Saturday 083014

Back in sweet home Colorado.  KZ gave me the heads up that there was a run up at the Switzerland trail with the team, and gave me the okay to attend (this permission is required from my daughter) (several parents attended actually).  Nice wake up to go from sea level to 8800 feet.  8 miles. 

Last instructions from Coach Greg.
Ready to run
And they are off.
I don’t think I have run on the Switzerland in the better part of a decade, probably more.  It is a great place to run but takes a bit to get to.  It might be a touch slower on the way back than Mags, but probably a bit faster on the way out.  You also don’t need to worry about traffic on it (but it is that access that probably the why Wetmore uses it).

Saw Ethan G in the shop afterwards, and he said nearly all the freshman are red shirting given the depth they currently have.  Apparently the leaders at the time trial ran something like 25:50 for the 8k course.  Post the run, picked up some Huaka-phooeys from Hoka at the Flatirons run shop,

 
You can be fit as they come, but some days you are the bug, not the windshield. 

KZ has started a job.  She refuses to let me take pic of her in the outfit she has to wear, but I nabbed this shot of the hat.  Her brother is hoping this means pizzas come home instead of her getting a check.

Afternoon, dog jog and then a few miles on the ditch.  4.8 miles.  Listened to the Gist podcast.  You should too, as they talk about corporate tax rates, and why you shouldn’t trust people with two first names,

Andy Anderson gets another FKT,

I enjoyed Marvel Comics as a kid, but was never really a Captain America guy.  I thought this scene in the last movie, highlighted by the quote, “before we get started does anyone want to get out?” was pretty bad ass.  I love how they take near two minutes to build it. 

Some folks see dead people.  I see donkeys.

Wednesday 012214

This is pretty intense.  Run a record and then do a killer workout.  That is the life of the Rupps and Cains I guess.  Certainly changes the mindset of what hard work is. The vid gives a bit of insight to some of Alberto’s approach as well.

Other big news is that Webb looks to retire.  Well from running.  He will go to tris.

Yup, we have a XC team. 

At this point we are also expecting to add Dan Vega to the mix. 

That gives us seven – and as no other master’s groups have registered a team of five, we are the odds on favorites by default.   Thanks to the coordination of Scott, we will fly under the Pearl banner.

So when I started this, I would not have predicted that I would end up with a squad of masters guys who are predominantly known for being CRUD folks and being from the Springs.  It will be fun for sure.

Heading to the east this weekend and thinking of doing this on Sunday.  Looking around for something else in the CT central valley area on Saturday as well, but I have not found anything that quite works for me yet. I might join the Silk City Striders for a jog on Saturday.  Looks like I better pack some colder weather gear.

Nice follow up on the health hazards of sitting for too long.  Somewhat related, an article on the growing obesity problem in the US.  I get my BMI measured in a couple of weeks as part of my corporate wellness program.  I run for a variety of reasons, and somewhere down the list is health.  Of course, that is a bit of two sided bladed because I know I have used running as an excuse to allow for other poor health choices.  Listening to this EP had me chewing on that.

Fun read over on irunfar on aging as an athlete.  Then there is this.

My push up project has revealed something that is ridiculously obvious:  when you start to do something with consistency that you have not done much of you are likely to improve at it.  Since the New Year, I have been getting to doing push ups.  Not every day, but around 300 a week.  Nothing grand.  When I started, a set of 30 was enough to put a little burn in the chest.  I can now do about twice that before I get to that.  Duh.  I am going to look to see if I can get this going with some unweighted goblin squats … I will look for 300 this week.  Small steps to start. 

Solid leg 5 minute workout from Carrie Tollefson.  Might be one I put in the mix while in a hotel.

Afternoon, 10 miles with some tempo work in the middle on the Lake Link Trail.  2.6 each way with a bio break in the middle.  About 6:30s (6:18 fastest, 6:48 slowest).  Not great, but not bad for a tempo and it is rolling out there.  Good sweat.

I ended up thinking about how I used to train and what I do now.  Almost 15 years ago now it was often with people, and there was a locked in schedule of what was expected – often weeks or even months outlined in advance.  Today nearly all my running is alone, and I have little idea as to what I am going to do that day until I get out the door.  Neither alone is particularly bad, but running with people, particularly people who are also competitive minded will set up for some sessions where you are all putting the screws to each other.  While that can run amuck to the point of running hard when you ought not to, there is a potential benefit – particularly if when you run alone a lot you end up in more of take it easy mentality.  Same thing with the schedule really.  If you have written down that you are going to do a half dozen kilo repeats at 5k pace a month ago, it is because there was some thought to that being necessary to progress forward.  You are a bit less likely to abandon that.  I realize such approaches can create a bit of overkill in running, but the opposite can end up driving … well, underkill I guess.

Friday 062813

Travel back to CO. 
 
Some always at the ready there.

New kicks awaiting at the house.

As I suspected I would, we have started battle with the pool … trying to keep a pool and not have it turn into a pond.

6.1 miles.  Legs heavy, probably just unraveling from the travel.  Easy.  Listened to some of the youtube casts that Irunfar has up as interviews pre this weekend’s Squaw track meet.  Hard to pick any 100 as so much can happen, but this year’s field seems particularly challenging to rank.   Tried and true guys like Clark or Mackey?  Or a new blood guy like Krar or Humpries?  Solid guys like Sharman? With the heat is it a light dog like Pedatella?  Or an old school guy like Morton?  Nobody seems to think that Clayton has a sustainable strategy.  Can you imagine the buzz if Meltzer won it?  And there are another dozen names in the mix to consider. 

This got me thinking this field was at least deeper in some regards than the USATF championship 5k (where only NINE guys raced) and the first two miles went 10:21 (after a 5:20 opener).    Of course, you needed to qualify to toe the line at that 5k race – and that qualifier was way faster than the 14:54 the national show was won in. 

I know, it is crazy and even stupid to compare, but I guess I was feeling the impact of coming up nearly 4k feet. 

I know Lucho has been asked a bunch of times – what is harder, an IM or a 100?  I think his answer is that it is along the lines that a 100 is harder to finish, but it is harder to do a FAST IM given the mastery of 3 disciplines required there. 

So what is harder – a sub 17 100 (miles, not meters) or a sub 17 5k?  Or who is more fit?

Tonight’s reading:  (1), (2)

Hokas report for June

On 4-28, I said I had 500 miles on the Hokas.  341 miles on May, and 215 miles so far in June.  Not all of the miles were in the Hokas, but probably 80 percent of them were.  So, another 450 miles ish on the shoes means these are in a 1000 mile ball park.  I picked these up at the first week in May. 

I’d say with that tear, these shoes are pretty much done.  I might get some easy road miles in them, but with a hole like that, they are not going to make it on the trails anymore.

Monday 042913

AM – thought I’d get out before the sun was up, but TZ woke up sick, so I scratched that.  Got out a little later in the AM, 7.3 miles.

This is Colorado.  80+ today.  Expect snow on Wednesday.

State of the Hokas

Justin M still puts up a good recap of the MUT space every week.  And he posts the local stuff too. 

Evening – 5.8 miles easy.

Weekend 041413

Camped up at Carter Lake with the boy and his crew.  8 nights in a tent this year.

Saturday, 12 miles.  Headed back over that little pass from Carter Lake down the Flatiron Rez and did the same climb I did last month – and then back.  Decent run for me – as I averaged 7:55 with the 1800+ feet of climbing.

Sunday, I felt like crap.  Sleep was rough last night with rain, sleet and hyper winds.  Several tents had poles break under the wind – so it was a bit of an “interesting” night.  It was one of those winds where you hear the background of everything just howling.    I got out mid day when we got back but I was pretty cooked.  And the cold wind did not help me out there today.  7.2 miles.

Lucho found this gem of a vid.  Great video for something out of 69.

63.4 miles, with just over 10k feet.  A bit disappointed with the week as I missed some arbitrary targets (70 miles, 12 ish k vertical feet) that contribute to the 300 mile, 50k month goal.  With that today, I fell a bit behind, at 135 miles on the month, and 22635 feet.  With this weighing on my mind to some extent, I played the game of lacing up the shoes Sunday evening.  I made the crack at going through the motions to get out for a few more miles to meet the target.  But I did not pass that gut check. 

On the positive side, I had 3 runs on Green this week that brings me to 30 on the year  Admittedly they were all pretty slow or casual.  Sort of a weird week really … my long run in terms of time was only 5.5 miles.  Yesterday’s run was great though.

About 360 miles on the Hokas. 

Hokas Progress

Hokas have about 312 miles on them (new out of the box on March 5).  Here is how they look at current.

Sunday 031013

I have been pretty going through the motions on a lot of this training since the start of the year.  Not bad motions, in fact they have been pretty good.  I have been getting in some regular miles, and  some more vertical than usual.  But I have been very much avoiding a key aspect:  the hurt.  Not the injury hurt, or even the long climb hurt.  Just that plain old V02 max interval hurt.  

And that is because I have been scared of it. 

Yeah, I know it sounds silly but it is true.  Plain old ducking cuz that stuff hurts.  Given the choice of blasting through intervals for 20 minutes or cruising along for 90 minutes, I will pick the latter every time these days.  Used to be the opposite.  Heck, I will even look to grind through a 40 minute or 20 minute tempo run.  And worst case, I can hide in the supposed workout of 400s.  All those are good workouts but they are not quite the thrashing I have been avoiding that you get when playing in that 3-6 minute space of 5k or better pace.

Of course I can reconcile that.  “It’s early in the season.  You don’t need to do that sort of stuff yet.  Keep building this base.  You will get enough of it in the hill climbing.  Wow, this MAF pace is just under seven minutes a mile – awesome.  You are killing it."   And there is of course a truth to some of that.    But I can reconcile anything I am doing in my program at any time (can’t most of us?). 

But … I know I need to get to a regular set of work that is making me dance with that red line.  And not just for the physical benefit, but to deal with what I am not dealing with.

Today I got started:  3 x a mile. 

I made the deal with myself ahead of time (in the warm up of course) that since I was doing this that I a.) could take off what rest I wanted and b.) I really just had to let the time expectations go. 

That second one is a bit hard for me:  I knew I’d see the watch and think “what?  Is this damn watch running fast or something?”   While a decade has passed since I did these under five minutes a mile, it does not feel that way.  In fact it feels like I ought to do them exactly the same.  Something in the universe has a different take on that however.

Headed over to the Commons (figuring the snow would be clear enough there for me to get something in without having to trudge through the white stuff) for a three and a third warm up.  Then 5:56.  Ugh.  Well, slightly up hill.  Then a vicious bio break.  Well, that was a bit better.  Then 5:50.  And then a 5:54 where I thought a leg was going just fall off.  Another ugh

Heck, I am pretty sure I would have averaged better than 5:50 if I jumped in a 5k race.  This just shows how spineless I am on getting into this sort of mix on my own.   This is more training for my heart than my heart.   More to come … (side note the other thing I have been missing is the longer flat run, but I am reconciling that with the 2+ hour runs I have done … of course it is all reconcilable).

10.2 miles for the day.  73.8 on the week, at just over 11 hours and 7k feet of climbing (2 Greens to bring me to 23).  Not bad given the weather. 

JZ and a pal on the local hill.
 

Oh 48.8 miles this week in the Hokas.

Tuesday 030513

Kids have their standardized tests this week.  JZ has not been looking forward to the tests, but the making of his special test breakfast:  bacon, egg, cheese, bagel.  Here he is at work at it, fresh out of bed with a blanket still in tow.

KZ was telling me how her advanced biology class has been in quite the “interesting conversation” on creationism and evolution.  Awesome.

Changed comment security again.  Removed anonymous comments, and only have moderation for posts older than 14 days.  I am trying to get this be the constant word verification.

Mid day, 10.5 miles.  Easyish.  Thought for a bit about doing a 5k TT, but I felt sort of iffy.  Not hurt.  Just sort of tired.  I think I am getting soft with getting after it.  Need to work on that. 

Might be a bit before I get back to Green.  I am getting beta that is a nice mix of frozen bullet proof ice slush.  Eh.

Got home from work and found these waiting for me.

Some Hoka vids

Some folks noted that I placed a Hoka One One banner on my sidebar late yesterday afternoon.  After reaching out to them over the weekend, they followed up with me.  Certainly I don’t carry the street cred of a Mackey or a Meltzer and hence that level of ambassadorship (yet).  Nonetheless I am happy to say that we have connected, and I am looking forward to working with them. 

So yes, a shoe that I have been happy with will get some level of plug here on occasion.  There is my disclaimer.

Here are a couple of videos from the past few years related to my feet and shoes.  The first is gives an idea of some of the scar tissue I have with my feet, and then the fun blood blister I was awarded after Pikes in 2010 when racing that in a road flat.  It illustrates the missing toe, and some of the crap I deal with on my foot bottom.

Here is a video I did shortly after Pikes last year.  The thought here is to give you what my insights were on Hokas before I engaged with them in this relationship.

Anyway, I had been considering putting up a post on my wear pattern (as it reflects how ugly my stride form is), and so here is a video on that.

My point …  for me with as jacked as my feet are, and as messed up as my mechanics are, these shoes work well for me.

Saturday 082512

Awesome podcast interview with the Leadman champ.  I feel very lucky that my life has been able to cross paths with that guy.  Listen in to hear how his plans for next year are the 400 meters.  

Some video on my Hokas.

10 miles easy in the thrashed Hokas.

Slept up in Fairplay.

Hokas …

I have clearly enjoyed the Hokas this year.  Arguably, they have allowed me to do some pounding on my feet that I have struggled with in other shoes. 

While I am a fan of their cushioning, I am not a fan of how the outsole seems to explode with use.  There has been some chatter that because they are so cushioned you get more miles out them than a standard shoe.  I am not sure that I completely agree with that given my experience with the outsole. 

What I want is this:  the outsole of a LaSportiva CrossLite, and the cushion of the Hokas.  So … the Sportiva upper KILLS me.  They feel super narrow, and really “bite” onto my heel.  Their outsole however is unmatched … the sticky rubber rocks.  I am considering a little “project” where I take a Skillsaw and hack off the bottom of Crosslites and hot glue them to my old Bondis.  Might be a week or two before I get to that though.

Sunday 070812

AM – Green Mountain.  Heading over I thought I might take a crack at a faster time on the middle route, but I knew pretty early on, it was not to be.  Took my time, enjoying a wet mountain, clouds in the lower valleys.  It was a really beautiful morning on the mountain. 

I wore the Hokas this AM.  Actually, I wore my old Hokas, which are the Bondis.  I picked up a new pair on Thursday – the Stinsons.   I have enjoyed the Bondi’s but I think the outsole there is not well made for extensive trail use … probably more for road stuff.  Here are some shots of the Bondis
.
You can see that there are two types of outsole on this show.  There is a less outsole – which I have nearly worn all the tread away on.  That is not particularly impressive.  You can see that while there is a more aggressive outsole (yellow), it is beginning to “fray” as the glue gives and the less outsole wears.

In other words, while I am a fan of the shoe’s cushion – and even this pair is still a decent pair of shoes for me, I am not wholly convinced that one gets a ton more miles off these shoes than others (I probably just blogged my way out of any Hoka endorsement).

Given that I like the cushion so much, I have decided to go ahead and give the Stinsons a whirl.  They appear to have a more aggressive outsole.  I am fairly certain this will be my go to shoe for HR and for PPM.  For what it is worth, I went 9.5 in the Bondi’s and 10 in the Stinsons.  Out of the box they feel great.  I am not a big fan of the “speed lacing” system but they also provide a regular set of laces that I will throw on.

           

Rant … I usually take my race bib the moment I get it and crumple it in a ball.  I then make it pretty small on me in terms of a footprint (fold or trim back unnecessary crap).  I was less than stoked with this recent bib that has the timing chip embedded in the bib and is about the size of a piece of letter paper.

Some recent family shots.
 

73 miles on the week.