Justin Park

No run today.

A.M. - 75 mile bike ride to Big Mountain then back south along Wasatch to 12300 S. Back on 1300 East. About 6.1K feet of total climbing. Kept things pretty easy. Just wanted to get some quality time in the saddle. Made it on two bottles of fluid (plus couple bars) and didn't have to make any pit stops which was nice. Good ride.

A.M. - 35 minutes easy on the gym TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 8.0 mph
5 mins @ 8.5
10 mins @ 9.0
10 mins @ 9.5
5 mins @ 10.0

Running legs are coming around from Saturday's race.

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles)

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM at the gym, all flat:

10 minutes @ 9.0 mph
10 mins @ 9.5
20 mins @ 10.0
15 mins @ 10.5
5 mins @ 11.0

Boost
 

P.M. - 35 mile ride. Relatively easy. Very similar to the one I did Saturday with Scott. North on Wasatch to the top of the hill by the zoo. Then back. Extended up to the mouth of LCC and then around my neighborhood a bit to get a round 35. Last road ride before Lotoja. I'm excited to get the Enve wheels back on! Bike is all clean and getting a little tune-up tomorrow.

A.M. - 15-miler. Little Cottonwood Rd/Wasatch Blvd in normal direction. Nice morning, on the border of being cold. Let's get this darn smoke out of the valley though how 'bout.

Hoka Bondi 3

P.M. - Mountain biking. 2 times up and down the Little Cottonwood trail. Keeping the cycling legs warm for Saturday.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
15 mins @ 10.0
20 mins @ 10.5
15 mins @ 11.0
5 mins @ 11.5

Ready to roll tomorrow. It's going to be fun!!

LoToJa 2014

Much different experience this year (i.e. much slower) as a result of doing it with a team of friends this year and our ride strategy, but still a very fun time. Felt good and strong the whole ride.

More to come later...

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines; 3 mins each @ 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 5 mins @ 3.5
2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat
7.5 mins @ 10.5, flat
15 mins @ 11.0, flat
5 mins @ 11.5, flat

Boost

Felt a little tired, but the legs hung in there and did what I wanted them to do today. Despite LoToJa on Saturday, I guess not having run since Friday meant that the running legs had something to give this morning.

Though LoToJa is now in the past, I'd like to maintain some consistency on the bike for the next few weeks. Close week at work is upon me the next few days. I kind of feel like getting on the bike this afternoon and my work schedule will probably permit for it. But I've also got a sports massage scheduled, so I'll need to make a choice. The weather looks great out my window right now, but forecast is for scattered showers. I'll probably opt for the massage tonight and plan to get out on the bike on Wednesday.

A.M. - 15 mile route. Normal direction. Late night last night. Consequently got a late start, but got the miles.

A.M. - Up super late last night. Got about an hour of sleep. An easy slow 9 miles outside was all I had time/energy for this morning.

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles).

A.M. - 15 miler. Triangle in reverse. Very nice weather/temps.

Hoka

P.M. - Mountain bike Thursday. Went out to be one with nature. Twice up and down the Little Cottonwood trail. Leaves are turning and starting to fall. It's so awesome up there right now. I really look forward to these afternoons. They're a nice change up. Hope to get in one or two more over the next couple of weeks before running out of daylight.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5
27.5 mins @ 11.0
Next 17.5 mins were alternating 2.5 mins between11.5 and 11.0 (total of 10 mins @ 11.5 and 7.5 mins @ 11.0).

Was originally hoping to hold the 11.5 for the last 15 or even 17.5 mins straight, but wasn't feeling quite up to it this morning (maybe still residual from the marathon or Lotoja or mtn biking last night). The 2.5 alternating felt pretty good though and mentally a lot easier. A decent morning.

Boost

A.M. - 3 times up and down the 9-mile route.

P.M. - Guardsman Pass Ride (~50 miles). Made it from my house in Sandy to the top in just under 1:53. Might be my record. The new wheels and slight tailwind much of the way  helped I'm sure. Good ride. Beautiful time of year for riding. Man, I don't know if I've ever seen so much car traffic in the canyon though... Not sure what was going on.

3 mile leisurely Sunday walk. First 0.5 around the block with my daughter who wanted to stop and sample a leaf off each tree we went passed. The rest was solo up around Granite Park and back.

A.M. - Same TM run as last Monday:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0 with progressive inclines with 3 mins each @ 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5 mins @ 3.5.
2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat
7.5 mins @ 10.5, flat
15 mins @ 11.0, flat
5 mins @ 11.5, flat

Boost

The following is for my own reference regarding sleep... Had a terrible time falling asleep last night and ended up getting very little shut eye. Happens to me from time to time, especially on Sunday nights. Not sure why, but just couldn't shut my mind off and the heart rate seemed to stay a bit elevated. In the past I've suspected that it could be due to:

(1) too much sugar or sodium intake on Sunday night (though I've been watching it lately and that shouldn't have been the case last night),
(2) stress about the upcoming week, usually work-related stuff (possibly, though I'm not particularly stressed right now),
(3) too warm in my bedroom (very possible, it was warm last night),
(4) little to no exercise on Sunday (quite possible, though I did walk 3 miles and I've usually found that helps. I think I definitely sleep better on days I double and/or bike and cycle),
(5) napping on Sunday afternoon (didn't do it and I usually don't),
(6) too much sleep Saturday night (possibly. Got about 9 hours and 15 mins Saturday night. Definitely more than I get most nights, but I don't think it was excessive given my running and cycling activity on Saturday).

Who knows, but I'd like to try and identify and eliminate the cause(s) for the sleeplessness.

Anyways, the one bad night's sleep usually doesn't affect my physical energy levels much the next day (kind of like how not sleeping much the night before a big marathon really doesn't adversely affect your race). It maybe made this morning's run a little tougher than usual. More the anything, I think it slows down the sharpness of my mind for the day. And its very possible I'll be lethargic for Tuesday morning's run. Good news is that historically the night immediately following these bad sleep nights usually ends up being a good sleep night, so that hopefully bodes well for tonight.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else experiences something similar to this, what they suspect the causes are, and what they do to remedy.

P.M. - Millcreek ride (~40 miles). Great ride.

A.M. - 15 mile course plus one. Triangle in normal direction.

Hoka

A.M. - 60 mins on the TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5
25 mins @ 11.0
5 mins @ 11.5
5 mins @ 10.0
2.5 mins @ 10.5
2.5 mins @ 11.0
5 mins @ 11.5

Boost

A little disappointed with this one. 11.5 feels hard lately and I'm struggling to hold it for more than 5-minute increments.

P.M. - Hectic day at work and got out later than was hoping. Almost bagged doing a ride entirely for fear of running out of daylight. Had almost talked my way out of it on the drive home. Was even less excited when I got home and saw that my bike light's batteries were dead. Tail light was fine though. Decided to hit LCC for as far up as I had daylight for. Knew I'd be riding home in the dark (with no headlight, cruising down a steep canyon, with cars... stupid). Ended up making it all the way to Alta (Albion Base) with ample light. It got dark quick as I started making the descent. Just took it slow going down and hoped the cars coming from behind saw me. Fortunately, traffic wasn't heavy and I'm still alive. In the end, I was glad I got out and rode, especially given the sketchy afternoon forecast for Thurday afternoon. Felt good (~25 miles).
 

A.M. - 15 miles easy.

Hoka

P.M. - The afternoon weather turned out much nicer for the Salt Lake Valley than they were forecasting. So took the mountain bike up to Temple Quarry for 2 times up the LCC Trail. Good ride. So pretty up there right now. Felt good for the most part.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5
40 mins @ 11.0
5 mins @ 10.0

Boost

Yeah, bummed about this one too. Not sure what to think lately. Holding 11.5 for any length of time is very challenging right now. Today I didn't even attempt and bailed early. Last month, I seemed to be able to hold it almost at will. Much different now. Not exactly sure why. Doesn't bode well for my confidence going into SGM. Training load (running/bike) is relatively similar to what its been. Sure, now I'm a couple weeks on the back side of Pocatello Marathon (~3 weeks ago) and LoToJa (~2 weeks ago). Maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe its just because I'm getting old! I know there's a combination of a lot of things that could be playing into it. I've been doing about the same training/racing schedule that I did two years ago and was able to bounce back to more quality workouts sooner than I am now. Oh well. Is what it is. Going to try to resist the urge to do too much from here on out since there's only two weeks left.

Sorry for the downer attitude today.

A.M. - Same run as last week; 3 times up and down the 9-mile route. Slow pace, but a good run.

Hoka

A.M.2. - Schedule was such today that doing my ride in the morning was better than doing it in the afternoon. Good steady ride up to Guardsman (~50 miles). Weather was perfect, just like it was for the run this morning. Crazy car traffic in BCC again. That's my one big complaint about that canyon. Today there was some "Cars for Kids 45" (?) or something going on. As I was going up the mid part of the canyon, a big caravan of sporty cars (Ferraris, Porches, decked-out Audis and BMWs, etc.) passed me. Saw them parked at Brighton when I got there. Then when I was going up the last stretch to Guardman, they passed me again. They must have been going into Park City next. They did a good job clogging up the top of Guardsman.

Good volume day. Won't do anymore like this before SGM.

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM. Same workout as last Monday morning:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
20 mins @ 10.0, with progressive inclines: 3 mins each @ 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 5 mins @ 3.5.
2.5 mins @ 10.0, flat
7.5 mins @ 10.5, flat
15 mins @ 11.0, flat
5 mins @ 11.5, flat

Boost

Had my annual physical exam this morning, including labs. Pretty happy with where things are at. My doctor is awesome and is a runner himself; will be doing SGM. Most everything was good. A couple of liver enzymes were a little on the high side. Not enough to worry about yet (not evident why, just need to watch the next few physicals).

Potassium was a bit on the low side (a bit surprising); he suggesting a little supplementing. Other electrolytes were good. He told me to push fluids because apparently I was a bit on the dehydrated side when I gave my samples last week (done last Tues morning after 16 mile run). Didn't directly test my iron levels, but from the other indicators, he wasn't concerned that it was low. HCT was just under 42 (down from 45+ last year (42 is normal)). My level could be even lower since it could be skewed by the dehydration. So I'm not not blood doping :)

I'm in the process of reading Tyler Hamilton's "Secret Race" about doping during the Lance Armstrong/Postal era. Very interesting/good read. They really viewed high HCT levels (pushing 50) as one of the primary keys to winning the Tour de France. Anyone got some EPO or blood bags I could use :). My doctor doesn't put as much stock in the importance of high HCT in terms of endurance performance. I am a bit surprised that its down. The last few physicals (most recently a year ago) it has been right around 45'ish. I understand that a lot of physical activity can push it down, so it could be due to the running/cycling volume I've been doing. Last year I wasn't running as much (glute injury) and the bike training had drastically come down right after LoToJa.

HDL cholesterol is 107 which apparently is really good. Cholesterol ratios are really good. Overall a good exam.

P.M. - Ride up to Millcreek (~40 miles). Good news for cyclists, they've closed the upper part of the canyon off to car traffic, I'm assuming for the rest of the season. I'm not one to restrict folks from using/enjoying our beautiful canyons, but as a cyclist, it sure is nice not to have to worry about auto traffic when you're riding in the canyon. However, about a half mile before Elbow Fork, there was a construction sign that said the road was closed 3 miles ahead. What?... What the heck are they doing? Not much more irritating than not being able to finish the pinnacle of a planned ride because of road construction. Sure enough, about a quarter/half-mile from the top parking lot, the road was completely dug up. No chance of going around it. Not sure if the road got washed out, or what they are doing, but the road is completely torn up. I wonder how long its going to take to put back together. Needless to say, I had to turn around at that point. Extended the end of the ride a little bit around my neighborhood to make it an even 40. The power had been out for 1/2 hour when I got home and stayed out for another hour and a half. That was fun for the kids.

A.M. - 12 miles easy.

Hoka

A.M. - 60 minutes TM, all flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
5 mins @ 10.5
25 mins @ 11.0
5 mins @ 9.0
5 mins @ 9.5
5 mins @ 10.0
2 mins @ 10.5
1 min @ 11.0
1 min @ 11.5
1 min @ 12.0\

Boost

P.M. - Nice ride to the top of LCC (~25 miles).

A.M. - 15 miles easy.

Hoka

A.M. - 60 minutes on the gym TM. All flat:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph
5 mins @ 10.0
10 mins @ 10.5
25 mins @ 11.0
10 mins @ 11.5
2.5 mins @ 11.0
2.5 mins @ 11.5

Boost

A.M. - 12 miles in the rain. Easy pace. Rained the whole time. It was a little heavier in the mouth of the canyon. I wore my light rain/wind-breaker BMW cycling jacket (part of our LoToJa team kit) and one of those little runner caps (to keep the rain out of my eyes). Actually made for a pretty comfortable run.

My wife's weekend to work so I've got the kiddos. Forecast looks like rain for most of the day. Looks like riding this afternoon will be doubtful.

A.M. - 61 minutes on the TM:

5 minutes @ 9.5 mph, flat
5 mins @ 10.0,flat
15 mins @ 10.0, small progressive incline: 3 mins each @ 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0
5 mins @ 10.0, flat
5 mins @ 10.5, flat
11 mins @ 11.0, flat. The TM stopped at 46 mins, so apparently that's what I programmed it to do instead of 60 minutes. Shoot. Plan was do hold 11.0 for a bit longer and do the last 5 or 10 at 11.5. Surprisingly I wasn't feeling as good as I thought I should have after an easy weekend. So when the mill stopped on me, I just decided to finish it out easier than planned. Oh well, nothing really to gain by trying to push it at this point. The proverbial "hay is in the barn," right?
5 mins @ 10.0. flat
5 mins @ 10.5, flat
5 mins @ 11.0, flat

Boost

Hoping for one last relatively easy bike ride this afternoon, if the weather cooperates.

P.M. - Emmigration/fire station ride (~40 miles). Fortunately, only got lightly rained on during the last 8-9 miles. Was afraid it was going to be a lot wetter/colder. I'm really digging my light BMW jacket we got as part of our LoToJa kits. It worked perfectly for tonight's conditions.

A.M. - 9 easy pace. Got rained on a little. Long sleeve shirt and light gloves.

Hoka