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