Of Mice and Marathons

Off.

Didn't feel great. Anxious and really couldn't much, which almost never happens.

Off.

Really didn't eat much. Felt awful.

PM: 90' on the trainer.

A good deal better today. Did 30' @ roughly tempo effort to blow out the crap. Zwift was messing up, but thankfully it ate my warmup and not my workout or cool down.

30' @ 252W (HR 167)

About 40' up and 20' down. 

I was going to run, but was nervous about my foot, which has felt completely normal.

AM: 90' on the trainer. 203W. HR 150.

Felt decent today, but slept horribly. Couldn't fall asleep and then had crazy dreams and the cat was at the door and I didn't get much sleep down on the couch before the boys were up, but I got my coffee and got to work before they were fully ready to be up. Had a very productive day. 

50 and raining, so running would be fine, just overly cautious about my foot, which has still felt fine. Some anxiety during the day, but this feels like normal worry over normal things and that is managable and normal. Oakland starts tomorrow, but my classes are online. Lawrence Tech starts on Monday and I have a full section there this semester, so it is going to be extremely challanging, but I have better materials and a better sense of the course. It is similar to courses I have taught in the past.

Lunch/PM: 60' on the trainer. 196W. HR 146.

Oakland's classes started today.

PM: 6.4 miles, averaged 10:11. HR 150.

It got pretty dark and I didn't have a headlamp. Not sure if my old one works or where it is, so I ordered a new one. Might have to run in the early mornings or later in the evenings this semester. Still not quite sure. Working out the schedule, which takes about 2-3 weeks at least. 

Feeling a bit anxious. I think it is about my in-person class. Not sure why it is so intense as I didn't feel that way about teaching in person last semester.

Not sure if I ran in my Altras this day or not. I think the first day was Sunday.

AM: 90' on the trainer. 237W. HR 160.

4 x 10' @ 95% w/ 4' Recoveries 

Did an impromptu workout to try to burn off some anxiety. It felt good and not too hard but hard enough. I was thankful for that.

Interval 1: 289W @ 171 BPM

Interval 2: 288W @ 172 BPM

Interval 3: 287W @ 173 BPM

Interval 4: 286W @ 174 BPM

I got most of my work ready for the week so that I am not too anxious when we visit Megan's parents to do the boys Christmas gifts from them.

AM: 3.4 miles, averaged 10:24. HR 141.

Betwee recovery and easy. Wanted to get something short in before travel. I tested a new pair of Altras. I like them so far.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 193W. HR 137.

First day of the semester at Lawrence Tech. Did not have a great start, but it likely wasn't as bad as I thought it as. 

PM: 90' on the trainer. 209W. HR 151.

Got a decent amount of work done throughout the day. The boys went to their friend's. Felt much better today. Feeling like I am getting more settled, which balances me. Weight has dropped a bit, but I would rather that not come from being anxious and not having much of an appetite until later in the day.

AM: 6.5 miles, averaged 9:58. HR 147.

Ran before class. Not sure I have run at 7:00 since early 2019 maybe? Put me in a good frame of mind for the rest of the day. I think Mondays and Wednesdays I am going to need to get a run or a trainer ride in before class, then if time allows in the afternoon something else or just keep working. Feeling much better today than the last 10-12 days for sure. 

Lunch: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:41. HR 152.

Ran before individual meetings after putting the boys down for their naps. Felt pretty good. Settling into the semester quite well.

AM: 6.5 miles, averaged 9:58. HR 148.

Definitely felt more like January though not bad at all. Temps have been above normal and almost no snow. Great Janaury for running I suppose.

PM: 85' on the trainer. 234W. HR 158.

70' tempo effort w/ 10' up + 5' down

Felt quite strong. Tried not to press too hard. Did this in resistance mode to mix things up. Megan ran. Boys were at their friends for a bit.

Lunch/PM: 120' on the trainer. 215W. HR 145.

Somewhat hilly route to keep things interesting. Found out last night/afternoon that I got a summer class at Oakland, which was a total suprise, but it could not be better news. It means a decent chunk of money and means I can legitmately just take vacation from May to early July. 

We went to an Oakland basketball game with the boys. It was fun. They stood and danced and watched and the Pistons half time peformers did a bunch of trampoline dunks during the halftime of the game. Good stuff.

AM: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:44. HR 145.

Solid week of training getting back into routine. A bit over 10 hours. Just under 6 hours of riding and a bit over 4 hours of running. Next week will add a set of strides and move one run back up to 80'.

AM: 120' on the trainer. 206W. HR 136. 

100' of it was a progression w/ 20' @ tempo (10' progressions) and 10' @ sweet spot

PM: 6.8 miles, averaged 9:35. HR 148.

A little indulgent for MLK Day, but Megan went to campus because one of her students won a Keeper of the Dream Award, so I stayed with the boys.

PM: 90' on the trainer. 216W. HR 154.

5 x 10' (4') Recovery 

288W (164BPM), 286W (170BPM), 285W (173BPM), 283W (175BPM) 286W (178BPM)

Did these in resistance mode. Pretty challenging on the last interval. Settling into the semester and feeling quite good. 

AM: 5.8 miles, averaged 11:14. HR 131.

Recovery run before class. Felt good. Legs felt okay, but I figured it best to run at recovery effort so that I could absorb the bike workout and practice recovery run effort for when running workouts pick back up.

PM: 120' on the trainer. 196W. HR 137.

Put in a good amount of work throughout the day and watching the boys in the morning still allowed me to work a good deal, so I ended up riding longer than originally planned. Trying to stay ahead of the work as we have two trips planned this semester. 

AM: 7.7 miles, averaged 10:22. HR 10:22.

This is my long run. 80'. Kept it quite easy. Effort was definitely all-day pace, which is fine, especially given the training volume this week. Likely will be back up to 90' for the long run next week. Looking forward to working back up to around 2 hours. Got this in before meetings, which was good. Boys didn't go to their friends, so no seconday workout on the trainer, but I had a good afternoon with them.

AM/Lunch: 180' on the trainer. 230W. HR 153. 

4 x 30' @ Progressive Tempo w/ 5' Recoveries 

Decided I wanted something longer, but I didn't want to just spin moderately for three hours, so this is what I did. It was quite hard and although I have done a decent number of 2-hour rides recently, I have gone much over 2 hours or so since probably November I would imagine when I was still outside. Last interval had me working a bit, but I was unfueled and this was a big workout for January, but I am trying like crazy to get my weight back down.

243W (151 BPM), 249W (157 BPM), 258W (165 BPM), 267W (174 BPM)

PM: 4.1 miles on the treadmill. HR 135. 

Tried the treadmill and it wasn't working right after 44 minutes. I kind of knew it wasn't. Put in another service call, which won't be answered. Almost ordered an entry level Precor but then thought that was pretty reckless. I know the issue, but don't think I can get anyone to resolve it.

AM: 6.2 miles, averaged 10:29. HR 133. Did some strides.

5 x 20" strides

Roads were a little slippery from a light glazing of snow, bit not too bad. Found a place to do some strides. I am unsure if I have done a full set of formal strides since we moved. Probably I have, but now they are scheduled weekly.

PM: ~100' on the trainer.

Zwift Race 

Had a few workout ideas planned and thought of doing a steady group ride, but then decided to do a race as it has been some time. I did a race on my birthday last year as well (today was . I ended up missing the start of my picked race, but then jumped into another one that was shorter. I got crushed, but put in a good effort to start and when the gap opened it just increased. I tried to coast a little bit more to save some of my legs, but I am unsure how successful I was at this.

24' @ 295W (175 BPM)

15' up, 24' race, 60' easy down

AM: 6 miles, averaged 10:50. HR 129.

A fair amount of snow, scheduled for 6-8 inches, which is a big deal in these parts. I ended up making the executive decision to cancel my in-person class. 

Night: 60' on the trainer. 109W. HR 96.

Moved the trainer setup around a bit to give the basement a little more room and to work on the setup for a new TV. I never really got the old one setup quite right as I had it mounted way too high with my old trainer. Should have dialed in the setup before as I have spent probably 300+ hours (at least) on the new smart trainer since December 2021.

PM: 8.8 miles, averaged 10:13. HR 137.

90' long run. Safety paths were a mess around the school and near our subdivision. They were clear on the opposite side of the road. Go figure. Neighborhoods were slushy and hard packed in places. 

Tried to get a secondary session after dinner, but I ended up messing up a circuit in the basement trying to mount a new TV. Lost my mind for a bit. I'm out of practice with hands on stuff. The next morning I figured out I just trip reset switch on the outlet in nearest the panel. I had already tried to reset the breaker, which doesn't do anything. Ended up cancelling the electrician appointment. That would have been an easy, but expensive fix. I'll figure all this housing crap at some point. 

AM: 60' on the trainer. 216W. HR 142.

Cramped for time as I wanted 90', but I was cleaning the basement to prep for the electrician when I found the reset switch in the corner. Used TrainerRoad AI to detect new FTP of 306, but I forgot to change it in Zwift. Will likely keep both programs running for 1 more month to see what I can get for an increase. 

More snow coming tomorrow. 

AM/Lunch: 180' on the trainer. 232W. HR 153.

Big Workout

2 x 15' @ Tempo (5'), 6 x 8' @ Sweet Spot (2'), 2 x 15' Tempo (5')

244W (150 BPM), 258W (158 BPM); 271W (161 BPM), 280W (166 BPM), 279W (168 BPM), 284W (170 BPM), 283W (170 BPM),  282 (171 BPM); 242 (161 BPM), 249W (165 BPM)

This one was tough. Didn't really transition into these last two 3 hour rides very well, but I had a lot of 2 hour rides. Mixed in some quality to keep things interesting. My leg muscles were pretty dead by the end. I will likely just do endurance for 180' the next two weeks to absorb some of these bigger weekend workouts.

My long run will likely feature some quality this next week, so I will need to change up my schedule. As the running picks up, I think I want to still try to get a 3 hour ride and anything I can fit in after dinner and then when spring comes get back outside. I would like a shorter interval or tempo session, but once midweek running workouts come back, it will be too much to fit into one week. 3 quality sessions between running and riding is plenty, and likely too much. We shall see and adapt accordingly. 

AM: 5.8 miles, averaged 11:20. HR 128.

Got a light dusting of snow, which made things even more slippery. Managed to stay up for the most part, until some guy decided he wanted to walk on the wrong side of the path, then I kicked an ice block and rolled. Kept going. Much easier than crashing a bike at 25-30 MPH and breaking an elbow.

AM: 6 miles, averaged 10:46. HR 132.

Roads were covered. The slight hill on the neighborhood loop was like running in sand. I think this was the day I broke out my Katoola nanospikes. Screw shoes weren't cutting it.

Lunch: 7 miles, averaged 9:23. HR 145.

65' w/ 20' steady. 8' pace @ 163 BPM. It was quite slippery. Out and back on the safety paths. Worked out. 

PM: 90' on the trainer. 15' @ 204W. HR 127. 75' @ 231W. HR 157.

Second workout of the day. 6 x 5' @ ~105% w/ 3' recoveries. Boys when to their friends so I got some work in and then jumped on the trainer. Averaged 315.8 W/170.6 BPM, goal was around 320-325, but that was pushing it. 

AM: 5.9 miles, averaged 11:05. HR 129.

Recovery. Roads and paths still covered.

Night: 60' on the trainer. 112W. HR 94.

More recovery. Much easier to ride after dinner than run.

PM: 100' on the trainer. 236W. HR 148.

90' tempo 5' up/5' down

Around 245-250W for the tempo @ ~149 BPM, which I was pretty happy with. Didn't measure the actual 90' interval but have a good idea based on segments and the HR lap from my Polar. Felt really strong and my HR stayed quite low.

AM: 100' on the trainer. 179W. HR 120.

Took it easy, kept the HR low. Didn't quite get my planned two hours, but this was just fine. Boys went to their friends. I took care of a few light domestic things, such as returning bottles and setting some mouse traps in the attics.

I feel like my fitness has increased a good deal over the last month. Running is coming along slowly, but I am enjoying it and that is all I care about.

AM: 180' on the trainer. 230W. HR 146.

Strong ride. Did "The Pretzel" in Watopia. Very hilly. Did the route in 2:28 and then just did some other parts of the world to get 3 hours. 

I've been rewatching the Walking Dead. The early seasons were great.

AM: 9.8 miles, averaged 9:12. HR 145.

30' easy, 30' steady, 30' easy

7:49 pace @ 162 BPM. Slow progress. Hit two miles around 7:30 pace toward the end, but it had a little downhill. This week the workouts will extend the steady portions out. It's actually a nice little effort to run by as I don't concern myself with pace and it isn't too hard. 

AM: 6.1 miles, averaged 10:35. HR 124.

Recovery. HR seemed somewhat low and did have a few drops, but it generally does. Maybe it was just not having to run over completely covered surfaces. 

PM: 120' on the trainer. 222W. HR 141.

6 x 10' @ 90-95% (4')

Good workout. 288W @ 157 avg HR. HR stayed quite low and I exceeded targets as the workout went on: 272/275 (148 BPM), 278/275 (153 BPM), 289/285 (156 BPM), 287/285 (161BPM), 300/290 (162 BPM), 305/290 (165 BPM)

AM: 6.1 miles, averaged 10:40. HR 125.

Recovery. Legs felt solid. Just kept it slow and the HR down. Pace has dropped for these recovery runs considerably and I have no issues keeping my HR in the 120s. Snow has mostly melted except for where it refroze from slush. I have some steadier minutes this week, so looking forward to safer ground. 

PM: ~120' on the trainer. 

14' WU (146W, HR 102), 60' w/ 40' group ride (214W, HR 142), 20' race (295W, HR 169), 26' CD (128W, HR 125)

Decided to do a group ride, which I thought was going to be a straight steady effort, but the pace yo-yoed and we did some sprints, which was actually fun. Just wasn't what I was planning on. Saw that there was a race on the new Scotland course, so I jumped into that. Good effort.

AM: 8.4 miles, averaged 8:54. HR 147.

20' easy, 20' steady, 5' jog, 10' steady, 20' easy

7:39 (162) for 20' and 7:20 (166) for 10'

PM: 60' on the trainer. 111W. HR 94.

AM: 120' on the trainer. 190W. HR 127.

Planned on three hours, but got kinda bored and wanted to see the boys before their nap.

We had friends come stay. Their little boy was boy in March of 2020, so a few months older than the boys, but they are about his size.

PM: 11.5 miles, averaged 8:41. HR 152.

100' w/ 40' steady

30' up, 40' steady, 30' down. Made the mistake of eating leftover Detroit style pizza for lunch. Got through the workout okay, but struggled the rest of the day with GI distress and cramping. 

Started out on the Polly Ann, but it was pretty sloppy, so I headed to the tempo loop. Effort was maybe a bit higher than "steady," maybe more in line with aerobic builder efforts of old.  Did 5.35 miles in 40', so 7:29 pace w/ HR @ 168, which is probably the upper end to average for a marathon, though I have never worn a HRM during a marathon. Slow, but steady progress. I need to remind myself I had two+ years of very low mileage and I am only running 25-30 miles a week. Things should snowball from here. 

Next week the midweek has an additional 5' and the long run has an additional 10, so working up to just under 2 hours with 50' steady. Workouts right now are simple and straightforward, which works for me.

AM: 5.8 miles, averaged 11:08. HR 122.

Recovery. Did not want to get up, but I got it in. A bit lighter in the morning on my earlier runs. Pleased I have been motivated overall to get up earlier when I don't need to. 

Night: 60' on the trainer. 109W. HR 89.

PM: 2 hours 10' ride. 182W HR 133.

Got outside on the Crux for the first time since fall and the first outdoor ride in 3 months. Layered perfectly and rolled the dice on some of the dirt roads. They were in excellent shape and only slightly soft in a place or two and only a few very pot holed sections, otherwise absolutely fantastic. Average speed was 16, with HR fairly low. 

AM: 8.3 miles, averaged 8:25. HR 155.

20' steady, 5' jog, 15' steady

7:34 (167); 7:12 (171)

Felt decent. It was fiarly humid and around 50 with a solid wind out of th south west. Pace is dropping. 

Headed to Chicago tomorrow with Megan and the boys for Megan's conference.

AM: 5.8 miles, averaged 11:18. HR 124.

Drove to Chicago. We got caught in the freezing rain and other crap. Very scary for a while. Over a dozen cars spun out and off the road. It cleared up as we moved along thankfully. I had told Megan we needed to stop and stay at a hotel on the way because it was too dangerous, but we got into a place where it was more rain, so we made it.

Off.

A slight cold. We took the boys to the aquarium. 

Off.

Took the boys swimming at the hotel pool. They did quite well.

Off.

Was scheduled to do 1:50 with 50' steady, but I didn't feel like doing it with a cold because that doesn't work well for me these days. Took another day. Think it has been since the first of the year that I took any day off, so I was due. 

AM: 6.4 miles, averaged 10:08. HR 134.

Still have some very minor cold symptoms, but I was done taking days off. Headed to Florida to see my parents who have been staying in AirB&Bs since the first of the year. The boys' first plane ride, which should be interesting.

Lunch: 90' on the trainer. 220W. HR 148.

5 x 10' w/ 3' Recoveries

282 (154), 294 (162), 299 (169), 292 (171), 294 (172)

Decided to get a workout in even with a minor cold still. We ended up going to Megan's Uncle's early to leave for Florida as we had some awful weather coming through. It was a good thing we did.

Off.

We had a good dinner last night and got out the door at a decent hour to go to the local airport. Mostly rain, but it was very close to changing over. We got through the airport okay, but it was a bit stressful. We got into Punta Gorda around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. It was a good afternoon and evening around the pool. We stayed up late, which was very late for my brother. It was a bit crowded with 12 people in one small house.

Off.

Should have run, but with the boys and sort of post running career height if I don't want to run on vacation it is pretty easy to talk myself out of it. It would have been perfect to run with Megan, but I think she thought it would be too warm. 

This was the day we went to Robert's house, had lunch, and swam in the pool. 

Off.

We went to the beach. The destruction along the coast was very unsettling. There was a blown out concrete structure (looked like a garage), but I looked up and there was part of surf shop with mannequins up on the second floor. Boats were blown into the trees along the road there. 

Red tide was in the area, which everyone thought was not at this beach, but the dry cough confirmed it. Sawyer started to complain about his eyes, which we thought was just him being tired, but then I was near the water with Charlie I had to quickly get him back to Megan because it felt like I had been pepper sprayed. We left and my eyes burned the whole way home. It was awful. Sawyer and I were the only ones affected it seemed. 

We watched the Breakfast Club with my siblings and Mom at night. My dad has been collecting DVDs at flea markets and that was one of the ones he picked up. Pretty memorable night. 

The boys were wiped out. This might have been the morning Charlie slept through the morning like a teenager and took a looong nap in the afternoon in one of the regualr beds.

Off.

We went to the zoo, which was a lot of fun. I think the boys had a little trouble enjoying it as they were so exhausted. Josh and my niece and nephew left. Started to get a little sad because I knew Katie and Delia would be leaving early in the morning and it would be just us and Mom and Dad, who has been really good but in all the activity in the house I haven't really thought much about. 

Off.

We hung out in the morning and went to a beach where dad loves to spend time in his walker chair with a net collecting shells. We took the kids to a playground after. It was quite crowded. 

Off.

We hung out for a bit in the morning and then went to the airport. We got into Toledo around 8 or so. Chas picked us up at Toledo Airport. We drove home and got in around 10. Pretty tired. The boys were alseep of course, so we just put them right into their cribs.

PM: 120' on the trainer. 159W. HR 129.

HR up a bit as expected. Maybe some slight lingering congestion from previous cold or something new. Decompressing from visiting parents and getting back into the swing of things. We had a really good visit. A memorable trip for sure. 

AM: 6.2 miles before class, averaged 10:32. HR 140.

Felt a little sluggish and like there was some congestion I couldn't clear. Had an observation that I was nervous about and I hadn't see students in two classes, so it was weird, but the class went well overall. 

PM: 60' on the trainer. 216W. HR 152. 

Megan decided not to run, so I jumped on the trainer. Effort felt too high, but I just kept up with the programed workout. Tried clearing the crap out, but it felt stuck. Felt better overall, but felt a little foggy grading at night. And then  . . . 

Off.

Started to feel not great in the morning and got very tired. I layed on the couch while watching the boys. Charlie buried me with some toys. I started to feel slight chills and fever. Exactly how I felt after the second COVID shot and the booster. Took a test just before lunch. Positive. Well, so marks Jason's almost three year streak with the MO$*EDHDJ FEHDND virus. I had a good run. Felt pretty rough throughout the day. Slept through the early afternoon I think. Then from when the boys went down to late evening. Stayed up for just a bit with Megan and then went back to bed until maybe 10 or so the next day. 

Off.

Felt pretty crappy but better. Slept a fair amount. Ended up watching a little Netflix with Megan. I've been masking during the day and keeping some distance, but overall nothing too different from normal other than not sleeping in the same room. Boys are fine. 

Off.

Better but still cruddy. Did some shoveling because we got 8-10 inches of snow. I threw snowballs at the window at the boys to make sure I could see them and they weren't killing each other. They really giggled, which I haven't heard in quite a few days. We made a snowman with the boys, which lightened my spirits a good deal. Felt a bit better. Tried to do some work, but it was hard with the brain fog. Had some wine and watched Netflix with Megan. Finished Dead to Me.

Off.

Slept from 12:15 or so until 10. Felt a good bit better, but still quite tired. Hard to tell if it is the virus or from travel or both. Fever has been down since Thursday or Friday, which only peaked around 99.6. Ready to be done with this though so I can exercise and get caught up on the backlog of work. Thankful it hit when it did, as it could have canceled travel plans or made vacation absolutely miserable. Thankful to Megan for reminding me of this perspective.

On break from LTU this week, so I don't have to commute anywhere. I am on COVID house arrest until Tuesday anyway. Going to do the COVID restart protocol for exercise when I am feeling mostly 100%. I was advised to do a 30' walk, but think I will do the trainer as it will be easier to guage the effort for the basis of comparison. 

Off.

Feeling okay. Just tired. Really want to get some light exercise, but trying to stick with the return protocol. This is one week from my likley exposure.

Off.

End of 5-day isolation period. Went out to the grocery stores. I felt much better. Having been feeling agitated and not sure what to do with myself even among lots of work. It's likely cabin fever, as I felt a good deal better after being out and about. 

Really wanted a very light spin on the trainer, but told myself to wait. Moved some crap around in the basement and really got nowhere.

Off. 

Doing my entries on March 23. I don't recall.

PM: 60' outside. 170W. HR 137.

Decided I needed to get outside. I think I still tested positive either this day or maybe it was yesterday afternoon. Still a bit of brain fog and a little tired, but it could just be regular tired.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 133W. HR 112.

Felt decent. Just very easy intensity spinning. 

AM: 60' on the trainer. 145W. HR 117.

PM: 90' on the trainer. 133W. HR 125. 

Still don't feel 100%. Fine mostly, just still some slight brain fog and a little tired. Might just be recovering and stress.

Off. 

Tried to get up to run before class, but it just wasn't happening. I get off my rhythm running and it gets way off. Felt anxious to start the day and much better by the end.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 141W. HR 114.

Felt kind of down recently. Not crippling depression, just down. I assume this is a seasonal depression as it is not terrible and kind of feels like that, though it has been some time since I have experienced it. 

AM: 60' on the trainer. 171W. HR 119.

Got up before class. HR seemed really solid, almost normal. Resting HR dropping okay at night. Mostly normal, maybe slightly above, but that could be fitness loss.

PM: 3.4 miles, averaged 10:24. HR 142 + 60' on the trainer 133W. HR 127.

Felt awful on the run. Just mentally was not into it, felt just okay on the ride. First run since returning from Florida.

AM: 90' on the trainer. 153W. HR 130.

Mostly very easy but with some hard sprints. Hit some PR watts for peak and 5 second power. Felt some fatigue later in the day, just no energy. Not sure if it is still the virus kicking me or not. 

One of these days in here I took another COVID test and it was negative. The boys haven't been to their friend's as they have had COVID. 

Off.

I don't recall what was going on, but I still felt some fatigue so I just took it off.

PM: 120' on the trainer. 204W. HR 149.

Power and HR a little more normal. Feeling pretty normal mentally and physically. Nice to get in a solid two hours.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 176W. HR 129.

Didn't feel like getting up before class to run, so I did this in the afternoon. Anxious in the morning, good in the afternoon. Definitely much better physically and mentally.

PM: 2 hours on the fat bike. 170W. HR 152.

Decided to get outside. The Polly Ann was solid but a few muddy spots. The safety path portion was ice and snow so I took the rode. Decided not to go to Orion Oaks as I assumed it would be a swamp. The dirt roads were quite good for the winter we have had. Rough in a few places, but very dry overall. Chunky in places where they had recently graded. 

The boys went to their friends, which was much welcomed as they have been wild, aggressive, and very high energy. 

Lunch: 60' on the trainer. 182W. HR 132.

HR seemed a bit elevated. Resting HR higher than expected at night. 

PM: 3.5 miles, averaged 10:05. HR 145.

Much better than when I ran the other day. Broke in a new pair of Altras, even though I guess at 100 miles the other ones are still in their break in period. Felt good to get out and run. HR slightly elevated but not bad and likely due to fitness loss rather than anything else.

Lunch: 3.5 miles, averaged 10:13. HR 146.

PM: 90' on the trainer w/ 60' steady to hard.

~10' and ~20' down w/ 60' @ 280W @ 176 BPM

Group ride at what was much harder than it was billed. 3 watts per kilo is pretty hard for somewhat at my fitness and weight, but I figured I could do it and that the planned route would be around 60'. Felt strong through the first lap, but lost the group but you really don't notice drafting in a game; it's more a matter of having someone in front of you or to chase as it is in in-person racing. Just held steady to a bit more steady to pick up each lap. Came in just over 59' and figured there was no sense in not gettting a good 60' effort to get a sense of HR and power. Almost wish I would have pushed slightly harder earlier, but I wasn't sure if I would crack because other than a few 30" sprints I have done nothing harder in a month. 

AM: 3.1 miles, averaged 11:10. HR 134.

Went to get blood work done, but couldn't because of being a new patient, so now I have to make about three trips to get that done, get a form, fill something else signed, etc. 

Feels better to get the minimum time done for these runs as I build back up to wherever I was building back up to. Lost a lot of running fitness. Less noticable on the bike, however. I was surprised by yesterday's workout. 

AM: 60' on the trainer. 217W. HR 149. 

Was planning on 2-2.5 hours but just wasn't feeling like taking the rest of the morning after getting up late.

PM: 2 hours 35' on the trainer. 200W. HR 144.

Did some of the sprints and set some peak and 5" personal bests.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 197W. HR 131.

The boys have been pretty challenging. Very physical and violent. They are going to preschool in the fall. I think we all need it.

Lunch: 4.4 miles, averaged 10:09. HR 144.

Felt decent, like I am definitely back and ready to run.

PM: ~80' on the trainer. 

Zwift Race. 283W @ 175 BPM for 57:16

12' up/10' down

PM: 60' on the trainer. 96W. HR 96.

The boys have been quite challenging hitting each other and clocking each other over the head with heavy toys and so on.

PM: 3 hours 31'. 173W. HR 147.

Thursday Night Dirt!

Notice went out last night, so I started getting everything ready. Knew the roads were in decent if a bit rough shape, so I knew it wouldn't be long. Had a good ride and chatted with some folks I haven't seen since summer when I was last out. Rode there and back as usual. Someone asked if I rode there, which is funny because I stopped driving to ride about this time three years ago.

Loop data: 16.3 MPH, 196W. HR 155.

Off. 

Just didn't get anything in. Needed to run before meetings, but cannot recall why I didn't. I have had a hard time getting motivated to run on run days when it is earlier in the morning (even if not that early).

AM/Lunch: 90' on the trainer. 239W. HR 158.

4 x 10' @ 95% w/ 4' Recoveries 

Megan took the boys to a library event. I should have been doing work, but I got this in. Needed it. Semester stress and anxiety slowly building. 

Did 294 watts for all of them in ERG mode with HR 169-174. 

PM: 4.4 miles, averaged 10:12. HR 139.

Kind of blah. Just not feeling the running once again. Need to get back to four runs a week and it will feel more like a habit. Just easier to ride some days when I don't get out earlier in the day and end up on the trainer at lunch or when the boys are napping.

Off.

Blah. Turned off my alarm once again. Another zero. Will try to avoid too many of these for the month of April as the rest doesn't do much good.

I took the boys for a walk in the back field and on the subdivision trails. It rained a bit, but at this point they need to be outside and moving as much as possible. The house is somehow too small already. We saw a snake, which the boys enjoyed.

PM: ~105' on the trainer. 

Zwift Race. Same as last week. Faster with similar power and HR. 56:18' @ 281W. HR 175.

Tried to push the pace of the chase group, which really did nothing. I just wanted to put up a given set of numbers and although workouts can sometimes work that way races really don't. Stayed with the group I was with this time into the sprint. Beat some people but others beat me. Should probably race in the C category but I am too heavy for the power I am putting out, but I am not sure how strict the disqualification system is.

A good effort, just frustrated where I am at with both running and cycling fitness and overall weight. Can't seem to get it to move. 

Semester work is picking up and I am to the point in the semester where I have no idea how I am going to get it all done.  

Lunch: 90' on the trainer. 125W. HR 106. 

Recovery ride while the boys napped. 

PM: Thursday Night Dirt - 3 hours 14'. 180W. HR 152.

Seem to be making it pretty consistently this year, which feels good. Trying to remember any particulars of the ride, but I am 2+ weeks behind on my entries.

Loop Data: 18.1 MPH, 204W. HR 159.

PM: 94' on the trainer.

Zwift Race. 54:36. 276W. HR 166. The race had some uphills, but some fast downhills allowing be to catch back up. 

PM: 7.6 miles, averaged 8:37. HR 155. 

Warm and windy. Kind of frustrated running. Just keep going back and forth wheather or not I want to run for training.

AM/Lunch: 4 hours 16'. 191W. HR 142. 

Good ride to Fenton and back. 16.4 MPH over mostly dirt roads with some pavement. A few new miles. 

I think the boys had a good Easter. Yesterday we did the subdivision egg hunt, which was a lot of fun.

AM: 60' on the trainer. 87W. HR 93.

I guess this was in the morning and not at lunch, but that seems wrong as I must have been teaching at that point.

Lunch: 6.9 miles, averaged 9:27. HR 153. 

PM: ~80' on the trainer.

Zwift Race. Same one I have been doing a good bit on Tuesdays. 59:15. 266W. HR 167. A little more conservative racing, but premature on the sprint. Opps. Legs were tired from running at lunch.

Lunch: 60' on the trainer. 165W. HR 123.

Mostly recovery with 2 Volcano Circuit hot laps. Probably could have done with all recovery.

PM: Thursday Night Dirt - 3 hour 56'. 174W. HR 156. 

Warm out. People are doing Barry Roubaix, so attendance was light. I ended up riding with A group, which was spicy but not completely on fire. Small group. 

Loop data: 19.4 MPH. 221W. HR 171.

Boys turned two and a half today.

PM: 6.6 miles, averaged 9:08. HR 160. 

Steady. Pretty warm. Tired. Ran out of energy. 

AM/Lunch: 3 hours. 165W. HR 134. 

Out the Polly Ann to Casey and then through Oxford and Metamora. Roads were very slow in places, super fast in others. The Polly Ann had some muddy spots on the Lapeer County section, otherwise good. A very good easy ride. No pushing. 

PM: 120' on the trainer. 218W. HR 137.

Really started to notice an increase in fitness this week, particularly on this ride as the power was up and HR down.

Lunch: 90' on the trainer. 216W. HR 135.

The boys took a slightly longer nap, so I got in a bit more time than usual.

PM: ~80' on the trainer. 

Zwift Race. 58:58 @ 282W. HR 170.

Tried to ride off the front of a chase group. Got caught in the last stretch. It was another idiot approach, but it was kinda fun trying to not get caught. Solid effort. Roughly the same power output as some of the earlier April efforts, but lower HR. I would like to see this race closing in around 300W at a lower racing weight, even with a higher HR. I think I can push around 177 BPM for this setup.

Lunch: 60' on the trainer. 106W. HR 95.

Had more time as the boys were naping longer. Last night they didn't sleep super well as they were on their matresses for the first time on the floor because they started climbing out of their cribs. Need to assemble their toddler beds this weekend. Bought them a while ago. Just wasn't ready to have them in them until it was absolutely necessary. 

PM: Thursday Night Dirt - 4 hours 19'. 195W. HR 155.

Weather was nowhere near the forcast. Still not bad. Rode A group. Felt good as we got going, but I had felt a little sluggish on my warmup there. I dropped a bottle on Gunn and people called it out, so I felt like I needed to be polite and go back and get it (I didn't want to). Bridging the gap back to A group was not something I wanted to try. I chased them for 4.5 miles and caught them. I am not sure if they were slowing, but I definitely was pushing. I think I was solidly over 300 watts. I wish I had hit the lap button for the data. Kept a solid pace with the group. Took a bad line in some loose gravel on the Dequindre Hill and got dropped. The combination of bridging back to the group and taking some solid pulls left me gassed. 

Took an extended detour home. Needed about 4 hours, so I went down the Clinton River Trail and then down Squirrel to campus and went through there and back toward home. 

Loop data: 20.2 MPH, 255 watts, HR 172

AM: 6.2 miles, averaged 10:31. HR 136.

50 and rainy. Good run though even though I would rather have stayed dry and watched Netflix on the trainer.

AM: 90' on the trainer. 232W. HR 150. 

Progressive pedal pressure. Headed to Toledo as Megan is running the Glass City Half tomorrow. We had a good night and a good dinner.

Off.

The boys and I slept until 8:30. We missed the finish of Megan's race, but it was cold. She was a touch faster than last year and was pleased with her time. We had a small party for her Mom in the afternoon and then headed back to Lake Orion.

Lunch: 120' on the trainer. 209W. HR 134.

The boys took a long nap, so I kept pedaling. 

PM: 135' on the trainer. 231W. HR 148.

2 hours of pressure, around 234-240 watts average. 

Lunch: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:40. HR 145.

Some new roads. 

Lunch: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:45. HR 145.

PM: Thursday Night Dirt - 4 hours. 190W, HR 151.

Good ride. Very fast in A group and a few of us got dropped early and worked together. I started to drop a bottle at one point, but caught it by pinch it between my calf and the seat tube. Don't have data for the full loop as I turned around before the actual end of the loop but for 80' we were 20.1 MPH 242 watts @167 BPM

Took a slightly different route home than I have been. It was getting chilly. Had a good ride. I think this makes five in a row, perhaps my most consistent attendance since pre-COVID, but I will have to check.

AM: 5.9 miles, averaged 11:04. HR 132.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 113W. HR 100.

AM: 7.1 miles, averaged 9:09. HR 148.

50s and light rain, pretty much as yesterday. Four run days in a row. I haven't done that in a while I am pretty sure. Back on track with my running. Semester was over on Wednesday, so I just have a little work for Oakland and submit grades tomorrow. Lawrence Tech will be done next week some time. Feeling good.

Ended up submitting grades, which was definitely a PR.

PM: 180' on the trainer. 205W. HR 142.

A bit of an overly ambitious workout. 20'-15'-12'-10'-8'-4', which started at 95% and went to 105%. I haven't done anything over 10-12' this year so I was nervous, but the 20' felt pretty good. I don't think I have done anything over 15'. The 15' was tough the last few minutes, the 12' I was hanging on to dear life by the end, and I didn't want to do the 10' but I got through. HR overall was not too bad and never got into the 180s, but my breathing was up there, so I assume that is just fitness coming along. Skipped the rest as it was counterproductive. Kept it pretty much steady zone 2 from there. Got my time in.

20' @ 294W. HR 165

15' @ 294W. HR 167

12' @ 294W HR 168

10' 297W. HR 169

PM: 6.3 miles, averaged 10:25. HR 130. 

+ Weights after. 

Trying to get into a light weight routine after my easy runs a few times a week. Watched the boys throughout much of the day as Megan had Spring Conference. It was damp and cold when I went out. Stuck to the dirt roads and Polly Ann in an attempt to return my running to softer surfaces. Feeling pretty good.

AM/Lunch: 120' on the trainer. 145W. HR 105.

Recovery week. Trying to schedule these every 4 weeks. Basically no midweek bike workout, trainer rides are very low HR and running is between recovery and regular aerobic runs. Long run back up to 80' this week, and will build to 90' next week and go up from there as I was doing back in February. Not sure what the roads are going to be like for Thursday Night Dirt, so I will figure that out. 

16.5 hours of training last week, which was pretty ambitious for the last week of Oakland's classes!

Lunch: 105' on the trainer. 147W. HR 110.

The boys have been napping long because they don't fall asleep until after 9:00 PM. Had enough time to finish of 2 hours, but decided to stop.

PM: Thursday Night Dirt - 4 hours 17'. 179W. HR 147.

Good, fast ride. Roads were sketchy in a few place. I almost ate it going through the Proving Grounds. Thought I was going to take out one of the ladies who was riding A group, but I held on. 

Loop Data: 20.2 MPH. 237 watts, HR 165

AM: 6.3 miles, averaged 10:18. HR 132.

Recovery run. Pollen must be a bit high. I hacked a good bit.

AM: 9.3 miles, averaged 9:07. HR 147.

A little sluggish on the uphills. Ran some new roads, which has been nice. 85', moving back up to 90' next week and then some work will likely be mixed in.

PM: 7 miles, averaged 9:16. HR 152.

Quite humid but not hot. HR drifted a good bit toward the end.

AM: 7 miles, averaged 9:21. HR 147.

PM: 5 hours 4'. 174W. HR 140.

Submitted my Lawrence Tech grades while watching the boys because I needed out of the way. Planned on about 4 hours, but longer if it worked out. Had a really good ride. Very easy the first two hours (HR 125), two hours a little more steady and mostly dirt and uphill (HR 147) and then an hour more moderate (HR 156). Felt very strong. Weather was absolutely perfect (upper 70s, sunny and dry). 

AM: 6.1 miles, averaged 10:40. HR 132. 

Recovery primarily.

PM: 4 hours 3'. 189W. HR 152. 

Around 80, sunny, quite dry. Did a predetermined loop, which worked out fine. Ortonville, Fox Lake Road, Sutton, south on Lake George chasing a long KOM (35:50 @ 261 watts HR 178, 19.5 MPH), which was still quite out of reach. I found it easier to rip through the 11 mile segment on Tuesday but I think they did some slight grading and I had a rare tailwind out of the northish (just didn't know the segment was there at the time). Went through some fluids. Even stopped at the fancy new old fashion hand pump station along Paint Creek. Took a bit of elbow power to turn it over, but it worked. 

AM/Lunch: 6.2 miles, averaged 10:32. HR 129.

Allergies have been bugging me. Good run, but some slight coughing from the pollen.

AM: 6.3 miles, averaged 10:17. HR 136.

Planned on 90' but I was terrifically hungover, so I cut it short. I haven't done that it quite a long time.

PM: 3 hours 5'. 199W. HR 140.

20'-15'-10'-5' at Stony Creek. Windy as usual but it was a bit nuts at times. Still ended up riding pretty fast. Exceeded power numbers on all intervals. 

20' @ 294 watts @ 160 BPM w/ 6' recovery 

15' @ 307 watts @ 165 BPM w/ 5' recovery 

10' @ 311 watts @ 167 BPM w/ 3' recovery 

5' @ 325 watts @ 168 BPM 

Felt pretty solid after a slightly sluggish feeling first interval. Need to do some faster stuff during the warmup to help with that. I will likley keep extending these out over the next several weeks building toward Watermoo. 

PM: 6.5 miles, averaged 10:05. HR 133.

Recovery. Decently warm. Good to see 10' pace getting closer to getting toward lower 130s. Would like to see it in the low 120s by the end of the year. 

AM: 6.9 miles, averaged 8:46. HR 150.

20' steady in the middle @ 7:19 HR 168

First faster work in 12 weeks. Felt decent. Not fast but it's a start. Weather was warming up but quite favorable. 

Boys had a doctors appointment and a birthday party, so it was a busy day for them.

AM/Lunch: ~4 hours total. 2 hours 31 outside. 156W. HR 127. 90' on the trainer. 203W. HR 142.

Cold. Around 40 or even below. Rode my fat bike outside for something different and I was having shifting issues on the Crux. Hit up Bald Mountain South, which was almost completely dry this time of year and the newly opened Friendship Park, which was smooth dirt and lots of berms and jumps. I was suprised by how good it was. I really thought it was just nature trails. Orion Oaks was closed for lot resurfacing, so I skipped that and did some dirt roads to round off my time. 

Helped Megan get the boys down for their naps, grabbed a snack and some fluids and changed clothes and got an extra 90' in on the trainer. Had time for 120' but my butt was starting to ache. 4 hours is better than I had originally planned as it took me a little while to get moving in the morning.

PM: Thursday Night Dirt - 4 hours 4'. 193W. HR 143.

Rode the fat bike and help keep track of B group. Pace was very light, lighter than I would have liked, but a few people would have been chewed up. Headed to Orion Oaks after to finish off my planned 4 hours. 

Lap Data: 16.4 MPH, 210 watts, HR 147.

AM: 12.1 miles, averaged 9:05. HR 144.

Very good run. Kept things right in the sweet spot of easy. Rx was 100' but I took a turn down a dead end. Weather was quite favorable.

PM: 2 hours 15. 88W. HR 96.

My neighbors ride I have done the last three years. Out and back on the Polly Ann. It was cold.

AM: 6.5 miles, averaged 10:02. HR 136. 

Warmer than yesterday. Perfect running weather. Wanted a longer ride on the bike, but I switched my weekend days. 

15 hours 22 minutes this week. 5 hours of running and 10+ hours of cycling. Nice to get in a light midweek workout and a long run. Starting to build momentum. 

AM: 7.3 miles, averaged 8:59. HR 145.

Felt great. Ran some 8:30s and 8:20s without killing myself. It's been a bit since I have been able to do that, maybe early COVID or before. Been a while anyway.

PM: 5 hours 45' on the fat bike. 186W. HR 148.

The Whole Polly Ann(chilada) in 2:31:25

Decided to go out the Polly Ann for a while and turn off when I felt like it. Didn't think I had enough time to do the whole thing and then do the dirt road return, but I was moving at a good clip. 17 MPH for the Oakland County section, which is solid on a fat bike. Kept going and hit the rough sections, which chewed up my average pace. It was muddier than last year, which I didn't expect given that it has been very dry. Almost ate it in some muddy truck tracks, but worked through. 

Took some of the dirt roads home and hit some paved stuff as well as I took a different direction home than I did last year. I can't believe I did the rough sections on my gravel bike last year. I won't do that again. Fat bike was perfect. Stopped at a store in Lapeer about 3 hours 30 into it, but didn't stop other than at crossings when I needed to. 86.4 miles on a fat bike, even a fast one is a long haul. Managed to get in 32 new miles.

AM: 8.7 miles, averaged 8:41. 

20' steady + 10' steady

I wasn't sure how my legs would respond after riding long yesterday afternoon, but the workout went well. A good bit faster for the 20' than last week at the same heart rate and the 10' was a good bit faster than the 20' interval, which is how it should be. Finally dipping back under 7:00. Long way to go but some very visbile progress this week. Keeps the carrot in front of me.

20' @ 7:07 @ 169 BPM

5' jog 

10' @ 6:53 @ 173 BPM

PM: 6.2 miles, averaged 10:34. HR 131.

AM/Lunch: 10.2 miles, averaged 8:53. HR 149.

90' w/ 30' steady 

Weather was favorable. Warm but not hot and the air quite dry. Target was 7:12-7:15 based on the midweek workout, but I was slow to start as I was half asleep and went over my 30' warmup and just jumped into it. Ended up at 7:29 @ 166 BPM, so essentially marathon effort, which is about right. The intervals this week were on the slighlty higher end and this was a bit more comfortable. Slow, but I don't think I have run 4 miles in 30' in quite a few years.

Hoping to match or exceed paces from the midweek this week next week when thing go to 20' + 15' and hopfully around 7:10-7:15 next week when the long run steady portion moves to 40'.

Got all my runs in, so I guess this means I get to ride bikes all weekend.

AM/Lunch: 2 hours 36'. 208W. HR 138.

Ended up doing an hour easy and then a 90' tempo to work on my Watermoo race preparations. Target was around 245-265 watts. Hit 247 with some coasting and stops, so not bad. HR was apparently 150 average but that seemed low. Managed 18.8 MPH over dirt roads and the Polly Ann. Not a ton of climbing, but some hills. I will have a better sense when I repeat this effort. 

Working on finding a race before August. Just not sure what is going to work. I wanted to do one in Ann Arbor this weekend, but we had a graduation party.

Off.

We had a graduation party in the Toledo area. I was due for a day off I suppose. Need to look at when the last day off was.

AM: 7.5 miles, averaged 8:44. HR 149.

Felt pretty good despite the cottonwoods coming out. Add those to the seasonal allergies, which are still driving me nuts.

PM: 4 hours 6'. 173W. HR 145.

25'-20'-8' 

Way too ambitious in the heat. I had down 25'-20'-15'-10'-5', but I started dropping power as I progressed and knew it wasn't going to work. Realistically, I should have added a shorter interval rather than doing the same workout as a few weeks ago, but beginning with 25' effort. Alternatively, I could have do 2 x 20' at a slightly higher effort than the 25' and the 20'. I was grunting pretty hard on the last one, so I just called it and got my four hours in. 

25' @ 295W @ 170 BPM

20' @ 286W @ 174 BPM

8' @ 288W @ 175 BPM

Probably could have focused a bit more on HR than power for this one. The 170s aren't too bad, but I just felt I couldn't force it. 

AM: 8.3 miles, averaged 9:40. HR 154.

Blown workout. Scheduled to do 20' + 15' steady, but it was getting hot early and the air quality is bad. HR started to creep and I just didn't want to run that hard for what was going to be a slower pace. Was looking for about 7' pace for the 20' and 6:50 for the 15'. Pulled it at 12', the pace of which was 7:31 @ 171 BPM. Had I continued at that effort it would likely have been in the mid 170s, which just isn't the right effort for the workork. Jogged out my remaining time. I haven't been that sweaty after a run in quite some time, certainly not this year.

I will likley skip Thursday Night Dirt this week and ride easy and shorter inside as I am trying to limit my sun exposure a bit. Need an easier day and really a recovery week, which I had origionally scheduled, but that will likley start this weekend and into next week, especially if I race in two weeks (the bike, not the running shoes kind).

PM: 2 hours 14'. 154W. HR 135.

Testing out some Maurten 320. It's a lot of carbs in 16 oz. Think it is the ticket for bike racing. Easier than getting in gels, but I will take those too. Signed up for the Cow Pie Classic long haul course. This will be my first race since breaking my elbow in August. 

AM/Lunch: 7 miles, averaged 10:07. HR 141.

Respected the heat and air quality and won out. Tried a few new roads.

Off.

Started to feel off this day. Anxiety increased. Just kind of comes out of nowhere. The next 4-5 days were pretty rough, with one day being absolutely brutal.

Off.

Anxious. This day or Saturday we were going to try to get the boys in the stroller to see if they would cooperate, but I was in such a state of anxiety I coudn't get the chuck to work to air up the tires.

PM: 6.8 miles, averaged 9:35. HR 148.

5 x 20" strides. Rested in the morning in bed to lessen the anxiety and squeezed this in even though it was my time to be with the boys. 

PM: 3 hours 4'. 164W. HR 134.

5 x 5' (3')

Tried a shorter but more intense inteveral session for race week. Want them to be around 340-350, but I haven't been able to eat much, so I think that was part of why I was a little weaker. Averaged 332 watts. HR was not that high but breathing was tough. 

AM: 3.3 miles, averaged 10:43. HR 128.

Felt absolutely awful and shut it down. My body and legs felt as if I couldn't move. Not enough calories. Wobbled down our street a little bit and was a bit dizzy. I think this was the day/afternoon my anxiety was absolutely brutal. I worked through it but was almost not able to function. Stuttering and shaking.

PM: 2 hours 7'. 176W. HR 148.

Air quality has been absolutely awful but I went outside anyway. Did 2 x 10' at race effort and then a 5' at race effort because I went down a road that hit a busy highway. Called it mostly good from there. Did attack a 2' segment and came close, but was still 3 seconds off. Felt pretty good after my ride. The boys sang happy birthday to my mother, which was a good memory.

AM: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:48. HR 147.

Air quality was absolutely awful. Probably should have stayed inside the last two days and not had the boys outside, but they really love being outside right now. Felt decent today. Starting to feel a good bit better. Forcing myself to eat. I think part of the issue is I have been nervous about the race, but also very anxious about our Maine trip next week. Dad's health is getting worse and everything is challanging right now. Fortunately, I am off for the summer other than an online class in July/August, which I am very thankful for.

COW PIE CLASSIC (Long Haul)

AM: 3 hours 51'. 188W. HR 166.

Should have written this one up sooner. I can see now (June 29) that this was the stop of my blog entries. Had some issues the weekend before with stress and anxiety and not able to eat much early in the day, but got some sessions in during the week and felt tired but okay. I was very nervous about this race and was tempted not to ride, but decided I was just a little gun shy about racing since I broke my elbow in August. 

I was out of my mind with anxiety the morning of, tried to settle down and was generally very confused but told myself it was just race nerves. Warmed up a bit and felt better. Got to the start line but it was already packed and my race and wave went off and I didn't realize it was first, so I moved through the corral with my bike and really embarrassed myself (easier to do in a running race for sure) and I am sure my teammates saw me as the kit and bike are pretty loud. 

Started chasing whoever I could find, just wondering if I should call it a day as I was in such a mental rut and escalated selfdoubt and criticism I wasn't sure if I should be riding my bike. Tried to press to my goal pace and met up with some people but throughout the race no one wanted to work together, so I was smoked by 30 miles and spent a long time in what was easily one of the worst death marches I have ever completed. There's no much to do on rural dirt roads to get home, other than call sag or be in an ambulance as I did last time. 

There were some farm sections, which were sandy and challenging but pretty cool. Finished the race after trading some jokes with a guy the last few miles. Looked for food and water, but struggled. I was very confused and tired and slightly ill (nowhere near as bad as Boston 2014 though). 

I did a lot wrong in the week leading up to this race. I think I started to be anxious about my performance, but also impending travel to Maine and my dad's health decline. He's having a lot of trouble walking. Comes in ups and downs. Just wish my mother wasn't his primary caregiver. 

Took a while to reflect and wonder if bike racing is for me, especially since my running is (and is supposed to be) picking back up. I enjoy riding bikes and I do like race them, I just have a lot to work on. Bad races happen, but this was just a perfect storm of crap. Not sure if I will do Watermoo as I did last year, which I throughly enjoyed and was one of my most memorable bike races. Just going to be hard with the summer session. I'm okay with that even though I wanted to make it a yearly thing. 

Off.

I wasn't feeling it. This was around the time the first round of air quality warnings started I think. 

AM: 3.8 miles, averaged 9:15. HR 143.

Short run as I was short on time. Can't remmeber why.

Lunch: 60' on the trainer. 215W. HR 146.

Jumped on the trainer while the boys napped after getting some fluids and a snack. quite sweaty on the run and tired. Felt okay on the trainer.

Off.

Don't recall the reason. Air quality not great, but not as bad as it ended up being at the end of this month.

PM: 120' on the trainer. 197W. HR 138.

Felt pretty decent. Stayed inside as the air is making me cough.

PM: 6.6 miles, averaged 9:53. HR 145.

Air was rough, but I took it slow. Felt generally pretty decent. Travel to Maine tomorrow. Excited to see my family but very anxious as I always am with travel, especially with the boys. We ended up driving as ticket prices are nuts right now,

Off.

We got a decent start to the day and the boys were really good in the car. We ended up driving all the way to Mass, which is a PR with them. Usually we stop of on I-90 somewhere between Buffalo and Albany. We got out fairly far and we weren't fiding much for hotels right off the highway. Boys went to bed at 12:30 AM I think, but they had slept a little bit later in the day in the car. I didn't even both with the Pack n' Plays. They were a bit animated, but we turned the lights out and they settle right down. We managed to put ourselves under 4 hours out for a 15 hour driving trip, which set us up well for the second day.

Off.

Got into Maine in the early afternoon. Hung out with family. Dad's mobility has declined a good deal.

AM/Lunch: 6.7 miles, averaged 9:39. HR 151. 

Felt awful. Dehydrated and a mild cold I have had for probably two weeks. Was really trying to get off my current mode of not running while visiting my parents. Avoided the 0 one day, but this was it. Thought running would make me feel better, but it didn't. 

Off.

Don't recall what we did this day. Need to keep up with the blog when we travel.

Off. 

Off.

I think this was the day we went to Duncan's soccer game. Saw a goal scored on a corner off a headed. It was pretty impressive.

Off.

Our 9th anniversary. We went to dinner at Slates. My siblings nicely took the boys fishing and took care of them. This is perhaps the second or third time we have had a dinner out without the boys. 

Off.

Travel day. Stopped somewhere in New York. Slept a good bit in the car. Exhausted. 

Off.

Back to Michigan at a decent hour. Pretty exhausted and anxious. The boys did well. 

Off. 

Mentally an okay day. Megan went to see friends, so I had the boys for a good bit in the afternoon and evening. The power surged and knocked out the fridge, which is a 2007. The ice flapper was opening and closing and a light going in and out, so I ripped that out. 

Off.

Slept in a little and layed in bed and then went to the Home Depot for coolers and ice as the fridge stopped working completely. Pretty anxious day, but I was able to use the energy somewhat productively.

PM: 60' on the trainer. 130W. HR 119.

Kept it easy and felt okay. Mentally what I needed. 

AM: 120' on the trainer. 153W. HR 125.

Felt pretty dang good. Kept it quite easy. I think this was the day we took the boys to the Home Depot to pick out a new fridge. I was pretty anxious, but primarily because it's not a great store for young kids.

PM: 120' on the trainer. 170W. HR 140.

Felt quite good. Did easy/steady alternating laps of one of the London courses. Signed up for a Planet Fitness membership, which I had for 4-5 years before COVID. Air quality is still garbage and I need another inside option. Lifetime Fitness made it practically impossible to get ahold of anyone to schedule a tour and trial pass. Just thought I would try something different. Signed up for Planet Fitness online, downloaded the app, and was ready to go for the next day. A very tough model to beat. It's at the mall, so I worried it would be busy (it turns out it is NOT).

AM: 90' on the treadmill. HR 158.

Checked in at Planet Fitness, got a read on the setup and found a well-positioned treadmill. Going to work out just fine I think. Picked up some Shokz earphones a few days ago and just listened in Jason Isbell (pretty much all I listen to the last 3 years or so). Kept going because I wasn't sure how busy it might be on a Saturday morning. Turns out it's not. Who goes to a gym at the largest outlet mall in Michigan? 

Breathing felt easier than the HR would suggest. Air quality still not great, but supposed to improve over the next few days. 

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.