Sunday, May 25, 2014

Propulsion with 8 legs

dawn run, pacific grove, ca
cypress trees and ocean
Running higher than normal mileages continues to go well. Last week (in blue) I 'only' managed to log 42 miles....but it was worth it as we spent the weekend in Pacific Grove on the coast.

I managed a 6.9 mile run on Sunday by running early on the coast and it was beautiful. It was a slow run however as I was feeling pretty hungry and out of gas. One thing I have noticed doing these high miles is that if my diet does not have enough carbs for a day or two I can really feel it in the training.

Date Runs Miles Pace BPM WHR% YPB
2014-05-13 Tue 1 7.3 10:21 107.8 50.6 1.588
2014-05-14 Wed 1 6.5 9:56 122.0 62.3 1.498
2014-05-16 Fri 1 9.8 9:31 119.5 60.2 1.554
2014-05-17 Sat 1 9.1 10:15 110.7 53.1 1.580
2014-05-18 Sun 1 6.9 10:36 0.0 0.0 0.000
2014-05-20 Tue 1 9.6 9:31 121.7 62.1 1.536
2014-05-21 Wed 1 4.9 10:37 104.2 47.7 1.582
2014-05-22 Thu 1 7.5 9:42 117.9 58.9 1.555
2014-05-23 Fri 1 10.7 10:13 110.5 52.9 1.564
2014-05-24 Sat 1 9.0 10:20 108.6 51.3 1.587
2014-05-25 Sun 1 16.6 9:28 120.6 61.2 1.549
Summary 11 97.9 9:58 115.0 56.5 1.559


We had eaten seafood the night before the run and there weren't many carbs with dinner.. A very tasty meal indeed but sometimes best to order more carb-y side dishes ;)

The next day we went to the  Monterey Aquarium to see the special show "Tentacles"..it's all about octopuses (they don't call them 'octopi' or 'octopodes' it seems), cuttlefish and squids. A rare and amazing collection to see! Here's a few photos I took through the tank walls...

pacific octopus ( about a 60 pounder)

Cuttlefish ( about 8 inches long)
cuttlefish

mola moa (ocean sunfish) .one of the weirdest looking
fish you'll ever see...about 2 meters from top to bottom.
This guy was in the 'open ocean' tank. (One of the largest tanks in the world)
It was amazing to see how these guys move: the octopus gliding forward using its arms, the cuttlefish using the fins on the side to scull and translate in any direction they wanted. (as well as the usual squirting hydro-propulsion)

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This week (in green) I pulled off 58 miles. That included 10x600m intervals at 5k pace on Tuesday, 3 miles of tempo running and a 16 mile run at the recommended Hanson's long run pace for my goal  (9:30m/m). I was feeling the miles (you can bet!)  but still managed to get the long run done. It was not trivial but I was able to keep the pace throughout even thought the weather was 70+ and blazing bright sun (which adds a lot to the apparent temp) . I felt pretty strong for miles 10-16 which surprised me.

I drank and sipped diluted gel every half mile..... and ended up at my proper weight after the run!...Usually on a day like that I would end up more dehydrated.

I consumed about 800 cals in 2.5 hours...that is pretty good considering the warmish temps..no nausea at all.

My conclusion is that  I should be able to handle Hanson's advanced program...I may drop some miles here and there due to constraints but it will still be many more miles than I've ever run for a buildup.

So far, only a few niggles  (when I'm not warmed up and stretched out)  but nothing that I would call an injury. 

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This coming week I'll be easing off .... I have 2 weeks until the 'official' T-18 weeks to Chicago and I don't want to overtrain before I even get started ;)...I've done a record amount of miles in the last 8 weeks.

Speaking of Chicago....I'm mentally prepared for the fact that it's likely to be a bust for a BQ: potentially hot weather!  I have already signed up for CIM but that's the first week of December...so, I need one more marathon in between to harvest all this training...I'm considering the Indianapolis marathon on Nov 2, the reviews for it seem pretty good although crowding there can be a problem I hear. Anybody run that one?

My plan is to see what the weather is on race day(s) and then dial it way back if too hot for a BQ and use the race as a long run. Then I'll try again at the next venue. Hopefully at least one race will have good conditions.



6 comments:

  1. I've been there with the lack of carbs/long run combo and it's not pretty. Our muscles need carbohydrate as fuel so it's counter-productive to run for hours without enough in the tank. I've only been caught out a few times - you learn after that.

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  2. Hi Paul! Thanks for checking in on me. I just wrote an update on my blog of what's been happening the last few months, Your comment motivated me to give some news. :)
    Those photos are amazing...so cool!
    Sounds like your own training is going well...you're right to be cautious about over-training, it's not a great place to be!

    Thanks again! Anne

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  3. Thanks for the feedback about the RLRF paces, I did a speed workout last week, and was able to do 2 x 1600 at 6:10 pace, which is actually faster than what the RLRF training paces called for in mile intervals, though the real training plan calls for 3 mile repeats, not 2. I may have been able to do 3 of them in 620 or 625 pace, so maybe the training paces aren't too far off for me. I think as the workout run length gets longer I may start to die a bit, since I don't have the mileage yet in me, and I've always been a better runner at shorter distances.

    Yea, I registered for the SJ RNR in Oct, and the cost was almost half of what SF was lol.

    Sounds like your running has been going well.

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  4. Yea, Chicago marathon seems very hit or miss on weather - I think last year was awesome, but the year before was super hot? CIM may be your best shot. I'm beginning to think that I might want to run CIM - due to me thinking that is basically a perfect marathon course since it is downhill, but a few rolling hills to use other muscles so the same muscles don't get fatigued. Maybe in 2015 if I'm feeling gung-ho.

    About Bay to Breakers, thanks! Yea, it is among my best races of all time. About me fading late in the race, I don't think that I necessarily faded, it just seemed like more people were passing me as opposed to me passing people. But seems like I ran a a very even race, since the last 2 miles were the same time - 6:37. Maybe I just need to do a bit more speedwork to amp up the legs a bit more.

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  5. Paul....as a beginner runner with a few half marathons under my belt pre and post hip surgery (May '14),I am constant ly scowering the net for running blogs to help in my recovery and goal to run a marathon. Started running 2 yrs ago at 49 and living it. Keep up the great work.

    Mike
    www.marty427.blogspot.com

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  6. Hi Paul. I missed the comment you left for me a couple months ago until just now. Sorry it took so long to visit your blog. Glad to see you're still at it (running and blogging).

    My life got pretty crazy for a bit since you last heard from me. I started a blog post awhile ago to explain what's happened to me. One day I will finish it and post it. In the mean time, I'll give you a Reader's Digest of it...

    In 2012 I found out the company I worked for (Boeing) was shutting down operations in Wichita. I spent the first part of 2013 trying to find another job, and the second half of the year moving and settling in in Oklahoma City with a new job, and house that needed some customizing.

    Basically the stress and effort of the above suspended my blogging, but my running was going descent. Then last Summer the last of my 3 kids became school age, my wife was able to go back to work, and was the first one to get the job in OKC a year ago May. That was at the expense of my running, as she used to be at home while I trained before work. Now I have to take care of the kids in the morning. While I have less time to run, I also have to admit my new life has also affected my running motivation (negatively). Last month I only ran about 42 miles. I still ended up running/walking the Oklahoma City Marathon a couple months ago. Eventually, I hope to add back the mileage, and I've already signed up in a local running club.

    Leaving you on a positive note, us both being techies, I just got one of those camera drones that could get me arrested if I'm not careful. Those things are a lot of fun to fly and take great pictures and video. Stay in touch!

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