Training week ending 021212

Monday 020612  - not stoked for this run, but once I got going it was working.  Treadmill before I headed off for some significant dental work.  10 miles, 73 minutes.

I started the pace at 7.0 mph, and upped it a .1 of an mph every 2 minutes until I got to 8 mph (so that was 20 minute).  Then I upped it a tenth every four minutes as I was already in that 140ish zone.  And then at five miles, I just upped it every mile.  It is amazing how you can see that in the heart rate graph.  At an hour, the mill died (and you can see that), and so for the last two miles I brought it to just under seven minute miles (8.6) and upped it every half mile.  This run was very easy and I enjoyed it.

8:16 AHR 124, MHR 133
7:55 AHR 135, MHR, 139
7:33 AHR 141, MHR 142
7:21 AHR 144, MHR 145
7:18 AHR 146, MHR 148
7:13 AHR 148, MHR 148
7:08 AHR 151, MHR 151
7:02 AHR 154, MHR 155
6:47 AHR 153, MHR 157*
6:42 AHR 159, MHR 160

Again, it is important to note that I don’t subscribe to any sort of notion that a 7 minute mile at 150 on the treadmill is the same as a 7 minute mile outdoors!

Tuesday 020712  - ugh.  I thought today I’d get after it.  But ended up feeling like absolute crud.  I think this is because I had significant dental work late afternoon yesterday, then slept like crap and was then just totally out of whack for most of the day.  8 easy slow sloggy miles.  As expected, even though I felt like crap, I was running slow and the HR was down (AHR 133, MHR 141).

Wednesday 020812  - Feeling refreshed after yesterday’s down day, I was able to get some work down today.  Treadmill, warm up of a mile and the 4 x 1 mile with a quarter rest.  The first bump, blip of the HR is just typical warm up, HR monitor static.

MHR 180 on the last mile. 5:44, 2:00R, 5:38, 1:58R, 5:37, 1:58R, 5:28.  8 miles for the workout.  Felt solid.

Post the workout, I grabbed two 35 lb dumbells and did the four flights of stairs.  Not crazy challenging, but I was breathing for sure.  Not ready for Ken’s Farmer’s Walk, but playing around with this sort of stuff as a fun addition to work.

Couple of hours later I hit the mill again for an easy six.  I did the dumbbells and the stairs again … this time with the 45 weights and it was MUCH harder.

Also been doing the pushups with the dumb bells (15lbs, 20 push ups)

Thursday 020912  - Mid day six miles on the mill, easy.  Forgot my HR monitor strap.  Miles 1 and 2 were 8:15 and 8:00 and I finished just at 47:45 with top speed never higher than 7.7 mph.

Evening, got the dogs out … very easy six miles.  AHR 134.

Friday 021012  - Mid day, cool and humid.  The thought of going harder cross my mind today, but there is a possibility of a group run tomorrow so that – along with a twinge in my mid left quad – left me going easy.  Went easy without looking at HR, but really just trying to play the game of feeling it.  This ended up with me averaging 139 for the first half of the run, and 148 for the second half.  Average pace was 8:06 with the openers at 8:36 and 8:21.  Why all the writing about this slow running?  I am pretty stoked at how easy this was … 8 minute or less pace, with much of it at 140.   This might be the most effortless 10 miles I have done all year.

Saturday 021112  - AM, with Bob in Louisville.  Snowing and single digit temps.  Easy, pace was all over the place because of the the snow.  12 miles. 

Sunday 021212 – I thought I’d be getting out with the guys this AM, but our schedules all went whacky.  Then I thought I would be getting out early – but I slept in until 8:30 (!).  Got out in the afternoon, and felt pretty heavy to start.  After a half dozen, I kept my promise to myself of getting some tempo in.  Thought I would cut the tempo after five, but decided that I needed to make it at least six.  I averaged only 6:40 pace (slowest 6:45, fastest 6:25), but HR only averaged 166 over this (with a high of 173).  I was having a tougher time getting after it, but it was good work for a tempo.  Long warm down for my 3rd road twenty this year. 

I am feeling a bit stronger and more mentally confident with each of these, so I will look to extend the tempo work in one of them soon or maybe bump the mileage a tad.

86 miles on the week (biggest week this year so far), with a tempo run (in the long run today) and an interval workout (miles on the mill) over 11 something hours and 9 runs.  The snow and cold kept me indoors a bit more than I like (4 treadmill runs) and the quality might have been spaced out a bit too much. 

Still doing gym stuff, but not routine.