Tuesday, February 9, 2016
4:13 pm – 4.34 mi, 696 ft elevation gain, 1:07:05. Olney Creek Rd, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

There were too many cars parked at the gate where I had wanted to run. Glad it was so busy, so I got to check out Olney Creek rd for the first time. Some crusty, punchy snow part of the way. I’m looking forward to exploring out there more.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016
4:14 pm – 7.44 mi, 111 ft elevation gain, 1:13:44. Warmup, 11 x 1min repeats, cool down. New Balance MR10v2 white.

I had to loop back during the warm up to use the restroom at the grocery store. I did about 2 mi warmup. At 2 mi, I waited until the next whole minute, which was 25:00, I believe. Then I did 11 x 1 min repeats with 1 min rest between. I managed to only hit a hill on one of the intervals.
I miscounted the intervals. I stopped off the side of the road in the bushes after the 7th to pee, and my 1 min rest was over when I got back up on the road. I think that’s where I messed up the count. I meant to do 10.
I’m still figuring out pacing. I end up going a little too fast to start out, then dial it back a little. But my average interval pace was good. I definitely felt worked by the end. I may have been able to push out one more, but my legs were a bit heavy on the cool down.
I stopped briefly to chat with a neighbor on the way back home. My legs were recovered enough by the end to finish hard, so I did.

Thursday, February 11, 2016
3:51 pm – 11.05 mi, 781 ft elevation gain, 1:44:56. Through town to WFSP RR Grade. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.

Friday, February 12, 2016
4:14 pm – 6.48 mi, 1363 ft elevation gain, 1:26:58. Reiter hill gate to top, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #4.

Saturday, February 13, 2016
3:34 pm – 18.02 mi, 1878 ft elevation gain, 3:04:46. Town to WFSP RR Grade, Greg Ball, Wallace Lake. Altra Superior 1.5 red #4.

Sunday, February 14, 2016
3:52 pm – 18.08 mi, 2071 ft elevation gain, 2:59:26. Town to WFSP RR Grade, Greg Ball, Wallace Lake. Altra Superior 1.5 red #4.

Totals: Running – 65.41 mi, 6900 ft elevation gain.

Monday, February 1, 2016
8:00 pm – Elliptical, 4017 revolutions, 40:00, 3/4 resistance.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016
3:42 pm – 6.52 mi, 826 ft elevation gain, 1:06:15. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #2, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016
4:10 pm – 8.09 mi, 187 ft elevation gain, 59:13. Around town 5×1 mi, solo. New Balance MR10v2 white.

I had plenty left in the tank after last week’s 4x1mi, so I added a 5th today and bumped up the effort a little. About 1 mi warmup, 0.25 mi between repeats and 1 mi cool down. I tried to plan the route to hit flat sections for the intervals, but it didn’t quite work. I ended up trying to keep my pace up on the hills, which meant pushing harder. I’ll figure out a good route eventually.  Nothing I could do about the wind picking up, blowing in my face on the last one.
First time in a long time that I felt a little nauseated at the end of a run. Just fine after having the 2nd half of the smoothie I had beforehand.

Thursday, February 4, 2016
3:48 pm – 11.09 mi, 817 ft elevation gain, 1:44:56. Through town to WFSP RR Grade, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Friday, February 5, 2016
4:45 pm – 6.07 mi, 839 ft elevation gain, 1:04:48. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.

Saturday, February 6, 2016
3:07 pm – 16.05 mi, 1884 ft elevation gain, 2:46:28. Through town to WFSP RR Grade, Greg Ball, Wallace Lake, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.

Sunday, February 7, 2016
2:54 pm – 14.44 mi, 2166 ft elevation gain, 2:40:52. Through town to WFSP Woody, Greg Ball, Wallace Lake. Solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.
Totals: Running –  62.2 mi, 6718 ft elevation gain. Elliptical – 40:00, 4017 revolutions.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016
4:17 pm – 4.12 mi, 610 ft elevation gain, 40:59. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.

My HR monitor’s battery died sometime between 3-3.5 mi.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016
4:22 pm – 7.13 mi, 166 ft elevation gain, 52:31. Around town 4×1 mi repeats, solo. New Balance MR10v2 white.

I did about 1.25 mi warm up, heading up Gunn Rd, to add a little mileage before heading out toward WFSP. Then I ran 4×1 mi repeats with 0.25 mi rest in between. It worked out almost perfectly, hitting a rest just before the hill past the neighborhood on May Creek Rd, and starting another interval at the top of the hill. I hit the 0.5 mi point on that interval just before the steep hill turning into WFSP and turned around. I finished that 1 mi just at the top of the May Creek Rd hill. I finished my 4th interval about a block before the abandoned blue house on Lewis Ave, sprinting out the finish.
I cooled down until crossing the RR tracks and dropped another faster interval to the turn, and a short final sprint at the end. I felt great after I caught my breath. That warm pump from a good workout.
I was really curious to see my HR data from today, but I ended up not taking my HRM. I charged it after it died on Sunday’s run, but it wouldn’t turn on today. I put it back on the charger before I left. It seems to be working gain, so I’m not sure what happened.

Thursday, January 28, 2016
3:04 pm – 11.19 mi, 825 ft elevation gain, 1:47:27. Through town to WFSP RR Grade, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Rain and hail and more rain. Absolutely soaked, even with my “waterproof” jacket on. It did keep me warm enough, though.

Friday, January 29, 2016
3:14 pm – 6.80 mi, 496 ft elevation gain, 1:11:35. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.

Saturday, January 30, 2016
2:50 pm – 12.14 mi, 1082 ft elevation gain, 2:07:52. Town to WFSP RR Grade & 0.5 mi marker on Greg Ball, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.

Sunday, January 31, 2016
3:42 pm – 12.10 mi, 1042 ft elevation gain, 1:59:45. Town to WFSP RR Grade & Bike trail, solo. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.
Totals: Running – 53.3 mi, 4222 ft elevation gain.

Monday, January 18, 2016
7:08 pm – Elliptical, 2164 revolutions, 20:00, 5/8 resistance.
I put on socks to ride the elliptical today. I wasn’t paying that much attention to the time and didn’t end up speeding up at the end today. I still did a little more than yesterday.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016
9:20 am – Elliptical, 2022 revolutions, 20:00, 3/4 resistance.
I decided to turn up the resistance for today’s ride. It slowed me down a little bit. I like it a little more difficult. I went faster the last 90 seconds again.
4:04 pm – 4.22 mi, 979 ft gain, 1:04:35. Reiter Rd DNR Hill Gate, with dogs. Altra Lone Peak 1.5.
I wasn’t sure where or how far I was going to run today. Going out to Reiter was kind of a last minute decision. There was a car at the first gate, and I didn’t want to cross the creek at the second, so I went to the third, the one where the power line road goes almost immediately up a steep hill.
I definitely don’t have my climbing legs back yet, but I enjoyed it. I feel like my body can handle increasing the vert. I’m not sure if I want to increase it too much while also increasing the mileage.
About 1.5 mi in, we ran into snow. It started about ankle deep. It quickly went to calf deep, then knee deep. It was deepest on some of the steepest parts of the last hill. I was postholing the whole way. Once up to the dirt road just below the top, I turned left, and we ran up the road a bit to hit 2 mi.
We turned around and took the road back down to below the deepest snow and steepest parts. The last little climb up to the road is over boulders. I didn’t want to risk falling or slipping into a hole and getting hurt.
Once back into the snow, it was a lot of fun running down. It didn’t last long though. The rest of the descent was still quite fun.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016
9:09 am – Elliptical, 1963 revolutions, 20:00, 3/4 resistance.
I wasn’t concentrating on the ride much this morning, which led to going a little slower than usual. I took the liners out of a retired pair of running shoes and put them down on the treads. It’s much more comfortable than standing directly on all those hard ridges and bumps in my bare feet or socks.
3:57 pm – 4.9 mi, 981 ft elevation gain, 1:05:08. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Lone Peak 1.5.

Thursday, January 21, 2016
10:10 am – Elliptical, 2194 revolutions, 20:00, 3/4 resistance.
I was more present during the ride this morning, consciously keeping the cadence higher. I also felt better this morning than yesterday. I’m not sure why, but I’ll take it. I used the shoe inserts again. I’d like to get something that covers the whole tread instead. I sometimes have to make an effort to keep them from moving.
3:52 pm – 3.14 mi, 28 ft elevation gain, 21:59. Around town, solo. New Balance MR 10v2 white
I decided that I wanted to run fast today. I also didn’t feel up to running all that much, and it didn’t seem like the weather was going to give me much of a break, so a short fast run fit well.
There was a slight drizzle off and on the whole time. A nice stiff breeze was at my back on the way out. At times, it gave me a very noticeable speed boost. It was nice. I started at a comfortable pace and sped up as I went.
And then I made the turn to head home. The wind was not so nice running into it. Those same gusts that propelled me on the way out really slowed me down on the way back. My pace dropped, but my effort increased. My HR was just about back to normal. My legs didn’t quite feel as strong or fast yet, though, but it’s getting closer.
I enjoyed the run. Unfortunately, the lower leg discomfort is still there. I guess it’s shin splints, but not the kind that I used to get as a kid. As a kid it was the outside part where it’s more fleshy. Now it’s inside along the edge of the bone where it meets the calve muscles. I had the same issue at least once last year that I remember. That time, my shoes were worn out. I replaced them, and it went away. My current shoe rotation shouldn’t be that worn out, so my guess is that the related muscles haven’t fully recovered yet. It seems to be getting slightly better, and seems to mostly go away after a while on some runs. Maybe I’ll get some new shoes anyway. I’m down to my last 3 pair of Altra Superior 1.5, which are 2 updates behind, and my NB MR10v2 are pushing 400 mi.

Friday, January 22, 2016
9:20 am – Elliptical, 2166 revolutions, 20:00, 3/4 resistance.
I had to stop about 1 min in to let Sigurd outside. He had a little bit of stomach trouble and wanted to eat some grass. That usually settles his stomach.
When I got back on, I was less focused than yesterday, but more than the day before. My legs felt good, and the resistance didn’t seem quite as tough today. I rode the last 90 seconds fast again.
2:45 pm – 6.23 mi, 913 ft elevation gain, 56:53. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.
I was over-dressed today. I was expecting rain, but it turned out to be partly cloudy, and the sun came out for my run. It was also warmer today, so I left my jacket and hat in the car. I still had my gloves and was wearing running tights and a long sleeve shirt.
We ran out past Olney creek, then left out to the hill towards Wallace Lake. My uphill pace is coming back, but my legs don’t quite feel as strong yet. With the sun out, I started to get pretty warm going up the hill and took my shirt off. It felt great to have the sun on my skin.
We turned around at 3.1 mi, just past the last spur road before leaving the clear cut. I took it easy heading back down the hill for a while, then opened up and went with gravity. Then I started pushing downhill for a little while down to the rock pit. I slowed back down a little for the rest of the downhill after that. I went a little faster most of the rest of the way after that.
Partway down the last hill, I started pushing again. It’s nice to open up my stride and get my legs turning over. But my range of motion has not fully returned yet, so my hip flexors get kind of sore from it after I get home. They’ve been fine by the next morning every time so far, thankfully.
I thought I would get cold and put my shirt back on when I got back into the shadows in the trees, but I didn’t. I made it all the way back to the car. Still some shin splints, but it’s not getting worse. Getting better would be nice, but hopefully soon. I’ve been doing some periodic exercises throughout the day that are supposed to strengthen the arch, which can be one cause of this type of shin splints.

Saturday, January 23, 2016
2:15 pm – 5.62 mi, 437 ft elevation gain, 1:00:46. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #6.

Sunday, January 24, 2016
4:01 pm – 6.04 mi, 849 ft elevation gain. 54:44. Kellogg Lake Tree Farm gate #1, with dogs. Altra Superior 1.5 red #5.
Weekly totals: Running – 30.15 mi, 4159 ft elevation gain. Elliptical – 1:40:00, 10509 revolutions

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.