Thursday 043009

Someone looks like they are getting fit

.  Still fighting this cold.  My sweat tastes funny and I feel slimy. Met JV for a jaunt up SoBo.  Kicked my ass.  RT was 1:44 with the up in just under 60.  Feeling pretty beat right now …

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 042909

• AM - Flagstaff Mountain Road. Still felt like crap from the cold, lots of coughing, green crap and like my head was going to explode so I ran the thing "easy" to get in the habit and to get some familiarity with this. Will look to do this with some regularity over the next few weeks as I get ready for Sunshine Canyon and Mount Washington. Up from Ranger Cottage, 49 minutes - but I slowed significantly above the turn off to Flagstaff Summit. Down easy in 34. 10 miles, 83 minutes. Splits ... just as a baseline: From Ranger Cottage to Greg Bridge 4:53, mile 1 (note, the mile markers I think are actually from the Chautuauqua entrance, not the base of the canyon at the bridge ... so these are mile splits from the base of Gregory, not the markers): 9:14, mile 2: 9:23, mile 3: 9:20, mile 4: 11:24, mile 5 (which was short of a mile, to the sign at the top of Flagstaff road): 5:41. Down, 6:58, 6:45, 6:53, 6:53, 6:58.
• PM  - easy jogging while JZ played soccer.  Ran with Lucy.  3 miles, 26 min.

Tuesday 042809

• Got some great recon visual on Mount Washington coming up.  I am pretty convinced that the guy in the blue in the early parts of the first video is Andy Ames.  This road looks pretty unrelenting. 
• Cold had me feeling pretty lousy.  I was also feeling a bit worked from yesterday's workout - and interestingly a bit sore in the left Achilles.  This tells me that some of the harder or faster work that I do on a treadmill could be a bit of an antagonist to that area.  I am wondering if the fact that the mill moves me at a rate / pace bit faster than what I would sustain outdoors is a bit over-taxing for what my connective tissue is ready for.  In other words, I might be ready for it muscularly on a treadmill, and maybe even cardiovascular-ly - but because I am taking advantage of a "road moving beneath my feet" I am actually moving faster than I could propel myself on real roads (and hence my long time take that I can run faster on a mill than outdoors) - and an outcome stress is that I put my connective tissue at risk of injury.  Or that could be total crap.  Yesterday I did a few strides at the end of the tempo run at slightly faster than five minute pace.  At the time, they did not feel like a big deal.   But I felt it this AM for sure.  Maybe it was the combination of the tempo and the strides.  And the mill.  And the stars in the constellation of Vega.
• But I was a bit tired too.  So I went easy.  5 miles.  40 minutes.  First mile was like 9+.
• Not sure how the heck I missed this ...

Evening ... felt like crap 'cuz of the cold.  Jogged a bit with Lucy, did drills (knee lifts, side cross overs, butt kicks) ... hoping to sweat this out.  I might have a fever too.  Yeah - swine flu baby.  3 miles, 27 minutes.

Monday 042709

• Colorado late April morning ... 
• So the plans to hit the roads in the AM were put on hold and I ran on the mill, while watching the snow from an open garage door.  5 miles, 35 min, AvHR = 146.  Carrying a lot of snot.
• PM - mill.  Mile warm up (started at 8 m/m, did the mile in about 7:40), then tempo for five miles, all at 6 min/mile or better - 29 minutes.  Then two miles as a cool down.  8 total, 51 minutes.  Cold is in the chest now.
• Snow has disappeared 12 hours later ...  seriously ... this is the same day in my backyard.

Sunday 042609

• Saturday night I went to bed with aspirations of getting up early and getting in a good 2+ hours, potentially with some or all of it on the mill - and mixing in some tempo time as well.  I was, in fact, planning on getting up at 5, so I could be running by six and be done by the time the crumb grabbers were rolling.  Instead I slept from 9 to 7 (!) and felt like I could go for an other four when I woke up (but I got up because I had to pee).
• I continued to feel pretty lethargic through the day, even though most of it was not doing much more than watching my kids soccer games.  It was one of those days where TZ would say, "yeah, that is out in the garage - can you go get it?" and you are thinking "crap, I need to go all the way out there?"  And yes, you are in your own house.
• So looking for motivation, I decided I head to Green.  Heck, I had not been on the mountain in about six weeks (when I really screwed my Achilles up on it after pounding on it the weekend before).  I felt that it was a good time for me to re-test my Achilles under this sort of load, but decided that rather than push my pace, I'd take this effort easy - as a first outing of sorts.  Did not get started until 5PM.   Good news - no significant issues.  Kept the jogging easy, and enjoyed being out on the hill again (even when it started snowing on me):  - very few people out at this time of day, and in the cooler grayer weather.  Just kept it easy, listening to Irish and Celtic Music Podcast ...  8 miles, 1:56, Flag, Green, various trails  - that are are an absolute mess.  There are downed trees all over the place. 
• Week ...
• M - 3 (26m), 8 (58m)
• T - 10 miles (73m)
• W - 8 (62m), 3 (23m) with strides
• T -11 (81m)
• F - 5 (42m) w/strides, 7 (51m)
• S - 10 (81m)
• S - 8 - Green (116m)
• 613 minutes of running.   73+ miles on week over 10 runs.  April - 245 miles, 1647 minutes, Year 1024 miles, 8399 minutes
• ... since returning to running two weeks ago, I feel like I have been just getting my legs back under me, and either plagued with some weakness (lack of fitness), a blister, the Achilles feeling a bit off, this cold, or just being tired.  But despite that, I feel I am getting the groove and the consistency back ... I will look to get more into the routine this next week ...

Saturday 042509

Easy 10 miles. 81 minutes.  First 6.5 were solo, ~ 47 minutes.  Last 3.5 were with the dogs, and ~34 minutes. 

Friday 042409

• AM - couple of easy miles with the dogs to wake up and then jogged over to Broomfield High.  Did 10 x 100 meter strides, with a very slow 100 jog between for full recovery.  Strides need some work but I know that.  The bad news is that my legs speed is piss poor right now.  The good news is that means it is easily improved.  Strides were 18-19.  5 miles, 42 min.
• PM - 7 miles, 51 minutes.
• Its "springtime" ... one of my favorite unknown artists ... Mike Errico:

Thursday 042309

Lots of randomness today ...

• Got this insanity from Lucho's blog ... check it out!
• Woke up with a head full of snot.  Seems like I have caught a cold.
• I am nearly whole again ... but not quite.  Even yesterday people at work were asking me if I was limping (I was).  Each day I get back a little bit more ... but it is slow.  I doubt that I could hold six minute pace for six miles right now.  I'd like to change that over the next five weeks, but the progress will be what it will be.
• Boston Marathon reports as of late:  Ward (who, we now find out, ran sick) and DoubleJ.  I absolutely love the attitudes of both of these guys.  All too often I see people in this world who are dealt so called "tough" circumstances, and they speak to how it is out of their control, how they can do nothing about it, how the cards were stacked against them (they were born in Lotus laaaand ...) ... these guys live their lives awake ... realizing what they did, where they are and where they want to go.  ... maybe it will take a while to get back to where I want to be....but if I don't start to look ahead and stop looking back, I won't get there any time soon...
• I spoke with my great friend MK last night.  MK and I used to share TONS of runs together about 10 years ago ... when he was turning 40 and I was turning 30.  Looking back at that, I have a new found respect for him pumping out sub 70 second quarter workouts as he prepped for a fast masters mile.  I told him how far I was from that now ... and he made the point that it would not be that far, if I made that my focus. 
• I have been thinking about what my peers in the blogosphere, running world represent to me and I started a mental list ... (in no particular order) ...
  • I want to have the focus of Scott Elliott
  • I want to have the humility of Dave Mackey
  • I want to have the love of the doing of the event of Jeff Valliere
  • I want to have the passion for self discipline of Lucho.
  • I want the fire in the belly of Matt Carpenter.
  • .... the list goes on (and on and on) and it is not exclusive to anyone person with anyone attribute ... these folks are inspirations to me ... I need to be the change in my life that I see in them. 
• I'd love to be able to write like Matt Fitzgerald or Alan Couzens or Pete Magill . I love what they write.  Pete (who is one fast master by the way, #309 in the pic) writes a wonderful piece today on a cancer in our sport:  how we talk it down.  I remember how when I met Lucho, we discussed Letsrun.  He had come from the tri-world and hit the Letsrun discussion forum for some training advice.  And he was immediately ripped in that all too well known, and accepted fashion that is the Letsrun discussion board way.  Unfortunately it left a taste in Lucho's head that runners were generally condescending a-wipes ... and for the most part, it seems like he is right ... until you meet guys like the ones I mention above ...  I like Pete's message: we all need to represent our sport in a manner that is less freaky (drugs, weight loss), and adversarial ("you suck unless you run faster than me or train like me")  and more in a manner of people improving and becoming better humans.
• PM - gorgeous weather.  11 miles.  81 minutes.
• Last April ... interesting ... felt a bit fuzzy, had a cold,  fighting with my PT, through the end of April I was still biking due to the hernia ... and I ran a 2:51 Ascent in August on a crazy weather day.  Seeing this helps build a bit of confidence that I am not that far off of being able to hit some of my goals in the marathon this year if I sew things together well through the spring-summer.

Wednesday 042209

Afternoon - 8 miles, 62 minutes, then took JZ to soccer and did 23 minutes for 3 miles.  Did 8 twenty second strides in the three miler.  Felt pretty lethargic all day, run included.  Strides ... need some work.  Today's music - Smashing Pumpkins and GnR:  I used to do a little but the little wasn't doing so the little got more and more.  I just keep trying to get a little better, a little better than before.

Tuesday 042109

• Post of the day ... Jeff Valliere's Rim to Rim to Rim run report.  Getting me itchy to do this run ...
• 10 miles.  Getting used to getting outside again.  I had thoughts of turning this into a tempo, but felt as if I was not ready for a full on depth of effort there.  I edged the pace up on the last four miles, feeling what sub sevens felt like again.  73 minutes.  First half 38:31.

"I am going to think about that for a while..."

kara goucher post race interview ... I always find it interesting as to how folks handle pressure, success and failure.  For example, I found it very interesting before the Olympic trials (07) how Ryan Hall was placing the outcome of the race on "if it is in God's will" ... versus how Bryan Sell was saying stuff like if he did not make the team he was going "hang it up and go to dental school" (these are loose quotations).  Very different approaches there ... one was taking all the pressure off and externalizing it to some outside force, whereas another was putting it all on his shoulders.  I looked at this interview with Kara and compared it to the one of Ryan, I was struck on the same theme.  I can say that I can definitely feel for Kara ... I certainly have never been in shoes like that but you can certainly feel that she was not only racing for herself, but for her team of the US community.  Wow.  It is clear to me that some folks run on emotions a lot more than others ... and such a varying set of emotions:  passion, love, anger, fear ... I really hope the rumors of Kara running London are not true ...

Plans

• I am 16.5 weeks away from my goal race of the season, Pikes Marathon.  In short, my objective there is to PR, which means to break 4:32.  I have other goals that are higher (and lower) than that, but that will be a different post.
• 16.5 weeks is a bit less of a time to prepare for a mountain marathon, but I have already had a fair amount of training through the winter that I can leverage.  At the same time, 16.5 weeks is a significant chunk of training.  I can dig in, focus and make improvements and prepare well for this race.
• Along the way, I have registered for the Sunshine Canyon Hill Climb (May 15) and the Mount Washington Road Race (June 20).  I will definitely also register for the Barr Trail Mountain Race (July).   I want to perform well at each of these but they are not as important as Pikes.
• There are several other races that I am on the fence about, including races in Vail (Hill Climb), the race to be announced in the Springs, and Bolder Boulder (end of May).  I know that there are those who see races as events that are "sacred" and things you ought not to "race through" or only bring your "A game" to.  I respect that but I also get good feedback from races on how to race, how to dig, while getting a damn good workout.  I will pepper, in balance with my life, in a few of these other races as "B" events.
• Bolder Boulder is the tricky one of these.  It is the race around here, and is only 5 weeks away.  Part of me hates this race (like the part that does not necessarily want to hang out with 50000 people).  Part of me realizes that it is one of the most competitive road races around and it is a good scene anyway.  I don't have high expectations of myself in this race.  In other words, I feel a bit of personal embarrassment as to what I could post in this race.   Which leads me to how I train for the next 16 weeks ...
• ... my fitness is where it is.  I know what I need to do to improve, to have confidence in my training, where to sacrifice, where to dig ... (side note, the only piece of this that I don't think I have wholly dialed in is the taper).  It is this:
  • 65-90 miles a week
  • Strides ... twice a week ... working turnover.
  • A long run a week, alternating between a flat long run and one in the hills, where I get familiar with nutrition, hydration, steady state, etc)
  • A tempo run a week, alternating between "flat and fast and uphill and unforgiving."
  • An interval workout a week alternating between the same.
  • Adding altitude and down as the summer progresses
  • All the extras (getting on the course, managing diet, doing core, getting good sleep, keeping a good life balance, enjoying the journey, etc).
• That is it.   The only thing here that I am going to really tweak is that I am going to really try to settle to make the tempo runs and the interval work specific - meaning the same week over week.  I think the uphill interval run would be Lindens (although it is a bit of a stretch to get there), the uphill tempo would be Flagstaff, and the flat tempo will be on South Boulder Creek.  The one exception to the consistency will be (hopefully) with the flat intervals ... I see those being varied from 1-6 minutes each on the track or something else flat.

Ken Pliska is a monster

• Between meetings I have been actively hitting the f5 key on several browsers to keep apprised of Boston activity.  The show of the day goes to Ken Pliska - running in his 20th Boston - and showing such experience.  Ken told me if he ran sub sixes he'd be very happy.  He did that (averaging 5:58)!  The amazing part however was watching Ken's splits to so many others.  He started at 6:02 pace, and was a minute behind others at 5K that had similar aspirations.  Many of those folks have yet to finish at the time of this posting!  Ken - way to go man!  Way to put on the clinic!
• 5k 0:18:48 
  10k 0:37:35
  15k 0:56:08
  20k 1:14:36
  Half 1:18:38
  25k 1:32:55
  30k 1:51:10
  35k 2:09:52
  40k 2:28:09
  Finish:  2:36:14
• BTW ... Ken is 43, and two months ago was totally sidelined with a calf injury.
• Through out the AM, I'd hit the refresh button for several of the folks I was watching / tracking ... and wince.  I could see with the stray of their numbers from their goal splits to much slower paces ... I could see their races unraveling. In a way, I could feel their quads burning, their calves seizing, their minds fighting, and the thrash that goes on when you are in those circumstances in a marathon  ... anyone who has run a marathon that has gone bad knows exactly what this is (and if you run marathons and this has not happened, you are either going to have it happen or you are not running hard enough).  It happens.  Have a bad day in a 5K?  Maybe you are off a minute ... maybe 2.  Have a bad day in a marathon and you are out for a long ass day and are off 20 minutes to an hour.  To those of you "in the ring" today - I salute you.  The marathon is a monster, and you took it on, got in the ring and took a swing.  Read the header of the blog if you have any doubt.
• Some post script ... Ken and the FF team won the Master's Division team title! 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Monday 042009

• My computer screen this AM:

• ... AM, real easy jogging with Lucy ... feet / scars sore ... 26 minutes, 3 miles - OUTSIDE.
• PM - 8 miles, 58 minutes.  OUTSIDE.  :)

Bolder Boulder 10000 Hop Ale

... not sure if that will be the name of this beer, but it is what I am starting with for a name.  Fermentation activity was fully visible today.  Cooling the wort in the snow worked great.  I was able to pitch yeast immediately after dumping the wort into the fermenter with water.  I have yet to build a wort chiller (I can't see buying one for 75 bucks) so typically I need to wait overnight for the wort to chill.  This has never been a problem, but I have often wondered if it was - simply if stray yeasts were going to infiltrate the brew.  I suspect it never has been an issue because a.) I get the yeast pitched as soon as the wort reaches 76-78 degrees b.) before this the wort has been too hot for anything c.) I effectively add a billion yeast cells - which overpowers any minor stray yeasts that snuck in.  In any case, getting the yeast pitched last night - within hour of cooking was a nice bonus of the spring snow storm.  I was tempted for a bit to use the snow as water in the whole process ... but I will save that for some future experiment.

Sunday 041909

• Long run - wanted to get in two hours.  Started really easy (slower than 10 min pace but the first mile was about 10) and then just cruised through an hour forty.  At that point, I slowed the pace down and put the mill up to 8% for the next two miles, before bringing it back down for final easy mile.  17 miles, 2:04.
• Week in review ... felt good to get back into running actually this week ... this week was a transition week in that regard, but that work is still underway ... as I get my legs and feet back.  Next week will incorporate more running outdoors.  I probably would have gotten a bit more outdoors this weekend but I was home solo with JZ - so being on the mill kept me close.
• M - 5 miles 38 min, 7.5 62 minutes (my only run outdoors all week)
• T - 10 miles 69 min
• W - 5 miles 38 min, 8.5 65 min with 10 x 1 min on /off
• T - 7 miles  48 min, 5.5 45 min
• F - 11 miles 84 min
• S - 12 miles, 86 min, with 24 min tempo, 10 x 1 min on/off
• S - 17 miles, 124 min
• 659 minutes of running.   88+ miles on week over 10 runs.  April - 172 miles, 1334 minutes, Year 951 miles, 7786 minutes

Saturday 041809

• Saturday PM - just got word from JV that he finished his R2R2R event ... 8:43.  Damn!  Nice job JV! 
• Got a lot of core last night because JZ and I shoveled the driveway and walks for close to two hours all told.  Woke up feeling good and got pretty watching the Boston Marathon prelude videos.  Hit the mill.  Mile at 12% (5.1 mph), mile at 6% (6.2 mph), mile at 0.5% (7.x mph) to hit three miles at 30 minutes.  This was one of those workouts where I thought I was going to do one thing but ended up doing something else.  I thought I'd do a little test of of 4 x a mile, just under six minute pace - just to refamiliarize myself with that rhythm.  Started at 10.1 (all this was at 0% grade), but decided to keep going at a mile.  Went through, upping the pace every mile by .1 mph (to 10.4).  Kept at it for 24+ minutes to assure a solid four plus.  Jogged at 7.5 mph (8 min/mile) for 5 minutes then started 10 x 1 minute on, 1 minute off.  Minutes on start at 50 seconds on the clock (to let the mill ramp up) and finish at 5 seconds (a minute + later) to assure good time.  I tried to get the mill to do the minutes on at 11 mph (5:27 m/m), but my mill at home seems to struggle to get there.  It seems that my pounding in to it, "dampens" it - and it bounces back and forth between 11 down to 10.4.  Guess I am too heavy for it.  :)  I was less concerned about the pace at this point and just wanted to stride out a good effort post the tempo.  12 miles, 86 minutes.  Pretty stoked that things are starting to come back a little bit.
• Made up a wort for an IPA.  Figured I'd take advantage of the snow and submerged the pot to chill the wort in a big pile of snow that JZ and I made. 

Friday 041709

• It seems that while the Achilles issue has mostly cleared up, the scar tissue on the bottom of my left foot remains a bit of a problem. My left foot was hamburger for a bit -- probably a result of running on it while the Achilles was still in a messed up state and hence jacked my stride.  As a result, I got some deep blisters under and behind the callous tissue that normally protect these scars.  This tissue remains pretty sensitive right now.  If anything, this is keeping me on the mill a bit more.  Not a huge issue as it is snowing right now pretty big here.  My biggest concern is that there is some sort of infection behind all the scar tissue ... that would really suck.
• 11 miles on the mill, 84 minutes.  Started at 10%, dropping 2% every mile until 0% (after five then).  Ran easy - but after doing the hill like that, 0% feels almost down hill.  First five were 45, last 6 were 39.  This was all pretty easy paced.  The pace started at just under 12 min a mile and built up ...

Thursday 041609

• The mind was racing today.  Or wanted to race.  I wanted to run hard.  Call it a combination of being on the treadmill for some time (way too long), not getting into any hard particular workout for at least that long, feeling like I have turned the corner on my Achilles issue, reading several folks workout as of late ... the brain wanted to go.  So when I got on the treadmill, I started my warm up and was contemplating ... halves? three quarter mile repeats?  The 3-2-1 workout?  But something was wrong ... my body knew I was not ready to get after any of those.  I am still building a bit of strength back post my injury, and I ran hard(ish) yesterday.  Certainly I could have made a workout happen, but I probably would have risked a setback physically, and been mentally upset with the results.  So I ran easy:  Mid day, pressed for time as mills were in use when I got to the gym ... 7 miles, 48 minutes.  I am pretty close to getting back to near normal form ... I just need to be careful as I get back on the horse.
• PM - 5.5 miles, 8%, 6%, 4%, 2%, 0%, and then last half mile at 15%.  45 minutes.

AC Recovery Recommendations

• From AC ...bolds, highlights for my emphasis ...
• what would a serious athlete do after a key training session?
• 1. Perform a 15 minute cooldown at a very low intensity (
  <60% max HR)>
• 2. Have sports drink mixed to 75-90g of Carbohydrate and 10-20g or protein at the ready.
• 3. Finish your session at the health club and head for the deep end of the cold pool (or prep an ice-bath if at home). Continue to sip sports drink for 20-30min while ‘flopping’ around in the pool.
• 4. If not excessively sore, do 2-3 cycles of alternating 2mins in the pool w/8mins in the hot tub.
• 5. Get changed, put compression garments on and head home, continuing to sip sports drink
• 6. Drink a smoothie when you get home containing 40g CHO/10g EAAs
• 7. Do 20mins of self massage, 20mins of supine yoga and 20mins of meditation/progressive relaxation, incorporating inverted/semi-inverted postures (see Gordo’s post workout stretch routine in Going Long for a good starting point).
• 8. Eat a snack of 75-90g of CHO and 20g of Protein with a high water content and mix of sugars (e.g. fruit plus yogurt)
• 9. Take a 1-2hr nap with legs elevated and compression gear on.
• 10. Eat another snack of 75-90g of CHO and 20g of Protein with a lower glycemic index (mainly fruit & veg) and some healthy fats.
  ---------
• 3-4hrs (including nap). Ideally completed by 4pm.
  Following this, relax with family and friends for a few hours, eat a hearty dinner w/an additional 100g of CHO (assuming you took in 400 during breakfast + workout & 200-300 during recovery) and 40-80g of protein.  Then finish the evening with a hot bath, hot tub or sauna (if you have the means J) as a further impetus for Growth Hormone release, before retiring prior to 10:30pm.
• For most working athletes, such a routine will be limited to a post workout routine on their biggest training day of the week (for a professional athlete like Greg Bennett, such a routine will be ‘the norm’). However, this frequency does not discount it’s usefulness. Many super-busy working athletes go day to day, week to week without recovery, changing from their running gear to their business suit, slamming a coffee after their long ride to keep up with family obligations. Under these conditions, stress hormones are always prevelant, the body never adapts to the training and growth (on many fronts) is compromised. If not given, the body will take recovery in the form of frequent illness or burnout irrespective of training load. If the athlete allows it to get to this point, fitness has already been sacrificed. There is much to be gained for all levels of athlete, in all life roles, by simply resolving to devote one day per week purely to training and recovery (sharpening the saw), while paying as much attention as possible to fitting in recovery means wherever possible through the rest of their busy week.

Wednesday 041509

AM - treadmill, 5 miles, 38:30.  Started with a mile at 7%, then one at 5%, then one at 3% and then the last two at 1%.  Starting at the incline makes me start slower, more reasonably with the pace.  Pending posts include what to do about Bolder Boulder, and the approach to the next 123 days.

Mid day - 8.5 miles, mill, 65 minutes.  First mile at 8%, second at 6%, third at 4%, fourth at 2% and then 0% for the remainder.  Picked up into 10 x 1 minute on, 1 minute off.  Did the on's starting at 10.0 and then up it .1 mph every two repeats.  Not really flying, but feeling the step back into mileage a bit.

Tuesday 041409

Afternoon - mill, 69 minutes, ten miles.

Matt Carpenter Interview

On Colorado Matters Radio show.

Monday 041309

• I am blown away at how over the last three days I have moved past the tipping point on the Achilles.  There is a bit of stiffness there but more along the lines of what is typical versus what I had gone through for most of March.  Now, I must resist the temptation to gain back four weeks in four days.
• AM - 5 miles on the mill.  First mile at 6% (9 min), 2nd mile at 4% (8 min), 3rd mile at 2%, last two at 0.5%.  38 minutes.
• PM 7.5 miles 62 minutes.  Met up with JP for some easy running over the Flatiron Vista trail.  It was great to be outside again!  Thanks JP!

Sunday 041209

• Treadmill today.  This run provided me a lot of confidence that I am bouncing back.  The run itself was not super impressive, or super hard.  It brought however enough intensity along with good feedback, that it did wonders for my confidence right now.  3 miles warm up at 6% grade, 26:30 (building), then 15 x 1 minute on 1 minute off at 0.5% grade - starting at 8.9 mph (6:44), and building to 10.6mph (5:4x).  Then 3 miles flat starting at 8 minute pace but building back to 6:44 pace, then two miles "cooling down" at incline (first at 7% or higher, second at 10.5%).  13 miles total, 1:40.  KZ took some video ... this is during my warm up (about 9 min pace at a 6% inc)

• Week in review
• M - 60 min stat bike
• T - 45 min stat bike, 45 min stat bike
• W 3 (23 min), 32 min stat bike, 45 min of stat bike
• T - 5 (42 min), 6 (51 min), 30 min of stat bike
• F - 2 (17 min), 9 (84 min) with alt grades
• S - 8.5 (72 min), 4.5 at 5.5% grade (36 min)
• S - 13 miles treadmill with 15 x 1 min on/off (100 min)
• Various weight and core work mixed in through the week.  Whole week 425 minutes of running, plus 257 minutes of biking.  Sum exercise minutes are 672 minutes.   50 miles on week.  April - 84 miles, 675 minutes, Year 863 miles, 6452 minutes

Saturday 041109

• Rehab continues.  Each day is a bit better but not huge gains, but better.  Real easy miles, not pushing as things are still stiff.  Ran six solo and then added the dogs for a few more.  Running with the dogs is definitely slow.  AM - 72 min, 8.5 miles +
• PM - on the mill, 5.5% grade, goofing off with paces.  4.5 miles, 36 minutes.  Things definitely feel better on the mill.  Feeling improved, but not really strong as I was.  That will come back.
• JZ and I enjoyed a Rox game in the evening.  Unfortunately the Rox lost 8-4 to the Phils:  Myers pitched well while the Rox arms gave up 15 hits.  Side note:  when a batter comes up to bat, or a pitcher comes in, the PA plays a song for him.  It's "their" song to fire them and the crowd up.  When Speir came in for relief, his song was some Tool song (I don't know which one but it was Tool).  Made me think of you Lucho.

Scooter

• ... Scott Elliott (picture courtesy of Footfeathers - with a great post today ... love the title) completed his run of 100 runs up Bear Peak in 100 days today.  I would have liked to join him but work, a sick family and my gimp foot kept me at bay.   Scott's results at Pikes are incredible:  17 Ascents, 16 top tens, 8 wins and four second places.  Probably as incredible as these results are the legends of getting a laser focus post a period of a long layoff.  Now when I say long layoff, I don't mean taking a few weeks off and eating ice cream, drinking brews, and relaxing.  According to the 50th Anniversary book, America's Ultimate Challenge, The Pikes Peak Marathon Scott stopped running altogether post the 1994 Ascent ... and did not run a step for 3 years.  After seeing the 1998 race, he vowed to return in 99, as he thought the race had been won in too slow a time - and started training the next day after the race.  He took 2nd in 99.  Apparently in those 3 years off, Scott had gained some 40-50 pounds.   WHAT?  Think about that for a second.  You see some guy in late August carrying a few terms of the freshmen 15, and he is talking about coming back to the win the Pikes Peak Ascent a year later.  You are a fit fellow and laugh ... this guy probably could not hold pace with you for a 3 mile run, never mind an Ascent up 7800 feet of trail, over 13+ miles to an altitude over 14000 feet.  Yet he kicked everyone's butt (except the lost in war action athlete Jeremy Wright)  in 99.  Oh, by the way ... in 2000, Scott did win (trading the 2 spot with Jeremy).  Whether Scott's current streak up Bear is a pre-cursor to a return to Pikes (he has not been in the race since '06) is still in question.  He has done the 100 Bear in 100 day streak before without returning to the race.  In any case, it is clear that Scott challenges our assumptions about what it is like to be disciplined when we choose to be.  Congratulations Scooter.  Hope we can share a few runs and ascents soon.

Friday 041009

• Readings ...
• Advanced Balancing
• Anticipatory Regulation
• Uli's blog
• Solepepper is starting "for registration" fitness group.
• AM - with the dogs, so easy and careful - 2 miles, 17 minutes.  Waking up, about the same as yesterday.
• PM - treadmill - first hour alternating miles between 5% and 10% grade.  Then finished with three miles easy and flat.  84 minutes, nine miles.
• So I felt a bit better today but I am not sure why.  I could not tell if this was because I was a.) running on an incline, b.) running in my flats or c.) I am slowly mending.  As weird as it sounds, for some reason running on an incline on a treadmill seems to stress my Achilles less then running more quickly on a flat surface.  I think this is because of the "toe off" and push off required with faster running - and the whip it causes in the foot.  That seems to aggravate the Achilles a bit more.  This is pretty much the opposite of what I would expect.  I'd expect hill running to be more challenging to that piece of grizzle.  I also decided to run in flats today - just to try some different shoes.  These are relatively new flats (less than 25 miles).  I have wondered if the higher lift I get with some shoes has a negative impact.  Of course, I could be on the mend ... but it is hard to say.  I am still gimping a bit more than "usual" when I walk - but not nearly as bad as last month.
• In any case, I feel that I am beginning to turn the corner.  I am not running 100 percent free (does one ever?) but I am on the better side of this.  I need to be sure I don't confuse the difference between running pain free and running strong.  I can feel my mind racing and being careful at the same time.  I suddenly want to begin running these treadmill runs at sub six pace, but ... well, I am scared.  I know if I do, I will probably rip the tendon right off the back of the foot.  But I am also nervous about what I feel I need to do to have the season I want to have (there is a whole post in that).
• I have been challenged a bit to have my structure checked, as yesterday I commented on FB that my left foot was striking differently than my right.  I think this strike difference is because of the Achilles and my compensation to not aggravate it (less toe off).  But is my structure, balance screwed up?  Absolutely it is.  I am way out of whack.  My frame is bent for certain.  But ... do I think I should go see a chiro or some other PT about that?  Well ... I struggle with that.  I struggle with shelling out money for things like coaching, PT, massage ... I am not saying that is smart.  Hell, I spend money on other stuff so it will be easy to rip me for being stupid on this ... it is just that I am cheap in this area.   Not right.  Just is.

Matt's note

Matt wrote me a very thoughtful and articulate comment.  Thanks Matt.  His questions are spot on, and had me type out what I was thinking on my training approach, this injury, and a whole bunch of other stuff.  This is long so, I apologize ... but it was good for me.  Matt - you got a cigarette?  My responses below.

 

• I hope your kid's feeling better.  The whole family was laid up Friday afternoon.  Except me.  I think that means I am probably begging to lose about 10 pounds of water weight this Sunday.
• As for my amateurish comment about your training, I myself have to figure-out what I mean. I guess the fact that you were injured this time last year might, if you're lucky, just be odd coincidence. Doubtful. That has to concern you a little, no? Unless you prescribe to the coincidence theory.
  I have given this some thought.  It does seem to be a pattern that I have struggled the last two springs, but I do think it is a bit of a coincidence.  Last year, I just did something stupid:  I was goofing off with my wife and daughter, gave them both a bear hug and then tried to lift them.  Stupid.  It led to me dealing with the sports hernia issue for some time last spring.  So that injury, I think was mostly not running related (although I have mused if my running set me up to be "weaker" and hence helped contribute to that injury).  This one was running related.  But, both of these injuries have revealed some things to me:  I am out of balance (stronger on the right side on several fronts), I am fragile and weak in certain areas (uhh, core), and I am not real quick to learn on some of these things.  And that I make way too much of my self worth get tied to this running gig.
• In January (I think), I said you were going to burn-out. I read your running (b)log regularly, have a pretty good idea what you're doing on that end, and know roughly that you finished the double last year (kicked ass!) and proceeded to ramp-up your mileage more or less. I even remember a specific comment from Karie addressing this lack of recovery, this insane ability to "recover" and then be back to running so quickly. And you ran and ran, so by January I was like "dude, you're A race is in August and you haven't had any real down-time, and you're running fairly hard, so what gives?"
  Yeah, I get this.  I get that we get better with rest.  I get that we all have periods over the course of a year where it makes some sense to have some down time.  I get that if we keep pushing the envelope, we will either burnout or get injured.  It is pretty easy for me to say, well - I got injured because I pushed the envelope for too long.  But I don't buy that.  Now I realize folks might read that, and shake their heads and say "ah, stupid George, don't you see based on what you wrote?"  And I appreciate that they care.  But this is what I see:
• Dealing with the mental side and burnout first:  I don't get a lot of burn out.  I enjoy running.  It is my escape.  It is my meditation.  It is my prayer.  It is my time with friends.  It is my time in nature.  It is my time to reflect on my role as a person, a runner, a husband, a father, a friend, a co-worker.    I can honestly say, for every ten times I lace 'em up, I enjoy it.  I think this is why I am still running after starting this 30+ years ago, where most of the guys I ran with in H.S. are not.  I recognize that could change tomorrow.  I might suddenly not want to do it.   And if that comes, I won't do it.  By the way, I have also contemplated that if this "love affair" is a curse when I compare myself to those guys in H.S.  Did they love it for the competitive reasons more, and when the competitive structure was gone ... they did not want to do it?  And did that make them better competitors?
• Regarding the physical side ... did my training in January make me get injured in March?  Maybe.  Probably.  I think this Achilles injury is the product of making a stupid choice on how long to extend the life on a pair of shoes, going long and a bit harder on the same day and having a very compromised piece of grizzle in the first place.  In short, I am ALWAYS dealing with an Achilles injury as an outcome of shoving my foot in a lawn mower when I was three.  I have contemplated if all this running I do in my 30s will mean I may not walk in my 60s.  If I knew that it would - would I stop running?  Nah ... that is right up there with not getting out of bed because you might get hit with a bolt of lightening.  You need to face the adversity.  Life is not about what we do when it is easy ... it is what we do when it is hard - be it in running, as a person, as a husband, a father ...
• Okay ... should I have taken time off after Pikes?  Yeah, probably.  But I didn't.  And I am okay with that.  Maybe it is because I don't embrace that competitive spirit the same way and this is more about some sort of namby pamby worship on my part.  Hell - it is August, September - and that is some fun times to run a trail.  Plus, I had only started running on May 1 that summer.  I get it.  I play with fire with my training.  And I might get burned.  But I am okay with that part of the journey.  Sure - am I going to flip out a bit when I get hurt, and should all of you say "DAMN DUDE - WE TOLD YOU SO!"?  Absolutely. 
• Finally, for what it is worth ... I thought I had stepped back a bit in January and February and was getting ready to pour it on.  I was running in singles.  I was avoiding the "hold the fence when you are done" track sessions (or something like Lindens).  I was eschewing the mountain running.  I was keeping the mileage moderate.  So ... I still feel that I was backed off a bit and in a base building period.  This leads me to stating a belief that I find I end up arguing with folks on:  base building is (IMO) NOT all easy running.  Nor do I think it is just easy running with pick ups a few times a week.  There may be a time for that in training, but I don't believe the whole base period is that .  In fact, I find I gravitate more a multi-phasic approach, or one where there are phases - but you will see elements sprinkled throughout all the phases from all the phases - and that each phase takes a general focus with specificity getting more and more defined over the course of the training.
• You recall a few exchanges more recently where we disagreed about aerobic training. Needless to say, I've been on to you for a while, gz!  I guess your year revolves around a high altitude marathon. So your training should reflect that and I guess being just the ignorant endurance sport student that I am, who reads a lot of training plans full of science, pseudo science, anecdotal evidence, etc., I felt fairly comfortable saying that your training is less focused than others. But having said that (again), I think your consistency and diversity is solid. You do have ez days, harder days, etc. So perhaps that assessment was pretty lame.  Actually, I have gotten some feedback from another guy with the initial MC that my training is a bit all over the place.  That I keep trying different things rather than digging into something and letting it take effect.  That is what I originally thought you meant when you said I was all over the place.   And I agree with you on that.  I shifted my training this year to step away from the mountains for a bit to get back to ... running.  The mountains are fun, but if you run in the mountains ALL the time, most of us will become slower runners.  I feel that in my prep for '07 - I went to the mountains ALOT.  That was fun, but along the way, my ability to say, run a five minute mile, when out the window.  I want to capture some of that back.  So, my training was geared towards capturing some of that back here through the winter spring - and then introducing more hills over the spring and summer ... and then getting to elevation when the snow freed up enough to let me. 
• BUT, is the injury coincidence or symptom of a bigger problem (training)? One has trouble arguing with results/facts.
  My optimistic spin on the injury is that the bike is a good thing. Good for the foot, the achilles, leg strength, etc. It's a blessing in disguise. Do you ever look at Paul Dewitt's training? He's 40, but he's ultra. Or are you more of a Simon G? He does a lot of cross training in the winter (according to Magill's interview).
  I don't know much about ultras, but I am learning.  I am pretty amazed at how a lot of ultra guys run like 50 miles a week and then bang out incredible ultras.  I can relate more to a guy like Simon in that regard I guess.  But he does 110 miles a week.  I can't handle that as well I would like /him.  I relate a bit better to him because I think that while there are guys who can do mountains fast by just running mountains, I need to mix it up with ups, downs, long, fast, slow, and altitude.  I am not sure the Achilles injury is good ... but, well, it is what it is.  I am going to try to make choices that make the best of it ... I do get a little scared of losing some aspects of training over the last 4 weeks, but when I really think about it, they are not huge.  Now, I just need to keep telling myself that.
• Keep in mind, I like the discourse and am perhaps a little envious of your consistency and health :)  I don't want to see you gimpin around! And back to that question: does your training reflect an A race (high altitude marathon) in August?
  Cheers.  Matt, I hope my response does not come across as - well, this is what I think!  I respect your feedback - I only wish we could share it on a run.  I recognize that I make some choices in my training that might not be the smartest.  Heck, I even did that yesterday.  I wanted to do an easy four in the PM, contacted some guys and they said they were doing seven.  Think I did the four?  Nope.  I wanted to run with them.  Smart?  Probably not.  Was I happy?  Yeah.  And I believe that first and foremost, you got to do training that makes you happy.  And that is a back and forth balance between investing in what you want now versus what you save up for, for future stuff (an emotional 401k of sorts).  I love the discourse.  Does my training reflect a high altitude marathon approach right now?  Nope.  It reflects a guy trying to get his legs back under him.  And then maybe it will.

Thursday 040909

• Up early.   At JZ's soccer practice last night, he walked off the field and puked.  We nearly got home when he puked again - in the car.  I could clearly tell that he had consumed a berry fruit smoothie earlier that afternoon.  And some oatmeal.  KZ informed us that the stomach flu is going around the school so I have something to look forward to in terms of losing weight.  JZ continued to have vomiting sessions through the night (more like dry heaving as there was nothing left in the gullet) and so I was up early. 
• Despite the distraction of my son's barfing, I could not help but notice that my Achilles felt a little better again.  A good sign given the slight test yesterday.  So my morning thoughts go like this:  "Wow.  That feels better.  Am I better?  Was that a twinge?  Yup, that was definitely still it.  You are not completely healed.  Yeah, but it is better.  Should I go run?  Yes!  You should go run and you should take the dog too.  Well, let's get a cup of coffee first.  Is it better now?  What if I run and it still feels bad?  Wait a few more minutes and see if it feels better.  Will running with the dog at 5AM be more likely to hurt it?  Better check the weather."  So - in other words, lots of delaying because I am nervous about the potential results.
• Soooo ... out in the dark, with a full moon setting.  Started with Lucy down to the middle school fields to do the "test before the test."  After about a mile I circled her back to the house.  Four more miles, very easy (5 total, 42 min).  Definitely an issue or two back there still but I really do think / feel that is improving.
• PM - took the bait meet with KP and BD for some running.  I went easy, six, 51 minutes.  Not bad.  Some tightness and the left foot is not striking right because of that.  Need to be careful.
• PM - reading work docs ... 30 minutes on stat bike.  123 minutes of movement on day.  I think I'd like to be shooting for an average of 100 a day.

Wednesday 040809

• With the first step out of bed, I was evaluating.  Evaluating how my foot felt, how my scar felt, how my Achilles felt ... and trying to determine if I would attempt a run today or delay it another day.  Clearly, I was not 100 percent pain free, but I was in better shape than I had been for the last five or six days.  So I decided do a little test ... jogged three miles in 23 minutes.  The Achilles is a bit stiff, and a bit sore, but it seems to be on the mend.  But I have been fooled before.   And, yes - I tested this outside:  I had to, it was 70 degrees.  The temptation to go longer and harder is there, but the head over rode that ... It is hard for me to read this ... I don't expect to magically be pain free.  It is just hard for me to determine right now what is an acceptable level of pain - where I can start training (a bit) back on it again, versus it being debilitating (and not being able to train).  The proof will be in the reaction over the rest of the day ... and if I am gimping or not.
• Hit the bike immediately after the run for 32 minutes.
• Later in the PM did the bike for another 45 min.  Mixed 5 x 1 min 1 leg drills to break up the insanity.

Tuesday 040709

• I confess ... my motivation to get on the bike and pedal is waning.  This is offset against a general desire to simply overcome that lack of motivation and show a bit of discipline, in the face of adversity. 
• So ... on the bike at lunch, 45 minutes.  I normally hit at L10, and try to get 20 for a distance over an hour.  I put it at L12 and tried to keep the cadence at 100-110.  Got some feedback from a biker that I really don't want to go at much higher of a cadence than this - and if I do I need to just begin to up the gears.  Covered 17+ (whatever that is for distance).  Playing the game of trying to up the ante ... even if it is on the bike.
• PM - 45 minutes on bike.  100-105, 16+.   Some core and weights (while I waited for the bike, ~10 min).
• Achilles is feeling a bit better, and the pain in the scar tissue has improved a lot in the last 24 hours.  Very tempted to run today but decided against it.  I figured it would be better at this point to be more conservative rather than push the issue.

Monday 040609

• Continue to be frustrated by this hamburger left foot.  I keep hoping that it will start to improve overnight, so things like the Mount Washington Road Race are not a total nightmare.
• Still need to book a flight to Mount Washington ... holy crap - 400 bucks to Portland ... 300 and change to Boston
• Registered for the Sunshine Canyon Hill climb May 15.
• I keep telling myself "it's early.  Don't sweat it.  Keep active and you will have plenty of time to get ready."  But it is April for crying out loud.  And so I have doubts.  Doubts are not uncommon for folks in this position.
• Hit the weights for 25 minutes, and then the stat bike for an hour.  After a 10 minute warm up, I did 5 x 1 minute single leg, alternating legs.  Then did 10x Tab sprints (20 sec on, 10 sec off), and then a push at the end for about 15 minutes to "catch up" on mileage.

Sunday 040509

• Congrats to several racers - Justin Mock (putting up a solid 1/2 with a 73 and change, but running close to his 5k and 5mi PRs throughout, James Walsh (racing well on the MTB), JP Patrick (solid 5k!)- all fellow bloggers and guys are raising their game up.  Great work guys.
• Additionally, the results for the American River 50 miler are up.  Congratulations to local Dave Mackey for taking the silver.  The WS100 is shaping up to be quite a race!  Congrats again to Dave (his prelim report)! 
• Max King, AR50 winner, is one tough dude.  In 2006 I raced USATF XC in Van Cortland Park in New York City.  It was COLD, probably 10 degrees.  Everyone had hat, gloves, long sleeves, etc.  Max King raced in an outfit that looked like he was out for a summer road race and took third - beating everyone in the 12k that day except Ryan Hall and Jorge Torres. 
• Scott Elliott continues his streak.  As of today, he is 95 days in a row of ascending Bear everyday.  Given some of the weather we have had - that is amazing!
• Most of the day was lost in terms of training.  I got wrapped up in several kid / house / family projects.  The good news is that I ended up playing a good deal of music with my daughter, with her and her buddy singing for this gig they have coming up and me playing the guitar.  I have not played in a bit and actually felt it in the fingers some.
• The scar tissue, as that is where the blister has burst on my foot was yelling most of the day.  I got in three miles on the mill - the scar on the foot bottom was yelling the entire time.  It seems that I got this because I had adjusted my stride with my Achilles issue, and then blistered up in an area that is normally very calloused for me (callous covering scar tissue).
• Week in review ... a bit disappointing and ratting more of my head than my skeleton ... I just don't have the tires to run right now ... (feet).  It is is driving me a little nuts.  I am trying to rationalize it all in a variety of ways ...
  • M - 3 miles (25m), 7 miles (50m)
  • T - 11 miles (72:30m), upping pace .1 mph on 2 min
  • W - 8 miles (60m), 30 min stat bike
  • Th - 6 miles (39m), 5 miles (39 min), 15 min stat bike with tabata sprints
  • F - 60 min stat bike with tab sprints, 60 min stat bike with 7 x 3 min on, 1 min off, no running
  • Sa - 8 miles (60m), 4 miles (29m)
  • Su - 3 miles (23 m)
  • Whole week 397 minutes of running, plus 165 minutes of biking.  Sum exercise minutes are 562 minutes.   55 miles on week.  April - 34 miles, 250 minutes, Year 813 miles, 6027 minutes

Repeating ourselves

• I have been blogging here since about the close of 2007.  Part of the goal with that was to have a log that I could actively go back and review, to look for trends, patterns, and where certain behaviors (inputs) were producing certain results (outputs). 
• With this most recent injury (flare up of the Achilles, followed by inflammation of scar tissue on left heel with a break of a blister / exposure of skin under callous tissue), I was reflecting some on how I got to into this situation.  So, I reviewed the logs a bit ... My training had been going well through the first week in March.  I had been getting in decent mileage, picking up the pace of my runs, and contemplating how to inject faster paced work into my runs to prepare for a faster 5k and 10k.  Then on a Saturday, I ran a good number of miles with a good number of harder repeats (9 min repeats).  On Sunday I was hobbled.  I continued to run, but it was clear that I was hurt.  I chalked this up to an "ache or a pain" that would pass (and many creaks do) but it did not.  So I took time off, but am still dealing with how to overcome this injury.  Upon reflection, I think the injury hit me because of the combination of the following:  a.) a compromised Achilles in the first place (something I will deal with for the rest of my life b.) running in shoes that had outlived their life c.) a combination of miles and speed on the same day.  Really - the stupidity was "b" - when mixed with the other two.   I have played with pushing the limits of shoes before and I have gotten hurt.  I ought to know better.  I don't subscribe to the general idea that you get 4-500 miles out of a pair of shoes.  I am not so neutral, however, that I can get out a 1000 like some folks.  But I get lazy, forget or talk myself into thinking I can get another few weeks out of a pair.  Just dumb at some point.
• The point of this post however is not how I got injured.   Instead, in reviewing my logs, I noticed how much I repeat myself.  I am always talking about the same things:  need to get the miles up, need to get my speed back, need to be more consistent with my diet, need to do more core work, my basic plan is to train 10 hours a week ... and how much we all repeat ourselves ... some of this is because running is simple (but not easy) and the principles are basically the same.  But some of this is because we have subscribed to a specific approach to our success:  I have to run 100 miles a week; I have to run up Bear 100 times, I need to run Sanitas under 17 minutes, I need to do these particular workouts, training, I need to run this much at MAF, I need to take this time off to recover, blah, blah, blah ...  again, I am not sure that the repetitiveness is all bad ... but something there does not ring right.  I also set up this blog as a way to learn more about how to train.  Implicit to that - I am expecting that with learning, I am expecting to change.  While I have learned some things along the way, it seems that on many fronts I (and others) have only become more entrenched in the same theories, practices.  So what do I expect to change if I am doing the same things over and over?  Heck, even this realization of saying the same things over is A REPEAT of things I have said before!
• And so ... I have been wondering how much of this to repeat ... to blog over and over.  I wonder if it just becomes a record of me repeating myself, refusing to learn, sticking to the same old ideas as those ideas are tried and true or just a rut that I am in.

Saturday 040409 8 miles, 4 miles

Mid day - moved the treadmill from the basement to the garage.  It will have a firmer base in the garage - as we have a floating floor in the basement.  That treadmill is freaking heavy, at least heavier than it looks.  8 miles, 1 hour, easy.  Started with an 8 minute mile, progressed it up to about 7 minute mile, and then backed it off as HR drifted up.  Kept the HR at 147 through the run.  Backed off the last mile to an 8.

PM - easy four, 29 minutes on mill.  Snot rockets are now an option as the mill is in the garage.  It was 25 degrees outside with a 20 mph wind.  In the garage, I was running shirtless and in shorts.  Blister on scar tissue on left foot is still a bit tender ... but bearable. 

Pikes Prognosticating

• The Pikes marathon start list is shaping up - as the top ten folks from last year, and some competitive entries, have started to register in.  I need to do a bit more homework on digging into the names I don't recognize.  There are easily 2 dozen folks up front based on predicted times.  Some of these are folks who have predicted way over their head ("I ran a two hour half marathon so I can run the marathon in four hours."), newbies with decent road times, etc.  So - if I am missing someone here ... I apologize.  I am just starting this research ... (and I have not looked into the Ascent or women's lists at all yet).
• On the marathon, names of note are: 
• Parr (predicting 3:30 on a double!) (2:19 ascent last year),
• Dayton (4:04 last year),
• Parker (4:07 last year),
• Boettcher (4:02 last year but predicting 4:08),
• Vail (has ascended in 2:36, predicting 3:54),
• Seymour (a Pikes newbie from what I gather but has run 2:29 in a road marathon)
• Dignum (a Pikes newbie, a 9:15 IM tri guy and in via competitive entry)
• Henegan (a Pikes newbie, in via competitive entry)
• Feucht (I believe he was a competitive entry last year but then a DNS?  Accomplished Team Inov-8 runner)
• Smiley (solid vet)
• Hutchinson (solid vet)
• Erchinger (whose times are not super fast on based on prior results, but seems to be improving rapidly based on other recent results)
• Mock (sandbagging with his prediction at 4:45 given he ran 4:15 last year)
• Of note, are the names we don't see there yet ... Carpenter, Mackey and Meltzer. 
• It is not wholly clear if Matt will do the Ascent, the Marathon or both or none of the races.  Of course, as a prior (multiple time) champ, he has won that privilege to declare up to race day. In any case, he has to be considered the odds on favorite to WIN in any of the races he enters.
• Mackey has committed to WS100 earlier in the summer (late June) and so it is not clear if he will do Pikes.  2 months between WS100 and Pikes ... depending on who you ask, that is plenty of time to recover ... or not (it is a hundred mile race). 
• Meltzer ... got the hint from him from Brett (thread there).  Be interesting to see if he looks to go competitive entry.
• Also watch for Ricks.

Friday 040309

• My blister on my left heel grew to about a quarter size over night and filled with blood.  I lanced it, but will not run on it today, as that would just mean I would be running with some sort of jacked form.
• I did 60 minutes on the stat bike.  I had hoped to do two hours straight, but it was clear that if I did that I would be hogging it from my co-workers.  At 50 minutes in, I did the tabata sprints again.  I am getting something out of these "rides" but hardly what I want ... anyway ... a timely post on alactic efforts.
• This post on 10 things by Pete - simply awesome.  It needs to be foundation for all folks in terms of their running.
• PM - another 60 minutes on the stat bike.  I rarely train angry.  I enjoy training too much to be pissed.  But today, I could feel myself being pissed off.  I was sick of pushing pedals, running on gerbil machines and wanted to be outdoors playing in the mountains.  I tried to translate that into pushing on the pedals harder.  After a 15 minute warm up, I did 7 x 3 minutes on, 1 minute off where the minutes on were at an increased level (resistance) and the minutes were a recovery.  Good sweat I guess.

Thursday 040209 6 miles, 5 miles

• mid AM ... six miles on the mill.  I am going to stay on the mill as much as possible.  It gives me a controlled effort, and one that is less straining then running outdoors.  I have been doing all this stuff at zero percent grade too.  Started at 8.5 mph today, and built every 2 minutes by .1 mph.  Got to 10.2 before I backed it off (through 36 minutes), and finishing up the six in 39 minutes.  This serves as a good tempo like effort for me at the moment.
• Things are not wholly right with the Achilles still ... but it is on the mend.  Slowly.   I say I am "babying" it but I am not sure that is true ... I am also pushing on it a bit.  So I am playing on an edge where it is not just being allowed to outright heal, but I am not killing it either.  Bad idea?  Maybe.
• Interesting post by Scott Dunlap on using Twitter to monitor races ...  it seems to me that nearly everyone has a cell phone now, and most folks have some twitter client.  Could be used at a variety of mountain races to track results by leveraging a technology that is near ubiquitous.
• Matt Fitzgerald ... he writes great stuff.  I think I am going to have to try this workout he outlines today (although, I confess I heard about it via ChuckieV over a year ago).
• PM - so I got to the gym here at work and both mills were in use.  I jumped on the stationary bike, warmed up for 6 minutes (L 10, 100RPM), then decided to do the tabata sprints.  In the sprints, I get the spin up to 126-133 (maybe I need more resistance?) - and it made the quads burn good.  At 15 minutes (post the sprints) a mill opened up so I did five easy (39 minutes). Unfortunately, post the run, I noticed I have developed a dime sized blood blister on my left heel.  Geez ...
• Brownie has a great post today ...

  conference call bullshit
  could we waste any more time?
  thank gawd for bloggers!

Wednesday 040109 8 miles

• Lance (is there any other Lance?) to run the Pikes Peak Marathon.  Good stuff.  My favorite lines  ...
  • Scott Elliot, contacted in between his 89th and 90th consecutive day of training by running up Bear Peak outside of Boulder, Colorado, was also positive.  “That’s great news. I’d be happy to offer him my training schedule. Of course, it’s only one sentence long.”
  • The comments that everyone were waiting for however, were those of Matt Carpenter... “I always have really encouraged competition, and welcome this news. Lance is incredible. His VO2 Max is almost as high as mine. His will to win is terrific and he’s known as a ferocious competitor - almost, but not quite, as fierce as mine. If I enter - which I’m not saying I am and not saying I’m not - and won’t disclose until the last possible minute - it could be a good race.”
• Thought about running this AM ... but I was a bit stiff and it was cold, so I decided to play it conservative.  I need to keep that in mind ... I can feel my mind wanting to jump back into 70 miles a week already.  I will get there - I just need to play it right to get there.
• Conditions got rough in the afternoon.  Playing it safe, I went with the mill indoors.  I hit the stationary bike first for a half an hour (L10, distance = 11+, 11 what I really don't know).  Immediately got on the treadmill (I am not brick familiar so ick) and started running ... slowly.  Built over the course and got 8 in an hour.