Category: Training Log

M – 4 mile easy road run, 10:14 mile pace. Neighborhood laps within a few block radius of our house, basically running down the middle of the road because the sidewalks are getting a little busy and the roads aren’t. + Recharge strength class livestreamed in the garage.

Tu – REST

W – 9 mile easy road run, 9:56 mile pace. Long loop down to the Deschutes River and back.

Th – 8 mile easy trail run, 10:55 mile pace out and back from home to the Tumalo Creek Trail in Shevlin Park.

F – 5 mile easy treadmill run, 10:15 pace. I find that although monotonous, doing some of your easy runs on the treadmill is a good way to really dial in that gentle pace and work on your form. Training for my Boston Qualifier marathon 2018, I got through 3 seasons of Empire just on easy treadmill runs – I even got caught up to the current episodes. Now I’m behind again, partway through Season 5, which is just as well, because I have many miles of easy runs ahead between now and October.

Sa – Aravaipa Strong Virtual Half to benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Endless loops around our block in kind of challenging humid, windy, rainy conditions. Couldn’t hold race pace and settled for a 9:15 minute mile average. Good reminder of how tough the half marathon distance can be, something I tend to forget when training for ultras. 13.1 miles is still kinda far (I know, duh, but I forget these things).

Su – 6 easy treadmill miles, ~10:15 pace with 1% incline. “Empire” catch-up continues.

Total Run Miles: 45

Meditated 7 out of 7 days

M – Recharge strength class livestreamed in our garage. Nice to have a spouse that hauls a bunch of weights down from our home gym once a week so we can keep up our training. And nice to have Renee Metivier encouraging and challenging us remotely!! http://www.rechargesport.com/

Tu – 6 mile easy road run around the neighborhood at 10:12 mile pace. Starting to feel a little like a steeplechaser with all the social distancing darting around required to run safely and be a good citizen.

W – REST

Th – Shitty easy trail run. 11:25 mile pace felt like I had an elephant on my back and a vise around my heart. I hardly ever have a truly bad run, the kind where you question if somehow in the time since your last run you have lost every ounce of work you’ve ever put in to this activity and something has gone irreparably wrong, but this was definitely one of those runs. Meh.

F – 9 mile SOS road run w/7 miles at marathon pace (8:45), although I averaged 8:36 (8:36, 8:37, 8:38, 8:33, 8:38, 8:39, 8:31). Yep, less than 24 hours after a run that made me question my life choices, I had a glorious tempo workout that made me happy to be alive. Life, what can you do?

Sa – 12 mile easy trail/road combo run with my beloved, 11:34 mile pace. Tried a couple new trails in the Shevlin Park system. + 30 minutes of mobility and core work.

Su – 7 mile SOS general aerobic w/10 x 10 second hill repeats and 10 x 100m repeats (my pace varied much more than normal on these, 5:45-6:30 mile pace) – probably a little tired and a lot allergic. + 1 hour walk through Shevlin Park with Meagan.

Total running miles: 40

Meditated 7 out of 7 days (funny story, I think I also fell asleep during 7 out of 7 of these meditation sessions. Putting in the work as best I can at the moment)

It was an easy running week, trying to remember to sandwich some chill time in before I start the official training for the Chicago Marathon on June 8. I actually have to write reminders in my planner to chill. And sometimes even with that it takes significant effort to NOT employ significant effort. Sigh.

M – REST

Tu – 5 easy trail miles @ 10:36 mile pace on the Cascade Highlands Trail. Sunny.

W – 5 mile SOS Lactate Threshold run, with 4 miles at ~8:11 mile pace (8:07, 8:11, 8:10, 8:14). Seasonal allergies got me gasping, especially that last LT mile. Trying to frame that within the perspective of gratitude that it’s allergies and not COVID-19.

Th – REST

F- 12 mile trail long run easy pace (11:46 mile average). Shevlin Loop – Mrazec on a hot, sunny, achingly beautiful day. I could smell the warm pine, see the bluest sky, and had lovely orange butterflies flitting around me like a Disney princess. I originally planned on running 10 miles but it was just too wonderful to stop early.

Sa – 3 mile easy road run, with frequent stops to sneak in some strength (walking lunges, box jumps, walking squats, calf raises)

Su – REST

Total Run Miles: 25

Meditated 6 out of 7 days

Fired up by the thought of following the more aggressive marathon training plan for Chicago + a truckload of pandemic anxiety = I was having all the feels for running this week.

M – Recharge strength class from the garage! Yay for live streaming!! Double yay for Dan setting up the home gym in the garage and for Renee providing a kick ass online class!!! [http://www.rechargesport.com/weekly-schedule/]

T- 6 mile treadmill SOS workout with 4 miles at lactate threshold. Still trying to figure out what pace this is for our treadmill setting; on the road I can maintain the 8:13-8:18 minute mile pace, but today trying to do that on the treadmill with recommended settings (1% incline, 7.2 pace) just about killed me. Had to take a 15 second break every .5 miles or so. Will try 7.0 pace next week and see if that more closely matches my road pace.

W – REST (migraine…)

Th – 5 easy trail miles, 10:27 minute mile pace, cold and sunny

F – 9 mile road SOS workout with 6 miles at marathon pace (8:45): 8:30, 8:31, 8:37, 8:37, 8:35, 8:28 = 8:34 pace. Well, that’s a little too fast, but maybe confirmation that this new cookie fueling plan is working? I think I need more data.

Sa – 5 easy road miles participating in the I Run Far virtual race to support the World Health Organization’s Solidarity Response Fund. Didn’t track pace, just ran easy for an hour. [https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/donate]

Su – 10 easy road miles at 10:10 minute mile pace. Did a tough rolling hill workout up and down Mt. Washington, up and down Summit, up and down College Way. Didn’t follow my pace, just tried to trot up the hills, bomb the downs, and go easy on the flats.

20 minutes of pilates mat work.

Total Miles: 35

Meditated 7 out of 7 days…that said, my focus has been terrible. I can barely get one breath before my mind wanders. They say the most important moment is the one after you get distracted, that commitment to return to the practice, again and again. I am definitely practicing returning to the practice.

Well hey, the initial pandemic-related panic has dulled slightly, allowing for if not exactly a return to normal training (still no climbing, no skiing), at least some of my typical focus and devotion for movement has come back. It better, because I’m hoovering homemade cookies faster than the newest Dyson vacuum.

Also the devious runner that lurks in my soul realized there is a way to turn this lemon storm into lemonade – maybe this means that 2020 is the year I can become a really, really good runner and run a lot of miles and move up to the more intense marathon training plan I had sort of decided was too ambitious…or IS IT???

M – 4 easy road miles, 10:25 minute mile pace. Out and back along the Deschutes River Path from Westside Pharmacy, where I waited in the drive-thru line for 30 minutes to get my migraine medication because I don’t want to be without that anytime soon.

T – 30 minutes of mobility work using Nike Training Club app (the free version has a lot of workout options of varying length and intensities, and generally well-cued – it also looks like the Premium version is being offered for free at the moment)

W – 7 mile SOS workout, with 6 miles at marathon pace (8:45 minute mile): 8:47, 8:42, 8:45, 8:46, 8:50, 8:42 = 8:46 average pace

Th – 5 easy trail miles, 10:06 minute mile pace

F – 80 minute hike through Shevlin Park with Meagan, which involved a lot of shouting in order to converse while staying far apart from each other. Good thing we both have voices that carry.

Sa – 9 easy trail miles, 11:01 minute mile pace. Through Shevlin again – can’t get enough of the ridge loop and SO GRATEFUL this trail system is basically in my back yard. I am living my dream, and now more than ever I want to kiss the dirt beneath my feet in gratitude.

Glut and core strength work at home.

Su – 5 mile road SOS general aerobic workout; 10 x 100m repeats at 5:30 minute mile pace (THIS IS REALLY FAST FOR ME!!!) + 10 x 10 second hill repeats.

Total mileage: 30

Meditated 7 out of 7 days…Using Corona Virus specific meditations provided by the 10% Happier app.

Well, crap on a cracker if this wasn’t a week. By about noon on Tuesday I gave myself permission to be in whatever mood/moment I was in, because although I rationally know we are never really in control, I’m able to get through the day by the illusion that I am. In. Control. Between the nearly crushing anxiety and uncertainty, and the fear that I need to get it together to not be part of the problem, I decided to do what I was capable of each day.

Which meant no strength work. No mobility work. Only 3 runs. A lot of kitty snuggles and meditation and chocolate chip cookies and a couple of IPAs. Whatever I was feeling at any moment was OK, even it was scary.

M, Tu, Th, F – REST – some walks with Dan, but nothing that could be called “training”

W – 5 mile easy trail run. Didn’t track pace.

Sa – 8 mile “easy” trail run in the Oregon Badlands. The sandy terrain makes for a pretty technical/challenging surface on the muscles and connective tissue. Felt good to suck in a lot of dry, sandy air. And because it’s central Oregon, there were approximately a million folks doing the exact same thing. It could be the most populated the Badlands have ever been.

Su – 5 mile road SOS (something of substance) lactate threshold run w/3 miles at ~8:20 mile pace (8:25, 8:20, 8:15). Legs crazy fatigued from the trail run yesterday combined with spreading 56 bags of barkdust + seasonal allergies and breathing in a shit-ton of barkdust = that was a very tough workout. While I wanted to just do another chill trail run, I am clinging to the structure of of the pre-training training for Chicago. I’ve decided that even if Chicago gets canceled/postponed, I will train for a 3:50 marathon and run an unsanctioned 26.2 miles around the pond behind my house if I have to.

Total Running Mileage: 18

Meditated 7 out of 7 days