Week 7: Day 4 - Dogs with wheels

Today was my 2nd hill workout. I went once again to Soap Stone, a perfect place to get angry at an incline. You would too if you ran up it repeatedly at a nearly all out pace. I completed 6 intervals each of which was ~1/4 mile. My last and fastest was at a 5:55 pace, which was pretty much all I had in me by that point on a grade incline.

I think I went a bit too long on the remainder of the run. It clocked in at over 7 miles, whereas I could've probably cut it at 6 and been no worse off. I experienced some ankle soreness duing the 1.5 mile warm-up, and it was very tender walking around after the run tonight. I also felt some strain in my lower right hamstring. Though I was thinking about running tomorrow, It's definitely going to be a day of rest now.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
7.12	57:36	8:06	144	188

The interesting part of my run was coming across dogs with wheels. The first was wearing a harness and pulling a tire. Apparently he's weight training... One wheel dog wasn't enough for the day. I came across another dog, who wasn't as fortunate as the previous one. He had wheels because his hind legs apparently weren't cutting it. The dog above seems to be fairly content with his situation, so hopefully today's 2 legged/2 wheeled dog was too.

Yesterday's 4-mile run was fairly uneventful (no wheel dogs or people trying to run me down), but I kept up a comfortable quick pace.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
4.02	30:36	7:36	149	177

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Week 7: Day 2 - Hulk Smash Dumb Drivers

First of all, today was SUPER muggy. I ran at (of course) the peak part of the temperature curve at a nice 94 degrees, with a fair amount of humidity. It didn't help that I was nearly run over while running in a cross walk in a parking lot. Some jack ass decided that he was cool with running people over so he came barreling into the Safeway parking lot almost right through me. Luckily his mirror and rear tires remained a good 3 inches from me and my lead foot.

I followed this punk to his parking spot to see what his deal was and it turned out "He didn't see me." Didn't see the bright white dude running nearly in front of him? My guess is this jerk-off does not pass the vision test for his driver's license next time around.

This is the first time I've looked at my HRM data to see the effects of emotion on my workout. It should be no surprise that this incident was the peak of my run (despite being only 1/3 of the way into the run) at 180bpm. There are a couple smaller peaks near 171 cresting a few hills near the end of the run. On top of that, that period after the incident is somewhat erratic.

Perhaps this guy had something on his mind distracting him from the task at hand, but this is not the first time I've dealt with drivers who didn't care about nearby pedestrians. As long as I have to run on road, there's always that slim chance that some absent minded, or malicious fool is going to plow me over... That's part of the risk of running outdoors.

Despite the heat and shenanigans, I had another spirited run, negative splitting the last several miles.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
8.08	1:03:20	7:50	153	180

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Week 6: Adventure Racing

This weekend I participated in my second Adventure Race, the Odyssey Sprint AR, near Roanoke, VA. Like most of these races, this AR consisted of orienteering, treking, mountain biking, and canoeing. We must have covered 25 to 35 miles in the course 0f 6 hours. We strayed off course from the get go, taking the high road, which turned out to be a bad idea. After trudging through some heavy foliage, we reached the canoes at the first check point.

The canoeing seemed to drag on forever, and it didn't help that we were spun around 3 times by other boats. We resumed right where we left off on foot going way off course, and eventually learned that we were making this event harder than it needed to be. Every checkpoint was on some major trail or road. It seemed like smooth sailing once we hit the bikes, but we ran into some technical problems when Stas' Chain guard broke off and wedge into his gear hub. We were able to cut it away and get back on track leaving Stas with out his low gear.

This years Odyssey Sprint was overall a great time. Despite our misguided methods of navigation, everyone on our teams (John, Stas, Sergey, and I; Mike and Ian) had so much fun. I look forward to future ARs with these guys!

Despite an exhausting day, followed by an outing in Staunton that last until 2pm, I went for my 10 mile run to cap off week 6. I had been speaking to Kevin Shirk earlier in the day, and being humbled by his run times, I encouraged myself to step up the pace for the run.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
10.02	1:17:24	7:44	153	175

I have thought about approaching the coach for South Lakes HS Cross Country about assisting him this fall. The only hang up is the ability to get to practices with my work schedule... It turns out Sergey is going to be running for the team. The kid had a motor and was cranking this weekend, running when everyone else wanted to rest and barreling up the hill on bike. It would probably be a good time to get involved since I know one of the athletes... Maybe I can find someone who has volunteered and had an office job like mine....

John pointed me out to the Brooks ID program which supposedly could get me a 40% off discount. I'm excited!

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Week 6: Day 4 - Back to the track

This week I continued full speed ahead. I'm not just talking about training, but life. Last night was a marathon poker night going pass 1pm. This after a quick 3 miler (7:49/mi). Tuesday after an equally fast 7 miler (7:48/mi) I thought I was in for a relaxing night when Alex asked me to join him for a Mets @ Nats game. The Nats won with a complete game shutout by John Lannan. It was a good time, but truthfully the game was average at best. The only play I can remember is when the Mets right fielder biffed on an easy fly ball with bases loaded and then with an easy force at second nearly blew it as the second baseman couldn't handle the throw.

I passed on Monday's run to meet up with Josh who was visiting from Bean Town. We went to The Counter which has some of the best burgers I've ever had.

Tonight I went to South Lakes H.S. for a track workout. I was scheduled for 5x800 (~3:00) repeats. I tacked on a quick 400 (1:21) , 200 (0:33), 2x100 (0:15) on the end. With warm up and cool down the workout totals:

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
6.44	50:03	7:47	156	194

For lunch today I went to Tropical Smoothie with some of the coworkers. It seemed like a good way to get some calories in before a hard workout while still getting some decent nutrients. I had a buffalo chicken wrap and an orange smoothie. I give this place a nod and will add it to my lunch spots.

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Week 5: Day 7 - Pain train boarded

After failing to do the whole long run last Sunday I decided that was not an option today. This evening I returned from Brooklyn around 6, stretched and fueled for 30 minutes and set out for a 14 miler. Not only did I sit in the car for 4.5 hours today, but I also played basketball for my brothers team who were severely short handed.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
13.72	1:53:33	8:17	146	170

We played the whole 40(?) minutes: 5 on 5 with no subs. I should stick to running... I had several opportunities to shoot, but I couldn't buy a bucket... the rims and backboards were straight street with absolutely no give. Anything that hit the rim went flying out. Sorry to Jim for my Shaq-esque performance (minus the strong play in the paint).

My run took me to new territory. I ran down to the Franklin Farm area of Herndon where people clearly throw plenty of dough around. I imagine some of the houses have rooms that aren't used for months. I almost got run over by a BMW and a Mercedes. At least I'd be going out in style :-P

I have my first blister in a while. It's that darn long second two. It's not an unusual place for me to get them, but hopefully it'll toughen up after a few more distance runs.

The ol' Garmin went screwy on me, or more likely user error kicked in. My watch stopped for 5 minutes, and my mid-run math was a little off leaving me slightly short of 14, but I can more than live with 13 3/4 after the week I've had. I hurt. I should have passed out hours ago. Time to make it happen...

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Week 5: Slight derailment due to travel

It's a fine day in Brooklyn, NY. Today I ran 7 miles at Prospect Park, half of which I ran with my brother. The park, which was is shutdown to traffic during the day, had plenty of room to roam around on it's 3.5 mile loop, and was well shaded. There were a few lengthy inclines and declines, but nothing too steep. There was a bike race supposedly going on at the time, but anybody riding by appeared to be taking it easy.

This week I was shipped off for some business travel to Houston, TX. This isn't the ideal place for a runner... The intense sun was not often obscured by clouds, and the heat was on. My Tuesday run was bypassed due to a day of travel and planning. I ran 7 miles on a treadmill Wednesday at the hotel, which reminded me why I hate running on treadmills. First off, in order to maintain sanity, I watched the Sotomayor hearings (in which it seemed no one really cared to explore the knowledge/experience of this candidate). This required me to use headphones, the cable of which frequently got in the way of hand swings causing a huge nuisance. This particular treadmill had some issues, and as I pushed it to 8mph, it started sticking on my left footfalls... I could see someone getting a bum knee from that.

Thursday morning I took to the Houston streets, running a 4.3 mile/32 minute tempo run. The graph looks good with a mostly continuous decline to a max pace of 6:27. The whole run I was trying to find a sprinkler or some water to run through. I passed a guy watering a lawn, and asked him to turn the hose toward the road, but he looked blankly back at me and continued his work. I got the impression he didn't speak my language. The one sprinkler I ran across was shooting at no more than knee height leaving me with some slightly soggy shoes near the end of the run (not quite what I was hoping for).

It's time I spend some time with Jim, Jenny, and Annea. It's been fun being Uncle Matt for the weekend. Annea giggled for me this morning as I made a fool of myself and played with her toys. It's a good way to cap off a long week...

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Week 4: A little change of plans

This weekend was my buddy Ben's bachelor party. Aside from a few overzealous Philly cops unruly behavior, we had an excellent weekend. My training didn't go as prescribed, but you can't let a training program prevent your life...

Friday night was a day off. We took off for North East, MD where we camped on the Chesapeake Bay. We attempted to catch crabs in the Bay using chicken drum sticks and string (which according to Clay works), but we didn't spy a single claw. Defeated, but spirits up, we got the fire going and had a good time telling stories over beers and hot dogs.

Saturday I missed out on a 6 mile @ marathon pace workout. Instead my workout was an afternoon of Paintball... and THAT is a workout! We played various styles of games including an "Escort the President" game. Ben and "Goose" were too quick for us, and those games ended quickly. There was a lot of time spent sprinting, diving, and sliding or rolling. Everyone had their shining moments, especially Ben who is a wiley paintballer. Being 5' nothing worked to his advantage ;-)

That night, after driving up to Philly, we went out on the town to paint it red... by the end of the night, the only thing that was red was Painter's ear. He was hit with pepper spray in a random skirmish with the police we stumbled upon. I received collateral damage as well, being knocked over by a billy club. Wrong place, wrong time... Philly... you're not on my favorite place to be list yet... We mistreated Ben last night too. He was three sheets to the wind by midnight thanks to our generosity.

After a long ride home, I once again switched up the workout plan. Clay came out to Reston and ran with me. He needed to run 8, and I was to do 13. Eight turned out to be enough for me, and I decided I should give my body the chance to recover from the weekend festivities.

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Week 4: Day 4 - Hill Workout

Today was my first hill workout. I staked out a continuous slope on Soapstone Dr with a lentgh of 400+ meters. I ran a mile and a half to the base of the hill, stretched, and ran 4 intervals capped off by 2 miles of cool-down. Each interval was a run uphill @ 6:00-6:15 pace for ~400 meters and a jog downhill. The intervals went smoothly though the heart definitely was pumping good at the end of each climb. Some of the drivers weren't too friendly today since I was running in the road. Despite there being two lanes, a handful of cars decided it would be better to swerve toward the guy running in the bright yellow shirt than to swerve away. People in the DC Metro area are so curteous..............

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
5.36	42:20	7:54	144	183

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Week 4: Deer Crossing

I think it's only a matter of time before I run into a deer at full speed. No, not in my car, I mean literally run into one. Last week it was on a bike ride that Mead, who was riding only a bike length and a half ahead of me came within a few meters of hitting a deer.

On Sunday during an 8 mile run, I was running on a path parallel to the W&OD and cresting a hill I came face to face with a deer. Startled, it bolted toward the W&OD where a bike narrowly passed by before the deer took off.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
8.03	1:05:57	8:13	143	168

Today during my 3 mile run in some dense, narrow forest trail I came upon 3 full grown deer, one with very large antlers. I had to halt and let them pass. The largest Buck contemplated his move carefully before he fled.

Dear deer, If you are reading this, I am not trying to hunt you down, nor do I care to collide with you. Please stay off the running paths.

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Week 4: Lagging Post

I am lagging a little as time has become a rare commodity.

On Monday, Matt and I met up with Tony, Bill, and Russel for a ride at Wakefield. I was supposed to run 3 miles, but instead rode 10+ miles at a hurried pace. Russel and Tony were hammering. The ride was broken into multiple loops on a couple different trails, the second loop took my onto new territory and we all lost each other for a while. I wish I could find more time to sneak riding in so I could be a little more confident on obstacles and turns.

Yesterday was a 6 mile run. It was mostly uneventful, but by trying to blaze new trail I ended up on a 4-lane road with a narrow shoulder for a short stint. The drivers weren't very careful, but I survived.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
6.03	47:41	7:54	144	186

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Week 3 Days 6 "Race Pace"

Today I was to run 6 miles at marathon pace. I still haven't quite figured out what that's going to be, but I decided to set out at a pace hovering around 7:10-7:20. I was definitely feeling it near the end of the run, but I held the pace to the end.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
6.07	44:10	7:16	161	184

I think flexibility is something that might hold me back a bit. I definitely had some tightness today that was distracting throughout the 2nd half of the run. I could use some stretching routine knowledge.

We saw the fireworks at Lake Fairfax Park. The show was a nothing spectacular, but we had a fun time anyhow. I want to check out this park in the future for training.

I need new shoes!!

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Week 3: Day 4 "The Zone"

It's been a while since I've set foot on the track. I have randomly done it over the course of my time here in Reston, but it'll be a bit more "regular" during the course of my training. I have to be cautious of over-training as I sometimes absorbed in the moment when I train, especially for speed work. You might call this "the zone". I now have the fever to run an open track meet, but that would probably be unwise...

I ran a ~1.5 mile warm-up, 5x800 meters with 1:30 rest, followed by a mile cool down. I decided to be overly ambitious and shoot for 3 minute (6 min/mile) intervals. Not only did I get them up to speed, but I ran too fast, clocking in at 2:55 for a pair of them. I might pay the price for this as I struggled to get the legs moving as I set out for my cool down. I think adding 10 seconds per interval, taking another 30 seconds rest, or both might have been wise. I'll know in the morning, but for now I am sore and ready for relaxation... Tomorrow's workout: Rest/Golf

distance	laps	Avg Time	Max Time	HR Avg.	HR Max
800m	5	2:57	2:55	174	186

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Week 3 Days 2 & 3 Need More Calories

I think I've started to reach a mileage that is outpacing my intake of fuel. I definitely am finding myself to be a bit more hungry than usual. I've debated about keeping track of my diet as I train, but that's starting to push my threshold for the amount of data I want to spend recording in a day. I'd be happy to hear anyone's stories of doing this.

Last night I was to run an easy 6 miles. I was content to take it easy this run, but my watch decided to pretend the battery was low. As a result, I pushed myself to beat the power off, which never happened. I was plenty sore by the time I had hit the trail, and I didn't get that relaxing run I'd hoped for.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
6.03	48:17	8:01	145	170

While I could have run another 3 today, I decided to take it easy. Brenda and I set out to play tennis. After several days we finally hopped on our bikes and rode to the courts. Of course as soon as we set our feet on the pedals the rain drops began to fell. I'm stubborn and decided we would chance it. One of the beautiful things about yesterday's run was the soft rain that fell for about 20 minutes, and luckily today it was much the same. The courts quickly dried up.

We still have a ways to go, but Brenda's skills have greatly improved as a result of the tennis class she took here in Reston. We just need to work on that serve ;-)

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