The TriathleteNut

Two Weeks and NADA…

Well, I ran 3.1 miles with Donna on Wednesday of last week but for two weeks there wasn’t anything good to report.

This week is another week though right?

Not too much running but some hills.

6 miles hills.
2 miles treadmill.
4 x 100m sprints.

Triceps, Biceps and Situps are now being built into the routine.

This week LSD - Longer Slower Distance.

It was a measly 14.2 miles.

I was fighting ’something’ through the week. Sore throatish/ear infection maybe. Bad stomach issues - which continue today. God, help me!

On Sunday I was planning a 9 miler which started around 4PM. By 3.75 I was like, “If I don’t turn around now, I’ll never make it back home.”

This 9 miler was a tribute to Steve Danlag for running the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon that I proposed we run together - but I didn’t train for.

Sorry, bud. Next year!

My heart rate was way high for a longer run like this: high 180s bmp… I had a burst of energy at mile 5 which… It was the song “Vertigo” by U2 that got my heart pumping and my energy going. I picked up the pace, and gave it some serious effort. It lasted about a minute or so and then I had to slow down.

There were a bunch of 30 second walks but all together I was able to finish a solid 8 miles.

I wanted to get miles in for the week and projected close to 25 but didn’t have it in me. I nearly threw up my arms and said, no run Sunday, but got off my butt and fit it in while Donna took Jake to Performance Class. I made it back home as they got home, got showered, and met Dale, Dasie and Chip for a rib dinner at Wood Ranch Bar and Grill. Yum.

This week - its not about miles. It’s about hills.

For 3 years I’ve neglected speed training. This year is going to be different.

Yes, it took 7 days and I got to a 10K… I’m not really trying to impress anyone, but to impress upon anyone that if you just get off the couch you can run like Forest! And run yourself into better health damnit! Come on! Just do it!

Training totals for first week…
Monday 5K (32:50)
Wednesday 2mile (22 min)
Friday 5mile (57 min)

Today
10K (1hr 7min)

I’m still missing my Garmin… but there are some aps for my iPhone that I’m using. Unfortunately, they aren’t reliable.

I don’t like running without a Garmin. I’m so bound by pace, HR, distance, etc. I mean, how do I know how far I’m running when I’m out to put in certain miles?

Oh well.

I know some distances and do have TrailGuru on my iPhone. Its just sooo inconvenient!

I know where my 3.1 mile half way target is so I ran to that. But I decided to put in about an 85% effort on my uphill mile run. It was the first mile of the run and I pushed it a little.

8:04 min mile.

Good that I can do a mile in 8:04 without having exercised in 9 months or so, but bad that I did it considering I had 2.1 miles to go. The remaining 1.05 miles up past Glendale College was a pure struggle.

Coming down felt good.

I think I gagged like a million times and nearly threw up… but if you remember my “how to spit” post about 3 years ago, I can safely say… I can spit pretty damn good now!

I told Donna I’d be out for 30 minutes then we’d go to CheeseCake Factory for dinner.

I was at 25:00 and still had about maybe 3/4 a mile to go. I wasn’t going to make it in 30.

I ran through my finish, into the house, and into the shower.

It felt GREAT to be back on the street, pounding the pavement.

A couple of blisters and it reminds me of the good old TriTraining days!

So… first 5K in the books @ an embarrassing 31:55.

Goal: a consistent 22:00 5K! yeah - 22:00. You heard me. I’m aiming, baby!

It’s part of my “90 Days” commitment! Read about it here: “(“90 Days”)

Yes, the TriathleteNut is back.

No Garmin though. Its dead. So I’ll be training like everyone else. By how I feel. That is, until I get a new Garmin.

Immediate Goals: Get off my ass and do a 5K TONIGHT. Get my bike tuned up! Get a membership at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center for some serious swimming!

Long Term: IronMan of course - but not so long term - The Malibu Triathlon!!!

Here we go!!!!!!!

Testing

Let’s face it. Yes, I’ll admit it. I’ve slacked BIG TIME on my training. Seemed like all motivation was lost during the months of March and April. And I’ll throw in February for that matter. April was supposed to be a good month as far as training. But my laziness has spilled over into May.

I struggled through a 12.6 mile run yesterday. And I emphasize that it was 12.6 and not just 12.0 because my goal was 13.1 (half marathon distance).

It didn’t help that I had to go to the bathroom around mile 8. And as mile 10 came it affected me. I should have stopped and took a break but I figured I’d power through it.

I was going to go for that additional half mile to make it 13.1 but I was already walking and couldn’t muster anymore power to get my legs moving again.

I started my run around the Foothill/LaCresenta area – where I get my hair cut. I ran Foothill toward and past Sports Chalet in LaCanada then turned around and headed home.

I was feeling pretty good at mile 8 except for my bowels, crossed the street at Glendale College and ran on Mountain and took some zigs and zags till I hit Doran and a straight run to Brand… mile 10. I was about 2 miles from my sister’s house so I made some detours to make it a 5K run but at mile 11.5 I started back toward my sister’s house and knew I would be short. I figured I’d run past her house and back to make it a half mary but when I got to her street I started my walk and that was it.

I rushed into the house and went to the bathroom… whew.

I’m not making any excuses about cutting the run short, but man, I was relieved to be… well… relieved!

So what day is it? May 16? That gives me 17 training days left. And where my running partner is tapering, I’m trying to catch up… trying to build the mileage up with the goals of making the marathon my ‘long run day’.

Can I do 20ish miles on Sunday? If I can I’ll be a little bit more confident in my ability to actually finish 26.2 on June 3. I’ll make it a day… run slow, take breaks, eat… which is something I’ve neglected to do in my past long runs… I need to eat! Refueling might be the key to success. Right? Right.

WHO AM I KIDDING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I’m dying over here. My wife says I can do it. Is she NUTS?!?!?!? Okay, there’s nothing out there I can’t do. Believe me. It’s the competitive nature in me, which, fortunately or unfortunately has rubbed off on Jake.

One thing good about this run is that I know what shoes I’ll be wearing. A pair that has nearly 300 miles on them – my Saucony Grid Omni 5. After the marathon they will be retired. I just hope my newer shoes can protect my feet like these did on those long run days.

For those of you interested… you have 17 days to train for the marathon.

Run with me!!!

There are a few recurring challenges I face on a daily basis. One is; what will I write today? And since taking up golf; can I possibly hit the ball straight? But for two weeks straight I’ve been asking myself; can I possibly run up to Scholl Canyon Golf Course?

I’m used to the writing challenge. It bears its weight on my shoulders and I’ve dealt with it for so long its just a part of me. The golf thing - yeah, I’m never going to be a pro, but I have a goal to eventually hit the ball straight and be competitive. But the running up Scholl Canyon thing – that one is a new one that for some reason has been creating stress in my mind. Can I do it?

If I tried it I’d hate to quit half way up and walk. And even if I made it to the top, I’d hate to quit at the top call for a ride home. I’d hate to suffer so much that I wished I waited to run it after I logged more hill training. In a way, the thought of running up to Scholl Canyon Golf Course has been holding me back. I sat in bed both Saturday and Sunday morning thinking I was going to get up and face the challenge. I decided if I wasn’t going to run up that wall that I’d run a 5K instead. Did I do any running this weekend? No… I stayed in bed.

Then Steve text messages me on Sunday to let me know he ran a personal best 5K race in 23:28. That’s a 7:34 min mile average. And that is fast!

Here I am, not running, and my buddy is hitting a personal best in a race. What a waste of two days. No training. No running. Just laziness.

I went home early on Monday due to computer month end data issues at work and a headache. I got in bed and took a nap and when Donna finally woke me up at 5PM, I told her I needed to run. So she said she’d meet me at my sister’s house for dinner.

My goal was to get a run in: 3, 4 maybe even 5 miles. I just needed to run. An easy run on Kenneth - the usual. I hadn’t run since Thursday. Three whole days off is way too much rest. And it’s becoming a habit.

So at 5PM I was out the door heading for Glenoaks Blvd. and instead of making a left, I made a right on Glenaoaks: toward Scholl Canyon Golf Course.

The elevation to run would is 650 feet at the start of my house to 1460 feet at the top of Scholl Canyon. That’s an 810 foot in elevation run in 3.8 miles. It doesn’t sound that bad, but the last 1.38 miles is a 537 foot climb. It’s a difference of 110 feet per mile from my house to the base of Scholl Canyon followed by a 389 feet per mile climb from their to the top.

And if you know the area, there’s a challenge before the challenge. There’s a hill that starts on Verdugo Blvd. I’ve run the hill several times for hill training. It’s always a tough climb but I knew it’d feel easy compared to the winding road up to Scholl Canyon Golf Course.

I ran past Verdugo and then up the hill then down and started the slight incline towards Scholl Canyon. This incline is unforgiving. It’s all up hill. Sure, it’s not that steep at first but once you get to Scholl Canyon it becomes quite a formidable taskl. There are no down hills to rest your legs. If there’s a flat part it goes unnoticed. It goes up, up and up and then it goes straight up!

Finally, I look up and there it is, looming in front of me - the base of Scholl Canyon. I knew I wasn’t going to do this run half-assed and stop at the baseball field 1200 feet or so from the top, I was going to keep going no matter what. If I stop anywhere other than the top, the run, to me, would have been a failure.

The steady incline up Glenoaks felt good, and I had a lot preserved as I approached the base of Scholl Canyon. I had run 2.4 miles already and now came the true test. I made the turn and immediately as I passed the gate my legs felt the difference in the incline. I was at 923 feet elevation and in the next 1.4 miles I would run up a wall up another 537 feet in elevation.

I passed a guy who was walking down. He smiled and waved. He was either thinking, you are crazy, or are an inspiration. I was thinking I was crazy.

It felt like forever as I approached the baseball fields. I had kept my head down, looking at the bike path, keeping my back straight and bending at the hips if I had to lean into the run. Two cyclists passed me slowly as they headed to the top. They were just as focused as I was, slowly moving our legs, focused on reaching the top.

I didn’t even look at the baseball fields to see if kids were playing. I was like a thoroughbred with blinders on. I didn’t want to look and let my brain convince me that I had enough and to turn back home.

Up ahead I saw the sign: 1000 feet till the end of the road.

I knew the next sign was 500 feet away and by car it comes fast. By foot, it took an eternity.

I passed that next sign and looked ahead – a straight shoot to the top. I felt so good. I felt motivated. I felt like screaming, “I DID IT!” I touched the gate, a sense of reality to actually touch it, and I turned back down the hill.

I still had to run back to my sister’s house.

But for 3.85 miles I played mental games in order to make it to the top. I remembered how tough it was to run the first 1.5 miles up Grand Avenue at the Los Angeles Triathlon. I pictured running the last few miles of the IronMan Championships in Kona, Hawaii. I thought about the great weight that would be lifted off my shoulders because I did what I set out to do.

And the run to my sister’s house was easy, gratifying, and so refreshing that I thought I could run all night long.

Just think, if I had made the left turn on Glenoaks Blvd. I would never know if I could make it to the top of Scholl Canyon. Fortunately, I made the ‘right’ turn.

A 7.18 mile run on a Monday night. It’s a great way to spend 1 hour and 14 minutes in pure meditation.

Here is the elevation graph. Click on it for a bigger version.

MILE SPLIT
Mile 1 - 0:09:54
Mile 2 - 0:10:22
Mile 3 - 0:11:50
Mile 4 - 0:12:52
Mile 5 - 0:08:38
Mile 6 - 0:09:11
Mile 7 - 0:09:43
Mile 7.18 - 0:02:02
Total - 1:14:32

My run was slow, but my heart was fast. My HR shows how tough the run was despite the slow pace:
MILE HR bpm
Mile 1 - 168
Mile 2 - 189
Mile 3 - 195
Mile 4 - 195
Mile 5 - 190
Mile 6 - 190
Mile 7 - 191
Mile 7.18 - 189

I just got into golf. It’s an evil game. I’m addicted and have only been to the driving range about 4 times - with one lesson on the putting green. Next thing you know I have a new set of clubs and found a slight pain in my knee that made me choose the driving range over a 5K run.

Was there really pain? Yeah - but not so much that I’ve had to sit out a great run in great weather!!! UGH.

I need to figure this balance out. Now I have to balance Golf, Run, Bike riding and swim training.

Good thing though - Jake is taking lessons which gives me an excuse to go to the driving range with him.

Now to get Donna out there with me.