2020 Week 4 in review

Another 40+ mileage week logged.

12 more days until my half-marathon.  Hit my last long run on Sunday.  1:45:03 on the treadmill.  13.1 miles. 8:00 pace.  Started slow and hit the last 5K at 7:30 pace and below.  That was after skiing on Saturday. My legs were sore but the run felt fine.

Wouldn't mind a couple more weeks of training, but at this point I'm in a good spot.  Feel strong, not injured, and have hit some good paces so I should at least be lined up for a respectable effort.

I'll be travelling for work Tuesday - Saturday to Mexico.  Hope that I'll get a chance to run at least a couple times.  Not sure what kind of arrangements I'll have or if I'll be in a safe area.  We'll see I suppose.

Yearly goal progress:
GOALS:
1.  1560 miles run:  160.57 for the year (45.58 miles ahead of pace)
2.  5000 Pull ups: 435        (67 ahead of pace)
3.  5000 Pushups/Bench:   378  (10 ahead pace)
4.  50 hour stationary bike:  4 hour  (on pace)
5.  Diet:  No junk food January...  day 27.  Mostly sticking with it.  Actually feel like I've lost weight.  Been tracking the weight every day and got under 170 yesterday (169.6) for the first time.  Of course this was after my 13.1 mile run so I was dehydrated but still the lowest I've weighed in probably 8 years.  Graph below shows my weight loss trend for the year so far.  170 was my goal so new goal is 160.  Not sure what is realistic for a final goal... I just want to be fast!
6.  12500 Steps a day:  588 days and counting... 17,082 per day for the year

Work week summary

Just got done with 9.5 miles.

1:15:58
8:00 pace

Treadmill run that started off slow and ran the last 3ish miles at 7:30 down to 7:00 pace.

That put me at 44.50 for the week.  A new weekly high on 5 days of running (as opposed to 6).

Probably will take the day off tomorrow to go skiing so that will probably be it of my peak half marathon training.  Just one more long run planned on Sunday and then I'll begin to mildly taper.

Three 40+ miles in a row is breaking new ground for me.  My legs feel pretty good at this point with no injuries so I'm feeling pretty positive.

Plan to step the mileage back a bit and have a relatively easy February with the hope that it will allow for fuller recovery before I really start to hammer it come spring.

In addition to todays run, I also had a good hard Wednesday workout with 8 miles.

1:01:03
7:38 pace

This included 5.5 miles at 7:30 pace and below.

The 7-7:30 pace on a treadmill is feeling pretty good these days.  It's a hard pace that takes some concentration and resolve but I never feel like I absolutely need to slow down or that I'm hurting too bad.  I think the treadmill can be deceiving though... curious if I'd feel the same way on the road.

2020: Week 3 in review

44.31 miles over the 3rd week of 2020 brought another new weekly mileage high for the 2nd week in a row.  With back to back 40+ mile weeks I feel way stronger than when I hit near 40 mile weeks in early December.  Resting HR is still sitting at 48 so I'm going to take that as a positive aerobic improvement sign.

I feel pretty great right now.  Some general muscular fatigue here and there but nothing really feels injured.  With 19 days to my half marathon I have one more week of hard training before I start backing it off a bit for a taper.  Hopefully I can make it through the next week to ten days of polishing off my fitness and then start the recovery process so I can be in peak shape for the race.

Started out week 4 off with a bang with my second 2+ hr training run for my Sunday long run.

14.5 miles
2:00:03
8:17 pace

Ran 12 miles on the treadmill in just under 1:39:00... then quickly cancelled the workout and quick-started it to get that last 21 minutes in.  Maybe 20 seconds to get the treadmill stopped and going again.  I was dreading how it would effect me but in the end I barely noticed.  

Felt strong the whole run but could definitely feel the muscles working for the last 15 minutes.

Followed up today with 1 hour on the bike (703 calories).

Yearly goal progress:
GOALS:
1.  1560 miles run:  117.47 for the year (32.22 miles ahead of pace)
2.  5000 Pull ups: 334        (60 ahead of pace)
3.  5000 Pushups/Bench:   298   (25 ahead pace)
4.  50 hour stationary bike:  3 hour  (on pace)
5.  Diet:  No junk food January...  day 20.  A couple more slip ups with an ice cream sandwich and a scoop of ice cream and a couple cookies.  Still eating mindfully and have lost some weight (3-5 lbs).  I real success is I haven't done any binge eating...  Hope to weigh under 170 within a month if I can keep this up.
6.  12500 Steps a day:  581 days and counting... 16,828 per day for the year

I'm feeling fit, strong, and the weight is coming off.  Hoping to be fast again soon!

Miles and miles and miles

I've been loving building up the mileage.  Ever since my first marathon training cycle 10 years ago I've been enthralled with the ability to lace up, head out the door, and run non-stop for hours.  Today, I hit a new high for a mid-week medium long run.

9 miles
1:11:36
7'57" pace

Another treadmill run... Started out at 8:49 pace and slowly bumped it up. Ran mile 7 and 8 at 7:30 pace and found the pace hard but sustainable.

Harkening back to the summer, when 8 miles would wipe me out for a day its great to be able to run 9 and then shower up and head to work without feeling overly fatigued.  It's really a marvel how the body adapts.

That 9 put me over 40 miles for the 2nd week in a row.  Still plan on putting a few more miles in tomorrow as well so will probably hit a new weekly mileage high.

Workout Wednesday

Hopefully today wasn't the day that did me in.    My right hip was tight to start the workout and by mile 2 it was really singing.  I contemplated stopping and stretching but I really don't like stopping the treadmill mid-workout (for mostly irrational reasons).  Eventually it stopped nagging me as I picked up the pace but it got super tight after I stopped to the point that I was hobbling around.  Then after some quick icing and stretching it eventually just let loose and now it pretty much feels back to normal.  Hopefully it'll amount to nothing.

Moving on to the workout:

8.02 miles
1:00:01
7:29 pace

Started off at 6.8 MPH (8:49 pace) and bumped up the speed by .1 every 1/4 mile til I got to 9.1 (6:36 pace).  Then slowly eased it back by .1 every 1/4 mile to mile 7 and dropped to ~7.5+ MPH (8:00 pace) for the final mile.

Felt pretty good for the whole run though was definitely pushing it at the peak speed.  HR peaked at about 170 and then crept slowly down in the 160's as I reduced the pace.

I've seen a drastic drop in my fitbit resting HR this week.  Went from the 53-54 BPM range down to 49 the last few days and today 48.  I'm gonna take that as a good sign of fitness gain though I never have full confidence in the wrist based sensors or Fitbit's resting HR algorithm.

Running to the end of the treadmill

First off I wanted to celebrate a new weekly mileage record.  42.53 miles for the week.  I was worried after my hip flexors started bugging me but they seem to have settled on so I'm back to overdoing it again!  26 days til my half marathon which leaves about 2 weeks left of training before I start scaling back for a taper.   Not necessarily targeting a command performance for the half but it's been good motivation to keep me training through the winter and I hope to at least get a confidence boosting performance after my 5K letdown on New Year Eve.

Besides running a mileage high, I also managed to run for 6 days instead of 5.  Something else I'm working on gradually incorporating...  and yesterday I ran to the end of my treadmill.

Turns out my treadmill has a maximum workout limit of 99 minutes (1 hour 39 minutes).  Cold with snow and ice kept my inside for my long run so I decided to max out my treadmill.  

12.16 miles
1:39:00
8'08" pace

Started out slow and kept speeding up the mileage until I peaked at 7:48 pace (7.7 mph).  Ran the last 5 or so miles at 8:00 or below.  Wasn't easy but certainly wasn't hard either and my legs are really starting to adapt to the distance.  I'm barely fatigued at all after my long run at this point and have no issues completing my day.

Yearly goal progress:
GOALS:
1.  1560 miles run:  70.82 for the year (15.4 miles ahead of pace)
2.  5000 Pull ups:  220        (43 ahead of pace)
3.  5000 Pushups/Bench:   135   (42 behind pace)
4.  50 hour stationary bike:  2 hour  (on pace)
5.  Diet:  No junk food January...  day 13.  I've had 2 slip ups in the form of 2 scoops of ice cream on 2 separate occasions.  Overall I've been disciplined and mindful of what I've been eating so overall I still consider myself successful so far.
6.  12500 Steps a day:  574 days and counting... 16,288 per day for the year

Workout Wednesday

I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel...  Well, nothing that dramatic, but first hard workout in a while!  (note to self:  add Johnny Cash cover of Hurt to running playlist)

8 miles
1:02:17
7:47 pace

Pretty much a LT/Tempo run on the treadmill.

Started off with 2 easy miles warm up, starting at 8:49 pace and working up to 8:00 pace.

Mile 3 and 4 bumped up the speed .1 MPH every .25 miles.

Mile 5 peaked out held at 7:09 pace and then peaked out at 7:04 pace.  Then started backing it down mile 6 slowly. Was down to 7:30 pace by mile 7 and kept backing it down till I had a 8:00 and below mile 8.

HR hit the 170 range at the heart of the workout and the effort was definitely in the 7-8/10 range.  Tried to stay as relaxed as possible on a treadmill.  Legs felt good the whole run but tired by the end.  Shouldn't be so hard that I can't recover from it, in fact I already feel pretty good a couple hours after.

Due to fatigue, niggles, and strategic mileage/base building I haven't been executing too many workout level runs lately.  After today, I realize that my body has been missing the tempo work.  I still plan to save most of the hard work for the spring once I can get outside again but today served as a great aperitif for the year to come.

Tuesday training

5.75 miles on the treadmill at 8:41 pace (50:01 total time).  Kept the heartrate under 140 the whole time.  Nothing special about the workout at all except for the fact that I pretty much felt great the whole time.

Slowly and steadily, my body is adapting to the training.  Hopeful that it'll start paying so dividends soon.

Monday housekeeping

Training update:

Did my first Saturday run in quite some time.  Decided that at least for the winter I'd start running on both Saturdays and Sundays so that I could get at least 2 outdoor runs in a week while it's light out.  Longer term the goal will be to work from 5 running days a week to 6 days a week.

Saturday:  Temp was 30 degrees... not too bad but colder than I like.  I knocked out 4.53 miles at a 7:53 pace.  Not sure why but the perceived effort was very high for the pace.  I was really struggling.  I think I just hate the cold!  Hopefully, all this efforts going to add up to some increased mental toughness.

Sunday:  Day was warmer... In the 40s.  Much more manageable and mostly even enjoyable.  Tried to keep the effort easy.  Started at 8:08 pace for the first 2 miles.  Slowed down to 8:18 pace for the next 5 miles.  8:32 pace for miles 8-10.  Then 8:12 and 7:40 for the last 2.

12.27 total miles
1:41:27 duration
8:16 pace

Got tired near the end and had to fight a hellacious wind but held my form and the hips/quads did not cause me much trouble.  Recovered well from the run and am not significantly sore or tired today.  Feeling optimistic that I might have worked past another potential injury and came out the other side unharmed!

Today I got my first hour in on the stationary bike.  Good solid effort of 11+ cals per hour (166 Watts) for 1 hour.
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Also, figured I'd start using Monday to review my yearly goal progress.

GOALS:
1.  1560 miles run:  28.4 for the year (2.8 miles ahead of pace)
2.  5000 Pull ups:  146        (64 ahead of pace)
3.  5000 Pushups/Bench:   36   (46 behind pace)
4.  50 hour stationary bike:  1 hour  (on pace)
5.  Diet:  No junk food January...  so far so good though its only been 5 days.
6.  12500 Steps a day:  567 days and counting... 15,254 per day for the year

Training update and new year goals

Intended to run on new years day but spent all day with the family instead.  Probably not the worst way to start off the new year :).  Never hurts to recover a bit after a race as well.  

Due to my hip pain and my underwhelming 5K performance, I'm throttling back my upcoming half marathon expectations which roughly translates to less mileage but also less chance of overdoing it and getting hurt... that doesn't mean I'm not going to train, just means I'm going to try to continue to be smart!

Thursday I ran 6.25 miles on the treadmill at 8:11 pace... slightly varied pace and incline to keep it as interesting as possible.

Today (Friday) I ran 5.35 miles at 8:23 pace.  Started out a bit rough but actually felt like I found a rhythm eventually.

I'm planning to start running on both Saturdays and Sundays so I can get in 2 outdoor training days during the winter instead of 1 but we'll see.

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Goals for 2020:

• After much debate I settled on a 1560 mileage goal for the year.  That equals 30X52 aka 30 mpw.  My strreeeettttccchhhh goal would be 2020 miles.  I think that's possible but ultimately decided to pick a more conservative goal and not get injured.
• Also have a couple strength goals for the year
• 5000 Pulls ups...  I'm going to include all forms of pull ups (plus chin ups) in this to switch it up.  Should be good for the core
• 5000 Pushups/Bench Presses
• Stationary bike goal is 50 hours.  The more I run the less I bike but still want to keep cross training while I can...  I guess if I wind up getting hurt running I'll smash this one out of the park (#silverlining)
• Diet:  
• No junk food January.  I ultimately still have weight to lose.  I really have an issue with snacking and sweets.  I'm going to at least make it through January without eating junk food or sweets and then go from there.
• Not sure from there... maybe sweets once a week?  Maybe Mid-night snack free February?...  We'll see how January goes and take it from there.
• STEPS:  As of today I'm on a 564 day Fitbit step streak* of at least 12500 steps per day.  Plan to continue as is.  

HARDCORE 5K RACE REPORT

I had December 31st off work, so decided to spend the last day of the year running the Run Your Ice Off, Hardcore 5K.  The last few weeks here in Central Illinois have been unseasonably warm, but the running Gods decided to step in and drop the temp to 29F with a good strong wind to make sure the race lived up to its name. 

I arrived at noon for the 1 o'clock race.  Packet pickup and registration where inside the Flemish American Club which turned out to be a great venue... plenty of parking and plenty of space to warm up and stay warm before and after the race.  After quickly getting my number and chip properly placed on my body, I headed out to warm up and survey the course.

As advertised, the course was a simple "fairly flat, out and back", which pretty much lived up to it description.  I walked/jogged down to the first mile mark which was straight down a road.  At the 1 mile mark there was a 90 degree turn and then a ~1/2 mile to the turnaround point.  I skipped the 2nd mile, and jogged back to the start.  At this point I had 20 minutes left which was ample time for some final dynamic stretching inside the Flemish American Club.  

At 12:55 we headed out to the start line and I did one final jog of 200m up and down the block, and then returned to the starting area and lined up right at the front with my toe on the line.  The race director gave a few quick words and then went to fire the gun...  but the gun did not go off...  A few people "false started" and had to reset... he fiddled with the gun for a few more seconds and then successfully fired a round and we were off.

I took off, feeling pretty good and just trying to stay relaxed.  Within 400 meters the typical quick starting pre-teens fell off pace and I gobbled them up and then continued on.  For the first mile there was some jockeying for position.  One kid, who was clomping along pretty loudly, passed me... Around my I heard several people gasping for air... I wasn't even breathing that hard so I figured I was good, but at the same time for some reason the other runners were very distracting to me and I wasn't really finding my rhythm.

I hit the 1 mile mark at 6:02 pace, my fastest mile to date.  I passed clomper and continued along.  At this point my lungs were feeling okay but my legs were quickly failing as the lactic acid built.  I kept going as fast as my legs would carry me, on to the turnaround.  I opted for a full stop pivot to changed direction and then headed back.  

At this point I was dying.  My legs felt like rocks and just wouldn't respond.  I continued past all the runners behind me who were still heading towards the turn around, hoping they couldn't sense my weakness.  I got passed by at least one person.  Honestly, it was all a blur as I was just bearing down and suffering.  

There was a big hill right before the 2 mile mark... barely phased me I was in such a stupor already.  I just continued running and tried to hold on.  I hit the 2 mile mark at about 12:48 (6:46 second mile).  Made the turn back towards the start line and had 1 mile to go.  The wind was blasting right into me at this point but I barely noticed.  I continued to slow down as my legs just wouldn't got any faster.  I couldn't tell how fast I was running at this point... It felt like a jog but I couldn't go faster.  It could have been 9 min miles for all I could tell.

With 1000m left I got passed by a guy.  I let him go.  With 800m I got passed by a kid.  I decided I'd try to hold on and stay with him til the next stop sign...  I made it, and then started to let him go but he didn't get far.  Then I heard heavy breathing behind me.  I decided I wasn't going to go out like a punk and instead elected to push it to the end, no matter what.  With  maybe 150m to go I started to kick.  I passed the kid and charged forward.  I felt like I went a little early but I just kept pumping my arms and pushing to the finish line.  I started counting to 10 in my head as I ran... When I got to 10 I was almost to the end... I finally hit the finish line and I was absolutely dead.  3rd mile was 7:14 pace... final sprint was 5:28 pace.  According to my watch my HR was at 186 as I finished.

Final time according to my watch 21:04 (6:47 pace).

I had planned on going straight to my car for an additional layer of clothing, shoe change, and then cooling down for a couple miles.  As I got in the car I tilted the seat back and just laid there for at least a minute.  I did not want to get up.  The final kick was definitely the hardest I've pushed myself in years... Hitting max HR put me was an ethereal experience!  I finally coaxed myself back up and walked back into the lodge to relax... no cooldown today.  

I had been wearing a Hamm's Beer shirt during the race that got some positive comments so I headed to the bar to see if they had Hamm's.  Unfortunately they did not so I grabbed a Budweiser instead.  Normally I don't go for beer after races (I don't normally go for Budweiser or Hamm's either for that matter) but this one tasted great!

I hung around for the awards.  They served pulled pork and chili which hit the spot after a cold run.  I wound up 15th overall and 3rd place in the 40-44 division which resulted in a nice plaque (great swag).  Overall it was a well managed race with a good turn out (200 participants), good venue, good food, and good swag.  Running in the bitter cold was fun too.  I'd do it again!

After the race I wasn't too pleased with my time.  I was really hoping to break 20 minutes after training for 500+ miles since my last 5K and I couldn't even break 21.  In retrospect, I'm not sure if my time was a result of going out way too fast or was the fact that I've been running almost all my runs easy to medium-easy pace and not really pushing workouts... Also, I ran more miles in December (156.32) than previously and ran 8 medium-hard miles on Sunday so maybe I was still adapting and not fully rested...  no matter what, strategically it was the worst run I've had in a long while and definitely something to learn from... I'll chock it up as a learning experience. 

Anyway, lots of excuses but what can I do but shake it off and move on.  Looking at the positives I did get some new achievements:

Fastest mile: 6:02

Fastest 1K: 3:42

Highest HR: 186

Plus I showed good resolve and mental fortitude with my strong finish.

Checking the results later it said my final time was 21:18.  Pretty sure this is wrong.  My guess is that the chip timing started with the false gun start which means that everyone's time was off by about 15 seconds.  Based on my performance it didn't much matter.  Would have been a bit more distraught if I had run a PR that didn't get documented correctly.