Adding Speed, Part II

And still struggling. After blowing up on my planned interval session a week ago I managed a marginally better workout this week. I'd planned 4-5 800m pieces at a rate (a guess) faster than 5K race pace. I rowed 4, and got progressively slower despite a 2 minute recovery:

2:46.4
2:46.6
2:47.4
2:48.6

The total workout, with warm up and down, was 5.5K. The HR capped out at about 145 during the hard bits. I'll do better next week.

Yesterday it was sunny and warmer than is typical (mid-30s F) and Scott and I logged a 7 mile out-and-back on the roads. 30:33 on the out (HR 119), 28:42 (121) back. It was a good workout and gave me 79.3K on the week.

Foolishness

There is a Japanese expression that is translated roughly as "one who never climbs Mount Fuji is a fool, and one who climbs twice is twice the fool."

That's the way I'm feeling about the rowing marathon. I'll do it once but it'll be pretty easy to carry out a vow of "never again". That said, I woke up this morning pleasantly sore all over (how's that for masochism?). There's no part of my body that hurts as much as the legs the morning after a long run but since rowing works virtually every muscle in the body, there's no part that is immune either.

It's flirting with the freezing mark out there and predicted to rise above freezing. The sun is out. I'm looking forward to running outdoors for an hour or so later this morning.

Going Long

Well the good news is that I got through it: 25K in 1:38:56.7. That's my longest row ever and it caps off my longest rowing week in recent memory: 60K, almost 4 hours on the rower. With yesterday's 8K run and a planned 12K run tomorrow, I'll log a healthy 80K week.

The row was tough, though, in a way that long runs in the build up phase are--they just kind of gang up on you towards the end. The last half hour of this piece was a real challenge and my pace slowed significantly. The issues were not aerobic fitness, rather they were muscular. My power was sapped and the butt/low back pain was nasty (not unlike the leg pounding I've experienced in marathon training and racing).

I took 5K splits initially, and drank gatorade every 5K. I cut the last 5K in half and took a couple of pettau splits, I just needed to shorten my horizon at that point of the row.

1st 5K 19:35 116
2nd 5K 19:42 124
3rd 5K 19:35 126
4th 5K 19:47 126

then a 10:16 pettau (20:32 5K pace) at 123. I followed this with a 10:06 in 123. What a struggle!

Next week I'll add a pettau (27.5K total), and experiment with some bubble wrap on the seat to help with the butt pain. I need to find a bar with hard barstools, so I can train off the machine.

I'm looking forward to a day off from rowing and to my run in the morning. I hope that the weather is condusive to running outdoors.

Reflections

2007 didn't go quite as planned. I got reasonably fit in the middle of the year and then suffered from a malaise (both physical and spiritual in origin) that knocked me a bit off kilter. I'm feeling pretty good now though. I'm not quite ready to put my 2008 goals in writing but here are a few things I'm considering:

1. 3600 Kilometers (running and rowing) for the year. That's 300K per month. I feel that if I hit this goal, fitness will follow. I'm not completely sold on the fact that weight loss will follow, however.

2. Row an April marathon in 2:49:37. This was Mike McKenna's Boston Marathon qulaifying time at the Casco Bay Marathon in 1982. He needed to run 2:50 to get in, and he did. I ran 3:10:06 that year, with his help and advice. A 2:49:37 row would be a very tough but attainable goal.

3. Train for and run a road race a month, 5 to 10K in distance (inclusive) between May and November (inclusive).

4. Start a Portland-based running group modeled after Namban Rengo.

5. Learn to drink bad beer. This is a financially driven goal. There is a lot of cheap bad beer around. If I switched to drink primarily bad beer I would save money and, I believe, drink less, because of the reduced enjoyment. I would therefore lose weight because I've recently learned that beer actually contains calories. So there are incentives for this goal but it is drastic. I need to think about it more.

Training Like a Marathoner

After the holiday break (2 days) I hit the machine hard on Wednesday and Thursday. Specifically, I rowed 20K in 1:18:18 and then followed it up with a 15K row on Thursday in 58:33. I don't think I need to extend my midweek long row any longer than 20K. I also feel that if I can consistently follow up the next day with an hour row (15K or so), I'll be in good shape. I'd like to add some short intervals (30 seconds or so) to the one hour piece. Monday will be long interval day. Saturday is long row day (capping at a couple of 36K rows). The other days, like today, I run. Today was 8K on the treadmill, starting slowly but running most of the second half at 5:00 per K pace. 43:30 total.

So, tomorrow is the monster: 25k. No excuses. I'll report back after it is done.

Oh yeah, I completed the Holiday Challenge (200K between Thanksgiving and Christmas) and received my certificate.

A Holiday

It's Christmas eve day, also known as Sarah's birthday in our house. I'm going to take a 2 day holiday from running and rowing. I did manage 5K on the treadmill yesterday, which brought me to 67K (total) for the week. I'll be back in that range this week.

It was warm and rainy yesterday and we had quite a bit of snow meltage. The winter view looked a little different this morning.

The Long Row, Shortened

I bailed out of a planned 25K row after 15.5K. It was a really uncomfortable, slow slog from the get-go. My HR was higher than usual despite rowing slower than usual. My butt is abrazed again and my low back really hurt. The 5:00 alarm was really harsh after having lifted quite a few pints to my departed friend Mark the night (and into the morning) before. With my regular gyn closed I had to go to my back up gym, and they don't maintain the machines well.

So, enough whining (whining would've been really offensive to Mark). I'll run on the treadmill tomorrow to cap a decent workout week, and then get back to the back up gym for a Monday row.

1st pettau 10:08 HR 111
2nd 9:56 124
3rd 9:56 127
4th 9:56 129
5th 9:55 130
6th 10:13 125

and a final 500m in 2:00 to get to 50K for the week.

Some Catching Up

I'm between wakes and memorial services, I want to log some data.

Wednesday's LR2 was a good workout. 17.5K in 68:31.9. The 2.5K splits (heretofore referred to as "Pettaus", for the Yoyogi Park running loop which is 2.5K and is the basis of many a Namban long run) were as follows:

9:48 109
9:50 121
9:50 124
9:50 128
9:46 129
9:48 129
9:39 131

On Thursday, I rowed 11K in 43:13, with a warm-up 1K in3:58 (HR 100). The subsequent Pettaus were:

9:52 114
9:50 119
9:49 125
9:44 129

When I grow the Wednesday row to 20K and then get up the next morning and back it up with a 15K piece, I'll be in full on marathon training mode. Provided I stick the long row--which I need to do in a couple hours.

Finally, I was under a time crunch yesterday but did manage 4K on the treadmill:

5:52 97
5:30 108
4:57 123
4:57 129

Life, and Other Stuff

So, just before we were to leave for Mikey's wake on Tuesday we learned that our friend and colleague Mark Thibeault had passed. Also cancer, also not a surprise at this point, but also a terrible sad shock.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=156739&ac=PHnws

Mark was a classic work hard, play hard guy. I played basketball with Mark years ago but other than that there's not much of a tie between Mark and this, my fitness blog. I don't track "Jack and a splash" (Mark's drink of choice) data. A year ago I had a Guiness with Mark and he probably knew then that he wasn't going to get better but he convinced me he was. I'm going to miss him.

The Treadmill

Back on the treadmill this morning for a useful 8K run. Felt good throughout, with the exception of my old treadmill left hip pain which kicked in after 7.5K. I need to push this to a 10K run over the winter months.

1st K 5:52 151
2nd 5:34 103
3rd 5:16 110
4th 5:02 116
5th 4:53 121
6th 5:06 122
7th 4:55 128
8th 5:45 120

42:23 total.

It's LR2 on the rower tomorrow.

In Search of Cojones

I planned an interval session this morning but didn't really sell myself on it. The plan was for 2.5K warm-up followed by 5 X 3:30 on (slightly faster than theoretical 5K race pace) with 2:30 recovery. I thought I could cover 1K in the 3:30.

The warm-up went well. I didn't have the cojones necessary to do the hard bit, however. I did 2 (1005 and 1004 meters) and then rowed 1.5K aerobically and then packed it in.

Lesson learned: the race pace stuff is tough and is a shock. I'll try again soon and be much better prepared mentally and marginally better prepared physically. I may also recruit a workout partner. Also, my theoretical race pace is faster than my reality-based race pace at this point.

Tomorrow's a run day, and then it's LR2 (17K row) on Wednesday.

Catching Up

It's a cold, stormy, snowy, windy day out there. That's my son Sam, above, bundled up but not looking very comfortable. I won't be doing my planned Sunday long(ish) run. My workout today will be snow shoveling, perhaps mixed with a walk in the storm. It's a good day to stay inside.

I had a brief 5K run on the treadmill on Friday morning: 27:48 total time with the last 3K at 5:00-5:10 pace.

Yesterday was the monster, my most important workout of the week, 23K on the rower. Other than the low back and butt pain that starts to gang up after an hour or so I felt pretty good throughout. My effort and pace was consistent and I even had enough juice at the end to put the hammer down a bit.

I took a split after the first 3k (11:46, HR 110) and then every 2.5K:

9:50 118
9:52 116
9:51 118
9:50 118
9:50 118
9:51 119
9:51 120
9:38 128

The workout gives me 58 rowing Ks for the week, and 71 total Ks. I'd hoped to tack on another 10-12K of running today but it won't happen.

Mikey

My friend Mike McKenna died today. Mike was my first running mentor--a 2:49 marathoner who guided me through my first race, a 5 miler. A calming "you might want to back off a bit here" as I sprinted down a hill, and, "keep working hard here" as I walked slowly the corresponding uphill--typified his coaching. But Mike was a lot more than a runner who maximized every bit of his talent through hard work and stoic toughness. He was a wonderful colleague, a great husband and father, and a beautiful and sweet human being who leaves behind a world that he made better through his having lived it. I'll miss him, and I'm really sad about his passing. He had a terrible cancer that he fought valiently for 2 years. I feel for his lovely family--wife Sharon and kids Erin and Sam and for his many friends, of which I'm proud to say I am one. May his God bless him and may the gods bless him.

Back on the Horse

OK, not a horse, really. Or even a boat or a bicycle. I was back on the rowing machine this morning for a moderately challenging 10K piece. 39:18.7. I took 2.5K splits again:

9:57 104
9:53 111
9:49 114
9:40 118

Nice to know I can row 2 days in a row and have productive workouts in both. I'm looking forward to running tommorow, though.

The Hour of Power

Kind of: 15K in 58:59.7. I took 2.5K splits on my watch.

9:58 103
9:49 117
9:53 121
9:43 126
9:54 125
9:42 128

A Kenyan Out-Back

Well, kind of. The Kenyans run 15K out and then return much faster, finishing at world class pace. I waddled "out" and "jogged" back. Translated, I ran 8K on the treadmill, and ran the 2nd 4K faster than I ran the 1st 4K. Specifically, I ran the first 4K in 22:50 and the second 4K in 20:22. My unique to treadmill running hip pain didn't flare up until I'd run 7.5K. My time and HR splits were kind of interesting (but only to me):

1st K 6:13 HR Ave = 132 (my tachychardia was evident for the first 3-4 minutes)
2nd K 5:42 101
3rd K 5:28 105
4th K 5:27 108

5th K 5:18 111
6th K 5:10 118
7th K 5:03 121
8th K 4:50 128

So, at my current running and rowing fitness, based on HR data (exertion), running at 5:10-5:15 per kilometer is equal to rowing at 4:00 per kilometer, give or take.

Starting the new week off....

......with a nice 10K row. Total time was 39:11.9. I forgot to turn my watch on at the beginning, but captured 1K splits after the first 2K. They were:

3:58 112
3:54 116
3:55 117
3:54 117
3:55 119
3:55 121
3:55 123
3:54 121

I'm adding duration, both with individual workouts and with weekly distance, and am therefore not adding intensity. But I'm getting tempted to add intensity. Maybe a couple of interval sessions and then a New Year's eve 5K time trial would cure me of the intensity temptation.

Finishing Up the Week

In a run challenged by packed snow and ice on the Back Cove running path, which forced us onto the streets, we logged 10.4K or so in 56 minutes this morning. It was a nice way to cap off a good workout week. I felt general fatigue and some stiffness--mainly in my back-- but no specific pain after the tough row yesterday.

74.5K on the week. I'll be up over 80 next week. Key workouts are a 1 hour row on Wednesday morning and 23K or so on Saturday morning.

M/2 Workout

Completed a half marathon on the rower today, my longest row in a single sitting ever. My chaffing issues seem to be solved. There's no getting around the general fatigue and gulte and low back soreness during and after the workout, though.

I took 5K splits on my watch, and I was fairly consistent. I'll ignore the first 1,097 meters, since that was warm-up time anyway:

1st 5K 19:39 HR Ave. = 119

2nd 5K 19:42 127

3rd 5K 19:49 127

4th 5K 19:48 128

I was very pleased with the workout. I rowed 10K on Thursday and ran 5K, then rowed 5K on Friday. 10-15K of running tomorrow will cap off a nice week. There's still snow and ice covering the favored running surfaces but I'll get the work in.

The M/2 took 1:23:19, which had I elected to rank it would place me 20th in my age group (194 rankings) this year. I didn't race it and won't rank it. I will race that distance in March, and I'll hit it hard then. My training partner, John, pulled a 1:22:45 for the distance. He would've been 57th among the 351 rowers in his age group (40-49).

The Treadmill

There are brand new treadmills in the gym, with functions that I've only scratched the surface of. They are an attractive alternative to the cold and dark of outdoor winter running. As I have found in past winters (and, also weather driven but for different weather, summers in Japan) even the nicest treadmills take some getting used to. I ran 8K this morning. I'd planned to run further but I get a hip pain until I build my treadmill threshold. I warmed up gently and cooled down at a gentle pace but ran 8:00-8:20 (per mile) for the heart of the workout.

In Other News

I've almost put my "plumber's smile" problems behind me, so to speak. A combination of "body glide"--a product designed to prevent chaffing while running, my newest pair of running shorts, and no bubble wrap seems to work well. A problem is that my low back (distinguished from my backside) hurts without the extra padding.

Anyway, I've had 2 decent 7.5K rows. Tomorrow morning it's a run. The recent snowstorm will drive me to the treadmill. On Thursday, it'll be a long-ish row. That'll be a test.

The Race

I have hit "the Wall" in a marathon but I never felt a "wall" quite like the blast of frigid air at the 3.4K mark of the Christmas Rush 5K on Saturday. It was about 20 degrees F at the start of the race and the skies were clear and sunny. The problem was the wind, steady at 15-20 MPH with gusts to 40 MPH. Needless to say, it was a cold wind--really effing cold!

Some background: we (me, Scott, and George--photos above) were challenged by our work colleagues Don (a local champion who has run 16-flat 5K and a 4:20 mile), Marc G and Marc R. Marc G has raced off and on and completed triathalons up to Olympic distance. Marc R has never raced but is a regular jogger and is fit. My team had some challenges: I'm fat and slow and our #1 runner. George is a novice runner who is a regular lawn mower and occasional golfer. Scott last ran in high school.

They offered us 9 minutes (a handicap, based on total combined time of the 3 person team), we asked for 20 and eventually settled on 15. The losers were to buy lunch, which included the bar tab.

George trained diligently and even ran a trial race--he did quite well, finishing in 27:07. I ran 23:35 in the same race and figured if I could cut a minute off that I'd be within 6 minutes of Don. Scott tried running and limped for the next 2 weeks. We were hurting.

George bought running shoes--opting to save his cross-trainers for lawn mowing--and a watch. Scott said he didn't need the watch because he had a phone. We laughed at the thought of him calling for the time during the race but he claimed his phone had a stop watch. When he demonstrated this, though, his phone was in calendar mode. This was not a good omen.

We met early on the Wednesday before the race and "jogged" the course. By that I mean we walked for 20 minutes, ran for 5, then walked and ran the remainder. George had a sore left knee that caused him to grimace with every step, walking or running. I didn't like our chances.

So, back to the race. About the time I hit the wall, Don was solidly in second place overall, on his way to a 17:28 finish. George was neck-and-neck with Marc G. His knee pain was mitigated somewhat by the fact that he'd stepped in a pothole and twisted his ankle and the ankle now hurt more than the knee. Scott's calf was hurting so much he decided that he'd be better off running (he'd planned to alternately run and walk) to get the event over quicker. His pain focal point was his right hand: he'd lost his mitten while wrestling his phone out of his pocket at the one mile marker and was now flirting with frostbite. He also had Mrc R. in his sights, albiet somewhat in the distance.

The "wall" was a fierce Arctic blast--a headwind, of course--that pummeld us for the last mile+ of the race. Nothing to do but put the head down and put one foot in front of the other, even if it seemed like running in place. I did that, and finished in 22:53, 5:25 behind Don. George beat Marc G. by a minute and a half or so, and Scott finished the same amount of time behind Marc R.

As a team, we needed less than 6 minutes of the 15 minute handicap. Our competitors graciously bought the beers and the lunch, which as is always the case with hard earned food and beer, tasted great! It was a good day.

The Race Course

Jogged the course for Saturday's race yesterday morning. It's a good, honest course--a bit of an uphill at the start then flat and fair. Much of the race is on a road which fronts a lovely beach (pictured here in the summer).

Here's the challenge: it's supposed to be in the mid-20s F with "severe winds". It is (will be) December in Maine. I suppose cold and wind is fair too.

A Useful Workout

I ran on one of the new treadmills in the gym this morning--it's a great piece of equipment that I'll get to know better through the winter.

The workout was a nice race week jump start: 8 X 2 minutes at slightly faster than race pace with a 90 second recovery between the work pieces.

With the warm-up and cool down I ran 5 miles (8K) in 45 minutes. I ran my work pieces at 7:00 / mile pace. I think I can hold 7:15 pace during the race this Saturday. 7:15s would be a minute faster than I ran on Nov. 18 so this is perhaps a bit aggressive but I think I can get there. The much flatter course helps, obviously. We're going to jog the course tomorrow morning.

The Executive Summary

and then some really boring stats from my workout this morning.

1. Rowed 10K in 39:33.9. It was a good, solid workout and a nice start to the week. I just gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the chaffing pain.

2. The machine gives splits, every 500m. The newer machines give more splits and have an adjustable split distance. But I generally row on an older machine, and I was on the older machine this morning. Anyway, here's more information than anyone needs to know. 500m split on the right, HR on the left. The first split is meter 1 through meter 500, the last split is meter 9501 through meter 10,000:

158.9 103
157.7 110
158.2 113
200.1 110
157.7 117
200.6 110
201.0 116
200.1 114
155.5 124
159.1 117
154.2 130
202.4 115
158.7 121
159.5 123
155.2 133
201.3 122
200.4 120
153.5 132
201.2 121
158.5 121

Capping a Solid Week

On a cold (26 degrees F), clear, crisp, windy, beautiful Maine morning with 5 laps of Mackworth Island. George joined me for the first 2 laps and a bit. The data:

Lap 1 14:22 148

Lap 2 13:38 107

Lap 3 12:58 114

Lap 4 12:33 120

Lap 5 12:45 122

72K total for the week. I'm tired and a bit sore but other than the aforementioned (prior post) plumber's smile issue I have no specific injuries.

The Long Row, interupted

I got 20K in today although it didn't exactly go as planned. I supplemented my normal seat supplement, bubblewrap, with a foam pad. Somehow the combination of those items and my backside didn't agree, and my backside lost out in the deal. Specifically, nasty chaffing of my "plumber's smile" forced me to temporarily abandon the row at 10K (after 39:54) and run to the locker room and apply antibiodic ointment to the blistered and bloody area (sorry about the TMI). Although I'm a little self conscious whenever rubbing my butt with lubricant in the men's locker room, this was a medical necessity. I return to the rower, removed the foam pad, and continued my workout. I brought the second 10K home in 39:38.

So, 2 X 10K in less than 80 minutes total, with an unplanned 4 minute break between the pieces. My HR hovered between 115-120 during the first bit, rose to 125+ for the second. All in all, a good workout.

5 laps of Mackworth (12K) lie between me and a very good workout week. I'm confident I'll bring it home. It'll be cold, though.

Winter Beckons

It's a cold, clear morning, 16 degrees F (I guess that's -9 C) with a big full moon still visible despite the sunrise. I snapped a couple pictures from the rooftop, one of the aforementioned moon and another of the bay. Since the leaves are down, the view is actually better in the winter.

The good news is that it's a rowing day and therefore I will not have to brave the elements (until tomorrow) for my workout. The bad news is that the plan is for as tough a workout as I've done recently: 19K on the erg. I hope to log it in in triumph later today. We'll see.

I did log a pedestrian 6K running yesterday: 32:17. The heart of the workout was in the 8:00-8:30 per mile range. It seemed tougher than it should've been.

A Couple of Light Days

It's a holiday (my favorite, Thanksgiving) and I have a tough weekend coming up and have had a pretty good week. Enough excuses? Oh yeah, and I', still capping my total kilometerage. Anyway, I rowed 6K this morning (23:50.6) and I'll run 6K tomorrow morning. Then it's the big one: a 19K row on Saturday morning. On Sunday, it's a 12K run, that'll be 71K on the week.

Back on the Track

In light sleet (if there is such a thing) I ran an interval session on the Fitzpatrick Stadium track this morning. I'm attempting to find another minute at the race on December 1. The workout went well:

4 X 1K in:

4:25
4:22
4:21
4:21

With 2:49 recovery between intervals, then:

1 lap in 1:36.

It felt tough but controlled. 8K total with warm up and down.

The 1 minute improvement breaks out as follows:

30 seconds = much flatter course
15 seconds = cold symptoms completely gone (healthy! yes!)
10 seconds = increased fitness
5 seconds = more (bigger?) cojones

A New PB

OK, so it was the first time I rowed 12,609m. I took 50:48.4 to do it. It was a good workout. I had my old workout partner John Fox on the machine next to me. He rowed 12K in under 48:00. He's signed on to train for the marathon. This'll be fun!

The 12,609 gives me 20K for the week.

No Longer a Rest Day

Monday had been my rest day. I think I can workout every day, however, given that I alternate running and rowing. I eased into with a 30 minute row this morning: 7391m.

Since I'm wired up the way I'm wired up, though, that leaves me with 12,609 meters (you do the math) tomorrow. That'll be fun!

I have a track session scheduled for Wednesday morning. On Thursday (turkey day) I'll get up and out early and row. Friday's a run. Saturday's a long row. Sunday is a long run. I should be back in the 70K+ range for the week, with no looking back.

The Race

It went pretty well: 23:34 versus my estimated time (given current fitness and health) of 24:00. I was in pretty good shape until the last mile, which almost exclusively and steadily uphill. I should be able to run a minute faster on Dec. 1.

George ran great: 27:08. It was cool and crisp but bright sunshine and not much wind. I took my hat off in the first mile and was glad I was in shorts but I was also grateful for my long sleeves and gloves.

With the warm-up I snuck in 7.5K on the day, which gives me a 51K week. My cold seems to be behind me. I'm looking forward to a good training week coming up.

The Long Row

Still not very long, despite the complaints from my low back, mid back, and butt during the row: 17.5K in 1:12:09.3. With this row I salvaged my workout week somewhat, despite my two illness induced unplanned rest days. I'll get over the 50K mark for the week.

Tommorow is a race. A 5K run on a hilly course. It'll be cold (around the freezing mark) but I hope not as windy as it was today. I'll be happy if I can bring it home in under 24 minutes.

The REAL race is on Dec. 1. It's also 5K, and the course is flatter (although not completely flat). 23 minutes is the target there. It's a fun little event--3 work colleagues have challenged me and 2 other colleagues to the race and given us 15 minutes. We have some hurdles--I'm fat and slow, our #2 runner, George, has never raced before and generally takes a walking break during his 3 X week, 30 minute, 3 mile run, and our #3 runner Scott hadn't run since high school (I guess that'd be 30 years ago) and spent 2 weeks limping after his one training running attempt. The top runner for our competitors will probably win the race outright, in 17 minutes or so, We have our work cut out for us!

After that event, it's full time focus on the rowing marathon challenge. I'll run twice a week through the winter: a 1 hour run and a 75-90 minute run, all aerobic. I believe that with that specific training and the rowing fitness I'll be able to jump right into running training in the spring. We'll see.

The Yo-Yo

Like a yo-yo diet, a yo-yo approach to fitness is not the way to go. But somehow I've stumbled into that pattern this year. Travel, injury, illness, and sloth have all played a role in my following up good weeks of training with poor weeks and as a result never achieving the level of fitness I want.

My current bad cold has been another in my perceived or reality-based barriers. I do still feel lousey and my coughing and hacking has disrupted my sleep pattern. I did log a slow lap of the Back Cove in the wind and rain this morning. Tomorrow is my scheduled long row. We'll see how it goes.

Sick

I feel shitty now. I bailed out of my scheduled 2 Back Cove lap run after the first lap.

1 lap in 31:41.

I will rest the rest of today, then get back on the rower in the morning.

The Hour of Power

Rowing to nowhere, for an hour, I covered 14,661m this morning.

I had to convince myself to back off the pace, and it was good that I did, I was hurting after 45 minutes or so. My low back, in particular, was in some pain. It stopped when I stopped, though. In that sense, it's similar to the pain I feel when I drive a car a long distance or tried to sit in a tatami room and enjoy a meal (not enough sake' to ease that pain). I just am not meant to sit like that. It may be the biggest challenge in my marathon pursuit. I'm going to try bubble wrap on Thursday.

A Retraction

I'm not going to run today. As a matter of fact, I'm not going to do much of anything. My cold has settled in hard now, and the coughing disrupted my sleep last night.

As Steve pointed out, 80K is above the 10% increase rule-of-thumb used to avoid injury. I should get to the 75-77K range this week despite the day off today.

How to Get to 80K

Monday = Run, 9K or so.

Tuesday = 1 hour row, 14-15K

Wednesday = my regular Wednesday workout, 11.4K (two Back Cove laps) run.

Thursday = 10K row

Friday = 10K row

Saturday = 17.5K row (my new long row standard)

Sunday = 7-8K run (5K race plus warm-up, cooldown)

I've written it down. I guess that makes it a plan.

According to the people who study this stuff (exercise physiologists and scientists) rowing burns more calories than running. Since I can "row" (using the machine) a kilometer in 75% of the time that it takes me to run a kilometer, at the same exertion level, I guess I need to measure time rather than distance. That said, however, if I start consistently banking 70-80K weeks and I still weigh 235 pounds (107 Kilo) something is wrong, like there's calories in beer or something horrible like that. Anyway, I anticipate that my weight will drop as I train for the rowing marathon.

Going long

I rowed 16K this morning. I allowed myself the luxury of letting my pace slow to 2:05/500m. I needed the slower pace but I got through the workout (in 1:06:36.7). It reminded me of a long run except that instead of the creeping leg pain associated with breaking new ground on a running distance my lower back and my lower than back started barking at me. But I got through it, as I mentioned, and I topped 70K (running and rowing combined) for the week.

So next week it's 80K! I can do it.

High End Aerobic

We were about to start lap 2 (of 5) when I suggested to Scott that we work to average 12:00 per lap for the next 3. We did it. Actually, he ran faster than I and was probably 30 seconds ahead of me by the end of the 3rd brisk lap. Here's the data:

To Mackworth 6:48 103
Lap 1 13:11 112
Lap 2 11:50 126
Lap 3 11:55 128
Lap 4 12:00 130
Lap 5 12:57 122
From Mackworth 6:30 124

Total 1:15:10. Friend George joined us for the first lap and ran another one on his own.

All in all a good workout. I think that leaves a 15.6K row tomorrow to get to 70K for the week. I can do that.

Fighting a Cold and....

....goosing up my kilometerage. Probably a bad combination. I'm going to do it anyway. I rowed 7337 meters on Thurday and 10K today (both effort at the 1:59.X per 500m pace, mid range aerobic). Tomorrow's my long run, 15-17K. I'm lying 40K for the week now, need to get to 70K, so Sunday will be a 15K-ish row.

Back on the Boulevard

For two laps. Cool, crisp, pretty morning. Scott was there waiting and raring to go at 6:00 AM.

The splits were:

0:57 82
10:44 132
10:32 121
8:08 125

0:42 123
10:08 131
10:31 130
8:07 130

A lot of upper end aerobic work.

Outing Myself

I've gone public with my plan to row a marathon. I'll do it (the gods, particularly those gods that control injury and illness, willing) in Mid-April. I have a long way to go but I have time to get there. It's an interesting challenge that will provide motivation through the winter. I'll approach the training much like training for a running marathon.

Oh yeah, this morning's workout was 11,263 meters in 45 minutes. Gee, if I can hold that pace for 42,195 meteres I'd finish in the top 10 (age group) in the world (of the 100+ nuts who choose to participate), based on historical results.

An Unplanned Stepback Week

I finished the week at 50K total, as travel and family obligations made it a bit challenging to get the kilometers in. I managed 2 5K runs (28:30 and 27:51) on the cramped hotel treadmill. I had a mild breakthrough in a rowing workout--a sub 40 minute 10K, done at the fitness center at Sam's school.

65K is the target this week, then on ward and upward.

The Law of Even Numbers

There must be some kind of law that made me sign up fopr 12.7K today (rowing) to make up for yesaterday's short (7.3K) run. The row went well: 51:38.4.

I've got a lot of work left to do this weekend, and I'm going away. I'm hoping for 2 runs and a row, and a total of 65-70K. I have 30K in the bank. We'll see how it goes.

Just get Through It

After one of those days yesterday when I just felt great, this morning's run produced the opposite effect. It was tough sledding from the start. I packed it in after 7.3K of running. 7.3K in 41:02, with average HR = 115.

More of a general malaise than anything specific, although my knee is a bit sore.

A Nice Row

After being up late (early morning) first watching, then celebrating the Red Sox win on Sunday, I took a rest day on Monday.

This morning, I overslept a bit and scrambled to get my workout in before the work day started. I'd planned a one hour row, I settled for 10K, given the time crunch.

The result: 10K in 40:52.8. I felt good and am enjoying these workouts. The rowing machine marathon beckons. Will sanity win out?

Champions!

The Red Sox are the World Series Champions. This is amazing. I vividly remember their other trips to the series: the impossible dream team in '67 that lost to the Cards; the '75 team that took the Big Red machine to 7 games before falling; the bitterly disappointing '86 unraveling that resulted in the loss to the Mets; and, finally, the joy of '04, with depressing play-off stops along the way in '78 and '03. And now joy again in '07. It's hard to believe.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Oh, yeah, my exercise stuff:

I had a nice run Sunday and I hit my 60K goal for the week. Here's the run data:

To Mackworth 6:50 102

Lap 1 12:43 113

Lap 2 12:11 123

Lap 3 12:13 128

Lap 4 12:58 124

Lap 5 11:46 134

From Mackworth 6:35 130

Jeff joined Scott and me for the second half of Lap 3 and all of Lap 4, it was good to see him out on the course!

Rain Delay

The hard rain today forced a switch in my weekend workouts. I rowed this morning: 10K in 41:45. I'll run tomorrow.

I'm thinking about a marathon on the rowing machine. The nutty Brits even set aside a specific day for it: the same day as the London Flora Marathon (the end of April, a perfect timeframe for me). I couldn't help but notice that my age group champion rowed 2:55. I could do that, I think. Hopefully, rationality will set in before I commit to it.

http://www.concept2.co.uk/marathon/

Plugging Away At It

Yesterday was my walking day. The commute and 3 miles at lunchtime gave me 13 miles on the day. Today I rowed for an hour: 14.3K. My legs should be in great shape for my long run (9 miles) tomorrow morning. That'll leave a 10K row to get me to 60K for the week. I can, and will, do it!

Feeling Like a Runner

A bit like one, anyway.

Ran 2 laps of the Back Cove path this morning. It was a bit raw and damp but still (almost November!) tee shirt and shorts weather. The run went well. I took a split from the parking lot to the start, at the 1.25 mile mark (there's no 1 mile mark--it was lost in the storm), at the 2.25 mile mark, and back at the parking lot for each of the two laps. The total run was 1 hour. Here's the data:

1:03 78
11:17 108
10:43 115
8:06 119

0:46 123
10:14 127
10:17 129
7:29 135

All in all a good run. I'll take it a little longer Saturday.

Taking the 60K Challenge

Yesterday was a 10K day. I ran gently with George, my friend and colleague who is preparing for his first ever 5K road race. We ran 5K together and took 30 minutes or so to cover the distance. I then hit the rower for 5K (20:45).

It's back to the Back Cove with Scott this morning. I have a 2 lap target. That's 11.4K. Since I had an off day on Monday, 60K will be tough.

I can't remember when I last had a desire for a material good. I guess that makes me spoiled. But I want one of these:

http://www.trekbikes.com/lime/?gclid=CPvPqNuRp48CFQWAHgodxEenJw

With winter coming I'm in no hurry but I do have the urge.

Going longer

My Sunday morning run was a good one--a beautiful, unseasonably warm fall day started it off properly. 4 laps around Mackworth Island, plus the to/from Scott's house left me pleasantly tired and satisfied.

To the Island: 6:48; 135
Lap 1: 12:37; 114
Lap 2: 12:02; 124
Lap 3: 11:55; 129
Lap 4: 12:26; 126
From the Island: 6:11; 128

My workouts (running and rowing) totaled 53.8K last week. I wonder if I can get to 60K this week?

Today is my youngest's birthday. Happy 19th, Sam!

The Sox are in....

.....the World Series, that is:

A One Hour Run?

That's the plan, anyway. The one hour row on Friday was successful: 14.3K. Uneventful beyond the boredom and a thoroughly chaffed up "plumber's smile".

I'll be off for my 1 hour run attempt shortly. If I can be successful cranking out an hour of sweat exercise consistently, on a daily basis, the weight will fall, inevitably. And a return to fitness will follow suit.

Today's photos are of another one of my grads, daughter Sarah, taken this past June at the University of Chicago, and this morning's sunrise, taken from my roof.

Catching up

I had a good run around the Back Cove plus on Wednesday morning. For the majority of the run we (Scott and I) ran at 8:00/mile pace. At my current fitness level I find this pace challenging. It's amazing how quickly fitness goes and how hard it is to get it back, at least at my age. Another thing that happens at my age is that kids grow up and leave the nest. Like my baby Sam. Oh yeah, I got my camera back! My Blog will be slightly less boring now.

I had a couple of decent rows this week also: 7.25K in 30 minutes and 5K in 21:00. I'm off for a 1 hour row this morning. My weekend goal is a 1 hour run. Once I can run (and row) for an hour and beyond my weight will start to drop. I just wish I had appropriate fuel, like the bowl of ramen in the photo above or below or to the side (I'm never sure where these things land once I push attach--I'll get better at that, too).

Winter beckons...

.....and so does the treadmill. 5 miles today:

9:20 at 151 Ave HR (my tachycardia skewing the average)
9:12 113
8:31 126
7:57 136
8:38 133

Still adjusting to the treadmill. I'm determined to continue running through the winter so I'll get used to it, and run further (and faster as fitness improves).

Back on the rower in the morning.

Comeback Road

Starts here: the Causeway to Mackworth Island (this photo actually captures the causeway from the island, looking towards the Mainland). And no, it hasn't started snowing yet. But it was a fairly brisk 38 degrees F when we struck off from Scott's house. We ran to/from the island and around the island 3 times. The to/from bit is 1.5 miles and each lap is also 1.5. This was my best run in awhile. 6 miles (9.65K) in 51:18. The run breaks down as follows:

To the island 7:18 at 112 bpm

Laps = 13:35, 107; 12:10, 126; 12:02, 132; and back to Scott's in 6:12, 132. I was tuckered out, in a nice way, at the end, with none of the hip, hamstring, or other leg stuff that has been a fixture to my runs of late. I'll add a lap next week.

An Ongoing Struggle

The hip flared up after about 30 minutes of running today. I shuffled on for a bit before packing it in and walking back to the start. I'd hoped to run for 40 minutes, I ran for 34:45. I'll try again on Saturday.

My row was good yesterday, 10.513K in 45:00. The music helps. I have the new Steve Earle CD, Washington Square Serenade, loaded into my iPod. A folksy, bluesy Steve Earle that is quite enjoyable.

Tomorrow is a round trip commute to work--10 miles of walking. Then back on the rower on Friday.

The Long Road Back

I had a pretty good weekend, fitness-wise, but was reminded this morning of how much more work I need to do to get to a fitness level that I'm satisfied with (and, as Steve Earle says, "I ain't ever satisfied").

On Saturday, I ran at a gentle pace for 45 minutes, a recent duration PB. I walked 5K later in the day, and walked 12-13K yesterday. This morning I hopped on the treadmill and logged 4 pedestrian miles:

9:53 HR 130
8:49 113
8:34 124
8:27 129

Then my left hip started hurting so I walked for a bit and shuffled, then jogged the final 9 minutes to get in my daily 45. I've had the hip thing before and it seems treadmill related.

I need to break the pattern of yo-yo fitnessing and develop a lifelong plan. The rowing machine helps in this. It's back on the rower for my daily 45 tomorrow.

Slowly but surely...

....I'm clawing my way back to fitness.

45 minutes on the machine this morning helps.

A Good Start to the Week

I ran for 30 minutes on Monday, rowed for 45 minutes yesterday, and ran for 35 minutes today. I am injury-free (knock on wood). I'll walk to work tomorrow (8K or so) and then hit the rower again on Friday. Saturday, it'll be a 4 Mackworth lap attempt.

I've really lost fitness (as evidence, my HR was rising towards AT zone this morning at the end of my run, despite my pedestrian pace). But that'll be back--I just need consistency, consistency, consistency.

A Minor Triumph

I did complete a full lap of the Back Cove path without so much as a hamstring twinge. Ran it in 29:55 with my HR Average at 123. For those keeping score at home, the pais 3.54 miles or 5.7K. I'll run again on Saturday.

Starting Over

I've continued to struggle with my leg injury. I have been able to run sporatically provided I keep the distance short. My fitness has waned (I have HR data to verify that). My immediate goal is to run 3 times per week and to use the rowing machine another 3 times per week. If I can build some consistency my fitness will improve and my weight will come down. So, we'll see. It's back to the Back Cove path tomorrow morning.

The Rebuilding Process

The same 2 lap workout this morning:

14:51 141
14:20 126

My fitness is off now and my weight is up. It'll take time to rebuild fitness and drop weight but I'll do it.

The Other Way

After a day off, I did the 2 lap cycle again today. To mix things up a bit, I ran it counter clockwise, rather than clockwise. It runs a little harder counter clockwise:

14:58 132
14:16 119

The good news: no hamstring pain.

Damage Control

230.6

I've tested my leg (well, legs and heart and lungs) twice now, under controlled circumstances. I now have a relatively flat, 1.75 mile (2.8K) loop that starts and ends at my front door and includes views of Casco Bay (above, with phallic symbol in foreground).

I ran the loop twice, both today and yesterday.

Saturday:

14:49 Ave HR = 126

14:16 131

Sunday:

14:38 136

13:47 121

The first lap HR stuff is a little misleading because of my tachycardia that temporarily accompanies the start to many of my runs. All in all, OK. I felt a bit of my hamstring pain this morning but it improved, rather than worsened, during the run.

I'll keep it short and steady and run again tomorrow.

Frustration

My post (well, during is when I first noticed it) BtB lower right hamstring injury is back.

I had the same run this morning that I had two weeks ago to the day: felt fine at the start; started to hurt after 20 minutes or so; at the halfway point of my run (equidistant turning around or forging ahead) the pain was significant enough to contemplate stopping; after 38 minutes, I stopped running and walked home.

last time 3 days rest did the trick--temporarily it now seems. This time I'll try a week, and a massage.

The Weekend Runs...

.....totaled 19.5K. I ran 8K on Saturday and 11.5K on Sunday. My Sunday run was back at the Island. Laps were:

12:57 Ave. HR 149

12:10 110

12:14 112

11:56 117

12:04 117

These laps are conservatively measured (by pace, HR and dead-rekoning) 2.3K.

My running totals have been a bit choppy as a result of race taper and recovery. I'm looking forward to the "build up" process. I like it. I have 7 weeks of training in advance of the Maine M/2. Other than a little bit of weekend travel to manage around (like this coming weekend) there should be no disruptions.

Gym Day

227.4

RHR = 40

I haven't blogged about my gym days but I quite like the workouts and feel that they help to keep my healthy and happy (I'm happiest when I work out every day but I break down if I run every day).

My current pattern is 3 days per week of gym workouts, 4 days per week of running. My gym workouts focus on (after a thorough rowing machine warm-up) core strength and stretching and alternately (1 day per week) back, chest, and shoulder strengthening. So a lot of crunches and planks and back extensions and hip something somethings (I use a big inflated ball and roll it around) followed by push-ups or pull-ups or shoulder presses. All interspersed with stretching. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes. My back pain is gone (knock on wood) and I feel the workout somewhat mitigates the muscle atrophy that comes with aging.

Anyway, after wrestling with the what do I do in the winter question, my current thinking is that I can keep doing what I'm doing--switch my midweek runs to the treadmill and run both days on the weekend, after the sun is up.

Strange Stuff.....

......or maybe just a function of humidity, hills, and heartrate.

227.8

RHR = 40

Ran two laps of the Back Cove path today. It's 3.55 miles around so the total run was 11.5K. The total run was 56:56.

We ran the first lap in 29:45, my heart rate was 108 on average. The second lap was interesting: I ran 27:10, which is 7:39 per mile. My race pace at BtB was 7:24. 15 seconds slower per mile than 10K race pace should be a solid anaerobic threshold pace (actually, a bit too fast) but my heartrate averaged only 128, a good 10 beats below threshold rate, during this lap. The conditions were perfect today--cool and breezy and the course is almost flat. BtB was hot, humid, and hilly. I was rested (although I was rested before BtB as well). But the run felt easy today, and my HR data backed up the "easy" feeling.

Why? Do the heat and the hills make that much of a difference?

227.2

RHR = 40

5K with hills; 27:04.

Back to the Island

224.8

Ran 3 laps (6.9K) in 38:18. Started gently (14 minutes) then ran a couple of 12 minute laps. The workout felt pretty good, the soak in the ocean afterwards was even better.

A Fresh Start...

......kind of.

227.4

I'm off to test my leg at Mackworth Island. Each lap is 1.5 miles, I'll start slowly and see how far I get. The leg feels fine in all non-running activities.

I'm excited about training for a Half Marathon. It may be the ideal race distance. An M/2 is a serious endurance test without the need for all the gels and nutrician concerns associated with a marathon.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

I ran 4 laps (9.3K total) with no hamstring pain. I'll try it again tomorrow. Mackworth is great, the day is lovely and the wade in the ocean post-run is a treat.

Hit the Road, Fatboy!

230.2 (the fatboy reference)

Phase II transition starts today. More milage, more consistency, more food and drink discipline. I'll run my regular 10K route this morning.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A Problem:

I have an (minor, I hope) injury. During the last mile of the race my right lower hamstring started to hurt. In addition, my left hip started hurting. The hip thing comes and goes. The hamstring is new, I think (I believe it was my other hamstring that I injured in 2005). All the pain seemed to be gone until I ran this morning. The hamstring injury became disabling and I had to stop and walk home. I ran 37:28, let's call it 7K. I may or may not run tomorrow, I'll see how it feels.

Boston

I went to Boston last week with Ed and his son, Tike. Sam also went. Our plan was to watch the Sox but we didn't have tickets. We finally paid a lot to get seats for Tike and Sam. We watched the game from a couple of bars, including Bukowski's tavern. The Sox are undefeated when I get a drink at Bukowski's on game day. Bukowski's has a tremendous beer selection but I opted for the spin (above), knowing that I was comitted to whichever beer the wheel landed on. I spun something called "WWJD". The J in question is Jesus, not Jenna Bush, so I drank a glass of wine, not jello shots.

it was a good day. The Sox won.

Beyond Beach to Beacon

Relaxing after the race with friends and training partners Scott and Sam. We're on my rooftop deck, the haze that was the source of the humidity is evident in the background.

Future key workouts will be a Wednesday morning alternately threshold and upper end aerobic, and an endurance building long run on Saturday mornings. Other running days will be Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

I need to lose more weight, get faster, and stay healthy. Is that asking too much?

The Race

227.0

You won't find me in the lead pack. I was about 20 minutes behind these guys.

I ran 45:54, continuing my trend of running slower than I thought I could run. I like the race and the day though, and will make it an annual event.

It was humid, a condition I really struggle with, and the hills also hurt me. I should train on the course next year.

I wanted to avergae 7:15 miles. I ran:

7:00 (nice downhill start)

7:21 ( predominantly a steady, gradual, uphill mile)

7:14 (back on target. I passed 5K in 22:26 or so.)

7:29 (and hurting. Uh-oh)

7:24 (some nice downhill stretches although this mile finishes up in what is foreshadowing for a nasty series of hills during mile 6)

8:02 (nasty. ugly.)

1:26 (After the dreadful hill entering the stretch in the park is great)

Now on to other things. Most immediately: The Maine M/2 on the first weekend in October. Serious training for this starts on Wednesday morning (8/8).

Closing In On Race Day

224.8

A nice pre-race workout yesterday: 3 miles on the track. The first mile was low end aerobic, during the second, we ran the straights briskly (striders) and jogged the curves, the third mile was an aerobic warm down.

Off to the gym for some stretching and core work.

10K Redux

225.6

The same run as yesterday only a little faster:

10K in 52:05; Ave. HR = 119.

The Taper

223.8

A little bit of a taper inadvance of Btb, now 6 days away.

10K in 52:29; Ave. HR = 120.

A nice run. I'll do it again tomorrow morning.

Can you find me?

Gary is a little harder to spot.

From the Clam Festival race.

Yesterday's Run

224.0 (Thursday)
223.6 (Friday)

A ladder (which I want to call a pyramid) 400/800/1200/1200/800/400.

12K total running, including the run to/from the track.

1:39/3:16/4:54/4:58/3:17/1:30

Recovered for one minute after the 400, two minutes after the 800, and three minutes after the 1200s (well, ok, 3:24 after the second one). Ran the second half 4 seconds faster than the the first but only by cheating--full out sprint (ok, the running-like motion I do that passes for a sprint) on the last 150 meters of the final 400.

All in all a good workout and my last really tough workout before BtB.

Keeping it Short

226.2

Ran a squashed oval this morning, out North St and down to Washington, across the bridge to the back cove path ever so briefly, then under the bridge and along the beach to Fore St. The final bit was up the Fore St hill. Nice little run on a beautiful morning.

32:13, let's call it 6.2K.

My back still isn't quite sorted out. The tough track session is tomorrow. I'm hoping for diminished back pain before that. I may need to try ibuprofen therapy.

I'm enjoying the afternoon workouts and in the long run they'll be good for my back health. In the short run they may be aggravating the injury.

A Quickie

229.2 (ouch!!)

Overslept and fiddled around and ran out of time. Got out the door for 23;13; let's call it 4.4K. I need to do better.

I've added a quick 30 minute gym workout at the end of my work day. 10 minute warm-up on teh rower, 10 minues of stretching, and 10 minutes of strengthening. I think it'll help the general fitness. My back is still quite sore, I'm hoping the stretching and strengthening helps that situation very soon. I may need to panic and seek medical help.

Recovery Run

224.0

A nice Back Cove lollipop loop with Gary. The legs warmed up after 20 minutes, the back never quite got to feeling good. I need to do some good stretching tomorrow. It was a beautiful morning.

10K in 53:54

Race Day

223.8

The verdict: 35:34. Slightly disappointing, which is a bit of a trend. I always think I can run faster than I can.

This result translates to a 45 minute 10K. I'm getting my head around the fact that I should be pleased with anything under 45 at BtB.

My splits:

6:56 I'd targeted 7:00 and felt pretty good at this point. I'd used 5 seconds to get to the start line.

6:57 This mile was up-and-down (the first mile was predominantly up).

7:19 This mile was almost exclusively up hill. The result was okay but I was hurting and looking for the downhill.

7:05 The downhill was almost too steep to be useful. I was moving well (for me) before the turn into the park. This stretch was a fairly narrow paved path that was up=and-down throughout. I never found a good rythmn during this stretch.

7:17 Continued to scuffle in the park and really struggled after leaving the park. I was able to pick it up on the final downhill stretch but this was a disappointing last mile.

All in all, a decent race on a perfect day for running (cloud cover, reasonably cool). I'd give the course a C minus but the race a solid B overall. Well organized with a nice crowd. 800 runners. Convenient, inexpensive. A good day. My own race tactics were a bit off and may have cost me 30 seconds or so. The 4th mile should've been my fastest and I shouldn't have fallen apart on mile 5. Oh well. I think I'll try it again next year.

Gary Eng joined me for the race and for the post race photo (above). He also took home first place among the New Zealand runners.

Race Sharpening

225.0

Ran 400s on the track this morning. Specifically, 8 of 'em, in 1;29 with a 1:31 recovery between the intervals. Average HR was 142 but my one random audit, about halfway through the workout at the 250m mark revealed a 154 (96% of Max). The workout was good and I hope it will prove useful come race time on Saturday.

11K total with the run to/from the track.

The Car Retrieval Run

226.0

I'd dropped my car off for a minor repair yesterday, it was a good morning to head out and get it back today.

6.9K in 37:17 with Ave HR = 115. Oh yeah, $246.31 later, I got my car back and drove home.

A Shortish Long Run

226.2

Shortish, Longish, and Hardish!

Actually 16K in 1:20:50 that felt tough throughout. A little disappointing in the sense that I ran the exact same course in June 15 seconds faster (no big deal) but a a fairly signifigantly lower average heart rate (123 in June versus 128). I attribute this to a very humid day, the fact that it was my third consecutive running day, and no improvement in fitness since the June run.

For the record (to compare benchmarks for future runs of this course):

Falmouth to the bottom of State Street 35:08; Ave. HR = 119
Up State Street Hill (to Congress) 2:58; Ave. HR = 137
Down State to Commercial 4:19; 128
Commercial to the East End Bike Path 7:24; 132
The Bike Path to the East end Beach 7:23; 132
East End Beach to the Back Cove Path 8:03; 136
Back Cove Path to Scott's House 15:33; 139

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On balance, a decent training week. 47K that included a lot of time (50% of total) at theoretical marathon race pace (yes, thinking more about this) and a 6 X 1K VO2 Max session. I need another good week and a decent race on Saturday (the Clam Festival Classic/5 miles).

Sightseeing Run

224.2

A pleasant 56:41 run today with Gary Eng. Let's call it 10.2k (since I like even numbers and the previous day was 9.8K). We ran from the East End to the West End and back, through the Old Port, Monument and Longfellow Squares, and along Congress St. We arrived back at the East End Beach just as the Peaks-to-Portland (swim) race was finishing. It was fun watching the swimmers come in.

10K on This Day

225.4

A lovely morning to be up, out, and on the road.

9.8K in 50:04. Found that 8:00/mile (theoretical marathon race pace) for the back Cove bit that makes up the bulk on this run. Also found the higher end (80%) of the aerobic zone during that time.

Tomorrow's run will be similar in time and distance, and will be with old friend Gary Eng, who is due to arrive in Portland this afternoon.

Reality Bites

227.2

44, not 42, now seems like an appropriate BtB target. This is my reality. I'll still need to work hard to get there. Today's workout was a good one:

11k total with 6 X 1K in 4:09 with 2:45 recovery.

The rule of thumb on this (VO2 Max) workout is to run the pieces between 5K and 3K race pace, which is the pace I ran. The workout felt pretty good, and my low back pain disappeared after the warm-up. My HR audits (at the 600m mark of each work piece) seemed low, although I was at 95% of Max during the last one. All in all a good workout.

In Search of......

.......ramen.

There's a sushi joint by my new place (a 10 minute walk) that features inexpensive sushi and $2 pints of Kirin Ichiban on draft during the weekday 4:00-6:30 happy hour. The ita-san is from Kobe. The TV above the sushi bar is always tuned to some silly Japanese game show, it seems. If I close my eyes I am temporarily back in Tokyo. It's nice. The sushi is good and fresh and while the beer is mediocre, it is authentic.

But, to get ramen, I must go to New York City. So, after my run this morning and a work day, we're off! Oh yeah, also on the agenda is moving daughter Sarah into her new place (84th and 1st) to start her new job and her new, post-collegiate life.

I'm planning to dine on Hakata Ramen:


Looks pretty good, don't you think?

This offering is from Menchanko-Tei, midtown:

http://www.menchankotei.com/

I'm off to run. I need to:

227.0 (damn!)

The run: pretty good. After a 20 minute warm-up Scott and I settled in to that 8:00 mile pace, or near it, and ran for 1:20:39 total. Let's call it 15K.

Stretch and Strengthen....

.....my back, that is. With 5K on the rower and a nice stretching session.

225.4

RHR = 39

Race Day

225.4

RHR = 37

A great little race in a small summer beach community. The course is fast and flat, the conditions almost perfect (72 degrees F with a gentle sea breeze, there's also a lot of shade on the course). It's a bit crowded and slow at the start but I ran unencumbered by anything other than my own legs, heart, and lungs for almost the entire race.

The verdict: 21:15.

Splits:

6:56 (I lost 8 seconds getting to the start line) at Ave HR 148

6:48; 153

7:32 (1.1 miles) at 151

Essentially, I ran 6:48 miles. The deal is that I'm slow. I need to acknowledge my 42:00 BtB won't happen and set a new target.

With warm-up: 8.5K on the day.

An Easy Start to the Week

225.4

RHR = 36

Gym day today: 5K on the rower and a thorough stretch. My back seems to be coming around but it is still a bit sore.

Tomorrow's race will be an interesting test. We have mile splits, I want to hit the first one (well, each of them) at 6:40 or so and adjust from there. If the course is fair, and the day is fair, and I run with a hard, honest effort I should run under 20:45. If I don't, I'll need to back off my BtB goal.

Sunday Long Run

227.6

I ate and drank too much on Saturday and it was a struggle to find rythmn on the long run. I got there eventually, however, with a big assist from training partner Scott. We ran down the hill to the East End Beach (4:44) to Bug Light (42:29) and back to East End Beach ((41:41). The two mark miles (one out, the same one coming back) we covered in 7:44 and 7:48 so I feel like we hit our 8:00/mile target for the bulk of the run. A good workout.

17.5K in 1:28:54

Effective Little Run (I think)

223.6

RHR = 38

9.8K in 50:44 with the middle 3.2K (2 miles, marked) at AT. Ran the AT bit in 14:19, with AVE HR at 135. I think I'll do the same run tomorrow.

Hot, Humid, Hard

222.6

RHR = 39

Unusual (for Portland) hot and humid morning--it was a bit of a shock. Ran 12.5K with 4 X 1200m as follows:

4:50
4:51
4:52
4:53

Recovery intervals were 3:12. It was a good, hard, tough workout. HR audits at the midpoint of each sesssion revealed HR approaching max (96%) by the third interval.

I'm ready for a nap but they frown on that here at work.

Gym Day

223.2

RHR = 38

5K on the rower plus a thorough streching session. I'll be ready to run hard tomorrow. It's 1200s!

Rest Day

222.2

RHR = 42

I'm going to drop my junk run this week, and row (ergometer) on Tuesday and Thursday. So it'll be a repeat of last week on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. I found yesterday's run (16K at 5:00/K) appropriately challenging while running. In addition, I really found a need to take it easy the rest of the day.

A Shorter, Faster Long Run

223.2

RHR = 47

The plan today is to run Scott's 10 mile course and bring it home in 80 minutes. That'll give me a solid week, with two fast sessions, a brisk long run, 10K of junk, and a gym session.

This photo is one that Shoji-san took of our Tamagawa run a couple of weeks ago. I'd previously posted the drinking beer scenes, this captures the spirit of the run nicely.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ran 16K in 1:20:35. Since we ran the first mile in 8:30, we were spot on the desired 8 minute mile pace for the bulk of the run. Average HR was 123 but I was in the 130 range for the second half of the run. A pleasantly fatiguing workout.

Morning Tempo

222.8

RHR = 43

A pleasantly tough workout this morning: 13.5K in 1:10:48. 27:36 warm-up (ran the roundabout route to the track) followed by 5K of AT:

4:30 Ave. HR = 136
4:31 139
4:29 143
4:29 142
4:29 143

I kind of backed into my threshold pace using the assumption that I'm a 20:30 5K runner right now. Since my most recent (mid-May) 5K race was 21:39, this seemed optimistic but the HR values (143 is 89% of Max) support the pace I ran being my threshold. Another test that I use when running at AT is that I find that it is the slowest pace at which I am forced to concentrate 100% on my running. In other words, if my mind drifts at all, I fall off pace. This morning's run was validated by that test as well.

I ran directly back to my place, in 20:45, to complete the run.

Rethinking my plan

Today:

221.4

RHR = 43

Yesterday:

221.8

RHR = 42

I'm thinking about changing my weekly running routine in an attempt to get faster while remaining uninjured. Specifically, I'm planning to add a second "speed" (i.e. do both a VO2 Max and an LT workout each week) workout, shorten and quicken my long run and replace "junk" miles with cross training (specifically, the rowing machine but also some stretching designed to avoid back troubles). Beyond thinking about it, I will implement. At my current pace I'm very concerned that I won't hit my BtB target. I need to shake things up.

Yesterday's workout was good:

5 X 1K in 4:02 with 2:49 recovery. HR right where it should be. I ran the first couple of intervals too fast (3:59) and as a result ran the last 2 too slow (4:04) but all in all a quality run. With warm up and cooldown, 13K on the day.

Today:

5K rowing plus stretching. My back feels better already!

Back at it

Ok, the vacation's over, time to get back to work!

I had some decent runs in Japan, including a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday streak that totaled 53K and included a decent track session.

I'll run 10K this morning, back on the track tomorrow, 10K Thursday, 15K Friday, rest Saturday, and get 20K in on Sunday. That's the plan, anyway. I'll report in as it goes.

10K run in 52:04

My low,low back still hurts

I ran for an hour this morning. Let's call it 11K. I'm still nursing a bit of an injury.

Catching Up

I have some catching up to do. I'm now in Tokyo and the scrambling I did to get everything done before I left aided a disappointing end to May, running wise. I snuck in one more run, of 6K. I need to go back and total my month but I suspect it'll be a little disappointing. To balance things out, I'm off to a slow start in June. I've run twice: 11K and 17K. Yesterday's run (17K) was great fun, we finished at an onsen and a brew pub after running along the Tama river. I've attached some pictures.

Oops

227.2

A little too much of a rest day!

My Best Workout of the Year....

....was this race, which I ran yesterday:

http://www.mainetrackclub.com/pinelandfarms.html

I'm not proud of my race result but it was a great event and I'm pleased with the day. I ran 2:25:58. My splits were:

27:53 Ave HR = 113

29:58 124

28:41 124

27:16 129

32:08 135

I think (and more credibly others I spoke with) that the 4th split was short and the 5th long. The race was extremely well organized, the weather perfect, the food, beer, and entertainment great! I'm sore all over today but nothing specific. I'm confident I'll be able to have a regular training week and will be fitter for having run this. I'll do this event next year. I've posted a few photos that attempt to capture the spirit of the day. The course is more woods than fields and really better suited for deer than humans. #48 is my brother-in-law, Unca Phil, who completed the 50K and earned his second cow bell.

Fat and Happy....

....before the torture test. I'll report in on the results after the event.

How fat?

226.2

RHR = 42

I'm caffeinated and hydrated and ready to go. Daughter Kim and her little man, Albert (above), are going with me and she'll drive home. I'll enjoy the free beer (microbrewed by Gritty McDuff) after the run knowing I don't have to drive. There is one flaw with this plan: she doesn't know how to drive the car we are taking (her car) because it's a standard transmission. It seems like the perfect time to learn.

VO2 Mini-Max

221.4

RHR = 38

This posting reflects my workout on Wednesday, May 23, not the 24th (I don't know how to blog back in time).

I met Jim T. at the track for a VO2 Max workout. He ran 4 X 1K plus 800m. I ran 6 X 800m. I was concerned about tired legs going in--I'd run LR2 the day before (that, couple with the fact that Jim is faster than I am, was the reason for 800s rather than 1Ks). The workout went well although I had been and still am dealing with some low, low back pain. I've decided to take 3 rest days in advance of the 25K trail torture test on Sunday. The workout:

13.5K in 1:12:39

Run to/from the track plus:

6 X 800m in 3:12 (4:00/K pace) with 2:45 recovery between intervals. A solid workout.

Foolish Consistency is the Hobgoblin....

.......of simple minds. or something like that, according to Ralph Waldo Emerson. But, it's generally a good thing in running and training. Consistency, that is. So, I ran my LR2 this morning, the exact same course that I ran one week ago. I clicked my watch when I started and again when I finished. This week I was 2 seconds faster than last week.

17.5K in 1:32:19, Ave HR = 126.

other stuff:

222.0

RHR = 38

The Long Run

223.2

RHR = 38

Tough! 25K in 2:12:22. Longer and at a faster pace than 2 weeks ago (same course with an extra Mackworth lap). I'm beat.

Cold and Raw Recovery

220.6

A gentle-paced 10K in 55:39 this morning. The weather was not Spring-like, it was a cold and occasionally hard rain in about 40 degrees F. I was happy when I finished. The legs feel good although my hammies are a bit tight. I may run short and slow tomorrow in advance of Sunday's 25K.

Quality

220.0

RHR = 40

A very nice workout today. 16K total in 1:24:49.

The workout was essentially 3 laps around the Boulevard course (3.55 miles or 5.72K per lap). I stopped at the 3 mile mark on the last lap and walked in. I had a sore and getting sorer hip I didn't want to aggravate and the hard work was done.

The middle lap we did at AT:

5.72 K in 26:34 with HR at 143-144 throughout. A good, hard threshold workout.

I'll run 10-12 recovery Ks tomorrow, take a rest day Saturday, then get in 25K on Sunday, to go north of 70 for the week.

A Solid LR2

227.6

We'll call it 17.5K in 1:32:21, with Ave HR = 120. This is the Beach to Bug Light out-and-back course. I ran the back a little faster than the out and felt pretty good throughout. The marked mile in So. Portland I ran in 8:02 on the out and 8:01 on the back, so I feel pretty good about assuming 8:30 pace throughout (I'm estimating the distance).