Building A Better Bumblebee

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:We haven't had temps less than 51, yet, with 72 degrees seem to be the upper threshold, now.  56-64 is the average range.  76 is a seasonal high.

Are y'all enjoying El Nino rains?

We've had a touch of frost on the roofs already, but nothing significant. That'll come soon enough. We've been getting some decent rain, which is nice, and temperatures low enough to start putting some snow up at high elevation, which is better.

El Nino is fine by me, as long as it's not too warm. We need snow in the mountains, and not just for the skiers.

nkrichards wrote:Good to see you're out and about again.  Enjoy the weather and the scenery.  I have a feeling winter is on it's way...

Oh, and nice job on the core work.

Thanks, Nancy! It's nice to get moving again. Crossing my fingers on winter.

The weatherman said today that maybe by the middle of next week, we'll have some 40's for lows, which will be the latest in the year since 1958 of getting the 40's.

How did the window unit A/C shake out?

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:We haven't had temps less than 51, yet, with 72 degrees seem to be the upper threshold, now.  56-64 is the average range.  76 is a seasonal high.

Are y'all enjoying El Nino rains?

We've had a touch of frost on the roofs already, but nothing significant. That'll come soon enough. We've been getting some decent rain, which is nice, and temperatures low enough to start putting some snow up at high elevation, which is better.

El Nino is fine by me, as long as it's not too warm. We need snow in the mountains, and not just for the skiers.

nkrichards wrote:Good to see you're out and about again.  Enjoy the weather and the scenery.  I have a feeling winter is on it's way...

Oh, and nice job on the core work.

Thanks, Nancy! It's nice to get moving again. Crossing my fingers on winter.

The weatherman said today that maybe by the middle of next week, we'll have some 40's for lows, which will be the latest in the year since 1958 of getting the 40's.

How did the window unit A/C shake out?

It was a piece of cake to remove. It's safely stored in our shed. Callie appreciates getting her window back.

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles

Weather: Overcast, cool, a breeze. 44° Gear: Bare feet, shorts, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat. (gloves briefly)

It took a lot to get me out the door this morning. My motivation was just not there. I finally talked myself into doing some barefoot laps, with the idea I could bail out if things felt wrong. Once I got out there, I kept telling myself "one more lap" until I felt the gravitational pull of a 5K and aimed for that.

I'm proud of myself that I stopped to chat with a neighbor 2 miles in and was able to start again and do the last few laps.

I kept the HR at a reasonable level (130s) until the last lap, when I pushed it a bit just because.

The weather was significantly cool, with just enough of a breeze to make it feel on the edge of chilly. It was at the lower end of what I can manage wearing shorts this early in the season. At one point, I had to slip on a pair of gloves to balance out the heat loss through the soles of my feet! That helped.

Treated my feet to a foot massage on a neighbor's gravel parking area. Felt better than I thought it would.



Average HR for entire run: 138. Max HR: 167 (when I was sailing along at a sub-7 pace in that last bit.)

Trail Run: 4.8 miles

Weather: Cloudy, cool, some rain and a breeze. 44° Gear: Lone Peaks, light pants, T, pullover, jacket/vest, hat, gloves (shed). Carried water in handheld.

We're finally getting some late fall weather here, with snow in the mountains and chilly rain down here. That means I had to break out the cool-and-wet weather gear and play the "temperature threshold guessing game" with its inevitble gyrations between being chilled and overheated. Mostly it was pretty good, though.

I headed to Whipple Creek Park and ran the "four gates" circuit, hitting all the various entrances. There leaves are down from most of the trees, so the trail was leafy and the views through the woods were more open and light, even though it's a gloomier day.





I did more running on the uphills, even though my HR went higher than what I'd normally want, but I could feel the muscles and lungs working... which is something I need to work on. I did walk some bits later on, but I hiked enough to keep the HR pretty high. I ended with a steady run back up from the creek to my car. That spiked my HR and got a good burn going in my glutes.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR: 136. Max: 170

Core/Calf

3 x 40 each, each side: clamshells, slde leg lift, leg circles
4 x30 each side: single-leg bridge
2 x 50 each side: single-leg heel lift
2 x 5 minute each side: single-leg stance (with hopefully better posture)

Don't you hate it when you can't figure out what to wear as the weather changes...seems like I need to relearn this layering thing every Fall.

We woke up to 24 degrees yesterday.  This morning it was 53 with 30 MPH winds!  We still have not gotten much rain but it's nice to see a bit of snow accumulating on the mountains.

Do you have a new goal race yet or are you just concentrating on building base and getting that core ready to go?

nkrichards wrote:Don't you hate it when you can't figure out what to wear as the weather changes...seems like I need to relearn this layering thing every Fall.

We woke up to 24 degrees yesterday.  This morning it was 53 with 30 MPH winds!  We still have not gotten much rain but it's nice to see a bit of snow accumulating on the mountains.

Do you have a new goal race yet or are you just concentrating on building base and getting that core ready to go?

Hey, Nancy! Yeah, it's a constant learning experience. That's why I note my clothing in my running logs, to help me remember what I wore, and when it worked -- and didn't. I keep thinking I'll internalize it, but I never do.

Very rainy the past few days here and the wind really kicked up. My walk (see below) was damp, since I had to hold my umbrella at a 60-degree angle to the wind!

Snow in the mountains makes me happy. I hope it keeps up and builds a huge snowpack this year. We need it.

Walk: 1.5 miles in the wind and rain

Weather: Horizontal rain, winds 15 mph, gusting to 25 mph.

Well, that was interesting. I felt the need to get outside and walk even though it's been a very wet morning. I grabbed my umbrella and headed out. I didn't expect the wind. Wow. Rain was light at the start but picked up. I ended up pretty wet from the waist down. Good thing I turned around when I did! My Dockers are soggy enough.

nkrichards wrote:Do you have a new goal race yet or are you just concentrating on building base and getting that core ready to go?

Oops! Missed this question. Short answer? No. Nothing planned.

My goal now is to get stronger and faster, with a big emphasis on trail running. I imagine that'll translate into some race or another at some point. I just don't know what, when or where.

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles, progression style

Weather: Sunny and cool. 39° Gear: Bare feet, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (overdressed to get the heat to the feet)

It's a beautiful morning, so I fought the urge to not run and headed out before work. It was in the 30s, with wet pavement, so going barefoot meant clothing choices were easy: Overdress. It teaches the body to shunt the excess heat to the bare feet. I started bundled up, which was good, because the pavement was wet and cold. I was able to start shedding layers (gloves, hat) after a couple of miles.

I let my body decide what it wanted to do, and when it decided to keep getting faster and faster, I didn't object. I didn't have much time, and it warmed me up more effectively.

Splits were 10:07, 9:34, 8:52, with the last tenth of a mile at a 7:52 pace. I minded my HR to make sure I didn't push too hard, too soon. HR averages were 137, 151, 162 and then 169 for the last spurt.

Fun uptempo effort.

Average HR for entire run: 150. Max: 171

---

Annnd....

Walk: 2.5 miles

Weather: Overcast dry and not windy, 51 degrees

A satisfying, if less entertaining, walk along the Columbia River during lunch. I kept the pace nice and easy, treating it a bit like a recovery walk after this morning's uptempo running.

Low HR Run: About 4 miles

Weather: Mostly clear, cool and pretty. 40-45° with a breeze. Gear: Altra Instincts, light pants, T, pullover, jacket/vest, gloves (stowed)

Still trying to get used to cooler temperatures, complicated a tiny bit by a cool headwind on my outbound leg that kept me a bit chilled -- which turned into a tailwind on the return leg that caused to to warm up very quickly. Good thing I wore layers!

The run itself was okay. I challenged myself earlier this week, and I could feel it today. I tried to keep my HR around my old target of 135-139 (I'd prefer 133-136) but didn't have the greatest luck. I turned around at 2 miles rather than go out 30 minutes, and I'm glad I did. I was feeling pretty fatigued by the end. Interesting.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 134 (Max 152 coming out of the ravine too hard)

Trail Run: 5.21 miles

Weather: Clear and cold. 28°to 34° Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves. Fluid: Water in handheld.

Back out early to Whipple Creek Park on my first frosty run of the season. I ran the Four Gates circuit, the opposite direction from last time, and I took a couple of side trails. That pushed the distance up a bit.

I was slightly chilled much of the time but not horribly so. Kept me moving to keep the body heat up. Even so, I had to walk a few times to keep the HR from revving too much. Lots of climbs in those woods!

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 137. Max 159

Mark B wrote:Trail Run: 5.21 miles

Weather: Clear and cold. 28°to 34°  Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves. Fluid: Water in handheld.

Back out early to Whipple Creek Park on my first frosty run of the season. I ran the Four Gates circuit, the opposite direction from last time, and I took a couple of side trails. That pushed the distance up a bit.

I was slightly chilled much of the time but not horribly so. Kept me moving to keep the body heat up. Even so, I had to walk a few times to keep the HR from revving too much. Lots of climbs in those woods!

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 137. Max 159

We were at 34 degrees, this morning.  Was going to run, but forgot to turn the alarm on. 

How long does it take you to acclimate to cold?  You should check and see if Fluff is reading a book on how to thaw frozen pipes.

Keep at it!!!

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Trail Run: 5.21 miles

Weather: Clear and cold. 28°to 34°  Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves. Fluid: Water in handheld.

Back out early to Whipple Creek Park on my first frosty run of the season. I ran the Four Gates circuit, the opposite direction from last time, and I took a couple of side trails. That pushed the distance up a bit.

I was slightly chilled much of the time but not horribly so. Kept me moving to keep the body heat up. Even so, I had to walk a few times to keep the HR from revving too much. Lots of climbs in those woods!

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 137. Max 159

We were at 34 degrees, this morning.  Was going to run, but forgot to turn the alarm on. 

How long does it take you to acclimate to cold?  You should check and see if Fluff is reading a book on how to thaw frozen pipes.

Keep at it!!!

It's harder to acclimate to sorta-chilly than flat-out cold, because the gear choices are much more obvious. But in those lettuce crisper conditions around 40, it takes a few runs to get it dialed in.

No frozen pipes! Its Western Washington, not North Dakota.

Time for classic winter conditions!

Walk: 2 miles

Weather: Lettuce crisper conditions. 42° and damp.

A walk along the Columbia River with low, scudding clouds and a chill in the air. Wool weather.

Trail Run: About 5 miles

Weather: Cold! Increasing clouds. 22-28° Gear: Lone Peaks w/wool socks, tights/pants, singlet. T, pullover, jacket, wool hat, medium-weight gloves. Still not quite right.

Quite chilly this morning, so I decided to see what the woods looked like in a deep freeze. Two upsides of this: frozen mud, frozen horse poo. One downside: If I screw up on some isolated bit of singletrack, I'll be frozen before they find me. So... I opted for the main trails. I did two laps on the Southridge Trail loop, which is about five miles.

Not that my Garmin track is going to reflect that. I seem to have repeatedly screwed up starting/stopping it. Might have been the thicker gloves, or cold-addled brain. Either way, it got silly. I even forgot to turn it off when I drove off, so my top speed is pretty impressive.

I was more interested in keeping my body temperature up than my HR down, so this was definitely not a Maffetone-style run. I did walk a few times when the HR got too elevated, but mostly I just ran.

I also took a few photos out there. This one, I thought, was particularly nice.




Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 134.

Strength: 30 minutes

3 x 40 each, each side: clamshells, slde leg lift, leg circles
3 x30 each side: single-leg bridge
2 x 50 each side: single-leg heel lift
2 x 5 minute each side: single-leg stance

Funny how something called "strength" work makes you feel so weak..

Mark B wrote:Trail Run: About 5 miles

Weather: Cold! Increasing clouds. 22-28° Gear: Lone Peaks w/wool socks, tights/pants, singlet. T, pullover, jacket, wool hat, medium-weight gloves. Still not quite right.





Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 134.

Regarding your being not quite warm enough (and at the risk of being serious), you're getting old.  Your skin has reached a thinness where you need to dress warmer.  It happened to me AGAIN on Saturday before my run.

Mark B wrote:Strength: 30 minutes

3 x 40 each, each side: clamshells, slde leg lift, leg circles
3 x30 each side: single-leg bridge
2 x 50 each side: single-leg heel lift
2 x 5 minute each side: single-leg stance

Funny how something called "strength" work makes you feel so weak..

You wouldn't want them to call it Weak Training, would you?  That is not a marketable name.  Now, DROP and give me 20!

ounce wrote:Regarding your being not quite warm enough (and at the risk of being serious), you're getting old.  Your skin has reached a thinness where you need to dress warmer.  It happened to me AGAIN on Saturday before my run.

Maybe, but it's also at least partly due to a relative lack of experience running in temps below 25° It's tricky figuring out how many layers to wear. If you dress too warm, you sweat too much and end up chilled. Not sure if that was my issue the other day, but it's possible. May be more of a gear thing. I had a wool cap on and was glad for it; my hair was soaked, but it still kept my noggin warm.

Ounce wrote:You wouldn't want them to call it Weak Training, would you?  That is not a marketable name.  Now, DROP and give me 20!

Oof. Yeah, that'd make it more fun by comparison. At least you didn't suggest 20 pull-ups.

---

Meanwhile...

Walk: 2 miles

Weather: Increasing clouds, chilly and breezy. 42° felt like 36°

A lunchtime walk, noticing that a 10 mph headwind certainly gives a little zing through your cotton Dockers.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Strength: 30 minutes

3 x 40 each, each side: clamshells, slde leg lift, leg circles
3 x30 each side: single-leg bridge
2 x 50 each side: single-leg heel lift
2 x 5 minute each side: single-leg stance

Funny how something called "strength" work makes you feel so weak..

You wouldn't want them to call it Weak Training, would you?  That is not a marketable name.  Now, DROP and give me 20!

Back to this for a moment, on a slightly more serious note. I've noticed lately that one of the side benefits of strength work -- being able to see progress with more reps and/or less perceived effort -- hasn't been happening lately.  I pretty much do each exercise to the point to where I can't do any more. (Or at least beyond the point where motivation counterbalances discomfort.) And that number has been static for a while now.

So what's up with that? Have I reached the max I can do on these exercises, or am I doing something wrong?

I have been doing it the day after my sorta-long trail run, so I'm probably a bit fatigued to start out. Could that be it? Maybe I'm trying to do too much at one time? I could try fewer exercises more often than once a week. Or maybe I shouldn't worry about numbers and just do 'em? Experimentation is good, but not when the results are difficult to discern. (Though I do feel pretty stable out there on the trails, so there's that.)

Decided to take a rest day today if only to help inspire me to run more tomorrow. Still trying to get the whole schedule worked out.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Strength: 30 minutes

3 x 40 each, each side: clamshells, slde leg lift, leg circles
3 x30 each side: single-leg bridge
2 x 50 each side: single-leg heel lift
2 x 5 minute each side: single-leg stance

Funny how something called "strength" work makes you feel so weak..

You wouldn't want them to call it Weak Training, would you?  That is not a marketable name.  Now, DROP and give me 20!

Back to this for a moment, on a slightly more serious note. I've noticed lately that one of the side benefits of strength work -- being able to see progress with more reps and/or less perceived effort -- hasn't been happening lately.  I pretty much do each exercise to the point to where I can't do any more. (Or at least beyond the point where motivation counterbalances discomfort.) And that number has been static for a while now.

So what's up with that? Have I reached the max I can do on these exercises, or am I doing something wrong?

I have been doing it the day after my sorta-long trail run, so I'm probably a bit fatigued to start out. Could that be it? Maybe I'm trying to do too much at one time? I could try fewer exercises more often than once a week. Or maybe I shouldn't worry about numbers and just do 'em? Experimentation is good, but not when the results are difficult to discern. (Though I do feel pretty stable out there on the trails, so there's that.)

Decided to take a rest day today if only to help inspire me to run more tomorrow. Still trying to get the whole schedule worked out.

Serious?  Are you SERIOUS???!!!???  Huh, maybe so.

Maybe you've over used that horse and need to change up the routine.  I wonder if you have spot strengthened certain areas and need to work on the muscles surrounding the strengthened areas.  Do fewer reps of what you list, but work on different areas with different exercises.  Air squats, jump rope, air rope pulls, etc.

Create a new 'date night' with your muscles.

Drive through, please.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Regarding your being not quite warm enough (and at the risk of being serious), you're getting old.  Your skin has reached a thinness where you need to dress warmer.  It happened to me AGAIN on Saturday before my run.

Maybe, but it's also at least partly due to a relative lack of experience running in temps below 25° It's tricky figuring out how many layers to wear. If you dress too warm, you sweat too much and end up chilled. Not sure if that was my issue the other day, but it's possible. May be more of a gear thing. I had a wool cap on and was glad for it; my hair was soaked, but it still kept my noggin warm.

Senile, too.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Regarding your being not quite warm enough (and at the risk of being serious), you're getting old.  Your skin has reached a thinness where you need to dress warmer.  It happened to me AGAIN on Saturday before my run.

Maybe, but it's also at least partly due to a relative lack of experience running in temps below 25° It's tricky figuring out how many layers to wear. If you dress too warm, you sweat too much and end up chilled. Not sure if that was my issue the other day, but it's possible. May be more of a gear thing. I had a wool cap on and was glad for it; my hair was soaked, but it still kept my noggin warm.

Senile, too.

Eh? What's that sonny? Virile? Why, thankee!

Low HR Run: 90 minutes (7.06 miles)

Weather: Cold, breezy and rainy. 38-41° Gear: Altra Instincts, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed). No fuel/fluids on run.

Classic winter running conditions this morning: Cold, rainy and breezy. Now THIS is weather I know how to dress for. Nothing like years of flirting with hypothermia to teach the benefits of layers and the art of micro-adjusting zippers on the fly.

Anyway, the run went well. I decided early on to make this a low HR effort and extend it as far as I reasonably could. I decided a bit later to not stop briefly at my turnaround point and just keep running. After all the walk/run changes I do on the trails, something about a steady state effort seemed important to me.

My paces were pretty good, with a moderate fall-off, and my HR crept up a bit but not too much.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 137. Max: 151

Dynamic Testing: 2 x 1.29 mile loops at uptempo pace

Weather: Cloudy, cool with a cooler breeze. 44° Gear: Testers, pants, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat.

Over to Nike for some dynamic testing this morning, which means an uptempo effort. Just can't run slow there.

I felt slower this time, either due to the shoes, my run yesterday or some GI issues (trapped gas - ugh), but I did at least manage to keep my average pace in the low to mid 9s, with a bit of time in the 8s and a couple of flirtations with 7s. I did two loops, and the second loop was faster than the first, so that was nice.

I didn't log my walk from the parking lot and back out again, but it was about 5 minutes each way.

Average HR for entire run: 151. Max: 170