Building A Better Bumblebee

Mark B wrote:

I even stepped out onto it, but alas... it was private property, and didn't actually go anywhere.  

Good call, Mark.  We get so annoyed with runners and bikers who think our farm roads are theirs to enjoy.  Not that we are opposed to sharing but when we've just spayed the fields and their dogs are out cavorting in the spray while they knock the seeds to the ground it gets a bit annoying.  Glad you can find enough public trails in your area to enjoy.

Your treadmill run looks interesting...and hard.

Looking forward to some nice...warm...weather this week.  Hope you can find time to enjoy it.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

I even stepped out onto it, but alas... it was private property, and didn't actually go anywhere.  

Good call, Mark.  We get so annoyed with runners and bikers who think our farm roads are theirs to enjoy.  Not that we are opposed to sharing but when we've just spayed the fields and their dogs are out cavorting in the spray while they knock the seeds to the ground it gets a bit annoying.  Glad you can find enough public trails in your area to enjoy.

Your treadmill run looks interesting...and hard.

Looking forward to some nice...warm...weather this week.  Hope you can find time to enjoy it.

I'd never head out on farm roads like that without explicit permission. I'm surprised that folks can be so inconsiderate of your crops, except that I'm not. Pity.

The treadmill run was challenging but it didn't cause any problems after the fact. Now, our hike yesterday, on the other hand... yowza.

Of course, this was what the elevation profile looked like.



And this was the trail surface for at least part of the way:





Of course, even though we were in the clouds, the view was still worth it.

Recovery Run w/MAF mile: 2.3 miles

Weather: Overcast, mild, slight breeze. 52. Gear: Luna monos, shorts, T. Wore jacket during warm-up mile. Fuel: Coffee and cereal before.

My legs are pretty sore after yesterday's climbing adventure, but I thought I ought to get out and run anyway... if only to remind my brain that sometimes you run with sore legs. I went to the track with the notion of maybe doing a MAF test to see how my body is doing.

I did a warmup mile, then shed my windbreaker and tried to hold 130 bpm for a mile. It felt pretty difficult, thanks to my sore legs, but I actually ran my fastest mile EVER at this heart rate. Huh. Guess my red blood cells are back.

Here's the progression since I switched to the ~130 bpm heart rate target:



But given how my legs felt, and how hangry I've been, two miles total felt sufficient. I stopped, then decided to walk another lap to see if the legs wanted to go again. They didn't, so we agreed to stop so I could attempt to find some food.

Walked first and last 5 (or so). Average HR for entire run: 115

Finally broke down (after getting punched by a rock through a midsole yet again) and decided to try out Altra's more rugged Lone Peak 2. It has a more robust rock plate, more cushioning and what seems like solid traction. I checked it out at the store and found a steep driveway nearby and found that my foot didn't slide forward like it did in the Superior 2. There's more play in the heel than I'd like, but I don't think it'll be a problem.

Here are some beauty shots:







Still zero drop, but less "minimal" - which, given the rocky nature of some of the places I run, is worth trying.

Walk: 2.3 miles

Weather: Overcast, 62 degrees.

Lunchtime walk at work. I'm feeling our hike/climb but found myself walking at a faster pace than usual.

So will your heel fit to the shoe, with wearing them, like a pair of boots?

ounce wrote:So will your heel fit to the shoe, with wearing them, like a pair of boots?

Not quite like that, Tex. But I do reckon my dogies will settle into the midsole a bit, giving me a better fit. These sorts of shoes aren't supposed to be laced super-tight, anyway, so a little breathing room is probably fine. We'll see!

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:So will your heel fit to the shoe, with wearing them, like a pair of boots?

Not quite like that, Tex. But I do reckon my dogies will settle into the midsole a bit, giving me a better fit. These sorts of shoes aren't supposed to be laced super-tight, anyway, so a little breathing room is probably fine. We'll see!

Keep working on that written accent, Senor Colombian.  Next, use 'fixin' in a sentence.  Instead of saying, "I am about to go to the grocery store" say, "I'm fixin' to head to the store."  A savings of two words, gall dangit!

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:So will your heel fit to the shoe, with wearing them, like a pair of boots?

Not quite like that, Tex. But I do reckon my dogies will settle into the midsole a bit, giving me a better fit. These sorts of shoes aren't supposed to be laced super-tight, anyway, so a little breathing room is probably fine. We'll see!

Keep working on that written accent, Senor Colombian.  Next, use 'fixin' in a sentence.  Instead of saying, "I am about to go to the grocery store" say, "I'm fixin' to head to the store."  A savings of two words, gall dangit!

Durn tootin'!

Barefoot: 3.1 miles on dry asphalt

Weather: Overcast, mild. 56 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T.

I had a good feeling about this run as I was standing waiting for my HR to settle before starting. It fell to 49. Standing.

My goal in this run was to relax and enjoy it as much as possible. I relaxed by making sure to untense the muscles in the backs of my upper arms, and by avoiding running in a constant straight line. I'd do a little weaving, like you'd do on a trail, to keep motions from locking in a specific pathway.

Whatever it was that I did, it worked. My first mile came in at sub-11 for the first time in quite a while. Maybe even the first at this new, lowered HR target. Woot! I tried to quell my excitement as I continued. I slowed a bit with each mile, not surprisingly, and my HR drifted up a bit. Again, not surprising. But far better than anything I've done in a long time.

That's good on two levels: First, it suggests that I'm truly past the virus and blood donation (woot!). Second, that my training is working (woot! woot!).

Average HR for the whole run: 131

Gratz on breaking again a long ago split barrier.

TELL me that you didn't give whole blood in that blood donation.  Other than for a family member, a dear friend, or a boss that you're trying to suck up, there's no reason to give whole blood or a double red and still run.  Donating plasma or platelets or both is perfectly fine for a runner.  I've done that for the 11 years that I've been running (I started donating in 1981).

Does Maffetone make an adjustment for a low starting HR and a low running HR?  So, if you're standing at 49 bpm and you're running at 131 bpm is your heart doing more work (or being less efficient) than if I started at 80 bpm and ran at 131?  Should your running bpm be between 100-110??  It's mostly a serious question.  "Dr. Mark.  Dr. Mark.  Paging Dr. Mark"

ounce wrote:Gratz on breaking again a long ago split barrier.

TELL me that you didn't give whole blood in that blood donation.  Other than for a family member, a dear friend, or a boss that you're trying to suck up, there's no reason to give whole blood or a double red and still run.  Donating plasma or platelets or both is perfectly fine for a runner.  I've done that for the 11 years that I've been running (I started donating in 1981).

Does Maffetone make an adjustment for a low starting HR and a low running HR?  So, if you're standing at 49 bpm and you're running at 131 bpm is your heart doing more work (or being less efficient) than if I started at 80 bpm and ran at 131?  Should your running bpm be between 100-110??  It's mostly a serious question.  "Dr. Mark.  Dr. Mark.  Paging Dr. Mark"

1) Thanks! I just checked my records, and this was the fastest run in more than a year, and the fastest ever at this heart rate. The last time I ran this fast was in April 2014, when I did a 10:45 first mile... but I did it at 137 bpm. Today? 10:49 @127 bpm. About the same pace, 10 bpm lower.

2) Um... er... ( :looks away sheepishly: ) actually... yes. I did donate whole blood. I knew it would have an impact, but donating platelets wasn't an option for the local drive. I normally rebound faster, but I think that virus I caught slowed down recovery time.

3) Ow. You're hurting my head, Ounce! Serious answer: No. Maffetone does not mix the heart rate reserve philosophy with his 180-age formula. (And it doesn't really factor in to the VO2max training level I established a month or so ago, which conveniently coincides with the MAF target.) I keep an eye on my pre-run relaxed standing heart rate as a way of assessing how my body is feeling. Sometimes that lower starting heart rate has an impact on my run, allowing me to run faster at a lower heart rate.... but not always. One time I went out with a heart rate in the 70s thinking it was going to be difficult to maintain low HR discipline, only to have one of the best low HR runs I ever had. Go figure.

3a) However, I bet that if Maffetone saw a runner show up with a resting HR of 80, he'd suggest they lower their HR target during the run, because their body is already under serious strain. His target is as much reducing injury-causing strain as it is maximizing mitochondrial growth and capillary density.

Re 3a):  I equate a resting HR as the wake up HR, not a standing HR or the just-before-I-run HR.  Once I get outside to walk to the start point, my HR will fire up to between 70 & 85 in anticipation of another morning in humidity and calm winds.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. 

Oh and, (suck up). 

My "resting" heart rate first thing in the morning is usually higher than it is at other parts of the day, which always struck me as odd. But "odd" is normal for me, so who knows?

Speaking of odd, I decided to do a double today.

---

Walk: 2.3 miles

Weather: Sunny and mild. 66 degrees

It was too nice at lunchtime to not go on a walk. I took it nice and easy, since I already ran today, and enjoyed the sunshine and cool breeze.



Beautiful day in the neighborhood, indeed.

Mark B wrote:My "resting" heart rate first thing in the morning is usually higher than it is at other parts of the day, which always struck me as odd. But "odd" is normal for me, so who knows?

Speaking of odd, I decided to do a double today.

---

Walk: 2.3 miles

Weather: Sunny and mild. 66 degrees

It was too nice at lunchtime to not go on a walk. I took it nice and easy, since I already ran today, and enjoyed the sunshine and cool breeze.



Beautiful day in the neighborhood, indeed.

Yes, odd is normal for you.    You'll cause a doctor to scratch his head about that (which is a good thing...especially a resident).

Purdy weather, too.
So, here's another email in your Inbox!!!

Nice improvement Mark! 

And interesting conversation about resting heart rates.  I've never checked mine upon awakening...

Enjoy the beautiful weather.

Yes, quite odd.  My HR upon waking is lower than my normal daytime rate - not by much but a few points.

ounce wrote:Yes, odd is normal for you.    You'll cause a doctor to scratch his head about that (which is a good thing...especially a resident).

Well, let's just not tell the good doctors anything about this, shall we? I confuse them enough already.

nkrichards wrote:Nice improvement Mark! 

And interesting conversation about resting heart rates.  I've never checked mine upon awakening...

Enjoy the beautiful weather.

Thanks, Nancy! I guess I always wake up with a shot of adrenaline or something, because my HR is always a little higher upon awakening. I find it much lower when I've been vegetating in front of the computer at work. Now I'm wondering how common that is. Hm.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Yes, quite odd.  My HR upon waking is lower than my normal daytime rate - not by much but a few points.

Hm...

Lowish HR Run: 91 minutes

Weather: Kinda warm hot. Sunny, 74 in shade, but not much shade. Gear: Lunas, shorts, T, handheld. Fuel: Just water.

This ended up being a heat acclimation run. It was sunny and warm, getting warmer fast. It was in the low 70s in the shade, and I'd wager the temperature in the direct sun was near or above 80. That's a big jump from the 50s.

Because of the warmth, I decided to let my HR target rise a few bpm. I tried to keep as close to 130 as I could but allowed myself to average 133 on a lot of miles. Any mitochondria development triggered now won't show up until weeks after my race, so what the heck.

It was a pretty day, with an occasional breeze that felt heavenly.

I was tantalizingly close to the top of Llama Ridge when I hit my turnaround time of 43:30, so I extended the run 30 seconds to get there. No llamas, though, alas. I tacked on the return 30 seconds to make the whole run 91 minutes.

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

Mark B wrote:Lowish HR Run: 91 minutes

Weather: Kinda warm hot. Sunny, 74 in shade, but not much shade. Gear: Lunas, shorts, T, handheld. Fuel: Just water.

This ended up being a heat acclimation run. It was sunny and warm, getting warmer fast. It was in the low 70s in the shade, and I'd wager the temperature in the direct sun was near or above 80. That's a big jump from the 50s.

Because of the warmth, I decided to let my HR target rise a few bpm. I tried to keep as close to 130 as I could but allowed myself to average 133 on a lot of miles. Any mitochondria development triggered now won't show up until weeks after my race, so what the heck.

It was a pretty day, with an occasional breeze that felt heavenly.

I was tantalizingly close to the top of Llama Ridge when I hit my turnaround time of 43:30, so I extended the run 30 seconds to get there. No llamas, though, alas. I tacked on the return 30 seconds to make the whole run 91 minutes.

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

Of course there were no llamas.  They're inside in the A/C getting acclimated to the brutal heat!

Those temps were a fluke.  A FLUKE, I tell you!  However, if not, may God have mercy on your soul.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Lowish HR Run: 91 minutes

Weather: Kinda warm hot. Sunny, 74 in shade, but not much shade. Gear: Lunas, shorts, T, handheld. Fuel: Just water.

This ended up being a heat acclimation run. It was sunny and warm, getting warmer fast. It was in the low 70s in the shade, and I'd wager the temperature in the direct sun was near or above 80. That's a big jump from the 50s.

Because of the warmth, I decided to let my HR target rise a few bpm. I tried to keep as close to 130 as I could but allowed myself to average 133 on a lot of miles. Any mitochondria development triggered now won't show up until weeks after my race, so what the heck.

It was a pretty day, with an occasional breeze that felt heavenly.

I was tantalizingly close to the top of Llama Ridge when I hit my turnaround time of 43:30, so I extended the run 30 seconds to get there. No llamas, though, alas. I tacked on the return 30 seconds to make the whole run 91 minutes.

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

Of course there were no llamas.  They're inside in the A/C getting acclimated to the brutal heat!

Those temps were a fluke.  A FLUKE, I tell you!  However, if not, may God have mercy on your soul.

Well, let's hope so, Ounce. (Though the forecast calls for highs of 84, 83, 81 and 79 over the next few days.)

These temps aren't bad (though rougher to run in at first), but if it gets all Northern California climate here, we may have to eventually invest in air conditioning. Fans just don't cut it when it gets into the 90s or above on repeated days.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Lowish HR Run: 91 minutes

Weather: Kinda warm hot. Sunny, 74 in shade, but not much shade. Gear: Lunas, shorts, T, handheld. Fuel: Just water.

This ended up being a heat acclimation run. It was sunny and warm, getting warmer fast. It was in the low 70s in the shade, and I'd wager the temperature in the direct sun was near or above 80. That's a big jump from the 50s.

Because of the warmth, I decided to let my HR target rise a few bpm. I tried to keep as close to 130 as I could but allowed myself to average 133 on a lot of miles. Any mitochondria development triggered now won't show up until weeks after my race, so what the heck.

It was a pretty day, with an occasional breeze that felt heavenly.

I was tantalizingly close to the top of Llama Ridge when I hit my turnaround time of 43:30, so I extended the run 30 seconds to get there. No llamas, though, alas. I tacked on the return 30 seconds to make the whole run 91 minutes.

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

Of course there were no llamas.  They're inside in the A/C getting acclimated to the brutal heat!

Those temps were a fluke.  A FLUKE, I tell you!  However, if not, may God have mercy on your soul.

Well, let's hope so, Ounce. (Though the forecast calls for highs of 84, 83, 81 and 79 over the next few days.)

These temps aren't bad (though rougher to run in at first), but if it gets all Northern California climate here, we may have to eventually invest in air conditioning. Fans just don't cut it when it gets into the 90s or above on repeated days.

You're singing to the choir on that one.  Think 90's with humidity with no electricity and you have what happens when a hurricane blows through.  At least if you have to get an A/C, Fluff will have another thing to play with!

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Lowish HR Run: 91 minutes

Weather: Kinda warm hot. Sunny, 74 in shade, but not much shade. Gear: Lunas, shorts, T, handheld. Fuel: Just water.

This ended up being a heat acclimation run. It was sunny and warm, getting warmer fast. It was in the low 70s in the shade, and I'd wager the temperature in the direct sun was near or above 80. That's a big jump from the 50s.

Because of the warmth, I decided to let my HR target rise a few bpm. I tried to keep as close to 130 as I could but allowed myself to average 133 on a lot of miles. Any mitochondria development triggered now won't show up until weeks after my race, so what the heck.

It was a pretty day, with an occasional breeze that felt heavenly.

I was tantalizingly close to the top of Llama Ridge when I hit my turnaround time of 43:30, so I extended the run 30 seconds to get there. No llamas, though, alas. I tacked on the return 30 seconds to make the whole run 91 minutes.

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

Of course there were no llamas.  They're inside in the A/C getting acclimated to the brutal heat!

Those temps were a fluke.  A FLUKE, I tell you!  However, if not, may God have mercy on your soul.

Well, let's hope so, Ounce. (Though the forecast calls for highs of 84, 83, 81 and 79 over the next few days.)

These temps aren't bad (though rougher to run in at first), but if it gets all Northern California climate here, we may have to eventually invest in air conditioning. Fans just don't cut it when it gets into the 90s or above on repeated days.

You're singing to the choir on that one.  Think 90's with humidity with no electricity and you have what happens when a hurricane blows through.  At least if you have to get an A/C, Fluff will have another thing to play with!

Yep, that sounds less than fun. At least we don't get your humidity (or bugs) out West. But still, it was 74 upstairs when I did a hard treadmill workout this morning, and I got so sweaty it looked like I'd just stepped out of the pool.

TreadHill Run: 4x10 min @ 8%, 4.85 miles total

Weather: Indoors, but warm. 74 degrees. Sweaty!! Gear: Lunas, shorts. Fuel: Just water.

Another set of TreadHills, and I felt strong enough after 3 repeats to add another. I was amused to see my HR cruising along at comfortably hard effort level -- at or above what my fitness test said was my MaxHR -- for FOUR MINUTES! I was getting good practice breathing every two steps at the same time, which isn't something I usually have to do, so my lungs should benefit.

5 minutes walking warm-up, 3 mph @ 0% grade

Four sets of running at 4 mph @ 8% grade for 10 minutes, followed by a running 4 mph rest session @0% for 5 minutes.

5 minutes walking cool-down, 3 mph @ 0% grade. That really didn't get my HR down very far, so I went another 2:30 at 2 mph @ 0% grade

Average HR for entire session: 146 (3 bpm above LT, per the test); Max HR: 174

2.66 miles at an 8 grade works out to 1,123 feet of climbing.

Chart:



Whew! That was a challenging workout, though I confess that it feels pretty darn good to work that hard...

Low HR Run: 5.35 miles

Weather: Hazy overcast, 57 degrees. Gear: Lunas, shorts, T. Fuel: Granola bar and coffee before. Water at track.

I met up with my training partner this morning for our first outing together in a while. He's still dealing with the after-effects of a car wreck a month or two ago, so I suggested the local track for an easy bail-out option. I had no expectations other than some activity and a good conversation.

We started out walking the first mile. When that went fine, we picked up the pace to an easy run and kept it there until we hit five miles. Then we walked another lap and called it good. I didn't obsess about my heart rate during the run. My HR was quite low in the first two miles, just below my target in the third mile, and slightly above my target in the last two.

The thing is, miles 3, 4 and 5 were all run at a much faster pace than I've run even in MAF tests. 11:39, 11:27, 11:38. My legs could tell I was working them a little harder toward the end, but they held up fine.

This was a good, relaxed run with some encouraging results.

Average HR for entire run: 116. Walked first mile (19 minutes), last .35 mile.