my day up.
Unfortunately i was too slow, and saw them leaving as i was heading in. There was another 3 or 4 miles to the next aid station, then 9 more into twin lakes. so i figured i'd have another 1/2 marathon before i'd be done. I did what i could to maintain a steady jog through the rest. On the climbs it was all i could do to keep moving forward, running or jogging wasn't even a remote thought.
things continued to descend into a pretty abysmal state. I couldn't get enough calories in and there was no energy coming back out. when i finally got to the next aid station, i was informed i was too slow to carry on: 7:30 for 30 miles off a relatively fast section of the course. yeah, that's not gonna cut it.
today definitely wasn't my day. I have no idea what happened, i just know my legs were never there, and with every step, i felt like someone was sucking more energy from my body.
perhaps it's time for a little rest and relaxation. I need to figure out my energy issues before things get any worse.
There was nothing spectacular or really even out of the ordinary leading up to saturday's effort. I had a fairly normal week leading up to the race, full of my typical lethargy i get on a good taper. The only thing abnormal was come race morning the lethargy never lifted, i just dug deeper into the hole of sluggishness.
I was up early and had a light breakfast, mixed nutrition that would last through the 1st 20 - 25 miles and should get me to the fish hatchery. Sara and i were at the start between 3:30 and 3:45, Her brother Eric and dad were out to support her for the weekend.
I went through one last check, the morning was warm so i had only a long sleeve and hat on. there was the usual hooha leading up to the start and then the starting shot and we were off in a grand old walk to the front and starting line. oh so reminiscent of those lovely marathon starts where they cram too many people into too small a space.
yes, this is exactly why i prefer trail runs, to avoid just this predicament. i was hoping to finish leadville this year and not have to return for this part of the experience. Sara and i were together for the first couple miles then we drifted apart and were on our own journeys.
i was feeling ok for the 1st 3 - 4 miles, then shortly before we turned into the single track the lead filled my legs. hmm, i'm sure this will pass. so i kept plodding along.
as i followed the train into the woods around turquoise lake, even the small inclines warranted a walk. i tried drinking and getting in my calories, hoping this would help shake off the sluggishness.
At mile 7 I saw Eric and Craig, smiled briefly and kept plodding along. things continued to degrade as i made my way to mayqueen. Roughly 2.5 hours for the 1st 13 miles and i wasn't getting any better. I grabbed a sandwich at mayqueen, washed it down with some water and continued to drink my calories.
I was coming to grips with the fact that it was likely going to be a much shorter day then i expected. another bad day. going up towards hagerman pass proved as slow. it wasn't long before sara passed me. she smiled and continued on.
I walked much of this section, and the dirt road leading up and over. I attempted to run some of the flat sections, but there wasn't anything there. I was able to muster a very meek showing on the descent down to the road leading to the fish hatchery.
when i got on the road, Eric and Craig were waiting there, smiling and offering words of encouragement. i grimaced and commented that i may be getting a ride from them at the fish hatchery. I had 20 minutes to make it the 2 miles to fish hatchery before the cutoff.
i mustered the best jog i could and beat the cutoff out of the fish hatchery, which promised me another 7 or 8 miles of struggle trying to keep things moving forward. I was hopeful i'd catch Eric and Craig before they left the outward bound section so i could finish my day up.
Unfortunately i was too slow, and saw them leaving as i was heading in. There was another 3 or 4 miles to the next aid station, then 9 more into twin lakes. so i figured i'd have another 1/2 marathon before i'd be done. I did what i could to maintain a steady jog through the rest. On the climbs it was all i could do to keep moving forward, running or jogging wasn't even a remote thought.
things continued to descend into a pretty abysmal state. I couldn't get enough calories in and there was no energy coming back out. when i finally got to the next aid station, i was informed i was too slow to carry on: 7:30 for 30 miles off a relatively fast section of the course. yeah, that's not gonna cut it.
today definitely wasn't my day. I have no idea what happened, i just know my legs were never there, and with every step, i felt like someone was sucking more energy from my body.
perhaps it's time for a little rest and relaxation. I need to figure out my energy issues before things get any worse.
Monday, September 24, 2012
20120909 Week summary
Monday: rest
Tuesday: more rest
Wednesday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop: so so run. legs are a bit flat and i'm a bit tired, but it seemed to go ok.
Thursday: wanderings: my legs and energy have absolutely fallen through the basement. a poor nights sleep combined with whatever riddle is plaguing me resulted in an incredibly slow run today. i almost turned around after 1/4 mile, but decided to plug ahead. during the last 2 miles i decided to really press the pace and see if i had anything in the tank. i was able to muster a couple of 7:30 ish miles mainly downhill and some flats. a very dissappointing day.
Friday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop: i decided to press things a bit today and see if i'm tired or just complacent from running slowly for so long. things started out very lethargic, heavy legs low motivation and it looked like another slog. then a little over a mile into it, starting into the climb up to black mountain i was holding a decent pace. i was pleasantly suprised and kept on it, at the top i was a bit tired, but continued to press through, knowing the back half was primarily downhill. i held a decent turnover through to the last 1/2 mile at which point i could feel my legs fading quickly. i settled back slightly and cruised in for my 1st sub 40 run of this route in a long time.
Saturday: El Capitan mtn alternative: today started out with the intent to summit el capitan mountain. only to find that neither my legs nor victoria's legs were interested in the elevation gain. so we turned around and explored a bit on the west side of wild cat canyon. there were some wanderings on the trans county trail and a meager attempt to get to san vicente resevoir followed by some good old bushwacking. the run turned into a fun filled escapade. a welcome variant to the usual quest for elevation gain or high mileage.
Sunday:
Retrospective: another week of lethargy and non responsive legs. outside of friday's run, everything was pretty lackluster and pointing towards a real need for big changes, perhaps rest and an evaluation of my current diet. i've scheduled an appointment to get some blood work done and see if that turns up anything
Summary:
Total Time: 3:48
Run Time: 3:48
Distance: 25.23
TSS: 245
Climbing: 3,186'
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
20120902 Week summary
Monday: Mission trails: and the legs are revolting again. absolutely nothing in the tank today. i walked up all of the climbs and muddled my way through the downs and flats. the mountain masochists feel a bit clunky for my taste so far and my feet move around in them a lot. though they are suprisingly nimble (i know a bit of a contradiction) through the rocky stuff.
Tuesday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop: good run. legs still feeling some affects from the mystery lethargy. as the run progressed my legs felt a bit better, still have some way to go on getting back into the swing of things. i'll continue with easy stuff for a bit longer then try to mix it up.
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: rest
Retrospective: another week of extensive lethargy. hopefully all this rest is going in the bank, more likely i'm just in need of a complete re-work of my eating habits, which have been very poor for the last 2 or 3 months. i will likely be adjusting my training and diet for the remainder of the year in an attempt to find my energy and motivation.
Summary:
Total Time: 1:53
Run Time: 1:53
Distance: 11.99
TSS: 100
Climbing: 1405'
Tuesday: Black mtn carmel mtn loop: good run. legs still feeling some affects from the mystery lethargy. as the run progressed my legs felt a bit better, still have some way to go on getting back into the swing of things. i'll continue with easy stuff for a bit longer then try to mix it up.
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: rest
Retrospective: another week of extensive lethargy. hopefully all this rest is going in the bank, more likely i'm just in need of a complete re-work of my eating habits, which have been very poor for the last 2 or 3 months. i will likely be adjusting my training and diet for the remainder of the year in an attempt to find my energy and motivation.
Summary:
Total Time: 1:53
Run Time: 1:53
Distance: 11.99
TSS: 100
Climbing: 1405'
20120826 Week summary
Monday: nothing - i'm going to make an honest attempt at letting my body get over this fatigue
Tuesday: repeat of monday - though i spent some time back and forthing on whether i could squeeze in a short easy run. ultimately being tired won out.
Wednesday: Black Mtn Camino Del sur loop: legs a little lethargic on climbs, but seemingly far better then the showing at leadville.
Thursday: feeling a bit off after yesterday, another down day, no running
Friday: Black Mtn Carmel mtn loop: legs feel a little heavy but are definitely coming around. my times are decent, though my legs feel slow and heavy.
Saturday: more rest
Sunday: another day of rest.
Retrospective: my legs just don't seem to have any pep. i'm struggling to get out of bed and running doesn't seem to be helping. looks like some more down time.
Summary:
Total Time: 1:45
Run Time: 1:45
Distance: 13.5
TSS: 138
Climbing: 1,240'
Tuesday: repeat of monday - though i spent some time back and forthing on whether i could squeeze in a short easy run. ultimately being tired won out.
Wednesday: Black Mtn Camino Del sur loop: legs a little lethargic on climbs, but seemingly far better then the showing at leadville.
Thursday: feeling a bit off after yesterday, another down day, no running
Friday: Black Mtn Carmel mtn loop: legs feel a little heavy but are definitely coming around. my times are decent, though my legs feel slow and heavy.
Saturday: more rest
Sunday: another day of rest.
Retrospective: my legs just don't seem to have any pep. i'm struggling to get out of bed and running doesn't seem to be helping. looks like some more down time.
Summary:
Total Time: 1:45
Run Time: 1:45
Distance: 13.5
TSS: 138
Climbing: 1,240'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)