Training Log Archive: BashIn the 7 days ending Nov 20, 2011:
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Sunday Nov 20, 2011 #
Note
From "The Future of Self-Improvement, Part II: The Dilemma of Coaching Yourself" by Jocelyn Glei, writing about the work of author and resercher Joshua Foer.
"...Those who excel beyond all others in their fields – do it differently.
Foer identified four principles that he saw the experts using to remain alert and to keep learning:
1. Experts tend to operate outside their comfort zone and study themselves failing.
2. Experts will try to walk in the shoes of someone who's more competent than them.
3. Experts crave and thrive on immediate and constant feedback.
4. Experts treat what they do like a science. They collect data, they analyze data, they create theories, and they test them."
It sounds like Attackpoint was built for this!
"...Those who excel beyond all others in their fields – do it differently.
Foer identified four principles that he saw the experts using to remain alert and to keep learning:
1. Experts tend to operate outside their comfort zone and study themselves failing.
2. Experts will try to walk in the shoes of someone who's more competent than them.
3. Experts crave and thrive on immediate and constant feedback.
4. Experts treat what they do like a science. They collect data, they analyze data, they create theories, and they test them."
It sounds like Attackpoint was built for this!
11 AM
Orienteering (Legs) 42:00 *** 4.66 km (9:00 / km) +55m 8:30 / km
shoes: Salomon SpikeCross - black
Thomass Kick-Off - "winter" orienteering at Starkey Hills. Raid The Hammer was supposed to be my only orienteering race in November for ankle reasons, but I found the promise of a post-race pub lunch with fellow orienteers too enticing - not to mention the excitement of Harps' debut as course controller.
Great to see lots of orienteering and adventure racing friends, especially my little buddy Weeanimal who has grown like crazy since I saw her a few weeks ago.
This is a fun, intricate map and I had moments of perfect flow followed by a big error heading for F when I incorrectly thought I was at a bend in a trail. Alas, I arrived at a re-entrant near a pond as expected so it took a couple of minutes to realize my error and get back on track. Since I'd gone all the way over there, I picked up E and made my way back to the west. Unlike Hammer and 'Bent (Snowshoe Raid teammates travelling together), I chose to go directly from #15 to the Finish rather than heading to #1. Maybe they were thinking of doing a 2nd rep? ;) Silly boys, their detour gave Eugenius the win.
It looked like GHO had a good day - we'll have to see the totals in the club competition. My Garmin time was less than the SI time even though I accidentally left it running at the finish, but that will affect everyone the same way.
A gentleman and his wife drove up in a nice car as we were chatting by the road and rolled down their window to ask what was going on. I explained that it was a running race and showed him my map and compass as I told him about the navigation. "It was a running race?", he repeated. "Yes." "With your legs?" "Yes." Hence the extra descriptor on today's log entry. :)
Great to see lots of orienteering and adventure racing friends, especially my little buddy Weeanimal who has grown like crazy since I saw her a few weeks ago.
This is a fun, intricate map and I had moments of perfect flow followed by a big error heading for F when I incorrectly thought I was at a bend in a trail. Alas, I arrived at a re-entrant near a pond as expected so it took a couple of minutes to realize my error and get back on track. Since I'd gone all the way over there, I picked up E and made my way back to the west. Unlike Hammer and 'Bent (Snowshoe Raid teammates travelling together), I chose to go directly from #15 to the Finish rather than heading to #1. Maybe they were thinking of doing a 2nd rep? ;) Silly boys, their detour gave Eugenius the win.
It looked like GHO had a good day - we'll have to see the totals in the club competition. My Garmin time was less than the SI time even though I accidentally left it running at the finish, but that will affect everyone the same way.
A gentleman and his wife drove up in a nice car as we were chatting by the road and rolled down their window to ask what was going on. I explained that it was a running race and showed him my map and compass as I told him about the navigation. "It was a running race?", he repeated. "Yes." "With your legs?" "Yes." Hence the extra descriptor on today's log entry. :)
Saturday Nov 19, 2011 #
12 PM
Running long (Trail) 3:06:44 [2] 25.2 km (7:25 / km) +313m 6:59 / km
shoes: Salomon XA Pro Ultra 2 Blue
Last long, hilly run before the North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler two weeks from today. (I'm supposed to do 16 km next weekend but that no longer feels "long".)
Today's challenge was choosing a run that both my feet would do.
Left foot: "I am *not* doing a 50-mile race in an ankle brace. If you make me, I will chafe and blister until you regret the day you were born. The trails in Marin County aren't technical. I need practice running on smooth ground. I vote for dirt roads."
Right foot: "You know my sore heel that flared up for a couple of days and gave you a scare? If you don't take me back to the nice, soft trails where we belong, I'll do that again. Enough with this road running! You're training for a trail race, doofus!"
The right foot won. I taped my gimpy ankle and ran from home to Glen Haffy and around some trails there. I was super cautious on the many trail sections where loose leaves conceal off-angle roots and rocks. I got lucky - no ankle twists and no heel pain after the first few minutes when I realized that I couldn't heel strike because it hurt too much, which was not a terrible thing.
Although weather was cool and grey, more people than usual were on the trails. (Around here, that means I met someone every 20 minutes or so. Not exactly a traffic jam.) There were a number of Garmin pauses to chat with hikers and fuss over dogs including a very friendly pit bull who, I learned, is inseparable from his sidekick, a tiny dachsund. I even met two ultrarunners at different times - Homey (also considering his first 50-miler) and Slowrunner.
I'm getting to the part of the taper where I don't need to do very much except pack my bag and drink red wine. This is going to be fun.
Today's challenge was choosing a run that both my feet would do.
Left foot: "I am *not* doing a 50-mile race in an ankle brace. If you make me, I will chafe and blister until you regret the day you were born. The trails in Marin County aren't technical. I need practice running on smooth ground. I vote for dirt roads."
Right foot: "You know my sore heel that flared up for a couple of days and gave you a scare? If you don't take me back to the nice, soft trails where we belong, I'll do that again. Enough with this road running! You're training for a trail race, doofus!"
The right foot won. I taped my gimpy ankle and ran from home to Glen Haffy and around some trails there. I was super cautious on the many trail sections where loose leaves conceal off-angle roots and rocks. I got lucky - no ankle twists and no heel pain after the first few minutes when I realized that I couldn't heel strike because it hurt too much, which was not a terrible thing.
Although weather was cool and grey, more people than usual were on the trails. (Around here, that means I met someone every 20 minutes or so. Not exactly a traffic jam.) There were a number of Garmin pauses to chat with hikers and fuss over dogs including a very friendly pit bull who, I learned, is inseparable from his sidekick, a tiny dachsund. I even met two ultrarunners at different times - Homey (also considering his first 50-miler) and Slowrunner.
I'm getting to the part of the taper where I don't need to do very much except pack my bag and drink red wine. This is going to be fun.
Friday Nov 18, 2011 #
Note
Just an fyi from Canadian Running News...
Balding, naked jogger spotted near London
The temperature was likely cold enough to cause some “shrinkage,” but that didn’t stop a man from jogging in the buff on Tuesday morning near Woodstock, Ont., just outside of London.
Police say two female runners spotted the man around 5 a.m. They described him as a 50-something, balding man with a beer belly. He also had a mustache. It’s unclear if he was growing the facial hair as part of the Movember fundraiser, or if it was simply part of his personal style.
Oxford County police say it’s not the first time a naked runner has been seen in the area. [Phatty???]
Balding, naked jogger spotted near London
The temperature was likely cold enough to cause some “shrinkage,” but that didn’t stop a man from jogging in the buff on Tuesday morning near Woodstock, Ont., just outside of London.
Police say two female runners spotted the man around 5 a.m. They described him as a 50-something, balding man with a beer belly. He also had a mustache. It’s unclear if he was growing the facial hair as part of the Movember fundraiser, or if it was simply part of his personal style.
Oxford County police say it’s not the first time a naked runner has been seen in the area. [Phatty???]
9 AM
Note
Looks difficult to get into the 2012 World Rogaining Champs. Good thing these restrictions weren't in place in 2004 or I might never have tried the sport in the first place.
<http://www.rogaining.cz/wrc2012/files/entry_criter...>
<http://www.rogaining.cz/wrc2012/files/entry_criter...>
Thursday Nov 17, 2011 #
Road Biking (Trainer) 35:00
Oh fergawd's sake, now my slightly sore heel from Raid The Hammer has flared up into a really sore heel. The kind of sore heel that inspires one to google "bone bruise" and "stress fracture". It's not the foot with the ankle pain; it's the foot I've been pounding harder than the other foot during the time I've been training with an asymmetric gait. In other words, it's exactly what I've been worrying about.
I thought about roller skiing instead of running since my ankle might be strong enough for that, but then I remembered how much force I feel on the inside of my heel (the part that is sore) when I skate ski. So for today, I hopped on the bike trainer and pushed hard because I was mad. I'd planned to go longer but my Dad dropped by with skim lattes and chocolate macaroons which changed my priorities in a heartbeat.
I thought about roller skiing instead of running since my ankle might be strong enough for that, but then I remembered how much force I feel on the inside of my heel (the part that is sore) when I skate ski. So for today, I hopped on the bike trainer and pushed hard because I was mad. I'd planned to go longer but my Dad dropped by with skim lattes and chocolate macaroons which changed my priorities in a heartbeat.
Strength & Mobility (Core) 20:00 [2]
Hard Core Live with Caron
Power Yoga 52:00 [1]
C3 triathlon club power yoga.
Wednesday Nov 16, 2011 #
Note
Late Autumn Report Card on 2011 training goals
It's been awhile so it's time to refer back to the ol' checklist and see how I'm doing.
The idea was to take the 12 weeks between Logs Rocks & Steel and The North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler to build up my running fitness. Although I've done more running than usual, I've spent much of that time doing rehab for a sprained ankle rather than building my trail running volume and strength. Grrr. However, that's not unusual in sports so I just need to suck it up.
It's not a "fail" yet but I think the TNF 50-miler is going to be about survival. If I hadn't convinced several other people to travel to California with me, I probably would have postponed my first 50-miler for another couple of months. San Francisco with Funderstorm, M&M and Hingo is still going to be fun. I don't think the race will hurt me but I won't be giving it my best. I've long felt that I could fake a 50K trail race based on my usual AR training but not a 50-miler. Well, we're going to find out.
THE GOOD
Two 24-hour rogaines:
Did Eco-Endurance Challenge with Crash and CNYO Rogaine with JayXC. I love rogaines - just wish they had a different name!
50 km trail race and maybe a 50-miler:
50K - check. 50-miler - coming up in 2.5 weeks. Tentatively targeting Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc in 2013 and several of us are aiming for the Canadian Death Race in August 2012. This will, of course, depend on whether the 50-miler kills me.
Running 2+ hrs/week:
There's nothing like training for an ultrarun to make this goal seem quaint and old-fashioned. :)
Expedition adventure race(s):
Unranked finish in 4-day APEX event in Switzerland. 3rd Coed in 48-hr Equinox Traverse in Pennsylvania with JayXC and Sony. Not enough expedition adventure races for my liking but c'est la vie.
Quality training, any discipline 1+ sessions/week:
On and off. I've done more hill training than usual. Need to bring speed intervals back.
Total annual training 550+ hrs:
Already at 570 hours with 6 weeks left in 2011.
Make an effort to train/race with more people more often:
A little less so lately, now that I'm doing long, boring, ankle-friendly runs. But for the most part, it's been a good year for this.
THE BAD
Seems that everything is either Good or Ugly!
THE UGLY
Strength training 1+ hrs/week:
Tiny was right. I suck.
Get 7+ hours of sleep on most nights:
Sometimes but not often enough.
July mini-goal:
Increase running cadence:
I did some testing and - as expected - my cadence is lower than it should be (155-160ish). Haven't done anything to change this since I've been focused on recovering from injury instead of changing my running form.
I'm going to add another mini-goal... Get some formal training in Chi or POSE running. Any comments on differences/preferences between the two?
It's been awhile so it's time to refer back to the ol' checklist and see how I'm doing.
The idea was to take the 12 weeks between Logs Rocks & Steel and The North Face Endurance Challenge 50-miler to build up my running fitness. Although I've done more running than usual, I've spent much of that time doing rehab for a sprained ankle rather than building my trail running volume and strength. Grrr. However, that's not unusual in sports so I just need to suck it up.
It's not a "fail" yet but I think the TNF 50-miler is going to be about survival. If I hadn't convinced several other people to travel to California with me, I probably would have postponed my first 50-miler for another couple of months. San Francisco with Funderstorm, M&M and Hingo is still going to be fun. I don't think the race will hurt me but I won't be giving it my best. I've long felt that I could fake a 50K trail race based on my usual AR training but not a 50-miler. Well, we're going to find out.
THE GOOD
Two 24-hour rogaines:
Did Eco-Endurance Challenge with Crash and CNYO Rogaine with JayXC. I love rogaines - just wish they had a different name!
50 km trail race and maybe a 50-miler:
50K - check. 50-miler - coming up in 2.5 weeks. Tentatively targeting Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc in 2013 and several of us are aiming for the Canadian Death Race in August 2012. This will, of course, depend on whether the 50-miler kills me.
Running 2+ hrs/week:
There's nothing like training for an ultrarun to make this goal seem quaint and old-fashioned. :)
Expedition adventure race(s):
Unranked finish in 4-day APEX event in Switzerland. 3rd Coed in 48-hr Equinox Traverse in Pennsylvania with JayXC and Sony. Not enough expedition adventure races for my liking but c'est la vie.
Quality training, any discipline 1+ sessions/week:
On and off. I've done more hill training than usual. Need to bring speed intervals back.
Total annual training 550+ hrs:
Already at 570 hours with 6 weeks left in 2011.
Make an effort to train/race with more people more often:
A little less so lately, now that I'm doing long, boring, ankle-friendly runs. But for the most part, it's been a good year for this.
THE BAD
Seems that everything is either Good or Ugly!
THE UGLY
Strength training 1+ hrs/week:
Tiny was right. I suck.
Get 7+ hours of sleep on most nights:
Sometimes but not often enough.
July mini-goal:
Increase running cadence:
I did some testing and - as expected - my cadence is lower than it should be (155-160ish). Haven't done anything to change this since I've been focused on recovering from injury instead of changing my running form.
I'm going to add another mini-goal... Get some formal training in Chi or POSE running. Any comments on differences/preferences between the two?
12 PM
Running hills (Country Road) 48:46 [3] 8.06 km (6:03 / km) +108m 5:40 / km
shoes: Salomon XR Crossmax - Bay Blue
Now that I'm into the easy 3-week taper phase, I'm all over my 50-miler training plan! :) Today called for 8 km, which felt like nothing. Somehow I don't think that doing it 10 times will feel like nothing but it's a good sign, anyway.
With a reasonable portion of the healing done and the ankle brace off on even surfaces, I'm almost back to my normal gait and even felt strong pushing up some of the hills. There is still pain but the ankle doesn't feel particularly unstable.
Today's route was a bunch of rolling hills on dirt roads - the kinds of hills I hope to run in San Fran. I'm sure there'll be plenty of walking too but I've practised that enough. Really nice to start to feel nimble again.
Now if only I'd been able to resist the Skinny Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks...
With a reasonable portion of the healing done and the ankle brace off on even surfaces, I'm almost back to my normal gait and even felt strong pushing up some of the hills. There is still pain but the ankle doesn't feel particularly unstable.
Today's route was a bunch of rolling hills on dirt roads - the kinds of hills I hope to run in San Fran. I'm sure there'll be plenty of walking too but I've practised that enough. Really nice to start to feel nimble again.
Now if only I'd been able to resist the Skinny Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks...
6 PM
Strength & Mobility (Legs) 30:00 [2]
While watching The Daily Show.
Tuesday Nov 15, 2011 #
Note
'Bent is the current leader in donations (by a small margin) on the "This Hour has 22 Minutes" Movember team of 60 men. The winner will get The Jack, the 22 MInutes Team's much-coveted new trophy awarded in memory of Jack Layton. (Yes, that *is* Olivia Chow in the photo.)
If you'd like to support the fight against prostate cancer through this campaign, please donate to your local Mo Brother or click on 'Bent's donation link from the 22 Minutes Team Page. Thanks to those who have already helped out.
P.S. If you go to 'Bent's page, you'll see that the moustache is... well, let's just say I'm looking forward to Dec. 1! :)
If you'd like to support the fight against prostate cancer through this campaign, please donate to your local Mo Brother or click on 'Bent's donation link from the 22 Minutes Team Page. Thanks to those who have already helped out.
P.S. If you go to 'Bent's page, you'll see that the moustache is... well, let's just say I'm looking forward to Dec. 1! :)
Monday Nov 14, 2011 #
Running long (Road and Rail Trail) 2:10:35 20.14 km (6:29 / km) +164m 6:14 / km
shoes: Salomon XR Crossmax - Bay Blue
Here's something I've never done on the day after a Raid... a long run! It's three weeks till the 50-miler so this weekend I was supposed to do one of my longest long runs before starting the taper. Raid The Hammer wasn't long enough for that purpose so I'm hoping back-to-back long runs will do the trick.
Given that my ankle injury messed up the training program, this is not the first time I've used creative licence. I have no idea if it'll be enough but four of us have had flights booked to California for awhile so I'll give it my best shot. DNF-ing international races has been one of my specialties this year so there's nowhere to go but up.
It was weird how much zippier my legs felt today than yesterday. Maybe it was the podcasts - much more interesting than listening to music on a long run. I stopped the Garmin a few times for various reasons - to chat with Crash as she drove by, meet friendly dogs and play with the iPhone. No ankle brace today. I don't want to use one in the race so it's time to wean myself off.
I started reading "Daniels' Running Formula" this weekend - about two decades too late but that's OK. He divides runners into quadrants and I would fit into the "Low Genetic Ability / High Motivation" quadrant. Apparently, Daniels likes to keep people like me around because we're "fun to coach" and we "may inspire the High Genetic Ability / Low Motivation runners" who actually have a chance of achieving something significant. It's awesome to realize that I have a higher purpose in the sports world.
Given that my ankle injury messed up the training program, this is not the first time I've used creative licence. I have no idea if it'll be enough but four of us have had flights booked to California for awhile so I'll give it my best shot. DNF-ing international races has been one of my specialties this year so there's nowhere to go but up.
It was weird how much zippier my legs felt today than yesterday. Maybe it was the podcasts - much more interesting than listening to music on a long run. I stopped the Garmin a few times for various reasons - to chat with Crash as she drove by, meet friendly dogs and play with the iPhone. No ankle brace today. I don't want to use one in the race so it's time to wean myself off.
I started reading "Daniels' Running Formula" this weekend - about two decades too late but that's OK. He divides runners into quadrants and I would fit into the "Low Genetic Ability / High Motivation" quadrant. Apparently, Daniels likes to keep people like me around because we're "fun to coach" and we "may inspire the High Genetic Ability / Low Motivation runners" who actually have a chance of achieving something significant. It's awesome to realize that I have a higher purpose in the sports world.
Note
Huge thanks to T. Devil for his generous offer to help get M&M to the aid station in the Marin Highlands where she can start pacing me in the North Face Endurance Challenge. This has been stressing me out and I'm very, *very* grateful.