Trails for Two

Sounds like you're going to enjoy your new routine with Saturdays off.  And you'll have real weekends as well. 

Nice run.

nkrichards wrote:Sounds like you're going to enjoy your new routine with Saturdays off.  And you'll have real weekends as well. 

Nice run.

Thanks, Nancy! We're trying to adjust to the new routine. I think it's going to take a while, as evidenced by today's run...

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Abridged Trail Run: 3 miles with Alita (originally scheduled as an 11, dialed back to 8 previously as a step back)

Weather: Overcast, chilly, threatening rain. 40° Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed).

We really need to figure out this whole schedule thing. For two days in a row, we kept putting off our run until late in the afternoon, after we'd done a bunch of errands. (We could have gotten up and gotten it over with, but no...) So by the time we started, we were running out of daylight, patience and energy. It went okay yesterday, but today... it was a bust.

We barely made it out there and talked about doing two laps through the woods. But our legs were dead and our bodies had no energy, so we settled for one lap and called it good enough. My HR was quite low throughout, at least.

Guess this was the right week for a step-back, eh? Yipes.

We learned a lot this weekend, though. We now know that we need to get up and get out there and THEN do the other things we need to do. Much less stressful. It'll also come in handy when we go back to double digits next Sunday.

I think we're just a bit worn down from the training with too-few stepbacks, enhanced by the stress of new work hours and responsibilities and other stuff (Alec's clarinet disappeared from school Friday. We're hoping he left it someplace and a teacher returns it to him, but we're afraid some [unprintable word] may have stolen it out of malice. The instrument would cost probably more than $1,000 to replace, but more significantly, it was a gift that Alec treasures and hopes to pass down to his kids. So it's kind of a big deal, and we wont' know until Monday if it shows up. Gah.

Oh yeah, we're also sick of the weather. It's likely to be the wettest February on record in Vancouver, and it's not a warm wet, either. We're so looking forward to the spring, if only so the rain gets warmer.

Low HR Run: 4.23 miles

Indoors, 70° Gear: Topos, shorts.

It was 36° and raining outside, and I just couldn't bring myself to dive out into that sort of weather. So I fired up the treadmill and did a run at the other end of the comfort spectrum. Whooee! Nothing like a morning sweat-fest.

I did 4 miles at a 12-minute pace, aiming for a low-HR/recovery type of effort, hoping to get this discomfort out of my legs. I even took two S-Caps afterward after noticing my sweat wasn't salty in the least, which got me wondering if all this treadmill work has leached out some electrolytes. Worth a try, anyway.

The run felt harder than it should, but I ran pretty smoothly, and my HR behaved itself until the very end.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 129

Mark B wrote:

Abridged Trail Run: 3 miles with Alita (originally scheduled as an 11, dialed back to 8 previously as a step back)

Weather: Overcast, chilly, threatening rain. 40° Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed).

We really need to figure out this whole schedule thing. For two days in a row, we kept putting off our run until late in the afternoon, after we'd done a bunch of errands. (We could have gotten up and gotten it over with, but no...) So by the time we started, we were running out of daylight, patience and energy. It went okay yesterday, but today... it was a bust.

We barely made it out there and talked about doing two laps through the woods. But our legs were dead and our bodies had no energy, so we settled for one lap and called it good enough. My HR was quite low throughout, at least.

Guess this was the right week for a step-back, eh? Yipes.

We learned a lot this weekend, though. We now know that we need to get up and get out there and THEN do the other things we need to do. Much less stressful. It'll also come in handy when we go back to double digits next Sunday.

I think we're just a bit worn down from the training with too-few stepbacks, enhanced by the stress of new work hours and responsibilities and other stuff (Alec's clarinet disappeared from school Friday. We're hoping he left it someplace and a teacher returns it to him, but we're afraid some [unprintable word] may have stolen it out of malice. The instrument would cost probably more than $1,000 to replace, but more significantly, it was a gift that Alec treasures and hopes to pass down to his kids. So it's kind of a big deal, and we wont' know until Monday if it shows up. Gah.

Oh yeah, we're also sick of the weather. It's likely to be the wettest February on record in Vancouver, and it's not a warm wet, either. We're so looking forward to the spring, if only so the rain gets warmer.

It's tough to get motivated when you know you have all day...and it's cold and nasty outside.  I think sometimes I do better when I'm busy and don't have a choice.  I have to get in and get my run in.  You'll adjust with time...and better weather.

It has been a nasty winter hasn't it.  I'm ready for spring even if it does bring our usual spring winds.  It's 23 degrees.  We're setting trusses on a new hay shed this morning.  The boys will be up high...I hope it's not slippery. 

Hope the missing clarinet shows up this morning.  I played clarinet and saxophone through 8th grade but gave it up in high school.  We had limited time for elective classes and I chose Introduction to Agriculture and learned how to weld among other things.  Peers can have a big influence on our choices at that age.

Nice job on the TM run this morning.  You'll be ready for cold weather or warm weather on race day!

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Abridged Trail Run: 3 miles with Alita (originally scheduled as an 11, dialed back to 8 previously as a step back)

Weather: Overcast, chilly, threatening rain. 40° Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed).

We really need to figure out this whole schedule thing. For two days in a row, we kept putting off our run until late in the afternoon, after we'd done a bunch of errands. (We could have gotten up and gotten it over with, but no...) So by the time we started, we were running out of daylight, patience and energy. It went okay yesterday, but today... it was a bust.

We barely made it out there and talked about doing two laps through the woods. But our legs were dead and our bodies had no energy, so we settled for one lap and called it good enough. My HR was quite low throughout, at least.

Guess this was the right week for a step-back, eh? Yipes.

We learned a lot this weekend, though. We now know that we need to get up and get out there and THEN do the other things we need to do. Much less stressful. It'll also come in handy when we go back to double digits next Sunday.

I think we're just a bit worn down from the training with too-few stepbacks, enhanced by the stress of new work hours and responsibilities and other stuff (Alec's clarinet disappeared from school Friday. We're hoping he left it someplace and a teacher returns it to him, but we're afraid some [unprintable word] may have stolen it out of malice. The instrument would cost probably more than $1,000 to replace, but more significantly, it was a gift that Alec treasures and hopes to pass down to his kids. So it's kind of a big deal, and we wont' know until Monday if it shows up. Gah.

Oh yeah, we're also sick of the weather. It's likely to be the wettest February on record in Vancouver, and it's not a warm wet, either. We're so looking forward to the spring, if only so the rain gets warmer.

It's tough to get motivated when you know you have all day...and it's cold and nasty outside.  I think sometimes I do better when I'm busy and don't have a choice.  I have to get in and get my run in.  You'll adjust with time...and better weather.

It has been a nasty winter hasn't it.  I'm ready for spring even if it does bring our usual spring winds.  It's 23 degrees.  We're setting trusses on a new hay shed this morning.  The boys will be up high...I hope it's not slippery. 

Hope the missing clarinet shows up this morning.  I played clarinet and saxophone through 8th grade but gave it up in high school.  We had limited time for elective classes and I chose Introduction to Agriculture and learned how to weld among other things.  Peers can have a big influence on our choices at that age.

Nice job on the TM run this morning.  You'll be ready for cold weather or warm weather on race day!

You know how awful this weather is? We're less than a quarter inch of rain away from setting an all time rainfall record in February... and it's starting to look like we're not going to get there.

REALLY?!?

If we're going to suffer through this much slop, it'd better be something for the #@$! record books!

But on your other point, yes: This freeze or fry training, while tough on the body, is getting us ready for whatever race day throws at us. Yay?

So weird about your weather.  Do you know that it didn't snow the entire month of February in Chicago? or Kansas City?   It did snow in Cleveland, so being here in Atlanta was a positive move for the winter since it has been pretty warm (70F for my run today), but it has been unseasonably warm in Cleveland too.   Now of course it is supposed to be 34F on Saturday morning for the big Peachtree 10K qualifier here in Atlanta - and I was so hoping to run in shorts.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:So weird about your weather.  Do you know that it didn't snow the entire month of February in Chicago? or Kansas City?   It did snow in Cleveland, so being here in Atlanta was a positive move for the winter since it has been pretty warm (70F for my run today), but it has been unseasonably warm in Cleveland too.   Now of course it is supposed to be 34F on Saturday morning for the big Peachtree 10K qualifier here in Atlanta - and I was so hoping to run in shorts.

I do know. It's crazy! The whole West Coast has been blasted by cooler and much wetter weather while the rest of the country is enjoying a very early spring. Hope that doesn't bode ill for the summer for you guys.

Alec's instrument has been found! Woot!

A teacher spotted it where Alec had left it and spirited it away to his office for safekeeping. Now, it would have been nice if he let lost and found know, but Alec finally asked the right person yesterday and got it back. What. A. Relief.

Barefoot Run: 4.13 miles on damp asphalt

Weather: Overcast, slight drizzle at end. 43° Gear: Bare feet, lightweight pants, T, pullover, jacket, hat (shed)

My challenge for today was to get out and get my barefoot run done before the little kids converged at the bus stop. I don't mind being a poster child for eccentric behavior, but lap after lap in front of 7-year-olds is kinda creepy.

The weather cooperated today. It was merely overcast and 43°, which is well within the range of acceptable barefoot running. I started out with more layers, in case it started to rain, but I ditched them as I went on in a slow-motion strip tease. (Again with the creepy!) That kept my comfort level about right, though I was still pretty warm at the end.

My HR and paces were amazingly consistent. 10:57/134; 10:50/137; 10:50/137; 10:50/139. Wow! Nice to see my aerobic system starting to come back on line.

Average HR for entire run: 137

I guess it's better to be wet and cold rather than snow and cold?

Speaking to Miche1e's snow comment, it was mentioned on the national news that Chicago hasn't had any snow in January and February for the first time in 146 years (maybe a 126 years).  Going to be a warmer summer for us with the snow pack retreating so rapidly.  This lack of snow causes the cold air out of Canada to warm faster, because the air is warmer further north.

As far as us for February, BUSH IAH has set 5 record highs this month and tied or exceeded 80 degrees 10 times. February 2017 is the first February since 1950 where the low temperature did not fall into the 30’s. The coldest overnight low this month was 40 on February 16.

February is our coldest month.

So does your new job limit you to news or human interest stuff or investigative stuff just within the city limits and/or subscriber geographical area?  I guess City Hall, police beat, 100 year old birfdays, health 'n welfare story, and those bad people from Portland moving north?  Again, gratz on that.

Does working in the daylight get you out of sherpa duties?

And I enjoy running in the darkness because it's the time I can do it, I'm not tired from the day's activities, and traffic is lighter PLUS I don't have to look all the way around me for cars coming up behind me towards an intersection...I just have to look for the light from the headlights.

ounce wrote:I guess it's better to be wet and cold rather than snow and cold?

Speaking to Miche1e's snow comment, it was mentioned on the national news that Chicago hasn't had any snow in January and February for the first time in 146 years (maybe a 126 years).  Going to be a warmer summer for us with the snow pack retreating so rapidly.  This lack of snow causes the cold air out of Canada to warm faster, because the air is warmer further north.

As far as us for February, BUSH IAH has set 5 record highs this month and tied or exceeded 80 degrees 10 times. February 2017 is the first February since 1950 where the low temperature did not fall into the 30’s. The coldest overnight low this month was 40 on February 16.

February is our coldest month.

So does your new job limit you to news or human interest stuff or investigative stuff just within the city limits and/or subscriber geographical area?  I guess City Hall, police beat, 100 year old birfdays, health 'n welfare story, and those bad people from Portland moving north?  Again, gratz on that.

Does working in the daylight get you out of sherpa duties?

And I enjoy running in the darkness because it's the time I can do it, I'm not tired from the day's activities, and traffic is lighter PLUS I don't have to look all the way around me for cars coming up behind me towards an intersection...I just have to look for the light from the headlights.

Wet and cold is pretty bad, too. There's a big risk of hypothermia when it's below 45, windy and rainy. Exposure doesn't necessarily have to mean freezing solid, and I'd rather have snow and sub-freezing temperatures than rain and temperatures in the 30s, because the rain gets you wet, and that sucks out body heat faster than just about anything.

I just read a story today that weather watchers say the eastern half of the country is a month ahead of schedule meteorologically -- kind of what they expected to see with climate change around, oh, the year 2100. Trees are already blossoming in some areas. Bad storms already kicking up. Makes me wonder what the rest of the spring and summer's going to be like for you guys. Out West, we have a ton of snow and saturated soils, so that'll help us tremendously, provided it eventually stops raining.

My responsibilities cover everything but spots. I'm a team editor overseeing the operation with another guy. My old boss has been promoted to managing editor after our previous editor retired. So we now have the work done by six editors (editor, metro editor, two assistant metro editors, feature editor, business editor) done by three people. It's keeping us busy. We focus mostly on our county, but we pay attention to what's happening in the state capitol and local impacts of the shenanigans elsewhere.

We've lost one day of training together (Monday) due to the schedule shift, but it should make running on Saturday and Sunday -- and going to races -- a lot easier. So it's a tradeoff.

I also enjoyed running at zero-dark-thirty, but I also need sleep... and my training partner is not game to get up at 4 a.m. or earlier to run and then get ready for work. But we will be getting up a bit earlier on the weekends, especially as that long Sunday run gets longer. Oh, some forecasters are predicting snow Sunday, which means it'll probably be cold rain, so our 12-miler on the trails ought to be fun.

Loved your comments about the bus stop.  I used to do that when my daughter was younger.  I would run laps in my neighborhood (it was a 2 mile loop to hit all the cul-de-sacs),come get her when it was time for her to go the the bus stop, and while she walked down the hill to the stop, I would run the short (one mile) loop and meet her there.  Yup, eccentric behavior, but it got the job done. 

I actually love to run in the early am, but I don't really have to anymore - well except for this morning when the painters are coming at 8 am.

Here's the Weather Prediction Center's 7 day forecast, beginning today, for rain accumulation.

Shriveled fingers and toes seem to be a high probability.

Treadhill Workout: 3 miles @ 12% grade (1,900 feet)

Indoors, 70° Gear: Topos, shorts.

I'm seeing my average HR continuing to drop on this 3-mile climbing workout. That's encouraging, since there were times this morning when it felt difficult to keep up with the belt. Oddly, it got noticeably easier after about 45-50 minutes. I guess that's when my body gave in and decided to stop fighting it.

Average HR for entire workout: 135

Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Overcast, breezy. 47°

Managed to get a walk in at lunchtime, and I kept it easy, to see if it'd help loosen things up. It seemed fairly successful.

Catching up...

Good news on the clarinet surfacing...and the hill workout...and the recovery walks...

Good luck on the 12 miler.  Stay warm and dry.

Bad luck on the record rainfall shortfall.  We set the record for the most snow in the season in Madras.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Loved your comments about the bus stop.  I used to do that when my daughter was younger.  I would run laps in my neighborhood (it was a 2 mile loop to hit all the cul-de-sacs),come get her when it was time for her to go the the bus stop, and while she walked down the hill to the stop, I would run the short (one mile) loop and meet her there.  Yup, eccentric behavior, but it got the job done. 

I actually love to run in the early am, but I don't really have to anymore - well except for this morning when the painters are coming at 8 am.

Yep. It's amazing what a time-pressed runner will do to squeeze in a run sometimes.

ounce wrote:Here's the Weather Prediction Center's 7 day forecast, beginning today, for rain accumulation.

Shriveled fingers and toes seem to be a high probability.

Yep. And some forecasters are even calling for snow on Sunday and Monday. That'll probably just end up being cold rain, which is kind of too bad. I'd rather run in the snow -- this time of year, ice isn't as likely as in January.

nkrichards wrote:Catching up...

Good news on the clarinet surfacing...and the hill workout...and the recovery walks...

Good luck on the 12 miler.  Stay warm and dry.

Bad luck on the record rainfall shortfall.  We set the record for the most snow in the season in Madras.

Congratulations! This has been a weird winter, and it feels like it's been going on forever. At least it's good for the water/wildfire situation out west.

Trail Run: 12.24 miles with Alita

Weather: Decidedly mixed. Some sun, clouds, rain, sleet. 43°-47° Gear: Lone Peaks, pants, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (needed 'em when it was sleeting)

I threw our training plan a curve ball this morning when I looked outside and noticed the weather was pretty good and the forecast for tomorrow was pretty rotten and decided to switch things up and do the long run TODAY, without warning. Surprise!

There's some logic to it, actually. Most ultra training plans work a back-to-back weekend with the long run FIRST, but my weird schedule never made that possible, so I always flopped it. I realized this morning that I don't have to do that anymore -- especially since my training partner is my wife! So out we went, a little later in the day that ideal.

And, of course, the blue skies clouded up and it started to rain. And then sleet. Sheesh. Really? At least it was only a passing shower. It stopped and things got better again.

Rather than our normal haunt, we went to Portland's Wildwood Trail. I wanted that as a change of pace -- we're getting a little sick of running loops -- and because the terrain involved one big climb, turning around and coming back downhill. That's pretty much the idea of the Smith Rock race we're doing. Except my normal way to access Wildwood was blocked by a landslide, so I had to find a different entry point, which meant the turnaround point was actually over the top of a ridge and all the way down the other side. Oopsie! We got a little extra climbing in. :-)

The run went pretty well. The trail has more roots and is a lot muddier than our usual trail, so it required more concentration. We really enjoyed screaming down one downhill, which made up for some of the uphill slogging.

Walked first and last 5 minute or so. Average HR for entire run: 130

Mark B wrote:Trail Run: 12.24 miles with Alita

Weather: Decidedly mixed. Some sun, clouds, rain, sleet. 43°-47° Gear: Lone Peaks, pants, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (needed 'em when it was sleeting)

I threw our training plan a curve ball this morning when I looked outside and noticed the weather was pretty good and the forecast for tomorrow was pretty rotten and decided to switch things up and do the long run TODAY, without warning. Surprise!

There's some logic to it, actually. Most ultra training plans work a back-to-back weekend with the long run FIRST, but my weird schedule never made that possible, so I always flopped it. I realized this morning that I don't have to do that anymore -- especially since my training partner is my wife! So out we went, a little later in the day that ideal.

And, of course, the blue skies clouded up and it started to rain. And then sleet. Sheesh. Really? At least it was only a passing shower. It stopped and things got better again.

Rather than our normal haunt, we went to Portland's Wildwood Trail. I wanted that as a change of pace -- we're getting a little sick of running loops -- and because the terrain involved one big climb, turning around and coming back downhill. That's pretty much the idea of the Smith Rock race we're doing. Except my normal way to access Wildwood was blocked by a landslide, so I had to find a different entry point, which meant the turnaround point was actually over the top of a ridge and all the way down the other side. Oopsie! We got a little extra climbing in. :-)

The run went pretty well. The trail has more roots and is a lot muddier than our usual trail, so it required more concentration. We really enjoyed screaming down one downhill, which made up for some of the uphill slogging.

Walked first and last 5 minute or so. Average HR for entire run: 130

I think I had identical weather during my 10 miler today.  I was dressed for sunshine...oops.

Nice job on the schedule change and the long run!

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Trail Run: 12.24 miles with Alita

Weather: Decidedly mixed. Some sun, clouds, rain, sleet. 43°-47° Gear: Lone Peaks, pants, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (needed 'em when it was sleeting)

I threw our training plan a curve ball this morning when I looked outside and noticed the weather was pretty good and the forecast for tomorrow was pretty rotten and decided to switch things up and do the long run TODAY, without warning. Surprise!

There's some logic to it, actually. Most ultra training plans work a back-to-back weekend with the long run FIRST, but my weird schedule never made that possible, so I always flopped it. I realized this morning that I don't have to do that anymore -- especially since my training partner is my wife! So out we went, a little later in the day that ideal.

And, of course, the blue skies clouded up and it started to rain. And then sleet. Sheesh. Really? At least it was only a passing shower. It stopped and things got better again.

Rather than our normal haunt, we went to Portland's Wildwood Trail. I wanted that as a change of pace -- we're getting a little sick of running loops -- and because the terrain involved one big climb, turning around and coming back downhill. That's pretty much the idea of the Smith Rock race we're doing. Except my normal way to access Wildwood was blocked by a landslide, so I had to find a different entry point, which meant the turnaround point was actually over the top of a ridge and all the way down the other side. Oopsie! We got a little extra climbing in. :-)

The run went pretty well. The trail has more roots and is a lot muddier than our usual trail, so it required more concentration. We really enjoyed screaming down one downhill, which made up for some of the uphill slogging.

Walked first and last 5 minute or so. Average HR for entire run: 130

I think I had identical weather during my 10 miler today.  I was dressed for sunshine...oops.

Nice job on the schedule change and the long run!

Thanks, Nancy! I'm going to rebuild our training schedule to reflect this approach. It's amazing how uncomfortable this back-to-back approach can be on Day 2, though. But it's good for us.

As for your run yesterday, brr.

Low HR Run: 5 miles with Alita

Weather: Freeze or fry. 43° windy with sunbreaks. Gear: Topos, pants, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

Ah, 43° - one of the most difficult dressing situations. Depending on what's going on, you could freeze, or fry -- and in some runs, both. This was one of those runs. Thank goodness for zippers.

The run was difficult, as you'd expect after a long run the day before. But this is *actually* the way most ultra training plans are built, to give you practice running on tired, sore legs. We definitely had that going today. Unfortunately, Alita also kept catching her toe on uneven parts of the sidwalk and nearly sending herself flying - or just jarring something already sore. Less than ideal.

But we got the run done. Despite my soreness, I see my average HR was pretty low throughout. (The pace was slower, too.) So it's a good low HR stimulus for me. Tomorrow's four-miler ought to be interesting...

Walked first 10, last 5 (we got distracted by something shortly after starting and had to go back home briefly, and I didn't restart my timer). Average HR for entire run: 115

Up-tempo run: 4.26 miles

Weather: Snowing! 34° and windy. Gear: Topos, tights, long-sleeved T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

I was expecting cold rain on my run this morning, but I got a surprise after about a quarter mile in when it started to snow. Well, this ought to be interesting. So I kept on, catching a few snowflakes on my tongue before the wind picked up and I started getting those snowflakes propelled into my mouth. It stopped after about 3/4 of the run and warmed up a bit, which was a disappointment. I wanted to get a photo of all the snow that was accumulating on me. (There was a trace on the ground.)

I didn't want to stop because I was moving so fast. My legs seemed to forget how sore they were yesterday and took off. I guess they wanted to stay warm. My paces went from 12:37 in the first mile (with a 5 minute walking warm up) to 10:04, 9:48 and 9:24. My HR was in the 140s to 150s, but it seemed to be able to handle it, so I didn't mind. I was pretty happy, actually, to see that last mile be that zippy. Helped make up for how soaked I was. :-)

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 140. Max: 162

You put together a nice string of runs...in less than optimum weather conditions. 

Looking good!

nkrichards wrote:You put together a nice string of runs...in less than optimum weather conditions. 

Looking good!

Thanks! I'll be glad for spring, when at least the rain should be warmer.

Barefooot Run: 4 miles on the treadmill

Indoors, 70° Gear: Bare feet, shorts.

It was rainy and 41° outside and I wasn't in the mood to splash in puddles, so I did an indoor barefoot run on the treadmill. I figure it's good training for running in warmer temps.

It went well. I set the pace at 11:20/mi and left it there the whole time. My HR stayed fairly steady in the mid miles, rising a bit above my target in the last mile. Good enough.

Average HR for entire run: 136