Term Limits?

This morning, it was 65 degrees with a nice breeze.  Sunday's high will be 64 or about 11-13 degrees below normal...going into April, to boot.

I was curious how the legs would be after the 6-880's from Wednesday.  I still wanted to keep the pace up, but didn't want to overdo it or burnout.  Sort of a delicate balance.  I know the mitochondria are busy with their ongoing construction of new muscle cells and they should be ready for the Summer's heat.

Cadence was set for 163.

4 miles, 53:16, 13:18 pace, 163 avg cadence, 0.74 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:16, 2nd half pace 13:20
1.  13:25, 163 spm, 74 sl
2.  13:07, 163 spm, 75 sl
3.  13:19, 162 spm, 74 sl
4.  13:21, 163 spm, 74 sl

The legs felt like they had trash in the lines, not like Monday's overall fatigue and shortened attempt at a run.  The 4 miles was a tiring run.  I was breathing quicker on the way back, so the effort was pretty high.  So, I'll work on making these miles easier at the low 13 pace.  That will really help out training for the marathon.

10 miles for the week and a weekend to rest up for Monday's long run of 8 or 9 miles targeting a mid-13 pace.  The temps will be in the 40's!!!

I registered for Houston and for a 30K race on December 15...5 weeks before the marathon.  I've ran it a few times before and it always has given me a good opportunity to see how my training is going.

The cold front arrived Saturday evening.  This morning it was 41 degrees with a very light breeze.  The breeze yesterday was 15-20 mph, so today's breeze was right nice.  The big airport recorded 39 degrees, which ties a record set in 1989.

Mondays have been deemed long run day, so would it be 8 or 9 miles.  Once I got out there, it seemed like 8 was going to be a stretch because, well, just because.  Hard to quantify.  The legs weren't hurting, they weren't 100%, but they were more than good enough to go.  Plus, the legs never told me to turn around.  I ended up running 8 because I ran out of time to run 9.  I don't trust Monday morning traffic.

Cadence was 163, except for the last mile and a third, where I bumped it to 164.

8 miles, 1:47:45, 13:28 pace, 162 avg cadence, 0.74 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:32, 2nd half pace 13:24.
1.  13:30, 162 spm, 73 sl
2.  13:23, 163 spm, 74 sl
3.  13:35, 163 spm, 73 sl
4.  13:38, 161 spm, 73 sl
5.  13:44, 162 spm, 72 sl
6.  13:26, 162 spm, 74 sl
7.  13:13, 162 spm, 75 sl
8.  13:14, 163 spm, 75 sl

There were many places where I could turn around.  But this was a long run and I can't do long runs by not going long.  The body has to adapt.  Now, if it was 65 degrees out there, wellll, 8 would've been slower.

I was still targeting a 13:30 overall pace.  The effort on this 8 was not conversational.  I would say that it was a marathon race pace effort, except for mile 8 which was a higher effort.  Thankfully, that long run is in the books.

Thanks for your time.

This morning, at 50 degrees, is the half mile, 1/4 mile jog recovery * 6.  It's the 2nd week in a row to do this.  I almost have the Garmin workout setting fixed up.  The intervals are set, but I didn't start it at the right prompt.  Nevertheless, I got it to generate 6 of each.  Cadence was set at 166, instead of the usual 163, so the gnome will keep up with my feet.

I'd have to say that I was running at 10K or a bit faster, except for the last 880 where it was faster.  I don't know if it makes a difference with interval training to walk the recovery quarter versus jogging it.  I'd appreciate some guidance on that.

1.  12:46 pace, 163 spm, 78 sl
2.  12:18 pace, 166 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:33 pace, 165 spm, 78 sl
4.  12:30 pace, 165 spm, 78 sl
5.  12:32 pace, 166 spm, 77 sl
6.  11:42 pace, 167 spm, 83 sl
Avg 12:23

My breathing was harder and huffin' & puffin' for the first 3 splits, then it settled down up to the point of the last split where I saw I was clicking at 11:54 pace.  Annnnnd that caused me to go faster to preserve the sub-12 split.  To quote Forrest Gump, "I. Was. Runninnnnnng!"

It seems like it was tougher this time, than last Wednesday.  In fact, had it not been for the sub-12 last split, the avg would've been the same as last week.  I did not jog each recovery.  I would walk some, then jog the remainder of the 440.

But I still have zero niggles.  Thanks.

Here is last Wednesday's result at 55 degrees:
The 800 splits are expressed by the pace.
1.  12:38, 163 spm, 78 sl
2.  12:29, 163 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:41, 163 spm, 78 sl
4.  12:11, 165 spm, 80 sl
5.  12:42, 163 spm, 78 sl
6.  12:21, 165 spm, 79 sl
Avg 12:30

It was 41 degrees on Monday.  This morning it was 68 degrees with fog, so 100% humidity.  

For the time being, Fridays will be a sorta long run or half of the long run that occurred on Monday at whatever pace I can do...slow or not as slow.  Wednesday is interval or 'hills' (aka parking garage ramps) or whatever is not a Monday or Friday themed run.  I'll just see how it goes to through the Summer.

This week, I began running in a pair of Saucony Kinvara 9, which is the Kinvara 8 with a different grill and tail light design.  Yup, a car metaphor.  The 9's feel like the 8's, which I like.

The goal for today was either 4 or 5 miles at 163 cadence.  I would let the legs set the pace, knowing full well that the Wednesday run would cause me run at a faster pace, this morning.  I was also curious how the warmer temperature would affect pace and endurance.

4 miles, 53;16, 13:18 pace, 163 avg cadence, 0.74 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:19, 2nd half pace 13:17.
1.  13:32, 162 spm, 73 sl
2.  13:07, 163 spm, 75 sl
3.  13:12, 163 spm, 75 sl
4.  13:23, 162 spm, 74 sl

There wasn't a sub-13 in these legs, this morning, but there wasn't any pain either.  Not even any perceptible trash in the lines (another car metaphor).  They were just not at 100%.  To me, that's understandable.  3 miles would've been easier, but I do need to temper the legs into working better.

I wasn't huffin' too much, but the legs were a little wobbly in their execution, especially on the way back.  To the good, however, all 4 splits were at or less than 13:32, which is really cool.

So that's 16.5 miles for the week, compared to 10 miles, last week.  Weight is down, as well, since the ending of the last fast.  After the fast, I had re-gained 7 pounds, which is reasonable.  This morning, I have lost 4 of that 7, since the end of the fast in mid-March.

Thanks for your time.

We had a thick line of storms move through yesterday at 55 mph and produced an inch of rain that was slurped up by the dry ground.  This allowed for a north breeze this morning that made it seem much cooler than the 62 degrees it was.  When I first went out, there was a 10-15 mph driven mist that first felt like a heavy spritzing on my noggin.  I went back in for a couple of minutes because I knew I would get chilled with that breeze and spritzing.  Found my do-rag.  Went back out and the spritzing had stopped.

Mondays are long run days.  I wanted to run 9 miles as a perceived measure of improvement.  I also want to see how the body reacts.  Cadence was set at 163.

9 miles, 2:01:09, 13:27 pace, 162 avg cadence, 0.74 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:33, 2nd half pace 13:21
1.  13:42, 161 spm, 73 sl
2.  13:18, 163 spm, 74 sl
3.  13:34, 163 spm, 73 sl
4.  13:42, 162 spm, 72 sl
5.  13:34, 163 spm, 73 sl
6.  13:31, 161 spm, 73 sl
7.  13:42, 161 spm, 73 sl
8.  13:03, 162 spm, 76 sl
9.  13:01, 161 spm, 77 sl

I have much endurance yet to gain.  At the start, I ran at a conversational, easy pace for a half mile, just to see what that pace equates to in time.  It was 14:19.  Oh, well.  So, I increased the speed.  My breathing settled into a normal ventilation by mile 4, even though the legs were not really 'marching' (being consistent in movement) for most of the run.  Perhaps I am doing too much travelling on the same roads or maybe I need to do some parking garage ramps to strengthen the secondary muscles for better lateral control.

About mile 7, my hip flexors started whining, but they settled down and were fine the rest of the way.  

As you can see, there's a lot of fluctuation in the splits.  The last half shows the cadence slowed compared to the first half.  Heck, after the mile 8 13:03, I bumped the cadence from 163 to 164 to try to get into the 12's.  Mile 9's cadence was just like 6 and 7's.  I think while I finished 9, I am not easily running 9.

I have no idea why mile 8 was so much faster than mile 7, other than I was off some muddy trails and back on city sidewalks.

Thanks for stopping by and come back 'n see us!

This morning, for the 3rd Wednesday interval workout, it was 67 degrees with a dew point of 62 degrees.  It was deceptively cool for the temp because we've had a period of dry air (28% humidity) the past 2 days.  The temp did not detract from the effort from what I could feel.

Again, the workout is 6 x 880, with a 440 recovery for 4.5 miles in total and I finally mastered the Garmin to get the workout recorded accurately without extra steps.  I set the beeper at 166 cadence and 167 for the last 880.

I was a little curious how this workout was going to execute because yesterday there was some minor residual stiffness from Monday's 9 miles.  I don't get that from running 8 miles.

1.  11:52 pace, 167 spm, 81 sl
2.  11:45 pace, 166 spm, 82 sl
3.  11:48 pace, 166 spm, 82 sl
4.  12:08 pace, 166 spm, 80 sl
5.  12:12 pace, 166 spm, 79 sl
6.  11:40 pace, 167 spm, 83 sl
Avg 11:54

For the amount of effort in the first 3 splits, it reminded me of 5K effort where the breathing is constant and heavy.  I walked for at least half of each recovery.  I wasn't trying to do a 5K effort or a sub-12 split until the last one...or maybe the last two splits.  Certainly not 4 of them.

April 3---
50 degrees
1.  12:46 pace, 163 spm, 78 sl
2.  12:18 pace, 166 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:33 pace, 165 spm, 78 sl
4.  12:30 pace, 165 spm, 78 sl
5.  12:32 pace, 166 spm, 77 sl
6.  11:42 pace, 167 spm, 83 sl
Avg 12:23


March 27---
55 degrees
1.  12:38, 163 spm, 78 sl
2.  12:29, 163 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:41, 163 spm, 78 sl
4.  12:11, 165 spm, 80 sl
5.  12:42, 163 spm, 78 sl
6.  12:21, 165 spm, 79 sl
Avg 12:30




I guess I'm getting more comfortable doing these intervals, but it doesn't seem like it when I'm actually doing them.  Thoughts?  Thanks.

This morning, it was 62 degrees with a modest breeze.  Today was either 4 or 5 miles.  I ended up doing 5 miles.  The Garmin worked on the journey, but because it hiccuped on an update, the data was lost.  So, I'm doing the splits from memory.  I don't know the actual cadence, but I set the gnome at 163.

5 miles, 1:03 something, 13:18 pace, 1st half pace 13:14, 2nd half pace 13:22 (but see how I got there)
1.  13:13
2.  13:06
3.  13:22
4.  13:45
5.  12:57

Mile 3 split is +/- 3 seconds.

Everything was going swimmingly until late in mile 3 when my left ankle started hurting from outside ankle bone around behind the achilles to the inside ankle bone.  I had to stop at one point because it was hurting that much (not a stabbing pain, but growing like heating water to a boil).  I stopped before it boiled.  And my right inside knee was hurting as a result of compensating for the left ankle.

The only cause I could think of was around mile 1.5 where the front of my right shoe caught a section of sidewalk that was juuuuust a bit higher and I didn't see it.  I pitched forward, but was able to not fall down.  So maybe the giant forward steps upset my left ankle's sensibility later on.

I stopped for about 3 minutes, then carried on.  As I ran, the pain was subsiding.  A pace check for mile 4 showed 14:10 about halfway through it.  Screw that!  I increased pace as the pain subsided and obtained a 13:45.  Overall pace was around 13:25 or something, at that point.  When I dinged my 4, I increased the pace to test the ankle.  No pain.  Zero.  The right knee was fine, too.  Hence, the 12:57 split.  And I wasn't huffin' and puffin' at a 10K or faster pace, either!

Rather nifty, even if I do say so myself.

The first 2 miles had some trash in the lines, which I completely forgot about after stubbing my shoe on the high part of a sidewalk section.  I've only been running this sidewalk for 14 years.  You'd think I'd know where each high part is!

So for the week, I ran 18.5 miles.  A 9 long run, 4.5 intervals, and today's 5.

The weather system Boston is getting today, we got Saturday.  No tornadoes in Houston, but a couple deadly ones about 120 miles north.  The system brought us clear skies and a 47 degree Sunday morning low and a 50 degree low, this morning.

And Monday is long run day for me.  I ran 8 miles this morning, instead of the 9 that I did last Monday, because I wanted to see if the left ankle was going to be okay.  I finished last Friday's run well, but there was a little swelling over the weekend and it ached a little.  If it was going to act up, this morning, I was going to shut it down.

Cadence was set at 163.

8 miles, 1:46:09, 13:16 pace, 162 avg cadence, 0.75 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:19, 2nd half pace 13:13.
1.  13:18, 162 spm, 75 sl
2.  13:15, 162 spm, 75 sl
3.  13:13, 163 spm, 75 sl
4.  13:30, 162 spm, 73 sl
5.  13:14, 162 spm, 75 sl
6.  13:08, 162 spm, 76 sl
7.  13:08, 162 spm, 75 sl
8.  13:21, 163 spm, 74 sl

Boy, I started out faster than I thought I would.  The cool weather was at least half of the reason.  Part of the downside (but of course for training, it's a positive) for starting out this fast is I try to maintain the pace.  There was the combination of blowing out the trash in the muscles, a little tired, and monitoring the left ankle.  But, I soldiered on and did what I could to maintain the pace.  The first 2.5 miles were 10K breathing pace.  But for the rest, it mellowed into marathon breathing pace.

The whole run seemed rushed.  Not to the point that it was work, but I guess it actually felt I was running a marathon, without the late miles agony.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sorry for not checking in more often Doug.  I like the looks of those intervals...you're obviously making some improvements there.  And the longer runs are looking good as well.    Glad to hear the ankle didn't turn into anything serious.  And good to hear you got your Garmin figured out to time those intervals accurately.

I find it interesting that you note your breathing at 5K rate or 10K rate.  I think I mentioned in the past that one of the reasons that I've been unable to get my cadence up is because I hyperventilate.  I breath in every time my right foot hits the ground...so if my cadence increases so does my breathing.  Max King (professional from Bend who does form clinics) laughed at me...nicely...and said I wasn't a jaguar that needed to match my breathing to my steps but I haven't been able to master that skill.  I do have a gnome but I put him in the back of the drawer.   I don't like him.  I did try to count and breath every third step (alternating breathing in on my left and right foot) and I was able to get my cadence up very slightly without hyperventilating.  But boy did it take concentration.  I noticed that my stride is significantly longer than yours...I'm sure that's an issue as well.  Hmmm...this may take some work.

Good to hear you've been getting out there...and seeing improvement.  I'll make a point to stop by more often.

nkrichards wrote:Sorry for not checking in more often Doug.  I like the looks of those intervals...you're obviously making some improvements there.  And the longer runs are looking good as well.    Glad to hear the ankle didn't turn into anything serious.  And good to hear you got your Garmin figured out to time those intervals accurately.

I find it interesting that you note your breathing at 5K rate or 10K rate.  I think I mentioned in the past that one of the reasons that I've been unable to get my cadence up is because I hyperventilate.  I breath in every time my right foot hits the ground...so if my cadence increases so does my breathing.  Max King (professional from Bend who does form clinics) laughed at me...nicely...and said I wasn't a jaguar that needed to match my breathing to my steps but I haven't been able to master that skill.  I do have a gnome but I put him in the back of the drawer.   I don't like him.  I did try to count and breath every third step (alternating breathing in on my left and right foot) and I was able to get my cadence up very slightly without hyperventilating.  But boy did it take concentration.  I noticed that my stride is significantly longer than yours...I'm sure that's an issue as well.  Hmmm...this may take some work.

Good to hear you've been getting out there...and seeing improvement.  I'll make a point to stop by more often.

Isn't it a shame that life gets in the way?  It does look like I'm making progress on both fronts.  Seems like the ankle is pretty resilient, right now.  Maybe it's the years of ankle strengthening by walking curbs to build up the stabilizer muscles.

You might have to talk to Michele about changing cadence.  She's at 180 or so, which is the goal for runners, but without a gnome.  She has stride AND cadence.  It would take me a couple of years to 180...maybe longer.  I'd just work on shortening your stride or go and check out ChiRunning.com because that's where I learned shortening my stride and increasing my turnover (actually it was a ChiRunning clinic in Austin (2-1/2 hours away) a few years ago).  I learned to be a mid-foot striker instead of a heel striker.  THAT shortened the stride.  I also learned that once I mastered leaning at the ankle, instead of at the waist, I could go faster at the same cadence by leaning forward more.  It doesn't sound logical, but it does work.  I went my fastest (in the experiment) by really leaning forward a lot.  The caveat is do it on a smooth surface...not a sectioned surface where a shoe might catch the side of a section (sidewalk) and you fall flat.

That beeping, given a chance, will change your step/breathe cadence.  I appreciate you checking in.  Thanks.

-30-

It was 72 degrees with 100% humidity.  This year's weather is really allowing for a slow acclimation to the heat and I'm not complaining.  I think this is the 2nd 70 degree morning that I have ran.  If it's Wednesday, it's intervals.  6-880s with a 440 recovery for 4.5 miles.

I was a little concerned if the legs would be ready for the intervals after 8 miles on Monday and this warm morning.  After running 9 last Monday, the legs were not thrilled to do the Intervals.  I figured out if I walk most of the recovery, the 880 isn't as taxing in the last couple of 880s.  I haven't looked at the splits yet.  Cadence was increased from 163 to 166, with the last interval at 167.

72 degrees
1.  12:17 pace, 166 spm, 79 sl
2.  11:51 pace, 167 spm, 81 sl
3.  11:54 pace, 166 spm, 81 sl
4.  12:25 pace, 166 spm, 78 sl
5.  12:15 pace, 167 spm, 79 sl
6.  12:00 pace, 167 spm, 80 sl
12:06 avg

So, I think the weather played the role of spoiler, this morning.  There was a welcome breeze followed by a light drizzle, so it wasn't the upcoming 78 degrees with zero breeze that will be coming in July and August.  Hopefully, I can stay the course when the temps increase on these intervals.  

Next week will also be a short running week, so next Wednesday, I may run parking garage ramps in order to change it up a bit.

April 10---
67 degrees
1.  11:52 pace, 167 spm, 81 sl
2.  11:45 pace, 166 spm, 82 sl
3.  11:48 pace, 166 spm, 82 sl
4.  12:08 pace, 166 spm, 80 sl
5.  12:12 pace, 166 spm, 79 sl
6.  11:40 pace, 167 spm, 83 sl
Avg 11:54


April 3---
50 degrees
1.  12:46 pace, 163 spm, 78 sl
2.  12:18 pace, 166 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:33 pace, 165 spm, 78 sl
4.  12:30 pace, 165 spm, 78 sl
5.  12:32 pace, 166 spm, 77 sl
6.  11:42 pace, 167 spm, 83 sl
Avg 12:23


March 27---
55 degrees
1.  12:38, 163 spm, 78 sl
2.  12:29, 163 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:41, 163 spm, 78 sl
4.  12:11, 165 spm, 80 sl
5.  12:42, 163 spm, 78 sl
6.  12:21, 165 spm, 79 sl
Avg 12:30



Thanks for your time.

It's been out of the ordinary for the past 2 weeks.  Last week, I tried to run 14 miles and did 6.  Last Thursday, the 25th, I drove to Chattanooga with the ashes of my parents for placement at the National Cemetery, there.  14 hours and 840 miles with rain for half of the journey up.  The service was on Friday and I left Chattanooga at 3 p.m. and arrived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi at 9:30, then spent the night.  Left there at 9:30 and arrived in Houston around 5:30 with good weather for the return trip.  1,700 miles in 3 days.  That wore my legs out a bit for sitting most of the way except for re-fueling.  The way back was nice, as I was able to set the cruise control on 70 and let it go.  I do love driving on the open road.

I only ran 5 miles on Wednesday the 24th because I didn't want too much fatigue going into the drive on Thursday, since the departure time was 4:45 a.m.

5 miles, 1:03:06, 12:37 pace, 163 avg cadence, 0.78 m avg stride length
1.  12:53, 163 spm, 77 sl
2.  12:35, 163 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:23, 162 spm, 80 sl
4.  12:34, 163 spm, 79 sl
5.  12:40, 163 spm, 78 sl

I figured doing the 4.5 mile intervals would be a little much, ahead of the drive.  However, I was pleased with the overall pace and cadence.  It was 68 degrees, that morning.

Next for the other shoe to drop.

On Sunday, after returning from Chattanooga on Saturday afternoon, the legs were still fatigued from the amount of time in the car.  It's not a highway cruiser, like a Cadillac, but I didn't have much fanny fatigue on either leg of the trip, which was nice, and the roads rolled as there wasn't any mountains to go around or long downs, until getting close to Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain.

I woke up Monday morning and Summer had arrived in Houston!  It was 76 degrees out there at 4 a.m.  I went out there for about 1.5 miles and shut it down.  The combination of warmth and legs not ready to work had shut me down.

Tuesday morning, I got up and decided to do 5 miles.  I had to start working on acclimation.  I was pig headed to not have a repeat of last year's disappointing runs of 5 miles per week all Summer.  

Again, it was 76 degrees and I set the cadence at 163.

5 miles, 1:11:03, 14:12 pace, 157 avg cadence, 0.72 m avg stride length.
1.  13:48, 162 spm, 72 sl
2.  13:25, 163 spm, 74 sl
3.  14:04, 160 spm, 72 sl
4.  14:49, 150 spm, 72 sl
5.  14:55, 150 spm, 72 sl

The first two miles were a challenge, but the last 3 were a struggle.  A real struggle.  Starting at mile 4, I reduced the cadence to 159, which helped, but I was still plodding.  The warmth was hard, but a breeze was doing all it could to not get me warmer.  Seeing that first 14 minute split was disheartening.  I was pretty much over the fatigue from the trip, so it was the warmth that pushed me down.  It wasn't a fun run.

-30-

I thought a great deal about how to adjust for this Summer.  I had to balance running like a normal Summer and finding a cadence and pace to do it.  At this point, intervals are taken off the schedule with the thought of re-visiting the idea in a month.  Now, it's to hang on to the stamina I still had.  One option would be to run some miles on a treadmill, since the building is air conditioned.  I think I'll use that as a last resort.

So, I decided to start off May with running 5 miles 3x/week and reduce the cadence to 158, instead of 163.  That reduces mileage from 18.5 to 15, but reduces the Monday long run from 9 to 5 and deletes the intervals (but keeps the distance).  The result will be slower splits, but a deeper endurance.

I would like to be able to have a weekly distance of 20 miles by Labor Day and cadence back at 163.  I couldn't run 20 miles in a week, last Summer.  But I have faith I can do it, this Summer.

With that in mind, it was 75 degrees this morning with less breeze, but more cars to create a breeze.  I set the cadence at 158.

5 miles, 1:09:07, 13:49 pace, 157 avg spm, 0.74 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:41, 2nd half pace 13:57
1.  13:34, 157 spm, 76 sl
2.  13:39, 157 spm, 75 sl
3.  14:03, 158 spm, 73 sl
4.  14:03, 158 spm, 73 sl
5.  14:00, 158 spm, 73 sl

This was a much better run.  I think the combination of the legs buying in to running (and not driving) with the slower cadence helped tremendously.  I didn't start wobbling much until 4.25 miles.  It was still warm, but I guess I'm getting acclimated.

It's amazing to me that just a week ago, I was running 5 miles at a 12:37 pace and a 163 cadence.  That's what Summer mornings in Houston will do to me.

Thanks for stopping by.

Early Saturday morning, a bad storm rolled through here and cutoff the power from 2-9 a.m.  The result was somewhat drier and cooler conditions on Sunday morning.  The cooler (yet seasonally average) temperature this morning rolled over from Sunday to give a 66 degree morning.

I decided to tweak last week's plan of 5 miles at 158 cadence, due to it being 10 degrees cooler today, just to see what would happen.  I had the weekend to rest.

So, I set the gnome for 160 cadence and took off.

5 miles, 1:07:27, 13:29 pace, 160 spm, 0.75 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:21, 2nd half pace 13:37
1.  13:28, 160 spm, 75 sl
2.  13:14, 160 spm, 76 sl
3.  13:25, 160 spm, 75 sl
4.  13:39, 159 spm, 74 sl
5.  13:39, 160 spm, 74 sl

The first mile was a little tough, until I saw the split.  It was a combination of relief and surprise.  I kept on going and trying to maintain.  Overall, I was pleased even though the the 2nd half pace was slower, but it was nice to see that I could maintain the slightly higher cadence.

This week, we're supposed to get a lot of rain on the order of 5-7 inches by Sunday.  So, I hope to be able to get in my runs.

Thanks for stopping by.

Well, we're definitely in a wet pattern, this week.  It wasn't supposed to rain buckets, but it did in a couple of areas of suburban Houston to the tune of 10", yesterday.  In fact, one town called Sugar Land (if y'all have Imperial Sugar in the grocery stores, it was started in what became Sugar Land), they received 6.4" in 48 minutes.   That rate almost matched the highest rate (6.7") of Hurricane Harvey.  I might've received an inch and the big airport (IAH) received 1.54".  While things are cranking up at the moment, it doesn't look like today is going to be a carbon copy.  But hail, tornadoes, and strong winds are in the cards.  Thursday evening to Saturday evening is supposed to be similar to Tuesday.

So much for the weather report.

It was 72 degrees, this morning with little breeze.  6 degrees warmer than Monday's run, but 4 degrees cooler than last Thursday's shabby run.  Doctors will tell you that if you're on multiple medications for the same affliction that it's wise to change 1 thing at a time, rather than 2 or more, so you can see what the change in 1 thing caused.

Applying that, I decided to use the temperature change as the change for this run, which means 5 miles at 160 cadence.

5 miles, 1:09:04, 13:48 pace, 159 avg cadence, 0.73 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:51, 2nd half pace 13:45.
1.  14:03, 160 spm, 72 sl
2.  13:41, 160 spm, 74 sl
3.  13:45, 160 spm, 73 sl
4.  13:51, 159 spm, 73 sl
5.  13:41, 160 spm, 74 sl

After getting through the first mile, it seemed like everything went well.  I never felt rushed.  After seeing that 14:03 split, I sped up a little.  This felt easier than the past two runs.  More comfortable.  I do want to continue the 5 mile 3x/week for another week or two...or until I get antsy and increase the cadence 1 step and/or increase a mile.

I can't help but believe that I'm on the right track to avoid the catastrophe that was last Summer's 6 miles per week.  Slow and steady.  The 'slow' I've mastered too well.  The steady is coming.

Thanks for your time.

nkrichards wrote:Sorry for not checking in more often Doug.  I like the looks of those intervals...you're obviously making some improvements there.  And the longer runs are looking good as well.    Glad to hear the ankle didn't turn into anything serious.  And good to hear you got your Garmin figured out to time those intervals accurately.

I find it interesting that you note your breathing at 5K rate or 10K rate.  I think I mentioned in the past that one of the reasons that I've been unable to get my cadence up is because I hyperventilate.  I breath in every time my right foot hits the ground...so if my cadence increases so does my breathing.  Max King (professional from Bend who does form clinics) laughed at me...nicely...and said I wasn't a jaguar that needed to match my breathing to my steps but I haven't been able to master that skill.  I do have a gnome but I put him in the back of the drawer.   I don't like him.  I did try to count and breath every third step (alternating breathing in on my left and right foot) and I was able to get my cadence up very slightly without hyperventilating.  But boy did it take concentration.  I noticed that my stride is significantly longer than yours...I'm sure that's an issue as well.  Hmmm...this may take some work.

Good to hear you've been getting out there...and seeing improvement.  I'll make a point to stop by more often.

Nancy: Wow, breathing with every step!? That's amazing! And yeah, hyperventilly. (Just made up a word!)

When I was doing low heart rate training, I experimented with my breathing rate to see if it had an impact on the heart rate. It actually helped, to a certain extent. I usually would breathe every four footstrikes. I tried four steps breathe in, five steps breathe out. You have one of them as an odd number to keep you from breathing off the same foot, and to make sure you're blowing out the last bit of C02 from your lungs. It's kind of meditative when you focus on breathing like that. I tried extending the length of time between breaths, but I'd start to get lightheaded and my HR would spike. So, less meditative. 

I run at a cadence right around 180 spm, so that put my respiration at (hold on, dividing 180 by 5... uh. where's the calculator?) 45. When I did something a lot more up-tempo, I shifted to one breath every two steps.

And Ounce: You're impressing me with your diligence. And I REALLY REALLY LIKE THAT SUB 12! Keep it up! It's working.

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Sorry for not checking in more often Doug.  I like the looks of those intervals...you're obviously making some improvements there.  And the longer runs are looking good as well.    Glad to hear the ankle didn't turn into anything serious.  And good to hear you got your Garmin figured out to time those intervals accurately.

I find it interesting that you note your breathing at 5K rate or 10K rate.  I think I mentioned in the past that one of the reasons that I've been unable to get my cadence up is because I hyperventilate.  I breath in every time my right foot hits the ground...so if my cadence increases so does my breathing.  Max King (professional from Bend who does form clinics) laughed at me...nicely...and said I wasn't a jaguar that needed to match my breathing to my steps but I haven't been able to master that skill.  I do have a gnome but I put him in the back of the drawer.   I don't like him.  I did try to count and breath every third step (alternating breathing in on my left and right foot) and I was able to get my cadence up very slightly without hyperventilating.  But boy did it take concentration.  I noticed that my stride is significantly longer than yours...I'm sure that's an issue as well.  Hmmm...this may take some work.

Good to hear you've been getting out there...and seeing improvement.  I'll make a point to stop by more often.

Nancy: Wow, breathing with every step!? That's amazing! And yeah, hyperventilly. (Just made up a word!)

When I was doing low heart rate training, I experimented with my breathing rate to see if it had an impact on the heart rate. It actually helped, to a certain extent. I usually would breathe every four footstrikes. I tried four steps breathe in, five steps breathe out. You have one of them as an odd number to keep you from breathing off the same foot, and to make sure you're blowing out the last bit of C02 from your lungs. It's kind of meditative when you focus on breathing like that. I tried extending the length of time between breaths, but I'd start to get lightheaded and my HR would spike. So, less meditative. 

I run at a cadence right around 180 spm, so that put my respiration at (hold on, dividing 180 by 5... uh. where's the calculator?) 45. When I did something a lot more up-tempo, I shifted to one breath every two steps.

And Ounce: You're impressing me with your diligence. And I REALLY REALLY LIKE THAT SUB 12! Keep it up! It's working.

The earliest use of the word 'hyperventilly' found by expert Google was in 2004, so you're cutting edge again, Mark.  Maybe this time, though, it's the edge of the Mr. Webster's dictionary cliff.  Next step would be to get it trending as a 'word' to be added to the dictionary.

For the 2019 dictionary, one of the new words that actually might make you say or think, 'Huh', is Salutogenesis: A newer way of thinking about health, salutogenesis is a manner of monitoring health by promoting well-being rather than measuring disease.  Well done, Mr. Editor, sir.  

I had been thinking of Nancy's step per inhale, as well.  All I could think was, it works for her.

It would take me a few years to get up to 180.  As far as diligence, thanks, but I just have a goal to do at least 2 more Houstons (maybe 3, which would be Houston's 50th iteration) with a major sub-goal of not repeating last summer's 6 mpw disappointment.

That sub-12 WAS pretty neat, wasn't it?     Thanks for commenting, Mark.

-30-

So, yesterday I ran the 5 miles, except at Memorial Park, for a change.  It was 74 degrees with a dew point of 68.  Cadence was set at 160.  There was a nice northwest breeze which was an unexpected benefit of the really intense storm on Wednesday night.  It was bizarre being under the location where some of the storm cells were being actually born.  Like popcorn popping.

5 miles, 1:05:54, 13:10 pace, 160 avg cadence, 0.77 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:13, 2nd half pace 13:07
1.  13:12, 160 spm, 76 sl
2.  13:17, 160 spm, 76 sl
3.  13:06, 160 spm, 77 sl
4.  13:14, 159 spm, 76 sl
5.  13:04, 160 spm, 77 sl

One thing about Memorial Park, it makes me run not as slow because I might find an equally speed-challenged person (it's rare) ahead that I might be able to run down.  Those splits.  Well, those splits were surprising, given the warmth of the day.  This wasn't an easy to execute run, like Wednesday's.  The last mile, with the breeze which meant no help, was warm and I could feel the body heat rising up to my neck.

Nonetheless, when I saw that first split, I was motivated to try to keep it.  Ditto on the 1st half pace.  The effort was race pace for a Half or so, aka not conversational.  It was strange that I was able to run 5 miles at that pace with that temperature.  Makes me ponder whether my long held belief of running slower when the temp is in the 70s is accurate.  Maybe with the visual motivation of being around other runners discounts the belief?

This was the fastest run of the week.  In fact, the last two weeks.  Monday's pace was 13:29 and Wednesday's was 13:48 (the comfortable run).

Well, bumping the cadence would be the next logical step on the 5 miles 3x/week plan.  The weather forecast threatens high 60's for morning lows, all next week.  Times might reflect that.

thanks for loitering in the neighborhood.

Good to see someone is running and posting...  I know Michele is running, and biking, and swimming even though she doesn't remind us often with posts.  

Looks to me like you're making progress towards your goal.  Keep up the good work!

nkrichards wrote:Good to see someone is running and posting...  I know Michele is running, and biking, and swimming even though she doesn't remind us often with posts.  

Looks to me like you're making progress towards your goal.  Keep up the good work!

I'm TRYING to progress!  I think that if things go well, I will probably start bumping things up in August, instead of Labor Day.  I'll just think if I've mastered something that it'll be time to change something.

As far as 1L, you've given me an idea, Nancy.  Since I know what Michele has done using her Garmin, I can create some blog entries for her.  

Thanks, too, Nancy.

-30-

As a result of last week's storms, this week, we have morning lows in the 60's!  It's pretty rare.   The same system that caused our rain is whipping up a Nor'easter and some snow in the elevated parts of the Northeast.  I hear it's just as rare for them, as well.

It was 62 degrees, this morning.  I was thinking of how to tweak the run for the cooler weather.  6 miles?  Higher cadence?  158 has been the norm.  I was curious how I would do, since it had been just a couple of weeks since doing 12's.  My gnome was set at 160 from Friday, so I decided to make that the change with an option to do 6 miles.

5 miles, 1:08:00, 13:35 pace, 160 avg cadence, 0.74 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:24, 2nd half pace 13:46.
1.  13:10, 160 spm, 76 sl
2.  13:29, 160 spm, 75 sl
3.  13:49, 159 spm, 73 sl
4.  13:41, 159 spm, 74 sl
5.  13:50, 160 spm, 73 sl

Welllllll, that was a humbling experience.  13:10 looked great, but then I started noticing I was slowing down.  While I could probably have ran 6, I needed to carry what was left of my ego back home.  Part of the weak times was doing the run at 160 instead of 158, even though 3 weeks ago I was running at 163.  How short a memory my body has or "What have you done for me, recently?"

However, being able to run 5 at 160 does seem to indicate that if I am careful, I could probably run this week at that 160 because the legs can do it.  Incremental progress because higher cadence gives a potential for faster speed.

Maybe I could bump and keep the cadence at 160, run 5 until the times and comfort level out, then bump to 6 miles, repeat, then 162, run 6 until the times and comfort level out, then bump to 7.  Rinse.  Repeat.  Just a thought.  It would be gradual so as to not put the body in shock.

I 'what if...' things to death.  Thanks for stopping by.

From the 'What if...' department....
Topic:  running in Houston's summers
My fact:  I must run to maintain endurance.

I'll try to be succinct.

I'm thinking of not allowing the 75-78 degree, dark, morning runs affect my pace.  Therefore, exertion to maintain should be higher.  But will my body adapt to the point that I can advance the running?

Pros:  When it gets cooler, I should really be able to run faster, because it'll take less effort by the body to keep me cool.  Similar to removing a weighted vest.

Cons:  Crash and burn.

Comments:  When I was doing HR running, I really had to slow down for the heart rate to be the same.  It's always...always....been a postulate of summer running here that I would run 90 seconds/mile slower in the slower when it's 79 degrees, no wind, but plenty of humidity.

So, I'm thinking of, again, trying something different.

Thoughts, please?  Thanks.

ounce wrote:From the 'What if...' department....
Topic:  running in Houston's summers
My fact:  I must run to maintain endurance.

I'll try to be succinct.

I'm thinking of not allowing the 75-78 degree, dark, morning runs affect my pace.  Therefore, exertion to maintain should be higher.  But will my body adapt to the point that I can advance the running?

Pros:  When it gets cooler, I should really be able to run faster, because it'll take less effort by the body to keep me cool.  Similar to removing a weighted vest.

Cons:  Crash and burn.

Comments:  When I was doing HR running, I really had to slow down for the heart rate to be the same.  It's always...always....been a postulate of summer running here that I would run 90 seconds/mile slower in the slower when it's 79 degrees, no wind, but plenty of humidity.

So, I'm thinking of, again, trying something different.

Thoughts, please?  Thanks.

I'll be even more succinct.

Try something different. 

Run faster.

Run shorter if you need to to prevent the aforementioned crash and burn. Extend runs as you progress.

Think of this season as a mesocycle building speed and stamina. Once it cools a bit, throw in some longer runs.

See what happens! It won't be bad, and it might be amazing.

Different can be good!

HR training is indeed interesting.  Case in point: on Saturday, I had to run 40 min with my HR not to exceed 130 - which amounted to a 9:30-9:40 pace in 85F heat and humidity.   I then did the same basic run on Tuesday, and in the 55F temps, that same not to exceed 130 had me at an 8:20 pace.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:From the 'What if...' department....
Topic:  running in Houston's summers
My fact:  I must run to maintain endurance.

I'll try to be succinct.

I'm thinking of not allowing the 75-78 degree, dark, morning runs affect my pace.  Therefore, exertion to maintain should be higher.  But will my body adapt to the point that I can advance the running?

Pros:  When it gets cooler, I should really be able to run faster, because it'll take less effort by the body to keep me cool.  Similar to removing a weighted vest.

Cons:  Crash and burn.

Comments:  When I was doing HR running, I really had to slow down for the heart rate to be the same.  It's always...always....been a postulate of summer running here that I would run 90 seconds/mile slower in the slower when it's 79 degrees, no wind, but plenty of humidity.

So, I'm thinking of, again, trying something different.

Thoughts, please?  Thanks.

I'll be even more succinct.

Try something different. 

Run faster.

Run shorter if you need to to prevent the aforementioned crash and burn. Extend runs as you progress.

Think of this season as a mesocycle building speed and stamina. Once it cools a bit, throw in some longer runs.

See what happens! It won't be bad, and it might be amazing.

Do you think some endurance for long runs will be there 16 weeks out for me to ramp up run 15 mile long run by Halloween (8 weeks from Sept 1), a 30K race in December (another 6 weeks), and a 20 miler by NYE (another 2 weeks)?

When you said 'mesocycle,' I thought you misspelled 'mesocyclone' and had to look it up.  Gosh, it IS a word!

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Different can be good!

HR training is indeed interesting.  Case in point: on Saturday, I had to run 40 min with my HR not to exceed 130 - which amounted to a 9:30-9:40 pace in 85F heat and humidity.   I then did the same basic run on Tuesday, and in the 55F temps, that same not to exceed 130 had me at an 8:20 pace.

The slow advance of HR was why I ditched it.  No doubt that it works, but I wasn't going to spend the time waiting for it to be beneficial to my goals.  It is nice to see that my theory of pace related to HR and heat 'n humidity was quantifiable by you, Miche1e.

Thanks, y'all.

Tuesday night, I injured my right knee and left ankle on an unseen grade change.  Wednesday morning, the ankle was mostly fine, but the knee hurt for the 1.5 miles that I ran.  Not stabbing, but steady.

I was able to figure out the cause.  As a background, I can't get into a child's pose.  When I fell to the ground onto my right side, my lower leg tucked under my right thigh.  In effect, I was on my right side with my right leg suddenly in a child's pose.  I walked with a limp, that night.

Wednesday afternoon was a medium pain to walk, but no limp.  This morning, less pain, but couldn't trot without pain.  So, I'm going to give it the week off and give it a whirl on Monday.  I think it'll be fine, then.

Dodged a bullet!

Thanks for stopping by and offerings are accepted.

I don't know if I'd suggest not doing any longer runs until the summer is over. Maybe one every week or two? 

Not the way I'd expect someone to find their inner child (pose), but whatever works, I guess.

Glad the damage wasn't more significant.

Mark B wrote:I don't know if I'd suggest not doing any longer runs until the summer is over. Maybe one every week or two? 

Not the way I'd expect someone to find their inner child (pose), but whatever works, I guess.

Glad the damage wasn't more significant.

I think if I wanted to be at 15 by Halloween, that I'd need to be at 9-10 on Labor Day.  I have been at 15 on Labor Day, but not this year.

Moochus graceeus.

-30-

The right knee is doing better.  I can now walk with no pain and trot with barely noticeable pain.  Tickled it wasn't anything structural.


Back to running on Monday!