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.