Of Mice and Marathons

AM: 2 hours 43 minutes. 142W. HR 132.

Downtown Ortonville loop. A few sprinkles coming down the Polly Ann. Felt generally good today on the ride. Mentally feeling much improved from several days ago.

PM: 10 miles, averaged 10:12. HR 150.

Megan went to stay with a few friends in Detroit last night. I had the boys from 6:30 when I picked them up from their friend's until about 1:30 today. It was actually pretty easy given that when I picked them up they just needed milk and their teeth brushed. I just hung out on the couch last night and watched a little Netflix and ordered some Thai as the gas gave out on the grill.

The run felt awful pretty much the whole time, but I got it in. Fairly certain I can keep this up of building a long run on Saturdays a a few short runs in the afternoon with Megan and the boys.

AM/Lunch: 4 hours 21 minutes. 165W. HR 140.

One of the best rides in recent memory. The weather was dry and sunny, very comfortable. I headed as far west as I have ever been, adding something like 35 new miles. The roads were quiet and perfect. I saw some baby turkeys, definitely the youngest ones I have seen. There were a lot of farms, but fewer livestock than in Metamora and Oxford area. 

I went by the creepy house Megan and I looked at when we were house hunting. Someone did buy it. I hope they paid far less than the $300,000 asking price as there were numerous visible issues. Big yard though. 

PM: one hour+ of walking and playing on the playground at Civic Center Park with the boys.

AM: 1 hour 21 minutes. 120W. HR 119.

Mostly very easy recovery with two segment attacks, which I did take down. I would have prefered a longer easy ride, but after 16 hours of cycling last week and 3 hours running, I needed to back off.

AM/Lunch: 90' on the trainer. 229W. HR 154.

Interval session. 4 x 10' @ 95% w/ 4' recoveries. Just under 280 watts for each interval. Good session. Had a tough morning realizing how much daycare actually cost and realizing there is no way we can afford it. Made for a tough morning, but I worked through it and the workout helped and went well. This was the first structured interval session now that I have my race bike.

AM: 60' recovery ride. 97W. HR 95.

Kept it true recovery even though I felt really good.

Got an offer to teach two classes at Oakland Community College, but it turns out yesterday that I do have four classes at Oakland and they are now trying to hire people as a number of people have left. I had to also turn down one class from Lawrence Tech as I can't really teach 6 classes, especially without daycare. It's an odd occupation. I have sometimes struggled to get three classes and I had to turn down three for the fall. Not a bad thing.

PM: 4 miles w/ Megan and the boys, averaged 10:37. HR 134.

Good run, but the horse flies were horrendous.

Lunch: 90' on the trainer. 174W. HR 121.

Megan went to Toledo to help her parents. I wasn't sure when she would be home, so I jumped on the trainer while the boys were napping. She came home in the early afternoon, so I decided to go out and do the ride.

PM: Thursday Night Dirt. Just under 4 hours. 156W. HR 144.

Road with B Group, which worked out well. Talked to the guy I had talked to last week, who I came to realize lives over in the neighborhood next to the middle school. He must have seen me riding because recognized my bike. A group passed us and a few of us jumped on for a while. It was too much of an effort for for me to sustained. 

Attacked a segment coming down Greenshield and took 10th overall. Need to find the legs to drop another 28 seconds or so off that, which won't be easy.

AM: 90' on the trainer. 141W. HR 111.

Took the boys to get their first COVID shot. We went to a party in Ann Arbor in the afternoon and had a great time. We stayed overnight with the boys.

PM: 4 miles w/ Megan and the boys, averaged 10:30. HR 142.

Felt like crap, but I turned the sprinklers on after and the boys played in them for a while. That was definitely worth doing. 

AM/Lunch: 4 hours (64.1 miles). 187W. HR 148.

90' up, 90' strong, 60' down. 260W (normalized power 272W) for the 90' @ 171 BPM.

Decided to do an impromptu fitness test. It went quite well I think. Just under 19MPH, with some slow chunky gravel here and there and some short hills, but I also had some fast pavement sections. Weather was dry, sunny, and beautiful. Felt better than I did yesterday, though still quite tired after waking up and a few cups of coffee.

Signed up for a 111 miles gravel race on Thursday. Need to get some longer rides in but I think I should be okay. 

PM: 2.8 mile walk w/ Megan and the boys. HR 98.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 103W. HR 93.

AM: 3.5 hours. 170W. HR 151.

5 x 12' w/ 4' recoveries: 292W (170BPM), 297 (176), 291 (180), 282 (179), 277 (181)

First outdoor session of the year at Stony Creek. I think I have only done them here once, and I think I only did one other interval session outside on the dirt roads last year. This was quite productive I think. I died a bit on the last two, but with no real experience and only going off 3 second power readers the first 3 were great. I knew I was dropping on the last two as I was tired. Longer overall as I fogrot it takes a little while to get there.

I still need to relax a bit on these and shift less as this causes drops in power and breaks in form. Need to dial in cadence and ride more smoothly in and out of the uphills. It was decently windy, but in my running experience there it always is off the water.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 93W. HR 95.

The boys turned 21 months today.

PM: 4+ hours. 171W. HR 148.

Thursday Night Dirt

Went with A's and hung on until part of the way through the Proving Grounds. Better than two weeks ago. Needed to do B group as I had a slight cold starting on Monday or Tuesday. Good night. I went off loop after I was solo to attack a segement, but I was far too tired to really smash it. Hit anothe longer segment coming home and shaved 3 seconds off from last week.

AM: 90'+. 119W. HR 114.

Easy mixed roads ride, mostly recovery. Workers came to wash the outside of the house and do the gutters and get the stupid Christmas lights down finally. The boys went to their friend's.

AM/PM: 5 hours 26 minutes. 160W. HR 137.

Long ride. Did almost the entire Polly Ann trail from the start at our house to where the heck it ends (north of Lapeer, which is east of Flint). I knew the Lapeer County sections were not as nice as I have been on parts of them, but it got pretty rough farther north. Basically 6-10 inches on field grass. The very last portion was perhaps waist deep or higher and I wasn't hike-a-biking it. That last section might be a half mile, very much unmaintained. Found my way back south via the dirt roads. For 77 miles, I added about almost 31 new miles.

I stopped in Metamora at the General Store at just over 4 hours for a soda, a few waters, a bag of chips, and a wonderful French toast muffin. I had taken 3-4 gels but only had a granola bar for breakfast and it clearly wasn't enough.

Megan and I took the boys to the University to play in the fountain. It was fun. I tried to show Sawyer a bike repair station and thankfully didn't get his full attention as 6-8 hornets had taken up residence and must have been in the bike pump cylinder because they swarmed and one tagged me in the shoulder. Sawyer started over and I grabbed him. Scared the poor kid but I got him away before he got stung, I imagine it had more to do with him being lower to the ground.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 93W. HR 94.

Recovery ride. Cold flared up a bit, which I should have expected.

PM: 4 miles w/ Megan and the boys, averaged 10:57. HR 133.

Warmer weather is definitely here. Kept it slow so as to not die and to make sure it was recovery effort.

AM: 4.8 miles, averaged 10:29. HR 139.

Did a ~6' pickup around 7:30 pace as I was running late for a meeting. Not sure it saved a lot of time and basically just stressed my immune system. 

Went to Lawrence Tech for a campus tour. A bit more of a commute than I am used to, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 140W. HR 108.

I was hoping to do short easy 3-4 mile runs this week and 60' recovery rides on the trainer in the afternoon, but this cold had other ideas. Good time for a light week anyway.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 99W. HR 92. 

Coughed a good bit in the night. No other symptoms really.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 117W. HR 101.

We went to a kids outdoor concert, which was fun. Got hot quickly though. Megan and I went out to dinner while a friend stayed with the boys after we put them to bed. Cold more or less the same, but better in the night than Tuesday night.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 139W. HR 106.

AM/Lunch: 2 hours 40'. 169W. HR 143.

Ortonville Loop. Took is mostly pretty easy. Fairly warm. A bit slugglish and kind of blah, but a good ride. Boys have a bit of my cold, so they didn't go to their friend's.

Megan and I started the new season of Stranger Things.

AM: 2 hours trails/gravel mix on the fatbike. HR 139.

Road to Orion Oaks for some easy laps, but that ended on my second lap when I decided to go after a segment I have tried a few times. I hoped no one was on the trails as I was flying through there, so I took the first part easy in case someone was coming into the park with their dogs. I had 1:59 on computer but 2:00 on Strava, so I tied the KOM, which was 2 seconds better than my previous, which made me happy. I took off to Bald Mountain South, as Orion Oaks is fun, but too many laps can be boring. Worked on some corner and descending. Had fun. Need to ride trails more. 

Very humid morning. Glad I didn't have to run in it. Still have a lingering cold. Boys are having a little trouble sleeping at night and their naps, but are doing reasonably well. Cooler weather this upcoming week, which should hopefully mean some running.

AM: 3 hours on the trainer. 167W. HR 118.

Mostly very easy with some light pickups and one 37 second spring. HRM bugging, which annoys me as it is brand new and I don't see anyway to easily use the warranty I bought. More capitalist money traps I assume. 

We got a lot of rain last night and in the morning, which had been badly needed. 

AM: 2.5 hours on the trainer. 221W. HR 146.

PM: 3.3 mile walk w/ Megan and the boys. HR 87.

AM/Lunch: 3 hours 9'. 181W. HR 141.

Good ride. Hit a few roads I haven't been on. About 7 new miles. Some country tarred roads that were fast and quiet.

Plumber came to do a backflow test and couldn't do it as our water system needs ~$1000 in repairs. Wonder what the township will do if I just don't do the test. Best to just do it I guess, but, man, I wasn't expecting that. I lost it a bit. I have been relatively level-headed lately, but I was not pleased. 

Boys are still sick, Megan is feeling worse. I am feeling mostly recovered.

AM: 1 hour 46'. HR 134.

Road Bald Mountain North. Trails are a little more aggressive, but not too bad. Quite fun. I have only been once, and I missed the full loop. Quite humid and overcast. Not too hot.

PM: 4.2 miles solo, averaged 9:35. HR 146.

Did a quater mile pickup around 6' pace. Quite humid, but I felt okay. Bike has me somewhat heat and humidity adapted I think

AM: 5.2 miles, averaged 9:10. HRM off. 

Did a 1-mile pick up in 6:38. My fastest Lake Orion mile. It felt decently hard. Not all out, but I would say 90% or so. I think I am going to try to run a bit more and hope that consistency helps. Doing only 1-2 runs per week even with a long run likely won't work well. 3-4 short ones with an injection of light quality here and there I am thinking. This will change for the 849448484 time in another week I am sure.

Going to do Thursday Night Dirt. I was on the fence as I wasn't sure how Megan would feel, but I am going to give it a go.

PM: 3 hours total. 170W. HR 137.

Thursday Night Dirt

A good ride. B group, but there were some strong efforts. I wasn't going A as I had run in the morning and the hard mile left my legs a little stiff (legs were pretty solid on the ride though). We stopped off at Tom's for his birthday celebration. It was nice to hang out with people. Some good laughs. fIt was a beautiful night to ride home. Stuck to the rail trails for the most part to avoid cars.

AM: 1 hour 25' on the fat bike. HR 130-135.

Did Lake Orion High School and Bald Mountain South. I worked on some cornering techniques. HRM doesn't seem to be working. None of my 5-6 sensors seems to be working. I used my optical sensor on the Polar watch the other day and it seems fairly consistent.

PM: 1 hour walk with Megan and the boys. HR 99.

Thinking about a late fall 50k, which I think I might have mentioned before, but I think this is the day I really got excited about it. Long run tomorrow.

AM: 12.3 miles, averaged 9:46. HR 151.

Polly Ann to Bald Mountain South via the dirt roads and then back home through mostly dirt roads with the exception of the neighborhood next to the high school. Felt pretty good. I was surprised to see low 10' pace or under on the trails, which are not challenging but do change your pace and effort. I enjoyed the run. Started to get tired legs toward the end, but aerobically I felt like I could run forever. 

Ordered a running vest, so I guess I am trying to commit myself to an ultra for perhaps the 6th time since we moved to Michigan. Going to rotate midweek workouts every week between bike workouts and running workouts and a weekly long run and then other shorter runs. 

I believe I killed around 20 horse flies on this run. They were ridiculous. Going to Independence Oaks to walk with Megan and the boys.

PM: 2.5 mile walk with Megan and the boys. HR 92.

Went to Independance Oaks and walked around the lake and then played on the playground. It was a nice afternoon.

AM/Lunch: 3 hours. 160W. HR 132. 

Out on the Polly Ann and then to Lake George North and back mostly on Baldwin. Gave one of the segments a rip and moved closer. Still about 3 seconds or so off from the crown.

PM: 3.3-mile walk w/ Megan and the boys. HR 96.

Capped off a rather indulgent week. 15 hours of cycling. 3.5 hours running. 4 hours of walking.