Trails for Two

I only watched the news for a couple minutes this morning but your neck of the woods did not look good.  Hope you made it home from work safely and are warm and toasty.

We're still getting snow...a lot of it!  We got well over 6" more yesterday and it's snowing hard again today.  It's still in the teens but they are predicting the temps to warm and the freezing rain to hit later today.

Stay safe...

nkrichards wrote:I only watched the news for a couple minutes this morning but your neck of the woods did not look good.  Hope you made it home from work safely and are warm and toasty.

We're still getting snow...a lot of it!  We got well over 6" more yesterday and it's snowing hard again today.  It's still in the teens but they are predicting the temps to warm and the freezing rain to hit later today.

Stay safe...

I made it home last night, though it was pretty slick out. A good thing I had the car with studded tires. Not everyone was so fortunate. The Washington State Patrol responded to 91 crashes between 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

We have maybe 1/8 inch of ice buildup here. It's enough to keep us inside but not enough to do damage to trees. They have more ice closer to the Columbia River Gorge-- up to 3/4 an inch. Yipes.

Obviously, no outside run today. Going to hit the treadmill. It's killing me that this second weekend of our training plan is being thwarted. Snow is fun, but ice is not.

Oh well. It can't be like this ALL winter, right?

Right?

(oops, forgot to post this Sunday)

Treadmill Run: 5 miles

Weather: Ice storm outside, safe and warm inside. 70° Gear: Topos, shorts, T.

Too dangerous to go outside (not to mention cold 'n' nasty), so I did my scheduled 5-mile run on the treadmill this afternoon. Alita, who managed to get in a 3-mile run yesterday when I was at work, did 3 miles after I did today. Not perfectly on plan, but that's okay.

Time crept by slowly for the first couple of miles, but I guess I warmed up, because the last two miles went by pretty easily. It may have also been the podcast I was listening to, but whatever, I'll take it.

I started out with an easy 12-minute pace, but my HR climbed too high after a mile or so. I slowed it down a bit a couple of times as the run progressed. It was good to get some miles in the legs.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 138

Recovery Run: 3 miles

Weather: Damp and chilly. 38° Gear: Topos, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

This run was supposed to be on Monday, but it was delayed due to a bunch of chores that needed tending. Just as well, since I woke up sore and tight today. So a recovery run was definitely the order of the day.

We're between cold snaps at the moment, which means it was damp and chilly. Lettuce crisper weather. I could feel it penetrating my gear, and I'd barely gotten warmed up when it was time to wrap it up. My legs didn't mind, though. They felt heavy the whole time. Counting on feeling more peppy tomorrow.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 127

Mark B wrote:Recovery Run: 3 miles

Weather: Damp and chilly. 38° Gear: Topos, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

This run was supposed to be on Monday, but it was delayed due to a bunch of chores that needed tending. Just as well, since I woke up sore and tight today. So a recovery run was definitely the order of the day.

We're between cold snaps at the moment, which means it was damp and chilly. Lettuce crisper weather. I could feel it penetrating my gear, and I'd barely gotten warmed up when it was time to wrap it up. My legs didn't mind, though. They felt heavy the whole time. Counting on feeling more peppy tomorrow.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 127

I think most of our outdoor runs this winter are going to be of the lettuce crisper variety. I guess that's better than the dreadmill...or no run at all.

Were you able to make it out today?  I went to Pilates and planned to run before the next snowstorm hit but groceries were a higher priority and I didn't make it so it will be off to the treadmill shortly.

Makes training tough doesn't it!

Actually didn't think you guys got the kind of snow out there that I see in your pictures.  Wow.

It was actually in the teens here in Atlanta over the past weekend and we had some annoying ice around me and a bit of snow just north of me.  Today it is close to 60F.  Yup, GA in the winter.

nkrichards wrote:I think most of our outdoor runs this winter are going to be of the lettuce crisper variety. I guess that's better than the dreadmill...or no run at all.

Were you able to make it out today?  I went to Pilates and planned to run before the next snowstorm hit but groceries were a higher priority and I didn't make it so it will be off to the treadmill shortly.

Makes training tough doesn't it!

Yes, these pesky storms are definitely messing with the training plan. On the upside, we got some good cross-training in today as we shoveled the driveway. That was a lot of snow.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Actually didn't think you guys got the kind of snow out there that I see in your pictures.  Wow.

It was actually in the teens here in Atlanta over the past weekend and we had some annoying ice around me and a bit of snow just north of me.  Today it is close to 60F.  Yup, GA in the winter.

We don't get snow like this very often -- the last time we had a big snowfall like this was 2008, and this is one of the top 10 snowiest days in the past 100 years. But when it happens, it gets your attention.



It's good snow this time, too. Not too wet, not too dry. Soft and fluffy, but it can still make a good snowball.

We'd wanted to do a trail run in the snow when we heard it was going to snow... 4-5 inches. What we got was about a foot in most areas, and that's pretty deep if it's not packed down. And getting to the trailhead would have been risky - that road would never get plowed. So we took a short walk after shoveling the driveway, and that was nice. Maybe conditions will be more favorable over the next couple of days. It's going to be cold, but dry.

Wow that is a lot of snow for your area!  We only got 6" or so this last storm but we've been white since December 7th and have a total of over 38" which is near the record and the winter is still young.

Good job on the cross training btw...but where was Alec?

nkrichards wrote:Wow that is a lot of snow for your area!  We only got 6" or so this last storm but we've been white since December 7th and have a total of over 38" which is near the record and the winter is still young.

Good job on the cross training btw...but where was Alec?

Alec? He was inside, being a teenager. 

---

It was beautiful today, with brilliant blue skies and snow still in the trees. Alas, we had errands to tend to, and so we didn't manage to get a run in. I'm hoping we can get to the woods, but snow this deep (about a foot) is going to be rough going. Also, there are apparently a good number of trees down blocking trails, so that'll complicate things. We still want to give it a shot, though.

Speaking of shots...

Snow Run: 2.2 miles (with a brief barefoot warmup) 

Weather: Clear and cold, about 20° Gear: Lone Peaks, tights/pants, T/pullover, warm vest, wool hat, gloves. 

I haven't had a chance to run since our surprise snowstorm Tuesday night and Wednesday morning left about a foot of snow on the ground. I've been going nuts, though Alita has been able to use the treadmill while I was at work. 

Today, I had enough time (barely) to squeeze in a run. I started off with a stunt run, going barefoot outside for the camera and to see if I could manage it at 20°. I went maybe 150 meters up and down the street and stood for a photo smiling and gritting my teeth at the same time. That cold was penetrating! I might have gone further, or gotten warmed up first and then taken off the shoes, but really... this was just for fun. The surface was solid and not slippery, though I did have some less than pleasant jabs from small ridges of ice from tire tread. I'm betting the snow was colder than 20°, too, since it got down to 8° earlier in the morning. 

After doing that, I peeled off a third layer on top and bottom, got my trail shoes and headed out for a short run to explore. I went slow and easy and stopped to take several pictures. I kept on areas that had been compacted by cars, or walkers. The footing was good but the surface was quite uneven. It was very much like a trail run. Pretty, too. 

I walked the last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 134

Snow Hike: 3 miles

Weather: Clear and COLD. 11° Gear: Multiple layers. Wore snow boots, too.

It got down to 8° this morning, so we dressed as well as we could for a hike at our local forest. We wanted to see it in snow, and we were hopeful it was packed down enough to avoid post-holing. We were careful to dress warm enough to not get in trouble out there. 

The hike was challenging but beautiful. We had to work our way around our through a number of downed trees, and those uphill sections felt like we were walking up a sand dune. We had to stop a lot, which gave us the chance to take a lot of photos.

And 11° is cold! I could really feel it in my face at times, and I noticed when I talked it was like I'd chewed about 35 packs of gum. It was a weird sensation. Nothing froze off, though, so I'm counting that as a win!

Now, a few photos.














A great workout, with amazing scenery. Totally worth the frozen face.

Sublime sunset snow run with Alita: 3 miles

Weather: Mostly clear and cold, 29-26° Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, long sleeved T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

We waited until it was warmer to head out for a run today on the Salmon Creek Greenway Trail. It's tough dressing for 11°, but dressing for 29° is pretty easy. We may have waited a bit too long, because the temperature was falling through the run.

No matter. This was one of the -- if not THE -- most stunningly beautiful runs I've ever experienced. The greenway bike path had a nice packed down section with perfect footing, and the scenery was jaw-droppingly amazing. Our splits are slow because we had to stop so many times to try to capture a photo of what our eyeballs were seeing. It was that good.

The run was good, too. The footing was great, the temperature was cold but not horribly so, and everything we saw made up for any discomfort we may have fleetingly felt along the way. In a word, perfect.

We'll be heading back there tomorrow for a longer run before it melts.

Average HR for entire run: 129

Way to take advantage of the winter weather.  A snowy hike and a sunset snow run may not have been on the training schedule but it sounds like an awesome compromise.  Hope your run today goes as well.  It's going to get sloppy in the next few days!

nkrichards wrote:Way to take advantage of the winter weather.  A snowy hike and a sunset snow run may not have been on the training schedule but it sounds like an awesome compromise.  Hope your run today goes as well.  It's going to get sloppy in the next few days!

We're definitely doing our best to work around the weather. We reached 17.8 miles this week, which is pretty good so early in the schedule, and much of it was more challenging than normal runs around the block. Besides, the views were totally worth it.

Snow Run: 6 miles with Alita

Weather: Mostly clear, cold. 30° with a breeze that made it feel colder. Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, long sleeved T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

After our sublime run on a snowy trail in the Salmon Creek Greenway yesterday, we decided to come back today and do the long run we sort of missed out on due to weather. The plan was to do six miles total, which is slightly ahead of the plan, but not significantly so.

This run was beautiful but not quite as sublime. We had some accumulated fatigue from the past two days, not to mention shoveling half the driveway this morning, and Alita developed some gut problems about halfway out. We went slower than usual and did a fair share of walking. Good practice for relentless forward progress, though!

Average HR for entire run: 121

Good plan to take advantage of an opportunity to get outside.  I hear that you're forecast to get freezing rain.  Stay safe!

nkrichards wrote:Good plan to take advantage of an opportunity to get outside.  I hear that you're forecast to get freezing rain.  Stay safe!

Yes, we'll see on the freezing rain. I'm packing a bag in case I'm stuck overnight downtown. I'm thinking it'll be okay, but you never know.

Thought I'd share a few photos from our runs on the past two days.





 

Looks like a gorgeous run...don't think it's going to look like that for much longer.  Glad you enjoyed it while you could.

nkrichards wrote:Looks like a gorgeous run...don't think it's going to look like that for much longer.  Glad you enjoyed it while you could.

No, probably not. It's been raining since yesterday afternoon, and it's not letting up. The streets are a sloppy mess. Looks like a treadmill day. Even I wouldn't subject myself to that level of torture. Even barefoot!

And you're right: it was gorgeous out. It's tough to run when you see something every few feet that would make a calendar cover! You can't help but stop and try to capture it.

Treadmill Run: 3 miles

Weather: Super slushy outside. 70° and dry inside. Gear: Topos, shorts, T (shed)

The thaw is on (its a balmy 43° outside now), so it was way too slushy outside to run outside -- even in shoes -- so I opted for the treadmill and a "This American Life" podcast. I was feeling some residual fatigue from our fun this weekend, so I just plugged along with the machine set at a 12/mi pace and let my HR rise up a bit above the low HR standard. It felt pretty good overall, and boy what a difference from being outside. I think I need to find the mop. ;-)

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 135

Treadhill Run: 40 minutes at 10% (2 miles, 1,056 feet climbing)

Weather: Indoors, 70° Gear: Topos, shorts, shirt.

Today is hillwork, and the venue was my treadmill. The goal was a strong, steady climb at a 20/mi pace at a 10% incline. I'd started off running last time and overreved my HR. This time I stuck with the power hike and had much better HR performance. It rose slowly throughout the workout but never went far past my low HR target. As this progresses, that HR should rise less and less, which will give me the opportunity to increase the difficulty -- or probably a better choice, the duration.

I thought about stopping at 30 minutes but felt pretty good, so I kept going to 40 minutes. I did a 5-minute cooldown walk at a 0% grade "off the clock," and my HR recovered fairly quickly.

Average HR for entire workout: 132. MaxHR: 142

I guess if you have to do a treadmill run that's a good way to do it...lot's of elevation rather than duration at this point.  To much time on the TM is miserable.  Hopefully you'll get outside for your hill work before long.

It was really slick on the way to Pilates this morning as the snowmelt froze overnight.  It's warming up nicely again today so I'm hoping to get out there after lunch.

nkrichards wrote:I guess if you have to do a treadmill run that's a good way to do it...lot's of elevation rather than duration at this point.  To much time on the TM is miserable.  Hopefully you'll get outside for your hill work before long.

It was really slick on the way to Pilates this morning as the snowmelt froze overnight.  It's warming up nicely again today so I'm hoping to get out there after lunch.

It might be a while on the outdoor hill run, at least for this constant climbing workout. There's nothing around here that'd provide the ability to climb that much without doing repeats. (In the plan, just not yet.)

When it warms up, we'll be heading to the Columbia River Gorge for some serious uphill hiking. We're not quite ready for that yet, but I'm thinking this current approach will get us there.

Low HR Run: 3 miles with Alita

Weather: Mostly cloudy, a couple of sprinkles. 35-38° Gear: Topos, tights, long-sleeved T, pullover, hat, gloves.

Out with Alita for our Saturday morning run, trying to get into the rhythm of the plan and establish some new habits. The weather was a bit chilly and damp, but the roads were mostly clear of snow and footing wasn't an issue. We did a three mile loop with running paces in the 11:30-12:45 range, and we took a walking break in the middle. Alita has been doing 15/mi paces on the treadmill, so this was a good step-up for her.

I've resumed doing heel lifts (bilateral at this point) to work on calf strength -- I've got some tendinitis in a peroneal tendon, and my podiatrist things building up the calves will help take the load off the smaller tendons -- and I did a bunch of them yesterday (3 sets of 30). I was sore on the medial side of my right ankle this morning, though, so I'll need to watch it. It hurts about where I dinged myself at Mount Hood last summer.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 123