First off, Heather kicked ass! She placed second in her age group at the Anthracite Olympic Distance Triathlon. She was one of the fastest in the water, male or female. On the bike, even with a horrible lack of experience and an extremely challenging course consisting of 3 long climbs she did well. And of course had a decent run to wrap things up. Final time 2:55. It was great to see her nervousness building up to the race dissolve in a great performance. Go Heather.
I took my mountain bike up there to take advantage of the Jim Thorpe mountain biking scene, which I've heard is one of the best in the area. I stopped in a local bike shop to hopefully get a little guidance. I found out after the fact, from a local rider, that the shop I stopped in really sucks and I would have been better off checking the Internet. In any case, the shop did give me a couple routes to try and with map in hand I set off on a sunny and hot Saturday morning to try it out.
Things started off with a climb and then moved onto a climb. From there I climbed to a climb. After 30 minutes I finally made it to the top of this mountain/hill all the while still on roads, there hasn't been a bit of off road to this point. I finally jumped on some trails and with the help of my quickly sweat covered, and tattering directions found some halfway decent runs. This included a very steep 0.5 miles on a rocky downhill that the woman at the shop had extolled as one of the best in the country but in reality was to challenging for me to enjoy.
Overall, a good ride that lasted nearly 2 hours. There was no running on Saturday.
On Sunday, I didn't run until 7:15 pm trying to beat the heat. It sort of worked. A 9+ mile trip through the Wissahickon. The first couple miles were a little rough, my legs were reminding me of the hard bike ride from the day before. Eventually things loosened up and the remainder of the run went well.
The week:
Mon - 10 easy 1:20
Tues - 4.5 easy miles with the dog. 35 minutes
Wed - 8 miles with 4 at tempo avg 6:13 pace.
Thurs - 70 minute hard bike ride
Fri - 14 miles easy 1:52
Sat - 1:45 hard bike ride
Sun - 10 miles of biking in the morning. 9.2 miles of running in the evening 1:12
Only 46 running miles for the week but my goal was only 56. With the bike rides I am calling it even.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
On Thursday night I headed into the Wissahickon for a mountain bike ride. I had a little over an hour and I put together a fun and challenging loop. Mountain biking is bit like an interval, or fartlek workout. Fairly short intense bouts of exercise on the climbs, steady state pushing on the flats and hold on tight recoveries on the rock downhills. It really is a blast and I think it was a good approximation of the 5 miles running workout I had originally planned for the evening.
This morning I met Deirdre and new guy Scott for a long loop in the Wissahickon. It was not surprisingly hot and humid when I met them at 8:30. We set out on some hilly trails and kept the pace easy. We kind of wandered through the park and made up the route as went along eventually ending up on Forbidden Drive about 4.5 miles from the car.
At this point we were all dragging and conversation ebbed as we tried to keep things going in the heat. I peeled off with about a mile to go and headed up that damn Rex hill to my house. A great run. I was tired and spent by the end but not dead like I was at the end of the long run last week. I will call it a conservative 14 miles in 1:55.
This afternoon Heather and I head upstate to Jim Thorpe, PA. Yes, the town is named after the Native American athlete who is considered one of the most versatile athletes ever, playing both professional football, baseball, basketball and competing in the Olympics. It's a small town on the edge of what passes for mountains in Pennsylvania. Heather is competing in an Olympic distance triathlon. I am looking forward to cheering her on and hopefully putting a couple runs in.
This morning I met Deirdre and new guy Scott for a long loop in the Wissahickon. It was not surprisingly hot and humid when I met them at 8:30. We set out on some hilly trails and kept the pace easy. We kind of wandered through the park and made up the route as went along eventually ending up on Forbidden Drive about 4.5 miles from the car.
At this point we were all dragging and conversation ebbed as we tried to keep things going in the heat. I peeled off with about a mile to go and headed up that damn Rex hill to my house. A great run. I was tired and spent by the end but not dead like I was at the end of the long run last week. I will call it a conservative 14 miles in 1:55.
This afternoon Heather and I head upstate to Jim Thorpe, PA. Yes, the town is named after the Native American athlete who is considered one of the most versatile athletes ever, playing both professional football, baseball, basketball and competing in the Olympics. It's a small town on the edge of what passes for mountains in Pennsylvania. Heather is competing in an Olympic distance triathlon. I am looking forward to cheering her on and hopefully putting a couple runs in.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
This morning was my second tempo run of this training cycle and I set out on the same route I ran exactly two weeks ago. A 2 mile warm into the Wissahickon to the Valley Green Restaurant. After passing the restaurant I speed up to tempo pace for two miles more on Forbidden Drive, turn around and 2 tempo miles back then an easy 2 miles home.
This time around the run definitely wasn't as smooth. I was struggling to keep the pace between 6:10 and 6:15. My last time out here I was running 6:05-6:10. It doesn't sound like much but I was really pushing this morning, while last time it came easy. Instead of dwelling on it I just did what I could for this morning, that 4 miles at an average 6:13 pace. Glad to have my workout done for the day.
This time around the run definitely wasn't as smooth. I was struggling to keep the pace between 6:10 and 6:15. My last time out here I was running 6:05-6:10. It doesn't sound like much but I was really pushing this morning, while last time it came easy. Instead of dwelling on it I just did what I could for this morning, that 4 miles at an average 6:13 pace. Glad to have my workout done for the day.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Two easy runs over the last two days. 10 miles yesterday evening on Forbidden Drive in relatively cool weather. I ran the first 7 miles with Heather. My legs felt better than expected after a long bike on Sunday. When we got back to Rex avenue, Heather went up the hill to home and I continued on trails up to Northwest Avenue. I then headed back down Forbidden Drive to Rex for my long trip up the hill and home. 10+ miles in 1:20.
A cool evening turned into a cool morning and I went out for 4.5 miles with Boomer on a mix of Chestnut Hill streets and trails in the Wissahickon. We stopped for a water a couple times but kept a fairly brisk pace, for Boomer at least. I ran into Russ, a former Philly Runner, with his dog on the way out of the park. As usual Boomer spazzed out at the site of another dog and did everything in his power to get closer.
It was a nice morning run. 4.5 miles in 35 minutes.
A cool evening turned into a cool morning and I went out for 4.5 miles with Boomer on a mix of Chestnut Hill streets and trails in the Wissahickon. We stopped for a water a couple times but kept a fairly brisk pace, for Boomer at least. I ran into Russ, a former Philly Runner, with his dog on the way out of the park. As usual Boomer spazzed out at the site of another dog and did everything in his power to get closer.
It was a nice morning run. 4.5 miles in 35 minutes.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Dealing With the Heat
I ran an easy 5 uneventful miles on Friday evening keeping things slow and relaxed. I felt decent, not great, not horrible, neutral.
Saturday was another long run with Deirdre and Seebo. We followed a route from a few weeks back that enabled us to hit a few water fountains along the way and also a couple good hills, both up and down. I felt great in the first 3/4 of the run, pace was right around 8:00, sun was beaming down, and the sweat was dripping.
We eventually made our way back onto Kelly Drive and the pace picked up into the low 7:00's. This pace really shouldn't be a problem, even at the end of a long run, but I was definitely struggling to keep it up. There were only a few miles left, I figured I could just hang on until the Art Museum. We made a quick stop at the water fountain and suddenly the heat hit me like a ton of bricks. After we started off again I began to fall behind, I just couldn't keep it up. I dropped about 100 yards back, felt a little better and decided to push to catch them.
I got within 10 feet and thought "No way am I keeping this up". I felt kind of like I was redlining, pushing myself to the limit, I felt exhausted suddenly. I pulled off the path onto the grass and actually sat down for a for a few seconds, dumping what remained of my water over my head. After a breather, I started running again but now very slow and relaxed. I had planned to run to the Art Museum giving me a little over 16 miles but stopped short at Lloyd Hall, filled up my water, and relaxed in the shade. 15.2 miles in 2:02.
Obviously not a great way to end a run. I felt crappy for at least another 5 hours after the run. Drained, like I had run 23 miles not 15. I am blaming it on the heat and possibly the fact that I donated blood on Wednesday afternoon. I don't really think this should have much of an effect 3 days later but possibly.
Time for some good news. Heather gave a me new mountain bike for my birthday and we picked it up Saturday afternoon. A Cannondale Caffeine, a hardtail bike that is a big step up from my current 8 year old bike. 29" tires, disc brakes, and 27 speeds. I took it out for a spin this morning and was planning on riding for an hour. I ended spending over 2 hours out there and loved every minute of it. I could feel the fatigue in my legs on the uphills but just dropped the gear and went slowly.
The new bike kills my old one in just about every way. I did however take a spill in the last 20 minutes which bent my large sprocket but luckily didn't bend or break anything on me. I'll have to get that fixed. I am definitely looking forward to many miles on this bike but maybe only once a week or so in marathon training.
The week
Mon - 10 miles with 10 striders,
Tues - 4.2 miles
Wed - 8.5 miles w/ 4x800 in ~2:53
Thurs - 11 miles
Fri - 5 miles
Sat - 15 miles
Sun - 2+ hours on the bike. I am guessing 22 miles.
54 miles for the week with a long bike ride.
Saturday was another long run with Deirdre and Seebo. We followed a route from a few weeks back that enabled us to hit a few water fountains along the way and also a couple good hills, both up and down. I felt great in the first 3/4 of the run, pace was right around 8:00, sun was beaming down, and the sweat was dripping.
We eventually made our way back onto Kelly Drive and the pace picked up into the low 7:00's. This pace really shouldn't be a problem, even at the end of a long run, but I was definitely struggling to keep it up. There were only a few miles left, I figured I could just hang on until the Art Museum. We made a quick stop at the water fountain and suddenly the heat hit me like a ton of bricks. After we started off again I began to fall behind, I just couldn't keep it up. I dropped about 100 yards back, felt a little better and decided to push to catch them.
I got within 10 feet and thought "No way am I keeping this up". I felt kind of like I was redlining, pushing myself to the limit, I felt exhausted suddenly. I pulled off the path onto the grass and actually sat down for a for a few seconds, dumping what remained of my water over my head. After a breather, I started running again but now very slow and relaxed. I had planned to run to the Art Museum giving me a little over 16 miles but stopped short at Lloyd Hall, filled up my water, and relaxed in the shade. 15.2 miles in 2:02.
Obviously not a great way to end a run. I felt crappy for at least another 5 hours after the run. Drained, like I had run 23 miles not 15. I am blaming it on the heat and possibly the fact that I donated blood on Wednesday afternoon. I don't really think this should have much of an effect 3 days later but possibly.
Time for some good news. Heather gave a me new mountain bike for my birthday and we picked it up Saturday afternoon. A Cannondale Caffeine, a hardtail bike that is a big step up from my current 8 year old bike. 29" tires, disc brakes, and 27 speeds. I took it out for a spin this morning and was planning on riding for an hour. I ended spending over 2 hours out there and loved every minute of it. I could feel the fatigue in my legs on the uphills but just dropped the gear and went slowly.
The new bike kills my old one in just about every way. I did however take a spill in the last 20 minutes which bent my large sprocket but luckily didn't bend or break anything on me. I'll have to get that fixed. I am definitely looking forward to many miles on this bike but maybe only once a week or so in marathon training.
The week
Mon - 10 miles with 10 striders,
Tues - 4.2 miles
Wed - 8.5 miles w/ 4x800 in ~2:53
Thurs - 11 miles
Fri - 5 miles
Sat - 15 miles
Sun - 2+ hours on the bike. I am guessing 22 miles.
54 miles for the week with a long bike ride.
Friday, July 11, 2008
The humidty has broken in Philly, at least for a few days, making my 11 mile run through the Wissahickon more than bareable and almost downright enjoyable. The aim was to just take it easy and pile up some miles. I ran a majority of the route on the trails, taking it very easy on the up hills and running the remainder sowmhere in the 7:45 pace range.
This run felt better and better as it went along. I definitely was peppier in the last two miles than in the first two miles. I love when this happens. It is a signal that I am getting into better shape and it keeps me motivated to continue.
11 miles in 1:25
This run felt better and better as it went along. I definitely was peppier in the last two miles than in the first two miles. I love when this happens. It is a signal that I am getting into better shape and it keeps me motivated to continue.
11 miles in 1:25
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Speed Before Breakfast
With a little help from Heather I got up just before 5:00 this morning. We went out on a loop around Chestnut Hill that has become our standard "Morning Loop". At just over 4 miles it's a good distance to get the blood moving but still short enough that Heather can squeeze it in before work.
After stopping at home to get some coffee going and slug a glass of water I was back out the door headed to Chestnut Hill Academy track, about 3/4 of a mile away. I have been trying to add speedwork to all of my Wednesday runs and heading to the track actually seemed like a good idea this morning. I thought a 4 x 800 workout with 400 recovery would be a reasonable thing as it was my first trip to the track in a long while and the first time I'd ever done any speed workout on a morning run. (I guess that is with the exception of races).
After 5 + miles I was more than warmed up when I arrived at the track so I got right to it. Here is how it went down. 2:53, 2:53, 2:54, 2:51. Recoveries were all about 2:10.
I was shooting for 2:55 - 3:00 but the faster pace came naturally and I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to knock them out fairly easily. Not to say they were a breeze but they felt like the appropriate amount of effort. I was more than happy with the workout and glad I had knocked it out all before 6:30 in the morning. It is possible to do speedwork before breakfast. Who would have thought. 8.5 miles in 68 minutes.
After stopping at home to get some coffee going and slug a glass of water I was back out the door headed to Chestnut Hill Academy track, about 3/4 of a mile away. I have been trying to add speedwork to all of my Wednesday runs and heading to the track actually seemed like a good idea this morning. I thought a 4 x 800 workout with 400 recovery would be a reasonable thing as it was my first trip to the track in a long while and the first time I'd ever done any speed workout on a morning run. (I guess that is with the exception of races).
After 5 + miles I was more than warmed up when I arrived at the track so I got right to it. Here is how it went down. 2:53, 2:53, 2:54, 2:51. Recoveries were all about 2:10.
I was shooting for 2:55 - 3:00 but the faster pace came naturally and I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to knock them out fairly easily. Not to say they were a breeze but they felt like the appropriate amount of effort. I was more than happy with the workout and glad I had knocked it out all before 6:30 in the morning. It is possible to do speedwork before breakfast. Who would have thought. 8.5 miles in 68 minutes.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Monday Evening - 10 Miles with 10 striders, up and down a very wet and gritty Forbidden Drive. It was damp and steamy, with an ethereal mist, spiked with shafts of sunlight throughout the park. I felt strong through the finish as I raced up Rex Hill to catch Heather and Boomer. 73 minutes.
Tuesday Morning - 4.2 miles. It was tough to pull myself out of bed this morning. I was shaking off the cobwebs from my legs and my mind in the first couple miles but felt good by the time I finished. 39 minutes.
Tuesday Morning - 4.2 miles. It was tough to pull myself out of bed this morning. I was shaking off the cobwebs from my legs and my mind in the first couple miles but felt good by the time I finished. 39 minutes.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Week 2
Howdy Folks. As usual I have fallen behind on posting so here is the week Fri - Sun.
I was happy to only have 5 miles planned for Friday. I kept things slow but felt good and jumped onto some trails to mix things up. Marathon training has kept me away from the trails but I think easy trail running is good for the legs and ankles, contrary to what one might think. It's a break from steady straight ahead pounding that you get running miles on the road. If I have tight calves or sore ankles they often feel better after several miles on the trail. 5.8 miles in 46 minutes.
Saturday was another long run with Seebo. This time around we had Deirdre join so the group of two has become a group of three. Hopefully we will pick up a few more as we move through the summer and closer to the fall marathons.
Seebo planned the route this week which included a trip onto an abandoned rail path for about 3/4 of a miles. I relaxed, enjoyed the run and the conversation and just followed the route. In the last few miles I was really dragging and was glad when we got back to Lloyd Hall to wrap things up. A total turn around from the way I felt at the end of last weeks run.
Why? I think it was due to more miles this week and poor sleep the night before. My body will adjust to the mileage over the next few weeks and I'll just have to sleep a little better the night before.
Sunday afternoon I went out for an easy 5 miles. I felt really good from the start and had to hold myself back to keep the pace easy. A good place to be. I ran a mix of trails and Forbidden Drive. The weather has been fairly cool, upper 70's, all weekend but so damn humid that even after a really easy 5 miles I am dripping with sweat. 5+ miles in 40 minutes.
For the week.
Mon - 10 + easy 1:15
Tues - 4+ easy 32
Wed - 8 with 4 miles at avg. 6:07 pace.
Thurs - 11.3 in 1:28
Fri - 5.8 in 46
Sat - 16 in 2:08
Sun - 5.1 in 40 minutes.
60 miles for the second week of training. So far things are going well.
I was happy to only have 5 miles planned for Friday. I kept things slow but felt good and jumped onto some trails to mix things up. Marathon training has kept me away from the trails but I think easy trail running is good for the legs and ankles, contrary to what one might think. It's a break from steady straight ahead pounding that you get running miles on the road. If I have tight calves or sore ankles they often feel better after several miles on the trail. 5.8 miles in 46 minutes.
Saturday was another long run with Seebo. This time around we had Deirdre join so the group of two has become a group of three. Hopefully we will pick up a few more as we move through the summer and closer to the fall marathons.
Seebo planned the route this week which included a trip onto an abandoned rail path for about 3/4 of a miles. I relaxed, enjoyed the run and the conversation and just followed the route. In the last few miles I was really dragging and was glad when we got back to Lloyd Hall to wrap things up. A total turn around from the way I felt at the end of last weeks run.
Why? I think it was due to more miles this week and poor sleep the night before. My body will adjust to the mileage over the next few weeks and I'll just have to sleep a little better the night before.
Sunday afternoon I went out for an easy 5 miles. I felt really good from the start and had to hold myself back to keep the pace easy. A good place to be. I ran a mix of trails and Forbidden Drive. The weather has been fairly cool, upper 70's, all weekend but so damn humid that even after a really easy 5 miles I am dripping with sweat. 5+ miles in 40 minutes.
For the week.
Mon - 10 + easy 1:15
Tues - 4+ easy 32
Wed - 8 with 4 miles at avg. 6:07 pace.
Thurs - 11.3 in 1:28
Fri - 5.8 in 46
Sat - 16 in 2:08
Sun - 5.1 in 40 minutes.
60 miles for the second week of training. So far things are going well.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Picking Things Up
Wednesday night was my first tempo run of the training cycle. I lucked out with the weather, it was relatively cool and the humidity was solidly in the bearable range. Heather and I ran into the park together. Our plan was to run 2 miles easy and then I'd pick it up for 4 miles at tempo pace. I would turn around after 4 miles but Heather would turn around after 3 miles, putting her about 6-8 minutes ahead of me. My goal was to catch her before we got back to the house.
I was unsure of what low 6:00 pace during tempo was going to feel like so I decided to go out easy and adjust. For the first mile I was aiming for 6:25 or so. It came in at 6:05 and felt good so I just kept it up. The next 3 miles ticked off in the 6:05 - 6:10 range. I was keeping up the pace without pushing to hard, I could have kept it up for 1 or 2 more miles I am sure. I hope to build on this work out in the coming weeks getting up to 7 miles at tempo pace.
I didn't slow down to much after the 4 miles knowing Heather was up ahead somewhere. I eventually did catch her just over the crest of Rex Hill but she was walking and I'm sure she could have beaten me home if she really wanted too. 8 miles in 56 mintues.
I had off on Thursday and took advantage by getting up early and enjoying a relaxing morning before lacing them up for 11 miles. My legs were tight from the night before and I just took things easy. I did some exploring in Montgomery County looking for the "Green Ribbon Trail" that is supposed to take you to Fort Washington State Park but it just kind of ended at an intersection after a 1/2 mile and I'm not sure they have completed the next portion. So I just turned around for the cooler confines of the Wissahickon.
I could feel the fatigue setting in by the end of the run but all in all a good workout. 11 miles in 1:26.
I was unsure of what low 6:00 pace during tempo was going to feel like so I decided to go out easy and adjust. For the first mile I was aiming for 6:25 or so. It came in at 6:05 and felt good so I just kept it up. The next 3 miles ticked off in the 6:05 - 6:10 range. I was keeping up the pace without pushing to hard, I could have kept it up for 1 or 2 more miles I am sure. I hope to build on this work out in the coming weeks getting up to 7 miles at tempo pace.
I didn't slow down to much after the 4 miles knowing Heather was up ahead somewhere. I eventually did catch her just over the crest of Rex Hill but she was walking and I'm sure she could have beaten me home if she really wanted too. 8 miles in 56 mintues.
I had off on Thursday and took advantage by getting up early and enjoying a relaxing morning before lacing them up for 11 miles. My legs were tight from the night before and I just took things easy. I did some exploring in Montgomery County looking for the "Green Ribbon Trail" that is supposed to take you to Fort Washington State Park but it just kind of ended at an intersection after a 1/2 mile and I'm not sure they have completed the next portion. So I just turned around for the cooler confines of the Wissahickon.
I could feel the fatigue setting in by the end of the run but all in all a good workout. 11 miles in 1:26.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
A 10 mile run was on order for last night. I headed out as soon as I got home from work on along trip down Forbidden Drive. It was fairly cool but, of course, humid. My step was a little quicker than most of my runs as of late and I cruised along somewhere in the low 7's. I also threw in 10 x 30 sec strides throughout the run.
40 minutes into the run, the album I had been listening to by Calexico ended and I attempted to dial up a new song on my iPod. I don't know if your familiar with this but when your fingers are wet they will not work that little dial on the iPod. My fingers were soaked with sweat and so were clothes I had on, leaving me nowhere to dry my hands. I tried in frustration for a couple minutes to spin up a new album but it wouldn't work. I eventually just hit play again and repeated the album. Oh well, at least it was a good one.
10+ miles in 75 minutes. In the last three miles I had some pain under mile right heal, to the point where I wanted to adjust my stride. I iced when I got home and felt better.
This morning I went out for short run around Chestnut Hill wearing different running shoes from last night. I had some slight heal discomfort in the first few blocks but it quickly went away. I think it is nothing but I'll keep my eye on it and stay away from that pair of shoes. 4+ miles in 32 minutes.
40 minutes into the run, the album I had been listening to by Calexico ended and I attempted to dial up a new song on my iPod. I don't know if your familiar with this but when your fingers are wet they will not work that little dial on the iPod. My fingers were soaked with sweat and so were clothes I had on, leaving me nowhere to dry my hands. I tried in frustration for a couple minutes to spin up a new album but it wouldn't work. I eventually just hit play again and repeated the album. Oh well, at least it was a good one.
10+ miles in 75 minutes. In the last three miles I had some pain under mile right heal, to the point where I wanted to adjust my stride. I iced when I got home and felt better.
This morning I went out for short run around Chestnut Hill wearing different running shoes from last night. I had some slight heal discomfort in the first few blocks but it quickly went away. I think it is nothing but I'll keep my eye on it and stay away from that pair of shoes. 4+ miles in 32 minutes.
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