Of Mice and Marathons

AM: 5.8 miles on the treadmill, averaged 11:12. HR 143.

HR still very elevated, but maybe a bit better than yesterday. Did weights after. Putting down here to keep track. Nothing too exciting, just getting back into a little something. 

Tri press 3 x 12 @ 20, 30, and ?; bicep curls 3 x 12 @ 50; shoulder press 3 x 12 @ 15; and pulldowns 3 x 12 @ 40, 45, 45

PM: 2:15 on the trainer. 215W. HR 154. 

Burned off some of the anxiety. Feeling pretty good. HR still up a bit but improving.

PM: 6 miles on the treadmill. HR 150.

Pretty humid in the gym. Not sure I gained much running on the treadmill. Wanted to do weights after but I had to get to the grocery store and the hardware store.

PM: 180' on the trainer. 220W. HR 151.

Felt very good. HR looks pretty good. Probably recalibrated for zones at this point. We had a fairly uneventful 4th, but it was a good day, so no complaints. 

AM: 8 miles on the treadmill. HR 149.

20' + 15' Steady w/ 5' Recovery 

I think this was the workout I blew on May 31, and just finally getting reset from then with the downturn around the time of my bike race and being slightly sick, travel, and other stuff. I feel like I get about 6-8 weeks of consistency and fall apart. 

20' up/20' down.

Paces were very slow but I knew they would be, so I didn't force it. Warmed up starting at 5 MPH and increased only slightly until the last 5', which I did as a progression. I started the first interval at 6.5 and that had my HR in the low-150s, which was quite conservative, but fine. Increased by .2 for every 5' and then a little bit more than that for the last 5'. HR didn't get much more than low to mid 160s. HR 158 AVG, so really moderate rather than steady, but all fine. 5' slow jog, then 15' @ HR 165 AVG, which I think I started around 7.0 and increased .2 from there every 5. 7.4 MPH had me peaking around 169 BPM. Marking all this here so I can remember for the coming weeks as I feel much slower inside than outside, but the effort feels more controllable, if that makes any sense. 

I will continue to march foward. This puts me about on schedule for workouts where I was from the end of February, so I am trying not to be too frustrated, but I it is hard. On the trainer tomorow or maybe outside for 3 hours.

PM: 180' on the trainer. 216W. HR 145.

Steady zone 2. Felt quite good. Mentally very good. The boys were outside for a little while and peaked in the window and said hello a few times.

AM: 11.1 miles, averaged 8:59. HR 153.

1:40 w/ 40' Steady

Excellent conditions, so I couldn't justify going to the gym. Pace was really slow, but effort was right. Felt a little flat on the warm up, but pretty solid throughout the faster portions. 

7:52 pace @ 167 BPM. This was quite a bit slower than the 30' steady I did at the end of May, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Next week it looks like I will finally advance the workouts beyond where I was at the end of February, so that feels good. But it has been a tough year trying to rebuild. I imagine with some consistency I will be approximately at a decent starting point by the end of the year and maybe taking another 6-12 months to get in decent shape. 

AM: 6 miles, averaged 11:01. HR 129.

Recovery. Did what I could to keep it under 130. Listen to some music while running for the first time since I cannot recall. I generally only use it on the treadmill, but some Isbell and a very easy recovery plod on the neighborhood loop seemed like the way to go. It was. Favorable weather conditions for July. Hoping to get some servicable weather for the midweek workout next week.

My summer course started on Wednesday. Very fortunate to have that and brings a little balance and schedule to the summer.

Lunch: 6.6 miles, averaged 9:54. HR 139.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 217W. HR 150.

We took the boys to Orion Oaks for a walk and to watch some of the dogs run around in the off-leash portion. Not sure why I don't run through there more often. I guess when we first moved here I didn't have enough stamina to run very long and it about 20-25' away

AM: 6.6 miles, averaged 9:56. HR 139.

Made a loop that goes through Orion Oaks for just under 2 miles. Nice to change the routes up a bit. Still working on a few for the rotation.

PM: 4 hours 17'. 183W. HR 151.

Good roll into downtown Fenton and back. Weather was nice, slightly humid, but not too bad and not too hot. A passing shower. Did 1' hour easy, 2 hours steady, and then easy but with some pushes as the thunderstorms eventually rolled in. Stopped about 3 miles from the house to grab some water, the vending machine ate my money, so I assaulted it, which was childish but I wasn't in the mood. Water fountain was off, which seems to be par for the course when I need one. I swear places still haven't turned them back on since early COVID. Grabbed some sink water and was on my way. 

First ~60' 18.3 MPH, 202W, HR 158

Second ~60' 17.5 MPH, 196W, HR 170

Power was mid zone 2, but it is much harder to ride at that effort outside and on less than ideal surfaces. All fine though. Just wanted to feel out the effort. 

AM: 9.9 miles, averaged 8:37. HR 161.

2 x 20'

Got up at a decent hour, but we had the HVAC system blown out, so I didn't get out until 10:30. Weather was decent. Air quality has been phenomenal. 20' warm up and then into 2 x 20' steady w/ 5' recovery jog, and 20' down. The intervals were a little more than "steady." Mostly in control, but the second one was probably a bit closer to what I would do for a 2 x 20' @ LT. Anyway, good workout. Left me a bit knackered on the cooldown. It has been a while since a running workout has done that, but I really haven't been doing workouts or very difficult workouts. 

20' @ 7:24 HR 171

20' @ 7:31 HR 176

Lunch: 7 miles, averaged 10:41. HR 130.

Good recovery. Planned to ride, but the conditions were great and very favorable. A little longer on this route than anticipated. A new subdivision is going in with homes starting at 500K. But there is a landfill in the background and I cannot imagine that they will be able to completely hide it. 

PM: 2 hours. 115W. HR 111.

Too nice not to get out and enjoy the air. Very easy. Recovery for almost all of it but the hills. 

AM: 12 miles, averaged 9:07. HR 150. 

110' w/ 50' Steady

30' up/30' down. 50' @ 8:08. HR 163. Slow, but I nailed the effort. Just where I am at right now. Fairly favorable conditions, though quite humid and slightly elevated dew point. Clody and in the mid to upper 60s, which helped a lot. 

AM: 6.2 miles, averaged 10:32. HR 126.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 179W. HR 120.

Picked my sister up at the airport around 8. Megan is at a conference for 5 days, so this really was helpful. 

AM: 6.4 miles, averaged 10:12. HR 136. 

Smoke from the Canadian forest fires is back by thankfully not too bad yet. Hoping it is just one day and not a whole week or so of it like last time. Hoping to get on the trainer for an easy hour to round out a total of 16 hours this week between running and cycling. Summer is getting short. Almost 50 miles last week, so that is decent. Need to run more days to get the mileage up I guess. 

PM: 60' on the trainer. 201W. HR 128.

Katie and I took the boys to Legoland. They were pretty excited about some of the exhibits/displays, which surprised me. 

AM: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:41. HR 134.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 214W. HR 128.

Heart rate seemed low today, but maybe that just means I am building fitness. 

AM/Lunch: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:47. HR 135.

The boys slept in their toddler beds for the first time last night. My sister finished assembling what I started weeks ago and never finished. I have run the last 7 days, which I haven't done since pre-2020 I am fairly certain.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 208W. HR 128.

AM: 10.6 miles, averaged 8:46. HR 158. 

20' (5') - 10' (5') - 2 x 5' (3')

Sawyer was stirring early so I put him in bed with me and slept for a bit and got Charlie up and went back to bed for a while and my sister nicely did breakfast with the boys.

It was starting to get a bit warm, so I tried to keep HR in check. Air was fairly dry and comfortable, the sun just felt very strong. Figured based on recent efforts the pace wouldn't be spectacular. They weren't but weren't terrible. I am just finally now advancing the workouts beyond the schedule that I have gotten off of since March or April for various reasons. Happy to be pressing forward and hopefully building fitness. I've been beating my head against the wall for what seems like forever now. 

20' up/down

20' @ 7:34 (167)

10' @ 7:22 (173)

5' @ 6:59 (176)

5' @ 7:05 (176)

Megan comes home tonight and I am taking my sister back to the airport. Sad to see her go. She's been tremendously helpful and we have had a good time. 

PM: 120' on the trainer. 147W. HR 108.

Recovery more or less. Ended up signing up for our local gravel race, which is in its second year. I am doing the 50 miler on my fat bike. It should be interesting, especially after a long run/workout tomorrow. 

AM: 13.8 miles, averaged 8:41. HR 158.

120' w/ 60' Steady

30' up/down. 7:54 pace @ 167 BPM. Decently humid, but it always is in the morning. Fairly favorable for July. Did this on my long run route I have been working on off and on this summer. Worked out fairly well. I lost 7.5 lbs of water weight. 

Wore compression socks after the run and during my nap and for the early afternoon for the first time since pre-2020. It felt good to stablize the muscles as my legs were tired/worked over. Not sore, just not used to steadier miles during 2 hours. You could do worse than a 2 hour long run with 60' at a quality aerobic effort (roughly marathon to aerobic theshold). Need to dig back through my entries to see what my 8-mile tempo HRs were back in the day.

AM: ~4.5 hours. 2:54 for the race. 213W. HR 169.

De Ronde van Grampian 50 Mile Gravel Race

This is our team's local race that is in its second year. Decided on a whim to sign up and ride the fifty on my fat bike. It is quite hilly and 99.99% gravel roads, almost all of which I have ridden on before except for a handful of miles. I was a lottle nervous after my last race disaster and the one before that was a broken elbow in August. I felt that no matter how I felt it was good to sign up and support the race. That was the right call.

Decided to ride there as it was only 10 miles, which is a bit long for a bike warmup, but no way I was driving. Cool morning to start and my HR was up a bit mostly from race nerves. Got there at a decent time and ran into a bunch of people I know, a few I haven't seen in a while. It was really nice to see people. The corral was pretty packed and the bike is not small, so I felt a little clausterphobic, but settle in okay with a slow start at the farm. A few people ate it in the sand. Neutral roll out through there and down Indian Lake as it was pretty rough, but it always is. That actually ended up not being super neutral, but I appreciated the safety concern. 

Formed a decent group eventually and I was able to work with a group for quite a long time and really enjoyed racing. My goal going in was under 3 hours, which I figured was doable because I can do a couple hours at 15+ MPH by myself on the fat bike. I really wanted 17 MPH and thought maybe a stretch was 18 MPH, but the course is a bit hillier than I usually do and the last 1.5 miles or so is on trails and even with the fat bike I knew would be slow. I think I was 17.8 through 38-40 miles at least and slowed toward the end, but was still 17+. 

Unsure how fast I would have been on my gravel bike. Some of the corners were tricky on some downhills and there was one sketchy section with a washout that was terrible but unexpected given that the rest of the course was in really good shape. I was the only person in that category so I got my first podium, which was pretty funny. Stayed for awards and had some food and then road home. Absolutely perfect weather day and I had a lot of fun racing and riding bikes. I will still do some bike racing as my running continues to pick up. I am unsure how much as it takes time, especially with travel for most events, but I'm not ready to give it up. 

AM: 6 miles, averaged 10:57. HR 130.

Legs are pretty banged up, but I still feel really good about the race yesterday. 

AM/Lunch: 6.4 miles, averaged 10:13. HR 137.

Legs still a little sore and heavy, but better than yesterday. Going to try to run before riding on my ride days this week to help increase mileage. Looks like a hot humid week with some air quality issues from the Canadian fires, so I am not looking forward to that.

4 weeks left of summer until Lawrence Tech starts. I think Oakland starts after Labor Day as we traditionally have, so that should provide a nice transition .

Lunch: 7.4 miles, averaged 8:49. HR 151.

Steady easy. Managed a few 8:30s without dying. Warmish and air quality was not great but not terrible. Don't recall what shoes I ran in.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 206W. HR 133.

AM: 10.2 miles, averaged 9:11. HR 161.

20' + 4 x 5'

Hot and air quality rough, but I didn't feel like running on the treadmill. I was pretty spanked by the end of the workout and I kind of knew that the paces would be slower than the targets, but that's fine. 20' up/down.

20' @ 7:33 (171 BPM), 5' jog

5' @ 7:09 (178 BPM) 3' jog

5' @ 7:18 (179 BPM) 3' jog 

5' @ 7:30 (179 BPM) 3' jog

5' @ 7:23 (180 BPM) 

HR was essentially the same for the shorter reps, but paces varied even on the 1 km tempo loop.

PM: 4 hours 2'. 166W. HR 145.

Humid and hot. Decent effort. Jumped on the back of A group as I was just on time. Lost contact at one of the intersections as I was waiting for part of the group as the other half pulled away. I should have just gone, but I was trying to keep the other group together. Ended up solo from the Proving Grounds on, so that was unfortunate. I would have rather have had a group to work with. 

Loop data: 223w @ 167 BPM 19 MPH, so we must have been moving along as I only did 17.5-18 MPH myself. I felt quite strong even after yesterday's run session. 

Stopped at RJ's with some folks on the way home for beers and food. That's the first time I have been out to RJ's since pre-COVID. Felt good to get out and hang out. I think this is my first TND since May or maybe very early June. Need to hit a few more this summer. I THINK I should be able to make it in the fall if I hustle after teaching. 

AM/Lunch: 5.6 miles, averaged 11:39. HR 134.

Dew point at 72 and I just couldn't run slow enough to keep my heart rate under 130. Call it "musculo-skeletal" recovery.

AM/Lunch: 120' on the trainer. 209w. HR 134.

I was going to get my LR in as normal, but it was humid and tomorrow looks like better weather. Didn't get in as long a ride as I scheduled, but 2 hours will do.

PM: 14.5 miles, averaged 8:17. HR 157.

120' w/ 80' Steady

Conditions were ideal. Mid-70s dew point in the low 50s and humidity in the 40s. Did a mixed surface loop of safety paths, some sidewalks, dirt roads, the Polly Ann, Orion Oaks two track, and neighborhoods. Kept my HR between 155-170 BPM for the steady portion and averaged 163 BPM and 7:46 pace. I was pleased to see the pace has dropped. My warm up was right at 9' and I had a few 7:30s mixed in the 80' section, so fitness is improving. 

AM: 5.7 miles, averaged 11:23. HR 122.

Nice and slow. Kept HR low. Going to be a lighter week toward the end of the week as we are doing a crash course in potty training. So no Thursday night ride this week. Probably due for a lighter week anyway as I have been 13-16 hours the last four weeks between running and cycling. 

185 miles this month, which is promising for the rebuilding of the machine take [whatever number this is]. That represents a good portion of my yearly total, so I think going forward I should increase each month.