Maintain But No Progress

The last week was one with minimal gains and maybe a bit more loss. I have been able to maintain fitness but I am not getting any faster by the training I'm doing. I managed to get a Chiro adjustment and do some self massaging with the Stick and my right calf seems to be at ease. In the meantime I have woken up some old left Achilles tendonitis which I am very aggressively treating. (been down that road and wish to never get as bad as I was in 2007-2008!) Once I get the green light on the Achilles I may just find myself in decent shape this fall. I always like racing in the fall season so I guess that is a good thing. I remain to swear off all marathons this year but I got the bug to train for one now. Maybe 2012 will be a marathon year for me. Now I'm getting too far ahead of myself, but for now I need to get healthy and be ready to help my Ragnar Relay team in three weeks.

Here is a brief summary of the last week.

Monday: I ran an easy road loop up past old Pig's and home via Vermillion. Legs are feeling decent. No calf issues.

52:00 6.5 miles

Tuesday: Out and back on Skyline. Feeling much better and had to keep things under control.

1:00:00 8.3 miles

Wednesday: no go. i was tired and took the 8+ hours of sleep

0 miles

Thursday: Kenwood and UMD area. left achilles minor twinge.

55:37 7.7 miles

Friday: Out and back via Cemetery loop. Left achilles has me concerned. I don't want to go down this path of 2007-2008 agian.

30:57 4 miles (exercises and ice achilles)

Saturday: Achilles felt better but I hiked a bunch of miles at the Voyageur 50 Miler taking pictures in the backwoods. Felt good.

3-4 miles hiking

Sunday: I managed to get out in the hottest part of the day. 86F when I ran and I felt great! I managed to stay in the woods on trails by UMD and Chester Bowl and take a little dip in Chester Creek mid run. Both calf and Achilles felt fair and no major pulls to be concerned with. Just need to keep rehabing and exercises.

1:01:04 7.3 miles trails

Weeks Total: 34 miles *5 runs + one hike and one rest day

Years Total: 1371.7 miles

Fickle Calf

I have had my share of ups and downs with this calf issue. I know I didn't strain it. The damn thing decides to tighten when ever it wants out of the blue and very quickly. I have a feeling it is related to tight IT Band in the hip or possibly a lower back/SI alignment. I will see the Chiro this week and keep at my stretches and massage. My hopes are that this is behind me, but I felt like that last week and it came back very quickly. So, I hope to have a nice stretch of running this week and hopefully soon get back to some workouts.

I was able to run through last weekend and Monday and Tuesday of last week, then my calf gave me shit on Tuesday and required me to jog home. After taking Wednesday and Thursday off I ran a light run on Friday but a bit of tightness remained. I took off Saturday and ran this afternoon and had a wonderful run. PLEASE let this be behind me!

Sunday:

1:00:00 trails

Monday: easy, slow 4.5 miles 35:00

Tuesday: 7 miles with calf tightening.

Wed/Thur: 0 miles

Friday: 5 miles easy (slight tightening)

Saturday: 0 miles

Sunday: 50:00 5+ miles on singletrack trails in Lester with Tony.

Felt great!

Purple Donuts

I managed to get a quick appointment and sign up for a hour massage with my usual therapist. Yeah! To start the session she always asks me, "why are you here today?" I like that about her. She always is interested and ready to tackle whatever issue I may have going. I told her about my calf and the fact I was a bit stumped as to why it reared its ugly head in the first place. She had some ideas and we got underway.

To save you the boredom of the whole hour, let me tell you she found "the spot" within 10 minutes and really focused on "breaking up the adhesions". Just let me tell you one thing. If a therapist ever utters those words, get ready for the hurt-locker. It's what needs to be done and very crucial, AND a good therapist knows when to back off during the session. We have that kind of relationship and it works wonders. I was at that point when the adhesions were being "torn off" that I did all I could to stay relaxed and breathe easy. Not so easy to do, but an essential part of a massage. I had my eyes closed and I was doing all I could not to kick my leg and then I saw one. Then two. Then many more to follow. No kidding. I had my eyes closed and I saw little purple donuts floating through my visual field. At first I thought I was crazy, but I opened and closed my eyes again and they were still there. Wow! I asked her. "Is it normal to see purple donuts with my eyes closed?" She laughed a bit and got back to work.

I said many "mama-mea's" and made it through the hour. What a great hour of work it was. I got my $ worth that's for sure.

This morning I hooked up with the two Dave's, Grant and a new couple to the area. We showed them the trails at Rock Hill and Hartely and had a wonderful easy trail run. I was a bit concerned of the calf but it warmed nicely and stayed loose the entire loop. I almost added to run 90 minutes but opted out. Probably the smart thing to do at this point. It's nice to be back and I am loving every minute of it. To make matters so much better my lovely wife has been back at the miles and seems to be making progress. Something she hasn't been able to say for quite some time.

Total: 1:07:30 ~8 miles

Forced Break

Last week I had some stellar training underway. I felt like I had made the recovery from the GB-Half and I had the green light to start the push for my next race. I had planned a week of strength work and light speed secession with the usual long effort on the weekend. The week went great and on Saturday I ran my long run with Nic again and we started nice and early so we could tend to our own responsibilities after. The last half hour of the long run I had my right lateral calf muscle begin to tighten. With a mile and half to get home I had to stop and attempt to stretch my calf. I managed to run a bit more but quickly realized I could do some serious damage if I kept running on it so I stopped once again and made the rest of the journey a walk home. I am not too sure yet what the root of the problem is but I have my own theory. On my Thursday workout on the track I felt my lower leg get a little fatigued and at the end of my last interval it was a bit tight. My low back was tight as well. I never gave it much thought as that seems to be quite normal. The following easy day I was very fatigued but no soreness or pain to deal with. Then the Saturday long run came and the rest is history.

It is now the following Thursday and I have not run but once since last Saturday. I tried to jog on Tuesday and lasted a little over a mile and I was reduced to a walk again. It is feeling better and I can stretch it out a bit from my hip stretches I do. That is why I think it is referred pain from tight hips/glutes/low back. I am a bit taken back with this, since I don't truly know what the hell is going on and I hope to have it licked by the weekend. I'm just a bit worried about starting too soon and being back at square one. I have pushed all racing thoughts out of my mind until the Ragnar Relay in mid/late August. If things improve sooner I may jump in a local 5 or 10K just to test the waters. So that is my last two weeks. Here are the details.

Week 4th-10th

Monday: another easy hour just to shake things out a bit.

56:40 8 miles

Tuesday: Hills, 4 x hills at UMD with 30 second strider on top

56:56 7.8 miles

Wednesday: Easy loop through Kenwood area and Skyline.

54:21 7.4 miles

Thursday: Track session at UMD 4 X 1000 meters

3:14, 3:12, 3:08, 3:12

56:08 8.1 miles

Friday: Morley Park neighborhood run. Snively home

44:33 6.1 miles

Saturday: Started in downpour rain, out to Stebner, Morris Thomas, Piedmont, Skyline home.

2:00:25 16.5 miles (0.5 mile walk)

Sunday: OFF *calf issue

Weeks Total: 54 miles

Years Total: 1301.4 miles

So far this week I have attempted to jog a bit on Tuesday with failure. I felt decent to start and after the one mile mark I could feel the calf tightening very quickly so I immediately turned the jog into a walk and made my way home.

I have been doing a series of stretches and things are improving but I am still quite apprehensive to try running as I can still feel some tightness when walking stairs. I hope to get back at it by next week but right now it's day by day.

Time To Restart The Engines- Progress

Wednesday
I woke up and really had a difficult time getting motivated to run, much less a run with some sort of intervals. I really came close to staying in bed but something told me to get up and at least give it a try.
As I hit the road and started making my way to Chester Bowl I really was doubting my legs. At 2.5 miles I threw in a strider and realized I was that far off and indeed my legs would turn over if I asked them to. So I decided on "near" tempo run pace for three minute intervals.
The first felt fair and the rest felt great! I was clicking off 5:25 pace like nothing. The last interval was up a slight incline so that one didn't feel the best but I finished very satisfied.

Total: 57:29. 8.4 miles 5 x 3 min at 5:25 pace

Thursday
I ran an easy loop out to the SHT and ran it doe to Hawks Ridge before making my way home via Sively.
A decent run and finally nailed a great morning run as far as weather goes.

Total: 54:55. 7 miles

Friday
Feeling fatigue and just not willing to listen to the alarm this moening. I stayed in bed a bit and then got up and went to work early.

Total: o miles rest day.

Saturday:
I finally connected with Nic again and we made our way out to Park Point and back for our early morning long run. The morning was already approaching 70F and we had plenty of sunlight as company. I was surprised how good I felt as this was my first longer effort since late May. My legs really didn't get too fatigued and the energy was there at the end. A nice surprise.

Total: 1:59:06. 15.8 miles

Sunday
After my wife ran her long run I took to the woods of Hartley and did a loop before doing a small loop in Rock Hill. I am always bummed out in the summer after attempting to run in Hartley. The mud, rocks, and roots are ever so apparent as compared to the smooth surface of winter running. There are times when I enjoy the slow slog, not that often, and today wasn't one of them. I tripped and fell the last time I ran in there and I guess I was still tasting sour apples because I kept the pace very pedestrian and eventually made the loop.

Hartley is such an interesting place. I love the fact that it is 4 minutes from our house but the terrain is just blah. My take on it is it's good for recovery but that is about it. There are a lot of hard working individuals that work to maintain the trail but I believe its work that is appreciated by a small group of users. There have been more re-routes in the last three or four years and I can see many more in the near future. The re-routes get hammered by the bikers who dont respect the wet trails and soon the new path is beat to shit and now more re-routes are needed. I guess I will bid my time and wait til the leaves fall and once again they will be covered in snow. But let's hope that is FAR to the future.

Total: 1:06:30. 7.4 miles easy


Weeks Total: 54 miles
Years Total: 1247.5miles

Back In The Groove

I had the day off of work yesterday since we had our annual family get together and it was a late night or two. I'm so glad I did. I slept in a bit and managed to get out for a nice trail run in the mid-morning. My legs felt fair and I had a bit of some residual calf soreness/tightness. I managed to finish the run without any further damage and I am looking forward to getting in some consistent training this month.

Total: 1:04:00 7.5 miles

This morning I was back to the early morning training and I had a wonderful run. I stuck to the roads of Woodland and Vermilion and struggled with overall fatigue but mostly heavy leg syndrome. I can tell I am low in carbs and will focus on increasing my intake of such food items along with adequate fluids. If all goes well I may find myself cranking out some good miles within the week.

Total: 57:00 7.6 miles

End Of Rest Week

I may have exercised my right to take off a few days this week being post half marathon but I am ready to get back at it. I was torn between taking time off and just running easy. I hope to benefit from the days off, as I feel very rested and ready to tackle the second part of the year. I am still unsure of what the big goal race might be, rather the second half of the year may be filled with shorter races with the goal to run fast at the TCM 10 Miler in October. Between now and then I will have a couple 5K's, one mile, and the Great River Ragnar Relay.

I hope all of you out there are having healthy, enjoyable running days. I hope to see many of you at the races to come.

Here's to the second half of 2011!

Weeks Total: 10 miles

Years Total: 1193.8 miles

Optional

The week after a major event I like to take a physical and more importantly, a mental break. My buildup for GB Half started in January and some six months later a minor break was warranted. Had I ran the full marathon I might take a longer break but really, I am itching to get back at it and run some additional races this summer and fall.

Sunday last week I rested and enjoyed the day with family.

Monday:
I set off to walk the trails at UMD and found myself running the entire time. I ran easy but one complete loop of Rock Hill felt great.

Total: 25:36. 3 miles

Tuesday:
Off/rest

Wednesday:
Off/rest, too much rain! Enough already.

Thursday:
I did the modified Kenwood loop and I felt decent energy wise but both low calves were very tight.

Total: 50:30 6.7 miles

Overdue

The 35th Grandmas Marathon and 21st Annual Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon were blessed with weather conditions that once made this event popular. I'm talking about the Northeast winds that can blow directly down the race course that gives the runners a tailwind.

This years events would have such a day, one that has been long overdue, and I was blessed with the opportunity to take part in the Half-Marathon. I had a plan, stuck to it and ran very respectable. The race plan did not unfold the way I had visioned but pretty damn close! One major move by one of my competitors would make the difference but like I said, I wouldn't change a thing if I had to race again tomorrow.

Friday:
I woke up and got our son to Kid Connection before I returned and broke out for a short 4 miler just to shake out the legs. I knew during that run that good things could happen on Saturday. I didn't announce it to anybody but I had been waiting all week to have a run like that. Tapering, the little bit I did, play more mind games than anything and I was not feeling so well early in the week. Friday I managed to run the short loop and without thinking I was running 6:30-6:40 pace and it felt like 8:00 pace, always a good indicator ones ready to put in a good performance. I sure am happy that happened, because I sure was doubting myself earlier in the week.

Total: 4 miles with 3 striders.

Saturday:
Race morning came quick, as it does in the GB half, and I was so ready to get going. I quickly made my way to the computer room to check the doppler radar to see how long the rain was going to last. When I jumped in the shower it was raining quite hard and the doppler looked like it was going to pass and be over by 0630-0700. For once the weather held true and by the time our race was starting most of the rain had quit. I didn't get the warm up I wanted, so that's when I decided to use the first mile or so to warm up. That didn't quite happen but with the tailwind, it sure felt like a warm up.

The GB Half has gotten very popular since the introduction of money prizes to the top ten a few years ago. Back in the day I finished in a PR that landed me in 4th place overall, a time now that wouldn't crack the top 20! That was then, this is now. As the horn sounded the field took off like no other. The huge pack of open elite quickly made their mark and I settled into pace just to stay out of the way. I would run the first two miles quicker than I planned but remained under control. (5:22, 5:31) At the two mile mark I shed my long sleeve shirt I had on and got to business. My main goal going into the race was to run under 1:12:00 and with hopes that would place me high in the Masters Division. I kept in mind the wind that was at our backs so I really didn't panic when I saw the quicker splits on my GPS. The course is one I have run literally dozens of times and I knew where every small incline was just to make sure I didn't push too hard in a section that didn't need pushing. The next five miles would all read under 5:30/mile pace and I was feeling great. It was at that point on London Road where my main competitor would make his move and I made the decision NOT to cover it. He pushed the 8th and 9th mile and I let him go thinking I would real him in on the slightly downhill 10th mile and exciting 11th-12th miles. That never happened. I would run 5:25, 5:24, 5:25 in chase and I gained only minor ground. (I later talked with Pat an he told me he broke away with a 5:17 9th mile!) As we made our way through the downtown streets the rain-soaked crowds were amazing! They always are in downtown and Saturday would be no different. For some reason as we passed the 12th mile I started thinking too much and got behind two runners as we head into the wind behind the DECC and I let them dictate the pace. My second big mistake. They slowed down and I stayed behind slowing as well. It's amazing how one lapse in concentration can cost you 10 seconds. I had enough energy to push pretty hard down the final stretch (4:56 pace) with another runner and we broke the line just one second apart. My final time would be 1:11:43. A time I knew would be possible but I didn't really know if it would happen. I can thank the wind a lot but I did play out my race plan as best as I could have. What a feeling!!

1:11:43, 48th overall, 5th Master, 3rd in 40-44 age group

Here are my splits for you running geeks like me:
5:22, 5:31, 5:29, 5:26, 5:29, 5:25, 5:30, 5:34, 5:31, 5:25, 5:24, 5:25, 5:34, :32

Total miles: 15 miles

Weeks Total: 38 miles (taper, 5 days)

Years Total: 1184.1 miles

Some Assistance

Monday:
I woke up feeling much the same. Not too bad, but not much better. I would contact my doctor during the day and start antibiotics and start using an inhaler as well. The run went ok. I am always surprised how tired these virus's make you feel. I hope this works.

Total: 49:01. 6.6 miles

Tuesday:
Too early to tell if the antibiotics were working but I managed to get out and do a short warmup and do some light uptempo work on the track. I did 6 laps of 100 meter pick-ups with the curves as recovery. The first few laps were horrible. I felt like it was my first day on the track in months! Once I blew off the rust I finished the intvals feeling fluid but the whole workout was just another shot to my confidence.

Total: 40:07. 5.7 miles with 12 x 100 meters @5:00/mi pace

Wednesday:
Mid day at work yesterday I felt like things were changing. I suddenly felt like I was breathing better and less congested in the nasal cavities. I woke up with next to no phlegm and made my way out the door for a short, easy run. I did a loop out to Pleasant View road and returned via Vermilion. My legs felt decent but I didn't push the pace at all. I may want to do some striders on Friday just to get the legs loose one more time.

Total: 47:27. 6.6 miles

Thursday:
I decided to take a rest day today and hope this freshens up the legs a bit. I have the day off of work tomorrow and will get a short run in the morning just to loosen up some. 48 more hours of antibiotics to work before the race, so I hope things improve. I felt like I was stuffing up again last night but I didn't wake up coughing at all, so that is a bonus. Super foggy and cool this morning. About the norm two days prior to Grandmas, as years past had this similar pattern.

Total: O miles

Struggle Continues

Friday:

I woke up late and was going to take a zero then I figured I would venture out for a short run just to clear the head. The morning was glorious and I am glad I did make it out for a short jaunt but my sinus's remain to be clogged. I am coughing less and the phlegm I do cough up is minimal but I still feel zapped overall. What the hell did that virus do to me?

Total: 34:00 4.6 miles

Saturday:

I slept in until near 8:00. That is a record for me for a LONG time. I felt whipped last night and I really took advantage of the weekend and gained some extra sleep. It sure felt good. When I did manage to get out for a run I decided on a trail run just to pass the time. I made my way to the trails of Hartley and ventured out on a "guard-rail" loop. I usually don't run those trails prior to Grandma's weekend because I don't want to risk injury. I was going to be running really easy so I figured I was safe. Wrong! I was almost 40 minutes into the run and I was coming up on a corner on the single track and I entered a stretch that was shaded by the trees and that's where my toe grabbed a whole of a root and sent my flying forward. Fully knowing I was about to eat dirt, I tried to soften the blow with my hand/elbows and take the fall into a full body roll to keep impact a minimum. When I finally stopped I was staring up into the sky and let out a big $^^#()!!!! I hate falling. It always leaves my back in a mess. I really feel old, and I am NOT, when I fall and that is what I was most pissed off about. My right low back went into a subtle spasm while I wobbled for a few minutes but by the time I got home I had kept my pains to a minimum. A hot shower would help most aches but I was worried about my back. I did a few extra stretches later in the day and night and it must have helped because I went to bed mostly pain-free. (It may have been the beers I had that aided in that too.)

Total: 1:03:00 7.7 miles

Sunday:

Other than feeling a bit "dry" I woke up mostly pain-free and was eager to get my run completed under the early morning sunny skies. I had planned on running up to ten miles and run the latter miles in a negative split fashion just to keep the legs from getting too bored with all the easy running lately.

That is where I had some difficulties. I started picking up the pace after the three mile mark and I soon realized how hard I was working to maintain what I call "steady-state" pace. This pace should be relatively easy at this point in my training. The pace I was running felt way too hard and I shut things down after four miles. The splits were: 6:13, 5:51, 5:46, 5:39.

I'm not too sure what is going on, but I felt like my lungs were not expanding enough and I struggled to get air. Kind of how I felt like the 5K at altitude last week. I hope things improve quickly otherwise the race on Saturday is going to be a wash...

Other than the run, Kari, Lucas and I went to Brighton Beach and skipped rocks for an hour or so then we made our way to the Duluth Huskies game to watch them kick butt!! What an amazing day we had! Finally, one good one on a day free of work!

Total: 1:11:00 10.3 miles

middle miles as above.

Weeks Total: 49 miles

Years Total: 1146.2 miles

Down From Mile High/ One Week To Go

I made the trip back form Denver and have made the transition back to normal hours and no altitude. I really didn't feel the altitude in everyday training per say but I did manage to get my ass kicked by ~5300 ft in the conference 5K on Friday

Friday I woke up hacking the same mucous. I was indifferent about the 5k but I really wanted to get in a hard effort no matter what the outcome would turn out to be. I took the bus ride to the start and did a warm up. The race was about as hard as I expected with the altitude and my virus I was fighting. The opening mile was tough and it got more difficult by the minute. I did get my "hard effort" but as far as a race goes it was a disaster. I ran 17:26 or so, which is the slowest I have run since age 16 or 17.

Total: 7.6 miles
2 mile warm up
5k race
2.5 mile warm down

Saturday was a travel day and I took a day off
0 miles

Sunday I joined the boys out at Jeremy's house and did a little step-down run. The early pace was very manageable and I decided to run the last 5 miles or so at steady-state pace. The last 4.6 miles were run at 5:50 pace and it felt fair. I am still not breathing right and I can't wait until all the bugs are out of me.
Total: 1:32:32. 13 miles with step-down miles.

Total week: 54 miles
Total Year: 1097.4 miles


Monday was the typical easy recovery run. No frills.

Total: 55:47. 7.6 miles

Tuesday I ran an out and back on west Skyline with negative splits at steady-state pace miles. I was feeling much better and hit some decent splits at an effort less than Sunday's. Just maybe I can salvage a decent race come June 18th.

Total: 57:05. 9 miles with 5 miles near 5:35 pace

Wednesday I woke up after a stellar nights sleep and decided to take an off day and add another hour of sleep to the night. For some reason I was fighting the virus I thought I lost and now was stuffing up and hacking some green mucous again. By mid-day at work I was feeling better but I am still monitoring the possibility of some antibiotics before next weeks race.

Total: 0 miles

This morning I ran an easy warm up and made my way to the UMD track to do one of Pfitzinger's workouts two weeks out. I did a 3 X 2000 meters with 3 minutes rest between. The pace was very manageable but still it left me doubting my goals for the half-marathon next weekend. I still don't feel like I am exchanging air properly and luck would have it I ran into my primary physician on my warm down so he and I spoke of the possibility of antibiotics and I will make that call by this Friday night. I want to make sure there is no doubt I can breathe properly one week from now as I am going to need all the air I can get!

Here is how the workout went:

3 mile warm up

2000 meters at 5:20 pace

2000 meters at 5:21 pace

2000 meters at 5:18 pace

2.4 mile warm down

Total: 1:07:20 9.6 miles

Virus Remains/ Feeling Some Heat

I just want tot start by saying that I hope I don't get another virus in the sinus for quite some time. Every day, including this morning, I have hacked up some incredible lung cookies! How does our body produce such a thing? I continue to get better in small increments each day and I hope by weeks end I will be ready to crack some good workouts.

Monday I ran an easy hour and time would allow me to hook up with my old running partner Kooks! I picked him up and we ran out and back on Skyline. It was nice to reconnect with him as we have ran many miles together back in the day. I felt good and the miles rolled out like they should on a recovery run.
Total: 1:02:00 7.6 miles easy

Tuesday I was flying out to Denver for a conference so I had to get up ultra early and hit some miles. With this I felt like spending some miles running a bit faster so I made my way to the UMD track and ran 12 laps with the the straights at sub-5k pace. The fog was so thick I couldn't see across the track. I think I was the only one out there but on my last lap I ran down two men doing some laps. Legs felt great.
Total: 50:38 7+ miles

I didn't sleep worth a shit on my first night in Denver so I took full advantage and gained a couple extra hours of sleep. The day allowed me to sneak out at lunch and run the creek paths just blocks from the hotel. I felt great and the time just flew bye. I had to work to keep the pace controlled and I like that feeling.
Total: 1:00:30. 8.4 miles

This morning I felt more rested and made my way out nice and early and hit the creek paths for a bit longer. The weather was wonderful and I haven't felt heat like that in some time. Duluth hasn't been this warm since last summer! I managed to have a good run and add a few extra miles to the morning. The lung cookies are becoming much less and I can't wait for all this to be gone.
Tomorrow I will run the 5k that the conference puts on and I plan to go as I feel. I would love to hammer out the race but I am not too sure all systems are ready for that. We'll see but I may run LT pace to ensure a great workout, but then again, once the competitive juices start flowing I'm not too sure I can hold back. Report to follow.
Total: 1:11:14. 10 miles

Catching Up With Dismal Week

Wed
I didn't think that I could have got any worse in health but then I woke up. I new in an instant why I took 48 hours to recover from a trail run that Would usually just take a day. I was getting sick and now it was full-on! I did report to work but it lasted to noon then I went home. A quick trip to the Urgent Care was justified to ensure I didn't have Step. (I didn't). I made it home and slept for 3 hours. That felt great!
0 miles for the day.

Thursday I woke up feeling rested so I hit the roads for a quick run. I didn't want to do too much so an easy loop to shake out the legs was perfect. My legs were feeling better but now I had to deal with a brewing head cold and mucho snot from my head. The feeling I was having felt like it could linger for a bit. I just finished having a three weaker in early May and I was not looking forward to repeating the whole thing all over.
Total: 42:45. 6 miles

When I woke up on Friday I knew I was in trouble. I hacked up some gnarly lung cookies and made my way out the door. My goal was to get in 7 miles and that was all I could mentally consider. Once I went through the mile I surprised myself and was feeling a bit frisky so I quickly made up a workout based on what I felt like I could handle physically and what would actually help me come June 18th. The plan was to do 2X 2 miles at true LT pace. I worked into the first mile then proceeded to manage 5:20 pace for the two repeats separated by three minutes. My legs were better and I actually was breathing just fine after clearing out the lungs.
Total: 48:05. 7.4 miles

Saturday I woke up with much congestion and really didn't want to run. The weather sucked and I just didn't want to head out. I finally did and hit the trails of Rock Hill and Chester. Again, once the lungs were clear I felt decent so an hour was in store. Easy hour.
Total: 55:49. 6.5 miles on trails

I felt like my run on Sunday needed to be at least 13 miles. I did that and actually ran a negative split run. I love doing these workouts as you gain much confidence when they go good. I had to hold back on the way out and once I had the green light I hit some 5:45-5:50's for close to 4 miles. I would have liked to hit more faster miles but it felt like way too much work for that pace and I just chalked it up to the virus is was fighting. Not the best run but I knew it wasn't a true reflection of my fitness.
Total: 1:25:44. 13 miles with 4 @ steady state pace.

Weeks Total: 45.3. Miles
Years Total: 1043.7 miles

Wasted

The Sunday trail run shattered my legs. I finished the run and went to bed Sunday night very happy. As I woke up Monday I had the usual drowsiness and didn't really want to hit the pavement but I pushed on and quickly realized how sore I was. No energy. No spring in my stride. Just plain 'ol fashioned fatigue! I took every step with caution and quickly made a decision to cut it short. Two days recovery may be in order...

Total: 37:02 4.8 miles

*very low energy

This morning was worse yet. I couldn't believe how trashed my legs were and frankly I was shocked! Three miles in and it felt like I just took my first step off our driveway. The loop took me out to Martin and Vermilion roads and that was enough. Each step hurt. My hamstrings were a mess. Tight is just a word that begins to describe how awful I felt. When I got home I hit the fitness ball and did some abdomen work. I also stretched the hips and low back. I did manage to feel a bit better but feeling like this concerns me. I have some key workouts to do this week and I hope tomorrow morning will allow me to nail a good one!

Total: 58:13 7.6 miles easy!

Finished In The Mud

Wednesday was a lazy morning that turned into a big fat "0" for the morning. I woke up tired and really just didn't want to run. I will give myself one day a week at the most to do that. A person knows when they are being lazy and when you really need a day off. I was somewhere in the middle of all that and when it lands on a recovery run morning I am less likely to fight it. In the end, more times than not, your legs thank you for the rest.

Total: 0 miles

Thursday was back to a more structured workout of sorts. I decided on 1k repeats but as I jogged past the track something told me to avoid it. I am still a bit leary of all the turns a track workout can dish out. My achilles has been so good, I don't want to blow it on some workout I can mimic on the roads. That is what I did. I did 5 x 3 minutes at 5:10-5:15 pace with 90 seconds rest between intervals. West Skyline has fairly tame terrain so that was my stomping grounds.

Here is how the workout unfolded.

3.4 mile warm up

3:00 at 5:16 pace

3:00 at 5:04 pace

3:00 at 5:16 pace

3:00 at 5:17 pace

3:00 at 5:17 pace

200 meter, 400 meter sprint

3.5 mile warm down

Total: 11 miles

Friday I woke up to sunlight and decided to run a new route and mix in some trails. I ran through Woodland neighborhoods and worked my way to Hartley before making a final loop to Rock Hill. Legs felt great and the trails were in great shape.

Total: 1:05:30 8.4 miles

Saturday we went camping on the North Shore to Temperance State Park. The morning was great and we took in the action at the Superior Trail Races. There was a 50K and 25K that had a maximum field of 250 runners. The runners were blessed with no rain and mostly dry trails. As we were leaving the race, the rain started and never let up until the next morning. My plan was to run 90 minutes on the trail near Temperance but that never materialized so I took another "0". I cant remember when I last took more than one day off in a week. Again, I tried not to beat myself up over it and enjoyed the weekend.

Total: 0 miles

Sunday was another rainy day and we made it back to Duluth rather early. After a little snack I decided to hit the trails for some loops and ended up hitting Rock Hill, Hartley, Amity Creek, Lester and returned home. I misjudged the Lester loop and ended up running a bit longer than planned but all was good. One gel got me through the ordeal and for the most part my legs were happy.

Total: 2:21:21 18.1 miles (trails)

Weeks Total: 56 miles

Years Total: 998.4 miles

Crisp Air

The first two days of this week have been a bit chilly but I will not complain a bit because I have run under sunny skies. By the time I am heading out at 0515 the sun is near breaking the horizon and the morning air is crisp. The birds are chirping and all I could hear was the pitter patter of my feet hitting the asphalt.

Monday I found myself a bit more fatigued than planned. I felt so good yesterday after my long run that I figured I would jump out of bed and just pound out the miles. Wrong! I had sore and tight hamstrings along with general fatigue. That may have been a good thing as it kept the pace very controlled. I did my usual loop out to Martin road and home via Vermilion and UMD. By then end of the run I was looking for some food and tea and ready to start a fresh week.

This morning I managed to get out and do some uptempo running. For the next three or four weeks one of my weekly workouts will be steady-state running. This morning I did 4 miles and at the end of four weeks I will run a 10 miler at pace. The pace is NOT the same as LT (lactate threshold) pace, rather it is a pace just a bit slower, or, just a bit faster than marathon pace. At this point in my training I used 5:40 as my pace. I didn't really feel all that peppy this morning but I managed to hold pace rather easily. It's really important not to push too hard on these workouts and running under the prescribed pace is counterproductive. I'm not too sure what I will do the rest of this training for my second workout of the week but I am thinking I will dabble with 1000 meter repeats. In the past I have gained a lot of strength from the 1k's and I hope that is the true this time around.

Monday: 1:02:00 8.2 miles recovery

Tuesday: 1:10:00 10+ miles

(garmin died 32 minutes into run)

4 miles at 5:40 pace in middle

Another Cold Week- Lucky For A PR!

Monday:

The run on the SHT left me feeling a bit invigorated. Having run for two hours on that trail and having little to no soreness after makes one feel like their "fitness" has made a proper adjustment. Once those trails dry up I plan to make them a regular addition to the weekend running routes. For the morning run I ran an easy loop up Woodland and home via Vermilion. Typical recovery style run.

Total: 57:27 7.6 miles easy

Tuesday was my last workout prior to the one mile race on Thursday night. I managed to do a nice warm up to the UMD track, quickly changed my shoes the the Mizuno Universals before working myself into some laps of alternating the straights and corners of easy/hard. The straights were at mile pace and I jogged the corners. In total I made it 8 or 9 laps before heading home. I was really liking how I was feeling after the first 3 or 4 repeats and had a really good workout. I think if things go right, a new mile PR could be in the works. But let's not get too far ahead of myself...

Total: 1:00:35 8.3 miles

Wednesday was another easy Kenwood loop. The rain has managed to stay away for my runs this week but the cool temperatures sure have not. I need some heat!!

Total: 57:03 7.6 miles

Thursday was all about the TC 1 Mile. I woke up and proceeded to run about 4 miles easy to Vermilion Rd and back. I did a few striders and got myself home to ready myself for work.

Once we, Dave S. and I, got to Minneapolis we picked up our packets under grey skies and temperatures just 2 degree's warmer than we had in Duluth. The mist/rain would fall off/on throughout the night and keep things rather cool. I figured this to be the case as all my races this year have been under grey skies and some form of precipitation.

We got in a nice warm up and covered the course a time or two before getting on the racing flats to ready ourselves for the gun start. Once we were off I tried to settle in a pace that would keep me under control the first 800 meters but that would not happen. I felt a constant urge to adjust the pace and never really got comfortable. Lot's of jockeying for position and I soon was getting passed by a light grey-haired gentleman that had me worried about the masters title. He passed with authority and I had a very hard time trying to go with him. Once we got past the 3/4th's mile mark I decided it was time to start to get to work and try to make a last push, but the legs really had no other gear than I was currently running. Over the last 200 meters I felt like had just a bit left in the tank and passed a few runners but not the man I targeted. That's OK because I managed to run 3 seconds faster than last year and run myself to a new mile Pr of 4:34. I'm happy with that. After the race Dave and I hooked up with some old teammates of mine and had a nice burger and pint before heading home for the late night commute.

Totals: 30:00 4 miles in AM

35 minute warm up prior to the race

1 mile race then 1 mile warm down.

11 miles total for day

Friday I had off from work and packed my morning full appointments and the afternoon was full of rain. Being pissed and sick of all this, I opted for a day off and enjoyed myself.

Total: 0 miles

Saturday I made my way to the SHT to Hawks Ridge and ran roads home. I found myself at the base of Glenwood hill and pushed at 7:15 pace up and continued the effort the rest of the way home. An impromptu tempo if you will. Legs felt great to go faster again and I feel like some nice workouts are right around the corner.

Total: 1:00:21 8.1 miles with last 20 minutes tempo.

Sunday I found myself out at Jeremy's as he is starting to get back into running after an injury that had left him down and out for a month or so. We ran the Western Waterfront trail out and back then three of us added another ATV trail loop to get our long effort for the day. Good for just over 2 hours. Legs felt great with no soreness after. Yeah!!

Total: 2:03:19 15.5 miles

Weeks Total: 58 miles

Years Total: 942.7 miles

Kickin' Viruses

Tuesday: I woke up with continued and actually increased head-stuffiness and I wasn't sure what the source was. My initial thought was another virus, I had just finished a three week bout of a head cold and I wasn't looking forward to another one. I was then reminded that the pollen counts were at an extremely high level and it could be allergies kicking in high. At at rate I was waking up very congested and having to hack up many goobers along the first few miles of my runs.

The schedule called for some up tempo work and I decided to do longer fartleks. Once I got a decent warm up I worked myself into 5 X 4 min's at LT pace with 2 minutes of rest between. I was very pleased with how this workout unfolded and considering the terrain was fair, with the exception of the strong uphill 4th interval, I felt very strong and excited to hit the splits that was given to me that morning. I hit splits of 5:40, 5:35, 5:40, 6:08, 5:33 for the "on" segments. Finishing with a nice 4+ mile warm down kept me loose for the day.

Total: 1:24:42 12.3 miles

Wednesday I woke up with continued congestion and I really didn't want to head out. I got my arse out of bed a bit late and proceeded to make a short loop just to clear the head if nothing else. My legs appreciated the effort and became much looser with the short mileage. One of those mornings where I was happy just to get out a bit.

Total: 30:07 4 miles

Thursday was uptempo day #2 for the week and I decided on shorter intervals at a much higher workload. After a decent warm up I worked myself into a workout that consisted of 15 X 1 min on/0ff at ~4:50 pace. It felt great to get my legs to turn over a bit quicker and I really was feeling good at the end of the workout. Lot's of head junk still coming out in the early miles.

Total: 1:00:08 8.6 miles

Friday was my usual Wednesday loop of easy miles in the Kenwood area. I like this loop as an easy run and having a beautiful morning was a bonus. My legs were a bit tired at the start but I worked into the run and finished feeling very fresh.

Total: 54:55 7.4 miles

Saturday was a run in Cloquet as a group of us at work were running a 5K to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer. Save Our Hooterz 5K didn't disappoint and over 200 walkers and runners participated on a wonderful, sunny morning.

I tried to get to Cloquet early to run some miles prior to the fun run but I didn't get there as early as I wanted since I was functioning on 5 hours of sleep post Sir Elton John conert Friday night at the Amsoil Arena in Duluth. What a spectacular show!! Anyway, in total I ran just under 5 miles prior to the fun run then the race. Good enough for a sleep deprived morning. Maybe some photo's of this event will follow. I just have to find someone that had a camera that morn.

Total: 8 miles

Sunday I ran a wonderful trail run with Tony out west on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). We ran from the Magney Snivley parking lot out past Ely's Peak toward Fon du Lac and back. The pace on that trail makes one humble but the experience and strength one gains is priceless! What a run, and one that left me hungry for more. I even started talking about running a 100 Miler some day! Must have been the low blood sugar.

Total: 2:05:00 12 miles

Weeks Total: 62 miles

Years Total: 884.6 miles

Get in Gear race data.

Untitled by greggor722 at Garmin Connect - Details

A New/Old Toy

I just started playing with the Garmin Connect site and downloaded a few runs I have completed last week and this morning. It's really neat. I don't know how to post them to the blog yet but will. For those of you on FB, I will post one up soon.

This morning I did an easy loop out Woodland and UMD before getting the dog and completing the morning. It was cool. The kind of cool that reminds me of November running, not MAY!

My left upper hamstring and both glutes were very tight but got much better with the run. No other pains to report and I hope I will be ready for some harder running tomorrow morning.

Total: 1:11:39 9.2 miles

A Weeks Worth

I got my Garmin fixed!! Wow, what a relief. Product support came through big for me and I was able to fix the bug at home with the assistance of Garmin. All it took was to borrow Tony's USB ANT (garmin chatter) and I did a "hard reset" of the unit back to factory settings and then download the most recent software version for my device and I was back and running!

Tuesday I ran out to Woodland and did an easy recovery "jog" and enjoyed every minute of it. Legs were feeling the uptempo from Monday and I was happy not to think on this run.

Wednesday I just made it out of bed and immediately decided on another easy loop and I was so happy I made it out. Sometimes you have to just enjoy the moment and stop thinking about goals, plans, races and everything else. That morning was all about having the opportunity to get out and run some miles. I'm being patient but the weather better change quickly!

Thursday was another uptempo day on West Skyline. I love doing these workouts this time of year on Skyline because I get to see some amazing sunrises over the big Gitch. This morning would not disappoint, yet another great sunrise. I did a series of fartlek intervals of 20/40's. Seventeen to be exact and I felt really good. My pace for the 20 seconds on was averaging 4:45's.

Friday I decided to take it really easy and ran out and back on Vermilion and home through UMD. I just wanted to shake out the legs and do a few strides in preparation for the big race tomorrow.

Saturday was a big day. I woke up at 0400 and hit the road by 0440 to pick up my buddy Chris and make our way to the 34th Get In Gear 10K. The weather was horrible and the temps were marginal. It rained the entire way to the Twin Cities and rained during our warm ups. The race was fairly rain-free but the rest of the morning consisted of rain and clouds. I felt rather pleased and ran a decent race despite the conditions. It's good to be on the right track.

Sunday was truly a day of rest. I partied with my buddy Dave as it was his birthday a day before mine and I managed to stay up way too late and get very little sleep. I rested, tried to fly a kite with my boy, and picked my honey up at the Lester Park after her medium distance run of the weekend. I really didn't want anything to do with running that day. No biggy.

Tuesday: 58:46 7.7 miles

Wednesday: 54:35 7.3 miles

Thursday: 1:12:50 10.4 miles

Friday: 34:00 4.2 miles

Saturday: 90 minutes 13.5 miles

Sunday: 0 miles

Weeks Total: 54.6 miles

Years Total: 823.1 miles

One Last 40 Workout

This morning I made my way to the Lakewalk and Scenic 61 to do a series of fartlek intervals at an estimated pace just under 10K. (still no Garmin)

The workout went like this. 18 minute warmup then 5 X 5 minutes at ~10K pace with 3 minutes recovery. I was toast after the last interval. I seemed to max out the energy for the morning and had what I call a very good workout.

This was my last workout at age 40. Yep, another trip around the sun come tomorrow!

Total:

1:20:00 11.5 miles with intervals

Hilly Weekend

With the Holiday weekend and our family having travel plans I opted for an early morning long run on Saturday. Luck would have it that one of my running buddy's from Jeremy's group texted Friday night to see if I was running long and I told him he was more than welcome to join in but I was leaving my house at 0530. He was in! Sweet. It sure is nice to have a partner for a long run, especially one at 0530. We hit a rural Woodland loop that consisted of some decent, long climbs along West Tischer and Hawks Ridge before making it back to my house at just over 2 hours. Perfect!

My legs felt pretty decent and fatigued only in the last ten minutes or so. I was happy with how I recovered the rest of the day and had plenty of foods and bevies to make it worth while.

Total: 2:03:20 16 miles

This morning I waited for the sun to make an appearance and hit the trials for a hour. I managed to hit all the trails in Rock Hill and Chester Bowl trails before getting home. For me, this was the best "weather day" I have run under yet this year. Temperatures once home were approaching 60F! I ran nice and slow and allowed my legs to rid the crap in them and I managed to keep the HR ultra low. A very good recovery run.

Total: 1:03:00 8 miles

Weeks Total: 73 miles

Years Total: 768.5 miles

New Energy

After having two sub-par weeks, (58, 50 miles) I decided to ramp it up just a bit and hit two quality week-day workouts prior to the Holiday weekend. I woke up on Monday and felt great and the easy miles just flowed. Tuesday was my first quality workout of the week and I had to resort to "feeling" as the Garmin shit the bed and will be in the shop for a fixin'. I did a nice little fartlek that looked like this: 3 mile warm up, then 4 X 4 minutes at ~10K pace (~5:25) with 2 minutes of recovery followed with 4 miles of warm down. This workout went about as well as I could have asked and left me with a little upper hamstring/glute soreness that I'm getting used to, but really wish it would go away! Wednesday I did my Kenwood easy loop. Nothing special and it felt good to go slow. Thursday was my second quality workout and I did longer repeats at steady state. (steady state is a zone slightly faster than marathon pace, but slower than half marathon pace. Again, it would have been really nice to have the Garmin on this one just to make sure I didn't over-do-it.) I did 2 X 15 minutes at ~5:40 pace with 4 minutes recovery in between repeats. I had a bit of a headwind to deal with on the second repeat and I timed a London road mile at 5:44, not bad for inner-body GPS. The workout left me hungry to get faster and stonger. I feel like time is going by too fast for June 18th, but then again, I have seen my fitness really sharpen over a very short time. I hope! This morning I ran an easy loop with no frills. Having the past two days off of work really helps and I am getting in a few extra hours of sleep that allows me that much more recovery. Going into this weekend I will get my long run complete early tomorrow am, as it will not conflict with travel plans. Sunday will be a bit over an hour easy.

Monday: 1:13:10 9.5 miles

Tuesday: 1:14:00 11 miles

Wednesday: 1:05:00 8.5 miles

Thursday: 1:20:00 11.5 miles

Friday: 1:02:36 8.5 miles

Ending Flat

Fitgers 5K left me feeling a bit flat on Sunday and having a lot of the snow still lingering didn't help matters. We had a small group that planned to loop in Rock Hill and possibly Chester Bowl. I wore road shoes, mainly because that is all I have, and they were giving all that I could handle on the wet trails of Rock Hill. My legs had very little pep and after 75 minutes of looping I called it a day. Had I ran roads I have a feeling I would have felt much better because the five minutes I ran on dry pavement after the trails my legs felt much better. I guess I will call the week one of REST.

Total: 1:20:00 9+ miles

Weeks Total: 50 miles

Years Total: 695.5 miles

First Timers

The past week sure has been interesting to say the least. The weather has gone from being nice and warm to having myself pull out the winter apparel once again. The brutal winds have blessed us with some additional "training stimuli" along with some rainy mornings and now the weekend had ~3 inches of snow.

The 22nd Annual Fitgers 5k was this morning and it was reported that in the history of the event no snow had been part of the festivities. Until this year. At first I was kind of mad when I heard the news yesterday but I quickly made an attitude adjustment and decided to have some fun with it and welcome what ever weather conditions nature could dish out. (like I had a choice anyway...)

As the gun sounded it was as close to a winter storm as any. I sure hope to have some pictures to post soon but we had one heck of a snow squall that thankfully diminished very quickly into the early mile or so. It was very good that some traffic made their way through downtown superior street because that was the only path to follow on the way out. Canal park was a bit less traveled and the corners were slick! A bunch of us were talking and we all wondered how much the slippery conditions really slow a runner down. It really doesn't matter because it was a race on effort and as long as you were giving it your all you were going to do as good as anybody.

I was surprised how good my legs and breathing felt going through the conservative opening mile in 5:15. I felt like I could manage to push that kind of effort the entire race and was feeling very good. As we ran past the Sports Garden we were greeted with the usual wind howling down the avenue. Once we were striding down Railroad street I was third in a line of three and we slowed some. I felt too comfortable but yet I didn't want to pass and lead into a wind while others took advantage. I stayed there until the 180 turn by the DECC and soon after made the gap up to the first guy who was trying to make a move out. As I fell in behind him I took a minute or so to catch my breath and then made a move past him to allow him to draft me. We pushed under the viaduct and then I gapped him a bit and decided to keep pushing up and over the final bridge and make my way to the dreaded trip back up Superior street. My legs were beginning to feel heavy but I still felt like I had decent turnover. Once I crested the climb I knew it was time to push all out as I didn't shake the runner behind me and he was making a move of his own. In the end I held him off and I didn't like what I saw. I know the conditions were crap, but I saw the clock tick past 17:00. That was a time I was trying to stay ahead of for many more years. My time would be 17:03, good for 3rd place overall and first over age 40. The last time I ran over 17 for 5K was in high school. I'm still happy with how I ran and how I felt as I think I am finding myself in pretty decent shape for April. I am now just starting to hit some true specific uptempo workouts and for me that is a good sign.

The other great news of the morning was my sister. She decided to join us nuts in this running venture last fall and ran her first race of adulthood in the Duluth Mile. Soon after she signed up for the Fitgers 5k and ran this morning. I had the pleasure of looping back and running the last quarter mile with her and she was just cruising. I also got to witness her endure a wonderful side stitch. You know, the kind that just makes you want to stop and sit down. I could tell that was on her mind but with a little encouragement she pressed on and broke the line in a very respectable 32:58. What's most important is she managed to run the same pace she ran her mile race last fall for the entire 5k! I wish I could do that! That also shows the room for progress and I get to enjoy watching all the PR's to come as she enters each race. Good job Carole!

Here is the early part of the week leading up to the snowy race weekend.

Monday:

My first uptempo work of the week. A fartlek that went like this. 12 X 20 seconds under 5k pace (4:50-5:00) with 40 seconds rest. I call it the "20/40" workout.

My legs felt super and I was surprised at the pace as I was just feeling very fluid in my strides.

Total: 1:10:56 9.5 miles

Tuesday:

Easy recovery style running. Kenwood.

Total: 1:06 8.6 miles

Wednesday:

A bit longer repeats this time. 6 x 2 minutes at 5:15 pace with 90 seconds recovery.

Again, I was surprised how easy the intervals went. I felt like I could push a bit more but didn't. I have plenty of time to get speed in and this felt like a very good intro workout. No pains, and that is nice.

Total: 56:32 8.2 miles

Thursday:

I woke up to the alarm and slammed it. I was so tired and fatigued I just couldn't imagine running. Didn't sleep well the last few nights as my head cold is lingering and I am up much of the night coughing. A day off is often better than stumbling through a recovery run just to say you did it.

Total:

0 miles

Friday:

Easy miles up Woodland. No problems except trying to keep the pace down. Nice!

Total: 1:05:40 8.5 miles

Saturday:

Race: Fitgers 5K

17:03 3rd place overall and first Master runner.

brutal weather, but still fun.

Total miles: 6+ miles

Rural Miles

Both runs this weekend consisted of a lot of rural miles. On Saturday Nic and I ran up Woodland and made our way out to West Tischer by means of Howard Gnesen and Nelson roads. Running W. Tischer past Jean Duluth all the way to Maxwell provided some decent rolling miles. We finished by taking Hawks Ridge over to Glenwood and Snively before looping at UMD and making our way home. The run felt really good and I had a bit of leg fatigue in the latter minutes of the run but nothing outstanding. An ice-bath afterwards and some recovery fluids and eats made life very enjoyable. The only residual soreness I had was the insertion of the hammies at the ischial tuberosities. I have battled with this pain in the past and Saturday afternoon was no different. By evening things were much better.

Total:

2:13:00 18 miles

Some Quick Shots of Sunday's Crew and Lester River

This morning was back out to Lester Park to meet with the guys for some gravel running. We did quite a bit more asphalt than weeks past but none the less a decent loop. My energy was excellent and legs were feeling fine with the exception of a right lower IT Band strain. I first noticed this soreness after a harder effort earlier in the week. It was hinting a bit yesterday and this mornings run it was definitely making a presence. I am looking forward to this upcoming week and hitting all my workouts to go into the weekends 5K with a bit of early, spring confidence. I am relatively fit, but not 5K fit so the weather will be my biggest enemy or friend.

Total: 1:18:42 10.2 miles

Weeks Total: 57.4 miles (5 runs)

Years Total: 645.7 miles

Systems Check! Welcome The Weekend

The head cold took another crack at me last night and allowed me to see every hour of the night with the exception of 2am. I slept through that hour. After a dose of meds I returned to the bed and slept to my alarm clock. Correction. Lucas made his way to our bed coughing and restless so I made my way to his bed and slept until my alarm clock!

Nic and I had made arrangements to meet at UMD at 0500 and run an easy hour. Once we hooked up I mentioned the loop out to Martin road and back via Vermilion but I forgot to add on the time it took Nic to run from his house to UMD and back and thus the run was a bit over a hour. No big deal for me but he needed to be to work by 0700 and it was now 0610. He didn't seem to mind but I felt bad none the less. After two miles things really loosened up and I was feeling great. We chatted the whole run and time went bye like nothing. With that run I gave myself the green light heading into this weekend and will do my usual long run and recovery style runs.

Total:

1:12:40 9.4 miles

Sickness

I managed to get decent runs in Monday and Tuesday with the latter being an out and back on Skyline with 10 X 1 minute at 5K pace with one minute recovery. I had a bit of soreness after the run and by the time I got home from work on Tuesday I realized I was getting sick. Nothing major but just the type of bug that keeps you down and really stuffed up head/sinuses.

Both Wednesday and Thursday were days of zero. The way I felt in the early morning hours kept me in bed and I just couldn't muster up the strength to get out and run. More than likely it would have been counterproductive anyway. I will try to hit some road miles in the morning. Test time.

Monday:

1:04:00 8.3 miles

Tuesday:

1:22:00 11.5 miles

10 X 1 minute fartleks at 5:15 pace.

Wednesday:

0 miles sick

Thursday:

0 miles sick

Spring Running

It's really turning into Spring season in the north. I had my doubts early in the week when temps were still in the teens for the morning runs. By late in the week I had to adjust the apparel I chose in order to avoid over heating. The week went about as well as I would have liked with the exception of some nagging, sore muscle/tendon on the top/inside part of my right foot. It makes my foot feel like I have shoe laces too tight but at home I wear Crocs or Birkie shoes so that isn't the case. The feeling reminded me of a minor stress fracture I had in 1995. The odd thing I find is I have no pain when I run. Only a bit of discomfort walking around the house and that itself is fickle. The best I can do right now is stretch the lower leg muscles a bunch and ice the foot. Keeping tabs on this will be primary concerns this week.

It is now time to switch gears a bit and start introducing some faster and hillier running into the weeks mix. I look forward to this phase as a lot of work gets done and you can see progression rather fast if all comes together as planned. I will race twice this month and will really see how I am setting myself up for June 18th, as that is the primary goal for getting out of bed each day.

Here is the weeks review.

Monday:

One more easy recovery style run after Saturday's two hour jaunt. I didn't really need recovery but it always feels great to take two days of recovery, so what the hell I did.

1:05:15 8.2 miles HR= 125

Tuesday:

I ran what I call the "Heights" run. Once I made my way over to Arlington I ran some hilly portions with a bit of a fartlek style and managed to run some decent climbs during the loop. A great run for early am!

1:13:28 10.1 miles HR=135

Wednesday:

I wanted to run a long, low HR run just to get a decent aerobic effort on the books for the week and really not stress to much about pacing. I felt great and looped down to Lakeside and ran the entire lake walk back to Blackwoods where I found myself running uphill for the last 17 minutes of the run. Felt super once again.

1:32:56 12 miles HR=128

Thursday:

The Woodland, Martin road loop served very well for this run as I did some impromptu fartleks of 30 seconds in the middle. I did 10 X 30 seconds at 4:55 pace with once minute of recovery. I really felt good on those repeats and think that some faster running is going to feel good next week.

1:03:49 8.5 miles

Friday:

I didn't like how tired I was feeling and decided on an unplanned day off. I always beat myself up for taking a day off but sometimes those day are a blessing in disguise. This time off will hopefully assist me in the near future and get that foot under control.

0 miles/rest day

Saturday:

The foot continued to pull as I walked around the house but I knew I could run once I got my arse out the door. I didn't leave until noon and had what I might call the best run of 2011! I really just ran on perceived effort and really pushed the hills I came to. Sometimes I love making up workouts as the run unfolds. This was no different and hammering the hills made my confidence in running so easy for 12 weeks is going to really lay the foundation for me to really build upon over the next 10 weeks. It's time to get excited!!

1:14: 28 10.7 miles Farlek on Hills

Sunday:

I met up with Dave, Tony, and Clint out at Lester and ran some decent snowy/gravel roads for 90 minutes. Clint and I tacked on an extra 20 minutes at the bottom of our loop and I felt very fresh for the day. I had some quad tightness but that is par for the course with all the hills I ran in the last 48 hours. A really decent back to back effort for me.

1:52:00 13.7 miles

Weeks Total: 63 miles

Years Total: 588.3 miles

Ending Base- Week #11 Review

I am heading into week number 12 of base-phase and I am now just feeling like I am beginning to roll. I really feel like I could use another month and build up the volume but that may change once I start doing workouts and such. For the next week I plan to do much the same, two medium distance runs with some uptempo along with a two hour long run on the weekend. I have been doing some reading and I think I know where the next phase will be focused with little to no change in overall volume of running. Mentally I am looking forward to some new training zones and I hope my physical being will follow once I start paying attention to the pace and heart rate zones a bit more closely.

I found myself with good company this weekend on both my runs and the miles just clicked off on little effort. I believe I had my last effort of any kind on the trails on Saturday and will be stuck to road loops for a month or so. Maybe the snow will continue to melt and give us some added motivation going into April. Having a little grip under the feet during some harder efforts sure is a nice thing.

My week in review:

Monday

The easy, recovery loop was stretched out to a full hour and will continue to fall in that time frame from here on out as long as things remain to feel good. Woodland/Vermilion loop to UMD and home will be a Monday staple.

1:03:00 7.8 miles HR=125

Tuesday

I kept the heart rate up a bit on this run and meandered through Woodland hills and Howard Gnesen before making my way home via Martin, Eagle Lake, Riley, Jean Duluth, Martin, Vermilion, UMD.

1:24:12 11.5 miles HR 138

Wednesday

As I woke up to Vortex winds and NO snow I was happy/sad. Happy with the no snow part but just pissed at the winds. Instead of hitting the treadmill for an easy hour I just made myself a cup of coffee and read the morning paper. Mental break day.

0 miles

Thursday

Out and back on West Skyline to 28th ave west. The morning was perfect and I had a bit of a cold wind to deal with on the return trip but I am very familiar with those so no big deal. Legs felt great and I managed to squeeze in 12-13 X 30 seconds at 5K pace with one minute rest.

1:30:39 12.6 miles HR=138

Friday

The same as Monday with a little more added through UMD. Feeling great!

1:04:56 8.2 miles

Saturday

Nic and I ran some roads before making our minds to at least try some of the snowmo trails. We did, but they sucked. Too much ice and uneven surface made for a full body muscle contortion every time going over the brown sheets of ice that covered the trails.

I was very happy with how the miles felt and it was a run to mark myself getting fit.

2:03:00 15.8 miles

Sunday

Out in Lester with Dave and Henry. We did 7 bridges road and some gravel roads out in the country. A very nice switch in running terrain and it was a loop I wouldn't mind repeating a bit more often.

1:11:00 9 miles

Weeks Total: 65 miles (6runs)

Years Total: 525.1 miles

New Photo

I have been looking for a new photo for some time to really say what I love most in my life. The two individuals in the photo are two of the best things to ever happen to me. Without them I would be nothing. I realize that most running blogs have a runner or the like on their banner but the Lift Bridge is such an iconic symbol of Duluth and after all, that is where we live and also, it's home to one of the best marathons in the country. I hope you enjoy the change and it will take quite a photo for me to replace this one. Thanks for reading.

Smell of Spring

The smell(s) of spring are present. I had a nice early morning loop on Friday and I could smell the fresh air and everything that comes with spring. Yesterday our trio couldn't help but smell the odors of dog feces throughout the run and at random times. This morning was back to the wet, damp odors and yet I enjoyed every minute of it.

The latter part of this week I really fell into form and had three nice days of running. I banked myself some serious sleep this weekend and that seems to help a ton! With the energy I had all weekend I hope to "spring" into form this week as I start to do a little more "work" on Tuesday and Thursday. This will be a transition week into the next phase and I am looking forward to the change in paces.

Here are the last few days of the week:

Friday

I will be getting back to doing this loop as one of my regular recovery type loops as the trails in Duluth will be non-runnable very soon. I like to run up Woodland to Martin and return via Vermilion road and loop in UMD before making it home. It's a good hour with some ups and flats. Keeping the HR low is always the goal.

1:02:31 7.9 miles

Saturday

I met up with Dave and Jonas to run some flat road miles out and back on Park Point and then some added time on the Lakewalk. We had many laughs during this low stress run and it felt good to do some mix-up fartleks the last thirty minutes. My legs felt fine and I am hoping to springboard into a new zone of fitness after this week.

2:00:00 16.4 miles HR=133 *i like that!

Sunday

A surprise of wet, heavy snow this morning made it very difficult to find footing if one were to run in my neighborhood. I didn't. I ran from Chester, along with Tony and Brian, down to the Lakewalk and I ran out to 36th before making my way back via Superior street and then doing a little hill running back to Chester. My legs felt awesome and if I had planned better I would have run another two hours with these guys. I hope tomorrow feels as good. (first time I forgot any watch on a run in some time so I had to ask Tony the running time and then look at my car for hours when I got back to the parking lot)

~1:02:00 ~8 miles

Weeks Total: 64.1 miles

Years Total: 460.2 miles

Black Ice Season

It's that time again. The temperatures create some nice melt and the early morning runners have an extra variable to be aware of while attempting to open one's eyes. Most of my routes are mostly clear of ice but you always have to have your eyes open and having a good, bright headlamp doesn't hurt either.

For some reason I am fighting some tiredness in the early morning hours. The alarm is waking me but I have the snooze-factor going on for some thirty minutes. To get my allotted time for each run I can't afford to snooze that long. Once I'm out on the roads I feel decent but before and after the runs I am just ready to crash and take a serious nap. Hopefully that's something that will adjust, or I'm fighting a bug, or I just need to buck up and get my arse out of bed and get moving.

The runs this week have gone well. Four days of alternating very easy days with some 80 minute faster runs. I have one more week of base and then I will be working on some strength and shorter repeats. I'm looking forward to the change and that alone may help me get out of bed.

Here is the week so far.

Monday:

*almost a zero for the day but I finally got out and took an easy spin around the cemetery loop.

32:40 4 miles

Tuesday:

out to Howard Gnesen and Martin roads, home via Vermilion. i found it very symbolic that my headlamp faded to a candle light, and my gps watch battery died two miles from the house. i was just wondering if i was going to have some issues next?

1:21:00 11 miles

Wednesday:

another easy, modified cemetery loop that took me out to Glenwood and home via Snively. legs felt good and I kept the HR ultra lowwwwww.

47:18 5.7 miles HR=122

Thursday:

my skyline out and back morning. after four miles i added 12X20 seconds at 5K pace with 30 seconds rest. those repeats felt really nice! no skunks so that was nice.

1:19:43 11.1 miles HR=135

First Crack At 20, Almost

In summary, the rest of the week went well. I did take Thursday off for a mental break and woke up Friday ready to rip it. I adjust the daily assignment and ran near 80 minutes at my upper HR limit. It felt great but the constant near run-ins with the skunks are getting old. I say "near" because I have yet to see one but I know they are close.

The weekend was great with my first run near 20 miles this year and a wonderful trail run today to flush out the legs. (it's early to comment but I am sure Kari and I will have fun at tonights first Shamrock Pub Shuffle. We are running a short (3+mile) loop with a bunch of others form the DRC and will be stopping at two participating pubs for a pint. I am so looking forward to this as it will be a wonderful social event. More on that tomorrow.

Here is the latter part of the weeks running totals:

Friday:

1:18:07 10.2 miles HR=134

Saturday:

2:29:17 19.6 miles

*had a great "bonk" that last thirty minutes

Sunday:

1:07:38 7.2 miles

Weeks Total: 60.1 miles (6 runs)

Years Total: 396.1 miles

Making A Jump

I woke up Monday to some fresh powder. We received about 2-3" of light powder and the temperature was near 10F when I ran. Making my way to the trails of Hartley was first in my mind and hitting the trails early guaranteed me a first around the loops. First two-legged anyway. There were numerous other tracks from various four-legged beings out there and that kept my mind occupied while I made my loop. The easy, recovery run was much enjoyed.

Total: 56:27 6.3 miles HR=125

Tuesday I started with a short section of trails before making my way to the roads of upper Woodland neighborhoods. Once out on Arnold and Martin things were clicking just fine. I didn't add any fartleks but just kept the pace steady but focusing on my HR. It was this run I realized I had made a nice jump in fitness again. I realized this past weekend that my long runs are becoming easier and now some of the mid week medium distance runs are clicking rather nicely as well. These are all good signs going into the next phase of running in about a month.

Total: 1:21:34 11 miles HR=135

This morning was nothing special. The trails of Hartley were calling my name once again and I grabbed my Yak's and made the best of an easy recovery loop. The legs didn't feel as peppy as Monday and Tuesday but very close. I managed to keep a very close eye on the HR and kept it as low as I could. Another great night of sleep helped with some needed recovery and I hope to carry some momentum to the latter part of the week and and the weekend long run.

Total: 50:22 5.8 miles HR=125

Two Months In

I am officially two months into my training. I had a bad patch in early January when our whole family got sick buy other than that I have had continuous weeks of progression. I hope to bump up the volume just a bit more before heading into the next phase of training. The goal of peaking at a 100 mile week always falls short but I must say I often feel very fit once I average 70's per week. Maybe 100 is too much? Hitting 100 miles in a week on singles is very difficult and running twice a day just isn't in the cards with my family life and work. Anyway, here is the summary of the weekend.

On Friday I woke up and pretty much knew I wasn't running. Thursday I made reference to it and I stuck to it once the alarm went off. I was telling Tony today that I believe it was much more of a mental break than physical. Getting up so damn early and fighting the wind and slippery surface is beginning to wear on me and I am looking forward to some change. The break on Friday was welcomed and come Saturday I felt great.

Dave H and I ran from the Rose Garden and hit Park Point. It has been some time since I ran on Park Point and I sure enjoyed it. We fell into a nice rhythm and on the return trip we ran negative splits while talking of the racing season coming up. Dave had a bit more to add after he dropped me off and I made my way home so my wife could get her long run complete.

Sunday I woke up and made plans to meet Tony at the entrance to Chester Bowl. Once we connected I ran us up Kenwood to the back entrance of Hartley single track where we did a loop through some surprisingly beautiful trails. It's amazing how the trails can change day by day and Sunday they wouldn't disappoint. Once we completed our loop I ran Tony back down a quad-pounding downhill to his place and I added some more miles on the Lakewalk before making my uphill grind to my house. I continue to be amazing how the body starts to fatigue near the end of these long efforts but at least the fatigue is waiting longer to show up each week. This week the last 15 or 20 minutes were tough, but then again, they were all uphill. Hmmmm. What a great day for a long run.

Total Saturday: 1:11:46 9.4 miles

Total Sunday: 2:01:40 14.6 miles

Weeks Total: 57.1 miles (6 days)

Years Total: 336 miles

Subtle Fatigue

After a weekend of great running I started the week with another easy day on Monday just to make sure the longer effort on Saturday was recovered from. I felt a bit "off" but nothing too bad, just a little heavy-legged running. I followed a similar path of Sunday's run that included single track, snowmobile trails and roads.

On Tuesday I managed to get in a little longer effort and stuck to the roads of Vermilion, Eagle Lake, Reily, Jean Duluth, Martin and home via Vermilion. I tried to keep the HR near 135-140 but my legs felt awful the entire run. Heavy legs out the door, heavy legs to return home with. Not good. I was just happy to get in the mileage and looked forward to a rest day.

Wednesday's rest day came at a cost. It was -9F with a -25-30F windchill!! I stared out the window and contemplated taking a zero. Well, I did't and the easy run in Hartley wasn't all that bad and in the end I was very happy to get out and run the firm trails.

This mornings run took me out on West Skyline just past Enger golf course and back. I added 9 X 45 seconds at 5:50 pace with 30 seconds recovery. I was thinking it would feel nice to get a little turnover in the legs and what I found was sore, tight hips, hams and glutes. The same muscles that hampered me so bad in October. I hope I can loosen things up and progress because to get all those muscles tight again would be a loosing battle.

So I sit and stew if I should take a zero tomorrow or get out and do my easy hour on the trails. I guess I will let my legs dictate that come 0445. I'm not entirely sure I am fighting a virus-bug that is causing some of this grief too, so a day off may help in recovery. Hmmm?

Monday:

59:08 7.1 miles

Tuesday:

1:16:11 10.1 miles HR=134

Wednesday:

46:14 5.3 miles

Thursday:

1:18:00 10.6 miles

9 X 45 seconds at 5:50 pace with 30 sec rest