Winning Back What I Lost

Lunch: Ran an out and back from Fort Boise Park up Shaw Mt Rd to about 1.5 miles past where the pavement ends. This is actually a better workout than Table Rock because it has at least some uphill on both the out and back portions. I thought I was really starting to turn a corner on my hill training but my legs and lungs just weren't there today. I continue to run pretty strong and improve my downhill pace but I've experienced very little, if any, discernible improvement running uphill. I went so far today as to abandon my beloved Ipod in an effort to focus more intently on slower, deeper and more controlled breathing. This sounded good in theory but didn't work very well in practice. After 1/4 mile I was breathing shallow as ever. No more hill training this week until Saturday when I plan to run an out and back to Aldape Summit.

Early AM: Got up @ 5:30 and slogged through 5 miles on the TM; took a while for me to warm up but eventually got it in gear and topped out at a 7:40 mi pace; 8:30 pace overall. Did I mention that I hate running in the morning?

Lunch:  A rather uninspired and tight lil' run on the GB; it was threatening to rain but then the sun broke out and I was terribly overdressed; I was still feeling the lingering effects of this morning's early run along w/ yesterday's hill training.  I'm 100% certain that I won't run twice tomorrow.  5 and change miles @ 8:25 mi pace.  Weight still hovering @ 175 lbs. Aargh!!

T/M: Yasso 800's @ 7:30 pace w/ 4 min jog in between; just a light tune up for the real workout tomorrow afternoon.

Long, up and back hill run today from the first cattle guard on Shaw Mt Rd to Aldape Summit; my son wanted to tag along and see how far he could make it; he's running the half mile and mile in 7th grade track but he's never done any hill training; I jogged alongside him for the first couple of miles and then decided to pick up the pace a bit and go all the way to the summit and meet him on the way down; the last mile to the summit is incredibly steep and I wish I could say that I ran all the way to the top but I just didn't want to push it too hard today; I walked the last half mile to the top and then turned around. Only 2 weeks left until the race and I probably won't run to the top next week.

Easy slow pace on the way up and down: 9:15 overall pace w/ a couple of decent uphill miles some pretty fast downhill miles mixed in when I wasn't running alongside my son.

Afternoon run on the GB: Beautiful day today w/ clear skies, light winds and temp in the 60's; my quads were still a little sore from Saturday's long hill run; its been I don't how long since I've had legs this sore a couple days after a run, probably since my marathon last August. I was planning on doing a recovery run at an easy pace, somewhere around 7 miles. My first mile was leisurely @ 8:19/mi and a thought just popped into my head, "I know I'm faster than my current 10k PR, why don't I run 6.2 as fast as I can today?" Well that's what I did. I ended up running it in 46:49, a minute and 18 secs better than my PR set in April of last year after I'd been running less than 6 mos. and 1:23 better than the hilly 10k I ran last month. Course= Green Belt from Municipal Park past WS Golf Course to Harris Ranch and back. 80 ft total elev gain and the way out, so its more or less flat.

Mile Splits-

1-8:19

2-7:35

3-7:21

4-7:20

5-7:26

6-7:21

6.2-1:25

7:33/mi pace for 6.2 and half mile cooldown.

Afternoon: I only had time for a quick 1.6 mi (321 ft/3.8% avg) hill run up Shaw Mt and Table Rock Rd and back; made a concerted effort to stay upright while running uphill instead of leaning over at the waist when I get fatigued; 8:41 pace uphill and 7:24 downhill; 8:00 flat; 8:02 pace overall; should be able to get in some easy miles tonight.

Evening:  6+ miles on the TM tonight; nothing special; 8:15 mi pace.

Easy lunchtime recovery run on the GB; almost didn't make it out today as a light rain started while I was getting ready and the doppler radar didn't look too promising; then I remembered that I wasn't wearing a skirt or playing some sissy sport like tennis; so I strapped on my big boy pants and toughed it out for six easy miles @ 8:45 mi pace; kept my heart rate between 150-154 the whole way which is quite an accomplishment for me; usually I get a little frustrated during my recovery and/or long slow runs and insist on trying prove something to myself.

Afternoon: Beautiful day for a run; I felt very strong today and a bit lighter; either my legs are getting stronger or I'm finally starting to get off this 175 lb plateau I've been on for almost a month; 8:05 pace.

Long, slow out and back run from Municipal Park to the Diversion Dam above the Hwy 21 Bridge; A rather steady rain for about the 1st half of the run left me soaked; Opting out was not an option as I really needed to get in some longer runs to prepare for the Ogden Marathon next month; leisurely pace of 8:55 overall w/ some quicker pickups in the middle miles.

This is the second year in a row that my son and I have run in this race to benefit the student scholarship program at Boise State Univ.  Last year, Coach Pete barely beat Martin and he was really gunning for the Coach this year.  He finished in about 25:30 (no official time).  On my Garmin, the course measured 3.04 miles. 

I went out rather fast for me and ran the first mile in 6:45; I held onto that pace until roughly the halfway mark when I began to suck wind something awful- ran the second mile in 6:56; I kept telling myself that its only 3 miles and to kick it in gear but I had nothing left;  I was passed by a half dozen runners in the last mile which kind of irked me but I couldn't do anything about it- 3rd mile in 7:16. 

I felt like I was capable of running it in 20 minute+ range, but I guess yesterday's 14 mile training run in the rain took more out of me then I thought.  All in all, just a fun event that my son and I will do every year.  He has been looking forward to getting his revenge and beating Coach Pete.  He improved his time and, most importantly, he was able to get the "I Beat Coach Pete" T-shirt to wear to school on Monday.   

Afternoon tempo run on the GB; my legs felt very strong; Did a .5 mile warmup then 6 miles @ 7:45 pace and cooldown.  Perfect conditions, mid 50's, overcast and light wind, today but its supposed to get ugly tomorrow and gradually improve from Thursday through the weekend.  I've done a lot of high intensity training this pastweek.  With only 5 days until Robie, I think I'll dial it down Tuesday through Thursday and take Friday off before the race.

Originally, I had planned to take it easy the rest of th week but I realized that if I didn't hit the hills before Robie on Saturday it would be more than two weeks in between any significant hill training and the race. I think that is too long and that my legs and lung might object even more than usual if I gave them that long of a layoff.

3.3 miles out and back from the base of Shaw Mt Rd. through Rocky Canyon and about a mile past where the pavement turns to dirt. I went about 75% on the uphill portions and about 80-85% effort on the downhill. Everything feels great. 9:15 uphill and 8:08 pace overall. I should taper off signicantly for the weekend but I'm more or less using Robie as a training race for the Ogden Marathon on 5/16. I need to continue on my 50 mpw track so that I can top out at 55-60 mpw by the end of the month and begin a two week taper before Ogden.

Lunchtime run on the GB:  Breezy, cool and w/ a light rain when I left the office fooled me into to severly overdressing for today's run.  Looks like the front has moved through and some real nice weather is in store for this weekend and next week.  Temps may actually be a little on the high side (mid 70's) for the noon start to this hilly race.  I should be tapering but I've got to continue to log some miles.  Low stress and easy pace miles through Friday.  Pace = 8:27 mi.  Broke in a new pair of Wave Rider 12's.  I love this shoe.  I may or may not race in them on Saturday.  I'm aware of the conventional wisdom of breaking in new shoes in a race but they already felt real comfortable by the end of today's training run. 

Late night TM run: logged some more easy miles before bed; 5.5 mi @ 8:43 pace; got my packet this afternoon after work for Robie; its starting to get real and I'm starting to get nervous. 

Evening run around the neighborhood.  It was an absolutely beautiful day today.  I had today and tomorrow off so I hung out and played w/ the kiddos during the day and went for a slow, easy jaunt in the evening.  My Garmin's battery crapped out so I don't know what my pace was but it felt relaxed.  I plan on doing an easy 3 or 4 miles tomorrow and then getting so good sleep for showtime on Saturday.

My first crack at the self proclaimed "Toughest Half Marathon in the Northwest." I arrived about an hour early with a friend. We warmed up by jogging/walking from the WGI/URS parking garage to Ft. Boise and later doing 3/4 lap of Ft Boise Park. The porta pottie lines were extremely long and I managed to get through the line once but just before the start I felt like I had to go again. I got in line but it was soon apparent that I wouldn't make the start if I didn't get out of line and join the huge throng packed like cattle for the start. Getting to the start late was a big mistake because it meant that we were behind a LOT of walkers/slow runners. The first 3/4 mile is flat and I lost at least a minute trying to circumnavigate the mass of people. However, more damning than being in the back at the start was that I felt compelled to try to make up for it as we began the climb. After the first mini-hill I began to feel like I was in position toward meeting my goal of finishing the 2100 feet/8.4 mi climb to the summit in at least 1:25 min. I still felt that way until I hit the second cattle guard between miles 5 and 6. There's an aid station there and I stopped to try to get all of the water down instead of the half glass that I was getting at the other aid stations trying to drink on the run. From that point on I really struggled. My legs felt good but I was really sucking wind and i wasa more than a little dizzy. Temp was in the mid 60's with bright sunshine so it felt much warmer, at least to me. The last 3 miles to the summit was more akin to a forced march than an actual run. I stopped several times and not just at the steepest portions. The last mile is really steep and I think I probably walked 4/5 of it. I did run the last portion to the aid station at the summit if only because there was a photographer taking photos. I can't describe what a relief it was to be running downhill- at least initially. This was tampered by the fact that I really had to pee but I knew that I had already wasted so much time and finishing in under 2 hours was in serious jeopardy. So I tied a knot in it and kept going. The first 2 miles of downhill were a surprise. I had no idea how steep it was on the other side. In my training runs I had climbed the front side and run back down the same. The back side was MUCH steeper it seemed. This helped propel me toward making up some time in a hurry but it also took its toll on my quads. By mile 10 I was really wanting this to be over. I stopped at the aid station around 11 and I just could not muster my previous pace again. Until then, I was on a comfortable 7 min pace and after that I struggled to get it down to 8 min pace. My quads were screaming and felt like concrete pillars. The course was flattening out and it became increasingly more difficult to get quick turnover. I was getting even more dizzy and I finally succumbed to the urge to pee. I stopped at mile 12 or so and just peed on the side of the course for what seemed like a great while. This decision probably cost me any chance at coming in under 2 hours. I can't tell you how hard it was to start running again, even though I was tantalizing close to the end of my suffering. Somewhere around 12.5 miles I began to notice spectators. This is not a race that allows for spectators. Basically, they are only present in the first couple of miles of the race and the finish due to its remote location. This gave me a false hope that the mileage on my Garmin was off and that the end was just around the corner about a half dozen times. Apparently, these spectators had walked up from the finish line to cheer on their loved ones. In my mind, I cursed them a thousand times over. The last half mile was excruciating. My head felt lighter than air and my legs were no longer concrete pillars, they were more like giant steel bridge supports. When the finish line finally came I could hear my wife urging me on. She sounded close but I was too preoccupied and fatigued by the task of putting one foot in front of the other to search for her. I had just been passed by two older women and they were in my sights. I summoned one last charge but to no avail. An apropos ending to a tough day. After the race, I sat in the shade and discussed the race with my wife. She let me know how proud she was of my effort and my initial disappointment quickly wore off. Sure, I could have done better but a couple of years ago I don't think I would have finished it at all. Period. Next year I'll have a full idea of what to expect and how to better manage my training.

Splits:

1- 9:00 (caught behind the cattle drive)

2-8:54 (first mini-hill)

3-7:52 (half mile of downhill followed by rollers)

4-9:47 (the real climb begins)

5-9:54

6-11:09 (second cattle guard; this is the beginning of the end)

7-10:47 (trying to dig deep)

8-12:58 (walked most of this)

9-9:37 (last half mile to the summit followed by steep downhill)

10-6:30 (holy shiite is this steep!)

11-7:01 (quads are screaming0

12-8:04 (I have to pee so bad my prostate nearly explodes)

13-8:33 (I never get back on pace)

Short late evening run around the neighborhood.  I slept in today to recover from yesterday's race.  I feel pretty good but for a little bit of soreness in the quads.  Typically, I take Sundays off but I've only got 4 weeks of training until Ogden and I need to take advantage of every day from here on out.  Also, I've really been interested in the discussion board topic about NOT taking a day off after a long run and the fitness benefits that can be derived therefrom.  

Easy pace w/ miles of 8:51, 8:01, 8:04, and 8:18 (.43).

Evening tempo run: 7 miles @ 7:50 pace; beautiful day for a run.  My quads were even more sore today but I didn't even notice it when I was running.  I felt like I could have gone another couple of miles but my wife was waiting for me to return and hand off the kids so she could go run w/ her girlfriends. 

Long, slow evening run: 8:35 overall pace.  Temp in the 80's when I left the house.  Warmest running weather thus far this year.  My legs felt real heavy at first.  Don't know what is up w/ that because the quad soreness was much better today than yesterday.  Eventually, I settled into a comfortable pace.  I'm listening to Thomas Friedman's "Hot, Flat and Crowded" these days which seemed rather apropos to this evening's run.  I took a slightly different route today which brought me back to the house on Eagle Rd south of Amity.  I had forgotten just how much of that road lacks any quality shoulder to run on.  I ended up running w/ my left foot below my right foot for almost a mile.  I probably won't hit that route again unless its really early w/ no traffic. 

Evening easy run:  I had planned on doing some speed work today but after my warmup mile I developed a wicked sideache that nearly brought me to my knees.  At first, I thought I pulled an abdominal muscle but after I stopped it became clear that it was just serious case of gastrointestinal distress (i.e. gas).  Once I was able to.....errr....relieve the pressure, I settled into a really good pace w/ a couple of miles around 7:45 and nothing slower than 8:10 the rest of the way.  Overall pace= 8:25

Late evening easy run:  My wife got home from some errands after 10pm and I'm almost didn't make it for a run tonight.  Fought through the temptation to take the day off once I remembered that I wouldn't be running tomorrow in order to rest up for Saturday's 20 miler.  Very breezy conditions this evening didn't allow me to get warmed up until after the 2M mark.  Eventually, I settled into a nice 8:10-8:15 pace for the last 3M, 8:30 overall pace. 

I was going to take today off but I felt pretty good and a slight miracle occurred in that my wife didn't have any "honey do's."  Pretty windy today so it was rough going for half of the run and obviously much easier w/ the wind at my back.  6 miles @ 7:54.

Late afternoon long run:  I embarked on my longest run since late August.  I usually run an out and back to Kuna on these 20 milers but today I decided to go to Eagle and back from my home near the intersection of Victory & Eagle Rds.  I often have gastrointestinal problems on these long runs so I wanted to have more options in terms of gas stations or misc stores & restaurants to utilize if needed.  To my surprise, I had no problems.  The weather was excellent but for a stiff breeze in my face for most of the first half of my run.  Temp was in the high 50's which is near perfect.  I made concerted effort to run a nice slow and relaxed pace for the first half so that I could evaluate whether I had enough to finish strong.  It worked well and I was pleased with the fact that I ran the first half w/ an avg 8:37 mi pace and the second 10M in 8:31, including the last .94M which was a cooldown @ 9 mi pace.  Overall pace =8:34 mi.  This long run also puts me at 59+ miles this week which is a PR and very near a monthly mileage PR as well, which I should surpass easily early next week. 

Late evening recovery run:  Ran about 3.5M real slow w/ my son and then 3+ faster miles alone @ avg pace of 8:10 pace.  Established PR for monthly mileage!  Didn't feel so hot when I got home.  I think I'm coming down w/ something.  Hopefully, its just a 24 hr bug. 

Evening steady state/speedwork run:   I had planned on doing some speed work this evening but a combo of strong winds and an upset stomach forced me to abandon that idea after three .5M pickups of 7-7:15 per mi pace.  Overall pace = 8:00 per mi.

Evening TM run due to the rain; I haven't run inside in a few weeks and I had forgotten just how warm that place gets.  I was sweating like Arlen Specter at a Club for Growth meeting.  Did 1 hour @ goal marathon pace (8:15 per mi) and 1.5M easy cooldown.  Still have some stomach issues and the heat/stale air of the IAC didn't help.  One more long run this week and then I'll start tapering for Ogden which is 2 weeks from Saturday.  Yikes!

Lunchtime tempo run on the GB:  A little breezy today but otherwise a pretty nice day for a run w/ sunny skies and temp in the mid 50's.  Warmup up mile @ 8:22 then 5 mi @ avg 7:46 pace and .5M cooldown @ 8:23.  My right knee barked a little today but otherwise I felt real strong.  Avg HR was 162 bpm (87% MHR of 185 bpm) which seems kinda high to me b/c I didn't really feel all that winded.  But then again my HR measurements have always been on the high side.  Even the slowest of my runs I'm at least @ 152-155 bpm which is 80+ percent of my MHR.  I'd almost have to walk my long, slow runs just to stay within the recommended 70% MHR level (129.5 bpm). 

Out and back evening long run from Municipal Park to where the green belt ends past Glenwood Bridge.  This was my second 20 miler along w/ Robie in the last 12 days!  My legs began to acknowledge that fact, especially after mile 15.  Ran the first 17 w/ an avg 8:30 pace and pretty much just held on after that w/ an avg 9:30 pace.  I haven't had a rest day in about 2 weeks either.  The good news is that I had no stomach problems for the second long run in a row.  Unlike last Saturday, I ran on any empty stomach w/ no gels or sport beans and no water except for a fountain @ miles 2, 14 and 16.  Hopefully, my body learned some lessons today.  Bring on the taper!