Friday Workout:
Run, 1:32:43, 11.23, 8:15/mile, 153 bpm
Workout:
I was out before the snowplows this morning for my first run in the snow this winter. It was only a couple of inches, but enough to muffle the city noise and brighten things up - even on a dark morning. I forgot how much harder it is to run in fresh snow, I was exhausted by the time I got back home.
Thursday Workout:
Run, 55:21, 6.39 miles, 8:39/mile, 148 bpm
Workout:
I’ve been meaning to mention a fantastic book that I just read, but haven’t taken the time to do so. If you haven’t already read Sara Gruen’s Water For Elephants, it’s certainly worth picking up. I’m generally not a speedy reader, but I couldn’t put this one down. I started the book after the kids went to bed on Thanksgiving evening and read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore, then got up at 4 am the next morning and finished it by the time the kids woke up. It’s definitely the best book I’ve read in some time. The following is taken from the book cover:
Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski’s ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.
Jacob was there because his luck had run out–orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive “ship of fools.” It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn’t have an act–in fact, she couldn’t even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.
Surprising, poignant, and funny, “Water for Elephants” is that rare novel with a story so engrossing, one is reluctant to put it down; with characters so engaging, they continue to live long after the last page has been turned; with a world built of wonder, a world so real, one starts to breathe its air.
I highly recommend the book for some good winter-day reading! And thank you Megan for sharing your copy with me!
Wednesday Workout:
Run, 1:42:42, 12.15 miles, 8:27/mile, 146 bpm
Workout:
Sunshine! Sunshine!! Sunshine!!!
I skipped the morning snow and waited until lunch to get in my run today. I was rewarded with 41° and beautiful sunshine. The run wasn’t great, but who cares - Sunshine!!!
Tuesday Workout:
Run, 1:04:06, 8.18 miles w/ 10×100, 7:50/mile, 152 bpm
Workout:
This was the first double I’ve done in a while. Not really much of a double with slow and short for both sessions, but it felt good for a recovery effort. Icy roads tonight kept me on the gravel canal path. I may have to dig out my spikes for tomorrow’s morning run.
Monday PM Workout:
Run, 4.12 miles, 35:13, 8:32/mile, 152 bpm
Workout:
Monday AM Workout:
Run, 5.69 miles, 48:24, 8:30/mile, 143 bpm
Workout:
68 miles in 9.4 hours.
| Mo | 6.22 | 9:13/m | Recovery | 142 bpm | 65% | |
| Tu | 9.02 | 8:15/m | Aerobic | 155 bpm | 75% | |
| We | 12.03 | 7:57/m | Med Long Run | 153 bpm | 74% | |
| Th | 6.30 | 8:13/m | Recovery | 149 bpm | 71% | |
| Fr | 11.01 | 8:13/m | Med Long Run | 148 bpm | 65% | |
| Sa | 6.54 | 8:00/m | Recovery | 154 bpm | 74% | |
| Su | 17.06 | 8:13/m | Long Run | 155 bpm | 75% |
Slow, but probably the best I’ve felt in a while. I still had a few knife jabs in the hip, but overall an encouraging run. I made it the full 17 miles without any backtracking - one big loop. It was sort of a fun challenge.
Sunday Workout:
Run, 2:20:23, 17.06 miles, 8:13/mile, 155 bpm
Workout:
Recovery run today - mostly recovering from eating too much the past three days!
Saturday Workout:
Run, 52:24, 6.54 miles, 8:00/mile, 154 bpm
Workout:
I added arch supports to my shoes today. I’m not sure if it’s the extra support or a few days away from my desk at work, but the si pain was better today than it has been
Friday Workout:
Run, 1:30:32, 11.01 miles, 8:13/mile, 148 bpm
Workout:
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thursday Workout:
Run, 51:48, 6.3 miles, 8:13/mile, 149 bpm
Workout:
I didn’t get out until lunch time today. It was nice to be out in the sun, even though it was only 38°. I had a couple of miles in the middle of this that felt pretty good, the rest was about the same as previous runs this week - still struggling a bit.
Wednesday Workout
Run, 1:35:43, 12.03 miles, 7:57/mile, 153 bpm
Workout:
The training plan called for four out of the nine to be at lactate threshold, but there’s no way that’s going to happen this week. I was happy just to get the mileage in.
Tuesday Workout:
Run, 1:14:34, 9.02 miles, 8:15/mile, 155 bpm
Workout:
I’m not sure I can find anything positive to say about this run. I hurt from the first step to the last. I think the extra compensation from the supporting muscles around my sore hip really did me in yesterday. I don’t think the hip was any worse today, but the supporting muscles were shot, which left the sore spot sort-of unguarded.
My heart rate was pretty low… I don’t know… I guess that’s as close as I can get to optimistic on this one…
Monday Workout
Run, 57:25, 6.22 miles, 9:13/mile, 142 bpm
Workout:
This was my week. Not great, but I’m proud of myself for sticking in there and hitting my mileage goal. It was definitely quantity over quality, but since I’m considering this basebuilding I hope that it will play out okay in the end. Unfortunately, my training this week was influenced more by pain in my si joint than anything else and I know that’s not good.
This was week two of Pfitzinger’s training plan and I’m hoping to continue to follow it. I like the mileage through the week. I’ve been tired, but not overly tired. I think that, other than the si pain, I’m doing okay with Pfitzinger’s progression.
64 miles this week in 8.6 hours + .5 hours on the CycleOps.
| Mo AM | 6.29 | 8:03/m | Recovery | 150 bpm | 71% | |
| Mo PM | Bike | Trainer | 30 min | Easy spin | 132 bpm | 59% |
| Tu | 8.01 | w/ 10X100 | 7:46/m | Aerobic + Speed | 161 bpm | 79% |
| We | 11.21 | 8:13/m | Med Long Run | 154 bpm | 74% | |
| Th | 6.12 | 8:09/m | Recovery | 152 bpm | 73% | |
| Fr | 10.18 | 7:55/m | Aerobic | 151 bpm | 72% | |
| Sa | 6.00 | Treadmill | 8:43/m | Recovery | 147 bpm | 69% |
| Su | 16.01 | 7:54 | Med Long Run | 155 bpm | 75% |
I managed to get in a decent 16 miles today. This felt like a long run to me, but since I’m following Pfitzinger’s program I’m calling it a medium long run. Pfitz doesn’t classify it as a long run until you hit 17 miles, which is probably accurate for me because the 2 hr mark is typically a break point in my training. I can run up to 2 hours without any nutrition or hydration along the way. Once I start going beyond 2 hours in my long runs I have to start carrying water and gel packs.
I shouldn’t be happy with an average pace of 7:54 for this run, but the way things have been going lately I’m feeling pretty content with this for today. I can’t say that I ever really loosened up, but after the first 8, I decided that I was going to have to make the best of it. Average pace for the first 8 was 8:08. Average pace for the second 8 was 7:40.
Splits: 8:23, 8:13, 8:16, 8:21, 8:03, 8:00, 7:38, 8:09, 7:40, 7:38, 7:34, 7:55, 7:43, 7:33, 7:37, 7:36
Sunday Workout
Run, 2:06:32, 16.01 miles, 7:54/mile, 155 bpm
Workout:
An easy run on the treadmill was all I could work out today - my sore hip made the treadmill even more miserable than usual, but I’m still thinking optimistically about getting in a long run tomorrow. After spending all afternoon playing wii tennis and baseball with Eli, I wonder how many physical therapists are treating overuse injuries related to wii sports. I suspect it will be a class in PT school before too much longer.
I picked up The Goo Goo Dolls greatest hits album this week. I don’t like it for running music, but it’s great for background when writing or kicking back.
Saturday Workout
Treadmill, 52:18, 6.0 miles, 8:43/mile, 147 bpm
Workout:
Ahh… New shoes…
If there were no consequences, I would start every week with new running shoes. I love new running shoes. I have been running in the Adidas Supernova Control for the past year (this is my 8th pair - don’t tell my wife). I think the Supernova 9’s were the best shoe that I have ever run in. This is my second pair of Supernova 10’s and, so far, the jury is still out on whether they are actually an improvement over the 9’s. I do think that, for me at least, they are still the best shoe available. The out-of-the-box fit is better in the 10’s than the 9’s, but overall I think the cushioning in the 10’s is a little firmer than in the 9’s, which may be a little harder on my bad si joint but is probably also the reason I was able to run 500 miles on the last pair compared to the normal 400.
Decent run this morning - 8:04, 7:47, 7:58, 7:58, 8:13, 8:28, 7:35, 7:34, 7:50, 7:40 - I cover a pretty hilly section in the middle of this course, which is the reason for the slower miles from 3-6. It’s also the reason for the faster miles from 7-10.
Friday Workout
Run, 1:20:36, 10.18 miles, 7:55/mile, 151 bpm
Workout:
Damn these dark and dreary days! I read an interesting article yesterday on seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and I will readily admit that I am affected this time of the year. I think October and November are the worst for me and then I seem to adjust. I’m seriously considering the purchase of one of those therapy lights. Anyone ever tried a therapy light? I always spend about an hour after I first wake up reading email and blogs before I head out for my run. I think it would be a good time to use a therapy light, but I wonder if they really help.
This excerpt is from the MaoClinic web site - I thought it was interesting:
The precise cause of seasonal affective disorder isn’t known, but genetics and your age may be factors. Most evidence, though, suggests that it arises from abnormalities in how your body manages its internal (circadian) biological rhythms or matches those rhythms to the 24-hour day. In particular, the hormone melatonin is thought to play a major role in seasonal affective disorder. Melatonin helps control body temperature, hormone secretion and sleep. It’s produced in a specific area of your brain during the hours of darkness.
During the low-light months of fall and winter, people with seasonal affective disorder produce more melatonin than normal — enough to cause potentially debilitating symptoms of depression. But exposure to bright light, such as that from a light box, can suppress the brain’s production of melatonin, helping regulate your body’s internal clock and reducing symptoms.
Thursday Workout
Run, 49:56, 6.12 miles, 8:09/mile, 152 bpm
Workout:
Well, after totally dissing Nike in my post this morning, this sign was in my mail box when I got home from work. Evidently it was a free gift for registering at nike.com a couple of months a go.
I’ll stand by my harsh comments about the shoes (and also volunteer to be a product tester - in case any nike folks ever read this post) but, in an effort to set karma straight, I have to say – this sign is very cool! By the way… how do you get to be one of those running product testers? I run seven days a week, don’t mind sharing my thoughts, and can write a bit. I think this might be my gig…
