Trails and Travails

Neglected fish, huh. I think God will forgive you for that one.

Based on what I've seen of you, if there is a failure, it might be 5% mental and 95% legs - you don't have it in you to push sometimes because you live on the edge. 105 miles is a hell of a week and glad you are feeling a little more pep this week.

Mark - Yep, power hiking is something I've been working on, normally on Thursdays (K2) as well as any time I hit something that's ridiculously steep (>15%). Actually, that part is easy. It's harder to know when to start... Which is always BEFORE you HAVE to. If you HAVE to walk, you're going to be crawling, not power hiking. In other words, if the pace is more than 15-16min/mi, it means I blew up.

And not piranhas, but close: mbuna and haplochromines from Lake Malawi, Africa. Pound for pound, some of the meanest fish you can keep legally in the US (Snakeheads take the crown, hands down, but they're illegal... and for good reason). Mine are actually rather docile compared to some species, particularly the mbuna.

John - I know, not a huge deal to lose some fish, but I was really excited about growing these guys out, since they were spawned and born in my tanks.

And thanks. I like to think it's not really giving up, it's just remembering that training runs are not races.
Re: living on the edge... hmmm... maybe on paper. Motorcycle, running into the wilderness every day, moving to Auburn ( )... but really, I'm an old man. I have an early-ass bedtime and would rather sit in a desolate coffeeshop on a Friday night than go out.

Bit of a funk, today. Not the running - the running was great, actually - but in general. After piling on the fatigue and juggling the running with school (literally zero downtime, save a few minutes here and there to write a verbose blog entry; I'm glad I'm the type who does all of their homework during the first week so the rest of the semester is easy) the past couple weeks, I hit Friday and Friday hits me back with a dose of the blues. But I already bitched about that to Aileen, so I won't replay the pity party here.

Instead, I'll do that whole New-Wave positive thinking bullshit and count my blessings:
1. The Starbucks here is really nice, as I discovered last night. It'll be particularly homey when it starts getting cold and rainy here. Nice dark woods, greenish-greys, and plenty of seating.
2. My run went awesomely today. First time in... I have no idea... that I haven't felt ANY discomfort on a run. And I mean ANY. Every single bone, muscle, and joint in my body was in sync and I literally floated the entire 5(.41 extra credit) miles at an average pace of 8:18. And that was a recovery run.
3. On a related note, it's nice and cool out today. Might have to pump up the bike tires and do a little stroll to the blackberry patch to replenish the stores.

Part of my QQ-fest (QQ = crying/complaining, in obnoxious-gamer speak) this morning had to do with the fact that I'm just getting mentally burnt out from all this training. I'm sure it's been a noticeable trend on this blog, from my fatigue to my complaining about the long runs and doubles... It's just a lot of running, a lot of thinking about running, and a lot of thinking about thinking about running. And this is why I'm crazy:
During my run, I started thinking about other epic running/endurance ideas. Let's see if I can remember them all:
1. WS100 in 2013. This one was already on the list, and still is.
2. Double-Boston 2013. Regardless of if I get in this year, I'll be running a sub-3 and will definitely get in to 2013. But I'm thinking that it'd be fun to step it up a notch. Why not run the course Sunday as a solo marathon and then Monday for the actual race? It'd be great training for WS, after all...
3. Some Dean Karnazes-esque multi-day/week trek. Auburn to Orange County, maybe. I'll probably start smaller, but it'd be something fun to build to.
3a. Running the John Muir trail in less than a week. I thought of this one a while back.
4. An early summer road trip around the western states, with weekly destinations being ultra races.

Yes, I went from bitching about training for a 50-miler to planning to train for multiple 50-milers, a 100-miler, and a long-ass series of runs. I don't get it, either.

Yep, I'm exhausted after reading about you thinking about all that. Go take a nap. A long one.

Mike for Boston you could do what some do every year. Run the course backwards to get to the starting line then do the race. Nice 52M run.

Alex Kubacki wrote:Mike for Boston you could do what some do every year. Run the course backwards to get to the starting line then do the race. Nice 52M run.

I considered that, too. That would be an early start, eh?

Two more thumbs-ups to help pull me from my little slump yesterday:

1. Went to the Sacramento Valley Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (SaVRID) general business meeting last night as part of a course requirement/it's just a good idea to go and network (hate that word)... The president had come to a class of mine on Wednesday and I ended up signing up to volunteer. Got there about 30 minutes early and just helped set up chairs and tables, schmoozed with the various officers and committee leaders, and ended up having my name on the big screen during the acknowledgments section of the meeting. Then they provided the volunteers with a formal note on SaVRID letterhead thanking us for our 3hrs of work. Uh, I worked 10 minutes, but I'll take it!

It's pretty neat to actually think of myself as someone who will soon be a part of a professional organization like that... It's just something completely foreign to me. My work experience is really limited to a pet store when I was in high school, freelance editing in NYC, and working as a superintendent for a non-union construction company. Nothing so organized/formal/communal/professional as this. It's kind of fun... albeit daunting. Fortunately, I found out last night that the beard can stay! Just not in its current, been-living-in-the-mountains-for-a-year state.

I did manage to "network" - ugh, can we just say socialize? - a bit with people after I was prodded by the two girls from my class who sat with me. I'm not the type to do it on my own, so I'm glad to have them (the more outgoing ones in the program, really) around at these things.

...This is all pretty irrelevant and probably boring, but I think this blog long ago became a personal and/or boring venture, so apologies...

2. Group run this morning! I changed up my plans (go figure) earlier in the week and decided to do my 4hr run tomorrow with a 20-miler today. My plan was to do 10 out and back, starting with the group until the bottom of Cardiac Hill and likely dropping them at that point for 16 solo miles. Well, the group quickly split into two, with me and two others in front. I hadn't met the others, so we chatted a bit and got to know one another. Our trio became a duo (me and another Mike, an early-40s, super-lean ex-regional cyclist who recently discovered trail running) with a lone woman maintaining contact (Linda, mid-40s, who wore Vibrams the whole run). We stopped every couple of miles to regroup and ended up walking a fair bit, which brought the average pace down to 10:32.

But you know what? I don't give a shit. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. I've been getting out and running solo, really pushing it to try and hit/break 9:00 average pace every Saturday and Sunday since I moved up here, so it was time for a break. During the 3.5hrs with Mike and Linda, we had a literally non-stop conversation, discussed running, food, local farmers markets, cycling... Two hours went by in a flash. Besides, I think I'll be averaging around 9:30 pace for the first 20-25 of my 50-miler, so it was good to know what running slow with lots of short walking felt like. It's really true, the impact on your body is significantly reduced; I feel extremely fresh right now.

At one point, I did put a pretty significant gap into them when they stopped for another food break, but I just used that to tack on an extra half mile when I went back to find them.

Just over 20 on the day, and like I said, I feel entirely no worse for the wear. The solo-marathon-torture-fest will continue as planned tomorrow: 4hrs, 3 laps on Olmstead Loop, 26.2ish miles. Hoping to come in right around a 9min pace, since there's not too much elevation change on the loop (1 significant, 250' hill, a long stretch that gains about the same, and then just trail undulation). That'll be 105 for the week.

For what it is worth, I think it is great to run for running's sake, especially when it sounds like mileage is the goal for you right now. Actually, I'm jealous - I wish I had someone to run distances with. That doesn't sound like a bad pace either - you accomplished running time on your feet and now get to torture yourself tomorrow for even more fun!

Networking really isn't a bad thing - just getting to know some people and letting them get to know you - you have a lot to offer and the people in your field should know that!

Glad you feel better today - it is a good reminder to me to stop and enjoy the gifts that we have, be them running or whatever!

Another 100+ week, eh? If you don't flame out, you're going to be in fabulous shape as you get ready to take on an extremely ambitious to-do list over the next couple of years. Do it now while you have the time!

But one suggestion: You're probably due for a step-back week.

BTW, "networking" may not come naturally for borderline sociopathic ultra runners, but it can be helpful for your career. As wonderful, wise and witty as we may be, we probably aren't going to be able to provide you with the type of support and insight (and connections) you need when you get out of school. So get out there, slap a name tag on your chest, and learn the art of the schmooze. Once you get done hating yourself for it, you'll probably thank yourself.

John - Yep, today was just about time on feet and actually enjoying the run. I noticed that the 20 or so minutes I did on my own were miserable. Funny how that works.

Mark - Funny you should mention that... My stepback week begins Monday. And it's going to be a huge stepback, since next Sat/Sun are all-day motorcycle safety classes, which means I'll be lucky to squeeze in 30mi over the weekend.

Maybe it's just the word "networking" that bothers me. I just don't like the idea of meeting people for the sake of using them. I'm fine with the idea that I'm joining and helping to build a community, which is actually how the interpreter meeting felt, but really, I don't care enough about anything to go up to people and feel the need to prove myself about it. I have enough proving-myself to do when I'm running. Ha. Either way, I'm making sure to make connections with the community in ways I'm comfortable with: volunteering, signing up for activities, frequenting events, etc. Not just showing up when I need something. Give a little, take a little. Fine with me.

Mike MacLellan wrote:John - Yep, today was just about time on feet and actually enjoying the run. I noticed that the 20 or so minutes I did on my own were miserable. Funny how that works.

Mark - Funny you should mention that... My stepback week begins Monday. And it's going to be a huge stepback, since next Sat/Sun are all-day motorcycle safety classes, which means I'll be lucky to squeeze in 30mi over the weekend.

Maybe it's just the word "networking" that bothers me. I just don't like the idea of meeting people for the sake of using them. I'm fine with the idea that I'm joining and helping to build a community, which is actually how the interpreter meeting felt, but really, I don't care enough about anything to go up to people and feel the need to prove myself about it. I have enough proving-myself to do when I'm running. Ha. Either way, I'm making sure to make connections with the community in ways I'm comfortable with: volunteering, signing up for activities, frequenting events, etc. Not just showing up when I need something. Give a little, take a little. Fine with me.

FYI - as someone that is now in on hiring people, I don't consider myself being used at all when people network with me - I appreciate the opportunity to get to know others. They aren't really proving themselves to me, but as a future colleague, I like the chance to get to know them and never mind helping a student or whatever out if I can. Enjoy the run tomorrow!

Thanks for the perspective and the luck, John. The latter appears to have had a positive impact on today's adventure.

There are two ways I could summarize today's run:
1. I very much prefer learning by doing something RIGHT rather than by making a mistake and suffering through the consequences.
2. A number of milestones today: new weekly high, new daily high (distance), new daily high (time), and first use of the just-in-case TP in my Camelbak. I promise I won't go into great detail about that last bit.

So today's plan was my first-ever 4hr run, which I was hoping to accomplish via 3 circuits around Olmstead Loop Trail, an 8.7ish-mile loop with ~1k' elevation gain/loss (all of which comes in the form of actual hills as opposed to little 5-10' lumps all over the place). That'd put me right over a 9min pace and right under a marathon length run.

First lap: I started at 6:35 and pretty much immediately realized that I wasn't going to make it 1:20 before needing a restroom. Instead of going back to the trailhead where there were facilities, I figured I'd get some practice in case I ever needed it during a race. I need to figure out how to make this issue stop, since it seems to be a recurring one lately. Probably should pay more attention to what I'm eating the day (and particularly, the night) before long runs. See, that wasn't greatly detailed.
I walked pretty much every single uphill that was greater than 3-4%, only allowing myself a little bit of leash towards the end of the lap. I had to pull myself out of a little mental slump around 30 minutes in, as is usually the case, but the trail becomes considerably nicer to run on after the 4.5 mile marker. Whether or not the trail itself becomes more enjoyable or there's just the mental boost of being halfway done with the loop, I don't know, nor do I care. It does feel a bit flatter for a couple miles around that point, and it allows me to pick up some time.
I parked about .25mi from the trailhead itself, since there was a $10 fee to park in the lot (equestrian staging area), so the first lap ended up being 8.81 mi. Time (not including bathroom break) is 1:19:03 - 9:00 pace, on the nose. So far, so good.

Second lap: Alright, so that first bit was really easy. Time to step it up, just a tiny bit. Still walking the really-steep hills (of which there are 3), but running as much of the others as I can. The effort level is still really easy, and my legs are finally loose and feeling smooth. I approach the 2hr point and feel much better than I did when I hit 2hrs yesterday. Cool (hey, that's the town I'm in!). This lap is easily the best of the 3 in terms of feeling, and I glide into the trailhead (this time heading to my car to refill the Camelbak) with plenty of time to spare. This lap ends up being 8.97 mi. Time is 1:15:02 - 8:22 pace.

Third lap: By now, the plan is to run negative splits for all three laps. I know I'm not going to shave off another 4-5 minutes on this lap, and the first little (25-30') lumps make sure that knowledge is pounded into my head. My quads are beginning to threaten mutiny. Okay, quads, duly noted. The beginning of every lap has been a bit of a mental drag, and this one is no different. There's just something about this part of the trail that's really boring and depressing. Fortunately, the mile or so that connects Robie/WS Trail to the Pointed Rocks Trail junction (all uphill, going this way) won't be in the race, since we'll be coming from Pointed Rocks (the official name of the K2 trail), doing the loop, and leaving down Robie/WS to the base of K2 for another lap.
I push the hills just a little harder, but don't ever get to the point where I blow up and come to a halt during the run-to-walk transition. Gotta keep the hiking pace fast, sub-20:00, preferably sub-16:00. The quads keep bitching and I keep telling them to shut it and work a little harder. Three hours rolls around and I wonder if I'm starting to get a bit sloppy. My feet are coming down a little harder, I don't feel like I'm gliding, but the wheels are still on.
I start to notice every single half-mile marker, now. I usually only notice the 8, 7, 6.5, 5.5, 4.5, 3, and 1.5. Now I'm noticing all of them. I'm coming up on 3:30 and the wheels are starting to spin the screws a little loose. It's getting warm, I'm in the sun around 75% of the time (only the middle 2 miles has decent shade; the rest is spotty at best)... Hang in there... 2.5 miles to the trailhead. 2. 1.5. There's the blackberry patch with the maze of overgrown trails to weave through. Huh, that signpost is supposed to be the 1 mile marker, isn't it? Everything is scratched off of it but yeah, I think it is. There are the loud-ass fucking dogs that bark their fucking brains out at me every time I pass. Which means the last effort hill is coming up; an 80', third-of-a-mile climb that starts really easy and picks up to 6.5% for the last 200 yards.
I wait for the Garmin to read 8.97mi lap distance and hit the button. Time is 1:14:15 - just under 8:17 pace.

Extra Credit: I've got 12 minutes to burn and am at 26.75 miles. I turn down a street and go for half a mile, then come back. Three and a half minutes to go. Back to the car. 75 seconds left. I loop the parking lot just large enough to soak up the rest of the time and come to a creaky, triumphant stop at the car.

Total time: 4:00:05. Total distance: 28.17 miles. Average pace: 8:31. Gain/loss: 3k'.
Ate a PB/honey/banana sandwich and 2x fruit-and-nut granola bars on the run; drank about 45-50oz water (very weak salt solution).

That's 107.4 w/ ~14k' gain/loss for the week in 15:42:44. So. Freaking. Stoked. For the stepback week starting tomorrow.

Wow! I'm tired after just reading that. I have no idea how you can RUN for that long and at a good clip to boot. Congrats on all of the new highs. Enjoy the stepback and let it work for you!!!

Very impressive, Mike. I'd think that running the same loop over and over would be a mental drag, but your idea of negative splitting them adds some extra interest. Good thinking, and good job.

Enjoy your stepback week. You've earned it.

John - Relentless forward progress. That's really it. You just let inertia keep you moving, even if you don't want to. Stopping is the worst thing you can do.

Mark - I like familiarity on runs. I love the exploration of a new trail run, but sometimes I need to know that I'm only 4-5 miles, at most, from a place where I "could" stop if I wanted to. Plus, then I get a mental boost every half and full lap.

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Well, today went exactly as expected. Legs were actually sore walking around the apartment this morning (this rarely, if ever, happens) and the run started off appropriately creaky. I'm sure I was averaging ~10+ for the first half mile. Was very happy when the legs loosened up just under a mile in and allowed me to glide pretty easily along the canal. I had 4mi planned but had decided beforehand to do 5mi, and during the run I bumped that to closer to 6. The reason being that I really have no idea how this weekend will go, so I'm going to front-load the week a bit and see what happens after that.

Ended up with 5.75 @ 8:41. Nice, easy, zero-effort recovery. Legs were kind of weak by the end, but again, expected.

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Which brings me to the question of what to do this week. I have a motorcycle safety course from 8:30am-5:30pm both Saturday and Sunday, which would mean I'd have to be done with my run around 7:30am at the latest. I want to get in ~70-75mi this week, but it has to be easy and stress-free. Meaning: I need a mental break, and having to squeeze in runs just to get some junk miles is not my idea of a nice stepback week this time around.

Original plan was 4, 6+6, 12, 8+4, off, 8+7, 8+7 (70). Now I'm thinking 5.75, 8+6, 12-14, 7+4.25, off, 8+7, 10 (68-70). There is a group run Friday morning, which would allow me to take either Saturday or Sunday off instead, but I'm not sure having class all day would be "recovery." I guess sitting in a classroom and watching a movie is the same as sitting on my couch watching movies, right? That's basically what I do on recovery days. Then I could take Saturday off and do 7+10 or something Sunday.

Thoughts?

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Lastly, does anyone have any tips for cooking quail and/or quail eggs? I've found some local sources of both and am thinking of getting some live birds. Yes, live. Gotta take responsibility for the kill if I'm going to eat 'em. Eep.

Sounds to me like you will get the physical recovery during your class, but maybe not the mental recovery. It's annoying how life gets in the way sometimes.

no advice on the scheduling this week, I'm sure someone else will chime in, but great job on the mileage and all the great training! Don't worry about the TP, it happens to all of us. Have you seen the movie Up? "Do you dig the hole before or after? Oh, it's before!!"

You run waaaaaaaay too much for me, but cooking I can help with. I was looking for something simple along the lines of what I found here: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/recipes/pan-roasted-quail-538168/ That looks pretty easy and has ingredients in it you can play with a bit to get it to your liking.

healdgator wrote:Sounds to me like you will get the physical recovery during your class, but maybe not the mental recovery. It's annoying how life gets in the way sometimes.

True. Funny thing is, I scheduled the class purposely for this weekend to make it fall on a stepback week. Fortunately, the class is 5 hours of nothing and only 2.5 hours of actual riding on the bike - that'll be the "thinking" time to make sure I don't just blow it off and flunk out.

Julie wrote:no advice on the scheduling this week, I'm sure someone else will chime in, but great job on the mileage and all the great training! Don't worry about the TP, it happens to all of us. Have you seen the movie Up? "Do you dig the hole before or after? Oh, it's before!!"

I have seen the movie, but can't remember that part. My experience backpacking has made me comfortable with the whole thing, too, but there's nothing I hate more than stopping mid-run. Oh well.

mul21 wrote:You run waaaaaaaay too much for me, but cooking I can help with. I was looking for something simple along the lines of what I found here: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/recipes/pan-roasted-quail-538168/ That looks pretty easy and has ingredients in it you can play with a bit to get it to your liking.

Yum. That looks amazing. Might have to go get some of those birds after all (local homestead-er on Craigslist is selling his males).

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It's Tuesday, and as of 2 weeks ago, that means it's a work day. Today was the last of the VO2max interval workouts; next week will start the transition to tempos and extended efforts. Last week, I did 2 sets of 4x 2min on, 2min off, with a 5min recovery between sets. This week, no mid-run break, just a warm-up then 6x 3min on, 2min off. Which, whaddoya know, is basically like doing Yasso 800s for me, given that my next goal is sub-3, and each interval came out to be just over .5mi (.51-.54). (Again, my rest intervals were ~8:00 pace, which gave me .25mi for 2min). The only difference is that these were on the ECG course.

The hills definitely fucked with my pacing/NGP values a little bit, but by the last 3, things evened out a bit. The third has such a slow NGP because it was mainly on a steady 3-4% downhill. Just couldn't get the legs to turn over faster than ~5:20 on that section.

That shin muscle (Mark, what's it called again?) was a little tender on both legs, but got a rest on the uphill intervals while the quads and glutes took over there. Overall, not too shabby of a run, and I'm only SLIGHTLY disappointed by the first three intervals. I wanted to see something closer to 5:55 NGP for them. Then again, I was holding back on those, and in hindsight, I may have been holding back a little too much.

8.535 miles in just a hair over an hour today. That's a 7:03 pace, on average. Woo!

Very nice pace on your run today.

Redonculous run Mike! Holding back too? Damn. Good job and enjoy the quail. I live in the south, so the only way that I've had them is, of course, deep fried. I didn't think you'd be too into that! Gotta love the typical dinner plate for many down here. The brown meal: Fried okra, mashed potatoes and brown gravy (or french fries), some sort of fried meat, some other fried vegetable, sweet tea (supersaturated with sugar to the point that you could make rock candy out of it), and cheese grits (OK, maybe a little yellow color in there for variety). You might get lucky and find some green beans too, but they will be coated with bacon grease, be some really dull green color that doesn't even look like the color of a real green bean, and be cooked to the point of mush. Yum! Throw in a fried pie for dessert and you are good to go!

Mike MacLellan wrote:That shin muscle (Mark, what's it called again?) was a little tender on both legs, but got a rest on the uphill intervals while the quads and glutes took over there. Overall, not too shabby of a run, and I'm only SLIGHTLY disappointed by the first three intervals. I wanted to see something closer to 5:55 NGP for them. Then again, I was holding back on those, and in hindsight, I may have been holding back a little too much.

What am I, Marki-pedia?

Hold on...

If it's right next to the tibia (the bigger of your two lower leg bones) and extends down to to your big toe (passing in front of that knobby thing on your ankle aka the lateral malleous), then its the tibialis anterior. If it's a little deeper and seems to hook up to the outside edge of the foot and your little toes, it's the extensor digitorum longus. If it's more toward the side of your shin and runs on the backside of the lateral malleous and connects at the bottom of your lateral arch, it's one of your peroneal muscles.

An easy way to tell is to poke and prod in your lower legs, or see what motion causes pain, because each off those muscle/tendons have a different specific function.

See? Piece off cake. (It helps to have tweaked every single one of them over the years.)

Here's another one I thought sounded really good. A little more complicated, but it's probably worth it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/seared-quail-with-cranberry-vinegar-reduction-recipe/index.html

I may have to get some cornish game hens and give these both a shot.

John - I'll be honest... That actually sounds REALLY, REALLY good.

Mark - Hmmm, I think it's the tibialis anterior AND extensor...

Jim - Alright, I'm convinced. Those recipes totally look like they're worth having to actually kill and clean the bird myself.

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5 stupid-ass miles tonight. Yes, stupid-ass. Started at NHB with a group and went up to Robie Point, which is where the WS100 goes. Just past Robie is the 99th mile marker. The elevation gain for this one is 1100' (760' net). After the speedwork this morning... stupid-ass miles. None of it felt good, at all. Normally, when it sucks like that, I'd push through it. Today, I said fuck it, this is a stepback week, and took it way easy.

Mike, what's NGP?