Building A Better Bumblebee

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Hm. It appears that I've hit my holiday season slump. I keep getting distracted from getting out the door (moderately wretched weather sure hasn't helped) and doing 1-2 runs a week. I hope to at least maintain that for the next two weeks, though the distractions mount when wife and kid are home from school.

Oh well, it's not like I'm training for anything, right?

Well, other than that 6-hour event in June with Alita...

Ulp.

That's peanuts.  You're allowing your muscles to think you're not running anymore.  Then, BLAMMO!!!!, you're running again.  That'll teach those legs who's boss.

Putting "muscles" and "BLAMMO!!!!" in such close proximity makes me go

Walk: 4 miles

Weather: Mostly overcast, cool. 45° with a breeze off the river.

A brief respite in the rain at lunchtime today (it's rained every day so far this month), so I blasted out the door to get as long a walk as I could get away with. I walked along the Columbia River from the office all the way to the edge of the old Kaiser Shipyards.

It was a gorgeous walk. The Columbia River is running high, smooth and gray. The clouds were high enough to afford good views but low enough to watch the jets departing PDX pop in and out of view. I was chilled on the outbound leg but had to take off my jacket during the return trip.

The weather y'all are getting today will arrive in Houston on Sunday evening dropping our forecasted Christmas Day temp of 80 to 48 on Monday.  We broke a 19 year record today with an 81.  Seasonal is 63.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Hm. It appears that I've hit my holiday season slump. I keep getting distracted from getting out the door (moderately wretched weather sure hasn't helped) and doing 1-2 runs a week. I hope to at least maintain that for the next two weeks, though the distractions mount when wife and kid are home from school.

Oh well, it's not like I'm training for anything, right?

Well, other than that 6-hour event in June with Alita...

Ulp.

That's peanuts.  You're allowing your muscles to think you're not running anymore.  Then, BLAMMO!!!!, you're running again.  That'll teach those legs who's boss.

Putting "muscles" and "BLAMMO!!!!" in such close proximity makes me go

Really?   We hear BLAMMO!!!! a lot down here.  Maybe we need a new hashtag #MusclesMatter

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Hm. It appears that I've hit my holiday season slump. I keep getting distracted from getting out the door (moderately wretched weather sure hasn't helped) and doing 1-2 runs a week. I hope to at least maintain that for the next two weeks, though the distractions mount when wife and kid are home from school.

Oh well, it's not like I'm training for anything, right?

Well, other than that 6-hour event in June with Alita...

Ulp.

That's peanuts.  You're allowing your muscles to think you're not running anymore.  Then, BLAMMO!!!!, you're running again.  That'll teach those legs who's boss.

Putting "muscles" and "BLAMMO!!!!" in such close proximity makes me go

Really?   We hear BLAMMO!!!! a lot down here.  Maybe we need a new hashtag #MusclesMatter

Oh, wait. Perhaps I wasn't clear. I wasn't thinking BLAMMO!!! as a gunshot, but as a muscle rupturing.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Hm. It appears that I've hit my holiday season slump. I keep getting distracted from getting out the door (moderately wretched weather sure hasn't helped) and doing 1-2 runs a week. I hope to at least maintain that for the next two weeks, though the distractions mount when wife and kid are home from school.

Oh well, it's not like I'm training for anything, right?

Well, other than that 6-hour event in June with Alita...

Ulp.

That's peanuts.  You're allowing your muscles to think you're not running anymore.  Then, BLAMMO!!!!, you're running again.  That'll teach those legs who's boss.

Putting "muscles" and "BLAMMO!!!!" in such close proximity makes me go

Really?   We hear BLAMMO!!!! a lot down here.  Maybe we need a new hashtag #MusclesMatter

Oh, wait. Perhaps I wasn't clear. I wasn't thinking BLAMMO!!! as a gunshot, but as a muscle rupturing.

Oh, p'shaw.  The gun was metaphorically the starting gun at a race.  Tain't no rupturing around here, bubba.

Look! A run! Really!!

Low HR Run: 4 miles

Weather: Cold and cloudy, but dry. 35° Gear: Altra Instincts, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

Up in the morning for the first Sunday run with my buddy in a few months. It was good to catch up and get outside, even though forecasts of possible snow or a wintry mix didn't happen. Nothing quite like running in sleet. Ah, well.

We took it easy and walked a few times. I kept my HR mostly down. This was more about getting out and moving than anything else. Mission accomplished.

Walked first 5, last 7 or so? Average HR for run: 125. Max: 152

Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Sunny with brisk east wind. 43°

I tweaked my right hip/groin a few days ago, so I took it very easy, trying to get a feel for what's going on mechanically without pushing it too much. I've been sore in what seems like a hip flexor and/or rotator, and my lower leg and angle has oddly been sore, too. The good news: They didn't get worse during the walk.

Mark B wrote:Look! A run! Really!!

Low HR Run: 4 miles

Weather: Cold and cloudy, but dry. 35° Gear: Altra Instincts, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

Up in the morning for the first Sunday run with my buddy in a few months. It was good to catch up and get outside, even though forecasts of possible snow or a wintry mix didn't happen. Nothing quite like running in sleet. Ah, well.

We took it easy and walked a few times. I kept my HR mostly down. This was more about getting out and moving than anything else. Mission accomplished.

Walked first 5, last 7 or so? Average HR for run: 125. Max: 152

Was reserving comment on the 'run' until you posted another outdoor activity not related to your exploiting the area fauna who could not protest you taking a photo in their native clothing and without their signed release.

Mark B wrote:Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Sunny with brisk east wind. 43°

I tweaked my right hip/groin a few days ago, so I took it very easy, trying to get a feel for what's going on mechanically without pushing it too much. I've been sore in what seems like a hip flexor and/or rotator, and my lower leg and angle has oddly been sore, too. The good news: They didn't get worse during the walk.

JUST as I thought.  Which is it?  A right hip or groin?  The groin might attach to the hip, but tain't nowhere near the flexor.  Seems like you just need to suck it up and run!

Now DROP and give me 20!

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Look! A run! Really!!

Low HR Run: 4 miles

Weather: Cold and cloudy, but dry. 35° Gear: Altra Instincts, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

Up in the morning for the first Sunday run with my buddy in a few months. It was good to catch up and get outside, even though forecasts of possible snow or a wintry mix didn't happen. Nothing quite like running in sleet. Ah, well.

We took it easy and walked a few times. I kept my HR mostly down. This was more about getting out and moving than anything else. Mission accomplished.

Walked first 5, last 7 or so? Average HR for run: 125. Max: 152

Was reserving comment on the 'run' until you posted another outdoor activity not related to your exploiting the area fauna who could not protest you taking a photo in their native clothing and without their signed release.

Mark B wrote:Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Sunny with brisk east wind. 43°

I tweaked my right hip/groin a few days ago, so I took it very easy, trying to get a feel for what's going on mechanically without pushing it too much. I've been sore in what seems like a hip flexor and/or rotator, and my lower leg and angle has oddly been sore, too. The good news: They didn't get worse during the walk.

JUST as I thought.  Which is it?  A right hip or groin?  The groin might attach to the hip, but tain't nowhere near the flexor.  Seems like you just need to suck it up and run!

Now DROP and give me 20!

It's BOTH groin and hip, actually. Pain from femoral triangle, in fold of front of leg, and on lateral hip near glute med and min. ITB also tight, pain down lateral leg (skipping knee) into lateral lower leg, ankle and foot. Kept me awake last night.

It's an old injury that gets retweaked on rare occasions. Rest seems to make it worse. I need to get back to core work, it seems. And get back out as soon as I can.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Look! A run! Really!!

Low HR Run: 4 miles

Weather: Cold and cloudy, but dry. 35° Gear: Altra Instincts, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

Up in the morning for the first Sunday run with my buddy in a few months. It was good to catch up and get outside, even though forecasts of possible snow or a wintry mix didn't happen. Nothing quite like running in sleet. Ah, well.

We took it easy and walked a few times. I kept my HR mostly down. This was more about getting out and moving than anything else. Mission accomplished.

Walked first 5, last 7 or so? Average HR for run: 125. Max: 152

Was reserving comment on the 'run' until you posted another outdoor activity not related to your exploiting the area fauna who could not protest you taking a photo in their native clothing and without their signed release.

Mark B wrote:Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Sunny with brisk east wind. 43°

I tweaked my right hip/groin a few days ago, so I took it very easy, trying to get a feel for what's going on mechanically without pushing it too much. I've been sore in what seems like a hip flexor and/or rotator, and my lower leg and angle has oddly been sore, too. The good news: They didn't get worse during the walk.

JUST as I thought.  Which is it?  A right hip or groin?  The groin might attach to the hip, but tain't nowhere near the flexor.  Seems like you just need to suck it up and run!

Now DROP and give me 20!

It's BOTH groin and hip, actually. Pain from femoral triangle, in fold of front of leg, and on lateral hip near glute med and min. ITB also tight, pain down lateral leg (skipping knee) into lateral lower leg, ankle and foot. Kept me awake last night.

It's an old injury that gets retweaked on rare occasions. Rest seems to make it worse. I need to get back to core work, it seems. And get back out as soon as I can.

Boy, it's a good thing that you're not old yet.  Seems like you're out of balance again.  Maybe because your core work has made some pieces stronger while neighboring pieces did not receive any love and running is the orchestra conductor (not drum mule ) that alerts and supports everything below the sternum. 

You still owe me 20.

Still waiting on that 20? Maybe I'll do it next year.

---

Hike: 3.1 miles with Alita

Weather: Sunny and right around freezing.

Went for a hike with Alita at Whipple Creek Park, starting the process of getting ready for the 6-hour trail race next June. It was frosty but beautiful, and it was nice getting outside. The only odd part was that we both used Strava on our iPhones and got two completely different mileage totals: I got 2.6, while she got 3.1 (guess which one I decided to use?)

The hips complained a little at first, but things got better as I warmed up and kept moving over the undulating terrain. I think I'm better suited for off-road now than perfectly smooth surfaces, even walking.

Hope to do this a lot as I help Alita get ready for her big challenge.

Better get a few thoughts jotted down before 2015 ends in North America.

Yearly miles: 803.2. That's up from 542 miles in 2014, though well below the 1,500 miles I did in 2013 when I did the Mount Hood 50. As a start of a slow experimentation/rebuilding process, it'll do.

That's what this year has been for me: An exploration. I started out seeing what I could do running mostly in sandals or barefoot, and seeing how my body reacted to a drastically lowered heart rate target. Both experiments had run their course by late summer -- they slowed me down and reduced my endurance, and that was sucking the fun out of running and putting me at risk of not being able to hit cutoffs in longer trail races. Unacceptable.  

I trained just well enough to do the Beacon Rock 25K without much problem but those limitations I had placed on myself  left me not feeling confident enough to get ready for the Oregon Coast 50K in the fall. So I ditched it.

By the time autumn had rolled around, I was on to a new (old) approach: Back to the heart rate target that had served me well for so many years, and doing more runs in shoes -- taking inspiration from what worked for me back in 2013. I also restarted core training, started pushing the pace on a regular basis, and discovered just how amazing the trails are in the park about a mile and a half from my house. I've spent a lot of time there, and I expect to be there a LOT more in 2016.  

It's been more fun, and I've seen some improvements already, so that's encouraging.

My short term goal is to get stronger, faster (and a bit lighter, hopefully) and more trail-ready. That's partly to help Alita when she does a 6-hour trail run in June, but also to build a base for doing something cool myself. I don't know exactly what it'll be yet, but it needs to be awesome. I want some adventure.

So, this just happened...



Yup. Back to the Pacific Crest Trail on the southern approaches to Mount Hood. I should know when I end a wrap-up post with "I want some adventure," something is going to happen soon. But this was quick, even for me.

I decided to do this yesterday. I haven't been able to get out due to work and/or weather (it's a sheet of ice outside right now), so when a Mount Hood 50 sign up notice popped up on Facebook ... and I realized the date coincided with vacation time I have already taken off ... it seemed the perfect choice.

I mused about it on my FB page and got encouragement from lots of people -- including the famous Mr. Western States!

So I signed up this morning for the 50K version of the race. It's run mostly on the course for the first half of the 50-miler, with a lap around Timothy Lake thrown in for good measure. It's got some climbing in it, but nothing as crazy as the second half of the 50 miler -- or that Beacon Rock race I've done a couple of times. It's mostly runnable.



So! Now I have some additional motivation as I work with Alita as she gets ready for her 6-hour event in June. I've signed up to do it with her, and it'll be a good boost in the "time on feet" aspect of preparation. Alita says she'll be happy to volunteer at the event, and maybe we'll get young Alec along for community service time.

Kind of excited about this. I may have to break down and get a new set of road shoes for those longer, endurance-restoring miles in the rolling hills around my house.

Let me (attempt) some humor on this for a couple of sentences.

So, here we go again.   You'll be trading in your Hey, BOY! duties so you can go at it again.  Are you suffering from REGISTRATION MADNESS?  That little demon in your computer pops up with "REGISTER NOW!!!" and like in "The Manchurian Candidate" you register for a race.  Lordy, Lordy.  And what a benefit to your family that you're vacation is going to be spent up there.  Poor  little Alec.   And at such an impressionable age, too.   Just don't ask me to register, so you don't become DFL again.

Okay, that should do.


Well, we usually need a carrot out there to make the running justified.  Good luck with the training and if you need any further help on motivation, just let me know!

Now, drop and run me 20!!

Heh. Nice.

And a good thing I registered when I did. The thing sold out in just over eight hours.

You should get an appearance fee for motivating others to fill the race out.

ounce wrote:You should get an appearance fee for motivating others to fill the race out.

I know, right?

---

Oops, forgot to add this walk in from yesterday.

Walk: 2 miles

Weather: Overcast and cold, with slush and ice all over. 33° and breezy. Gear: Terra Kigers

With snow and ice all over, we took the car to the tire store to swap in our snow tires, then headed out for a walk to a lunch place about a mile away while we were waiting our turn.

I wore my Nike Terra Kigers, which were nice and cushy and had decent traction on snow and ice. They compressed the fifth metatarsal area on my left foot, though, but I didn't notice the soreness until later. Boy, I wish shoes fit me better.

A nice walk, and I felt it later... it's good core work keeping upright on slippery surfaces.

Low HR Run: 4.43 miles

Weather: Chilly and mostly cloudy. 35° Gear: Altra Instincts, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves. Didn't take water.

It's been a while since a run (Dec. 27, then Dec. 15 before that), and boy was it evident this morning. First off, it was difficult to motivate me to get out the door -- even though I have now committed to TWO events this summer -- and the run wasn't exactly a picnic, either. Pacing was off, perceived effort was high, and I had to do a lot of jog-walking in the second half of the run to keep my HR at least close to my target.

It's nice to have a slightly crappy run like this as a starting point. Plenty of room for improvement!

Walked first 5, last 8? Average HR for entire run: 129. Max 160 (pushed it up one brief incline)

I am not concerned about your motivation.  These are just the last days of summer before you head back to college kind of runs.  Sleeping till noon while you can kind of days.

ounce wrote:I am not concerned about your motivation.  These are just the last days of summer before you head back to college kind of runs.  Sleeping till noon while you can kind of days.

Speaking of sleeping, do you ever sleep? I saw your posting time and was amazed. Were you still up, or had you gotten up extraordinarily early?

Thought I wasn't going to be able to get a longer trail run in on Monday but an appointment I had cancelled, so I'll be able to do it. The weather is warming up incrementally, too, so that'll be nice. I've yet to acclimate to actual cold weather this year.

If all goes well, Alita and I will be out there tomorrow for a walk, too. That'll be nice.

Oops. Forgot to post this yesterday:

Hike: 2.5 miles

Weather: Clear with varied temps, chilly to milder. Gear: Nike Terra Kigers, street clothes

A walk in the northern reaches of Whipple Creek Park, showing Alita some more unmarked trails well off the beaten path. The trails were pretty muddy but not bog-like. It slowed us down, but the views were worth it.

----

And today...

Low HR Run: 2.3 miles

Weather: Cold, rainy and kinda icy outside. Warm inside. 70° Gear: Altra Instincts

With an icy driveway, rain and temps in the low to mid 30s, I opted for the treadmill this morning. My goal right now is to get moving as often as possible, any way possible, so I'm not proud.

After a warmup, I set the TM at a 12/mi pace and left it there. My HR crept up more than I'd like, so I decided to call it good after 2 miles. A walking cool down brought me a little more distance.

Not great, but at this point, every little bit helps.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 125 Max: 150

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:I am not concerned about your motivation.  These are just the last days of summer before you head back to college kind of runs.  Sleeping till noon while you can kind of days.

Speaking of sleeping, do you ever sleep? I saw your posting time and was amazed. Were you still up, or had you gotten up extraordinarily early?

Well, I've found that being in taper means that I'm not running as much.  So, instead of being behind in sleep, I'm ahead and it's harder to fall back to sleep in the middle of the night.

Mark B wrote:Oops. Forgot to post this yesterday:

Hike: 2.5 miles

Weather: Clear with varied temps, chilly to milder. Gear: Nike Terra Kigers, street clothes

A walk in the northern reaches of Whipple Creek Park, showing Alita some more unmarked trails well off the beaten path. The trails were pretty muddy but not bog-like. It slowed us down, but the views were worth it.

----

And today...

Low HR Run: 2.3 miles

Weather: Cold, rainy and kinda icy outside. Warm inside. 70° Gear: Altra Instincts

With an icy driveway, rain and temps in the low to mid 30s, I opted for the treadmill this morning. My goal right now is to get moving as often as possible, any way possible, so I'm not proud.

After a warmup, I set the TM at a 12/mi pace and left it there. My HR crept up more than I'd like, so I decided to call it good after 2 miles. A walking cool down brought me a little more distance.

Not great, but at this point, every little bit helps.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 125 Max: 150

Ooh, how about putting Fluff on a leash and tying him to the TM, so he can get some exercise!!!  How about a photo of THAT!

Fluff on the TM? Boy, imagine the shedding...

---

Strength work: Hips and arms

Clamshells, each side: 50 reps
Side leg lifts, each side: 50 reps
Leg circles, each side: 50 reps

Also, just for Ounce:

Push-ups! 2 sets of 10. (First on toes, second on knees. Wow, is my upper body weak!)

Trying to focus on specific areas, doing a little less time, hopefully more often. And arms, because... well, arms. And because push-ups are a good core workout, too.

I don't know if you have access to a piece of equipment like this, but I've been doing these lately and have been amazed at the amount of work it forces upon the hamstrings in addition to it being very good for the core.  I've been using a 15 lb dumbbell to add to the degree of difficulty.  You can simulate this by using one of the inflatable balls and wedging your feet under a cabinet or something too.