Monday, August 31, 2009

Not slacking on the training pays benefits!

I went running on the NCR trail on Saturday, and I felt pretty good. We ran 9 miles, and I could have gone a lot further. But this was an off week, so 9 miles is just fine. We ran at 8:40 pace for the first 8 miles, then on the last mile, I burned off some excess energy and turned in a 6:40. That works out to 8:27 per mile for the nine.

Last week, we did 19, and struggled to keep up with a 9:00 pace. Not sure what the difference was. Maybe I carb-loaded too late before last week's long run. That's usually reason enough for a miserable run!

One difference was that I did TNT this week. I had to miss Tuesday Night Track for the last few weeks because of work schedule, both at the real job, and the self-inflicted torture that is rehabbing my kitchen! At TNT, I did the abbreviated workout, one, because I can't handle the full workout, and two, because I got there a bit late. I did 1600, 800, 800, 1600, 600. I think. So almost 3.5 miles of speedwork on the track, plus about 3 miles of warm up and warm down on the trails around Gillman. I'll guess at the times. 6:13, 3:05, 3:08, 6:30, and I really don't know about the last 600. Everyone else did a 1000, I jumped in on the last lap and a half, and finished not too far off the back. The second mile really sucked, I think I lost focus and started to jog for a bit, then I remembered I was supposed to be running fast, and I picked it up in the last 300.

I also got a decent run or two at Patapsco, so I think I benefitted from extra running volume this week. Oh, and I did a tempo run of about 5 miles on Thursday night through Canton, Fells, IHE. It felt fairly fast for me, probably in the low 7:something per mile.

The week I did 19, my training was total crap. Being focused and getting the work done helps!

I also really need to start going back to the gym and or pool. Thinking back to when I was faster, I definitely remember putting time in with the leg weights. Leg press, leg flexion, leg extension machines. We also did this thing where we lean up against a wall, and then drop down so we are in a seated position against the wall, but without sitting on anything. You just keep doing that until your legs burn, then keep doing it until you can't stand the burn anymore. With my old creaky knees, getting back up again might be a challenge! Anyhow, it's gotta be easier than the version my buddy E learned. He had to do that, plus hold a rifle with both hands, arms extended out from the chest. Since I don't have a rifle handy, I could hold a 2x3 piece of lumber...

Friday, August 14, 2009

Leadville is tomorrow!

Leadville is tomorrow. It's a high-altitude 100 mile race, your choice between foot or mountain bike (MTB).

There is a webcast available at
http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/
. I won't be around a computer, or I'd watch. Just thought I'd put that out there if anyone is interested. Maybe I'll order the DVD.



Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Fall Ultra Season is fast approaching

I haven't posted in a while, or gone to TNT. Been busy at work and my training hasn't fit in with speedwork on Tuesdays. But I'm bummed that I missed 16x400 on Tuesday! Well, at least not the first 12. That was my favorite workout in the day....

I realized Fall Ultra season is fast approaching, so I have been focusing on ramping up my distance. 3 weeks ago, my buddy E and I ran 9 miles on NCR at 8:42 per mile. Then 2 weeks ago, we did 13 at 8:40 per mile. Last week, we didn't run together. He did 17 at 8:40, and I did 12 at 8:40. I didn't feel comfortable increasing 4 miles every week, plus it was getting extremely dark, my hammies were acting up, and it was murderously hot and humid. Shortly after I got in the car, it started raining and thundering fiercely.

Running in the dark in a full on gusty drenching thunderstorm would not have been fun.

I think only doing 12 this week was a wise choice for me. Next week, I'll do 17. I think I'll be ready to run the BRRC Gunpowder 50K on September 19th. My goal is to break 5 hours. As long as it isn't any more technical than the HAT Run, this goal is doable. There is no page for this year's race, but here is the info sheet from a couple years ago. Last year's results are here.

I could always do the Big Schloss 50K, which is Sept 26. This is a lot of fun, and has a party at the end. It is crazy-technical, like the Bel Monte, probably because both of them are in the George Washington National Forest. You can forget about goal times for this one.

And I didn't make it into the JFK 50 miler. I am going to do the Stone Cat 50 miler in Ipswich Mass instead. They say it ends at a brewery. If there is no party at the end, I am going to be sorely disappointed. I have no idea if I can keep the 9:00 mile going for 50. So my goal is to average between 9 and 10 min per mile. I think that may be reasonable. I don't recall any mountains being in Mass.

On the nutrition front, a Powerbar Long Lasting Energy Bar before running prevents me whining about not feeling swell during the runs. Today, I discovered that Kung Po Chicken with white rice consumed 5-6 hours before running has a similar benefit.

On the shoutout front, I think I saw Ryan and Barf shout out "Steve-O!" while I was running through Inner Harbor East tonight. And then I think I almost trampled Melissa after crossing the street.

And on the Shoe front, I saw a podiatrist. He told me to get Brooks Dyad shoes, since he said I have flat feet and am not a big pronator. In fact, he looked dubiously at the custom orthotics I showed him, and said that they could have seriously hurt me if I kept using them. They didn't push my feet down enough in the mold. $450 wasted.

The shoes have really helped me, my ankles feel pretty good.

Edit: I just read the post below this one, and I realized I said pretty much the same thing two weeks in a row! I gotta stop making posts after I get a couple beers in me. I forget what I wrote...

Sunday, August 2, 2009

2000 calories on the NCR

Had a great run today. We did 13 miles in 8:42 per mile. Most of it was at 9:00 per mile, and we picked it up to 8:15ish in the last few miles.

The plan is to train to keep at this pace for at least 50K. I think this is doable. Maybe i will change my mind when we get beyond 20 miles in a few weeks. 9:00 per mile is pretty good for a 50K, about 4:30. As long as there are no mountains or crazy technical stuff...
Meaning, HAT run, yes, Bel Monte, no!

Keeping this up for 50 miles would be great, but I have no idea if this is possible (for me).

My current plan is to get in shape to run the Gunpowder 50k, then build from there to 50 miles.

I did TNT on Tuesday, and I was able to stick to the back of the pack. Which made me happy. That was totally attributable to eating a PowerBar before running.

I still wish they would do 12 x 400, my fave workout from the old days.

Of course, a miler workout like that wouldn't be very helpful for someone training for an Ultra.

Perhaps an intelligent training plan would be helpful. Considering what I have been doing over the last few years, improving should be easy! I'm 15 lbs less, I'm running more miles each week, and, most importantly, I'm running smarter.