Feeling things out...

Setting up my training schedule for Cascade Crest and the rest of the year is going okay.

I decided to run based on time and less on distance. This way, improvement can be seen by how far I traveled at the same intensity and time. I had trained this way in the past and it was pretty effective, although a bit odd when you would tackle a route where you're use to running a 4 mile loop in 40 minutes, but find yourself having to go just a wee bit further past the loop's original starting point. I'll also be cross-training as well. I've found that I'm lacking some core strength and need a boost in firing up my metabolism, giving me overall strength (stronger muscles help dealing with the impact that running does to the body), and help burn off some of this excess fat that is weighing me down. So, back on the bike for commutes and going back into CrossFit again (beginner's routine to start).

This is the weekly schedule I've got setup at the moment:

Monday-Friday:

- Cycling commutes totaling about 7 miles of distance each workday, gradually increasing the distance as time goes on (and weather gets better).
- Following the CrossFit Beginner's Routine during my lunchtime at the company gym. (It won't be Rx'ed - Barbell will be replaced by Dumbbells for the Deadlift & Push Press; Running 400m will be replaced with 500m rowing on a Concept-2-Rower.)

For the actual running part...

I've labeled things the Maffetone/Mittleman way for now until I tweak things a bit. Remember MAP (Most Aerobic Pace/Zone 1), MEP (Most Efficient Pace/Zone 2), & SAP (Speedy Aerobic Pace/Zone 3)?

Mondays: Rest or MAP
Tuesdays: MAP
Wednesdays: MAP
Thursdays: MEP or SAP
Fridays: MAP (possible Rest if Saturday's a race day)
Saturdays: Rest or MAP (possible Race instead)
Sundays: Long MAP, Long MEP, Combo Run (combining all three zones), or Race (possible Rest or regular MAP if Saturday was a Race instead)

Most runs will be anywhere from 40-90 minutes during the week and the long runs will range from 2-6 hours or even longer depending if it's a race or I need to train for further specificity. For the mileage nuts, this would make my weekly milage anywhere from 35-ish miles to as much as 65-70 miles depending on the situation. I will be also flexible with my training. I'll really focus on listening to my body and deciding on whether I'd genuinely need a rest day or two more based on physical needs and not because I'm just wussing out.

Hope this goes well!

The Blessing

Came to an agreement.

As long as I get a medical check & clearance before I sign-up and my training doesn't interfere with life (i.e. Trying to bail out of pre-existing plans in favor of a run...although I've never done that before), I have the greenlight for Cascade Crest!

It might as well have been a YES to begin with. :-)

The Endurance Flop?

Flop is the best term to use on how I feel at the moment. My body feels like jelly after the modified CrossFit Workout Of the Day (aka WOD) I did during lunch. For the CrossFit folks that are remotely interested:

Today's WOD: Modified Tabata This! (4 rounds instead of 8)

Final Counts:
Air Squats - 14
Rowing - 6 cal
Push-Ups - 5 (barely made through this after slamming 15 in the first round)
Pull-Ups - Zero (no pull-up bar or anything close that I could use in the company gym. I'll have to see what I could possibly do...like resistance bands)
Sit-Ups - 5 (same goes for this like the push-ups. Did 20 in the first round and everything went flat afterward)


After alot of thought over the week, I removed myself from all the races for the next three months before the Autumn Leaves 50 Mile Ultra in Oregon on Oct 25th. Plus, it's going to be a family affair, so that makes it even better.

After that for 2008, I'll most likely do the iUWR Marathon if I'm not totally beaten up from the Autumn Leaves run the week before, the Seattle Ghost 50k (no marathon double for me this year), the Pigtails Flat Ass 50k (if Van decides to put it on again), and the Last Chance Marathon (since the day after is my birthday). I'm tempted to check out the Tiger Mountain Dumb Ass 50k to get familiar with the course and train well on hill climbs (and descents).

For 2009, I decided that it will be the year I shoot for my first 100 miler. Arthur has given me some sound advice based on his own experience, especially with the time management & family time factor. I've still got to pick the brains of a few other folks though, but I've got some things already put down as a MUST-DO.

MUST-DO:

- Build a stronger base for mileage. No more 25-30 mile weeks. I need to eventually amp up to atleast 50-60 miles a week (and more). The conditioning for Autumn Leaves in the next 12 weeks will help me get to that higher mileage goal. So I'll be expecting lots of LSD miles for awhile with maybe a pinch of speedwork.
- Do more trail running. I know I won't be able to get away every weekend for a long trail run. But if I want to be successful at my first 100, I've got to play in the dirt. So it looks like Mt Si and the Issaquah Alps will be my buddies. Just have to find a trail shoe that will work for me. Hopefully those Brooks Cascadia 3's that Eric Sachs has been holding for me will do the job. Road shoes are definately not meant for trail running, even if the trail itself is compacted dirt.
- Work on my footwork and agility for the trails. This means that on days where I'm not trail running during the work week, I have to find ways to have more nimble feet. I think some plyometric work (rope skipping, parkour, etc) is going to be in the cards.
- Smarter cross-training. For the next few weeks, I'll be trying CrossFit out for size, doing 3 WOD's a week to start. The WOD's are going to be scaled down for obvious reasons (primarily because I suck at them), but I will do my best to stick to them. I'm not giving up the bike commute, but I will take Arthur's advice on spinning faster in a lower gear to increase my cadence and hopefully let that translate to a faster leg turnover. I tend to use the bigger gears that require more power (specifically coming from my quads), so I need to get those hamstrings working more. Although I have to admit, the beefed up quads allow me to run downhill without suffering the typical damage that people refer to as "the quad buster". My downhill abilities were my saving grace at White River.
- Dropping pounds, atleast 20 lbs. Lighter in frame = lighter when running. Lighter when running = faster on the course. Right now, the scale at work shows 199, so I'll go off of that for now.

Now all that's left is to figure out which 100 miler to do (although I think it's going to end up being Cascade Crest...unless it fills up too damn fast.)

Mild Reset

Had a rainy, but good 4 mile easy run (well, not too easy - I'm still somewhat hurty in my left hamstring and the bruise is just killer) yesterday in 42:11.

I'm re-thinking about my runs for the rest of the year. Originally, I had slated Light at the End of the Tunnel and a few other marathons/ultras on the list. But I realize that other than the friendship factor in these races, they serve no other purpose for me and make my life somewhat disorganized.

I'm thinking of scrapping all races for the moment and re-thinking about making 2009 my first attempt at a 100 miler, either Cascade Crest or Olga's Hundred in the Hood.

If I were to do a race this year that I thought should have a real impact on me as White River did, I think I'll make the drive down to Oregon to do the Autumn Leaves 50 miler.

But all this is still up in the air. Only thing for certain is that I need to shake things up a bit and actually have a goal in mind.