We go running! L&LLRs May 14 - 20

I'll start it this week!

I hope everybody has as fantastic of a run at some point this week as I did this morning. I decided to get out early before the temps climbed, so I hit the trail before the sun was up. What a beautiful morning...birds singing, flowers blooming, fresh new leaves on the trees. And I had it all to myself. At one point I smelled a wonderful smell and looked to my left and there was a huge field of lupine in full bloom. It sent chills up my spine. The air was pretty clear so I got great views of the Salt Lake, mountains, and points north. I ended up going 12 mi with about 3500' of climbing when I had originally intended to go about 10 miles. My times for the various sections of the routes were the same as normal but today I felt a lot stronger, and post run felt--and still feel--good.

After about mile 4, just as the high was hitting, I was thinking "Yeah, I'd like to do a 50 k!" but after about mile 8.5 I found myself wondering how the hell people run 100 miles on trails like this (WS 100, Wasatch Front 100, Leadville 100). I do think I'm ready to bump it up to the 3+ hour range now. I'm tentatively planning on running the Wahsatch Steeplechase route with some friends on Sunday, which should be in the 3+ hour range.

Happy running, ladies! :D :D

Hey, I love the new thread title! Your run sounds heavenly and fun!

Thanks for sharing the details. You are a serious runner lady! Pushing it up to 3 hours? Dang! :eek:

I don't know if I'm a serious runner, but I definitely feel like I've gone back to the dark side! Marathoners run for much longer...and triathletes go out and run after doing other things! It's all good, though.

Another thing I told myself today as I was chugging up one of the hills: if I ever get to a point where I find myself saying I HAVE to go run so-and-so miles/hours/whatever, then it's time to reevaluate. I want to sustain this love affair with the trails!

Yellow, reading your posts makes me want to pull my finger out and hit the trails round here. I've always had a respect for the fell runners I see when I'm out hiking in the mountains, I'm not going to go running up any mountains quite yet but I need to get me on some proper hills rather than this pan flat tarmac.

However.....I threw myself over the handlebars of my MTB on Saturday and landed very hard on a rock, for once I was thanking the fact I have cleavage as it acted as a nice pair of airbags :D and took some of the impact but my ribcage and left pectoral (I think) are pretty bruised at the minute. I managed to ride the rest of Saturday and Sunday ok but it hurts today to cough and breathe in hard so no running until it feels ok :mad:

It feels better today than yesterday and I've not bothered with any painkillers so hopefully I'll be able to get out by the end of the week.

I love trail running, in fact it is the only running that I do. Not as much of a wilderness experience as yellow is describing, but beautiful still. I am convinced the only reason I have been successful at a regular running schedule, is that I stay off the road. The trails are much easier on the body.

Yellow, I too think that I may have one of those long epic races in my future, but for now...just Xterra!

Do you guys drive to the trails to run or are you lucky enough to be able to head out from your front door ?

The nearest (and best) trails to me are about a 10 -15 minute drive away and I seem to have a problem reconciling this with running (have absolutely no problem loading my MTB into the car to ride the same trail area though).

The closest running trails are 15 min drive, my closest mt biking trails are 50 min drive. Gotta do what I gotta do I guess.....the ocean however is 5 mins away.....

Ruth

Just start doing brick workouts, and you will already be there....he he he.....

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Originally Posted by tattiefritter

Do you guys drive to the trails to run or are you lucky enough to be able to head out from your front door ?

The nearest (and best) trails to me are about a 10 -15 minute drive away and I seem to have a problem reconciling this with running (have absolutely no problem loading my MTB into the car to ride the same trail area though).

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I live right across from a trail but i actually drive right across the street because i don't really want to cross the road on foot as theres no lights or crosswalks. I feel bad, but only moderately so.

As for my running, well, it's been lacking. :( And I was doing so good lately. I just got cought up in cycling season now and I haven't made the effort to run. I hope my progress hasn't disappeared and I'm hoping to get out this week or weekend, ideally. Maybe I'll run tomorrow after work and before swimming....

Someone kick my butt in gear!

K.

So I should just get myself organised and get to the trails then.

Brick workouts eek!

Was scheduled to run 4 miles with 2 miles of sprints... but I could barely make it 3.50 miles.


42m
3.48 miles
12m 04s /mile


That was a rough run. I started by sprinting across a major intersection and thought I pulled something in my lower left leg. OUCH!

I tried to run and quickly determined that it was going to be a very hard run. I then selected a different route, closer to the office. I figured I wouldn't even make it 2 miles.

Once I got going, after about 2 miles, the pain evened out some. Then the side cramp kicked in. But I kept it away.

Overall a really crappy run, but I'm just happy I got that much done. I seriously though the pain in the left leg had moved from suffering to PAIN (aka: injury).

Woo hoo .... that effin "cold/not really" is gone. I felt good today.
I did 12 1 minute intervals (high cadence*) on my 8.5 k loop and after the last, I kept up a rather higher pace than at the beginning.

I ended up 6 minutes faster than Saturday or than any of my runs on that loop since BO April. What's even better I did the last 2.7 k in 14 minutes.

I felt very good except my hamstrings really work harder at this kind of speed.

*can you speak of cadence in running? is 3 steps a second a medium, high, whatever, cadence?

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Originally Posted by alpinerabbit

*can you speak of cadence in running? is 3 steps a second a medium, high, whatever, cadence?

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Absolutely, though it's more often referred to as steps per minute or "turnover" rate. I don't pay much attention to it, but I know that for the kind of running I do (all trails), more SPM is better. You don't necessarily speed up, you just "rotate" faster, which, when running uphill, saves your legs in a way similar to spinning on a bike uphill. I've really changed the way I run now that I'm on trails all the time. Smaller steps, higher lift (to avoid all those rocks & roots & whatnot), and defnitely a faster turnover.

You can download differing SPM running music for your iPod here. However, because my rate varies so much with terrain (and because I don't like wearing an iPod when I'm outside), I haven't used these yet. But I think I will next winter on the dreadmill!

I did a "let's see how it feels to run on tired legs" aka a "back to back" of 6 miles today. Tight, tight left calf on the uphills :( but otherwise not too bad. A little slow, but I survived. Tomorrow is a running rest day (I'd rest completely but am planning on doing an easy ride for the Ride of Silence).

:D

Thought I might join in this thread now I'm back into a bit of running training.

Mon 14 May
35min
4.5km (2.8M) - gee the imperial system makes my effort look even worse

As an intro post this is going to have way TMI. Headed out at 0615 and started out fine with my warmup (10mins) then went thing went downhill. I was busting for the loo (and not a quick wee behind a tree sort of stop) from about 20mins in. By then I was furthest from home (no toilets on route) so headed back. I walked most of the way home from there in complete fear that I wouldn't get home in time IYKWIM. This has happened on my last 3 runs (no pun intended) and I really don't know what to do about it except run loops past my front door just in case - how borring! My DHs helpful advice was "why don't you just go before you start running" but I just don't have one of those digestive systems that switches on when I want it to (or off for that matter). At least the triathlon I'm training for will have toilets on route though it going to be a bleak few months of training if I can't sort this out.

Enough whinging. Anyway I think this is a great thread for keeping up with run training, it's always nice to post miles (even if they are depressing compared to km) and hear how everyone elses training is going. I am jealous of you all with trails near by.

I did another 3.5 k with the kids today. 19 minutes total - 5:23 per km. I am happy abut that - there is a 1% uphill section that I have to climb for half of each of the 3 laps. While I have enjoyed running with the kids at school, I think I will be glad when the last day is over (Thursday). It is getting too hot (close to 80) at lunch hour now and I haven't had the legs to run on the flats at home lately with all the cycling I've been doing. I am anxious to get back to running 5k and maybe trying something longer. I really want to do a duathlon soon so I need to build up my running asap.

I went for an easy trail run on Monday. Just ran about 45 to 50 minutes, not sure how far I went, but it was really hilly (lots of sand dunes).

Tonight I will try for another easy 5k.

Tomorrow I am supposed to do a brick: 40 mi bike, 5 mi run

The trails are about 4 miles away. I have done 12 mile runs where I jog to the trails, do a 4 mile loop and jog back, but usually I drive. I would like to start riding my bike but I need to invest in a good bike lock first.

Headed out for a short run this lunchtime to see how my ribs were. Could feel them complaining a bit when running down the hill at the start though they stopped complaining once I got on the flat. After about 25 minutes they decided they'd had enough of the impact and it felt like all the muscles in my rib/chest area contracted which made breathing fun :D .

I did four miles but my footpod battery had died (note to self put spare batteries in kit bag) so at the time I didn't really know how fast I was travelling though it looks around 8:25 mm pace which is probably a little fast for someone with poorly ribs really particularly as I slowed down when they started hurting. So basically they are still sore, I've taken some ibuprofen now as I didn't this morning as I wanted a true picture of how they were. Looks like I will have to get up early and cycle into work tomorrow.

I'm hoping they are a bit better for Saturday as I am planning to get out for an exploratory trail run.

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Originally Posted by tattiefritter

I'm hoping they are a bit better for Saturday as I am planning to get out for an exploratory trail run.

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TF, trail running is great for many reasons, my favorite being that walking is totally OK, which you'll probably need to do some of if you still hurt. Enjoy it...and be ready to feel a little sore in places you didn't know you could get sore! (trail running involves a lot of whole body movement, not unlike mtn biking...the more you do it, the stronger you get and then one day you have giant tibialis anterior! :D (OK, maybe not giant, but defined, to say the least)

I'm lucky...I have trail access right in my neighborhood. I live on the northern edge of the city...I can literally run from my house up to an incredible trail system. Sometimes I go elsewhere for variety. This summer once it gets hot I'll probably end up driving to the trails in the canyons, probably about 15-20 minutes.

I haven't run since Tuesday, just riding to work. I'll do an easy run tomorrow and then it's 15 miles with about 5000' of climbing on Sunday. :eek:

1h 33m 30s
8.00 miles
11m 41s /mile


Before my run, I had errands to complete.

1) The new tri bike saddle. That took about 2 hours. I got one. And I also got a new seat post. After trading in my old seat and buying the new stuff + some nutrition goodies, the bike shop owed me $13. So I bought a new beneto box for my roadie.

2) Then I went to Run On to buy new insoles. Got some nice cushy ones.

3) FINALLY made it to the lake after 3.5 hours of errands.

The run: I started out pretty good. Found a nice slow rythm. Around mile 3ish my right foot went numb. Figured my shoe was tied too tight. Stopped to re-tie it about... uuummmm 5 times. Nothing helped. I gave up. My lower legs felt good! Left leg was fine. I also figured out how to run downhills to help my lower legs, I do a heel strike. The last 2 miles of the run were rough. I just didn't want to run anymore. The last mile I walked some. Bad move. My quads started to feel it. Overall a decent run.

Ran 3 times this week. On Monday I did short, intense brick with 30min biking with lots of short, steep hills, then ran 2miles with a few short intervals thrown in. It hurt, but was a good workout overall.

Thursday I ran 2.5mi easy, then this morning I did 8.5mi in 1:40min, which for me is a great pace. It was freezing this morning, so I think that spurred me on - run fast (relatively for a LSD) to keep warm, and since it was working, I just kept it up. Now it's time to taper for this weekend.

Hope everyone has had good runs this week!

I did 5k at home yesterday. Right back to 6 min k's again so 30 minutes in total. Legs felt good after and I took my cal-mag before running this time so maybe that helped. Even went for a 30k ride in the afternoon and feel good this morning.

I bought new runners yesterday. Had to try on about 10 pairs before I found some that didn't bug me. I hope they are worth the money. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by kelownagirl

I bought new runners yesterday. Had to try on about 10 pairs before I found some that didn't bug me. I hope they are worth the money. :rolleyes:

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Hopefully they let you go outside and run in them or run on a treadmill or something. If I'm going to spend that much $ on a pair of shoes, thy'd darn well better work. I hear you about the $. But keeping your feet happy is the key to keeping the rest of your body happy. It's worth it (assuming you have the right shoe).

Fleet Feet stores used to actually let you return a shoe within 30 days, even if you've worn them outside running. Don't know if they still do that as I haven't purchased shoes from them in a number of years (for carious reaons, none of them having to do with customer service). I have been lucky in that they haven't changed my preferred model all that much and also make a trail shoe that is very similar. But then I have neutral feet that are really not all that picky as long as you don't try to put them in a motion control shoe. Remember that Steve Martin skit "cruel shoes"? Ouch.

I did my 15 mile trail run this morning. It had about 4700' of climbing if you average out all the different measurements (Garmin TC, Motion Based, and Route Slip). I'm definitely having some issues with the point where the achilles inserts into the calf. Maybe it's because I do so much uphill running. :rolleyes:

Anyway, it was a beautiful day even though I got my butt thoroughly kicked by all of the people I was running with (in other words, I was the slow one that they had to keep waiting for). I quit trying to keep up with them when I got to the point where my calves hurt so much the only thing that would come out of my mouth was obscenities. It got better. And they had to wait for me anyway to point out the big rattlesnake (!) and to show me how to navigate through "the crags" (that's me in the middle, the crags behind us).

Life is good (epsecially when you know where the rattlesnake is)! :)

Yellow... 15 miles? Dang. That's FAR! I can't imagine. Beautiful run though. Looks like a really nice group of ladies to run with.

Wonderful picture!

My ribs/chest still hurt too much to sensibly do any running over the weekend so I ordered a pair of trail shoes to console myself instead! I can feel every tiny pebble when running in my road shoes so they'll probably be pretty useless for the rocky trails I intend to run on.

Once they arrive I'll put them at the front door so they look at me reproachfully every time I go out, that should motivate me to get them on and get on the trails. On the plus side my chest muscles are improving, it still hurts a bit but I can think about stretching them now which I couldn't before, I've also got reacquainted with my road bike.

I've been hiding.

I've been running, really. Just too busy to post much. I think Iput in about 20 miles total last week. It's been tough to put in much time training. Heading into the last push to finish our house.

TF - sorry about your fall. I hope you're feeling better

Yellow - WOW! That's awesome.

KSH - nice long run. That's really good. Look how far you've come.

Beetle and Alpine - Welcome back

KG - Glad to hear that your speed is coming back and you're consistently out there.

BTC and Limewave - sounds like you had good runs this week too.

RnR - Sounds like you had a pretty good week.:D :D

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Originally Posted by Wahine

I've been hiding.

I've been running, really. Just too busy to post much. I think Iput in about 20 miles total last week. It's been tough to put in much time training. Heading into the last push to finish our house.

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Knowing how I feel after a 30 mile week and knowing that you do a lot more than just run...and dealing with building your house (stress!!)...you are the master!

We know you're out there working hard! :)

Got up early this morning for a tester run, my thinking being that if I have to turn back after 10 minutes then I only have to have one shower in the day. I'd almost forgotten about my sore ribs on the ride home last night and when I set off I was aware of them but they didn't hurt and I had no trouble breathing. After two miles as things were ok I decided to do some hill repeats on a short steep hill (about 40 seconds to climb), managed 8 "up" repeats quite easily, the jog down took more toll on my legs than the up. I need to find a longer hill as I can push up that one and get to the top before my body has realised exactly what has happened to it, a longer hill will be more challenging even if its not as steep as I will have to pay attention to pacing.

Ribs were ok after all that but then I felt my lace was a bit loose and bent over to tighten it, ouch my ribs hurt! They bugged a little on the two miles home which was annoying. So managed 5.5 miles but need to remember to crouch down to tie my laces.

When I got home the postie had been and my new trail shoes were waiting for me (not bad for free delivery and I only ordered them yesterday)! :D They're Mizuno Wave Harriers (I use Mizuno Wave Riders on the road and love them) and they have a nice aggressive sole and a low profile heel which should help my ankle out on the uneven ground. I've seen quite a few runners out and about on the trails I'm intending to run with these shoes on so they should be fine....just need to find some time to get out there now, they have been parked at the front door, waiting for me.

I've been hiding as well (or maybe it's just that I'm not a regular enough poster?). But I have been running quite a bit lately (3x/week).

Today:
21mins
2.5 miles
8m 20s /mile
avg HR: 163

I did a 4.8 mile slow trail run on Sunday, so I planned today's noon run to be a faster, short one. On a bike commute day. And in the wind. In new shoes. Evidently I needed a battle?

The new shoes (Brooks Adrenaline GTS) did well. My nearby running store (Run n Fun in St. Paul) rocks.