September 29, 2012

4.5 miles, 42 minutes 8am Hyland Lake Park
Much of what I expected today came true. Not due to sabotaging my run by being negative, more what I've experienced in the last couple weeks taking on hills and new routes.  Following the trails wasn't difficult and I always try to take note of any warning signs posted to avoid running up a section that turns out to be closed;  expending more energy than I have for a "good" outing and most importantly not end up walking back from exhaustion.

Hyland lake is picturesque as the trail rounds the lake, ground covered in woodchips for soft foot placement under a tunnel of softwood trees. I was surprised that first mile ticked off very quickly and I was rounding the lake in only 8 minutes, heading north for the next 5 miles.  Plenty of steep downhills were available to practice speed descents I watched on one of Anton Krupicka's blog Friday.  It looks like a blast cruising down hills like a deer. 

Just at the north section of the trail I see a sign that reads something about going out of the park and assume it's not where I want to head.  So I turn left and at the next trail marker am pleasantly surprised how "fast" I'm heading back to the parking lot.  By mile 4 my left knee is noticeably becoming an issue and that's when I realize the car is about a half mile out.  Now the stiffness is too much and I walk the last of the distance back.  My watch kept running so the pace I recorded is grossly understated. 

Interestingly the last time first time my knee stopped me I was just a half mile from home while on a long run.  A mis-turn on Saturday ended up saving me from hobbling 2 miles in shame past the dozen other runners I had already seen ambly traipsing along the paths this morning. Sunday's run will probably not happen because I don't think my knee will even make a 2 mile loop at this point.

Optimistically, I believe Dr. Nolan at Premier Sports and Spine Clinic will figure out the root cause of this new ongoing pain.. Instead of finishing up the successful treatments to my lower back that has hindered being active over the last year, this week we started looking into my knee pain on Friday and  have a follow up visit this Wednesday.  I sincerely hope it's something treatable while I can continue running. Taking days off when I don't want to just bums me out.

September 28, 2012

4 miles,  40minutes 5:00am Jensen Lake and South of Holland lake
Frustrating new route today. I assumed when I added the horse trails on the run it would be like the steep climbs on the west side of Lebanon Park, but alas, they are extremely sandy and reduced me to plodding along uphills. Wearing a headlamp in the wee hours didn't help either as I had never navigated the middle stretch of today's route. I must have stopped at least a half dozen times to figure out my next turn and could not establish any kind of a rhythm for a good quality run.

Crossing the twisted bridge at "damn it's dark" a.m., wasn't as exciting when I considered it collapsing and me going for a swim in 40degree weather; possibly maiming one of my extremeties enough to end up crawling back to my car. An empty parking lot when I arrived assured me I'd be hobbling along unaided and was a little concerned when I heard a quiet "crack" about mid-way across. But I survived for a crossing another day.

Despite my prior nights planning to pack a running kit and work clothes, due to a small oversight I am hardcore commando today. Hardcore is appropriate as it's been 16 years since my last free-balling moment, when I was out of clean clothes (twice worn underwear) and had to walk a mile on-base to the laundromat in Norfolk  belting out my rendtion of Tom Petty's hit, "Free Ballin!" (I know you're singing it too).

With back to back long runs of 6 miles each this weekend I'll need to find a good course that doesn't have so many new turns.  Being new to trail running, that is going to be impossible and I'll probably end up wandering all over Hyland lake park for an hour. That will be awesome! I ain't scared!  It's trail running - it's soooper fun!

September 26, 2012

2 miles (?) 20 minutes 1:00p - Lebanon HILLS Horse Trail (west)
2 miles, 19 minutes  6:00pm - Jensen Lake
Trail running has made running fun. I love the horse trail at LH, for it's steep climbs and forgiving terrain that has been easy on my feet and knee. Next week, following the horse trail I am going to try and continue under the bridge (the starting point of the horse trails) and do the 2 mile around Jensen lake as well. I'll try and bring my camera phone with me sometime and get some pictures of the hills and that oddly twisted bridge.

Yesterday, a mile in to what was supposed to be a longer 4 mile run, my knee started to get a twinge of pain and I was afraid of being debilitated 3 miles away from my car and limping back for an hour, before I could drive home. So I upped the pace and within a 1/4 mile it faded to where I was feeling good except I could tell my energy to go 4 miles wasn't going to happen.  When I thought about it last night, moving my pace a little faster may alleviate all the pains I'm having completely. Especially if I stay on the softer trails. Naturally my runs will be a little shorter and I'll have to incorporate some kind of extended warm up. In order to do weekends long runs I will still have to slow it down, but I see them as a possibility again  if the faster tempo results in less stress.

Instead of getting into a cold bath at home after my evening run, like my legs were asking, Jen and I went out for some games and pizza with friends/performers from the renaissance festival. Good thing I decided to take today off, all that tasty grease would make for an uncomfortable run today.

September 25, 2012

2 miles (?) 20 minutes (?), 2:00pm Lebanon HILLS west(Bold for emphasis)
Awesome hill run today! Horse trails dominate this course but Google earth, nor any other map I found, even recognizes them so I had to make due with the hiking paths for the distance and elevation climbs. Starting off, a very slight incline turns quickly into a descent that requires putting on the brakes or you'll likely lose control. After about 3/4 mile of treed in wide sand and dirt path, a horse trail diverges from the hiking path, marked by a large definitive No Hikers symbol. The hiking route probably follows along a slight incline back towards the trail head. Screw that! When I peered UP the horse trail it had an inviting look at about 30 degrees so I accepted and was promptly welcomed to a 45deg. incline after the first bend; just why I came this way -  fun climbs with the side benefit of increasing leg strength and begin inching my way to ultra trails with their technical terrain and steep, leg deteriorating inclines.

The hill was probably only 50 yards up, but manageable to my surprise. Better yet, two more good inclines followed before I reached the summit and ambled along a flat section before an easy long descent near the beginning of the trail. Unfortunately there are no breaks in the trees for viewing from the "summit."

3 miles, 27minutes, 5:45pm Jensen lake + 2 small lakes
Tried to make this a recovery run of sorts, worrying the hills this afternoon may encourage cramping later on tonight, but ended up cruising it at 9 minute miles despite taking all the extra hills one can detour off the main trail.  Right about the half way point a bridge spans the two small ponds on the new route I added to the run at the last minute, that could have been right out of Alice in Wonderland.  Imagine a twisted wood planked structure that teeters at each step. Damn that was fun! Trail running has me hooked. Those kinds of things won't likely be encountered on asphalt paths and concrete roads in town.  I'll be back again tomorrow!

Septermber 21 - 23, 2012

September 21, 2012
2 miles,  time??(No watch),  6:30pm Friday night I was itching to get in a run after being completely pain free all day, and my wife was gone so I sent her a text with a picture in my running gear that read "You can't stop me now!"

Almost immediately I felt some twinges in my right foot so changed my stride to a shuffle until reaching the dirt trail around the dike where it would be better to put weight on it.  Had a few more uncomfortable steps, but mostly where the trail turned back to asphalt before getting back home.  Both legs felt okay, but unaccustomed to running after doing 60 miles of biking since Sunday.

September 22, 2012
2 miles, 18 minutes 10:30 am
2 miles, 17:50 minutes 6:00pm
The road out behind the Renaissance festival in Shakopee is all rock and dirt and seemed like a good idea for the initial jaunts on ramping up mileage again. Today I also decided to alter a couple of things for all runs to prevent further injury, based on the two pains I developed last week. 1)Pronate on my right foot and supinate on the left. This may open up an avenue for more injury shift the weight of each step to another side but has been working so far. 2) Split all runs into to equal, (for now) distance runs of morning and afternoon and allow the body to rest/recover some.

Again, both runs felt  extremely sluggish, but are by far more hilly than I'm accustomed to in 2 miles. Then there was the traffic creating dust clouds on both outings that was distracting and really kept me from gaining any focus and I expended a lot of effort as a result. Out of the hundreds of cars creeping along on the narrow weed lined road I did get one drivers encouragement to keep it up, giving me a glimpse of the "crowd engergy" many runners say keeps them going.

September 23, 2012
2 miles, 18:14 minutes 9:30 am
2 miles, 14:46 minutes 7:30pm
Morning traffic at the festival gets diverted to the overflow where I start my run, immediately after opening, I have discovered, as the first cars came through almost right after I departed.  Nothing to note expcept the hills are great for training.

On the evening run  my legs felt fantastic and easy. So I settled into very smooth gait that felt fast but manageable.   I would have loved to do an interval session and slowed down to some 9 minute miles and then ramped it back up again but my form started to feel like it was difficult to maintain and the right foot was disagreeing with the pouding so I cut it short.

September 20,2012

9-19-2012  12 miles(?) 50 minutes 5:30am

Morning rides pre-dawn are exhilarating, especially when your headlamp fails on the way back. Still trying to maintain some level of  aerobic exercise for Sunday when I will try out the lower extremities and see if any parts are still bothered. 

Wildlife has been abundant early in the morning. Deer, raccoons and rabbits seem to be everywhere when I riding near Highland lake park.

I'm starting an online e-log that has a route map and it isn't agreeing with google maps, plus my wife says the route we took was 9 miles according the the app on here phone so I'll have it hammered out in a couple days.

9-20-2012  8 miles,40 minutes 5:30am

Same route to Highland Park but got up too late for a the long route, opting for the quick extra half-mile loop near the entrance.

September 18, 2012

Biking - 7.5m 45 minutes 5am (Wish I could run that fast)
             9 m 60minutes 7pm

Foot has been feeling better each day, with a lot of icing last night I didn't really notice it was a problem until today sitting at work and the blood draining down has been making it swell again. I'll keep icing it and riding bike everyday then go for a moderate jog on Sunday and see how it goes...

September 16, 2012

8 miles, 1 hr 16 minutes 12:00am (Staring Lake and back)

A great start ended in a terrible run.  After my kick-ass wife paced me the first 2 miles for a great warm up at 11 minutes each, I took off on my usual 8 mile route with the intent to put in a 10 miler.  After 3 miles I was already feeling sluggish but kept on a 9mpm pace. That was probably the only satisfying part, my splits were all within 5 seconds at 9 minutes each.

By 4 miles my upper back near the inside shoulder blade was really tight. Pretty sure this is from carrying the water bottle and not having developed those muscles yet.  Right about reaching mile 7 my left knee was feeling painful but not debilitating though I had a noticeable hitch in my gait. Finally at mile 8 I decided to walk for a minute and see if the pain went away, just as I got ready to round the Neill Lake near home. Within 8 steps I knew I was finished for the night, and later decided for at least a week. The walk home wasn't painful but I couldn't move with a normal stride.

After getting home I did some stretching and had a sudden sharp pain in my right foot when I shifted all my weight over during a squatting hamstring stretch. My cold bath was waiting for me (Thanks Jen), so I jumped in and shuffled off to bed shortly after. 

Sunday morning the knee was sore but totally manageable. Putting weight on my foot was painful, and occasionally throughout day there was a severe sharp pain that made me stop mid-stride. Visiting the hospital doesn't seem warranted for the time being but to be safe I've decided to do some cross training this week and ride a bike for my aerobic exercise. I'll have to skip the long run this week, which just depresses me, and repeat the 2nd week of my work out again: 5, 5, 5 and 8 mile runs. Putting in some shorter runs at a faster pace or just doing trails for a week after I'm up again may also help the healing - I don't want to be down for any more that 2 weeks at a risk of going backwards in my endurance training for the marathon.

September 13, 2012

3 miles, 24 minutes 6:30pm

Flying cloud route. Splits of 8:14, 8:17, 7:22 (It's down hill on the last mile)

Running was an outlet for me when I moved to Minnesota a few years ago after my divorce and the aftermath that followed. Mornings were a quick lift and on Friday and Saturday around 11pm I'd take off for a 4 mile run to think and process things that kept getting pushed into the back of my head. Last night was supposed to be a recovery day but after receiving a bad email I just had to get out and went pretty hard for where I am in training.

The great thing about yesterday was knowing what my 5k time would likely be in a race which gives me a base for figuring much of my other training time tempos.  Bummer is that means my marathon pace will be 10 minute miles. Given where I am on long run distances and how long it will be to go 26 miles straight, I'm looking at next year before I'll actually be entering a marathon and want to get that below 9 minutes. In fact, if running is so much more fun for me at night and I have way more energy in the evenings anyway, it just makes sense to go with it. This is supposed to be enjoyable so that I will want to keep with the program and I'm going to make the switch.

Anton Krupicka

After reading about Scott Jurek in Born to Run and then his book, Eat and Run, that was published June of this year I've read up on his career, his techniques, and diet. While I had a bit of a man-crush (that's what my wife said) on him and mimicked a lot of his daily routine hoping it would allow me to quickly up my distance running in a short period, it's been rough with the adjustments my 220lb body is putting up with as I train. Scott's disciplined approach to training and diet are refreshing in a sense compared to many people I meet that do little else except self-indulge in acquiring wealth, gorging on food and generally trying to be a douche-bag any chance they get. 

(Changing my diet this July has been the single most important health choice I've made. That's an oversimplification, I know, but the lack of beef or chicken and minimizing my dairy intake not only allows me to run without indigestion and bloating from staying in my system for so long, it really helps recovery time decrease. )

Getting to know more of the hardcore ultra runners in the sport is exciting and the third one I stumbled on was Anton Krupicka. (His friends call him Tony, but I don't have that familiarity yet).  First impressions were some hippie/weirdo guy with a beard New Balance decided to throw into a commercial who puts in some good distances. Turns out the hippie really is part of the persona, though not in the dramatic sense- it's just who he is, but his legacy is being one of the top 5(?) long distance trail runners in the world. You could ask everyone you know if the name sounds familiar (pronounced crew-pitch-ka) and would likely get "no's" and "why, whats he do?" I couldn't help but notice the similar body shape to mine and was encouraged that I may "genetically" be able to be a great ultra runner. A stretch maybe, but we find motivation in different places and it was encouraging to think about.  I've been impressed enough that it's worth some discussion time here.



Weekly he logs over 150 miles and has long runs over 30 miles.  Of course his races are anywhere from 50 - 100 miles in a single day. Reading through his blog, I'm up to the first few months after an injury kept him down for two months, but just two months later he was back up to 150+ mpw, (miles per week). 

His running form is perfection if not close to it and like the stories of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, he just glides over mountains like so many other great athletes making it look effortless. Unlike most big sport athletes he's an intelligent sort with two bachelor's degrees (one a double major)  in physics and philosophy with the second in geology, for which he also received his Masters in 2011. We as humans are physically designed to run long distances and have the most developed brains in the animal kingdom, both of which he uses as they were designed. Just awesome.

Another huge similarity we share is making things more difficult for an advantage later. In an interview back in 2010 he said:

"During training I think it is good to be almost borderline bonking to get your body used to metabolizing fats and your legs used to feeling like crap. But during a race, it is all about meeting your body’s nutritional and hydration needs. I don’t skip out at all during a race."

When it comes time for the real thing, you've worked harder than necessary and there's little chance of fatigue or poor conditions slowing you down.

One has to admire his purist approach to running and I am enticed to embrace it. Most days I feel he wants just his shorts and shoes without even a water bottle or gel as they are too cumbersome. It wasn't even until last week I started carrying a bottle because I feel the same way, but with the increasing distances it was going to become necessary. Ahead, I see a long road that disappears off into the distance filled with the solitude and calm of the long distance run, and it will be exciting for me as I transition into better racing form and experience some of the same joy Anton has so often.



September 12, 2012 (update)

2 miles, 19minutes 6pm

Snuck in a quick 2 mile trail run around Jensen lake at Lebanon Hills Park near Rosemount on the way home.

*Remember that note yesterday about spending too much on running gear? Tuesday night I bought the New Balance MT1010 minimalists size 12.5, upgrades form the MT110 designed by Anton Krupicka, one the worlds best ultra trail runners. $100 seemed a good price for a new model, the design made logical sense and the forefoot has a ton of room for my wide step. Anyhoo, I've tried out 4 other pairs that weren't wide enough for my foot and didn't have a minimalist design but thanks to REI, (and one pair I wore around the house for day from a privately owned running store), their outstanding return policy allowed me to put a few miles on them and not worry about any grief over some mud on the sole.*

After the 5 miles in the morning I felt tired but trail runs are so much fun with the changing terrain and it follows the lake closely for nice scenery. It wasn't any kind of ache or something I couldn't overcome, just fatigue from this morning which I am sure will subside as my endurance builds. 

Only two days until the long run!

September 12, 2011

5 miles, 50 minutes 5a.m.

Drizzling out when I was leaving, wasn't in the forecast yesterday and still not this morning but it rained none-the-less.  Ran back in to grab my windbreaker in case it picked up though I don't like the extra layers as I tend to heat up quickly and end up shedding it later. Trying to tie it around my waist and not fall all over is always a pain, so I should try to find one that will fold up and be tucked away in the distant future. (I've overspent on running gear the last two months and will have to wait for some of it to wear out before upgrading)

Google maps showed the route at exactly 5 miles, but it was a rough go. The route takes me straight out Anderson Lakes pkwy to Flying Cloud drive, a dimly lit road with some easy hills that I get to turn on my headlamp for a bit and pretend I'm on a trail as I pass under the hardwood trees hanging over the road. My V02 capacity felt good after doing my 1/4 mile intervals on Monday but legs felt like under inflated tires. At mile 4 I walked for about a minute that carried me through the rest of the run.

I haven't been running through town early in the morning that I can recall over the past 20 years, so seeing those glowing eyes reflecting off my light keeps me attentive until I'm sure it's just a cat and not some other angry varmint that'll try and chew my ankle off.

Today was the first time I've run this route, though most of it I have been over in different sections. Having more hills than I've done on one outing, add that to being up so early with just a slow jog as a warm up probably contributed to the sluggish feeling. But downhills have become my favorite! After trying to maintain control using my heels while my quads were pounded I've despised going down hill and actually preferred the ascent.  Switching to a forefoot strike and kicking up my knees was all I had to change and now I just fly down hills and even have some momentum to keep it up for another half mile if the course is relatively flat before slowing back to my natural pace. Just before getting back on the trail at Neill lake, the new route I took today has a longer faster down hill that I've been on and is the perfect transition for a good kick the last half mile to home.

After a visit to the Sports Therapy and Chiro, the muscle tension in my back calmed down and he reminded me to keep up the strength exercises and stretches even though I'm feeling better. Dr Nolan has been great after so many visits to the General Chiropractor (multiple different clinics) and no long term relief, I can feel the progress and holding on to an optimistic outlook that I'll be back to 100% by the end of the year.

One more 5 miler tomorrow morning or Friday and I'll be on to my long run Saturday - 9 miles! Plenty of time to warm up and then get a good rhythm for a relaxing outing.  Although I felt worn this morning the anticipation of getting up to 20+ mile runs is exhilarating just thinking about it!

When I can, Wherever I can

Thinking of the time I intend to invest in running, single mile runs up to Ultra's, I made a few notes on the distances I've been gaining and liked to see my lengthening times and mileages.  After realizing I've been through some growing pains in the first two months of trying to seriously increase my endurance, I didn't want to wait any longer to begin my story.

Like the book I'm currently reading Running with the Mind of Meditation, when I ran just over an hour and a tad shy of 8 miles last week, as I drive on -I feel there's not much happening in life anymore. Not much stress, no pressure except where I push to increase my distance, the discomfort in my back subsides as I maintain good form; there's nothing but my concentration and constant self evaluation of how I'm feeling and the distance I feel like I could cover.

I took off over lunch yesterday and put in a quick 3 miler. After changing into my running gear I felt like sneaking in and out of the back shop so not to be spotted in my sleeveless top, skimpy shorts and bright yellow and orange Newton Distance shoes.  One of the mechanics here just continually gets my goat and I am not interested in giving him another reason to smart off about what he perceives as my faults. Getting out in the middle of the day was exciting and I went out way too fast putting down almost a 6 minute mile (faster than I've run in 17 years) and had to taper off to 7 and half minutes for the last two. It reminds me of a book I read about a runner trying to work up the stamina to finish the Spartathalon in Greece. Three times a day he would put in 6 miles around his life and work schedule.  Both of the parts outside his running suffered, but like my wife, his was supportive of what he felt was driving him and gave him the time he needed.

Tomorrow I am excited to be up before 5 am and put in a 5 mile run. I am not excited about my job and the time I spend there but I try not to complain because the salary is good the atmosphere tolerable. Morning runs energize me as I glide through the darkness and listen to my steps and watch the luminescence of the day override the night.  I romantically imagine an early morning commuter leaving the apartment complex and seeing me off in the distance, just a light bouncing around the lake, quiet and alone.