Building A Better Bumblebee

ounce wrote:I guess central air is not required up there?  I'm glad I grew up when central air was becoming the norm.  Couldn't imagine living through a Houston humid summer with a whole house fan.  But, I guess that's why everyone was outside and neighborly.

We got up to 79 today, Mark.  +10 over seasonal.  Thursday, the high will be 40 degrees colder.  As far as pollen, trees are sprouting everywhere and the pine tree pollen is cranking up.  Soon all cars will have that yellow hue to them.

I grew up here without any a/c in any place I lived. I didn't even have an a/c in Thailand. I had a swamp cooler when I lived in hot-and-dry Northern California, but didn't live in central air until we spent some time in Southern California.

Some folks here do have central air, but you only really need it a few days a year, usually. We don't get hot and humid like other parts of the country. Still, if the climate trends hotter in this region over time, we'll probably cough up the dough to get it installed. The house is set up for it already.

Enjoy your pollen! We don't get accumulations of it around here, but it can lead to problems for those with allergies.

Barefoot Run: 3 miles on asphalt

Weather: Clear and chilly. 33-36 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, tights + standard strategic overdressing, shedding as needed.

Sneaking in a barefoot run before work today. My HR was still a bit jumpier than usual, with a quick rise above my target, but I was able to bring it down (mostly) and keep the average at least 1 bpm away from my target. I was pleased to see that my pace was sub-13 on all laps and sub-12 on the first one.

Average HR for entire run: 129 (didn't do a walking warmup or cool-down)

Walk: 2.7 miles

Weather: Sunny, mild. 51 degrees.

I know I ran this morning, but it was a beautiful afternoon and I had no good reason to stay inside the office. I decided to treat it as an "active recovery" walk, not planning on walking any distance or speed.

Of course, I ended up walking to Oregon.

I crossed the Interstate Bridge over the Columbia River, getting a little bit of hill practice going up and over the hump, touched down in Portland and headed back. It was a pretty day with great views of the river and mountains. The wind was blowing in such a way I didn't come back smelling of diesel exhaust, either, which is always a good thing.

Way to take advantage of a great day. I am sure that the walk helped get the blood flowing to your muscles. It looks like it warmed up quite nicely for you.

Nick Morris wrote:Way to take advantage of a great day.  I am sure that the walk helped get the blood flowing to your muscles.  It looks like it warmed up quite nicely for you.

Thanks, Nick! Yes, we've been right around 30 in the mornings, warming up into the mid-50s in the afternoon. It's supposed to get well into the 60s this weekend. No chance of rain in sight until the middle of next week, maybe.

Plants are about a month ahead of schedule at the moment. The flowering plums are showing very well right now, and the buds are swelling on the flowering pear. When they pop, it's going to be impressive. I even saw some azalea blooming yesterday. We have crocus and daffodil showing well now, with the tops of tulips pushing up.

Kinda crazy, considering what much of the rest of the country looks like at the moment.

LOW HR Run: 90 minutes (6.68 miles)

Weather: Sunny. 44-51 degrees. Gear: Lunas, shorts, T, jacket. Fluids: Refrigerated nuun in handheld (brr!)

Back at it for a midweek sorta-long effort. I was encouraged in the warm-up mile to see my pace in the 10s and my HR well below my target, but that first mile lies -- thanks in part to the HR-jacking ravine right before the 1-mile mark. Sigh.

One of these days, I swear, I'll be back in the 10s with my HR at this new target.

But this wasn't the day (nor did I expect it to be). I was a bit slower, at a slightly higher effort level. Well, I'm still trying to get past whatever was causing my problem over the last week or so (bug/allergies), so that's not really a surprise, either. Still, it was a pretty day and I made a point of thanking it for whatever it gave me. Because, ambition aside, just being out there is a wonderful thing.


(Monet, eat your heart out.)

Also, a note: I actually sped up a bit on the last few miles compared with the last time I did this route, so that's something to keep ambition satisfied.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR: 126

(The "brr!" comment related to the discomfort from holding a refrigerated handheld until it warmed up. It was rather uncomfortable.)

Rest day, with a little strength work on the calves.

I'd thought about testing out my new trail shoes at the local park, but Alec has a bad cough and is home from school. I kind of felt guilty leaving him here coughing his head off to go play in the woods.

Besides, I did three days of relatively decent work -- all at or near barefoot quality -- and my feet were letting me know they'd appreciate a day to bounce back.

I don't talk about it much, but my work shoes are "barefoot" shoes, with only 3 mm of rubber between my foot and the ground. They're deliciously comfy, but they make your feet work -- especially when you're walking for 4 miles on a concrete sidewalk. My Luna sandals are slightly thicker (about 12mm to start with, though I'm sure they've compressed and are thinner than that now), but I also go a lot farther and at a running pace. So the difference between being "shod" and barefoot is a lot less.

That means the 16.5 miles I've done this week are far closer to "barefoot" than not. I'll probably add about 10 to that total Sunday.

One barefoot running guru said he equated 1 mile barefoot to 3 mile shod until he got into good shape, and I'm trying to take that into account. I'd like to push up into the 30s soon, but I know that it's going to require more adaptation before I'm truly good at it.

One benefit/cheat is that once I start longer trail runs, I'll be in my Altras. They're no Hokas, to be sure, but they should help me build on what I've done so far with less physiological stress. At least, that's my plan.

LOW HR Run: 6.71 miles

Weather: Cool but gorgeous. 41, dropping to 38, back to 42. Gear: Luna sandals, tights, T, pullover, jacket, gloves. Fuel: Cereal and coffee before. Fluids: Didn't carry any, but got water at convenient restroom.

I've often hated the runs the morning after Daylight Saving Time kicks in, but this was not one of those sorts of runs. It was, in fact, the opposite: One of the best runs in quite some time. Woot!

There are probably several reasons why this run felt so good. I'm feeling better after weeks of fighting a bug or allergy, I had two days of rest, I stretched my quads a bit before the run (I've stopped nearly all stretching), and it was an utterly beautiful spring morning. We stopped a number of times because I just had to take photos.

Like this one:


And this one:


And this one:


As I was taking these, I couldn't help but remember that THIS is why I run.



Oh, yeah. Definitely.

Running is great in and of itself, but the places it takes you are even better.

I decided against taking a handheld with me and filled up on water at a restroom about 2.6 miles in, then catching it on the return leg. That worked fine for the conditions. My HR was a bit high to start with, but it settled down quite nicely... with decent paces, to boot. The frequent photo op stops probably didn't hurt.

My only issue came after I went to fish out a bit of grit that got between my sandal an the sole of my foot. It must have been a bit of glass, or something sharp, because my finger came out with a bloody scratch. It took a while for it to stop bleeding. Oops!

For the record, my foot was completely uninjured.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 124

Beautiful photos, Mark.  Can't wait until our trees out here start to bloom like that.  Also, wearing a jacket when it's in the 40s... ah, you soft Westies.  

Mike MacLellan wrote:Beautiful photos, Mark.  Can't wait until our trees out here start to bloom like that.  Also, wearing a jacket when it's in the 40s... ah, you soft Westies.  

Hey, some of us don't have the benefit of that warm breeze constantly blowing off of Capitol Hill.

Trail Run: 9.22 miles on Wildwood Trail

Weather: Clear, cool with cooler spots in forest. Gear: New Superior 2s, shorts, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves. Most stowed in camelbak as I warmed up. Fuel: nuun in camelbak, granola bars at turnaround, endurolytes every 45 min or so.

There were multiple variables being tested today as I finally made it out for my first "big" trail run in quite some time. I had new shoes, a new lower HR target and a long hiatus from this sort of running. I had high hopes, but perhaps I wasn't  being realistic.

This was rough. Which is too bad, because it was a beautiful day. But my legs are unaccustomed to climbing even this much (which isn't that much), and I've never attempted trails with a HR target so low. And new shoes. Yeah, that, too.

Nothing really went well. The shoes felt odd and maybe a bit loose in the heel, which may lead to blistering problems on longer runs. The climbs seemed bigger and boy, could I feel them. And that HR thing. Yeah. I was blowing past my target even going DOWNhill. That's going to be a tough one to hit out there.

So I had plenty to think about as I slogged through the woods, and not much in the way of answers. I am considering returning the shoes, though I haven't the slightest idea what I'd get instead.

Phooey. At least it was pretty. I'd show you photos, but my iPhone crashed on me a mile in and left me out of touch until it miraculously rebooted when I was back in the car. Yup. One of those sorts of days.

Here's a map and a elevation chart, though the estimate elevation gain/loss is off by a LOT, I'm sure.



Walked first and last 5 minutes, and a whole lot during the run. Average HR for entire run (including walking sections): 129

Oop. My iPhone did save the photo before it crashed, so here it is:



Not the most spectacular view I had today, but it'll have to do.

I'd planned on a lunchtime walk for some active recovery today, but work intervened. So it's just pure rest.

Probably just as well. It was first back-to-back involving an extended Monday effort on the trails, and I could feel it. I know it shouldn't surprise me -- I haven't really pushed into this area since training for Mount Hood -- but it still does.

Being out there, struggling with the new limitations I've imposed on myself, I had plenty of time to engage in all sorts of self-reflection. You know, the whole "honestly, what is it that you really want?" type of questions that demand impossibly simple answers.

What do I want? That's a good question.

Initially, I thought this: I want to be fast. I'm tired of slogging, doing things that seem to only slow me down. Changing terrain. Changing footwear. Changing training tactics. Changing form (or at least trying to).

I know that the desire to get faster is an underlying reason behind all this experimentation ... but for now, at least, it's put me behind the back of the pack. At the paces I hit yesterday on the trail, I would not hit cutoffs on most trail races. And I have one coming up in June.

Which, as I was shuffle-walking through the woods, led me to reflect, and realize there was another answer.

Which is probably the actual answer: I want to be right.

The fact that the realization made me burst out laughing may be a hopeful sign.

I'm constantly amazed at the willpower you have to train at a low HR level.  And also your willingness to try new things even if in the short term they slow you down.  I can understand the frustration...sort of...I've never been willing/able to give up the short term gains to work towards the long term gains.  I'm often told that I need to increase my cadence or work on my foot strike or something.  My answer is that's a good idea...after this training cycle.  And years later I'm still running at the same cadence, with the same foot strike, in the same shoes...well a new pair of the same shoes...

Good luck on your journey...glad to here that you're still able to laugh out loud as you ponder the path you'll follow.

nkrichards wrote:I'm constantly amazed at the willpower you have to train at a low HR level.  And also your willingness to try new things even if in the short term they slow you down.  I can understand the frustration...sort of...I've never been willing/able to give up the short term gains to work towards the long term gains.  I'm often told that I need to increase my cadence or work on my foot strike or something.  My answer is that's a good idea...after this training cycle.  And years later I'm still running at the same cadence, with the same foot strike, in the same shoes...well a new pair of the same shoes...

Good luck on your journey...glad to here that you're still able to laugh out loud as you ponder the path you'll follow.

Thanks, Nancy!

I'm glad that I can sometimes step back from myself enough to watch various parts of my ego jousting. When I can distance myself from myself... it can be hugely entertaining.

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles

Weather: Rainy, 52. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T, jacket, hat for rain (tossed for last two laps, just in time for more rain)

A barefoot run on wet asphalt before work. My legs were wanting to go a bit faster than my HR wanted to allow, so I was playing the speed-up, slow-down game a lot. Looking back at my HR data, I see that I didn't do that great of a job of it, but it was nice to see all the splits below 13, and one of the splits below 12.

Note: I think my body is trying to fight off a cold that's laid out two members of my family so far. That may have an impact on the run.

No walking warm-up or cool-down. Average HR for entire run: 131 (oops!)

LOWish HR Run: 90 minutes 6.48 miles

Weather: Blue skies, puffy white clouds, LOTS of pollen, warm. 57-62 degrees. Gear: Luna sandals, shorts, T. Fuel: Granola bar before, carried water in handheld.

I am not sure whether I'm fighting off a nasty cold (it's felled my wife and child already) or having a significant allergic response to the explosion of blooming things outside. The smell of the blooms on some stretches of the run was overpowering.

Cold or allergies, it had an impact on the run.

I ran much slower than usual, with a HR consistently higher than my target. At first, I thought it was a HR strap error, because my HR was jumping all over the place. The erratic nature settled down once I'd started to "glow," but the HR remained elevated. I almost cut the run short, at 60 minutes, but it was such a pretty day with amazingly comfortable temperatures... so I pressed on.

I don't think it hurt me. Looking at my times, I see my pace didn't fall off much - and in one mile sped up a bit.

When I got home, I threw my clothes in the wash and dived in the shower to get the pollen off me, just in case it is allergies. If it's a cold, well, I'll figure that out pretty quickly if the symptoms ramp up.

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

Well, phooey.

I was planning to do a shorter trail run today to mix things up a bit and test out my new Altra Superior 2s, which had worried me a bit in my run in Forest Park on Monday. I decided to head out to my local trail near my house and try to avoid mud, just in case I had to take the shoes back.


(The shoes.)

Well, they're in the midst of a huge rehab project in the park and are running heavy equipment all over. That means... no trail access. Still, nobody was doing anything on the big gravel downhill section from where I parked, so I figured I'd at least test out how the shoes responded on steep slopes.

I'm glad I did, because they failed utterly. My toes slid forward right into the end of the toebox. The toebox on this version of the Superior is smaller than the original anyway, and this shoe does not lock my foot in sufficiently. I'd noticed my heel swimming around in my shoe on Monday -- I even developed a hot spot. And one toenail is still a little sore from riding forward into the end of the shoe.

I cranked down the lacing to the point of pain, and it was a little better... but the toes still slid into the end.

Once again, a shoe was "upgraded" to the point of unwearability. Sigh.

On the good side, though, I didn't get the shoes very dirty in either of the runs. I was able to clean them up enough for the friendly local shoe store to give me a full refund. Considering how much they cost, that was a very good thing.

So... that leaves with with *only* my original Superiors, which have 273 miles on them and are a little beat up, and my Nike Terra Kigers, which are a little less minimal (4 mm drop compared to 0 mm on the Altras) and are an unknown on extended trail runs. (They have only 27 miles on them.) There are also my Luna sandals, but I don't think I'm quite ready for something that out there -- mostly because I can't stand it when grit gets trapped between my foot and the sandal.

I guess I'll experiment with both of them and see if they'll serve my purposes for what I'm doing this year. They actually might, which would mean I just extricated myself from spending $110 that I didn't need to. You know... that money would go nicely toward one of those dandy bottle-carrying race vests... hm.

Oops. The cold that's been lurking around the house, infecting my wife and child, has not got its hooks in me. Not horribly, at least not yet, but enough that I'm going to ditch my run tomorrow morning.

My elevated HR on Thursday was a clue this was coming, so I'm not entirely surprised.

With any luck, I might be up for something on Monday. Pretty please? I need to get by my body used to trails again. Ideally BEFORE my race in June.

Hey Mark, just checking in. I've purchased the Lone Peak 2 and the Olympus and really like both of those shoes.  I was thinking that the Superior may be a nice addition that brings together the best of the two.  It's disappointing to read your poor review of the shoe.  I don't know exactly what you're looking for or I may be able to help.  I don't feel that the LP or the Olympus do a great job of cinching down your foot so that they don't slide forward into the toe box.  

On another note, I see that you're planning a race in June.  Which race are you doing?

T Miller wrote:Hey Mark, just checking in. I've purchased the Lone Peak 2 and the Olympus and really like both of those shoes.  I was thinking that the Superior may be a nice addition that brings together the best of the two.  It's disappointing to read your poor review of the shoe.  I don't know exactly what you're looking for or I may be able to help.  I don't feel that the LP or the Olympus do a great job of cinching down your foot so that they don't slide forward into the toe box.  

On another note, I see that you're planning a race in June.  Which race are you doing?

Hi Tim! Thanks for stopping by.

Please, please, please don't ever take any review I write on shoe fit at face (foot?) value, considering the fact that my feet are, technically, deformed. I've tried on a lot of trail shoes that were great -- were it not for the fact that my toes would get crushed. My serpentine foot wants to slither forward, it seems. That was the case in these shoes, which otherwise seemed good and had great ground feel. I'd at least try them on, if I were you. You may love them.

I've found that a more curved last helps for me, as does a shape and lacing system that allows for toe splay but still prevents my foot from sliding forward. It's kind of a challenge, but I'll find something that works. I still have my original somewhat-worn Superiors, as well as some newish Terra Kigers that seem pretty good. And sandals that *might* work on trails that aren't too technical. And bare feet, if all else fails.

As for the race: I am signed up for the Beacon Rock 50K in June. It has a 25K option in case I need to drop down (which is a distinct possibility, considering how long it's taking to get back in shape after last year). It's a loop course, so I wouldn't miss anything if I only ended up doing one lap. I've run there before, and it's quite challenging -- with 3,700 feet of gain in the 25K alone -- but with amazing views that make the heart go pit-a-pat.

Mark B wrote:Oops. The cold that's been lurking around the house, infecting my wife and child, has not got its hooks in me. Not horribly, at least not yet, but enough that I'm going to ditch my run tomorrow morning.

My elevated HR on Thursday was a clue this was coming, so I'm not entirely surprised.

With any luck, I might be up for something on Monday. Pretty please? I need to get by my body used to trails again. Ideally BEFORE my race in June.

Nope! My symptoms were worse today, AND I got called in to work on my day off, so no trail adventure for me despite glorious weather. I did manage to get my taxes done this morning, which is good, though the amount we owed nicely ate up the money I got back when I returned the shoes, and a bit more. Oh well. We owed a lot less than last year.

I should get a day off later this week, and hopefully by then my cold/allergies will be better. I finally broke down and got some Flonase anti-alergy corticosteroid (there go my Olympics dreams, I suppose) in the hopes it'll give me some help battling the amazing onslaught of pollen we're having this year. I could use the help; regular antihistamines aren't cutting it.

Ah, one thing I'm not missing about the west coast - allergies.  We've got the wind here, but no pollen yet.  

Taxes stink.  'Nuff said.

Note about bottle vests...  I got one for Christmas (Ultimate Direction Race something-er-rather) and have mixed feelings.  I wouldn't want to actually run a race with it, because the fit is such that the bottles are pretty uncomfortable for the first few miles.  Maybe I just don't have it adjusted right, but the rubbing on the pecs gets unbearably itchy and ugh before finally settling down.  Typically with full bottles, mind you.  My brother has switched his out to smaller ones (10-12oz instead of 24-28) and has no issues.  He can also slide his phone in with the bottles this way.  Then again, that means you only have about 1-2hr of water instead of 2-4.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Ah, one thing I'm not missing about the west coast - allergies.  We've got the wind here, but no pollen yet.  

Taxes stink.  'Nuff said.

Note about bottle vests...  I got one for Christmas (Ultimate Direction Race something-er-rather) and have mixed feelings.  I wouldn't want to actually run a race with it, because the fit is such that the bottles are pretty uncomfortable for the first few miles.  Maybe I just don't have it adjusted right, but the rubbing on the pecs gets unbearably itchy and ugh before finally settling down.  Typically with full bottles, mind you.  My brother has switched his out to smaller ones (10-12oz instead of 24-28) and has no issues.  He can also slide his phone in with the bottles this way.  Then again, that means you only have about 1-2hr of water instead of 2-4.

I missed out on the bottle vest talk.  I looked back a ways and couldn't find it.  Anyway, I just got a vest for my birthday that is the Salomon SLab Sense Ultra Set which has soft flasks.  I've only worn it on a couple runs but it doesn't bother the pecks and it is pretty cool to be able to drink from the bottle without taking it out of the vest and there is no straw involved since it collapses while you drink.  Another nice thing about that is that they don't slosh around while you're running because there is no air in the bottle.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Ah, one thing I'm not missing about the west coast - allergies.  We've got the wind here, but no pollen yet.  

Taxes stink.  'Nuff said.

Note about bottle vests...  I got one for Christmas (Ultimate Direction Race something-er-rather) and have mixed feelings.  I wouldn't want to actually run a race with it, because the fit is such that the bottles are pretty uncomfortable for the first few miles.  Maybe I just don't have it adjusted right, but the rubbing on the pecs gets unbearably itchy and ugh before finally settling down.  Typically with full bottles, mind you.  My brother has switched his out to smaller ones (10-12oz instead of 24-28) and has no issues.  He can also slide his phone in with the bottles this way.  Then again, that means you only have about 1-2hr of water instead of 2-4.

Meh. Taxes are a necessary evil, but getting the withholding wrong can be a real pain. Things went seriously out of whack a few years ago when Alita started her current job, and it's taken some time to get it dialed in. I think we're close enough now.

Interesting point about the vests. I wish there was a way you could rent/borrow one and take it out for a spin loaded with fluids before plunking down the $100+ for it after trying it on empty. I could see how a full load up front like that could be really bouncy and irritating. (My female readers can stop chuckling now...)

T Miller wrote:I missed out on the bottle vest talk.  I looked back a ways and couldn't find it.  Anyway, I just got a vest for my birthday that is the Salomon SLab Sense Ultra Set which has soft flasks.  I've only worn it on a couple runs but it doesn't bother the pecks and it is pretty cool to be able to drink from the bottle without taking it out of the vest and there is no straw involved since it collapses while you drink.  Another nice thing about that is that they don't slosh around while you're running because there is no air in the bottle.

I only made an oblique reference to a vest, Tim, so you didn't miss a discussion. Most of my trails lack a ready source of water, so I have to go out with a big Camelbak when I go longer than an hour or so. It's also good for stashing layers. But it's bulky and a pain to refill during a race. I have carried bottles in my hands, but it gets kind of distracting and difficult to access food that way, and there's no way to stash layers. There's probably no easy solution.

The vest you got does look interesting, though. I've seen a lot of talk about softflasks as a way to stop the slosh. I wonder how easy they go in and out of the pockets, though, since they seem to lack the smooth bottle shape. Hm. I expect a full report!

---

Speaking of reports, I started my experiment with Flonase (OTC) this morning. I used a similar product years ago with good results, so I'm hoping that this will get my sinuses under control. I've had a sinus-type headache off and on since the start of February, with periods of fatigue that have had me playing the am-I-or-am-I-not-sick game for far too long. (I keep deciding I'm not actually sick, since my temperature never climbs above 97.6° -- and the symptoms never. go. away.)

It takes a few days for the benefit of the medicine to kick in (my sinuses are stinging a bit now after the first dose), but if my symptoms actually ease up, I'll be very happy. I usually only have mild allergies, but our early mlld spring has led to truly epic blossom displays -- and tree pollen counts.

One other bit of good news. The packaging for the Flonase said it is not in the same family as anabolic steroids, so it is allowed for use by athletes in high-level competition. Whew! That's a relief.

We were in Vancouver this weekend and I could not believe all the trees that were already in full bloom!  No wonder the allergies are acting up.  Glad to hear the Flonase is "legal"...hope it helps.

I got a Nathan race vest recently and tried it out on Saturday.  I'm not a big fan of the camelbacks but needed something and also needed a place to carry layers as you mentioned.  It worked OK...better than the handhelds I've been using but I'd prefer to run without them.  Not an option if I'm going far and/or off road I guess.