training log

Chippewa Moraine 50K Training: Week 8

 

Big week!

Monday: 6.4 mi, road
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 5 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Thursday: 8.6 mi, road
Friday: 4.1 mi, trail (Bagley)
Saturday: 20.2 mi, trail/paved trail (Western Waterfront Trail/Munger Trail)
Sunday: 6.1 mi, trail (Hartley)
Total: 50.4 mi

Pretty pumped. 50 miles! I’m not sure I’ve hit that in a week (as defined as Mon-Sun) ever, will have to look through my spreadsheet to be certain.

I felt pretty good this week. The weather has been better, so it’s been easier to get out of the house, and the streets are mostly clear of snow and ice, so I’ve had additional routes open up for me. Now I only have to run the Lakewalk when I’m feeling exceptionally lazy.

Of course, if I run the Lakewalk, I’m treated to things like this:

That was well-earned, because it was incredibly windy.

My weekday runs were pretty basic. Procrastinate, finally get my butt out there, feel like a goddess for doing so. Repeat. I was determined to have a good training week. No hockey to schedule around, and pleasant weather for the most part!

Saturday, oof. It was a tough one. It was a lot warmer than I thought, and I was wearing black heavier-knit tights when I should have been wearing shorts. I did the first nearly 7 miles on the Western Waterfront Trail, which was good because it broke up the run a bit, and bad because it was gravel, and I now hate gravel. It’s hard to get good footing, and I hate kicking loose rocks (not picking my feet up enough + the tread on my shoes = kicking lots of rocks). My stomach also went sour fairly quickly. I wasn’t feeling like I was going to hurl (for the most part), but I had some reflux issues and some lower abdominal cramping and knew I had hours of running to go. I handled it ok – I grabbed my vanilla Coke and some mints in the parking lot before heading out on the Munger Trail, and at mile 9, started doing a walk/run combo to give myself a break, up until the last 2.5 miles, which I was able to run without breaks. It was good practice for my upcoming 24 hour race, if nothing else, and definitely a good exercise in problem-solving on the go and working through some mental issues. I still completed the run with a 14:02 average pace, well ahead of where I need to be for the first half of CM50K. So, hooray for that.

Sunday was almost worse. Hartley was muddy, and I was over it. I quit looking at my watch, walked when I needed to (uphill and over slippery spots), and just tried to survive mentally. I think I need to stop running at Hartley for awhile, not just because the trails need a chance to recover & dry out, but also because it’s messing with my mind. The trails are shorter now due to the flooding (I assume), and I have not adjusted my expectations accordingly. I ended up having to piece together 2.5 miles to even get to 6 miles, and it was really frustrating to do so. I used to be able easily pry a 5-6 mile run out of a single loop (without even going on the ski trails section). I got it done, I made it to 50 miles, that’s the important thing.

I’m kind of tired now (writing this Sunday night), thanks to a long running week and the damp, chilly weather that came over the city right after I was done with my run (there was some light rain during the run, but nothing noticeable). This upcoming week is yet another step back week, thanks to my trip to Chicago to attend the Frozen Four. I will probably only be able to run Monday & Tuesday (v. short run, thanks to class – last one, then I have to actually register for the stupid FE exam) before leaving for Chicago on Wednesday. If I can either run before we leave (hahahahahahahha) or run at the hotel (maybe), then I can run Wednesday, and if I can run Thursday before we check out (hmm, maybe), then maybe I’ll be able to salvage the week. We are staying in a VRBO the rest of the weekend, which naturally does not have a gym. The good news is, I’ll be walking a lot, and of course elevating my heart rate through hockey stress.

Chippewa Moraine 50K Training: Week 7

Slackin’.

Monday: rest (massage)
Tuesday: 5 mi, road
Wednesday: 7.1 mi, road (Minnesota Point)
Thursday: 5.8 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Friday: 4.1 mi, road
Saturday: rest
Sunday: rest
Total: 22 mi

Oops, hockey got in the way.

Monday I got a massage, which I normally reserve as a treat after big trail races, but I hadn’t had one in awhile and I also have been putting my body through a lot, even without racing. It was a good idea. It was relaxing, rejuvenating, restorative, all those “re” words. I love being all warm and cozy on the massage table. I got out of work with enough time to run before the massage, and it was a nice warm day, but I wanted to get the most out of the treatment, and didn’t want tight muscles. My calf muscles are already tight as violin strings. I got a bit of a headache afterward, which happens sometimes due to all the “toxins” moving through my body, or whatever.

Tuesday I got out of work early enough to run before my FE prep course, so I was able to get in a 5 mile road run, which felt easy thanks to my newly-relaxed muscles, I guess. Wednesday I had a really unmemorable run, and Thursday I almost didn’t run because it was raining a little. I almost turned my car around… and then I didn’t, I got out there and ran, and it was fine, and I got home about 10 minutes before it started pouring/sleeting/something loud. Whew. It was a good thing I was doing some intermittent pickups so I finished quickly.

Friday I wasn’t going to run, because I wanted to listen to UMD’s hockey game, which was slated to start at 5:30. It didn’t, due to a double-overtime game preceding it, but I ran just a short 4 miles since I figured Saturday I’d do my 20 mile run as planned, and I didn’t want to overdo it.

Nope! Thanks to UMD winning their game and North Dakota losing in that double-overtime game I mentioned before, I ended up in Fargo on Saturday to see the Bulldogs win the regional final and earn a berth in the Frozen Four. I considered running Saturday morning before the game, and chose to sleep instead. I also didn’t run Sunday after returning to Duluth. I could have, but chose to be lazy instead. My race is 5 weeks away, so this is probably not the best (especially since I’ll be going to Chicago for the Frozen Four and won’t be getting a long run in that week yet again), but I strive for a hockey-run balance, the way most people seek a work-life balance. This upcoming week is going to have to be on point, though.

I signed up this week for a 24 hour race in June, which deserves its own post.

Chippewa Moraine 50K Training: Week 6

Halfway there! I can’t decide if that’s awesome or scary.

Monday: 4.6 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 7.4 mi, road (Minnesota Point)
Thursday: 4.1 mi, road
Friday: 3.2 mi, paved trail (Medicine Lake)
Saturday: 10.5 mi, road + paved trail (Hot Dash 10 Mile, + 0.5 mi warm-up)
Sunday: 4 mi, road
Total: 33.8 mi

Last week was an intentional step-back week. I wasn’t sure how I would feel after racing a longer road run, so I didn’t want to put too much stress on my body.

I’ve basically forgotten most of last week already. I’m kinda tired after a two-day training that took a lot out of my brain, and I was busy all weekend with hockey stuff. I had a few nice-ish days of running, temperature-wise, but not really. A lot of the ice is gone from the sidewalks, which is especially nice since the Lakewalk is apparently under construction for some kind of utility work. I haven’t verified this is true, but it said it would be in the paper last week. There are still some icy patches here and there from melting snow re-freezing, but they’re at least avoidable at this point.

Thursday I had planned on running a few more miles, but I had to go to the dentist in the morning, and wanted to wait until my mouth wasn’t numb anymore, but I ended up having to run with slightly numb lips because I had to get it done before my cat sitter stopped by to pick up the keys. A very exciting lifestyle, I know. We drove down to the Twin Cities on Thursday afternoon.

Friday I wanted to get a very short run in, to at least keep my legs moving. I only ran like 5K, but I felt like crap most of the time. One of these days, I am going to run around Medicine Lake, but I didn’t make the time this visit. I spent the rest of the day at the NCHC hockey tournament, cheering on the Bulldogs. I did get another 4 miles of walking due to wandering around the Target Center, competing horribly in a dance-off on the video screen, and cheering for the Dogs.

Saturday was the race, of course. I was cold after the race and ended up lounging around at my Dad’s house in my pajamas, tucked in blankets. I didn’t want to be cold at the hockey game. I walked around downtown Minneapolis a bit before the Bulldogs game, and between my nerves from the game and some secondary fatigue from the race, I wasn’t sure how I would make it through the game. It turned out to be exciting, enraging, and exhilarating all at once, so after the ‘Dogs won, I was so jacked up I couldn’t go to sleep.

I ran a short recovery run on Sunday after we drove home. I thought I’d feel like crap, but my legs felt pretty good! At least once I got past the large annoying hill on Kenwood that always locks up my calves if I hit it too early.

This week, my mini-goal is to recover, I guess. (My mini-goal last week was to race well. Accomplished!) I am hoping to get in a long run, but I also might have to go to Fargo to see about some hockey on Saturday.

Chippewa Moraine 50K Training: Weeks 4 and 5

I was away all week for a work training and after long days learning about quality management auditing, I didn’t have the mental acuity left to write a grocery list, let alone a blog post about training.

Monday: 5.3 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Tuesday: 6.1 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Wednesday: 5.1 mi, trail (Bagley)
Thursday: rest
Friday: 8.4 mi, road + paved trail (Lakewalk + Minnesota Point)
Saturday: 15.4 mi, road + trail (road + Hartley Root Canal + Guardrail)
Sunday: 3.5 mi, paved trail (Lakewalk)
Total: 43.9 mi

Monday: 7 mi, treadmill
Tuesday: 6 mi, treadmill
Wednesday: 5 mi, treadmill
Thursday: 6 mi, treadmill
Friday: rest
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 16.2 mi, paved trail (Munger Trail)
Total: 40.2 mi

Oof. A couple of tough weeks. I’ve already forgotten everything that happened in Week 4. Except I managed to run 15.4 miles in 3:32, so I am in better shape than I thought for this race. Maybe I won’t get cut! And I still have several weeks of worthwhile training to go.

Sunday-Friday I was in the Twin Cities for a work training, as I said. It was pretty tiring, but I did manage to work out every day that I stayed overnight (except Sunday, I ran before I left). I know it seems odd to have Friday and Saturday as rest days, but as I looked at the weather report, I saw that Friday was going to be pretty cold (like, a high of 15 F) and I chose to do 4 treadmill runs and rest Friday rather than freezing my butt off. And then on Saturday I woke up and decided not to run. Eh, I had 2 hockey games to attend, and I was tired.

Sunday’s long run was awful and I truly hope it’s my last long run in the cold until maybe like December. (I mean I would prefer I don’t have a cold long run in December either but I’m being realistic.) I ran on the Munger Trail now that I am positive that the snowmobiles are off it. While large stretches of the trail are bare now, there were lots of icy sections, including one where I walked for like half a mile because I couldn’t avoid the ice, and one section that was SO slippery that even sliding across the ice without picking up my feet, I lost control and slid (very slowly) off to the side without intending to. I almost biffed it several times along the way. And then it started to snow. And then I turned around and the second half of the run was into the wind. It was awesome. (No). I’m so tired. I took an ecologically-unsound-length shower to try to warm up and make my arms work again. It was my first run in a long time with my hydration pack, which is like a strength workout! Also I got sort of zoned out about 11 or so miles in and forgot to take a drink for awhile, and the water froze in the tubes. And I was so thirsty at that point! Or just annoyed.

This week I’m running a 10 mile race on Saturday, so it’s going to be a step back week, mileage-wise. Forecast says it’s going to be in the 40s or maybe even 50s, so I’m thrilled. Of course something crazy will happen and it’ll be 30 and sleeting.

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!

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.