The Secret of Surviving Winter in the Upper Midwest

It was on full display today in the mid-atlantic. A cloudless sky; the sun, still low in the southern sky, reflecting off the pure white snow. For those of us who grew up in colder climates days like these are some of the most memorable of our childhood. Even if the school administrators were unwise enough to not call off school - there was a plastered grin on an eight year old putting on countless layers for school - you knew that recess was going to be epic.

Partly I think it's the light - it's almost blinding to a child who has hardly seen the sun for months. For me, the beauty of a snow covered landscape makes the "come hither" preening of a cherry tree in April seem pathetic and insignificant. The substance covering the earth has properties that seem to have been created just for our entertainment. It can turn a usually boring hill into an amusement park; everyone with a little creativity and some energy becomes an artist or an architect. How can a pile of leaves in October compete with that?

Some of the more cynical among you might say that I'm just "rationalizing" and remind me, "wasn't it this same 'substance' you're now romanticizing that caused you to take 3 hours to go 40 miles yesterday on I-95?"

Well, maybe. But, you know what? "Rationalizing" is a word used by people who don't understand that the secret to life is knowing how to look for and appreciating beauty in the middle of difficult circumstances. Sometimes the best way to get yourself through to Spring is embracing the cold and trying to find the light in a dark season.

On my run today I tried to channel that eight year old. I didn't have a sled or skis - but, I did have a grin as I trudged through the snow and felt the light warm my face.

As for running - I'm feeling pretty good right now. I'm not blowing the doors off of any of my workouts, but I'm getting stronger.

Last Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 4 X (200m R pace 200m jog + 200m R pace 400m jog + 800m R pace 400m jog) (35, 36.6, 2:24.4; 35.5, 35.4, 2:22.3; 36.9, 35.5, 2:25.4; 36.7, 35.2, 2:25.2)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday : 12 miles hills
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 17 miles 10 mile tempo 58:30
Sunday: 10 miles
Total: 75 miles

This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 5X1 mi I pace (~5:10)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday : 10 miles 3X2 mi tempo (~5:35)
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 11 miles Hills
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 74 miles

Metamorphosis

In some ways this is my favorite part of the training cycle. I can start to feel the subtle changes associated with getting back into shape. The extra pounds around my waist are starting to disappear - I feel a little more confident on my hard workouts and most importantly, I'm sore. Some people might see soreness as a sign that you're getting pushing your body beyond what it can handle - but, really it's all a part of the process. The metamorphosis to top running shape is less like Teen Wolf, where he is just is weirded out as he notices hair starting to grow on his hands, and more like The Hulk where the change seems to be painful - as if something has exploded from within him.
Next week will be my first week over 70 miles since the week of JFK. I've found that 70 miles a week is the low end of what I need in order to be in "race shape." There is a predictable rhythm to a 70 mile week - one two-a-day, hour long easy runs, a 4 mile recovery day, and two-hour long run at the end of the week.
It will be interesting to see how my track workout goes on Tuesday - I ran the same workout a few weeks ago in not so great conditions. This weekend I will most likely run a 10 mile race in DC as either a tempo or an escalation run.

Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 3mi (17:24) 3 min rest 2mi (11:10) 2min rest 1 mi (5:30)
Wednesday: 7 miles
Thursday : 8 miles
Friday: 13.5 miles 5X(2min hard 1min jog 1min hard 30sec jog 30sec hard 30sec jog)
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 68.5 miles

This Week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 4 X (200m R pace 200m jog + 200m R pace 400m jog + 800m R pace 400m jog)
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday : 12 miles hills
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 17 miles 8 mi T pace DC race
Sunday: 9 miles
Total: 74.5 miles

Gettin' it in

Today was miserable. I've run in all kinds of weather and I think high-30's and rain is one of the more difficult to deal with. It might be cold enough for gloves - but, they're completely useless. Not to mention the fact that I'm about 10 lbs over my ideal racing weight. Thursday wasn't much better. I hit the track for some "fast" 200's and 800's only to find several patches of ice on the backstretch. So, each 800 I was squinting in the dark trying to find the glistening "death patches". I only came close to falling once - but, it probably didn't help my times.
I'm in an odd place right now. I certainly hoped to be in better shape right now - but, I have a long eight months until my real goal race of 2010. I find myself with the following decision - do I push up my miles now (80-90 miles a week) or play it more conservatively by building up my mileage more slowly to make sure I stay healthy for the heavy training I'm planning on for this summer? I decided on the latter - I won't hit 80 miles until the 3rd week of February. The easiest way to get injured is trying to do too much when you're not ready. Hopefully my patience will pay off - it might mean slower times this spring, but I should be healthy enough push myself this summer to be under 2:30 this fall.

Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 2X3mi (5:45+5:37+5:41=17:03; 5:38+5:41+5:46=17:05)
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday morning: 4 miles
Thursday evening: 10 miles 4 X (200m R pace 200m jog 200m R pace 400m jog 800m R pace 400m jog) (34.9, 35.7, 2:28.5; 37.1, 35.2, 2:26.2; 36.8, 36.9, 2:29.1; 35.7, 35.6, 2:27.6)
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 64 miles

This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 3mi T pace 3 min rest 2mi T pace 2min rest 1 mi T pace
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday : 12 miles 4X(2min hard 1min jog 1min hard 30sec jog 30sec hard 30sec jog)
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: 11 miles 6X hills
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 69 miles

Party like it's 2011

That's right - my wife and I spent the last week in the Mayan riviera just south of Cancun. We spent the week at an all inclusive resort - which is pretty awesome if you just want to veg out for a week. We did nothing of cultural significance beyond watching the director's cut of The Lord of the Ring's Trilogy. I got in some reading in as well - I read Russel Brand's My Bookie Wook and To Hellholes and Back by Chuck Thompson. The former is a surprisingly funny memoir by someone who is really famous in the UK, but I'd never heard of him until two weeks ago. He was on NPR's "Fresh Air" where he uttered the funniest thing I've ever heard on that show - "Terry, I don't know if you've ever smoked crack, but it can really mess you up." Thompson's book is about traveling to "hellholes" - which include The Congo, India, and finally Disney World.
The third book I read this week (which I just realized I left on the plane!!!) was Running on Third Wind by Mike Tymn. It's a collection of columns that Tymn has written over the years. Tymn wrote mainly for National Masters News - as well as the main paper in Honolulu. He also wrote for both Runner's World and Running Times. Mike peaked as a runner in his early 40's and focused much of his writing on master's runners. Most of the columns are interviews with great runners - but, he also writes about many of the same debates that are never ending: are big races that emphasize "joggers" good for the sport? are runners weird? what is the definition of an athlete? It's a great read and I'd highly recommend it.
As for the running - it was flat and sandy. Not the greatest, but hey, I got to run with my shirt off for a few days in early January - can't complain about that.

Last Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday: 9 miles fartlek 4X 35 sec 2X 75 sec 1X 2:30 2X 75 sec 4X 35 sec all at R pace
Wednesday: 9 miles
Thursday: 9 miles 20 min tempo 5 min easy 10 min tempo
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 15 miles
Sunday: 6 miles
Total: 56 miles

This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 11 miles 4 X (200m R pace 200m jog + 200m R pace 400m jog + 800m R pace 400m jog)
Wednesday: 7 miles
Thursday: 11 miles 7 miles tempo
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 65 miles

Something new

I hate treadmills. The exploration, adventure, and scenery that make running fun for me are basically absent while struggling on that ever revolving belt. Even the simple physics of the treadmill seem beyond comprehension for me (ever heard the riddle about the giant treadmill that goes at the same speed as an airplane's wheels and yet the plane is able to get off the ground?). I used to think that treadmills were physically easier than running outside because the belt seemed to "pull" my leg backwards. That isn't true of course - except for the lack of air friction, which can be accounted for by raising the front end a few degrees, running on a treadmill is just as hard as running outside on a flat surface.

My inherent distrust of treadmills has meant that I've only used them for easy runs when a run outside wasn't an option or if I became tired of running in sub-freezing weather. One chapter in my Jack Daniels book that I've left pretty much untouched is about his treadmill workouts. Daniels views treadmill workouts as not just a winter weather escape - but, rather as a controlled environment for his experimentation (Daniels loves hooking runners up to contractions to detect when their bodies start to give out and figure out why) and a way to run workouts that end up not beating up on the body quite as much. On Thursday I was supposed to run a tempo workout outside. When I woke up I noticed at least 3 inches of snow on the ground. Brennan and I decided not to slip and slide through the snow. I was leaving for a NYE celebration on the eastern shore and knew that realistically I wouldn't get another chance to run a decent tempo workout for few days.

So, I cracked open my Daniels book and found the treadmill section. Daniels did a lot of testing where he discovered what different treadmill speeds and angles were associated with the same effort level as mile paces. For instance, if I wanted to run 5:43 pace I could have the treadmill go at 8.5 mph at a 5.0% grade. I don't completely trust this - since treadmills can be inaccurate. But, it allowed me to completely focus on my technique and how I felt. The most important thing about tempo workouts is staying a little bit slower than the place where you start to feel "uncomfortable". So, the workout actually went really well. I didn't get any idea of what kind of shape I'm in - but, I felt like the workout helped move me a few steps down the road. I also decided to start running a long run each week. I'm starting to feel a little heavy - the long run is the quickest way to get back to feeling lean & mean.

Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 12 miles Hills
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday: 9 miles 3X10 min @ T pace 2 min rest
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 17 miles
Sunday: 4 miles
Total: 57.5 miles

This Week
Monday: 8 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 4X200m 2X400m 1X800m 2X400m 4X200m all at R pace all with jog same as last interval
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 11 miles 7 mi tempo
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 17 miles
Sunday: 0 miles
Total: 60 miles

2010

Before I get to next year - let me just say that if you thought my 2009 review post was a little lame - you're probably right. I kind of rushed through it because I had other things to do. To make up for this I have put my daily mileage into a google spreadsheet with everything you'd want to know (really, more than you'd want to know) about my 2009 year of running. It even has a graph - I know pretty awesome. I have to credit where it's due - it's based on a spreadsheet I saw on Jake Klim's blog. Obviously the last week is only what I have planned rather than completed - I'm going to have to bump it up a bit to hit 3,400 miles for the year.

As for 2010 - my main goal is running sub 2:30 at Chicago next October. My spring goal is to run a "fast" (~sub 32:45) 10k on the track. It might be on the short side of the races I've been running lately - but, there it's a whole other kind of mental trick to run 25 laps on the track - paying attention enough to the splits to make sure you're on pace but, not enough that you get overwhelmed with how far you have to go.


Other than that I don't have any specific goals for 2010. But, I'm looking forward to an intense summer including my first ever 120 mile week and some training that will make my Boston training blush with embarrasment. It sounds like every decent runner in a 100 mile radius is running Chicago next year (except Arjun of course) - as Ryan would say - "Hoo Hoooooo!!!"

Last Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 10 miles 4X1 mi @ T pace (5:38;5:34;5:35;5:39) 1 min rest - first sub-six min miles since 10/10 over 10 weeks ago - felt heavy; need to lose some lbs!
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 0 miles
Friday: 6 miles 3X100m striders
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: 10 miles
Total: 51 miles

This Week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 12 miles 12X400m with 400m rest
Wednesday: 8.5 miles
Thursday: 10 miles 3X2 mi @T pace
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
Sunday: 4
Total: 54 miles

Snowpocolypse

As I was running this morning through the snow filled wonderland of Baltimore - I noticed one thing that was missing. People, especially kids, actually having fun in the snow. Growing up in Michigan I have tons of memories of sledding, building igloos, getting in snow ball fights etc. In Baltimore, heavy snows happen so infrequently that people don't even seem to know how to have fun in the snow - much less have the equipment to do it.
My favorite snowbound story is when I returned to Ann Arbor after going to Times Square for new years eve. First of all - don't ever do NYE in Times Square unless you have electrically warmed socks and a bladder the size of a party balloon. You're basically stuck in a fenced in paddock for over 5 hours. The only thing that saved me is that we were right next to the MTV studios, it was 1998 (turning to 1999), and Jennifer Love Hewitt was hosting in a dress made by someone who took very good measurements.
On the day we drove back it snowed over 20 inches throughout most of the midwest. It didn't get too bad until we hit Cleveland. Toledo to Ann Arbor was the worst - as it took over 2 hours to drive 45 miles. As we got to my friend Steffan's neighborhood - we realized that my parent's Dodge Caravan didn't wasn't going to make it to his parents' place. So, he got out and walked the final few blocks. I drove to my parents' neighborhood and found the same problem. It was after midnight and I don't think I even had a cell phone. So, I drove to where I hoped there would be some activity - the Michigan track house on State street.
Two friends from high school, Don McLaughlin (member of at least two Penn Relay distance medley relay champion teams) and Todd Snyder (he had been 10th at NCAA XC championships that year) lived there. I found Don and a few other guys from the team there having a "good time." Even though I had just driven 14 hours I was kind of energized. One of the guys had a great idea - we should go to another house where several UM track guys lived and cover all the doors with snow so they couldn't get out in the morning.
We then went on to do a few other things that I won't mention in order to protect the innocent and not so innocent. Let's just say that a certain female NCAA national champion threatened us with bodily harm based on some of our activities.
I'm not sure there was a point to that other than I'm an old man (in my running group at least) and old men like to tell stories.

Here is my first "this week and last week" since September.

Last Week:
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 0 miles
Wednesday: 8 miles Striders
Thursday: 9 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 0 miles
Sunday: 13 miles
Total: 43 miles

This week:
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday morning: 4 miles
Tuesday evening: 9 miles 5X1 mi @ T pace (somewhere around 5:30 pace) 1 min rest
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday morning: 0 miles
Friday: 6 miles 8X100m striders
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: 10 miles 4Xhills
Total: 50 miles