Trails for Two

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Nice effort on the TM!

I was surprised to hear that you were able to find dry pavement for your barefoot run on Wed.

Did you get the high winds?  My family lives in Sandy.  Mom lost power and my nephew lost several shingles off his roof.

Thanks! My legs are letting me know it was a good workout, even hours later. 

Winds weren't too bad at our house north of Vancouver, but down closer to the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge , the wind was howling. Driving to work was a surprise, when I drove into the airstream. Wowza. 

It's been dry, though. We had a brief round of sleet earlier this evening, and there's a chance of snow and/or freezing rain overnight, but it's looking to be less significant than originally feared. Whew! Those kids need to be in school tomorrow. They've missed too much already.

Did the kids make it to school yesterday?  My brother said they had freezing rain in Portland so he decided to work from home.  Sounds like it may have been a treadmill day for you again...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Nice effort on the TM!

I was surprised to hear that you were able to find dry pavement for your barefoot run on Wed.

Did you get the high winds?  My family lives in Sandy.  Mom lost power and my nephew lost several shingles off his roof.

Thanks! My legs are letting me know it was a good workout, even hours later. 

Winds weren't too bad at our house north of Vancouver, but down closer to the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge , the wind was howling. Driving to work was a surprise, when I drove into the airstream. Wowza. 

It's been dry, though. We had a brief round of sleet earlier this evening, and there's a chance of snow and/or freezing rain overnight, but it's looking to be less significant than originally feared. Whew! Those kids need to be in school tomorrow. They've missed too much already.

Did the kids make it to school yesterday?  My brother said they had freezing rain in Portland so he decided to work from home.  Sounds like it may have been a treadmill day for you again...

We didn't get enough freezing rain to cancel school in Vancouver (though classes were canceled in areas closer to the Columbia River Gorge), so we got Alec packed off to school without incident. Alita had taken the day off as a personal day, and I had to take the day off because I've accrued too much vacation time and would lose days if I didn't, so we played hooky. We went to the Nike Company Store in Beaverton, where we picked up finally released versions of the shoes I tested last year and loved so much (more on that later), then we went to "our" winery down by Salem to pick up some wine we'd ordered and have some lunch and a little wine. It was sort of an early Valentine's Day thing, but also (inadvertently) a celebration of the 24th anniversary of our engagement! We took the car with studded tires, but the roads were fine.

The weather is warmish and wet today, but the weather service says there's going to be a HUGE change on Sunday, with up to a FOOT of snow possible falling late Sunday and early Monday. Sheesh. Really? Again??

Low HR Run: 4.28 miles with Alita

Weather: Overcast, some rain and wind. 46° Gear: Topos, tights, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat, gloves (shed)

Out for our Saturday run in cool and rainy weather. We only got rained on for about half the run, but it was coincidentally when we were running into the wind! Glad I wore my tights instead of shorts.

It was a good run. We didn't need to walk at all, and we maintained a good pace between 11:30 and 12:15, generally. We picked up the pace a bit (down into the 10s) in the last quarter mile, just for the heck of it.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 131

So, the shoes...



I'm happy (thrilled, actually) to report that the testers I was rhapsodizing about last spring finally came to market! They're the Nike Free RN Distance 2, and they happen to be built on the same last as the Free 5.0 v4s from several years ago that fit me so well. Woot! When we played hooky from work yesterday, we went to the Nike Company Store and picked up a pair for me and also a pair for Alita, who needed some road shoes. She's been doing her roadwork in Nike trail shoes, which is fine, except it's kind of rough on the tread.

They have a 4 mm drop, so they're pretty low-profile. They have Lunarolon in the midsole, so they ride surprisingly smooth. They have less ground feel than some shoes, but they feel like a good compromise between the two. I recommend them highly. Alita likes them, too.

I'm still wearing my Topos, since they're in good shape and treating me well. I'll probably alternate them and wear the Nike's casually, at least a little.

Trail Run: 5 miles with Alita

Weather: Overcast, moderate rain, 33° - and a breeze. Gear: Lone Peaks, tights, singlet, long-sleeved T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

It's been threatening snow all day but only giving up hard rain in the mid 30s, so I hoped we'd get the switch to snow by the time we started our step-back week run. No dice. We got continued steady rain and a temperature just above freezing. Luckily, we have the gear to make it possible to run in those conditions, at least for a while.

We did 5 miles, which was our plan and just about the limit of what we could do without starting to suffer the effects of the cold and wet. As it was, we definitely felt it. It felt like somebody was holding an ice pack to my chest. Brr.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 131

Did you end up with any snow?  I know another big event was predicted.

I'm impressed that you and Alita stuck it out as long as you did in the rain and near freezing temperatures.  Those conditions are much worse that snow or sub freezing but dry temperatures.

Sounds like a fun day on Friday.  Time with Alita and new shoes.  Could it get any better than that?

nkrichards wrote:Did you end up with any snow?  I know another big event was predicted.

I'm impressed that you and Alita stuck it out as long as you did in the rain and near freezing temperatures.  Those conditions are much worse that snow or sub freezing but dry temperatures.

Sounds like a fun day on Friday.  Time with Alita and new shoes.  Could it get any better than that?

We had one decent snow flurry that lasted about 10 minutes with no accumulation. Other than that, it just rained. A lot. The weather station in Vancouver recorded 2.51 inches from Saturday through this morning. If that had turned to snow, it would have been spectacular. As it was, it was just very wet.

I agree about the conditions. That has got to be about the worst type of cold weather for running (the only thing worse would have been if it was windy), so it was a good grit-building experience for both of us.

Up-tempo run: 3 miles in long repeats

Weather: Chilly and damp. 33° Gear: Topos, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

We had to delay our Monday run, so I went out by myself this morning before work. It was penetratingly cold and damp, so my body had no desire to chug along at a low heart rate. It wanted to go-go-go. I let it. I went sub-10, then sub-9, then sub-8 and even went sub-7 as I screamed down into the ravine about a mile from my house. The trip back up the other side of the ravine gassed me pretty well, so I walked my HR down and settled into the rest of my run, which kept revving up into the upper-8s to mid-9s. I had to walk a couple of times to let my body recover, so this sort of counts as long repeats.

As a heat-generating exercise, it did its job. By the time I was cooling down, I'd peeled off all layers but my T-shirt. I'm sure I was steaming as I was walking along.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 136. Max HR: 164 (Garmin said 180 at one point, but I think that was an error.)

Mark B wrote:Up-tempo run: 3 miles in long repeats

Weather: Chilly and damp. 33° Gear: Topos, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

We had to delay our Monday run, so I went out by myself this morning before work. It was penetratingly cold and damp, so my body had no desire to chug along at a low heart rate. It wanted to go-go-go. I let it. I went sub-10, then sub-9, then sub-8 and even went sub-7 as I screamed down into the ravine about a mile from my house. The trip back up the other side of the ravine gassed me pretty well, so I walked my HR down and settled into the rest of my run, which kept revving up into the upper-8s to mid-9s. I had to walk a couple of times to let my body recover, so this sort of counts as long repeats.

As a heat-generating exercise, it did its job. By the time I was cooling down, I'd peeled off all layers but my T-shirt. I'm sure I was steaming as I was walking along.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 136. Max HR: 164 (Garmin said 180 at one point, but I think that was an error.)

That's an impressive average HR considering the speed you were able to muster!  Awesome!!

I often wonder about those very high HR readings.  Like you, I usually assume they are errors unless they are sustained for a significant length of time.

More snow here today...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Up-tempo run: 3 miles in long repeats

Weather: Chilly and damp. 33° Gear: Topos, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves.

We had to delay our Monday run, so I went out by myself this morning before work. It was penetratingly cold and damp, so my body had no desire to chug along at a low heart rate. It wanted to go-go-go. I let it. I went sub-10, then sub-9, then sub-8 and even went sub-7 as I screamed down into the ravine about a mile from my house. The trip back up the other side of the ravine gassed me pretty well, so I walked my HR down and settled into the rest of my run, which kept revving up into the upper-8s to mid-9s. I had to walk a couple of times to let my body recover, so this sort of counts as long repeats.

As a heat-generating exercise, it did its job. By the time I was cooling down, I'd peeled off all layers but my T-shirt. I'm sure I was steaming as I was walking along.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 136. Max HR: 164 (Garmin said 180 at one point, but I think that was an error.)

That's an impressive average HR considering the speed you were able to muster!  Awesome!!

I often wonder about those very high HR readings.  Like you, I usually assume they are errors unless they are sustained for a significant length of time.

More snow here today...

The spikes early in a run are always errors for me. My HR strap doesn't transmit accurately until I start to sweat. I can make it work sometimes by putting aloe gel on the sensors, but even that doesn't work in cold temperatures. It was definitely the case today. I "hit" 180 bpm at 0.6 miles and a pace of 8:15/mi, but my HR fell to 158 two tenths of a mile later as I was flying along at a 6:30/mi pace! It was on a downhill stretch, but still. 

Here's the chart. Blue represents pace, Red represents heart rate.




You can tell when I started to sweat.  

Either that or my body adapts to exercise in the weirdest ways...

Enjoy the snow! Hope it bodes well for this year's irrigation season.

Barefoot Run: 3 miles on the treadmill

Weather: Rainy and cold outside, warm and dry inside. 70° Gear: Bare feet, shorts.

I just couldn't bring myself to run in the 35° rainstorm outside this morning. I needed to run easy today, and my body fights "easy" when it's trying to keep hypothermia at bay. So... it was treadmill time. Barefoot. It's been a while since I've attempted going barefoot on the 'mill, so I wasn't sure how well it'd go.

It went well. The belt didn't heat up much, which is a relief, and the sound of my feet hitting the treadmill was a great indicator of just how lightly (or not) I was touching down. It was louder than I'd have liked, but I was able to make some adjustments that helped.

I started with a couple of minutes walking then switched to a 12/mi pace. I was happy that my HR stayed low the entire time, never crossing my HR target. I concentrated on breathing and relaxing, which helped.

My feet were a little blackened up by the belt afterward but otherwise in perfect shape. Woot!

Average HR for entire run: 129

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

Indoors, 70° Gear: Topos, shorts, towel for all the sweat.

Hill work today was challenging. Part of me was wanting to shut it down about halfway in, but I did my best to embrace the challenge and keep going. I even shut down the podcast in the last 10 minutes to just focus on the feeling and the sense of pressing even though my legs were tired.

My HR rose steadily throughout and peaked about 147 in the last mile. I sweated buckets.

After the workout, I shut down the Garmin and walked another 5 minutes or so getting my HR back down on a level surface.

Average HR for entire workout: 142

Mark B wrote:Treadhill: 3 miles @ 12% grade (1,900 feet climbing)

Indoors, 70° Gear: Topos, shorts, towel for all the sweat.

Hill work today was challenging. Part of me was wanting to shut it down about halfway in, but I did my best to embrace the challenge and keep going. I even shut down the podcast in the last 10 minutes to just focus on the feeling and the sense of pressing even though my legs were tired.

My HR rose steadily throughout and peaked about 147 in the last mile. I sweated buckets.

After the workout, I shut down the Garmin and walked another 5 minutes or so getting my HR back down on a level surface.

Average HR for entire workout: 142

I'm impressed that you can climb like that and keep your HR as low as you do...especially indoors (warm) on the TM.  It's good advertisement for your low HR theory...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Treadhill: 3 miles @ 12% grade (1,900 feet climbing)

Indoors, 70° Gear: Topos, shorts, towel for all the sweat.

Hill work today was challenging. Part of me was wanting to shut it down about halfway in, but I did my best to embrace the challenge and keep going. I even shut down the podcast in the last 10 minutes to just focus on the feeling and the sense of pressing even though my legs were tired.

My HR rose steadily throughout and peaked about 147 in the last mile. I sweated buckets.

After the workout, I shut down the Garmin and walked another 5 minutes or so getting my HR back down on a level surface.

Average HR for entire workout: 142

I'm impressed that you can climb like that and keep your HR as low as you do...especially indoors (warm) on the TM.  It's good advertisement for your low HR theory...

I suppose it is! I was power hiking at a 20/mi pace, though. If I'd been attempting to run it, my HR would have been off the charts. It shows just how much more efficient walking is than running, at least from a cardio point of view.

Low HR Run: 4.28 miles with Alita

Weather: Mostly sunny, warming from 44° to 47° Gear: Too much! Topos, pants (too hot), long-sleeved T, jacket (shed), gloves (shed)

The low 40s are a tricky temperature range for dressing. What works one time doesn't work another. This was one of those times. We cooked out there. It probably had a lot to do with the sun being out and it not raining, but probably also because we've gotten acclimated to running in colder conditions.

The run was interesting, too, because Alita's legs keep wanting to go faster. We have been running in the 11:38-12:15 range, but she was more in the lower 11s and even into the upper 10s this time. I had to rein her in. (Our last two mile splits were 11:46 and 11:21 if that's any indication.) It's a good sign, but my legs were grumpy this morning and felt like they were being pushed harder than they wanted. Actually, that's probably a good sign, too.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 131

Trail Run: 8.5 miles (corrected map says 8.74) with Alita

Weather: Mostly cloudy, coolish. 48-51° Gear: Lone Peaks, shorts, T, jacket.

Out for a longer trail run today, and it felt like it. Neither of us were in a great mood to start with (teenage drama), but we plugged on and ground out four laps on the Southridge Loop. We kept a pretty steady effort level throughout, though there was a bit of fading at the end. Probably about time to start bringing some fuel with us.

My HR strap has been going very wonky lately, saying I was hitting a HR of 177 - even though I wet the strap - so maybe a battery change is due. Oddly, it settled down after a few miles. Weird.

Walked first and lat 5 minutes or so. Average HR for entire run: 131

It's amazing how much our body responds differently depending on mood isn't it.

Sounds like you and Alita are moving up in miles quite nicely and yes, it may be time to start bringing fuel.

Nice job!

nkrichards wrote:It's amazing how much our body responds differently depending on mood isn't it.

Sounds like you and Alita are moving up in miles quite nicely and yes, it may be time to start bringing fuel.

Nice job!

Very much so. I've always been an emotional runner, so I have to work hard to keep the negative feelings in check sometimes. I've found that just letting stubbornness take over sometimes gets me past the worst part, so that's something. Sigh. Teenage drama can be so, well, I'm sure you know.

Thanks on the distance. We both felt it. (But again, I think emotion played a role in that.) Next time up is 10 miles. Double digits! Fuel will definitely be in order.

Low HR Run: 2 miles with Alita

Weather: Clear, mild but felt cool. 50° Gear: Topos, shorts, long-sleeved T.

We'd scheduled 4 miles for today, but Alec had a doctor's appointment after school and it was getting late. We decided two was enough for today. We ended up running a bit faster -- we keep sneaking into the 10s -- but the impact after the run was minimal. Also, we didn't really feel much from yesterday's longer run. So that's good.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 124

Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Overcast, cool. 48°

Finally got back out for a lunchtime walk at work. I needed it. My legs have been feeling tight lately, so a relaxed walk to stretch things out felt very good.

Earlier, I did some core and calf work. Oof.

Barefoot Run: 4.16 miles on very wet asphalt

Weather: Rainy, 46° and falling. Gear: Bare feet, tights, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat, gloves.

I was NOT motivated this morning, especially considering this was the day to go up a mile on this run, and that it was cool and very rainy outside. I debated doing it on the treadmill, or doing it in shoes, but finally decided to force myself outdoors. To make it even *more* fun, my attempt to turn my Garmin on failed -- twice -- so I was forced to come up with data that didn't match the run. I'm pretty sure I ran 4.16 miles. If not, it's .34 miles less than that. Or more. Anyway. One of those days.

The run itself was okay, though very wet. The first mile was rather uncomfortable, but my feet warmed up.

Average HR for entire run: 134ish

Mark B wrote:Barefoot Run: 4.16 miles on very wet asphalt

Weather: Rainy, 46° and falling. Gear: Bare feet, tights, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat, gloves.

I was NOT motivated this morning, especially considering this was the day to go up a mile on this run, and that it was cool and very rainy outside. I debated doing it on the treadmill, or doing it in shoes, but finally decided to force myself outdoors. To make it even *more* fun, my attempt to turn my Garmin on failed -- twice -- so I was forced to come up with data that didn't match the run. I'm pretty sure I ran 4.16 miles. If not, it's .34 miles less than that. Or more. Anyway. One of those days.

The run itself was okay, though very wet. The first mile was rather uncomfortable, but my feet warmed up.

Average HR for entire run: 134ish

 Some days are like that Mark.  Good for you for getting out there and getting it done!

Hope you can get the Garmin reset or refurbished and get it functioning again.

I feel your struggle with the weather - a bit.  In Cleveland, I know what to wear in the winter as 40F is typically a warm day and if it gets above that you struggle big time.  Here, the lows have been in the high 20s/low 30s, but most of the time, the morning runs have been in temps around 40 and the daytime runs have been in temps around 60.  Today, I ran in tri-shorts and two shirts (long sleeve over singlet) as I ran off the bike from the indoor class I'm taking.  However, most of the time, I am wearing capri tights and long sleeves.  I've been trying to run "warm" so that a 70F day in Boston won't be a shock to the system like it was last year.

Keep up the good work - loved to see the tempo work.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Barefoot Run: 4.16 miles on very wet asphalt

Weather: Rainy, 46° and falling. Gear: Bare feet, tights, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat, gloves.

I was NOT motivated this morning, especially considering this was the day to go up a mile on this run, and that it was cool and very rainy outside. I debated doing it on the treadmill, or doing it in shoes, but finally decided to force myself outdoors. To make it even *more* fun, my attempt to turn my Garmin on failed -- twice -- so I was forced to come up with data that didn't match the run. I'm pretty sure I ran 4.16 miles. If not, it's .34 miles less than that. Or more. Anyway. One of those days.

The run itself was okay, though very wet. The first mile was rather uncomfortable, but my feet warmed up.

Average HR for entire run: 134ish

 Some days are like that Mark.  Good for you for getting out there and getting it done!

Hope you can get the Garmin reset or refurbished and get it functioning again.

I did both a soft and hard reset after the run this morning. It's been giving me weird HR data at times -- like saying my HR was 115 when it was probably closer to 60 -- so I've been assuming it was the strap. But I swear I pushed the start button, and nothing happened. (Well, I'm pretty sure, since I was distracted.) So maybe it's the unit. Anyway, I hope the reset gets it back to normal again. 

I wouldn't mind a new Garmin, but they're kind of pricey. I'd rather keep the old Forerunner 305 for a while and spend the money on races. 

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Barefoot Run: 4.16 miles on very wet asphalt

Weather: Rainy, 46° and falling. Gear: Bare feet, tights, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat, gloves.

I was NOT motivated this morning, especially considering this was the day to go up a mile on this run, and that it was cool and very rainy outside. I debated doing it on the treadmill, or doing it in shoes, but finally decided to force myself outdoors. To make it even *more* fun, my attempt to turn my Garmin on failed -- twice -- so I was forced to come up with data that didn't match the run. I'm pretty sure I ran 4.16 miles. If not, it's .34 miles less than that. Or more. Anyway. One of those days.

The run itself was okay, though very wet. The first mile was rather uncomfortable, but my feet warmed up.

Average HR for entire run: 134ish

 Some days are like that Mark.  Good for you for getting out there and getting it done!

Hope you can get the Garmin reset or refurbished and get it functioning again.

I did both a soft and hard reset after the run this morning. It's been giving me weird HR data at times -- like saying my HR was 115 when it was probably closer to 60 -- so I've been assuming it was the strap. But I swear I pushed the start button, and nothing happened. (Well, I'm pretty sure, since I was distracted.) So maybe it's the unit. Anyway, I hope the reset gets it back to normal again. 

I wouldn't mind a new Garmin, but they're kind of pricey. I'd rather keep the old Forerunner 305 for a while and spend the money on races. 

I was having trouble with my 305 during Boston training in 2015.  At that time I was able to purchase a new/refurbished 305 for a very reasonable price.  I also sent mine in and had it refurbished for a very reasonable price.  Not sure if either or both of those options are still available.  I like my old clunky 305(s).  The new ones are not only spendy but complicated for an old person like me.