Winter Took A Break, So Why Not Ride?

It's been sunny and warm(ish) here lately so, since I'm now a cyclist thanks to my left knee, I dusted off my trusty steed and went for a little ride. It was my first ride since late July of last year! The bike didn't bother the knee at all, btw.

I rode 15 miles in just over 55 minutes, so I didn't set any speed records, obviously. I'm interested in just getting in the miles now and not about my pace. It was quite obvious that I'm terribly out of shape and have at least 10-12 lbs. to lose. I know my legs will come around and the weight will come off, so no worries there. I'll ride on the trainer indoors if I have to, but I'm not a fan of that at all.

I just hope winter continues its hiatus so I can keep getting my wimpy, fair-weather behind out there for more rides!

(oh, totally unrelated...if any of you were wondering about the beard — and I'm sure you weren't — it's mostly gone now. I did keep the mustache, soul patch and a short goatee. The 'stache is long, so I can style it into a handlebar. Kind of an old-school retro look...)

Pre-shave

Post-shave. Just need a pipe now.

Thoughts on Recovery

Today is a scheduled day off for me - from both running AND work. I made note on my Facebook page that this month, I've worked more hours than the previous three months (May, June, July) COMBINED! Although I must admit that in May, I worked a grand total of 9 hours. I'm self-employed, and with the current economy, my business has taken a beating. Fortunately, things seem to be turning around, for now, anyway. I say all this to bring up the issue of recovery. This month, as my work has increased dramatically, I've also increased my running mileage and intensity quite a bit. I don't know if it's just me, but I don't seem to recover as quickly as I think I should. Granted, I'm in my 40's now, have a family and, as I mentioned, have the stress of self-employment. Yesterday morning, I ran 8 miles at a fairly easy pace. It started feeling harder as the run progressed. I wasn't actually struggling to finish it, but I could tell that fatigue was setting in - more so than in previous long runs. I'm pretty sure that Thursday's speed session took a lot out of me. Yesterday I ended up taking TWO naps during the day. I was wiped out. I'd like to do some strength training today, but I don't know if I have the energy.

What are your thoughts on recovery - particularly if you're in my age group? How do you deal with balancing an increase in mileage and/or intensity with the need to stay fresh enough to run effectively...and not get injured and/or sick?

Weekly Long Run

Ran a nice 10-miler this morning. Time was 1:24:32 (8:27 per mile pace). It was an out-and-back course. I wanted to run negative splits and did: 43:13 out; 41:19 back. Took me a few miles to get into a groove. Got a little tired the last mile (which is a slight uphill), and I noticed that I need to work on stretching and strengthening my hip flexors, which got a bit sore and tired the last couple of miles. Afterward, I did some stretching and took an ice bath.

I was happy that the legs felt good enough to do a long run two days after my first interval workout in years. I guess I didn't overdo it on the track, fortunately.

I think 10 miles is about the max I want to run without carrying any fluid with me. Guess I better invest in some sort of hydration system pretty soon.

I'd like to build my long run up to an "overdistance" amount; i.e. over half-marathon distance. I want to have plenty of endurance built up for the race.

Beautiful Monday Morning!

Got out at 6:30am on a beautiful late summer morning for a little 4.5 mile run (8:21 pace; 128 finishing HR). Tomorrow morning I'll be doing a workout I haven't done in years - track intervals! I'm excited to do them! I'm planning on a 1.5 mile warmup, then 4x800 meters at around 3:30 each (with 2-min. rests), then a 1.5 mile cooldown. I don't necessarily need to do speedwork to train for my first half-marathon, but I'm really eager to do some. Not enough to be an injury risk (hopefully), but maybe enough to boost my threshold and average pace just a little. My current plan is to do this once a week, at most, and the rest of the week will be composed of a hill run, a long run (getting longer every other week), plus a couple of short, easy recovery runs. And if time (and energy) allows, I'll throw in an easy bike ride for cross-training purposes. This is all subject to change, of course.
Enjoy the rest of your Monday!

Morning Long Run

I hadn't run 8 miles or more since my 10-mile run on June 27th (aside from my run/hike in the mountains on 7/31), so I was very eager for this morning's run. It was 54 degrees F. and overcast - just right. I ran 8 miles in a very comfortable 1:07:21 (8:25/mi pace). My body felt good, but my hip flexors got a little tight toward the end.

This week was my highest run mileage week of the year so far (25.5), which also felt good. So week 1 of my official half marathon training is in the books. Now, I have a weekend full of work to contend with. Enjoy yours!

Intestinal problems, email problems, oh my!

Yesterday was rather interesting. I woke up with apparently some sort of intestinal virus. Made several frantic trips to the bathroom before things settled down by around noon. Thus, I had to bail on my planned bike ride. It was also a day of Verizon-filled fun. We just switched to the "Triple Play" plan (or whatever it's called), and also switched my business phone line to a cell phone. Well, all of our email addresses (including my business) were associated with that line. Somehow our email account was shut down (we still have internet access, obviously). I had just sent out a promotional emailing for my business the day before, so perfect timing on that front. Well, after nearly 2 hours on the phone with two different tech guys, I still have no email (except for a temporary account). It's supposed to be back online within "24 to 48 hours". Who knows if emails sent to me/us while things are down will eventually show up. Nice job, Verizon. Thanks.
Sorry for the digression. It was a really frustrating day. My inability to train has added to my grumpiness, too. I did manage to do some strength training today:

1 set of 8 pullups
DB overhead presses: 25lbs x 10, 10, 10
supersetted with:
DB lateral raises: 12lbs x 10, 10, 10
DB bent rows: 35lbs x 10, 10, 10 (per arm)
DB overhead tricep extensions: 35lbs x 10, 10, 10
DB curls: 25lbs x 10, 10 (per arm)

I did a different strength routine back on Tuesday of this week.

I'll be doing a 5-6 mile run tomorrow morning on my newly-found trail. Will probably keep it pretty laid back, but may throw in one hard mile in the middle.

I do my weigh-in and measurements on Thursday mornings, so here are those stats:
Wt: 152 (down 2.2 lbs from last week, possibly from the virus thingy)
Waist: 31.5" (down almost an inch)
Bodyfat %: 11.6 (same as last week)
Resting Heart Rate: 50 (up 5 from last week...maybe from stress)

When I put away my running book library, I found one more book that I somehow missed. I started reading it yesterday. It's...

The Long Run Solution
by Joe Henderson
World Publications, 1976, 182 pgs.

I'm positive it's no longer in print, but it has a very Zen-like message about running long distances for fun, enjoyment and mental escape rather than always trying to run faster & race the clock and yourself. I'll add it to my original post.

Day off

Folks are in town, and my hip is pretty tender, so my guilt for taking the day off is assuaged a bit. May shut it down the rest of the week, actually. Probably not a bad idea anyway. After two and a half years of not running, I can say I'm excited to be back training again. And people are asking me if I'm losing weight (usually in a concerned fashion), so I guess I'm on the right track!
Have a great weekend, everyone!

Week 14 in review

Just finished a 4.5 mile run. My training week is over. Here's how it played out:

• Total training minutes: 384.6
  
• Minutes on the bike: 270 (4.5 hrs)
• Minutes running: 114 (1.9 hrs)
• Outdoor bike miles: 25 (1 ride, plus 2 rides on the trainer)
  
• Running miles: 13.5 (3 runs)
  

My final run started as a bit of a struggle, but I chose not to fight it. I backed the pace down a bit and felt pretty good toward the end. I do, however, have some concerns. My right hip and outside of my right knee are pretty sore and tight (the hip in particular). I need to start running some new routes...probably some unpaved trails. I got some new insoles for my shoes, which seemed to work fine. I need to focus on stretching and strengthening exercises directed at my right hip and knee. This IT band problem has been a curse for many years. Someday I'll see a physical therapist and have my gait analyzed. Until then, I'll nurse myself along as best I can. Happy Easter everyone!

Today's workout

I just finished a sweaty 90-minute spin on the trainer. I can feel my fitness level increasing this past week or so, even with these allergies or cold I'm fighting. Now...here's where my personal challenge kicks in. I'm notorious for starting my training slowly and cautiously...UNTIL I start feeling like this. The legs feel strong, the lungs adapting, my mental attitude improving, etc. Then I go out and nail a tempo run (during base phase) at nearly race pace and think, "wow, that was amazing". Then, my base training shifts to basically various levels of tempo running and I've pretty much bypassed a very important phase of my training. Then I find myself overtrained and burned out...and likely injured as well. So my goal is to really fight that temptation to go out and "blaze" when I feel like I can and continue to build my endurance and overall fitness with mostly easy running and riding...until the time is right. I imagine I'm not alone with this dilemma.