Category Archives: Running

January 11-17 Practice Running

Monday, January 11, 2016
6:07 am – about 2100 revolutions on the Elliptical in 20:00, 5/8 resistance.
It feels so easy after riding 3/4 resistance for a couple days. Not exactly sure on the revolution count. The display was turning off and on early. It started working normally after a few minutes. I estimated based on that reading and average rpm.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016
8:08 am – 3262 revolutions on the Elliptical in 30:10, 5/8 resistance
Planned 20 minutes, but was in a bit of a groove, so I added another 10. Really turned up the cadence for the last 90 seconds, nearly too fast. I almost lost control and had to grab on to the desk.

3:11 pm –  6.18 mi, 512 ft gain, 1:08:39. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.
Took a logging road farther than I had before. Hit the end and saw another across a clear cut. Crossed the clear cut and explored a bit. It turned out to be farther out than I had been on another road. I ran out a bit farther on that road before turning back. There were several more out past there to explore still.
I did a few fartleks to get my legs turning over and extend my range of motion. It felt a bit smoother than my gait has been feeling. I’ve felt a little joggy since coming back, like I’m bouncing just a little too much. I can’t tell if anything is different, though.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016
10:00 am – 2279 revolutions on the Elliptical in 20:00, 5/8 resistance
Fast last 90 seconds again.

2:44 pm –  7.02 mi, 815 ft gain, 1:10:36. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #2, with dogs. Altra Lone Peak 1.5.
I wanted to explore the area I found yesterday, but there was someone else parked at that gate, and I didn’t have leashes for the dogs with me. So I went to the next gate.
My hip flexors were a little sore to start, but they loosened up after a little bit. My lower legs were sore between my shins and calves again. It got a little worse for about the first 4 mi, then started to get a better.
I started to feel pretty comfortable towards the end. I bombed down a couple of the hills and finished with a kick at the end. My legs felt great running fast. I definitely need to work on range of motion more. The elliptical won’t help with that.

Thursday, January 14, 2016
6:30 am – 2165 revolutions on the Elliptical in 20:00, 5/8 resistance
I wanted to go fast for the last 90 seconds, but wasn’t paying attention. I ended up doing the last 60 seconds.

2:27 pm – 7.30 mi, 1048 ft gain, 1:24:04. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #2, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.
I was a little less sore starting out today, but my legs were more worn out by the end than yesterday. I’m still making progress though.
I also reminded myself that being comfortable in training won’t lead to much improvement. I’m not going to start pushing myself hard right away. I’ll still build up to it.

Friday, January 15, 2016
8:28 am – 2249 revolutions on the Elliptical in 20:00, 5/8 resistance
Turned on and reset the display, then it just shut off when I started and didn’t come back on. The display is not located in an ideal spot, directly under my front. So when I sweat, it drips straight down on and around it. I covered it with some clear plastic. Hopefully it starts working again, and that solves the issue.
A few hours later, I tried the display again and my full ride from this morning showed up. The LCD screen just wasn’t working at the time.

3:16 pm – 11.51 mi, 816 ft gain, 1:41:45, through town to WFSP RR Grade, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.
The lower leg discomfort is slowly getting better. I felt pretty good after I warmed up about 2 miles in. I got a little bit of a late start. I don’t remember exactly why I wanted to get back so soon, but I pressed the pass after the turn around. I had 9 min/mi pace as sort of a loose goal for the run. I had to make up time on the return portion, since I took it fairly easy on the uphill in the park.
I was well ahead of pace by the time I got to the RR crossing near home. However, there was a train in the way. I decided to run up the road and get a little bit more distance while I waited.  I ended up with about 0.5 mi extra.
I almost felt like I did before the back injury on the last half of the run. It was easier to hold a faster pace than it has been. And I didn’t have to make such a conscious effort to hold it.
After I got home, I think I was too sedentary right afterwards. My right hip flexor tightened and got really sore. It hurt to raise my right let.

Saturday, January 16, 2016
9:17 am – 2159 revolutions on the Elliptical in 20:00, 5/8 resistance
I guess I had some rather restful sleep. My hip flexor felt just fine when I woke up this morning. When I went to bed, it felt much like when I pulled it last year.
The elliptical ride went great. The display worked just fine, and the plastic kept my sweat off it. I wasn’t paying attention and only caught the time with 30 seconds to go to pick up the speed. I like to do the last 90 seconds.
I’ve started having my feet pointed ever so slightly out. When I had them straight forward with my heels and big toes against the inside lip of the tread, the top of my right foot would start to get sore after 10-15 minutes. With my feet turned just a little, so my big toes are maybe 1/2 inch from the side, that pain is gone.
2:41 pm – 11.03 mi, 775 ft gain, 1:46:59, through town to WFSP RR Grade, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5
It was a toss up between doing the same run as yesterday and taking the dogs out to the tree farm. I went with a repeat of yesterday (minus the extra train distance).
I was dressed in compression shorts, tights, a long sleeve compression shirt, fleece beanie, gloves, my OR Helium 2 jacket and my hi-viz vest. I almost took the tights off, since it was a little warmer today than yesterday, and it wasn’t raining at the time. But it had been pouring down earlier today, and it looked like it was going to rain again. A couple miles in, I wasn’t sure it was the right choice, as I was getting quite warm. I took off the hat, rolled up the shirt sleeves, then rolled up the jacket sleeves and unzipped the jacket. Finally, I took my gloves off. I ended up putting the gloves on and taking them off a couple times.
My legs weren’t really that sore today, but they were just a little heavy. It wasn’t enough to slow me down much, but it took a little more conscious effort to hold a given pace. It took about 4 miles to warm up today. My legs felt a bit better after that.
I made a short pit stop at restroom at the end of the RR Grade trail. Then it started raining. In the trees up there, it wasn’t that bad, and it wasn’t raining very hard yet. But I was getting wet. I kept the gloves on after that and started wearing the jacket’s hood off and on. After a while, I rolled the jacket sleeves back down. My arms were already soaked, so it didn’t keep me dry, but it did help with warmth. I also zipped up the jacket.
By about 8 mi, I was glad I didn’t down dress before starting. I was completely soaked when I got home. The jacket didn’t work that well, mostly because I had it unzipped some of the time and the hood off most of the time.
After I got out of the wet clothes, I felt that warm muscle pump that you get after a good run. It felt great.

Sunday, January 17, 2016
10:11 am – 2119 revolutions on the Elliptical in 20:00, 5/8 resistance.
The ridges and bumps on the treads are starting to bother my feet, mostly my big toes. I think I’m going to find some sort of thin padding or something to put over them.
I didn’t focus as much on keeping up the cadence. I also tried to drink some of my smoothie while riding, and it didn’t work very well. I had to slow way down, almost to a stop. I just waited until I was done riding to finish drinking it. I still went fast for the last 90 seconds.
3:22 pm – 8.33 mi, 751 ft gain, 1:28:03 , Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.
I was going to run around the May Creek loop on the roads by myself, but I decided to take the dogs out and head for the tree farm.
I definitely felt the increase in mileage this week in my legs, but it didn’t impact my pace too much. I wanted to check out those roads I found on Tuesday. None of the spur roads out there went very far before they ended. I hoped they were longer or connected to others.
I wanted at least 7 mi to hit 50 for the week, the first time since September. Even taking all the spur roads I hadn’t been on before, I was going to come up a little short. On the way back, rather than just doing a short out and back or backtracking to make it up, I decided to take the loop instead of the more direct route across Olney creek. My lower legs felt a little better by then, and I could hold a decent pace fine, but I definitely felt some fatigue from the week. At some point in the past, that would have gotten me down. Now, however, I see it as a sign of rebuilding my strength. It’s progress, and I like it. But I’m still going to take tomorrow off from running.
Weekly totals: Running – 51.37 mi, 4716 ft elevation gain. Elliptical – 2:30:10, 16333 revolutions.

January 4-10 Practice Running

Tuesday, January 5, 2016, 9:08 pm
4.26 mi, 314 ft gain, 40:09. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 3:49 pm
6.33 mi, 261 ft gain, 51:58. Through town to WFSP, solo. New Balance MR10v2 white.

Thursday, January 7, 2016, 9:13 pm
4.24 mi, 275 ft gain, 36:20. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Friday, January 8, 2016
4000 revolutions elliptical, 3/4 resistance, 42:58

Saturday, January 9, 2016, 1:26 pm
11.01 mi, 777 ft gain, 1:46:04. Through town to RR Grade @WFSP, solo. New Balance MR10v2 white.

Sunday, January 10, 2016, 1:44 pm
11.52 mi, 783 ft gain, 1:51:28. Through town to RR Grade @WFSP, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.
Weekly totals: Running – 37.36 mi, 2410 ft elevation gain. Elliptical – 42:58, 4000 revolutions

2016 Running Goals

◆    Finish Cascade Crest 100 mi
◆    500,000 ft elevation gain
⁃    The way the year is starting out, I’m not sure about this one. But I’ll keep it on the list anyway.

◆    Traverse Baring Mtn, Barclay Lk, Eagle Lk, Townsend Mtn, Flapjack Pt, Eagle Rock & back to TH (~21.5 mi, 13,000ft gain.)
⁃    This is a carry over from last year. I don’t know how possible it is. I’ll count it if I do Baring and Townsend together at the very least.

◆    Mt. Stickney from Wallace Falls side

◆    De Roux/Teanaway 50 mi
⁃    There are several partially similar routes I’m looking at in the Teanaway area. I’d like to do one of them this year.

◆    PCT section J

◆    Enchantments

◆    Bulls Tooth Loop and Peak

◆    Lake Dorothy, Bear Lake, Deer Lake, Taylor River, Middle Fork Snoqualmie, Dingford Creek, Myrtle Lake Loop
⁃    I’ll start at the Lake Dorothy TH, but I may do the loop in the other direction.

 

I decided not to make a mileage goal for the year. I think last year I was way too focused on getting the mileage. I hope to do more than 2015. And as long as I don’t miss any large chunks of time with injuries, I think I’ll do it.

2015 Running Goal Recap

These were my running goals for 2015. The back injury got in the way of a few. I’m still happy with my performance and progress for the year.

    ◆    3000 miles for the year
⁃    It was going to be close if I hadn’t missed two whole months of running with my back injury. I ended with 2,247.9 mi. Still more than 2014. It was a challenging goal. I’m more disappointed that I missed those two months and couldn’t make the push to hit it than not hitting it. I prefer a challenge to something easy, anyway.

    ◆    400,000 ft gain for the year
⁃     I would have hit it had I not missed those two months. I ended up with 327,513 ft of gain.

    ◆    Complete my first 100 miler
⁃    I didn’t make it. GI issues and the weather were too much for me to handle. One or the other would have been ok. Both were to much. I took a DNF at 68 mi. My legs still felt good, which was a good confidence booster that my training was good.

    ◆    Run the Pacific Crest Trail Section J solo in one shot, Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass
⁃    Scheduling and some minor aches and pain got in the way this year. This will go back on my list for 2016.

    ◆    Negative split an ultra
⁃    I completed this goal early in the year at Bridle Trails 50k. I had a great race. I ran each of the 6 laps within 1 min of 40 min and ran the last half slightly faster than the first.

    ◆    First 100 mile training week (not including the 100 miler)
⁃    My biggest non-race week was 84 mi. I’m not sure if I care to continue pursuing this goal. I plan to add in more cross training, so I’m not sure.

    ◆    Run everyday
⁃    This was going very well until my back injury. I made it over 1 year total, August 13, 2014 through October 3, 2015. But I didn’t make it all of 2015. I might not keep running everyday and do more cross training instead. Try to keep my running days longer and bike or elliptical on off days.

    ◆    Run to Upper Wallace Falls 50 times in the year
⁃    I made this way earlier than I expected. I think I ended up with 58 trips to the upper falls, and the last one was in September.

    ◆    Wallace Falls everyday for a week
⁃    I was saving this one for the fall. Another goal lost to the back injury. I may or may not carry this one over.

    ◆    Lake Serene quad (~28 mi, 10,400 ft gain)
⁃    I decided I didn’t care about this goal and scratched it.

    ◆    Traverse Baring Mtn, Barclay Lk, Eagle Lk, Townsend Mtn, Flapjack Pt, Eagle Rock & back to TH (~21.5 mi, 13,000ft gain.)
⁃    I just didn’t fit this one in. I will keep it on the list.

    ◆    Run up to peak of Mount Stickney from Wallace Falls side
⁃    I attempted it a couple times, but didn’t quite make it. I’ll keep this on the list too.

    ◆    5:30 1 mile
⁃    After my attempt early in the year when I did 5:32, I didn’t try again. Speed became much less of a priority than mileage and vert. I still want to make it, I’m just not sure if it’s enough of a priority to make it to my 2016 list.

    ◆    Sub 18 min 5k
⁃    I did a solo time trial 5k in 18:12 early in the year, when I also did my fastest 1 mi. I didn’t try again for the same reasons as I didn’t try again at 1 mi either.

    ◆    Traverse Mt Persis, Persindex, Mt Index
⁃    They closed the access road, which adds about 5 mi one way just to get to the trail. I decided it wasn’t worth it with so many other more accessible places. This will go on to the maybe someday list.

December 28-January 3 Practice Running

Monday, December 28, 2015, 10:40 pm
6119 revolutions on the elliptical in 1:00:00

Break to check on food at 900. Break to get food at 2000. Ate some over the rest of the time.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015, 8:22 pm
6.25 mi, 673 ft gain, 1:00:50. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Lone Peak 1.5.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015, 3:37 pm
4.36 mi, 317 ft gain, 49:46. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Thursday, December 31, 2015, 7:28 pm
4.25 mi, 296 ft gain, 36:53. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Friday, January 1, 2016, 9:01 pm
6.22 mi, 921 ft gain, 57:12. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Saturday, January 2, 2016, 9:48 pm
4.24 mi, 318 ft gain, 41:55. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Sunday, January 3, 2016, 7:13 pm
8.57 mi, 1267 ft gain, 1:37:26. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.
Weekly totals: Running – 33.89 mi, 3792 ft elevation gain. Elliptical – 1:00:00, 6119 revolutions.