OllyThon

Just some running stuff

2009-08-06T08:55:00.001-07:00

The fivefingers aren't that great for hot conditions. when we're out there running in 100 degree weather, the surface we are on -- everything except grass -- is too hot and I get blisters.
So, back to the stupid ol' running shoes.
other than that, it's been a fantastic experience and I really enjoy the barefooting. I do have some work to do to get my lower legs in shape for this though. They are complaining. My feet also get very sore -- as in muscular soreness.
That's all there is to report right now.

FiveFingers Day 4 -- 4 easy miles

2009-07-23T17:12:00.002-07:00

I keep saying, "oh, I'm going to take a break from them, work up to wearing them fulltime, blah blah blah" and I resist the urge to retire my running shoes to lawn-mowing duty.
Yet, whenever it comes time to run, I am drawn to the fivefingers. I had every intention of running last night in my running shoes. But... it just seemed like I'd be slipping into a straight-jacket for my run. So, out came the fivefingers... and away we went.
I started my run next to the canal on rocky/tussocky ground perfect for breaking an ankle or twisting a knee. Neither happened. Instead I just plodded along in my little slippers. True -- my ankles did twist and roll to accomodate the terrain, but never in that painful forceful way that you get with a shoe. (hypothesis to follow)
Then I ran along a little pea-stone road, pain free.Then down along the hops on a dirt road. The dirt is the super-fine flour-type variety that is several inches deep over a base of odd-shaped stones and god knows what. This was the worst. You just were running blind and got that dirt in your shoes and BLEAH. But, still, it was bearable. I would never have touched the stuff in my shoes just because it would've made them a total, dirt-filled mess.
Ran about 3 miles on grass, turned around and went home. Felt fine.

Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that the flat base and sharp "edges" of my running shoe soles are comparable to a flat-hulled play kayak. Super stable and forgiving when upright and on the flat, but once you catch an edge you are forcefully flipped. I believe that the same applies to shoe soles and that running in lumpy terrain, once you get off the kind flat sole of your shoe, the edge on which you stand is wobbly and can result in a nasty ankle-roll. ow! The difference in the shoes on the flat is noticeable. The difference running in the shoes on lumpy/rocky/soddy ground is amazing.
I think I'm just going whole-hog with the shoes. that's that.

Day 3 in the FiveFingers

2009-07-23T17:12:00.001-07:00

Ran 60 minutes, with 4:00 - 5:00 total uphill time, in "the shoes". Sore calves. Wow. got a blister on my big toe. But, all in the name of breakin' in them shoes.

3.5+ Miles Barefoot = ??? find out!!

2009-07-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

They aren't even all that ugly... SERIOUSLY!!! Here is a slightly poetic "review" of my first real run in the FiveFingers.

With trepidation I wriggled my toes into their separate little pockets, scrunching, spreading, squishing... until finally, voila, they were perfectly fit to my feet. I was going to run 3+ miles today plus 4 strides. I felt a pang of concern -- what if they ate my feet and chewed them into hamburger? I'd be out in no-man's land with bloody feet and nothing but black asphalt and burning sand between myself and home. Bad ideas with potentially painful outcomes are kind of my specialty, so I went ahead with the plan.
Our plan for today was to run 3 miles at an easy pace, then do 4 "strides" -- where you run very quickly for a very short distance. In this case we would all but sprint for 100 m.
Melyssa, Katie and I met up and headed toward our "stretching rock", a line of giant boulders along our running path where we stop to stretch after warming up briefly. The slow jog to the rocks was... uneventful. Nothing hurt. Nothing felt funny.
After stretching we headed down the asphalt path along the river. I concentrated on running silently and smoothly. No toe-slapping like I had fly-swatter feet. Just a soft silent roll from mid-foot to my big-toe, then pushing off, and doing the same with the next foot. I expected some indication that muscles were being called to action in ways they hadn't before. Nothing. Just quiet steps.
We cruised through our 3 miles easily. We even ran some of it in some grass, and I ran on a gravel road for about a quarter mile. The grass and the gravel road provided great surfaces for experiencing one of the strengths of barefoot running -- stability! In the past, running on sod has me running with my arms out in some sort of gorilla-hug, jerking from side-to-side, constantly trying to offset the wobbling of my legs as my ankles roll from side to side. My knees would always, ALWAYS hurt after a grass run. I figured it was because of the lateral tweaking that they endured. Today on grass I just cruised along. I didn't even realize it until after the run -- the grass didn't cause the least bit of pain!
We finished the three miles with a little kick up a hill and then got ready to do our strides on the flat road above.
The strides went just like every other stride session. You start off rested, you accelerate until you break the speed of ecstasy, and then slow back down for a recovery. You recover by panting, "THAT was FUN!!!" until your heart rate comes back down to something manageable. Can you tell I love strides?
We did 5 strides because 4 was fun but 5 was better. Then we jogged back to work.

the Fivefingers were great on every surface. I did FEEL pebbles, but not in a painful way.
the shoes were awesome on those wonky surfaces that I normally loathe. My toes were so dang happy to get to manage my stability, and they did a fantastic job.
The wear pattern on the bottoms of my shoes show that I definitely was landing mid-foot, and rolling off the big toe. the toe soles are black on one side, with a bit of a fade pattern to the other side -- darkest on the outside of my foot, and lightest on the inside. i think that indicates good stride, or at least good foot work.
The other cool thing is that you get a way better tanline pattern with the fivefingers than with shoes and socks. Ugh.
When i got back i washed them in the sink and they are drying right now.

So, 3.5 + miles in the Fivefingers = BLISS! I am hereby proclaiming these my new running shoes. Not quite ready to retire my "old" running shoes to lawn-mowing duty yet... but close. Tomorrow's a rest day and Thursday is a one hour run, so about twice the distance. I'm just going to keep running in them.

FiveFingers 7/7/09: Debut Run

2009-07-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

I got the FiveFingers about a week ago: http://www.productwiki.com/vibram-fivefingers-classic/
Background: For those of you who don't know, i have a bit of a reputation for going barefoot around the office as much as possible. I have problems outdoors on gravel (OW) or asphalt (HOT). As a raft guide I was barefoot just about 24/7. it never really occurred to me to train barefoot, even though I'd much prefer it. So, when I heard of running in these I thought "Eureka!"
Test One
I put them on, but left the tag on, just in case. Putting them on is tricky -- you have to spread your toes out and coax them into each little toe-hole. If you have manky, knobby, knuckly toes and a freakishly long middle toe, this takes a little time. I found that if I slipped my finger in over the top of each toe and pushed down on the knuckle to flatten the toe out, it squished in nice and tight and comfy. Except, of course, the pinky toe of my right foot which has a mind of its own. Walking around in them, just around the house and yard, rocks. so comfy but without the usual hazards and annoyances. Test one: pass.
Test Two
Today I ran 3 miles then did 4 x 100 "strides" (kinda like 100m sprints) on asphalt. The better bet would've been to do the strides on grass, but I wanted a flast (flat/fast) surface. Again with the wiggling, knuckle-flattening, wedging... and of course the rebellious pinky toe that I'm naming Elvis for its flagrant wiggling and non-conformist ways. (Plus, it's kind of a sexy toe.
Stride 1 -- uh, yeah, i was chicken. It was nothing like a stride or a sprint. More of a trepidatious twinkle-toe-trot ala Fred Flintstones at the bowling alley. Also, the little twinge of tendonitis in the top of my right foot began acting up a bit, but it was bearable. The cool thing is that I could spread my toes and stretch my foot to remedy the problem (unlike with my running shoes).
Stride 2 -- better, something more closely resembling commitment, and the shoes are feeling fine. Absolutely NO heat from the asphalt (but I bet over a long distance you'd get toasty feet).
Stride 3 -- I wanted to go fast, but the only way I could do it comfortably was to modify my stride.... which is exactly the effect i wanted from the shoes. You just can't heel-strike with them for long, and certainly not fast. And to land mid-foot requires good posture, shoulders back, abs engaged, it was feeling good. I was mashing my toes into my shoes though, mostly just Elvis. I wiggled the fabric around to fix it.
Stride 4 -- still not perfect form. However, instead of looking straight down at the road in front of me in fear of little rocks that normally would hurt, I began looking further ahead... and then things really started lining up as I lifted my head.
I walked back to the office in them and it was all good. Still some practice needed in them for running, but that was expected and even desired. I bought some socks for them, I'll let you know how that goes when i use them. So far i've been going commando in the shoes. So, for walking around I LOVE them. For running, I'm going to continue adding them in bigger doses as my feet and legs strengthen. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying a few more pair over the next few months. do you think they make them in a dress shoe???

Barefootin' It -- What it is.

2009-07-23T17:03:00.001-07:00

I've started "Barefooting". In this case, I'm referring to running with no support, as close to barefoot as possible. It's not purely barefoot running though, I use these: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_classic_f.cfm
Vibram FiveFingers. There are other similar shoes available, but this is where I started.
I won't bore you with a lot of the history behind my decision to run barefoot. I've heard that I won the genetic lottery to train for 16 weeks with no base, and run a marathon with out a single injury to interrupt my training. So, it's not that I'm out to "fix" anything ailing me.
What follows are some notes about my experiences.

Week Off from training

2009-07-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've drawn up a new training plan, 22 weeks of training, for the Las Vegas R n' R. Not sure how I feel about training for 22 weeks. That's pretty freakin' huge.
This week I'm pretty much chilling.

Bucket List Item, completed.

2009-06-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Seattle Rock n' Roll marathon was a blast. Lots of good vibes from the 25,000 runners, the volunteers, and the onlookers. Everyone was so supportive. People would run up next to me and chat a bit, encourage me in my first marathon attempt, and it was just so nice. The volunteers, cheer teams, and bands were also really fun and helpful and encouraging. Shoot, I wish our training runs were like that. :)
We had fabulous weather also.
I'm just excited that after about a zillion false-starts at training for a marathon, I finally completed all of the training and did the "victory lap" in Seattle. Pretty big job to tackle, and so worth it. So, I'm doing it again.
You learn so much about yourself when undertaking these types of endeavours and I feel like there is more for me to learn, so I'm training again, beginning next week.
Also, purchased these hot little numbers http://www.rei.com/product/753390 in order to begin adding barefoot training to my routine, in hopes of running "barefoot" (basically in these or a type of huarache). More on the Barefoot thing later.
For now, just recovering -- drinking lots of water, chilling, basking in the afterglow. :)

Our short runs used to be our long runs

2009-05-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

That last post was in March, when running 8 miles for my "long runs" was painful and required a nap afterwards.
We do those on our lunch break now, no problem. 8 miles, add some hills, a bit of this, a bit of that, done. Our long runs are now in the 15+ mile range. This weekend I'm doing 19.5 miles. yeah.
bought new shoes. Oh my god. running has completely changed my sensitivity levels for my feet. it's incredible. Before, i was only aware of one thing that was a bother -- my pinkie toe is sensitive to stitching. Yesterday I put on a pair of shoes and instantly recognized that the shape and size of the heel cup is completely life-changing. So, with that said, I'm stoked about these new shoes. The niggling heel pain that I felt before I think will be remedies with these. It always started when I'd start running, until I warmed up. I'd imagine this will also help with some other issues -- little tweaky pains in my knees and tendonitis across the tops of my feet. No worries.
So, anyway, we are also naming our little team "sole mates". Because, melyssa is the perfect training partner for me, and we get along so well that it's like we're meant for each other... and sole = shoe sole. Get it? we are witty. yes we are.

Just More Running

2009-03-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

I officially have 3 8-mile-long runs under my belt. Is it 3 or 4? I think three. Anyhoooo....
Last week I faithfully completed every single day of training. It was a great feeling of accomplishment. Hoping to get 100 miles in this month. If I hadn't been sick the first week, I'd be on easy street. As it stands now, I'm exactly on track if I don't miss a single day of training between now and the end of the month. yikes.
This week we are ramping up a bit. I have a 10 mile long-run on Saturday, which is also the same day as a race. So, I'll do 2 miles to warm up, then 5 miles of racing, and then 3 miles of running.
Today we experimented with a Jeff Galloway-style run. 6 miles. We did short periods of walking. With each running section our time increased dramatically. We started out at about a 10 minute mile pace. By the last 1.5 mile section we were running an 8:30 and it was painless. Fantastic! We still averaged a 10 minute pace overall, but this was much more fun and interesting. We are thinking of revising our training to incorporate this type of running more.
Strides are still my way favorite day of running. oh weeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Just stepping out and ripping (in as much as I "rip") down the road.... so fun.

Well now, it's certainly been awhile

2009-02-25T15:02:00.000-08:00

Running 5 miles on weekdays and 8 mile long runs on the weekend. We do hills on Tuesdays and intervals on Thursdays. Starting 3/9 we are ramping up our training. owwwwwww!!!
I ordered a garmin 305. Hot. can't wait to get that. Meanwhile I just follow my training partner Melyssa around and run. wee. !

4 mile minimum runs now

2008-06-23T07:26:00.001-07:00

I'm running 4+ miles, 3x per week. I'm not great about logging it in MapMyRun, but oh well. My goal for july is to run 4 mile runs on my "days off" and up to 11 on my on days.
Heading to Hell's Canyon for 5 days, I won't get any running in then, but I think I'll try doing some sort of Cardio Swimming thing where I get out and swim in the current until I'm winded. I'll wear a life vest maybe. I'm a crappy swimmer.
I still am a very slow runner. I'd like to work on that in July.

Doing it

2008-06-03T06:18:00.001-07:00

Ran 2+ miles yesterday and a short mile + today.
It's about getting out and doing it, that's all.

Ready to Run? Yes!

2008-06-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Italy and ready to run. Tomorrow I RESTART my training. damn. Oh, but it's not so bad. I'll be running 100 miles this month, and next month I'm going to start meeting with a group in Richland on Tuesday nights for running practice. You know -- where someone will coach me and everything! w00t!!!
that's all the news here.

Slacking

2008-05-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

It's true, I've been slacking. Lately I've started running and walking again. 3 miles a day at lunch (walking) and then running usually in the evenings. Today I start a marathon training plan that I got off of nikeplus for my iPod. I will run 4 miles today at lunch.

Tonight I'll hike Badger with Deanna and her mom, I'm looking forward to that.
Getting ready for Italy, and feeling a bit swamped!

Rage in the Sage update

2008-04-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

my three goals were:
1.) run during all the running parts (no walking)
2.) bike during all the biking parts (no pushing my bike up hills)
3.) finish before the buzzards started circling.

I met all three goals, and as an added bonus, did not finish dead last. yay!

Adam took 3rd in his age group, rocking the course in 1:28 -- holy shit.
It was fun. Really, it seriously was. Now I'm off to White Pass for somemore fun.

Rage in the Sage Today

2008-04-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well, given my week, "Rage" may be an appropriate term. My effing bank is pissing me off with their unwillingness to fix THEIR mistake in a way that suits me. They are hoping to credit me NEXT month the $212 THEY inappropriately dinged me THIS month. Well, hello, I run a tight budget and I need the money NOW. As a result I've had to transfer money from my savings for Italy to get through the rest of the month and I'm pissed.
Plus, today I seem to've awakened with allergies or a cold. Just lots of nose-blowing this morning. And, I've gone to the doc with some mysterious symptoms that we are investigating -- the upshot of which being: physical therapy and massage, lots of both. Yesterday I started my period. I know you wanted to know that. So today will be like running with a bag of water strapped to my back.
Oh well. Today will be a fun day with my bro and then I'm heading up to White Pass for a few days to ski and attend a couple of parties -- one Patrol party and one Employee party. So, ha ha!
I'll post Adam's and my results in here when I get back today... I looked out and already the buzzards are circling in preparation for my performance... ;)

New Playlist, New Pace

2008-04-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Changed up the playlist on my iPod. Did a good 2.5 mile run and found that if I just sprint along every once in awhile, and then use my "lame-o shuffle" to recover, I net a pretty decent pace.
That's all.

I have Training ADD

2008-04-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

I did a little over half the Rage in the Sage in an hour. Maybe Adam's right, that with some adrenaline and such, I'll be actually "raging" at the race. But, I have to admit, I found yesterday's workout to be....
boring.
I need to do things to spice it up.
Oh, and another thing, my effing playlist on my iPod has GOT to change!!! YUCK! I'm sick of it.
I do like the eminem song, and the bebel gilberto tune. But, I think I need to add some electronica or techno or what the heck ever else there is...

Lately

2008-04-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Wednesday and Thursday i did stuff but i can't remember. It's logged in mapmyrun.com though. I do remember trying to run Wednesday but finding that I lacked anything. I mean, my legs were just dead logs to me. My mind wasn't that willing either. So, I walked it, and this is fine.
Friday, at the last minute, I was able to go to Salem with Jeff and his daughter Lacey and watch Matthew run in a track meet. He ran the 1500 (second place: 3:58), and he was the pace-setter for the 5000 (running a 4:23 mile for the first mile, which is pretty much a jog for him). We spent yesterday (Saturday) just hanging out with Jeff's family and then going to visit my mom. I told her that she needed to start training for the T.C. marathon, and in true Mikey fashion she just blinked, shrugged, and said, "okay, I could probably do that." Of course, she realistically assessed that a marathon is 26 miles and that is, as I like to say, "a long way". But she also has that classic Oliver "what the hell??" attitude.
So, yes, we potentially have a 5th Olly on the Ollython team.
Not much else to report. Today I'm doing the entire Rage in the Sage course and hoping, praying, to get it done in <2 hours. :( I had a dream last night that I was running it and that they kicked me off the course for being too slow. My goal is really just to finish it, and I have it in my head that if I'm not finished after 2 hours, they won't let me finish.
Anyway, I'm off to run it now, later.

Bike and Run

2008-04-01T21:44:00.001-07:00

Biked 6 miles. I need to do it again on the course. Anyway, it's going well.
Ran 1.5 miles, just to get the mileage in. Gotta get that 100 miles this month!!
Nothing else to report.

Things to Work On

2008-04-01T05:59:00.001-07:00

I'm a plodder. I can go and go and go, no problem, it's just that I never go anywhere fast. So, I think I have the mindset for a marathon, but good grief, I need to work on my pace. This month: pick up the pace. I'll quantify that goal soon.
I'm also noticing that my iPod and mapmyruns.com are wonky in their pace calculations. You wouldn't think it'd be that hard to figure out. I'll go with mapmyruns, though I guess. My iPod shows my pace as being pretty steady, around 8:30 miles to 9:48. Mapmyruns has everywhere from 7:05 pace to 10:15 pace. And on the 10:15 day, that was the day I tried to go fast. I knew I'd gone a lot faster and the iPod logged my run at a whole minute/mile faster. So for mapmyrun to calculate my pace as being the worst that day is a little weird. The problem with going with the iPod though is that it isn't calibrated and doesn't measure the distance correctly. I'll take it down to the track and get it set up this weekend.

Today I'm learning to rollerblade. Stu's taking me. After a bike ride Saturday, bike/run Sunday, and lots of miles yesterday, I need to take a break and do something different. I'll ride the trainer tonight when I get home.

My right hip flexor is really bothering me from the mileage yesterday. No running today.

Oh, been really doing a lot of stretching too. I feel like I have to. Like, I wake up in the morning and it's my only option or I'll be stove-up all day.

Runs and such this year:
Rage in the Sage duathlon(4/12)
Bloomsday 7 mile (5/3)
Fiasco in Pasco duathlon(5/10)
Clear Lake Run 5 mile (Early June)
Righteous Richland Sprint Triathlon (7/5)
Titanium Man Olympic Triathlon (8/30)
Indian Summer Half Marathon (9/13)
Tri-Cities Marathon (10/26)
Mt. St. Helens 30 mile trail run with Brea and Adam and anybody else (11/1?)

8 miles today, 92 to go

2008-03-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

I just ran 6 miles at lunch. But, in order to complete my mileage goal of 34 for March, i need to run 2 more miles. I'm about to do that. It won't be anything stellar, and this is probably a poor way to train, but sometimes completing a goal is more about the accomplishment than it is about the benefits or gain. These two miles will be for my head.
But, this also puts me at 8 miles for the day -- a good start for the 100 mile goal in April.

And here, downloaded from my iPod and for all to see: I reached my goal.

Thus Begins 100 Miles

2008-03-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

This month my brother, niece, and I are planning to run 100 miles each.

Mini-Du

2008-03-30T18:29:00.001-07:00

Did my mini-Du workout today, running 1.6 miles, then biking 3 + then running another 1.6 miles. The transitions are super mellow -- i walk in the house, have a glass of water, blow my nose, change shoes, then head back out. It's a little baby Duathlon, and gives me a sense of what to expect in a couple of weeks.
So, the training went well. I've determined that I'm quite lazy at this. I'm sporadic about my training, and then I'm a slacker when i actually do run. So, I'll be working on working harder.
At the same time, I do have these little goals for myself to challenge myself. This one was to actually ride my bike all the way to the top of Coopers' Hill on the route. I haven't made it before, but today I did. WHEW! What a freakin' challenge that was! But, i'm so stoked to've done it. Yay!
Anyway, so I got my mileage in and some practice doing the run/bike/run routine. yay!

A Long Bike Ride

2008-03-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Adam and I did about 7 miles maybe yesterday. We did one ride on the R/S course, and we also rode the running course and we rode over there and back. It was actually a great ride and I had a lot of fun just hanging with him and chatting. Belive it or not, the most painful part of doing it was my stupid freakin' neck. Yeah, it hurts trying to hold my fat head up for so long while riding. But, I'll do some more riding, no worries.
Today I'm running and going to do a short ride. Maybe I'll do my mini-course today. That'd be a good workout.

Back-breaking News.

2008-03-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Jeff is immobilized with his back. Oh man the dude's in pain. I've been looking after him since Tuesday, and thus have missed any training this week. Yeah, I suck. Add to that that my neck is currently killing me. Once in a great while it acts up like this -- stiff as hell, headaches, and I feel like i'm going blind in one eye. It's just the after-effects of the broken neck and really should not stop me from performing -- training or doing whatever I want. It's just that it saps my motivation and I succumb to an urge to whine and lay around. Today i'll run though, swear it. Tomorrow Adam and I are biking the course.
oh, and it's ~snowing~ here. YEAH, seriously. how nuts is that?

Calibrate Your Nike + Doohicky

2008-03-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

http://walking.about.com/od/pedometer1/ss/nikeplussensor_9.htm Tells how to do it. I haven't done it yet.

Another Workout Today: Running

2008-03-24T17:27:00.001-07:00

Tried running at what I hoped my race pace would be for the R/S. There is some good news, and there is some bad news.
Good news: I shaved a minute a mile off the pace I've been running at. I guess that's a lot more than just "shaving" time.... that's more of a full hair-removal. Perhaps a brazilian.
Bad News: I'm still effing slow. My nike+ widget needs to be calibrated. It was off by 4 tenths of a mile. So, while it said I'd gone 3.01 miles in 26 minutes, Google claims I only went 2.59 miles.
I just can't get too discouraged about it though. I mean, crap. I'm running. It feels good. And, I'm making some pretty big gains in my training.
So, yes, I'm slow. But wow, I've improved without a lot of training. By the end of the summer I should be quite the running machine.
I'll hit the bike again today -- an easy ride just to get my ass (literally, my ass) in shape.
I've joined Brea's goal of getting 100 miles in for April. I'm close to my goal of 34 miles for March.

Must Ride More

2008-03-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

I rode my bike this morning and attempted a long climb. I didn't quite make it -- that's my new goal.
Hitting it hard this week and next, then going to mellow out the final week before the event. This event will not be stellar for me, I can tell. But, I'm hoping that by Fiasco in Pasco (May), I'll be in much better condition.
Jeff worked on my neck last night -- it's been great, my headache went away and everything.

Walking day

2008-03-23T21:04:00.001-07:00

Jeff and I did a 3.5 mile walk at a good pace.
I haven't been sleeping well lately.
Neck is killing me lately also, possibly related to sleep (lack thereof).
Not much else to write about.
Adam did the R/S course and mapped it, so I will have that to practice with. Tomorrow a.m. going for a bike ride.
Too much going on at work to consider riding my bike to work -- i have to haul my laptop and stuff.

Running for Speed

2008-03-21T16:34:00.001-07:00

Well, I have to laugh as I write this. Speed. HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!
I'd LOVE to get my pace down below 9 minutes, or even 8 minutes. So, "speed" is relative when I have a friend who runs 5 milers at a <6 minute pace.
But, really, I ran as hard as I could for 2.5 miles and wanted to throw up. My iPod congratulated me for running my fastest 2 miler. WEEEEE!!!! Then I walked home. Most of the run was uphill, if that means anything.
The next two weeks I need to bust ass on my training, then taper off the last week or so before the race.
I'm mortified by the very real possibility that I will come in dead last. The odds are good that this will happen. oh well. My goal is for personal improvement. And I expect to see a big change by the end of the summer. Anyway, even if I finish dead last, I'll still finish it. And that's way better than sitting on the sofa eating bon-bons and watching "Survivor".... right?
I failed to mention in my prior post that another goal of mine is to log 34 miles for the month of March. Brea has a great goal of 100 miles in April. I think I'll shoot for about 75 or so? I will have to think about that one.
Like Brea and Adam, I'm slowly getting "into" all this (okay, so brea has always been "into" this) -- reading magazines, studying, and actually getting inspired to do more and to continue. No, I haven't experienced runner's high yet (unless it feels like a sore knee, pulled hip-flexor, excessive gas, and running nose, in which case I can say I'm experiencing it in spades). Well, it's a good thing, and it's fun.

So, St. Helen's 30 mile trail run in September. We could do it as a 2-day overnighter with very light packs, or as a one-dayer. What do you guys want to do?

Goals

2008-03-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, time to get serious about some goals for the duathlon. oh, first, why's it a duathlon and not a biathlon? Well, a biathlon is two sports, and just two events. With the duathlon it's two sports, but split so it can be 3 or more events. In the case of the R/S, it's run/bike/run.
Anyway, back to goals. Well, originally my goal was to finish. I don't think that'll be a problem, I'm pretty good at just plodding along and not stopping. The many backcountry death-marches I've done have given me the ability to just not give a shit and to keep moving forward. Instead, I have an odd goal of trying to lose 10 lbs BEFORE the event. The way I see it, that's the number one factor in making sure I don't injure myself and in being able to do the entire thing. Speed and such will come later. Anyway, so how am I going to lose 10 lbs? By training for the duathlon, avoiding the ice-cream acid trip, etc. See, so it all works together.
So: 10 lbs by April 12. I'm already down 2 lbs. I have 3 weeks to go. This can be done.
Do more, eat less, easy-peasy.
Later, gators!

Back on Track

2008-03-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, last night i did my big Red Mountain loop -- the one I used to run. 5.6 miles. I ran <3 miles of it, then hiked the rest (where I stopped running is where it gets super steep).
A most excellent run and hike, though I was still coming down from what I'm calling the "afternoon acid trip". A project manager I'm working for is a 5', petite South Vietnamese dynamo. She took me to lunch yesterday and wanted to expose me to the indulgence of a Baskin Robbins "Blast". Think ice cream, coffee syrup, and a shitload of chocolate.... with about a cup of whipped cream on top. She has these every day. I don't know how. I had half of mine and my vision began to blur. I thought I was going to implode, or maybe run a marathon, or preferably throw up. Possibly all three, at the same time. The affects of the thing were horrible.
Well, anyway, with that gut-bomb and my garlic chicken swirling and stewing in my belly, the run was a pretty impressive belch-fest. Never again.
I've misplaced my iPod cable and can't download my run from last night.
Oh, and FYI, the Nike + thing needs to be calibrated so that it reads accurately.
I got my speedlaces and put them on my shoes, the way they fit makes the Nike+ sensor a bit loose and ready to slip out (though it never did), so I also need to get it velcroed in there.
Not much else to say.

Running Thus Far

2008-03-17T15:38:00.001-07:00

I ran Wednesday to make up for Tuesday's missed run. The run was a nice one along the canal out by Jeff's place. But then I got food poisoning or something on THursday and missed that run, then I sorta flaked for the weekend. So, that's okay.
Tonight I'm running my old Red Mountain loop. My goal is to run all the way to the base of Red Mountain -- about 3 miles, all a gradual uphill -- then hike the steep bit and walk home. It's a 5+ mile jaunt altogether. Eventually I'll run the whole thing.
It's my favorite workout, and is great for endurance, speed (the run up the steep section is like doing a 300' flight of stairs) and for strengthening ankles and stuff with the rough ground. Plus, it's just beautiful. :)
I'll write a post about it tonight when I get back from it.

Missed My Run

2008-03-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

Missed my run last night. My best friend was in pain and I took her to Urgent Care and we learned that she's probably passing a kidney stone. Anyhoo, so that took most of the evening and I got home around 9. Tonight I'll do a makeup run. No biggy. :)
Actually, maybe I could do a short run today at work. yeah, I will do that.
nothing else to report.

More About Bricks

2008-03-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Enrico%20Contolini/Introduction_to_bricks.htm
"Bricks are a very important part of triathlon (and duathlon) training and they are sometimes overlooked. Bricks refer to training on two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal or no interruption in between, just as you would do in a race (I am sure you knew this). Usually when people talk about bricks they refer to a bike/run workout, but bricks could also refer to a swim/bike workout or to a run/bike workout (if you are training for a duathlon). These last two are often overlooked but still important to fit here and there in your training plan."
"Here are a couple of bike/run examples:
Sprint triathlon workout: (5-6 miles bike + 1mile run) - repeat three or four times.
Olympic triathlon workout: (7-8 miles bike + 1.5-2 mile run) - repeat three or four times."

And here's just some Triathlon info:
http://www.hulaman.com/triathlon/tricks.html

Oh, and I registered

2008-03-11T09:58:00.001-07:00

I should keep track of every cent I spend on this endeavour (the all-inclusive endeavour of multi-sport racing and running the marathon), and see what it's costing me. ONLY because I bet it's WAY cheaper than skiing!!!
Anyhoo, i'm all signed up for the Rage in the Sage -- W00T!!!

Speed-Laces and thoughts on transitions

2008-03-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

I practiced my "bricks" last night -- changing between biking and running. The first thing I noticed is that swapping shoes is a huge pain in the ass. So, should I keep the same shoes for the entire duathlon? Well, i definitely can't run in my mtb shoes, and I think I'd lose a lot of time if I biked in my running shoes. Should I keep my running shoes on the whole time but change my bike pedals to baskets instead of cleats? gag, no. Instead, I'm opting for speedlaces. These will help with the transition and enable me to use the appropriate shoe at the appropriate time. I ordered two pair of the speedlaces.
Next I noticed that I'm a total freakin' clutz when it comes to mounting and dismounting my bike. I mean, it's pathetic. So really, i just need to practice this every day as a skill, not so much as part of my speed/endurance training. Three things to practice: running with my bike, mounting my bike and getting my shoes on, and dismounting my bike. Apparently people actually leave their shoes clipped into their pedals, hop on their bikes, and then pedal away, eventually smooshing their feet into their shoes. Fortunately, I have a trainer, which will help me work out these little details. Who knew this could be so complex?
Third, there's the whole issue of "what do I take?" for the mtb portion. I can tell you that when I go mtbing, I don't take anything more than a bit of water and a pump. But, I expect for this I'll need a spare tube as well. I'm going to consult my biker-buddy on this, he knows a bunch of stuff.
And finally, I really didn't notice a lot of difficulty with changing from biking to running. I thought I'd be running like a stove-up old woman, but the transition is actually not that difficult.
Not a lot else to observe at this time, but I'll keep posting as I learn more.
This will be fun, and depending on the condition I'm in by mid-April, I may just sign up for the Gap-2-Gap on May 31 as an "Iron woman". It'll be right after we get back from Italy, but that's okay.

Bricks

2008-03-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

I did bricks tonight on my bike -- switching from biking to running. Not too tough, just clumsy to change shoes.
Yay, training done.

Training, Bloomsday, etc.

2008-03-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I ran yesterday, per my schedule. Took the iPod. Man that little dude rocks. Love it. According to Mr. Nano, I'm running a 9:48 mile. I'd love to improve that, and I expect to. So, a new goal (besides to actually KEEP TRAINING) is to run an 8 minute mile during my training sessions.
Tonight I'm adding "bricks" to my training -- riding my bike hard and practicing the transition to my running shoes and running. There isn't a ton of time to really get into awesome shape for the duathlon, so my focus is just to get the soft-tissue strengthened -- speed will come later -- and to get comfortable with the more clumsy aspects of the duathlon like changing shoes and trying to run after biking.
Bloomsday is the first weekend of May. Adam is running it, and I might be. The Fiasco in Pasco (another duathlon) is the second weekend of May. We'll see how the Rage goes and I may do the Fiasco as well. I think it'll keep my training "interesting" for me to throw in some multi-sport events and stuff throughout the year.
Not much else to report except I'm still totally digging the iPod Nano with the workout kit. It's just such a fun little gadget.
Ran 20 minutes yesterday, per my training plan. Today is a day off from running, but I'll do something else like bike.

Nike + iPod Nano -- Day 1

2008-03-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

1. The Nano rocks. I got the third generation in fresh, spring, minty green awesomeness.
2. I loaded 2 playlists on it (somehow I thought I had all my tunes on there, but whatever). One is a "running" playlist i made, the other is some dumb "nike" promotional thing.
3. Slipped the transmitter in my shoelaces of my trail-runners, plugged the wireless receiver into the iPod, commenced the training.
4. Came home, plugged the iPod in, got results.

I ran 20 minutes, as prescribed by my training plan for complete and utter jongs. Every five minutes, the 'woman' says, "x minutes, x minutes remaining" or whatever. Y'know, to tell you how many minutes you've done. She tells you when you are half-way, and when you're down to 5 minutes left, she does a countdown each minute. The display tells you your time, average, and distance. You can also get the "PowerSong" (which you've already designated) and play that anytime you need a pick-me-up. I didn't bother much with the PowerSong or anything else. Twice I looked at the display, and the distance seemed to be correct (not that it mattered). So, from the perspective of adding value to my run, well, it really didn't.
When I got back, I plugged my little greeny into my laptop and uploaded my workout to the nikeplus site. Easy-Peasy. This is the part that actually got fun. I have a graph that displays distance/speed for my run. I get one of these for each run that I do. And soon, I'll get to compare each one. I can see my average pace, the places where i slowed way down (i had to pick goatheads out of Murphy's paw), and where I sped up. You can also map with Google the route you ran. Now, if this were a GPS unit, i'd be able to see the sections of my run where I sped up/slowed down ON THE ROUTE instead of just me guessing "Oh yeah, that's where I slowed down because of the hill" or whatnot. That doesn't add a ton of value either, unless you like to unneccessarily create graphs to prove shit you already knew -- like that you run slower uphill.
Anyway, so I also put a goal on the site, to track for March. That is, to run a total of 34 miles for the month (starting today). I can track that with the Nike site, and hopefully also track the improvements to my running pace and stuff.

Okay, so ultimately is this really that much better than having a spreadsheet do this for you? If you're a geek like me who likes to make spreadsheets, you won't be blown away by what this offers. On the other hand, for $30 for the sportpack you have a few little doodads to make it easier to track your training, and you don't have to go through the hassle of entering all your info manually on the web -- i mean, good god, you're probably exhausted from all that running to do any data entry! I'm glad I got it, mainly because I'm a gear-whore, not because it's completely changed my life. :)

I still use www.mapmyrun.com to track my workouts anyway, it's cool and now we have an "Ollython" group that so far is just Brea and I.

2 miles down, 32 to go.
10 minute pace -- damn, that'll make the marathon one LOOOOONG run...

Nike + iPod info

2008-03-07T07:15:00.001-08:00

Brea wants the Nike + shoes and kit. It got me to thinking that I like the idea of it. I've been wanting an iPod for 4 years now (can you believe that?). I got a Shuffle last year and I LOVE the thing. It is awesome for skiing, hiking, running, walking, camping, ignoring people, etc. But, now i'm ready for an iPod. I want one to take to Italy, plus it'd be great for camping and stuff.
Anyway, based on Brea's comments about the iPod/Nike shoes combo, I did a little research. I can't seem to find Nikes that fit me well. For whatever reason, every time I buy a pair of Nikes, I hate them. And for whatever other reason, I LOVE the Reeboks I always end up buying. So, my research into the kit was 1.) Do i HAVE to get Nike shoes? and 2.) Do I HAVE to use the Nano or can i use an iPod?

Both answers came from this great blog: http://podophile.com/nike-ipod-faq/
1.) I don't HAVE to use it with Nikes. YAY!!!!
2.) I DO have to use it with a Nano. Crap.

For now I'll continue using my shuffle while I shuffle, but I guess I'll keep an eye out for a used Nano. Ultimately, I will end up with the 80G iPod.
Yeah, i am kinda gettin' sucked into the big iPod craze... but I don't own an iPhone so HA!!!

Oh, I found this site from Brea and she's right, it rocks: www.mapmyrun.com
and here's Brea's blog about her Marathon Training. Now we just need Matt to make a blog... and what about Adam??

How Did I Get Here?

2008-03-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

My brother sent me an instant message the other day, "Hey, wanna do the Rage in the Sage?" How did he know I was looking for just such an event? We decided to do it -- not as a team or anything, just both of us sign up and do our personal best, maybe whoever finishes first can wait for the other at the finish line. 2.5 mile run, 10 mile mountain bike, 2.5 mile run. It's literally in my back yard. As in, I don't need to arrange for a ride to get there. And this all got me thinking that this year will be the multi-sport year for me. There's a multisport series held by the 3 Rivers Road Runners (same organization holding the R in the S) and I'm going to try to do all those.
As I contemplated this, I thought, "Hey, self, you should do more running." Because ultimately I'd like to get into some trail-running.
At the same time, in Milan, my niece is training for a marathon. The marathon will be HERE in October!! Serendipitous! And why's she doing it? Because her brother (and my nephew) talked her into it. He (Matthew) is wanting to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I'm signing up too, and I'm just hoping to finish it. Hopefully we can get Adam to sign up also, then we'll have a real Ollython going -- everyone's worst night-mare -- a pack of Olivers running toward them!!! WOOHOO!
There you have it -- that's how I got here. 33 weeks to train for the big event. I'll keep you posted.