Survival of the fittest

Nice couple of runs, Nancy! I wouldn't worry about that last repeat on the track -- you still got the stimulus you needed. It'll get easier to hit those targets as you progress. Good start!

Caution noted Nick.  I've been doing this type of workout on the road with a GPS but taking it to the track with a friend was a whole new experience.  I will definitely have to be careful not to let her lure me into speeds I'm not ready for.

Mark...I was more than happy with my splits...my biggest concern was that the early ones were to fast.

Easy swim on Tuesday (1000 yds) to loosen up the muscles a bit.  Felt good.

My schedule is all messed up as I continue to do new and exciting things.  We started our coached masters swimming today.  With a real coach dedicated just to us not just an on duty lifeguard that had coaching ability.  There were 9 of us.  I'm right in the middle...a couple ladies are really fast and a couple are slower.  He spent today with some simple drills and will adjust as he gets to know us and our needs.  Ended up with 2000 yards and a few fast intervals.

So this morning I got up early to do my core/strength workout with my husband.  Swimming is scheduled for noon on Wednesdays.  Hmmmm my schedule is not used to this.  I'm going to be out of town tomorrow and really wanted to get a MP run in.  My legs felt OK so I decided to give it a try with the idea that I'd cut it short or slow down if necessary.  It went much better than expected.  I got in 8 miles with 6 @ 9:33.  I'll take that at this point especially under the circumstances and work to get it down a bit later in the training.

Busy day.  I'm going to enjoy the day off tomorrow except for the time in the car.

Oh, you are going to have so much fun this training session, but remember that Boston is a tricky course and you need to make sure to enjoy the experience too.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Oh, you are going to have so much fun this training session, but remember that Boston is a tricky course and you need to make sure to enjoy the experience too.

Yes, Michele I'm trying to mix things up and make this training session fun.  Maura, the lady that did the track work with me last week, has a very good attitude.  She's run Boston several times and suggested that I go prepared to run but also to make it a nice easy marathon and enjoy the experience as long as possible.  Get my money's worth I guess.

She pushed me pretty hard but also supported my last minute decision to back out of our run date today when I told her I wasn't recovered from my very long run this weekend.  We'll reschedule in a day or two.

An easy swim (1575 yds) on Friday felt really good after spending Thursday stuck in the car.

Saturday was another new experience!!!!!

MADass Run
One swimming pool...
Two traffic lights...
Three angus bulls...
Four cattle guards...
Five killer hills...
Six pots of soup...
And a good time was had by all.

The 10th annual MADass Run took place on Saturday.  It's a 50K...yes a 50K...but it's set up in two loops of approximately 13 and 18 miles.  It is untimed.  You can start when you want.  Run either loop or both or just turn around and run whatever you feel like.  It started and ended at the pool.  So I chose the 18 mile loop that runs down Willow Creek Trail.  I knew it was probably more than I should be running at this point but decided I could always turn around if necessary.  The first couple miles were through town and two traffic lights.  Then we hit the trail where we crossed cattle guards, passed a couple bulls guarding their herd, and eventually ended up at the park at Pelton Dam.  I took a quick break to visit with the owners of the café and use the rest room before heading back up the hill(s).  I took the advice I'd been given and walked when the hills were steep and/or footing was treacherous.  I made it back to the pool in just under 3:20 (11:23 pace) which I was quite pleased with.  There was a potluck organized with all kinds of soups and delicious snacks.  I struggled to find a place to sit realizing that the only empty chair was next to Max King...who was talking to Stephanie Howe.  Pretty awesome to be in the same room with so many Western States jackets and Flagline hats.  Wow do I live in a fantastic community!  A friend introduced me to Max...I've attended some of his clinics but don't know him well.  He's a great supporter of less gifted runners.  A much more experienced runner who is close to my age introduced herself and gave me lots of tips about trail running.  It was an awesome day.

I was pretty stiff and sore after the run.  I had run pretty cautiously but still it was 18 miles and I haven't been over 13 for a long time.  I felt OK on Sunday.  We did our core/strength workout and then spent the day with family.  I went swimming this morning (2025 yds) but had trouble with leg cramps a couple times.  I was scheduled to do track work with Maura again today but decided that I needed another day or two to recover.  She supported that decision.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Sounds like a fun run and it's a good thing you took the 18 easy, as we don't need you getting hurt. Also, another good idea to take an extra day off to let your muscles and tendons fully recover. Here's to a good week of running...

That sounds like a great experience in many ways.  A great run followed by an opportunity for learning from those with lots of experience and a willingness to share.

Excellent run, Nancy!  And perfect advice that was perfectly taken.

I did really enjoy the MADass run.  Trail/ultra runners are such a neat group of people.  Very willing to share and advise and encourage even the slowest of us.

So I felt much better on Tuesday.  After thinking about it I realized that I had not done a good job of managing my electrolytes and hydration after the run.  I did OK during but not so good after.  Lesson learned and no long term harm done.

Tuesday started with core work.  I really wanted to get a good run in but also still felt like I needed to be a bit conservative.  I had 9 miles with 7 @MP on the schedule.  I went ahead and did it but only ran the MP miles at 9:40.  I'd like to be closer to 9:30 or at least shoot for that during training.  My last two miles were under that so I feel pretty good about the overall run.

Wednesday was our group swim.  We had an even bigger group and the coach is starting to get to know us.  He gave us some good drills based on what he's been seeing and also challenged us a bit more.  Ended up with 2200 yds and a nice combination of distances including some fast stuff!!  This is going to be fun.

As you remember I postponed my track workout on Monday.  Maura was available today...and Leslie also joined us.  I had 5x1000 on the schedule.  Maura brought her cadence metronome...hmmm.  I was nervous about making to many changes.  I wasn't able to keep up with it...she had it set for 90 (180) but it did remind me to pay attention.  I think I increased my cadence and avoided over striding on the finish stretch.  Maura let me set the pace today.  I knew we started way to fast last week.  First 1000 was 5:24...a bit slow.  Second was 5:14...that's more like it.  Third was 5:06...where did that come from!!  Fourth 5:07 and fifth 5:06.  Average 5:11.  Very happy with that!

This group/social stuff is starting to be fun...that's kind of scary as I've always been a loner.  Not sure if I can keep a schedule that works during the farming season but for now I do think it's good for me.

Short but intense swim on Friday morning.  Only 1150 yds but we had some nice sprints in there.  Felt good.

I don't normally run hard two days in a row...in fact I never run hard two days in a row but we're headed out of town this morning and I won't be able to run more than a couple short easy runs while we're gone.  I've been pushing hard the last two weeks with the intention that this week will be a forced recovery week.  I had hoped to do my long run this morning (Sat) but realized that I wouldn't have time so I hit the road yesterday afternoon.

15 miles @ 10:45.  I intentionally kept the pace pretty conservative because I ran hard on Thursday.  I had a couple really tough miles in the middle and actually toyed with the idea of cutting it short but I decided slow miles were better than no miles.  I picked up the pace for the last 3 miles so I'm glad I continued.  Pretty sore/tired when I finished but feeling OK this morning so I can tell I ran hard but not to hard.

Need to pack bags and head to the airport.  I'll be off grid for a few days...

Aloha

Late to the party on this, but congrats on the MadASS run. That sounds like a great event. Meeting Max and chatting with folks with lots of trail running experience would be a pleasure and a great help.

Good running and swimming, too.

Aloha! Have a great trip.

Yes Mark, I think I enjoyed the conversation before and after the MadASS as much as I enjoyed the run.

Home late last night.  It was a good trip but I'm tired and feeling a bit off this morning.  We've been trying to think of things to help my Mom get through the anniversary of my dad's passing.  When she called and asked if I would take her to Hawaii to see the lava I jumped at the chance (she's not much of a traveler as Dad didn't enjoy it).  My brother and husband decided to go along.  We headed to the Big Island where I had booked a vacation home on a quiet beach in Hilo.  We saw lots of lava, several whales, a couple turtles, enjoyed a helicopter ride and introduced Mom to lots of new foods.  It was a pretty quiet trip and I think she enjoyed it.  Marty and I were able to sneak off and go snorkeling for a few minutes a couple times.

I struggled to find time to run when it didn't interfere with other planned activities.  I finally just decided to get dressed and go when we got back to the house Wednesday evening.  It was getting dark so I knew it would have to be short and it was hot and humid.  I thought maybe 4 miles but was glad that I came to a dark area with no streetlights and turned around early.  I got in about 3.5 miles with some walking at the start and finish.  It was warm and uncomfortable but did help get the legs loosened up after way to much time in the car and plane.

Much more of a recovery week than I had planned and I need to get back out there.  Not feeling great today so may try a short easy run this afternoon and something a bit longer tomorrow.

Very frustrating these last few days.  I struggle with vertigo off and on and it's definitely on at this point in time!  I constantly feel like I'm going to lose my lunch and/or fall down. Arggggg.

I managed to get through a 5 mile run on Saturday at a 10:30ish pace.  My GPS dies early in the run.  Felt clunky and awkward...

Sunday my stomach never did settle down enough to do anything.

Monday I tried a short swim.  We got in 1175 yds with a bit of speed work at the end.  I did have a couple dizzy spells but was able to work through them OK.  I tried running again that afternoon.  It still felt a bit awkward but I managed the 5 mi @ 9:55 without any major issues.  My stomach and dizziness seems to settle down when I run if I'm careful to keep looking straight ahead.

Tuesday should have been 7 or 8 mi at MP but I cut it back to 7 mi w/5 @ 9:39.  My paces are still a bit slower than when I was training for my BQ marathon but that's to be expected all things considered.  I just need to be very careful when I do decide on a goal for Boston.

Wednesday was our coached swim day.  We got in 1850 yds including some good fast stuff.  It is really fun.  We have a great coach and a great group!

Thursday I met up with my friend for track work.  The track was locked and after an unsuccessful attempt to find someone with a key we opted to run on the road.  I was scheduled for 4 x 1200.  We decided to run 4 x (6:15 fast and then 2:15 easy).  It worked pretty well.  I don't have any splits but Maura pushes me so I'm confident I got the benefits I was looking for. 

Going to try and get my long run in tomorrow as the weekend is pretty well booked.

Woke up Friday morning to 34 degrees and misting rain.  Perfect conditions for a swim.
We worked on endurance...no speed this session.  Got in 2000 yards at a nice steady easy pace.

As I mentioned in my previous post I knew I couldn't run on Saturday and Sunday was iffy so even though I never run hard two days in a row I headed out for 18 miles after lunch.  41 degrees at the start and 37 at the finish.  I should have worn my gloves but other than that shorts and long sleeves were comfortable.  I decided to carry water so that I could venture farther from home rather than run loops.

First 5 miles on rolling hills with a net downhill of around 300'.  Felt much better than expected and I probably went harder than I should have.  Pace 10:10.
Miles 6-13 were on fairly level roads/paved trails.  I realized I needed to back off and settled into a much more appropriate pace.  Overall pace now 10:20.
Damn those rolling hills are now rolling up more than down.  I lost it both mentally and physically on a couple steep hills as I turned for home.  Miles 14-16 were all around 11:30 and my overall pace had dropped to 10:35.  Took a deep breath and managed to get back to a 10:35 pace for the last two miles.

Was really struggling after the run and questioned my decision to run quite that hard after my interval work the previous day.  Rehydrated and made sure I ate well.  I was still tired and a bit sore on Saturday but not as bad as expected.  I normally cross train for recovery but I do have time for a short run this afternoon and since biking and swimming aren't an option I think I'll try a short recovery run.

Way to gut out the last couple of miles and the rolling hills will help a lot!! Enjoy recovering and make sure not to push it too hard if you are still feeling tired.

nkrichards wrote:
Was really struggling after the run and questioned my decision to run quite that hard after my interval work the previous day.  Rehydrated and made sure I ate well.  I was still tired and a bit sore on Saturday but not as bad as expected.  I normally cross train for recovery but I do have time for a short run this afternoon and since biking and swimming aren't an option I think I'll try a short recovery run.

Sometimes pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is a real positive.  It looks like you were beat after the effort, but it was a good tired without any injury.  Way to gut it out!

Thanks Nick and Tom.  It did feel good mentally to finish strong.  I've had a couple training cycles where I was determined not to miss a scheduled run or even shorten a run...overtrained one cycle and had to drop back to the half...then I trained through an injury and didn't even get to the starting line.  I do think I tend to be a bit conservative now because of those experiences.  Training with a friend occasionally is helping to encourage me to push a bit harder. 

Recovery run on Sunday went well.  Got in 4 miles @ 11:11 and felt pretty good after.

Monday I was back at the pool for 1525 yds with a fun ladder workout.  Kept my paces very consistent.  Swimming really does help me recover from running and work out the kinks.  I'm really starting to enjoy it.

Tuesday I had a MP run scheduled.  I've really been struggling to hit the pace on these runs this training cycle.  I did much better.  9 mi w/7 @ 9:29.  It was a tough run and my left hamstring is not real happy right now.  I'm hoping my swim session this afternoon helps with that...

I was once quoted in one of Hal Higdon's book that you need to "Take what you learned, and move onto the next training cycle." This is something that I have learned over time. Like you, I never missed or shortened a training run, but then I realized that you will never hit your race goals if you do not make it to the start line. Once I realized that, I listen to my body more and take a day off when I am tired. I am glad that you have noticed this, as well, and are willing to change.

Looks like your training is going pretty well and way to push through the dreaded MP run. The speed work will pay off in the end. Happy running!!

Nick Morris wrote:I was once quoted in one of Hal Higdon's book that you need to "Take what you learned, and move onto the next training cycle."  This is something that I have learned over time.  Like you, I never missed or shortened a training run, but then I realized that you will never hit your race goals if you do not make it to the start line.  Once I realized that, I listen to my body more and take a day off when I am tired.  I am glad that you have noticed this, as well, and are willing to change.  

Looks like your training is going pretty well and way to push through the dreaded MP run.  The speed work will pay off in the end. Happy running!!

 Yeah Nick...I know the theory and I do try and listen to my body more.  I'm doing better but it's still a struggle sometimes when I have important goals and/or conflicts that prevent me from scheduling running at the time that would be best for me.  I guess I'm a work in progress and will be for quite some time.

My training is going OK.  Some days I feel pretty good and other days I feel like I'm still in survival mode.  Family stuff is still an issue occasionally but Mom is doing better and taking less of my time.  I didn't have the base and/or speed that I would have liked going into this winter but I do feel like I'm making slight improvements.  I'm getting most of the miles in...they just aren't as fast as I'd like.  But I keep reminding myself that I don't need to BQ in Boston.  I just need to be prepared enough to enjoy the experience.  The key will be assessing my readiness and setting an appropriate goal/pace at the start.

Wednesday afternoon coached swim was fantastic.  We did 700 yds of warm up and drills and then started 12 x 100 intervals.  The key was the first 6 were supposed to be easy.  The next 4 moderate and then the last 2 all out.  It was a blast and I paced them perfectly.  AND it did help work the kinks out a bit.

Today was 3 x 1600 at the track.  My training partner didn't show...she's been traveling back east so I'm guessing she got held up.  It was warm (55 degrees) and WINDY (20-30 mph).  I warmed up longer than usual to make sure my hamstring was good and warm.  I could feel it but not much.  My goal was 8:30 but I wasn't optimistic.  8:47, 8:50, 8:51  Not what I was hoping for but it's what I got today.  The wind did have an effect...it was blowing hard enough to knock me off balance a few times.  Good news is the hamstring is no worse for the wear.  Just under 7 miles total.

Tomorrow is another day...

Ugh.  You are reminding me that I need to be better about getting back in the pool.  It is hard for me to do when I don't have an event coming up that includes swimming.

Tom H wrote:Ugh.  You are reminding me that I need to be better about getting back in the pool.  It is hard for me to do when I don't have an event coming up that includes swimming.

Tom...I'm really starting to enjoy the swimming...especially now that we have a coach one day a week.  I find swimming so much easier on my body than running.

Easy swim on Friday and then I got stuck in some family obligations that caused the weekend to be a bit more of a step back than planned.  I had 14 on the schedule and was lucky to get in a VERY WET 9 miles on the Central Oregon coast.  It was windy and rainy and oddly enough I actually really enjoyed the run.  Those "High Water" signs were very accurate.  The water was a bit higher than it looked...6-8" at one point...and running fast.  I wouldn't have been game to cross if there hadn't been a guard rail to hang on to.  The drivers were quite amused (and courteous) when they passed me.

Worked out the kinks from to much driving over the weekend with a nice swim on Monday.  Only 1175 yds but we got in some nice sprints.

Tuesday was core day and then 10 miles w/8 @ MP(9:29 for this run).  Not as fast as my BQ marathon but this will have to suffice for Boston.  Struggled around mile 6 but managed to finish really well.  These MP runs are getting a bit easier which is a good sign I guess.

Our coached swim was at noon today.  1900 very hard yards!  As I said I'm really enjoying these swims.  Headed out for an easy 3 miles this evening just to enjoy the beautiful weather and get in a few extra miles.

Back on the track tomorrow...

Nancy - saw the discussion regarding hill repeats on the Boston thread. I don't have many hills near where I live, so I have to make the most of what I do have so I combine hard ups and downs as Nick suggested.  Essentially I run hard up, then run on the flat for a bit and then run down hard.  That way you cover both.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Nancy - saw the discussion regarding hill repeats on the Boston thread. I don't have many hills near where I live, so I have to make the most of what I do have so I combine hard ups and downs as Nick suggested.  Essentially I run hard up, then run on the flat for a bit and then run down hard.  That way you cover both.

+1

Nick Morris wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Nancy - saw the discussion regarding hill repeats on the Boston thread. I don't have many hills near where I live, so I have to make the most of what I do have so I combine hard ups and downs as Nick suggested.  Essentially I run hard up, then run on the flat for a bit and then run down hard.  That way you cover both.

+1

Thanks Nick and Michele.  My running partner for track work also suggested today that I try and get in some hill repeats before Boston.  I think she'll run them with me.  So...should I look for steep hills, moderate hills, short hills, long hills.  I have lots to choose from!!!  Also how long should they be?  How hard should I run them?  How many repeats?   I've been trying to do more of my long runs and MP runs on hilly roads but I assume actual hill repeats will be even better.

Maura will have suggestions but she has a tendency to push me a bit harder than I'm comfortable with.  Good in some ways as long as I don't end up injured or over trained.  I'd like to have an idea what is appropriate...she's pretty good about listening when I indicate that I need to back off a bit.

Speaking of track work...  I started the day with a 1125 yds in the pool as it's closed tomorrow.  We got in two 500s at a very nice pace.  Then I met up with Maura and Leslie also joined us.  I had 6 x 800 on the schedule.  Last time I averaged 4:07 but faded slightly at the end.  I didn't feel as fresh today but was hoping I could do close to that.  The PE class was on the track so we had to use the outside lanes for the first half of our run.  4:18, 4:21, 4:14  We were able to move to lanes 3 & 4 for the rest.  4:08, 4:08, 4:04    Not sure how those times in the outside lanes translate but I'm OK with finishing out the run with those times. 

Tomorrow is core work and then rest in preparation for my first 20 on Saturday.

I would suggest trying to find a moderately steep to steep hill that is around a quarter of a mile long. The hill that I run repeats on is a steep grade that is a quarter mile long. The workout is tough, but fun at the same time. I normally start with 4 up and 4 down for the first couple of workouts and progress to 5 up/5 down and 6 up/6 down. Run them hard...