Week of running

I have (as usual of late) been pretty lame about writing here. My running hasn’t been all that great either, but I have been getting out there. Today’s run was a pretty boring base run. I hovered right above a 10 min mile pace for the first five miles and then cranked it up for the last mile and a half to get myself under 10. It was tough as that last portion of my base run is mostly up hill. But I cranked it out and made it. I live on the base of a Mount Scott in Portland which is great when it comes to flooding issues (even though I still have to pay for flood insurance), but not so great for running as just about every run starts out going down in elevation and ends in going up. But what am I complaining about, I am used to it…

Prior to today I hadn’t tun for three days after a monster LSD run on Saturday (also following the same up hill at the end pattern) that crushed me! It is the second week in a row that I did a Long Slow Distance run. For this one I ran down to the waterfront just outside of downtown, then met my running partner for a short run on the esplanade, and finished with a run back to my house. The run up from the waterfront has about a 600 foot elevation gain which I get to experience through a series of several hilly stretches. When I was commuting via bike to downtown I figured out a great route that broke up the hills into manageable stretches with some flat areas in between to recover. I use basically the same route when I run downtown as well. After the three main hills I reach Creston Park where I hit a plateau that my house is on. But before the plateau I have to run a couple sets of stairs in the park. When I am feeling extra ambitious I do the steps two at a time. For some reason despite being exhausted I tried the two step at a time stairs. Almost immediately my calf cramped up and I realized I was done. Unfortunately I still had another mile to go. But I decided I’d go get a slice of pizza for inspiration which after a call home to find out if any pizza was wanted there turned into a whole pie (and a ride home form the pizzeria). All together it was nearly 11 miles, the furthest run I have done this year (just eclipsing my 10.5 miler last weekend).

I also did a couple of smaller easier run this week as well. My weekly miles totals are still pretty low, but they are creeping up there. I just need to keep up the battle against the crappy weather and squeeze the runs in in between rehearsals. So far so good.

Life getting in the way of running

Well not really in the big picture but it sure has these last couple of weeks. I have been playing a lot of music lately with several bands I am in as well as some others. I have talked quite a bit about how running before rehearsals is really hard for me. The level of exhaustion I experience after a hard run makes it really hard to concentrate on what I need to do for playing music. Notes tend to blur together, I forget to read key signatures, etc. So these last two weeks have been hard for me to get all the practice in along with the running. I have found that it is not ALL running that is the problem just the harder workouts. Hydration seems to play a part in it as well. For example yesterday I ran for a couple miles with my running partner who is coming back from a substantial injury to her hip that she suffered abut six months ago. This is her second attempt to come back from it. Hopefully this is the one that takes! Back to the example, last night I was able to play this benefit concert and solo just fine. It was the largest crowd I have played in front of since college football and it was a hoot! Huge bunch of screaming and singing people and me belting out the sax solo from Careless Whisper (it was an 80s love song concert from seven local bands.)

Today’s run started out with no real plan in mind. After an unplanned diversion to find a bathroom I decided to go for a long run and ended up doing 10.5 miles and a pretty slow pace (which was fine. I was actually under 10 min miles until the very end when I started to get pretty tired.) I did feel like I could have kept going if I had to (or if I was doing a half-marathon). I am thinking I’d like to do another this year sometime. We’ll see. This was actually the third day of running in a row, so I am back on track from a little (4 day) break.

Over 10, Under 10

Today was a quality run I marked in red in my running journal. Not quite an LSD run as my heart rate was up for much of it. I’d like to see a slightly slower pace (or not) and the HR down (the main thing) in the future. This is the second week in a row I have gotten one of these longer runs in, big improvement this week. I felt stronger and especially so when I saw that I was under 10 min mile pace at the four mile mark. My route was a pretty nice neighborhoody run through Woodstock and East Moreland and out to the Springwater Corridor where I went through the three bridges section. This led to the neighborhood of mystery which I circled (still mysterious) before I ran through Sellwood and its park curving up into East Moreland and through my long reed college route which included the half mile “O”. On the edge of Reed and Woodstock I took a walking break before heading home (which included another walking portion).

At about the seven mile mark I was still 90 seconds ahead of a 10 min mile pace. I had to push it through the last three miles to barely make it, but I did it! 9:57 for 10.30 miles. Over 10, under 10, damn straight. My feet were quite sore and at one point I found that concentrating on just accepting the pain made it endurable. Jeez, that makes it sound terrible, its not that bad. Just nags at me… I rubbed arnica gel on them twice tonight, seems to help a bit. Good on my leg and glutes too.

Running in the heat

All this week I have been trying to get out early to beat the heat. Today was no exception. Unfortunately like several other days this week I didn’t get up early enough to beat it. But I did manage to go ahead an join it! So off I went with a bottle full of water and a couple of sharkies in my pocket.

It was one of those runs where I had no plans and no idea of how far I would go. Despite the heat I quickly decided to do a long one and headed out on one of my longer routes. I made a conscious effort to drink small sips of water at pretty regular intervals. This was the key to a successful run for me. I wasn’t really regulating my speed and heart rate, but I noticed four miles into it that I was keeping my HR pretty low, so I decided to keep at it and not push too much. The strategy worked out really well. I had water constantly throughout the run and even had extra energy to power up and out of the reed campus to make it to my neighborhood. It wasn’t until I stopped at the library to pick up one book that I had on hold and found a total of eight waiting for me that I acknowledged the run was over. I had to run about a tenth of a mile with my armload to reach nine miles and that was all I could muster. But I was satisfied. I’ll wait for double digit miles until I am ready for it (and don’t have the books!)

These hot runs this summer have had me a little concerned. We have had such a long cool spring that I have gotten spoiled. So when the temps finally increased I worried how I would react to them. So far so good. I have been bringing my water with me and taking little sips throughout the run. This really seems to help keep me hydrated. I also have been careful to get enough fluids in after the run too. Add in a good amount of shade on my main routes and I am surviving!

One thing about today’s run that was a bit of a bummer: when I got home I saw a message from my acupuncturist asking where I was. I had totally forgotten the appt. But she was gracious enough to fit me in and we had a really good session. She is concentrating on my foot issues of numbness and pain as well as helping me get rid of a plantar wart. For the plantar wart she is using a technique called maxa that consists of little tiny cones of incense that are burned on the accu points. She is doing them all around the wart as well aas in the center. The heat is supposed to bring the wart to the surface. So far it seems to be working really well and it actually looks better than ever and much better than salicylic acid treatments make it look (like a weird burned out crater.) She also works points on the leg and ankle. I haven’t seen a lot of improvement there, but this is also due to me not doing my foot stretches with a foam roller. I have had the worse blister on my little toe (actually the blister IS my little toe!) and it has been too painful to do much other than go barefoot. I have been running still, but with padding. My running shoes don’t appear to irritate it at all, but my converse sure did! The good news is that my toe is getting close to being back to normal! Phew. I am really curious to see what the accu is able to do for my foot pain and spacticity issues, more to come.

Today’s run turned into a long one

I set out today with the only goal being burn off the frustration I had just amassed doing a really tedious task creating a million lightly different versions of the same banner ad. My mind was pretty mushy and I was really ready to get out and do some moving (I didn’t run the past two days, Mon was too cold and wet and Tues was rehearsal and I find running adversely affects my playing, I get sort of confused and lost in the music.) I took the dog with me for the first mile, that was about the max that she could do. She had a great time and did a pretty good job on staying focused on moving forward. Her sniffing suffered a bit as we didn’t get to stop at every evergreen plant (her fav smell-wise).

So after I looped back home and dropped her off I headed out towards East Moreland for one of my typical routes. I ended up deciding to take the Springwater trail and then into East Moreland and reed. I kept adding little bits to the run (I did the long route through reed and then added the track on the campus. All in all it ended up being 10.5 miles and became more of an LSD run than anything though my HR was pretty high throughout, so I guess I should call it a junk run instead.

I spent much of the run concentrating on my mid/for foot strike. I think I pretty much do it naturally now, but it is still good to focus on those form things every once in awhile. Near the end I found myself doing more of a rolling step landing on my heel. It was more comfortable and being tired I was flapping my step a bit. I was tempted to just let my form degrade, but I refocused and pulled it all together. It was a good run and a good chu8nk of miles, I needed it this week if I am going to make 40 (or close to it) as I blew the first two days of the week. Back on track!

28 miles in four days

And one of them was a 3 mile tempo run, fast and short. I finished the week right at a 10% increase from last week’s miles – 33.

Today I capped it off with a rainy long slow run. Last night as I was drifting I kept imagining my route and it was keeping me awake. What roads to take? Do I go to Larelhurst park? Springwater? I made it to the park taking the main paved trail rather than my usual dirt trails. I went by an old apartment I lived in, still looked the same. I never made it down to Springwater as I figured it too far. As I was coming off the slopes of Tabor towards the direction of the river and downtown I hit nine miles. Four and a quarter miles from my old business location or 7 by Springwater. Maybe next week I won’t go to the top of the volcano, good place to cut miles.

Going by the old office was interesting, I hadn’t been by there in over a year, maybe two. Building looked the same. The run back home from Flying I Ranch is 4 and a quarter. I used to do it twice a day when I trained for the Portland Marathon. It’s pretty tough on the way back as it is mostly all up from the river. I miss doing the two a days, I think I need to figure out a way to do that again.

I feel pretty good after the 13 and a quarter run, a good bit tired, but not wiped. I ate and hydrated after, so I was good there. I think it is time to lay down and watch an Eastwood western.

Another long slow distance run today

Today I decided to go for another long(ish) run to start off my week. I wasn’t sure how I would feel as my food intake yesterday was highly suspect. I managed to put away my fair share of junk food during the super bowl. I didn’t drink anything so I didn’t have a hangover to deal with. It was good to sweat out some toxins! I am sure I put them there in my body.

I just got a new pair of Asics Gel-Kayanos. I got them used on ebay, they are an older model but in fine shape. So I broke the golden rule of new shoes (technically they aren’t new as they supposedly have 30 miles on them) and didn’t do a short run to break them in. They felt fine and my feet don’t feel sore at all, so I think I am good. My two pair that I have been running in both had over 650 miles on them and I decided it was time for a new set. I also picked up a pat of Kayano 16s as well. They are a 2e width which I hope won’t be a huge issue. My shoes always feel a bit snug, especially with the lift I wear in my right shoe, so I think the extra width will be ok. I’ll try those out next. Maybe I’ll take them out for a short run tomorrow which will work well with rehearsal (don’t like to exhaust myself on rehearsal day as my playing seems to suffer.) So far the 10s are good. They actually feel a bit loser than the newer models I have been wearing.

I am really feeling like I need to do some speed work to pick up my pace a bit. In the past I have noticed a significant difference with my pace after doing intervals at the track. I have been running so slowly this winter, much slower than in the past (though some of that I blame on not getting accurate measurements of distance, so I thought I was running faster). Still I have noticed other passing me up more often this winter. Some of that I can contribute to age but I also think some of it has to do with my conditioning. With the heart rate training I have been doing I do a lot more slow running trying to keep my HR under the 70% ceiling. I think I can boost my speed with some work. Maybe a track workout on Wednesday…

I am working on upping my weekly mileage and keeping my increase to 10% of my total. Last week was the second steady 10% increase This week I am shooting for 33 total miles and with 10.5 out of the way today I should be able to easily do that. The hardest part is going to be holding back so I don’t do too much. I have been doing my long runs on Monday which has worked out fine for the last two weeks, but I’d like to get back into the weekend schedule for my long runs. But that would put me way over my weekly total, so maybe I’ll hold out awhile longer and stick to the Monday long run schedule.

One note about today’s run. I did a pretty good job of keeping things at the recovery ceiling ending up with an average of 144 (perfect!). I want to incorporate recovery runs in as well that stay under 144, but I am really happy with that average for an LSD run.

Longest run of the year

Yesterday I did a 12+ mile run. It started out to be a base run of around 6.5 and ended up quite a bit longer. The sun was out yesterday and I think that inspired me. Plus I had a break from work and considering that I probably won’t have another significant break coming up work-wise I though I had better take advantage of the time. Not to mention I am trying to increase my mileage in prep for another shot at a full marathon this summer. Oh and I had my water bottle with me in an effort to get used to wearing the belt again, so there was another reason to keep going.

When I was psyching myself up for a run yesterday I was a little concerned about just having taken my rebif. I wondered what sort of effect that might have on me and my running. Once I started I immediately forgot that was even a consideration. So I would have to say as far as the run itself went it was not a factor. I noticed nothing different. The tylenol and advil I took for the shot may have helped any soreness but I noticed nothing (result of completely forgetting about the shot?). After the run I was really tired but I don’t think that had anything to do with the rebif and more to do with the effort (considering my current fitness level) I exerted to run that far. Today I am somewhat sore and really, really tired. I also didn’t sleep so well last night (actually several nights in a row now). So could easily be a combination of the factors rather than having anything to do with the injection. No site reaction to speak of before or after the run.

So the run itself was really interesting. I felt really good for the first 8 miles or so and then after that I still maintained a pretty good energy level. At about that point I started heading into a stiff wind and really slowed down, 11+ min mile. Creeping! I had one somewhat scary moment toward the end of the run when I made a sudden turn and felt a twinge in my left knee, but it seems fine today so I don’t think it was serious at all. I managed to keep my heart rate pretty low throughout. I was aiming for my 70% threshold (144 BPM) and I did a good job for the first 6-7 miles, then it got a bit out control. I ended up averaging 150 for the run, considering how tough the run was I thought that was pretty good. I also think the low HR initially kept me going throughout. I employed a breathing pattern of 2-3 in and 4-5 out. It was hard to maintain at times, but it really helped both to lower my HR if I had just exerted myself and to maintain a slow steady HR. The most typical pattern was 2 in and 5 out. When I breathed out I would restrict my breath in order to slow down my exhale, almost like whistling, but without the sound.

So my plans are to slowly increase my weekly miles and to start up with the quality runs (LSDs, speed work at the track and hills) as well as incorporating less junk runs and more recovery runs under 70%. I’d like to start developing some good training habits before I dive in to the marathon prep. I am going to try to get a recovery run in today after a meeting I have this morning, but I might just blow it off and take it easy today, we’ll see. It feels really good to have done a long run. Makes me feel like I can get going again with the training. Whoo hoo!

LSD hallucinations

Ok, not that LSD and not those hallucinations. But maybe not that far off. Yesterday my Long Slow Distance run of 16.5 miles brought me to the point of hallucinations around mile 14. The first thing I saw was a cyclist coming at me on the Springwater path with a small terrier running on a leash. I thought to myself, you can’t be seriously making that small dog run that fast, can you? Turned out he wasn’t serious, there was no dog. At that point I knew I was in trouble! I didn’t have to slow down because I was already going really slowly. But I decided I would make a concerted effort to pay attention to reality (and non-reality, but safety was my chief concern.) Other hallucinations I experienced where not quite that dramatic. I always knew where I was, but it seemed like things around me where not quite recognizable, or just slightly off. Like the way things appear when the sun is setting and the light has a warmer glow. Sort of like that. On long runs in the past I have gotten to the point where my environment was completely unrecognizable for moments, a very unsettling feeling. I wasn’t quite there yesterday…

After the run I chatted with my running partner who was at work. She asked the question of the day “Why did you go so far?” Good question. I sort of had it in my mind that I was going to go for a long run and even had an idea of my optimal route (which I ended up doing), but I wasn’t sure. After the first couple of miles I stopped to help someone who was lost at Mt. Tabor. I told her I would walk with her for a bit until we could get to a point where I could show her where she needed to go to get to the main entrance. She asked about my run and how far I was going to go and “16 miles” popped out of my mouth. So there it was, I was committed. Plus, yesterday was the Portland Marathon. Not only didn’t I run it but I wimped out on even watching it (and a run before or after) because it was pouring. So I also had to make it up to myself to go long today.

I brought my phone with me so I was able to take pictures. For some reason I didn’t take any of Mt. Tabor. The run up the volcano went really well and I made it to the top without stopping for a walk. I was a bit worried about the paths being muddy with all our recent rain, but they weren’t too bad although there are several areas where the path is getting eaten away by water coming off the volcano. At the very top victory loop I gobbled the first of my gels and as I headed down the mountain I was feeling pretty good. My pace up the mountain was a slow 11 min mile pace, but on my descent I picked it up to around 10:30. Still slow, but that’s fine and the point of this run. So on to Laurelhurst park, my next route goal.

Laurelhurst Park used to be my favorite place to run when I lived right next to it. I think the loop through the park is a bit less than a mile, but that was plenty for me back then especially if I did a couple of them. It is still one of my favorite places to run, but it has become more of a destination rather than a full course. For some reason I didn’t take a picture of the huge duck pond that they are draining and drudging. And I think I have it bad with our ponds! Through the park, I headed south through the Belmont, Hawthorne, Division and Clinton neighborhoods. Hawthorne featured a surprising number of smokers, seemed like every corner had groups of smokers puffing away. After Clinton I came on the Cleveland High track but on the wrong side to pick up the crosswalk across Powell Blvd. Yes, I could have backtracked a couple of blocks to get it, but I decided to cross further west by the school a quarter-mile away. After another half mile or so south I crossed the railroad tracks on the Holgate bridge which has a wicked hill to make it to the top of the span over the train yards.

Once over the bridge I was able to pick up the trail to Oak’s Bottom, a wildlife sanctuary. The path through the sanctuary leads to Springwater Corridor my next route goal. The path is only about a half mile, but has become one of my favorite places to run maybe due to the fact that the route I usually take is all downhill. Once I hit Springwater, I now had a route choice. I could head downtown which was 3 miles or so away and then head back home another 4.5. I opted for the shorter route to Sellwood and eventually East Moreland (which was my optimal route plan).

The trail to Sellwood is very straight and a little boring. The scenery is really nice, on the left is the lake in Oak’s Bottom and to the right is the Willamette (the photo that is two shots above shows the river in its low state). It is usually pretty crowded with cyclists, runners and walkers. Bikes zoom by without and concern for those they are passing. I get tired of getting buzzed without warning, but some are courteous enough to ring a bell in warning or call out “on your left”.

I realized I was running low on water so I detoured into the park near the Sellwood bridge and filled up my water bottle. Once filled up I headed through Sellwood. Here the Springwater Corridor takes you through city streets for a mile or so. There are plans to create a path that links the two portions of the trail and they have just come to an agreement about it, so I hope to see that soon. But for now, we take it to the streets. Just before I met up with the remaining 20 miles or so of the Corridor I made a mistake. It felt like I had a pebble in my shoe so I sat down on a concrete barrier. My feet were apparently playing tricks on me as there was no pebble (this was the second time today that had happened, the first time happened on Tabor and I felt a hot spot on my heal as if there was something in my shoe. Nothing there and it soon went away. My feet really like their tricks…) The real problem occurred when I tried to get up! What a struggle, but I made it up and continued on my way although very slowly. I looked at my watch to check my pace – 14:52. Wow, I was crawling! I checked again a minute later and I was even slower at 14:55. Then I realized that was my mileage, not my pace. My actual pace was around 12 min miles, still slow, but nor glacierly so.

This portion of the Corridor is called Three Bridges as it feature (of all things) three bridges: one over a creek, another over a large road and the third over the railroad tracks. As I crept closer to East Moreland it felt good to see the end coming closer. I even ran (well sort of ran) out of the Corridor to the neighborhood and continued on my way toward pizza. The blocks were going by very slowly, but I just accepted that and kept crawling forward. I had some hills to deal with at this point and that made the process even slower. The last hill through Berkley Park did me in and at 16 miles I decided to stop running and walk the rest. After a few blocks I realized I still had a half mile to the pizza parlor. It dawned on me that if I ran it I would get there quicker. So I turned the watch on again and ran out the last half mile, well “ran” might be an exaggeration, but I did get there quicker than if I had walked. Once I had my food I carried it home. I decided to put my jacket back on just to keep my body heat in. It wasn’t cold out, but I was really tapped. Fortunately I had managed to drink a lot of water on the run, but I still felt dehydrated. And considering my shirt was dry I must have been. It was good to get home, shower and heat up pizza. Phew, what a run.

Running malaise done? Two quality runs in a row

After contemplating my recent slump with my training in recent days I have managed to break out of it in a big way with two quality runs in a row. Now I know that is not the best idea, I should instead be alternating quality runs with recovery runs. While I still fully ascribe to this thinking there were several things in my favor for doing both these runs back to back. The main reason being that they were both very different types of runs; yesterday’s long slow distance run and today’s speed work at the track. The long slow run was actually a sort of blend of recovery and quality. My avg HR was 127 for the 10 miles, so we did it pretty slowly which was exactly how we should have done it. My running partner’s HR was about 15 beats higher than mine throughout, so perhaps she could have benefited even more by us going even slower. We were pushed forward throughout by the promise of sushi afterward which I inhaled! I was tired towards the end, but the pace kept my fatigue at a reasonable level and despite my feet giving me grief I could have gone further though I am not sure how much further…

I was a little concerned about how the previous LSD run would effect me the next day, but I made a commitment to myself to go to the track and do some speed work. I figured I had better just jump on my run soon after getting out of bed, with of course some time to read online, drink coffee and gobble half a Clif bar. So fueled with information, caffeine and oats I headed out. Right away I noticed how energized I felt. My warm up run to the track went smoothly and I arrived feeling ready to go. The first couple of straights and curves felt pretty good, but the third straight was awesome. I actually managed to get up to a 5:07 pace on that one, the fastest time I have ever recorded doing speed work. The rest of the laps went well mostly hovering under 6 with a couple of slower ones. I was really happy with that, not only had I set a PR but also managed to remain relatively consistently fast on the others. After my eight laps I considered doing another mile but decided that with yesterday’s run I would be pushing it so I headed home. After a slow cool down to reed I picked up my pace through the canyon and once out did my final flat mile between 7:30 and 8.

As I mentioned I think the slow pace and low HR on the SD run was the main reason I was so successful at the speed work today. I also was very well hydrated for the LSD run as well as today’s run despite having 2 and half beers yesterday afternoon. The beer could have had a good aspect as well, I didn’t over do it, but got the carbs for recovery. Also a slice of pizza (on top of the sushi) helped. I swear over eating is one of the greatest benefits of running! My HR on the speed work was not that high for what I did. I would have expected it to be at least 10 beats higher. I wonder if the LSD run’s low HR had something to do with stabilizing the HR for the intervals? My average HR was 141 (obviously this includes long warm up and cool down portions, but still low). Past track speed work runs had avg HRs of 153, 150, 151. So I must have done something right today.