Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf

menoscemo

donothoponpop wrote: »

You've no need to go to a 10 miler 6 hrs round trip away, just to tell you that you're in good shape- you can see that from your training. For the same reason, I don't think there's much worth in you running a time trial either- the results you need so far are showing themselves in the training you do.

I disagree purely because I find there is nothing quite as reaffirming as running a fast race to tell you what you are doing is working. I have no doubt DD is in sub 3.30 shape based on her training but she obviously has doubts and a race or TT will perhaps give her the self confidence to push on and believe.

As an example round these logs look a Claralara; we have been telling her for ages she must be in great shape (faster than she thinks) but I think it took her to run Raheny 5 miler to actually believe that herself.

Dory Dory

Oryx wrote: »

I trade you my fecks for your bangs and doozys. Cultural exchange, right here!

As you know I dont do the numbers/graphs/garmin connect. To be honest, going to all that effort makes me more tired than the training.

Cultural exchange......does that mean I'll have to do that Ironman in Austria then? :eek:

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

What kind of Garmin do you have?

I assume this is for shotgun.....? But in case anyone is interested, mine's a 610.

Dory Dory

Trainer

Having run 12 miles last night, then 10 miles (w/6 of them tempo) today, I was very pleasantly surprised when I hopped on the bike tonight and found it to be an easy session. Good solid work while listening to some heart wrenching, bluesy tunes.

25 miles in approximately 86 minutes.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Dory i actually do think it would be best for you to do a test so you can base the rest of your training off that. I agree with others you are in much better shape than you think and based on your tempo efforts are in the sort of shape to go under 3:30.
Here is some information to assist you carrying out a 30min LTHR (Lactate Threshold Heart Rate) test although you will need to wear that darn hrm:rolleyes:
Once you have established your lactate threshold hr after the test you can start working out what your paces in each zone will be like. Everyone is different but for me i would be pacing a marathon somwhere around low zone 3. Do the test and try a few runs in those zones and see what that gives you re-pace and you will get a better indication of what time you should be aiming for.

Dory Dory

Odin Drab Firefighter wrote: »

Dory i actually do think it would be best for you to do a test so you can base the rest of your training off that. I agree with others you are in much better shape than you think and based on your tempo efforts are in the sort of shape to go under 3:30.
Here is some information to assist you carrying out a 30min LTHR (Lactate Threshold Heart Rate) test although you will need to wear that darn hrm:rolleyes:
Once you have established your lactate threshold hr after the test you can start working out what your paces in each zone will be like. Everyone is different but for me i would be pacing a marathon somwhere around low zone 3. Do the test and try a few runs in those zones and see what that gives you re-pace and you will get a better indication of what time you should be aiming for.

Thanks! You all are a wealth of information! I did have a look at the "training effect" blurb on the Garmin site - I had worn that blasted hrm a few weeks ago when I did a tempo on the treadmill and then had a look at results. If my memory serves me correct, to go by the Garmin info/training effect, you need to wear the monitor several times so it can guage your zones more correctly. In any event, I'll have a look at your link - thanks again!

Dory Dory

Swim Session

Apparently Friday night is not the hottest night of the week to skip on down to your local pool one hour away and hang with the other fish....because, to my absolute freakin' delight, the pool was nearly empty! Woo hoo! I had my own lane all to my pea pickin' self. In fact, there was a period of time when I had the ENTIRE pool all to my pea pickin' self. I was in hydro-heaven.

Nothing too earth-shaking to report, but as I was 30 couple laps into my "warmup", dpop and his spectacular swimming progress and his spiffy 1000s popped into my mind, and I decided to time myself to ensure that I still had an edge on him, and if so, then by how much. After some quick calculations in my head to convert yards to meters and determine how many laps was needed....the time clocked ticked 15:23 as I hit the wall after 44 laps. Safe for the moment from dpop's reach.

2500 free (35 minutes to complete)
500 kick, 500 pull
250 kick, 250 pull
200 kick, 200 pull, 200 free
150 kick, 150 pull, 150 free
100 kick, 100 pull, 100 free
50 kick, 50 pull, 50 free
6 x 100s (25 free, 25 breast, 25 fly, 25 free) off 1:50.

6,100 in 1 hour 46 minutes.

Feeling warm and fuzzy right now.

donothoponpop

Dory Dory wrote: »

6,100 in 1 hour 46 minutes.

Feeling warm and fuzzy right now.

:eek: My head is spinning just reading that! I think its safe to assume I won't be touching your tootsies just yet... imagine those times if you imagined a worthy nemesis!

Dory Dory

donothoponpop wrote: »

I won't be touching your tootsies just yet...

They welcome the threat of interaction.

Meeting a friend for a trail run along the Shenandoah River and surrounding area today at a state park. Never been to this park, but I hear it's quite nice. Haven't been on a trail run since the official marathon training began, so I'm really looking forward to this change of pace. The marathon plan calls for me to do 13 miles at some sort of pace this weekend, so, if this run is anywhere near what I'm supposed to do today, then I'll have satisfied my "obligation". If not, then I'll either do the 13 mile run tomorrow, or throw caution to the wind and not worry about it. I think I'm probably okay either way.

Dory Dory

13.75 mile Trail Run at Andy Guest/Shenandoah River State Park

I met up with a friend of mine (who is a much faster runner than I am) at this state park to have a go at some of the trails. I had done a little advance research online by studying the site map and calling the park and chatting with one of the rangers - mainly to figure out where the best place was for us to park, where the bathrooms were, and if all the various trails were connected (as it looked on the map) - so when we arrived at the park we had a pretty good idea of how we wanted to tackle this beast.

The weatherman was calling for lower 40s with rain starting around 2 (turning to snow), so I layered up and did some math to make sure we'd be finished before the rain set in. We decided we'd start out with an easy trot by the Shenandoah River on one trail, and then snake our way back around on another trail to make a pass by our vehicles and rehydrate for the harder climbs to come. These first 4 plus miles were easy in that the trail was mainly packed gravel and flat. As I mentioned previously, my friend is a much faster runner than I, so I was watching the pace and had to reel him in a few times on these early miles.

After a quick gulp of water, a few jelly beans, a pit stop, and a few stretches, we took off on the next phase of our journey - to find that trail with the black diamond on it known as Bear Bottom Loop. The short jaunt on the road that connected where we were to where we wanted to go was a god-awful steep monster that I had to take one step at a time with my head down as to not horrify myself with the visual of its incline and distance. Thoughts of spewing surfaced momentarily (damn jelly beans!), but mind over matter and such thoughts were quickly quarantined.

We reached the trail head to Bear Bottom and were greeted by four gorgeous horses getting suited up for their adventure - apparently we'd be sharing the trails with them today. After a few exchanges with the horsemen, we scurried on our way into the woods and out of sight of much else other than squirrels, birds, and meat eating raptors. What a transformation it is entering the world of the forest....how magical it is to our senses of sight, hearing and smell. I could immediately feel all the stresses of the outer world shed from my skin, and the lightness I felt translated into an energetic gait with excitement and slight urgency. If you have never run through woods, you are truly missing a fun (movie like - think Knights of the Round Table) experience. And the physical nature of trail running is much more complex than proper running about town - the dodging of the branches...the leaping over rocks and limbs...the swift turns...the sharp angles of the path...the abrupt climbs and falls...the constant balancing act that you must do to keep on your feet and moving forward. And there is an interaction with the environment that makes this type of run much more intimate than its counterpart. Talk about finding the fountain of youth. For me, it is a magical run through the woods with the wind blowing in my face and the trees speeding by me.

Any way...pardon my ramble....I'll wrap this baby up. Long story short, the run was a blast....it felt great....the climbs were hard (but they're supposed to be)....the falls were a thrill (think roller-coaster)....I got very hungry towards the end (had a big chocolate chip cookie waiting for me)...and now I'm sore from all the twisting and turning I did, so I'll be hopping on my trainer shortly to spin out all the bad stuff.

13.75 miles, 2:06:37, 9:13 min/mile

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/147128959

Marathon plan called for 13 miles today, and while I'm sure the plan didn't suggest to do the 13 miles quite in this fashion, I'll still consider them done and dusted.

Bally8

Lovely description. Sounds great:)

Dory Dory

Post-Run Spin on Trainer

15 wonderful miles on the trainer to sort out the legs after my trail run. Took just under an hour - it felt so good that I considered spinning longer, but hubby was waiting on dinner, so duty called!

Dory Dory

Trainer

I sit here writing this report as I eat my fried eggs (over easy) and bacon while watching my Caps lose to the Bruins (to drquirky's delight, no doubt).

Normally I would run on a Sunday - pretty rare that I don't - but after a week of ~55 miles in my runners (not to mention 13.75 of those miles trail running, which (in my opinion) converts to higher mileage), my body a little tired, and the need to give my house some love, I made a good decision to spend time at home and on my trainer. Felt great. Felt strong. Biggest issue was the discomfort my fanny felt until at approximately the 28th mile, at which point it finally went numb thus solving the problem. :rolleyes:

40 miles in 2 hours 10 minutes.

Legs will be eager to run tomorrow. My treadmill is still in out of commission, so it's all outdoor running for me for now. The good news is, the weather is supposed to be mild for most of this week. The hard part will be for me to sneak out of work to get my interval and tempo sessions done.

drquirky

Dory Dory wrote: »

Trainer

I sit here writing this report as I eat my fried eggs (over easy) and bacon while watching my Caps lose to the Bruins (to drquirky's delight, no doubt).

The first of a couple of big victories today for the very best part of the USA....

drquirky

Dory Dory wrote: »

Trainer

Biggest issue was the discomfort my fanny felt until at approximately the 28th mile

As a fellow American- I think its my duty to tell you that the word "fanny" means something completely different over here ! eek!

Dory Dory

drquirky wrote: »

The first of a couple of big victories today for the very best part of the USA....

drquirky wrote: »

As a fellow American- I think its my duty to tell you that the word "fanny" means something completely different over here ! eek!

So, obviously, a Patriots fan...and true yank.

Oh god...really? You know, catweazle once made a reference to the word fanny that gave me an indication that it might not be the same usage. So, pray tell, what does it mean? Or shall I google it??

Dory Dory

That word has been googled.....got it. Thanks for having my back on that one, drquirky. Yikes....had no idea.

donothoponpop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDsfzJXGAo8

Dory Dory

donothoponpop wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDsfzJXGAo8

Yet another reminder of the value of a good prop. Thanks, dpop, for the clarification.

Dory Dory

Full Moon Run Around Town

It was a clear and crisp evening, and with the full moon working in conjunction with the stars to illuminate our country sky, it was a perfect night for a run about town. Because I have gut wrenching intervals tomorrow (gag!), I knew I wanted to go easy on this run.....BUT, because I did not run yesterday, my legs were eager to put the hammer down and have some fun.....therefore, I treated tonight's run as two runs - a short fast-ish run followed by a long-ish slow run.

It was dark enough when I started out that I really couldn't easily see my pace on my Garmin without some effort, so I decided to just do it all by feel. The first mile felt like a slog....and my body was protesting what I was asking it to do. The second mile felt a little better, but it wasn't the good feeling I was hoping for. The next 1 plus miles were okay, I felt stronger, but it was not without some work. When I saw my splits I was mixed - they were so-so, but not floating-on-a-cloud grand.

The slower, longer run felt pretty good. The hills I ran up were relatively easy, and I stayed relaxed. I met another runner on the streets (I never meet other runners at this time of the evening), and we gave each other that confident, knowing nod as we breezed by. It was nice to see a kindred spirit on this glorious night.

3.33 miles, 26:57.60, 8:05min/mile
Splits: 8:25, 8:05, 7:53, 2:33 (7:44 pace)

7.03 miles, 1:06:40, 9.29 min/mile

10.36 miles total tonight. Did I mention I have dreaded intervals to do tomorrow?

Dory Dory

Yoga

Had intended to swap out yoga for intervals, but upon arising from a good night's slumber and hoisting my slightly stiff and in bad-need-of-being-stretched-out body from bed, I realized that I would benefit more from yoga class (and subsequently my running would benefit more from yoga class) and I would just have to fit in the intervals tonight quickly after work with whatever daylight is left. I missed last week's yoga class, and I can tell in both my body and mind. Good 90 minute session today. Re-aligned and limbered and full of energy once again. Ommmmm........

Oryx

Dory, I gotta ask. Do you work? Because youre putting in stupendous hours, and Im wondering how you fit it all in. The only way I can do more is if I give up sleeping!

Dory Dory

Oryx wrote: »

Dory, I gotta ask. Do you work? Because youre putting in stupendous hours, and Im wondering how you fit it all in. The only way I can do more is if I give up sleeping!

Oryx (and by the way, I now refer to you as "Triathlete-Barbie" due to dpop calling you hot and because I finally figured out that you are the hoochie shotgun refers to (see your post about stipping by the road - def hoochie material) ), I do work.....and I work crazy hours - get in at 6:45am and leave between 5:30 and 6:00pm Mon - Fri...plus weekends (Sat ~ 4.5 hours, and Sun ~2.5 hours). We own our own business (hubby is veterinarian) so we carry the burden....but, being an owner does allow me to sneak out from time to time to go to yoga (or run/swim). We do not have kids, so that helps tremendously...but I've also been one to have an abundance of energy (I joke that the energy comes from the entire bottle of chewable vitamins I downed as a 4 year old early one Saturday morning before anyone else had gotten up - I loved their taste - didn't love the hospital visit that then resulted in me having my stomach pumped!)....but that energy can drive some more "lathargic" folks around me nuts!! And that energy can result in me responding to you with way more information than you ever intended or wanted to know! :)

Oryx

Words fail me. Impressive stuff. Well if I'm barbie youre GI Jane.

And re the hot thing.Dpop took too much sun that day, don't mind him.

Dory Dory

Oryx wrote: »

Well if I'm barbie youre GI Jane.

Hey....I'll be GI Jane to your Triathlete Barbie any day!! (Plus, Demi Moore is a knock out!!)

Dory Dory

Interval Session

Had to zip right down to the track immediately after work to get this session underway before darkness set in. The plan called for 10-20 minutes warmup, then 12 x 400s at 1:43 (based on my 5k time) with various specified rests, then 10 minutes cool down.

Cranked on Gogol Bordello and headed off around the track for a two mile-pre-interval trot. I felt pretty good...was staying relaxed, getting loose, getting warm. My left outer hip/upper thigh has been a little sore and tight for a few days, but it was feeling okay at this point. Warmup done, so nothing left to do but begin the session from hell.

First 400, 1:31 - I totally went all out.
Second 400, 1:34 - was more relaxed.
Third 400, 1:36 - still pushing, but staying relaxed.
Fourth 400, 1:35 - staying steady.
Fifth 400, 1:37 - relaxed a little more.
Sixth 400, a bust. About a quarter of the way into this 400 I felt an itty bitty mini explosion in my left outer hip/thigh, so I stopped and walked it back to the start line. Stretched out....shook it out....then tried again. No go. I know what injuries are like, and I've learned to back off in situations like this. So I headed home to hop on the trainer.

3.49 miles, 26:34.71


Trainer

25 miles in 1 hour and 28 minutes......in front of the tele......watching my boys on ice dominate their opponent. They are skating brilliantly tonight.

shotgunmcos

Well done on bailing on the session when you felt that twinge...

However..ahem

A: running the reps faster than prescribed?
B: 90 minutes on the bike after pulling up from a track session?
C: squashing 2 runs, one of which was tempo, together the day before your interval set?

You are putting in a mountain of work lately. I'd suggest an easier day before the intervals at least

Dory Dory

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Well done on bailing on the session when you felt that twinge...

However..ahem

A: running the reps faster than prescribed?
B: 90 minutes on the bike after pulling up from a track session?
C: squashing 2 runs, one of which was tempo, together the day before your interval set?

You are putting in a mountain of work lately. I'd suggest an easier day before the intervals at least

Hey!

A: still learning - wondered if the prescribed pace was more an upper limit, than anything else, and that consistency in pace was important. Plus, it's difficult to use the Garmin in a sprint to gauge pace, and I've not learned what various sprint paces feel like yet, so going by feel is hard for me.
B: no pain/discomfort on bike, otherwise I never would have hopped on.
C: Monday's run was not supposed to be my tempo, but now that you point it out I see how that run had tempo qualities to it. I do know not to put back to back key runs together. That I have learned.

THANKS!

Dory Dory

Trainer

A pretty uneventful 30 miles on the trainer employing various levels of effort and gears. Listened to some tunes for the first hour, then got caught up on political shenanigans via the tele the second hour. Legs pretty spent by the end of the session....but my bum felt just fine.

DaveR1

Hi Dory,
Just a quick tip on running interval sets on the track. You have to forget about the Garmin!! Hard to do I know. When running a track set such as 12x400, somewhere between 3k pace and 5k pace sounds good... But it has to be consistent. Your target was 1.43, it has to stay between 1.40 and 1.45 for all of them.

And you want the pace to be consistent for the whole lap! The best way to do this is break it into 100m segmants which are marked on the track. That maeans you need to hold 25/26s per 100. Just use the time setting on the watch (so old fashioned...) pass 100m in 25s, 200m on 51s, 300m on 1.17 and 400m on 1.43. That way the pace stays consistent + you avoid running too fast for the 1st few reps and getting injured.

El Director

DaveR1 wrote: »

Hi Dory,
Just a quick tip on running interval sets on the track. You have to forget about the Garmin!! Hard to do I know. When running a track set such as 12x400, somewhere between 3k pace and 5k pace sounds good... But it has to be consistent. Your target was 1.43, it has to stay between 1.40 and 1.45 for all of them.

And you want the pace to be consistent for the whole lap! The best way to do this is break it into 100m segmants which are marked on the track. That maeans you need to hold 25/26s per 100. Just use the time setting on the watch (so old fashioned...) pass 100m in 25s, 200m on 51s, 300m on 1.17 and 400m on 1.43. That way the pace stays consistent + you avoid running too fast for the 1st few reps and getting injured.

Really good advice there DD.

Wow it has taken me a while to get caught up here but it was worth it. You are putting in a power of work! Really looking forward to your race reports. Keep up the good work.