Building A Better Bumblebee

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:In response to your question about strength training.  When I had a coach look at and tweak my plan 18 months ago, she had me doing core/strength 3 days a week.  She also insisted I do it on the days I ran hard (after the run) so I had a full day to recover before running hard again.

Good thoughts. Thanks, Nancy!

But this "run hard" thing you mention... I'm not sure I understand what it means...

Oh Mark I think you'll remember when you get out on the Beacon Rock course.

I'm not so sure about this Boston training thing...it requires some of those hard days!  Nervously excited and wondering what in the world I've gotten myself into!!  I'm a fair weather runner who hates big events and now I'm training in freezing temps for one of the biggest.  What was I thinking.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:In response to your question about strength training.  When I had a coach look at and tweak my plan 18 months ago, she had me doing core/strength 3 days a week.  She also insisted I do it on the days I ran hard (after the run) so I had a full day to recover before running hard again.

Good thoughts. Thanks, Nancy!

But this "run hard" thing you mention... I'm not sure I understand what it means...

Oh Mark I think you'll remember when you get out on the Beacon Rock course.

I'm not so sure about this Boston training thing...it requires some of those hard days!  Nervously excited and wondering what in the world I've gotten myself into!!  I'm a fair weather runner who hates big events and now I'm training in freezing temps for one of the biggest.  What was I thinking.

Yes... that might qualify, I suppose.

What were you thinking? Probably that this is going to be an amazing experience, from training through race day, that you will treasure for the rest of your life. Sounds like pretty good justification to me!

LOW HR Run: 2.9 miles

Weather: Fog, 36 degrees with a brief breeze. Gear: Lunas with heavier toe socks, tights, long-sleeved T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves. Never got comfortable.

Kind of a rotten run. The conditions were bad -- very foggy and about 36 degrees, which means a nice, penetrating chill -- and my gear didn't really match to the conditions. Either that, or my body wasn't cooperating.

(And for the record: Yes, I would rather run in dry sub-20 conditions than superhumid weather just above freezing.)

My body wasn't cooperating on running form or HR, either. My gait felt awkward, and my HR was more erratic than usual. And I was noticeably slower at the same HR, too. Hm. Luckily, the loop route I took has a new escape valve (a park they opened last year), and I wisely took it and cut the run short.


(How's that for a frustrating run? The top line is pace, bottom line HR.)

Bah.

Not sure if it was because I wasn't recovered from the strength work yesterday, or for other reasons. Time will tell.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 121

Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Sunny with a few puffy clouds, cool. 44.

Alita took the day off to attend Alec's honor roll ceremony at school (4.0, baby!), so we took advantage of the decent weather  to take a walk together along the Salmon Creek Greenway.



We made it an easy walk, and stopped to check out the wildlife (great egrets, great blue heron, wood ducks, ducks, geese, dog walkers), marvel at dew-covered cobwebs in the trees, and generally work the kinks out. It was a nice walk. My hips were unusually tight at the start, but they relaxed a bit as time went on.

Add: Since tomorrow is a scheduled rest day, I'm making a point to throw in some calf raises tonight at work.

LOW HR Run: 7.17 miles

Weather: Overcast, moist, 42 degrees. Gear: Sandals w/o socks, tights, T, pullover, jacket/vest, hat, gloves. Fuel: Coffee and Grape Nuts before. Tanked up on water about 4.5 miles.

I was not optimistic about this run. My past few outings have been on the frustrating side, and my training partner was itching to add miles to the mix. The weather was in that "lettuce crisper" band that's too warm to totally bundle up but too damp and chilly to run with less gear on.

Like I said. Not optimistic.

The run started off like other recent runs, with me fighting to keep my HR in my new lowered zone. I started watching to see if I was going to end up in that "walk every 400 feet" rhythm again but was glad to see things sort of settle down a bit as we progressed. (We still had to walk a number of times.) We extended the distance, looping through a different part of the greenway where we run, and I tanked up on water (I wasn't carrying any) at the 4.5 mile mark.

I don't know if it was the water, the extra distance or what, but things started to even out on our return leg. Looking at my HR data, I notice that I actually was going faster at the same HR later in the run.


(My new MAF target is 129 bpm)

Maybe my body doesn't get warmed up until after running more than an hour? Regardless, it ended up being one of my more satisfying runs. I'll take it. The fact that it was my longest run since March, and that I did it in sandals makes it even more acceptable.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 126

Trail Run: 60 minutes (3.61 miles)(

Weather: Overcast, cool. 42 degrees. Gear: Nike Terra Kigers, pants, T, pullover, jacket/vest, hat, gloves (shed)

It's game day for my Oregon Ducks (Quack the Nuts!), and I needed a way to distract myself from anticipation that puts taper madness to shame. So I opted for a return to the park near my house, trying a different footwear condition (this time a pair of Uncle Phil's Terra Kigers) to gauge ground feel, traction and performance. I took the exact same route as last week so I could compare the runs as close as possible.

Besides.. it's kinda pretty in there.



Even after going longer yesterday, this run felt pretty easy and was much less frustrating. It was partly because I knew better what to expect in keeping my HR in check. That meant more power hiking and getting a sense of my own internal tachometer to feel when it's time to ease up, or pick it up a bit. I had moderate success, though I average 2 bpm over my target in my second mile, thanks to a steep hill that briefly spiked my HR at 146. I got it back down for the rest of the run, though.



The Terra Kigers felt pretty good underfoot, and they managed the mud, twigs and rocks pretty well. I wish they had a wider toebox, though, but that's about my only complaint.


(Mud!)

I ended up going 0.31 miles farther today than last week, though I don't remember if I'd stopped my timer when I took a couple of photos last time. I only ran the timer while moving this morning, so at least I can compare from this run going forward.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 127

Also ripped out 3x50 heel lifts on each leg after the run. Zowie.

I guess that I never notice the humidity, when it's a lot cooler.  Maybe because our cool weather is shorter in comparison.

When in the mud, was it loose enough to make you slide or split or just taking tentative steps.?

Weather doesn't look to bad over there...and your routes are quite scenic.  Good to see you out there enjoying the...mud...

We've said good bye to our sunshine and have been stuck in the fog for several days.  Fog just makes it seem colder than it really is.

ounce wrote:I guess that I never notice the humidity, when it's a lot cooler.  Maybe because our cool weather is shorter in comparison.

When in the mud, was it loose enough to make you slide or split or just taking tentative steps.?

The mud wasn't that bad, really. Some patches I could veer around, others I went right through. I only lost traction once, any only a little bit. The whole trail system in that park is much improved. It sucked a shoe off my foot once before.

The cold-and-damp can get pretty uncomfortable, because the wetness allows the chill to penetrate further. This is a good place for wool, or at least wicking material.

nkrichards wrote:Weather doesn't look to bad over there...and your routes are quite scenic.  Good to see you out there enjoying the...mud...

We've said good bye to our sunshine and have been stuck in the fog for several days.  Fog just makes it seem colder than it really is.

I totally agree on the fog (see above). It worms its way into your clothing, and it also casts a gloomy air over things. I wouldn't think you'd get much of it on the east side of the Cascade Range. We were pretty socked in here last week.

We're in our normal winter weather now, with mostly gray skies and temperatures in the upper 30s to mid-40s, unless we get a sun break. It's one of the reasons Mt. Bachelor is so popular with westsiders: It's out of the muck.

Man, I am so jealous of the scenic runs. Maybe, I'll try to talk my girlfriend into moving that way.

Careful Nick...the reason it's so pretty is because it rains and rains and rains.  We used to live not that far away and we don't miss the mud at all.  But we do miss the pretty green trees.

Nick Morris wrote:Man, I am so jealous of the scenic runs.  Maybe, I'll try to talk my girlfriend into moving that way.

You'd be welcome, Nick. Just don't tell anybody else. Wouldn't want it to get too crowded.

nkrichards wrote:Careful Nick...the reason it's so pretty is because it rains and rains and rains.  We used to live not that far away and we don't miss the mud at all.  But we do miss the pretty green trees.

Everybody else... listen to Nancy: Rain! Gloom! Vitamin D deficiency!

All those beards you see the Portland hipsters sporting? Yeah, totally not beards. It's moss.

We have vitamin D deficiency where Nick and I live too as we can't go outside from January through April - lol.  No worries though as everyone here (as of last night) attended THE Ohio State University and will be partying until the sun and warmth returns.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:We have vitamin D deficiency where Nick and I live too as we can't go outside from January through April - lol.  No worries though as everyone here (as of last night) attended THE Ohio State University and will be partying until the sun and warmth returns.

Yes, I'm sure they will. Congratulations on a convincing win last night! The Buckeyes had been written off by the football establishment for much of the year, so I'm sure that made victory taste even more sweet.

And since Ohio State has so many sophomores and freshmen on this team, they have been made the odds on favorite to win, next year.  TCU, with a similar situation, ranked #2.

I remember in early November that CBS' Spencer Tillman picked Ohio State to win it all, and they weren't even in the picture.  The other guys on the set were looking at him like, "let me have some, man."

Well, at the very least, this season provided quite the spectacle.



Now we just have to wait to see what happens next year.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:We have vitamin D deficiency where Nick and I live too as we can't go outside from January through April - lol. 

Ain't that the truth!!!

Nick Morris wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:We have vitamin D deficiency where Nick and I live too as we can't go outside from January through April - lol. 

Ain't that the truth!!!

Never quite understood why people continue to live in a place like that, but hey... to each his own.

(My ancestors ditched that part of the country generations ago and never looked back.)

Frosty Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles (at sorta-low HR...)

Weather: Clear, cold and beautiful. 28 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, tights, pants, long-sleeved T, pullover, jacket, hat, heavier gloves.

All my Easterner friends, living where glaciers used to roam, poo-poo what passes for cold in my part of the world, so when I saw sub-30 temperatures and frost all around, I decided to up the ante this morning: Barefoot.

I strategically overdressed, making sure to shunt heat to my tootsies, which helped when I started out with a 5 minute walk. It took a few more laps of running before the bite of the cold pavement eased up, but it wasn't bad.

I did make one sacrifice for this run: I decided to not walk my HR down when I popped over 130. I needed to keep the blood circulating. Instead, I just tired to keep my HR as low as possible. (Avg HR splits were: 14:02/123, 12:33/133, 12:54/132) Adjusting my breathing helped, but completely distracting myself from thinking about HR and simply relaxing into the run helped the most.

I'll note here that on the past few runs, I've started to feel a glimmer of hope that I'm going to reach a point where this all feels natural and relaxed. That's my goal, and I'm starting to think it's possible.

I did 3.1 miles and decided against a long cool-down walk. Need to get to work!

Walked first 5 minutes, last 0.1 mile. Average HR for entire run: 129

Mark B wrote:Frosty Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles (at sorta-low HR...)
All my Easterner friends, living where glaciers used to roam, poo-poo what passes for cold in my part of the world, so when I saw sub-30 temperatures and frost all around, I decided to up the ante this morning: Barefoot.

I think your native American name would be Chief Chilly Foot or some such.  Kudos to you, however, for the determination you demonstrate in your pursuit of the better form.

Tom H wrote:

Mark B wrote:Frosty Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles (at sorta-low HR...)
All my Easterner friends, living where glaciers used to roam, poo-poo what passes for cold in my part of the world, so when I saw sub-30 temperatures and frost all around, I decided to up the ante this morning: Barefoot.

I think your native American name would be Chief Chilly Foot or some such.  Kudos to you, however, for the determination you demonstrate in your pursuit of the better form.

Better that than some of the names folks could come up with, I'm sure.

Thanks for the kudos. It's a slow process, but like I said in the post above, I'm starting to feel what I think is a new and improved form beginning to reveal itself. It's not there yet -- it's like seeing something at a distance moving through the trees -- but it's exciting enough to keep me hopeful for the future.

LOW HR Run: 60 minutes (4.1 miles)

Weather: Gray, drizzly and chilly. 38 degrees. Gear: Sandals with socks, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed)

I had to delay my run slightly this morning. As we transitioned from clear and cold to warmer and wet, we had a brief period of freezing drizzle. Didn't feel like ice skating. When I went out, it had warmed to the upper 30s but was drizzling off and on.

I went back to my target HR and went back to the run-walk pattern to keep in the zone. The weather didn't help in that area, nor did my sandals, which needed some adjusting to stay on securely. I remain quite slow, and that "exciting" and "hopeful" feeling of potential grace and ease I just wrote about did *not* make itself known today. Oh well. Must have jinxed it.

My plan is to do a MAF test at the track on Sunday. I haven't tried to see if I can maintain the correct level of intensity on flat terrain. It's well past time to find out.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 127

Sounds like you're in for warmer but much wetter weather this weekend.

How much of a difference do you feel when running barefoot vs sandals vs shoes?  Are you able to maintain that barefoot form when you run with shoes?  I thought I remember you mentioning that you would definitely have to wear shoes on the Beacon Rock course.

nkrichards wrote:Sounds like you're in for warmer but much wetter weather this weekend.

How much of a difference do you feel when running barefoot vs sandals vs shoes?  Are you able to maintain that barefoot form when you run with shoes?  I thought I remember you mentioning that you would definitely have to wear shoes on the Beacon Rock course.

Wetter is fine, if it's a bit warmer. Not a fan of hypothermia weather.

There's quite a difference between barefoot, sandals and shoes. I'd say my form feels most correct while barefoot, and I'm working to train my body to maintain that form in sandals (easier) and shoes (trickier). I'm trying to override decades of habit, so it's a slow, awkward transition.

I will add that barefoot and sandals are trickier running downhill (you really have to pick the feet up fast), and that there's something to be said for the underfoot protection when you're running or walking downhill on gravel.

I've seen some folks use sandals on rugged trails, and I even saw a guy in VFFs doing the Beacon Rock course. Maybe I could do it someday in sandals, but I think I need more protection against rocks and roots. Kick a root in trail shoes, and you cuss. Kick it in sandals, or barefoot, and it's quite possibly game over.

Walk: 30 minutes (1.8 miles)

Weather: Sunny and mild. 52 degrees (!)

Didn't have much time for a walk at work, but it was so nice I found a way to squeeze one in. I'd done a bunch of strength work earlier in the day and it seemed like a good idea to get the blood flowing in the legs.

Really enjoying walking in these ultra-minimal work shoes. With a 3 mm sole, you can feel the broken pavement, but it also gives you a greater connection with the environment.

The strength work was vigorous, and got my body to unexpectedly exclaim "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU TWISTED MANIAC?!" when I was doing a stork pose and shifted my position every so slightly -- and apparently found and finally activated a very weak internal hip muscle. Not entirely sure if it was a good or bad thing, but wow.

Storks: 6 minutes each leg
Clamshells/Leg Lifts/Leg Circles: 50 reps each, 150 total each side.
Bridges: 2x50
Heel lifts: 3x50 each leg

Oof! Glad tomorrow's a rest day.