Monday, February 29, 2016

VCM Training Week 4, Day 1

Goal: Run for 45 Minutes in HR Z2

I started this run @ 5.0 Speed w/ a 2.0 incline.  Increased speed .1 for every .1 mile run.  I topped out at 5.8, then backed off to 5.7 @ approx 1.3 miles, and then to 5.6 at approx 3.1 miles.  Generally felt ok, a little sore from yesterday's strength workout (especially the hamstrings).

I have decided that I will try to run Mondays and Wednesdays at the lower end of Zone2.  As a compromise, I figured I'd try increasing the incline to 2.0 for the same days, both for a little variety, and to see if those paces match my outdoor paces more.  Also, because the mileage is increasing so much, I knew that this would cut down on total mileage a little bit to help make the increases more gradual.

Because of the incline, and the attempt to stay in the lower half of Z2, I ran at these slower speeds today.  I'm not sure if that's wise or not, but I've managed to convince myself that it's a smart move, at least for today.  I probably still should have taken it a little bit slower, just because I still popped above 156 several times throughout the run, even though I had really wanted to sit in the fat part of the lower half of zone2 (approx 150).  I may regret that tomorrow, when I'm trying to push the upper end of Z2.  We'll have to see how I feel about that at this time tomorrow.

On another note, not sure if I had my shoes too tight, or too lose tonight (or if the extra incline factored in), but I defnitely encountered some significant discomfort on the bottom of my right foot today.  It didn't quite feel the same as the metatarsarlgia like problems that I've experienced in the past, but it definitely was close enough to not rule it out as the same.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

VCM Training Wk 3 LSD

Week 3, Day 5 LSD

Goal: Run for 1:30 in Z1-Z2.

It was cold and windy today.  This run was slow and sluggish.  I started to feel a little groove at times, but for the most part, I didn't feel strong.  I did pick up the pace a little in the last 1/2 mile, and felt good doing it, but other than that, I don't feel like it was a hugely productive run, other than the fact that I got the mileage in, and stuck to the plan (didn't run too hard, even though  I saw my paces were slow).

How can the wind blow in your face for 260 degrees?  I definitely felt like the wind hurt more when I was runnning into it, versus helping when it was at my back.  I admit, I was a little disappointed with my paces today, but I guess I should not get too concerned, as there was major mileage increases this week, plus it was so windy.

Also, lots of lower leg potential problems... Things I was aware of in this run were:

Stiffness on the outside edges of my feet
soreness in various spots in my calfs
the lingering medial ankle/heel issue
tightness behind my knees - hamstrings?
Lots of trigger point work coming today and tomorrow...

Friday, February 26, 2016

Week 3, Day 4 VCM Training

30 Min Treadmill

Goal: Run for 30 minutes in Z1-Z2.

Started at 5.0 speed with a 1.5 incline.  Increased .1 per .1 mile, reaching 6.0 at 1 mile.  I decided to keep it at 6.0 for the remainder, in order to keep this run "easy effort."

It was an odd run.  I think that I'm starting to like the Inov8's, but sometimes it's hard to tell until you've run in a shoe more.  That being said, my feet felt pretty comfortable on today's short run.

The run was odd, because I felt like 6.0 was fast today.  I felt like I was working more than I should have been for an easy run.  I actually considered dropping the speed back to 5.7 or 5.8 - but because my HR was still hanging right around 150 (lower end of z2), I decided I'd just suck it up for the rest of the run - seeing as how short it was.  The odd part was that once again, I don't feel like my HR matched my perceived level of effort.  Three runs in a row - a similar phenomenon - alternating between too high of a HR for feeling so strong one day, to a relatively low HR for feeling so tired and slow.  It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Week 3, Day 3 VCM Training


Goal: Run for 60 minutes in HR Zone 2.

I ran in my new minimalist shoes again tonight -Inov8 F-lite 235- on the treadmill.  I must say that I definitely feel like my feet take more of a pounding in these shoes, but I don't necesarilly feel like they are bad shoes either.  I was disappointed to find out the other day (decided to actually do some research on the shoes post purchase - go figure) that they aren't listed by Inov8 as dedicated running shoes.  They list them as a cross trainer.  I'm surprised that Fleet Feet in Syracuse would sell them as running shoes.  I suppose that I shouldn't base my opinion of them on that, but I worry that some inherent non-running design aspect will contribute to something bad (injury anyone?).

Anyway, my run tonight was almost the exact opposite of Tuesday's run.  Unlike Tuesday, where I kept feeling like I wanted to go faster, but my HR was telling me "slow down!" - Tonight, I felt tired and sluggish, but my HR was staying so LOW.  The F-Lites must have brought balance to the force though, because by the end of the run, I felt like I was working the run, but I no longer felt sluggish, or like I needed to slow down.  Sort of that feeling you get when you know you're pushing yourself a little bit, but it feels damn good to do so?  Regardless, the run wasn't supposed to be too hard, so I'll have to review some of Fink's advice in the training plan.  When I started this plan, my zone 2 was never fast, and felt damn easy.  Now I'm starting to feel like I have to push a little bit (depending upon the day of course); in order to get myself into the higher end of Z2.

I'm a little bothered, because when I hit the lap button on my Garmin after the 1st mile, I must have hit the stop button too.  I didn't realize it until just after mile 3.  Regardless: I started at 5.0 speed on a 1.5 incline.  I increased .1 speed for every .1 mile run unitl reaching 6.0 at mile 1.  I kept the speed on 6.0 until mile 2, at which point I went to 6.1.  I proceeded as such for each subsequent mile (M3=6.2, M4=6.3, etc.), so that by the end of the run I was running 6.5.  All in all, what started out as a tough heavy run, ended ok, if not good.  Burlington, I'm coming...

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Week 3, Day 2 of VCM Training

Goal: Run 60 minutes in Zone 2.

I had a hard time keeping my HR below 166.  Perhaps it's because I started out so quickly, and didn't ease into my run gradually.  I think I started quickly because of the cold weather.  I tend to run quicker early in the runs when it's cold.  Perhaps to get warmer?
Several times during the run, my alarm when off indicating that my HR was too high.  Nice feature from Garmin BTW, because running at night makes it hard to watch your watch.  I felt like I wanted to go faster throughout almost this entire run, with maybe the exception of the last stretch, where I picked up the pace trying to keep my HR as close to 166 as possible.  Figures, the one time during the run I want to do it, I had a hard time doing it.  Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about this run.  I thought for sure that I'd be sub 10 min/mile, but I think that I actually paced slower today than I did on Saturday for my LSD.
I used my other new pair of shoes today - Addidas Boost - my wife's been raving about these shoes for over 2 years now.  I regularly rotate between 4-5 pairs of shoes just because...  I replaced a pair of Nikes that were always too small, but I couldn't bare to throw them away because I had spent money on them.  I had even gone as far as cutting holes in the sides of the shoes where they were too small.  I did ultimately run on them enough to wear significant tread, and put at least 100 miles on them, so...  I finally decided it wasn't worth the potential problems they could cause for marathon training.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Week 3 of 16, Day 1: VCM Training

Goal: Run 30 minutes in either Z1 or Z2.

I started with the mentality that Mondays aren't supposed to be too hard in this program, and that I should save some for tomorrow.  So I decided to start @ the usual 5.0 speed with a 1.5 incline.  I increased speed by .1 for every .1 mile run; reaching 6.0 at 1 mile.  Because my HR will still in the lower half of Z2, I decided to keep increasing speed until my HR reached about the midway point of Zone 2.  I increased by .1 at 1.1 and 1.2; ending up at 6.2 for the remainder of the run.  I felt like I could still increase the speed, but I tried to remind myself that Tuesdays and Thursdays are hard days, not Mondays.  I also used the fact that I'm pretty sore from working out trigger points, and that I'm in new treadmill shoes today - to convince myself not to increase the speed any more.

New Shoes!  I've been using my Puma Faas, that I won back in Philadelphia during the 2011 Marathon, for the treadmill.  I know, a long time ago, but I've only ever really run with them on the treadmill.  Up until this year, that hasn't been a whole lot.  I decided to replace them this past weekend, as they are starting to wear unevenly and could be affecting my foot plant, strike, and release.  So I decided to continue with a minimalist shoe for the treadmill - I convinced myself that because the treadmill offers more cushion that I won't get as soft running with less cushion in my shoe - making myself less likely to injure when I get back on the roads.  I don't know if there is any truth to my logic, but I guess ultimately if I'm right then great.  If not, then I haven't really lost anything for trying it.  The shoes I ran in today are the Inov F-lite 235.  I found the soles to be harder than the Puma Faas, but the shape of the shoe seems to fit my foot better.  Because I only ran about 3 in them, I'll have to report back more after a more significant run.  In general, they didn't feel bad, but definitely felt thin.  Perhaps more thin than I'm ready for yet?  We'll see.

Week 2 of 16: VCM Training LSD

Goal: Run for an 1:15 at HR Z1-Z2. 

Ran in shorts today! Yay! Very windy, definitely affected paces, especially on the final stretch - I had planned on picking up the pace and hitting 166 bpm, but the wind was so strong that I hit 166 without really picking up the pace. I felt great cardio wise - no real points of feeling fatigued or like I was working hard. I did feel some odd twinges on the lateral side of my right knee - I'll have to keep an eye on that. I also felt my legs having potential soreness, so I took that as a cue to not really push the downhills, and be content with keeping everything mostly in under 160 bpm for the entire run. Overall great training run.

Friday, February 19, 2016

VCM Training Wk2 Day4


Goal: Keep HR in DF Z2 for 30 minutes.
I felt tired, tight, and sore today.  I started at 5.0 on a 1.5 incline.  I increased .1 speed for each .1 mile until reaching 6.0 at 1 mile.  I decided to keep it there instead of pushing it faster.  Partially because I didn't feel strong, and partially because I know that today is supposed to be an easier day in the week, and I need to save more for tomorrow's LSD.  Early in the run, I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to keep my HR low enough even by not going faster than 6.0.  It did ultimately settle, and I felt a bit more of a groove by the end of the run, but generally a sluggish "slow" day.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Week 2 of 16, Day 3: Vermont City Marathon Training.

Thursdays will eventually be marathon pace sessions, so along with Tuesday Speed work, and Sat long runs, Thursdays will be one of the harder days of the week.

Started at 5.0 w/ a 1.5 incline.  I increased by .1 speed for every .1 mile; topping out at 6.0 after one mile.  I maintained 6.0 until the 20 minute mark, and because I had noticed that my HR was staying at the very low end of DF's HR Zone 2, I decided I would increase by .1 @ 20 minutes, 30 minutes, and 40 minutes (6.1, 6.2, 6.3).

Last Run on Tuesday felt like more work than it should have, tight, sluggish, breathing heavier than I should have per paces, no pep.  Due to that run, I decided to ease into tonight's run by going back to the increasing by .1 x .1 instead of trying the .1 x .05 increase like on Tuesday.

I felt pretty good tonight - HR was easily in check, every time I increased the speed after 20 minutes, I didn't feel like it was any harder.  I probably could have increased to at least 6.5 before I would have pegged my HR @ 166.  Part of me feels like I should have pushed harder, the other part of me thinks that it was good that I didn't go all out just yet - it's still early in my 16 week program, and I have already increased the easy paces significantly from what I was doing in base building.  It'll be interesting to see how things progress.  I know it's early, but today I really felt some reassurance in Don Fink and his plan.  I felt good and strong on a day of the week I know I will need to in the upcoming 3 months.  On a side note, I had a weird issue with the top of my foot early in this run.  It felt as though perhaps I had tied the very last part of my shoelaces too tight - right at the top of the shoe, a burning discomfort - almost like there was a tag under the tongue scratching my skin.  It bothered me enough that I stopped my run twice within the first mile - something I normally wouldn't do (maybe I'm getting wiser with old miles?).  The first time I loosened the laces and straighted the tongue, but it didn't seem to help, so about 30-60 secs later, I pulled the top of the sock taught - which seemed to have resolved the issue.  I also had a brief moment of the mid-foot crunch issue - that Morton's Neuroma or Metatarsalgia symptom like sensation - not sure what I'm really dealing with here - but at least at this point in my training, it left as soon as it came (and no, it wasn't the same foot that I had to mess with my shoe and sock).

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Week 2, Day 2 for VCM

Week 2, Day 2 for VCM: Supposed to be a relatively easy day, 45 minutes in Don FInk's HR Zone 2 - I started on 5.0 with a 1.5 incline. Increased by .1 every .05 miles. Hit 6.0 speed at .5 miles. Held that until 2.8, and then had to back up to 5.9, then 5.8, and ultimately settled on 5.7 in order to keep my HR under 160. I could have gone up to 166, but it honestly felt harder to run today, and it's supposed to be an easy day anyway, so I decided to back off and trust the training plan. Like I said, laborious today, perhaps a long day at work, tough runs Saturday and yesterday? Or maybe it was the stress from sliding sideways in my wife's car, while backing it down the driveway, and cracking it into the side of my car. Dunno.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Week2, Day1 VCM Training

Start Week 2 of 16 for VCM. Goal - run in Zone 1 or Zone 2 for 30 minutes. I had a hard time keeping the HR under 166 going up the hill on Demont Rd. Other than that, I thought I did a decent job holding back the effort. Continued focus on belly breathing and posture. At times I felt tight and not fluid, but overall, I didn't think it was more hard than it should have been for an easy effort day. I was a little shell shocked to go out in the cold after Saturday's run - so I waited until 1pm for 20 degree weather, although I see that Garmin feels that it was 10 degrees... Decided to wear a short sleeve and a long sleeve due to the wind, but it was too much. one would have been plenty. I puposefully chose a hilly route, so I knew my paces would be a little slow, but I've got to start getting hilly running in for vcm, especially if I'm going to be on the treadmill a lot. equally need the pounding downhills too. I went out in 16 mins, thinking that I'd easily make up the time on the downhill, but when I turned around I knew that it wouldn't come to fruition due to the strong wind in my face.