running

Zumbro 17 Training: Week 10

I was this close to DNSing the race and heading to Tampa for the Frozen Four.

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Source: Michael Dwyer/AP via the St. Cloud Times.

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 4.5 mi, treadmill, 136 bpm
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 6 mi, treadmill, 134 bpm
Friday: 7.5 mi, road (MAF test), 137 bpm
Saturday: 6.0 mi, treadmill, 139 bpm
Sunday: 12.1 mi, trails (Hartley), 141 bpm (with large sections of “cheating” over 142 bpm)
Total: 36 mi

If I wake up tomorrow with my cold worse again I am going to explode. And DNS the damned race.

I decided screw it, I was going to run anyway, despite the cold. I stayed inside for my evening runs, to make sure I didn’t get too cold (plus it was dismal outside) and could stop at anytime if my heart rate went crazy.

I already discussed the MAF test. Saturday’s run was unremarkable. It was snowing off and on all day so I had to stay inside, which sucked.

Sunday I needed to get outside and run a challenging run, for confidence’s sake. I don’t know what I was really thinking I would prove from a long-ish run, but I guess I needed time to practice eating and drinking during a reasonably long run. My goal was to run 12 miles in 4 hours aerobically. I am fairly amazed that I managed to get almost exactly 12 miles from a route not planned in advance. I went to Hartley and did Root Canal, 2 loops of Guardrail, Root Canal again, and then some kind of cobbled together route that involved unpacked snow. So the last few miles were in the most difficult terrain, unintentionally. I was getting cranky as heck because I just couldn’t stay below that 20 min pace and stay under 142 bpm. I was hoping to make up time at the end and hit the fluffy snow and couldn’t, so I “cheated” and just listened to my monitor beep away while I ran above my target heart rate. At this point, who cares? My training was interrupted by a cold for almost a freaking month. It undid a heck of a lot of the gains I’d made in fitness, especially aerobic fitness. I’ll be managing, rather than micro-managing, my heart rate at Zumbro, anyway. And I just hope and pray that there’s no snow and it isn’t a muddy slogfest the whole way. Some nice dry dirt trails would be amazing. I’ll be so fast! Ha.

The breakdown:
Mile 1: 19:18, 121 bpm
Mile 2: 19:40, 135 bpm
Mile 3: 20:03, 142 bpm
Mile 4: 21:53, 143 bpm
Mile 5: 19:15, 134 bpm
Mile 6: 21:24, 145 bpm
Mile 7: 21:17, 142 bpm
Mile 8: 19:31, 141 bpm
Mile 9: 19:01, 147 bpm
Mile 10: 20:03, 148 bpm
Mile 11: 20:18, 145 bpm
Mile 12: 16:49, 148 bpm
Loose change: 19:49 pace, 150 bpm (weird)

I ate a protein bar and drank about 10 oz of sports drink and 10 oz of water during the run and didn’t have any major stomach issues. I felt kinda crappy at the beginning but that was because I ate a banana while driving to Hartley and bananas don’t always sit well in my stomach. It seems like a decent strategy although Clif bars are a pain in the butt to open. I might break them into bite-sized pieces beforehand and carry them in a plastic bag for the race. I should also try chowing down at aid stations, since food is always easily accessible there, and then have the bars as a back-up.

The next couple weeks are going to be gentler as I prepare for the race, rest, and get back to healthy. The weather should be a BIT milder, and race day is looking to have a high of over 50 F! I can’t wait, maybe I can even run outside in shorts. I’ve got a lot of logistics to plan and I need to study the race information as I’ll be going in with no inkling about the course. Scary that it’s in less than two weeks, but I’m excited to race again, it’s been over 4 months.

MAF Test #3

I decided to do one last MAF test in this training cycle, despite missing all that training and despite still being sick. I kind of just wanted to see how bad the damage was. Plus the weather today was probably the most pleasant it’ll be in Duluth from now until the race. The extended forecast makes me a sad panda.

It was probably a bad idea to do the MAF test and also to run 7 miles outdoors, because I kinda feel crummy tonight, but I’m hoping a good night’s sleep will correct that. My sinuses are clearing, and I’m hoping my lungs will follow.

For reference: MAF #1, MAF #2.

Warm-up: 1 mile, walking and easy running, 17:45, 123 bpm avg.

My heart rate wasn’t jumping all over the place, which was really nice. I was able to transition to my target heart rate much more smoothly than I have in the past, which is no doubt due to the nicer weather. It was windy and I was walking into the wind at the beginning, so my heart rate was in the 120s to start, but once I turned away from the wind it settled down.

Mile 1: 15:35, 141 bpm
Mile 2: 15:27, 141 bpm
Mile 3: 15:36, 142 bpm
Mile 4: 13:44, 141 bpm
Mile 5: 13:45, 141 bpm

Ok the last 2 miles are crap data. Something was up with my GPS as I was hitting like 8:XX paces while staying aerobic. Nope. I don’t know what happened, it seemed to either give me extra distance during those last few miles, or shorted me miles in the beginning. I know one or both of these things happened because I ran an out-and-back and ended up measuring about 0.3 miles more than expected. Annoying. I know there was some kind of problem because Strava has the difference between my moving time and my elapsed time at 10 minutes, and I didn’t stop at all on the run.

Cooldown: 1.47 miles, easy running and then walking, 16:53, 135 bpm avg.

I didn’t really learn very much from this run, other than that I’m about 30 seconds below my average pace from test #2, which can 100% be blamed on this illness and the accompanying training gaps. I’m really, really hoping I’ll wake up tomorrow feeling better, and not more miserable. I mean, I have to, right? I can’t stay sick forever. It’s getting annoying, and it’s making me annoying.

Winter Wish List Rehash

I guess it’s technically spring, although the weather in Duluth has been decidedly un-springlike. While outsiders all know the winters here are harsh, most people don’t know the springs are depressing. It sometimes feels like it’ll never get warm. I looked at the extended forecast and see one mild day (tomorrow) followed by highs in the low 40s to high 30s going all the way into April.

Anyway, I felt like whining a bit about the weather because it’s cold and my cold has come back again. Wahhhhh.

In December I came up with a gear wish list for cold weather, similar to the one I did for summer last year. In September I looked back at the summer list and evaluated what I’d acquired and what I hadn’t.

My cold weather gear wish list was as follows:

High Priority:
A new pair of gloves nope
Heavier-weight running tights nope
Head lamp yup
Superior Hiking Trail Membership yup
Upper Midwest Trail Runners Membership yup

Medium Priority:
A new sports bra nope
New hose for my hydration backpack nope
A heavyweight running hoodie yup

Low priority:
Another pair of shoes nope
New socks nope

I didn’t spend a lot of money on running stuff, which is a good thing! Especially since I had to spend a ton of money on other stuff. I got a headlamp, which I love, and I also got a reflective vest, which is not on the list but is a good safety item to have. I spent a decent amount of time running outside since it wasn’t absolute zero outside for weeks on end, and I felt a lot safer running at night with the headlamp and vest.

For Christmas, I got the medium weight Bulldog hoodie I talked about in the initial wish list post. I like it but it’s not really that warm. I ended up running with like four shirts on. I really did need to get new gloves and I didn’t. I’ve had a few instances where my hands have gotten extremely cold and a heavier-weight glove would have taken care of that.

I haven’t used my hydration backpack at all so there was no need to get a hose. I wanted to get new shoes and just… didn’t. I might get new shoes after Zumbro. Maybe. I ended up just wearing regular old socks all winter and my feet never got cold. I suffered through with the same old crappy sports bras I’ve always had, and I just wore tights over other tights instead of getting tights with a lining or long underwear or something. Next winter I really need some more advanced gear. I was getting sick of wearing so many layers.

I joined the UMTR and Superior Hiking Trail. So far I haven’t done anything with the memberships. I did get a sweet buff from UMTR that I wear all the time. I wore it at the airport, which was a mistake, because I ended up getting a pat-down from security. The UMTR has a set of race series that provides friendly competition throughout the year. I joined the Trail Run Series since it fits in with most of the races I have planned. The only outlier is the Wild Duluth 50K, which actually isn’t on any of the Series.

I didn’t do a winter running “bucket list” like I did for the summer, because I didn’t know what would be accessible and what wouldn’t be. I’m really looking forward to ticking off some items on this summer’s list. I’m really looking forward to it being warm enough to run without layers and without feeling chilled to the bone afterward. Maybe in May…

Zumbro 17 Training: Week 9

If you were to ask me yesterday, I’d say I was almost over my cold/crud/whatever. Today, a relapse.

Monday: 5.6 mi, trails (Bagley), 134 bpm
Tuesday: 6.1 mi, treadmill (cold and rainy), 136 bpm
Wednesday: 5 mi, treadmill (cold and rainy/snowy/gross), 136 bpm
Thursday: rest (travel)
Friday: 5.3 mi, road and trail (Westwood Nature Center), 134 bpm
Saturday: rest (hockey)
Sunday: 8.5 mi, road, 139 bpm
Total: 30.6 mi

I’m back in the mileage range I want to be in, but I do wish I’d been able to get in a long run. I was planning on doing a longer mid-week run and possibly even doing another MAF test, but the weather turned sour and I decided to take it inside.

Thursday-Sunday, I was in the Twin Cities for a hockey tournament. I worked Thursday and we drove down after work, so it was a planned rest day. Friday I ran around my old neighborhood and into Westwood Nature Center, which I reviewed last year around the same time. Saturday I planned on getting in a short run and instead slept until 11:15. I guess I needed that.

Sunday’s run was… somewhat of a mistake. I returned to Duluth around 5 pm and headed out for a run at 6 pm. I ended up running about a mile and a half longer than expected and was out after dark a lot longer than I wanted to be. The temp dropped about 10 degrees and I was a little underdressed in just a hoodie and short sleeved tech tee on top. Fortunately, I had gloves, but my arms and hands were pretty cold by the end. Whoops. It’s no surprised that today I’m tired and feel yucky. A long sleeved shirt under my hoodie would have been perfect. The good news is, if I ran at the same pace as I did yesterday for the entire Zumbro 17, I’d come in under 5 hours, as is my goal. Obviously that’s not realistic, but running during the day, in milder weather, with food and water readily available, maybe it’s still possible.

This upcoming week is going to be my last tough week, with a long run planned for this weekend. I’ll ease up a bit the following week, and then kinda sorta taper during race week. I am really winging it with this training cycle, which has its advantages and disadvantages, but it’s kind of relaxing to have so much flexibility. We’ll see if it pays off on race day.

Must Love Dogs

I’m a cat owner, but I also love dogs. I don’t have a dog, first and foremost because I have been a renter my entire adult life, and it’s more difficult to find a rental that would be suitable for a dog. A lot of trail runners are dog owners, and trails are also a great place for regular dog-walking. I love seeing all kinds of dogs while I’m out running.

Dog owners, I don’t always love seeing, because dog owners can be irresponsible trail users.

Please pick up your dog’s poop. While trail running on Sunday, I came across large stretches where the snow had melted and there were dozens of dog droppings in a short distance. While navigating a slippery, treacherous downhill, I not only had to avoid falling down a hill, but I had to avoid falling into dog poop. Dog crap is not part of the forest ecosystem. If you don’t want to clean up after your dog, don’t get a dog.

Please leash your dog. On Monday, I was running at Bagley. I came out of the woods for the short portion that’s on the discus field (or whatever) on campus, and a man was there with his four unleashed dogs. All four of them rushed at me, a couple of them making growling noises, and they ignored his commands, jumping on me. His apologies went unaccepted. Dogs should be leashed for their own safety, the safety of other animals, the safety of other people, and to protect trails. Yes, even on remote trails. Look, the Superior Hiking Trail Association even says so. I don’t care how friendly you tell me your dog is. Leash it.

I guess those are my main annoyances. There are a lot of other things dog owners do that make me mad (driving with their dogs in pickup truck beds, leaving them barking outside for hours, leaving them in hot cars, giving them away when the dog becomes the slightest inconvenience, etc.), but not running-specific ones.

Zumbro 17 Training: Week 8

Ok I’m running again, hooray.

Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: 5.3 mi, road, 137 bpm
Saturday: 6.4 mi, trail (Hartley Root Canal & Guardrail), 139 bpm
Sunday: 9.4 mi, trail (SHT, Twin Ponds to Haines Road & back), 147 bpm
Total: 21.1 mi

Thursday I finally made a breakthrough in my cold/whatever was wrong with me. I was able to breathe deeply without feeling like coughing, and I no longer felt sluggish physically and mentally. I haven’t shaken this illness completely, but I felt on Friday like I was at a point where I could run again without setting my recovery back. It was warm enough to run without a boatload of layers, so I had to take the opportunity.

I had a few wonky heart rate issues while running on Friday, although some of them were periods where my heart rate was too low, and others where it was spiking while going slowly on a downhill, so I think there was a bit of an issue with the monitor. I’ve definitely lost some fitness.

Saturday was incredibly warm for March. It was 65F while I was out at Hartley, and I was running in a t-shirt and wishing I’d also worn shorts. Unfortunately, it wasn’t warm enough in the shaded areas of the trail, and it was incredibly icy in some areas of the Root Canal path. I was extremely cautious and managed to only fall once, and I was already hanging on to a tree, so I was able to prevent a crash. Both feet slid out from under me though, so I was clinging to the tree trunk for dear life for a moment. The Fisherman path was so icy that a guy who had passed me earlier decided to turn around rather than try to traverse it, and this guy was a pretty serious-looking runner. He was even carrying soup cans as hand weights. Fortunately, the Rhamnus trail also leads to the Guardrail trail, and that was snowy, but manageable, so I was able to get my mileage in. It was slow, again, but the soft snow was definitely a factor.

It didn’t get below freezing on Saturday night, so I decided to take a chance on running some of the city portion of the Superior Hiking Trail. I started at Twin Ponds and ran until I reached Haines Road. I turned around a little early because I didn’t want to take the steep climb on the other side of Haines Road, so I didn’t hit my planned 10 miles. I don’t care, it was worth it to skip that climb. The trail wasn’t icy, but it had some soft snow and a lot of mud, standing water, and running water. The trail itself had turned into a stream in a few points. I did my very best to be a responsible trail runner, sticking to the trail and just suffering with wet and muddy feet, rather than trying to get around muddier spots and widening the trail, causing further damage. I was pretty worn out on the climbs, and I think I only ended up with 2 of the 9 miles under 20 minute pace. I wish I knew how much of that could be attributed to my own conditioning and how much was due to the trail conditions. It would do a lot for my confidence, which is low right now. I completely gave up on trying to manage my heart rate after awhile. I guess another round of MAF training is in order, with more of a trail focus. I told myself it was more like a race effort! But really I was justifying cheating on my training. Let me tell you, it was incredibly depressing to see my heart rate spiking while going at incredibly slow paces.

I got into the Moose Mountain Marathon via the lottery, so I am pretty pumped about that, and I also got my volunteer assignment for Zumbro. I will be helping in the timing area on Friday night. I don’t know what that entails, because I don’t think anyone will be finishing during the time I’ll be assisting (course record is 18 hours, and I’ll be done 14 hours in), but the start/finish area is also an aid station since this is a looped course (6 loops for 100 milers, 3 for the 50s), so maybe we record in/out times at the aid station? I don’t know, I’m just glad to be of service.

Zumbro 17 Training: Weeks 6 and 7

I haven’t run in 15 days.

This stretches back to before my vacation. I ran Monday (2/22) and Tuesday (2/23) of that week, for about 10 miles total (Bagley on Monday night, treadmill on Tuesday), but on Tuesday I noticed my heart rate was more rapid at my normal paces, and I kept feeling like I needed to cough. Knowing I was going to be on a plane on Thursday, I rested Wednesday and felt ok.

Florida was amazing, although it wasn’t exceptionally warm. It was warm enough and sunny enough, but it wasn’t 80 degrees and tropical. I slept poorly and woke up early every day, so I didn’t want to tire myself out further with exercising. I maximized my family time. I suppose I did get some exercise in, in the form of an aggressive game of… I’m not sure what, basically bopping a beach ball around in the pool. It doesn’t have a name yet, the sport is too new.

I returned to Duluth on Monday (2/29), and woke up in the middle of the night because I couldn’t take a deep breath without my lungs trying to cough. I spent the next 2 days working my abs by coughing up a storm. I still haven’t been able to fully shake whatever is wrong with me. Basically just a lot of crap in my lungs. Of course, another plane trip to Calgary for work, with its already dry air exacerbated by the stuffiness of my (otherwise lovely) hotel room, ended up setting me back a lot in recovery.

I am not going to push myself to get back to running, but I really do hope that I can return to running either this weekend or next week. I’ve been very fortunate that I have had no other symptoms (other than tiredness, but that’s to be expected since I’ve been traveling and my lungs are full of crap, so my pulmonary system isn’t working efficiently), but until I can take true, cleansing, deep breaths without feeling like I need to cough, I won’t run.

Zumbro isn’t a goal race, although I did have high hopes for an improvement in overall pacing. The 17 mile race has a nice generous cutoff time, thanks to the 50 and 100 milers, so even if I’m not in perfect shape, I should be able to finish it, even with, say, 2.5 weeks off. I’m just disappointed by the length of this illness.

I may decide to make a new training calendar, focused on the Superior Spring 25K, in order to change my mindset a little. I wish I was running (especially after my friend, visiting last weekend and also training for Zumbro, had a great trail run on the SHT), but at the same time because I feel crappy, I also lack enthusiasm for running. I lack enthusiasm for most things, actually.

I did enter the lottery for the Moose Mountain Marathon in September, though! Because I do know that my ennui will fade as my health improves.