Stalking 50

Walk: 3.04 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, 49 degrees, breezy.

A walk across the Interstate Bridge from Vancouver to Portland and back, looping under the freeway so I could get the view both upstream and downstream. The rain earlier today had stopped, so it was a good day to be out.

I'm doubling up with walks on these days when I run barefoot to get in a little extra activity and get my body used to going when it's less than fully fresh. I know I'll be doing a good amount of walking at Mount Hood, so I need to practice it, too.

Low HR Run: 60 minutes (5.35 miles)

Weather: Overcast, chilly and damp. 41 degrees, 98% humidity. Gear: Altras, shorts, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (stashed). Fuel: Snack before, got hungry during but bounced back. Carried water.

Kind of a weird run. I started out feeling pretty fresh but started to feel the week's accumulated fatigue after about three miles. I toyed with the idea of walking a bit, or taking a Gu, but decided against both and pressed on. I need to teach my brain that fatigue does not equal an imminent disaster, after all.

Glad I did. By the time I was nearly home, it dawned on me that both the hunger and fatigue had dissipated without me realizing it. Nifty.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 132

Good job Mark. Way to push through. Of course if you were getting dizzy or something then that would have been a good time to take that Gu and do some walking.

Alex Kubacki wrote:Good job Mark. Way to push through. Of course if you were getting dizzy or something then that would have been a good time to take that Gu and do some walking.

Good point, Alex! Whenever things start to feel off, I take a quick inventory and try to figure out what's going on. This didn't feel like an imminent bonk, which was good.

It is interesting, though. I wonder if my practice of fueling every 30 minutes on long runs is leading my body to expect it even on shorter runs. Hm.

Low HR Run: 90 minutes (8.16 miles)

Weather: GORGEOUS!!! Sunny and mild. 46-51 degrees, with a cool breeze. Gear: Altras, shorts, long-sleeve T, jacket/vest. Fuel: None before (though took an S-Cap). Carried water.

Every once in a while, after days of chilly gloom, winter gives us a gloriously sunny day. This was one of those days.

I went out on my Llama Ridge route and basked in the sunlight. I got to see three of our local volcanoes (Hood, St. Helens, Adams) gleaming white not so very far away. I didn't see any llamas, but the alpaca posse was there.

I kept the effort level easy, and the mile splits were close to what they were a week ago. My HR sneaked up a bit early on, partly due to enthusiasm, partly due to a bit of a headwind. I consciously throttled back on the return trip and got the HR back to where it was supposed to be.

Tomorrow's a rest day, then I'll do a medium run on Sunday and some sort of a long run on Monday, possibly a 20. The only thing holding me back is a commitment I made to do some up-tempo shoe testing at Nike on Tuesday. Doing it the day after a 20 could be interesting...

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 134.

Note: The scale said 163 after my run. Oops! Need to dial in the intake to match the output better. That, and get rid of the Girl Scout cookies.

46-51 degrees? I can't remember what that feels like. I'm hoping for an early spring. You're spoiled!

dot520 wrote:46-51 degrees? I can't remember what that feels like. I'm hoping for an early spring. You're spoiled!

Well, I'm far less likely to get frostbite than some of y'all, that's for sure. But far more to find moss growing in unusual locations.

Mark B wrote:Low HR Run: 90 minutes (8.16 miles)

I got to see three of our local volcanoes (Hood, St. Helens, Adams) gleaming white not so very far away. I didn't see any llamas, but the alpaca posse was there.

Volcanoes, alpacas, llamas??? Seriously, who gets to see that stuff while running? I'm living on the wrong side of the continent.

Seth Harrison wrote:

Mark B wrote:Low HR Run: 90 minutes (8.16 miles)

I got to see three of our local volcanoes (Hood, St. Helens, Adams) gleaming white not so very far away. I didn't see any llamas, but the alpaca posse was there.

Volcanoes, alpacas, llamas??? Seriously, who gets to see that stuff while running? I'm living on the wrong side of the continent.

You should come out and see what you're missing someday, Seth!

And I'm glad nobody assumes I'm just hallucinating on my runs...

Mark B wrote:

Seth Harrison wrote:

Mark B wrote:Low HR Run: 90 minutes (8.16 miles)

I got to see three of our local volcanoes (Hood, St. Helens, Adams) gleaming white not so very far away. I didn't see any llamas, but the alpaca posse was there.

Volcanoes, alpacas, llamas??? Seriously, who gets to see that stuff while running? I'm living on the wrong side of the continent.

You should come out and see what you're missing someday, Seth!

And I'm glad nobody assumes I'm just hallucinating on my runs...

Dunno about that isn't a little mary jane legal out there?

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Seth Harrison wrote:

Mark B wrote:Low HR Run: 90 minutes (8.16 miles)

I got to see three of our local volcanoes (Hood, St. Helens, Adams) gleaming white not so very far away. I didn't see any llamas, but the alpaca posse was there.

Volcanoes, alpacas, llamas??? Seriously, who gets to see that stuff while running? I'm living on the wrong side of the continent.

You should come out and see what you're missing someday, Seth!

And I'm glad nobody assumes I'm just hallucinating on my runs...

Dunno about that isn't a little mary jane legal out there?

Well, yeah...

Low HR Run: 75 minutes (6.68 miles)

Weather: Partly cloudy, chilly and humid. 34 degrees, 97% humidity. Gear: Altras, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed). Fuel: Grape Nuts and coffee before. Water during.

I dusted off an old route for my medium-length run this morning, just to mix things up a bit. No llamas or alpacas here, though there a giant golf-ball sign at the local driving range ...



The run was pretty uneventful. It was nearly all on concrete sidewalks with some small but annoyingly gradual inclines. I kept a surprisingly even pace throughout (10:21, 10:25; 10:25; 10:26; 10:33) in the middle of the workout, with my HR not quite where I wanted it to be but close enough.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 132

I posted this in the Your Week In Training thread, but it bears noting here, as well.

I just reviewed my training log and was happy to see that the 48.4 miles this this week is the fifth most I've logged (max is 52.3).

I was surprised to see that, this past week's 9 hours, 47 minutes is my longest duration of working out, ever - by 47 minutes!

Let me repeat that: Most time moving, ever.

The shocking thing is, it doesn't feel like it. I think that's partly because some of that distance/time is spent walking, but I think it's mainly because I've been keeping the effort level easy on the running. My average running HR for this past week was 134. The average HR for that longest distance week ever, back in 2010? 149.

Yowza. And woot!

Long Run: 20.33 miles

Weather: Low clouds & fog, chilly 33-38 degrees, 97% humidity. Gear: Altras, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (on and off repeatedly). Fuel: Oatmeal and coffee before. About 100 kcal every 30 minutes in a variety of forms, S-Cap before and every 60 minutes. Drank water.

Both wife and child are home for Presidents Day, so I got up at 4 a.m. to get in my first 20 miler in quite some time. I focused on trying to keep it easy and relaxed, and I was surprised early on to see my HR below 135 a lot of the time. That continued until about the last six miles, when my legs started complaining and the effort level went up. Had a little nausea early on from the Gu, but it went away after a while.

It wasn't the fastest 20-miler I've ever done, but it did have the distinction of being the one with the lowest average heart rate.

I realized in the late miles that I haven't done a mostly-run 20 miler on pavement since early 2011, when I was getting ready to run Eugene with the Millers and Tom. All the long trail runs I did getting ready for Tecumseh involved a lot of power-hiking up the hills, rather than this steady grind. I see the benefit of both, but wow, can I feel it right now! Probably time for a step-back now that I hit my "Base" phase goal with a week to spare.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 133

(Note: This puts the mileage for my Tuesday-Monday training week at 50.5 miles.)

Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Sunny, mild with a cool breeze. 51 degrees

I scaled back my walk today and reduced the intensity to make it a pure recovery effort. I'm going to try something marginally unwise later this afternoon, so I needed to err on the side of being conservative now.

The sun was out (!) with a temperature around 50 and a 10 mph breeze. I was able to go out without my jacket and walk in my work clothes. Nice.

I also tried using the Nike+ app on my iPhone, and it measured almost the same distance I determined using USATF's mapping program. Still, on established routines like this, I'll switch back to my watch. No need to get anal about these sorts of activities.

Dynamic Testing: 2.5 fast miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, mild, 52 degrees.

Testing a couple of shoes from the Innovation Kitchen this afternoon. They'd billed the session as a 'tempo run' but didn't actually request that -- much to my relief, having done 20 miles yesterday -- but I still fell victim to my usual "always run faster at Nike" proclivities.

I ran two 1.25 mile loops. The first mile on the first loop came in at 8:05. The first mile on the second loop (with a break inbetween to provide feedback, swap shoes) came in at 8:16. The route has a hill in the first half and a nice downhill in the second half. I got into the 5s on the way down both times, and did a quarter mile at a sub-7 pace. It felt pretty smooth and easy, and my HR didn't spike all THAT much. I'd call that a win.

Now I can step back.

Mark B wrote:Now I can step back.

Can I?

That's becoming a very interesting debate inside my head right now. Sure, I'm coming out of one of my longest weeks ever, after a long week before that, followed by the fastest running I've done in quite a while... and I'm a little sore in unusual places (the underside of my big toe joint? weird).

So a step back is a no brainer, right?

Riiigggghhhhht.

Except that I've actually gotten used to a more consistent level of activity. Yes, I traditionally take Saturday off, but any other day? Not lately. I managed to talk myself out of doing a barefoot run this morning (had to go to the grocery store before work anyway), telling myself I'll do a barefoot run tomorrow instead.

So it's settled, right? Uh, not really. I'm twitchy. I'm still trying to decide whether to go for a walk at lunch today... or to sit on my butt. Does recovery really require inactivity? Hm. Yes! No! Maybe? Maybe not? Does it matter that I'm usually more sore after sitting at my desk for hours I rest than when I move?

Is it any wonder my kid has ADHD? Gee, I wonder whose side of the family he got it from?

(Update: Thanks to a lunch brown bag session at work, I ended up not getting a chance to walk today. So I guess this did end up being a pure recovery day, after all. Probably for the best.)

Barefoot Run: 5.14 miles on wet asphalt

Weather: Between rain showers, mostly. Cool, breezy. 43 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, tights, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat.

I skipped my barefoot run yesterday, so I decided to run this step-back week Thursday run barefoot. It may sound crazy, but it's easier and more relaxing to run barefoot than in shoes. I ran on wet asphalt around the neighborhood, getting the attention of some preschooler who hollered back "Mo-ooom! There's somebody running without SHOOOEES on!" Alas, I didn't hear his mom's response.

Rotten little tattletale...

The run was uneventful. I went for three miles, decided to do another (I normally stop at 3 on Wednesdays only because I don't have the time to run farther), then decided to do a fifth. The wet pavement kept me honest, forcing me to run gently, and my feet came out of the experience without any major problems.

The HR numbers and mile splits were right about where I'd expect them to be, nice and relaxed, and faster than if I'd been in shoes.

Average HR for entire run: 136 (no walking warmup or cool down)

Love the tattletale...... Can't imagine running barefoot where I live right now, and I've noticed that most of the vibram guys are wearing heavy, waterproof trail shoes these days. I guess that is what a bit of snow does to you.

Keep up the good work, Mark.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Love the tattletale...... Can't imagine running barefoot where I live right now, and I've noticed that most of the vibram guys are wearing heavy, waterproof trail shoes these days. I guess that is what a bit of snow does to you.

Keep up the good work, Mark.

Thanks, Michele! I've taken my bare feet down to about 34 degrees on dry pavement, and to the low 40s on wet pavement... and I've even done a lap around the block on snow just to have done it. But doing it all the time, or for a significant distance? Nope. I've seen too many photos on barefoot running sites of frostbitten feet. Scary!

Saturday update: I'm in my second day in a row of full rest today, as I make this stepback week a real step back.

It's not like I planned it, though. I'd forgotten that I had to work a day shift instead of a night shift on Friday, so I lost the time I'd normally use for a 90-minute run in the country. Drat! It's probably just as well, though. It was pissing down rain all morning, and I was a little more sore than usual after doing a 20-miler on Monday, two fast miles on Tuesday and five miles barefoot on Thursday. I'm feeling it in my right hip, mostly when I sit too long. (I blame the fast running.) Probably time to dust off my hip exercises and make sure I'm staying balanced.

My plan for the weekend is to rest today and do a medium-length run on Sunday, then a sorta-long run on Monday. I'm still not sure how far to go. Various ultra preparation guides suggest step-back long runs at this point in the process from as few as 8 miles to as many as 14. Decisions, decisions.

I have a day shift next Friday, too, so I'll have to shuffle my runs around a bit. Variety is the spice of life, right?

No change in the waiting list this past week. Not sure if it hasn't been updated or if people are just hanging on, hoping for the best. The drop date is either March 1 or March 15, depending on whether you believe the race's FB page or website. Either way, there's plenty of time.

Low HR Run: 6.26 miles

Weather: Overcast, chilly, muggy. 38 degrees, 94% humidity. Gear: Altras, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed). Fuel: Grape Nuts and coffee before. Carried water.

Sheesh. It feels like it's been forever since I went out for a "normal" run, though it's only been a few days. I guess you can chalk that up to doing a 20 on Monday, uptempo work on Tuesday and the longest barefoot run in quite a while on Thursday. Add to that schedule conflicts that cancelled lunchtime walks, or runs altogether, and you end up feeling pretty out-of-sych.

My training partner was AWOL for our Sunday run, so I went for a low HR run out toward Llama Ridge. My goal was about 6 miles. I kept the effort level low, and was pleased to see my HR spending most of the time in the mid-130s. My legs felt like they were full of sludge, but I actually wasn't that far off my paces when I'm feeling peppy. I'm hoping this gets my system back in synch for my stepped-back long run on Monday.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 129

Update on the shoe front.

I've been really enjoying running in my zero-drop Altra Intuitions (thanks for the suggestion, Tim!), so I decided to take the plunge the rest of the way and get a pair of zero drop trail shoes from Altra as I get ready to start adding trails into my preparation for the Mount Hood 50.

Altra has two trail shoe offerings. The original, the Lone Peak, is a tank of a shoe made for running through boulder fields. A new offering, the Superior, is less massive but probably more appropriate for the types of trails I'll be running on around here.



I tried a pair on today - they run small, so I had to get a size 11.5 (!) - and they feel pretty darn good on. I was sold. I'll let you know how they work on the trail, and how they hold up.



Check out that shape. I swear, it was built to fit my foot!

Long Run (stepback): 10.29 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, showery, windy. 43-47 degrees, gusts to 17 mph. Gear: Altras, shorts, T, pullover, jacket (peeled), hat. Fuel: snack before, limited fuel during - a mistake! Carried water. S-Cap before, and after about an hour.

A step-back long run this morning. I killed enough time doing other chores to make sure I couldn't succumb to temptation and run farther, or run on the trails (despite the new shoes), which would have been hilly. I went out on the Salmon Creek Greenway and decided to forgo fueling every 30 minutes. Instead, I took a single Gu at the 5-mile turnaround point and thought that'd be enough. Apparently not. As I hit 9 miles, I noticed my HR was lower than I'd expect. At 9.16 miles, my body said *WALK* and started walking. It was like somebody pulled the plug on my energy.

I took my emergency Gu, walked a little, then convinced my body that there was food waiting for me at home. Good thing I hand't decided to go 12, or those last couple of miles would been distinctly un-fun.

The run itself was pretty good. I was sub-10 on miles 2 and 3 at a low HR. Can't complain about that!

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 135

Wow. That run yesterday took more out of me than I expected. My body was displeased for a couple of hours, not in soreness, but in terms of energy and my digestive system.

Okay, lesson learned. For now, fuel early and often. Got it. A calorie bonk is different than a blood sugar bonk, but it can be just as unpleasant -- and it takes longer to resolve.

---

On to today..

Walk: 3.9 miles along the Columbia River

Back to it, taking advantage of decent weather for a long walk at lunchtime. I missed not getting as many walking miles in last week. Besides, I had some chocolate peanut butter on whole wheat sourdough bread this morning after breakfast (mmm...), so I needed to burn some of those extra calories, right?