Well just a few more days until the Sycamore Canyon 30K. This will officially mark the end of my base training. I will have put in 775+ miles, 125+ hours, and over 52,000 feet of climbing since December 4 of last year when Joel and I took our first training run.
Today Jen and I did a 10 mile trail run on one of my favorites. Spring is in the air and it was pretty warm on the run. We saw butterflies, birds, and even a snake on the trail.
I ran my 5 mile hill climb on Wednesday starting out with a short 1 mile warmup. Then it was 5 miles uphill with an elevation gain of around 1800 feet. I was able to maintain a nice comfortable pace. Didn't look at my watch and then was able to step it up a bit for the last mile. I finished the 5 miles in just over 48 minutes. Mike said the fun part about this is that I will crush that time in a couple of months. I am running my tempo run on Tuesday. That may be a different story as I prefer to run in my comfort zone and not on the top end.
After the Sycamore Canyon race we are going to take about a week off with a couple short runs thrown in there. I am really looking forward to the time off but more looking forward to what Mike has in store for me. I am starting my "real" training May 1. Joel is going to wait until June as it will easier with his schedule.
Joel ran into a small speed bump in his training battling a knee issue but it's early and his base is very strong. With rest he will come back stronger than ever.
I never thought I would be able to stick to this base training but have done so and am very motivated to crush the next phase of training which should be lots of mountain runs, Grand Canyon runs, and even some runs high in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
Having Mike coach me through this phase will not only ensure my success but he is very motivating and positive as well. I feel very fortunate.
maw
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Mother F#@ker!
Mark and I are finishing up our base training and prepping for the Sycamore Canyon 30K in Santa Monica in a couple of weeks. Mark's running between 45 and 50 miles a week while, due to my work schedule, I've had to steal time just to get 45 miles in. Things couldn't have been going better, though. I've been enjoying the training and the focus on this race.
The day after my long run last week, however, I started feeling pain in my knee. I kind of panicked. I've felt this before, just before the Phoenix marathon in 2009. It sucks. An overuse injury just nags at you, but can become extremely painful if not attended to. I'm not sure if it's an IT band thing or what, but we had a scheduled meeting with our coach, Mike, so I took another day off and waited to talk to him about. Of course, Mike's perspective is no big deal. Take time off. Let the knee heal, we've got plenty of time and you don't want to have to keep dealing with this all through the summer. So here I am, taking it a little easier this week, scaling back the mileage. A late spring snowstorm is making it easier for me since it's difficult to go out running in 12 inches of snow anyway.
Mike's got a 5 mile hill run and a 2 mile tempo run planned for us next week so that he can get a measure of our fitness, then put together the plan that will take us to TR. Mark and I will run the 30K, take a few days off, then start the hard stuff. I'm really excited about my running right now and see us performing well at Trans Rockies.
I was talking to our Gu rep about Trans Rockies and he said, "You're doing Trans Rockies? You're crazy!"
Now if the rep for an endurance nutrition product thinks Trans Rockies is crazy, it really does make me realize we're tackling a pretty big challenge. I guess when you live in Flagstaff and your surrounded by professional runners and Olympians (not to mention several "recreational" runners in Flagstaff are sponsored by shoe companies) it's hard to measure your mere mortal accomplishments.
On a final note, congrats to Mike for coming in 2nd at the Chuckanut 50K. He was leading the course through 22 miles until the national ultra-running champion, Geoff Roes, edged him out to take the win. Both, Geoff and Mike broke the course record. An outstanding performance for Mike's first 50K. For you non-runners out there, Geoff Roes is a rockstar; the current Michael Jordan of trail running. I feel privileged to know Mike, let alone be coached by him. -jea
The day after my long run last week, however, I started feeling pain in my knee. I kind of panicked. I've felt this before, just before the Phoenix marathon in 2009. It sucks. An overuse injury just nags at you, but can become extremely painful if not attended to. I'm not sure if it's an IT band thing or what, but we had a scheduled meeting with our coach, Mike, so I took another day off and waited to talk to him about. Of course, Mike's perspective is no big deal. Take time off. Let the knee heal, we've got plenty of time and you don't want to have to keep dealing with this all through the summer. So here I am, taking it a little easier this week, scaling back the mileage. A late spring snowstorm is making it easier for me since it's difficult to go out running in 12 inches of snow anyway.
Mike's got a 5 mile hill run and a 2 mile tempo run planned for us next week so that he can get a measure of our fitness, then put together the plan that will take us to TR. Mark and I will run the 30K, take a few days off, then start the hard stuff. I'm really excited about my running right now and see us performing well at Trans Rockies.
I was talking to our Gu rep about Trans Rockies and he said, "You're doing Trans Rockies? You're crazy!"
Now if the rep for an endurance nutrition product thinks Trans Rockies is crazy, it really does make me realize we're tackling a pretty big challenge. I guess when you live in Flagstaff and your surrounded by professional runners and Olympians (not to mention several "recreational" runners in Flagstaff are sponsored by shoe companies) it's hard to measure your mere mortal accomplishments.
On a final note, congrats to Mike for coming in 2nd at the Chuckanut 50K. He was leading the course through 22 miles until the national ultra-running champion, Geoff Roes, edged him out to take the win. Both, Geoff and Mike broke the course record. An outstanding performance for Mike's first 50K. For you non-runners out there, Geoff Roes is a rockstar; the current Michael Jordan of trail running. I feel privileged to know Mike, let alone be coached by him. -jea
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday Morning Long Run in the Grand Canyon
I was pleasantly surprised by our progress. We ran a majority of the trail, slowing down mostly during those high steps needed to get over the hundreds of waterbars on the trail. There were the 10 minutes or so that we were stuck behind a mule train on some of the most ideal running on the Bright Angel, just before Indian Gardens. But after cussing the donkeys and their riders, we passed them and were on our way up the last 4.5 miles of the trail. We were moving well until we got to those upper switch backs. We'd walk a section, then run the next, until we were about a half mile from the top. At that point we were able to run it in for the finish. Total run time: 3 hours, 38 minutes.
It was a great day. Neither of us have done a lot of hill work since last fall, so this was a good measure of our current level of conditioning. I'm pretty happy with where we're at right now. We haven't started working on serious elevation gains yet and I thought we handled yesterday pretty well. My muscles are feeling fatigued today, but not real sore; certainly not injured. I concentrated on my recovery efforts yesterday afternoon and am starting to get a feel for what I need to do. Success at Trans-Rockies really does have as much to do with recovery as it does with preparation for the actual running. We're at about 45 miles a week now so recovery, staying healthy is becoming a necessary focus of attention. I'm looking forward to this final month of our base training before we start the hard stuff. The canyon run was just a taste of what's to come. -jea
Monday, March 7, 2011
More mileage, more mileage, more mileage and cold water bath
A little over a month left before we start the "real" training. The base running continues to stay on track, Joel and I are now up to 40 miles a week and I'm doing 7 hours. Trail running was good in Flagstaff until we received a couple of feet of snow. Joel and I have been splitting time between road runs and trail runs in Sedona and Phoenix. Our long run is now up to 15 miles and holding. We will be touching 18 miles sometime in the next few weeks.
We have settled on an end of base training run to separate this phase of our training and the next "much more difficult" phase. We are going to be running the Sycamore Canyon 30K in Malibu, CA, near the end of April. Its a run that will be similar to something we might see in Trans Rockies without the altitude issues.
Had my first experience of taking a cold water bath after a long run yesterday. I ran 145 minutes exclusively on roads which took its toll on my hamstrings and hip flexors. Ran the bath and soaked for 10 minutes. It was so cold I almost couldn't stay in it. But I am now a believer because my muscles feel pretty good this morning.
I feel much stronger and even a little faster than when we started this training in December. Some of the runs I did early I now do faster and with less fatigue. I think we are headed down the right path and training safely.
maw
We have settled on an end of base training run to separate this phase of our training and the next "much more difficult" phase. We are going to be running the Sycamore Canyon 30K in Malibu, CA, near the end of April. Its a run that will be similar to something we might see in Trans Rockies without the altitude issues.
Had my first experience of taking a cold water bath after a long run yesterday. I ran 145 minutes exclusively on roads which took its toll on my hamstrings and hip flexors. Ran the bath and soaked for 10 minutes. It was so cold I almost couldn't stay in it. But I am now a believer because my muscles feel pretty good this morning.
I feel much stronger and even a little faster than when we started this training in December. Some of the runs I did early I now do faster and with less fatigue. I think we are headed down the right path and training safely.
maw
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Progress....
It's been about two months since the official start of our base training and we're moving forward. I'm only running about 35 miles a week this month, but I'm running more frequently than before. I feel stronger. My body seems to be responding better and, best of all, I remain injury free. Snow is melting and the trails around Flagstaff are beginning to open up a bit.
Mark and I met with Mike Smith again yesterday, to plan out the remainder of our base period, and its given me a pretty clear idea of where we're heading. We'll start ramping up the long run in a month or so, but we're on the right track. We'll probably through in a run into the Grand Canyon next month as we start to find some training runs that mimic the effort we'll need for TRR. By the time we're ready to start the "real" training I'll be at around 50 miles a week. Mike suggested we plan an epic run or race toward the end of April and then take a few days off to mark the end of our base training. It's a great idea and gives us something to look forward to in the near term.
I have to say that I've really been enjoying this part of the training. We've been running in snow and mud and sunshine. It's great to find some dry trail, but I'm embracing all of it. Coming back a little muddy or windburned or cold just makes you feel alive. With my work and family life it's sometimes hard to fit in my next run, but I always look forward to it! -jea
Mark and I met with Mike Smith again yesterday, to plan out the remainder of our base period, and its given me a pretty clear idea of where we're heading. We'll start ramping up the long run in a month or so, but we're on the right track. We'll probably through in a run into the Grand Canyon next month as we start to find some training runs that mimic the effort we'll need for TRR. By the time we're ready to start the "real" training I'll be at around 50 miles a week. Mike suggested we plan an epic run or race toward the end of April and then take a few days off to mark the end of our base training. It's a great idea and gives us something to look forward to in the near term.
I have to say that I've really been enjoying this part of the training. We've been running in snow and mud and sunshine. It's great to find some dry trail, but I'm embracing all of it. Coming back a little muddy or windburned or cold just makes you feel alive. With my work and family life it's sometimes hard to fit in my next run, but I always look forward to it! -jea
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Marathon Support. Running by time. Is it good?
I spent the weekend in Phoenix with Jen as she has been training to do the PF Chang's Marathon since September. She was fully dedicated to her training schedule and followed it exactly. A friend of mine provided a suite for us down there so she could relax. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. A few clouds in the morning to keep things cool, then sunny and warm at the finish. Everything went according to plan and she beat her goal time by 7 minutes with no injuries, sickness, etc. I am very proud of her, this is a major accomplishment. Now she can start running again for fun. Do people do that?
As for Joel and I.
Joel and I have been following the same training schedule since December now. I am actually running by time on my feet, where Joel has been putting in miles. I decided to go with time so that if I had a bad day it wouldn't matter if I got 5 miles in an hour or 7, but still got the hour in.
So far its been working out pretty good although I based the training on 10 min per mile pace which I would be a worse case scenario in training.
Through the first whole month of training I'm doing closer to 9 min per mile pace which leads to more miles over time spent. Now I'm wondering if this is a good thing. I've always had this persistent tightness in my right hamstring. Maybe one of my legs is shorter than the other who knows. But it seems to always get noticeable after about an hour. Wonder how its going to feel after 4 hours everyday for 6 days. Hmm...
Joel and I have been trying to run together 1 or 2 times a week which allows us to share how the training is going, what old man body parts are acting up, and life in general. I've really been enjoying that time as it makes the run go by in no time at all.
P.S. Ran this morning and actually had to take gloves and hat off, it was too warm. Is it really still January?
Im seeing a Physical Therapist friend tomorrow to go over that nagging hammie. Keeping my fingers crossed.
As for Joel and I.
Joel and I have been following the same training schedule since December now. I am actually running by time on my feet, where Joel has been putting in miles. I decided to go with time so that if I had a bad day it wouldn't matter if I got 5 miles in an hour or 7, but still got the hour in.
So far its been working out pretty good although I based the training on 10 min per mile pace which I would be a worse case scenario in training.
Through the first whole month of training I'm doing closer to 9 min per mile pace which leads to more miles over time spent. Now I'm wondering if this is a good thing. I've always had this persistent tightness in my right hamstring. Maybe one of my legs is shorter than the other who knows. But it seems to always get noticeable after about an hour. Wonder how its going to feel after 4 hours everyday for 6 days. Hmm...
Joel and I have been trying to run together 1 or 2 times a week which allows us to share how the training is going, what old man body parts are acting up, and life in general. I've really been enjoying that time as it makes the run go by in no time at all.
P.S. Ran this morning and actually had to take gloves and hat off, it was too warm. Is it really still January?
Im seeing a Physical Therapist friend tomorrow to go over that nagging hammie. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Increasing The Mileage....
January marks the first month of our slow increase in mileage. Our goal this month is just 30 miles per week. It's not a great challenge just yet, but I always find it difficult to squeeze miles in during winter. I'm only running 4 days a week at this point and the mild increase in mileage hasn't been too hard to maintain. I've tried to keep it slow most of the time and that has really made the running pretty enjoyable. Once the running club starts up again here soon, though, it may be tempting to slip in some speed work once a week.
Today Mark and I "ran" a 10k snowshoe race. I snowshoe quite a bit, but I've never tried to run much while doing it. It was a beautiful crisp sunny day for a run at the Flagstaff Nordic Center, but I hadn't anticipated how hard it would be. Foolishly, I thought we'd be running on the groomed trails. Instead, the hilly course followed a backcountry snowshoe trail. I brought my MSR Denali Hikers, but the good folks at Kahtoola let me demo their running snowshoes. They're nice and light, a bit smaller than my MSRs, and there was absolutely no movement of my running shoe in the snowshoe. Take a look at the Kahtoola RNR22 Snowshoe, they're pretty slick.
I learned today that a snowshoe run generally adds about 30% more effort than a typical run without snowshoes. However, the same individual estimated that today's snow conditions likely added roughly 40 to 50% more effort. It was a slog in somewhat unstable snow, roughly 2 feet deep. Our finish time was about twice what we normally finish on a 10k trail race. The race was a great workout by itself, but since I usually do my long runs on Sunday, I put in 5 miles just before it started. You'd think I'd regret that decision, and I probably should, but I got a lot of time on my feet today and I'm actually feeling pretty good.
-jea
Today Mark and I "ran" a 10k snowshoe race. I snowshoe quite a bit, but I've never tried to run much while doing it. It was a beautiful crisp sunny day for a run at the Flagstaff Nordic Center, but I hadn't anticipated how hard it would be. Foolishly, I thought we'd be running on the groomed trails. Instead, the hilly course followed a backcountry snowshoe trail. I brought my MSR Denali Hikers, but the good folks at Kahtoola let me demo their running snowshoes. They're nice and light, a bit smaller than my MSRs, and there was absolutely no movement of my running shoe in the snowshoe. Take a look at the Kahtoola RNR22 Snowshoe, they're pretty slick.
I learned today that a snowshoe run generally adds about 30% more effort than a typical run without snowshoes. However, the same individual estimated that today's snow conditions likely added roughly 40 to 50% more effort. It was a slog in somewhat unstable snow, roughly 2 feet deep. Our finish time was about twice what we normally finish on a 10k trail race. The race was a great workout by itself, but since I usually do my long runs on Sunday, I put in 5 miles just before it started. You'd think I'd regret that decision, and I probably should, but I got a lot of time on my feet today and I'm actually feeling pretty good.
-jea
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