Term Limits?

Nancy, do you lift weights or your Beachbody or anything else in addition to your run, bike, and swimming throughout the training cycle or scale it back some as you get closer to the goal race?

I'm trying to determine if I need to scale back the closer I get to January or just see if it affects the energy on long runs, then scale it back.

Thanks.

ounce wrote:Nancy, do you lift weights or your Beachbody or anything else in addition to your run, bike, and swimming throughout the training cycle or scale it back some as you get closer to the goal race?

I'm trying to determine if I need to scale back the closer I get to January or just see if it affects the energy on long runs, then scale it back.

Thanks.

Doug...I answered this question and some others you asked earlier in a post on my blog.

I'm off to rake and bale hay...will check in when I have time.

Carry on...

Carrying on, ma'am.

This morning, instead of running 8 miles in the 70s, I went to the gym to lift weights.  Tuesday morning, it's supposed to be in the 60s, which will be more conducive to a better running attitude.  Heck, it might even be worth 1 mile of running.

The front has passed, but the drier and cooler air is 100 miles away.  I'll take a dew point in the low 60s in the morning.

Mindless musing---Saturday, I was driving around Memorial Park to see how the changes are going and if it's affecting me over the next 15 weeks.  I was rattling through my mind the different turnaround points for 8, 9, 10...hmmm.  What's the 10 mile turnaround?  hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  Got it!  Whew.  I'm good through mile 16.  Anything further and I can run a 3 mile loop at the park or variations.

Might have to wear a short-sleeved shirt, instead of a tank top, in the morning.  Back to 90 on Thursday!  50s on Sunday morning.  It's our little roller coaster.

The cool front delivered.  It was 66 degrees with a dew point of 60, the coolest morning since the first week in April.  I went outside with my short-sleeved shirt on, but turned around and swapped out for a tank top.  The cool air didn't have a bite to it.

161 cadence for the run.  Running up to Memorial Park and back.  My goal was the 8, of course, but I was hoping for a sign or indication that the morning temperature might help the overall run.  In the back of my mind was how yesterday's weights would or would not affect the run.

8 miles, 1:50:05, 13:45 pace, 160 avg cadence, 0.73 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:59, 2nd half pace 13:31
1.  14:08, 161 spm, 71 sl
2.  13:55, 161 spm, 72 sl
3.  13:53, 160 spm, 72 sl
4.  14:01, 159 spm, 72 sl HR 162 bpm
5.  13:55, 159 spm, 73 sl
6.  13:50, 161 spm, 72 sl
7.  13:33, 159 spm, 75 sl
8.  12:51, 160 spm, 78 sl
end of run HR - 150 bpm

This is a tale of two runs.  The first 4 miles were as if I had a 10-15 pound weight on my back.  Left, outside shin splint hurt.  I was trudging along and not looking forward to the coming back part of the run.  Usually, just stopping for 5-10 seconds resets the shin splint and today was no different.  Maybe lifting doesn't do a body good for a long run?  The legs didn't feel bad and were not a real issue, especially after the reset.

Last week's difficulty of going under the railroad tracks twice was not as much an imposition, today.

Coming back didn't seem like it was going to be faster, though the 10-15 pound weight was gone.  I was just happy that my cadence wasn't slowing.  Time wasn't being watched until I saw the mile 7 split.  Then it was, "Hmmm.  Can I maintain or go faster?"  I went about a quarter mile and the split was 12:52.  Wowzers!  So, I concentrated on the pace and it just seemed to almost be easy.

During mile 6, I thought I was becoming tired, but I adjusted my leaning a bit and watched my foot placement.  This seemed to work.  I'm working on creating less drag with my shoes and stride...mostly the heel.

Boy, cooler weather is sure nice.

Nice run Doug!  

Much obliged, ma'am.

The last 3 miles seemed to just click off.  However this morning, my calves seemed to be overly grumpy.  I went out to do a 3 mile recovery run, instead of going to the parking garage.  I knew it would not be good to try the garage on the day after the 8 mile run.

I achieved 2 miles.  This wasn't a make or break run, but the calves just ached.  The upper quads were aching, as well, but that resolved itself after 1 mile.  I wasn't losing anything by stopping.

If nothing else, today's short run gets me back on track with running MWF and weights TTh.  Friday might be the parking garage.  And maybe next time, I won't do a recovery run.

Thanks.

77 degrees, but I was going to the gym, so temp was a non-issue.  We're supposed to have a legit cold front plowing through by noon and will drop the temps 20 degrees.  This is the same front that, when it blew through Denver, it dropped the temps 65 degrees, day over day.

My calves are still a little tight, especially after sitting for a while.  So, I don't expect this to become a real issue at all.  The discomfort was post-run on Tuesday's 8 miler.

Being at the gym, a long time goal of doing chin ups was brought to the surface.  I've never been able to do one.  Even in elementary school.  It's a shed weight and lift heavier things duality thing.  It's the light at the end of a tunnel.

Tomorrow is the parking garage, ahead of the cold front.  No 90 degree temps, next week. 

It was 76 degrees on Friday morning.  I moseyed over to the parking garage.  For some reason, it was not an easy 3 miles, but the scurrying up to the top level of the parking garage was no different than an easy three.  My HR rose to 162.  I had no pain anywhere.  Anywhere.

Oh, well.  The cold front arrived earlier than forecasted, but not early enough to help my run.  It was 52 degrees, this morning, with a 12 mph north wind.  58 degrees is Sunday's forecast low, so I think I will move my 9 mile long run to Sunday morning  BECAUSE the forecast low for Monday morning is 70.  Luckily, I can run on Sunday.

Get that house sold, Mark!

ounce wrote:Much obliged, ma'am.

The last 3 miles seemed to just click off.  However this morning, my calves seemed to be overly grumpy.  I went out to do a 3 mile recovery run, instead of going to the parking garage.  I knew it would not be good to try the garage on the day after the 8 mile run.

I achieved 2 miles.  This wasn't a make or break run, but the calves just ached.  The upper quads were aching, as well, but that resolved itself after 1 mile.  I wasn't losing anything by stopping.

If nothing else, today's short run gets me back on track with running MWF and weights TTh.  Friday might be the parking garage.  And maybe next time, I won't do a recovery run.

Thanks.

Don't skip the recovery runs Doug.  Your body is trying to tell you how much you need them.  Even if they are slow and/or short they are doing their job.  Even walking a mile the day after your long run will have a positive effect.  Active recovery is pretty important.

ounce wrote:It was 76 degrees on Friday morning.  I moseyed over to the parking garage.  For some reason, it was not an easy 3 miles, but the scurrying up to the top level of the parking garage was no different than an easy three.  My HR rose to 162.  I had no pain anywhere.  Anywhere.

Oh, well.  The cold front arrived earlier than forecasted, but not early enough to help my run.  It was 52 degrees, this morning, with a 12 mph north wind.  58 degrees is Sunday's forecast low, so I think I will move my 9 mile long run to Sunday morning  BECAUSE the forecast low for Monday morning is 70.  Luckily, I can run on Sunday.

Get that house sold, Mark!

Good luck on the long run.  Glad that you're able to reschedule and enjoy the cool weather.

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:Much obliged, ma'am.

The last 3 miles seemed to just click off.  However this morning, my calves seemed to be overly grumpy.  I went out to do a 3 mile recovery run, instead of going to the parking garage.  I knew it would not be good to try the garage on the day after the 8 mile run.

I achieved 2 miles.  This wasn't a make or break run, but the calves just ached.  The upper quads were aching, as well, but that resolved itself after 1 mile.  I wasn't losing anything by stopping.

If nothing else, today's short run gets me back on track with running MWF and weights TTh.  Friday might be the parking garage.  And maybe next time, I won't do a recovery run.

Thanks.

Don't skip the recovery runs Doug.  Your body is trying to tell you how much you need them.  Even if they are slow and/or short they are doing their job.  Even walking a mile the day after your long run will have a positive effect.  Active recovery is pretty important.

ounce wrote:It was 76 degrees on Friday morning.  I moseyed over to the parking garage.  For some reason, it was not an easy 3 miles, but the scurrying up to the top level of the parking garage was no different than an easy three.  My HR rose to 162.  I had no pain anywhere.  Anywhere.

Oh, well.  The cold front arrived earlier than forecasted, but not early enough to help my run.  It was 52 degrees, this morning, with a 12 mph north wind.  58 degrees is Sunday's forecast low, so I think I will move my 9 mile long run to Sunday morning  BECAUSE the forecast low for Monday morning is 70.  Luckily, I can run on Sunday.

Get that house sold, Mark!

Good luck on the long run.  Glad that you're able to reschedule and enjoy the cool weather.

Well, it might come as a shock to you, but I can't remember when I ever did recovery runs.  I have found that after a long run, or a race, that just standing activates enough muscles to not be stiff when walking.  Not that I can't do a recovery run, just that I've never done them.

Thanks very much for enlightening me.

-30-

The forecasted low of 58 degrees did, in fact, happen.  A light to no breeze came with the temperatures.  Cadence was unchanged at 161.  9 miles was the target and I would be less than honest if I said I wasn't concerned about executing it, in light of the last 2 runs.

10 miles, 2:18:11, 13:49 pace, 160 avg cadence, 0.73 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:56, 2nd half pace 13:42.
1.  14:02, 160 spm, 72 sl
2.  14:04, 161 spm, 71 sl
3.  14:03, 160 spm, 72 sl
4.  13:47, 160 spm, 73 sl
5.  13:36, 161 spm, 74 sl
6.  13:48, 161 spm, 73 sl
7.  13:52, 158 spm, 74 sl (144 HR during mile)
8.  13:29, 159 spm, 75 sl
9.  13:57, 159 spm, 73 sl (138 HR during mile)
10. 13:32, 161 spm, 74 sl

So, when I started out 9 was the goal.  And things were doing pretty well for the first half.  The second half started with my hip flexors whining.  That's something new.  As I type this, I have the TENS hooked up to the right flexor.

The way the 9 miles would have happened, I would stop a ways from the starting point.  At mile 7, I pondered running 10 because I would only have to run another 0.42~ miles to get 10.  Do 9 and walk 0.6 home or run 10?  I decided at mile 8 to do 10.

During mile 8, the question was do I run 11 miles next week after running 10 this week?????

During mile 9, I decided to run 10 next week as sort of a 'stay put' week because I was wondering how increasing a mile a week would affect things.  Keep in mind the 30K race pace of 13:15 is required to not get pushed off the course.  Please note that I didn't run that split one time, today.

I have 9 weeks until the 30K on December 15.  Today's weather was really nice.  I didn't worry about the heat, at all.  Thanks for stopping in.

Mile 10 was difficult and I was trying to run faster.  In fact, I was wanting the 13:49 average, but was at 13:50 with a half mile to go.  It all worked out.  I was pleased my cadence held in there for most of the run, including the 10th.

Impressive run Doug.  Way to stick to your pace and cadence...and finish well.  Good to see that you're pushing past your goal mileage but keeping it reasonable.  The fact that your goals are feeling doable and you're willing/able to push a bit farther is a great sign.  And you're doing it at a very reasonable HR as well.  Impressive.

Keep up the good work.

nkrichards wrote:Impressive run Doug.  Way to stick to your pace and cadence...and finish well.  Good to see that you're pushing past your goal mileage but keeping it reasonable.  The fact that your goals are feeling doable and you're willing/able to push a bit farther is a great sign.  And you're doing it at a very reasonable HR as well.  Impressive.

Keep up the good work.

Thank you, ma'am.  I think the weight training has buttressed my ability to hold pace and cadence because my upper body, front and back, is more able (I don't know how much) to support itself better without wasting lower body energy to do same.  It's the only change in my marathon training that I can think of that is the reason.

I was concerned, when I devised this plan to increase a mile a week on long runs, that I would not be able to maintain the weekly increase.  And going double digit this past Sunday was not an easy decision.  But it worked.

After thinking a bit more, the stent is another change.  Who knows how occluded that left circumflex was in past years?  So I'll keep marching on, but longing to go faster. 

This coming Monday, my schedule has changed and I won't be able to run the 10.  So, I'm going to run it this Friday.  The weather might actually be in the 50's, that morning.

My stress test is next Wednesday, the 23rd.

Good luck with your Nats, tonight.  As I write this, they're up 7-4 in the bottom of the 5th.
My Astros won, this afternoon.  The 4th game tomorrow will probably get rained out, which will be good for both team's pitching staffs.  The Astros are up 2 games to 1.

Game 1 of the World Series is next Tuesday.  The American League champion will be the home team, by virtue of a better win-loss record than both the Nats and the Cardinals.

Nice run, Doug.  So glad to see how you have recovered so very quickly.  Keep being smart - we are watching you.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Keep being smart - we are watching you.

That's pretty ominous sounding.  Thanks, Miche1e.  Hey, if you need a rabbit for your Boston training, don't look at me.

I'll just keep plugging along.  (I'm thinking of doing 11 on Friday.  Yeah, could be non-smart, but I know an out 'n back route of 5 miles, then an extra half before turning around.)

-30-

I didn't run, today, because I was awakened by a big clap of thunder and pouring down rain.  This is another reason for maybe doing 11 on Friday.  I'll go to lift upper body weights in the morning.  I'll reduce the weight a little, since I'll be running long on Friday.

Go Astros and go Nancy's Nats!

This morning, I lifted a reduced schedule so the body won't have to recover as much for Friday's long run.  We'll see if this 'reduced' lift was reduced enough.

It's 56 degrees outside, right now, and probably won't be more than 61 in the morning, which is good, considering it was 70 on Wednesday morning ahead of the cool front.

Y'all behave, especially YOU, Miche1e!!!

You may have read in the past couple of pages about my Forerunner 220 losing battery power quicker than before.  Well, Kevin at Garmin told me the 220 has a lithium battery life of 3-5 years and when my battery is showing 100% today, it's probably 60% of day 1 power.  The remaining battery life from Saturday's 2 hour, 15 or so minute run was 50%, which ain't gonna cut it for a 6 hour marathon.

The 220 is too old to do the re-manufactured unit exchange.  But, they will give me a 20% discount on a new watch, when I buy it from them and send them the old watch.  A 245 is the upgrade to the 220.

So, it's due diligence time.

Having not hit double digit mileage in 1 run until this past Sunday was quite a hump to run over for me.  Quite figuratively, it opened the drapes to that running world I haven't seen in almost 2 years.  And that's why I tinkered with the idea of running 11, today.  It was 'why not?' rather than 'hmmmm.  Are you sure?'

I still have a 'doubting Thomas' in my head, but it's much smaller.

So, it was 56 degrees, this morning, with a slight breeze.  As usual, the cadence is 161.  That'll be the cadence until the marathon.  I wore a short sleeved shirt, as radar was showing some rain moving toward me, and a clear lens in my Tifosi sunglasses for eye protection.

11 miles, 2:28:51, 13:32 pace, 159 avg cadence, 0.75 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 13:45, 2nd half pace 13:19
1.  14:01, 160 spm, 72 sl
2.  13:50, 160 spm, 73 sl
3.  13:47, 160 spm, 73 sl
4.  13:51, 160 spm, 73 sl (HR 150)
5.  13:23, 160 spm, 75 sl
6.  13:42, 158 spm, 74 sl
7.  13:46, 160 spm, 73 sl
8.  13:06, 161 spm, 76 sl (HR 156)
9.  12:59, 157 spm, 79 sl
10. 13:04, 160 spm, 77 sl
11. 13:20, 156 spm, 77 sl (HR 156)

What a nice run.  Everything clicked until mile 9.5, when I started wobbling some, hip flexor whining, and just wearing out.  After seeing the mile 9 split of 12:59, I did what I could to keep from slowing down much.  Mile 11 showed some bleeding in time and cadence, which I felt all of it.

I had to go back to January 14, 2018, the Aramco Half Marathon in Houston, to find a longer than 10 mile run that was faster than today's pace of 13:32.  13:06 was the race pace in 2018.

21 months.

I knew from seeing the pavement that I was running faster.  The last 2 miles were exercises in keeping it consistent, though tired.  It was a good morning.

Come on by for some donuts and beer, but bring a govt issued ID.   Have a good weekend.

Today is a good day.

Awesome run Doug!  Impressive progress.

Have you ordered a new watch yet?  My 305 battery died and I upgraded to 920XT as I wanted to be able to use it for triathlon.  Has more bells and whistles than I need but I like it.  I didn't go top of the line as I don't need all those bells and whistles.

Looks like your Astros are making good progress towards a meeting with my Nats in the World Series.  See you there. 

Plans for a recovery run or a rest day tomorrow?

Yes!!!  Nice run, Doug.  Maybe systems were comprised even back then - and now, all systems go.

Excellent run, Doug! I think Michele is right .. you're like a car with a rebuilt engine. Who knows what you can accomplish now? 

Let's find out. 

nkrichards wrote:Awesome run Doug!  Impressive progress.

Have you ordered a new watch yet?  My 305 battery died and I upgraded to 920XT as I wanted to be able to use it for triathlon.  Has more bells and whistles than I need but I like it.  I didn't go top of the line as I don't need all those bells and whistles.

Looks like your Astros are making good progress towards a meeting with my Nats in the World Series.  See you there. 

Plans for a recovery run or a rest day tomorrow?

Thanks, Nancy.  It does tend to indicate that the body is accepting reasonably what I'm throwing at it.

I have not ordered a watch, yet.  Still doing due diligence.  I found out from research and Kevin at Garmin that I'd have to purchase a tri-designed watch to get a HR chest strap.  Below that is a Forerunner 245, which is the new and improved 220.  $300.  It has a light beam HR shining against the capillaries to get the pulse.  Kevin said it's not as accurate as they would like, which a purchaser on amazon confirms to like a 20-30 bpm difference.

However, I think I'll have to hurry on choice because my watch only had 22% remaining after the 11 miles.

The Astros should clinch the AL, tomorrow night in Houston. 

No, I won't do a recovery run, this weekend, because I've got other commitments.  However, I walked enough today to loosen up aching muscles, except maybe the quads.  I'll find out how stiff they are in the morning.  Just standing seems to be pretty effective, too.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Yes!!!  Nice run, Doug.  Maybe systems were comprised even back then - and now, all systems go.

Well, that certainly crossed my mind, 1L.  The summer of '18 was horrible, until I dropped the cadence.

It's been real encouraging to see the improvement, with no PED's.    And lucking out on choosing the cool days have been such a benefit.

Thanks, Miche1e.

Mark B wrote:Excellent run, Doug! I think Michele is right .. you're like a car with a rebuilt engine. Who knows what you can accomplish now? 

Let's find out. 

Thanks, Barefoot Wonder.  I do want to improve on time in the next 2 months (for the 12/15 30K race).  With the summer much reduced and close to being gone, that makes it easier to get faster.

Thinking of doing Intervals on Monday, since my LR was done this morning.

Y'all be safe and thanks again!

FYI as you shop for watches Doug.  I wear a vivosport 24/7.  It's my everyday watch and Garmin's version of a fitbit with GPS.  It doesn't do what I want for a running watch but I often turn it on and compare the data with my 920.  Kevin at Garmin is correct...the wrist based HR is not as accurate as a chest strap.  I personally wouldn't even bother with looking at HR data from the wrist based monitor at this point in time.  It's possible that the technology has improves since my vivosport was manufactured but if I was shopping I'd look for a chest strap.

Go Astros...

Fun game to watch last night.  Looks like we've got a date on Tuesday.  Will be interesting to see if the Nats can step up and compete at this level or if they find themselves a bit outclassed.  As I mentioned earlier I don't follow baseball much but Kevin is interested so it's been fun.  I think we were all a bit surprised to see them get as far as they did. Not giving up yet but...

nkrichards wrote:Fun game to watch last night.  Looks like we've got a date on Tuesday.  Will be interesting to see if the Nats can step up and compete at this level or if they find themselves a bit outclassed.  As I mentioned earlier I don't follow baseball much but Kevin is interested so it's been fun.  I think we were all a bit surprised to see them get as far as they did. Not giving up yet but...

Well, your Nats made it to the World Series, so I would never say they are outclassed.  They were 18-31 back at the beginning of the Summer, so the remainder of the year they were 75-38 or almost 2 wins for every loss.  THAT'S impressive.  They were a Wild Card team, so they have played an extra game in the playoffs to get to the WS.  Another plus in their favor.  However, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said regarding time off between series that he would rather play without time off in order to keep the players sharp.

Your Nats haven't played since last Wednesday.  A 6 day layoff.  That could be an issue for the first game.

On the interesting side, the Nationals and the Astros have Spring Training at the same facility in West Palm Beach.  What will be odd is that one of the teams will have their WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS sign there where everybody can see...even the loser.

A local TV sports guy said the Nats had excellent starting pitching, but a weak bullpen.  The Astros also have excellent starting pitching, a good bullpen, but the hitting has been weak and just enough to win 2 series.  If the hitting ever cranks up, look out.

Note:  if the Nats win game 1 or 2 in Houston, the town will be concerned.  The team won't, though.  They're confident, not cocky or arrogant, just confident.

You can get a ticket in a good area on the secondary market for $15,000.

It'll be a fun series and all done in the Central or Eastern time zone.  Houston has the home field advantage, so it'll be games 1 and 2 in Houston, games 3, 4, and 5 in DC, and games 6 and 7 in Houston.

It rained on Monday morning, so I scrapped the run.  However, I did go lift weights this morning.  It was 54 degrees.  I will run tomorrow morning, if nothing else, to loosen up the legs for the stress test tomorrow afternoon.

Tonight, temps will be in the 60's during Game 1.  The roof will be closed at Minute Maid Park aka "The Juice Box."  It'll be loud inside with the roof closed.  Management wouldn't have it any other way, unless MLB says otherwise.

Max Scherzer for the Nats and Gerritt Cole for the Stros.  Scherzer throws hard and Cole hasn't lost since May.  Both Cole and Astros pitcher Justin Verlander are the top 2 candidates for the Cy Young award.

Interesting note:  When the Astros are behind at the 8th inning, they've lost 47 out of 48 games.

Right now, it's 78 degrees with a dew point of 39 degrees.  25% humidity.  Same weather for tomorrow.

First pitch is 5:08 pm PT.