Of Mice and Marathons

AM: 8 miles, averaged 8:17. HR 156. Did some strides.

PM: 39.5-mile ride. HR 145.

I drove to Rochester and did a short ride from the Clinton River Trail to get to the Brewery then set out using my Wahoo and a turn-by-turn navigation from a GPX one of the bike shop guys gave me. Worked perfectly. It started pouring in Rochester, but it subsided after a little while. Once I got passed Stony Creek High School, it was almost all dirt and gravel roads. Michigan is very rural in places, as rural as some of the really rural places in Maine. This is my longest ride so far. I had an absolute blast, though I will likely be a bit sore in the morning. Beautiful area once you get out of the suburban mess. I will likely start doing the Thursday evening rides with the slower group from the bike shop. They ride about what I did today. Will likely work into it and try to keep up with the first group in the fall.

PM: 6.8 miles, averaged 9:34. HR 132.

Ran the first few with Megan. Legs were pretty knackered from the long ride yesterday. They woke up as I got going.

Night: AIS, light hip routine, and push-ups

Noon: 15.5 miles, averaged 7:43. HR 156.

40' Aerobic Builder + 6 x 45" Strides

We caught some cooler air, so I figure I might be able to run a good deal faster than I have been running (close to my pace for the broken tempo on Wednesday). It was quite humid, but in the mid-60s, so it felt nice. Felt quite strong and the pace was decent and the heart rate solid. I jogged 5-6 minutes back to Spencer Park for the long strides.

Splits: 6:31, 6:29, 6:19, 6:23, 6:18, 6:21, 6:15 (for .26 miles)

Averaged 6:23 (HR 171)

30' up/30' down

Lunch: 6.6 miles, averaged 9:54. HR 131.

PM: 4.2 miles, averaged 9:38. HR 133.

Weather was very fall like. Should be cool for a strong workout on Wednesday.

Had my first PT appointment in an effort to get my psoas loosened and strengthened. It's only been four years.

Dropped my bike off at the shop to fix the brakes as they have settled in. I thought the front wheel was catching a bit. Want it to be ready for Thursday evening's ride with the group.

Lunch: 8.4 miles, averaged 7:44. HR 156.

PM: 5 miles with Megan, averaged 10:18. HR 128.

Fall-like air still hanging around.

Night: PT stretches, AIS, and push-ups

Lunch: 13.5 miles, averaged 8:07. HR 156.

8 x 5'

The weather was ideal for this one. Cool, dry, and breezy. Warmed up 3 miles with strides. I was able to concentrate on the intervals as I covered about .80-.83 and the park loop is just over a mile. I thought of the workout as "short mile repeats." It worked well. I figured 10-mile effort would equate to around 6:10-6:15 for current fitness and the weather and I ended up averaging 6:12. The recovery jogs were slow 3'. Typically I just move my feet and call it good. If the recoveries happen to be fast, fine. If not, just keep moving forward and focus on hitting the efforts for the intervals. Jogged a 2-mile cool down.

Went to physical therapy and did a bunch of stretching, lunges, and the like. We are trying to align my hips. I believe we are making progress. Did 8' on some recumbent machine they have.

PM: 18.4-mile ride at Stony Creek on the roads. HR 138. Need to lower the pressure on the tires. Way too high for gravel I have learned.

Lunch: 4.2 miles extremely slow, averaged 10:57. HR 124.

Might be the slowest two miles I have run since I started running. Knew I needed to take it easy after yesterday's workout plus riding in the afternoon, which was fairly short but also knew I was riding with the group this afternoon.

PM: 37.3-mile ride. HR 149.

Had a blast with the group. Hung back a bit as I have never ridden with a group and only have 100 miles on a bike of this type and it has been a good number of years since I have ridden of any type. Got more comfortable as I went along. Learning etiquette and bike skills and so forth. A little anxious and nervous at first, but then settled in and chatted with some guys. Felt like I could have picked it up a good deal at the in the second half, but there will be time for that. Right at 17 MPH for mostly dirt/gravel roads with a fair amount of climbing (hills are so hard on a bike!). Had beers and a light bite after. Good times. Talked poor Megan's ear off when I got home as I was pleasantly energized from the ride. I will be tired tomorrow.

Night: Various PT stetching and exercises.

PM: 7.2 miles, averaged 9:02. HR 142. Did some strides.

Ran the first few with Megan. Felt pretty good after riding yesterday. Saddle sore, but I expected that.

Went to physical therapy in the afternoon. Things are going well. Most of the area is loosened up. Primarily working on strengthening it.

Anthony Bourdain committed suicide. Sad. Megan and I have watched his show for years. I need to pick up some of his writing.

Lunch: 7.9 miles, averaged 8:14. HR 141.

Night: AIS and push-ups

PM: 15.5 miles, averaged 7:55. HR 155.

40' Aerobic Builder + 6 x 45" Strides

Warmed up 30' and did the workout on the roads next to the park loop to avoid people/kids/geese. Felt a little sluggish and lacking in turnover during the workout, but the overall pace was right around what I did last week. Just couldn't get the legs to really ride and that made breathing harder. I am sure it is from the extra exercise with biking.

Splits: 6:34, 6:27, 6:21, 6:22, 6:17, 6:19, 6:22 (for the partial)

I kind of died a bit on the last minute or so. The weather was cool but humid and I felt kind of strange when I got up (like I didn't want to get out of bed as some strange dreams but me in a weird state). I shuffled back to the park and did 6 x 45" strides and then cooled down for 30'.

AM: 6.6 miles, averaged 9:58. HR 130

PM: 4.5 miles, averaged 9:35. HR 141.

Went to physical therapy between the two runs. I think the doctor said I might be able to do the rest of the work on my own after Friday. Just need to do strengthening exercises. I was thinking it would be another couple of weeks (and hundreds of dollars). The issue as near as I can tell began with my hip flexor injury in October 2013. Should not have let the issue go as long as it did, but it never kept me from running and it never hurt while running.

After reading Rob's post I did a 1' push-up test. I got 43.

AM: 8 miles, averaged  8:07. HR 151.

PM: 4 miles with Megan, averaged 10:17. HR 129.

Night: PT stretching and exercises, AIS, and push-ups

AM: 10 miles, averaged 8:01. HR 160. 

20 x 1’ On/Off

Weather was a little less comfortable than it has been, but still not bad. 80 degrees. 68 dew point, 66% humidity. Warmed up 2.3 miles with some strides. Felt decent throughout. Workout was intended to be less taxing than previous weeks but still be a workout. Paces were from 6:10-5:25. I’m about 6 lbs lighter than when I last did this workout in April. Cooled down 2.3.

Went to physical therapy in the early afternoon. Last session on Friday.

PM: 20.6-mile easy ride at Paint Creek. HR 124.

Lunch: 6.2 miles, averaged 9:34. 

Rode 6.2 miles to the vet’s for Oliver’s food. Made more sense than driving.

PM: 37-mile ride with KLM boys. HR 151.

A little warmer and windier this week. Fun time.

AM: 7.3 miles, averaged 8:54. HR 139.

Sluggish from last night’s ride but I expected that. Great weather. I was going to run again but decided I’ve had plenty of exercise.

Had my last PT appointment. Hip feels fantastic.

Lunch: 8.1 miles, averaged 8:01. HR 152.

PM: 4 miles w/ Megan, averaged 10:18. HR 127.

Night: AIS, PT work, and pushups 

Lunch: 14 miles.

50' @ Aerobic Threshold + 4 x 45" Strides

I went to the gym as it was already climbing into the 80s when I was ready to run. I had planned on going anyway. I warmed up 2 miles, but I was supposed to do 30'. I somehow got confused. Workout called for 50' @ aerobic threshold, so I figured just a click or two down from the aerobic builders I have been doing. I figured in decent conditions 6:40s would feel quite comfortable given for the faster efforts I have been averaging low-6:40s. 6:40 was too hard on treadmill, so I backed off a bit (averaged 6:56). My goal was to keep my HR under 170 for almost the entire run and keep the average around 165-168 (averaged 166). I felt a little rough at times, but I think I am not used to have to concentrate on the treadmill. I got through feeling strong, but my feet were slipping on the belt from all the sweat. Switched treadmills to complete the workout. Cooled down 3.3 miles.

Deviated from my typical lunch and demolished a Pot Belly sub after as it was almost 2:00PM and I hadn't eaten anything.

AM: 6.3 miles, averaged 10:17. HR 137.

Pretty nasty out.

PM: 4 miles w/ Megan, averaged 10:32. HR 123.

We got a nice sun shower. It was a relief as the low was 77 degrees last night and we lost power. Yep. Sleeping was not fun. Glad I had a few beers. I sat in my car, charged my phone, and read in the AC. Power came back around 2:00PM

AM: 8 miles, averaged 8:16. HR 145.

Rode over to River Bends to do some low key single track riding. I stopped at the skatepark because I have never see it even though I have been to the park a few times. It's a decent park. Made me wish I had a BMX bike to see if I could break my old man butt.

PM1: 13.3-mile ride. HR 124.

Got to use my brakes a bit as well as to get the rear wheel to slide around a bit to learn how the bike rides in different conditions. I only banged my arm on one tree. Read for a bit outside and then went for a shakeout run.

PM: 4.7 miles, averaged 8:32. HR 145.

PM: 12.3 miles, averaged 7:34. HR 159.

4 x 10' w/ 3' Recoveries

Waited until the afternoon/early evening for this one. The weather was cool (just around 70) and fairly dry. Warmed up 2.7 with strides and decided to do them on the roads to avoid kids at the park even though it wasn't that busy. I figured for my 3k loop I would likley be able to run the interval and jog the recovery and start in almost the same place. Worked perfectly.

The workout ended up being a good bit faster than I thought I could run. I thought 6:15ish would be good given that I think I averaged 6:12 for the 8 x 5' workout two weeks ago. I think this as a small breakthrough on the way back to getting in shape.

Splits: 6:06, 6:03, 6:06, 6:06 (HR averaged 173 overall)

I paced very well, only sneaking a peak at my pace accidentally as I toggle to the correct screen and then toward the last 90 seconds of the last rep to make sure I wasn't dying. Tried to make it faster, but I likely started too slow to make sure I made it through. Cooled down 2 miles.

AM 5 miles, averaged 10:31. HR 131.

PM: 4 miles, averaged 9:59. HR 128.

Was going to go for a ride but my chain was running rough. I’m not sure what I’m doing with cleaning and greasing. My speed sensor is also wacky and defective. One thing about running, it’s relatively cheap and maintenance free. Wahoo customer service was excellent and they should send me a new sensor. Glad they talked me out of a Garmin. They wouldn’t be so accommodating.

No Thursday night ride as the guys were doing a solstice ride. I was going to go solo but I decided to go tomorrow but it’s going to be rainy and we are heading out early for the weekend.

Happy 4th Anniversary to Megan.

Night: PT routine

Lunch: 8.4 miles, averaged 7:45. HR 150. Did some strides.

AIS, PT routine, and pushups after lunch

 PM: 9 miles, averaged 7:17. HR 157.

Ran on the University of Toledo Trail. Run was easy to moderate and then uptempo. Last 3 miles were in the 6:40s. Not bad after two beers at Megan’s parents. We were out late for Megan’s high school reunion last night. We had fun. Maybe a bit too much fun for me.

PM: 8 miles, averaged 8:13. HR 140.

We got back from Toledo. We had a great time. Skipped my long run due to time. This will allow me to reset my schedule so that my Thursday night rides aren’t on a recovery day.

Feeling pretty tired the last few days. 

Lunch: 7.6 miles, averaged 8:31. HR 139.

PM: 4 miles, averaged 9:11. HR 131.

Night: AIS, PT routine, and push-ups

Lunch: 11 miles, averaged 7:56. HR 160.

20 x 1’ On/Off + 10 x 30" On/Off

Warmed up 2 miles, during which a car slowed down behind me, which I ignored and then they said something partially audible. I ignored it, then got ticked, and tried to follow them. I only got in a few strides as it threw me completely off. The park was crawling with kids, but they were mostly away from the path. Weather was decent (70s, fairly dry). There was no extra recovery after the 1' effort and the 30" efforts stung a little. 5:50-5:35 for the 1's and 5:40-5:17 on the 30"s. Felt pretty good overall. 2.2 down.

PM: 20.1-mile ride. HR 127.

Easy spin on the Clinton River Trail. I had only been on the trail for running and only then short and infrequent. It is a mix of dirt, limestone, recycled tar, and tar. It is rough as you get out in the less wealthy cities, but it's a nice path overall. Great for a gravel bike. Lots of intersections. Raced a woodchuck to start things out. Lots of people, but wider than Paint Creek, so room to navigate. Had a great time.

 Noon: 5 miles, averaged 10:04. HR 132.

Finally getting some rain. Humid though.

PM: 4.2 miles, averaged 10:01. HR 129.

Light rain again. Very few people at the park. Heaven.

Night: AIS, PT routine, and pushups. Did A 1' time trial. 47. A bit better than a week or so ago. Haven't been doing them enough.

Lunch: 8 miles, averaged 8:14. HR 160. Did some strides.

Heart rate a bit elevated. It was somewhat warm, and my energy was up and down. Lost 5lbs of water weight and it wasn't humid.

Went to the cardiologist to have her look at an abnormal EKG from my physical in April. They did another EKG, and she didn't seem too concerned but she wanted to make sure. The issue is often seen in athletes and it is caused by, at times, lactic acid buildup or low electrolytes. Sounds about right. So I am hooked up to a 24-hour heart rate monitor, the experience of which is a cross between (what I imagine) a colostomy bag and house arrest ankle bracelet feels like. I was mostly ticked I had to miss my Thursday night ride with the guys and I couldn't replace that with a shakeout run because I have a Sony Walkman strapped to my shorts. It comes off at 3:00 tomorrow, which messes up a morning run and the possibility of running in the morning and doing the ride solo in the afternoon. But I guess when it is your ticker you just suck it up and check possibilities of the list

PM: 6.8 miles, averaged 9:30. HR 141.

First few with Megan. Hot. Our AC is struggling to keep up. Hotter tomorrow. The nasty humidity and dew point haven’t settled in. 

Fluids consumed today. 2 bottles of Pedialyte and 2 more refills with 2 Nuun tablets each. About 4 liters plus some water and Gatorade earlier. Barely needing to use the restroom. Hydration this time of year is a part-time job. Will do my long run workout on the treadmill tomorrow. Low of 75 tonight and high of 98 tomorrow.

Late: PT routine

PM: 15.1 miles on the treadmill

60' @ Aerobic Threshold + 4 x 45" Strides

The dew point was 75 and almost 90 when I got ready to run in the late morning. No thanks. It was still plenty warm in the gym. Warmed up 30' minutes, taking in some fluids as I was already sweating a decent amount. I ran by HR, which works well for me on the treadmill as I tend to run slower than I can outside in decent conditions. Was only able to run 8.2 miles (about 7:20 pace), but I got in a good effort and felt strong. HR averaged 167.

Jogged 5' very easy and peeled off my shirt to change into a dry one. I'm sure the gym people weren't thrilled but it helped me out a good deal. Did 4 x 45" pace at 10 MPH or a bit faster and cooled down 20'. Felt good. I have moved my weekender to Saturday as it is better during the semester and it allows me to move my midweek workout back to accommodate my Thursday night ride.