training log

Harder ‘N Hell Half Training: Week 6

A great start to the week derailed by a summer cold.

Monday: 4.1 (road)
Tuesday: 5.2 (40 min @ tempo, Lakewalk)
Wednesday: planned rest day
Thursday: 5.7 (Trails, Hartley)
Friday: planned rest day
Saturday: unplanned rest day
Sunday: unplanned rest day
Total: 15

I have been firing on all cylinders of late, and so I’m extremely frustrated to have gotten sick. I caught the cold from my husband, so I am not too worried about catching it due to overtraining/stress/whatever. My confidence is shot, though. I sneezed a couple times Thursday night as I was going to bed, and woke up with a full-blown cold on Friday. There went my planned 9-mile “fake race,” and my plans to shuffle my schedule around to accommodate the upcoming weekend by running a long trail run either Monday or today before school. I haven’t even done strength training or yoga. I suppose I could have, but I think all that would have done was set me back on returning to health.

My biggest concern isn’t regaining my strength. I’ve been lethargic the whole weekend and I’ve slept poorly, but I know the strength is still there. It’s my aerobic fitness. I have enough trouble on some of the bigger ascents on my runs, and I really wanted to get to a place where I could get up the 130 or so steps at the beginning of the race course without stopping or needing to recover once at the top. I need my lungs to recover quickly, and I need this cold to not have done any lasting damage to them. I know that sounds dramatic, but I’m not particularly aerobically fit to begin with, so I don’t have a large margin for error.

I dreamed about the race on Sunday night. Obviously this was a result of my drop in confidence. In my dream, I was completely unprepared for the race. I forgot almost everything I needed, except for a water bottle, and I was carrying around a flannel shirt with me. I showed up at the starting line needing to pee, and missed the start looking for a bathroom, which I didn’t find. The course wasn’t at all what I expected, and it went through buildings and out trapdoors and stuff. It was all very strange. I was running pretty fast in my dream, so at least that part was good. I woke up before the race ended, so I can’t tell if I ended up bonking or otherwise paying for my lack of preparation and speedy pace.

I am really hoping I feel well enough by the time I’m done with school today to go for at least a short run. Nothing short of getting back on the trails will ease my mind.

Harder ‘N Hell Half Training: Week 5

Another fantastic week.

Monday: Off (I got a new kitten and didn’t want to leave him alone!)
Tuesday: 5, 4x Chester Bowl
Wednesday: 5.6, road
Thursday: 4.4, trail (Park Point)
Friday: 3.4, trail (Hartley)
Saturday: 3.1, trail (SHT starting at Martin Rd)
Sunday: 1.4 + 9.3, trail (1.4 at Tettegouche, 9.3 at Split Rock/SHT)
Total: 32.2

Another week over 30 miles, that’s excellent. It’s warm again here, and so I’m getting a little more heat training. My 9-mile Sunday run was actually a minute per mile faster than my 7-mile Sunday run in week 4, so that was exciting!

I didn’t plan to have Monday off, but I saw a kitten Monday morning that I just HAD to HAVE, so I went and got him. This has put me in an odd situation because I’ll end up running 8 days in a row, but I felt pretty strong even on Sunday after I finished the run, so I am pretty sure I’ll make it.

Harder ‘N Hell Half Training: Week 4

A monster training week.

Monday: 4.5, trail (Bagley)
Tuesday: 5, treadmill (8×400 repeats)
Wednesday: 4, road
Thursday: rest
Friday: 5, trail (Hartley)
Saturday: 5, trail (SHT starting at Spirit Mountain)
Sunday: 7.3, trail (SHT from Getchell to Twin Ponds)
Total: 30.7

Last week was a good week. I probably increased the mileage too much, but I have been lower on mileage than I wanted so far in this training cycle. I am averaging 23 miles/week, which is really low. Obviously I had a bad week 2, but still.

Friday’s run was decent for the most part. I always enjoy running at Hartley. I came across a friend who was biking (actually we had a near-miss, as I was running across a long section of planks and was halfway through when his friend came around the corner of the trail and had to stop at the last minute before riding on to the planks), which was a first. Two minutes after I saw him I wasn’t paying attention and tripped. I landed hard, face-first, and ended up with a stiff neck the next day. I am glad it wasn’t worse, but I need to remember to PICK UP MY FEET.

Over the weekend I spent some significant time on the race course. Saturday I ran a depressing out and back over the first 2.5 miles of the trail. I felt kind of sluggish during the run, but I had a decent time on the stairs of death, only stopping once to catch my breath. There was a family waiting at the top so I felt stupid once I got up there, since they were probably waiting for me to huff and puff my way up. I staggered through the seemingly endless uphill on the way back, reminding myself that I’d not be racing that way (poor 100k runners, they will be!), but it was a bit disheartening.

Sunday I dropped my car off at Twin Ponds and then was dropped off at the Getchell/Highland parking lot. It was misty and cool, and I had on long tights and a lightweight long-sleeved tee, which was a little much. The long tights were fine, but a short-sleeved shirt and some arm warmers would have been better, I think. I didn’t get overheated but a little more ventilation would have been good.

I spent the first part of the run feeling a little nervous and exhilarated, partly because it was windy and partly because I was afraid that my car was so far away. On an out and back, I can always double back early if needed. With a point to point run, I am committed to the distance. I had my phone (in a plastic bag, since it could have rained), lip balm, a roll of mints (for nausea or for dry mouth), my keys, and an energy bar all tucked in the pockets of my handhelds (I brought both). It’s a little more than I carry for a normal run, but it eased my mind.

I practiced a little nutrition experimentation. Around the halfway mark, maybe a little before, I ate half the energy bar I’d brought with. It was a pain in the butt, as the wrapper was hard to open and the bar was hard to tear. I wanted to just tear a chunk off, but it required a significant amount of force and torque to get even a small piece to eat. I ate the second half when I was nearing Enger Tower (a bit over 6 miles in), but I felt pretty gross after eating it. Mints to the rescue! I guess I can see the appeal of gels. I’ll have to give them a try, although I think for longer runs I still need solid food in my stomach to keep it from growling. We’ll see. I did get a nice boost in my step after eating, so I was glad to have the snack.

The best part about the run (physically speaking; the best part about the run OVERALL is the incredible view) was how I felt at the end. I was pretty excited to see my car and I had plenty of energy left in my legs to kick into another gear. I texted my friend David (who is also running the race) “WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS!!! IT’S GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!” Of course 7.3 miles is not 13.1, and I didn’t include the hardest part of the course, but still. I felt much more confident than I have been feeling lately! I may be slow, and I may be the last finisher, but I feel like I can run strong, and if I can have another 8 fantastic weeks of training, maybe I’ll surprise myself come race day.

Harder ‘N Hell Half Training: Week 3

Back in action!

Monday: 3.6 mi, trails (Bagley)
Tuesday: 3.7 mi, road
Wednesday: 5.6 mi (1.3 mi road, 4.3 mi includes 4x hill repeats at Chester Bowl)
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: 7.1 mi (6.4 mi + 0.7 mi warm-up and cool-down, paved trail [Lakewalk], mock race)
Sunday: 4.2 mi, trail (SHT)
Total: 24.4 mi

I bounced back after last week’s early cutback, bringing my mileage up to the low end of where I’d like it to be. I had not planned on doing 2 rest days this week, but Thursday I had some GI issues that carried on to Friday morning, so I decided to be safe rather than sorry. I was having enough trouble staying hydrated without being under the weather, since it was hot again at the end of the week and over the weekend. As I’ve mentioned previously, I don’t have air conditioning, and my house holds in heat. At night it’ll be 20 degrees warmer inside than it is outside. It really sucks. It also results in waking up behind the 8-ball regarding hydration.

I did two hard days over the weekend because I knew it would probably be my last chance to get in some real heat training. Saturday’s run was supposed to be at a 10K race pace, but instead it turned into a lesson in suffering and perseverance. I’ll write a bit more about it later in the week, but if that’s my true 10K pace, I am in big, big, big trouble for this half marathon.

Sunday I did two mostly-downhill miles on the Superior Hiking Trail, starting at 24th Ave W and continuing toward the city, past the Twin Ponds. This translated into two mostly-uphill miles on the way back. I felt really awful during the run and slowed way, way down. The good news is the race is only one way! The easy way! I only have a couple more sections of the trail to recon. I think for some of my upcoming long runs, I may need to coerce someone into picking me up at the end of a point to point run, rather than do all these out-and-backs.

25% of the training for this race is in the books. My confidence isn’t exactly soaring from the first three weeks of training, but I am certain I can complete this race. We’ll see how the next 9 weeks progress.

Harder ‘N Hell Half Training: Week 2

The week that wasn’t.

Monday: 4.3 mi, trails (Bagley)
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 4.1 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk), 2.3 mi at tempo
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 5.5 mi, road
Total: 14.1 mi (Strava’s rounding is weird)

I have no regrets about taking off three days in a row. It was absolutely the right decision and allowed me to rest up and shake off whatever was bothering me physically. Of course, it’s Monday and I’ve undone all the great sleep I got over the weekend.

I did yoga all three rest days, plus on Sunday. I have found that my body is a lot more receptive to yoga if I do it after a run. My muscles and connective tissues are looser and ready to stretch and contort moreso than they are when I haven’t run. This is obvious, but I didn’t think everything would be SO tight if I hadn’t run, so I need to work on my flexibility more.

I ran on the road on Sunday, to ease back into things (if you can call 5.5 miles “easing,” which I don’t really, but some people like to say “Oh I just did a quick 6 mile recovery run with a stroller and I barely looked at my watch and somehow I was averaging a sub 7 pace, teehee! Just a slow slog!”) as I’ve been logging a lot of trail miles lately, which is probably wearing me out a little more than the mostly-road running I did training for my 5 mile race. My hips are a little sore but other than that, I feel energized today, even though I’ve only had 1/3 the normal dose of coffee. I think that’s a good sign. I am ready to start a great training week this week, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the next 10 weeks go smoothly.

Harder ‘N Hell Half Training: Week 1

Yay! Back to training again.

Monday: 3.8 mi, trails (Bagley)
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 4.4 mi, road + trails, 4 x Chester Bowl Ski Hill
Thursday: rest
Friday: 4.8 mi, trails (Hartley)
Saturday: 6 mi, trails (SHT)
Sunday: 4.8 mi, trails/hiking (SHT)
Total: 23.8 mi

This was a little low for mileage for the week, but I chose to take Tuesday off to spend time with family and it was a great decision. For week 2, I’ll be back to 6 runs a week and the mileage will be back up.

Running almost entirely on trails is a different challenge for me. I like it, but it’s more tiring and time-consuming. This isn’t a surprise, of course, but I was dragging on my hike yesterday, and even dragging on my run the day before. Of course, it’s hot and sunny, which is sapping my energy, but it’s also sapping my confidence a little, only one week in.

Yesterday I took a hike with my friend, who is also running the race with me. We started at the Spirit Mountain trailhead and power-hiked through to Skyline Drive/Getchell road. I thought it would be a slightly longer, run, but ended up just under 5 miles. It was fine with me, because my energy was sapped. I really needed a snack or something. I thought I’d eaten enough, but since we didn’t start til after 3, I think I needed something more substantial than a bagel slathered in cream cheese and a couple of granola bars. That works ok for a noon run, but not for a 3:30 pm run. I was glad to do a run that wasn’t an out and back! And I got to introduce David to the steps from hell, so that was fun. He made it up well before me but it wasn’t a picnic for him either. I still think my strategy of being dead last at the beginning of the race is genius. Then I can take as much time as I want on the stupid stairs.

Saturday I started at the Skyline Drive/Getchell road trailhead and did three miles toward the city and then looped back. I took a couple of terrible pictures. I didn’t know they were terrible at the time, but the lens was sweaty or something. The beginning of this part of the trail is pretty technical, and I was a little concerned about slipping and falling. There’s a lot of loose gravel/dirt in some very tricky spots. I sometimes wonder if I am too much of a wimp to be a trail runner.

The Bagley and Hartley runs were nothing to write home about. Standard runs I’ve done a zillion times. I covered the hill workout here.

Lessons learned this week: I need to get stronger in order to have a decent race in October. I did a crappy job of strength training this week, only doing a couple yoga workouts. I slept all right, but could sleep better. My nutrition still sucks. So the only one of my training goals I met was running hills. Whoops. It’s week 1 of 12, I think I’ve got plenty of room for improvement.

PP5M Training: Week 9

A light week to wrap up the training cycle.

Monday: 4 mi, road
Tuesday: 4.5 mi, road, 5×400 intervals (I have no data for this since my power cord for my watch no longer works for downloading information)
Wednesday: 3 mi, road + trails
Thursday: rest
Friday: 5 mi, race
Saturday: rest/recovery
Sunday: 5 mi, trail
Total: 21.5

The race sucked, as I already discussed. I am disappointed still, but I also think it was a learning experience. Sometimes races just suck. New runners tend to make a lot of progress fairly quickly, setting PR after PR after PR. While this was a PR technically, because I haven’t run a 5 mile race before, it was well off the pace I expected. It was even 14 seconds slower than my sandbagging goal. I need to work on endurance, it seems, although I thought I had. I just find it hard to blame the heat entirely.

My training was nice and light this week, which felt weird. I did do yoga several times, which I didn’t log, so I’ll just guess I did it… 5 days? Maybe 4? I did my intervals on Park Point on Tuesday, just to check out the course (not that I haven’t run there before), but of course on Tuesday it was in the high 60s when I ran, so I felt amazing and was flying. Then I stood on the beach barefoot and got soaked by the waves.

If there hadn’t been a rip current, I’d have been in that water swimming, clothes and all.

I probably could have run Saturday, but it was hot again and I was feeling lazy, so I recovered. Sunday I hit the Superior Hiking Trail, starting at Spirit Mountain. It was rough, very hot, and there was a long, steep uphill in the first half mile, so steep that it required stairs. Lots of them. And then I turned a corner and there were more stairs. Sigh. I “ran” pretty slowly, with lots of power hiking, and tried to prevent myself from getting winded or overheated. I carried both of my handhelds, one with sports drink and one with water, and finished off all the sports drink (drank this first since warm water is much more palatable and I wanted the water available in case I wanted to douse myself) and about half of the water. I also ate a Clif bar when I got back into my car. I probably ate it too fast because I felt sort of weird on the way home. Not nauseated, per se, just… off. The heat didn’t help, I’m sure.

Even though my race result was disappointing, I am still pretty pleased with the training cycle. I KNOW I am a better, stronger runner than I was at the onset, and I set a 5K PR along the way. I stuck to the training for the most part, but I was flexible when I needed to be. This upcoming week is going to be kind of haphazard, kind of running by feel, and then I’m jumping into another training cycle. (I ran a 5 mile race, slowly. I think a week off from training is sufficient.)