Training

Chippewa Moraine 50K Training: Week 3

Back to winter weather. Although I shouldn’t complain, it’s not sub-zero.

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 3.3 mi, road
Wednesday: 7.1 mi, road
Thursday: 5.2 mi, road/paved trail (Lakewalk + Minnesota Point)
Friday: 5.1 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Saturday: 7.9 mi, road
Sunday: 14 mi, road + trail (Minnesota Point + Lakewalk)
Total: 42.6 mi

It rained on Monday so I took an unexpected off day. That meant it would be more challenging for me to meet my mileage goal for the week (43 miles), due to other commitments during the week. I decided to run a very short workout before my class on Tuesday, in order to take advantage of the last warm-ish day in the forecast. I’m glad I did!

Wednesday I was able to get in a longer run, in a light rain/snow mix, but Thursday and Friday I really had to push. Due to high school hockey games, the Bulldogs men’s games were Thurs-Fri instead of Fri-Sat, so I had to hustle and get my runs in between work and the games. Of course, I was late to both games anyway, Thursday because I had to do an emergency load of laundry as my cat barfed on my duvet cover, duvet, and sheets. I made it to the game after throwing everything in the dryer. Friday I was late just because I lollygagged. I managed a couple of 5 mile runs that I wouldn’t call tempo runs, but they weren’t exactly relaxed. It’s amazing to me that I’m now running 5 mile workouts at what was my race pace in my first 5K since getting back into running. An unconventional way of measuring progress, sure, but it made me smile.

Because I didn’t have enough hockey between streaming UMD’s women’s games and attending the men’s games, I went to the Duluth East – Cloquet-Esko-Carlton game on Saturday with my dad. This meant once again completing a run before a certain time (I was late to the game anyway). I ran 7.9 miles on a loop through Hunter’s Park, avoiding large patches of ice and walking up the big hill on Glenwood because I just didn’t feel like running it. It was sunny, but colder than I expected.

Sunday I put off my run because it was still snowing when I got up. I had planned to run to Hartley, do 2 loops there, and then run home, but since it had snowed a couple inches and plowing/shoveling was iffy along the route, I decided to change my plans. This was confirmed as a good idea when I saw a woman biff it on the sidewalk, slipping on some ice concealed by the fresh, fluffy snow. I knew there were icy spots along my planned route, and I didn’t want to run on such uncertain ground. I parked in Canal Park, ran over the bridge and down to the airport at Park Point & back, stopped at my car to grab a water bottle and a bite of food, and then ran to the end of the “main” Lakewalk and back.

Sunday’s run wasn’t really pleasant. There were lots of spots where I had to break through the snow, and though it was soft snow, it slowed me down and wore down my legs. I also had to run on the shoulder or even in the road at times. There were other spots that looked like they were wet, but could have been black ice, and I wasn’t interested in finding out by slipping and twisting my knee, so I was forced to slow down or dodge around them. I was cold, too. My gloves were wet from sweat and snot, so my hands were cold, and only got colder when I started carrying my water bottle. I was cranky and tired and sick of my running clothes, and I didn’t want to keep running. But I did, and that’s what counts.

My mini-goal for the week was to do strength workouts. I did 4: 1 yoga video, 2 body weight sessions (that weren’t very long), and 1 bout of shoveling (this probably doesn’t really count). I’m still doing all right on sleep, which was the previous week’s mini-goal.

This week’s mini-goal is to quit procrastinating and start my runs earlier. I get home, fart around, and then it’s after 6 pm by the time I start my run. That’s fine in the summer, when it’s light out til like 10 PM, and it’s cooler in the evening anyway, but it isn’t so great in the winter, when I lose all motivation after the sun goes down. I’d like to get some stuff done around the house, and fit in more strength sessions, so I need to start earlier. Unlike my other mini-goals, this won’t be something I can necessarily repeat every week, since sometimes I’ve just got to decompress after work, but I just have to make it through a few more weeks of wintry weather (I hope) before the days are longer and milder. And I did laundry last night, so I have fresh clean running clothes and gloves to motivate me!

Short and Sweet

In praise of short runs.

Before yesterday, my last run that took under an hour happened December 29th, and my last run under 4 miles (that wasn’t a race) was November 30th.

This isn’t really surprising, since I have been training for longer races for almost a year now, and I am slow, so even short runs take quite awhile. Lots of people can get in a medium-length run in under an hour, but I can’t.

It’s also hard to see the point of hauling on all my gear just to get out and do 2 or 3 miles. It seems like a lot of effort for very little benefit. What’s a 2.5 mile run (that isn’t a speed workout) going to do for my 50k training?

This winter, I have been using Tuesday as my off day, because I have a night course prepping for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. I don’t have enough time to run between work and class. But yesterday, I was determined to get out. The weather is going to start turning colder (though not terribly cold, relatively speaking), and I did not want to miss out on the last mild day for awhile. So I left work slightly early, suited up as quickly as I could (only a little bit of lollygagging, since I got a package from my mom in the mail), and put in 3.3 miles on the road.

It was awesome. I was giddy at the prospect that not only had my run barely started, it was almost over. (Of course this also meant that the proportion of time the run sucked was very high — the first 2 miles are always the worst.) I didn’t wear gloves, because I didn’t have to worry about cold hands – I’d be done soon! It didn’t matter if my feet got wet – they wouldn’t have time to get cold either! It was still light out when I finished, AND I had time to get coffee and a muffin before class. I was also still high on endorphins during class, and further elated that I finally remembered something about a subject (statics). Usually I sit there with a blank stare, trying to remember the class I took 3 years ago on the subject du jour. “So you guys remember this, right? It’s a simple redox reaction. The half reaction isszzzzzz…”

My choices lately when I don’t have a lot of time to run are either 1. don’t run or 2. run longer and be late to wherever I have to be. That is really stupid. If I can fit in an extra rest day and still get the mileage I want, I should probably go with the rest day, but there’s always been this option right in front of me, that I’ve been avoiding: run a short run. They’re nice.

Chippewa Moraine 50K Training: Week 2

Monday: 5.6 mi, trail (Bagley + one loop around campus)
Tuesday: rest (FE prep course)
Wednesday: rest (hockey)
Thursday: 7.2 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk + Minnesota Point)
Friday: 6.4 mi, road + trail (to/from Bagley, one short loop)
Saturday: 8.1 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Sunday: 11.9 mi, road + trail (to/from Hartley, Guardrail + Root Canal + SHT to Arrowhead Rd)
Total: 39.1 mi

A great week of training! I ended up with 2 days off last week again, since I made plans on Wednesday, but was still able to hit the mileage I wanted to. 2 rest days is kind of nice, although I wouldn’t mind having some time to myself on one of them. That might happen this week, if it rains as much as it says it’s going to today.

The weather was mild all week, and I took full advantage of it. I was grinning, just grinning, during most of my runs. I was happy to get in some trail running during the week. I still need a headlamp, but it’s staying lighter later & later, which I enjoy.

Thursday I actually ran without a headlamp, which I did not intend. I forgot it, and I was already halfway to the parking lot at the Rose Garden, so I didn’t turn around. I survived, although I had to slow down a bit due to uncertain terrain. There are still so many icy patches.

Friday, even with the headlamp, I ended up having to walk a lot during the last couple of miles due to icy sidewalks. The sidewalk drainage in Duluth is not the best. I was late to the hockey game (like, I arrived at the start of the second period) on Friday due to a late start running, and then ended up freezing cold at the game. I get a bit chilled after a run, and sitting in a cool rink, holding a cold pop, doesn’t help.

Saturday was so warm I ran in a tank top and shorts. I warmed up with a jacket on, but realized after only a mile or so that I’d be too hot if I kept it on, so I ended up running with it tied around my waist like a dork. I started later than planned (I went to a town hall meeting in the morning, and needed to get to a hockey game by 4, which I did not, but came close), so I ended up turning it into a tempo-ish run. I didn’t have a lot of jump in my legs, but I did end up with an average pace of 11:39. For me, that’s pretty good, especially since I had to dodge tourists and Pokemon Go players.

Sunday was warm again, though not as warm as Saturday. I wore tights, but ended up with the jacket around my waist again. I had a t-shirt on and wore my lightweight gloves, and only felt a bit cool. The snow was soft, so it was kind of slow going, and there was one point where I had to break trail (when I left Woodland to get on the Superior Hiking Trail segment that links in to Hartley) which wore on my legs a bit. I finished the whole run at a pace of 14:32, which is fantastic. I need to finish the first half of CM50K in 4 hours, which is a 15:2X pace, so I am feeling pretty confident about that right now. I realize it won’t be on the road, but it also won’t be in snow.

My focus last week was to work on getting more sleep, and I did a great job, I think. I registered about 7 hours of sleep each night (although some of that wasn’t actually sleep, just me lying in bed trying to ignore my cats or my husband’s snoring, but my fitness tracker thought I was sleeping). I’ll pat myself on the back, and try to keep that up while I focus on something new this week: strength training.

I say this every training cycle. I think I’m at “definition of insanity” levels of repetition here. I don’t know what my freaking problem is. Well, one of the problems is that I’m always procrastinating and starting my runs so late that I’m out of time to do a strength routine before dinner/hockey/whatever. That’ll be a focus next week, maybe, but I need to get back to strength training RIGHT AWAY. I do not know why this is so hard for me. Do some freaking push-ups, lady. I plan to do a lot more running this year than I did last year, so I need to take care of my core. My back was a bit sore after my fast-ish run on Saturday, which was a wake-up call. So, if I do any strength at all (that includes like, 3 sets of pushups or something), that’s a win for the day.

Chippewa Moraine 50K Training: Week 1?

It’s not really week 1, but I don’t know what else to say.

Monday: 5.4 mi, road (Lakewalk + Minnesota Point)
Tuesday: rest (FE prep course)
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 5.4 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Friday: 7.2 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Saturday: 5.2 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Sunday: 8.1 mi, trail (Hartley)
Total: 31.3 mi

I’m back! After 3 weeks of minimal running, I was able to have a week worthy of being considered training. Although I’ve had to drag myself out for almost every run. That was a theme this week: lollygagging around, finding excuses not to leave the house. On Monday I didn’t start running til 7 PM. On Sunday, I didn’t start til after 3. This isn’t going to work very well as I return to higher mileage, but as it gets warmer, I hope it’ll get easier to get out.

Monday, once I did get it, was amazing. I ran on the Lakewalk, and while it was windy, it wasn’t horribly cold. The lake was roaring, like it was going to vomit the Edmund Fitzgerald back up onto the shore. It was invigorating, and I was smiling the whole time. I love living here.

Tuesday, it snowed, so I did shovel twice. That counts as a strength workout. Wednesday I stayed late at work, and decided not to run. Since I was only planning on running about 30 miles, 2 rest days worked out.

After suffering through a cold one on Thursday (it was in the low teens, though a bit warmed than predicted), Friday was invigorating. It was 38 F, even at like 6 PM, and the moon was full. It was perfect, other than a bit of GI cramping that turned out to be nothing.

Saturday I got up early and walked about a mile to the counter protest in solidarity with Planned Parenthood. It lasted about 2 hours, and then I walked home. I was a bit cold (although I remembered to bring some Hot Hands with me) and my legs were kind of tired from standing for 2 hours, so I rested before my run. Even though it was just below freezing (and therefore relatively nice), I was still chilled when I headed out to run. It was damp and the air was misty, so it took a little while before I felt comfortable. By chance, I saw my boss while I was running through Lakeside, which was nice.

Sunday I ran at Hartley, which was a great confidence booster. I ran the 8 miles at a 15:02 pace, which is a great sign for the race. Like I said previously, I need to run the first 25K at about a 15:2X pace in order to make the intermediate cutoff. If I can run 8 at Hartley under that, while running on soft snow and going up some challenging hills, I am in a good spot.

I’m happy to be back to training and to have a concrete goal race. I’m also happy I haven’t lost that much fitness, despite my setbacks. The forecast for the near future looks great, so maybe that will help with the procrastination. My focus for this upcoming week will be quality sleep. I’ve been staying up way too late lately (I’m reading The Plot Against America by Philip Roth, and it’s riveting), and I need to get more than 5 hours of sleep a night. My resting heart rate is higher than I’d like it to be, so I’m hoping additional sleep will help.

Race Calendar: Chippewa Moraine 50K

Today after my WD50K running partner signed up for Zumbro 50, I decided it was time to register for my new spring goal race, Chippewa Moraine 50K.

This will be my first out of state race (but will actually be closer than Zumbro), and will be the first race where I’ll be legitimately chasing cutoffs. The cutoff is 9 hours, with an intermediate cutoff of 4 hours at the turnaround. That means I need to run the first 25K in 4 hours. When I raced Superior 25K last May, I finished that in 4:51. So uhhh… there’s work to do.

It’s not really as bad as all that. During Zumbro 17, I probably ran 25K about half an hour faster than that. (It’s hard to tell, my GPS data was off and added about a mile extra.) And I’m a better runner now than I was then. Probably. Definitely. I just have to run the first 25K at a pace of 15:27 or faster. If the course isn’t extremely challenging, I can do that. And if the course is extremely challenging, maybe I won’t do it, and maybe I’ll get swept.

This had to immediately be elevated to goal race status, due to the length as well as the cutoff issue. Superior 25K is still somewhat of a goal race, since I really want to get redemption on that darn course, but since it is less than a month after CM50K and I’ll be running Be The Match the weekend before, I’m not going to be at peak fitness. (I also may or may not do a timed race in June. We’ll see.)

I’m pretty excited for this race, and to take a risk. One of my racing goals for the year (which I haven’t spelled out yet) is to run a race where I have a chance to DNF. Even though I don’t think I’m really at that point with this race, I don’t know the course and I could underestimate the toll that it takes on me (it sounds like it’s a bit technical and has lots of little hills), the cut-off is still an hour and 20-some minutes faster than my current 50K PR. And my training has not been superb, though I still have 12 weeks (11.5 at this writing, I guess) to go.

My spring race calendar is now:
4/29: Chippewa Moraine 50K
5/13: Be the Match Minneapolis 5K
5/20: Superior 25K

I might add a race in March while I am down in the Twin Cities, simply because I’m bored of not racing and apparently just want to spend lots of money, and also I guess to gauge my fitness.

Interlude

So I’ve run maybe… 15-16 miles in the past two weeks. I can’t even call those weeks training weeks. Not the best.

The last full week of January, I was still recovering from my cold. I ran both weekend days, and was ready to ease back into running while on a work trip. I stayed at the same hotel I did last time I went to Edmonton, thinking I would be able to use the workout room. It was under renovation this time. I hadn’t packed for outdoor running and I didn’t know the city well enough to run outside anyway. So that was a major downer. I did manage to walk a lot. I commuted to and from work on foot, walked to get lunch, and walked to after-work events (I went to an Oilers-Wild game on Tuesday even!). I walked in the airports to keep from going stir crazy during layovers. I did my best to eat somewhat healthy; we’ll see if I’ve gained a lot of weight since I’ve been sick and sedentary. My cold is almost entirely gone – I’ve just got a bit of a lingering cough, but my energy is back and my head isn’t stuffy anymore. I was concerned I’d catch something new and exotic on the flight, but unless I acquired an illness with a very long incubation period, I’m good to go.

Friday I got home at about 3 PM (Central), which gave me time to run, but I’d been traveling since 4:30 AM (Mountain), so I was wiped out. Saturday, I let myself sleep as late as I felt like, and then decided not to run. And yesterday, I almost didn’t run. I waffled about it for a couple hours before I finally got dressed and got out of the house. I really, really, really cannot wait for the days when I can just throw on shorts and a tank top and head out. I wanted to quit less than a mile in, but managed to hang on and run about 5.7 miles, putting my grand total for the week at 5.7 miles. Woo.

Real training restarts today. 12 weeks until Chippewa Moraine. Hit it.

Zumbro 50 Training: Week 5

Zero miles.

Already looking for a backup race. I kind of needed a backup race anyway, due to a possible trip to the NCAA Frozen Four the same weekend.

I am hoping to get back to running on Wednesday. My energy has mostly returned today, but I’ve still got crap to clear from my lungs. Tuesday is my scheduled rest day for the next few months, due to my Fundamentals of Engineering exam prep course, so Wednesday is my target date to run again. Just in time for the temperatures to start going down, but not terribly so!