Monday: Off. A lot of driving today, 8+ hours, but it was well worth it.
Tuesday: Nearly 9 miles in just under an hour in the PM in Saco, core set at lunch.
Wednesday: 9 miles in just over an hour in the PM in Saco. Need to run in the AM and need to get more strides/plyos/hill sprints in. Damn it. Legs are STILL fatigued.
Thursday: 3 miles at lunch and a rollout session in order to get the legs loose, followed by a 3.5 mile warmup, a downhill 5k, and 3.5 mile cooldown (13 total on the day). Given how my legs have been feeling lately, I can't get upset at that performance at all, regardless of the downhill factor.
Friday: 7 miles easy in the PM in Saco.
Saturday: 7.5 miles easy in the PM in OOB. Legs definitely feel the race on Thursday.
Sunday: 2 mile warmup, Sea Dogs Father's Day 5k in 15:19, and 2 mile cooldown, 7 total. Ran reasonably hard, grabbed some tickets, not bad!
Totals: 52+ miles on 7 runs, 1 core session, two races. Ahhh, I think the low mileage weeks are over, as long as my legs respond well to ramping up a bit.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Hollis Fast 5k Race Report
I believe every runner that consistently trains for long stretches reaches a point (or several points) when he or she questions the merit of the activity. For the 99.99(9?)% of us that run regularly but don't run well enough to make a decent living doing it, the financial odometer of such an acitivity is always in the red. Yes, you can argue that long-term savings in health care costs and improvements in quality of life are financially quantifiable, but those things can (and should) be achieved in a variety of ways. Most runners typically do one thing and one thing only... run. We lose sleep, stink up our clothes at work, take time away from our loved ones, subject ourselves to all types of weather, subject our bodies to all kinds of weird diets and food restrictions, and push through sickness and stress and fatigue and injury. And if we take any time off in favor of some of these things we normally sacrifice? The guilt comes. And it comes at us hard.
Sometimes I have a tough time trying to reconcile my running with the rest of my life. My work, personal life, social life, and travel schedule have not been and will not be conducive to high-mileage training, and yet I've put in triple-digit weeks before and planned a ramp-up phase to do so again. The time and energy crunch for such training is often completely draining, and this drain takes away from everything else at times. The drain I can deal with though. What I really hate dealing with is the emotional roller coaster I ride -- the stress over an upcoming workout, the uncertainty over an upcoming race, and of course, the guilt over a workout missed or run given up. Regardless, I've pushed through, mostly because the results have been there. I've put in the training and received the benefits. Despite all the shit, it's been worth it because I've been succeeding.
The last few weeks... well, really, since Boston... I've struggled with fatigue. No surprise, I know. Patience, patience, patience. But 8-plus weeks of low mileage and very sparse workouts/races later and the quads still ache like an old man before a four-day rainstorm. I started to think I had exercise-induced anemia and then someone who actually had that before told me I was imagining things. It's probably a combination of Boston, lack of sleep, and a diet that a 22-year-old can get away with but not a 29-year-old. Now, the time and energy and stress of this hobby have started to tip the scales from "worth it" to "not worth it", and I've questioned the validity of continuing to push toward goals that are ultimately arbitrary.
So, what to do? With my training floundering and a summer full of non-running-related activities awaiting, what course of action do I take?
I thought I'd let Thursday's race in Hollis help me decide.
Still feeling stale but rested from lower mileage, I drove to Hollis with the idea of just racing and not time-trialing the extremely fast downhill course. Therefore, I made a point to not wear my watch for the race. Despite the rain, the weather was favorable (cooler temps) and the competition would drag me along for sure. My PR at Westfield 2+ months ago would be nearly impossible to catch, or so I thought, so I set a goal of 14:30 and hoped to have enough residual fitness to do a controlled fall towards the finish quickly enough to achieve it.
After hamming it up with newly-wifed DV and making a gentlemen's arrangement with him to try to beat him, the field packed in behind the narrow start line. It was much tighter than most race starts, and when the race took off I was actually surprised that no one ate it. The leaders initially darted down the wrong way at the start but immediately recorrected (note to the Hollis 5k directors: the course may seem obvious to you, but when one is sprinting out of the gate to get positioning, the race route is not as obvious. Put a big arrow down on the road next time.) The three BAA speedsteers (Ritchie, Ashe and Harvey) immediately set the tone, with a few other guys I didn't recognize out front and Sean Duncan hanging off the back. The pace was a bit of shock to the system at first and it took a couple of minutes for my breathing to regulate, but by the mile marker I had gained my composure and convinced myself that the low-level fatigue I was experiencing was already there. There was no clock at the mile but it seemed to come quickly, which was a good sign I suppose.
The second mile drops more precipitously so I tried to stay relatively even and use the elevation drop to stay close to the lead pack. Ritchie put a move on the lead pack and started to stretch it out a bit. Duncan started to come back and the sound of footsteps behind me started to fade. At two miles the clock read 9:10, which was a bit of a surprise to me because I still felt pretty good, and just after that I caught up to Duncan. I gave him a "c'mon, let's go!", which in retrospect is a bit douchey although I meant well. Few people like someone passing them to give encouragement, so I need to learn to shut my mouth. The markers of "0.75 to go", "0.50 to go" and "0.25 to go" were a nice touch and a big help mentally. There was a decent gap between myself and Harvey (similar to Westfield) and Duncan and fallen behind me considerably, so instead of bearing down the last minute I settled into a less intense threshold of pain. This mindset burned me at Sea Dogs with Louis and it's been to my detriment at other times as well, so I need to learn to get up and go harder near the finish.
Regardless, I took the tight corner right before the finish and found that I had squeaked in under my Westfield time.... 14:16. Huh. Wouldn't ya know, eh? Maybe my own claims of my demise were premature. Perhaps the fitness hasn't fallen all that far at all, and with more honest attention to healthier eating habits and better sleep the fatigue will hopefully go away and I can actually enjoy training again.
So, I guess I won't take the summer off. I won't set any mileage records or turn any heads with workouts, but I'm going to make a decent effort to get faster and do better at some of the usual summer events. Is it possible to happily balance the running life and the rest of life? Let's see if I can finally figure that out. Fingers crossed.
Sometimes I have a tough time trying to reconcile my running with the rest of my life. My work, personal life, social life, and travel schedule have not been and will not be conducive to high-mileage training, and yet I've put in triple-digit weeks before and planned a ramp-up phase to do so again. The time and energy crunch for such training is often completely draining, and this drain takes away from everything else at times. The drain I can deal with though. What I really hate dealing with is the emotional roller coaster I ride -- the stress over an upcoming workout, the uncertainty over an upcoming race, and of course, the guilt over a workout missed or run given up. Regardless, I've pushed through, mostly because the results have been there. I've put in the training and received the benefits. Despite all the shit, it's been worth it because I've been succeeding.
The last few weeks... well, really, since Boston... I've struggled with fatigue. No surprise, I know. Patience, patience, patience. But 8-plus weeks of low mileage and very sparse workouts/races later and the quads still ache like an old man before a four-day rainstorm. I started to think I had exercise-induced anemia and then someone who actually had that before told me I was imagining things. It's probably a combination of Boston, lack of sleep, and a diet that a 22-year-old can get away with but not a 29-year-old. Now, the time and energy and stress of this hobby have started to tip the scales from "worth it" to "not worth it", and I've questioned the validity of continuing to push toward goals that are ultimately arbitrary.
So, what to do? With my training floundering and a summer full of non-running-related activities awaiting, what course of action do I take?
I thought I'd let Thursday's race in Hollis help me decide.
Still feeling stale but rested from lower mileage, I drove to Hollis with the idea of just racing and not time-trialing the extremely fast downhill course. Therefore, I made a point to not wear my watch for the race. Despite the rain, the weather was favorable (cooler temps) and the competition would drag me along for sure. My PR at Westfield 2+ months ago would be nearly impossible to catch, or so I thought, so I set a goal of 14:30 and hoped to have enough residual fitness to do a controlled fall towards the finish quickly enough to achieve it.
After hamming it up with newly-wifed DV and making a gentlemen's arrangement with him to try to beat him, the field packed in behind the narrow start line. It was much tighter than most race starts, and when the race took off I was actually surprised that no one ate it. The leaders initially darted down the wrong way at the start but immediately recorrected (note to the Hollis 5k directors: the course may seem obvious to you, but when one is sprinting out of the gate to get positioning, the race route is not as obvious. Put a big arrow down on the road next time.) The three BAA speedsteers (Ritchie, Ashe and Harvey) immediately set the tone, with a few other guys I didn't recognize out front and Sean Duncan hanging off the back. The pace was a bit of shock to the system at first and it took a couple of minutes for my breathing to regulate, but by the mile marker I had gained my composure and convinced myself that the low-level fatigue I was experiencing was already there. There was no clock at the mile but it seemed to come quickly, which was a good sign I suppose.
The second mile drops more precipitously so I tried to stay relatively even and use the elevation drop to stay close to the lead pack. Ritchie put a move on the lead pack and started to stretch it out a bit. Duncan started to come back and the sound of footsteps behind me started to fade. At two miles the clock read 9:10, which was a bit of a surprise to me because I still felt pretty good, and just after that I caught up to Duncan. I gave him a "c'mon, let's go!", which in retrospect is a bit douchey although I meant well. Few people like someone passing them to give encouragement, so I need to learn to shut my mouth. The markers of "0.75 to go", "0.50 to go" and "0.25 to go" were a nice touch and a big help mentally. There was a decent gap between myself and Harvey (similar to Westfield) and Duncan and fallen behind me considerably, so instead of bearing down the last minute I settled into a less intense threshold of pain. This mindset burned me at Sea Dogs with Louis and it's been to my detriment at other times as well, so I need to learn to get up and go harder near the finish.
Regardless, I took the tight corner right before the finish and found that I had squeaked in under my Westfield time.... 14:16. Huh. Wouldn't ya know, eh? Maybe my own claims of my demise were premature. Perhaps the fitness hasn't fallen all that far at all, and with more honest attention to healthier eating habits and better sleep the fatigue will hopefully go away and I can actually enjoy training again.
So, I guess I won't take the summer off. I won't set any mileage records or turn any heads with workouts, but I'm going to make a decent effort to get faster and do better at some of the usual summer events. Is it possible to happily balance the running life and the rest of life? Let's see if I can finally figure that out. Fingers crossed.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Running Log for Week of 6/3/2013
Monday: Core session at lunch followed by 8 easy in about 54 minutes in the PM. My legs were toast, probably from marching in the heat for nearly three hours on Saturday. Hope they come around soon.
Tuesday: 9 easy in around an hour in Saco. My legs feel like crap, just very sluggish. My breathing is a bit short too. I need more sleep, and a better diet, yadda yadda yadda damn it.
Wednesday: 11 in Saco/Biddo in the PM, started off slow and sluggish and the legs still fatigued, and then I got angry near the end and progressed to a 5:17 last mile. A shade under 1:11 for the total. My legs are not fresh and my breathing is still labored and I'm not excited about it. I'm not sure what's going on but it's not easily identifiable.
Thursday: 5 miles easy in Saco. Needed to do something to bring the fatigue level down in the legs.
Friday: 5 miles easy followed by a good core session in the early PM before heading up to the county.
Saturday: 12+ miles in the rain in the County with Evan and Curtis. Definitely still felt the fatigue in the legs.
Sunday: Off. Need to get the legs better.
Totals: 50 miles, just one progression run, one core workout. I guess I'm just sucking wind right now. Let's see if I can get the tables turned this week, but if I don't it's not the end of the world. I might just need a summer that's not completely focused on running.
Tuesday: 9 easy in around an hour in Saco. My legs feel like crap, just very sluggish. My breathing is a bit short too. I need more sleep, and a better diet, yadda yadda yadda damn it.
Wednesday: 11 in Saco/Biddo in the PM, started off slow and sluggish and the legs still fatigued, and then I got angry near the end and progressed to a 5:17 last mile. A shade under 1:11 for the total. My legs are not fresh and my breathing is still labored and I'm not excited about it. I'm not sure what's going on but it's not easily identifiable.
Thursday: 5 miles easy in Saco. Needed to do something to bring the fatigue level down in the legs.
Friday: 5 miles easy followed by a good core session in the early PM before heading up to the county.
Saturday: 12+ miles in the rain in the County with Evan and Curtis. Definitely still felt the fatigue in the legs.
Sunday: Off. Need to get the legs better.
Totals: 50 miles, just one progression run, one core workout. I guess I'm just sucking wind right now. Let's see if I can get the tables turned this week, but if I don't it's not the end of the world. I might just need a summer that's not completely focused on running.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Running Log for Week of 5/27/13
Monday: Off day for travel. I think I'm allowed after 11 hours of driving on two hours of sleep. The best two hours.
Tuesday: 10 miles easy in about 1:06:30 in Saco. Felt pretty fresh but I need more sleep and fewer potato products in my life.
Wednesday: 11 miles, 4 easy w/u around Back Cove and then a workout with Ryan McCalmon during the BC Series 5k... first two miles at roughly 5k pace (9:52), 2 minutes rest, and then 30 seconds on/off until the finish (I got in about 4). Finished in 15:49 on a long course (detours due to construction). Good short, hard workout to start things off again. A couple of beers and some food at LFK with Ryan after, good times.
Thursday: 6 miles in the AM on the ET with a bunch of folks followed by a solid core set and 7 at just over 6:30 pace in Portland with Jorma. 13 miles on the day. First double in months. First run was humid but pretty, the second run was just hot and it sucked.
Friday: Off. When it's 95 out, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. You win, Mother Nature.
Saturday: So seven of us set out from DV's house on his wedding day at 7:45am and four of us go 21.5 mi, from Peabody through Salem to Marblehead and back through Swampscott and Salem to Peabody. We had to walk a little bit to let one of us fight through dehydration cramps so we were out there for almost 3 hours, and it got hot. Pretty tough way to get my first big long run of the new cycle in. Wedding was amazing though.
Sunday: 10 mi. in a shade under 1:07 from Ferry Beach to Pine Point and back in the PM. Legs felt sluggish near the end, probably due to lack of sleep and healthy food the last couple of days. Seems to be the theme of the season, yeah?
Totals: 61.5 miles, one workout, one long run, one core workout. Time to rachet it up a bit now that Boston is definitely out of the legs.
Tuesday: 10 miles easy in about 1:06:30 in Saco. Felt pretty fresh but I need more sleep and fewer potato products in my life.
Wednesday: 11 miles, 4 easy w/u around Back Cove and then a workout with Ryan McCalmon during the BC Series 5k... first two miles at roughly 5k pace (9:52), 2 minutes rest, and then 30 seconds on/off until the finish (I got in about 4). Finished in 15:49 on a long course (detours due to construction). Good short, hard workout to start things off again. A couple of beers and some food at LFK with Ryan after, good times.
Thursday: 6 miles in the AM on the ET with a bunch of folks followed by a solid core set and 7 at just over 6:30 pace in Portland with Jorma. 13 miles on the day. First double in months. First run was humid but pretty, the second run was just hot and it sucked.
Friday: Off. When it's 95 out, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. You win, Mother Nature.
Saturday: So seven of us set out from DV's house on his wedding day at 7:45am and four of us go 21.5 mi, from Peabody through Salem to Marblehead and back through Swampscott and Salem to Peabody. We had to walk a little bit to let one of us fight through dehydration cramps so we were out there for almost 3 hours, and it got hot. Pretty tough way to get my first big long run of the new cycle in. Wedding was amazing though.
Sunday: 10 mi. in a shade under 1:07 from Ferry Beach to Pine Point and back in the PM. Legs felt sluggish near the end, probably due to lack of sleep and healthy food the last couple of days. Seems to be the theme of the season, yeah?
Totals: 61.5 miles, one workout, one long run, one core workout. Time to rachet it up a bit now that Boston is definitely out of the legs.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Running Log for Week of 5/20/13
Monday: 8 easy miles in Saco. Legs are tired.
Tuesday: 12 easy miles in Saco/OOB in 1:19:39. Sped up a little after 4.5 miles after a kid yelled some profanity at me from the back seat of his SUV. I caught up to the SUV a half mile down the road after it had parked at a convenience store and gave the kid some sound advice. His older brother in the driver's seat actually laughed. The kid was NOT expecting to see me again. One win for the runner, finally.
Wednesday: 7 easy miles in Saco.
Thursday: 12 miles easy with a healthy core set at home.
Friday: Off... had to work and then drive 11 hours to get to Baddeck, Nova Scotia
Saturday: 10 in a little under 1:05 at the start of Leg 4 of the Cabot Trail Relay Race. Got it in early.
Sunday: 13+, one mile warmup in the driving rain and then 12 more at 3:30am on Leg 14 of the Cabot Trail. Didn't have the legs or determination to run all out in that headwind but I didn't have to... kept a comfortable gap for most of the second half of the race and grabbed the leg win by about a minute. Helped the Maine-iacs to another relay win. Another great party after the race too, special enough that this one might be remembered for a long, long time.
Totals: 62 miles on six days, one core workout, one long solid effort very early in the morning in inclement conditions. I feel like Boston is completely out of my legs now so I can start going harder with the training.
Tuesday: 12 easy miles in Saco/OOB in 1:19:39. Sped up a little after 4.5 miles after a kid yelled some profanity at me from the back seat of his SUV. I caught up to the SUV a half mile down the road after it had parked at a convenience store and gave the kid some sound advice. His older brother in the driver's seat actually laughed. The kid was NOT expecting to see me again. One win for the runner, finally.
Wednesday: 7 easy miles in Saco.
Thursday: 12 miles easy with a healthy core set at home.
Friday: Off... had to work and then drive 11 hours to get to Baddeck, Nova Scotia
Saturday: 10 in a little under 1:05 at the start of Leg 4 of the Cabot Trail Relay Race. Got it in early.
Sunday: 13+, one mile warmup in the driving rain and then 12 more at 3:30am on Leg 14 of the Cabot Trail. Didn't have the legs or determination to run all out in that headwind but I didn't have to... kept a comfortable gap for most of the second half of the race and grabbed the leg win by about a minute. Helped the Maine-iacs to another relay win. Another great party after the race too, special enough that this one might be remembered for a long, long time.
Totals: 62 miles on six days, one core workout, one long solid effort very early in the morning in inclement conditions. I feel like Boston is completely out of my legs now so I can start going harder with the training.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Running Log for Week of 5/13/2013
Monday: 9 miles easy in a little under an hour. Quads felt yesteday's effort.
Tuesday: 9 miles in the PM, the first three from work to Prime Toyota to meet Jeff and then the rest out and back on the ET. Legs still feel a little beat up.
Wednesday: 10 miles in 1:06 in the PM while the sky was indecisive about raining. Quads are STILL a little balky, so I'm playing it safe with them. No workouts until I'm feeling good. Rather ramp up slowly than screw my entire summer of racing.
Thursday: 10 easy with 8x10s hill sprints.
Friday: Off. Between work and a drive to the county, just ran out of time.
Saturday: 6 miles out and back in Stockholm. Rolling, cool, beautiful. Very lonely out here.
Sunday: 16 miles easy with a big group at Sheri's place, the last 4 on Falmouth Woods trails. Beautiful out there.
Totals: 60 miles on 6 days, one set of hill sprints, two core sessions, no workouts. My legs were poop at the beginning of the week so I took it easy. No sense to rush back, still early.
Tuesday: 9 miles in the PM, the first three from work to Prime Toyota to meet Jeff and then the rest out and back on the ET. Legs still feel a little beat up.
Wednesday: 10 miles in 1:06 in the PM while the sky was indecisive about raining. Quads are STILL a little balky, so I'm playing it safe with them. No workouts until I'm feeling good. Rather ramp up slowly than screw my entire summer of racing.
Thursday: 10 easy with 8x10s hill sprints.
Friday: Off. Between work and a drive to the county, just ran out of time.
Saturday: 6 miles out and back in Stockholm. Rolling, cool, beautiful. Very lonely out here.
Sunday: 16 miles easy with a big group at Sheri's place, the last 4 on Falmouth Woods trails. Beautiful out there.
Totals: 60 miles on 6 days, one set of hill sprints, two core sessions, no workouts. My legs were poop at the beginning of the week so I took it easy. No sense to rush back, still early.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Running Log for Week of 5/6/13
Monday: 10 mi. easy in 1:03:30 on the ET in Saco and back from home. Felt pretty good but the hip flexors are burning from Saturday's auxiliary stuff. Gotta lay off that and go easier the next time around.
Tuesday: Light core workout at lunch followed by 12 easy in 1:19 in Biddo Pool. Beautiful day out but felt sluggish and fat. People get on me for calling myself fat sometimes (and yes, I know, I'm not 'fat' in the literal sense), but I'm sure other runners can relate when they take a dip in fitness and can literally feel the extra few pounds on them when they exercise. Can't wait to lose it... I need to take the appropriate steps to do so.
Wednesday: Easy run in Portland (12 miles) with 8 x 10s hill sprints on the East End grassy hill.
Thursday: 10 mi in the rain in the PM in Saco, 2 x 30s pieces hard and then began a 3x1000 interval "test". Failed the test. Got halfway through the second one and bailed due to it being too hard. Certainly still trying to work Boston out of the legs. Sunday is going to be an adventure.
Friday: 7 mi. in the AM in PoPo with Lauren and Mary. Flexors, IT's and hips were all tight this morning. Followed it up with a strong core and stretching session in the PM.
Saturday: 7.5 mi. easy around the BC twice with Jorma in the afternoon. Felt pretty good.
Sunday: 3 mi. warmup followed by the Sea Dogs Mother's Day 5k in 15:07 and a 3 mile cooldown. It was fun as it always is but the race itself was a struggle. I felt fatigue in my quads before the first mile marker (4:40, but still, there wasn't that fatigue a month-plus ago when I ran 4:33 for my first one). The second mile was a drain as I was chasing Louis and the third mile I was just hanging on. I think a combination of continued recovery from Boston, poor sleep habits and poor nutrition habits (the usual suspects) are big issues right now. The weather is gearing up and it's so easy to gear up the social life as well... I guess I have to weigh social life against my running in the next few months.
Totals: 67.5 miles, one botched workout, one slightly disappointing race, two core workouts (hip flexors still sore). Not going to 80 next week, sticking to 75 hopefully, and I'm going to try not to be a fat-ass. Let's see if that helps.
Tuesday: Light core workout at lunch followed by 12 easy in 1:19 in Biddo Pool. Beautiful day out but felt sluggish and fat. People get on me for calling myself fat sometimes (and yes, I know, I'm not 'fat' in the literal sense), but I'm sure other runners can relate when they take a dip in fitness and can literally feel the extra few pounds on them when they exercise. Can't wait to lose it... I need to take the appropriate steps to do so.
Wednesday: Easy run in Portland (12 miles) with 8 x 10s hill sprints on the East End grassy hill.
Thursday: 10 mi in the rain in the PM in Saco, 2 x 30s pieces hard and then began a 3x1000 interval "test". Failed the test. Got halfway through the second one and bailed due to it being too hard. Certainly still trying to work Boston out of the legs. Sunday is going to be an adventure.
Friday: 7 mi. in the AM in PoPo with Lauren and Mary. Flexors, IT's and hips were all tight this morning. Followed it up with a strong core and stretching session in the PM.
Saturday: 7.5 mi. easy around the BC twice with Jorma in the afternoon. Felt pretty good.
Sunday: 3 mi. warmup followed by the Sea Dogs Mother's Day 5k in 15:07 and a 3 mile cooldown. It was fun as it always is but the race itself was a struggle. I felt fatigue in my quads before the first mile marker (4:40, but still, there wasn't that fatigue a month-plus ago when I ran 4:33 for my first one). The second mile was a drain as I was chasing Louis and the third mile I was just hanging on. I think a combination of continued recovery from Boston, poor sleep habits and poor nutrition habits (the usual suspects) are big issues right now. The weather is gearing up and it's so easy to gear up the social life as well... I guess I have to weigh social life against my running in the next few months.
Totals: 67.5 miles, one botched workout, one slightly disappointing race, two core workouts (hip flexors still sore). Not going to 80 next week, sticking to 75 hopefully, and I'm going to try not to be a fat-ass. Let's see if that helps.
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