Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Objective: marathon pace practice -- 4 mi easy, 10 mi MP, remainder easy.

8:15 AM  50F and climbing, mostly sunny, very windy (14-21 mph w/ gusts 35).

I knew there would be sunshine and I knew there would be warmth. I did not expect that wind.  Our "hurricane season" is supposed to go from October to March, but I guess that's just a guideline... 

Maybe it was the wind, but this run was so difficult.  And thus the door to Doubt creaks open.  Why oh why haven't I run more MP miles this winter? How can I possibly maintain that pace for 26.2 miles if just 10 wiped me out?  ... All the usual shadowy ruminations I have experienced many times before. 

In a way, it's good to doubt.  I don't think I run well when I feel I have to reach a certain goal. That was the main thing I learned at Portland last October, when I was so nervous I destroyed my own race.  Doubt is good when it enables me to let go of the immediate outcome without giving up on the long term certainty.  I've got to say to my BQ, "Someday we'll meet.  It's just a matter of time.  Perhaps in May, perhaps in the fall..."

Objective: recovery

5:15 AM:  47F, mostly clear, breezy (5-15 mph).

The bad: My legs don't feel good. Running slowly isn't as much fun.  I didn't eat as well over the weekend as I should have and I feel it.  The good: A little more daylight every morning. Saw bats. (I love bats.) I'm healthy.  If I felt really great today, it might have meant I did not do my job yesterday.

Is anyone on the blog going to run Boston this year?  Two weeks from today!  For those of us who still have some running to do before we can get there, here is the virtual Boston.  (Should I be embarrassed that I have it in my favorites and have watched it numerous times? lol) Strap your laptop to the console of your treadmill and zip through the course at 35 mph. :D

Well, it seems insane with the sun finally shining and the air so warm, but we are making one last attempt at a ski day.  It will be spring skiing for sure (soft & wet).  My goal is to have just enough fun, but not so much that I interfere with my running for the rest of the week. lol   A little ding in my mileage this week, but if I look at the big picture it's ok: life is short and both of these sports are dear to me.  

PM update: hellooooo quadriceps! ouch.

Objective: general aerobic and form focus. 3 mi easy, remainder moderate except for last 5 min easier for cool down

5:00 AM: 45F, mostly cloudy (but I did see the near-full moon set), windy in open places (10-20 mph), dry.

20 min. abs & upper body, stretches & Stick

I thought my legs would be less cooperative today after yesterday's skiing, but perhaps there will be a delayed soreness.   It was a good run.  As of Monday night, the frogs are now singing - first of the season. 

I found two muscle groups that were almost completely unprepared for skiing yesterday. No surprise, since I'm not trained for it.  The first doesn't bother me too much: quads. But the second does bother me: obliques. (The side of the core, for twisting motion.)  I am so faithful about my crunches, upper and lower, but I have neglected the sides.  The only other time I notice their weakness occurs right after the marathon, when I always find myself surprised that they are sore.  So, a bit of work there in the next few weeks!

Apropos to nothing, what are people from Utah called? Utahsians? Utahers? Utes? I've wondered for a while.  So many Ut.... whatever here on the blog, and occasionally I'd like to know the proper way to say stuff like, "We have such slushy snow here in the spring, not like the velvety, dry stuff you U-------s enjoy."

Objective: tempo run by time and effort (4.5 miles is a guess).  Warm up, 2x20 min at effort which was harder than MP but not as hard as 5K with 5 min. recovery b/t, cool down.

5:15 AM: 42F, rain then occasional light shower, little wind.

I found my legs felt worse today than yesterday, the usual DOMS, and I really wanted to bag the plan for a tempo run. But I decided to go by effort level and time and just do the best I could on the theory that this would be better than nothing.  As with my VO2 workouts, the biggest problem was oxygen, though my legs were not happy either.

An observation: I can turn up the cadence (higher than 185) or I can get better stride length with push-off and heel raising, but I cannot seem to do both at the same time.  At a higher cadence, my feet slap the pavement uncomfortably when I add the "better" running form.  I do like the feel of the stride length effort better.  Up and down hills, the higher cadence with lower foot action seems to work well and on the flatter bits (teensy bits, in my neighborhood) the more powerful stride seems more efficient.

Objective: Fast Finish Friday
Warm up:  2 min walking, 2 mi @ 11:00-12:00
After warm up: moderate (~10:00, + or - for hills)
Penultimate 5 minutes @ 8:40
Cool down: last 5 min @ ~10:30

5AM: 45F, light rain, no wind.

A very pleasant run, though I felt like I was about 90 years old for the first mile. Stiff and tired; I did not get quite enough sleep last night. Saw a raccoon and heard an owl -- it's the time of year I usually start seeing more wildlife on my runs.  The rain was light enough to be refreshing.

Bonnie, I did the even-effort exercise on my hills today (except the fast finish bit), and also the fast running at the end. (Everyone, Bonnie has been helping me a bit offline with some training issues.)   And just for you Bonnie, I have decided to list my paces more often. I still think any number I put down is kind of misleading, because of the hills.  For example, today I was doing the "even effort" thing up a hill of about 5% grade, and I glanced at my Garmin: 13:40!  Mile 2 of my run today was almost entirely uphill, and mile 3 was almost entirely downhill.   But if I check myself on the occasional flat block or two, I can see what the "effort level" pace is, so I'll report that. How does that sound?  :)

To all my Christian friends, a very happy Easter! This heathen won't be blogging again until Sunday, though I'll try to "stop in" and see how everyone's Saturday runs went.  Sunday will be my last mega run (though not my last long run) before Eugene.  Have a great weekend, everyone!