08/08 – Sunday – Neighborhood – 4.1 miles – 42 minutes – R/W
08/09 – Monday – Neighborhood – 4.5 miles – 44 minutes – Strides – R/W
08/10 – Tuesday – Class – LAB to Enfield Loop – 8.0 miles – 75 minutes – better than 10 min/mile! – R/W
08/11 – Wednesday – Neighborhood – Scofield Pkwy to Parmer – 4.2 miles – 43 minutes – R/W
08/12 – Thursday – Class – Asia’s Run – 10 miles – 99 minutes = R/W
08/13 – Friday – off – No R/W
08/14 – Saturday – Long Run – Eastside – 10.2 miles – 102 minutes
Weekly mileage: Expected 40, Actual 41 miles
Shoe mileage: 102.4 mile
R = Roller
W = Weights
Running log week of 2010-08-01
07/25 – Sunday – Training Week 9 – Amherst to Duval – 8.6 miles – 91 minutes – Strides – R/W
07/26 – Monday – 4.5 miles – 48 minutes (est) – forgot to start watch/GPS – R/W
07/27 – Tuesday – San Jacinto to Avenue F Out & Back – 12.1 miles – 122 minutes – R/W
07/28 – Wednesday – Neighborhood – 4.1 miles – 40 minutes – Strides – R/W
07/29 – Thursday – Class – Cruise Control – 14.1 miles (est) – 141 minutes (est) – forgot to start & restart watch/GPS – R/W
07/30 – Friday – off – R/W
07/31 – Saturday – Long Run – Schrup Plus – 18.0 miles – 193 minutes – tough, grueling, hot, walked a bunch, got’r done – R/W
Weekly mileage: Expected 60, Actual 61.4 miles
Shoe mileage: 61.4 mile
R = Roller
W = Weights
New shoes
I got a new pair of Nike Structure Triax a week or so ago. With my old pair having over 350 miles I’m now switching to the new ones. Also they’re dry compared to the water-logged old ones from today’s long run. After the run today I weighed the old wet ones and they weighed 1 pound 11.5 ounces. The new dry ones weigh 1 pound 5.2 ounces. Hmmmm, 6.3 ounces is almost half a pound. Maybe that’s why I’ve felt like I’ve been running slower, because of this added weight. Oh, and one other thing. These are size 8.5 and black/red whereas the previous ones were size 8.0 and white/yellow that I got at a half-price sale at Rogue Equipment.
Run from Hell North long run
I haven’t written much about my training. I’ve been doing it and there are good days and not so good days especially in this summer heat. I find that Tuesdays typically are OK, and Thursdays are harder. I’ve not really gotten a feeling for the Saturday long runs. I’ve done them and survived. For all the runs I’m worried that I’m too slow (about 10:00 min/mile pace whereas I need to be 9:00 pace for CIM). But coach tells me that we’re to run easy, which is what I’m doing. So I think I’m following the ‘program’. Naturally only time will tell.
So here are some thoughts about today’s long run. In general it wasn’t pretty. The weather was warm (mid 70s degrees F), but not awful. I’ve been building up my mileage for the past 7 weeks and finally got to the peak of 60 miles this week. The culmination was an 18 mile long run called “Run from Hell North”. I’ve run this route before so I knew what I was getting into. It indeed is hell. However, it still took me by surprise, that is, it beat me down, way down, beyond what I expected, which is not good.
The run starts at Northcross Mall or what is left of it since it’s under construction with a Walmart being built there. The run is hill after hill after hill with two major ones. The first is near the beginning up Far West gradually, but the second is midway and is a killer straight up Ladera Norte. I ran the first, but then the next series of intermediate hills before the second one sapped my strength. Although we were told by Ruth that we should run all the hills I just couldn’t and walked more than I planned. Ones I had never walked before. What’s up with that? So when I got to Ladera Norte I just started walking. I remember past runs having got almost to the top before walking. Not this time. I walked almost immediately. Doing this was not good for my mental conditioning. From then on I would stop at every water stop as an oasis from running. I was no longer just walking the hills I was walking on the flats too. Finally near the end I just couldn’t run. Yet for the last half mile I shuffled along and I arrived back at the mall a beaten man. It took me 3 hours and 32 minutes to run 18.4 miles (11:30 pace). Awful, just awful. Making my goal of requalifying for Boston at CIM an impossibility.
And then when I arrived home my Garmin 110 GPS reset itself when I attached it to the USB and I lost all the data. Another insult to my weakened mental state. Yet maybe that was for the best, because I couldn’t see the miserable effort broken out mile by mile.
So why was this run so bad. I have no clue. I was relatively well rested. I was fueled with breakfast before, and CarboPro and Clif Shots during. The Clif Shots was Mocha with caffeine and I had it at mile 14 but I never felt the pick up. It might be the little extra food I ate yesterday night. It might also be the temperature since I was a dripping sweat-bag after it but that’s nothing new. It might be just the mileage build-up taking its toll since this is the longest we’ve run so far. I just don’t know. All I can do it keep up the training and try to get my head around the mental anguish that occurs when things like this happens, which causes me to question: why, oh why, am I doing this?
Weight Exercises
I have been working with my static weights [PowerBlock Personal The Block] to build my core (central body) strength. The goal is not to be muscular (ha ha, no way would that ever happen anyways), but to build strength to help my running. I do “high” 30 repetitions with a single “light” 20 lb weight [base plus three ‘blocks’] for each of the following:
- Standing – Bend forward (hold in front, bend forward 90 degree angle & straighten). This is the second hardest one.
- Standing – Bend right (hold on right side, bend right & straighten)
- Standing – Bend left (hold on left, bend left & straighten)
- Standing – Bend backward (hold behind back, bend back & straigthen)
- Standing – Twist right (hug weight, rotate 90 degrees to the right & return)
- Standing – Twist left (hug weight, rotate 90 degrees to the left & return)
- Standing – Push up on toes
- Standing – Squat (weight touches floor & stand up). This is the hardest one.
- Laying down – Sit-ups – (hold against chin, count double 1 up, 1 hold & return)
So this is what I mean when I mark “W” (for weights) on my running log.
Running log week of 2010-07-25
07/25 – Sunday – Training Week 8 – Neighborhood – Amherst to Duval Loop – 8.0 miles – 84 minutes – R/W
07/26 – Monday – Neighborhood – Park to the north – 4.5 mi – 48 minutes – R/W – no GPS
07/27 – Tuesday – Class – Josh’s Eastside – 12 mi – 121 minutes – R/W
07/28 – Wednesday – Neighborhood – Around park to north – 4.5 mi – 49 minutes – R/W
07/29 – Thursday – Class – La Tourista – 14 mi – 141 minutes – R/W
07/30 – Friday – off – R/W
07/31 – Saturday – Long Run – Run from Hell North (up Ladera Norte) – 18.4 mi – 212 minutes – very tough, walked a lot, sigh – no GPS, the piece of crap reset itself when I connected it to the USB, sheesh – R/W
Weekly mileage: Expected 60, Actual 61.4 miles
Shoe mileage: 367.2 mile
R = Roller
W = Weights
Running log week of 2010-07-18
07/18 – Sunday – Training Week 7 – Neighborhood – Amherst to Duval Loop – 8.0 miles – 84 minutes – R/W
07/19 – Monday – Neighborhood – Around park to north – 4.5 mi – 48 minutes – R/W
07/20 – Tuesday – Class – Niles Rd – 10.1 mi – 103 minutes – R/W
07/21 – Wednesday – Neighborhood – Middle school & Lamplight Village – 4.1 mi – 42 minutes – R/W
07/22 – Thursday – Class – Rise N’ Climb – 14 mi – 142 minutes – R/W
07/23 – Friday – off – R/W
07/24 – Saturday – Long Run – St Eds – 16.1 mi – 168 minutes – R/W
Weekly mileage: Expected 55, Actual 56.8 miles
Shoe mileage: 305.8 mile
R = Roller
W = Weights
Running log week of 2010-07-11
07/11 – Sunday – Training Week 6 – Neighborhood – Around hospital – 6.2 miles – 63 minutes – R/W
07/12 – Monday – Neighborhood – Around park to north – 4.5 miles – 47 minutes – R/W
07/13 – Tuesday – Class – Moontowers Run – 10.9 miles – 113 minutes – R/W – not bad, fun run to find towers
07/14 – Wednesday – Neighborhood – Around hospital – 5.9 miles – 65 minutes – R/W – ran too far, wanted 4, did 6
07/15 – Thursday – Class – Barton Circle – 13.2 miles – 146 minutes – R/W – very tough, walked some, slowww
07/16 – Friday – off – R/W
07/17 – Saturday – Long Run – Crestview – 14 miles – 136 minutes – R/W – good run
Weekly mileage: Expected 50, Actual 54.7 miles
Shoe mileage: 249.0 mile
R = Roller
W = Weights
New running clothing
Ordered two pair of shorts (Men’s Under Armour Draft 5″ Short), four pair of underwear (Men’s Under Armour O Series Boxer Jock 6″), and eleven pair of socks (Patagonia Ultra LightWeight Endurance Socks – Large). Some of it has started to arrive.
Running log week of 2010-07-04
07/04 – Sunday – Training Week 5 – Neighborhood – Scofield Parkway to Parmer Loop – 4.2 mile – 43 minutes
07/05 – Monday – Neighborhood – 4.2 miles – 42 minutes – R
07/06 – Tuesday – Class – Roguette – 8.8 miles – 86 minutes – R
07/07 – Wednesday – Neighborhood – Scofield Parkway to Parmer Loop – 4.2 mile – 43 minutes
07/08 – Thursday – Class – La Tourista – 10.8 miles – 121 minutes – R/W
07/09 – Friday – off
07/10 – Saturday – Long Run – Almost to Mt Bonnell – 14.0 miles – 139 minutes – R/W
Weekly mileage: Expected 45, Actual 46.2 miles
Shoe mileage: 194.3 mile
R = Roller
W = Weights
