Funkadelic Happening

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:You have all got it wrong -   1) the Browns are in first place; 2) Tim Warren (a Cleveland) friend celebrated his b-day by eating a donut, and 3) 1L went to yoga - Hell has definitely frozen over.

I stand corrected.

ounce wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:You have all got it wrong -   1) the Browns are in first place; 2) Tim Warren (a Cleveland) friend celebrated his b-day by eating a donut, and 3) 1L went to yoga - Hell has definitely frozen over.

And the Texans are playing the Browns on Sunday.  I hope the Browns have a good offensive line.

Not really, but we will see what JJ does to Hoyer as I nope the line can protect him so that we don't have to deal with the Johnny Football hype.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:

ounce wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:You have all got it wrong -   1) the Browns are in first place; 2) Tim Warren (a Cleveland) friend celebrated his b-day by eating a donut, and 3) 1L went to yoga - Hell has definitely frozen over.

And the Texans are playing the Browns on Sunday.  I hope the Browns have a good offensive line.

Not really, but we will see what JJ does to Hoyer as I nope the line can protect him so that we don't have to deal with the Johnny Football hype.

I've heard 2 nicknames for Manziel, Johnny Clipboard and Johnny Bench.  Have you heard any others?

*30*

It was a cool one, this morning.  The wind was out of the north at around 10 and it was 43 degrees.  I wore a long sleeved 'technical' shirt and a short sleeved shirt, along with a Buff for my noggin and shorts for my fanny.  No gloves.  I only hit a headwind on the last third of a mile of my 5 mile run.  And that showed me where I had been sweating.  That did cause a 'brrrr' reaction.  When the winds die down on Friday morning, it's supposed to be in the mid-30's.  Traffic is so much lighter when it's cold outside.

So, the purpose of this run was to not run too far, too too fast and assess the right hamstring again at a 165 cadence.

5 miles, 1:01:18, 12:15 pace, 141 avg bpm, 160 max bpm during mile 1, 165 avg cadence, 0.80 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 12:29, 2nd half pace 12:01.
1.  12:41, 138 bpm, 166 spm, 77 sl
2.  12:27, 139 bpm, 164 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:06, 141 bpm, 164 spm, 81 sl
4.  12:10, 142 bpm, 164 spm, 80 sl
5.  11:52, 144 bpm, 165 spm, 82 sl

I forgot how much longer it takes to dress for colder weather, mostly by just deciding how bundled up I should or should not be.  But the run turned out fine and just 1 complaint from the hamstring during mile 4 that disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

Friday, it'll be colder and I'll have to use mile 1 as a real live warm up.  I believe I'll run 9 or 10 miles and set out my clothes on Thursday evening after yoga.  Thanks for stopping by.

I think it's much harder to dress for when it's cold outside.  It's very easy to overdress, and sometimes even for the same temperature, it'll feel more warm or more cold.  I often don't get it right.  Glad your hamstring didn't bother you too much.

Dressing for colder weather can be a big challenge -- that's why I include what I wore when I log my runs. I can look back and see what worked and what didn't. If nothing else, it reassures me that a particular level of layering worked for me at least that time...

Glad the hamstring didn't squeal at you too much...

Penelope wrote:I think it's much harder to dress for when it's cold outside.  It's very easy to overdress, and sometimes even for the same temperature, it'll feel more warm or more cold.  I often don't get it right.  Glad your hamstring didn't bother you too much.

Mark B wrote:Dressing for colder weather can be a big challenge -- that's why I include what I wore when I log my runs. I can look back and see what worked and what didn't. If nothing else, it reassures me that a particular level of layering worked for me at least that time...

Glad the hamstring didn't squeal at you too much...

Thanks for stopping by, Kathy.  I hope your HR experiment works for you like it works for Mark and myself.  and thanks for your comments, too, Mark.

As far as the hamstring, during yoga, it felt a little different at a couple of points.  Think working the hamstring in a non-running application. 

As far as layering, it's supposed to get down to the high 20's by in the morning, maybe breaking the 1969  record of 28 degrees.  As I write this, it's 37 with a dewpoint of 18.  The clouds are supposed to dissipate, which should allow for the radiational cooling and little wind.  I have enough layers to cover me to the lower 20's with a 10 mph wind.  And overdressing is the first thing to avoid.

I'll let you know how the run goes.  Thanks again, y'all.

The short story is there was no pain during the run.  I ran 10 miles at a 12:17 average pace.  It was a nice run and I will fill in the figures later.  I might could've ran farther, but that could've jeopardized my pacing duties next Saturday.  Thanks for your time.

Wow, in the 30s here - all you are missing is the SNOW.   Good run today.

Yes, Michele, snow would be a record for arrival, since the earliest snow in Houston was Dec 4th or so, just a few years ago.  Thanks.

And it was not bone chilling cold, but at 34 degrees with a 5-10 mph chilly wind, it will help on acclimatizing to our style of winter.  The clouds didn't clear, so 34 was it.  I wore shorts, my two winter UA layers plus a short sleeved shirt, gloves, Buff, a new pair of Smartwool socks, and my new $5 Headsweats Alpine beanie.  The wind was not cutting through me, but when it gusted a bit, I did notice.  At first, I thought I was a tad overdressed, but after a mile, I was just right.  I'd never worn Smartwool socks before, but they did surprisingly well.

10 miles, 2:02:50, 12:17 pace, 147 avg bpm, 165 avg cadence, 0.79 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 12:35, 2nd half pace 11:59.
1.  12:39, 143 bpm, 163 spm, 78 sl
2.  12:43, 142 bpm, 164 spm, 77 sl
3.  12:43, 143 bpm, 164 spm, 77 sl
4.  12:32, 144 bpm, 165 spm, 78 sl  Increased cadence from 165 to 166.
5.  12:19, 145 bpm, 165 spm, 79 sl
6.  12:09, 144 bpm, 166 spm, 80 sl
7.  11:47, 151 bpm, 167 spm, 82 sl
8.  11:54, 154 bpm, 167 spm, 81 sl
9.  12:05, 151 bpm, 166 spm, 80 sl
10. 11:59, 150 bpm, 166 spm, 81 sl

As written earlier, I had no pain or whining from the right hamstring.  I don't think that it's completely healed, but last week I only made it 8.39 miles before it freaked.  The weather was nice, even though it was nippy. 

I increased the cadence on the gnome from 165 to 166 because I wanted to see if I tired and because my thought also was if I slowly worked up the cadence, then I might could increased the turnover in a race situation, similar to what happened when I ran the Half at the end of October.

Any comments on any ol' thing is welcome.  Y'all have a good weekend.  Thanks.

Glad to hear that the hamstring is getting under control.  And 34 degrees with 10 mph of wind - you may not call that bone chilling but to my blood thinned California body, I would disagree.  But it does sound like you have put together a really good clothing ensemble that works for you.

Do you have a specific cadence you would like to make your new norm?

Tom H wrote:Glad to hear that the hamstring is getting under control.  And 34 degrees with 10 mph of wind - you may not call that bone chilling but to my blood thinned California body, I would disagree.  But it does sound like you have put together a really good clothing ensemble that works for you.

Do you have a specific cadence you would like to make your new norm?

Hey, Tom, thanks for your thoughts.  This weather is about 4 weeks early for houston.  I've had bone chilling, which is a sustained 15-20 mph north wind.  And we have people here that live in colder areas than we.  Plus, it's the only time of year when they wish they were here.

As far as cadence, I'd like to get into the 170's at the same heart rate, but I have to take that slowly, so I don't stress the system.  And I just thought that with the cooler temps not stressing the system like summer temps do, that maybe I can creep the cadence up a bit.  A good test for the 166 cadence is being able to sustain it in a 15+ mile long run.

Thanks for the question!

There's a pretty widespread belief that efficiency increases with a higher cadence, so you may find that you don't stress the system that much when you do up the cadence.  A few years ago I had a similar quest while working with Mark on the LHR training.  One resource I found that was helpful was the book on Chi Running by Danny Dreyer.  The contents somehow just made more sense to me than other things I had read and subsequently I attended on of his workshops.  My cadence did increase significantly, and my stride became a much gentler one on the body.  Might be worth a look.

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:You have all got it wrong -   1) the Browns are in first place; 2) Tim Warren (a Cleveland) friend celebrated his b-day by eating a donut, and 3) 1L went to yoga - Hell has definitely frozen over.

I stand corrected.

Haha...when I showed up for my swim on Tuesday the water aerobics group talked all 3 of us lap swimmers into joining in with them...hilarious morning... and it was minus 3 here this morning.

Hell has definitely frozen over!

Looks like your cold snap is behind you for a couple of days, though it looks to get colder again before popping up to about 70 (and a low of 60?!) by next weekend. Guess that means winter is over for you, eh?

Good work on that last run. Just for giggles, you may want to turn the gnome up to 180 for a couple of miles and see how it feels. Can't more than hate it.

Mark B wrote:Looks like your cold snap is behind you for a couple of days, though it looks to get colder again before popping up to about 70 (and a low of 60?!) by next weekend. Guess that means winter is over for you, eh?

Good work on that last run. Just for giggles, you may want to turn the gnome up to 180 for a couple of miles and see how it feels. Can't more than hate it.

It does.  There's even a moderate chance of rain starting Thursday, which should slicken up the Wild Hare course into adding a few items to the 'Bring' list.  But I'd rather have wet and 72 degrees than wet and 52 degrees.

I don't know if I could turnover that fast for that long.  Mark, you used to be so nice. 

I ran 7 miles on Tuesday of an intended 8, but my hamstring was aching, so I turned around and came home.  I applied my TENS unit to it twice and am resting it, prior to Saturday's Wild Hare 50 in Warda, Texas which is about 110 miles west of Houston or less than 50 miles east of Austin.

The National Weather Service is tracking an upper level low that's to be over Warda Saturday afternoon with the potential to create supercells.  At the least, it'll be wet, but in the 70's.  The course is a mountain biking course, so there are lots of turns with deep grooves and brown dirt.  There is a dry creek bed to cross, but doubtful it'll have water in it.  Now, I have to keep Reina informed and fret free.  She flies in to Houston, tomorrow evening.

I think you'd be surprised at how long you could keep the turnover at 180. It helps to relax. A lot.

That course sounds a little tricky for footing. Especially if it's the sort of soil that gets slippery when mud. Watch out!

Keep working on that cadence, Doug.  I've gotten mine up to an average of 178 for most of my runs now no matter the pace.  As Tom stated, I am definitely more efficient than I was.

Good luck this weekend Doug. Stay safe on those rain slickened trails.

And don't get struck by lightning! It might give you some freaky superpower.

Mark B wrote:And don't get struck by lightning! It might give you some freaky superpower.

And the downside to that would be?

Hey, hey, hey! Well done out there today, getting Reina through her first 50-miler.

I'm looking forward to reading your sherpa report.

Nice work, Sherpa!

Mark B wrote:I think you'd be surprised at how long you could keep the turnover at 180. It helps to relax. A lot.

That course sounds a little tricky for footing. Especially if it's the sort of soil that gets slippery when mud. Watch out!

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Keep working on that cadence, Doug.  I've gotten mine up to an average of 178 for most of my runs now no matter the pace.  As Tom stated, I am definitely more efficient than I was.

My only bias against 180 is that it was so tough to maintain 174 at a reasonable HR.  But I'll give it a whirl.  Y'all haven't steered me wrong, yet.

Thanks for the atta-boys.  It's difficult to know where to begin.  After knowing how much she agonized over whether she would finish the American River 50 back in April, I was determined to take care of all arrangements, so that all she basically had to do was to lace up and run.  For the most part, it happened that way. 

I ended up running less than 3 complete loops or about the last 20 miles, doing texts with her friends back home, water boy, food supplier, face wiper, conversationalist, 3rd hand, 3rd leg, and chaffeur.

The rain started about 10 a.m. and was a pattern of nothing, sprinkling, shower, lightning, thunder, hard rain, nothing, rinse repeat until we finished at 7:41 p.m.  The race started at 5 at 64 degrees.  Reina had a history of tummy troubles during a race that had contributed to her failed attempts.  So during the summer, she and I worked on finding easy tummy foods one by one until we found the correct combination.  I think her good training and the food were the main reason for finishing the race, plus the fact that Wild Hare had a 15 hour cutoff and AR50 was 13 hours.

By the 4th loop of 6, when I joined her, she was about 35 minutes slower than her target pace (13:40 finishing time).  The course had two sections. A treed 3.5 mile section that had a path that was speckled with standing water on loop 4, but by loop 6 it was a stream up to the top of the laces. 

The back 4.3 miles was filled with switchbacks along a deep (and usually dry) creek bed and a flat area in one of the cattle pastures.  The location is a working Longhorn cattle ranch and the course is used by mountain bikers, mostly, and has bike races.  Except for the flat area, it was ALL mud.  Some flat, some up, and some down.  All slick. 

We came to a section of the trail where a long and large tree limb was on the course.  The detour given was a long slide down the side of the creek bed...about twice the length of the average city park kid's slide or about 20 feet.  The first time...not so bad.  She slid on her butt for a bit.  The second time...she stepped with her left foot and it disappeared in mud up to her calf, then her right foot slid out from under her and she did the splits around a big tree.  It was funny.  The third time...it was raining hard and we decided that it would be faster and maybe safer to just slide down the hill.

We crossed the timing mat at the end of the 5th lap at 12:00:00.  We had 3 hours to finish the last loop and we believed that we would need all of that time to finish.  It was still raining PLUS a really strong upper low pressure was to strike Austin with rain and thunderstorms at 8:30, per the prior night's newscast.  Warda is 35 miles or so east and I had no idea if the low pressure was still on track or not.

I took point and alerted Reina to the slippery spots.  It ended up that for me, walking in the grooves created by the rain gave the best footing.  But sliding and slipping that appeared like a thief in the night really wore out the muscles.  Reina approached an area that didn't look bad and I hear her screaming.  I whip around and she's lying on her back with her legs in the air, looking like rabbit ears TV antenna.  She had done a reverse somersault into a spread of sticker ground brush.  The little stickers were in her hands and she got stuck every time she moved.  I helped her out and we continued on at roughly the 14 hour mark.

We slipped and slid our way to the finish line.  As we approached the barn that is the finish line, I slowed down and told Reina to go on and cross the finish line.  She trotted off, finished, and received her medal.  DFL, but she didn't care as she finished with an official time.  There was one more person on the course, but she finished in 15:02:23.

Reina did great.  She was very determined and is still very tired.