Right now, I'm running fast once a week, but everything is just a test to see where I'm at. I took a much needed complete rest day yesterday. I would've biked 10 miles, but it was just too damn windy. This week's weather is going to suck, so I might not ride much.
I wanted to run hard on Tuesday, but the forecast is for very cold and windy. I decided that I would change it up and run today in better weather. I wanted to go out in the afternoon, but after a nap, I felt terrible. I headed out to the Nor-Bath Trail after dark.
I started from the one neighborhood. This is good because I can park along the street. About a quarter mile into the run, there's a road crossing, but that is no big deal. The first mile was a warmup anyway.
The plan was to run a 10K and see what kind of pace I could sustain. Since my goal for my next marathon (whenever that actually is) is a 6:51 pace, I really wanted to be able to run that pace. Anything under 7 minutes would be good though. I've run long and slow and short and fast, but I haven't figured out where I stand in the middle ground yet.
It is funny because I actually hate running really fast, but I look forward to really short and fast repeats like half mile repeats, much more than runs like this. Even though a 10K is slower, it is still hard and for a longer stretch. I really enjoy the recovery time during repeats.
I guess going downhill helped, but initially the legs felt awesome. The warmup almost always tells me whether it'll be a good day or not. It sure felt like it on this day. By the end of this mile, I was really cruising.
I took off hard, but not too hard. My breathing was laboring a little, but I felt like this was a solid pace. I opened with a 6:48 first fast mile. That was right on target.
The road crossings are one of the big problems with this run. If you are focused on time, waiting for cars can really throw things off. It did as I got to Weaversville Road. Rather than wait for cars, I turned back around. Turning around throws off the momentum too though. I ran back about two tenths of a mile and then tried to cross the road again.
This time, I made it across. There was a car, but I only had to slow slightly for it. The good news was that I only had to cross this road one more time and there would be no other road crossings. As I headed toward Bicentennial Park, I came through a section with a lot of leaves and it might've been slightly uphill too. My legs suddenly felt slower.
I just pushed on though. My breathing labored a little more and I wondered how I could hold this pace. I just kept at it though. Even with this tough section, I still ran this next mile at 6:49.
I went out to Airport Road and turned around. I wasn't through my third hard mile yet, but by now I was struggling. Maybe I should've started out a little slower because my breathing was a problem at this point. It didn't feel like an issue earlier on, but it obviously was now.
This mile was quite slow when compared to the others. It dropped to a 6:55. I thought I was slipping, but figured that I would keep going unless I really slipped up big time. Somewhere in this next mile, I developed a bad side sticker. Breathing was part of it, but not having enough of a break after dinner could've contributed as well. I tried to slow slightly and it seemed like it worked. My pace stayed pretty consistent. Maybe I was going downhill or maybe my form was better and my legs were strong. After bothering me a little earlier, the legs did seem to come around and felt great.
This fourth mile was 6:51. I was glad to see it back down to where I wanted to be. With two more hard miles to go, I just focused on running hard and trying to stay consistent. My breathing seemed to recover a little, although I was certainly still laboring.
Crossing Weaversville Road was clean this time. This section between Weaversville Road and Savage Road is just awesome. I don't know if it is because there is mostly soft dirt and little stone or if it is just flat, but it seems much faster. Even with the breathing trouble, I ran this fifth mile at 6:49.
Although I was feeling like crap and maybe working a little harder than I would've liked, my times were remaining consistent. That was a big boost. I could've just run 6 miles, but I wanted to do 6.2 miles to see if I could run under my 10K PR. It isn't that great of a time, since I haven't run many 10Ks. By now, I knew I was going to achieve this goal.
Part way through this last full hard mile, I turned around and headed back toward Weaversville Road. Now, I knew I was almost done and pushed and pushed. There was a farmer working in the dark to take down his corn. That made for a nice distraction. I came through this mile in a 6:44. Even though the breathing was laboring, I just battled.
I turned around and ran the final two tenths of the hard segment. I was heading toward my car. This last little bit was run at a 6:30 pace. One thing I'm learning how to do well is really finish runs. Even if I'm struggling some, I know I can go hard for a mile or two and actually run faster than I had been running.
I ended this fast segment and cooled down for 0.8 miles. That gave me a nice 8 miles in total. My time for the 10K segment was 42:14. That's a 6:48 pace. I was actually hoping I could run that pace with a little less effort than I did. That is because I was secretly hoping I could run this pace for an entire half marathon. The good news is that even though it felt hard, my pace wasn't falling at the end. My official 10K PR is 43:49, so I crushed that.
I guess with where I'm at, I'm going to run a half marathon this weekend. If I can run a little slower at the start, maybe a 7:00 pace or so for the first half, I might be able to run the final 10K at close to the pace that I did tonight. I feel like I could've put together a few more 6:51 miles tonight, but not much more. Unless I have an incredible day, I won't break 1:30 quite yet. I have a real good shot at breaking my PR of 1:33:11 though. It will be fun to see where I'm at. Maybe I'll even go after a 1:30 anyway. My endurance is certainly great and my legs could easily handle it. I just have to control my breathing.
Tomorrow, I'd like to run 10-12 miles. The weather could really dictate what I do. Whatever the case, this is going to be a relatively light week by my standards. I won't run or bike nearly as much as I usually do. I need some rest if I'm going to run the half marathon on Saturday.
8 miles - 57:40 (7:13 pace)
Fast 10K portion - 42:14 (6:48 pace)
Monday, November 11, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Finishing Up a Big Week with the BCR
I've been extra busy with running and biking this week and today was finally the end of it. I've been running 40 miles and biking 100 miles quite often. In the long term, I'd like to run 60 miles and bike 100 miles a week consistently. Therefore, I decided to try it out this week.
I needed 10 miles of running and 15 miles of biking today. I decided to split up the run into two runs. I headed out early in the AM to run with the BCR. I don't do that often these days. We met up in Riverview Park
It was quite cold when the run started. It was in the low 30s. I went with long pants and a ColdGear top. I wore a jacket over it too and that actually ended up being too much with the lack of wind. My gloves and headband came off as the pace was brisk.
Since it has been a big mileage week, I didn't want to run too hard, so I wasn't going to try to hang with Mertz. I was happy to see Emily there so I could run with her.
We started off heading toward the boat launch. Emily said she was going to go easy, but of course we took off. The first mile was just under 8 minutes. My body wasn't ready and I wanted to complain that the pace was quicker than I'd like. I bit my tough though.
Mel joined us and we had a nice little group going. We talked about the usual training and such. Emily is running her first marathon next week in Philadelphia. The pace got even quicker. Time flew by with the conversation.
Mel turned around at mile 2. Emily was going out to 2.5 miles. I wanted to go a mile farther, but I figured I might as well turn around and run with her and have the company on the way back. We turned around on the path to the Boat Launch.
The pace continued to drop. It was now under 7:40. I was impressed that my breathing wasn't laboring at all. It felt quite quick. At one point, I was wondering if we were going uphill because it felt slower. We passed a bunch of the BCR people who were walking as well as a couple of the runners. With the out and back runs, you get to see just about everyone during the run.
The 4th mile was a speedy 7:33. By now, I was happy with the pace and feeling strong. We continued to cruise along. With about a third of a mile left until Emily was stopping, I decided to really kick it into high gear and pull away. I wanted to see how fast I could go. I almost went too fast.
Even though most of that 5th mile was the regular pace, this mile ended up being a 6:51 thanks to that fast ending. It was awesome and felt good to fly. Once Emily stopped, I ran a slow cool down easy mile by myself. I finished up still feeling pretty strong, even after running on pavement again.
After breakfast and a nap, I got on the bike. I ended the week with a windy 15 mile ride. That wasn't bad, but I was very glad to be done riding.
I went to a football game and then in the evening it was time to run again. I wanted to stay on a soft surface, so I went to the Nor-Bath Trail. I just had 4 miles to run. I decided to start in a neighborhood near Northampton.
I headed out and was across Savage Road pretty quickly. I had to wait at road crossings a few times. That was about the only interesting thing about the run. Otherwise, it was just boring and slow through the darkness.
It is amazing how hard a 4 mile easy run can seem. It just mentally seems kind of long for some reason. I've always hated short runs. I guess I'm not focused. Usually in a long run, it takes about 4 miles to get into the zone.
Eventually I ran past Bicenntennial Park and turned around. It was getting kind of hot wearing my jacket. I took off the hat and gloves pretty early on. I was going slow, so I wanted to be comfortable.
I just kept plugging along. Maybe it was because I was sweating so much, I don't know, but I felt a little lightheaded at times. The final mile started to get a little tough on my legs. They were feeling the affects of the big week. It was great to finally get done.
I know that I won't be biking as much when it gets colder, so I wanted to see if I could put in a week like this. It was definitely a challenge. It would've been a lot easier if I could have done a 20+ mile run earlier in the week. I would like to try to get in a lot of 60+ mile run weeks done.
Tomorrow, I'll take a break. I would like to hop on the bike. I'm not running though. My legs will hopefully thank me for the break. I'm actually surprised that they aren't too sore at this point. I guess since I've been running slow most of the time, it isn't too bad.
6 miles - 46:41 (7:47 pace) - Run #1
4 miles - 35:53 (8:58 pace) - Run #2
Weekly Totals
160.18 miles, 17:19:04 - Time in Hours, 11,515 - Calories Burned
Running 60 miles, 8:52:32 - Time in Hours, 7,117 - Calories Burned
Cycling 100.18 miles, 8:26:32 - Time in Hours, 4,398 Calories Burned
I needed 10 miles of running and 15 miles of biking today. I decided to split up the run into two runs. I headed out early in the AM to run with the BCR. I don't do that often these days. We met up in Riverview Park
It was quite cold when the run started. It was in the low 30s. I went with long pants and a ColdGear top. I wore a jacket over it too and that actually ended up being too much with the lack of wind. My gloves and headband came off as the pace was brisk.
Since it has been a big mileage week, I didn't want to run too hard, so I wasn't going to try to hang with Mertz. I was happy to see Emily there so I could run with her.
We started off heading toward the boat launch. Emily said she was going to go easy, but of course we took off. The first mile was just under 8 minutes. My body wasn't ready and I wanted to complain that the pace was quicker than I'd like. I bit my tough though.
Mel joined us and we had a nice little group going. We talked about the usual training and such. Emily is running her first marathon next week in Philadelphia. The pace got even quicker. Time flew by with the conversation.
Mel turned around at mile 2. Emily was going out to 2.5 miles. I wanted to go a mile farther, but I figured I might as well turn around and run with her and have the company on the way back. We turned around on the path to the Boat Launch.
The pace continued to drop. It was now under 7:40. I was impressed that my breathing wasn't laboring at all. It felt quite quick. At one point, I was wondering if we were going uphill because it felt slower. We passed a bunch of the BCR people who were walking as well as a couple of the runners. With the out and back runs, you get to see just about everyone during the run.
The 4th mile was a speedy 7:33. By now, I was happy with the pace and feeling strong. We continued to cruise along. With about a third of a mile left until Emily was stopping, I decided to really kick it into high gear and pull away. I wanted to see how fast I could go. I almost went too fast.
Even though most of that 5th mile was the regular pace, this mile ended up being a 6:51 thanks to that fast ending. It was awesome and felt good to fly. Once Emily stopped, I ran a slow cool down easy mile by myself. I finished up still feeling pretty strong, even after running on pavement again.
After breakfast and a nap, I got on the bike. I ended the week with a windy 15 mile ride. That wasn't bad, but I was very glad to be done riding.
I went to a football game and then in the evening it was time to run again. I wanted to stay on a soft surface, so I went to the Nor-Bath Trail. I just had 4 miles to run. I decided to start in a neighborhood near Northampton.
I headed out and was across Savage Road pretty quickly. I had to wait at road crossings a few times. That was about the only interesting thing about the run. Otherwise, it was just boring and slow through the darkness.
It is amazing how hard a 4 mile easy run can seem. It just mentally seems kind of long for some reason. I've always hated short runs. I guess I'm not focused. Usually in a long run, it takes about 4 miles to get into the zone.
Eventually I ran past Bicenntennial Park and turned around. It was getting kind of hot wearing my jacket. I took off the hat and gloves pretty early on. I was going slow, so I wanted to be comfortable.
I just kept plugging along. Maybe it was because I was sweating so much, I don't know, but I felt a little lightheaded at times. The final mile started to get a little tough on my legs. They were feeling the affects of the big week. It was great to finally get done.
I know that I won't be biking as much when it gets colder, so I wanted to see if I could put in a week like this. It was definitely a challenge. It would've been a lot easier if I could have done a 20+ mile run earlier in the week. I would like to try to get in a lot of 60+ mile run weeks done.
Tomorrow, I'll take a break. I would like to hop on the bike. I'm not running though. My legs will hopefully thank me for the break. I'm actually surprised that they aren't too sore at this point. I guess since I've been running slow most of the time, it isn't too bad.
6 miles - 46:41 (7:47 pace) - Run #1
4 miles - 35:53 (8:58 pace) - Run #2
Weekly Totals
160.18 miles, 17:19:04 - Time in Hours, 11,515 - Calories Burned
Running 60 miles, 8:52:32 - Time in Hours, 7,117 - Calories Burned
Cycling 100.18 miles, 8:26:32 - Time in Hours, 4,398 Calories Burned
Friday, November 8, 2013
A Big Day (Run, Run, Bike)
I've been trying to put in 60 miles of running this week and 100 miles of biking. After doing nothing on Sunday, it has been tough. Yesterday, all I did was bike 15 miles. I went out to the Nor-Bath Trail last night and just didn't feel like running, so I did nothing. That meant that I needed to do a lot more today.
I still had 27 miles to run coming into today. I planned to run 13 miles. I ended up doing even more than that. Since I had an order in Bangor from work, I figured that I wasn't far from the Delaware Water Gap. I decided to head up to the McDade Trail. I've run and biked there before, but was hoping to explore more of it.
I initially parked at Smithfield Beach. It was rainy and cold. I sat around and let it pass. I also let the wings and fries that I had for lunch digest. I figured I might pay for eating those. I was going to head north from the beach, but I saw what looked like the trail was roped off. I decided to head farther up River Road.
I then found a small parking area called Riverview. I started there. I wanted to go north again, which was a good idea since I saw a bunch of hunters in the fields to the south.
I thought I might've ridden through this section, but that was some time ago. The sun was a out some and it was a little better weather wise. It went from sunny to cloudy throughout the run. It was often windy too. I wore a jacket and headband.
This is an awesome trail. It is stone and wide and runs along the river. Instead of a boring flat rail trail, it goes up and down. There are some small bridges over water and stuff like that. It's still pretty runnable. Most of the leaves are gone now. I'd imagine that it looked awesome a couple weeks ago. I'll have to head up there earlier next fall.
After a couple miles, I came out to a stone road. I remembered this area and had been there before. I was on this road with my bike last time. This time, I noticed that the actual trail comes out of a parking lot. I ran up it and up is definitely the appropriate word. It was a pretty significant climb. Since it was less than 2 miles into the run, I decided to walk it.
I then came to the park office at the top of the climb. There was a cool bridge over some marsh lands before it. If I was hiking rather than running, I really would've enjoyed this area. After the office, there was a steep downhill. I didn't want to climb back up it, so I headed back down.
When I got back to the stone road, I ran out on it. Not long after that, I came to a construction area. I had to turn around and head back to the car. It was around 3 miles at this point. I didn't have many options though.
When I got back to the car, I was less than 5 miles into the run. I headed in the other direction. I figured that I would do that until I got near the hunters. It didn't take long and I heard gun shots. I turned around pretty quickly since a friend has my orange vest and I didn't have bright colors on.
I just decided to head back out in the original direction. I figured I might only run 7 miles, but at least that was a start. Maybe I would run elsewhere. By now, I was burping a lot and eating the wings was taking its toll.
I came across a guy on a bike. There were two guys riding today. Other than them and the hunters, it was rather quiet and peaceful.
About a half mile from my car, there was a hill and trail leading to some restroom facilities and a parking lot. I ran up there for some extra mileage. It wasn't far. I went back out to the stone road. I got to about 8.5 miles before I turned around again. I was happy with my progress and now knew I'd at least get 10 miles in.
My back was getting a little sore by now and so were my legs. That was just another problem in addition to my digestion. I just sputtered along. The pace slipped some.
I was just under 10 miles when I got back to my car. I knew some how, some way I'd get to 13 miles. I went back out the other way for a short distance and then headed the original way.
I kept trying to go farther and farther out. The more I got out, the closer I was to the end when I got back. I turned around after about a mile and a quarter. Running back was slow and difficult.
I just focused on small increments and eventually I got to my car. I had another quarter mile to go yet. I went pretty hard to finish up this final mile. It was good to get this run out of the way.
This is a fun trail and I hope to run there a lot more. It is very long and I'd love to run the whole thing. I definitely need to explore more of it, especially the north end.
After I got home, I ate and watched TV for a couple hours. I planned on a night ride. I then decided I would try a short run on the neighborhood roads near my house. It was a little chilly when I started, but the wind died down.
I took it nice and easy through the dark. I thought this would be a good area for a 4 mile route. It is lightly traveled with only a few houses and an industrial park nearby.
It was peaceful and pretty uneventful short run. The pace was slow, but it was good recovery. I was worried that my legs might be sore, but they weren't. There were some long climbs. They took their toll by mile 3 and I was sore towards the end.
After finishing up, I rode a lot of the same area. It was very chilly on the bike, but I survived. I got in a solid 15 miles. It was nice to use the ride for recovery. I kept the pace slow.
It was a big day and I'm glad to be done riding and biking. I'm now up to 50 miles of running and 85 miles of biking this week. I still need to run another 10 miles and bike 15 more. I'm going to run with the BCR in the morning. I might need to add another short run later in the day. The ride could come in the afternoon or evening. It won't be long. I can't wait to be done with this week. It has been tough.
13 miles - 2:06:54 (9:46 pace) - Run #1
4 miles - 37:04 (9:16 pace) - Run #2
I still had 27 miles to run coming into today. I planned to run 13 miles. I ended up doing even more than that. Since I had an order in Bangor from work, I figured that I wasn't far from the Delaware Water Gap. I decided to head up to the McDade Trail. I've run and biked there before, but was hoping to explore more of it.
I initially parked at Smithfield Beach. It was rainy and cold. I sat around and let it pass. I also let the wings and fries that I had for lunch digest. I figured I might pay for eating those. I was going to head north from the beach, but I saw what looked like the trail was roped off. I decided to head farther up River Road.
I then found a small parking area called Riverview. I started there. I wanted to go north again, which was a good idea since I saw a bunch of hunters in the fields to the south.
I thought I might've ridden through this section, but that was some time ago. The sun was a out some and it was a little better weather wise. It went from sunny to cloudy throughout the run. It was often windy too. I wore a jacket and headband.
This is an awesome trail. It is stone and wide and runs along the river. Instead of a boring flat rail trail, it goes up and down. There are some small bridges over water and stuff like that. It's still pretty runnable. Most of the leaves are gone now. I'd imagine that it looked awesome a couple weeks ago. I'll have to head up there earlier next fall.
After a couple miles, I came out to a stone road. I remembered this area and had been there before. I was on this road with my bike last time. This time, I noticed that the actual trail comes out of a parking lot. I ran up it and up is definitely the appropriate word. It was a pretty significant climb. Since it was less than 2 miles into the run, I decided to walk it.
I then came to the park office at the top of the climb. There was a cool bridge over some marsh lands before it. If I was hiking rather than running, I really would've enjoyed this area. After the office, there was a steep downhill. I didn't want to climb back up it, so I headed back down.
When I got back to the stone road, I ran out on it. Not long after that, I came to a construction area. I had to turn around and head back to the car. It was around 3 miles at this point. I didn't have many options though.
When I got back to the car, I was less than 5 miles into the run. I headed in the other direction. I figured that I would do that until I got near the hunters. It didn't take long and I heard gun shots. I turned around pretty quickly since a friend has my orange vest and I didn't have bright colors on.
I just decided to head back out in the original direction. I figured I might only run 7 miles, but at least that was a start. Maybe I would run elsewhere. By now, I was burping a lot and eating the wings was taking its toll.
I came across a guy on a bike. There were two guys riding today. Other than them and the hunters, it was rather quiet and peaceful.
About a half mile from my car, there was a hill and trail leading to some restroom facilities and a parking lot. I ran up there for some extra mileage. It wasn't far. I went back out to the stone road. I got to about 8.5 miles before I turned around again. I was happy with my progress and now knew I'd at least get 10 miles in.
My back was getting a little sore by now and so were my legs. That was just another problem in addition to my digestion. I just sputtered along. The pace slipped some.
I was just under 10 miles when I got back to my car. I knew some how, some way I'd get to 13 miles. I went back out the other way for a short distance and then headed the original way.
I kept trying to go farther and farther out. The more I got out, the closer I was to the end when I got back. I turned around after about a mile and a quarter. Running back was slow and difficult.
I just focused on small increments and eventually I got to my car. I had another quarter mile to go yet. I went pretty hard to finish up this final mile. It was good to get this run out of the way.
This is a fun trail and I hope to run there a lot more. It is very long and I'd love to run the whole thing. I definitely need to explore more of it, especially the north end.
After I got home, I ate and watched TV for a couple hours. I planned on a night ride. I then decided I would try a short run on the neighborhood roads near my house. It was a little chilly when I started, but the wind died down.
I took it nice and easy through the dark. I thought this would be a good area for a 4 mile route. It is lightly traveled with only a few houses and an industrial park nearby.
It was peaceful and pretty uneventful short run. The pace was slow, but it was good recovery. I was worried that my legs might be sore, but they weren't. There were some long climbs. They took their toll by mile 3 and I was sore towards the end.
After finishing up, I rode a lot of the same area. It was very chilly on the bike, but I survived. I got in a solid 15 miles. It was nice to use the ride for recovery. I kept the pace slow.
It was a big day and I'm glad to be done riding and biking. I'm now up to 50 miles of running and 85 miles of biking this week. I still need to run another 10 miles and bike 15 more. I'm going to run with the BCR in the morning. I might need to add another short run later in the day. The ride could come in the afternoon or evening. It won't be long. I can't wait to be done with this week. It has been tough.
13 miles - 2:06:54 (9:46 pace) - Run #1
4 miles - 37:04 (9:16 pace) - Run #2
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Back to Half Mile Repeats
Today was just another speed trial day. Originally, I wanted to see if I could hold a 6:51 pace for 8 to 10 miles. I figured if I could, I would enter a half marathon next weekend. I may still do it anyway.
It was perfect weather this afternoon as I headed to the Nor-Bath Trail. However, I didn't feel great going there. I was constantly burping. I figured it might not be a great day.
I wanted to go out a mile and then back to warmup. I passed these two little kids walking with their mom early on. They were cute and must've been twins. They were fascinated by a runner.
The warmup was okay, but during the second mile, my pace was hovering around 7:30. Of course I could go faster, but I wasn't even sure if I could sustain that current pace for 8 miles, let alone running faster for mile after mile.
I decided to just change the workout on the fly. I just need to run any type of speed workouts that I can get at this point and improve my breathing. I usually do very well with half mile repeats. I can go hard and then recover within the easy quarter mile segment. I had no plan of how many to do. I was just going to go until I felt that I had enough.
I started out at what felt like a pretty comfortable pace for the first fast half mile. At one point, the pace was well under 6 minutes. I figured that was too fast, too soon and decided to slow down. Really I didn't slow much as I finished that repeat up at 3:03 (6:07 pace).
These were definitely tough and my breathing labored from this first one all the way through to the last one. My legs were pretty good though, so that kept me going. The second one started out too fast again. This one had a road crossing on Weaversville Road. I didn't want to wait for cars, so I ran along the road and then crossed when I could. That threw me off by a couple seconds no doubt. This was still a 3:09 though.
I managed to recover well in between segments, but my easy pace was dropping and dropping. When that happens, I know each repeat is taking a lot out of me. That was fine though.
The third repeat was more of the same. I kept trying to start out slower, but it was hard to do. My pace would begin too fast and then I'd fade, but try to hang on. At least I was relatively consistent. This third one was a 3:08.
I started the fourth one as I got closer and closer to Airport Road. There was no way I was going to even try to cross that road during a fast segment. Luckily, it ended before that with a 3:07.
I turned around at Airport Road and headed back. By now, I knew I was losing it, but still felt that I had one more in me. With my legs recovering fairly well, that was a big help. I figured since this was the last one, I could push a little more. I definitely did just that and bounced back with a 3:05. This one actually did start out slower. Maybe that helped. I was glad to be done with a solid five reps.
I recovered from that one and just figured I'd start a sixth one. My legs were pretty gone by then tough, so I cut it off very early. Five was enough and a good start. I just want to see where I'm at. I didn't want to overdo it.
I was hoping to run about 12 miles total, so I was very disappointed when I realized that I was only just past 5.5 miles at that point. It was a long way back too. I just sputtered along nice and easy.
Right before getting back to my car, I saw the little kids again. I arrived at the car just before mile 8. I wanted to try to get to mile 10 anyway. It was getting chilly now though, so I grabbed a jacket and a quick drink.
I saw the kids again and their mom commented about me still running. Actually, it was a short day for me time wise. My legs were very beat by now and my pace was super slow. I just battled to get the last 2 miles in. They were slow, but I got it done.
Today wasn't what I had hoped for, but it was still productive. Any hard running that I do now makes progress for me at this point. I'm very thrilled with where I'm at and can't wait until I get my breathing down. My times will really drop then.
The average for the fast parts of this run was under 3:07. Not bad for 5 repeats. If I can do 10 of those at that pace, Yasso 800s predict that I can run a 3:07 marathon. I don't think that's quite accurate, but I'm not too far off of that and I'm months from any marathon attempt.
I rode a recovery ride on the Saucon Rail Trail in the evening. That was tough because the stone they use doesn't have much grip. It was kind of annoying, although coming back was downhill and I flew. I'm not sure I'll ride there again.
If I recover well enough, I'm hoping to put in another big day tomorrow. Doing nothing on Sunday has really set me back with my goals for this week. I have a lot to do in the next 3 days. I'll probably have to run and ride each day. If I could get up for a morning run tomorrow, that would be a big help.
10 miles - 1:21:48 (8:11 pace)
It was perfect weather this afternoon as I headed to the Nor-Bath Trail. However, I didn't feel great going there. I was constantly burping. I figured it might not be a great day.
I wanted to go out a mile and then back to warmup. I passed these two little kids walking with their mom early on. They were cute and must've been twins. They were fascinated by a runner.
The warmup was okay, but during the second mile, my pace was hovering around 7:30. Of course I could go faster, but I wasn't even sure if I could sustain that current pace for 8 miles, let alone running faster for mile after mile.
I decided to just change the workout on the fly. I just need to run any type of speed workouts that I can get at this point and improve my breathing. I usually do very well with half mile repeats. I can go hard and then recover within the easy quarter mile segment. I had no plan of how many to do. I was just going to go until I felt that I had enough.
I started out at what felt like a pretty comfortable pace for the first fast half mile. At one point, the pace was well under 6 minutes. I figured that was too fast, too soon and decided to slow down. Really I didn't slow much as I finished that repeat up at 3:03 (6:07 pace).
These were definitely tough and my breathing labored from this first one all the way through to the last one. My legs were pretty good though, so that kept me going. The second one started out too fast again. This one had a road crossing on Weaversville Road. I didn't want to wait for cars, so I ran along the road and then crossed when I could. That threw me off by a couple seconds no doubt. This was still a 3:09 though.
I managed to recover well in between segments, but my easy pace was dropping and dropping. When that happens, I know each repeat is taking a lot out of me. That was fine though.
The third repeat was more of the same. I kept trying to start out slower, but it was hard to do. My pace would begin too fast and then I'd fade, but try to hang on. At least I was relatively consistent. This third one was a 3:08.
I started the fourth one as I got closer and closer to Airport Road. There was no way I was going to even try to cross that road during a fast segment. Luckily, it ended before that with a 3:07.
I turned around at Airport Road and headed back. By now, I knew I was losing it, but still felt that I had one more in me. With my legs recovering fairly well, that was a big help. I figured since this was the last one, I could push a little more. I definitely did just that and bounced back with a 3:05. This one actually did start out slower. Maybe that helped. I was glad to be done with a solid five reps.
I recovered from that one and just figured I'd start a sixth one. My legs were pretty gone by then tough, so I cut it off very early. Five was enough and a good start. I just want to see where I'm at. I didn't want to overdo it.
I was hoping to run about 12 miles total, so I was very disappointed when I realized that I was only just past 5.5 miles at that point. It was a long way back too. I just sputtered along nice and easy.
Right before getting back to my car, I saw the little kids again. I arrived at the car just before mile 8. I wanted to try to get to mile 10 anyway. It was getting chilly now though, so I grabbed a jacket and a quick drink.
I saw the kids again and their mom commented about me still running. Actually, it was a short day for me time wise. My legs were very beat by now and my pace was super slow. I just battled to get the last 2 miles in. They were slow, but I got it done.
Today wasn't what I had hoped for, but it was still productive. Any hard running that I do now makes progress for me at this point. I'm very thrilled with where I'm at and can't wait until I get my breathing down. My times will really drop then.
The average for the fast parts of this run was under 3:07. Not bad for 5 repeats. If I can do 10 of those at that pace, Yasso 800s predict that I can run a 3:07 marathon. I don't think that's quite accurate, but I'm not too far off of that and I'm months from any marathon attempt.
I rode a recovery ride on the Saucon Rail Trail in the evening. That was tough because the stone they use doesn't have much grip. It was kind of annoying, although coming back was downhill and I flew. I'm not sure I'll ride there again.
If I recover well enough, I'm hoping to put in another big day tomorrow. Doing nothing on Sunday has really set me back with my goals for this week. I have a lot to do in the next 3 days. I'll probably have to run and ride each day. If I could get up for a morning run tomorrow, that would be a big help.
10 miles - 1:21:48 (8:11 pace)
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Jacobsburg Night Run and Afternoon Bike Ride
Yesterday was a tough day with a long run followed by a bike ride. Today, was a little easier, but still a double session. This time, the bike ride came first. I did another 20 miles on the bike and the legs felt pretty dead early on, but came around later. I finished up around dinner time and it was already dark at the end.
I originally wanted to run hard for about 10 miles today and see what kind of pace I could do, but I needed to be more well rested to do that. Plus, I worked later today than usual and want to travel for that run. That meant I had to do a short run instead.
I didn't give my stomach too much time to digest the food. I began the run at 7 PM, about an hour after eating. I headed to Jacobsburg. I thought about running South Mountain at Lehigh, but I didn't want a trail that was too technical. I did need to run on a trail though.
There is a gate at the main lot, so I didn't want to park there after dark, in case they closed it. Instead, I went down the road a bit to a small lot. The trail begins right across from there. I had a very interesting start. As I headed on the trail, I saw three pairs of glowing eyes staring at me. I'd like to think they were deer, but I'm not sure. In all the miles that I've logged in Jacobsburg, I've never seen a single deer. They did take off into the woods right away.
I headed toward the main lot. That meant some early climbing. Normally, when I do a long run, I walk the really steep hill. I wasn't going to do that today, since I was only planning on running 7 miles. Getting up the hill wasn't too bad. It looks like the new building is now open and that the trail goes to there now. I'll have to check it out in the daylight sometime.
I thought about taking the fun ridge route to the main path, but that is kind of steep. If I did happen to fall there and couldn't get up, I wouldn't have been found until the morning at the earliest. Going the other way to the main lot wasn't as bad, but I had to be cautious there too.
I haven't run in Jacobsburg at night very often, so I never noticed how reflective all the trail markers are. I'm not used to that and kept thinking that it was animal eyes. I cruised along and felt better as the run went on. The food had finally started to settle in. It was a little cold, but not too bad.
I know that part of the trail is close to Route 33, but you can't even notice it in the daytime. At night, however, you can see the cars' lights pretty clearly. That broke up some of the peacefulness of the run.
Most of this run was non technical and easy, but one section between miles 2 and 3 is fairly rocky. My headlamp is kind of dim and the rocks blended in with the leaves. I only stumbled once. Going uphill in this section was much easier than the downhill.
Something big ran in front of me. I'm pretty sure it was a deer because it was that size, but I couldn't see it very well. One odd thing is I didn't hear any small animals like rabbits or squirrels along the trail. Often, this time of year they scurry away through the leaves.
It was so hard to see that I ended up running through the mud sections a couple times, rather than around them. The nice thing is that since you can't see up ahead, hills aren't that bad. They often look worse in daylight than they really are. I went up the one short, but steep hill and actually didn't even realize it until later.
I crossed all the roads with no problems. I then headed onto the Sober's Run Loop. I was past the 3 mile point and closing in on mile 4. I was really enjoying the run.
I came to the powerline and that was a slightly tough climb. Again, it was better than in the daytime though (when you can see the top). I pushed pretty hard up this climb, knowing that it would likely be the last hard part. This mile (mile 5), ended up being an 8:54 mile. That motivated me to push on a little.
I cruised downhill. This is a wide open section, so I could fly. I didn't have to worry about rocks. I went past the turn on the one path, but then decided to go back and take that for a bit. I ran out about 3/10 of a mile. I figured I'd need something around this distance to get to mile 7.
I knew mile 6 was fast, but I wanted to really push on this last mile. I was creeping closer and closer to an overall pace of 9 minutes. Eventually, I did go under this. I finished up by running on the road a bit. I hit mile 7 almost right at my car. The final mile was a very nice 7:26. My overall pace broke 9 minutes, without too much effort. Not bad for a trail run.
Tomorrow, I definitely need to get out there and run about 10 miles pretty fast. If I have a decent pace, then I'll sign up for a half marathon next weekend. I'm hoping to test it out on the actual race course tomorrow, but that will require an hour drive to get there. I'd like to squeeze in a bike ride again sometime tomorrow. I'm in pretty good shape to hit my weekly goal of 60 miles of running and 100 miles of biking. It'll still take some work though.
7 miles - 1:02:18 (8:54 pace)
I originally wanted to run hard for about 10 miles today and see what kind of pace I could do, but I needed to be more well rested to do that. Plus, I worked later today than usual and want to travel for that run. That meant I had to do a short run instead.
I didn't give my stomach too much time to digest the food. I began the run at 7 PM, about an hour after eating. I headed to Jacobsburg. I thought about running South Mountain at Lehigh, but I didn't want a trail that was too technical. I did need to run on a trail though.
There is a gate at the main lot, so I didn't want to park there after dark, in case they closed it. Instead, I went down the road a bit to a small lot. The trail begins right across from there. I had a very interesting start. As I headed on the trail, I saw three pairs of glowing eyes staring at me. I'd like to think they were deer, but I'm not sure. In all the miles that I've logged in Jacobsburg, I've never seen a single deer. They did take off into the woods right away.
I headed toward the main lot. That meant some early climbing. Normally, when I do a long run, I walk the really steep hill. I wasn't going to do that today, since I was only planning on running 7 miles. Getting up the hill wasn't too bad. It looks like the new building is now open and that the trail goes to there now. I'll have to check it out in the daylight sometime.
I thought about taking the fun ridge route to the main path, but that is kind of steep. If I did happen to fall there and couldn't get up, I wouldn't have been found until the morning at the earliest. Going the other way to the main lot wasn't as bad, but I had to be cautious there too.
I haven't run in Jacobsburg at night very often, so I never noticed how reflective all the trail markers are. I'm not used to that and kept thinking that it was animal eyes. I cruised along and felt better as the run went on. The food had finally started to settle in. It was a little cold, but not too bad.
I know that part of the trail is close to Route 33, but you can't even notice it in the daytime. At night, however, you can see the cars' lights pretty clearly. That broke up some of the peacefulness of the run.
Most of this run was non technical and easy, but one section between miles 2 and 3 is fairly rocky. My headlamp is kind of dim and the rocks blended in with the leaves. I only stumbled once. Going uphill in this section was much easier than the downhill.
Something big ran in front of me. I'm pretty sure it was a deer because it was that size, but I couldn't see it very well. One odd thing is I didn't hear any small animals like rabbits or squirrels along the trail. Often, this time of year they scurry away through the leaves.
It was so hard to see that I ended up running through the mud sections a couple times, rather than around them. The nice thing is that since you can't see up ahead, hills aren't that bad. They often look worse in daylight than they really are. I went up the one short, but steep hill and actually didn't even realize it until later.
I crossed all the roads with no problems. I then headed onto the Sober's Run Loop. I was past the 3 mile point and closing in on mile 4. I was really enjoying the run.
I came to the powerline and that was a slightly tough climb. Again, it was better than in the daytime though (when you can see the top). I pushed pretty hard up this climb, knowing that it would likely be the last hard part. This mile (mile 5), ended up being an 8:54 mile. That motivated me to push on a little.
I cruised downhill. This is a wide open section, so I could fly. I didn't have to worry about rocks. I went past the turn on the one path, but then decided to go back and take that for a bit. I ran out about 3/10 of a mile. I figured I'd need something around this distance to get to mile 7.
I knew mile 6 was fast, but I wanted to really push on this last mile. I was creeping closer and closer to an overall pace of 9 minutes. Eventually, I did go under this. I finished up by running on the road a bit. I hit mile 7 almost right at my car. The final mile was a very nice 7:26. My overall pace broke 9 minutes, without too much effort. Not bad for a trail run.
Tomorrow, I definitely need to get out there and run about 10 miles pretty fast. If I have a decent pace, then I'll sign up for a half marathon next weekend. I'm hoping to test it out on the actual race course tomorrow, but that will require an hour drive to get there. I'd like to squeeze in a bike ride again sometime tomorrow. I'm in pretty good shape to hit my weekly goal of 60 miles of running and 100 miles of biking. It'll still take some work though.
7 miles - 1:02:18 (8:54 pace)
Monday, November 4, 2013
Running 16 and Biking 20
It is a good thing I listen to my body. Some days, I feel great and can put 20+ mile runs in without any issues (like the 25 miles at Jacobsburg a few weeks back). Others, like today it is a battle. I had hoped to run 20 miles, but it didn't quite work out that way.
As usual, I slacked off in the afternoon and waited to run. Now that it is dark an hour earlier, that meant a lot of nighttime running. I was planning to run 20 miles on the Nor-Bath Trail. I like the section by Savage Road, so I started there.
Originally, I thought about doing 3 out and back segments of 6 miles each and then just adding to that. I started off following a woman who began right before me. I was worried that I might run a little too fast behind her, but luckily I passed her pretty quickly. She didn't go out very far before turning around.
I just ran along. There isn't much going on on this flat trail. Crossing the roads around rush hour was a pain in the butt. Eventually, I crossed Weaversville Road and then Airport Road.
To do 3 out and back segments, I would've had to turn around at Airport Road. I decided instead that I would keep going. I figured I'd run to the end of the trail and turn around.
It was quite cold today and I had struggled with it in the beginning. I only had on shorts and a lightweight long sleeve tech shirt. I was carrying a handheld water bottle and that actually became very cold.
I ended up going out to almost 4.5 miles before the trail ended. I started to head back and was already developing some soreness. I got new trail shoes and my back was sore after running in them on Saturday. That same mild soreness began to develop today too. I probably should run in road shoes, but I need a new pair of those too.
I cruised along. The pace was nice. It was just over 8 minutes early on. As I headed back, I was amazed at how busy the trail was. I rarely see very many people running there, but I guess a lot of people were squeezing in runs after work and before it got dark.
I arrived back at my car around mile 8.5. I was already quite sore. I definitely need to adjust to these shoes. Not only was my back sore, but my legs were too. I'm also not that used to running long miles continuously like I was doing today.
I headed back out. This time, I was more prepared. I put on my headlamp since it was getting quite dark. I also grabbed my gloves so that my hands didn't get cold.
I was going much slower this time out. I tried to just focus on short segments. Getting to mile 10 was huge. By now, I knew that 20 miles was very unlikely. I have a lot of 15 mile runs, but not many over 20, so that was kind of disappointing.
At one point, I had considered running all the way to the end of the trail again. However, with how sore I was getting, I didn't want to risk going too far out. I figured that if I still felt good when I got back to my car, I could add more miles.
I turned around at Airport Road. That was over 11 miles into the run. I ran along. It seemed like I was going slower and slower. I was now all alone in the darkness and getting kind of tired of the run.
When I got to the one spot with a turn off into a park, I took it. That added some short distance on pavement. I figured that I'd now get to the car around mile 15.
I thought I would call it a day at 15, but then as I approached the car, I thought why not run another mile. I did a short out and back to finish up. This mile was tough and a slow go. I could've pushed through and run a couple more miles, but I didn't want to beat myself up too much this early in the week. There is plenty of time left to get longer runs in.
After those 16 miles, I went home and ate dinner. About half an hour after that, I rode my bike. It was very cold riding through the darkness. The temperature had dropped into the 30s. I felt cold in the first 3 miles, but good after that. I put in a solid 20 mile ride. After a zero day on Sunday, it was good to put in a productive day. It was actually just under 4 combined hours of working out. Amazingly, that is becoming kind of typical for me now.
I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I'd like to run long and run much faster for part of it. I want to see how long I can sustain a 6:51 pace or at least a 7:00. If I can do that pretty long, I may enter a half marathon soon. I have to see how my body recovers tomorrow and then decide if this is something I want to try. If not, I'll do it on Wednesday.
16 miles - 2:21:51 (8:52 pace)
As usual, I slacked off in the afternoon and waited to run. Now that it is dark an hour earlier, that meant a lot of nighttime running. I was planning to run 20 miles on the Nor-Bath Trail. I like the section by Savage Road, so I started there.
Originally, I thought about doing 3 out and back segments of 6 miles each and then just adding to that. I started off following a woman who began right before me. I was worried that I might run a little too fast behind her, but luckily I passed her pretty quickly. She didn't go out very far before turning around.
I just ran along. There isn't much going on on this flat trail. Crossing the roads around rush hour was a pain in the butt. Eventually, I crossed Weaversville Road and then Airport Road.
To do 3 out and back segments, I would've had to turn around at Airport Road. I decided instead that I would keep going. I figured I'd run to the end of the trail and turn around.
It was quite cold today and I had struggled with it in the beginning. I only had on shorts and a lightweight long sleeve tech shirt. I was carrying a handheld water bottle and that actually became very cold.
I ended up going out to almost 4.5 miles before the trail ended. I started to head back and was already developing some soreness. I got new trail shoes and my back was sore after running in them on Saturday. That same mild soreness began to develop today too. I probably should run in road shoes, but I need a new pair of those too.
I cruised along. The pace was nice. It was just over 8 minutes early on. As I headed back, I was amazed at how busy the trail was. I rarely see very many people running there, but I guess a lot of people were squeezing in runs after work and before it got dark.
I arrived back at my car around mile 8.5. I was already quite sore. I definitely need to adjust to these shoes. Not only was my back sore, but my legs were too. I'm also not that used to running long miles continuously like I was doing today.
I headed back out. This time, I was more prepared. I put on my headlamp since it was getting quite dark. I also grabbed my gloves so that my hands didn't get cold.
I was going much slower this time out. I tried to just focus on short segments. Getting to mile 10 was huge. By now, I knew that 20 miles was very unlikely. I have a lot of 15 mile runs, but not many over 20, so that was kind of disappointing.
At one point, I had considered running all the way to the end of the trail again. However, with how sore I was getting, I didn't want to risk going too far out. I figured that if I still felt good when I got back to my car, I could add more miles.
I turned around at Airport Road. That was over 11 miles into the run. I ran along. It seemed like I was going slower and slower. I was now all alone in the darkness and getting kind of tired of the run.
When I got to the one spot with a turn off into a park, I took it. That added some short distance on pavement. I figured that I'd now get to the car around mile 15.
I thought I would call it a day at 15, but then as I approached the car, I thought why not run another mile. I did a short out and back to finish up. This mile was tough and a slow go. I could've pushed through and run a couple more miles, but I didn't want to beat myself up too much this early in the week. There is plenty of time left to get longer runs in.
After those 16 miles, I went home and ate dinner. About half an hour after that, I rode my bike. It was very cold riding through the darkness. The temperature had dropped into the 30s. I felt cold in the first 3 miles, but good after that. I put in a solid 20 mile ride. After a zero day on Sunday, it was good to put in a productive day. It was actually just under 4 combined hours of working out. Amazingly, that is becoming kind of typical for me now.
I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I'd like to run long and run much faster for part of it. I want to see how long I can sustain a 6:51 pace or at least a 7:00. If I can do that pretty long, I may enter a half marathon soon. I have to see how my body recovers tomorrow and then decide if this is something I want to try. If not, I'll do it on Wednesday.
16 miles - 2:21:51 (8:52 pace)
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Jim Thorpe Waterfall Run
I love the town of Jim Thorpe and have had fun running there a few times in the past. I really haven't hit much of the trails though. I was very excited when I was invited to run about 2.5 hours there on the Glen Onoko Falls Trail. This guy Swamp, who I met once, was leading the run.The group was huge. I knew a few of the people, but many I never met. A lot of them were from the Pagoda Pacers group out of Reading. There were 40 people committed to the run on facebook and at least 30 showed up on this nice fall day.
It was quite chilly at the start, so I went with my lightweight long sleeve orange tech shirt. At times, it was cold during the run, but when the sun was out, it was quite nice. I wish I would've had on short sleeves.
I knew the beginning of the run along the falls was going to be difficult and technical. I just didn't realize how hard it would be. It was pretty much unrunnable for the most part. We basically just hiked that section. It was a slow go.
The views of the falls were neat, although they aren't big waterfalls, at least not this time of year. We stopped a few times to take in some views and also got a group photo above one of the falls.
After the top, it was a technical, rocky singletrack through the woods. I followed along in the second group of three people. The first group got pretty far ahead. This section was kind of fun. It beat up my feet a little and tested out my new trail shoes.
We stopped at another outstanding view of the mountains and the Lehigh River. It was one of the best views I've ever seen. By now, we were only a few miles into the run.
When we started up again, I wanted to make sure to run with the front group. I didn't want to be caught behind anyone. There were some good runners there, but not everyone was pushing themselves.This next part was a woods road section. This was quite runnable, although they put down some pretty good sized stones in some parts. These were very annoying.
During one uphill section, some of the faster people like Aaron and Dorf went cruising by Swamp and I. I started to struggle with the uphill. The legs were fatigued from all the climbing. It was only an hour into the run and I was wondering how I'd keep going. At this pace, it seemed tough. Right as I was about to drop back, we got to an intersection and stopped to wait for everyone. This was perfect timing. A hunter was driving around this area, I think we annoyed him.
We continued on and were on woods roads for a short while. Then, we stopped again and went through some singletrack. I let Aaron get ahead of me. We both followed Swamp. They almost dropped me on some of the very technical, rocky sections. Right as I was about to slow again, we stopped again. Perfect timing once more.
We continued on some more singletrack. I stayed toward the front again, although I think someone else was ahead of me now. They were moving pretty good through this section again. After another stop, we went through singletrack again. This was very runnable and fairly smooth. I had to work so hard to stay with the front group.
This ended up being like intervals sessions for me. Run hard, recover and run hard again. This time, we were out to some powerlines. Aaron knew where he was going, so he took off in this section. It was downhill, but wide open and very fast. It was also a longer segment than I expected. I was breathing heavy and dropped behind quite a few more people.
After the powerline trail, we went through the woods roads before heading back onto the rocky singletrack. I tried to stay with Aaron since I didn't quite know where we were going. He was long gone though. My legs were tiring by now and a few more people passed me.
Eventually, we got to a rock and took another route down to the bottom. This was a different option than the falls section. This was steep and rocky and still not really runnable, but it was better than the falls part.
I basically walked down most of it with my friend Tim and a couple other guys. Even walking down it, my legs really started to hurt. My back began to bother me too. We were now in double digit mileage. This was a tough run.Finally, we came to the bottom and ran to finish up. I was going to just stop, but my watch was at 10.95 miles, so I ran the other 0.05 miles to finish up. It was a great workout and good to be done.
We chatted for a bit at our cars and then went into downtown Jim Thorpe to eat at Molly Maguire's. It was good food and good company. This was a fun group. They are such experienced trail runners too. It seemed like almost everyone there has run multiple 100 mile races.
I rode my bike to recover after dark. That seemed to help my sore back. I want to put in a big week this coming week. I might try to run 60 miles in addition to riding for another 100. Tomorrow, I might run Trexler with Tim. That would be a good way to start the week.
11 miles - 2:20:33 (12:47 pace)
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