Back to the pool

Back in the pool this morning with Hines next set of workouts---1000 yards of static balance exercises. Taking a week off apparently did not help my attitude or form, because I really felt like this was a waste of time. My side glide is still imperfect and I am not sure that the workout actually improved it; my front and back balance are both just fine and plodding up and down the lane powered by my legs alone is just dull. Although I have really committed myself to working through the Hines book bit by bit, assuming that he really does know what he is talking about, I swapped the 1x100 static balance for a 1x100 swim. In some ways, the swim felt more natural today---including a 2x25 where I was really exhaling underwater (I know, for most of you this is not difficult, but it is unfortunately new for me). I will keep at it, as I always do, but I am going to try to punch up to a 4-day/week swim schedule to see if I can make some progress. As I have been saying, it is hard to stay engaged with something that I am so unbelievably bad at doing.

Did some back stretches and put in two miles on the treadmill after the swim, just 6/7/8/9/8/7/6 (mph) cycle to stretch the legs out in anticipation of the NYD run tomorrow. All reports say that we are looking at seriously arctic chills---so much for my plans to do it in shorts, set a PR, or run with Linus. The weather suggest a revision: No specific goals for the run, just looking forward to being out with some fellow runners in this cold.

Keeping this log has been personally beneficial, in that it is part of an internal pressure system that pushes me along---but I want it to be something more than it is now. Looking at 2008, I think we are going to try to do something more with the science end of this site. Not sure what direction this will take, but be prepared.

Post Holiday Run

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:09:27	8:56 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:09:27	8:56 pace
Distance (mi )	7.76
Moving Speed (mph)	6.7 avg.	13.5 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+173 / -173
Temperature (°F)	24.8°F avg.	24.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	WSW 9.8 avg.	WSW 10.4 max.

Start Time: 2:23:42 PM CDT

Back in Chicago for a gathering with my family, the pace of activities left too little time to go running yesterday, so I adjusted my off-days. Today involved family photos (at a studio) and a possible shopping trip threatened to turn this into a third day off, but the weather and Linus's lack of nap pushed us home and gave me the hour I needed.

This adjustment had the added benefit of giving my left leg a little more rest. I am no longer convinced that it is my knee---thinking that it may be a hamstring or quad . . . or---a back issue. I note too that it is the right shoulder that has been bugging me these past few weeks on long runs, which is the counter swing to the left leg. Thinking back to some leg pain that left me limping a few years ago---it was actually a back issue. The floating nature of the pain makes me think that I am experiencing something that is not specific to the legs themselves. I may start addressing some back issues with a combination of core exercises focussed on lower back to see if that clears it up. This is a nuisance 'injury'. It does not slow me significantly, but it will definitely make the 5k slower than I could run it unless it just goes away.

The snow covered beaches on South Lakeshore Drive are fantastic. Among the many factors that promote my running addiction is the time spent along the lakefront. The changes in colors and the smell of the air becomes something one longs for. I loved the hills in StL this past week, and the run along the river is great---but StL has too-few places where a person can run past interesting scenery without having to drive to get there--and while the runs around Blackjack were geographically interesting, the lack of space on most roadways forces one onto the broken or non-existent sidewalk pretty quickly. Here, the lakefront path is a constant, but so much changes---the lake itself is different every day, for instance---color, waves, activity, etc. Even when I start to find aspects of it dull, three days later it is interesting again. Glad to be back.

Boxing Day

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:53:47	9:00 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:53:47	9:00 pace
Distance (mi )	5.97
Moving Speed (mph)	6.7 avg.	11.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+656 / -693
Avg. Heart Rate	147 bpm	Zone 3.9
Temperature (°F)	48.2°F avg.	48.2°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	SSE 6.3 avg.	SSE 8.1 max.

Start Time: 11:56:29 AM

I continue to have nutrition issues if I do not get out the door right away. I call this the 'parent problem'---namely that when I am at home, time slips away too quickly. I thought that the bagel and fruit I ate this morning would be fine for the run---and I did not want to overeat. Of course I failed to realize that it would take more than four hours to get out for the run once the girls and little boy got up and things got busy. End result: no energy for the fartlek plan. I got some decent speedups in, but I could not sustain it for any length of time. OK, no energy, on the one hand, and the HILLS in North Saint Louis County are crazy. Hills (up or down) made up 60% of the run and the average grade was 4% with some as high as 12% or descents at -11%. Getting speedwork in under these conditions is tough on a flatland, Chicago boy like me. The downhills pound the knees and hips and the uphills kick my ass. That said, I should come train here to build up some serious conditioning (especially in the summers where the heat and humidity will make you tough if they don't kill you). I have my concerns about the weight of the populace in StL overall---but those who workout here must be absolute monsters. The elevation scale is below.


Anyway, too much Christmas food, rolling hills, bad breakfast, etc.---all reasons why this run went like crap, but they can't all be peaches and cream. I think too that we are honestly at the point with this where it is like sex: even when it is bad, it is really, really good. Hoping the left knee is healing up---it continues to feel subpar and I am noticing that my right hip is acting up from favoring the left knee.

Christmas Eve

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:57:02	9:13 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:56:57	9:12 pace
Distance (mi )	6.19
Moving Speed (mph)	6.5 avg.	8.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+612 / -610
Avg. Heart Rate	149 bpm	Zone 4.0
Temperature (°F)	36.5°F avg.	37.4°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	WSW 12.6 avg.	WSW 12.6 max.

Start Time: 10:35:44 AM CST
Blackjack, MO

Debating whether to run today or not, since I normally have two days off (from running) after the long run. But not exercising at all for two days was threatening to make me a bit crazy, especially since the alternative was sitting around the house. Suburban St. Louis is a tough place to run---exceptionally narrow shoulders, few sidewalks, and overweight, chain-smoking drivers eager to take out their health issues on runners and cyclists. I mapped out what seemed to be the path of least resistance, and while Parker Road was not a treat, it was not too terrible and I discovered that the outer road on Louis and Clark Blvd actually had a bike lane (good to note if I want to ride to the river). Nice to have the 6-mile 'easy' run---and although the 12-miler left my knees stiff throughout the remainder of Saturday and a bit of Sunday, most of the issues with my left knee seem to have worked themselves out. Another decent-paced 6-miler on Wednesday should sort out most of the issues. The legs feel stronger but still a bit sore. I am eager to get to the point where the 12 feels as easy as this 6 does. It will come, I know, since it was not long ago that the 6 was the long run.

I would be surprised to knock off another 20 in 2008, but an additional 10 is not only doable, but likely. Once cycling season is back, every workout will be over an hour, and the calorie burn is pretty exceptional at that point---863 today and this was just 57 minutes. Even though I think the cycling numbers are bogus, assuming that we are burning about 900 per hour, we are looking at 7000+ per week just during exercise, to say nothing of the additional calorie burn that comes with simply maintaining a larger muscle base. Thinking ahead a few days to resolutions around New Years---since I am already living the resolutions I would likely pick---there will be little new to add and it seems so redundant to add 'run a marathon' to the resolution list since I have already mapped the training schedule. Perhaps the 'resolution' element is just a place to record goals so that one knows whether one met them or not.

Chain of Rocks Bridge

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:52:27	9:21 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:51:26	9:16 pace
Distance (mi )	12.01
Moving Speed (mph)	6.5 avg.	8.9 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+1,656 / -1,667
Avg. Heart Rate	146 bpm	Zone 3.9
Temperature (°F)	53.8°F avg.	55.4°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	SSE 11.2 avg.	SSE 12.6 max.

Start Time: 08:58:35 AM CST

Perfect day for a long run---not too sunny (but some sun) and low 50s the whole run. Missouri and Illinois have converted the old Chain of Rocks bridge across the Mississippi to a bike/run trail---making it the longest bike/run bridge in the US (possibly world). Hard to believe that this two-lane bridge ever served much traffic, but thinking back to the 60s, the limited road travel would have made it crowded, but not unreasonable. Throughout the run I had that 'I can run forever' feeling and had to work to keep myself around a 9:10 pace (rather than the 8:00 that kept sneaking out). The pace was excellent---and felt healthy (e.g., not damaging myself) if slow. Killer hill at the beginning and end---the end one, during the 11th mile, was the only time I thought, 'hey, I'm ready to be done'---but even then I was able to keep a pretty decent pace.

Found myself hungry at the beginning---this is always a problem with starting a run/ride later in the morning---if I just woke up and ate, I would be fine, but I do not and I end up wishing that I had eaten something more. Reading something online a few days ago, it was suggested that one eat .7 x bodyweight in grams of simple carbs within an hour of completing a long run. That translated into a banana, two 8oz milks and five waffles (3 with apple butter, 2 with grape jam). Seemed bizarre, but it really worked for me and I feel great just a couple hours later.

As I was running, it occurred to me that Motionbased would have a particular bug---namely that rather than taking actual altitude data, it takes geological survey data and retroactively applies it to the workout (adjusting distances, etc.). Since I was running over two bridges that were significantly higher than the water height, I figured that the survey data may have used the road data (the Chain of Rocks bridge was a part of Route 66 and so it has been around long enough to appear in virtually any dataset)---but the more likely assumption would be that Motionbased uses geographical data, not road data. Drumroll? Indeed it uses geo data with the result that Motionbased skews distance and elevation data dramatically for this run---it shows one going down to the river and then back up rather than up to the crest of the bridge and back down again. With two bridges, this is even more skewed.



Updated 12/26: Thanks to a comment from trailblazer, I have updated the chart above to reflect 'uncorrected' data from the run. This doubles the amount of climbing and shows a much different elevation profile than the run above.

Lazy Day

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	36:59	11:21 pace
Distance (mi )	3.26
Moving Speed (mph)	5.3 avg.	6.8 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+0/-0
Avg. Heart Rate	136 bpm	171 max

Start time: 07:38:22

The funny thing about today's run is that just a year ago, this would have been a great workout! I can still remember when running three miles and, more importantly, running for 30 minutes was incredibly difficult. Now, a 3-mile or 30-minute workout is an easy/recovery day and even a bit disappointing. The left knee (outside, mainly) is still acting a little weak and stiff. Between that and some boredom on the treadmill, I seriously downgraded the workout. In hindsight, the intervals this past Tuesday were a mistake---I need to let this knee heal and strengthen and it is not happening with the heavy load of long runs and speedwork. I do not think I am compulsive, but it is hard to break out from the cycle. The speed work is what makes this fun, the long runs give me the time to get centered and focussed for the week. I suppose it was not that long ago too that the long run was 6 miles.

Plotted out the long-run plan for most of next year last night. Base runs through the end of February and then I am going to kick it back up beginning in March and start training for a strong 10k performance. This schedule suggests that I (a) want to keep myself in solid shape so that I can hit that March 1 10-mile long run easily---BUT, (b) that I need to do whatever it takes over the next couple months to get myself healed up. I have the Jan 1 5k ahead and that will be the lone speed session over the next two weeks. Otherwise we need to just mix up the base miles so that we are getting in good workouts and enough weekly mileage---but I may need to take a week off at some point to let things heal up---and January probably has a few weeks where that is an option while giving me enough time to rebuild any fitness lost before March 1.

Not entirely disappointed

When I sat down to write this, I was confident that I had made major improvements from my first T-15 on October 3. Although I had better form and I felt much better, the results were not phenomenally better.

T-15 Record

Number of Yards: 475 (19 laps)
Elapsed Time: 14:56
T-15 cruise pace per 100 meters: 3:08

Ok, the cruise pace per 100 was down almost 1 minute--which is good, but I need 500 meters to get on the chart (3:00) and I felt certain that I had done twice as many laps as last time. The scary thing is that I very well may have---I find it hard to believe that I actually completed 16 laps back in October. This was tiring, but it felt relatively good. At moments I even had very good form, but overall, the drills mostly disintegrated as I got more and more tired. Ah well, ever onward.

Full workout:
Warmup: 3x50 SGBB/SGF
Workout: 19x25 Swun
Cool Down: 4x50 SGB/5&G

Total: 825 yards.

I was looking at the Galena Triathlon/Duathlon yesterday---not because I really think I can do one, but because I was thinking about the Duathlon and wanted to know whether I could be competitive in the Tri. I only want to go out if I think I can be top 10% which means I probably need to be able to do the 660-yard swim in about 10:00. This means that I need to cut my cruise time by more than HALF---to 1:30 by May and rack up 39 rather than 19 laps during the T15. Possible, sure. Hard to know if it is likely. I am tentatively planning to do the Duathlon which looks like it would be fun, relatively short distance runs---I suppose I will need to commit by March which should give me at 2-3 more T15s to use for baseline depending on how things go.

Long Intervals

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	55:04	09:05 pace
Distance (mi )	6.o6
Moving Speed (mph)	6.6 avg.	8.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+0/-0
Avg. Heart Rate	160 bpm	186 max

Start Time: 04:25:31 PM

Thanks to Kara Goucher, I changed my plan from a long slow run to a long interval: 4 x 4 minutes with 4 minutes between each interval. It was strangely pleasant and gave me a taste of the mile intervals I plan to do next year. Did the whole run at 1% incline to give it a more outdoor feel (although scientifically, I know that this probably does not hold much water, sometimes it is all about feel). It was a hard workout, but pleasant. The danger that keeps coming up is that I want these speed workouts when I am indoors to keep things interesting---but base miles really do not require (and probably should not have) the kinds of speedwork I am doing. Writing this after 10pm I can say that it has had some impact--the tendinitis went away after Saturday's run, but the left leg continues to feel a little weak around the ITB---not sore, just a little unsteady---so I have been limping a bit and I will probably limp a bit tomorrow. Goucher is one of those, 'do this and you can accomplish anything' coaches which obviously appeals to my kind of drive.

The number 15 treadmill was 0.4M off over the 6M today compared to the footpod. This bugs me. The 'pace' on the Treadmill had me doing 6:40 (9.0 MPH) for the speedwork, but the pod only registered a peak speed of 8.7 (7:00). If I were outside, I would think that a 7:00 pace was too slow, but my feet tell me that the mill is more accurate than the pod. As you recall, I dropped the calibration because it seemed too inaccurate---and in this case it would have been wildly inaccurate---probably reducing travel by an additional 1/4 mile. I think I will try to calibrate again on Thursday at Henry Crown. If I have a good calibration, then I can trust footpod and make the machines work for me. At this point, I am going with the footpod, but I do not trust it. That said, if the footpod is more correct than the treadmills, I feel sorry for those who are doing workouts on distance/speed and expecting that to correlate to outdoor conditions. Clearly they do not.

End of the Green Workouts

10 Swim workouts complete and an honest 1k in the pool this morning. Ok, I still do not love it, but I do like learning new things and becoming skilled at them---and if we add the T15 at the beginning and the T15 on Wednesday, we will have been in the pool for a month of regular workouts. Brave new world. Focused on the drills and those are coming to me more easily. Also tried to keep my feed loose and flippery this morning since I have been toe and leg cramping a little---some website suggested that this may be due to trying to point my toes--which I realized today I was doing without thinking about it.

The next cycle starts December 28 and goes through Jan 18. Our triathlete friend was cheering me on yesterday, suggesting that I would be open water swimming by summer. Not opposed to the idea, but it is not something I am working towards.

Signed up for the New Years Day 5k. I am doing the chip-timed version, but not with too much seriousness, just intending to get a baseline established so that when I run a few more I will know how I have improved. I have clearly added much more mileage than when I ran the 8k on Thanksgiving, but I have not been doing the speedwork and the long rides have been replaced by whatever I get out of swimming. I would love run 6:30 miles or better, but I think I will go out at a 6:45 and see how I feel. I could probably run at 6:20 or so---and a 19:00 would be a great goal for now. Longer term, I want an 18:00 5k. Given the reduced training coming up, I HIGHLY doubt I will do that in two weeks. It will be a nice way to keep the base miles interesting.

Snow Day

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:40:35	9:34 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:40:19	9:33 pace
Distance (mi )	10.50
Moving Speed (mph)	6.3 avg.	10.0 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+241 / -241
Avg. Heart Rate	144 bpm	Zone 3.8
Temperature (°F)	28.1°F avg.	28.4°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	ESE 9.2 avg.	ESE 11.5 max.

Start Time: 05:56:57 AM

Knowing that it was going to be cold (predictions had it at 21°F for this morning) and that my left leg (knee/Achilles) had been bugging me, I had already decided that 12M was not going to happen today. Add to it that when I opened the door, snow was falling rapidly. Workout calculus came into play: if it is snowing, then it is only about 32°F and about the best temperature I could expect. I went out in the slop, and decided to head South once I passed under LSD, wisely thinking that there were more ways to abort the run early if I ran South than if I was down by McCormick place feeling poor. In fact, at a 9:30 pace, I felt really quite good and I kept the second through eighth in the low 9s. Passing the underpass at about 6.5 miles, I decided that I felt strong enough to carry on over to 47th Street and back to add a couple miles.

All was well---in fact great---until I turned around at the Northern base of the 47th Street hill and realized that part of the good feeling was a tailwind. The return miles were brutal and account for the drip in pace during the final two miles. With that headwind-strain, both legs decided that they were no longer happy with me. It is amazing how a strong headwind can completely demoralize me (of course it works the other way too---the superman feelings that occur with a fantastic headwind are amazing). Anyway, although I did not hit 12 today, I got a solid 10.5 in (exactly, actually, which is cool since I did not pre-map this route). Not bad for base miles in the snow with ligaments and tendons in less-than-optimal status.

Swim Workout 9

Start Time: 11:30 AM

Took the day off on Wednesday and woke up late this morning with some painful tendinitis in my left leg---for no reason that I can understand. Had the inclination to skip the workout, but realized that I am in that 'dangerous' point where I have not been doing this long enough to be completely committed---e.g., swimming is still a discipline, it is not fun. By contrast, running is fun and I miss it when I am not doing it.

Anyway, threw the suit in the bag and decided to hit the pool over lunch. In some ways it gets easier and easier. Since I really take the drill aspect of things seriously, I spent some energy trying to get the SGB and SFS right today---which made a big difference. I could really feel my body 'skating' at moments (and then I lost it). But those brief accomplishments aside, it is so technique-heavy that I do not feel like I am making the kinds of big gains I would like to make. I know, big gains do not occur overnight--and I have shown tremendous patience (mostly) with my running and I am forced to be patient with cycling---realizing that speed comes over time. I want this to be something that I do because it is simply fun---and I am not there entirely. On the other hand, the cool water flowing around me as I swim is a truly wonderful thing and have always loved being in the water for that reason. So there is hope.

I have been getting some toe cramps in the pool---and I got a minor leg (calf) cramp today. Not sure what the physiology is there, but I need to sort it out a bit. Looking forward to the long run tomorrow, but I need to get some Runderware or something because the chafing has been taking a week to go away after these long runs.

Quick run

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	33:37	10:47 pace
Distance (mi )	3.11
Moving Speed (mph)	5.6 avg.	6.5 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+0/-0
Avg. Heart Rate	147 bpm	163 max

Start Time: 07:39:19 AM

I had an interesting moment yesterday, completely unrelated to running, but bear with me because it comes back. It has been a busy week with back-to-back meetings for the most part. They are personally interesting, but professionally, they could be critical---meeting with high-level people and building contacts and networks that will be valuable. We had two such meetings yesterday afternoon which conflicted with the girls Christmas party and while I had initially said that Amy would just have to work it out without me, I changed my mind, skipped the meetings and went home so that the girls could go to their party--which was totally the right decision. This week has been similarly hard for workouts---in addition to having too-little time, I am not eating well, sleeping enough and I have been tired. As I was running this morning---between getting the girls to school and my 9AM meeting, I realized that I am having to make similar decisions with regard to fitness and I was wondering how someone like a University President fits in an hour-long workout six or seven days each week. The answer for most people is that they do not. And so one 'chooses' career over health---which explains a lot.

Left leg was bugging me today, I think some lingering pain from either carrying too much in my backpack or running home with it on Tuesday (stupid)---kept the speed down overall. Wanted 5 or 6 miles, but only had time for 3. Also disappointing. This is an off week and I need to just take advantage of the fact that the pace is slower (workout wise) and keep in mind that this is a life-fitness goal I am on, not a week, month, or even year or fitness.

Too Much Sometimes

Arrived at Ratner this morning at 5:45am and spent some time looking over the workout ahead while I waited for the pool to open. As I waited, I suddenly realized that I left my toiletries at home (later found out they were at work) and it was one of those weird moments where you just throw your hands up in the air and give up. I think that the terrible workout from yesterday coupled with exhaustion (I was at a meeting until 11pm last night and then still needed an hour to wind down) made the fact that there was no way I would get back by 6am to get a decent lane the tipping point.

Having moved over the summer to a 6-day program and more recently to a 7-day, this week is showing a bit of the psychological and physical toll. The week I am having is not helping. We will see how Thursday goes. It will be tough to work in a workout.

Crash and Burn

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	27:31	10:30 pace
Distance (mi )	2.62
Moving Speed (mph)	5.7 avg.	9.2 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+0/-0
Avg. Heart Rate	145 bpm	182 max

Start Time: 05:02:45 PM

The plan today was for 8 hills and I managed two. Long day at work with no time for lunch (or to get out for a workout) and my 10-minute lunch of a California roll and Red Bull kicked my ass when I kicked it up for the hill workout. The first hill was tough, the second even more so---and in the three minute recovery, I was clearly not recovering.

When I was a high school runner, I sometimes looked for short cuts or came up with excuses for why I could not do long or hard runs. This was symptomatic of not really taking pleasure in the discipline and reward of running. I think that this led, in some ways, to finding it too easy to make excuses or to quit. Part of the return to this daily routine has been an unwillingness to lose the discipline---and an unwillingness to quit. I like the 'hard core' persona that I find in the workouts. Yet the battle of the 'hard core', disciplined workout guy with the guy who is equally 'hard core' about ensuring that this is a lifelong change (by taking care of myself) is not entirely clear. Is it OK to quit when you realize that you are really tired and malnourished? Will doing two or four more hills injure me or push too hard (will I consume muscle rather than glycogen)? Will completing the hills exhausted and hungry give me fitness benefit (serious fat burn)? Hard to know.

In the end, I mostly listened to my body, got off the mill after the second hill and jogged home in the rain.

Suddenly making sense

We knew it would happen, but the swim program suddenly makes sense---which is not to say that I have developed any skills, but my breathing is much improved---and the skill drills are all starting to fit. Each workout seems to bring some small improvement in form (which should not be too surprising)---and I am feeling more like a fish overall. At the same time, I am still wondering whether I will ever 'love' swimming. The technical aspect of it makes it hard to just get out and do it with pleasure. It could be something like golf, where the technique makes it fun---but I mostly just like elevating hr and I am not such a technique guy.

Still struggling to do the VKs with hands on my head, but the SGBBs and were almost easy. Still drank some of the pool and my nose feels burned out too. Two fast swims in this workout which really made me feel like the technique was coming together AND like it was falling apart---simultaneously. The hip snap focus made a lot of sense in this regard, I think I need to do more thinking about where my arms are---but overall, the gradual progression through skill drills (since this was only the 8th time in the water) has brought me to an increased degree of comfort to date---and makes me confident that if I just keep drilling and paying attention to technique that it will pay off down the line. I figure I have at least two months before I go back out on the road, so that gives me a rather long stretch to get really comfortable and determine whether swimming will be a long-term part of my workout portfolio.

Making it about more than myself

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:34:06	8:25 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:34:01	8:25 pace
Distance (mi )	11.16
Moving Speed (mph)	7.1 avg.	13.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+238 / -238
Avg. Heart Rate	160 bpm	Zone 4.6
Temperature (°F)	21.2°F avg.	23°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	N 8.1 avg.	N 10.4 max.

Start Time: 09:52:17 AM
NS

Truly great run today. Averaged over a 1/2 minute per mile better this week than last---without intending to do so at all. On the long runs, I typically do not look at my watch until the turnaround point because it would be too easy to watch the clock on a 90+ minute run. So when I hit the turnaround and checked, it was clear that we were running a much faster pace than I would have expected (or thought safe...). Unlike last week, it was incredibly consistent across miles. Even the 'cool down' during the last mile was much faster than I would expect.

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )	A Spd (mph)	HR (bpm)		Energy (Cal)
				Avg	Max
1	9:04	1.00	6.6	137	158	142
2	8:07	1.00	7.4	161	164	142
3	7:59	1.00	7.5	166	172	144
4	8:20	1.00	7.2	162	166	143
5	8:12	1.00	7.3	166	170	143
6	8:13	1.00	7.3	166	168	143
7	8:04	1.00	7.4	166	168	144
8	8:10	1.00	7.3	163	166	143
9	8:18	1.00	7.2	163	167	143
10	8:08	1.00	7.4	164	167	144
11	9:43	1.00	6.2	155	164	132
12	1:44	0.13	4.4	127	131	15

Middle Miles Average: 7.33 MPH; 8:11 pace

It sure did not feel like a Tempo Run pace, but my HR was at 85% of max the whole time (compared with 77% last week) which by all accounts puts it clearly in the tempo threshold---except that who does an 11 mile/90 minute Tempo? Probably a really bad idea in terms of not getting injured, but I really never felt like I was pushing it---and I certainly was not trying to keep to a particular pace (OK, during mile 10, when I realized that I had been running this pace, I decided to finish strong). It was cold, bright, and clear with snow all around. The city did a good job of clearing the path which made it especially easy to run---although the 'side streets'---meaning the tributaries that get you to the path were a mess making we wonder how the city imagines that you are going to get to the path that they have so carefully cleared. Take what we can get anyway.

Spent a lot of time thinking about how to put together a team-in-training-like situation for Blue Gargoyle and I think I have the basic structure now. I had been thinking about rushing something out the door---including changing my own plans again to include the St. Louis---in part to try to offer the program to people who are pacing end-of-year giving. The truth is that while I think I could probably raise 2620 for Saint Louis, a more careful strategy could do 10x that amount. In particular, I would like to get some pacesetters in place AND see if we can find matching funds, ideally for the whole amount. I also want to take the Gallup into this program and I think we could add another series of goals that could bring the total up over 50k if we did it well. I have most of the plan together, but now I need to work on strategy and it convinces me more that we need to work on BG's website so that it presents the agency as well as possible to a pretty diverse audience. I also want to get my team together before launching it. With Chicago in October, we have exactly the right amount of time in front of us to put this whole program together.

Swim Workout 7

Ever improving, the main concern now relates to whether I am getting an adequate workout on swim days---I keep forgetting to bring a watch along to time the workout, but I usually get out of the pool between :35 and :40 so the workout is certainly not more than :30 and probably more like :20-:25. Because my usual workouts are on the order of :45+, these seem short. I think there is an off-season weight-gain concern here too since I have lost the massive-calorie-burn of the 2:00+ ride.

Threw in an additional 1x50 swim at the end and an additional :20 VK (I had to bail early on one of the :30VKs). The VK with hands on head is much tougher than I expected, felt like I was pushing my head down into the water the whole time. I see why Hines has us doing that, but I feel like it is just ahead of my ability at this point.

I have not lifted yet, and this is partly due to figuring out the 'when' of it. Next week I think I will try to do my lifting after the Monday and Friday swim---to extend the workout a bit and actually get the work done.

Millhouse Five

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	47:00	9:18 pace
Distance (mi )	5.05
Moving Speed (mph)	6.4 avg.	7.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+0/-0
Avg. Heart Rate	152 bpm	169 max

Start Time: 02:50:56 PM

With snow on the ground again (and more to come) I took the workout indoors again. Hills I had planned to do indoors, but it has to be pretty cold to chase me off the streets---or slick and snowy. So I took the five inside on the treadmill. Pretty dull----if I could watch a movie while running, it would be very cool---but bad television does little for me and commercials even less. Unfortunately, Ratner does not have that many people that are, uh, easy on the eyes, so even that distraction is removed from us. I spent my run working on ideas related to the prospectus for the network book and I think that by incorporating the working paper on complex behaviors into this, we might have something interesting.

The footpod continues to be unreliable. I moved the setting from the track-calibrated 992 to the default 1000 and we went from a .25 difference over five miles to a .11 difference. I am tempted to just go with a 1008 which I think may 'calibrate' the pod to the treadmill, but what I really want to know is whether the treadmill is giving me an accurate reading. I followed a suggestion I read somewhere to run at 1% to more accurately simulate real road running and I thought that went well. I did not notice that the run was harder, so I think that is a good sign. Since all of the treadmills at Ratner seem to be off of the footpod by similar amounts, my inclination is to say that it is the footpod that needs to be calibrated to the treadmill. I will try the 1008 next time and see where it leaves me.

Swim workout 6

Less drowning, better form today. Little by little I feel like I am understanding how to do this. The program Hines has here is pretty smart: we are still doing all of the balance exercises for a lot of sessions. Like every exercise activity, I think the trick over the coming weeks will be to stick closely to his program---although individual laps got my HR up and left me short on breath, my conditioning level is such that the 1/2-hour in the pool was by no means exhausting. I ended up adding an extra 2x25 swim to this mix. I suppose that it is accurate to note that the RPE was probably a 4

Hines gives us a lot of credit for the vertical kicking that I am not sure we are due. Even with the additional 2x25 swim at the end, I swam 30x25 or 750 so the 4 VK sessions are presumed to add 150 yards (which seems high to this novice)--if this was really 'like' an 850 workout, then even with my additions, we are looking at a length for each VK which is probably something like accurate if a little high. The main issue for me is getting to a point where I can swim a mile or two without feeling that I am going to die.

Leverage

In my day job, we think a lot about how to leverage one thing to get something more. So if we have invested heavily in some lab equipment for one project, we want to add two or three other projects that take advantage of that equipment. This is especially appealing to foundations and individuals---because they get much more for their money. It also works the other way: foundations and individuals like to seed a program with a smaller amount of money which enables it to grow into something that is either self-sustaining or which will eventually be funded by other sources.

I have always thought like this anyway, so that aspect of my job comes naturally. But lately I have been thinking about ways to leverage my workouts into something else, namely, fund raising for the Blue Gargoyle. The question is (a) can I personally do something like the 'Team in Training' that the Leukemia & Lymphoma society does--where I raise money as I train for, say, the Chicago Marathon and (b) could I put together a team to do this? If we could raise 5-10k by next October, that would be a good effort; 26.1k would be extraordinary.

I am planning to work on the BG website and it should include a way to donate online---if we do this, we could really do something interesting with a 'team in training' idea. I need some time to develop my thoughts, but I would love to see this happen.

Indoor Hills

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	50:17	9:58 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	50:17	9:58 pace
Distance (mi )	5.04
Moving Speed (mph)	6.0 avg.	9.0 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+0/-0
Avg. Heart Rate	155 bpm	187 max

Start Time: 01:25:48 PM

The main workout today was 3 sets of 2 indoor hills at 8% grade. Hills were each 1 minute with two minutes between hills and three minutes between sets (used the Nike+ treadmill training hill workout--except that I used 8% for the entire workout instead of their 2/4/6 grade increase per set). Treadmill speed (as I note below, it is unclear what this means) was 9.0 mph for the first two sets. The last set was at 8.5 and 8.3 and I was hurting. Hit max or near max on each hill and recovered to 160 bpm between hills.

What a long way we have come over the past year. I think I bought the hill workout in March or April and I could not complete it--even with the progressive grade increase. Today I came back to hills and decided just to hit it at 8%. They were hard and I could really feel it in my legs afterwards, but I could also tell that I was moving forward in strength and conditioning. I think the question for next week is whether to stick with 3 sets at a faster pace or whether to do 4 sets at the same pace. I can run faster, so building up the stamina to sustain an 8% at 10.0 is worthy. In terms of muscle building, an additional set would probably do as much as a little bit of speed---and since we are off-season now, I think the speed may be secondary. I will decide this over the weekend I am sure.

Even though I spent some time calibrating the foot pod out on the track in October, I fail to believe that it 'took'. I say this because I find it a little hard to believe that the discrepancy between the calibrated footpod and the treadmill should be more than 1/4 mile over 5 miles. I may end up going back to default---which was also off, but not this wildly. Add to this my frustration with not being able to load data to Motionbased from indoor work and the Garmin is pretty disappointing for all of its power. The sad thing is that Garmin has such a good product that its failure to make a great product is its own---Suunto, Polar and Timex are not expected to have the computing power native to the Garmin---and so it is interesting that they are now serious contenders (and not as bulky)---especially since their footpods are so much nicer.

Swim Workout 5

Monday morning brought another day in the pool---and a better day than the past several. I felt (at least) that I got a workout in this morning---even if I continue to drink the whole pool. Two related things that I think I need to do: (1) Time each workout and (2) monitor HR better. I keep doing the IHR thing, but all I ever really learn is that my HR is over 120---I do not seem to be able to get much more accurate than that. I have a HR monitor---I should just see if it is pool-safe.

I also need to go get some eye drops today. My eyes bother me every morning after the workout (even though I have good goggles). I hate adding an unnecessary antihistamine, but I think that if I am going to keep this up, I probably need to throw the drops into the mix.

1500!

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:16:05	3:39 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:15:58	3:39 pace
Distance (mi )	20.76
Moving Speed (mph)	16.4 avg.	25.6 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+392 / -391
Avg. Heart Rate	141 bpm	Zone 3.6
Temperature (°F)	40°F avg.	42.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	W 10.2 avg.	W 12.6 max.

Start time: 02:18:59 PM
Odometer: 1505.16

I hit the 1500 mile goal in the pouring rain today. Not a terrible day for December: the back porch thermometer indicated about 50F and although the rain was cold, the Adidas jacket held up to its impermeable reputation. The rest of the gear faired ok: Ibex wool shorts kept me warm even though they were soaked (and they did not feel soaked, which is nice); the LG neoprene shoe covers were never intended to take this kind of abuse, but my feet were warm (in part because of the wool socks); the Craft gloves utterly failed and just got wetter and wetter (and colder and colder). The 'official' weather came in with a 'high' relative humidity of 90% which is funny since it rained the entire way to North Ave. I think I could have managed full path if my gloves were not so cold---the tailwind on the return was lovely.

I am glad that I had this day---no matter what the weather, completing a goal is very satisfying and I really wanted to make sure that I did not come up 20 miles short. Since I started late in the season without having done anything like serious bicycling since maybe 2001-ish, 1500 is a pretty solid effort. I can probably take my ride up to Get a Grip for a full cleaning and overhaul now without feeling any guilt at all about abandoning the outdoors a few weeks before the official start of Winter.

I will need to devote some space to pedestrian issues, especially in light of the article in the Maroon a few weeks ago. Granted, the problem today was Bears fans which are a breed unto themselves, but the utter cluelessness of these and other peds is frustrating at best. I am willing to share the path and be respectful, but respect is also earned. This latter is actually the problem with our society---we all want respect, but we are unwilling to give it. So small-membered 16-year-old wanna-be hoods ride around Hyde Park with a gun and shoot a guy who has worked hard to make something of himself. There was no privilege, only sweat. But these kids---and let's be honest, the parents that raised them---have no respect for this sort of honest work. THEY want respect, but they refuse to give it---mostly because they are too ill-educated to understand that not everyone in Hyde Park comes from money---most of us work hard for what we have.

McCormick Place and Back

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:30:31	9:03 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:30:30	9:03 pace
Distance (mi )	10.00
Moving Speed (mph)	6.6 avg.	12.2 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+207 / -207
Avg. Heart Rate	145 bpm	Zone 3.8
Temperature (°F)	24.8°F avg.	24.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	NE 1.7 avg.	NE 3.5 max.

Start Time: 06:03:28 AM

This is the longest run I have done to date---and quite possibly ever. I seem to remember my coach in high school scheduling 10-mile runs, but I think I always found a reason to get out of them (tells you something about my running ethic back then, esp. compared to now). I have been saying to myself that I could run a marathon at about a 9:00 pace tomorrow. OK, I doubt it. I MAY have had another 3-5 miles available, but I finally hit the top of my training. This is a very good thing since until today, I really had no sense for my limits. I had several perfect moments this morning---(a) running at a pace I liked for the whole distance and (b) realizing that I had a top end. In this way the long run becomes like intervals---I finally get to use it to stretch myself a bit.

Between the swimming and running, I find myself looking back to my youth and wondering what I was doing. That is, was it my essential laziness that caused me to underperform (and eventually quit) running or was it a matter of having coaches who failed to inspire? Likewise with swimming: how did I fail to learn how to breathe despite extensive swimming courses as a child and even classes in college? Was it me taking shortcuts or did my coaches fail to show me in a way I understood? Given my results in such a short time, I may have had potential as an adult athlete; no one ever showed me how to go the next level. I think about how poorly I was mentored when I was young, but I suppose these coaches and mentors needed to see that I was about more than getting out of the work easily---but when you are quite naturally a Tom Sawyer, the way I was, you actually need to be taught the value of discipline. I suppose I finally picked it up in my late 20s . . . never too late.

Wore my new Supernova 10s today. Small blisters on both pinky toes---probably got away lucky since it is quite foolish to wear new shoes on a long run day.