Winter runs, week of January 17th-23rd [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

indigoiis

01-17-2010, 07:35 AM

Hi all,
I was due to do a "10K fast" today per Hal Higdon 1/2 plan, so since there aren't any races this weekend I decided we'd do a 6.2 loop. Since the first mile is an old dirt road which was not plowed but which quads and 4wd vehicles have been passing I decided to wear the scuba booties, and that worked fine. We did that first mile in 8.5 mm. The next two miles were relatively level with some dropping downs in elevation, so the first 3K was 28 minutes altogether. Overall we averaged 9.15 mms and I was okay with that. The last mile was uphill, 3% grade, I hate that road even on my bike cuz it's just this long, long false flat on this rubbly old rural road. I had trouble catching my breath trying to maintain the pace and although I understand a lot of it was pscyhological, it still feels sucky to not be able to just float. So overall I was happy with it and it was a good run. How bout you all? Anyone race today?

Grog

01-17-2010, 09:58 AM

Indigoiis, I have a hard time imagining running in scuba booties! How does it feel? Is it to emulate barefeet?

I did my longest ride in a while. I set out to do 16 km, took a little detour on the way home to stretch it to 17, and I know my Nike sensor is a bit undercalibrated so it feels even better. It was a great run, and it rained only a little. (As opposed to pouring, as we've been having in Vancouver lately.)

I was thinking about what will be my longest run prior to the marathon - 38 km, which means more than double what I ran today - and although it felt a bit strange, it didn't sound too too crazy. I think I've stepped on the dark side!

fatbottomedgurl

01-17-2010, 10:19 AM

I'm in the Sierras this weekend and had my first chance to run in cold weather- well, only 38º but that's cold for me! I did about 4 miles on some quiet roads in the woods. At first I tried going down an unplowed road but hit some ice and my feet flew out from under me so I decided that was a bad idea! Elevation here is 9,000 feet but I didn't notice it too much except on the 23º grade coming back up to the cabin. It felt sooo good! Beautiful scenery, I came across some deer, got to wear my ibex wool longsleeve (I love merino) and cushy wool socks. I am starting to like running. Yay!

Aggie_Ama

01-17-2010, 05:47 PM

indigoiis- I can imagine running on rural roads in scuba booties. I get frustrated not being lighter on my strides, especially when I see lithe runners at the trail that look like they float effortlessly.

Grog- I thought you were just coming back from injury and then I calculated your run in miles, guess you are back in the game!

fbg- I am just jealous!

Me? I did a 7 mile run. The weather is fantastic this weekend in Texas but I was fatigued so just an okay run. I am glad I pushed and went though.

Did discover that just because cycling knickers felt good on a short run, you really should wear running apparel! I haven't had the time to go shopping but after some odd chaffing I guess I need to do it! Leg grippers and even minimal chamois are not meant for running. :o

Grog

01-17-2010, 06:04 PM

Grog- I thought you were just coming back from injury and then I calculated your run in miles, guess you are back in the game!

I'd rather run in kilometers than miles, it feels like I'm running further. :)

Sounds like your weather would allow you to wear light running shorts. Go for it! It's so liberating.

skhill

01-18-2010, 05:39 AM

In honor of MLK day, I ran the length of my city's MLK Boulevard this morning, both ways. I run and ride that road going south regularly, but not going north, and now I remember why: heading north, there's a really steep one-block long downhill, followed by nearly 5 blocks steady uphill. Yuck. In all, it was 3.5 miles, none of it flat...

It's less than 10 weeks till my first half-marathon! Woohoo!

Susan Otcenas

01-18-2010, 09:27 AM

Treadmill workout for me today:

Warmup: 15:00
Mainset = 4 x 8:00 in zone 3 with 4:00 easy run between
cooldown: 10:00

My zone 3 intervals were all done at 6.0mi/hr, easy intervals at 5.2 to 5.5mi/hr. All in I covered just over 6.5 miles in 70 minutes. Avg HR 142, max 163.

Gym was empty this morning. I'm guessing that alot of people had the day off and slept in.

Veronica

01-18-2010, 10:01 AM

GLC1968

01-18-2010, 10:01 AM

Did my outside run of the week yesterday. I have no idea what the distance was, but I was out for my training plan of 30 minutes. 12 running/18 walking. I upped my intervals to 3 minutes this time (have been doing 2 min) and I enjoyed it. First minute flew, second was a good workout and by the third, I had to tell myself to stop looking at my watch, so I think this is a good interval for me for awhile. The worst part was the walking. Minute one of walking was nice, then it got boring and cold before I could run again. I'm about three runs from scrapping this whole training plan and just doing what I can with gradual increases, but we'll see. I'm so impatient!

I was SOAKED though, too. It started pouring pretty hard and I could barely see. I need to get myself a visor. I hate wearing hats when I run (I get too hot), but I definitely needed something to keep the rain out of my eyes yesterday!

Oh, and country road drivers who are jerks to cyclists are ALSO jerks to runners. I was almost clipped twice! It was nuts and confirmed my decision to avoid ever running near my house in the dark. Won't happen. :mad:

GLC1968

01-18-2010, 10:19 AM

I am always amazed by other people's heart rate numbers.

Me too.

If I had your heart rate numbers, I'd be violently ill on the side of the road! :p

When I first started monitoring my HR and comparing my numbers to other people I knew, I thought there was something wrong with me. I could NOT get my HR to the levels that others were showing no matter how hard I worked! Now I know it's because I naturally just have a lower HR. I like to think it's because I have such a big heart. ;)

OakLeaf

01-18-2010, 10:27 AM

10.75 for me today. Life kind of got in the way of my long run, but I think that's enough to keep me going for now.

My HR has always been high. AHR for my two-mile tempo segment on Saturday was 173. In hot weather I can see a max of nearly 190. Not so bad for someone who's eligible for an AARP card. :D But it's been fun over the past couple of years, seeing how my AHR on my long runs has dropped as my aerobic fitness improves. :)

Susan Otcenas

01-18-2010, 10:36 AM

I am always amazed by other people's heart rate numbers.

I did a 5.32 mile run yesterday with an average heart rate of 172. :eek: I like looking at how fast it drops though. I had to wait at a few lights yesterday and it dropped from 170 to 145 or so at each one.

Then there's the top of the hill where it maxed at 182!

Veronica

You might consider getting your VO2Max done. It's very instructive. I'm still very much in a learning stage about what it all means. My coach gives me very specific heart rate zones to work in for most of my training. Each workout has a different purpose, and therefore we target different zones in each.

It turns out that I have a very high VO2Max. BUT, at my AeT, I'm not working anywhere near my VO2Max. So, one of the things we're working on is training my body to move my AeT up so that I can to work (aerobically) closer to my potential. The good news is I have lots of room to improve. :)

rocknrollgirl

01-18-2010, 10:42 AM

Hi All,
I ran about 6 on the trails yesterday with my DH. It is my hilly run. Although my legs were really tired from mt biking the day before, I ran this hills this week instead of walking.

It stared to rain about 5 mins in to the run 37 and raining...drizmal, is that what we are calling it now?

All in all a good run. My legs are pretty beat today, so i did 45 mins of core this morning.

Veronica

01-18-2010, 11:29 AM

I had my VO2 max done on the bike a few years ago. I know that there are some differences, but my running HR seems very close to my cycling one. I can sustain 178 on a long 10 mile climb on the bike, but get over 180 for any length of time and I kinda wanna hurl. :rolleyes: I find the same thing running. My max then was 185.

It's been a few years. It would be interesting to have it done again.

Veronica

eclectic

01-18-2010, 12:33 PM

eclectic

01-18-2010, 12:40 PM

Haven't run this week (sick for 3 days) but I did break down and order the Jeff Galloway Gym boss interval timer. I tried for 6 months to find one locally and no go.

I will now have more freedom on the track or trail and not have to continually check my watch for time or be locked to the treadmill.

I have been doing 1 min walk at 3.8 and 1.5 min run at 5.2 to get back into it. I can do this for over 4 miles which I think is good for not running since last April and just starting again after Christmas.

I am excited to use the timer now and get on the track and go at a natural pace and see how far I go in the same length of time.

Weather here is ok to go outside but now it is way too icy and I am not going to risk it.

So that is what is happening here!

Aggie_Ama

01-18-2010, 01:13 PM

My heart rate is really high too. I can talk in short sentences well into the 170's. Yesterday on my 7 mile run I average 178 with a max of 187. I thought it was because I am out of shape. I plan to get my VO2 tested before marathon training.

On a side note my mom is giving me my first pair of real running (not big box sports store) shoes for my birthday next month! I just have to figure out which of the many running stores in town I want to go to. I am stoked to finally get my gait analyzed and get the right shoes six weeks before the half mary. :)

colby

01-18-2010, 04:53 PM

I am very similar to Veronica on the heart rate thing. My LTHR for running is upwards of 185 - +10 of that would be a HARD interval (also hard to get that high very quickly) and +20 would be my theoretical maximum. Most intervals are ran to reach that threshold and sustain as long as possible. For biking, it's maybe 5 BPM lower, though when I'm actually riding on the road, they are much closer. For some reason on the trainer I test lower.

I didn't run this weekend - went snowboarding instead. I felt it on the bike today. ;)

indigoiis

01-19-2010, 05:29 AM

Hi all, I ran 4.8 today, it was a good run. Have a great day today!

fatbottomedgurl

01-19-2010, 07:32 AM

I want to have my VO2 tested also. I scanned through my runs for the last 8 weeks and my average heart rate is 173. These are 30-60 minutes runs. Max gets up to 193 on a hill and that is not quite at the "puking stage." When I mountain bike I can get up to 205 but try not to because that is when I see stars and little birdies fly around my head.

eclectic

01-19-2010, 04:13 PM

I didn't run today but I DID go snowshoeing for the first time!
I think I like it :D

Grog

01-19-2010, 04:43 PM

Nice 5 km run this morning, total darkness still. I can't wait until it starts to get a little light at, say, 6:15 a.m. Ran faster than I should have but I wanted to see if I could do it. I can!

My HR is up there with Veronica, Colby and Aggie_Ama. I don't use the HRM anymore but about two years ago my max (doing running hill reps) was over 200, at which point I was about ready to puke. (Don't try that on your own!) I probably train in the high 160s to high 170s a lot of the time, and a big effort would be 185 or so. I've stopped worrying about it, for the most part anyway. My resting HR is normal to low, so whatever.

colby

01-19-2010, 06:19 PM

I didn't run today but I DID go snowshoeing for the first time!
I think I like it :D

I want to try snowshoeing so I can take my dog out on some walks that are "efforts" like hiking is - something that wears her out, slowly but surely. ;) I think she'd like it, she loves to walk and be in the snow.

I took her with me and did mile repeats today, probably slower than I do when I do them myself, she's good through the first one but the second one starts to drag a little and the third requires coaxing and promise of "doggies" up ahead. My legs are still feeling the different muscle use of snowboarding (the long calf muscle and the glutes, my shoulders and arms - or maybe that was yesterday's yoga) so it wasn't bad to take it a LITTLE easier. The GPS wasn't picking up distance for some reason even though it did have my pace, so I estimated. All in all, a great and tiring 45 minutes.

There is a really interesting page about Ironman Coeur d'Alene that someone linked on twitter that shows all the nerdly stats about what the averages are for each age group (http://triathlongeek.com/analytics/2009coeurdalene/). I am... an average Ironman cyclist for my age group, a slower swimmer, and a much slower runner. This year, I am aspiring to be average - it's within reach! ;) I don't think qualifying for Kona is in my future for quite some time.

indigoiis

01-20-2010, 05:19 AM

Ran 3.1 on the treadmill at the Y, "speed" training. I just ran faster for .25 mile, then slower for .25 mile, for about 30 minutes, 3.1 miles total.

Grog

01-20-2010, 06:17 AM

Went for another run this morning, slowly making my way around a very lush and posh neighbourhood around here, looking at the mansions in the night. I love the quiet streets of the morning. About 6.6 km. Nice way to start the day.

Jolt

01-20-2010, 08:06 AM

GLC1968

01-20-2010, 08:35 AM

Did 2.5 miles on the treadmill last night. I got my new (and working!) HRM yesterday, so I finally got recent HR data for running. I did my last 12/18 run (run/walk) and as should be expected, I was in the watch defined zone 3 for 12 minutes. Avg HR was 139 with a peak at 165. My run interval averages were around 144. I need to read up on how to manually adjust the settings in the watch, but I did input my max HR and age before I started.

Anyway, way more exciting is that I tried something totally new last night! When I first started, I ran for 3 minutes barefoot. I did one minute at 4 mph, 1 min at 5 mph and 1 min at 6 mph...with NO foot pain. It was really fun and I found getting into the Chi Running technique extremely natural and easy without the shoes.

Then I did the 12/18 workout. Near the end (the last two walking intervals), my foot started to hurt in the usual spot. I thought maybe that it was from the barefoot experiement, so I tried another one. As soon as I hit 30 minutes, I kicked off my shoes and ran another two minutes barefoot. The pain disappeared immediately! I'm sold.

Today I'm going to buy some cheap insoles for my running shoes so that I can lose my orthotics. I threw away all the insoles for all my athletic shoes ages ago because I was told to ALWAYS wear my orthotics. :mad: I'll use my same running shoes minus the orthotics until I can condition my feet/legs to the barefoot thing (and for cold winter runs until I can get something else).

Oh, and today my lower legs are kind of achey and tired (like after a day of walking at an amusement park all day) but my feet feel great!

indigoiis

01-20-2010, 09:12 AM

GLC - that's great! I went from the Podiatrist telling me I needed surgery to never looking back at shoe'd running. For winter I use my VFFs or scuba booties. And that all-day-amusement-park ache is just the muscles waking up. Your achilles will start to get used to the action and your calf muscles will strengthen. It's wonderful! Oh, and your feet get really strong, too!

fatbottomedgurl

01-20-2010, 01:51 PM

I'm about ready to try the barefoot thing too. Might start out in some water socks. I'll let you know. I never know when TE is going to send me into some new obsession. First it was wool, then triathlons...

Aggie_Ama

01-20-2010, 05:52 PM

After a terrible day at work all I wanted was a good run. I planned an hour but forgot why I can't wear shorts when I am this heavy - my thighs! I stopped at 41 minutes when my rubbing thighs got unbearable. Just a forgettable day all together. It happens, right?:rolleyes:

spindizzy

01-20-2010, 07:03 PM

Aggie- you ran- that's what counts!

Treadmill hills again after CrossFit. 1 minute of time added this week to interval time.

6 X 3 minutes at 6% incline - 2min rest between each interval
2 X 3 minutes at 5%
2 X 3 minutes at 6%
2 X 3 minutes at 7%

Was a pretty wet beast by the end of that session.

My HR zones for running are pretty high - Zone 1 is HR less than 160. My anaerobic threshold is 191. My bike zones are much lower. Am due to be tested again after this round of training to adjust the zones yet again.

Jolt

01-20-2010, 07:56 PM

25-minute run around the neighborhood today, after barely managing to talk myself into getting out the door. It actually turned out to be a really good run, despite the snow/ice and slush on a lot of the sidewalks (or maybe that stuff helped since it made it a little more like trail running!). I was going to wear my HRM on this run (so I could post my ridiculous HR numbers since we're all comparing) but forgot.

fatbottomedgurl

01-20-2010, 09:33 PM

Went for a 3.25 mile run. Half of it was along our "river." It normally has a few inches of street run-off trickling down it.

Susan Otcenas

01-21-2010, 05:23 AM

10 mile long run for me yesterday. I'm in upstate NY visiting family, so I ran a route suggested by my older sister. 10 mile out and back on Hurley Mountain Rd in Hurley. Very low traffic road, fairly flat, and rural. I grew up very close to here. As I was trotting along, I got to thinking that there's something about the landscape (color of the dirt, shape of the trees, and I don't even know what all) that would cause me to recognize the road as being in upstate NY. Really, there's nothing remarkable about the landscape, but there's just *something* that makes me recognize this as a distinct. Maybe it's the color of the light. I don't know...

Anyway, I was a very pleasant run. My Dad is under orders to walk 3-5 miles a day, so he walked while I ran and we both felt geat when we were done!

skhill

01-21-2010, 09:16 AM

This morning, I was all stiff and achy when I started out the door-- 40 is just around the corner for me, and my left ankle wanted to make sure I remembered. The first mile was o so slow, but at around 2.5 miles I started to feel really good, and ended up going a mile further than I had intended. 6 miles in all, at a 9:40 pace. I'm loving our unseasonably warm streak!

indigoiis

01-21-2010, 09:34 AM

fatbottomedgurl

01-21-2010, 10:05 AM

After 40, you start to feel better. It's the 30's that ache the worst! :D

I wouldn't know. I just started running last year and I'm almost 47. And I ache more when I DON"T exercise. :)

katluvr

01-21-2010, 01:47 PM

Seems like it has been forever since I have been here!
Great running everyone. I am in a bit of a slump.
I have a new job (yeah!), but work 10 hour shifts. Just haven't gotten into running post work (dark, I am tired and it is after 6:30 by the time I get home). So need to try to do it in the AM...but that means up BY 5.
So I have not been running as much. I did get my 20 miler in last Saturday. I must say it just doesnt' get easier. That being said I really didnt' hit the WALL til between mile 17 and 18, then I literraly "ran" (or jogged) 1/2 a mile then walked until I made my 20.
I did "shave" about 3 minutes off it from the last time.
When I do run during the week I do intervals, speedwork or tempo. So trying to make my runs quality although not quantity.
Goal is to get up and run BEFORE work tomorrow. Saturday the weather is to be way nice here and I miss biking. So I think I'll bike on Saturday and my run on Sunday is only to be 15 or 16 miles. That sees very do-able.
I really need to get into a routine or find the energy to run during on my work days. But it will all work out. I am happier w/ new job and that is a VERY good thing. Just trying to get in teh groove.
Hope to be dropping by more often...soon!

K

OakLeaf

01-21-2010, 03:22 PM

Chaos settled down long enough that I got a little cruise in this afternoon, after my mom came home and could take over watching my dad. For some reason the battery on my watch was dead, but MapMyRun calls it 5.75. I would've done another lap, but it was nearly dark, people were starting to come home from work, and two cars had already tried to kill me by the time I finished the second lap (long sleeve hi-viz jersey, hi-viz cap, reflective accents all over everything). So I called it a run. I got to see swans on the inlets off the bay. :)

Grog

01-21-2010, 05:08 PM

Third run in three days. That was a bit stupid, but we're off for the weekend to visit my husband's 98-year-old grandmother in Winnipeg and I don't know what kind of running I'll get to do there. I don't want to bring gear to run outside (no space in my carry-on) but I am bringing shoes and a pair of shorts for the hotel treadmill... We'll see if I can muster the courage to run on that!

It was not really nice. For logistical reasons I had my run at 4:30 p.m. and it was really awful for me, too many cars and people out on the sidewalk who are completely oblivious to their surroundings. I love my 6 a.m. quiet runs! But I ran 30 minutes of this with a friend, and it was fun to see her.

Now on to cook some gnocchi for dinner!

Bike Chick

01-22-2010, 02:54 AM

Did 2 mi after I got home from work last night. I made myself change clothes and shoes and get out the door. I just wasn't in the mood and followed the 5minute rule (if it doesn't feel better after 5 minutes, you have permission to quit). As always, I felt better and got it done.

I'm having to slip out of work a few minutes early, rush home, change clothes and get going without a minute to spare to get my short run in by dark. I'm still dodging cars at dusk. It sure beats the treadmill though.

Can't wait for spring.

indigoiis

01-22-2010, 05:22 AM

I blew off yesterday's proposed 3 and decided to bike or run to the bus 5.6 miles away this morning to make up for it. Flipped a coin and it was a run. I keep clothes and shower stuff at work but I figured I would be sweaty for the hour long bus ride and unfortunately I was - and stinky, too! I apologized to everyone within stink reach.

It was a great run though - really pretty headlamp-to-dawn hilly run passing the high school kids waiting for their bus, ducks on the marsh (hello my fair feathered friends!) and i saw an owl rise up from a tree branch and take off across the road. Too cool. ;) Everything flowed nicely today.

colby

01-22-2010, 09:29 PM

Ran last night (was out of town in the morning and didn't get to the gym or outside) - was supposed to be hill repeats but I have trouble doing them on the treadmill, so instead I did 10 1 minute repeats with 1 minute off inbetween. I was at ~6mph during the "off" minute and ~7mph during the "on" minute. Slower than my usual interval pace, but by HR was pretty close. It felt pretty good. The 10th interval didn't make me cry like it does doing hill repeats, though, so I probably should have squeezed out a few more. ;)

Crankin

01-23-2010, 04:58 AM

I am running vicariously through you guys...
I did one day on the tm, despite the fact I know it angers my body. I upped the level, did 30 minutes of intervals, mostly walking at 4 mph and intervals of running at 6.0, with some slower walking for recovery. The running and walking all are at inclines of 1-3%; I find that when I'm running on an incline, I feel like I'm going fly off the back! Since most of the outside running I've done is on hills, this is weird. I think I must slow down a huge amount when doing "climbing" runs outdoors.
Woke up yesterday with a slight feeling of shin splints in my left leg :eek:. I have not felt that since my days of teaching aerobics on concrete floors, in the 80's. I iced it and it went away. Going to try to get back on a regular run schedule of 2x a week. Nothing like running (even 30 minutes) to keep the weight down.

Jolt

01-23-2010, 01:32 PM

35 minutes on the local trails today. Nice packed snow surface for most of the way, although some spots were a bit softer and made for tougher footing/more work. No icy/slippery spots though, which was good since I did not have my Stabilicers on. I saw a few people out on snowshoes--WHY? There is absolutely no need for snowshoes in the conditions on those trails right now--just wear regular shoes/boots. Of course, those people probably saw me run by and thought I was a little crazy...

spindizzy

01-23-2010, 04:23 PM

10.1k, 5:27/km pace. AHR 163,

0 degrees C. Still no snow. Dry roads.

Sweet, but I do tire of persistent cloud cover.

limewave

01-23-2010, 05:10 PM

I did very little running while on vacation. We were at FT. Wilderness at WDW. I would have thought that they would have a nice running path, but there was almost nothing! It was nearly impossible to piece together a decent 3-6 miles. I found myself running lots of laps around the campground, very boring.

The last few days, we were notified that there was a Black Bear seen several times on the campground. I was too wimpy to run by myself. The only time I had was early AM or late night, I didn't feel safe.

Back to the grind tomorrow. Reading about everyone's running success and challenges over the last two weeks has been really motivating.

Just picked up ChiRunning, can't wait to start testing the principles.

colby

01-23-2010, 09:08 PM

8 miles today, looks like it was about a 10-minute pace including about 2 miles of warmup or cooldown. I haven't ran 8 miles since running the marathon, everything to date has been more like 4-5. It felt disturbingly good. Glad I ran those marathon miles hard.

I took my dog down to the river at the halfway point so she could cool off a bit near the water. It must have been seriously cold - she'd get in, get out, get in, get out. Hurts so good, I guess. It was 40 degrees and sunny, and she doesn't really take well to warmer sunny days - I could tell her pant was a little too hard, so I opted to take a rest. The return trip was much better for it.

Amazingly, cars stopped for us to cross the street. Multiple times. Usually I have to be somewhat aggressive and start walking, make eye contact, but this time they just clearly waited, giving us plenty of space. Thank you, drivers. I promise to return the favor when you are pedestrians crossing in our crosswalks, too.