Trails for Two

Hill intervals - while they don't seem very fun - they are and they help a ton!

nkrichards wrote:Here's my analysis of your failed difficult hill TM workout.  It was a message from the Running Gods.  They gave you a good barefoot run earlier as a reward for your awesome outing on Sunday but felt that was adequate reward.  It was a reminder that you are mortal and that as much as we try to analyze and tweak our training they are really the ones in charge.  They'll be kinder next time I'm sure.

It could be that, for sure. They wouldn't want me to get cocky.  

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Hill intervals - while they don't seem very fun - they are and they help a ton!

Yep! I've been focusing on long, slower power hiking uphill, but maybe it's time to up the intensity and see what happens ... though maybe not for an hour straight at first!

Walk: 2 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, mild. 55°

Too nice to stay in the office at lunch - it wasn't raining! I was a little pressed for time, so I kept it at two miles.

Nice day! Maybe spring will stick this time?

I have a question(s).  Do y'all in Vancouver feel like you are Washingtons (not sure what the word is...Washingtokers ) or Northern Oregonicans?  Are y'all getting your cake and eating it, too by living in Washington but are part of Portland?

I don't know if there's an advantage either way or if the town was created for those people that didn't want to live in Oregon, but get the good things it provides or not.

Enlighten this Texican, if you please.

ounce wrote:I have a question(s).  Do y'all in Vancouver feel like you are Washingtons (not sure what the word is...Washingtokers ) or Northern Oregonicans?  Are y'all getting your cake and eating it, too by living in Washington but are part of Portland?

I don't know if there's an advantage either way or if the town was created for those people that didn't want to live in Oregon, but get the good things it provides or not.

Enlighten this Texican, if you please.

Great questions, Ounce. It's something I've thought about quite a lot.

First off, residents of the great state of Washington are called Washingtonians. Similar but not the same as Oregonians to our south. Some of us who were born in Oregon still hold on to that primary allegiance even if we're exiled to another state. But I digress.

Vancouver is in a weird spot. We're the fourth largest city in Washington (and we'd be the second largest if Vancouver could convince residents in the unincorporated suburbs to join the city), but we're kind of a red headed stepchild for the state. We're too far removed from Seattle, the cultural-political-financial heart of the state along Puget Sound (aka Pugeoloposis) to be front of mind for anybody. The other far-flung population center, Spokane, is the center of gravity for all of eastern Washington, so it has a better sense of place.

Now here's the weird thing: Vancouver is one of the oldest places in the Pacific Northwest. Settlement here predates its larger rivals, including that Johnny-come-lately Portland on the south bank of the Columbia River. The Vancouver Barracks was once one of the main West Coast military installations, and many top generals (and even presidents, and Nobel Prize winers) spent part of their service here. Our roots -- and pride -- runs deep.

But for a variety of reasons, we didn't grow as soon or as fast as Portland (they have better quality soil on the Oregon side of the Columbia, and the Willamette River in Portland helped boost trade, and settlement was more encouraged there than here) or Seattle (which has a great natural harbor and boomed during the Alaska gold rush), so we became a small city.

Enough history. Back to the weird spot bit. As I said, we're kind of an afterthought in Washington state. But we're also in a weird spot with Portland, too. We're closer in Vancouver to the center of Portland than many parts of Portland itself, but we are definitely NOT part of Portland. The state line makes a big difference. (We don't have an income tax, but we have a sales tax; they have an income tax but no sales tax. You can pump your own gas here, but not there.) There's a big media imbalance, too. They have all the TV stations and virtually all of the radio stations. We are part of their market. The Census counts us as being in the Portland Metro Area. About 65,000 Clark County (that's the county Vancouver is in) residents commute to Portland to work every day, paying Oregon income taxes as a result -- but having no say in Portland or Oregon politics. So we're a bedroom community, but we deeply resent it, since we were here first.

As far as advantages go, folks who prefer a smaller scale city but still want access to the amenities a bigger city can offer are pretty happy here. Also, there are more than a few folks up here to skip across the river to avoid sales taxes while shopping. There's a cultural component, too. Folks who became disgusted with the oh-so-precious "weirdness" and progressivism of Portland (and restrictive land use laws that drives up prices and keeps lot sizes small) moved north to avoid that area. So while Portland swings blue, Clark County as a whole tends to swing red. (Vancouver proper tends to swing blue, however.)

Portland, on the other hand, has its own opinions of Vancouver...





(Technically, these videos and other "Vancouveria" episodes are locally made. Which, if nothing else, shows we have a sense of humor about these sorts of things.)

To wit, while Portland lovers sport this bumper sticker...


This is the one they use in Vancouver:


Me, I grew up in Eugene, so I strongly suspect they're all nuts.

Sounds a lot like the differences between living in Southern NH (Nashua, Salem) and northern MA.  Those southern NH cities are considered Boston suburbs to many withe mileage being what it is (only 50 miles or so).  No income tax in NH, but high property and sales tax.  Income tax in MA, but much lower property and sales tax.  Bostonians consider southern NH for cows still, but many a Masshole escapes north of the border for less expensive real estate.

Interesting reply Mark.  I was quite curious to see what your answer would be. 

Just so that you understand Doug...even though I'm an Oregonian I live east of the Cascade mountains.  That creates an even bigger divide than the Columbia River.  Even though we do have the right to vote, we still don't have any say in what happens in Oregon.  That is all decided in Portland...and Eugene.  I did grow up on the western foothills of Mount Hood...Sandy...and still have family there but when I was growing up Portland was a big trip that we didn't make often.  Now I live 45 minutes from Bend...nicknamed "Little LA".  It's located in Deschutes County.  The differences between Bend/Deschutes County are Madras/Jefferson County are huge.  Talk about rich/poor!

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Sounds a lot like the differences between living in Southern NH (Nashua, Salem) and northern MA.  Those southern NH cities are considered Boston suburbs to many withe mileage being what it is (only 50 miles or so).  No income tax in NH, but high property and sales tax.  Income tax in MA, but much lower property and sales tax.  Bostonians consider southern NH for cows still, but many a Masshole escapes north of the border for less expensive real estate.

Interesting! I bet that dynamic is pretty common all over the country. And you've just gotta love the word "Masshole."    

nkrichards wrote:Interesting reply Mark.  I was quite curious to see what your answer would be. 

Just so that you understand Doug...even though I'm an Oregonian I live east of the Cascade mountains.  That creates an even bigger divide than the Columbia River.  Even though we do have the right to vote, we still don't have any say in what happens in Oregon.  That is all decided in Portland...and Eugene.  I did grow up on the western foothills of Mount Hood...Sandy...and still have family there but when I was growing up Portland was a big trip that we didn't make often.  Now I live 45 minutes from Bend...nicknamed "Little LA".  It's located in Deschutes County.  The differences between Bend/Deschutes County are Madras/Jefferson County are huge.  Talk about rich/poor!

Those are all excellent points, and you're right about the difference between Deschutes and Jefferson counties - much like the difference between Multnomah and Yamhill counties in the Willamette Valley.

As a native Eugenian, though, I'd say Portland is the 800-pound gorilla in Oregon. Sure, Eugene is more blue than lots of the state, but not as much as people think. Yes, Oregon has a big university, but it used to have a lot of sawmills and blue collar jobs, too. That was the high school I went to. (Luckily, Eugene is isolated enough from Portland to have its own sense of place, though. I probably visited San Fransisco more growing up than Portland.)

Seattle plays the same role in Washington as Portland does in Oregon. I remember hearing that one political analyst once said all you need to do to win Washington is get the majority of votes in the area you can see from the top of the Space Needle. To put a finer point on it, not one person in Washington history has won a statewide elective office from Clark County. That's telling.

Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Sunny. 61°

Our weekend of running took a turn for the worse when Alita woke up yesterday with a sore throat, mild fever and fatigue. She spent most of yesterday in bed but felt up for at least a walk today. We did 3 miles, and she seemed to handle it pretty well. We'll get back to the rest of our taper for Smith Rock this week. Unfortunate to miss out on the longer runs, but the hay's in the barn for this race already.

(Mostly) Low HR Run: 4.27 miles

Weather: Overcast, cool. 40°. Gear: Topos, lighter pants, T, pullover, jacket, gloves (shed)

Back out running after a weekend off. My legs felt pretty creaky in the first mile, but they loosened up as the run progressed. I opted for a low HR approach this morning, rather than a tempo, to ease back into ti. I was mostly successful, with a 10:21/138 for my first non-warmup mile. Not bad. The HR crept up a bit in the next mile (10:24/141) as my body warmed up more, and even higher when I decided to let my legs loose a little bit in the final mile (10:07/143). All in all, a pretty decent run.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 133

Boy, SO much similarity amongst our states.  Seems like 'humans' are the common denominator.

Austin is our "Keep .......... Weird" city and is the bluest county (Travis).  Four of the 254 counties in Texas went blue: Travis, Dallas (city of Dallas), Harris (Houston) and Fort Bend (border to Harris, bedroom to Houston, and where Brazos Bend State Park is located).

Dallas never kept its "Big D" logo because, like Vancouver, there are many municipalities in Dallas County.  Houston didn't have that problem, for the most part, as it annexed cities up until the 90's.

Our state legislature only convenes (aside from rare special sessions) every other year for only 120 days.  To Nancy's point, any amendments to the constitution are voted in November of an odd numbered year.  Also, the city of Houston holds its municipal elections on odd year Novembers.  SO, the city of Houston voters have a HUGE influence on state constitutional amendments.

Dallas is rightfully thought of as snooty, snobs, etc.  Houston is the oil capital of the world, Space City, so we're rowdier with our new money than those cultured, finance and insurance old money snobs in Dallas.  Austin is weird.  San Antonio is where Texas goes on vacation in the state.  And Fort Worth is Where the West Begins (which means that Dallas is where the East ends) and its nickname is "Cowtown," in fact one of their marathons is called the Cowtown Marathon.

To describe the difference between Fort Worth and Dallas, the late Molly Ivers told Bryant Gumbel on the "Today" show back in the '90s, "The difference is in Dallas they call it sushi.  In Fort Worth, they call it bait."

I went to TCU in Fort Worth and I loved Fort Worth.  In fact, if I didn't live here, I'd live in Fort Worth.

Well, you can love the word "Masshole". but when I lived in southern NH - I was a Masshole (since I grew up a Bostonian and still worked in Ma)

ounce wrote:Boy, SO much similarity amongst our states.  Seems like 'humans' are the common denominator.

Austin is our "Keep .......... Weird" city and is the bluest county (Travis).  Four of the 254 counties in Texas went blue: Travis, Dallas (city of Dallas), Harris (Houston) and Fort Bend (border to Harris, bedroom to Houston, and where Brazos Bend State Park is located).

Dallas never kept its "Big D" logo because, like Vancouver, there are many municipalities in Dallas County.  Houston didn't have that problem, for the most part, as it annexed cities up until the 90's.

Our state legislature only convenes (aside from rare special sessions) every other year for only 120 days.  To Nancy's point, any amendments to the constitution are voted in November of an odd numbered year.  Also, the city of Houston holds its municipal elections on odd year Novembers.  SO, the city of Houston voters have a HUGE influence on state constitutional amendments.

Dallas is rightfully thought of as snooty, snobs, etc.  Houston is the oil capital of the world, Space City, so we're rowdier with our new money than those cultured, finance and insurance old money snobs in Dallas.  Austin is weird.  San Antonio is where Texas goes on vacation in the state.  And Fort Worth is Where the West Begins (which means that Dallas is where the East ends) and its nickname is "Cowtown," in fact one of their marathons is called the Cowtown Marathon.

To describe the difference between Fort Worth and Dallas, the late Molly Ivers told Bryant Gumbel on the "Today" show back in the '90s, "The difference is in Dallas they call it sushi.  In Fort Worth, they call it bait."

I went to TCU in Fort Worth and I loved Fort Worth.  In fact, if I didn't live here, I'd live in Fort Worth.

Interesting dynamics there, Ounce. Texas is a place unto itself.

I've actually BEEN to Fort Worth. I was there for a conference and spent a couple of days. It was the first time I was able to behold the grandeur of the Texas ... er ... terrain. I swear I could see all the way to Canada. It seemed like a pretty cool town, probably because I spent seven years living and working in a cowtown in Northern California. I can see why you'd like it.

Ah, Molly. I miss her so much. She was so smart and snarky.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Well, you can love the word "Masshole". but when I lived in southern NH - I was a Masshole (since I grew up a Bostonian and still worked in Ma)

I didn't realize they were so generous with the term. I thought it related to the certain je ne sais quois of guys wearing Red Sox hats backwards over Pats jerseys and Celtics shorts and generally being obnoxious Southies. I wouldn't dream of including you among that group!  

We don't have any special pejorative terms to describe out-of-staters other than "Californians."

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Boy, SO much similarity amongst our states.  Seems like 'humans' are the common denominator.

Austin is our "Keep .......... Weird" city and is the bluest county (Travis).  Four of the 254 counties in Texas went blue: Travis, Dallas (city of Dallas), Harris (Houston) and Fort Bend (border to Harris, bedroom to Houston, and where Brazos Bend State Park is located).

Dallas never kept its "Big D" logo because, like Vancouver, there are many municipalities in Dallas County.  Houston didn't have that problem, for the most part, as it annexed cities up until the 90's.

Our state legislature only convenes (aside from rare special sessions) every other year for only 120 days.  To Nancy's point, any amendments to the constitution are voted in November of an odd numbered year.  Also, the city of Houston holds its municipal elections on odd year Novembers.  SO, the city of Houston voters have a HUGE influence on state constitutional amendments.

Dallas is rightfully thought of as snooty, snobs, etc.  Houston is the oil capital of the world, Space City, so we're rowdier with our new money than those cultured, finance and insurance old money snobs in Dallas.  Austin is weird.  San Antonio is where Texas goes on vacation in the state.  And Fort Worth is Where the West Begins (which means that Dallas is where the East ends) and its nickname is "Cowtown," in fact one of their marathons is called the Cowtown Marathon.

To describe the difference between Fort Worth and Dallas, the late Molly Ivers told Bryant Gumbel on the "Today" show back in the '90s, "The difference is in Dallas they call it sushi.  In Fort Worth, they call it bait."

I went to TCU in Fort Worth and I loved Fort Worth.  In fact, if I didn't live here, I'd live in Fort Worth.

Interesting dynamics there, Ounce. Texas is a place unto itself.

I've actually BEEN to Fort Worth. I was there for a conference and spent a couple of days. It was the first time I was able to behold the grandeur of the Texas ... er ... terrain. I swear I could see all the way to Canada. It seemed like a pretty cool town, probably because I spent seven years living and working in a cowtown in Northern California. I can see why you'd like it.

Ah, Molly. I miss her so much. She was so smart and snarky.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Well, you can love the word "Masshole". but when I lived in southern NH - I was a Masshole (since I grew up a Bostonian and still worked in Ma)

I didn't realize they were so generous with the term. I thought it related to the certain je ne sais quois of guys wearing Red Sox hats backwards over Pats jerseys and Celtics shorts and generally being obnoxious Southies. I wouldn't dream of including you among that group!  

We don't have any special pejorative terms to describe out-of-staters other than "Californians."

Mark...do you remember Governor Tom McCall's speech in 1971 when he urged people to come visit but not to stay?  I'm sure it was aimed primarily at Californians.  He was promoting tourism and it was intended to be a positive message but a lot of people misunderstood and took it as a negative message.  Oddly enough, in the end it did encourage people to move to Oregon.


*
Hope Alita is feeling better and taper is going well.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Boy, SO much similarity amongst our states.  Seems like 'humans' are the common denominator.

Austin is our "Keep .......... Weird" city and is the bluest county (Travis).  Four of the 254 counties in Texas went blue: Travis, Dallas (city of Dallas), Harris (Houston) and Fort Bend (border to Harris, bedroom to Houston, and where Brazos Bend State Park is located).

Dallas never kept its "Big D" logo because, like Vancouver, there are many municipalities in Dallas County.  Houston didn't have that problem, for the most part, as it annexed cities up until the 90's.

Our state legislature only convenes (aside from rare special sessions) every other year for only 120 days.  To Nancy's point, any amendments to the constitution are voted in November of an odd numbered year.  Also, the city of Houston holds its municipal elections on odd year Novembers.  SO, the city of Houston voters have a HUGE influence on state constitutional amendments.

Dallas is rightfully thought of as snooty, snobs, etc.  Houston is the oil capital of the world, Space City, so we're rowdier with our new money than those cultured, finance and insurance old money snobs in Dallas.  Austin is weird.  San Antonio is where Texas goes on vacation in the state.  And Fort Worth is Where the West Begins (which means that Dallas is where the East ends) and its nickname is "Cowtown," in fact one of their marathons is called the Cowtown Marathon.

To describe the difference between Fort Worth and Dallas, the late Molly Ivers told Bryant Gumbel on the "Today" show back in the '90s, "The difference is in Dallas they call it sushi.  In Fort Worth, they call it bait."

I went to TCU in Fort Worth and I loved Fort Worth.  In fact, if I didn't live here, I'd live in Fort Worth.

Interesting dynamics there, Ounce. Texas is a place unto itself.

I've actually BEEN to Fort Worth. I was there for a conference and spent a couple of days. It was the first time I was able to behold the grandeur of the Texas ... er ... terrain. I swear I could see all the way to Canada. It seemed like a pretty cool town, probably because I spent seven years living and working in a cowtown in Northern California. I can see why you'd like it.

Ah, Molly. I miss her so much. She was so smart and snarky.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Well, you can love the word "Masshole". but when I lived in southern NH - I was a Masshole (since I grew up a Bostonian and still worked in Ma)

I didn't realize they were so generous with the term. I thought it related to the certain je ne sais quois of guys wearing Red Sox hats backwards over Pats jerseys and Celtics shorts and generally being obnoxious Southies. I wouldn't dream of including you among that group!  

We don't have any special pejorative terms to describe out-of-staters other than "Californians."

Mark...do you remember Governor Tom McCall's speech in 1971 when he urged people to come visit but not to stay?  I'm sure it was aimed primarily at Californians.  He was promoting tourism and it was intended to be a positive message but a lot of people misunderstood and took it as a negative message.  Oddly enough, in the end it did encourage people to move to Oregon.


*
Hope Alita is feeling better and taper is going well.

It was a great quote: “I urge them to come and come many, many times to enjoy the beauty of Oregon. But I also ask them, for heaven’s sake, don’t move here to live.”

It sparked a whole series of hilarious "Oregon Ungreeting Card" comics.



And books.



Lots of great lines in there, including this classic: "Oregonians don't tan in the summertime. They rust."

For what it's worth, the author of those cards, James Cloutier, also created "The Great Texas Joke Book." So we have that in common, Ounce!

---

Alita is on the mend. She did 4 miles on the treadmill yesterday and didn't have too much trouble with it. Hopefully it'll be a long-faded memory by race day. Let's just hope we don't have a freak hot spell the day of the race, like we're supposed to have later this week. Over 80° on Wednesday and Thursday? After hitting 70° maybe once so far this year? Nuts.

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, warm, muggy. 58° Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T.

A summer-like run (except for the humidity, which was high) as a weird weather system moves in. Our high temperatures are going to go from about 60 yesterday to 81 today, 82 tomorrow, then back to about 60 on Friday. Very unlike what we usually get here.

The run went well, though I had to cut it short due to a sick kid in school. HRs were good and the pace was fine.

Average HR for entire run: 134

---

Walk: 3 miles

Weather: Sunny and warm. 71°

Our warm spell has definitely started, with temperatures above 70 by noon, on their way to 80. A big change from the weather we've been having lately. A good walk, adding a bit since I cut my run short by a mile this morning. Felt good to be able to supplement it.

Not sure about this weather.  What happened to our acclimation time!  I know that Doug would have no sympathy at all for us but it is unusually hot and humid...  56 degrees and 50% humidity felt like a sauna this morning.  We didn't get up to the predicted high...only hit 77.  Tomorrow is predicted to be warmer and then the cold returns.

Glad to hear that Alita is feeling better.  Not sure what your weather is going to be like for your race.  It's supposed to rain next Thursday and the high for Friday is only 58.  Did they forget that it's going to be mid-May!  Unfortunately I won't get the chance to check out your trails this weekend.  They moved our group run to Eagle Crest.  There is a huge endurance horse event on the Smith Rock/Gray Butte trails this weekend and we didn't want to get in their way.  Watch out for gifts that the horses leave behind for you!

nkrichards wrote:Not sure about this weather.  What happened to our acclimation time!  I know that Doug would have no sympathy at all for us but it is unusually hot and humid...  56 degrees and 50% humidity felt like a sauna this morning.  We didn't get up to the predicted high...only hit 77.  Tomorrow is predicted to be warmer and then the cold returns.

Glad to hear that Alita is feeling better.  Not sure what your weather is going to be like for your race.  It's supposed to rain next Thursday and the high for Friday is only 58.  Did they forget that it's going to be mid-May!  Unfortunately I won't get the chance to check out your trails this weekend.  They moved our group run to Eagle Crest.  There is a huge endurance horse event on the Smith Rock/Gray Butte trails this weekend and we didn't want to get in their way.  Watch out for gifts that the horses leave behind for you!

Hm. Horse poo, a low in the 30s, rain possible, with a high in the low 50s?

Well, that's pretty much exactly what we've been training in. We'll be ready.

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

Indoors, but warm. About 75° Gear: Topos, shorts.

Back to my traditional hill climb workout, but in warmer conditions indoors, thanks to our brief warm snap. My HR did well in the first mile compared with previous efforts, but it rose as the hour progressed. Not surprising, since I was sweating like mad. The effort felt smooth and strong. A good workout, but now I need to find a mop. ;-)

Average HR for entire workout: 137. HR Splits: 128, 138, 144

Mark B wrote:Treadmill Hill Workout: 3 miles @ 12% grade (1,900 feet)

Indoors, but warm. About 75°  Gear: Topos, shorts.

Back to my traditional hill climb workout, but in warmer conditions indoors, thanks to our brief warm snap. My HR did well in the first mile compared with previous efforts, but it rose as the hour progressed. Not surprising, since I was sweating like mad. The effort felt smooth and strong. A good workout, but now I need to find a mop. ;-)

Average HR for entire workout: 137. HR Splits: 128, 138, 144

Looks like a successful workout to me!  Especially considering the conditions.  Hey aren't you supposed to be tapering?

I read something very interesting about treadmills the other day that I wasn't aware of.  It said, "Expect to tire more quickly on a treadmill.  The softer surface absorbs energy that pavement, track, and trails bounce back at you."  I have always struggled on treadmill runs but assumed it was partially because of the warmer temperature and partially mental because of my dislike for treadmill running.  It's nice to know that there is a reason why I find them so hard!

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Treadmill Hill Workout: 3 miles @ 12% grade (1,900 feet)

Indoors, but warm. About 75°  Gear: Topos, shorts.

Back to my traditional hill climb workout, but in warmer conditions indoors, thanks to our brief warm snap. My HR did well in the first mile compared with previous efforts, but it rose as the hour progressed. Not surprising, since I was sweating like mad. The effort felt smooth and strong. A good workout, but now I need to find a mop. ;-)

Average HR for entire workout: 137. HR Splits: 128, 138, 144

Looks like a successful workout to me!  Especially considering the conditions.  Hey aren't you supposed to be tapering?

I read something very interesting about treadmills the other day that I wasn't aware of.  It said, "Expect to tire more quickly on a treadmill.  The softer surface absorbs energy that pavement, track, and trails bounce back at you."  I have always struggled on treadmill runs but assumed it was partially because of the warmer temperature and partially mental because of my dislike for treadmill running.  It's nice to know that there is a reason why I find them so hard!

Ha. Well, we actually ARE tapering, though a 15-miler doesn't really require a full three-week taper. We cut down the distance of our longer runs (our longest this weekend will be 8 miles), and after this week of almost normal midweek runs, we'll cut back next week to make sure we're as jittery and hyper as possible for race day.

Intersting note on treadmills. I can imagine that. I never have a sense of moving forward on a treadmill, just a feeling of trying to keep up with the belt... I think they provide a good workout, but they stimulate the muscles differently, too.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Treadmill Hill Workout: 3 miles @ 12% grade (1,900 feet)

Indoors, but warm. About 75°  Gear: Topos, shorts.

Back to my traditional hill climb workout, but in warmer conditions indoors, thanks to our brief warm snap. My HR did well in the first mile compared with previous efforts, but it rose as the hour progressed. Not surprising, since I was sweating like mad. The effort felt smooth and strong. A good workout, but now I need to find a mop. ;-)

Average HR for entire workout: 137. HR Splits: 128, 138, 144

Looks like a successful workout to me!  Especially considering the conditions.  Hey aren't you supposed to be tapering?

I read something very interesting about treadmills the other day that I wasn't aware of.  It said, "Expect to tire more quickly on a treadmill.  The softer surface absorbs energy that pavement, track, and trails bounce back at you."  I have always struggled on treadmill runs but assumed it was partially because of the warmer temperature and partially mental because of my dislike for treadmill running.  It's nice to know that there is a reason why I find them so hard!

Interesting.  I rarely run on treadmills because (1) I live in SoCal so weather is almost never an issue and (2) I simply detest running on them.  However, I always found them to feel like they were actually easier to run on, especially running at faster paces.  Probably because I never run on TM's for any length of time is why I find them easier.

Tim C wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Treadmill Hill Workout: 3 miles @ 12% grade (1,900 feet)

Indoors, but warm. About 75°  Gear: Topos, shorts.

Back to my traditional hill climb workout, but in warmer conditions indoors, thanks to our brief warm snap. My HR did well in the first mile compared with previous efforts, but it rose as the hour progressed. Not surprising, since I was sweating like mad. The effort felt smooth and strong. A good workout, but now I need to find a mop. ;-)

Average HR for entire workout: 137. HR Splits: 128, 138, 144

Looks like a successful workout to me!  Especially considering the conditions.  Hey aren't you supposed to be tapering?

I read something very interesting about treadmills the other day that I wasn't aware of.  It said, "Expect to tire more quickly on a treadmill.  The softer surface absorbs energy that pavement, track, and trails bounce back at you."  I have always struggled on treadmill runs but assumed it was partially because of the warmer temperature and partially mental because of my dislike for treadmill running.  It's nice to know that there is a reason why I find them so hard!

Interesting.  I rarely run on treadmills because (1) I live in SoCal so weather is almost never an issue and (2) I simply detest running on them.  However, I always found them to feel like they were actually easier to run on, especially running at faster paces.  Probably because I never run on TM's for any length of time is why I find them easier.

"Faster paces." Hm. Obviously, it's got to be the reduced wind resistance by being indoors. Oddly, that's never been much of an issue for me.

(I don't have too much trouble running on a treadmill, though it's pretty tedious when you're going for an hour. It helps to listen to a podcast, which is something I'd never do running outside.)

Trail Run: 5.46 miles (Garmin said 5.27)

Weather: Partly cloudy, mild. 54° Gear: Lone Peaks, shorts, long-sleeved T.

A nice morning for our last trail run before the Smith Rock Ascent next Saturday. My goal was to do somewhere between 5 and 8 miles, depending on how we felt and the time we had available. We ended up doing a little more than five, but only because we were going to have to pick Alec up from an AP test study session.

The run went well. Running felt relaxed and fluid. I tried to keep our running pace in the 13s, both up and downhill, with forays into the 12s at times. Alita seemed to handle the paces well. The trail was pretty muddy in spots, which made it all the more adventurous.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for the entire run: 122

Gray Butte got a fresh dusting a snow last night...

It may be chilly on the summit next Saturday but there won't be enough snow to matter.  At least I don't think there will be....this is Central Oregon and this has been an interesting weather year.

Good to hear your run went well this morning.