Running in Life's Slow Lane

Tonight called for another slow endurance workout so I trudged through 4 miles. While not a perfect recovery method, the cold bottle of Mike's Hard Mange Punch sure makes those miles seem not so bad. I only regret the small size of the bottles.

4.00 mi in 52:11 @ 13:03/mi avg burning 372 calories.

Splits ---
1.00 mi in 12:35
1.00 mi in 13:10
1.00 mi in 13:21
1.00 mi in 13:03

Location: Stormy Lawton, Oklahoma 

For the distances I enjoy running the bulk of my workout miles should be done at an Endurance Pace. I am a slow runner so my Endurance Pace is in the incredibly slow range of 13:10-14:10 per mile. Later this week I will start adding in a Stamina Pace workout and eventually I will do a Speed workout. Each type of workout is targeted at changing a different system in my body with the goal being to make me healthier and a better runner.

Today's goal: Endurance run of 5.0 mi at 13:30/mi pace
Achieved: 5.11 mi in 1:08:49 @ 13:28/mi burning 430 calories and having an average HR of 134 bpm.

Splits ---
1.00 mi in 13:18 125 bpm
1.00 mi in 13:19 129 bpm
1.00 mi in 13:29 143 bpm
1.00 mi in 13:39 143 bpm
1.00 mi in 13:29 133 bpm
0.11 mi in 01:34 140 bpm

Another method of estimating level of effort is through the use of heart rates as a percentage of maximum heart rate. An Endurance Pace should put enough demand on the body to raise the heart rate into the range of 65-79% of HRmax. Using the Rodbergs and Landwehr method of calculating maximum heart rate I obtain HRmax = 176.345 bpm.

Plugging that into the desired range of 65-79% I see that an Endurance Pace is one that gets my heart rate into the range of 114 - 139.313 bpm.

Comparing that to the values above seems to indicate that the average heart rate during the workout (134 bpm) does in fact lie within the target range if a bit on the high side. Hopefully we will see this change a bit over the weeks to come.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

An important fact to record in this note: Today saw the first snake appear in the roadkill count of 2009. Also saw the first dead turtle of 2009. If I were to guess I would hypothesize that the rains drove them onto the ground to find a dry spot out of the surrounding fields.

Okay, on with running.

Goal: 3.10 miles while maintaining my HR in the endurance zone of 60-75% of HRmax.
Achieved: 3.10 mi in 42:43 @ 13:45/mi avg with 129 bpm avg HR(73%)  and burning 280 calories.

So, I achieved the goal of today's workout. HOWEVER, that is a bit slow for a pace. Painfully, mind-numbingly, slow. At times I thought I would never finish. Nearly half of my route was uphill into a bit of a breeze and it felt almost as if I was running in reverse in order to keep the heart rate in the target zone. Definitely an easy pace if I have ever felt one.

But I suppose that is the point of the endurance workout.

Today found me trying my first Steady State workout in an effort to improve my stamina (aka increase lactate threshold). It required me to run 2.0 miles at an elevated heart rate which I figured would be no trouble considering I am carrying plenty of extra weight.

Holy cow was I wrong!

My legs could not move fast enough on the downhill or flat sections to get my heart rate high enough. I actually found myself praying for a hill to be around the next corner so I could run uphill, slow down my pace, and still keep my heart rate in the right zone. It is just not right for me to look forward to running up hills.

Goal: 1.00 mi easy pace warm up , 2.00 mile steady state with HR at 83-92% HRmax, 1.00 mi easy pace cool down
Achieved: 4.00 mi in 48:58 @ 12:15/mi avg pace with 137 bpm avg HR burning 455 calories.

Splits --
1.00 mi in 11:59 125 bpm avg HR (71%)
2.00 mi in 21:36 149 bpm avg HR (84%)
1.00 mi in 15:23 132 bpm avg HR (had to walk quite a bit to keep HR in the desired zone)

So, I managed to meet my goal paces throughout the workout. However, I feel that the fact that I cannot get the heart rate into the target zone for the stamina phase should be pointing to something I need to change in the training. Unfortunately I have no idea what it is.

Location: Gloomy Kansas City, Missouri
 

Whew, the sun mad a big appearance today. As a result the temperature and humidity were both very high for my run after work.

Originally my schedule called for another 4 mile stamina run but with my knee feeling a bit tender and the abundance of hills near the hotel, I chose instead to wimp out just do a bit of endurance running.

3.50 mi in 47:06 at 13:28/mi burning 319 calories.

Splits ---
1.00 mi in 12:54 with 120 bpm avg HR
1.00 mi in 13:10 with 122 bpm avg HR
1.00 mi in 14:38 with 124 bpm avg HR (all uphill and into the wind!)
0.50 mi in 06:18 (12:36 pace) with 129 bpm avg HR

I definitely did a decent job of keeping my heart rate under control. My calves were pretty cranky so I stretched at the end of each mile as well as wipe the sweat off of my eyelashes.

Location: Sunny and humid Kansas City

Today called for an easy-paced 2 miles. I accomplished exactly that and when it was over I was very glad I had no more to do.

2.0 mi in 24:19 @ 12:10/mi burning 216 cal with a 118 bpm average HR.

Tomorrow morning I must get up and drive out to Independence for the race. But before then I must wander off and find some place to eat.

Location: Kansas City, MO

Today saw me finish my first 5K race of 2009: the Truman Run in Independence, Missouri. Check it out at www.trumanrun.org.

The course was described as "relatively flat" which apparently means "all hills will be smaller than Mt. Everest" as I swear I was either running down a hill or up a hill the entire way. I was able to keep my pace pretty strong for the first 2 miles but a majority of the last mile was an extended uphill slog where I just took it easy. Finally, the last 0.25 mile or so was a bit of a downhill straight where I could stretch out my stride and race to the finish. Woo hoo!

0.50 mi in 05:55 (11:50/mi pace) warmup 120 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 09:29 146 bpm HRavg, 160 bpm HRmax
1.00 mi in 10:45 151 bpm HRavg, 165 bpm HRmax
1.00 mi in 11:45 156 bpm HRavg, 171 bpm HRmax
0.10 mi in 01:01 (10:10/mi pace) 175 bpm HRavg, 179 bpm HRmax
0.50 mi in 07:13 (14:26/mi pace) cooldown 129 bpm HRavg

508 calories burned.

Location: Independence, Missouri

Well today's spot on the calendar called for a long run of 5 miles. Unfortunately as I headed out the hotel doors the rain started to fall and I wasn't looking forward to more than an hour spent running in a cool drizzle. Instead I found the fitness room and started jogging on the treadmill.

Now, I admit, I abhor the treadmill. There is nothing about jogging on a treadmill that feels natural to me. None of my running gadgets -- gps watch, Nike+ -- really work well when I run on a treadmill and there is no breeze to cool me off while jogging. So, I thought I did great managing 3.0 miles on the treadmill before giving up and deciding I would rather be wet and cold than endure more time on the dreadmill.

As luck would have it, the drizzle had stopped and I was able to do my last 2.0 miles on the streets near the hotel. A few sprinkles fell as I finished up the run but they were hardly noticeable through the sweat-drenched shirt I was wearing.

Location: Kansas City, MO

Today was a very frustrating work day. So much so that I will be spending part of my evening debugging some messages byte-by-byte in hopes of finding my mistake before heading back to the lab tomorrow morning. Unfortunately I am one those people that carry their emotions with them into the run which meant this afternoon's run was a challenge. I finished though with another 3 mile run in the bank.

3.0 mi in 36:27 @ 12:09/mi burning 352 calories with 124 bpm HRavg and 141 bpm HRmax.

A little faster-paced than I had intended but once I was on the road I really wanted to be done.

After I ran I did about 15 minutes of my core workout. The hotel room doesn't really have enough space for a few of the exercises.

Location: Kansas City, MO

Next races on the schedule are
23 May - Allie Reynolds 5K, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
28 Jun - Scotiabank 5K, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Okay, clearly I need to drink less when making out my running plans. As an example, tonight's schedule originally called for 1 mi at an easy pace to warm up, then 45 minutes at 5-5.2 mph, followed by another 1 mi at an easy pace to cool down. All that seemed fine until I was in my warm up mile on the treadmill and realized that at the 5-5.2 mph pace, the 45 minutes of the second phase would require me to run over 3 miles! That would make for more miles in today's workout that on Sunday's long run. Pretending to be a sensible person, I scaled back the workout.

4.00 mi in 49:32 @ 12:32/mi burning 410 calories

1.00 mi in 13:20
1.00 mi in 12:00 (lactate threshold pace)
1.00 mi in 11:32 (lactate threshold pace)
0.50 mi in   6:00 (lactate threshold pace)
0.50 mi in   6:40

So instead of 45 minutes at stamina pace it was only 29:32. I can live with that result. What may be hard to live with is nearly 50 minutes running on a treadmill. My calves will hate me tomorrow.

Location: Kansas City, MO

It was looking very dangerous as I drove into north Kansas City after work so I thought it would be an evening on the treadmill for me. Thankfully, the truly severe weather blew south of me and after a bit of work I got in tonight's run.

The calendar called for 3 miles at an endurance building pace but I may have been just a bit too fast.

3.00 mi in 37:00 @ 12:20/mi average burning 315 calories 144 bpm HRavg 169 HRmax

Tomorrow is another stamina building workout as I work the lactate threshold with a tempo run. Woo hoo!

Location: Kansas City, MO

Tonight was a stamina-building night on the schedule. Instead of the steady state run I did on Tuesday, today called for a tempo run. A bit shorter period at a bit faster pace than the Tuesday workout, it asked that I do a 1 mile warm up, 15 minutes at a 11:10/mi pace, followed by a 1 mile cool down.

What I actually performed --
1.00 mi @ 12:04
16:12 @ 11:11
1.00 mi @ 12:46

Looking at my paces and judging how I felt, I think a pace of 10:50 or so for a stamina pace on a flat surface is probably more realistic. That seemed to be the pace at which I could tell my legs were working but not really feeling as though is was a hard effort.

Tomorrow if I run is a "get me over" day on which all I have to do is run enough miles to get me over the weekly mileage goal.

Location: Kansas City, MO

No miles today. Instead I drove nearly 7 hours to return home and spent the evening enjoying the company of my family. 

It is an absolutely beautiful day here in water-logged southwest Oklahoma and Teresa joined me for a long run to make it even better. Today's 6 miles marks the farthest I have gone non-stop in 2009. As I hope to run a half marathon at 13.1 miles in January of 2010 I will be extending my distance throughout the year.

I have to add a note about how strong Teresa is when she runs. She has only ran a couple of times this week but insisted on joining me for at least 5 of today's miles. In fact, she ended up running about 5.9 miles only walking a bit when a leg bothered her. Though she claimed otherwise she was running well so I picked up the pace in each mile through the first 4 miles. Teresa closed the gap to run along with me each time I picked it up. She is a truly competitive runner.

6.00 mi in 1:15:40 @ 12:25/mi burning 623 calories with 127 bpm HRavg and 145 bpm HRmax.

Today's splits ---
1.00 mi in 12:49
1.00 mi in 12:41
1.00 mi in 12:34
1.00 mi in 12:18
1.00 mi in 12:40
1.00 mi in 12:27

 Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

2.29 mi in 27:00 at 11:47/mi avg pace burning 271 calories 123 bpm HRavg

This was intended to be a workout with a pair of Aerobic Cruise Intervals. Unfortunately the first 400m interval was way too fast so it took way too much out of me. I did the second interval with the correct pace but was worn out.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

3.26 mi in 41:15 at 12:40/mi avg pace burning 363 calories with 121 bpm HRavg

I had intended to do a 45 minutes easy run but had a hard time getting my pace slowed down. I stopped twice trying to reset my pace and it only worked on the last 0.75 mile. The faster start and the increased temps wore me out and I called it quits a few minutes short of my goal.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

Today called for a stamina workout. Specifically, the schedule called for a Tempo Interval session with 1 mi for warm up, 2 x 8min intervals at 10:41 - 11:04 pace with a 5 min recovery, and then another 1 mi cool down. It proved to be a challenge as we are still adjusting to the 80+ temps that have come after the long rains. To add a bit more stress, the second interval was on a long gentle incline.

1.00 mi in 12:39 burning 107 calories 117 bpm HRavg
0.74 mi in 08:01 (10:49/mi pace) burning 101 calories 135 bpm HRavg
0.38 mi in 05:04 (13:18/mi pace) burning 034 calories 130 bpm HRavg
0.72 mi in 08:02 (11:06/mi pace) burning 097 calories 143 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 12:16 burning 113 calories 141 HRavg
0.15 mi in 01:57 (12:2/mi pace) burning 16 calories 142 bpm HRavg

Totals: 4.0 mi in 47:59 at 12:00/mi avg burning 468 calories 132 bpm HRavg

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

So we have traveled to Yukon near the site of tomorrow's Allie Reynolds 5K race. During our drive, Teresa and I were discussing possible pacings for the race. Teresa seemed unwilling to believe she could go 10:45/mi for the distance though our first 8 minute interval was at that pace yesterday.

For some reason I let her convince me to run most of today's run at the 10:45/mi mark as a practice for tomorrow's race. As a result, my legs are now toast. It is going to be tough getting the same pace tomorrow without a big adrenaline boost from the environment.

3.00 mi in 33:10 @ 11:02/mi avg pave burning 408 calories 133 bpm HRavg

Today's splits ---
1.00 mi in 11:43 (first 0.50 mi was a slow warmup)
1.00 mi in 10:44
1.00 mi in 10:40

Location: Lake Overholser, Oklahoma City, Ok

As scheduled, Teresa and I ran the Allie Reynolds 5K near Lake Overholser in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is a wonderful little race that draws plenty of slower runners so that folks like me don't feel overwhelmed. At the same time there are enough serious runners to keep everyone honest.

Today was absolutely perfect for a race: temps in the low 70s, clear blue skies, and winds at 0-5 mph along the very flat course. The 5K and 10K courses are out and back loops while the marathon goes around the lake 3 times. You do have to share the road with cars and the occasional cyclists but everyone seems to be more concerned with enjoying the day and nobody gets tense.

We got registered -- mostly self-serve, find the packet with your bib and t-shirt, go to the next station and find your chip -- and did a leisurely 0.50 mi to warm up. A few stretches preceded a trip to the porta-potties and then to the start line for the necessary pre-race, nervous chatter.

Mile 1 -
You start at the Route 66 park head south to exit the park, jog a bit to the east and then get onto the course proper as you head south along the lakeside. As always, we got a little excited and headed out of the gate a bit strong. I quickly reined things in and settled into a 10:30 pace. Teresa kept trying to push out ahead but I stayed on the mark. My calves were feeling stiff so I was not interested in breaking any speed records. For some reason -- probably because I was running on a completely empty stomach -- I was fighting a great deal of acid reflux.

Mile 2 -
A ease the pace back to 10:45 and enjoy the scenery along the lake a bit more. The faster runners are passing now so I make a point at calling out words of encouragement as they pass. At least they were words of encouragement in my head, I have a feeling though that they came out as breathless mumbles.
At the turn-around point I considered stopping to grab a drink and hope that it helped the acid issue. However, I knew that if I stopped I would have a hard time making up the time.

Mile 3 -
Around 2.75 miles I was hurting quite a bit from the reflux and thought I do a runner's hurl to improve things but chose to pick up my pace instead. The finish line is within sight so I started feeling what I might have left for a push. A bit of gas was left in the tank so I stretched the stride, made a point of lifting my head and letting my arms carry me a bit.

The stretch -
An older man -- turned out to be 70 -- was a bit in front of me and I passed him in my kick. I actually slowed down a bit planning to let him go through the gate ahead of me but I saw that I might make 33:00 on the clock. I wanted that 33:00 mark so I kicked a bit more.

My final time was 33:03, placing 80th overall and 6th in my age group. The 70 year old came across in 33:05. So now I am asking myself if I really needed that 2 seconds or would it have meant just as much to me to let him cross the line ahead of me? Oh well.

Final numbers:
3.16 mi in 33:03 @ 10:28/mi avg pace -- burning 438 calories -- 147 bpm HRavg.

Splits --
1.00 mi in 10:32 -- 133 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 10:45 -- 141 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 10:23 -- 158 bpm HRavg
0.16 mi in 01:23 -- 173 bpm HRavg (08:41/mi pace)

Thanks to anyone that took the time to read this far. 

To celebrate the 43rd anniversary of my birth, Teresa and I set our sights on running half of a half marathon. The roads were blacktop on city streets, along a highway and out on country two-lane roads. A few steep climbs got the heart rate up but for the most part we ran as comfortably as we could. We need to start stashing or carrying water on our longer runs.

6.55 mi in 1:26:53 at avg 13:16/mi pace burning 600 cal with 122 bpm HRavg

Details --
1.00 mi in 12:69 107 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 13:46 118 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 13:27 121 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 13:26 124 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 13:07 124 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 12:58 135 bpm HRavg
0.55 mi in 07:11 139 bpm HRavg

Location: Wilburton, Oklahoma

The last day of my visit with the parents and in-laws saw me out on the streets for an easy run. My original goal was 45 minutes but the humidity and terrain wore me down. In hindsight today should have been a rest day and my calves kept telling me so as I ran.

3.23 mi in 39:44 at 12:19/mi avg burning 350 calories with 129 bpm HRavg

Splits ---
1.00 mi in 12:28 w/ 120bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 12:19 w/ 130bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 12:03 w/ 137bpm HRavg
0.23 mi in 02:54 w/ 140bpm HRavg (12:51/mi pace)

Location: Wilburton, Oklahoma

Today marked the beginning of morning running season so the alarm went off at 0600 and we were on the streets by 0625. It was a gorgeous cloudy morning with plenty of puddles populating the pedestrian passages as we ran.

Unfortunately the day called for a stamina-building steady state run this morning. We met our goals on everything except the final cool down mile as Teresa felt she needed to get to work on time rather than run a bit more.

3.64 mi in 43:14 at 11:52/mi avg burning 464 calories

Details --
1.00 mi @ 12:42 warm up mile
1.00 mi @ 11:30 2.50 mi steady state at 11:20-11:40
1.00 mi @ 11:24
0.50 mi @ 11:27
0.14 mi @ 13:14 cool down jog

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

Tonight's schedule called for a 45 minute easy run. The calves were very tender so keeping it at an easy pace was not difficult. I got through it and am now recovering with the aid of a waffle covered with a bit of peanut butter.

3.55 mi in 45:20 @ 12:47/mi avg burning 367 calories with 126 bpm HRavg

Details ---
1.00 mi in 12:55 121 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 12:44 124 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 12:42 134 bpm HR avg
0.55 mi in 07:00 129 bpm HRavg (12:47/mi pace)

With the tenderness of the calves tonight I think tomorrow will be another easy run and the tempo run will be delayed until Friday.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

I managed to drag out of bed at 0600 and get onto the county roads for today's run. The schedule originally called for a tempo run but after running yesterday evening after 8 I was not ready for a quality workout on tired legs. Instead I flip-flopped with tomorrow's workout and made today another easy run.

Even with doing that I had to stop at the 2.0 mile mark because of some pain in the right lower back. We walked about 0.1 mi before continuing at a bit slower pace. The road surface just seems to be punishing me of late. It may be time for new shoes but I am trying to hold out until the new Asics GEL-1140 hits the stores.

3.52 mi in 45:07 @ 12:49/mi avg burning 350 calories

Details --
1.00 mi in 12:45
1.00 mi in 12:42
1.00 mi in 13:03
0.52 mi in 06:38 (12:46/mi pace)

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

So today I had to make up for yesterday's soreness. I had flip-flopped days on the schedule which meant today was a Tempo Run. The goal was a mile of warm up, 20 minutes at the tempo rate of 10:50-11:19 and a final mile of cool down.

3.73 mi in 44:50 @ 12:01/mi avg burning 466 calories with 142 bpm HRavg

Details --
1.00 mi in 12:08 126 bpm HRavg
0.90 mi in 10:00 142 bpm HRavg (11:17/mi pace)
0.87 mi in 10:00 162 bpm HRavg (11:32/mi pace)
0.96 mi in 12:22 142 bpm HRavg (13:03/mi pace)

As you can tell by the numbers the second part of the tempo phase kicked my butt. The HR shows that I was working way too hard to get back up the long gradual hills. My course for the tempo run workouts needs to be a bit more even.

Second to the attempted tempo run was the need to get enough miles to knockout 24 miles this week.

Next week is a drop back week to give the body a chance to rest a bit.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma

SRD and hopefully a fun-filled celebration of Kristoffer's birthday. I am now the very proud father of a 15 year-old boy. Anybody want him?

Last day of the month on the calendar called for a 5 mile long run. This is the beginning of our cut back week after 3 weeks of increased mileage. At least that is what I have on my homemade running plan: 3 weeks up, 1 week back.

I have graphed the weekly mileage totals and the weekly long run distances since my return from the knee issues. Using the graph I see what appears to be a healthy trend upward in mileage, with a nice shallow slope. I plan to keep that steady upward movement through the summer.

5.01 mi in 1:04:11 at 12:49/mi burning 510 calories with 151 bpm HRavg

1.00 mi in 13:00 -- 131 bpm HRavg (this is the pace we should have kept)
1.00 mi in 12:40 -- 146 bpm HRavg
1.00 mi in 13:03 -- 157 bpm HRavg (the long uphill slog)
1.00 mi in 12:45 -- 162 bpm HRavg (coming downhill)
1.00 mi in 12:40 -- 161 bpm HRavg (around the nbhd)

Checked my cadence at 3.75 mi and it worked out to 190 strides per minute. Not bad.

We started at 73F, finished at 81F with 44% humidity and a wonderful breeze S 8 mph.

Location: Wonderfully mild Lawton, Oklahoma