9-6-10
Strength training at NHHR
9-7-10
10 miles (1hr 33mins)
Around New Haven. Felt decent.
9-8-10
Strength training at NHHR. Introduced some assisted, single-legged squats.
9-9-10
9 miles (1hr 9mins)
Guilford after work. One-mile warm-up; seven-mile tempo at 7:23/mile; one-mile cool-down. Felt very strong. Felt a bit of cramping in left hammy toward end of tempo. Didn't hinder the run at all, though. Some side stitches.
9-10-10
9 miles (1hr 23mins)
New Haven after work. Up East Rock park road to Ridge to Whitney via Waite to Davis back down East Rock over to Livingston. Didn't feel as bad as I thought I would after Thursday's 7-mile tempo run.
9-11-10
Strength training at NHHR
9-12-10
16 miles (2hrs 29mins)
Guilford to Madison and back. Seven minutes faster than last time (about one month ago) on same route at same effort. Felt decent given the circumstances. Legs ached toward the end.
Miles: 44 (highest ever to date)
Time: 6hrs 35mins
9.11.2010
9.10.2010
Tempo runs
Last night, I went to absolute war with an extremely hilly 7-mile tempo run in Guilford. My pace was 7:23. My pace for the overall 9-mile run (which included a 1-mile warm-up and and 1-mile cool-down) was 7:44. I've done three other tempo runs during this buildup so far:
8/19/10: 6 miles at 7:53
8/12/10: 5 miles at 7:54
7/29/10: 4 miles at 7:59
I think that the higher mileage, hip and core stuff that I'm doing is finally starting to bear fruit. My legs feel bullet proof out there (lunges and 1-legged squats?), not to mention that my hips are out in front of me the whole time, and that I can feel my hips and core driving my legs. After all, your core is your transmission, and without a strong one, you fall apart pretty easily.
A couple of notes/observations from last night: It's difficult for me to not get excited on the hills and hammer, as opposed to letting them come to me. It tenses me up pretty good. I need to relax and let the route come to me. Although my legs were burning up on the uphills, that didn't prevent me from flying down the other side of the hill. I got a few side stitches last night--nothing some additional core work can't help. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy about the effort.
8/19/10: 6 miles at 7:53
8/12/10: 5 miles at 7:54
7/29/10: 4 miles at 7:59
I think that the higher mileage, hip and core stuff that I'm doing is finally starting to bear fruit. My legs feel bullet proof out there (lunges and 1-legged squats?), not to mention that my hips are out in front of me the whole time, and that I can feel my hips and core driving my legs. After all, your core is your transmission, and without a strong one, you fall apart pretty easily.
A couple of notes/observations from last night: It's difficult for me to not get excited on the hills and hammer, as opposed to letting them come to me. It tenses me up pretty good. I need to relax and let the route come to me. Although my legs were burning up on the uphills, that didn't prevent me from flying down the other side of the hill. I got a few side stitches last night--nothing some additional core work can't help. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy about the effort.
9.07.2010
City running and stress
I ran 10 miles tonight in New Haven and almost got hit by a car at the intersection of Orange and Trumbull Streets--a very busy one, indeed. The more I run in New Haven, the more stressed out I get. I absolutely loved running in Holyoke this past weekend. It was all off road and relaxing. I wish we had more of that around here. Having to constantly worry about whether you're going to get hit by a car is not fun and takes a lot away from what I love about running. However, running up East Rock tonight was nice. Part of of the park roads are permanently closed to traffic. I really enjoyed the steady climb to 300 ft and then coming back down the other side to Davis Street. Once I came out of the park, it was all intersections and traffic...and people yelling at me. Apparently, I "run like a fag." East Rock is okay, but it's small. You can't put together a longish run on the trails. West Rock is another story. West Rock is on the New Haven/Hamden line, and it offers a 10-mile trail loop, which I've yet to try. I hear, though, that some parts of the park are unsafe. Jessica and I will have to check it out together. Strength in numbers. Thanks for listening to me complain.
Beartown
Karolina and I did a trip to Great Barrington MA this labor day weekend. We left from my parent's house in New Hartford on Saturday morning and returned Monday. We did a 20 mile run in Beartown State Forest on Sunday. Killer hills. Killer. Karolina picked the route not surprisingly. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4022745
About 130 miles of riding in all. Here is the bike route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4020508. Highlights were Bash Bish Falls, riding through the Mount Washington area, and the dirt road down to Salisbury in 14 mins. Riding after run wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
9.03.2010
Week 6 In Review
8-30-10
Kayaked and swam in Long Pond; drove back from the island.
8-31-10
8 miles (1hr 16mins)
Up East Rock; down Whitney via Spring Garden after work. Legs ached toward the end.
9-1-10
Strength training at NHHR
9-2-10
8 miles (1hr 14mins)
Branford after work. Legs felt better than they did on Tuesday. Still tired, though.
9-3-10
8 miles (1hr 16mins)
Guilford before work. Hillier route than that of Thursday's. Tired.
9-4-10
Strength training at NHHR
9-5-10
9 miles (1hrs 23mins)
Holyoke, MA. Gravel path around Ashley Pond, Wright Pond, and McLean Reservoir. Nice to get off pavement. Used iPhone GPS. It worked very well. Now if only I could get it to work on the trails around here.
Miles: 33
Time: 5hrs 11mins
Kayaked and swam in Long Pond; drove back from the island.
8-31-10
8 miles (1hr 16mins)
Up East Rock; down Whitney via Spring Garden after work. Legs ached toward the end.
9-1-10
Strength training at NHHR
9-2-10
8 miles (1hr 14mins)
Branford after work. Legs felt better than they did on Tuesday. Still tired, though.
9-3-10
8 miles (1hr 16mins)
Guilford before work. Hillier route than that of Thursday's. Tired.
9-4-10
Strength training at NHHR
9-5-10
9 miles (1hrs 23mins)
Holyoke, MA. Gravel path around Ashley Pond, Wright Pond, and McLean Reservoir. Nice to get off pavement. Used iPhone GPS. It worked very well. Now if only I could get it to work on the trails around here.
Miles: 33
Time: 5hrs 11mins
9.01.2010
Recovery week
Monday started the first and only recovery week of my 12-week marathon training plan. It came after running 170 miles in the month of August. I don't think that I've ever run that much in one month. Already having 16 weeks of marathon-specific training under my belt certainly helped me get through it.
I ran 8 miles yesterday as a follow-up to a 20-miler on Sunday. I felt fine through the first half of the run but then started to drag. However, my legs were plenty strong to get me through it on pace. This is the difference between this training and last training.
I developed a pretty nasty blister on my left, big toe (on the inside) on Sunday. It's pretty painful and looks infected. I haven't popped it, but it's tempting. I think that I'm going to leave it be and pray that it heals. For yesterday's run, I covered it with an adhesive bandage. That seemed to keep it from getting worse. On my left, second biggest toe (on the outside), I have the remnants of a blood blister. This is the kind of foot/feet I had dreamed of. Without these blisters, I didn't have anything tangible to show for all the miles I've been running. So, the blisters are a good and (potentially) bad thing.
I've got about 750 miles on my current pair of running shoes. I have two other brand-new, identical pairs, but I'm reluctant to break them out and retire my current pair. I think I'm going to use my current pair until they fall apart. They feel fine and don't cause any new or unusual aches/pains in my feet/legs. But aren't they supposed to? Aren't we supposed to replace our running shoes after every three- to four-hundred miles, so that we won't develop injuries? That's what mainstream running literature prescribes. Can we trust it? For years, I had been buying up shoes pretty regularly in order to ward off the most preventable running injuries (supposed)--those sustained from using old running shoes. I'm not convinced that that's necessary anymore.
Think about the money that mainstream running literature makes for running companies. I suspect that it's usually the novice runner who has never run three-hundred miles, much less using one pair of shoes, that buys the notion that shoes must be replaced pretty regularly. Or, maybe it's all runners who run in a traditional running shoe with a midsole the breaks down relatively quickly, thereby no longer providing optimal cushioning for a foot that has become accustomed to it.
It's one thing if replacing your running shoes every three- to four-hundred miles works and you stay injury-free, but if you don't, you owe it to yourself to make a change. That could mean not replacing your running shoes at all, using less shoe, etc. Prior to the advent of the over-engineered, traditional running shoe, today's most common running injuries did not exist. That should tell you something. The rule of thumb goes like this: If you have flat feet (low arch), then you require a motion-control/stability shoe; if you have a medium arch, then you require equal parts stability and cushioning; if you have a high arch, then you require a neutral shoe with maximum cushioning. But why? Especially given the fact that these requirements are based on the assumption that these foot types cause varying levels of pronation? People with flat feet can have good biomechanics. People with high arches can have bad biomechanics. Some say that, with very few exceptions--usually owing to some congential structural problem, your feet are perfect for you. If that's the case, then why would anyone need any one of the hundreds of different kind of running shoes currently on the market? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I ran 8 miles yesterday as a follow-up to a 20-miler on Sunday. I felt fine through the first half of the run but then started to drag. However, my legs were plenty strong to get me through it on pace. This is the difference between this training and last training.
I developed a pretty nasty blister on my left, big toe (on the inside) on Sunday. It's pretty painful and looks infected. I haven't popped it, but it's tempting. I think that I'm going to leave it be and pray that it heals. For yesterday's run, I covered it with an adhesive bandage. That seemed to keep it from getting worse. On my left, second biggest toe (on the outside), I have the remnants of a blood blister. This is the kind of foot/feet I had dreamed of. Without these blisters, I didn't have anything tangible to show for all the miles I've been running. So, the blisters are a good and (potentially) bad thing.
I've got about 750 miles on my current pair of running shoes. I have two other brand-new, identical pairs, but I'm reluctant to break them out and retire my current pair. I think I'm going to use my current pair until they fall apart. They feel fine and don't cause any new or unusual aches/pains in my feet/legs. But aren't they supposed to? Aren't we supposed to replace our running shoes after every three- to four-hundred miles, so that we won't develop injuries? That's what mainstream running literature prescribes. Can we trust it? For years, I had been buying up shoes pretty regularly in order to ward off the most preventable running injuries (supposed)--those sustained from using old running shoes. I'm not convinced that that's necessary anymore.
Think about the money that mainstream running literature makes for running companies. I suspect that it's usually the novice runner who has never run three-hundred miles, much less using one pair of shoes, that buys the notion that shoes must be replaced pretty regularly. Or, maybe it's all runners who run in a traditional running shoe with a midsole the breaks down relatively quickly, thereby no longer providing optimal cushioning for a foot that has become accustomed to it.
It's one thing if replacing your running shoes every three- to four-hundred miles works and you stay injury-free, but if you don't, you owe it to yourself to make a change. That could mean not replacing your running shoes at all, using less shoe, etc. Prior to the advent of the over-engineered, traditional running shoe, today's most common running injuries did not exist. That should tell you something. The rule of thumb goes like this: If you have flat feet (low arch), then you require a motion-control/stability shoe; if you have a medium arch, then you require equal parts stability and cushioning; if you have a high arch, then you require a neutral shoe with maximum cushioning. But why? Especially given the fact that these requirements are based on the assumption that these foot types cause varying levels of pronation? People with flat feet can have good biomechanics. People with high arches can have bad biomechanics. Some say that, with very few exceptions--usually owing to some congential structural problem, your feet are perfect for you. If that's the case, then why would anyone need any one of the hundreds of different kind of running shoes currently on the market? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
8.30.2010
Week 5 In Review
8-23-10
Strength training at NHHR
8-24-10
7 miles (1hr 6mins)
Up East Rock; down Whitney after work. No further comments.
8-25-10
Strength training at NHHR
8-26-10
7 miles (59mins)
3x1600 at Wilbur Cross High School track (6:49; 6:55; 6:56)
Legs felt dead 0.5 miles into warmup. Intervals were tough. Strangely, legs felt best during last few minutes of cooldown. I was supposed to do 7:15 miles, but I went a bit faster (unintentionally). These times are much faster than the ones I did a few weeks ago.
8-27-10
7 miles (1hr 5mins)
Up East Rock; down Whitney before work. Legs felt tired but strong. Usually do this route a couple of minutes slower, but exerted same effort and produced slightly faster run. Left for Portland. Late night. Was kind of pissed about missing gym, but I survived.
8-28-10
Portland, ME. Three sets of pushups at hotel. Continued drive from Portland to Seal Cove.
8-29-10
20 miles (3hrs 7mins)
Mount Desert Island in Maine. Started at cottage in Seal Cove: ran south on 120, east on Seal Cove Road (Acadia National Park), north on 120, west on 120, south on 120, east back into Acadia National Park above Hodgdon Pond, and back to the cottage. The route was extremely hilly. Probably the hilliest route I've ever done. It was pretty hot, too. My legs didn't feel great, but I certainly had the endurance. Had at least another gear and some energy left to go farther at the finish. After the run, I wolfed down a big bowl of fruit salad and walked down to Somes Cove (across the dirt road) to swim in the ice cold water. That's the life up there.
Miles: 41
Time: 6hrs 19mins
Strength training at NHHR
8-24-10
7 miles (1hr 6mins)
Up East Rock; down Whitney after work. No further comments.
8-25-10
Strength training at NHHR
8-26-10
7 miles (59mins)
3x1600 at Wilbur Cross High School track (6:49; 6:55; 6:56)
Legs felt dead 0.5 miles into warmup. Intervals were tough. Strangely, legs felt best during last few minutes of cooldown. I was supposed to do 7:15 miles, but I went a bit faster (unintentionally). These times are much faster than the ones I did a few weeks ago.
8-27-10
7 miles (1hr 5mins)
Up East Rock; down Whitney before work. Legs felt tired but strong. Usually do this route a couple of minutes slower, but exerted same effort and produced slightly faster run. Left for Portland. Late night. Was kind of pissed about missing gym, but I survived.
8-28-10
Portland, ME. Three sets of pushups at hotel. Continued drive from Portland to Seal Cove.
8-29-10
20 miles (3hrs 7mins)
Mount Desert Island in Maine. Started at cottage in Seal Cove: ran south on 120, east on Seal Cove Road (Acadia National Park), north on 120, west on 120, south on 120, east back into Acadia National Park above Hodgdon Pond, and back to the cottage. The route was extremely hilly. Probably the hilliest route I've ever done. It was pretty hot, too. My legs didn't feel great, but I certainly had the endurance. Had at least another gear and some energy left to go farther at the finish. After the run, I wolfed down a big bowl of fruit salad and walked down to Somes Cove (across the dirt road) to swim in the ice cold water. That's the life up there.
Miles: 41
Time: 6hrs 19mins
8.29.2010
The Camelbak returns!
After chafing my back raw a couple of months ago in Portland, I decided to give the camelbak a second chance. This time I wore a T-shirt underneath, rather than a tank top, and it worked great!
on another note, Niko the Indefatigable ran 16 miles with Dan yesterday and 18 with me today. he's tired but not tired enough to pass on chasing flies around the living room. I wish I had that kind of energy.
8.27.2010
Acadia, ME for a long weekend
Jessica and I are leaving for Acadia, ME, this evening. We plan on stopping over in Portland and continuing the drive to Acadia tomorrow morning. I've got a pretty good 20-miler mapped out for Sunday morning. Check it out here: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3993677
8.24.2010
TMJD and running
I've been having jaw pain since two Thursdays ago--i.e., coming up on two weeks. The pain started after a tempo run, got better for a day or two and has gotten progressively worse since then. E.g., I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to fit a sandwich into it. It was that painful. I saw my dentist today. He said I have TMJD from clenching my teeth and, possibly, from grinding at night, although he thought it was less from grinding, as I don't have much wear. He wants me to put my tongue between my teeth while I run, so that I won't bite down. An interesting tidbit is that when you chew food you apply 200 to 800 foot pounds of pressure to your teeth. When you sleep or are otherwise engaged in something other than eating (like running), apparently you can apply up to as much as 2,000 ft lbs of pressure. He wanted to give me a prescription drug to relax the tense muscles and guessed that I was 120 pounds. That's because he couldn't see how muscular I was under my clothes. I'm actually 145 to 150. :-D
8.22.2010
The toughest 10k I ever ran
As planned, I completed the Litchfield Hills tri today - and had a blast. It was hard, but it was one of the funnest experiences I've had in a long time. The swim was great. I was one of the few participants without a wet suit, but the water wasn't very cold and once you get moving you get warm pretty quick. Apparently, even the short time I had to work on my swimming form really paid off. I finished the swim in 25:41, some 15minutes less than I expected (that's a big difference for a 1.5km swim). Bike ride was also a lot faster than I thought, 1:20:45 (at least 10-20min faster than I expected). The run was a little rough. My legs felt incredibly heavy, especially in the first 10minutes or so, and at the end I got a stitch in my side I couldn't get rid of, so I had to slow down. But, I knew I should be able to do six miles without too much trouble, so I kept running and finished in 47:49, which is still better than I expected (I was expecting 50-55ish). Including both transitions, my total time was 2:39:16 which I still can't believe :)
I'm already getting excited for the next one and I definitely want to try a half ironman next year. Who's in?
oh, and I think I want to get an actual road bike :)
Week 4 In Review
8-16-10
Strength training at NHHR
8-17-10
7 miles (1hr 5mins)
Branford. Felt fine until the end.
8-18-10
Strength training at NHHR
8-19-10
8 miles (1hr 6mins)
1-mile warm-up, 6-mile tempo (7:53/mile), 1-mile cool-down
Guilford: 146 to Sachem's Head. Late. Dark. Lots of hills. Felt amazing. Flying on parts. Best run in a while.
8-20-10
6 miles (55mins)
Guilford after half-day of work. Felt fine.
8-21-10
Strength training at NHHR
8-22-10
18 miles (2hrs 52mins)
Guilford to New Haven. First six were tough, but felt good otherwise. Legs never really fatigued, despite no GU. First time ever finishing an 18-mile training run out of three attempts. Got caught in a torrential downpour in East Haven. No lightening, though. It looked like it for a while. Cooler temperatures make a big difference. It took only 1 Nalgene before I had to pee again, not 7.
Miles: 39
Time: 6hrs
Strength training at NHHR
8-17-10
7 miles (1hr 5mins)
Branford. Felt fine until the end.
8-18-10
Strength training at NHHR
8-19-10
8 miles (1hr 6mins)
1-mile warm-up, 6-mile tempo (7:53/mile), 1-mile cool-down
Guilford: 146 to Sachem's Head. Late. Dark. Lots of hills. Felt amazing. Flying on parts. Best run in a while.
8-20-10
6 miles (55mins)
Guilford after half-day of work. Felt fine.
8-21-10
Strength training at NHHR
8-22-10
18 miles (2hrs 52mins)
Guilford to New Haven. First six were tough, but felt good otherwise. Legs never really fatigued, despite no GU. First time ever finishing an 18-mile training run out of three attempts. Got caught in a torrential downpour in East Haven. No lightening, though. It looked like it for a while. Cooler temperatures make a big difference. It took only 1 Nalgene before I had to pee again, not 7.
Miles: 39
Time: 6hrs
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