avondale training journal, starting Dec. 2018 (comments welcome)

[avondale]

Easy Run Analysis

I started using plans by @DopeyBadger starting December 2017 through November 2020. After that time, I started focusing more on trail running, and I've been working out my own training plans with helpful discussions with him.

For those of you that have used DopeyBadger's plans, you know that he has easy runs termed EA and EB. For me, at least, each of these types of runs had specific paces that were supposed to be met, within +/- 10 sec. In December 2018, I started adjusting these guiding paces to account for the effects of heat and humidity using a T+D scale DopeyBadger had referenced at some point.

I have another goal in mind for this analysis, but first I wanted to demonstrate that the T+D adjustments really did bring my EA pace back in line with the guiding pace. From this training log, I pulled out all of my EA runs and their info. Between Dec. 24, 2018 and Nov. 21, 2020, this was 179 runs. Below is a graph of the date vs the average pace of each run, adjusted for the T+D.

My EA pace was 11:56 min/mi and the guidance was to try to be within +/-10 s of this pace. You can see that this was generally successful! There were some points that have much higher (that is, slower) average paces, and these are very hilly routes that therefor had slower average paces. There is a trend in the graph, and that is that the average pace was increasing (that is, I was getting slower) over time - this is somewhat distressing.

The real goal of my analysis was to see how my training has been going since I switched to trail running. Since trails have a lot of varying surfaces and typically a lot of hills, I couldn't really run for to a set pace. Instead, I was running by effort: I used my HR as an indicator of my effort level.

I should mention that DopeyBadger's plans also indicate that each training run type should fall within a certain effort level, but I will be honest that I aimed to hit my pace targets rather than an "effort" target.

When I started trail running, I started to term runs as "easy", meaning at an average HR at 140 BPM or less; "LR (long run)", meaning at an average HR of 153 BPM or less; and "tempo", meaning at an average HR of about 160 BPM.

However, looking at the average paces for my trail runs would not be comparable to the data in the graph above because as stated just above, trails are hilly, rocky, etc. So I extracted my "easy" training runs that were on paved trails - all the same trails as I ran for the runs in the previous data set. These were generally mid-week runs - there were 77 of these runs. I had noted the T+D for these runs, but did not run to meet a target pace - I ran to keep my HR below 140 BPM.

The graph below shows the Date vs Average Pace Adjusted for T+D for both the previous runs and the runs where I ran by HR level. The blue points repeat what was in the previous graph, and the orange points are the runs by effort.

This is actually really exciting! The graph shows that my average paces for my runs (on the same routes) are getting lower (that is, faster)! This is the case even though a lot of these runs occurred during hot summer weather.

These runs have a lot more variation in average pace - clearly the vertical scatter is a lot more for the orange points than the blue. I interpret this as indicating that some runs are at higher or lower effort, even with the same weather conditions and route - I was more or less tired, for instance, or perhaps it was the time of day. I am not sure that I have enough data to try to pull out specific effects like that.

I am very happy with the overall meaning of these data: my trail running training, which focuses on running by effort level, is paying off with a speed increase!

I think what I will do next is look at the average pace adjusted for T+D for trail runs on specific trails to see if my speed is increasing. I run on a variety of trails, but there are three trails that I tend to run on most frequently. Even so, I'm not sure if I will have enough data for a meaningful analysis, especially since some of the runs will be "easy" and some will be "LR".

I am encouraged from this to continue with my trail running and training, which is good, because I am really enjoying it!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Easy Run Analysis

I started using plans by @DopeyBadger starting December 2017 through November 2020. After that time, I started focusing more on trail running, and I've been working out my own training plans with helpful discussions with him.

For those of you that have used DopeyBadger's plans, you know that he has easy runs termed EA and EB. For me, at least, each of these types of runs had specific paces that were supposed to be met, within +/- 10 sec. In December 2018, I started adjusting these guiding paces to account for the effects of heat and humidity using a T+D scale DopeyBadger had referenced at some point.

I have another goal in mind for this analysis, but first I wanted to demonstrate that the T+D adjustments really did bring my EA pace back in line with the guiding pace. From this training log, I pulled out all of my EA runs and their info. Between Dec. 24, 2018 and Nov. 21, 2020, this was 179 runs. Below is a graph of the date vs the average pace of each run, adjusted for the T+D.
View attachment 609610
My EA pace was 11:56 min/mi and the guidance was to try to be within +/-10 s of this pace. You can see that this was generally successful! There were some points that have much higher (that is, slower) average paces, and these are very hilly routes that therefor had slower average paces. There is a trend in the graph, and that is that the average pace was increasing (that is, I was getting slower) over time - this is somewhat distressing.

The real goal of my analysis was to see how my training has been going since I switched to trail running. Since trails have a lot of varying surfaces and typically a lot of hills, I couldn't really run for to a set pace. Instead, I was running by effort: I used my HR as an indicator of my effort level.

I should mention that DopeyBadger's plans also indicate that each training run type should fall within a certain effort level, but I will be honest that I aimed to hit my pace targets rather than an "effort" target.

When I started trail running, I started to term runs as "easy", meaning at an average HR at 140 BPM or less; "LR (long run)", meaning at an average HR of 153 BPM or less; and "tempo", meaning at an average HR of about 160 BPM.

However, looking at the average paces for my trail runs would not be comparable to the data in the graph above because as stated just above, trails are hilly, rocky, etc. So I extracted my "easy" training runs that were on paved trails - all the same trails as I ran for the runs in the previous data set. These were generally mid-week runs - there were 77 of these runs. I had noted the T+D for these runs, but did not run to meet a target pace - I ran to keep my HR below 140 BPM.

The graph below shows the Date vs Average Pace Adjusted for T+D for both the previous runs and the runs where I ran by HR level. The blue points repeat what was in the previous graph, and the orange points are the runs by effort.
View attachment 609611
This is actually really exciting! The graph shows that my average paces for my runs (on the same routes) are getting lower (that is, faster)! This is the case even though a lot of these runs occurred during hot summer weather.

These runs have a lot more variation in average pace - clearly the vertical scatter is a lot more for the orange points than the blue. I interpret this as indicating that some runs are at higher or lower effort, even with the same weather conditions and route - I was more or less tired, for instance, or perhaps it was the time of day. I am not sure that I have enough data to try to pull out specific effects like that.

I am very happy with the overall meaning of these data: my trail running training, which focuses on running by effort level, is paying off with a speed increase!

I think what I will do next is look at the average pace adjusted for T+D for trail runs on specific trails to see if my speed is increasing. I run on a variety of trails, but there are three trails that I tend to run on most frequently. Even so, I'm not sure if I will have enough data for a meaningful analysis, especially since some of the runs will be "easy" and some will be "LR".

I am encouraged from this to continue with my trail running and training, which is good, because I am really enjoying it!

Great analysis.

So for the orange runs, all were HR under 140 bpm. What's the average HR and standard error mean for those runs? How does that compare to the average and standard error mean for the blue dots? You could consider doing it in blocks of time (like month or two months).

Is there a trend when you compare the HRvPace of Blue dots compared to HRvPace of orange dots (you can use adjusted T+D pace)?

One thing to consider is during the blue training cycles and the orange training cycles, what was the run that proceeded an EA run (or easy run)? For instance, my EA runs tend to only occur after a SOS run. Whereas my "easy" runs can occur after a SOS or after another easy day. So that might be influencing the data one way or another. I know my HRvPace relationship is typically worse the day after a SOS run than two days after or by the next SOS. Due to fatigue of needing the EA run itself.

 

[avondale]

Great analysis.

So for the orange runs, all were HR under 140 bpm. What's the average HR and standard error mean for those runs? How does that compare to the average and standard error mean for the blue dots? You could consider doing it in blocks of time (like month or two months).

Is there a trend when you compare the HRvPace of Blue dots compared to HRvPace of orange dots (you can use adjusted T+D pace)?

One thing to consider is during the blue training cycles and the orange training cycles, what was the run that proceeded an EA run (or easy run)? For instance, my EA runs tend to only occur after a SOS run. Whereas my "easy" runs can occur after a SOS or after another easy day. So that might be influencing the data one way or another. I know my HRvPace relationship is typically worse the day after a SOS run than two days after or by the next SOS. Due to fatigue of needing the EA run itself.

I'll have to try to do those additional analyses at some point.

Regarding the run "before" the easy runs plotted... I know that you always have a nice ordering for the runs in your plan, but I think you may forget (or didn't realize) how often I usually had to shift runs around, during the weekdays especially, and then of course I often had tennis on the non-running nights (tennis matches have the fatigue of the tennis play plust the fatigue of losing sleep). Similarly, with the plans I've been following with the trail runs, I don't typically put workout-type runs back-to-back, but there is definitely some non-ideal ordering sometimes.

I do suspect that fatigue during the EA/easy runs is probably a factor in the scatter.

 

[avondale]

Week of Sep. 27 - Oct. 3, 2021

This was the twenty-first week of my training plan. This plan includes the following races:

• Crow Vineyard 5k, July 31, "C" race - done
  • Planning to run this very easy as part of my taper
• Allegheny Front Trail Race (I am doing the 14-miler), August 7, "A" race - done
• Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run (I deferred my 2020 entry to 2021, and then the April 2021 race got postponed to September!), September 12, "C" race - done
  • Planning to run this in about 2 hours as an easy long run
• Virtual Boston Marathon, October 8/9/10, "B" race

I will be running the virtual Boston Marathon on either Saturday or Sunday, Oct. 9 or 10. There are some scheduling issues that I need to work out. I am going up to Pennsylvania to where my family lives to run the marathon, because they have a flat, paved, multi-use trail that hardly anyone uses, it will be cool, and there are no traffic lights or other reasons I will have to stop.

Monday after work:

• 40 min easy
  • T+D 125, 1.5% effect; T 77 F
  • time: 40:01
  • distance: 3.38 mi
  • average pace: 11:50
  • splits: 11:57, 11:55, 11:31, 12:08
  • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 85 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Sligo Creek Trail

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: legs and pull-ups workout
  • 2 x 11 glute bridges with 30 lb
  • 2 x 8 pull-ups, 2 unassisted
  • 2 x 10 each leg hamstring curls with band
  • 2 x 8 chin-ups, 2 unassisted
  • 2 x 11 each one-leg squat on bench
  • 2 x 8 close-grip pull-ups, 2 unassisted
  • 2 x 11 goblet squats with 30 lb
  • 2 x 14 superman to banana X
  • 20 each leg high step-up
• After work:
  • 40 min easy
    • T+D 132, 2.5% effect; T 75 F
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 3.28 mi
    • average pace: 12:12
    • splits: 12:20, 12:13, 11:52, 12:54
    • ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 72 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Sligo Creek Trail

Wednesday

• Before breakfast: core workout
  • 20 starfish
  • 20 dead bug
  • 20 bird dog crunches
  • 20 isometric quad holds
  • 20 bicycles with hold
  • 5 hollow-body holds for 10 sec
  • 30 sec side plank, each side
  • 20 double leg lower/lift
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles round-robin

Thursday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
• After work:
  • 10 min easy + 3 x (5 min @tempo effort + 5 min RI) + 10 min easy
    • T+D 115, 1% effect; T 70 F
    • time: 50:06
    • distance: 4.42 mi
    • tempo splits: 9:42, 9:31, 9:33
    • elevation gain: 59 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Rock Creek Trail

Friday

• Before breakfast: upper body workout
  • 2 x 12 decline push-ups, one leg raised
  • 1 pull-up, 1 chin-up (unassisted)
  • 2 x 10 shoulder presses, 25 lb per arm
  • 2 x 12 military pus-ups, one leg raised
  • 2 x 10 band pull-downs with hands in pull-up position, 41 lb band
  • 2 x 12 triceps dips on bench, feet elevated
  • 2 x 12 wide push-ups, one leg raised
  • 2 x 10 band pull-downs with hands in chin-up position, 41 lb band
  • 2 x 7 front raises, 12 lb per arm
  • 2 x 8 push-ups to side plan, hands on medicine balls
  • 2 x 7 each side lawnmowers, 30 lb
  • 2 x 7 lateral raises, 12 lb per arm
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-3, 6-3, and our team lost overall, too!

Saturday

• After breakfast: 2-hr tennis doubles practice
• In afternoon: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-4, 6-3, and our team lost overall, too!

Sunday before dinner:

• 90 min LR
  • T+D 142, 3.5% effect; T 82 F
  • time: 1:30:01
  • distance: 7.81 mi
  • average pace: 11:31
  • splits: 11:32, 11:39, 11:47, 11:40, 11:28, 11:11< 11:30, 11:20
  • ave HR: 147 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 85 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Rock Creek Trail
  • comments: I was happy with my pace and average HR on this run, given the high T+D.

Health

My ankle is feeling much better - it's been two weeks since the latest sprain. However, it still gets a little swollen during the day and it feels like some different parts of the ankle were sprained than what I've hurt in many cases in the past. I'll probably have to get it looked at at some point.

I got authorization for more physical therapy sessions, so I have been continuing with those. I also changed my desk chair at work to be higher so that my hands are at a better level for typing without jamming my shoulders up. (Of course, now that means my feet can't touch the ground.) The headache was at a lower pain level during the week, which seemed like a good thing. But it was killer yesterday (Saturday) with all of the tennis - the first round of tennis left me with a monster headache and then the match in the afternoon was really the cherry on top.

 

[avondale]

Virtual Boston Marathon Race Report

It's a little weird to do a race report for a virtual race, but since I ran this seriously like a race (most importantly, not being able to pause the clock during the race), I thought that I would.

The actual Boston Marathon was run on Monday, Oct. 11, and everyone participating in the virtual marathon had to run it on Oct. 8, 9, or 10. I had decided to travel back to northwestern PA where I grew up to run the virtual marathon because there is a flat, paved, long, not crowded trail there that would be perfect for this. I also thought the weather should be pleasingly cool. Finally, I could also visit my family that weekend. As circumstances turned out, I ran the virtual marathon on Sunday, Oct. 10.

The nice thing about the virtual marathon was that I could do it on my own schedule instead of getting up way too early. I got up at 6:30am and had my usual breakfast. I had lots of time to get everything ready as it took me fewer than 10 minutes to drive to my starting line.

I went to the trail and did some walking and easy running for about 10 minutes for a warm-up, and then I got started at about 9:10am. The weather was nice, although I wished it would've been a bit cooler: at the start, the T+D was 114 with a temperature of 61 F.

I started the race with 1.5 L of water + Nuun electrolytes, a 0.5-L soft flask of water, and a 23-oz bottle of water + Nuun electrolytes. I had about 600 calories of pita chips, Swedish Fish, and Clif Bloks that I planned to split up to eat at 3.5 mi, 7 mi, 10.5 mi, 14 mi, 17.5 mi, and 21 mi - and I did execute this plan.

I was recording the race on both my Garmin Venu and also the BAA app on my phone. I could import the Garmin data into the BAA app as proof of the race and not use the app live, but I was afraid my Venu would run out of battery (it did during my last marathon) so the BAA app was for backup. As it turns out, my Venu had plenty of battery because I proactively changed its display settings to save battery life (which I hadn't done in my last marathon).

The whole "race course" for me was on a rails-to-trails multi-use trail that runs along the Allegheny River - very scenic. The first leg of the course was from my "starting line" at the Deep Hollow parking area heading east 8.6 mi to the Brandon parking area, where I would turn around. I was planning to run the race at a 12:00 min/mi pace and to not race it - I was not sure how it would go with no race environment.

The first leg was very pleasant. The Sun was still behind the mountain, so it was nice and shady. The leaves were changing colors and falling in the breeze. The whole section felt easy, with the splits for miles 1 - 9 being 1:47, 11:54, 11:48, 12:03, 12:30 (pee break), 11:57, 11:58, 12:00, 11:51.

At the turnaround point in Brandon, my sister and her 5-yo son were supposed to take my empty bottle and give me my second 0.5-L soft flask of water. It turns out that this wasn't 8.6 miles, but just a hair under 9 miles. No problem.

The return leg of 9 miles was also mostly pleasant. The last few miles of this leg lost the shade (the Sun was higher up, darn it!), but then it became overcast and that kept it from being too bad. The splits for mile 10 - 18 were 11:44, 11:51, 12:04, 11:42, 11:43, 11:53, 11:49, 11:35, and 11:53. Once I made it past halfway, I thought I'd let the pace get a bit faster if my legs were feeling it.

I kept running west past my "starting line". Almost 1.4 mi after that, there is another parking area, where my mom, my sister, and her son were waiting to cheer me on. It was great to see them! My mile 20 split was 12:08.

And then I could tell that I was running out of gas. My legs were starting to hurt and my HR was going way up, into the upper 160s and 170s. I pushed through it for mile 21 (12:35), but then I switched into alternating walking and running.

I wanted to finish at my starting line, but I didn't turn around until mile 22.2 because by that point, my Venu and the BAA app had accumulated a 0.2-mi difference in distance, with the BAA app lagging by 0.2-mi. Since that is what the "official" result would be, I wanted the app to finish at the start line. I continued the walk/run, although I actually started to manage to do longer running periods - but they were so slow you could hardly tell! My splits for miles 22 - 26 and the extra were 13:49, 13:52, 14:20, 14:35, 13:31, and 14:22. The T+D at the end was 130

And despite my planning, I finished the race according to the BAA app probably a tenth of a mile or so before my start line, where my family was waiting to congratulate me! So I finished and slowed to a walk and then proceeded to stagger up to them. Heh. It was definitely a very hard effort for the race, which I suppose is obvious but worth mentioning. None of my family (that was there) runs, so they were all just really impressed I could run for that long.

My official time in the BAA app was 5:26:10. This is just about 1 minute slower than my MCM finish in 2017, so it would be my second-slowest marathon (of 5). I finished in 11,309th place out of 22,238 virtual runners (50.9%), 4983 out of 12,017 women (41.5%), and 934 out of 2171 women 45 - 49 (43.0%).

Other comments. My sprained ankle did not bother me at all. I drank all of my 3+ L of liquids. My ears didn't plug up until after mile 21, which was much longer into the run than I've ever managed to go before.

I'm pretty satisfied with how this race went because I really wasn't sure what it would be like to be basically by myself for the vast majority of the race. I didn't even listen to music. I wish that I could have kept up my pace for the last five miles - I don't know if the people and other runners at a race would have helped with that or not.

Some photos:

 

[GollyGadget]

Nice job! I'm not sure I could run a virtual marathon; I thrive on the race day atmosphere. Even as a fellow runner, I'm impressed

 

[avondale]

Week of Oct. 4 - 10, 2021

This was the twenty-second week of my training plan. This plan includes the following races:

• Crow Vineyard 5k, July 31, "C" race - done
  • Planning to run this very easy as part of my taper
• Allegheny Front Trail Race (I am doing the 14-miler), August 7, "A" race - done
• Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run (I deferred my 2020 entry to 2021, and then the April 2021 race got postponed to September!), September 12, "C" race - done
  • Planning to run this in about 2 hours as an easy long run
• Virtual Boston Marathon, October 8/9/10, "B" race

I ran the virtual Boston Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 10. I went up to Pennsylvania to where my family lives to run the marathon. I posted about the marathon in the previous post in this blog.

I had previously written about how my mom fell and fractured her hip on July 31. She got the clearance from her surgeon on Friday, Oct. 8 to put full weight on that leg and start walking without any assistance. She did a couple of short walks in the first few days!

Monday after work:

• 30 min easy
  • T+D 138, 3% effect; T 77 F
  • time: 30:00
  • distance: 2.53 mi
  • average pace: 11:51
  • splits: 11:57, 11:40, 12:03
  • ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 49 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Sligo Creek Trail

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 7-5, 6-3, and our team lost overall, too!

Wednesday after work:

• 10 min easy + 4 x (3 min @tempo effort + 2 min RI) + 10 min easy
  • T+D 132, 2.5% effect; T 70 F
  • time: 40:06
  • distance: 3.55 mi
  • tempo splits: 9:40, 9:44, 9:05, 8:57
  • elevation gain: 49 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Rock Creek Trail

Thursday after work:

• 30 min easy
  • T+D 134, 2.5% effect; T 73 F
  • time: 30:03
  • distance: 2.55 mi
  • average pace: 11:48
  • splits: 11:53, 11:35, 12:03
  • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 75 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Sligo Creek Trail
  • comments: I did 4 strides in the second half of this run.

Friday after work: 45-min walk on treadmill

Saturday morning: 4.5-mi walk around the neighborhood

Sunday: virtual Boston marathon - see this post


Health

The headache continues. No other issues.

 

[avondale]

Week of Oct. 11 - 17, 2021

This was a no-run rest week after my virtual Boston Marathon.

Monday

• Morning: walk with my Mom
  • time: 15:33 min
  • distance: 0.41 mi
  • average pace: 37:34
• Afternoon: walk around the neighborhood
  • time: 26:25
  • distance: 1.21 mi
  • average pace: 21:52
• Before dinner: walk on treadmill
  • time: 43:47
  • distance: 2.14 mi
  • average pace: 20:28

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
• Before dinner: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:25:24
  • distance: 4.2 mi
  • average pace: 20:14

Wednesday before dinner: walk on treadmill

• time: 1:27:10
• distance: 4.88 mi
• average pace: 17:52

Thursday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
• Before dinner: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:26:34
  • distance: 5.17 mi
  • average pace: 16:45

Friday evening: walk on treadmill

• time: 43:17
• distance: 2.6 mi
• average pace: 16:39

Saturday

• After breakfast: 2-hr tennis doubles practice
• Evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I won 6-1, 6-0, and our team won overall, too!

Sunday before dinner: walk on treadmill

• time: 1:29:25
• distance: 5.52 mi
• average pace: 16:12

Health

The headache was up and down. Work is getting very busy, so that is stressful.

 

[avondale]

Week of Oct. 18 - 24, 2021

My next race is the Walt Disney World marathon on Jan. 9, 2022. I've made a short plan with 3 weeks of easy recovery and then some training prior to a 3-week taper. My goal for this marathon is to finish it without being dead because I'm planning to run with other Dis'ers if I can.

Monday after work:

• 40 min easy
  • T+D 97, 0% effect; T 63 F
  • time: 40:01
  • distance: 3.28 mi
  • average pace: 12:12
  • splits: 12:07, 12:20, 11:53, 13:01
  • ave HR: 136 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 233 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: old loop around the neighborhood

Tuesday evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-1, 6-4, and our team lost overall, too.

Wednesday

• Before breakfast: Workout 1
  • 3 x 5 squat, 20 lb vest + 50 lb
  • 1 pull-up
  • 3 x 5 banded lateral pull-down, 42 lb
  • 3 x 5 bench press, 60 lb
  • 3 x 5 weighted hip thrust, 25 lb
  • 3 x 5 shoulder press, 50 lb
• Evening: 2-hr tennis doubles round-robin

Thursday

• Before breakfast: Workout A
  • 3 x 60sec plank
  • 3 x 20sec sled drag
  • 3 x 10 superman
  • 3 x 25 toe hops
  • 20 speed skater jumps
  • 20 giant step-ups, each side
  • 2 x 15 calf raises, each side, 20 lb vest
• Before dinner:
  • 40 min easy
    • T+D 116, 1% effect; T 73 F
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 3.38 mi
    • average pace: 11:51
    • splits: 11:59, 11:49, 11:35, 12:16
    • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 98 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Sligo Creek Trail

Friday

• Before breakfast: Workout 2
  • 3 x 5 single-leg bench squat, 20 lb vest
  • 3 x 5 lawnmowers, 35 lb
  • 3 x 5 push-up, 20 lb vest
  • 3 x 5 banded hamstring curl, 13 lb
  • 3 x 5 parallel-bar triceps dips
• Evening: 2-hr tennis match - my partner and I lost 6-3, 6-2, but our team won overall!

Saturday

• After breakfast: 2-hr tennis practice
• Before dinner:
  • 50 min easy on trail
    • T+D 107, 0.5% effect; T 66 F
    • time: 50:07
    • distance: 3.48 mi
    • average pace: 14:25
    • splits: 13:58, 15:08, 14:19, 14:03
    • ave HR: 140 BPM - at the top of my target range
    • elevation gain: 240 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Rachel Carson Greenway Trail

Sunday

• Before lunch:
  • 50 min easy on trail
    • T+D 96, 0% effect, T 57 F
    • time: 50:01
    • distance: 3.91 mi
    • splits: 13:11, 12:56, 12:22, 12:42
    • ave HR: 135 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 66 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Northwest Branch Trail
• Evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I won 6-3, 6-3, in an awesome competitive match that was my best match of the year! But the team won overall.

Health

Sometimes playing tennis really bothers my left shoulder and neck, but I was OK this week. The headache wasn't too bad.

 

[avondale]

Week of Oct. 25 - 31, 2021

My next race is the Walt Disney World marathon on Jan. 9, 2022. I've made a short plan with 3 weeks of easy recovery and then some training prior to a 3-week taper. My goal for this marathon is to finish it without being dead because I'm planning to run with other Dis'ers if I can.

This is the second recovery week.

The big and sad event in my life this week is that we had to put one of our three cats to sleep on Wednesday. They are siblings from the same litter that we adopted from a rescue organization when they were about 10 weeks old. Now they are nearly 14 years old. Zathras had been having anxiety and urinary issues for a couple of years and was diagnosed with bladder cancer at the end of August. Although we tried treatment with NSAIDs and oral chemotherapy, we only started on that a little over a month ago and the medicines tended to make him lose his appetite. He ate a little on Sunday but then would not eat after that, in spite of all the enticements. By Wednesday his body was just shutting down and we didn't want him to suffer further. He was such a special cat, and we miss him. This photo was taken less than a week before he died.



Monday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
• After work: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:25:21
  • distance: 5.36 mi
  • average pace: 15:55

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: Workout 3
  • 3 x 5 wide-stance goblet squats, 20 lb vest and 25 lb
  • 3 x (2 chin-ups + underhand lateral pull-down with bands), 42 lb
  • 3 x 5 close-grip bench press, 60 lb
  • 3 x 5 hamstring kick-backs with band, 13 lb
  • 3 x 5 Arnold presses, 25 lb per arm
• After work:
  • 40 min easy
    • T+D 96, T 61 F; very windy
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 3.37 mi
    • average pace: 11:52
    • splits: 11:58, 12:00, 11:33, 12:03
    • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 95 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Sligo Creek Trail

Wednesday after work: walk on treadmill

• time: 44:55
• distance: 2.69 mi
• average pace: 16:42

Thursday

• Before breakfast: part of Workout B
  • 3 x 30 sec side plank, each side
  • 3 x 10 dumbbell swings, 35 lb
  • 5 x 10 sec hollow-body holds
  • 20 jump squats
• After work:
  • 50 min easy
    • T+D 111, 1% effect; T 63 F
    • time: 50:01
    • distance: 4.28 mi
    • average pace: 11:41
    • splits: 11:48, 11:51, 11:28, 11:31, 11:58
    • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my range
    • elevation gain: 72 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Rock Creek Trail

Friday after work: walk on treadmill

• time: 41:09
• distance: 2.52 mi
• average page: 16:20

Saturday

• Before lunch: 10 Rounds boxing workout
• Before dinner:
  • 60 min easy on trail
    • T+D 111, 1% effect; T 61 F
    • time: 1:00:01
    • distance: 4.47 mi
    • average pace: 13:26
    • splits: 12:54, 13:57, 13:31, 13:33, 13:05
    • ave HR: 141 BPM - just above my target range
    • elevation gain: 102 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Northwest Branch Trail

Sunday

• Before lunch: power workout
  • Warm-up
    • 0.5-mi easy run
    • 3 x 20 high knees, each leg
    • 3 x 20 butt kicks, each leg
  • Legs
    • 3 x 20 bounds, each leg
    • 3 x 20 high skips, each leg
    • 5 x 8 sec flat sprints
    • 5 x 8 sec uphill sprints
    • 5 x 8 sec downhill sprints
  • Upper body, with 8 lb medicine ball
    • 3 x 8 slams
    • 3 x 8 side arm throws into wall, each arm
    • 3 x 8 overhead throws into wall
    • 3 x 8 squat jumps with upward set-throw
• Before dinner:
  • 70 min easy on trail
    • T+D 111, 1% effect; T 66 F
    • time: 1:10:
    • distance: 5.24 mi
    • average pace: 13:22
    • splits: 13:26, 13:05, 13:48, 13:38, 12:59, 12:57
    • ave HR: 139 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 233 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park

Health

The headache continues, with ups and downs.

 

[SheHulk]

I'm very sorry for the loss of your kitty.

 

[DopeyBadger]

 

[avondale]

Thanks, @SheHulk and @DopeyBadger. Still miss him.

 

[avondale]

Week of Nov. 1 - 7, 2021

My next race is the Walt Disney World marathon on Jan. 9, 2022. I've made a short plan with 3 weeks of easy recovery and then some training prior to a 3-week taper. My goal for this marathon is to finish it without being dead because I'm planning to run with other Dis'ers if I can.

This is the third recovery week.

I got my shirt and medal for the virtual Boston Marathon on Friday! Unfortunately as I suspected, the shirt is too big because they only had a men's size scale. It was still exciting!

Monday after work: walk on treadmill

• time: 42:01
• distance: 2.57 mi
• average page: 16:21

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: Workout 4
  • 3 x 5 (each leg) single-leg glute bridge, 20 lb
  • 3 x 5 bent-over reverse-grip dumbbell rows, 20 lb per arm
  • 3 x 3 (each side) push-up on medicine balls into side plank, 20 lb vest
  • 3 x 5 hamstring slides
  • 3 x 5 bent-over lateral raises, 15 lb per arm
• After work:
  • 50 min easy
    • T+D 86; T 46 F
    • time: 50:01
    • distance: 4.15 mi
    • average pace: 12:03
    • splits: 12:01, 12:32, 11:43, 12:10, 10:33
    • ave HR: 136 BPM - within my range
    • elevation gain: 289 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: old loop around the neighborhood

Wednesday

• Before breakfast: Workout A
  • 3 x 60sec plank
  • 3 x 20sec sled drag
  • 3 x 10 superman
  • 3 x 25 toe hops
  • 20 speed skater jumps
  • 20 giant step-ups, each side
  • 2 x 15 calf raises, each side, 20 lb vest
• After work: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:36:02
  • distance: 5.82 mi
  • average page: 16:30

Thursday after work:

• 50 min easy
  • T+D 74, 0% effect; T 48 F
  • time: 50:03
  • distance: 4.14 mi
  • average pace: 12:06
  • splits: 12:12, 12:05, 12:06, 12:08, 11:21
  • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 331 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: new loop around the neighborhood

Friday

• Before breakfast: Workout 1
  • 3 x 5 squat, 20 lb vest + 55 lb
  • 3 x 1 pull-up
  • 3 x 5 banded lateral pull-down, 42 lb
  • 3 x 5 bench press, 65 lb
  • 3 x 5 weighted hip thrust, 30 lb
  • 1 x 5 shoulder press, 50 lb [CUT SHORT FOR TIME]
• 60 min easy on trail
  • T+D 72, 0% effect; T 52 F
  • time: 1:00:02
  • distance: 4.66 mi
  • average pace: 12:53
  • splits: 12:55, 13:24, 12:49, 12:31, 12:41
  • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 148 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Northwest Branch Trail

Saturday

• After breakfast: 2-hr tennis doubles practice
• After dinner: 2-hr tennis doubles match. My partner and I won 3-6, 6-1, 1-0, and our team won overall, too! Today was my birthday, and this was a great gift!

Sunday

• Before lunch: power workout
  • Warm-up
    • 0.5-mi easy run
    • 3 x 20 high knees
    • 3 x 20 butt kicks
  • Legs
    • 3 x 20 bounds
    • 3 x 20 high skips
    • 5 x 8 sec flat sprints
    • 5 x 8 sec uphill sprints
    • 5 x 8 sec downhill sprints
  • Upper body, with 8 lb medicine ball
    • 3 x 8 slams
    • 3 x 8 side arm throws into wall, each arm
    • 3 x 8 overhead throws into wall
    • 3 x 8 squat jumps with upward set-throw
• Before dinner:
  • 80 min easy on trail
    • T+D 85, 0% effect; T 55 F
    • time: 1:20:02
    • distance: 5.88 mi
    • average pace: 13:37
    • splits: 13:17, 12:57, 14:13, 14:22, 13:59, 12:47
    • ave HR: 144 BPM - above my target range
    • elevation gain: 400 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park

Health

I had a couple pretty light days with my headache, which was great. And then the weekend was pretty bad. Sigh.

 

[garneska]

@avondale I am so sorry for your loss. Your kitty is majestic. the hurt sucks.

 

[avondale]

Week of Nov. 8 - 14, 2021

My next race is the Walt Disney World marathon on Jan. 9, 2022. I've made a short plan with 3 weeks of easy recovery and then some training prior to a 3-week taper. My goal for this marathon is to finish it without being dead because I'm planning to run with other Dis'ers if I can.

This is the the first training week.

I got my covid booster after work on Friday. It wiped me out like my second vaccine dose did - I have gotten Pfizer for all three shots. I knew I wouldn't feel bad immediately, so I was hoping I would be able to sleep through the worst of it. No such luck. The fatigue and killer headache crept up on me during the evening. At about 5am or so, I started having muscle spasms, especially in the legs, and they would wake me up every 10 minutes or so...this continued until I got up at about 8:45am. I was SO SORE when I woke up, my eyeballs hurt, the bottoms of my feet hurt, and everything in between. I was out of bed for a little bit, and then my blood pressure plummeted and I almost passed out. Sigh. Fortunately I was through the worst of it, although the monster headache hung on all day.

Monday

• Before breakfast: Workout B, and then foam rolling and stretching
  • 3 x 30s side plank, each side
  • 3 x 10 dumbbell swings, 35 lb
  • 5 x 10s hollow-body holds
  • 20 vertical squat jumps
  • 3 x 5 dumbbell push-presses, 20 lb each arm
  • 20 giant step-ups, each side
  • 2 x 15 calf raises, each side, with 20 lb vest
• After work:
  • 40 min easy
    • T+D 97, 0% effect; T 59F
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 3.29 mi
    • average pace: 12:10
    • splits: 12:14, 12:00, 12:19, 12:00
    • ave HR: 141 BPM - just above my target range
    • elevation gain: 240 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: new loop around the neighborhood

Tuesday after work:

• Hill repeats: 15 min easy + 5 x (1 min hard uphill + 2 min walk downhill) + 10 min easy
  • T+D 98, 0% effect; T 59 F
  • time: 40:06
  • distance: 3.18 mi
  • hill repeat splits: 9:17, 9:32, 9:03, 8:34, 9:04
  • elevation gain: 220 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: old loop around the neighborhood

Wednesday

• Before breakfast: Workout 2
  • 3 x 5 single-leg squats on bench, each leg, 20 lb vest
  • 3 x 5 lawnmowers, each arm, 35 lb
  • 3 x 5 wide push-ups, 20 lb vest
  • 3 x 5 hamstring curls, each leg, 13 lb band
  • 3 x 5 parallel-bar dips
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles round-robin

Thursday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
• After work:
  • Tempo intervals: 10 min easy + 3 x (5 min at tempo effort + 2 min RI) + 10 min easy
    • T+D 112, 1% effect; T 63 F
    • time: 41:06
    • distance: 3.67 mi
    • tempo splits: 9:44, 9:35, 9:40
    • route: HS track
    • comments: My M-tempo effort is supposed to at a HR of around 160 BPM, so that's what I was trying to aim for. That can be a little hard to do since the HR monitor takes some time to catch up with what the HR is, but this seemed to happen, looking at the data. From @DopeyBadger's last training plan for me, my M-tempo pace was 9:56 and my HM-tempo pace was 9:32, so I am happy with how I ran these.

Friday after dinner: walk on treadmill

• time: 44:34
• distance: 2.54 mi
• average page: 17:33

Saturday before dinner:

• 70 min easy on trail
  • T+D 75, 0% effect; T 48 F; windy
  • time: 1:10:01
  • distance: 5.16 mi
  • average pace: 13:34
  • splits: 13:30, 13:26, 13:49, 14:06, 13:04, 13:21
  • ave HR: 143 BPM - above my target range
  • elevation gain: 299 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I thought I was mostly recovered from my covid booster the day before, but I was definitely fatigued during this run and my HR was elevated despite going slower. The headache was absolutely killer afterward.

Sunday before dinner:

• 90 min LR on trail
  • T+D 71, 0% effect; T 46 F; windy
  • time: 1:30:02
  • distance: 6.57 mi
  • average pace: 13:42
  • splits: 13:30, 14:22, 13:04, 13:55, 13:19, 14:30, 12:55
  • ave HR: 139 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 1017 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I was happy with this run. This is a really hilly trail, but my pace was decent, especially since I haven't been running hills much lately. My average HR was too low: for some reason my Garmin has a hard time accurately reading my HR when I am power-hiking uphill. It tends to read too low, and I am huffing and puffing. If I run uphill, it gives reasonable readings. At any rate, I was hoping to pick up the pace enough to have my HR average closer to 150 BPM to be more in my LR range - I am not sure if I did that or not.

Health

It was good to get my covid booster even if the side effects sucked. Discounting the booster, my headache has been really up and down this week. Sigh.

 

[avondale]

Week of Nov. 15 - 21, 2021

My next race is the Walt Disney World marathon on Jan. 9, 2022. I've made a short plan with 3 weeks of easy recovery and then some training prior to a 3-week taper. My goal for this marathon is to finish it without being dead because I'm planning to run with other Dis'ers if I can.

This is the second training week.

Monday after work: treadmill walk

• time: 1:26:36
• distance: 4.94 mi
• average page: 17:32
• incline: 1%

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: Workout 4
  • 3 x 5 (each leg) single-leg glute bridge, 20 lb
  • 3 x 5 bent-over reverse-grip dumbbell rows, 20 lb per arm
  • 3 x 3 (each side) push-up on medicine balls into side plank, 20 lb vest
  • 3 x 5 hamstring slides
  • 3 x 5 bent-over lateral raises, 15 lb per arm
• After work:
  • Hill repeats: 15 min easy + 7 x (1 min hard uphill + 2 min walk downhill) + 10 min easy
    • T+D 78, 0% effect; T 43 F
    • time: 46:06
    • distance: 3.47 mi
    • hill repeat splits: 10:19, 9:04, 9:12, 9:00, 8:42, 8:50, 8:48
    • elevation gain: 282 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: old loop around the neighborhood
    • comments: kind of nice that my repeats got faster each time!

Wednesday

• Before breakfast: Workout A
  • 3 x 60sec plank
  • 3 x 20sec sled drag
  • 3 x 10 superman
  • 3 x 25 toe hops
  • 20 speed skater jumps
  • 20 giant step-ups, each side
• After work:
  • 40 min easy
    • T+D 96, 0% effect; T 55F
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 3.27 mi
    • average pace: 12:13
    • splits: 12:26, 12:05, 12:07, 12:18
    • ave HR: 135 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 253 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: new loop around the neighborhood

Thursday

• Before breakfast: Workout 1
  • 3 x 5 squat, 20 lb vest + 55 lb
  • 3 x 1 pull-up
  • 3 x 5 banded lateral pull-down, 42 lb
  • 3 x 5 bench press, 65 lb
  • 3 x 5 weighted hip thrust, 35 lb
  • 3 x 5 shoulder press, 25 lb each arm
• After work:
  • Tempo intervals: 10 min easy + 4 x (5 min at tempo effort + 2 min RI) + 10 min easy
    • T+D 112, 1% effect; T 68 F; started raining halfway through
    • time: 48:07
    • distance: 4.33 mi
    • tempo splits: 9:28, 9:20, 9:23, 9:29
    • route: HS track

Friday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
• After work: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:25:22
  • distance: 5.04 mi
  • average page: 16:56
  • incline: 1%

Saturday

• Before lunch:
  • 80 min easy on trail
    • T+D 61, 0% effect; T 45 F
    • time: 1:20:01
    • distance: 6.29 mi
    • average pace: 12:43
    • splits: 13:25, 13:12, 12:34, 11:50, 12:23, 12:34, 13:54
    • ave HR: 135 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 259 ft (uncorrected)
    • route: Northwest Branch Trail
    • comments: I tried wearing my rigid, hardcore ankle brace on my left ankle (the one that has been sprained three times since July). It definitely immobilizes the ankle inward/outward, but not surprisingly it is not very comfortable. I ended up taking it off after a mile.
• Before dinner: 10 Rounds boxing workout

Sunday midday:

• 120 min LR on trail
  • T+D 82, 0% effect; T 48 F
  • time: 2:00:01
  • distance: 9.04 mi
  • average pace: 13:16
  • splits: 12:10, 11:37, 12:48, 15:30, 15:52, 15:05, 12:53, 12:24, 11:14
  • ave HR: 146 BPM - within my target range for LR
  • elevation gain: 846 ft (uncorrected)
  • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I was very happy with this run! Letting myself go into the LR HR range really let me speed it up. The middle section was much more technical and had steep, short ups and downs that slowed me down, but I feel like that even went well.

Health

One more booster shot side effect: the lymph node in my left armpit swelled up for a few days. According to the CDC's website, this is a known but rather rare side-effect.

My headache has been up and down again this week.

 

[garneska]

@avondale you got your booster. Was it Pfizer? Did you have side effects after your second shot? I was sick for 3 days after the second shot and had a swollen armpit. I am worried I will suffer more side effects after the booster. like is it worse than the second shot? Plus I did get COVID in August and it took me out for 2 weeks and the next 2 weeks was tired and ugh and then another 2 weeks to get out of the fog. I am considering not getting the booster till after marathon weekend.

 

[avondale]

@avondale you got your booster. Was it Pfizer? Did you have side effects after your second shot? I was sick for 3 days after the second shot and had a swollen armpit. I am worried I will suffer more side effects after the booster. like is it worse than the second shot? Plus I did get COVID in August and it took me out for 2 weeks and the next 2 weeks was tired and ugh and then another 2 weeks to get out of the fog. I am considering not getting the booster till after marathon weekend.

I had Pfizer for all three shots. My reaction for the booster was about the same as for the second shot. The sore arm lasted a bit longer, I think. If you can get the booster ASAP, then seems like you should be over it.

 

[garneska]

Thanks it is a fine balance. I was pretty unhappy after the second shot so I am leary on the booster. You are right though probably the sooner the better.