Road to Nowhere

ounce wrote:Yesterday, I did 4 miles that averaged a 130 HR, which I believe would be my figure (180-55+5) to target for a MAF test.

1. 11.28, 128 bpm
   
2. 11.36, 131 bpm
   
3. 12.19, 131 bpm
   
4. 12:43, 129 bpm
   

Here's the data from a 5 mile run on December 21, done 2 days before my last 20 mile run.

1. 13.12, 127 bpm
   
2. 13.27, 129 bpm
   
3. 13.49, 130 bpm
   
4. 13.28, 131 bpm
   
5. 13.27, 132 bpm
   

Both runs were done on the same street, but the extra mile was just a bit further down the street before I turned around. No warmup mile.

In case you haven't noticed, that's a HUGE improvement. Congrats!

Low HR Run: 60 minutes (4.53 miles)

Weather: Mostly cloudy, cool, damp. 43 degrees, 86% humidity. Gear: Shorts, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat, gloves (stowed). Didn't carry fuel or fluids.

This was a scheduled rest day, but a tiny little voice started in my head shortly after I got Alec and Alita off to school this morning.

You know, this might be a good day for a run.

I tried to ignore it. I ran yesterday, after all, and I planned to run tomorrow. Except the voice wouldn't go away.

It really would be a good day to run.

I had to admit, it had a point. But even so, I wasn't sure.

And so it went for about an hour, until the voice finally gave up trying to persuade me and simply started shouting: RUN!

Well, who could argue with that logic? I happily gave in and went for my first road run since Dec. 2, when I jogged around Bedford, Indiana, with Tim and Wendy before Tecumseh.

Today, I took it easy, and I followed my own rules for low HR runs on uneven terrain. Keep it at or below a HR of 138 as much as possible and switch to a walk if the HR cracks 140 and refuses to fall by simply slowing down.

In those cases, I walk until my HR falls to 132 before resuming running. I only had to walk a few times this morning, though I had many more times where I had to run v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-ly to get things back in line.

Technically, I should have only run for 45 minutes, but it was such a good day for running I couldn't resist and went for 60 minutes. The road camber didn't pose much of a problem, and while I can feel where I hurt my foot and ankle, it doesn't hurt. That's a good sign.

I walked the first and last 5 minutes, as usual. Average HR for the entire 60 minutes: 132.

Here's a map and elevation chart. As you can see, it's not exactly mountainous, but it's far from flat.



I am still trying to figure out why my body insisted in running today, but I'm not complaining.

Mark B wrote:
Here's a map and elevation chart. As you can see, it's not exactly mountainous, but it's far from flat.

Not mountainous, but look at the 60 foot pit you had to crawl through at miles 1 and 3.5!
Way to show that treadmill who's boss.

Huge thumbs up from me, Mark. Looks like you made a well thought out decision and it didn't backfire on you. Just remember to keep making those well thought out decisions.

And yeah, what the hell is going on with that ditch?

Glenn wrote:

Mark B wrote:
Here's a map and elevation chart. As you can see, it's not exactly mountainous, but it's far from flat.

Not mountainous, but look at the 60 foot pit you had to crawl through at miles 1 and 3.5!
Way to show that treadmill who's boss.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Huge thumbs up from me, Mark. Looks like you made a well thought out decision and it didn't backfire on you. Just remember to keep making those well thought out decisions.

And yeah, what the hell is going on with that ditch?

Oh, that.

The "pit" or "ditch" you both describe I have charitably named "The Ravine." It's where a branch of Whipple Creek cuts through the silty Ice Age Flood deposits upon which much of my community has been built. (Cool map!)

It's also a place where your heart rate is guaranteed to spike unless you 1) walk, 2) run slower than a walk or 3) are in fabulous shape.

I looked back through past photos to give you a photo of it, but I can't find one that does it justice. Here's the best I can do, in a telephoto shot taken from the far side of the ravine, looking back over the mile toward my house.



Here's what it looks like in a terrain map:





And... Google's Street View takes you there!

All told, it's a bit of a pain to climb. But when I let loose on the downhills? Whee!!

Mike: Yes, I'll still be careful. I might not run at all Friday to keep things in balance. If I do, it wouldn't be much.

Mark B wrote:
It's where a branch of Whipple Creek cuts through the silty Ice Age Flood deposits upon which much of my community has been built. (Cool map!)

I like Pleistocene history and paleoclimatology as much as the next guy (I actually clicked and read those two links) but I was far more entertained by imagining getting to the bottom of the "pit" and hearing:
"It puts the lotion in the basket."

Glenn wrote:

Mark B wrote:
It's where a branch of Whipple Creek cuts through the silty Ice Age Flood deposits upon which much of my community has been built. (Cool map!)

I like Pleistocene history and paleoclimatology as much as the next guy (I actually clicked and read those two links) but I was far more entertained by imagining getting to the bottom of the "pit" and hearing:
"It puts the lotion in the basket."

Or it gets the hose!

I don't hear that, but I do wonder sometimes about that strange "thip-thip-thip-thip!" sucking sound from under the footbridge...

Good way to spend a rest day . . . and good to see your foot isn't giving you any problems. Damn that ice age skree.

Dave Wolfe wrote:Good way to spend a rest day . . . and good to see your foot isn't giving you any problems. Damn that ice age skree.

Thanks, Dave! It's good that my foot is settling down. It's not all the way back yet, but it will be eventually.

Can't blame the Ice Age, or even scree, for what happened, either. Or even the root sticking out of what was a perfectly flat piece of trail. Full blame goes to the guy who let his attention wander for that one split-second when he needed to look at where he was putting his $#@! feet.

I sure hope he's learned his lesson.

I think the little voice was there to test and spur your foot to a higher level of healing. "Whoa, this guy's not satisfied with a track. We'd better send another construction crew to that foot to toughen it."

Have to let loose every now and then. Good relaxation for the mind.

ounce wrote:I think the little voice was there to test and spur your foot to a higher level of healing. "Whoa, this guy's not satisfied with a track. We'd better send another construction crew to that foot to toughen it."

Have to let loose every now and then. Good relaxation for the mind.

I hope so, Ounce. I'm a little creaky this morning (nothing like camber to work those support muscles), so I think my little voice might be whispering "spa day" in my ear today.

Spa day, huh? Manni and peddi? Cucumbers on your eyes?

Glad to see you get back on the road again...have you been to see the llamas lately? I'm sure they've missed you.

KathyK wrote:Spa day, huh? Manni and peddi? Cucumbers on your eyes?

Hm... not exactly. Try sunshine IN my eyes!

Low HR Run: 30 minutes (2.22 miles)

Weather: Mostly sunny, mild. 48 degrees. Gear: FR2s, shorts, long-sleeved T. Fuel/fluids: Nada

When I got up this morning, I was a bit creaky from yesterday's 60-minute run, so I was thinking that today ought to be a rest day. But the creaky feeling eased as the morning went on, and it was sunny and beautiful outside, with rain due to arrive in a few hours. I decided to do a 30-minute low HR run, focusing on keeping it nice and easy. It's been a gloomy winter, and I've spent too much of it inside. A dose of Vitamin D was clearly needed.

I worked to keep the HR below 138 as much as possible, which I was able to do except on the steeper sections. I had to walk part of one side of the ravine but was able to slow enough to keep chugging along without walking on the way back. Woot!

The run felt easy, and I was happy to see that my HR dropped below 100 before I was done with my 5-minute walking cool down. Those are always a good signs that I didn't push it too much.

Average HR for entire workout: 123

---

Tomorrow is DEFINITELY a rest day, then I'll probably do a Sun-Mon combo and see how it goes. I feel like I'm in a transition period as I move from rehab back to simply running. I don't want to overdo it too soon.

KathyK wrote:Glad to see you get back on the road again...have you been to see the llamas lately? I'm sure they've missed you.

Alas, Kathy, I haven't made it out to check on Larry, Moe, Curly and the Shemps (the alpacas are multiplying). I don't know if they miss me, but I do miss them. I have to hit 7 miles on the roads before I get to their field. It gives me a goal to shoot for once I push the time of my runs up toward 90 minutes. Give it another month and maybe I'll be up to that distance on at least one of my runs.

Especially if we get more sunny mornings like today.

Low HR Run: About 90 minutes (6 miles)

Weather: Overcast, chilly and damp. 37, 93% humidity. Gear: FR2s, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves. Fuel: Chiarade® before, nothing during.

I finally got a chance to hook up with my training partner, who I haven't seen since before Tecumseh. We had a lot of catching up to do, and we kept the effort level low, walking when my HR got too high (he hasn't been running much, so he didn't mind). That was a good thing, because we automatically went on a route that was hillier than my easy-easy efforts, so we ended up walking up a few hills, then just walking. That was probably a good thing, because unlike my last two runs, I was NOT giddy and wanting to get out there. And 90 minutes is probably too long for me at this point.

Anyway, it was good to chat, and walking was fine. Luckily, the cold rain held off

Average HR for entire workout: 126

Here's the map and elevation chart. I will eventually be able to do all of this (and more) with a smooth, low HR, but not quite yet.



I'm feeling it a bit. Tomorrow might be a rest day. If I do run, it'll be minimal, recovery style.

You are making excellent progress Mark and this is great to see.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:You are making excellent progress Mark and this is great to see.

Thanks, Michele! I just need to remember to not get too carried away and keep easing into it. (A little carried away every once in a while is fun. )

Hmmmmm, guess I saw a mirage.
Please, take care of yourself.
Not sure what would cause that, but I would get it checked out.

Michael Enright wrote:Hmmmmm, guess I saw a mirage.
Please, take care of yourself.
Not sure what would cause that, but I would get it checked out.

Yeah. That's it, Michael. A mirage. Certainly not a post that was too disgustingly personal even for me...

Okay. I'll fess up.

I experienced some unexpected and ill-timed bleeding after my run today. It happens from time to time, and when that happens, it's usually a sign that I'm stressing my body too much.

I had it checked out when I had a colonoscopy last year, and the doctor said that there are no problems other than occasionally leaky hemorrhoids. He said "fixing" them is usually far more trouble than it's worth, and often doesn't work anyway. So... I've just decided to use it as an early body stress detector.

Brings a whole new meaning to the term "red lining it"...

Glad that's all it is. That you can deal with.
Sorry to bring it up, but you had me a little worried.
As my dad says, getting old (sorry!) is not for sissies.
If you want to have a lot of fun, go have a cystoscopy - that's for when you pee blood. Had one of those because I peed blood after a run about a year ago. I would not wish that on anyone - and as it turns out, after all that, nothing was wrong with me!

Michael Enright wrote:Glad that's all it is. That you can deal with.
Sorry to bring it up, but you had me a little worried.
As my dad says, getting old (sorry!) is not for sissies.
If you want to have a lot of fun, go have a cystoscopy - that's for when you pee blood. Had one of those because I peed blood after a run about a year ago. I would not wish that on anyone - and as it turns out, after all that, nothing was wrong with me!

Yipes. Hope they at least gave you a good cocktail before that experience!

Sorry to worry you. I promise the the next time I write "blew a blood bubble out of my butt," I won't delete it.

No, they start running things up your unit intending to numb it up, but that hurts, too!

Michael Enright wrote:No, they start running things up your unit intending to numb it up, but that hurts, too!

I think those three faces look just like mine did during the procedure!

Michael Enright wrote:I think those three faces look just like mine did during the procedure!

I can imagine.

"You're going to put what... WHERE?!?!"

At least with a colonoscopy, you can imagine that it'd fit without undo stretching...

Right. Cameras are small enough these days to go ALMOST anywhere!