***The Official Running Thread***

[Kento]

Big ups, Kento! What a day to have that big of a run. I know you said the winner is unworldly, but honestly, doing what you did seems unworldly to me.

I have a paltry 4 mile race on the 28th. It's just a local first-responder fundraiser event and I'm doing a relay with a team of 4. Everybody does a 4 mile leg. I was feeling pretty good leading up to last weekend, and now I've destroyed my legs with 3 days of snowboarding. Gonna pick up the last minute training tomorrow, but I've been running some mile splits in the low 6s. Should be a fun event.

Thanks Iceman but shows the merit of all that Zone 2 training. Did so much for my overall fitness. Whatever failures I had on the uphills and such had zero to do with cardio, just leg muscles getting really tired.

28th? You have plenty of time. Not like you aren't fit already. And besides, think of snowboarding at high altitude as a combo of strength and cardio. Especially doing fast laps on that snake run. Probably more or less tapering for it at this point, I'd imagine? Low 6s is good. And that does sound like fun - good luck!

 

[stringcheese]

Mothafvckin rattlesnakes, this is not funny anymore! They’re everywhere

 

[Kento]

Legs are still tired but feeling antsy since haven't run since the race.

Beautiful day out 78-80 and sunny, jogged 4 miles at a relatively easy pace, about 8:30ish. Muscles don't feel bad, just discombobulated.

 

[One-Off]

I did literally zero strength training, not even one pushup or crunch since November (DST blew my rhythm), so yeah, incorporating that would be good.

Hey Kento. Came across this looking for something else. These are exactly what I’m doing, excepting the bench press (I have no bench). And I do regular dead lifts in addition to Romanian deadlifts. I do all of them in one, hour+ workout, once a week. 3 sets of 5 reps of warm ups at lighter weights, working up to 3 sets of 10 reps. I hate doing it. It’s like a chore. Taking medicine. But I attribute remaining injury free to this routine. YMMV.

Incorporating This Barbell Workout Into Your Routine Will Help You Make Strides in Your Running Goals

This guide to barbells, including technique tips and a workout for runners, will take your training to the next level.

www.runnersworld.com

ps I also do curls to try an increase my biceps for aesthetics, but it’s a totally losing cause. My wife says I need to stop running if I want to build muscle. She’ s not wrong.

 

[Kento]

Hey Kento. Came across this looking for something else. These are exactly what I’m doing, excepting the bench press (I have no bench). And I do regular dead lifts in addition to Romanian deadlifts. I do all of them in one, hour+ workout, once a week. 3 sets of 5 reps of warm ups at lighter weights, working up to 3 sets of 10 reps. I hate doing it. It’s like a chore. Taking medicine. But I attribute remaining injury free to this routine. YMMV.

Incorporating This Barbell Workout Into Your Routine Will Help You Make Strides in Your Running Goals

This guide to barbells, including technique tips and a workout for runners, will take your training to the next level.

www.runnersworld.com

ps I also do curls to try an increase my biceps for aesthetics, but it’s a totally losing cause. My wife says I need to stop running if I want to build muscle. She’ s not wrong.

Holy sh!t I would absolutely have to build up a lot before I could even to the sh!t in those videos without limping off with a rupture.

Did a scaled back strength workout Saturday morning, jogged 4 miles, picked up some new basketball shoes that need some breaking in, stiff toe box. Which I worked on doing for 2+ hours shooting hoops with my kids. Driving range/putting green intro with my son for about 3 hours yesterday, all that damn bending and stooping, not the running, sore as hell. I'm laughing. Nothing that doesn't take a day or two to recover from but damn...


On another note, what is normal interval towards starting up a new training cycle? Rest 2 weeks and then back to doing 40-50 mile weeks? Do you need to start from scratch or is it more about continued maintenance at this point?

 

[Iceman]

Did some mile repeats on Monday trying to get ready for this 4 mile race on Sunday.

5:44, 5:51, and 5:47

Not too shabby

 

[One-Off]

Did some mile repeats on Monday trying to get ready for this 4 mile race on Sunday.

5:44, 5:51, and 5:47

Not too shabby

Blazing!

 

[Iceman]

Well, ran the relay yesterday. There was some pretty gnarly competition interspersed on the teams, including some runners and triathletes that ran sub 6 minute miles!

The course was just an out and back, with a hill to start so made for a nice downhill finish.
I ended up going 6:14, 6:30, 6:29, and finished with a 6:00, for a 25:12 total. Pretty stoked with that. I've only broken 25 minutes for a 4 miler a handful of times in the past 8+ years, so getting near that was all I could ask for. The other guys on the team ran 7:30 to 8 minute miles, and we ended up taking 4th place as a team.

Pic of our team with our other fire brethren.

 

[One-Off]

Never look back.

I was up in the hills running yesterday. Once I get past the Skull Rock formation there is almost nobody on the trail. At a certain point I was slow slogging it up a steep incline when I noticed someone on the trail behind me…running. I almost never see trail runners. Hikers and mountain bikers, but not runners. So I picked up my pace thinking at least make him work to pass me. After a few minutes I turn around to see if he was catching me and as I did so I tripped on a rock. I did three giant strides and then….recovered. Luckily. There was no one behind me.

On my way down, a young guy (30ish), shirtless, all tatted up, passed me going really fast. Two trail runners in one day (one ghost)! I was thinking if I tried going that fast I‘d end up spraining my ankle or face planting into a rock. A short while later I pass him. He had stopped to do push ups. Then he passed me again, again at break neck speed. When I made it back to the parking lot I saw him getting into his car. I wanted to talk to him, see if he was doing ultras, but he drove off. So I continued on my jog down Temescal Canyon Blvd to the beach. Right now, with lane closures on PCH due to landslides, the traffic backs up really bad. Plus the Palisades High kids had just got out. As I ran down I saw him in his car, stuck in traffic. Guess I beat him down the mountain after all.

 

[Kento]

Well, ran the relay yesterday. There was some pretty gnarly competition interspersed on the teams, including some runners and triathletes that ran sub 6 minute miles!

The course was just an out and back, with a hill to start so made for a nice downhill finish.
I ended up going 6:14, 6:30, 6:29, and finished with a 6:00, for a 25:12 total. Pretty stoked with that. I've only broken 25 minutes for a 4 miler a handful of times in the past 8+ years, so getting near that was all I could ask for. The other guys on the team ran 7:30 to 8 minute miles, and we ended up taking 4th place as a team.

Pic of our team with our other fire brethren.

Hell yeah you crushed it!


After being a sedentary landfill the last two weeks, snowboarding this last weekend was good for the legs, felt very limber. Kinda dragged me out of the semi-malaise I was in after coming off such a high. But at the same time, I know I'm itching to do another one of these trail ultras but looking towards a shorter 50K in the area in July. On one hand, I put a LOT mentally and physically in training for that 50M race and do I want to go through all that again? But on the other, I have a much higher baseline right now. And on another hand, I plan on running the Santa Rosa Marathon in late August and I want to break 3:30 so...

Might as well get after it. Wind is west at 30 every day for the foreseeable future so surfing is out of the question.

Great weather in the high 70s/low 80s the last two days, trying to be disciplined and not blow myself out. Probably ran a little harder than I should have out of the gate but did 5 miles yesterday in a comfortable 42 minutes and about 8.2 miles today in 1:07 with two 30-40 second rests (halfway point and traffic light). My pulse was definitely higher than it would normally be running at the pace I did but also 20 degrees warmer outside than earlier in the year. Goal is 40 miles this week and 13 in right now. My quads were angry after just 8 miles today, though. I figure they just need to get the message about what's what and they'll come along. The hammy did. I also had an extended taper but hoping I haven't lost too much. Joints feel fine.

Race I am looking at is in 10 weeks or so, not sure what to really do training-wise but I figure I'll go from 40 this week up to 50 next, and then just maintain between 50-60 per week with 25-30 mile easy weeks every 3rd week? I'd definitely plan on interspersing at least a few 20 mile runs and 15+ trail runs with elevation.


Heh, and they just put out the notice for next year's Lake Sonoma 50. Tempting to sign up as I kind of want to do it again. Hell but a fun hell. As is the Lake Sonoma 55K in October. The 100K same day (which is a Western States qualifier) is a way bigger bite than I am willing to chew right now. I want to be a better runner before I go that fork in the road.

Oh well one thing at a time.