Trails and Travails

Mike MacLellan wrote:Nah, I knew what PCP was; my dad was a Berkeley kid in the 60s I just assume 3-letter acronyms are drugs.

In other news, this came out today:

http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/content/guides/2011/2011_CA_Participant_Guide.pdf

10k+' gain? No problem.

Or, if you want something a little closer to your new home...

American River 50 Mile Endurance Run

John Kilpatrick wrote:Sounds like fun - I'm pretty sure the nearshore fish community will survive and the vegan community will still claim you as one of your own! You went old school today!

I didn't see until after eating it that sheepshead are technically listed as vulnerable... Which I kind of felt badly about. Then again, my neighbor's a pretty responsible fisherman, really serious about the sport, so I'm not super concerned.

And the vegan community can say what it wants. There's no guilt from me, there.

Mark B wrote:
Or, if you want something a little closer to your new home...

American River 50 Mile Endurance Run

Mark, that one's on the list already! It's somewhat dependent on if I get into Boston and if I decide to race Boston. I originally was planning to run it as a "victory lap," but I'm thinking going sub-3 on Boston would be a pretty big feat and a great challenge for 2012. The AR50 ends less than a mile from my apartment, too. As does the WS100, I think. Either way, they're easily within walking distance.

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45min, 6-miler went more or less as planned; actual distance 6.05 miles. It was well over 80 out, and the run was a grind. Oh well, got some GA miles in, got some more temperature acclimation, and got on the roads. Can't complain too much.

Laziest day of my life yesterday. Really nice. Included a 3-hour nap and lots of good food.

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Decided to save myself $35, especially since I wasn't guaranteed a t-shirt that fit. And really, I haven't trained for this 10k, like I said, so I would've been pretty mad at myself if I didn't hit my time... Which I wouldn't have.

So I TT'ed a 10k today.

After a 2-mile warm-up, I walked about 100m to my makeshift "start line." This was a route that I run quite a bit, so I knew how to run it, and figured that was a good way to go into a TT. Know the course. The first 2.1 miles would be uphill (240' gain; average 2.2%), the next 2 would be loops around a small lake (20' total gain/loss), and the last 2.1 would be downhill (240' loss; average 2.2%). Not ideal at all, but I know this course, and I know how to run it.

Temperature at start of 10k: 78 degrees. Temperature at end: 81 degrees.

Started out the gate waaaaay too fast, with the first quarter mile at sub-6 pace. Slowly brought myself back to pace and kept up the pressure, surging a little bit when the hill flattened out. I was pretty tired already by the time I got to the lake, but after the first loop, I was able to talk myself into keeping up the pressure and fighting through the fatigue. My legs came back to me after a quarter mile of the downhill and I was able to start shaving time off my average pace pretty quickly. Really opened up with .5mi to go, wanted to vomit and pass out at .25mi to go, and just drained it to the line. I'm glad no one was around, because I was definitely making a lot of noise (I'm not sure how to categorize said noise; it wasn't masculine enough to be grunting, but it wasn't quite sobbing ).

Crossed the line in... 38:25. Average pace of 6:12. Average HR 180. So, I hit my C goal. But hey, on a course with over 260' gain/loss and really only 2 failed training runs leading up to it... I'll take it.

Oh, and I really hate efforts above LT. They're in no way pleasant.

Spun for 20 minutes on the trainer while watching the TdF TTT. I need a new trainer.

Here's the chart (note the dip in speed at the beginning of the "down" interval; I had to stop for a second at a light to let a car by as I crossed an intersection):

Ok.. I'll be the first to say it. You are not training hard enough.

I was going to drop over and say good luck on your run tomorrow and tell you to kick it in its butt. Holy cow you are fast, Mike. Great "race"!

Wow! That is quite a 'race.' You sound very very tough!!!!

Natalie Wolf wrote:Ok.. I'll be the first to say it. You are not training hard enough.

I've been reading this comment over and over for the last 5 minutes and I can't tell if you're serious. I know I'm putting in huge volume, but really, my at/above LT endurance is absolute shit. So there's actually some truth to your statement!

John Kilpatrick wrote:I was going to drop over and say good luck on your run tomorrow and tell you to kick it in its butt. Holy cow you are fast, Mike. Great "race"!

Thanks John. I only feel mildly wussy about not actually racing. But really, I'd rather spend the money on booze or put it towards a new bike trainer. Good luck on yours tomorrow!

Julie wrote:Wow! That is quite a 'race.' You sound very very tough!!!!

I'm not nearly as tough as I look. I'm like Jack Bauer; hard shell, softie on the inside.

Mike MacLellan wrote:

Natalie Wolf wrote:Ok.. I'll be the first to say it. You are not training hard enough.

I've been reading this comment over and over for the last 5 minutes and I can't tell if you're serious. I know I'm putting in huge volume, but really, my at/above LT endurance is absolute shit. So there's actually some truth to your statement!

It was definitely a joke. I mean... wow!... that was a TIME TRIAL for heavens sake! It wasn't even a real race and you killed it!

Pfft. I wish my above LT performance was half as "shit" as yours, Mike. You may have hated it, but you were flying.

If you actually wanted to train specifically to race a 5k or 10k distance, you'd hate life, but you'd have an even better performance.

Wow, nice workout, Mike. For a warmer day, with some incline, and on your own - not in a race - you did really well.

Natalie - You're going to make me blush Thanks for the kind words.

Mark B wrote:Pfft. I wish my above LT performance was half as "shit" as yours, Mike. You may have hated it, but you were flying.
If you actually wanted to train specifically to race a 5k or 10k distance, you'd hate life, but you'd have an even better performance.

You're dead on there, Mark; if I wanted to, I could've put in some serious 5k/10k specific training in the last 2 months. But I didn't, and I took that as a sign that I really didn't care too much about racing that distance. Just good to know that my LT estimate (6:24/mile) was more or less proven by today's run (which would translate to a 6:26/mile pace).

JohnP wrote:Wow, nice workout, Mike. For a warmer day, with some incline, and on your own - not in a race - you did really well.

Thanks John. I don't know how much better I could've done on a flat course with perfect weather, since I'm pretty acclimated to inclines and some heat, but I'll claim "adverse conditions" to make my time sound even better

Dude sorry I'm late to the party but just wanted to say great TT on the 10k! You keep improving and things are shaping up well for you Mike. Keep up the great work.

My mind has been wrapped around this whole JFK 50. I will be sending off my application tomorrow and once that is off it truly is for real! Have a great 4th Mike.

Thanks Schuey! No problem about being late; I jumped the gun, anyway.

7.22 in an hour and change today. Recovery, next to 0 effort. Groin and hamstrings were a bit whiny at the beginning of the run, but they opened up after the first mile.

90-120 minute ride this afternoon, then debauchery.

I hope you post details of the debauchery. Haven't experienced any of that in probably 22 years...

Natalie Wolf wrote:I hope you post details of the debauchery. Haven't experienced any of that in probably 22 years...

So, I woke up in a bush somewhere in Glendale this morning. Two of my fingers were splinted, I had a pretty decent gash on my left thigh, and there was an empty bag of croutons next to me. No phone, no wallet, no keys. Oh, and completely hungover.

...Just kidding. Absolutely no debauchery last night, as plans to head to a party (in Glendale, no less) fell through. So just a barbecue, a couple beers, and some fireworks at Aileen's house with her family. Was home and in bed just after midnight. Meh.

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Still, at least the ride was really good yesterday. There was a pretty decent wind coming out of the SSW by the time I got on the bike, which is pretty normal for the area, and it just so happens that the bike path goes NNE to SSW. So I decided to ride with the wind for about 20 minutes to warm up before turning around and starting some muscular endurance intervals. Again, these are turning over a big gear at a relatively low cadence - ~80, which is extremely low for me, since I tend to keep 95-105 - with heart rate in the "tempo" zone. The thought behind doing these intervals, for me, is that they really focus on quad and glute strength, almost like climbing stairs, so I'm hoping that'll translate to hills for my ultras.

After 5x 5min on, 5min off, I was just under a mile away from the beach, so I spun until I hit the end of the bike path, turned around, and spun for about 10 more minutes before starting part 2 of the workout: sprints. Did 2x (3x 30sec on, 90sec off) w/ 4min spinning after the first set. Then just moseyed on back to Aileen's house, was offered copious amounts of food ("I have to finish my oatmeal first!") and waited for her to get off work.

Chart below.

Today's run: 7.99 w/ the last 2.06 as a net-uphill at new-MP effort (6:42 NGP). About to head out on a ~2hr spin with a buddy I met through the local Deaf events. He's a barefoot runner, too, but hasn't been consistent enough with it to get much past a few miles at a time.

Ouch. 90 degrees, 8-10mph crosswind for most of the ride (directly perpendicular to the road), and my buddy definitely sandbagged himself.

"Oh, I think I can do about 2 hours, so let's say 25 miles?" Okay, 12.5 is slow as snot, so I adjusted my other workouts accordingly, making yesterday's ride a high-moderate effort and today's run a low-moderate one. What my buddy didn't tell me is that he's a really good climber. And considering the ride is essentially 7 miles steady uphill with a bite at the end followed by 7 down (and then back again), he had a lot more gas in the tank than me.

Oh well, got it done, talked quite a bit about interpreting, and celebrated with a soymilk/banana/cocoa powder smoothie when I got home. Yum. Now it's time for a nap before going to some trampoline warehouse thing with friends this evening. The quads are going to HATE me tomorrow.

Mike MacLellan wrote:

So, I woke up in a bush somewhere in Glendale this morning. Two of my fingers were splinted, I had a pretty decent gash on my left thigh, and there was an empty bag of croutons next to me. No phone, no wallet, no keys. Oh, and completely hungover.

God that sounds like something that would have happened to one of my college buddies! Yes, I'm talking about the guy who lost a battle with a parking meter and wore a walking boot for 6 weeks.

Jim - Ha! My influences included my roommate when I lived in Italy and my brother when he was an undergrad. Can't say I've ever had that much of a blackout before...

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It's time for a rest day. Today was the fourth day in a row of really solid work. Started with the 10k TT Sunday, then an hour run and 2hr bike Mon and Tues, and 1:45 with 10 miles GA today. It wasn't fun - it was hot and I started the run pretty fatigued - but the workout's in the bag, and I'm definitely imposing that rest day tomorrow.

13.87 total w/ 10 @ 7:25 (slight net uphill) in the middle.

Just checking in and marveling at your workouts, as usual! Keep up the good work! I tried a tempo run today, but it quickly degraded to a lsr and then a recovery run (or was it a GA run?). It was in Georgia, so I guess it was a GA run... Enjoy the rest and drink one for me...

So Mike how are you feeling? Did you take the rest day?

John - Finally finished off the 12-pack of Corona I bought for last weekend. Took me long enough... But we'll say tonight's was for you.

Schuey - Took the day off... sort of. Went spear-fishing again this morning, which included about 2 miles of walking with all my gear (probably 20 lbs total), half on a steep hill, half on the sand, followed by a 30 minute swim through green water with less than 5' viz. That was enough cross-training for me.

My lower abs are pretty torn up from the trampoline jumping thing. Too many back layouts; they always make me pretty sore for a few days.
I'm ready to get back on the horse and run a killer 3 days. Probably a double tomorrow (1hr each), 2-2.5hr Sat, 2.5hr Sun - IN AUBURN! My inaugural run up there. Hope it goes well and I don't get too lost. I'm thinking the pace will be pretty slow, since I know there's a huge 2-3 mile hill to start and end the trail.

Mike MacLellan wrote:

Natalie Wolf wrote:I hope you post details of the debauchery. Haven't experienced any of that in probably 22 years...

So, I woke up in a bush somewhere in Glendale this morning. Two of my fingers were splinted, I had a pretty decent gash on my left thigh, and there was an empty bag of croutons next to me. No phone, no wallet, no keys. Oh, and completely hungover.

With an empty bag of croutons even? hahahahah

Nice running by the way and riding. You're killer!

Do you have pictures of you jumping on the trampolines?

Have fun running in Auburn, Mike! It looks like you'll get some nice hot (but not too hot) weather for it.

The "empty bag of croutons" was a nice touch, btw.

Damn Mike, amazing training comin outta you lately. Really nice TT btw too, I dunno if I'd be willing to push myself that hard outside of a race situation.

Some crazy training going on over in this blog. I am almost scared to check it out. I might implode! Keep up the strong effort and listen to your body and recover rebuild repeat.