Starting miles = 167.94
Ending miles = 178.03
Time = 2:06

Run feel/mood = slow/moderate start, toe soreness, stopped short
Weather = 55-60F; overcast
Starting point = Pawlings Road
Run type = distance

11.09 Goal = 45.0
11.09 Total = 16.16

Miles completed = 178.03
2009 Goal = 100

map:

View Run: SRT & PT in a larger map
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=115003775306585786823.0004780fe0bc40e94ce5f&t=p&z=14

dang toes.  Had the energy and legs…

I felt good going into this run.  I started out with a faster (still slow) pace, along the lines of 6mph.  I had a nice stride, good energy, good breathing.  I ran from Pawlings to Port Providence.  Then I hit the road into Phoenixville.  The curve of this flat road was annoying.  I tripped at least once on the speed bump, but recovered quick.  So my speed diminished and my average sank.  I was close to mile 6 when I was at the Port Providence trailhead.

My toes began whining to me, while my calves and knees were fine.  I was starting to dehydrate too.  By mile 8 I reached my bottle and my feet, mainly toes, where done.  I almost quite there, but a combination of a 3 minute break and some math that told me I had 5 more miles to go got me going again.

My toes were fine for about a mile, then my right toe (not my left like most the ride) had increasing sharp pain.  I am not sure how 2 weeks ago when I ran 12 miles I had no toe discomfort, just knee/leg annoyances.  At mile 9, onthe PT in Oaks, I was done, since I have to push off my feet/toes.  I dealt with the toes and made it to mile 10, around a half mile from my truck.  What sucks is I had the energy, where if I had my bike, I’d be putting in a good short distance ride after that run.

At this point I have some cycling scheduled and 3-4 3-5 mile runs til the Philly Half.  I am going to wear my KSO’s a lot the next 2 weeks, forcing my toes to deal with it.  My toes are not injured, so that’s good.  Nothing too long or hard, just as much mild barefooting as I can.  If I have that down, then my legs + knees are ready to go 13+ miles.

I’ll be fine for the Philly Half, yet I wanted a bit more peace of mind.  I have a feeling coming up short is going to do me better, since I’ll be more focused and better prepared.

Looking forward to my short run in Fairmont Park on Saturday, along with some cycling, maybe some swimming in the mix too (in the pool of course).

I did not want to take a rest week until after I ran the Philly Half Marathon.  But after having tightness near my calf muscles, specifically in the left leg, I needed time off.  And time off was good for my legs, even my knees.  One thing I should have been doing during my time off is walk 1-2 miles every day in my KSO’s, so my feet wouldn’t whine at me like they did during Sunday’s 6 mile run.

The thing I’ll ponder a lot is my approach to training the first 3-6 months of 2010, as I know I’ll be hitting December hard with cycling, plus some swimming.

Training and Running FiveFinger KSO (Fall Update)

Been thinking about how slow I am, as well as the effectiveness of the KSO’s.  This isn’t some false defense of my KSO’s, since I think that regardless of my performance levels, the KSO’s have done a lot of good.

Feeling the trail, feeling my feet to me is a victory for the KSO’s.  My feet needed a shorter run to re-adjust after a short break in my running routine.  Since I could feel my feet having discomfort and problems, I stopped short.  I could have been bullheaded like I tend to be on the trail and screw my feet/legs up doing too much.

Performance: cycling

With cycling don’t consider myself slow, nor consider myself fast.  When I’m posting 20+mph mid distance rides, then I’m at that high level.  I might have spinned a lot in recent months, yet my cruising speed is now around 12.5-14 mph, which isn’t bad.  In February I was cruising around 10, having slowly increased over the year to where I am now.  My focus was on distance and logging miles, which I made a tremendous progress in 2009.

Throughout this year, I knew I could do more and even do what I did better.  2005-08 in comparison to this year would be labeled “pathetic”.  Sure in 2009 I could do so much better, yet the one thing I have this year that I didn’t ever have before was discipline and drive.  With cycling, if I think I am a bit slower than I should be, don’t have the gear I need, and am not at the level I should be at, there is no way I can ever point to 2009 as a failure.  I can point the the previous 29 years of my life as years I fell short, so if I am frustrated with anything, I need to point to those years, not 2009.

As far as where I need to be with cycling…

I need to get my crusing speed between 15-17 mph, where I mean I need to hold that speed over 112 miles.  (Doable.)  As far as 17-20+ mph speeds, I know I can do that over 15-30 miles, if I am pushing it, yet I need to bump the speed up more into the 20’s.  I know I can do this with a new bike and some tweaks in my training, which I have been working on August and September.

My form is the biggest area of improvement I can make, where I need a new bike to accomplish a lot of this.  My Trek has never fit me, yet I didn’t know this until late in 2008.  The more miles I log, the greater the risk I have on my body, especially having switched to clipless this year.  My mild knee soreness has half to do with cycling and half to do with running.  Correct one and the other should follow (with my KSO’s).

performance: running

I am a very slow runner.  I never was fast, yet back in my college days I wasn’t this slow.  I know I can run faster, just that I am not training myself right and pushing myself when I run.  I need to fight the mind games as far as the heel strike.  If my running form is correct, then I need to not hold back.  I do hold back and that isn’t helping my progress.  Sure I can run 10+ miles now, but way too slow.

Again, I’ll point to cycling.  I was slow.  Over time I increased my speed naturally.  But there were times I had to push myself, not just with speed, yet also with distance.  Of course running is not cycling, where you have to be careful how you push yourself.

This fall I had focused on building distance.  When I did anything that had to deal with speed I didn’t push myself.  Again, a mix of running barefoot and the mind game.  I never did a true speed work out, where I’d run fast, rest, then repeat.  My tempo runs were more jogs than anything, so where most of my runs.  So this fall I accomplished distance, but didn’t build any speed.

I think I need to go 7-9 mph on most runs and would like to be around 7 on the long distance runs.  That is still slow compared to most real runners, but fine for what I’m trying to do with my triathlon training.  Of course I could be totally wrong.  In short, I may end up spending the early winter doing short distance speed work.

Regardless, lots of run work ahead for me in an attempt to have a respectable marathon in May 2010.

Body fitness level

I’ve mention performance issues in the area of speed.  I’d like to say that I’m in the lower 200′ and that’s why I have speed issues.  I think I am right in part, but I’ve seen people run and bike faster than me where were carrying around more weight than I am.  I want lean mass and I’m 40 pounds from that.  But 40 pounds can be deceiving, since I might not have that much fat on me.  Even if I was in the lower 200’s and all lean mass, I think my weight is too high for a triathlete.  I may be wrong, but even if there are people that weigh more than me that are faster

I wanted to be under 200 by end of 2009, but that isn’t going to happen, since I both plateau and my body has been making lots of adjustments this fall in all this cross training.  There were weak I lost fat, yet weighed in with no net loss or even a slight gain.  That was muscle gain.  With my body, I can gain mass no problem, where I blow up with moderate strength training.  I just hope that in my endurance training I will not have mass, rather slimmer more efficient muscles.  I don’t need to be carrying all that mass with me.

I hope at some point my body speeds up and I can drop weight to my target 170-180 range.  I know losing those last 20 pound will be as hard as losing the 20 pounds I’ve been trying to lose since August to get under 200.

Let’s hope with weight loss will come all these dynamics changes I am ranting about in this posts.  So much easier to run and bike faster when you are 170-180 than in the lower 200’s.

Lastly, forming some 2010 goals:

1. run faster (7-9mph)
2. bike faster (14.5-17 cruising speed, 20+ sprint)
3. Run a marathon
4. Sprint tri
5. Olypmic tri
6. Start training for a half-Ironman

I have a loooooooooong way to go!

Test embedding:

Link:
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=322066

Starting miles = 161.87
Ending miles = 167.94
Time = 1:15

Run feel/mood = fresh, slow, blisters
Weather = 65-70F; overcast
Starting point = Pawlings Road
Run type = tempo/jog

09.09 Goal = 45.0
09.09 Total = 6.07

Miles completed = 167.94
2009 Goal = 100

First run in 9 days, since I took a week off for the sake of my legs.  I was planning to run 13.1 miles today, yet was ready to back off.  It took me 3.5 miles to get my body in gear, where I felt like stopping after a mile or so.  Running is not like cycling and I was approaching it that way.  Around mile 4.5-5 I started to blister, even though some spots on my feet had moleskin on them.  I resolved to stop at mile 6 am see if I can do 13 on Tuesday.  I am disappointed, yet ok with it, since this is a learning experience.

I ran part of the canal today.  There is this middle age woman + her dog I ran into before a month or so ago who recognized me.  She asked me about my KSO’s having seen me with those on rumming before.  I told her about them for about 10 seconds.  Was  nice to run into a person like that and have a pleasant conversation.  I likely will run into her and her dog again.

It was 70F.  I though, what a perfect day to cycle or kayak.  Sure were people on the canal loop kayaking and canoeing.  Lots of cyclists, hikers, and runners on the trail too.  Honestly I wish it was 15-20 degrees color, where I thought I would have extra work keeping hydrated.  Doesn’t help that Port Providence’s water fountain is shut off for some reason.  I planted a bottle uner the Oaks bridge which people left along.

Thing that gets me is the psychology of the calendar.  It is November and people are dressing like it is cold out.  70F is shorts weather is you are running, maybe cycling too.  I’d hike in shorts today if that is what I was doing.  I saw people with jackets, sweatshirts, and even sweaters.  Again, some of that is ok if you are hiknig, but cycling, you’ll be overheating.  Heck I don’t dress thick like that until it is the freezing mark, where I’ll just have base layer, maybe another layer, and maybe a wind breaker on.  I know yesterday I had my tights on, with my shorts, base layer and jersey.

Anyhow, even overdressed, it was good to see the trailhead packed on a November Sunday

Starting miles = 4910
Ending miles = 4940
Time = 2:04 (14.7pmh)

Ride feel/mood = moderate pace, faster finish, good
Weather = 50-55F, sunny, light wind
Starting point = Pawlings Road

November 2009 Goal = 250
Miles completed in 11.09 = 30.35

Miles for 2009 = 4940.74
2009 Goal = 3200
Tier 2 Goal = 4000
Tier 3 Goal = 5000
Tier 4 Goal = 6000 -

details:

A week off my legs was exactly what I needed, after all I’ve done this year, plus my slow half marathon training.

I hiked 7 miles yesterday, which was actually something I needed to do to gradually build up for Sunday.  Today I planned to do 30, almost did 40, yet my bike was chirping with 3 miles to go, telling me it needed washed. I am ready for tomorrow’s momentous training run!

My legs were sluggish, yet fresh, the first half mile where I had to wake them up.  I got up to a moderate-fast pace (14.5-17), keeping around the range most of the ride.  I got passed going fast just outside Norristown by a guy on a aero framed bike.  He hear me say “nice bike!”  I was slightly faster on the Sewage plant climb, yet after he recovered, he had a good 0.1-0.15 on me.  I kept up with his pace, though didn’t gain on him.  I started to slow around Conchy, which is where I saw him stop by the gas station.  Made me feel good that I kept up and kept going.  I actually didn’t stop until my bike was making a loud chirping noise.

When I turned at Port Royal, I didn’t know I had at least three roadies not too far behind me.  I wasn’t even sprinting, just keeping a faster moderate pace, even with the wind in my face.

training Dec-Jan:

So I have 2 weeks left of run training, where I have to bike 10-30 miles here and there to keep my legs and lungs in tune.  I’ll run 13.1 on Sunday, then do 4 3-5 mile runs over the next two weeks.  I will focus on intensity, which really is only an attempt to not be so pathetic on my time on Nov 22.  Starting January I’ll start out focusing on intensity, so I can have a reasonable Marathon time in May.

I feel like biking, though hate the short days.  Cold weather I can deal with, actually want so I am not fighting the heat.  I have 1000 miles I will work hard to bike between now and December 31.  If I get 300-400 miles in this month, then I’ll have the challenge of 600-700 miles in December.  This is very doable, since Thanksgiving week to New Years is a 5 week period where I can get back to a 150-175 miles a week routine.  I’ll swim tooin the mix.

So I plan to mount a 7 week attack into the end of the year, resting in chunks the start of January.  That will be good since I’ll avoid the people who are doing the New Years resolution gym fads.  January 2011 looks to be very challenging yet is key to my coming success in triathlons.  Mounting this 7 week attack now doing the off time is very important and will seal the deal with me being a year round trail athlete.

Mile = 6.91
Time = 2:02

Run feel/mood = fresh, numb mouth
Weather = 50-55F; sunny
Starting point = Hamburg Resevoir

2009 Goal = no goal

map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=115003775306585786823.000477b996e5ce90ecb5c&ll=40.591405,-75.936255&spn=0.025419,0.066047&t=p&z=15

photos:

details:

Likely was a bad idea doing this, having taken a sick day off for dental work.  My face was numb, but otherwise I felt good.  I didn’t plan on hiking the Appalachian Trail today, nor go to Cabelas.  After seeing the sun and the mountains, it was too inviting.  I could go home and sit around or I could feel numb going for a hike.  Since I took a week off from running and cycling, this is a good way to warm up for the weekend.  Saturday I’ll bike and Sunday I’ll do my 3 mile run.

Took lots of pictures.  Was a fast hike, though I got impatient towards the end.  Some hunters out, though the area I hiked didn’t have really any deer sign.  Funny I was not dressed for a hike at all, in jeans, cotton long sleeve shirt, and my Vans.  As always I haev my hiking pole with me in my truck and this 7 miles wasn’t too big a challenge.  Ran into some people doing the same thing I was.

7-10 days earlier and I would have had a grand view of the peak of the folliage.

Starting miles = 4859
Ending miles = 4910
Time = 4:02

Ride feel/mood = moderate pace, faster finish, good
Weather = 60-70F, drizzle/light rain, variable light winds
Starting point = Pawlings Road

October 2009 Goal = 350
Miles completed in 10.09 = 260.6

Miles for 2009 = 4910.39
2009 Goal = 3200
Tier 2 Goal = 4000
Tier 3 Goal = 5000
Tier 4 Goal = 6000 -

Video:

2 Deer on the Schuykill River Trail near Norristown from shevdog on Vimeo.

I was worried my knees would be screaming.  They were a little at the end, but not too bad.  My energy level was good and I felt good.  Got to love 70F weather after a recent early arrival of winter.

Got video of some deer near Norristown, one must haave ben a young buck, since it was in a bull-like defensive stance.  A couple in Valley Forge too, which of course I’d expect.

Not too many people out, mostly diehards like me of various disciplines.  Some people were nice and polite, yet for empty trails I ran into some ignorant people.  I know hen you run it is hard to be aware of cyclists, though not that hard for me.  I hate it when I am running and cyclists just ignore runners.  I hate when people run in pairs and trios hogging up the trail.

I almost wrecked into a young running couple who made a turn a mile or so from boathouse road, having reached an end point on their run.  Now if you runon that section of trail, be careful, since you have the most challenging mix of trail users.  For me they turned without much  warning and use the entire lenght of the trail for their turn.  I gave them that look after almost wrecking into them.  (I wasn’t going fast and was actually negotiating a pass.

It was a good ride and makes me want to be my Cervelo already so I can get back into a heavy cycling routine.  250 miles this month is less than February, yet I ran 80 miles, so that makes me feel a bit better about my low miles.  I think I’ll bike a bit more in November, since I am rearranging the last three weeks of my half marathon training routine.  I got to keep my heart and lung at the high level they are at, which is my fitness strenght at the moment.  Got to take a week off starting Monday so my legs can recover.  Might do some kayaking on the canal.

Starting miles = 145.99
Ending miles = 161.87
Time = 2:44

Run feel/mood = sore, tight, slow
Weather = 46-55F; overcast
Starting point = Pawlings Road
Run type = distance

09.09 Goal = 82.0
09.09 Total = 79.75

Miles completed = 161.87
2009 Goal = 100

Two days later an finally logging the entry.  (Thankfully I use Daily Mile too).

This week was a good week for me to have the problems I am having.  My left bottom calf muscle was tight.  You can tell due to the swelling in comparison to my right calf.  After two days of Icey-Hot pads, I felt that my push off wasn’t so tight and knew I was in for a challenging 12 miles.  I figure I’ll skip a run this week and do the long run.  Not sure how good an idea it was, yet I am skipping running next week so my knees and legs recover, then will go on a modified run-bike schedule.

The good thing after my 12 mile run is that I had a lot of energy after the run.  Thing is I didn’t have the legs to do anything with it.  My lungs felt good, so did my heart.  Just my legs.  Another good thing is that I forgot to moleskin my feet, but after 12 miles, my toes were fine and no blistering.

At mile 7 I was at the end of the paved Perkiomen trail and my knees where screaming.  So I changed things up by running a mile back and forth on the off road protion of the trail.  I was glad to hit the hills of the Audubon loop, since running on the flat ground has killing my knees.  Took the hills slow, but steady.  I hate down hills, yet I need exposure, since I have a long down hill around mile 10 of the half marathon.

I got home, at Wendy’s, didn’t shower, went to bed.  Woke up alot that night.  I could barely walk until Friday afternoon, then I was fine.  Thing is my knees are sore, but were able to take 50 miles biking.  Another 30-50 on Sunday then my legs get a week off.

80 miles in one month, a personal best!  Plus my longet run ever

Pain don’t hurt!

Starting miles = 141.80
Ending miles = 145.99
Time = 0:47:45

Run feel/mood = moderate start, tight left leg, generally fine/sore
Starting point = VFCC
Run type = tempo/jog
Weather = 50F; overcast

09.09 Goal = 82.0
09.09 Total = 63.49 67.64 (missing 4.15)

Miles completed = 145.99 149.76 (missing 3.77)
2009 Goal = 100

map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=115003775306585786823.000476df975037a2193ce&t=h&z=17

bad math:

I’m good at math, but have been getting sloppy.  Good thing Daily Mile keeps my Xlog in check and vice versa.  All entries are accounted for, just bad math.

details:

Right around or under my left calf it is very tight .  Not sure if I strained my calf or did something to my plantaris/achilles tendon.  (Likely Soleus muscle).  Now I did have tightness in my legs, mostly my left one, on Saturday, yet the soreness was slight in the knee.  So time to ice and baby it, while monitoring what I will and will not do this week.

As for the run, I started of moderate speed, which for me is fast.  That isn’t the cause of the tightness, where it was everything leading up to this.  I slowed down, even stopped to stretch.  I could have gone faster, which is good that my energy level was fine + the rest of my body was fine.  Weird since yesterday I ws out of it and forced myself to not bike and today I felt slightly less horrible.  I almost called off running tonight which would have been a good idea, since my calf is tight/sore.

As for Monday night weigh in, I’m down 3 pounds, expecting no net gain/loss.  Didn’t eat well this weekend, yet I did eat more protein and less carbs.  Drinking my breakfast has helped, along with some links too.

Starting miles = 4814
Ending miles = 4859
Time = 5:00

Ride feel/mood = slow start, spin city, rainy
Starting point = Spring Mill

September 2009 Goal = 350
Miles completed in 10.09 = 209.92

Miles for 2009 = 4859.71
2009 Goal = 3200
Tier 2 Goal = 4000
Tier 3 Goal = 5000
Tier 4 Goal = 6000 -

Autumn at East Falls Bridge (Philly) from shevdog on Vimeo.

Had to take a video of the East Falls bridge since it was so colorful on the Schuylkill.  I definitely need some bike video, meaning I’ll have to get a helmet cam.

My legs and kness were tight.  Night before was a tough run.  After I warmed up, I was fine.  Did some laps on River Road, then hit Center City.  Ended up biking the Philly Half Marathon course (actually the marathon course too).  Nice course, which is very flat with some hill near the end.  (I actually want some hills).  It rained and stormed during the ride.  I don’t care theat my speed was under 10mph, since I was n the city with a lot of stop and go.

Starting miles = 141.80
Ending miles = 145.99
Time = 0:57:29

Run feel/mood = slow, relaxed, tight legs
Starting point = Port Providence
Run type = jog
Weather = 50F; drizzle

09.09 Goal = 82.0
09.09 Total = 59.70

Miles completed = 145.99
2009 Goal = 100

Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=115003775306585786823.000476a2c0a863d8084d6&ll=40.124742,-75.469344&spn=0.025596,0.066047&t=p&z=15

Details:

Not much to talk about.  My legs were tight and I my legs didn’t feel like running til I ran.  I’ll officially call this a jog, though my recent slow speeds match up a bit.  A bit of drizzle, yet Autumn temperatures.  Should be good to go for Monday, where I will try not to overdo it with cycling this weekend,

My commentary on speed, elite runner, slow runners, and related stuff

I stumbled upon this blog post:
http://community.livejournal.com/runners/4264193.html

And this news article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/sports/23marathon.html?_r=2&hpw

These posts struck some nerves…

Though I am a n00b triathlete, I consider myself a cyclist.  I just started running again this year and regularly since August.  I am not fast.  The other day I ran 10 miles non-stop for the first time in my life.  I ran 10 miles 9-10 years ago, yet that was not non-stop.  As for my speed, I did have an increase of speed this week, which is good when I’ve been running longer distances.  I’m happy with it, yet if I am expected to run 7+mph anything beyond 10 miles, it is going to take several more months of training, as well as a lot of adjustments.

I agree in part with elite runners in that slow runners are ruining the purity of the marathon run.  On the flip side I would have to say that there needs to be an elite classification with a strict time limit, as well as an elite award.  Reason I say that is that I rather see people get out there and be active, whether it be running or biking.  As a cyclist I get annoyed at things, like slow trail users that hog up the path, as well as general rudeness.  Thing is in a race, if the elites are up front at the starting line and they get their recognition, then that frees everyone else to do something hard to do at a lesser intensity.

I’m not for walking a marathon, nor taking breaks during a marathon, but if the rule permit walk and/or rest, while doing everything you can to push yourself to do the best you can do.  I still say if you are running 13.1 or 26.2, you have to take several months to train.  If you pretty much are walking these events, I say find something that works for you, like maybe a shorter running event or a walking event.  If you run slow, yet are pushing yourself in a healthy manner, then ignore the elites and finish before the event clock runs out.

Personally, I know my first half-marathon will be slow.  I’m fine with that.  I am using that as exposure to long distance running, which is key in my triathlon training.  My ultimate goal is to do an Ironman in less than 17:00:00.  Ever run 26.2 miles after biking 120 miles?  I ran 1 mile after 120 miles and I wasn’t coming off sprinting.  I don’t need to run fast, I just need to run fast enough.  And right now I don’t care about that, since I care about finishing 13.1 in less than 3:30.  I’d like to do 1:40, yet I am projecting 2:40.  Maybe I can just about double my milage with the same time when I do the Pittsburgh Marathlon in 2010?  plenty of time to train.

I’m saying it is ok to be slow.  Just know what your goals are and push yourself to those goals.  My goal is to finish a marathon within my Ironman target time.  If I can do that, then I can sign up for 70.3 and 140.6.  For a slow runner, an ok cyclist, and a n00b swimmer, I have a long way to go.  What that’s all the adventure!  As for elites, good job, now stop your whinning!