Survival of the fittest

Well it's been a tough week!  But the good news is we're finished with harvest.    Baled the last of the hay on Monday and finished thrashing carrot seed last night.  It rained this morning...barely made it. 

Way to many hours in a tractor seat and my legs are not handling it well at all.  I managed an easy swim yesterday morning before we started thrashing carrots.  Today was a fun run in the rain.  It wasn't raining hard.  My legs were in knots so I started off pretty slow but loosened up OK and ended up doing 5 miles with each mile a bit faster.  Pleased with the run overall and I don't think I pushed hard enough to do any damage to these very out of condition legs.

I really want to get back on a regular schedule!

Ah, but those acres demand attention.  You'll figure it out!

Fun couple of days.

Friday I decided to venture out to the fire station.  It's a bit longer and hillier run than I've done in a long time.  Managed the 7.25 miles in a 9:59 pace and was quite pleased with that.  I was a bit concerned that I may have overdone it a bit as my legs were pretty sore after but they came out of it OK.  Pleased with the effort.

Saturday I attended a kayaking class in Bend. It was a beginner flat water class on the Deschutes River. I've done a bit of paddling in the past but never had instruction and I want to try to complete the Pole Pedal Paddle one year. The class was on the section of the river that they paddle for the race. It was a fantastic class! It was small and we all got a lot of individual attention and I got lots of hints and advice about completing the paddle portion of the race. I'll take a couple refreshers when they are offered in the spring just before the race but I'm confident that I can navigate the paddling course on the river and survive. The one thing I heard all day was "rotate, use your core, not your arms" Guess this is added incentive to get back to doing my weekly core work!

All in all I was pretty happy with this week. It was the closest I've been to a normal training week in a very long time. It felt good.

Another nice run. This is starting to be fun again.

I seem to have managed to keep a bit of my base endurance though the summer months even with the minimal running I've done but I feel like I've totally lost the little bit of speed I had. I'm trying to sneak in a bit of faster running...carefully...I don't want to overdo it to soon.

So...today I headed out to warm up and then run 5 x 1/4mi with 1/4mi jog in between each. I was running it on the road with a few rollers so wasn't looking for great times but something a bit faster than I've done recently. I lost concentration a bit on the last interval but did manage to keep my average right at 2:00 or an 8:00 pace. Much better than my last couple attempts at any sort of speed. Happy with that.

After my cool down I walked up to get Royce so Natalie could catch up on her work. We tried out the stroller for a short walk but I didn't try jogging today. The gravel is definitely to bumpy for jogging but it was a nice walk between the two houses and helped loosen the legs up even further which was nice. We hung out in the yard for a couple hours and then I took him home for his nap.

A nice couple of outings!  So, when will the weather make it difficult to run outside and what do you wear to counter it?

Nice job getting some faster running in.

Good work with the running and congrats on getting some faster ones in there! That always feels good, doesn't it?

Thanks Julie and Jim. It's been a tough year and it really feels good to know that things will eventually return to some semblance of normal around here.

ounce wrote:A nice couple of outings!  So, when will the weather make it difficult to run outside and what do you wear to counter it?

Good question Doug! I tend to be a fair weather runner and since I plan my marathons for late fall and only run 3 days a week I don't usually have to run when the weather is crummy. It gets cold here but we don't have much moisture so I don't have to worry as much about snow or heavy rain. I can usually wait and run when the conditions are better. I do like the cold weather and since we're often cold and dry that works for me. Long sleeves and tights are usually plenty but I do have long pants and a light jacket that I've worn on occasion. Keeping my face protected is the biggest problem.

This could all get very complicated this winter as instead of reducing my training I'll need to step it up to be ready for Boston. I hope to get in my 3 runs a week. We have a treadmill but I hate treadmill running! I also do well with cross training so intend to spend some time in the pool, on the bike trainer and hopefully getting in some cross country skiing this winter.

Had another good run this morning...7 miles on the Willow Creek trail...details later when I have more time.

So here's the details on my Friday morning run as promised.

I always just step out the door and run from home. It's about half a mile of gravel and then I hit the paved roads with rolling hills. It's quick and convenient. My goal is to get on the trails about once a week if possible. So, yesterday I hopped in the car and drove the 10 minutes into town and parked at one of the Willow Creek trailheads. The first half mile was a paved walking/bike path on the edge of town and then I dropped into the Willow Creek Canyon. The trail is pretty good as trails go but it does have a few steep and rocky sections that require a bit of concentration. I was a bit short of time and didn't want to get to carried away so I turned about at the 3.5 mile mark and headed back up the trail. Even though the creek is dry this time of year it's a nice run. Much more scenic that my normal road runs. I had an "oh crap" moment when I turned around and realized how much I had dropped in elevation and where I had to run to in order to get back to my car. I had a couple slow sections but overall it wasn't nearly as hard as I expected and before I knew it I popped out on top and was back to civilization. I ended up doing the 7 miles at a 10:45 pace which I was quite pleased with. My legs are a bit sore today but nothing unexpected. Trail running definitely uses different/more muscles.

The only problem I may have with this trail running thing is my husband. He was quite nervous about me going off on my own...he's nervous enough when I run/bike on the roads around home. I did carry my cell phone which I don't normally do. I called him once I popped up out of the canyon. I didn't try the cell phone in the canyon but I doubt if I would have service.

I think I'm going to enjoy my trail outings.

Nice run, Nancy.  And I get the thing about your hubby getting nervous.  Shoot on Thursday night a group of us doing our tempo run (and we started at 5:30) saw/came upon a creeper in the Metropark and this is a well populated bike path.  Stay safe.

Spring marathons can be challenging. I'm contemplating one now but the long runs in Feb are hard. 

I started carrying a cell phone when I fell about 1.5 miles from home last winter and didn't know how I'd get home. Eventually I could walk again but it was enough to make me re-think solo running with no phone. Now that the days are shorter I'm mostly back with running in a group. Be safe !!!

Nice job on the trail run! One thing you can do to keep your hubby calm (other than having your cell phone) is to make sure to tell him your route, your expected return time and how much beyond that time he should wait before sending in the Marines.

Actually, that's a good idea for any trail runner. Stuff happens, and even minor stuff can lead to big delays.

Nancy, glad to hear that it all worked out well.  Looks like trail running has a lot of different aspects to standard training runs.  It is is starting to creep its way into my running playbook, so I'm right at the base of the learning curve and may have a question or two for you going forward.

Nancy, you could load an app so that your hubby could track you on your trail, but the problem with that would be if you are in the area where you said you get no cell service.

Thanks all...great suggestions. I will continue to carry my cell phone even though I won't always have cell service. I'm in the habit of letting Marty know where I'm going and how long I'll be gone but I think I need to make a point of giving him a few more specifics and/or leaving a note. Not sure an cell phone app would work as he'd have to know how to use it...and I don't think I'd have service. I'm also hoping to run with someone else when I plan to do longer runs especially if I try a new area.

Kind of a tough week so far. My MIL was here for the weekend which is always stressful and then I had a family commitment that required a 4 hour drive and additional stress on Sunday. I didn't sleep well Sunday night and was still exhausted both mentally and physically on Monday morning. I needed to do something so I headed out for a very slow run hoping that I'd loosen up and feel better as the run progressed. I didn't. I managed 5 miles on rolling hills at a 10:40 pace.

Tuesday was swim day and I was on my own as my swim friends are both travelling. I mixed in some back and breast stroke and kept things pretty easy but got in 2000 yds so was pleased with the effort.

Wednesday I still wasn't feeling great but wanted to push at least a bit. I warmed up for a mile and then struggled through 3 miles at a 9:18 pace. Not as fast as last week but all things considered not terrible and the last mile was the fastest.

Today was supposed to be a swim day but my yucky feeling has finally turned into a full blown head cold so I opted to take the day off.

Last week I increased both intensity and mileage so an easy week this week is probably not all bad...

I feel much safer running with at least one other person, especially as the days are so short now (although I'm aware that crime rates are higher in the summer). 

Sorry about the tough week, sounds like a lot going on. You sound pretty speedy to me!

Thanks Julie...I've enjoyed the few times I ran with someone else but my schedule is so erratic that it's really tough to organize. I have had several offers for running partners...I really should put forth more effort.

Well the weekly trail run is in the bag. Marty reminded me that it was still deer hunting season and I took the hint and did not run in the forest! I also didn't feel 100% recovered from my cold so I didn't want to get to far from home. I ended up running around the farm. It was actually a pretty challenging run. I ran on gravel roads, dirt roads, ATV trails, edges of fields. I dodged sprinklers, ran some short but steep ups and downs, leapt gracefully over a couple of irrigation pipe...ok maybe I stepped gingerly over them. I found running the edges of the fields very challenging as the crop was several inches high in spots. You have to lift your feet up!!

It was a quite challenging...and slow run. 7 miles at 11:28 pace. It was tougher than my actual trail run last week. I think this is going to be good for me.

Sounds like you got a lot out of your farm run, but quite frankly it sounds like there are more obstacles there than on most trails!

Yeah, sounds like a technical trail to me! 

Not sure if this works in your area, but we just have a group that has a start time and location and whoever shows up shows up but there is usually at least another person or two there and that helps (we meet at a Y). Otherwise sometimes I'll email a friend to plan a time and place. I don't mind always running alone but I like the social aspect of running, too.

Julie...there is a group that meets in town but it's at 6:30 on Wednesday nights which is a terrible time for me and the couple times I was able to go they were much to fast for me. I pushed myself to hard and still felt like I was holding them back. I've heard a couple slower people have been showing up so I should give it another try.

I had to make a trip over to take Mom to a meeting with accountant. It was a long day and I really needed to stretch my legs when I got home even though it was late and my cold isn't completely gone. I went ahead and warmed up and did 5x1/4 the same as I did a couple weeks ago. It went better than expected. The intervals were all between 2:01 and 2:00. I was more consistent and didn't take as long to recover as I did two weeks ago. Pretty happy with that run.

My swimming partner is back and we got a mile in this morning.

I'm starting to feel a bit more like I should!

I do like how that technical trail you came up with sure does keep the muscles alert.  That's great stuff.

Your farm run sounds a bit like a parkour course! Great way to make it work for you, and good news that you're feeling better.

Very disappointing 10K this morning. It was part of the local series and I participated primarily to connect up with the running community...I knew I wasn't ready to race. But I was still disappointed in my results. 1:00:37 Slowest 10K ever! That said the course was long and VERY hilly and also included about a mile of rough dirt road. In addition I did some very stupid things leading up to the start. I had another full day trip to Sandy to help my Mom on Wednesday. I planned to run after I got home but it was to late. I went out for my scheduled easy run on Friday with a few strides mixed in and I pushed way to long and hard doing the strides. I knew right away that I'd overdone it! I know better than to try and make up for a missed run...especially right before a race. Then this morning I convinced myself that with the late start I could eat breakfast. I paid for both mistakes.

On the bright side...I did connect up with lots of folks and everyone was quite encouraging. I am glad I participated. AND hopefully I learned my lesson and I won't make those stupid mistakes again. It was the hills that did me in...I finished quite well...just had to much time to make up at that point.

We'll chalk this one up as a good training run and a nice social outing.

We'll chalk this one up as a good training run and a nice social outing.

Exactly.  Learning from our mistakes is as important as learning from our successes.

Tom H wrote:

We'll chalk this one up as a good training run and a nice social outing.

Exactly.  Learning from our mistakes is as important as learning from our successes.

Thanks Tom...I know that you're right but it's still a bit hard to accept. I guess I'm just glad it happened now and not during a more important event.

I'm still licking my wounds a bit today both mentally and physically. That last mile and a half was downhill on Saturday and I ran it pretty hard. I was a bit sore afterwards...then I went for a horseback ride with my husband... Irrigation water finished up on Friday so we both started our core/strength workouts today. I insisted we cut back a bit and we did about 2/3rds of our normal workout. This is going to take some work! I'm glad Boston is 6 months away!!

I did want to get in some miles today but I knew they needed to be slow recovery type miles. I ended up doing 5 miles on the road (rolling hills) at a 10:36 pace. The last couple miles felt pretty decent.