365Runners
Welcome to 365Runners! We are here because we all share a running addiction. Whether training for a first marathon, a new PR, a new race distance, or anything else... welcome!

To stop the banner ads, please register and login. Otherwise, please enjoy browsing as a guest.

Join the forum, it's quick and easy

365Runners
Welcome to 365Runners! We are here because we all share a running addiction. Whether training for a first marathon, a new PR, a new race distance, or anything else... welcome!

To stop the banner ads, please register and login. Otherwise, please enjoy browsing as a guest.
365Runners
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Road to Nowhere

+28
Dave P
wheakory
Jerry
Alex Kubacki
Schuey
Dave-O
Dave Wolfe
ounce
Michael Enright
KathyK
dot520
Neil Ruggiero
mul21
Seth Harrison
MioMabusy
Joel H
Kenny B.
Glenn
Michele "1L" Keane
charles.moman
John Kilpatrick
JohnP
Traveller
Sara Jane
Bob
Mike MacLellan
Tom H
Mark B
32 posters

Page 39 of 43 Previous  1 ... 21 ... 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43  Next

Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Thu Nov 08, 2012 11:00 pm

Michael Enright wrote:Freaky Feet! How cool is that...

Sounds like a lot of fun with the high tech stuff there. How'd you get that gig again?

Hi, Michael! Thanks for stopping by.

There's a little follow-up to my scanning session. As the Nike analyst searched the company's database for shoe lasts that match my feet, she didn't find any precise matches to the one the guys mentioned in the lab. She found the best possible match appears to be the Free 4.0 v2 or Free 3.0 v4. Makes sense.

But what makes even more sense is when I did a little Googling to see if I could find any reference on the Internet to the last that best matched my feet. Not easy, because the codes for the lasts are about as arcane as you can get. But I did manage to find one match out there:

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 7329_110

Yup! The Free 5.0 v4. Which just happens to be the first Frees I wore - and still my favorites.

I still have all the Free 5.0 v4s that I bought, and some still have a good number of miles on them. I might try them again one of these days just for kicks.

---

As to how I got to do this, it all started back when I found an invitation to apply to be a Nike tester in a goodie bag for the Eugene Marathon. I applied and because I matched their qualifications and lived fairly close to Nike HQ in Beaverton, I was invited to a tryout to be on their Dynamic Testing Team. I was accepted, and have done dynamic testing, long-term wear testing and lab testing more or less ever since.

They did another application/tryout round earlier this autumn, and they kept me on. It's a lot of fun. They don't pay us to do this, but they give us passes to the Nike Employee Store (big discounts) and the occasional gift card or surplus pair of shoes. It cuts down on the cost of my running habit, and helps keep my wife and kid in shoes. Smile



Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:23 pm

Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Cool and cloudy. 45 degrees.

A schedule shift today meant I couldn't get a run in, but I was able to head out at lunch and take a walk along the Columbia River. It felt like November: low clouds and 45 degrees. Not quite close enough to the dew point to be exhaling steam, but it was close.

It was good practice walking in my Altras. I'm still not used to them yet, which is getting kinda annoying. I want to like them, but it's possible that they might not fit my feet.
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Schuey Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:56 pm

Mark B wrote:Trail Run: 7.16 miles with a LOT of climbing

Weather: In a cloud. Humid, drizzly and cool. 56 degrees. Gear: Peregrines, shorts, T, jacket (shed), hat. Fuel: Post breakfast; fueled at 30 min (granola bar), 60 minutes (gu). Two Endurolytes before, two more at 60 minutes. Carried nuun in Camelbak.

I wanted to do something a little different today, so instead of running near my house or driving to Forest Park in Portland, I headed up the Columbia River Gorge to run part of the route of the Beacon Rock 25k that I did a couple of summers ago. It was gorgeous at my house, so I was looking forward to great views. No such luck! I ended up in the middle of a cloud for most of the run. Oh well, the leaves were still pretty.

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 11051210

The route goes up Hardy Ridge - a steep hill mountain on the Washington side of the gorge - crosses over the ridge and then heads back to the start point. I power hiked the first 3.3 miles - still exceeding my MAF heart rate, btw - and then began to run on the downhill side of the loop. My splits show the difference: 16:16; 19:09: 24:37 (yeah, it was THAT steep); 17:09; 11:14; 10:23; and the last .84 miles at a 9:34 pace.

I hit the 3.3 mile spot in 63 minutes. I was back to the car 42 minutes later!

The trail was tougher than I remembered. Very technical, with lots of loose rocks and brush just wanting to push you off the side of a cliff. I had the chance to push on to the top of the ridge (another 600 vertical feet) but my legs were fatiguing and I was getting nervous, so I followed the 25k route instead. I'm glad I did.

The Peregrines handled the trail and the rocks - and even the gravel roads - very well. Far better than the Free 3.0s I wore the last time. Yii. What was I thinking?! And no, barefoot was not an option. I'm crazy, but I ain't stupid. Could you imagine going barefoot on this?

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 11051212

Or this?

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 11051211

Yeah. I didn't think so. Smile

Average HR for the entire adventure: 143

Here's the map and elevation chart. Not sure about the elevation change listed, but it was a lot.
Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Hardy_10

Fun, huh?

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 1105_b10

I still have to read the post but I wanted to comment on the awesome pictures! Now that is what I'm talking about running is so much more fun and exciting on the trails!!
Schuey
Schuey
Explaining To Spouse
Explaining To Spouse

Posts : 2172
Points : 7783
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 52
Location : So Many Roads To Ease My Soul

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Tim C Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:25 pm

Mark, I'm truly jealous of where you run. I run a lot of trails here in SoCal, but nothing even close to being that pretty.

Of course, I am NOT jealous of your wet weather....
Tim C
Tim C
Regular
Regular

Posts : 588
Points : 6109
Join date : 2011-07-06
Age : 67
Location : Orange County, CA

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  EugeneGreenie Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:53 pm

That looks like an amazing trail! And your testing sounds really fun. Being fussed over because of your funny feet Smile

E Greenie
EugeneGreenie
EugeneGreenie
Poster
Poster

Posts : 145
Points : 4828
Join date : 2011-06-16
Location : Track Town USA

http://traniningup.wordpress.com

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:45 am

Schuey wrote:I still have to read the post but I wanted to comment on the awesome pictures! Now that is what I'm talking about running is so much more fun and exciting on the trails!!

Hey, Schuey! It was fun. And exciting? Yes, that too. There were spots where the trail was about 12 inches wide, sloping to one side, tapering into a steep slope that just. kept. going. A trip or slip there wouldn't kill you, but it would seriously mess up your day.

Aside from driving home the point that you need to PAY ATTENTION and be fully present at all times, it was a heck of a workout. It took days for my quads to recover. I think that's more from barreling downhill than climbing, though.

Tim C wrote:Mark, I'm truly jealous of where you run. I run a lot of trails here in SoCal, but nothing even close to being that pretty.

Of course, I am NOT jealous of your wet weather....

I don't know, Tim. Some of those trails in the Ortegas between the OC and Lake Elsinore look pretty awesome.

Have you ever considered the Old Goat's 50 Mile Race? It's supposed to be quite challenging, but it's very tempting. It over looks where I used to live (and where there's a great family-owned Mexican restaurant, mmm.), and it has a really appropriate name once I crack the big 5-0. Smile

As for the weather... well... there's a reason it's so green, after all.

EugeneGreenie wrote:That looks like an amazing trail! And your testing sounds really fun. Being fussed over because of your funny feet Smile

E Greenie

Thanks, Eliza! Those guys see all sorts of elite athletic feet on their scanner (I saw a last for a size 20 7E that looked positively inhuman.), so to have them geek out over my tootsies was pretty fun. Hey, if you're a one-man freak show, you might as well enjoy it! geek
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:17 pm

Low HR Run: 6.07 miles

Weather: Overcast, chilly. 38-39 degrees. Gear: Altra Instincts, tights, T, pullover, jacket, gloves (shed), hat (shed). Fuel: coffee and rice milk, carried nothing on run

Met up with my buddy for a Sunday morning run along the Salmon Creek Greenway Trail. He hasn't run much lately, and I'm still learning how to run in zero drop shoes, so easy was the word of the day. We went out three miles and turned when both of us started to feel a bit of fatigue building up. (It's amazing, I can run farther barefoot than I can in zero drop shoes!)

We ended up walking a little on the way back, which kept the effort level nice and easy. We both want to build back up again, but we know it's going to take a while.

Average HR for whole run: 142
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  dot520 Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:00 pm

Tell me again why you're trying to run in zero drop shoes? The weather?
dot520
dot520
Top 10 Poster Emeritus
Top 10 Poster Emeritus

Posts : 780
Points : 5918
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 66
Location : Indy-sporting the cape of awesomeness

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:02 pm

dot520 wrote:Tell me again why you're trying to run in zero drop shoes? The weather?

The weather? Nope. Well, actually... in a way, I guess maybe so. I'm trying to find a shoe that will allow me to continue to build on the technique improvements I've started by running barefoot. The shoes do protect my feet more when it gets cold and when the surface gets too much to handle skin-to-ground.

It's an experiment. I believe that running in a shoe without a heel lift will make it easier for me to run with a forefoot strike than in a more built-up shoe. I could accomplish the same thing in a racing flat, probably, and I might check them out next time I'm at the Nike Employee Store.

The shoes I'm trying now also have a denser midsole than a lot of other shoes (including Frees), so it provides greater ground feedback and -- in theory -- greater energy return through my feet and legs. I think I have sensed that, but it's very much a work in progress.

Also: If you're wondering why I'm screwing around with all this in the first place, it's not just because it's a change of pace and a way to keep running interesting. It's also because I've seen signs of early arthritis caused (probably) by running mechanics that put too much strain on the point where my metatarsals and midfoot meet. A forefoot/barefoot strike changes the physics/mechanics of running from what I had been doing over the past three decades and - hopefully - will let me keep running for many decades to come.
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:11 pm

Barefoot Run: 2.1 miles on wet asphalt

Weather: Between showers, damp and cool. 48 degrees, 98% humidity. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T, jacket. Fuel: Post-breakfast.

I jammed in a short barefoot run before work this morning. I've been having a hard time squeezing in runs with all the other things in my life lately, so I decided to just force one today. I had hoped to do up to three miles but didn't really have time. Two is better than nothing, I suppose.

Average HR for entire run: 136
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:29 pm

Walk: 2.72 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy/sunny, cool. 55 degrees.

Morning fog burned off to a pretty noontime, so I headed out across the Interstate Bridge over the Columbia River to Portland and back. It was a nice day for it. I didn't even need a jacket.
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:59 pm

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles on chilly asphalt

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 41 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat. Fuel: Post breakfast.

My running has been a little haphazard this week, so I decided to get the most out of a limited time window this morning and went out for a few barefoot miles in the neighborhood.

It was 41 outside this morning, after a low of 39, and the pavement was pretty chilly underfoot. It took a couple of miles before my feet got accustomed to the chill. I can see why folks wear VFFs when it gets cold and nasty. I had a rougher time than usual relaxing and keeping my HR down to my target (cold feet can be a bit distracting, I think), but at least my splits were consistent. (9:44/135HR avg; 9:51/141HR avg; 9:51/141HR avg).

Average HR for the whole workout: 139
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:37 pm

Low HR Run: 2.5 miles

Weather: Rainy, windy, cool. 46 degrees. Gear: Altra Instinct 1.5s, tights, pants, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves. (More than I needed.) Fuel: Oatmeal and coffee before.

This was a weird run. I met up with my friend at the local track with the idea of testing out MAF paces wearing my Altras, and to give us an out if the weather was too bad. It was supposed to be very rainy and windy this morning.

The weather didn't turn out to be all that bad, but we ended up cutting it short anyway. My energy went *poof!* after a couple of miles, and my motivation fizzled shortly thereafter. We ended up at a local Starbucks.

Not sure why this happened. Lots of possibilities (limited sleep, perhaps too-vigorous stretching, overdressing, adaptation to zero drop shoes, stress, low barometric pressure, etc.), but the takeaway is that it really doesn't matter. My body wasn't on board.

As far as the MAF comparison went, I only did one mile, and hit it at 10:29 with an average HR of 139. When I last did a MAF test, barefoot, I did the first mile in 9:17. Hm. I wasn't really thinking of this as a MAF test, but still, that's quite a difference. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

Average HR for the entire run: 121
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Mon Nov 19, 2012 5:44 pm

Barefoot Run: 5 miles on very wet asphalt and concrete

Weather: Stormy. Rainy and windy. 55 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat. Fuel: Post breakfast.

After spending much of the morning debating whether to run or rest after yesterday's less-than-great outing, and looking out at the stormiest day of the fall (moderate to heavy rain and windy), something in me decided that I needed to head out and test my mettle a bit. I wanted to make sure my heart is still in this.

I started off doing a mile worth of laps around the block, splashing through puddles and listening to the sound of rain on fallen birch leaves. Then I decided that laps were not going to cut it today; I needed to do something more. So I headed out on one of my road routes, which took me out toward the trailhead of my neighborhood forest. I toyed with the idea of going in and running on wet and muddy trails, but the fallen leaves made it impossible to see what was underfoot.

I turned around and started back -- and got hit by a blast of wind and driving rain. Oh yeah, that's right. It's stormy! It was a tailwind on the way out.

My trip back was wet and blustery - and my clothes were clinging like wet plastic wrap before long - but the crazy thing was, the more I ran, the easier it felt. Even my soaked feet didn't object to the varying surfaces underfoot. When I hit the neighborhood, I didn't want to stop. I did two more laps around the block and called it good at five miles, but I could have gone farther. (My HR was higher than usual, but that's not surprising, given the circumstances.)

I came back looking like a drowned rat. All in all, a very satisfying run. Smile

Mission accomplished. (Whew!)
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Michael Enright Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:51 am

A barefoot, drenched guy running around in stormy conditions. You sound like a homeless person!

Traction issues barefoot in the wet?
Michael Enright
Michael Enright
Explaining To Spouse
Explaining To Spouse

Posts : 1521
Points : 6820
Join date : 2011-06-16
Age : 67
Location : Portland, CT

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Tue Nov 20, 2012 11:41 am

Michael Enright wrote:A barefoot, drenched guy running around in stormy conditions. You sound like a homeless person!

Traction issues barefoot in the wet?

Hey, Michael! Thanks for stopping by.

Traction issues? Nope. I don't know how bare feet would handle something really slippery, but the surfaces I ran on were rough enough to provide secure footing.

I ended up with a little blood blister on a big toe, which is a puzzler, but it's not bad. Must have done something wrong; I just don't know what, exactly. Perhaps I wasn't dorsiflexing my toes enough before touchdown. scratch

One last thing: A homeless person would have the sense to stay in a dry, sheltered place. When I came inside, I took my temperature and saw that my body core temperature was 0.6 degrees lower than when I left. Nothing like a little recreational hypothermia! Approval
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  ounce Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:19 pm

So where was your speechless neighbor during all of this wet t-shirt contest running? Did you catch her looking out her window, shaking her head?

I do want to applaud you on your proper use and spelling of the word "Y'all" back on November 4. You're about as far from the South as one can be in the 48 contiguous states and still used it properly.

With regard to your wife, be sure to let her not do any teaching during summer school. She needs to decompress from the regular school year during the summer to be ready for the start of the next year.
ounce
ounce
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 6750
Points : 19653
Join date : 2011-06-26
Age : 66
Location : houston

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:09 pm

ounce wrote:So where was your speechless neighbor during all of this wet t-shirt contest running? Did you catch her looking out her window, shaking her head?

Hiding under the bed, no doubt. affraid

ounce wrote:I do want to applaud you on your proper use and spelling of the word "Y'all" back on November 4. You're about as far from the South as one can be in the 48 contiguous states and still used it properly.

Thank you kindly, sir. I strive to convey quaint regionalisms with precision. Actually, it's great fun. One of the newspaper chains that employed me was based in Fort Smith, Ark., so I developed (either through osmosis or in phone conversations with the guy who ran the alarm system) an Arkansas accent that I can pretty much keep up all day when I want to.

ounce wrote:With regard to your wife, be sure to let her not do any teaching during summer school. She needs to decompress from the regular school year during the summer to be ready for the start of the next year.

You don't know the half of it. One of the big stressors that I haven't mentioned was that she was attacked by a student a couple of weeks ago. She got head-butted in the process and ended up with a closed head injury (like a concussion, except she didn't lose consciousness) that caused all sorts of problems and kept her away from work. She's back to work now but still recovering. pale
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  dot520 Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:32 am

Drowned rat? I've owned that look before. Smile

First off, good job on your runs over the past few days. Running in rain and splashing in puddles when you don't have socks that get wet and cause an issue is a whole new experience. Just one more thing you don't have to worry about.....but like you said, who knows what in some of the puddles or on the trail under the leaves. Good job!

That's awful about your wife. Haven't met her but even the strongest person can get spooked by an incident like that.

How come I never hear about female barefoot runners. Certainly they are out there. Seen any in person?
dot520
dot520
Top 10 Poster Emeritus
Top 10 Poster Emeritus

Posts : 780
Points : 5918
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 66
Location : Indy-sporting the cape of awesomeness

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:09 pm

dot520 wrote:Drowned rat? I've owned that look before. Smile

First off, good job on your runs over the past few days. Running in rain and splashing in puddles when you don't have socks that get wet and cause an issue is a whole new experience. Just one more thing you don't have to worry about.....but like you said, who knows what in some of the puddles or on the trail under the leaves. Good job!

That's awful about your wife. Haven't met her but even the strongest person can get spooked by an incident like that.

How come I never hear about female barefoot runners. Certainly they are out there. Seen any in person?

I think the better question is: Have I seen any barefoot runners out there, regardless of gender? Not so much. Well, if you're not counting Alec and Alita, and Wendy and Tim when they visited. I saw a guy on the Wildwood Trail last year padding along barefoot (still amazed by that - it's a very rocky trail), but that's about it. I've seen a guy in VFFs a couple of times.

There have to be some women out there running barefoot (Jessica Lee of the website runbare.com does), but I have to admit that there may be a bit of a "stupid guy tricks" aspect to it. geek

Running barefoot in the rain makes it important to land properly, because wet feet are softer. Easier to get a blister deep in a callus. The little blood blister I got wasn't from that, though; I was playing with different landings and must have put too much pressure on the toe too early in the landing. Or something like that.

Barefoot is going to have to be downplayed for a couple of months now. Not because of the weather, but because I just got a new pair of shoes to wear test. I can't talk about the shoes themselves, of course, but it's nice that they tend to have you wear test shoes that fairly closely match your running tastes.

No, they didn't give me a stencil to spray paint a swoosh on my bare foot! It'd be a pretty funny image, though. The Free 0.0! Very Happy

Of course, somebody already beat me to it:

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 108c2510


Thanks on Alita. She had nausea, a sense of pressure in her head and a brain that was decidedly fuzzy. Most of that is better now, though she says she still feels like she processes things a little slower and can get overwhelmed by too many words. That should go away with time. And that's good, because "too many words" is pretty much par for the course around our house! silent
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:00 pm

Easy Run: 3 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 49 degrees. Gear: Testers, shorts, long-sleeved T, jacket.

Went out with Alec for a few laps around the block (so he could earn some video game time), then kept on, taking my new testers out for a spin.

Be it the fact that Alec wanted to race in after his mile, or that my body is trying to adjust to the new footwear, but I had a devil of a time trying to get to a low HR pace and effort level. My legs kept wanting to go faster. I'll have to refine my form and try to figure out how to carry the lessons I've learned barefoot to this new foot environment. It's one of the challenges of wear testing; you get used to one thing, only to get new shoes and have it all mixed up again.

Since my HR target was blown, I decided to throw in a few hard accelerations. I did it three times, speeding up to a 6:01 pace in the first mile, a 4:58 pace in the second mile (briefly, downhill), and a 5:22 pace in the third mile. I'd say it was fun, but I was spending most of that time paying attention to how the shoes handled.

Average HR for the whole run: 134
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mike MacLellan Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:48 am

Your 5mi adventure in the storm reminds me of something a guest presenter said on Monday in class. We were interpreting for him, but I still got to pick up on enough of his speech and retain it to know what he said. He's a life coach and was pitching his new book, so he was discussing his concept of the Conditioned vs. the Exploratory mindset. Somewhat self-explanatory, expanding on how when we go the Conditioned route and try to please what we think we "should" be doing, it's boring, unsatisfying, etc. But when we go Exploratory, which from my understanding is very childlike in wonder and whimsy, we're happy, inspired, etc.

...Maybe this metaphor does more for me than you, given my last two weeks, but at the very least, I think it tells you: you're doing it right.

Mike MacLellan
Mike MacLellan
Explaining To Spouse
Explaining To Spouse

Posts : 3191
Points : 10057
Join date : 2011-06-14
Age : 37
Location : Arlington, VA

https://www.facebook.com/mike.a.maclellan

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:18 pm

Mike MacLellan wrote:Your 5mi adventure in the storm reminds me of something a guest presenter said on Monday in class. We were interpreting for him, but I still got to pick up on enough of his speech and retain it to know what he said. He's a life coach and was pitching his new book, so he was discussing his concept of the Conditioned vs. the Exploratory mindset. Somewhat self-explanatory, expanding on how when we go the Conditioned route and try to please what we think we "should" be doing, it's boring, unsatisfying, etc. But when we go Exploratory, which from my understanding is very childlike in wonder and whimsy, we're happy, inspired, etc.

...Maybe this metaphor does more for me than you, given my last two weeks, but at the very least, I think it tells you: you're doing it right.


Thanks, Mike! Honestly, there's a place in a healthy psyche for both mindsets - and sometimes, one actually masquerades as the other.

Something to think about as the tryptophan leaves your system. Wink
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Mark B Sun Nov 25, 2012 1:05 pm

Low HR Run: 6.87 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy/foggy, chilly and damp. 37 degrees. Gear: Testers, tights, T, pullover and jacket. Hat and gloves (shed gloves). Fuel: Coffee and rice milk before.

My first real run in my new testers. I went out with Eric to the Salmon Creek Greenway trail. We took it easy as we chatted and as I felt my way around in the shoes, which I like quite a bit. I started to feel my legs fatigue a bit after mile 3, but not as much as previously, and the return trip back home felt pretty good. My HR average didn't hit the target for a full mile until the sixth mile, which seems like a pretty good sign.

Walked first 5 minutes, last .25 mile. Average HR for entire run: 131

I also took advantage of my new iPhone 5's panorama feature to offer a view of the trail in the dim morning light.

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Img_0011

A little disorienting to look at, but still pretty cool. Smile
Mark B
Mark B
Needs A Life
Needs A Life

Posts : 8139
Points : 19816
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 60
Location : Vancouver, Wash.

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  dot520 Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:09 pm

Are you at the end of a circle? At a fork in the road?

131 HR? That's really low! You've come a long way.
dot520
dot520
Top 10 Poster Emeritus
Top 10 Poster Emeritus

Posts : 780
Points : 5918
Join date : 2011-06-15
Age : 66
Location : Indy-sporting the cape of awesomeness

Back to top Go down

Road to Nowhere - Page 39 Empty Re: Road to Nowhere

Post  Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Page 39 of 43 Previous  1 ... 21 ... 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43  Next

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum