This was a great week for running, and some might say the weekend was a little rough. But we will get to that. So this week was a down week for me, cutting back from 55 total miles last week to 44 miles this week. I am doing a slow build up in my schedule for Western but I still like to dial it back every three weeks or so. With the week being shorter I wanted to make sure to get some quality runs in. So I did a lot of hill work this week. On Tuesday Sarah, Pip, Jenny, and I headed out to the Botanical Gardens for that climb. We had a pretty steady pace going but then Sarah decided that she wanted to take advantage for the downhills and really picked up the pace. I am telling you guys on these downhills she was moving. So before we knew it, the whole group picked up the pace on both the uphills and downhills. All in all, my last 4 miles were all below 8 min pace. Pip said it was one of his better runs in the last few weeks. I am a strong advocate for keeping your pace under control for training runs. But you would be surprised how much a strong run can boost your training, and some times you have to just grab them when you can. That feeling you get when you finish a hard effort is one of the best feelings in running. That sense of quiet you get inside when you stop and catch your breath is awesome. We all left that run with a smile on our face, and the slightly better weather made the run a complete success. There are not just a whole lot of spots in the area that you can get long solid climbs and descents like out there, it is just too bad they went and put that chip seal down on the road. I really preferred the gravel.
One of my Favorite Thoughts on Hill Training from "Running and Being"
On Wednesday I put out a call for anyone who wanted to join me in a little not so well know training area I have. The neighborhood my grandma lived in while I was growing up. Mount Manor in West Tulsa is a hilly older place with some sweet, but short trails hidden in the back. The first to answer the call was Ed and Christy, who showed up and burned up the road. Unfortunately, I am too slow getting off work and they were finished by the time I got out there. But, I did eventually make it out and had Pip and Sarah in tow. For this evening I had 8 miles, so we did them as reversing loops around the outside of the neighborhood. Each circuit was one mile. Surprisingly it didn't get boring and seemed to go by pretty smooth. Not burning up of the road like the night before, but I was happy with my pace after the harder effort at the Gardens. It really is a cool little neighborhood. Much of the discussion that night centered around Pips political debates with his barber and me changing from the Fitbit Surge to the new Garmin 235. I really liked the Fitbit, even if it wasn't the most accurate GPS watch because the app and the amount of information was just amazing. Plus we all have them so we were constantly challenging each other, but the Garmin is a better watch and with the addition of the through the skin heart rate built into the watch I made the move. I was hoping I could import the data into the Fitbit app and stay on the challenges, but no such luck. Also brought up were the advantages of tear-away pants and why they ever went out of style.
Detailed Instructions
Thursday was an off day for me, and because this was a down week I decided to skip the gym and get some other things done. I travel a lot for work, and will be on the road for the next two weeks. And seeing as it will be 3 degrees in Farmington NM next week I decided it was time to get a proper coat for the field. Pip and I hit Drysdales, and if you have never been to that store in Tulsa, go check it out. The most Oklahoma of all stores in town. Before Drysdales I did make a short stop to Runner’s World Tulsa to reload on GU and body glide to be ready for the weeks ahead. I wise man once told me that if you can control your stomach and chafing you can run forever. I also believe it is important to know how your body with react to different foods and whatnot while running, so I have been trying a little of everything to see how I handle it. This time I picked up some Maple Bacon flavored GU, my opinion is it taste like eating the bottom of a maple syrup container. But I am sure some people love it.
Rush does not care if the Trails are muddy
On Friday I got of work a little early so I took Rush to Turkey for 8 miles before I hit the pub and it was a disaster. I have not seen Turkey so muddy and torn up since the 2010 Snake Run. If you ask me, I would say steer clear of there for a while until it drys out. I know some people think that is me being a whiny runner, but remember two important things for success in training. First, don't get hurt. All your training means nothing if you hurt yourself and have to take weeks off. It is slick and loose out there which can easily lead to an injury. Second, make the miles count. If you have to tiptoe around and crawl down and up climbs you are not spending enough of your training run running, so you have to ask yourself what am I getting out of this. Now if you are just messing around and having fun, ignore all of that. However, for me the run that was suppose to have helped me decompress from the previous week and ended up just making me more stressed out. But Rush was happy and I got my 8 miles, so I decided to get to McNellie's and I could decompress there. So got to the Pub around 5 and Wes had a chair ready to go for me to post up as we waited for the rest of the Members of the "Executive Club" to show. They did not disappoint, excluding Pip and Sarah who got off at regular times and still needed to get their runs in, and the members shared lies and solved all the world problems. Mostly the weekend training and what to eat.
Lots of Mud
Better Alternative
On Saturday the Runner’s World Training Group had 10 miles. My schedule only had 9 but figured 10 would be easier with the group than 9 on my own. So I pulled up to the parking lot of the Tulsa Fairgrounds just as the snow was really starting to pick up. Did I fail to mention that it was snowing? Yes, yes it was and it was not yet cold enough to keep it solid, so it was a windy wet mess for the whole run. But, don't worry we all made it through and another group that was finishing up around the same time showed us the best way to beat the cold, Shots! After getting into dry clothes Grand Master Wes and I decided to cook up some Huevos Rancheros from a recipe had found. We cook enough for anyone who showed up and plenty did. In the end we didn't really follow the instructions but everyone seemed happy enough and making 12 servings for $40 is a big win over our standard $1000000 tab at Mom’s Diner (even if Mom's Diner is worth any amount they charge). After getting our fill of such a fancy breakfast we decided we needed some culture, so we headed to the Philbrook Museum for their Andy Warhol exhibit. We are so sophisticated. We all went our separate way for a while after that, until dinner when I made some crazy black bean and sweet potato tacos and most everyone found their way back out to the house. It was great, and before everyone went home we had a plan for Sunday.
Sarah Excited about the Snow
Syd not impressed
Pro Runners Handling the weather
After Run Pick-up
Classy
We knew that the run Sunday"s run would have to be early. Our friend Rachel was having a waffle party at 9am and who would want to miss a Waffle Party? But we also knew that it was going to be 13 degrees in the morning. So you could easily see our issue, life and death decisions had to be made. We decided that waffles are worth more than our personal safety so we headed out for 9 miles at 6:30 am. Allyson, Pip, Sarah, and Jenn O joined the fun. It was crazy cold and required some dodging of ice but otherwise was pretty nice. Pip and I were rewarded with some frozen beards as a result. And we only showed up a little late to the waffle party, thanks Sarah! Too many waffles were had by all, and the toppings ranged from you normal peanut butter and bananas to fried chicken. And of the 16 or so people there, I am pretty sure 20 brought stuff for mimosas. I didn't not partake but the Orange Sherbet Mimosas did look pretty awesome. From there we did a little shopping for furniture and hatched a plan for another dinner at the house. This time spinach salad and lentil soup. Wes got called into work (totally lame Verizon) but we picked up a Victor and Danielle along the way, ending a great weekend with some good laughs around the table. And as a bonus, right before bed, I got to talk with my good buddy Hunter, a good friend from Houston that has recently been infected with the running bug. He was having some foot issues so we had a long talk about Shoes, lacing strategy, and Socks. Very exciting.
Beard Frost is the Best Frost
Creepy Family Dinner, not sure what Pip is doing
A good start to a Shoe Running Problem
Some of the best socks
My big struggle this week has been sleep. We are currently fostering an adorable 5 week old puppy, but you know what puppies can do for getting a solid night sleep. Let me tell you, I can feel the difference. If I got anything out of the Fitbit, and now the Garmin, it is using that sleep tracking can make all the difference in your training. It is one of the things I love about running, it is a whole life activity. And everything you do has an effect on it. I used to really believe that I could get by on 5-6 hours of sleep, and I did alright. But now that I am really aware of not only how close I am getting to that 8 hour goal, but the quality as well it has really got me out of a rut in my training. If you have not tracked you thought about your sleep, remember it is all part of the training and just as important as the running for getting where you want to be in race day.
Not as peaceful as it looks