Training Log Archive: iansmith

Evening bread-and-butter run. There was some snow on the ground from today, which made the running a bit arduous. My intent was to have an easy run, but I felt strong and pushed harder than I planned. Conditions were clear, with no wind and a temperature of -1 C. I ran in tights, a short sleeved running shirt with a long sleeved over that and gloves.

I'm rather bummed about how slowly I run. It is true that despite my two years on AP, I have not trained seriously, but when guys like ebone and feet casually run 7 minute miles at easy pace, I feel slothful. There are so many faster runners than I - your jmans, rosstophers, MrPithers - and the uberfast like Erin Schirm. One of my goals and focuses for the coming training year will be becoming a faster runner. As with my nefarious nemesis from up north, I am determined to catch the people ahead of me.

Warmup and cool down.

I had never explicitly run a 10k before, so after some deliberation, I set out with the objective of getting a sense of the distance, running at about tempo pace (slightly slower than threshold, I think), and running under 50 minutes, which is what I have run at easy pace in training sessions that happened to be 10k in length.

I ran with 2/2 breathing, and felt good throughout the run. After a rest and a traveling day, I felt very strong starting out. My muscles felt adequate during the run, though my left ankle seems unsteady, my endurance was not problematic. I noted that my oxygen intake seemed to be a limiting factor; while I could have pushed harder, I'm uncertain how much.

Under better conditions (warmer, I guess), I would like to try the same course with a medium term goal of running under 40 minutes. Shaving 10 seconds per 400m is ambitious, but once I start running intervals, I think it is attainable. This route has some small hills on Beacon St, but is a good course nonetheless. Conditions were clear, with negligible wind and -5 C.

I'm deliberating my training plan and goals for the next year, and it is useful to know what I am capable of. My next race is the Sycamore Scramble A-meet in North Carolina. While Brendan will be running Red for the Intercollegiates, Will has registered, which should give a reliable benchmark of my progress. I really hope to medal, but if many more usual suspects - like Ken, e.g. - sign up, my prospects may be dim.

Long slow run, around the river - from Montoya - Borderland - Country Club - Ocotillo loop. My muscles felt tight near the end, but fatigue and breathing were not problems. Conditions were clear and 4 C; I wore tights, short-sleeved under armor, and a long sleeved running shirt. My hands were numb when I finished.

Evening run; I ran the same route as my tempo run yesterday, but at a uniform, easy pace. No audiobook today; I wanted to muse in silence.

Afternoon tempo run; I started with a 10 minute warmup, then 12 minutes out, 12 minutes back, and a 7 minute cool down. I ran into an old friend from high school (Kristen) while running along the river and paused briefly. I found it difficult to concentrate on The Guns of August while at tempo pace. Also, my new shoes bothered my left arch a bit, but I had no difficulty finishing the run.

Evening run at home. I did not bring running shoes home with me because I believed I had left a pair in El Paso, but I was mistaken. I purchased a new pair of running shoes today and wore them during the day to try to break them in. They had not yet comformed to my feet, but it was not painful.

I continued The Guns of August; I'm amused by the way the author describes Czar Nicholas II's inferior intellect, education, and interest in government.

I felt very loose, ran at a ginger pace, and maintained 3/3 throughout my run. Running at 4/4 was more difficult than I expected, though some of that may be due to the higher elevation (~ 3900 feet).

Since I was running at about midnight in Texas, I did not encounter any Canadians to chase down. Amusingly, I did find a Canadian flag among my souvenirs from a band trip to Toronto in 2000; I guess I was a Canadaphile before orienteering stoked the fires of competition.

This evening, I felt very lethargic and did not want to train, but I motivated myself with various anecdotes and observations - that consistency, often despite instantaneous motivation, will lead to victory.

Anyway, I varied my route - Davenport to Harvard Square, to Webster. Along a 2 km length, I raced a girl slowly plodding along on a bike. I was slightly faster than she and gained a bit of ground going up a hill in particular. I think the desire to stay ahead of her (it was easy to imagine she was Canadian) motivated me to push harder than I otherwise would have. I will start doing tempo runs once I am confident that I am handling the stress from base building adequately.

I continued The Guns of August, which I have resolved to listen to only while I am training. It is a far too involved book to hope to glean information from it on the noisy T; when I am running on streets and trails, I can allocate all my focus to the book.

Anyway, I felt much better after my run. As always, I stretched my hamstrings, quads, calves, ankles (rotations), and adductors.

C • ahhahah and what do you ha... 3

My plan was an easy run, but I ran at 2/2 breathing the entire way because of the extensive snow fall in Cambridge. I estimate there were 10-12 inches on the ground, with snow falling while I was running. Trudging around was hard work, even on shoveled and plowed surfaces. I had to run through untouched snow several times passing people on sidewalks, and many sections had yet to be shoveled adequately. It was a good workout, though probably not as productive as a tempo run of comparable intensity.

I started my fourth audiobook, The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman.

My training has lacked a significant orienteering component, which I largely blame on the cold and my malfunctioning bike. When I return to Cambridge after my trip home, I will get my bike repaired and maintenanced, then start making more frequent trips to the Fells. I would really like to spend at least two sessions on a map each week, a goal which will be aided by the CSU Training crowd.

My plan for today was an easy run with some intervals. I haven't had any quality running this week, and while my base building is constructive, some speedwork seems in order.

I had a 10 minute warmup, followed by 3x (5 minutes on, 3 minutes off), then another 25 minutes of easy running. I felt good after the intervals, though my calves have been a bit tight recently. I will stretch and massage them.

Conditions were cool and breezy, with a temperature of -3 C. The wind wasn't as bad, and I ran in my short sleeved underarmor, tights, a long sleeved running shirt, and gloves.

It was really cold when I came home yesterday, so I didn't go for a run. It's probably for the best, since I've increased my running this week relative to the past few weeks. That I've run five of the past seven days is an acceptable start, but I must be consistent.

Today was also cold - -3 C, with a "wind chill" of -9 C. I ran at 4 PM, which is quite early for me. I wore tights, a short sleeved underarmor, a light long sleeved running shirt, a short sleeved running short, a hat, and gloves. Despite the wind, this proved adequate; I took off the hat after about ten minutes, and my gloves were a bit sweaty.

I thought about adding an extra fifteen minutes, but clearly I'm pushing hard enough. I ran at 3/3 for most of the run, partly to help keep warm. While my pace was slower today than it has been in the past, I think the cold air may have compromised my performance somewhat. It's astonishing how big a difference 10' C can be.

I ate cookies while Lori and Ross ran a Harvard circuit (painful body weight exercises at each waypoint). I felt good throughout the time they were running the circuit; I was mostly reading papers and wikipedia pages.

We then had the CSU training group planning meeting, where we discussed a range of topics, including weekly training, training camps for the next five months, skiing events this winter, permanent courses, how to get Clem to come more often, how to get John to come more often, and C-meets. It was a productive (though inevitably lengthy) session.

C • I'm glad you didn't strain ... 3

I finally put my plan into effect: motivated by Ross's work commute and my loathing for riding the T, I ran into work. I am a member of a gym near my office, so I brought a backpack with my day clothes, ran to the gym, took a shower, and finished the workout with a breakfast burrito.

While I prefer to run without a backpack, it was less cumbersome than I expected. The morning was pleasant with a temperature of 5 C; I honestly hope it cools a bit because I was perspiring more than I had hoped. I listened to my audio book, Ed Viestur's K2.... I will attempt to run home today - as I eventually hope to have two workouts each day, but in the immediate future, I may confine my workouts to one per day.

It's a bit strong to consider running to work a workout, but especially when it's an easy run - possibly a recovery run from a quality workout the previous day or just base mileage - I don't expect difficulties. Given how short the distance is, I could add variety easily - for instance, a warm up followed by some intervals or a tempo run followed by a cool down.

Run home. I felt wasted and improbably fatigued, and my calves were uncomfortably tight. I think my muscles are unaccustomed to two stresses in a single day (or more precisely, that my recovery time is longer than 13 hours). I suppose I had enough energy, though I had difficulty tapping it with stubborn muscles; I also was breathing harder than I should have been given the effort.

I made it home and stopped by Dial-A-Pizza to pick up a $7 large cheese pizza, of which I ate five slices.

C • You also just did like a we... 2

Late night run. I felt good; ran at 4/4 for the first half, and 3/3 for the second. Conditions were clear with temperature of about 6' C, so I ran in tights, a short sleeved shirt, hat and gloves.

I had planned an easy run, but I felt so good that I pushed a bit - and ended up going marginally faster than 5 min/km. I have run this route sufficiently many times that I'm curious to see how fast I can run it at tempo or race pace. I will attempt that in the near future.

A late night long, slow run. Given my recent inactivity, this is about as long as I feel comfortable running, even at low intensity. I felt good throughout the run and at the end - I was not out of breath, my muscles felt good, and I was energetic. My left knee was a bit stiff initially, but that relaxed quickly.

I started my latest audiobook, K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain. My MP3 player, a Sansa clip, allows audiobooks to be played at either 'normal' speed or 'fast' (probably about 150% of the normal speed). Since audiobooks are generally recorded to favor intelligibility over speed, I have no difficulty understanding the books at these faster speeds, allowing me to finish them more quickly.

Event: O Marathon II - Fair Hill NRMA, MD
 

Easy run in the usual Porter - Harvard - Inman loop. I felt better than I expected; the motion of my left knee, which I pathetically tweaked getting into a car, was not anomalous in any way. This effort felt more difficult than it has before, probably because of my dearth of training. I ran at a steady 3/3 rate until the last five minutes, for which I ran 4/4.

Conditions were clear and 0 C; I ran in tights, gloves, a windbreaker, and a hat that I took off midway.

Some lolz:
http://xkcd.com/309/
http://xkcd.com/140/
http://xkcd.com/45/
http://xkcd.com/272/
http://xkcd.com/79/
http://xkcd.com/171/

Intervals for the brain.

Objective:

3 circuits of
20 pushups
20 jumpies
1 minute side plank (each side)
20 squats
1 minute plank
1 minute scissor legs
40 crunches
20 calf raises
1 minute wall sit

However, I broke down after the 3rd cycle of 20 squats. I hate side plank, and I'm a pansy. I must do this more regularly.

I woke during the night with congestion, an irritated throat, and a mild fever. I took some over the counter medicine and tried to get back to sleep; eventually, I decided to rest for the day.

I hosted the CSU training and overzealously designed a 13 km street-O (9.2 km straight line O-distance) and a 2 km sprint at Harvard. Ross and Audun showed up to run the street-O, and Caroline and her friend Anton came to run the sprint at Harvard. They seemed to enjoy it; hopefully they will come to additional events.

Ross ran the entire distance (10 miles, according to his Garmin) in 75 minutes; I will run it as soon as I feel well enough.

My Garmin 305 arrived in the mail today; I hope to start using it in the near future.