Three Is Proven

Over the years I have said it a thousand times. It takes about three to four weeks of consistent training to get to the point where it feels like habit and things start becoming easier. I'm at that point and boy does it feel good. I'm not ready to crush any records or anything but I am running comfortably and most importantly pain-free. The next three weeks will be inching up the mileage until I am comfortable at 60-65 miles. I may do a little more from time to time but that is where my mileage will be for some time while I attempt to get some speed back.

Today's run was a bit of an experiment. I wasn't supposed to run longer miles until next week but I knew I was ready. I drove down to the marathon course and parked in front of the Portland Malt shop (24 mile mark). The goal was 12 miles, so off I headed "up the shore" making my way to the 18 mile mark. The miles cruised by as I hit the turn in 42:13. I had to fight the urge to pick up the pace on the way back and made it to the ten mile point before picking it up a bit. I closed the last two miles at 6:29 pace with a HR: 148. Very happy with today's effort.

Totals: 1:22:44  12.2 miles  (6:46 pace) HR: 141

Weeks Totals: 50 miles

Years Totals: 1096 miles

Easy Trails & Comfy Pick-Up's

Each day it is getting harder and harder to hold back. The one way I knew it would be rather easy to stay slow and controlled would be to hit a short segment of trails. After warming up for two miles on the roads I hit a short (16 minutes) section of the SHT. This brought me to Hawks Ridge and from there I ran the roads home. My Achilles are feeling great and my stride is becoming much more fluid. I "cruised" the last mile in 6:00. My HR was up a bit but I think it was related to the humidity being upwards of 75%. Overall a good run.

Totals: 48:23  6.6 miles HR: 141  (6:00 last mile HR: 158)

Progression Run

I managed to get a decent "flexibility/strength" session in last night. I woke up feeling more flexible and ready to get out the door. I've been fighting the urge to increase my mileage, but Jack D. says not to change much the first three weeks back into a program. This is the end of my third week back and things are coming around just fine. Over the next few months I will be mixing Jack's and Pfitzingers plans and seeing if I can get some speed back in the legs.

This mornings run took me through the Piggly Wiggly loop. Felt decent, but still lacking strength on the hills, and finished strong with a 6:11 last mile.

Totals: 45:46  6.5 miles HR: 139  Last mile: 6:11 (151 HR)

Easy

As I keep up with the boring base-building phase I go through good days and not so good days and anywhere in between. Today was in the middle of all of  it. My hip (?piriformis) tightness went away. Just like I said it would. It comes and goes when ever it pleases. I have been doing quite a few lower leg and hip exercises lately and backed off a bit the last two or three days and things seem to feel pretty good. Tomorrow will be another day. Modified the cemetery loop this morning and added a few extra extentions.

Totals: 43:00+   6 miles HR: 140 (recovery 103)

Skyline

Out and back on skyline this morning offered me a wonderful sunrise and a reason for living in Duluth. I never get sick of seeing it. 

The only new thing from a running standpoint is the return of an old nagging muscle in my right hip/upper glute that tightens and causes a little discomfort down my leg. I've had this before and it disappears just a fast as it showed up. Not sure what is the cause but it seems like once I get to a certain level of activity and stretch along with getting a Chiropractor adjustment, all things get better. It doesn't cause me to stop, just another thing to deal with.

Totals: 49:11  7 miles  HR: 139 (recovery 109)

Roundhouse Kick

With the thunder and lightening storms coming through last night it was just a matter of time until our 3 year old son joined us in bed. He saw it "flashing" outside and was scared. Mid way through the night I remembered getting a roundhouse kick to the head and seeing Lucas laying with his head down by our knees. Kinda funny now.

The run was much of the same. Boring base-building. Important, but boring. I did a few striders in the middle of the run and the legs seem to be loosening a bit and starting to get a hint of turnover once again. Good run.

Totals: 47:29  6.6 miles (7:14pace) HR: 142 (recovery 111)

Wet Grass & Spider Webs

The temps were a bit cool this morning. (47F) The morning dew was quite thick as the longer grass and weeds lay over the trail in certain places offering my lower legs a little wake up call. The other annoying trail occurrence early in the morning are spider webs. When hitting a narrow patch of trail you are expected to get a face full of webs from time to time. Fun!

Even if I have been absent from the long run or high miles I used this morning as an easy "recovery day". I like to do that on Monday's. Surprising that doing a little over an hour yesterday left me feeling like I had done a long run as my quads were a bit heavy. It could have been the 3 sets of lower body exercises I did after yesterday's run as well.

 

Totals: 37:49  5.2 miles   HR: 137 (recovery 101)

Good Days

Some time back, approximately a year or so, I talked about having good days and the importance of never giving up the ship, and to keep "chasing the carrot". I needed one of those days and today I got it! Nothing special. Just a solid run that left me satisfied.

I wanted to run a solid hour to see how things would feel. My right achilles was just a bit sore this morning and it warmed up well with the early miles of running. Getting "into the groove" was easy after the early mile hills were tackled. I was running with the wind for some distance and I was surprised to be running sub-6:30 pace! Something I haven't seen for awhile. HR and recovery were a bit up today having an overall increase in volume and pace.

To summarize: solid legs, solid breathing, solid run= Happy!

Totals: 1:07:06  9.6 miles (6:57 pace) HR:149 (117 recovery)

Weeks Totals: 38 miles

Years Totals: 1046 miles

Golfing Buddy

Putt-Putt with Lucas.

Lester

Lester River, Duluth MN.

Blah

That sums up this mornings run. I wanted to add a bit to the distance this morning but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I didn't really feel bad, just flat. I tried to do a few striders and it made matters worse. My nutrition was pretty bad yesterday so that may have played a part in it. Achilles are feeling pretty decent.

Totals: 37:10  5.2 miles HR: 145 (recovery 117)

Gloves

Yes, I wore gloves this morning. My threshold is usually around 50F. This morning it was 47F and foggy along with a little wind.

I did the "Piggly Wiggly" loop and was pleasantly surprised to see it unfold as well as it did. I am still struggling with any amount of hill as my HR spikes into the 160's quite easily. My recovery from those hills is improving quite well along with having an overall lower exercising HR. 

I had measured this course on the USATF "map my run" and today using the GPS it was the exact same measurement. These Garmins are really cool.

Totals: 45:40  6.5 miles (6:59 pace) HR:145 (recovery 112) 

Skyline

Just to change it up a bit this morning I ran west on Skyline out and back. Initially I was going to run for an hour but decided to cut it short a bit and save the longer runs for this weekend. I have been feeling pretty good this week and beginning to feel like things are making a turn for the better. I still remain a long way off from racing, but I do like the progress.

Here's today's numbers.

Totals: 45:15  6.4 miles (7:01 pace)  HR ave: 145 (recovery 111) 

Crisp Air

It's nice to be running in the early morning hours once again. Temperature's are cool and crisp, and today had low humidity. I did the same loop as the past 4 or 5 days and things are improving slowly. I did a few striders during the loop just to get the legs aware of the faster paces. I couldn't figure out why my adductors were tight until after my run. I have been adding about ten walking lunges after each run and I think I am feeling the effect of those. As soon as I started to do them today I could feel all those fatigued muscles begin to fire.

My "fitness" numbers are improving ever so slowly. Today's looked like this:

Totals: 36:51   5.2 miles  7:06 pace  HR: 140 ave. (recovery 109)

Maintain

This morning it was quite a bit cooler than what I was running in this past weekend. What a difference the temperature makes when you are out of shape. The heat must multiply the "out of shapeness" on a body. 

This morning my resting HR was 47. My overall average was near 20 beats lower! I did the same loop along with some striders x4. A good way to start the week.

Totals: 37:56  5.3 miles  HR: 138 (recovery 103)

*i was still at 130 yesterday for the same recovery period.

3rd Duluth Duathlon

Here are the winners of the 3rd Duluth Duathlon.

First Overall Male: Jonathan Balabuck, Thunder Bay, ON

First Overall Women: Marlo McGaver, Duluth, MN

Event Web Site HERE.

Heat Training

On Woodland Ave. a Bank thermometer read 98F. It tends to read warm, even in the winter time. Most other places I checked read near 85F. For us folks up north either one of those readings are a bit too warm for any major running.

I headed out for the same five miler loop to see how I would adjust to the heat. Just as I figured it to be... not that good. No major problems except just being wasted from the heat.

Totals: 38:40  5.2 miles HR: 153

Weeks Totals: 23 miles

Years Totals: 1008 miles

24 Hours Later

Yesterday's run was, as I wrote, a bit mysterious. High heart rate at rest and while running. I didn't feel the best but, just confused with the numbers.

Today was, I guess you could say, the other side of the coin. 

I left the house with my resting HR nearly 20 beats lower than yesterday's. During the early miles I seemed to exhibit the same HR  pattern as yesterday but with less energy. (I did the same loop as yesterday with the exception of one block.) The one thing I noticed was the humidity may have been a bit lower from yesterday as well as an earlier hour of running. The main point being, without the numbers, one's body can differ so greatly form one day to the next and you wouldn't even know it. You often hear people saying, "I just didn't have it today... " or "I don't know what was wrong with me today...". Interesting...

The other side note for me would be that I haven't wore a HR monitor in the past when I was trying to get back into shape. I just used it when I was in shape and performing threshold workouts. It will be fun to see my heart rate come down as I get in better shape.

Totals: 36:16  5 miles  Ave HR: 151

Too Much of A Good Thing

With a fresh start of running on Tuesday and the addition of consistent eccentric exercises I may have overdone it for a few days. On Thursday I could hardly walk down the stairs, thus no running that morning. I took the morning off from the exercises as well, but did one set in the evening. I woke up feeling much better this morning and after a couple of hours of being up and taking a short walk with the dog I was ready for a run.

The first data I thought was off was my resting heart rate. It wasn't a true resting heart rate as I had been up and moving for a bit but sitting just prior to starting the run my heart rate was 63. (usually low 40's- upper 30's) As I was running and attempting to get into a rhythm I couldn't help but notice my rate's in the upper 150's and 160's with any amount of incline.(threshold HR has been 164 in past)  I wasn't feeling dyspnic to the degree I should when my heart rates have been that high in the past. Weird.

I did a nice slower loop and my legs were dead, but my Achilles felt very good. NO Pain!

Totals: 36:55  5 miles  Ave. HR: 147

Technology

For the past six months Kari and myself have been thinking of purchasing a Garmin GPS watch. Well, we did it last night. A fresh Garmin 405 was all charged up and waiting for me as I got ready for the short run this morning.  After the quick set up pages I headed out on one of my regular short morning loops. (I will be doing this loop for the next four or five days) In the past I have thought of it as a "solid" 4 miles and maybe just a bit more. Today's measurement GPS-style was 3.98 miles.

It's a good thing that I had a new toy to occupy my mind, as my legs felt horrible but my breathing was better than yesterday. The neat thing of the new gadget was noting the fact that yesterday I was running a lot faster than I thought. Maybe that is why I felt so tired?

More data tomorrow.

Totals: 28:58  4 miles!

Fresh Start

I wanted to go out and test the Achilles this morning with an easy 1/2 hour. Most of the reading I have been doing mentioned that it would be ok to run for 1/2 hour if one is pain free. I am happy to say I am pain free. The eccentric exercises have done wonders and hopefully will hold up to running activity. 

I am completely out of shape. The little run I did this morning at 8:00 pace just about killed me. Wow, I wished I had crossed trained now...

I am sure it will come back quick after some weeks of suffering.

Totals: 29:15  4+ miles

Gary Bjorklund 1/2 Marathon Locals

Here are pictures of the "local" elites placing in this past weekends half marathon.

Local Men's Winner: Jeremy Polson 1:08:24

Local Women's Winner: Katie Koski 1:18:29

No Action

I have been quite sedentary the last week and a half. I mentioned in an earlier post that I am a terrible cross trainer and I am out to prove it once again. The hassle of getting a bag together the night  before work and heading out earlier to work, the fitness center I would go to is at the medical center where I work, just doesn't appeal to me.

The one, and most important, benefit of taking this time off is that my achilles feel great. I have been doing the eccentric calf work and maybe that has helped me recoup as well. I am taking some "extra" time off and hoping that once I resume training I can build with no achilles pain.

Grandma's Marathon came and went as quick as the squalls that poured on the post marathon crowd. My wife and I put in a pretty decent effort being good spectators and setting up camp near Sir Ben's at the 23.5 mile mark of the marathon. I had good positioning for pictures, but screwed up the aperture. I will attempt to post a few soon. The weekend was great and I met a few new people that have some interesting ties to the running world.

No training to discuss. 

Years Totals: 985 miles

Good Decisions

I would like to think that as we get older or "seasoned" we make better decisions. By taking most of last week away from running, a move that was very difficult to do since I wasn't feeling "that bad", my lower legs and feet feel MUCH better. I read an article regarding "acute" versus "chronic" achilles tendinitis and it was looking like I was heading towards the chronic type which sounded like a definite wrong move. Time off now should help get me up an running sooner and hopefully keep the achilles issues away.The massage I got on Tuesday was amazing and I should get another this week. I had such a strong urge to run yesterday it was killing me to sit yet another day. I'm glad I did. 

This morning I crawled out of bed to make it to the early morning swim at UMD. The first couple laps felt pretty bad but soon I was in a good groove and the time passed very quickly and I actually ended feeling better than when I started. Overall, a good day of cross training in the pool.

To Bike or Not to Bike

I am just going to say it. Biking SUCKS!

 Now, having said that there could be a couple variables that may sway that statement. First off, I don't have a very nice bike. Maybe the seat is not adjusted right, maybe the frame doesn't fit me, or just maybe biking sucks. Second, Kari and I went for a ride while I was towing Lucas in the trailer. Yeah, I haven't biked all season and my first ride is pulling my 3 year old. Lastly, maybe if I kept at it for a few weeks things would eventually get better and biking may not turn out to be so bad. At any rate, we got in a really good hour loop that gave my quads, glutes and lower legs got a good challenge and it made my "scrunt" hurt like I have felt it before. (I had new $60.00 bike shorts on so don't tell me to go and buy a pair) Yup, biking sucks.

Totals: 1:00:00 biking pulling Lucas

Pool

My first option for  decent cross training this morning was to swim. It is close to the house, and I suck at it so I get a super cardio workout. I didn't aqua jog but I am going to dig out the Pete Fitz. workouts and start to do that a few days a week. My main concern is once a week or so getting in a long aerobic workout. It might have to be the bike! YUK!

Totals: 35:00 swim

R.O.M.

A medical term for "range of motion". That's what I didn't have in my ankle/foot. I saw a massage therapist today and after sharing with him my story regarding my achilles and lower leg he decided to "dig in there and see what I can find..." It was about two minutes into the massage and he figured out one major problem. No ROM in the medial (inner) part of my ankle. After rolling (spraining) my ankle to the lateral (outside) several times the muscles, tendons, ligaments were completely locked up on the medial side to compensate for the weakness and attempt to keep the foot stable. After a bit of ambulating this would tighten and pull on my achilles.

After 45 minutes or so of working on my lower left leg, and many times coming close to crying like a little boy (you DON'T say uncle to your massage therapist) I could tell he was on to something. I need to make another appointment and get some more kinks worked out. The good news is, he is on to something and I think it will work.

What this does mean is I am taking some serious time away from running and going to be cross training and get this thing healed for good.

No running today... will cross train as much as possible in the weeks to come.

Not to Be

Yup. The title says it all. I did an easy cemetery loop and after twenty minutes, my left achilles started to feel a tugging sensation again and was soon forcing me to walk. No calf tightness this time. I think this is all related to the ankle sprains at the trail 25K. I just can't figure out what the mechanism is that is causing the "pull" on the achilles. As soon as I can sit and massage the lateral-posterior ankle area it loosens up and I can walk pain free for a bit, then it "spasms" again and pulls on the achilles. Tomorrow I have a massage appointment. If I have no luck with this, it may call for a trip to the sports medicine doc's.

Totals: 25:00  3+ miles

More Issues

Week of June 2- June 8

Monday: After a decent week of running and a wonderful weekend of back to backs I figured I would take it easy this morning and do a nice out and back on west skyline for a recovery run. About 15 minutes into the run I hit a small (very) pothole and twisted my left ankle. (this is the one I rolled 4 times during the SHT 25K) It didn't really register that I twisted it but after another five or ten minutes of running my lower calf and achilles started to tighten, and soon started to hurt. I made it home before things got too bad and did a routine of strengthening exercises before heading out to work. At work, it continued to get tight and the achilles felt like it was being "tugged" by something that made it quite difficult to ambulate. This would be a quick end to what I thought would be a building week.

Totals: 42:00 5.5 miles

Tuesday-Friday

no running. just easy stretching and icing. by Friday I was feeling near "normal" and was willing to run, but decided to take an extra day off and hope for a good weekend.

Saturday:

a good run out to vermilion and back taking it "easy". even though the pace was feeling relaxed, I did the loop feeling pretty snappy. 

Totals: 28:00  4+ miles

Sunday:

An article in Sunday's paper regarding a Hartley trail re-route made me curious. I knew it would be near the "guard rail loop" by description, I just needed to know which section it was on. In the end, it was not that big of a deal, but the redirect of traffic was absolutely ridiculous. Some land (lot) owner, that I can almost bet my life on, has no fitness sense, recreation ideals, or any thought for the outdoors, one day decides that he/she doesn't want a single track trail running through their "corner" of their lot. Anybody that skis, walks, runs, moutain bikes would pay huge to live on that lot and open the trail for all. It would be considered an honor to have a trail so close to your back door. Crazy!

Anywho... my run was muddy, wet and very comfortable. I wore a heart rate monitor to keep the pace easy and managed to average a HR of 134 for the duration. It would seem that I am on the mend, once again, and look forward to the next week to build up again.

Totals: 1:07:30  8 miles

Weeks Totals: 17.5 miles (3 days)

Years Totals: 985 miles

More of Yesterday

I woke up feeling very good and was planning on at least an hour run and more depending on the legs. I made my way through Hartley again on the SHT and checked on the status of one of my running buddies that lives on the other side of the park... not to be, I question a late night by the sites at the front door. Off I went, back into the park and made my way back to Rock Hill where I knew there would be a few folks doing loops to make up their long run. I soon joined the group and ran for two loop before calling it a morning and made my way home. Feel Great! Legs have definitely taken a turn for the better.

Totals: 1:16:20  ~9.5 miles

Weeks Totals: 52.5 miles (6 days)

Years Totals: 967.5 miles

Trail Trio

This morning I wasn't sure if I would make a true "long" run but I was willing to give it a go. After lacing up the NB 790's I made my way to the Rock Hill trails. This trail is in superior shape right now. After a half loop I decided to venture to Chester Bowl and do a complete set of upper and lower loops. My legs were feeling quite good at that time and I made my way back up from 4th street feeling pretty strong. Once I crested the top I made my way back to Rock Hill, completed the loop and did an out and back through Hartely using the SHT. 

This run made up for a lot of shitty runs the last few weeks and I finished very strong looking for more tomorrow. A quick circuit of lower leg/core work and the morning was turned to chores around the house.

Totals: 1:27:00  11+ miles

Morning Drizzle

To get two sunny mornings in a row in Duluth would be asking too much. Therefore this mornings run was in a steady drizzle/mist with temps around 50F. After the first mile or so, things loosened up quick and I settled into a decent pace (maybe just under 7:00's). I wanted to stick to the roads given the wet conditions and that also made for the quicker pace and the opportunity to stretch out a bit on some of the flats. No real troubles to discuss, just a little stiffness in the right psoas/hip flexor region. I have been stretching and doing the core work everyday this week and it seems to be getting better with each day.

Totals: 57:10  8+ miles 

Deer and Hills

This mornings run took me to Rock Hill (aka Bagley Nature Trails) where I proceeded to complete 3 loops with each increasing the pace. By the end of the run I was starting to feel like my old self again. My stride was becoming loose and flowing with ease, something that I haven't felt for some time now. After the run I did a short version of the exercises, as I try to do some if not all everyday. Overall, I was happy with this run and actually getting excited to start some form of a program for 10K training.

The only problem I encountered on the trails was the deer. Damn! Get the eff out of the way... they are so tame in that park that they actually don't move and scare the shit out of you.

There still is some significant stiff lower legs and achilles when I wake up in the morning. After five or ten minutes of walking around and light stretches all things are usually ready to go.

Totals: 43:11 ~ 6 miles

May Frost

I woke up to see the mercury at 32F. It's almost freekin' June! Oh well, it is the Northland. The nice thing of this time of the year is once the sun breaks the tree tops it heats up quick.

My run took me through the cemetery and down a short section of the SHT and roads back home. I started off really stiff and nearly two miles down the road I was feeling much better. The morning ended with a full two circuits of core/lower leg work. Once I got to work, I felt 200% better than when I woke up. A PM run entered my mind but I should take it easy for a week or two to get my legs back into form.

Totals: 50:10 ~7 miles

Tuesday: way tired...couldn't get out of bed. 0 miles

Seriously

Maybe it was the lift of the mental stress of attempting to prepare for the race in four weeks. Maybe just a coincidence.  Whatever it was I knew it would happen. I felt good today. Yep, a good run. I didn't say "stellar", just good. I was planning on an 8 miler mostly on trails and I decided to see what my buddy Eric was planning for a run. He mentioned a "mostly road" with a little trial 12 miler. I decided to give it a try. We headed out on West Skyline and made our way to 10th and headed down the hill to work our way to the lake walk. The weather was mixed with sun, clouds, fog, mist, rain, and of course, a cool wind off the lake. I felt really good except some tightness in the right hip flexor, an area that has been giving me trouble since the 25K. No achilles trouble, and not foot discomfort until after the run. Still not sure what the hell that is all about. In the end, we made it just over eleven miles. Very happy with this run.

Totals: 1:27:00  11.2 miles (gps)

I'M OUT

Saturday= 0 miles

Today was the last nail in the coffin. I am out of Grandma's Marathon! I did an easy afternoon run on the roads and felt like death warmed over. Why? I can't answer that but I do need the mental break from the stress of getting ready for Grandma's. The sooner I realized that I wouldn't be running the sooner I can settle down and get training for the rest of the summer and fall. It sure is a hard decision to make but a necessary one if I will be racing the rest of the year. Having a race of this caliber in your home town and sitting on the sidelines just plain ol' sucks. (my wonderful wife can relate) Reading reports like Eric's doesn't help. A big congratulations to him, what an effort and super exciting race report.

So there it is... I am not running Grandma's Marathon this year. (i needed to write that again)

Here's to getting healthy and ready to kick some ass later this year.

Total: 49:15  7 miles

Weeks Totals: 18 miles

Years Totals: 915 miles

Wow That's Heavy!

Thursday= 0 miles (biked to and from work)

I had to get out this morning and give running a shot. My legs the last time I ran were still affected by the 25K race last weekend. I didn't feel too much discomfort in the achilles but my legs were heavy and dead. The trails near UMD were in excellent shape and gave me just what I wanted which was easy, slow, cushioned running. The weekend ahead will be interesting to see how my body reacts and what kind of milage I can run.

totals: 4.5 miles

Ankle Issues

After licking my wounds Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I thought it might work to go for a run again. My left ankle, the one I rolled over four times, remains to be swollen despite the icing and rest. The range of motion is a bit limited but not much pain.

I did the Piggly Wiggly loop and the ankle did OK, it was my overall legs, hips, and low back that was fatigued and sore. Damn trail runs...

Totals: 47:15  6.5 miles (6.7)

Monday= o miles

Tuesday= 0 miles

Another Half-Ass Week

After yesterday's race I wasn't in any condition to run. Something I knew might happen after a race like that, but still not happy with time off one month prior to Grandma's Marathon. I know, I shouldn't have ran the 25K if I was thinking of G-Ma's but I did it anyway. Grandma's might and probably shouldn't happen but I am not counting myself out yet.

I need to rehab my ankle quick and get back on the roads for the next four weeks and see what kind of shape I can get myself into.

Totals: Week: 37 miles (5 days)

               Years: 897 miles

Poor Decisions and Bad Luck

So I made the trip up to Lutsen for the spring Superior trail races. I decided late last night that I would be able to run the 25K in hopes that it wouldn't beat me up. The Superior Hiking Trail can be in rough shape this time of year and parts of it would leave a lot of the front runners on their bellies. More on that later.

 My main concern was my achilles. I knew that running on the trails near home were going well but I still had some concerns about the difficult terrain to be dealt with during the race. I warmed up adequately in the NB 790's and then I did a loop in my Nike Haywards.  With their soft uppers and thicker midsole, this would be my major "error in judgement" of the morning. I chose the Nike Haywards. 

The day was beautiful. Mid 50's at the start with sunny skies and a bit of a head wind for the first 0.6 miles until we hit the single track. The front runner for the day, Greg Hexum, took off from the gun and that would be the last anybody would see of him until the turn around of the out and back course. That would leave a big chase group consisting of five to seven runners that consisted of veteran SHT runners Andy Holak and Dave Phipo. My first sign of trouble was just after the single track started I rolled my left ankle and Dave actually caught my left arm as he was striding bye. It caused me a bit of pain for a couple of minutes but I was still moving and striding relatively well. (I would roll the left three more times as well as rolling the right ankle once) Just as we were starting another climb I wiped my brow with my golves and I swiped too low and wiped my right contact lens out of vision. Ten minutes of hoping it would correct itself and loosing two positions I finally stepped off to the side and dug my contact out of the back of my eye. I popped it back in and back on the trails. I lost five positions in the process but after five or so minutes I gained three back and got into pace with Dave Schunemen. We had a nice run going and just as we were getting to climb up Oberg we saw Hexum heading back to the finish. As it would be at this point he had an eight minute lead on me. I wanted to get out and see the others and get accurate checks of their respective lead and just as I was heading down to the parking lot where the turn and aid station was I saw 2nd-5th place all within 30 seconds of each other, and about three minutes up on me. After taking a gel, washing it down with water, eating a fist full of strawberries, and grasping a fist full of gummy bears I had my bottle filled and I was heading back to the finish. I had all the confidence that I would be catching someone up ahead. That never happened. All four in front were running strong and not to be caught. After sharing stories, I would find out that all but one runner in front of me would fall or crash at some point. I ended my pursuit of catching someone after my fourth and final left ankle roll. I just wanted to get to the finish without breaking anything. I crossed the line in 2:00:20, approximately two and  half or three minutes from the action of 2-5th place.

I can't say I am excited to run this race again, as I have some serious strength work to do. Trail running sure brings out a persons weaknesses. In the end I had fun but could have done without the ankle turns and contact "issue".

Splits 1:00:04, and 1:00:16. Not too bad on that course.

Race 2:00:20 6th place

Totals: 16 miles with warm up 

 

Much Better

I woke up this morning and almost forgot I had an early meeting at work as I headed out the door for the run. I ran to the trails and did a short loop and returned home to get out the door for work by 0630. Amazing the difference a person can feel 24 hours later. I had a lot more energy and little to no achilles issues. It looks like I will make tomorrow's trip up to Lutsen.

Totals: 3 miles in Rock Hill

Listless

Could be just a bad day. Not quite sure, but this mornings run was an absolute waddle around the cemetery and home. I walked twice just wondering what the hell I was doing. My achilles ached today more than any day this past week, but for the most part I had no energy. Do I press on tomorrow and see if it was a bad day or do I stop and rest? I don't think I need rest. I am out of shape from resting most of last three weeks. Maybe a good nights sleep will change things a bit.

Totals: 4.5 miles

Scraggly Deer

Tuesday= 0 miles (a good rest day)

Tis the season for scraggly deer out looking for early morning eats. Their coats are changing color and I presume loss of hair, so it makes them look like they have some form of the plague. 

My run took me to the Rock Hill, Chester Bowl trails and returning home. My legs felt a bit tired on the up hills but quite good on the flats. No pains to report. I tried to push the hills a bit today to add some strength work into the mix. I will probably take it easy tomorrow and Friday in preparation for Saturday's hilly 25K.

Totals: 58:00  7.5 miles

Preschool

Today is the first day of pre-school for our 3 year old son. He had been in an in-home daycare that needed to close abruptly so it took us a couple of weeks to find somewhere that had the same goals for our son as we did. I didn't sleep well last night because of this. People say it is always harder on the parents than the children... I believe it!

I managed to get out of bed rather easily and hit the roads by 5:15. I had plenty of time to do a longer loop but decided to play it cool and keep progressing slowly. My achilles felt a bit tight at the start but took just  a few minutes to warm up and then they felt good. I did the Piggly loop and called it a morning. Overall I am happy with how things are going, I need to remain cautious with the achilles.

Totals: 46:49  6.5 miles

YES!!!!

I may regret writing this but it is hard not to. I am pain free today! No soreness, burn, pain whatsoever. It feels great. What I do have to deal with is being out of "aerobic" shape. I lost a lot from where I was back in early April. Stay tuned because this is going to be a wild six weeks. The plan is to be smart, not crazy and in a state of panic. Grandma's Marathon is six weeks from yesterday and I may not be able to get myself in PR shape, but I should be able to get relatively fit by then. There are a lot of races left in '08 and I don't want to ruin my year trying to play "catch up".

Today was an easy run on the treadmill with one up tempo mile to test the waters.

Totals: 36:13  5 miles (mile 3 to 4 in 6:00)

Weeks Totals: 39 miles

Years Totals: 860 miles

Urban Trails

That's right, there are many trails right in the middle of Duluth. A lot of visitors are surprised to see the trails clusters that twist through the center of our city. Dave and I took advantage of those trails this morning and hit the dirt for 98% of our run right out of my front door. It takes about two minutes to hit the trail head from my house and most of the trail clusters are connected or have minimal sidewalk to get to one another. We started by running Rock hill, and making our way over to Chester Bowl for one complete loop of upper and lower creek trails, followed up by returning to Rock Hill, and making our way through Hartley via the SHT. No rain to speak of and near perfect running conditions. I can say I was feeling about 95%... most of the achilles issues have settled for now. My legs/hips fatigued towards the end since I am not used to all the climbs we had. I wish one of us were wearing a garmin to get the read out of elevation changes... would have been neat to see.

Totals: 1:44:30  ~13 miles

Back on the Trail

Thursday= 0 miles, took a little recovery day.

This morning was a beautiful morning to hit the off-road trails. I am attempting to hit the trails as much as I can while the feet/achilles heal up. Such a difference! My route usually takes me to Rock Hill, SHT, into Hartley and out past the visitors center, do a 180 and repeat home. Lot's of short, steep climbs combined with flats to allow some striding. Overall, a super run! (left achilles a bit tender)

Totals: 49:45  6.5 miles

A Little Rough

The legs felt a bit fatigued this morning but the achilles were about the same. If things are the same tomorrow morning I may do a short run followed by a pool workout. I still haven't ran a training run in shorts yet this year!

Totals: 56:43  8 miles

Progress

Such a beautiful morning today and it seemed like a good day for a run. I warmed up with a few stretches and used "the stick" on my calves and legs prior to heading out the door. This seemed to help as the first mile was decent and it got better from there. I did the "Piggly Wiggly" loop with no major set backs. It should be an interesting next 6 weeks leading up to Grandma's. (if I make it...)

Totals: 47:00  6.5+ miles (6.7)

Early Morning Swim

Made it to the early morning swim at UMD. Even though the run yesterday was decent I wanted to take an off day of running and swim this morning then do the strength exercises tonight. Back to the trails tomorrow morning.

Totals: 35-40 minutes of swimming

Spring Trails

Today was the first "spring" run on the SHT for me. I really wanted to stay off the roads and pavement for the majority of the run. There was a bit of mud but for the most part the footing was pretty good. I wore the 790's and felt pretty good except when the trail cambered down causing my left heel to overpronate which caused me some discomfort in the left achilles. On the flats I had little to no discomfort.

During this run it made me realize that serious competition is getting closer to being an event of the past. Having foot and achilles trouble for the last two marathon build-ups has me questioning "how much do I have left?" I would love to answer Lots, but I have my doubts. Today's run had me thinking that it is OK just to go out and have the ability to run easy and just enjoy the surroundings... after all, this is why I have chosen running as my exercise passion, as I just Love it.

Totals: 1:27:10  ~11 miles

Weeks Totals: 24 miles

Years Totals: 821 miles

Starting Over

Three weeks of next to zero running makes one "out of it". I ran slowly this morning down some trails and up others. I really took it easy to make sure little stress was on the calves/achilles. The wind was howling but the temps were quite nice albeit below normal for this time of year. I really wanted to do another loop in the evening but decided against it in hopes to have a nice run tomorrow.

Totals: 38:30  5 miles

Test Run

I haven't ran a step since Monday. Each morning my lower legs felt terrible. The foot bones, achilles, calves all sore and tight.

This morning was a bit better so I decided to get moving and head out for a short loop with the dog and run some if I felt good. What's nice now is the trails are opening up and drying some so any mileage in the woods is better than on the pavement. Buddy and I headed to the woodchip trails near UMD and ran a loop, along with a short loop through campus. As time passed (5 or more minutes) my legs loosened up and actually felt pretty good. Tomorrow I will "test the waters" a bit more and see if I can start ramping up the mileage again. Let's hope, Grandma's is seven weeks away and I haven't written it off quite yet.

Totals: 3 miles with the dog.

A Step in The Right Direction

I woke up early and warmed up the achilles/calves and headed out the door for an unknown distance. After a mile or so things felt pretty good. I noticed a huge difference in my calves when I could run on the gravel, grass, or just about anything but pavement. Almost no tightness being off pavement! I took it easy for my short loop then got the dog and headed into "Rock Hill" for a short loop. *It is still quite soft and wet on those trails.*  I will probably cross train in the pool tomorrow.

Totals: ~ 38:00  5 miles

Major Down Time

Friday= Took the family and went to visit my parents in Michigan. I thought this would be a good opportunity to take some time away from running and see how the achilles responded. My dad and I did a brisk walk taking our chocolate lab Buddy as well. 

Totals: 3 mile walk

Saturday= another day off of running but Kari and I had a nice walk in the Porcupine Mountains for about an hour. We discovered a  new rental cabin the park had built near the lake. Spending time in the "Porkies" gives such a sense of peace for me. Over the years I have used the trails, shoreline, etc... as a place to put all life into perspective and to help answer some questions of "what to do?" I always leave the park feeling much better!

Total: 1:00:00 walking trails

Sunday= Travel day. Woke up this morning to snow! Why do we live up north? I have difficulty answering this question sometimes. 

The achilles is feeling much better and I may try running tomorrow.

Weeks Totals: 9 miles running, cross training...

Years Totals: 797 miles

Cross Train Rush

In the past I have shared many conversations with other runners about the "runners high". Many have said that other activities don't give them the high. I agreed up to today. Knowing that I need to attempt to keep cross training into my daily schedule until the achilles heals, I want a minimum of a hour of activity. This morning I did one of Pete Pfitzingers aqua jogging workouts. Five minute warm-up followed by 5X 1:30 hard, (30 sec. rest) 2 sets with five minute warm-down. A good workout. I followed this by doing 26 minutes of swimming laps. At the end I had "the high" and felt quite good. I believe this is the first time I felt that way after a pool workout. Good stuff!

Totals: 58:00 cross training in pool.

Down and Out

Monday: ran an easy loop just to monitor the achilles. Not good. I may be headed down the same track as last year, I must be patient. 

Totals: 45:00  6+ miles

Tuesday: Real easy short run. Achilles are in trouble.  

Totals:  ~ 3 miles

Today I did no running. I should have gotten up and swam/aqua jog but I didn't. Last night I did manage to get a decent "core" exercise session in. I need to be doing this 3-4 days a week. When I do the achilles exercises I have no pain. The pain appears when I am toeing off during the running stride. I may have got this early, I am hoping. The jury is still out.

Another Down Week

I finished out the week with another less than ideal run. I had a decent medium distance run going and all of a sudden at about an hour my left low calf/achilles started to tighten. Instead of pushing home, I stopped at the DRC store and made a phone call to get picked up. A mature move on my part I must say.  I was hoping to get things going again but not the case. See how the morning goes.

Totals: 1:05:00  9 miles

Weeks Totals: 36 miles (4 days running/ 1 swimming)

Years Totals: 788 miles

Friday=  0 miles

Saturday=  0 miles

Recovery Cross Train

I hit the pool this morning for some cross training to allow the legs to recover. After yesterday's fiasco I was quite happy not to be putting on running shoes! The pool was good. I did a little aqua jogging and 20+ minutes of swimming. It has been a bit since I was in the pool so I didn't want to do too much swimming and end up with a sore back and or shoulders. Overall a good day. Maybe another off day tomorrow and a couple massages very soon!

Totals: 32:00 cross training (aqua jog/swim)

Worst Day of the Year

When I walked down the stairs this morning to get to my running clothes I had a feeling that things might not go so well from a running standpoint. I was right. After attempting to warm up and do some stretches I headed out the door and hobbled through the first ten minutes, while at the same time talking myself to keep going as I wanted to turn home and call it quits. After ten minutes or so things got a little better but not much. I was over dressed, (temp. at 5am was 49F) and my calf, achilles, and much of my lower body ached! Not good when you had a fourteen miler planned. I decided to turn around at six miles and took my gel hoping for some extra power, and drank most of my Gatorade to keep the fluids in. The trip home was just as miserable. I will not run tomorrow morning, instead I will probably swim and aqua jog.

Totals: 1:22:00  11+ miles

Nice to Be Warm

Just another easy general aerobic run this morning with some strider's thrown in to help loosen up the legs. One problem... the left calf/achilles didn't loosen up the way it had the past few mornings and now I am a bit worried of having a full-blown achilles tendonitis again. Not going down that road again! I cut the run a bit short and called it for what it was worth.

On a side note, it sure was nice to be warm again. The weather is changing so fast.

Totals: 1:00:00  8 miles

Morning Excitement

Today's morning run had a little excitement to wake me up. I had heard on the newscast that there was an "explosion" on the west hillside. I had planned on doing an out and back on skyline as my recovery run so I thought there might be a chance to sneak in and see what was up. Go Here to see the coverage. Lucky the property was not occupied at the time.

The run was easy and slow. My legs were a bit sore and I had a tinge of right knee IT band symptoms towards the end. It is very apparent that I need a massage and some serious stretches for a couple of days. 

Totals: 1:00:00  8 miles

Whew!

I made it through a decent longer run this morning without too many issues. By "too many" I mean one major issue being my left lower calf. It was a bit stiff this morning but I was able to get it loose pretty easy with some gradual stretches.  The calf gave me hints that it was tighter than normal but never went into a full spasm. Here's hoping to have this "issue" behind me and I will be able to build the mileage again.

Since I wasn't too sure how the run would go this morning I made sure I didn't get too far from the house and decided to do loops. Check out the loop Here. I have mentioned before that I enjoy doing loops like this from time to time because it offers a lot of "benefits". As you can see by the course profile it offers plenty of hills and flats. It also offers me a wonderful opportunity to get the fluids and gels without having to carry them. (I do carry H2O on hot days) My splits for the two loop were 46:50, 45:35 then 27:32 for a shorter version to make up near 18 miles. As the splits indicate I picked up the pace quite a bit the last loop and the shorter loop was quicker yet. Ending a longer run like this keeps my motivation going as it always feels good to be running a faster pace when finishing up.

I couldn't fit the video I shot during the storm Saturday (file too big) but I will include a couple before and after photos in our yard. The snow doesn't look too impressive but the wind was crazy making white-out conditions for nearly 12-16 hours!

Totals: 2:00:00  18 miles

Weeks Totals: 42 miles (4 days)

Years Totals: 752 miles

The Storm is Over

The April storm of 2008 is over. It ended a bit quicker than the forecasters predicted. Last night after work the snow had already stopped and after snow blowing for about an hour the family packed up and headed to the Brewhouse for some good eats and a pint of yummy beer. I'll attempt to get some photos of the storm, or video soon.

As for my running, it has mostly been non-existent  for this week secondary to the pulled lower calf muscle last Saturday. It has slowly gotten better over the week but running seemed to aggravate it, so I didn't do much of that. Thursday I tried to run but only ran for two or three minutes then took Buddy out for  a nice walk in the park.

Friday was the worst of the storm and I didn't run. 

That leads me into today's run. I knew that Dave would have a run planned so I called on him for some motivation. Bam! He had a new ten miler mapped out and it was calling our names. After a test on our treadmill I determined I could indeed give it a go on the roads. North of Duluth offers a lot of "country-style" roads and it was a perfect fit since most of the city streets are sloppy and still in the process of getting cleared of all the slush and snow. I had twinges from time to time in the calf but nothing too major. It looks like with some proper care I should be able to ramp up the mileage again. (fingers crossed).

Totals: 1:10:24  10 miles

Decisions

Yet another morning of disappointment from my calf. Boy, I did a number on this and I just can't get it to release. This morning it didn't loosen much and caused me to cut the run really short. Obviously if things don't improve really quick the 50K is OUT for this weekend. This will be a hard decision for me because I have been looking forward to this all spring. I must be smart now if I am going to make it to the starting line of Grandma's in June.

Totals: 46:00  6+ miles

*side note... the weather looks like a "potential" snow storm on Friday. Up to 16-20" of snow!!! This may lock me in town despite the calf.

Just OK

Monday: 0 miles (calf still bothersome) 

This morning I figured I had the kinks worked out of the calf and headed out on one of my usual loops of 8-10 miles depending on the turn-around point. I had to make it the shorter loop because the calf didn't loosen the way I had predicted. Damn! A couple of easier days now will hopefully benefit me in the future.

Totals: 1:00:00 +  8 miles

No-Go

The achilles/lower calf was still quite sore with running. I can stretch and it doesn't hurt at all. The achilles strength work doesn't hurt. I think it is a tight lower calf that is ultimately pulling on the achilles. 

No running, I did a short workout on the bike. Fast RPM with some intervals just to get the heart rate up.

Totals: 46 minutes biking

lots of stretching

This was supposed to be an "easy" down week of running and it turned out to be a week of almost no running. Here's hoping for better day's next week.

Weeks Totals: 39 miles

Years Totals: 710 miles

Strive Scholorship

Amazing the difference a day can make. Yesterday I woke up feeling like I was on the verge of a major cold. During the day at work I slowly got better and by last evening I committed to running a 5k in WBL.  

After an early morning wake up, Erik and I headed south. I didn't know what to expect for pace, but I was hoping for a sub-17:00 effort! We did a warm-up and a short 3-4 min. "Jack pick-up" and soon it was time to line up. The field was rather small, but at least it was a field, and better than chasing Erik down "the shore" up in Duluth during a time trial. We opened in 5:19 into a slight head-wind. I felt like this was an effort that was sustainable for 2.1 more. After the turn, and with a slight tail-wind I expected to see 10:40-45 and was a bit stunned to see 11:00.?? I had a little tightness/pain starting in my left lower gastroc that was pulling on my achilles, but I didn't think it slowed us down that much. Erik was taking the lead at this point and pulling us to the finish. We passed 3 in 16:25 and he finished in 16:53 or so and me in 16:56. A 1-2 finish for DRC!

Totals: 7 miles (warm up, race, cool down)

No More Fight

After having my wife and child sick with some form of "bug" over the last month or so, my immunity finally gave in. I woke up extremely fatigued, sore, listless and in no mood to run. At this point, it is better to be cautious than bull-headed. I had all my running gear on but decided the futon, fireplace, and sleeping bag would be better. I woke up 90 minutes later and got ready for work.

Totals: 0 miles  (90 min. more sleep)

Skunks

I'm sure many of you can relate to this. Spring season means looking out for skunks. I was running my short recovery loop and got the wiff. The odor of the black and white cat. I never saw the critter but was on the cautious look out. My worst nightmare of getting sprayed just hours before having to go to work.

Did my cemetery-UMD loop with some added striders. Legs felt pretty good. I am fighting a little cold and hope this doesn't become one of those full-blown head colds.

Totals: 45:20  6 miles

Spring Snow

We didn't get as much snow as much of the region but we did manage to see about 2-3" of wet snow on Monday night. By the time I got home from work yesterday it was all gone. The bonus of Spring sunlight.  I managed to get out and do a short "medium-distance" run this morning. I wasn't sure if I was even going to be able to run after a little mishap last evening. I was carrying in groceries and when I opened out storm door I managed to throttle my knee right into the edge of the door. Pain to the point I got lightheaded. OUCH! (that's not what I wanted to scream but not much else I could do when our 3 year old was right next to me) 600 mg. Motrin and Ice packs, a beer, and a little rest and I was able to run pain-free this morning.  Out and back on west Skyline, ran into Tom and did my "back" with him.

Totals: 1:16:30  11.5 miles

Tuesday:

General aerobic with 8X100 meter striders in the snow. Not the best footing but better than some runs in the recent past. Legs are feeling much better.

Totals: 58:00  8 miles

Gangsta's

Today marked the first day of my focus plan. I sure was happy to take it easy and run by how I felt. I felt tired so I ran slow. My legs actually felt much better when I was done, and I did a complete set of stretches and achilles exercises just to get the legs/calves loose. 

The only other high, or low, in my run was the series of gun shots I heard at 5:40 am. Two pops followed shortly by three more. It was at this moment when I did a 180 turn and headed back to the house. (I don't need any strays to the calves, I have my own problems) That was a first!

Totals: 45:27  6 miles

Loops

I wanted a long run that would make it easy for getting fluids without having to drive any place. The best option usually is loops from the house using the front porch as the "aide station". For some people this doesn't sound very appealing but it makes the distance go pretty quick and gives you very good opportunity to keep the fluids in. I must admit, there are days where doing loops just isn't in the books and the thought makes me even more tired.

The loop is of rolling terrain and offers a good opportunity to feel the quads pound on some downhill stretches. (I guess this would be beneficial if I were running Boston) I have attempted measuring it once or twice and have estimated it near 6.7 miles. (years before all these GPS gadgets)  The first loop felt OK and I figured the middle loops I would mentally suffer, which I didn't, and the last loop had my quads screaming on the downhill sections. Splits were quite even at: 46:49, 46:34, 47:03 

Next week as I mentioned earlier is starting my 12 week focus plan. (I think I have the weeks counted out accurately now) It will also be a week of "rest" for me as it will probably call for 65-70 miles. I'm looking forward to it!

Totals: 2:20:27  ~20 miles

Weeks Totals: 82.5 miles

Years Totals: 671.5 miles

Open Season

I say "open season" on all crows. Why don't people shoot them? I'm not a big hunter or "gun person" but I say take them all out. How many of you have been woken up by a flock of crows (is it flock?) at 5 am just because they are fighting over the morning garbage? This mornings run started with a bunch up at the tree tops crowing away at me like they were waiting for me to drop dead just so they could eat.

My run was an "urban" run today. After meandering down Chester trails I made my way to Superior street and ran the early morning downtown streets. Surprisingly a lot of runners out this morning... spring fever. After rounding the canal I made my way home via the Lakewalk, London Road and up Tischer Creek trails. Overall a great run just to get the legs loose for tomorrows longer run. 

I am up to ~200 miles on the NB 790's and have no complaints. Great shoes!!!

Totals: 1:12:00  10 miles

Flat

I could see this coming as it is my 5th week in building base and for me the final prep week for my 12 week plan. I was trying to repeat last week but since Sunday's twenty I have not returned to feeling "peppy". I don't have any serious aches or pains to worry about but an overall feeling of flat.  I believe this to be appropriate for the volume I have done and next weeks running will look very similar to Pfitzinger's first marathon week in his 12 week plan which ultimately will be a "down/recovery" week for me and I am looking forward to it. 

This morning I headed out for another medium distance run but fell short a bit due to the feelings I described above. The route was out on country roads, moderately hilly with no wind to contend with, which was nice. (cool temps though 10F) For most of the loop I felt like I was well under 7:00 pace and in the past this loop was run closer to 6:20's which will be the goal pace in weeks to come.

Totals: 1:33:00  ~13.5 miles

Thursday:

Recovery run on the roads and trails. The trails are toast for now. They have too much uneven snow from the "day-walkers".  My legs felt much better after the run so I took Buddy out for a short loop once I got home. I am working on getting Buddy out for 3 or 4 runs a week and hope to have him with on some weekend runs this spring. 

Totals: 55:00  7 miles

Nutrition

I have made reference to this in the past and once again this morning it hit me in the face. The importance of proper fueling. I ate like a horse after Sunday's run and Monday was much of the same. Yesterday after work my wife and I had an appointment and I didn't eat until 8:30 last night AND it was pizza! Complete shit when you are planning close to a 2 hour run the next morning. It may have been the lack of proper nutrition or it may be the extended lag of the twenty miler on Sunday but my legs were dead and heavy for most of the second half of the run. Having said that, I did negative splits by over a minute coming back. I did the same run as last Friday, which was out and back to 40th west.  

Totals: 1:44:32  15 miles

Tuesday: 

Another easy general aerobic run with some fartleks thrown in and a couple of harder hills as well. Legs felt great! Had a little snow to contend with. Overall, it feels like a good recovery from Sunday's run.

Totals: 1:02:30  9 miles

Chilly Recovery

Just a bit chilly this morning (8F) felt good for the recovery run. A no-frills run, still a bit tired and sore from yesterday's long run but all I did is take it easy and try not to worry about the pace. 

Totals: 1:00:00  8 miles

Serves Me Right

Yesterday I was replying to Kurt about the snow he had received in St. Paul and I was responding, "glad it was you, not me". Dang, woke up to 4-5" of fluffy white powder snow this morning and didn't really expect it. I really wanted to get in the twenty-miler I had planned so the plotting began. (I should know better to trash-talk about the weather in March living in Duluth)

Today's run was all about motivation. I had a decent week of training going and really needed to run twenty miles today as part of my overall base building phase. (I had ran 18 milers a couple of times) I didn't know what to expect when I hit the road but my goal was to run as much as I could handle in the snow and finish on the treadmill. On the roads the snow was almost unnoticed. It actually gave me a good "cushion" with each step. The problem was to run on roads that hadn't been driven on much. With the tire tracks came slippage. So, off to the trails it was. I managed to run some yesterday and figured as long as the base was there, grip should be decent. The first lap was really good with minimal trouble spots as far as sinking or slipping goes. With each progressive lap the footing became worse and I was starting to wobble a bit with each step. So that's where I called it. Time to go to the treadmill. I had ran fifteen miles in Hartley trails, which I was stoked with, and all I had to do is finish on the treadmill. I got home, ran downstairs to change, tried to minimize the delay and hit the 'mill. It took me a bit but the quads finally relaxed and I settled into 7:13 pace. The last two miles the quads were yelling for me to stop but all else felt super! I finished my first twenty-miler of 2008. Very happy with this one as the first fifteen were a lot more challenging that I was giving them credit for. A good way to end the week. 

After having a decent build-up in January (55-60 mile weeks), and then the major cold weather and my "virus"(I'm not sure which one, but I am sure it was one of those little suckers) that took me out most of February, I am happy with the last four weeks. (66, 74.5, 60, 86 miles respectively) My mileage may stay in the 80 mile per week range but I have to adjust accordingly as the new schedule demands.

I still have to get the specifics but next week will start the twelve week plan for Grandma's Marathon. The basic format of the training will not change much, but the intensities and duration will. 

Totals: 2:37:50  20 miles (15 on snow trails)

Weeks Totals: 86 miles

Years Totals: 589 miles

General Aerobic

Headed out for a "general aerobic" run this morning. I had plans of running roads and snowmobile trails. Once I hit a connector trail and saw what condition they were in I decided to stay on them for the majority of my run. My legs felt fresh right from the door. I was able to stride out on the flats and take it easy on the hills. I finished the run by doing 5 X 100 meter striders in the parking lot near our house. I feel ready for tomorrows long run. (I just need to eat well today)

Totals: 1:06:00  9 miles

In Your Face!

Woke up feeling a bit fatigued this morning and just didn't want to go outside and run. Morning coffee watching the tube and enjoying the morning hours with the paper sounded much better. Not to be though... I made it out the door and eased my way into a medium distance run. I noticed the wind at my back and actually zipped open my jacket a bit to get some extra air flow. My out and back course gave me the opportunity to turn at any moment but the further I went the more I wanted to go out. Turning at 40th ave West I realized what I had in store for the next 56 minutes or so... WIND! Great gusts that actually blew my skinny ass all over the place, literally! I was just happy there wasn't any snow or ice to contend with because my footing was what was keeping me up. In the end I had a decent run that ended up being a quicker pace than last Friday's run. Interesting how that happens. 

Totals: 1:45:07  15+miles

SPRING! Recovery Day

The first day of spring. What a gorgeous day. It started when I was just ten minutes into my run and I noticed the huge full (or near) moon sitting almost on the ground. As I continued the loop the daylight was beginning to appear closer to 0630. That's good news for us "morning workout folk".

The run took me on side roads and then I ventured to the snowmobile trails for a bit. The trails would have been super except when it was warm yesterday some people were walking on them and left foot "holes" and now this morning they were frozen. Bummer. At the end of the run I added a small loop with Buddy (the family chocolate lab). I wish he could join me on all my runs but it is inevitable he would get himself or both of us in "big trouble".  Overall, a good recovery run that left me feeling much better than when I started the run.

Totals: 1:00:00  8.5 miles

Bummer

Just got word of the catastrophe in my sis' town. One of the best restaurants in the region burnt to the ground yesterday. Click here if you missed eating at this amazing place. Our thoughts are with you Rene, family and staff. We are deeply sorry.

Gregg, Kari and Lucas Robertson

Road Miles

With the snow yesterday as well as the warmer temps, it made an interesting morning to figure out which routes would offer the best footing for my run. I didn't think the trails would be worth the effort, so I hit the roads and decided to get out to the "country" roads. My gamble paid off, as these roads were much better than the streets in town. Mainly they are subject to sunlight all day and most of the snow/ice burned off yesterday.

My legs felt good right from the front door and once I got the early hills out of the way I settled into a comfortable pace that was much quicker than the pace I have been running on the trails. Towards the end my legs and hips were beginning to fatigue but tolerable. Another good medium distance run. 

No work for  me today... this is my GF holiday day off.

Totals: 1:34:42  14 miles

Wet Snow

I woke up to about 4" of fresh wet snow on the ground. I attempted to run on the trails again and for the most part they were decent. I just didn't have it in me today to do loops, so after one loop I headed out to the roads and finished. There really wasn't much difference between the trails and the roads this morning as the 4" of snow was the same soft landing everywhere. My legs felt good and hoping for good footing tomorrow as I have a medium distance scheduled. This is the last week of general aerobic base mileage and will turn to a focus 12 week schedule next week or so. I have some homework to do as I will be attempting to mix P. Pfitzinger and J. Daniels Formula along with my own mix as I see necessary. I know what gets me in good shape, but I want to be in GREAT shape come June 21st. I need to step up a notch and hope to stay injury-free. Here's to one more easy week!

Totals: 1:05:00  9 miles

One More Snow Storm

The weather report is for 5" of snow today/tonight. I wanted to have one more good trail run before the storm and also before the end of spring. After this storms comes and goes, more than likely the trails will be off limits until they dry.  This mornings run was just "general aerobic" along with getting out the kinks left over from the water slides all weekend. I did the lower loop twice and was pleasantly surprised in the trail conditions and also how I felt. A good way to start the week.

Totals: 1:17:00  10.5 miles

Slacker Weekend

Had the family in town this weekend and decided to take it "easy" this weekend instead of beating myself up over when to get the long run worked into the crazy weekend schedule. I had a decent run Friday morning, took Saturday off (except the 25-30 trips up the stairs to the top of the water rides) and made an easy hour run this morning.

It is so easy to get down on yourself when you are in "marathon training mode" but sometimes you have to say "screw it". Maybe that is why I haven't run a faster marathon yet... hmmm. Looking forward to having a good week.

Totals: 1:00:09   9 miles

Weeks Totals: 60 miles (six runs)

Years Totals:  503 miles

Pavement?

The early morning hours make it difficult to distinguish the difference between pavement, ice or pavement that is dry but was wet yesterday. I headed out on West Skyline as this roadway is subject to the sun most hours of the day and I figured it would most likely be pavement. I was right for the most part. On the way out I was cautious and had little black ice to contend with. Once I hit the turn (just past 40th west) the sky was starting to brighten up and allow for better visualization of the ground which allowed me to settle in the pace and have a really good run back to the house. Legs felt good. A nice way to end the week.

Totals: 1:54:08  16 miles

*the rest of the weekend will be tough. the family is spending the entire time at the water park. should be fun.

Recovery

After noticing that my legs were still a bit fatigued yesterday I decided it would be best to take a real "recovery" type run. I woke up to 2-3" of fresh wet snow and decided the trails would not be the best option. I stuck to the roads and had a decent easy run through the early morning streets. At the end of the run, which I finished feeling quite well, I knew I had made the right decision. Sometimes you have to really back off and listen to the body.

Totals:  45:47  ~6 miles

Medium Distance

I wasn't quite sure where the best footing for my run would be following the 50F temps yesterday. I decided to try the trails, added a loop of snowmobile trails along the Amity creek and Hawks Ridge and ran some roads back to the house. Overall I felt good. My quads still a bit affected by last Sunday's run? Not sure why this is? Maybe just an overall adjustment to the increased volume? Nothing is painful so that is good.

Totals: 1:32:20  12+miles

Almost a Repeat

My 2007 running was written off secondary to a fall on March 20 2007. A left anterior ankle sprain ultimately resulted in right achilles tendonitis that plagued me the entire year in some fashion or another.  The reason I bring this up is I almost made the same mishap this morning only minutes from having my run complete.  I did another trail run in Hartley, bumped into Chris and ran a bit with him, and on the way home almost wiped-out on the ice once again. Just shy of the one year anniversary. I'm not looking forward to the next several weeks of running as any morning may offer plenty of black ice.

My run went well. The legs were a bit sore at the end, but I have made good progress over the last couple of days. Hopefully tomorrow the rain will hold off until after I run.

Totals: 1:12:44  10 miles

Mild Soreness

I must have worked the legs a bit harder than I gave credit for yesterday. I knew I had a rough run as far as energy goes but I did manage to give myself a case of the quad-pound. The good thing was that this mornings run was an easy recovery run of up to an hour. I hit the trails and concentrated on good form and no worries for the pace. Most everything felt OK, just sore. I managed to eat quite well yesterday and today. Tomorrow will be just over an hour with some harder efforts worked in someway.

Totals: 53:28  7 miles

I Was Due

After having several days (near 16) of good to great running I finally had a bad day. A day I believe should be chalked up to poor nutrition on Saturday.  Breakfast was poor, lunch was OK followed by some deep fried apps. at a restaurant and supper ended the day at 2000 with a bowl of cream of wheat. Far from stellar. You really cannot afford to screw off like that when the following day is scheduled as twenty miler. I tried to do the best I could this morning by delaying the start of my run by over an hour and actually eating breakfast before I ran followed by a glass of gatorade. Too much too late.

I had a plan of running three 6.5 mile loops which would allow me to get in lots of drink and potential eats. I started the first loop and after fifteen minutes I realized a quick change of plans was in order. I added a extension to the first loop and made it almost sixty minutes, good for 8.5 miles. I carried a bottle and drank most of it, stopped at the house and slammed a gel and half of another bottle, made a quick change of clothing (I dressed too hot the first loop) and off I went in the other direction. By doing this I knew I could make my distance pretty easily I just needed to get myself out far enough on the route and all I would have to do is make it back to the house. That is where things started to get down right shitty. My legs/hips fatigued and my psoas muscle on the right side started to spasm. I did a quick mental check of form and relaxed and soon the spasm subsided enough to make it home. I didn't quite make the distance I wanted (20) but it was a run that was very important not to scrap. In the end I am glad I made it over two hours and hope to recover, rest, and have another decent week of base.

Totals: 2:10:00  18 miles

Weeks Totals: 74.5 miles

Years Totals: 443 miles

Cool But Warmer

I waited until the mercury hit above zero this morning and headed out for a combo road-trail run. I used my new Nike Haywards... great shoes for the roads. I managed to run some trails early on followed by a bit of streets and finishing with trails. My legs felt good and things should be in order for tomorrow's longer effort.

Totals: 1:11:34  9.5 miles

All Together Now....Say Bye, Bye!

I'm being optimistic here and after this mornings run I am saying "Bye for now, see you next year winter!" (the weather forecast for tomorrow is -4 in the early morning then warming up) When I was getting ready to roll out for the run it was -14F with a wind gusting at 10mph. Perfect for the woods. The first five minutes to the trail head actually hurt, a lot! I was determined to get  at least one decent loop then go home and finish on the treadmill. After my first loop (approx. 55 minutes) I felt decent and decided to head out for another loop and just get my time done outside. I can honestly say the worst part was my hands. They were cold. I had a pair of the "hand-warmer" packets and one of them blew open in my mitt and thus I had only one to use. I kept it in my dominant hand mitt, just incase I was to loose a hand I didn't want it to be the good one!  

At any rate, I had a good run again. I was looking to run closer to two hours but it just wasn't in the cards this morning. I am looking forward to the weekend long run and that should finish my week with yet another good building week.

*the picture is immediately after my run and I wanted to kiss this weather good bye and not deal with it until next Dec. or Jan.

Totals: 1:33:00  ~12 miles

Assumptions

It's never good to assume. You know the line, " it makes an ass out of you and me". This morning I assumed the temps would be like most March mornings, nope. I assumed the I-Pod would be ready to go and finally after I threaded the ear buds and found a pocket to store it in I then realized the battery was dead. I assumed the trails would be the same day after day, after all why would they change? I had a branch tag me in the face that hasn't been there in previous mornings, damn. I also assumed that I could go to the Burrito Union and have a couple pints and a burrito and not have it affect me at 0600, Wrong!

I did have a decent easy run this morning despite all the wrong assumptions and I did guess correctly on the footing. No grips necessary. Legs feel awesome!

Total: 50:00 (no watch just estimate) ~7 miles

Light Fluff

Woke up this morning to a layer of "light fluff" snow on the ground. Less than one inch but just enough to allow me to use the "get a grips" on my shoes. Hit the trail early to allow me time to get the medium distance in. It sure is nice to have daylight near 0600. Soon after the time shift it will be back to darkness in the early morning run time.

I did the same series of loops in Hartley... just more of them today. Saw Chris's tracks after my second loop, must have just missed you Chris! Had a good day and ate like a pig ate work after this effort.

Totals: 1:38:42  ~12.5 miles

Extra Traction

Most of the ice on the streets is gone for now. I headed to the trails and brought my grips just in case I needed them. I ran one complete loop thinking that the footing was "fair". Since I had the grips in my back pocket I figured I would slip them on just to see if I felt any different. Wow, what a difference! To have the added traction gives you the added confidence in your steps and actually allows you to relax and ultimately run smoother and in my case, quicker the second lap. The trails are in such good shape that on most days the pace is much quicker than in the summer because of the lack of rocks, roots, etc... Another super day on the trails!!

Totals: 1:05:32  9 miles

Ice Coverage! Not on the Trails

After yesterday's warmer weather and a bit of rain late afternoon I figured the entire city to be covered in ice. The streets were down right treacherous but the Hartley trails were in great shape, especially with the added get-a-grips on my shoes. Today was an easy recovery-type workout. Legs felt just a bit tired but no soreness to report! I think all will be back on by tomorrow. Core-work tonight.

Totals: 48:24  ~6.5 miles

No Snow-Mo's

Today we (Rod and I) decided to mix a little road miles with snowmobile trails. The trails were the wrong choice. At 26F they are a bit soft. We slowed and made those sections as easy as we could while getting a super leg workout. Other than the poor footing, the run was excellent and couldn't ask for better weather. The legs, feet, hams all felt good for the most part. Look forward to next weeks build up.

Total: 1:52:37  14miles

Weeks Total: 66 miles

Years Total: 368 miles

Winter Spikes!

I'm sure that I'm not the first to test them out but today I used a pair of old Adidas cross spikes on the Hartley trails. What a wonderful surprise! There was just enough spike to make the difference in traction. My legs felt quite good so I did the complete loop including the "guardrail loop". The flat stretches allowed me to stride out a bit and do just a touch of up-tempo running today. * the right achilles remains to be an area of daily monitoring.

Totals: 1:02:38  8.5 miles