To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

We bought the same treadmill! My husband and two teenage sons managed to get it in the basement, but it almost didn't make the corner at the bottom of the stairs and the weight of it punched a whole in our drywall.

Sounds about right. Kudos to them. Hope you're enjoying it as much as Steph is hers. She's done three days in a row and I told her to slow down a bit since it's been months since she's run at all. But clearly she likes it.

 

[MissLiss279]

We bought the same treadmill! My husband and two teenage sons managed to get it in the basement, but it almost didn't make the corner at the bottom of the stairs and the weight of it punched a whole in our drywall.

Sounds about right. Kudos to them. Hope you're enjoying it as much as Steph is hers. She's done three days in a row and I told her to slow down a bit since it's been months since she's run at all. But clearly she likes it.

Hey! That’s the treadmill I have, and I like it! I’m not sure if either of you purchased the extended warranty, but you might look into it. I bought my treadmill a year ago last January. I didn’t initially purchase the extended warranty, but then November/December I received I couple of emails form NordicTrack and decided to go ahead and get it (I think it extended it fit 3 years??). Then guess what?! In February it started to get pretty loud for a couple runs, and then one run, it started to sound like it was grinding/vibrating. I called support. We thought it was the drive motor. They sent me a new one (maybe ~$300-400 part). That one time 2-3 weeks to ship! (Ugh! I’m glad we had decent weather in that time.) I replaced it, but it still didn’t completely fix it. I called support again, and we decided it was the rear roller (bearings). That one shipped much more quickly. I installed it last weekend, and everything sounds and feels better! I’m glad I purchased the warranty when I did. I looked up the stats on the treadmill, and it looks like I put 850 miles on it in its first year. I put the old motor on the shelf, because it may still be good in case I have the issue again.
Hopefully it is just my treadmill, and you guys don’t run into the same problems I did, but I now know a lot more about how to fix and take parts of it apart. (I think they would have sent a technician to repair it if I really needed them to, but pandemic and all was their excuse, and I’m pretty good with putting things together and taking them apart, and I didn’t want to wait to schedule someone to come out.)

 

[DopeyBadger]

Hey! That’s the treadmill I have, and I like it! I’m not sure if either of you purchased the extended warranty, but you might look into it. I bought my treadmill a year ago last January. I didn’t initially purchase the extended warranty, but then November/December I received I couple of emails form NordicTrack and decided to go ahead and get it (I think it extended it fit 3 years??). Then guess what?! In February it started to get pretty loud for a couple runs, and then one run, it started to sound like it was grinding/vibrating. I called support. We thought it was the drive motor. They sent me a new one (maybe ~$300-400 part). That one time 2-3 weeks to ship! (Ugh! I’m glad we had decent weather in that time.) I replaced it, but it still didn’t completely fix it. I called support again, and we decided it was the rear roller (bearings). That one shipped much more quickly. I installed it last weekend, and everything sounds and feels better! I’m glad I purchased the warranty when I did. I looked up the stats on the treadmill, and it looks like I put 850 miles on it in its first year. I put the old motor on the shelf, because it may still be good in case I have the issue again.
Hopefully it is just my treadmill, and you guys don’t run into the same problems I did, but I now know a lot more about how to fix and take parts of it apart. (I think they would have sent a technician to repair it if I really needed them to, but pandemic and all was their excuse, and I’m pretty good with putting things together and taking them apart, and I didn’t want to wait to schedule someone to come out.)

Did you ever get the feeling they were trying to weasel out of the warranty? Like, oh it doesn't cover that specific thing therefore we're not covering that part. That was the hesitance that we had in spending the extra money. On the other hand, it does sound like you were able to extend it at 10-11 months. That's good to know for the future.

 

[MissLiss279]

Did you ever get the feeling they were trying to weasel out of the warranty? Like, oh it doesn't cover that specific thing therefore we're not covering that part. That was the hesitance that we had in spending the extra money. On the other hand, it does sound like you were able to extend it at 10-11 months. That's good to know for the future.

Nope. Both times I talked to people, they were pretty helpful, and it was pretty easy. I had done a little bit of research into what I thought it could be before hand. The first call I sent a little video with the sound issue, and then she agreed that it sounded like the motor and put in the order. No push back at all. Well, I guess the only push back was having a technician scheduled to fix it, but no issues with actually getting the parts. At first I was a little worried with how heavy the motor would be and if I would really be able to replace it myself, but figured I would try, and if I couldn’t, I would have called back.

I just looked up the warranty, and I ordered it on Dec 22, which was 5 days before I had to extend the warranty. (4 additional years of in-home service and 8 years on parts.) Looks like I actually ordered the treadmill on Dec 28, 2019, but I didn’t receive it until second or third week of January.

 

[michigandergirl]

Sounds about right. Kudos to them. Hope you're enjoying it as much as Steph is hers. She's done three days in a row and I told her to slow down a bit since it's been months since she's run at all. But clearly she likes it.

I do really like it, great variety of workouts. It's come in very handy the last few weeks. I cut back the running a bit and did several low impact strength & hiking workouts while I was resting that muscle strain. Leg is feeling much better and I plan on taking it easy at Zion in 2 weeks.

 

[SheHulk]

I do really like it, great variety of workouts. It's come in very handy the last few weeks. I cut back the running a bit and did several low impact strength & hiking workouts while I was resting that muscle strain. Leg is feeling much better and I plan on taking it easy at Zion in 2 weeks.

Zion! Have a great time!

 

[DopeyBadger]

5 Weeks to go + HIM Build Mid Volume Cycling + (LIIFT 4 + McMillan Core/Legs)

3/22/21 - M - OFF
3/23/21 - T - Townsend-1 (90 min; 55 TSS) + McMillan Legs
3/24/21 - W - 30 min Run @ Easy
3/25/21 - R - 40 min @ Easy (morning) + Hunger-4 (90 min; 96 TSS)
3/26/21 - F - Pettit-1 (60 min; 27 TSS) + LIIFT4-Chest/Tri
3/27/21 - Sa - Phoenix-3 (90 min; 75 TSS) + 60 min Brick Run @ M Tempo
3/28/21 - Su - 60 min @ Long Run + LIIFT4-Back/Biceps

Total Run Miles - 23.8 miles
Total Run Time - 3:10 hours
Total Run TSS - x TSS

Total Biking Time - 5:30 hours
Total Biking TSS - 254 TSS

Total Strength Time - 1:12 hours
Total Strength TSS - x TSS

Total Training Time - 9:53 hours
Total TSS - x TSS

Monday

Monday I woke up and my right foot was absolutely killing me. I could barely walk on it, it felt so bad. I didn't have the slightest idea why it felt that way since I had no issues during or after the run on Sunday. It felt like my bones were crunching inwards. I decided to take some Advil throughout the day. It felt better, but I wasn't sure if that was the meds or because whatever went wrong was resolving.


Tuesday

The right foot pain seemed mostly resolved from the original problem, but now it felt like the start of plantar fasciitis. An overstretched feeling on the bottom of my foot. This would linger until late on Friday, however it only ever caused issues during normal life and no issues during any training. I hypothesized it might be because my cycling shoes have been feeling a little looser lately and so I increased my sock thickness to better fill the void.

Townsend -1 consists of 90 minutes of light, aerobic Endurance riding spent between 50-65% FTP. Nothing to note about the cycling. An easy ride overall.

Afterwards I did McMillan Legs. I'm on Week 9/10 now which is the second to last set. I'm not a big fan of any of the moves in this week. So I did a bit of a mashup between the Week 7/8 and 9/10 moves.


Wednesday

An easy 30 min run.

Conditions - Overcast, Wind 20mph to 34mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 47°F + 44°F; FL - 39°F
End: Temp+Dew = 46°F + 43°F; FL - 39°F

A very windy week here in WI. I was concerned that the right foot issues would cause problems during the run itself, but it didn't. I focused on wiggling my toes during the run and making sure I toed off. All in all it was 3.3 miles in 30 min at 9:10 pace with HR of 124.


Thursday

Early morning run. Up at 3:50am and out the door at 4:35am.

Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 5mph to 11mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 38°F + 38°F; FL - 34°F
End: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 37°F; FL - 34°F

I had some liquid IV before I started. I've noticed I seem to perform better on early morning exercises when I have the liquid IV before I start. I saw quite a few people out and about this morning. Only one creeper. I'm happy we got the treadmill for Steph. It ended up being 40 min, 4.4 miles, 9:05 pace and 126 HR.

That evening was a hard cycle. I had considered dropping the intensity down a bit more even from an already reduced level. But I didn't find any other workouts a suitable replacement. So I went ahead with the reduced, but not further reduced, workout. Hunger -4 is another pyramid-format VO2max workout, but this time it grows the number of 15/15's (at 115% FTP & 88% FTP) from 3 per set up to 11 before stepping back down to where it started. Occasional 88% FTP floats last as long as 30 seconds and recoveries between each set last roughly as long as the set preceding it. It worked out in the end. I completed the workout in full with no breaks, and felt fine afterwards. It was a challenging workout overall though.


Friday

Super easy cycling day. Got to prepare for the brick on Saturday. Pettit -1 is an hour of light Endurance work spent mostly between 50-60% FTP. Nothing remarkable. The body appreciated the easy cycle.

Afterwards I did the LIIFT4-Chest/Tri workout. Always love this type.

So I felt like the last M Tempo brick on 3/13/21 didn't go as hoped. I was a little slower than I wanted, and I faded during the workout. Maybe it was a bit too tough, but I also thought maybe I didn't properly fuel myself the day prior. So I went full steam ahead for Saturday's attempt and maybe overate a little to compensate. With a full Culvers meal, ice cream, and an extra serving of a rice packet. I didn't want fueling to be a reason things didn't go well the next day.


Saturday

Brick day! Steph had to work on Saturday which meant an early morning for me. I was up at 4:00am with every intention of being on the bike by 4:30-4:45am. But it just seemed like one of those mornings were things took longer to prepare. As for fueling, I ate an entire PB sandwich, had a liquid IV, and had some Tailwind during the cycle. Based on my projections I wasn't going to finish the entire activity in time, so I reduced my cycling by 15 min.

Phoenix -3 is 90 minutes of continuous riding where you'll spend 75 minutes between 70-75% FTP. This would be towards the high end of IM %FTP and low end of HIM %FTP. It felt fine and there were no issues.

I got off the bike, hurried upstairs and got my running clothes on. I slammed a Maurten 320 drink during this transition. Again, going for a full race like effort fueling effort. And then I was out the door. It was raining, but that wasn't going to stop me. I was in shorts, tank, with ear covers and light gloves. My goal was a pace of 7:17 or a GAP of 7:14. This was my split goal:



Conditions - 🌧 Light Rain, Wind 8mph to 15mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 38°F + 38°F; FL - 33°F
End: Temp+Dew = 39°F + 39°F; FL - 33°F



I glanced down at my watch about 0.3 miles into the run and saw a 7:40 average. I was like, that's not going to cut it. So I pushed a little harder. I knew that I was not going to hit my first pace goal of a 7:02, but I also didn't want to overdo it to try and compensate. So I ended up at a 7:14 pace for the first mile. From there, I just tried to settle into what felt like the right pace at the tail end of mile 1. And maintained that effort through mile 2 to hit a 7:16 (goal of 7:19). But after mile 2, I could tell that things were feeling good and I settled into what I felt like was M Tempo pace. Ignoring my pre-set goals and instead going with my effort instincts. The last M Tempo run felt too quick, but this one felt right. So the pace dropped a touch after mile 2 into what felt like a comfortable M Tempo pace. And the HR mostly agrees with that since traditional M Tempo lies in the 146-148 bpm area. I felt really strong thoughout almost the entire workout. It wasn't until the last little bit that it actually felt like I went a little above M Tempo. And based on GAP we can see why as I was dipping close to HM Tempo effort towards the end there. All in all though, I've got no complaints. I'm happy with the effort and it felt right. It ended up being 60 min, 8.4 miles, 7:10 pace, 7:07 GAP, and HR of 145. My Garmin VO2max moved to 57, but a little more on that later.

So in total it was a 2.5 hr exercise. A 90 min cycle (estimated 25.5 miles of HIM to IM effort) + 60 min (8.4 miles) of M Tempo all done on reduced sleep and an early start time. And I felt strong afterwards.


Sunday

"Long" run day. Just a simple 60 min long run. Steph had to work again, so I pushed the run into the afternoon instead of waking up early again. Since it was only 60 min, then I wasn't worried about the conditions. And it was suppose to be less windy in the afternoon anyways.

Conditions - Clear, Wind 17mph to 25mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 42°F + 21°F; FL - 34°F
End: Temp+Dew = 42°F + 21°F; FL - 34°F

Well it was less windy, but it was still windy.



From the first moment, the legs didn't feel great. They were a little worn out from Saturday's workout. But even while the felt a little tired, the effort still felt fine and was kept relatively easy. The legs did feel like they opened up a bit more as the run went on. All in all it was a fairly even GAP effort if we exclude the first mile. Everything else was kept inside a +/- 8 second range. So I'm pleased overall. It was 7.7 miles in 60 min at 7:47 pace with a 140 HR.

Afterwards, I did a LIIFT4-Back and Biceps workout.

So it was a good week overall. My right foot was a little wonky to start it off, and I'm hoping I stopped any problems there before they became a bigger issue. The left ankle is feeling good and almost fully resolved. I have issues with it here and there, but the toe off focus is paying off. And the running data is looking good.



I'm starting to see that uptick in fitness right about exactly where I would have predicted. Based on the trends, I'm about 4-5 weeks away from peak fitness level which is good since I'm 5 weeks away from the marathon.





Now the red dot above is the Brick M Tempo run on Saturday. Clearly an outlier from the rest of the dots. So I looked up a 7:10 pace at 145 bpm to see where that puts me roughly and I'm almost dead on matched with this run:



On 10/5/19 when I ran a 7:03 GAP for 60 min at a HR of 146 with a TSS bike of 96. The data doesn't line up perfectly, but it's close. So more evidence I'm in that 4-5 week range from peak. That 10/5/19 run was with a Garmin VO2max of 59. So based on the outlier area of the recent run, I'd say I'm in that general vicinity. Maybe 57, maybe 59. If it's like that 10/5/19 run, then it's just a flash and I didn't truly hit the peak consistently until 4-5 weeks later. So it's good news and trending in the right direction. And for perspective on these numbers, under ideal conditions and the data in my hands, the Garmin VO2max values translate into the following marathon times:

56 = 3:10:45 (7:17 pace)
57 = 3:07:30 (7:09 pace)
58 = 3:04:30 (7:02 pace)
59 = 3:01:30 (6:55 pace)
60 = 2:58:45 (6:49 pace)

So I'm probably in the 3:04-3:10 projection range at this moment in time. Just need to continue to play it safe, keep the rate of training load in the green zone, and stay healthy for 5 more weeks. Next week is another peak week. On tap is the peak of the Hunger pyramidal VO2max cycling workouts (although I'm feeling like I'll drop that down to a endurance 90 min ride), then a HM Tempo Mona Brick on Thursday (it drops back down to only 10 min of HMT), then 3 hrs of endurance training on Saturday, leading into a 135 min LR around 17 miles. This is the second to last peak week of training.

 

[DopeyBadger]

4 Weeks to go + HIM Build Mid Volume Cycling + (LIIFT 4 + McMillan Core/Legs)

3/29/21 - M - OFF
3/30/21 - T - Townsend-1 (90 min; 55 TSS) + McMillan Legs
3/31/21 - W - 52 min Run @ Easy
4/1/21 - R - Phoenix-3 (90 min; 75 TSS) + Brick Mona Fartlek (10 min HMT w/ descending duration uphill fartlek w/ float RI)
4/2/21 - F - Pettit-1 (60 min; 27 TSS) + LIIFT4-Shoulders
4/3/21 - Sa - Perkins-1 (120 min; 75 TSS) + 60 min Easy Run
4/4/21 - Su - 135 min @ Long Run w/ FF

Total Run Miles - 34.1 miles
Total Run Time - 4:38 hours
Total Run TSS - x TSS

Total Biking Time - 6:00 hours
Total Biking TSS - 233 TSS

Total Strength Time - 0:45 hours
Total Strength TSS - x TSS

Total Training Time - 11:23 hours
Total TSS - x TSS


Tuesday

Second to last peak week!

Easy cycling. Townsend -1 consists of 90 minutes of light, aerobic Endurance riding spent between 50-65% FTP. Nothing to note.


Wednesday

Had a meeting with the PT again. We're in agreement that I've "graduated". The ankle issue has not completely resolved, but it's fairly close. And when it does flare up during the run, I've found toeing off is a good fix. She also confirmed that the pain I was having on the bottom of my foot was likely a strain of my PF. But since it has resolved on it's own, then we're all good. She said that happens when I start to focus on toeing off and making changes to my form. So unless something comes up in the next 4.5 weeks, then I'm all good to go.

Based on my training load calculations I'm running a few points higher than originally scheduled. So I had to slightly increase some of my runs in the remainder of the plan to keep me in my 0 to -10 optimal zone. So this run went from 45 min to 52 min.

Conditions - Overcast, Wind 16mph to 22mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 12°F; FL - 28°F
End: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 12°F; FL - 28°F

Just an easy run. I don't remember anything specific about the run. All in all it was 5.8 miles in 52 min at 8:58 pace with HR of 128.


Thursday

Brick day! Phoenix -3 is 90 minutes of continuous riding where you'll spend 75 minutes between 70-75% FTP. The ride felt good.

Conditions - Clear, Wind 3mph to 5mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 15°F; FL - 37°F
End: Temp+Dew = 36°F + 15°F; FL - 37°F

Near perfect conditions. Low wind, sun setting, and cool temps. Time for my third attempt at the Mona Fartlek. I dropped it back down to 10 min HMT w/ descending duration uphill fartlek with floating resting intervals.



The HM Tempo portion felt completely comfortable. I felt so so strong. I ended up doing 6:35 pace with a 6:38 GAP and 147 HR. Then I took a 4 min break plus a little extra to retie a shoe. Then it was time for 2x90, 2x60, 2x30, and 15s reps with equal rest at an undetermined floating pace. The goal is to try and keep the resting pace between easy and long run pace. No stopping to catch your breath. The running paces felt so strong. But the resting floats were even stronger. I was hovering well below my typical easy pace in the 8:50-9:20 pace, and much closer to my long run pace around 7:45-8:00. I'm very happy with this run overall. It ended up being 4.3 miles in 31 min at 7:06 pace and HR of 147. The run was also good compared to the other two attempts at the Mona Fartlek:



So my HMT weighted GAP has gone from 6:45 to 6:38. My weighted GAP fartlek pace has gone from 6:06 to 5:58. But the most dramatic difference has been my recovery between the bouts of running. My weighted GAP for my floating rest has gone from 8:54 to 8:15.


Friday

Easy cycling. Pettit -1 is an hour of light Endurance work spent mostly between 50-60% FTP.

LIIFT4-Shoulders afterwards.

That evening I had a weird occurrence of a sneeze that had a hitch to it. My heart felt off after that. Like the beat was slightly off. But it also could have been heart burn. It just felt weird and my HR was higher than expected while I slept.

Saturday

The heart still felt funny in the morning, but after the cycling activity it resolved.

Perkins -1 is a highly varied 2 hours of aerobic Endurance riding ranging from 50-65% FTP. Nothing to note. Felt good throughout.

That evening was an easy run.

Conditions - Clear, Wind 9mph to 13mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 70°F + 41°F; FL - 70°F
End: Temp+Dew = 69°F + 42°F; FL - 70°F

The temps skyrocketed from near perfect conditions on Thursday to a much warmer Saturday afternoon. Kept the pace easy overall. It was 6.6 miles, 60 min, 9:03 pace and HR of 132. HR was a little higher than I wanted it to be.


Sunday

Long run day! Going for 135 min.

Conditions - Clear, Wind 3mph to 5mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 35°F + 32°F; FL - 33°F
End: Temp+Dew = 46°F + 39°F; FL - 33°F

The temps were scheduled to skyrocket again, so I got out there right at dawn. Before the run I had liquid IV and one Maurten 320. During the run I had my concentrated Tailwind, Maurten gel (caff and non), and Egel. Essentially followed my fueling strategy that I'll do on race day.



The run didn't feel comfortable at the start and I felt like I was forcing it a little. The breathing was a little more noticeable. But once I got to mile 2.5-3, then things started to feel good. Once I got to mile 9-10 area, then it almost felt effortless. I stopped noticing my breathing, and just settled in. Once I got towards the end, I was still feeling good enough for a 9 min fast finish. Aimed for M Tempo and looks like that's about where I ended up. It was 1.31 miles in 9:25 at 7:11 pace and 7:06 GAP. In all it was 17.5 miles, 135 min, 7:43 pace, 7:40 GAP, and HR of 139. All great metrics. The Garmin VO2max was 57.



The Garmin VO2max seems to be right in the area of 57-58-59 based on the HRvPace data. So I'm in the right area for near peak fitness. Still looking at something in the 3:04-3:10 projection range. I'm also the healthiest I've been since November 2020 (6 months ago). Happy with the progress overall.

This coming week is a moderate week. The big run is the Saturday 120 min cycle + M Tempo run. It was originally scheduled 70 min, but we'll see what I end up doing.

Only 4 weeks to go. This coming Saturday was suppose to be the Milwaukee Marathon. Looks like 40s and rain. So it would have ended up being pretty good conditions. Let's hope for equally decent conditions at the Non-Cancelled.

 

[DopeyBadger]

3 Weeks to go + HIM Build Mid Volume Cycling + (LIIFT 4 + McMillan Core/Legs)

4/5/21 - M - OFF
4/6/21 - T - Pettit-1 (60 min; 27 TSS) + McMillan Legs
4/7/21 - W - 50 min Run @ Easy
4/8/21 - R - 40 min Run @ Easy + Leavitt-5 (60 min; 46 TSS) + McMillan Legs
4/9/21 - F - Truuli-1 (45 min; 45 TSS)
4/10/21 - Sa - Polar Bear-3 (120 min; 102 TSS) + Brick 45 min M Tempo
4/11/21 - Su - 80 min @ Long Run + LIIFT4-Chest/Tri

Total Run Miles - 26.6 miles
Total Run Time - 3:35 hours
Total Run TSS - x TSS

Total Biking Time - 4:45 hours
Total Biking TSS - 221 TSS

Total Strength Time - 1:17 hours
Total Strength TSS - x TSS

Total Training Time - 9:37 hours
Total TSS - x TSS

Tuesday

The ankle continues to feel good, almost completely back to normal. The hips have been a little sore, but nothing troubling.

Easy cycling after last weekend's high level endurance. Pettit -1 is an hour of light Endurance work spent mostly between 50-60% FTP. Afterwards, I did McMillan Legs. Not sure if the side lunges were contributing to my hip soreness.


Wednesday

The rain for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning looked like it would be an issue. But I lucked out on both accords. Originally I had this written as 40 min on Wed and 50 min on Thurs morning, but because of the threat of rain on Thurs morning I switched them.

Conditions - ☁ Overcast, Wind 11mph to 18mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 72°F + 56°F; FL - 72°F
End: Temp+Dew = 71°F + 57°F; FL - 72°F

Hottest training day of this training plan. A T+D of 128. So I focused on equal effort and not equal pace given the jump in temps. The run felt good overall. In all it was 5.4 miles in 50 min at 9:18 pace and HR of 126.


Thursday

Building towards Saturday's max brick dry run.

Woke up at 4am and out the door at 4:36am.

Conditions - ☁ Overcast, Wind 6mph to 10mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 57°F + 57°F; FL - 57°F
End: Temp+Dew = 57°F + 57°F; FL - 57°F

T+D over 100 again, but no rain. Thankfully it was a small break so I fit the run in. Nothing notable during the run. It was 4.4 miles in 40 min at 9:09 pace with HR of 126. Felt nice and easy. The left hip was a little wonky after this one.

That evening was an endurance cycling ride. Leavitt -5 is 50 continuous minutes of Endurance work broken into 7x7-minute segments ranging from 65-75% FTP. Very doable.

I threw in an extra McMillan legs that evening.


Friday

Truuli -1 is a priming workout meant to precede any endurance event and is recommended 24 hours prior to your event. This version includes 2x4-minute steady-state efforts right at FTP followed by 2x90-second efforts between 120-125% FTP. Been a little since I've done a "harder" cycling ride. I liked how it felt overall. Kind of ramped me up for tomorrow's dry run.

Didn't do my LIIFT4 workout because my arm was sore from my vaccine shot.


Saturday

Hard rain was in the forecast for mid-morning, and Steph wanted to take a live treadmill class. So I was up at 4am to get my workout in. I treated this like a race level effort. I had a PB sandwich to start, then from around 60-90 min in the cycling ride I drank a standard dilution Tailwind, and then after the cycling I drank a Maurten 320.

Polar Bear -3 is 120 minutes of continuous riding where you'll spend 105 minutes between 70-75% FTP. This is high end IM and low end HIM effort levels. It felt good throughout. A nice strong effort.

Conditions - ☁ Overcast, Wind 6mph to 12mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 47°F + 44°F; FL - 44°F
End: Temp+Dew = 48°F + 45°F; FL - 44°F

Drank my Maurten 320 and headed out the door. I set my goal splits based on a Garmin VO2max of 58 and 3:04 marathon. So a GAP of 7:02 with goal splits of 6:50, 7:05, 7:12, 7:12, 6:52, and 7:22.





I'm VERY happy with my pacing attempts. I came out way too fast and was down in the 6:20-6:30 area. But I pulled back enough to get in the right place. Then during the mile 3 split, about halfway through before the incline I was going way too fast again (near 6:50s). So I really pulled back on the pacing and ended up reasonably close to the original goal split. The "water mile" was a little slow, but I was able to get back in the groove for mile 5 and 6. Outside of mile 4, the GAP was really tight throughout. The effort felt good and sustainable. Additionally, afterwards I didn't feel overly tired. I'm glad I moved this run to 45 min instead of 70 min. It felt like I "could" have done 70 min, but I don't feel like I "had" to based on how I'm feeling. Do enough, not too much. All in all it was 6.4 miles in 45 min at 7:04 pace (7:01 GAP) and HR of 147. My Garmin VO2max was a 57 post-run. I'm a little surprised because in 2019 I had two Brick M Tempos of GAP pace 7:03/7:02 with HRs of 146/147. Both of those times, my Garmin VO2max was a 59. So I feel like I'm on the cusp but the data is just barely falling short. Regardless, I'm feeling pretty good about where I'm at right now.


Sunday

Woke up feeling pretty good. Got a good night's sleep after two 4am wake-up calls this week. I had an 80 min long run on the schedule.

Conditions - ☁ Overcast, Wind 8mph to 16mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 48°F + 47°F; FL - 44°F
End: Temp+Dew = 48°F + 48°F; FL - 44°F

No fuel prior to the run and no fuel during the run.



Felt easy throughout. I believe the first lap was 31:40 and the second lap was 30:40. I had to pull back a few times because the pace was dropping too far down. It felt easy, but today's not race day. So mile 6-7-8-9-10 was probably a lot faster than I really want to be going. Thankfully this was a relatively short long run at 80 min, so it's not going to cost me a ton in the big picture. My estimated value for this run was an 89 and it ended up being a 94. So barely a blip. In all it was 10.4 miles in 80 min at 7:40 pace with HR of 140. Garmin VO2max stayed at 57 again. Based on history it's still a little off, but not going to worry about it a ton.

LIIFT4-Chest/Tri in the afternoon.

Peak week time! On tap is a 60 min cycling ride with some harder cycling, easy 50 min run, 105 min HIM ride (maybe drop to 90 min) with Mona Fartlek, 75 min easy cycle, 120 min easy cycle w/ evening 60 min run, and finishing off with a 150 min run. I'm really going to try hard to keep my pace in check next Sunday. With three weeks to go it's time to keep my peak after the taper in mind as well. I decided to model the remaining training after the 2019 November HM where I felt so strong.



I like how things line up. Feeling pretty good about where I'm at from a health and fitness standpoint with 3 weeks to go.

 

[DopeyBadger]

2 Weeks to go + HIM Build Mid Volume Cycling + (LIIFT 4 + McMillan Core/Legs)

4/12/21 - M - OFF
4/13/21 - T - Townsend-1 (90 min; 55 TSS) + McMillan Legs
4/14/21 - W - 50 min Run @ Easy
4/15/21 - R - Phoenix-3 (90 min; 75 TSS) + Brick Mona Fartlek (10 min HMT + uphill descending duration fartlek w/ float RI)
4/16/21 - F - Whorl-1 (75 min; 38 TSS) + LIIFT4-Back/Biceps
4/17/21 - Sa - Perkins-1 (120 min; 75 TSS) + Evening 60 min Easy Run
4/18/21 - Su - 151 min @ Long Run

Total Run Miles - 35.3 miles
Total Run Time - 4:51 hours
Total Run TSS - x TSS

Total Biking Time - 6:15 hours
Total Biking TSS - 243 TSS

Total Strength Time - 0:44 hours
Total Strength TSS - x TSS

Total Training Time - 11:50 hours
Total TSS - x TSS

Tuesday

Right hamstring was a little sore. Not spring/summer 2020 sore, but still more than nothing. Not really sure where it came from. Right hip is also a little sore, but nothing too bad.

Decided to switch out a moderate difficult cycling ride for a longer endurance ride. Townsend -1 consists of 90 minutes of light, aerobic Endurance riding spent between 50-65% FTP. Nothing to note.

Afterwards, I did some McMillan Legs. The step-ups on the chair seem to be the hip soreness culprit. So I cut the workout a little short as to not exacerbate the issue.


Wednesday

Easy run day.

Conditions - Overcast, Wind 12mph to 17mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 42°F + 32°F; FL - 36°F
End: Temp+Dew = 43°F + 33°F; FL - 36°F

An easy 50 min run. The hip felt fine. The right hamstring was tight going uphill, but nothing too bad. The ankle is feeling good. In all it was 5.6 miles in 50 min at 9:02 pace with HR of 129.


Thursday

Brick day!

I decided to lower the workout from 105 min at IM to HIM to 90 min instead. Phoenix -3 is 90 minutes of continuous riding where you'll spend 75 minutes between 70-75% FTP. Felt smooth throughout.

Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 8mph to 13mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 48°F + 38°F; FL - 44°F
End: Temp+Dew = 47°F + 38°F; FL - 44°F

Admittedly this workout made me a little nervous. This is the workout I injured myself on last winter timing wise. About 2.5 weeks from race day. Additionally, I was concerned about the HM Tempo and uphill fast paced running.



Thankfully the hamstring wasn't really an issue. The HM Tempo was a bit aggressive to be honest.



The weighted GAP of the HM Tempo was 6:34. The fartlek intervals were a little slower than the last, but in line with the other 2 runs. In all it was an average of a 6:05. The RI were good too at an average of an 8:19. In all, I'm happy with the run. I was being a little cautious with the pacing given the hamstring, but the pacing ended up still being good. It was 4 miles in 28 min at 7:07 pace with a HR of 148.


Friday

Hit might right knee pretty hard while at work. Taper madness ensued. I considered amputating, but better judgement prevailed. Thankfully it wasn't actually that bad.

Easy cycling. Whorl -1 consists of 75 minutes of aerobic Endurance work spent between 50-60% FTP. Nothing to note. Right hamstring still tight.


Saturday

Double day!

Perkins -1 is a highly varied 2 hours of aerobic Endurance riding ranging from 50-65% FTP. It felt good. Seems like around 6 hrs is my weekly limit before I start to get saddle sores.

That evening was a 60 min easy run.

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 9mph to 11mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 58°F + 30°F; FL - 58°F
End: Temp+Dew = 58°F + 29°F; FL - 58°F

The sun was out so it felt warmer than it was. It felt fine overall. It was 7 miles, 62 min, 8:52 pace with HR of 133.


Sunday

Max long run day. I was aiming for 150 min with the goal of no fast finish and taking the edge off of the pacing. I was subconsciously aiming for an 8 min/mile pace. Steph also had to work after I got finished so I needed this workout not to wipe me out because I had to corral a 7yo and puppy.

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 4mph to 8mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 31°F; FL - 34°F
End: Temp+Dew = 49°F + 34°F; FL - 34°F



I didn't have that mental edge this morning, but that's primarily because I wasn't attacking this workout. I was just trying to go through the motions and stay healthy. The first lap was a 33:15, then 32:45, then 32:35, then 32:30 (from memory). I'm happy with the pacing all around. I was able to stay around an 8 min/mile without much mental effort. The run felt comfortable throughout. The hamstring was a little bothersome, but not anything to be terribly concerned about. In all it was 18.9 miles, 151 min, 8:01 pace with a HR of 134. My Garmin VO2max was a 57. I'll admit I was hoping for a 58/59 on the screen, but I'll take what I can get. Although to be fair, based on past data I hit the 58/59/60 area when I'm on my off week. So it's not out of the realm of possibility just quite yet. Based on my data from the past, the best non-Dopey marathon VO2max I had was a 55 (Lakefront 2017 and current PR of 3:14). So we'll see how things shake out in two weeks.



Compared to the past two plans:



And so the taper begins! As expected, most all the volume drops off now. The running is cut by about 35%, there is one moderate cycling activity, the brick is 60 min + 15 min run, the Sunday run is scheduled for 65 min. Almost time to obsessively check the weather and play a prediction game.

 

[SheHulk]

Keep it together! Can't wait to see how you do!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Keep it together! Can't wait to see how you do!

I've ordered bulk quantities of bubble wrap!

 

[avondale]

Hit might right knee pretty hard while at work. Taper madness ensued. I considered amputating, but better judgement prevailed.

Laughed at that! I think we all do that sort of thing.

 

[DopeyBadger]

The Non-Cancelled Marathon Weather Report - 10 days to go!

We are now within range to start tracking the weather predictions. For reference, this is the last 10 years of T+D data for this location (Oconomowoc, WI) on this date (May 1st) at the time the race is to occur (7-10am) using Weather Underground's historical records.



Historically, the T+D at the start ranges from 80-125 (avg 93) and at the end from 81-131 (avg 99). And for reference this is the relationship between T+D and my race performance as measured by the difference between my Garmin VO2max and the race VDOT value since 2017.



When the T+D is less than 113, then my delta is between 5.9 to 7 (excluding the Dopey effect). When the T+D is 130 or more, then my delta is between 8 to 11.6.



So we're a little early because we only have Friday's low (which is usually Saturday morning's temps). But the low on Thursday and Friday is the same, so I think the guess is reasonable for this far out.

Start at 7am and end at 10am
4/21/21 - T+D of 82-90, 60% cloudy, 24% chance of rain, 9mph WNW wind

The current weather projection is for below average temps with cloudy conditions. I would call these near perfect conditions all around. There is a serious rise in temps from Sunday to Wednesday. So if that shifts a little towards the next weekend, then it'll be a little worse off. At its absolute worst on Wednesday morning, the conditions would be a T+D of 114-119. Which would fall into the grey area between my two zones of <113 and >130. Still not all that bad. So I'm feeling good about the weather prediction at this moment.

 

[DopeyBadger]

2021 Non-Cancelled Marathon Prediction Game!

**READ AS THERE IS A TWIST**

Alright posters and lurkers, let's play a prediction game! It's one of my favorite things to do pre-race. It's also something I do with everyone else on their training plans. Go through the process on deciding race day goals and pacing strategies all based around a possible finish time. I want to hear from everyone. I'd like to hear your prediction for my upcoming Non-Cancelled Marathon on May 1st, 2021. Please don't be concerned that your time prediction will have much of an impact on my chances. I could run really well, or I could crash and burn. Anything is possible. Here are some rules:

1) Predictions must be made after this post either in this journal, to me verbally, or on my Strava account.
2) Only one prediction per person.
3) Predictions must be in by Wednesday, April 28th end of day (Central time zone).
4) Winner will be determined by whomever is closest to the final official race time (so not Garmin 26.22 mile time). No "Price is Right" rules, which means you can go over/under on the time prediction and still win. Closest is closest.
5) Predictions can be as close as you like to another person’s guess. So, if someone says 3:45:00, you can guess 3:45:01
6) A prediction must be in time. Thus, a guess of "you'll do your best" or something similar is appreciated but not valid.
7) The tie-breaker will be the person who guessed first. So, if the two closest predictions are 10 seconds off the real time (one person 10 seconds high and the other 10 seconds low), then the person who guessed first is determined to be the winner.
8) In the event I don't finish, the race is cancelled, or I don't have an official time, then there will be no winner.
9) The winner receives a mystery item via email.

TWIST

And the twist for this game!!! We're bringing back an oldie but a goodie. The spoiler tag blind guessing game! No ability to play the room on this one.

I want you to place your guess behind a spoiler tag. I'd like it if everyone would not look at anyone else's guesses until after the race has started. This adds a different layer to the game in case anyone used other people's guesses as a means to come up with their own. So we're using the honor system in that when someone places a guess behind a spoiler tag, you don't look. Wait until the Non-Cancelled Marathon has started and then you can feel free to look at other people's guesses. The spoiler tag method allows the guesses to be saved in this journal rather than in another location. Any guess that is not contained behind a spoiler tag is invalid and will not be used to determine a winner.

How to do a spoiler tag.

-Write your guess in the normal text box you fill in whenever you type something.




-Then highlight the text you wish to put behind a spoiler tag.




-Then click the 12th button from the left.




-Click on "Inline Spoiler".




-Now when you post, the information contained with the "Spoiler" tag will be hidden unless clicked.


I think that covers everything. I am free to update these rules if something comes up during the prediction process. I will add any amended rules below this sentence with a time stamp as to when the rules were updated. Everyone is welcome to play! Remember it's just a friendly game amongst friends.

Helpful Data to Make a Guess

The weather, so far, is predicted not to be a factor.

The course is about as easy as it gets. I was able to find this person who ran the DoLittle 10k in September 2020 on the same course.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4015398377
Of most importance, the elevation profile of the race is nearly flat. The difference between pace and GAP is zero. My typical training route difference is 3 seconds. So over the course of a 26.22 mile course that could be a difference of 78 seconds easier than my normal training route.



I've run races by this company before. He is very good at measuring the course and having courses that are exactly what they should be. If anything they come a hair short if you run the tangents too well. But with the potential of the out-back course and many other runners, I don't think there will be many opportunities to cut the corners tight. So I think this course will come very close to 26.22 miles based on my Garmin watch. My past marathons have ranged from 26.29 miles to 26.96 miles on my watch. In many cases, this is just natural bounce of GPS or me not running the perfect tangents. But if I were to say set my goal pace at a 7:05 min/mile, then the difference between 26.22 miles and say 26.5 miles is 2 min (3:05:44 vs 3:07:43). So to a finer degree that small difference can make a big impact on the final result.



Fitness wise, my Garmin VO2max is a 57. I've done some runs that would suggest a 58-60 value, but have not gotten it. The red line is from late October 2020 when I was a 58-59 Garmin VO2max, and the blue line is the last three weeks. The singular blue dot at 134 and 8:01 that is below the red line is from my last long run on Sunday of 18.9 miles. I'm seeing some separation between the lines, but not a ton. So we're working with razor thin margins here.



With the weather at a T+D of 80-90 prediction, the Garmin VO2max 57 would historically place me in the VDOT 50-51 area. There is precedence with a marathon having a delta of 6 (Lakefront 2017 was VO2max of 55 week of and week prior with a VDOT of 49, 3:14:05). The following is a VDOT chart with corresponding marathon times.



The 50-51 area is a 3:07:30 to 3:10:45. Pace wise that is a 7:09-7:16 min/mile. My PR of 3:14:05 is a 7:24 min/mile. The only marathon I raced above the Lakefront 2017 Garmin VO2max of 55 was my Disney 2018 Dopey marathon. I was a VO2max of 58 and ran a 3:15:59 after the three proceeding days of PR attempts.

Historically, my HR with this watch is between 145-151 bpm for marathons. Daniels calculator suggests 146-148 bpm.



I only did three M Tempo bricks (with one very short one coming this Saturday) during this training cycle. I did either 45-60 min of running with 60-120 min of cycling proceeding the run. In each of the three runs I did in this cycle, I was around the correct HR and had a GAP of 7:01-7:13. GAP would be the pace on the Non-Cancelled course since the GAP is 0 second difference from the actual pace.



From a training standpoint, this is the least I've trained for a marathon in a while. I peaked at 4:51 hours of running (35.4 miles) and 6:15 hours of indoor cycling. If I use the run+(cycle/2) calculation, then I peaked at 7:58 hours of run equivalent training. In Winter 2020, I peaked at 8:26 hours. In Disney 2020 training, I peaked at 9:33 hours prior to the Nov HM PR, and 11:46 hours prior to Disney. Prior to Lakefront 2017, I peaked at 9:03 hours of actual running (whereas the other numbers are the extrapolated equivalents). Prior to Dopey 2018, I peaked at 9:01 hours of actual running.

From a health standpoint, I feel relatively good. A few things here and there that I'm monitoring. My right ankle was sore yesterday, but feels better today. My right hamstring is still a little tight, but better than it has been the last few days. The left ankle is still feeling good and near 100%. The right hip feels good. The muscles near the knees that bothered me during Disney 2020 are a little sore, but nothing like they were then. All in all, after 22 weeks of training, I'm happy about where I'm at from a health standpoint. Things could be ever so slightly better, but they could easily be far far worse. G is currently battling a small fever and she threw up yesterday. So I'm trying to nicely avoid her as much as possible. She has gotten a test, but the results haven't come back yet. I was last negative on Monday afternoon as part of my weekly testing requirement and have received one shot two weeks ago.

Alright, that's all I can think of. Best of luck to everyone who decides to play! I'll keep tabs on the names and links to their guesses in this thread below here, but we won't know anyone's actual guess until after the race starts.

Current Guesses

MissLiss279
jmasgat
Jules76126
FFigawi
flav
SheHulk
shellot-hill
Steph and Gigi
bovie
disneygpa
TheHamm
SarahDisney
Kerry1957
My Guess
Herding_Cats
dis_or_dat

 

[DopeyBadger]

This is a test. <---- That's what an "inline spoiler" looks like. If you click the blur, it reveals the information behind it.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Incredibly excited for you!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Incredibly excited for you!

Thanks!

 

[MissLiss279]

3:09:26
Hope you have a great race!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

The Non-Cancelled Marathon Weather Report - 9 days to go!

Background




Start at 7am and end at 10am
4/21/21 - T+D of 82-90, 60% cloudy, 24% chance of rain, 9mph WNW wind
4/22/21 - T+D of 86-98, 44% cloudy, 11% chance of rain, 6mph SSW wind

Little warmer projection and less cloudy. Really hoping for some clouds.