Snowmageddon

Every winter I write about running in a blizzard.  The past few years I've actually run during the blizzard so it was a little more of an adventure.  This year, we got hit hard over night.  

Monday brought round one, which was 5-7 inches (I can't remember the total).  Last night was about 13 inches, so all total we got nearly 20 inches of snow in two days.  

The storm - which I've heard referred to as Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse, Snowsuckalot and Snowgasm -  more or less shut the city down so I worked from home today.  By the time I ventured out for my lunch run the plows had come by and conditions weren't bad at all.  But I took the camera along to see if I could get a few good shots.

 

I live just off this road.  This doesn't look bad, but some roads off this street 

weren't plowed yet and looked unpassable.

 This one, for example.  

 

Check out that snowdrift.  That's a school or daycare.  Daycare, I think.

 

This was the only spot that was a little sketchy for me, only because the road was narrow

and I couldn't see over the hill to see if a car was coming.  

 

It's not too often (never) that I run on the road and have to move over for snowmobiles.

 

I took the picture a little too soon, but that is the biggest plow I've ever seen.  

They meant business today.

 

 

This is a tough week for those of us who refuse to run indoors.  Monday was snow.  Tuesday the roads were slippery from Monday's snow.  Today was the blizzard and tomorrow is going to be frigid.  The low tonight is -7. 

 

 

 

I Have A Run Track Mind

I found a new and better way to embarrass myself.  This fall has been all about running. I've run a lot of miles and tried to learn as much as possible about running so I can take my new fitness and knowledge into next season.  Part of my run focus this fall was to push myself outside of my comfort zone and run some cross country races.  I never ran cross country or track in school, so I figured it would be fun.  It was, and I think it helped make me a better runner.  It also taught me to love off-road running, and all of my long weekend runs are on trails now.  My new route is a lot hillier than my previous long run route, and it has tons of variety.  I run a little bit on the road and bike path, and the rest is on trails with tree roots and rocks and leaves and then I run through the golf course and do a few laps on the UW-Badger's cross country course....

 

It's a great course.  Not super hilly, but still challenging.

...then it's back on the trails.  I used to hate trail running, but I'm loving it now.  The variety is fun, and the challenging terrain makes you a stronger runner.  My route has 22 trees I have to hurdle. ..dead, fallen trees that is.  I'm not hurdling living trees, although that would be awesome. 

But that's not my new and better way to embarrass myself.  

Indoor track.

I've been having a lot of fun with my run focus and wanted to keep it going a little longer.  So I signed up for the Purple and White Indoor Meet at UW-Whitewater.  I'm on the purple team (alumni).  It's a practice meet for the Whitewater track team so they're racing alumni.  I signed up for the 1500 and the 800.  For those unfamiliar with track distances, the 1500 is a little more than 100 meters short of a mile so it's practically a mile.  The 800 is half a mile.

A week after that race I'm racing the Ted Haydon Holiday Classic where I'm running the mile and the 800.

Being an average runner at best competing against better than average runners the outcome is inevitable.  I will lose, and lose in a spectacular way.  But I don't care.  This is all about pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and getting more use out of my cheap $25 spikes.  None of my cross country races were muddy so my shoes still look new.  Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

The alumni race is a week from Saturday - December 11.  This weekend I'm running the Furry Friends 5K.  I will do nearly any race that benefits a Humane Society.  I'm all about helping the pups.  

Crazylegs And The Compression Sock Experiment

This weekend was the Crazylegs Classic, one of the biggest 8K races in the country and definitely one of the premier events in the Madison area.  My goal was to break 31 minutes, but my ultimate goal is to break 30 minutes.  I figured if I hold back at all, I can't break 30 minutes because there's no way I can make up 20 or 30 seconds on the back half of the run.  I'm not fast enough.

So, like last year, I started out at a 6 minute pace.  I realize now how unrealistic that was.  The last time I ran a 6 minute mile was last year at Crazylegs so to think I would string 5 of them together on a hilly course didn't make sense.  But I went for it anyway.  Here are my splits:

I had a good fade going on, but I held on and more or less hit my goal.  I'm happy with my performance and don't regret going or the 30 minute goal.  I finished one minute faster than last year so I'm still making progress.  

For those who run this race, look at the elevation per mile.  You'd expect mile 2 to have the most climbing, but it doesn't.  That's the mile with Observatory hill, but after that the rest of the mile is downhill.  There's a lot of downhill running on this course, and my quads were killing me Sunday morning.

Courtney also ran.  It was her first Crazylegs and her longest race to date.  She beat her goal of 50 minutes by running at 49:03 and she worked her way well into the top 9000.  Strong work, Courtney.

Check out the post-race runners gathering in the stadium....

 

The Compression Sock Experiment:

After Crazylegs I went for a fairly easy 3-hour ride.  My recovery routine on hard days is to take an ice bath and then wear my compression socks.  They're goofy, but they actually work.  But I decided to take the next step.  I always swore I would never run in my compression socks, but a friend reminded me that I'm such a tri geek that refusing to run in compression socks is a pretty arbitrary line to draw.

Sunday I woke up with very sore quads from the downhill running.  I had an easy long run scheduled.  I figured Crazylegs would take a lot out of me so I was going to do a 2 hour run at 9 minute miles.  Just get in some distance.  


The weather was horrible.  Cold and windy with a light, steady rain.  I figured this might be a good day to test the socks.  They'll help keep my legs warm.  I also decided, if I was going to test the socks, to test my legs a bit as well.  I was tired and sore, and thought this might be a good time to see if I can go at IM goal pace (8:00 minute miles) under less than ideal conditions.  


My splits:

No, there wasn't really that much climbing.  Garmin Forerunners are horrible at elevation.

I don't think the compression socks helped my performance.  Maybe, but if they did it was minimal.  I ran well because I dug deep and pushed hard, not because I wore goofy socks.  However....


....when I got home, my hip flexor muscle that always hurts after a long run didn't hurt.  And my legs didn't feel as bad as I expected.  I'm starting to think there may be a benefit to running in compression socks, even though I really, really don't want that to be the case.  I don't want to run in knee high socks.  But if I'm going to return from long runs feeling better and recover quicker, I'm willing to look goofy for that.  


I'm going to test them a little more to see if there's something to it or if it was just a strange day.

For those curious, I ran in SL3 socks, but just got a pair of CEP socks.  If you're looking to get a pair, get CEP.  They're really, really nice.  So comfy.   

Hygiene Hill

I actually did this workout over a week ago (last Tuesday) but I saved this post for today because it was my Crazy Legs hill workout and Crazy Legs is tomorrow.  I'm fired up.  I can't wait.

For those unfamiliar, Crazy Legs is one of the biggest 8K races in the country.  It has that big race marathon feel in that it draws over 20,000 runners and walkers and has more than 30 corrals. Yet it also has a local feel since the majority of competitors are local.  There's something about Crazy Legs that gets people off the couch and gets them running 5 miles.  It seems like anyone who runs - if only a few times per year - makes it out for Crazy Legs.  It's a must-do event each year.

Anyway, it's not an easy 8K race.  You have to climb Observatory Hill which is a pretty tough climb.  So to get ready for this race and start building some hill running strength, I did my first hill workout of the year.  At my old job, I would run to Elver Hill which is a great hill to run.  It's such a popular hill for hill repeats it has paths worn in it from runners.  But now I'm on the other side of town so that's no longer an option for a lunch run.  

Luckily, there's a big hill just outside our office and it has a few options for hill repeats.  One side is long and fairly steep.  The backside is short and very steep so I can mix things up a bit if I want to.

On this workout I did a one mile warm up and did repeats on the long section, which starts by the state Hygiene building (whatever that is) so I'm calling this Hygiene Hill.  I ran the hill between a 6:45 and 7:00 pace and it took two minutes to climb.  I ran down slowly for recovery and that took three minutes.  So each rep is five minutes.  I did 6 reps total so I got 30 minutes of good, solid hill work.  Then I finished it off with a one mile cool down.

Tomorrow:

The race finishes inside Camp Randall - the UW football stadium.  

Last year I ran the race in 32 minutes so my goal is to beat that time.  I'd love to do this race in under 30 minutes but I don't see that happening.  Taking 2 minutes off my PR is probably asking too much.  But if it's within reach I'll definitely go for it.

Race Report: Shamrock Shuffle 5K

It's been a really long time since I've raced.  My last race was the Great Floridian back in October.  As much as I love training, I really love racing so it felt great to get out and run hard.


The Shamrock Shuffle isn't a 5k you're going to set a PR at.  You have to climb Observatory Hill...TWICE.  That's A LOT of climbing for 3.1 miles.  


The race starts in  downtown Madison on State Street, which is a gradual downhill, so the pace starts out pretty fast.  I did the unthinkable on Saturday - a 5 hour trainer ride (not recommended) - so I was a little concerned about my legs holding up on the hills.  I wanted to go out easy(ish) and hopefully pick it up a bit toward the end.  I went out at a 5:45 pace.  So much for easy.


I run with a Garmin so I saw early on that I was running too hard so I backed off. Once I dialed it back to a 6:15 pace I was amazed at how many people were passing me.  I started questioning my watch.  Was I really running a 6:15 or was I running an 8:15?  People were flying by me....


....until Observatory.  That's when I knew my watch was fine and they were just fired up about the first race of the year and went out too hard.  I managed to hold a 6:30 pace up Observatory and made up a lot of the lost ground on everyone who went out too hard.


After that, the course flattened out quite a bit and I settled into my pace and tried to save a little energy for the second climb over Observatory.  My legs were holding up pretty well, and I made up a few places as people faded.


The second climb was tough, and I was starting to feel the fatigue.  But once at the top, you descend and then head down State Street to the finish.


I finished with a time of 20:12, 16th overall, 5th in my division.  I'm really happy with my time, and I'm especially happy because my average heart rate was only 89% of max.  That's high, but I'm typically around 93-95% for a 5K.   I think my legs were too tired to allow me to work hard enough to get my HR that high, which makes me think I might finally break my 5K PR this year.  


Courtney and Erika (Courtney's best friend...I mean BFF) also ran the race, their first 5K.  Their first running race ever, actually.  They certainly didn't pick an easy one for their first race, but they gutted it out and did really well.  Courtney struggled a bit on Observatory toward the end and that gave Erika a chance to pull away so she finished 30 seconds ahead of Courtney.  


Their goal was to run 10 minute miles, and Erika finished with a 9:30 pace and Courtney finished at a 9:41 pace.  As far as beating goals goes, they dominated the dojo.

My goal was a sub 6:30 pace, and I finished with a 6:30 average exactly.   So they win.  And like the OCD triathlete I am, I had to take off to get in some more training.  They went to the bar and drank green beer.  They win again.

Me and Courtney after the race.

 The girls drinking green beer at the bar (while I run).

Nerd Persecution

I get picked on a lot for my running shoes, and I didn't help matters the other day when I bought a new pair of shoes - Pearl Izumi Streaks.  The picture doesn't really show quite how blue they really are.  In fact, they don't look too bad in the picture.

Trust me.  They're blue....very, very blue.  And very, very bright.  They're also very light and very comfortable.  I typically hate shoes the first time I run in them, and then I regret buying them.  They're ugly AND uncomfortable.  But I keep running in them and after a few runs I get used to them and like them.  But I loved these right from the start.  And with a name like Streak, I figure if I ever decide to go streaking I've got some footwear (footwear is allowed during streaking, right?).

I don't intentionally choose ugly and/or bright colored shoes.  I hate them actually.  It's just that the shoes I like typically come in atrocious colors.  It's not my fault.   I like racing flats and they tend to come in horrible colors. 

I got picked on for my bright yellow zoots:

I got picked on for my bright red Sauconys (which I still have and run in occassionally):

I haven't run in them yet, but I know I'll get picked on for my Zoot Ali'is.

And, of course, I get picked on for my Vibram Five Fingers:

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about.  I really like the idea behind the new Brooks Green Silence shoes.  A racing flat that's eco friendly.  But they're not green, nor do they scream silence.

Those are some pretty ugly shoes.

Or how about the Plana Terra Vivo Barefoot Evo?  It's a running shoe that's supposed to simulate barefoot running.  But, as far as I know, barefoot running doesn't come with the public humiliation these shoes are guaranteed to come with:

I

I think people need to be more accepting of those of us forced - yes, forced - to run in ugly shoes.  It's not our fault.  We're victims.

To quote the movie Revenge of the Nerds: We will never be free until nerd persecution ends. 

Release the Geek!

When it comes to training, I'm a geek. No doubt about it. I love crunching the numbers and, better yet, comparing them to previous numbers. So with a new year comes a new training season and a whole new set of numbers to compare to previous years. And with this year being all about going as fast as I possibly can at IMWI, comparisons are very helpful in determining if I'm making progress and on the right track.

So I started out by comparing some running numbers. First, overall volume.

2008 = 989 miles
2009 = 1304 miles

That's a nice increase, and I'd like to keep that number growing this year. I don't have a specific number in mind, but I would like to break 1500 miles. That averages out to 125 miles per month, or about 29 miles per week. Mainly I'm just going to log a lot of miles and see where I end up. If I don't break 1500, no worries, but it would be nice.

Then I compared 2008 and 2009 by weekly running mileage:

2008

2009

As you can see, I consistently ran more miles per week in 2009. That came mainly from stepping up my running frequency to 5 times per week. Plus, I bumped up my short, easy runs from 3 miles to 5. You can also tell I like to take some time off to recover near the end of the year.

So my goal for 2010 is to build on that. I'm going to keep my frequency at 5, but I'll bump up my distance a bit and I might run twice a day one day per week during the spring and/or summer to help keep my volume high.

But, while it's nice to see numbers broken down like that, I already knew I ran more in 2009 so that wasn't really that helpful. So I wanted to get down to a more micro level and see if I could learn something from the numbers to determine if I'm on the right track, see if I'm improving. I feel like a better runner, but if you compare IM marathon times I was nearly an hour faster in 2008. The weather had a lot to do with that, but I have no proof that I would've run faster in cooler weather. Feeling like a better runner doesn't necessarily mean you are a better runner.

So I focused just on the month of January to see how this year compares to the previous two years:

2008
Blue = Distance Maroon = Average Pace Red Line = Average Heart Rate

2009
Blue = Distance Maroon = Average Pace Red Line = Average Heart Rate
If you're curious about the run in the middle of the month with the high heart rate, that was a snowshoe run.

2010
Blue = Distance Maroon = Average Pace Red Line = Average Heart Rate

Obviously, there's not a lot to look at for January 2010 yet, but getting these charts set up in WKO+ is going to help me compare years and see my progress. For example, I ran on January 6th in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

In 2008, I ran 2.9 miles at a 10:13 pace. I must have forgotten my HR monitor because there's no HR data.

In 2009, I ran 4.5 miles at an 8:50 pace and my average HR was 75% of max heart rate.

In 2010, I ran 7.18 miles at an 8:22 pace and my average HR was 72% of max heart rate.

So, not only have I gradually increased the distance, but I'm running faster and my heart rate is lower. This tells me that I'm still gaining fitness. I'm building upon previous years and making progress. I feel that right now I'm on the right track and plan to continue using the running plan I was on last year. I made good progress and found some things that work.

If you're wondering what those are, here you go:

- Frequency. I ran 5 days per week. T-F and Sunday.
- Consistency. You can see by the weekly volume chart that I kept my weekly mileage fairly consistent all year. I had some easy weeks for recovery, but I never really let my volume drop off too much.
- More long runs. I ran 10 or more miles 34 times in 2009. I plan to increase that number this year.
- Heart rate. I tried to keep my HR on my base runs around 80% of max. If I found my HR starting to get too low, I'd pick up the pace.
- Negative-split HR tempo runs. There's a mouthful. I did quite a few of those, and I think they helped a lot. I ran out for about 32 minutes at 70-75% of max HR. Then I turned around and ran back (about 28 minutes) at around 90% of max HR. That's a really good workout.
- Hills. I ran Elver hill repeats a lot. This year I'll be doing a lot more hill work.

That's the bulk of it. This year I'm adding a short strengthening routine 3 times per week. I'm also adding yoga to help with injury prevention. And, I'm going to do more track workouts this year. I did a few in 2009, but not many. I love track work so I'm looking forward to getting out there and pounding out some laps.

One more thing about 2010....I plan to set a new weekly mileage personal best. So far the most miles I've run in a week is about 45. I hope to break 50 at least once this year.

I figure I'll need to run a 3:30 marathon or better at Ironman this year (that's an 8 minute pace) so I have my work cut out for me.

That ain't no cat tracker

I remember, as a little kid, my dad looking out the window the morning after a light snowfall saying, "Looks like a cat tracker."

"What's a cat tracker?"

He explained to me that it's when you get just enough snow to see the cat's tracks. Now we can see where the cat goes when we let her out, he said. It hadn't occurred to me until then to question where she went, but as I thought about it I realized I never did see her in our yard when she was outside (years later I was at a neighbor's house when I noticed my cat peeking in their patio door and was told she did that every night...our cat was indeed a curious cat - aka A Peeping Fluffy). I also wondered where the term came from. Why would you track a cat? Who, other than our dog, was hunting cats?

But other than that, I never questioned the phrase. Nor did I ever hear it used by anyone other than my father. This morning when I looked out the window and saw the pummeling Mother Nature gave us last night, I thought: That ain't no cat tracker. It's funny how phrases from a long time ago sneak up on you sometimes.

I've heard everything from 13-17 inches of snow. I'm not a good judge so I can't say which is correct. My classification system of 'cat tracker' and 'ain't a cat tracker' isn't complex enough to include precise measurements, but I think it's safe to say we got more than a foot of snow overnight.

Unlike the majority of the city, I went to work. As usual, my running schedule lined up with blizzard schedule so I took my running gear with me. People think I'm crazy for running in weather like this, but I don't think it's crazy at all. They plow the bike path so it's typically not that bad, and it's really peaceful out there. Just me and the crunching of the snow under my feet.

I run on the bike path so much I've figured out the plowing schedule. They plow early in the morning, and again around 11 am...maybe again later in the afternoon if needed. So if I head out about 11:30 I get out there right after they plow, and today was no exception. They were still plowing, but it was clear enough to run on.

It was truly a winter wonderland out there. I'm not a big fan of winter - I prefer summer - but I really enjoy my blizzard runs. It's peaceful and very scenic. I sometimes run with my Ipod, but not on blizzard runs. I just run and enjoy how quiet and empty the city is. And with most people opting to stay home from work today, crossing the roads was easy. I never had to stop for a car.

Near the halfway point of my run, I noticed some people up ahead on the bike path. As I got closer, I realized it was some kids enjoying their snow day with a snowball fight. They had built forts on either side of the path so I had to run right through the fight. A constant stream of snowballs crossed the path as I drew nearer. This was quite a snowball fight, maybe even a snowball war. I was impressed. I figured I'd get hit with a snowball and was going to do my best not to take one right in the face. Just as I entered the combat zone, one of the kids stood up and yelled, "I hate socialism," as he launched a snowball over my head at the fort on the other side of the path.

Interesting.

And all these people say kids these days do nothing but sit around and play video games. While their parent's were using a few inches of snow as an excuse to stay home from work and sit on the couch (or shovel), these kids were out on the front lines fighting the good fight, keeping the socialists from taking advantage of a moment of weakness and advancing into enemy territory. I thought about what I might have yelled as a kid in a snowball fight. I couldn't remember, but I suspect I was much more likely to yell, "this ain't no cat tracker" than "I hate socialism!"

Post run. Frosty, but not too bad. I ran in a blizzard two years ago where the snow/ice buildup on my face got so bad the chunks of ice on my eyebrows were bothering me. I pulled one off and it hurt a little and I spent the rest of the run wondering if I just pulled my eyebrow off.


The path where they had just started plowing. This was the worst section so it only got better from here.


Winter Wonderland.

A Crazy Crazy Legs

Last weekend was the April Du. It's a 2 mile trail run (hilly), followed by a 12 mile bike (hilly) followed by the same 2 mile trail run (still hilly). It was really fun. Lots of co-workers and friends there. I did well (2nd), but injured my hamstring by attacking the downhills too hard - that's how I tore my tendon 2 years ago.

So all week I've been in a lot of pain. I tried running Wednesday, and that was a big mistake because I made it worse. Thursday it was the worst - very painful. It hurt to touch it, so it hurt all day sitting in my chair at work. Friday was much better, but still far from 100%.

This morning was Crazy Legs, and I really wanted to run so I went out early this morning for a short run to see how it was and it didn't feel too bad. It hurt, but not so bad that I felt I couldn't run. So I smothered the leg in Aspercreme, wrapped it for support and headed to the race.

The weather was brutal today - thunderstorms and heavy rain. It was my parent's first year walking Crazy Legs so I was hoping for better weather for them. I'll run in the rain so I don't mind that much, but walking in it has to suck.

Anyway, I had two goals. The lofty goal - break 30 minutes, and the realistic goal - 31 minutes. I started out at a 5:55 pace and felt great. I decided to back it down a tad at the 3/4 mile mark and finished the first mile in 6:04. The second mile has Observatory hill (this is when the heavy rains started), and I took it easy on the backside to protect my hamstring, so that mile was slower and I finished with an average pace of 6:14. I held that for a while and felt really good. I figured I'd pick up the pace toward the end and try to get back the time I lost on Observatory...not meant to be.

I faded....then faded some more....then faded a little more. I finished in 32 minutes. I missed both goals, but set a Crazy Legs PR so it's not a complete disappointment.

I find it frustrating because last year I weighed in 5 pounds lighter than I did this morning, and I pushed myself a lot harder during the race and suffered a lot more. I don't feel like I had the mental edge today. I lacked the strength and will power to push myself as hard as I did last year. I don't know if it was the hamstring or the weather or what the deal was, but I need to get that focus and determination back or this season may be full of disappointing results.

Unfortunately, I'll be in Connecticut next weekend so I can't race the Peanut Butter Duathlon this year (big disappointment), so now I'm focusing on the Beloit Biathlon. That's my next race. I hope the weather is nice.

My parents said they had a good time despite the rain so that was good.

Trying to be positive.

They like barns in CT, that much I know. The picture is Cannondale's office. I guess construction begins this summer, so I don't know what it will look like when that's done.

I've done a lot of research this weekend, and I think I actually found a place or two that I like that I can afford. The tough part is that I'm picky. I don't like old buildings, especially old apartment buildings. I like newer apartment buildings that look like townhomes. Or, if I have to live in an old building, I want something with character...like a warehouse turned into studios or something like this...



This one is affordable, but it's in West Haven which would give me a pretty long commute...but I'd be close to Yale. But for right now I'd rather not commute too far because I'm afraid $4 gas is going to return in the near future.

And I want a washer/dryer in my apartment. No laundrymats for me...told you I'm picky.

So there's this place...



It's in Danbury and it's a lot like my place now. I would lose about 250 sq. ft and my underground parking, but I think I can afford it and it looks nice (although I'm concerned all the pictures online are of the pool, clubhouse and gym - I'd rather see the apartments). It's close to work - 5.5 miles - and close to Candlewood Lake and I think it's close to the train station but I'm not sure on that. Danbury is a town of 78,000. It's like Janesville. Everything is close because you can drive across town in 15 minutes.

That's the big negative for me. I want to move to a city bigger than Madison, and moving to Danbury would be a little like moving back to Janesville. But there are worse things out there. Danbury's crime rate is really low so that's something.

There are only about 2 or 3 more places I found that I like and I think I can afford. The tough part is that they each have one floor plan that I can afford so if it doesn't open up I don't know what I'll do. But I have time. Plenty of time.

And there's the Bethel Cycle/Tri club with 190+ members so I would have some people to train with. And I think their team kits look pretty nice so that's an incentive (a small incentive).

One of my worries was that CT wouldn't have much of a triathlon scene, but it looks there are quite a few events around there. The new Rev3 half ironman is in Middlebury, CT (sponsored by Cannondale) about 30 minutes from the Danbury/Bethel area. There are lots of sprint tris and olympic tris.

As I was doing some research on this a few weeks ago I came across a small series of running races in the area that are free and then I picked up Runner's World and there was an article on those races. Weird. Do you think it's a sign? Much like my new license plates that have NYC on them (instead of my ex-girlfriend's initials - that was weird too).

And I wouldn't be too far from the NYC marathon and the Boston Marathon and the Lake Placid Ironman....

...and the ocean. Gotta love the ocean.

*******

As for training, here's the link to my run today if you're interested. It was so so. My speed was good, but I felt like crap so I don't know what to make of it.

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/DJJHS7WLLQTTZWL4SAX4OFCERI

Tempo Tuesday

I've been putting a big focus on heart rate training these days, and my body is really responding to it. I wish I had gotten into it more a long time ago.

I have two main heart rate workouts I'm doing. One is my one hour negative split Tuesday tempo run. I run down the bike path for 31:30 keeping my heart rate at 75% of max. Then I turn around and keep my HR at 90% of max on the way back (8 miles total). It's mostly downhill going out, and uphill coming back. I've done this workout 5, maybe 6 times now and I'm seeing my times improve a lot. Last week and this week were really good, and the weather was identical so I was able to compare workouts. My tempo pace improved by 8 seconds per mile this week. All total my tempo pace has improved by almost 40 seconds over the last 2 months. I'm due for a bad tempo run, but I'm hoping I can get in a few more weeks of improvement before I hit a plateau.

The other workout is my long run. I'm trying to keep my heart rate at 151 (or below) on my long runs. This is to build my aerobic endurance. Sunday my average heart rate was 151 so I finished right on the edge, which is what I was aiming for. If you're wondering where I came up with 151 as the magic number, here's the formula:


1. Take 180

2. Subtract your age

3. Take this number and correct it by the following:

-If you do not workout, subtract another 5 beats.

-If you workout only 1-2 days a week, only subtract 2 or 3 beats.

-If you workout 3-4 times a week keep the number where it is.

-If you workout 5-6 times a week keep the number where it is.

-If you workout 7 or more times a week and have done so for over a year, add 5 beats to the number.

-If you are over about 55 years old or younger than about 25 years old, add another 5 beats to whatever number you now have.

-If you are about 60 years old or older OR if you are about 20 years old or younger, add an additional 5 beats to the corrected number you now have.


For my other runs, I keep my heart rate below 151 also with a few exceptions. I do a recovery run with 3 20-second surges in it and I think my HR creeps up above 151 briefly while doing those. I'm also now doing a hill workout every week (just started last week) and my HR goes up while doing hills, but I take it easy running to and from the hill.

I'm really getting hooked on running these days, and I'm starting to think about spending more time running and less time on triathlon. Maybe it's just a phase, but I'd kind of like to learn more about Arthur Lydiard's methods and see if I can get my mileage up to 100 miles per week. I'm a long way away from that now (35-40 mpw), but I'd love to see if I can do it and how my body would respond to that kind of mileage. It might break me, but then again it might get me to the starting line at Boston.

Speaking of Boston, here's a video of Kara Goucher preparing for this year's Boston Marathon...

Lovin the long run

Long runs have been good to me this year and I look forward to my long run all week. I struggled on one a few weeks ago, but other than that they've all gone according to plan. I've hit my goals and felt strong on all of them.

For the past 3 Sundays, my long run has been 2 laps of the arb loop. I've been getting more and more into heart rate training and monitoring my heart rate during workouts so today I decided to run by heart rate more than pace. Typically, on my long runs I choose a pace and go for it. Today, I had a different plan.

I wanted to run at 80%-82% of my max heart rate the whole time. That proved a little more difficult than I thought it would be with the hills in the arbortetum, but I think I did a pretty good job. Here's the HR graph....

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Tonight I tried to win an entry into Ironman Wisconsin 2009, and I came very close. My ticket had number 510558 and the winning ticket was 510559.

It wasn't meant to be. So my focus will remain on The Great Floridian and Ironman Wisconsin 2010.

Looking Ahead

Finally, the weather is warming up, the snow is melting and spring is in the air. People are riding outdoors, running and generally getting back in shape. So what did I do this weekend? I rode indoors.

I did an indoor team time trial Saturday at SBR. Each member of the four person team rode for an hour so it was a tough workout. Two members rode hills and two rode a flat course. I rode hills.

My goal = 280 watt average.

I came close with an average of 275. I weighed in at 171 Saturday so I averaged 3.56 w/kg. I want to average 4.0 w/kg at time trials and to do that I need to get my watts up to 300. Losing a few pounds won't hurt either but I've been struggling to lose weight lately. It's frustrating. If I can get down to 165 and get my watts up to 300 I'll hit my 4.0 w/kg. If I can't lose weight, I need to get my watts up to 310. That's a big jump from 275.

I've got some work to do.

I don't know how my team did yet because the overall results haven't been posted yet, but I was told I set the fastest time on the hilly course so I'm happy with that. The last of the indoor TT series is this Saturday so I have one more day on the trainer.

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Sunday I met Jim in the arb for a long run. Those familiar with the arboretum know that it's a fairly challenging 10K loop. There's a fair amount of small hills, which add up to quite a bit of climbing when you do a couple of loops.

I've been having a pretty good year for long runs and Sunday was no exception. We kept the pace fast enough to be challenging, but not so fast we couldn't carry on a conversation the whole time. We ran for 2 hours at an 8:30 pace so we got 14 miles in for the day. I haven't run 14 miles since the Ironman so it felt really good to get in some high mileage, and to have 8:30s for a long run be a conversational pace is really encouraging. I put a lot of work into my running this winter and I feel like it's paying off.

So I decided to set a crazy goal for Crazylegs. I want to break 30 minutes. Last year I ran it in 32:40, which is a 6:36 pace. To break 30 minutes I need to hold a 6 minute pace for 5 miles. I'm not confident I can do that, but it's going to be fun to try. Why not, right?

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I've been working on my training plan lately and trying to set some goals for the season and pick my races. It's tough to do because I love to race and I want to race everything. But this year I think I'm going to race less so I can get in more training volume for The Great Floridian. That's my "A" race for the year so I need to stay focused. I'll also pick a half ironman to do in the middle of summer but I haven't decided which one yet. I'm thinking I might do the Door County Half or the Spirit of Racine again.

Or maybe I'll have to do the Rhode Island 70.3 instead.

But right now I'm getting anxious to do some early season duathlons and time trials. And now that I have a goal for CrazyLegs, I need to start focusing on that and working some more tempo runs and track workouts into my program. It's good to have goals....even if they are crazy.

Tour of California

They have some great coverage of the Tour of California this year, and unfortunately I discovered they have incredible live online coverage...live as in while I'm at work.


I didn't sign up for the Hillsboro Roubaix because I found out I'd have to race Cat 5, which means I would drive 6 hours for a 22 mile race. No thanks. A co-worker was thinking about doing the race with me, and after we decided not to sign up he suggested we come up with our own "Paris Roubaix Hell of the North" style race (that's the race the Hillsboro Roubaix is inspired by - rough roads, strong winds, crappy weather...a good spring classic).

So I've been planning a ride, which I think will head up toward Denzer, WI where I found a few miles of gravel road we can include. I'm having a hard time finding brick roads. I might include some of the Military Ridge Trail too to get in a few more miles of non-paved roads. And some tough climbs. Maybe I'll run it down Allied Drive to add an element of danger.

Then today, a co-worker sent me a link to this...



They call Paris Roubaix the "Hell of the North" and apparently someone has put together a Hell of the South ride that starts in Madison. Not sure why it's the Hell of the South when clearly we are in the North, but whatever. I haven't decided if I'm going to do it, but I might. I'll still do my own "Hell of the North" as this ride is completely off road and mine will be mainly paved with some gravel and tough climbs. But this sound like it could be fun.

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Saturday, I didn't ride outdoors since we got some snow overnight so I popped in the Timetrialapalooza DVD. I haven't done that one in a few weeks, and I hit my best numbers ever for that workout. I was really happy with that, but figured it would put a hurtin on my Sunday run....not the case.

I had a lot on my mind Sunday morning and went out and just ran and let my mind wander and by the end I had run 11.46 miles at a 7:52 pace and felt great the whole time. I didn't even need to eat anything.

Today, my legs are a little sore so there was a price to pay, but it was worth it. I wish I could run like that every Sunday morning.


This Saturday is the 3rd SBR Time Trial and after winning the last one I am going into this one with the goal of winning again. I typically don't care how I do because these are just training days, but I think trying to win will help me get in a great workout. It's gonna be a sufferfest.