Of Mice and Marathons

AM: 6.5 miles, averaged 10:01. HR 129. 

Nice colder morning starting to turn warm. Got a little sweaty as I was overdressed but I was jogging so it didn't bother me. Had a dermatologist appointment and had two spots scraped. Painless but weird.

PM: 6.5 miles, averaged 10:02. HR 131. 

Megan and I did our taxes. Or rather had them done. Big return even having made substantially more money, which was welcome news. We had a sitdown lunch for the first time in I have no idea how long as the boys were in school. 

Lunch/PM: 4 hours 33'. 201W. HR 137. 17.2 MPH.

Solid roll to Tyrone Township and Downtown Fenton. Weather was great. Upper 40s low 50s and the sun came out toward the middle of the ride. Windy here and there, but not bad. Really enjoyed the ride. Picked up about 22 new miles. A decent mixture of dirt and pavement. I could easily have added more dirt roads to make the route a little safer, which I will probably do next time. 

AM: 14.4 miles, averaged 7:49. HR 152.

50' @ Half Marathon Effort + 10"

Good weather. Cool, but not cold. Decided to do this on one of my regular run routes and do it twice, which I have done before. I figured I could get out in the 6:40s and run pretty comfortably and that would be about right. I found it hard to establish rhythm on the route with a grade changes but that was the point. Took a while to wake my legs up from the longer ride but then I felt quite strong. I started around 6:50 pace and worked in the 6:30s toward the end where it was flat to slightly downhill. Only have a partial list of splits as I just used my lap function and Strava. One two mile segment was 6:38 pace and has a decent about of uphill, with an adjusted pace of 6:33, so I am feeling pretty good. 

Averaged 6:44. HR 168

A lighter week this week as I did 17+ hours and I have a 10k next Saturday. I will likley do shorter easy runs, no midweek workout, and either very short second runs on 60' on the trainer (the most likely)

AM: 6.6 miles, averaged 9:56. HR 130. 

Pretty tired. Up too late. It was a beautiful day out. I saw a very lovely toned midriff in early March and three turtles. A few groups of school kids were coming down the Polly Ann and I thought for sure I was going to run into the boys but it wasn't their class. 

PM: 60' on the trainer. 209W. HR 126.

Lunch: Off.

PM: 5 miles, averaged 9:14. HR 131. 

Skipped my lunch trainer ride and decided I didn't feel like running on the treadmill while the boys napped even though this was precisely one of the reasons I wanted it. But I also took a nap, which felt great. Easy miles in the dark. Lighter week this week, but I will likely do a bike workout tomorrow as my overall time will be lower and the intensity down, but I wan't to try to run hard on Saturday. It might be windy and rainy, but it is easier to run in that than ride in it, so I will just deal with it.

AM: 7.6 miles, averaged 8:38. HR 142. Did some strides.

Solid run. I slept until about 9 or so this morning, intending to sleep in but not overdo it. Megan and I were both in bed before midnight, which is rare. Slept like the dead though. Felt great. Still took a nap after teaching just to fully recharge. 

PM: 60'+ outside ride. 195W. HR 131. 16.6 MPH.

Short mixed loop. It is rare that I ride outside in the middle of the week and the weather wasn't great, but decided I wanted to get back outside rather than hit the trainer. I generally don't do anything shorter than 2 hours outside, but I guess maybe I should do that more to work on my handling. 

AM: 6 miles, averaged 8:27. HR 143. 

PM: 82' ride. 203W. HR 136. 17.3 MPH.

It was in the lower 50s and sunny, so I decided to go out before picking the boys up rather than staying inside on the trainer. A nice ride.

AM/Lunch: 2 hour 4'. 194W. HR 132. 

Did a loop headed east on some of the Thursday Night Dirt roads and went after a KOM, but missed by 3 seconds. Maybe gave up a bit early, but my legs weren't feeling it. Still set a 1' personal best for power. Had a good ride and the roads were in really solid shape over there. Lots of rain coming in this afternoon and evening, so I am sure they will be a mess in places that were graded. Doesn't look like any good weather for Sunday anyway. Next week it looks to be in the 60s, so I will likely try to ride a bit in the afternoon even if it means cutting down on running and doubles. I seem to go back and forth with this. 

Probably a bit much before a running race but it was mostly quite easy and my running mileage has been cut back this week. 

PM: 3.4 miles in the rain, averaged 9:02. HR 144.

HR a bit elevated but I was a little anxious about being back to pick up the boys and I was ticked about the way the dermitologist's office didn't call me back concerning a biopsy. Running around 3 hours after a 2 hour ride didn't help.

Weather looks solid for tomorrow. Not thrilled about a 10k race being at 8:00 when I have to travel almost 90 minutes, but I will make it work. 

I've been out of the habit for too many years of writing down goal times for races, but I guess maybe it is time to start. 

C = 40'. I went through almost 10k in 40' high in a workout a couple weeks ago 

B = 39'

A = <= 38:30

I'd love to get under 38' but I don't think I have the leg speed for that currently. I think averaged anything in the 6:teens will be solid. I'd like it to be averaged closer to 6:10-6:12 or faster. 

AM: 14.2 miles w/ 10k race. 

Short report, the race did not go well. This was my first 10k since October 2018 and only my second running race since that time.

I got there at a decent hour and got in a good warmup of 35' including a half mile at marathon effort, two decent strides, and approximately 2' at race pace. Then the race started 20' late, which was not ideal as the temperature had dropped a good bit from 50 or so to 40 or colder and it was damp and windy. 

Got out decently as I didn't see that many 10kers and most of the faster guys were doing the half. Thought I was in the lead at one point and looked at the guys bib and he was a 10ker. I started to press a bit and pass him hearing him breathing. I felt like I could go faster if my legs wok up but they din't want to move much faster than low-6' pace. My shoe came untied twice and my hands were so cold that it was hard to tie them. That was around mile 2-3 and I pretty much had had it at that point. I felt foolish and amateurish. I ended up passing the kid again at one point, but we hit some solid hills and toward the turnaround I realized there were at least two people in front of us with a good lead, so then I really didn't feel like racing as I was getting trounced and my time was not working out. Managed to die a few times and kept going. Mentally I was not into it and I felt I prepared well. Oh well. 

3.8 up, averaged 9:14. HR 147/4.2 down, averaged 9:54 (HR 136)

6.29 miles @ 6:29. HR 176. Likely a few beats low with the shoe tying nonsense. So the effort was about right. 

Splits: 6:10, 6:19, 6:44, 6:34, 6:45, 6:30, 6:25 (partial)

A few weeks ago I did 40' @ 6:34 pace and I also did 50' @ 6:44 pace, so I figured 6:20s or faster would be doable. Not today. Oh well. I was frustrated at first, but then just moved on and got in a solid cool down and got home before lunch. Had a solid nap. 

I have a half marathon the first part of June and plans of running that in the low 1:20s is going to take some serious work, but workouts have been great. 

PM: 120' on the trainer. 230W. HR 144. 

15'-12'-10'-8'-5'

I definitely exceeded the target watts for these, but they were on the lower side. I was going to easy pedal but didn't feel like it. I didn't get my timing right for the full three hours, so I settled on a workout of 2 hours total. Not ideal the day after a running race, but it was what I felt like doing. It actually went quite well even being tired and a bit hungover as I decided to have some drinks and attempt to figure out what happened in my race. 

15' @ 304 watts @ 159 BPM

12' @ 312 watts @ 162 BPM

10' @ 308 watts @ 163 BPM

8' @ 311 watts @ 163 BPM

5' @ 323 watts @ 163 BPM

AM: 3.4 miles, averaged 10:15. HR 126.

Recovery. Legs felt fine but tired.

PM: 1 hour 13' ride. 187W. HR 126. 16.6 MPH

Off. 

I was going to run or ride at lunch but didn't. I napped when the boys napped. I needed to make dinner so I didn't run. Didn't feel like sitting on the trainer after dinner. It was very warm, so I grilled. 

Took the boys to our neighborhood park in the afternoon and shot some hoops. I picked up two basketballs and two soccer balls. 

AM: 7.8 miles, averaged 8:21. HR 150.

Slept in a bit until 9, which felt great. RHR was 39. I slept really well.

PM: 2 hours 47' on the bike. 216W. HR 148. 18.1 MPH

40' @ 271 watts HR 169 BPM

It was beautiful out, so I avoided work for an almost three hour ride. Did an effort on the way back after 2 hours. I thought I was on a different road so there ended up being some turns and traffic, but I rolled with it. Super chunky and dusty on some of the gravel portions but it was fun to go fast and test the handling. I ended up doing a bit on tar, which was fine.  Did 20.5 MPH, which is about my goal Barry Roubaix pace. Felt like I could have pressed for a while longer. Will try to do some longer efforts in the middle of some longer rides to test power and pace. 

AM: 6 miles, averaged 8:25. HR 143.

Intended to run slighly longer but did not leave myself enough time.

PM: 5 miles, averaged 9:18. HR 138.

AM: 8 miles, averaged 8:15. HR 148.

Good steady easy run. Dirt roads were a little sloppy. Looks like an outdoor ride this weekend might be out, but it is supposed to clear out later and be somewhat warmer in the afternoon. The roads to the west should be in okay shape as they were very dry the other day. 

I was getting ready to run and I heard the boys come back in the door with Megan. Parent-teacher conferences for other schools in the district so the boys didn't have school. I guess my Friday home alone was not to be. 

PM: 5.3 miles, averaged 8:26. HR 140.

Went out a bit later than I typically do and my legs were much faster than when I only put 4-5 hours between runs. 

PM: 3 hours 9' outside (56.4 miles). 210W. HR 139. 17.9 MPH.

I had planned on 4 hours total, but I didn't get out early enough as I was going back and forth on chancing the rain. It was sunny all morning and then really clouded in. I managed to stay mostly dry and had a great ride despite some ugly winds. 

I took a few top 10s and wish I would have really jumped on some of the segments, particularly the one where I think I had a tailwind. It is hard to tell as in the midwest you can turn in three directions and still feel like you have a headwind. I was pretty happy with the pace and effort. 

Looks like we are having more typical March weather this week, but I will get in more running miles. Hoping to get back up into the sixties or seventies this week. 

AM: 12.6 miles, averaged 7:58. HR 150.

Steady 100'. Felt really good/strong. First mile was 8:40 and then low 8:00s from there and finished up with 3 miles or so around 7:30, which didn't feel hard at all. Moderate with HR in the low-150s. I wish I had planned on more time/miles as I enjoyed this run a lot, more than I have in a while. Helps that the pace was respectable and it actually felt easy.

AM: 8.1 miles, averaged 8:01. HR 147.

Cold, windy, and a little snow. Oh, March,

PM: 5 miles, averaged 8:31. HR 141. 

Lunch/PM: 10.4 miles on the treadmill, averaged 8:12. HR 154.

20' Tempo + 6 x 1' On/Off

Around 6:30 pace or just a touch under. Started the first 5' @ 9.2 thinking I would cut down, but I bumped it up to 9.3 for a bit, then I hit the emergency stop, which shut the treadmill off but kept my place on Zwift. I was tempted to quit as I was struggling a bit with concentration. I was monitoring the boys' nap, which makes it harder to focus on harder efforts. I jumped back on as soon as I could grab the key and reset. Worked though it. I think I backed the pace off back to 9.2 somewhere around the 15' mark but I can't remember. 

1' efforts were at 10.0 MPH and they felt very fast. I ran 6' @ a time at just over 6' pace outside 3 or 4 weeks ago and this felt harder. Sometimes the faster end of stuff on the treadmill feels very fast. 

This was the first workout on the new treadmill other than easy runs and some strides and the setup is essentially perfect. This gives me a good sense of effort. My HR wasn't crazy high by any means, but it did get up around 180 for the last few minutes, which is about my maximum sustainable HR for too many minutes these days. 

PM: 

AM: 6.6 miles, averaged 9:55. HR 126.

Cold and windy. Good recovery. 

PM: 6.9 miles, averaged 9:28. HR 132.

More windy. Good day of recovery running. 

AM: 8 miles, averaged 8:09. HR 146.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 221W. HR 130

Pretty cold out for March, but really comfortable running weather I suppose. It won't be too many weeks before I am complaining about the heat. First ride on the trainer in about 10-11 days. I got spoiled the last few weeks being able to ride outside. Of course, I opted for second runs rather than rides. 

PM: 180' on the trainer. 242W. HR 144.

2+ hour Wave Tempo (SS/Tempo)

Wanted a longer, harder effort and went back and forth on what I wanted ot do. Settled on this. I used one of the Zwift courses in Watopia, Volcano Flat, for the time. 280/249 Watts, 283/250 Watts, 284/244 Watts, 283 Watts

Solid workout. Right glute was screaming at the end, but it does that.

We got 5-6 inches of snow, which we definitely didn't need.

PM: 7.3 miles on the treadmill, averaged 8:52. HR 140.

Started very easy at 5.5 and finished the last 10' at 8.0, which felt pretty easy, so the treadmill pretty closely mirrors outside. Tweaked my setup a bit more with a mirror so I can focus the hate during workouts. Ran in short split shorts and no shirt, which was great.

AM: 10.9 miles, averaged 8:14. HR 146.

30' @ Half Marathon Effort

I was quite hungover, so I wasn't sure how the workout was going to go. I figured on a good day the effort would be in the 6:20s or slightly slower to start, so I might have been overly conservative, but I ran pretty much right at 6:35 or a bit faster for two miles and slowly increased the pace and ratcheted it down the last 10' or so. Finished feeling like I could have pushed harder, but my legs weren't turning over. Averaged 6:30 @ 167 BPM. The last mile was around 6:17 according to Strava, though I didn't take any mile splits.

This week on the treadmill 20' @ that pace was too much and I barely hung on today outside it felt like strong marathon effort. I will be anxious to see how the 20' effort @ 10-mile effort goes this week. Next weekend I will do 35' @ half marathon effort, so I am hoping to be roughly 5-8 seconds faster than this week and I won't be drinking the night before.

A solid running week. I didn't ride as much as I have been, but I did get a 1-hour ride and a high quality three-hour ride, so that was good. Boys are home this week, so I will have to figure out how to get my doubles in. I really don't want to get up at 5:00AM.

PM: 6.9 miles, averaged 9:33. HR 132.

Nice afternoon out. I was quite tired last night and this morning. Snuck in a quick nap before class while the boys were napping. Felt a good bit better after. I didn't get out this morning as the boys are on spring break, so doubling is a little tricky. 

Evening: 120' on the trainer. 232W. HR 144.

Took the boys to the mall, which is always an experience. We got some action figures and candy and walked around a good deal. Jumped on the trainer a bit late as dinner was ready for Megan and I rode longer than I planned. I was a little tired from wrangling the boys at the mall, so I napped and put off training. Ended up getting a good session in.

15'-12'-10'-8'-5'

308 Watts/160 BPM; 310 Watts/163 BPM; 310 Watts/166 BPM; 314 Watts/165 BPM; 327 Watts/167 BPM

Maybe a touch stronger here and there than when I did this session at the start of the month, which was the day after my 10k. Slightly higher cadence than that session though I couldn't hold the lower cadence I did before. 

AM: 11.4 miles, averaged 7:57. HR 153.

20' @ 10-Mile Effort + 12 x 1' On/Off

Had a decent sense of pacing and effort for this witht he weekender last weekend. I was hoping to get into the high 6' teens, but didn't quite get there. Effort was on though. It started to get a little tough but not bad. Perceived effort was maybe a little high in relation to heart rate. Averaged 6:23 @ 172 BPM. Just over 5k. Took a 5' jog and did the 12 1' efforts. Just a touch under 6' pace with the last few around 5:45-5:40. Felt pretty good about the session. Things are improving even if it is not where I want to be. 18 months or so ago one mile all out was at thhis pace. 

AM/Lunch: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:44. HR 130. 

Good recovery run. Should have got up early to get it in so I could have doubled, but the schedule is slightly off. Doesn't bother me as much as it once did. Happy to be able to put in the time that I can. 

PM: 5 hours 24' (93.3 miles). 204W. HR 145. 17.3 MPH.

Long ride with some work in the middle. Decided to get something longer in as I am at a spot in my grading where I can take a quick break before getting going. This ended up longer than I intended but it is just the way it worked out. In the 40s with what was supposed to be lower wind, but it found me everywhere I turned. A mix of pavement and dirt with a bit more pavement than I would have liked, but it was fine. I planned around 4 hours or so but it got overly long. Did a 100' effort in the middle in tempo range/zone 3. I wanted to do 2 hours at that effort but just got kind of tired and muscle fatigued. It is actually a long time in that zone for a non-race situation. I did get tired on the way home but it wasn't too bad. had it been June or July the last 60' would have been painful. Roads were in decent shape, but a little rough. I had a bit too much pressure in my tires as I pulled it from the garage and it was colder in there than outside. I usually let them aclimatize a bit, but was in a hurry. Better than being too low (in most situations). 

Legs were achy after the ride but sorted out after a little bit. Longest ride in some time. I think probably since September when I did a bit over 100 miles. 

100' Tempo @ 240 Watts @ 157 BPM @ 19MPH

We took the boys to Canterbury Village to do the helicopter egg drop. It was equal parts exciting and anticimatic, but glad we went. I was quite pleased with the apple fritter. Definitely big enough to share, which I did with the boys. 

Day 1 of the 100 push-up plan. Not too hard. I used to do them a lot, but only sporadically now, so I figured some arbitrary program would help: 10, 12, 7, 7, 9

PM: 7.7 miles, averaged 8:29. HR 139. 

Legs felt okay, but quite sluggish. Kept it between recovery and easy.

Took the boys to an Easter party at one of the boys' friends from school. Managed to run okay after on two slices of pizza, four cookies, and a cupcake. 

AM/Lunch: 12.1 miles, averaged 7:51. HR 148.

35' @ Half Marathon Effort

6:29 pace @ 166 BPM. A solid workout. Felt decent at the start but after 20' or so my quads started to feel like concrete, most likely still recovering from the long ride on Friday. It made cutting the pace down difficult. I was around 6:30ish for most of the effort and the last mile was I think 6:25, though that was given by the Garmin notification. 

Week 1 Day 2 of 100 Pushup Challenge: 10, 12, 8, 8, 12