Monday: managed to get out for a bit of a run along the strand, not much vertical, but a nice effort with a negative split. mental note, the strand is a good shakeout run, but not highly motivating to get out there for. there just isn't the scenery i look forward to
Tuesday: managed to crawl out of bed shortly before rehab and take a short warm up run into rehab. did a little more then 1 hour of stretching, range of motion and balance work, then ran a slightly out of the way return trip.
Wednesday: i managed to motivate and get out of bed a little early to squeeze in a morning run. good strong run. started out a bit heavy in the legs but this went a way pretty quickly. starting at mile 3 i happened across several runners going in the same direction which turned into rabbits. I made a conscious effort to try to keep my current pace faster than 9:00 min/mile throughout the run. legs felt pretty good. hoping to squeeze in another run today.
Thursday: it was a difficult struggle to get out of bed this morning, though i managed to make it up in time to get in a bit of a run before rehab. then i sandwiched my rehab between 2 runs. i stretched the return run a little long as i was starting to feel good. bonus run this evening to the bank to make a deposit, i managed to negative split this, and actually felt pretty good
Friday: legs are a bit heavy on this run, so it will be a recovery run. then around 5 miles it turned out to feel pretty good so i went with it for a bit and slowed again towards the end. not sure why legs feel so sluggish.
Saturday: too lazy to get out of bed in time to get in a real bit of running. i wound up motivating a bit late in the game and had to settle for a pressed flat tempo run. i do need to focus on getting more vert in. i should be accumulating 15 - 20k of vert per week. need to focus more on vert then distance or pace.
Sunday: life once again sabotaging my good intentions. had other obligations to tend to this morning which cut my run shorter then i wanted. i managed to get in a little bit of climbing - enough to have my legs asking for reprieve which i granted twice earlier on in the climb. i'll try to squeeze in some vertical this evening, instead i wound up paving the road.
Summary: a very unspectacular week. life got in the way on a couple of occasions, by this i mean i was unable to motivate sufficiently on several mornings to get out of bed and get in the running i was planning on. My ambition suffered a bit of a slump, and i didn't really find myself looking forward to getting out very much. I hope to break through the slump in the coming weeks and get back to logging some good miles. my focus will shift to climbing more than distance and hopefully i'll be able to prioritize sufficiently to push my run times up to 12 - 15 hours. i know i have it in me, and have shifted my eating habits to better support such training loads. lets see if i really want this, or if i'm just making noise.
Total Time: 10:26
Run Time: 8:01
Other: 2:25
Distance: 59.3
TSS: 570
climbing: 3575
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Leona Divide 50 mile run
The Leona Divide 50 (mile or km) is a great event with great support and on a great course. I highly recommend you get out there and experience it yourself. Keira and her staff/volunteers put on a top notch event.
This year there was the usual fun run (i did not make this due to work constraints and traffic) and pasta dinner the Friday before the race. Then they had a showing of Unbreakable outside after the pasta dinner. I did not stay for this as i have seen the movie before and was more interested in sleep. It is a great movie, well done and very fun to watch. If you get a chance, i also recommend you check it out.
onto the race: my full intent from the beginning was to have a strong run with no achilles issues, time wasn't of any concern. I woke up finished a shake which i'd mixed up the day before and had been sipping on throughout the night. Then drove from the cottonwood campground to the race start. I grabbed some more food (a couple muffins and some slices of some chocolate desert type bread and some orange juice). then went back and sat in my car until just before race start.
i lined up a little outside and towards the back. The course climbs about 800' over the first 3 miles, i managed to keep a steady effort up and ran the entire stretch with no issues. i could feel the high mileage i'd accumulated earlier this week and early in the run. fortunately this started to fade around 9 miles. There are some rollers and 2 aid stations through mile 16, then the real climbing and tests would start. i was cruising along comfortably through this section. I had some tenderness and could feel stress on my right achilles on off camber sections which forced a bit more pronation (ankle rolling inward) on my right ankle/foot then i like. It wasn't bad so i kept going nice and steady. In my usual poor planning i managed to neglect food and water for most of the first 8 miles, and only took in 7 - 10 sips from my nathan pack of water, a cup at the aid station and 1 or 2 gels through the 1st 16 miles.
At the 2nd aid station i grabbed several gels and some solid food . . . A COOKIE, actually several cookies and a banana and washed them down with a couple cups of water. The next 10.5 miles climb around 2500'. It was this section that i struggled with. I was still going strong through mile 20 before i ran into my first tough spot. Coming out of the 3rd aid station (~mile 20) things slowed a bit, despite the fact that it was flat for most of the way between aid stations 3 and 4, i couldn't muster much of a run and actually walked far more then i hoped i would. Time to start getting calories in, every 15 minutes at least 100 calories until things start to turn around or my stomach starts to protest.
Another 4 miles of climbing and then the course drops down to the 5th aid station. I continued to pass through the aid stations quickly (i don't think i spent more then a minute at any of the aid stations except the 5th and also the 8th), trying to remember to grab food and water. At the beginning of the descent to the 5th aid station I was caught by another runner and decided to hold onto his pace. we chatted a bit into the aid station (almost 3 miles with close to 1000' of down). we mused at how fun it was going to be to turn around and come back up. This interaction was the start of breaking out of my low spot, it's always nice to get a breath of fresh air around mile 29, even if you still have 21 miles left.
At the aid station i grabbed a bunch of fruit (strawberries, pineapple, mango, and some others which seem to have slipped my mind, some m&m's and of course A COOKIE). Refilled my nathan pack and started running back up the climb. i managed to run almost the entire thing, with 2 brief walks on the way up. some minor achilles tenderness but nothing compared to runs past, so i kept plugging along. At the top of the climb, i was happy to get into some shaded area and back on singletrack. I started to feel good and was moving along nicely (also helped by the fact that the course trends down through this section). I did have to stop for 1 stop through here to take "perform my necessaries". i hopped back on the trail and was running pretty well. no issues to note, continued putting calories in, though it was starting to become a conscious effort to take the gels and chomps.
The next 2 aid stations went fairly well, then i got to the section where i get to drop down to the road crossing, usually a favorite past time of mine, though today it would prove to be a slow descent. At the aid station i grabbed several orange slices and some banana pieces drank several cups of water and refilled my nathan pack 1 more time. getting ready for the long climb up which is mostly exposed. I managed to shuffle out of the aid station and did a fair bit of shuffling up the early stages of the climb. Somewhere around 1/2 way up the shuffling was reduced to walking. this was around mile 43 and would be my final low point.
i shuffled into the final aid station, sat down in a chair drank a couple cups of water sucked down a couple gels and started off on the final 3/4 mile climb up before the almost 3 mile drop to the finish line. the climb went by slowly. I attempted to shuffle up a couple times, but was greeted with a bit more tenderness in my right achilles then i cared for so opted to walk. at the top, i started shuffling again and proceeded to slowly increase my effort and let gravity take me into the finish.
I managed to muster a decent pace on the final descent and was able to cruise down and across the finish feeling descent. I grabbed a water and sat down in the shade briefly. Just need to be able to put together another 50 and i'm good for june.
I'd hoped my achilles would have held up better during the run, but have no complaints. I was able to run 8 miles the following day and come back with a pretty good showing on monday where i felt strong, no achilles issues.
I will continue along the current path and have another check in just over 1 week out in eastern san diego county. looking forward to it.
This year there was the usual fun run (i did not make this due to work constraints and traffic) and pasta dinner the Friday before the race. Then they had a showing of Unbreakable outside after the pasta dinner. I did not stay for this as i have seen the movie before and was more interested in sleep. It is a great movie, well done and very fun to watch. If you get a chance, i also recommend you check it out.
onto the race: my full intent from the beginning was to have a strong run with no achilles issues, time wasn't of any concern. I woke up finished a shake which i'd mixed up the day before and had been sipping on throughout the night. Then drove from the cottonwood campground to the race start. I grabbed some more food (a couple muffins and some slices of some chocolate desert type bread and some orange juice). then went back and sat in my car until just before race start.
i lined up a little outside and towards the back. The course climbs about 800' over the first 3 miles, i managed to keep a steady effort up and ran the entire stretch with no issues. i could feel the high mileage i'd accumulated earlier this week and early in the run. fortunately this started to fade around 9 miles. There are some rollers and 2 aid stations through mile 16, then the real climbing and tests would start. i was cruising along comfortably through this section. I had some tenderness and could feel stress on my right achilles on off camber sections which forced a bit more pronation (ankle rolling inward) on my right ankle/foot then i like. It wasn't bad so i kept going nice and steady. In my usual poor planning i managed to neglect food and water for most of the first 8 miles, and only took in 7 - 10 sips from my nathan pack of water, a cup at the aid station and 1 or 2 gels through the 1st 16 miles.
At the 2nd aid station i grabbed several gels and some solid food . . . A COOKIE, actually several cookies and a banana and washed them down with a couple cups of water. The next 10.5 miles climb around 2500'. It was this section that i struggled with. I was still going strong through mile 20 before i ran into my first tough spot. Coming out of the 3rd aid station (~mile 20) things slowed a bit, despite the fact that it was flat for most of the way between aid stations 3 and 4, i couldn't muster much of a run and actually walked far more then i hoped i would. Time to start getting calories in, every 15 minutes at least 100 calories until things start to turn around or my stomach starts to protest.
Another 4 miles of climbing and then the course drops down to the 5th aid station. I continued to pass through the aid stations quickly (i don't think i spent more then a minute at any of the aid stations except the 5th and also the 8th), trying to remember to grab food and water. At the beginning of the descent to the 5th aid station I was caught by another runner and decided to hold onto his pace. we chatted a bit into the aid station (almost 3 miles with close to 1000' of down). we mused at how fun it was going to be to turn around and come back up. This interaction was the start of breaking out of my low spot, it's always nice to get a breath of fresh air around mile 29, even if you still have 21 miles left.
At the aid station i grabbed a bunch of fruit (strawberries, pineapple, mango, and some others which seem to have slipped my mind, some m&m's and of course A COOKIE). Refilled my nathan pack and started running back up the climb. i managed to run almost the entire thing, with 2 brief walks on the way up. some minor achilles tenderness but nothing compared to runs past, so i kept plugging along. At the top of the climb, i was happy to get into some shaded area and back on singletrack. I started to feel good and was moving along nicely (also helped by the fact that the course trends down through this section). I did have to stop for 1 stop through here to take "perform my necessaries". i hopped back on the trail and was running pretty well. no issues to note, continued putting calories in, though it was starting to become a conscious effort to take the gels and chomps.
The next 2 aid stations went fairly well, then i got to the section where i get to drop down to the road crossing, usually a favorite past time of mine, though today it would prove to be a slow descent. At the aid station i grabbed several orange slices and some banana pieces drank several cups of water and refilled my nathan pack 1 more time. getting ready for the long climb up which is mostly exposed. I managed to shuffle out of the aid station and did a fair bit of shuffling up the early stages of the climb. Somewhere around 1/2 way up the shuffling was reduced to walking. this was around mile 43 and would be my final low point.
i shuffled into the final aid station, sat down in a chair drank a couple cups of water sucked down a couple gels and started off on the final 3/4 mile climb up before the almost 3 mile drop to the finish line. the climb went by slowly. I attempted to shuffle up a couple times, but was greeted with a bit more tenderness in my right achilles then i cared for so opted to walk. at the top, i started shuffling again and proceeded to slowly increase my effort and let gravity take me into the finish.
I managed to muster a decent pace on the final descent and was able to cruise down and across the finish feeling descent. I grabbed a water and sat down in the shade briefly. Just need to be able to put together another 50 and i'm good for june.
I'd hoped my achilles would have held up better during the run, but have no complaints. I was able to run 8 miles the following day and come back with a pretty good showing on monday where i felt strong, no achilles issues.
I will continue along the current path and have another check in just over 1 week out in eastern san diego county. looking forward to it.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
20120429 week summary
this week started off with a big day (though be it flat) with some higher effort finishes and continued on a good track. not much climbing leading up to saturdays run, but i was more focused on volume as i wanted to give my achilles some reprieve before saturdays test.
Monday's runs were good I felt a bit sluggish on the morning run, but finished strong around coronado with a nice little added speed work on the final 5 miles of the day.
Tuesday's runs were sluggish. i could definitely feel my legs revolting from the previous couple days efforts (mainly faster work not so much distance).
Wednesday's run was again sluggish to say the least. things started out very slow and heavy. after a couple miles and most of the up was replaced by down things started to move a bit better and i was feeling better about things.
Wednesday's run was again sluggish to say the least. things started out very slow and heavy. after a couple miles and most of the up was replaced by down things started to move a bit better and i was feeling better about things.
Thursday - my legs felt suprisingly springy considering how poor yesterday went. nothing spectacular, a little rolling hills and 1 short (0.5 - 0.75 mile) higher effort. legs are coming around.
Friday - priorities fell away from running so nothing happened here.
Saturday - i revisited the Leona Divide 50 mile course with somewhat better results and feel then last year. started out feeling ok. legs a bit tired from the weeks effort. ran up pretty much all the climbs except the final climb which proved to be my 2nd low section of the run. in the last mile or so of climb i was concerned about my achilles which had been talking to me here and there (mainly on sustained climbs of > 1 mile or off camber runs which forced more pronation). also had a tough spot from mile 20 - 27 ish. then descent to 29 and had some fruit. this picked things up and i continued to fuel pretty good and hold pace.
Sunday - nice little shake out run on some of the old goats course out by blue jay campground. started out stiff and slow but found myself loosening up and running relatively well considering on the downhills. climbed ok, but wound up walking up most of the climbs, especially steep or long sections. a pleasant suprise.
all in all a good week. now we'll see how things go tomorrow. and into the week.
total time: 18:59
run: 17:49
other: 1:10
distance: 101
tss: 863
climbing: 9400'
Friday - priorities fell away from running so nothing happened here.
Saturday - i revisited the Leona Divide 50 mile course with somewhat better results and feel then last year. started out feeling ok. legs a bit tired from the weeks effort. ran up pretty much all the climbs except the final climb which proved to be my 2nd low section of the run. in the last mile or so of climb i was concerned about my achilles which had been talking to me here and there (mainly on sustained climbs of > 1 mile or off camber runs which forced more pronation). also had a tough spot from mile 20 - 27 ish. then descent to 29 and had some fruit. this picked things up and i continued to fuel pretty good and hold pace.
Sunday - nice little shake out run on some of the old goats course out by blue jay campground. started out stiff and slow but found myself loosening up and running relatively well considering on the downhills. climbed ok, but wound up walking up most of the climbs, especially steep or long sections. a pleasant suprise.
all in all a good week. now we'll see how things go tomorrow. and into the week.
total time: 18:59
run: 17:49
other: 1:10
distance: 101
tss: 863
climbing: 9400'
Sunday, April 22, 2012
20120422 week summary
still some lingering intestinal issues plaguing me on monday's run. which made for an easier tuesday. trying to lay low and take it easy so i can avoid another 2 or 3 days of misery. i'm starting to jones to get back out and running but trying to be a little smart and ease back in. guess it's good timing as i've got a little extra tenderness lingering in my right achilles.
well i'm finally back to 7 days of running - though my body can feel the effects of the 2 previous weeks. i guess my stomach issues took more out of me then i expected. no spectacular efforts this week yet i've managed to feel more sore and beat up then i remember feeling for some time. the good news is the rehab is working i'm feeling pretty good with the achilles and mobility. tried to get in a couple good days of climbing, but not up to what i was hoping for. i'm going to have to revisit my eating and try to get back to pre-illness form
next week is leona divide 50 and then pct 50 the following this should prove interesting. we will see if i've got the sense to ease up on weekly mileage so i can have decent showings, or if i put a higher priority on mileage totals as compared to quality showings at either 50 (which doesn't seem to be in the cards).
total time: 11:21
run: 8:51
other: 2:30
distance: 60.8
tss: 561
climbing: 5423'
20120415 week summary
all right, so this time i took off thursday and friday due to some significant stomach issues. i was laid up from wednesday evening - sometime on saturday. i think i got up to eat 1 or 2 times and in an effort to conserve energy took advantage of those excursions to grab liquid too. over the course of those 2 - 3 days i am pretty sure i was able to purge everything good and bad from my system. saturday and sunday were supposed to be explorations up on the angeles crest 100 trail, but due to snow and lingering intestinal issues turned into a couple brief and somewhat painful jaunts on the leona divide 50 mile trial.
hopefully i'm through with that stomach/intestine problem and can get back to proper training.
total time: 7:24
run: 8:34
other: 1:10
distance: 44.2
tss: 403
climbing: 2116'
hopefully i'm through with that stomach/intestine problem and can get back to proper training.
total time: 7:24
run: 8:34
other: 1:10
distance: 44.2
tss: 403
climbing: 2116'
20120408 week summary
so much for my roll. all good things must come to an end. got a little busy during the week and couldn't keep my priorities or motivation up so i took thursday and friday off. then had a fantastic blow up on sunday.
after an easy 14 miles at mission trails the wheels came of in spectacular fashion. within 1/4 mile i went from running ok to something between a walk and a slog. guess it's time to let some of the previous efforts settle in and the body recover.
total time: 10:17
run: 10:17
other: 0
distance: 62.6
tss: 528.9
climbing: 7124'
after an easy 14 miles at mission trails the wheels came of in spectacular fashion. within 1/4 mile i went from running ok to something between a walk and a slog. guess it's time to let some of the previous efforts settle in and the body recover.
total time: 10:17
run: 10:17
other: 0
distance: 62.6
tss: 528.9
climbing: 7124'
Sunday, April 1, 2012
20120401 week summary
Another great week in the books. started out a little slow and flat, then i hit a little bit of a stride and had a great weekend out at the grand canyon with a good bit of hiking for the vertical and jogging along the canyon floor.
Starting to get in some climbing and the achilles is holding up well. i had some tenderness during the final miles of the double crossing (very slight little niggles), most all of which were gone on todays run.
at first consideration the niggles weigh a bit more heavily then they should. everytime i feel something in the right achilles i find myself questioning, is this one that will warm up and go way, or is it still lingering??? then i let everything go and enjoy the run. so far it's proving to work, trust in the rehab and be smart with the running and it will all come around. honestly i'm happy with the progression and feel as though i'm running close to the strongest i've ever run.
best part about it is i've pulled a pretty good repeat of last week. consistency is lining up. now if i could just get my feet to toughen up a little (they are a bit beat up from the rocky descents down from the north rim).
total time: 24:00
run: 21:42
other: 2:10
distance: 91.2
tss: 756
climbing: 13985'
Starting to get in some climbing and the achilles is holding up well. i had some tenderness during the final miles of the double crossing (very slight little niggles), most all of which were gone on todays run.
at first consideration the niggles weigh a bit more heavily then they should. everytime i feel something in the right achilles i find myself questioning, is this one that will warm up and go way, or is it still lingering??? then i let everything go and enjoy the run. so far it's proving to work, trust in the rehab and be smart with the running and it will all come around. honestly i'm happy with the progression and feel as though i'm running close to the strongest i've ever run.
best part about it is i've pulled a pretty good repeat of last week. consistency is lining up. now if i could just get my feet to toughen up a little (they are a bit beat up from the rocky descents down from the north rim).
total time: 24:00
run: 21:42
other: 2:10
distance: 91.2
tss: 756
climbing: 13985'
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