Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Low 50s, cloudy w/ showers and sunbreaks, then just pouring rain.  Easy run. 

I ran my first few miles with SnoFlake, then took her home and continued on. I enjoyed running some parts of the neighborhood I haven't been to in a long time, where I ran some very steep hills and felt stronger than I used to. Nine hours of sleep = heaven -- my legs feel much better today and I was able to get into a good "easy" pace (10:00-10:30) instead of the slog I had yesterday.  But with good pace comes body heat... I was extremely uncomfortable with my rain jacket in the final couple of miles.  I guess it's better to just get wet once I am warm. 

So I am a little short on my goal miles this week, and I did not have a proper long run, but I am ok with it.  That is the really nice thing about doing lots of long runs - you can miss one without feeling tragic. 

Mon-Sun total 57.41 miles

54F, showers, breezy.  Easy run. 

Today I went with a nylon vest instead of the jacket. That worked great for this temperature.  I had some gloves too, which went on and off my hands all throughout the run, usually depending on the wind direction.

High 40sF, mostly clear and starry.  Easy run, plus minimalist-footwear trials on the TM (last 3 miles).  Extra warm up early (see below) and 10 min. core work after.

Super pretty morning.  Venus was so large and bright, I could have sworn I saw the crescent. Then, when the sky got lighter,  I could see all the fields and parks were covered with a layer of mist.  I love that. 

I had some new experiences today.  First, before running I warmed up with 50 calf pumps (barefoot) and 20 step-up/one-leg-squats for each leg on a 10 inch step.  These are exercises I often do after my run, but I'm feeling more and more like I need extra warm up time.  It seemed to work well and I hope to incorporate it into my routine.

After I had to come home, I did 3 more miles on the TM and tried 3 new minimalist footwear options, a mile each.  First was the Mizuno Wave Universe.  I found out about these shoes from a guy in my running club.  His description of the shoes struck me as quite odd and equivocal: "They are a Lifestyle shoe."  Huh?  Anyway, I would say this is a great shoe for anyone who wants to be barefoot but not attract any attention or comments.  There is just very little shoe at all.  They remind me of the leather slipper-like footwear of pre-WWII runners. They are extremely comfortable, but no support or "stability" and no bounce.  Interestingly, the shoes came with a bunch of tags with dire warnings all over them.  "Experts only.... A performance shoe... Very slippery... low traction..."  The Mizuno legal department is terrified of this shoe. 

Second was the Softstar moccasin.  These are like barefoot only warmer and slightlty padded.  My foot tended to move too far forward in them, leaving me with the urge to stop and scoot  my heel back into place.  Not sure about that.  They will be fine for a minimalist training run when the weather gets colder, if I can solve the heel thing.

Lastly was the Sockwa Aqua-sock.  Someone on a barefoot forum recommended these.  They come in a bunch of cool patterns, and honestly just look adorable. That's about as useful as they are.  I kind of doubt I'll run in them much.  I wore them all day a few weeks ago just for kicking around and I noticed they have no water resistance whatsoever. They also do not protect against little rocks.  They are not particularly warm. So... why not just go barefoot?  I guess if it was cool out -- but not cold -- I might pair them with Smartwool socks in lieu of going barefoot, but only if the streets were dry.  

Mid to upper 50s, cloudy & breezy.  Easy 5.82 solo, then 2.74 run/walk w/ SnoFlake. 

Nice run. Some really pretty clouds and pink sunrise.  I feel boring today. Nothing interesting to report...

Mid 50s, overcast/cloudy.  Objective: VO2 max and leg speed/strength.  

Warm up: a couple of miles of jogging around town, finishing with 2 track laps of alternating 100m strides w/ 100m jogs.  Interval workout:  4 x 1000 meters w/ 2:30 recovery. Target time 4:54.  Results 4:57, 4:53, 4:52, 5:05. 

I started out with an easy jog from the High School down to Centennial Park and back.  On the track, all was darkness except for a light on at one side and my headlamp, which was quite bright (new batteries). The overall effect was kind of eerie.  There was a horrible smell at the track, something between a skunk and burning plastic.  So not the best conditions, but tolerable. At least no rain falling.

As usual, the intervals were incredibly hard oxygen-wise. I was opening my mouth like a fish trying to get more air.  On the third rep I could feel myself slowing down so I am quite surprised that this was the fastest one.  The fourth one felt like desperately hanging on, so no surprise on the slowdown there.  I just kept telling myself that the effort counts more than actually hitting the goal pace, otherwise I think I would have given up after the 3rd rep.

I did a very brief cool down - legs totally shaking - by the track and drove back up the hill to home.  A couple of easy walk/run miles with SnoFlake were just the ticket to loosen up some more and enjoy a little non-gasping-for-breath running. Hey, this is nice.

55F, clear with a few light patches of fog.  Recovery run. 

I'm moving like a 90 year old today. I'm all creaky and hobbled --not fun, but satisfying to see I did my work yesterday.  Looking forward to my day off tomorrow.  Long run on Sunday this week.

I hope everyone will understand if I am a little quiet on the blog for a while, starting next week.  Our family will be adding yet another obligation to the homeschooling schedule, an educational co-op where my daughter will be taking 3 classes and meeting some new kids. We are starting it on a trial basis and hoping it will be worth the time.  Her junior apprenticeship program at the horse barn is on temporary hiatus and that will probably start back up next week too.  It just seems like a good time to take a few straws off the camel's back.