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

[DopeyBadger]

1 Week to go until Parkinson's and 3 weeks remain in Spring Season - Week 14+15/18



3/27/23-4/2/23
Tues (3/28): 60 min @ Easy on Treadmill
Wed (3/29): 6.5 miles @ Easy
Thurs (3/30): 10 miles @ Moderate
Fri (3/31): 60 min @ Easy on Treadmill
Sat (4/1): 120 min @ Easy LR on Jack/Jill
Sun (4/2): 45 min @ Easy on Treadmill

Total Run Miles - 50.0 miles
Total Run Time - 7:05 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:00 hours
Total Training Time - 7:05 hours
4/3/23-4/9/23
Tues (4/4): 60 min @ Easy on Treadmill
Wed (4/5): The Michigan
Thurs (4/6): 6.5 miles @ Easy
Fri (4/7): 30 min @ Easy
Sat (4/8): 10 miles @ Faster LR
Sun (4/9): 6.5 miles @ Easy

Total Run Miles - 43.9 miles
Total Run Time - 6:13 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:00 hours
Total Training Time - 6:13 hours

Alright, let's do a bit of catching up. After the First Call HM (3/26), I had three weeks until the Parkinson's HM. So this was the longest break between races since Princess. I wanted to try and get a mileage heavy week in the first week post-First Call and then give me a moderate second week, and then a chill race week. I ended up running on the treadmill three times during the week of 3/27 which was not ideal.

The 10 miler on 3/30 was good. I did it at 8:00 pace with even splits and a HR of 137. Looks like it was fairly windy.

The 120 min LR on 4/1 was also good. Another windy day. The goal was to be near the easier LR pace of around 8:26 min/mile pace. I ended up averaging 8:21 on the Jack/Jill course with a HR of 121. No late endurance fade. Although given the effort level I vaguely remember this feeling muscularly a little more challenging than expected.

The 4/2 treadmill run was a slugfest. My body was not happy with how it felt. Certainly feels like I'm getting close to the end of the training plan at this point.

The 4/5 run was the highlight of the training plan. I had attempted "The Michigan" during last year's Princess 2022 training plan. But unfortunately had to do it on the treadmill. Since it has such notoriety as a difficult workout, I wanted to find a way to shoe horn it into this training plan. So a mid-point between the First Call and Parkinson's was the best place. As was discussed last time around, the actual workout make up of the Michigan is debatable depending on the source. But ultimately, I did this version:

2 mi WU + 1 mile 10k + 1 mile HM + 0.75 mile 10k + 1 mile HM + 0.5 mile 5k + 1 mile HM + 0.25 mile 5k + 2 mile CD (2.5 min Easy between reps)

Conditions - Scattered clouds, Wind 14mph to 27mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 42°F + 31°F; FL - 35°F
End: Temp+Dew = 39°F + 28°F; FL - 35°F - by Klimat.app

High winds made for a tough workout.





The goal splits were 6:46, 6:27, and 6:13 based on the 1:28 HM fitness level. I'm probably not at that level based on what I've been racing recently, but I'd like to get in a good race day conditions race in to really see. Regardless, I earned every inch of this workout.

HM GP - 6:46, AP - 6:46, 6:47, 6:47
10k GP - 6:27, AP - 6:27, 6:26
5k GP - 6:13, AP -6:16, 6:08

I almost nailed all the paces nearly exact to goal. There were some mid-split slow downs and speed ups to get me in the right place. It really does say something when 6:46 feels "easy" coming out of 6:27 and 6:13 paced splits. But man when you put those toe to toe with each other it really makes the slower of the three pace sets feel easier.

Even with the wind though, I wouldn't necessarily call this one of the hardest workouts I've done. But on the flip side, it was definitely a fun challenge and a workout I'd like to do again at some point.

A couple of easy days (and a 30 min one because a neighbor chatted me up as they're selling their house and moving to FL). Then I did a shorter but harder long run on Saturday. I was aiming for around 7:40-7:50 pace.

Conditions - Overcast clouds, Wind 7mph to 12mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 43°F + 32°F; FL - 39°F
End: Temp+Dew = 49°F + 33°F; FL - 39°F

Conditions were good. Pace was pretty consistent.



It ended up being at a HR of 138. I wouldn't call this easy, but I wouldn't call it hard either. It felt good though.

I'm not in my base shape, but I'm in a good place coming into the end of the training plan. If I can get things to line up well on race day, then we shall see.

 

[DopeyBadger]

As for Parkinson's the weather is shifting to worse.



Higher chance of rain, higher temps than previously predicted. At least I've got a few days of heat acclimation training thanks to the heat wave going through right now.

 

[azrivest]

As for Parkinson's the weather is shifting to worse.



Higher chance of rain, higher temps than previously predicted. At least I've got a few days of heat acclimation training thanks to the heat wave going through right now.

It's so hard to find that perfect pocket of spring weather when we live further up north. It goes from cold and snowy to 80 degrees sometimes in a few days. If you have any recommendations on when to schedule a spring race, I'll take them

 

[DopeyBadger]

It's so hard to find that perfect pocket of spring weather when we live further up north. It goes from cold and snowy to 80 degrees sometimes in a few days. If you have any recommendations on when to schedule a spring race, I'll take them

Best bet is the scatter shot approach. Schedule several races and hope one day gives you great conditions. As long as it isn’t a marathon, then you can recover in short order between races every other week. The downside to racing so much is that you minimize the gains made during the training plan. But once you reach a point like me and truly plateau then you aren’t really looking to make many more gains anymore. Then it’s just about nailing race day.

 

[LSUlakes]

1:31:47 Good luck!

 

[DopeyBadger]

2023 Parkinson's Half Marathon
The concern going into race day was over whether we would get precipitation that would wreck havoc on the crushed gravel trail. Thankfully, the precipitation held off and we had a nice Sunny day. We went to the high school Beauty and the Beast production last night because G's theater group was doing the same plan this summer. So they wanted to scout it out and get some ideas. It was a good show. Lumiere stole the show. He was top notch. With that came a later night than I probably would have done normally. Not in bed until 10:30ish and then up at 5:30ish.

Up at 5:30, ate PB sandwich, drank liquid IV, took a shower, prepped race stuff and then got dressed. We were out the door at around 6:50, and then at the race site at 6:55ish. Nice easy short drive as this race is local to my village. Picked up the bib, did my stretching, and then did a short 10 min run with some strides. As I was running around pre-race the competition was very clear. I saw online there were about 100 people signed up. Normally I'd see about 8-10 quick looking individuals, but for this race it was more like 15-25 strong runners. So some good competition. The WU itself was good. The weather wasn't too bad and I felt reasonably comfortable. But as it got closer and closer to race start the temps just kept feeling like they were creeping up. I knew that something around 6:55 was probably top end on a good day. So I considered slowing down to something in the 7:00-7:10 range. Said hi to some neighbors who were running (Luci and Jaren), drank my Maurten 320 with 10 min to go till race, said goodbye to G/Steph, lined up, and then it was time to go.

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 7mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 63°F + 54°F; FL - 63°F
End: Temp+Dew = 69°F + 55°F; FL - 63°F

Mile 1 - 6:58 pace - 6:56 GAP
I lined up in the second pack of men because some of the others just looked way too quick for me. Turns out I was right and they were gone in short order. I settled into a pace around the 7:00 min/mile park fairly quickly and felt reasonably comfortable there. It wasn't as cool as it was during my WU, but it wasn't terrible either. We started off on a narrow windy bike path, and then made our way on the street for a brief period of time before hitting the trail head. The trail head has a decent short hill on it, and then we made our way down the other side. We changed over to paved asphalt for a short period of time, and then we were on crushed gravel at about the mile mark. I thought there was probably 14-17 men ahead of me and one female at this point. When I hit the first mile marker at 6:58 I was pleased.

Mile 2 - 7:02 pace - 7:03 GAP

I didn't feel like I was over exerting myself. Pace felt good. I was holding my own relative to those around me. I passed a few here or there at this point, and was passed by a few here or there as well. I was controlling my breathing, and my legs felt good. I was pleased with the 7:02 pace.

Mile 3 - 6:59 pace - 6:59 GAP
I continued to feel really locked in. Breathing good. Legs good. The effort was up a touch, but nothing too extreme. i remember this mile feeling a hair harder. Was starting to sweat a little more. I suspect it was at this point that the heat started to creep its way into effecting me but I wasn't catching on quite yet. Recent historical HM heart rate data shows my HR tends to be about 148-149 average. 10k around 154 bpm. So Mile 2 at 150 bpm is reasonable. But Mile 3 at 153 bpm is probably starting to fly too close to the sun. So I felt the slight bump in effort, and the data backs that up. But I persisted. When I hit the 6:59 split at the end of the third mile I was happy because I was being really consistent at the start of the race.

Mile 4 - 7:01 pace - 7:01 GAP
The effort was still manageable. I was really happy it wasn't running because even though we haven't gotten a ton of rain recently there were some pretty good grooves in the trail. Even some pretty big holes. It was sparse enough thought that they weren't much of an issue. But I certainly prefer the even road to the uneven trail experience. I was still reeling in a few runners here or there at this point. So I felt pretty good about that. Since my pace was so even it was likely coming from them slowing down. Nice confidence booster to consistently pass people after the first few miles. Pretty sure I got a drink of water at an aid station around this time, but did it while in full stride so I didn't lose any time. Wrapped up the fourth mile holding steady with the 7:00ish pace. HR was still elevated at 152 bpm so probably still too fast for the conditions. We were running east right in the direction of the blazing sun. Sometimes we had tree cover and it was alright, and other times we were pretty exposed. Definitely getting a good sweat in. I also noticed that I was hitting the mile markers sooner by about 0.05 miles than where the signs were. So felt like maybe I'd gain 30-40 seconds from a short course. Planned to mark the turn around to see what double the mileage would be to get an accurate picture.

Mile 5 - 7:09 pace - 7:06 GAP
I was starting to feel it at this point. Not that what I was doing was completely unsustainable, but maybe I was a touch off. The pace started to slow a little during this mile, but I also knew there was a small imperceptible hill around this time. Post data confirms this was the case. HR was still elevated at 153 bpm. So again, I was probably be too aggressive but I wasn't quite getting the signal that was the case. But that would change soon.

Mile 6 - 7:07 pace - 7:10 GAP
Moving well, but things were getting tougher. I was expecting to see the lead runners heading back soon at this point. We were strung out a little more and with a few small turns here and there I had lost visual contact with those right ahead of me. At the 40 min mark I had my Maurten caff gel. Not long after that I hit a straight away that let me see more of the course. Pretty sure I had some water from my 5oz bottle around this time as well (I was carrying 5 oz water and 5 oz concentrated tail wind in my two pockets). Pretty sure I hit two aid stations on the out portion as well before the turnaround. As I came upon the mile 6 marker is when I saw the lead runners heading back. So they were about a little more than a mile ahead of me at that point. They were fairly strung out. The 7:07 pace was still good, but I was working for it now. HR was 150, which is closer to being in range, but still a bit high.

Mile 7 - 7:14 pace - 7:13 GAP

This mile is when the wheels started to come off. I was heading towards the turnaround and was counting the other runners already heading back. They were still spread out, and then as I got close to the turn there was a good pack of 5-6 runners. They had an aid station at the turn, so I grabbed a cup and then did a spin. The mileage was 6.58 miles. So the course wasn't short as the signs would have suggested and instead we were pretty spot on for a 13.16 mile finish. I hit the half mark at 46:30. A potential 1:33 if I even splitted, but given how I was feeling, that was doubtful. I was doing 7:17 pace before the turn. I saw that and tried to pick it up to get back under 7:10. HR wise I was hovering around 151. I had a guy ahead of me that was slowly fading so I spent the next few miles just trying to reel him in. One I hit the turn I also got to see the few runners that I had passed in the first half and I had a reasonable lead on some, but not all. The lead female had faded quite a bit and the second female looked stronger at that point. Passed one guy at some point who shouted "14" at me and I took that to mean I was in 14th place at the time which sounded about right to me. Ran the second half of the mile in 7:07 pace, so I was able to get back under the 7:10s.

Mile 8 - 7:22 pace - 7:19 GAP
The rally was short lived though. I started to develop a side stitch. Not like a full on killer, but enough to make running unpleasant. I was trying to hold on as best I could at this point. But I was hot. I was tired. I was sore. And now each breath was getting more labored with the stitch. With all that though, I was still keeping my head up and tracking down the runner ahead of me who was also fading. I drank my concentrated tail wind at the 60 min mark. HR was still elevated at 151 bpm. And since earlier a pace of near 7:00 was 151 bpm and now it was 7:22, the post data analysis shows the heat was really starting to take a toll. Similar effort level and starting to fade.

Mile 9 - 7:26 pace - 7:27 GAP
All aboard the fade train! Choo-choo! I was still reeling in the runner ahead of me, I probably caught him somewhere in this mile. I was actually maintaining the 7:22 pace until I stopped for a short 12 sec water cup break. Didn't have the energy at this point to run and drink. I also made the choice to lap my watch when I stopped for water just to see how much time it really was. It wasn't long after I had passed the other runner ahead of me that a few runners passed me who I had passed during the first half of the race. So things were starting to come full circle on me. When I hit Mile 9, I knew I had about 30-31 min of running remaining and was probably looking at a 1:35-1:36 finish based on the current fade I was experiencing. Not the day I was hoping for, but the day I was getting.

Mile 10 - 7:34 pace - 7:34 GAP
I'm hot and everything hurts. It was all about the fade train and struggle bus at this point. I was putting in a good effort, but the body just wasn't having it at this point. The good news is that my HR dropped below 148 for the first time, but it was probably just too much for me now. I think it was around this point that the fading runner I had passed in the last mile had passed me back. I was hoping for a rally from my body, but it just didn't want to do it. So I let him go. The 7:34 pace was about what I expected at this point. The goal changed to just getting to the finish line.

Mile 11 - 7:51 pace - 7:49 GAP

Made it the majority of this mile at 7:41 pace and HR of 147 before I stopped for some water at the aid station. Stopped for 15 seconds which mostly explains the final average of 7:51. Almost there.

Mile 12 - 7:45 pace - 7:44 GAP
I was a bit confused at this point because I figured I should start to see the 5k runners. I thought they started at 9:00am, but turns out they started at 9:30am. So that would explain why I wasn't seeing them yet. I did maintain that low 7:40s pace through this mile as well while averaging 147 bpm. So definitely feeling those heat effects at this point. We finally got back onto solid road surfaces again. I was chasing a guy ahead of me who had passed me in the last mile, but I had no fight in me at this point.

Mile 13 - 8:02 pace - 7:52 GAP
Final mile time. Got back on the solid surface and then we had to climb that initial hill again. As it was the start of the trail head there were other non-race runners out and about giving encouragements at this point. Ran down the hill and through the trail head parking lot. Passed the EMTs and then crossed the main road to the final stretch. That's when I saw a runner running quite quick towards me from the start area. Ahh, so there's the 5k runners. They started at 9:30 and it was about 9:33am when we crossed paths. Not much to go now. A sea of people were heading in my direction and I was the lone runner heading upstream. I yielding the sidewalk to them and I ran on the edge of the street. Wasn't really much of an issue. Got a lot of encouragement from the 5k runners at this point, but I'm sure I looked like I was really floundering. Just finish and be done.

Mile 13.14 - 7:44 pace - 7:57 GAP (56 seconds)
Things got a little tricky as I entered the home stretch with the narrow side walk start. But there weren't any incidents as most people noticed me heading in the opposite direction in time to give me a breath of space. I could see one runner when I turned to the finish was trying to catch me, but given the congestion it was unlikely he would catch me. So I cruised into the finish.

Overall Time - 1:36:36
Overall Place - 17/112 (15%)
Gender Place - 17/61 (28%)
AG Place - 8/15 (53%)

As I predicted pre-race, this was a quick top end of runners. AG divisions were a little weird, but it was pretty competitive given 7 of the 16 overall people who beat me were in my division.

Afterwards I staggered through the finish line, got some water and a medal, and then G took me to the petting zoo to look at all the animals. She hung out with the animals and I went and did some stretching.

As for the race, tale as old as time. When the T+D goes over 100, my race performance suffers. I had a few indications early on, but the warnings were pretty subtle. But once it became apparent things weren't going well, it was probably too late to make a good adjustment. A positive I took from the race though is that I liked lapping when I stopped for water. It gave me a better perspective of lap pace when I started back up on running again. I was chasing lap pace average before, and now things just felt better. Also, given the recent historical consistency of my HR during HM racing, I'm going to try and use that as a better gauge for my last race (which I actually feel like is exactly what I attempted to do during the very windy Non-Cancelled M in 2021).

And lest we forget the good part, let's check in on the season series!



G has really cemented her position in the lead at this point. I was within 3 points with 2 races remaining, and she gained 5 points on me heading into the series finale. While that lead isn't insurmountable, it's going to take a near 1st place finish for me or @JAMIESMITH and near last place finish for G. She had planned just to place her final guess next to ours to secure the win, but I've got a plan for that. With that being said, G appears to be taking her victory lap at this point.

 

[nancipants]

I feel like I cursed you by asking about running in the heat. Great job! Too bad the weather was not on your side.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Sorry it didnt go better.

Question: do you usually walk/stop at water stations? I know you did at the marathon because of the ice covering the cup.

 

[striker1064]

Great job racing in tough conditions!

 

[azrivest]

Congrats on the result and for being smart about your strategy once again!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I feel like I cursed you by asking about running in the heat. Great job! Too bad the weather was not on your side.

Lol, no worries. I didn’t even read your question about the heat until Saturday afternoon. No curse there. Can’t control the weather but you can control how you race in it. I could have done better with some decision making.

Great job racing in tough conditions!

Thanks! Here’s hoping the cycle finale has some decent weather.

Congrats on the result and for being smart about your strategy once again!

Thanks! I did alright, but I could have done better strategy wise. To be fair I was expecting something like a 115 T+D and got a 125 which is different. But in hindsight I definitely needed to adjust pace expectations further down.

Sorry it didnt go better.

Question: do you usually walk/stop at water stations? I know you did at the marathon because of the ice covering the cup.

No worries. Lots of opportunities this cycle and still one to go.

Depends on the circumstances. If it’s cold and I’m racing well, then I’m able to get in enough water at the aid stations for it usually not to be an issue. For example at Madison Hm in 2019 with PR of 1:28 I got sufficient water from running while drinking and didn’t feel the need to rest. But if it is hotter and my pace is floundering as it is, then I’ll take the extra rest at an aid station and drink the maximal amount of water. I was very dehydrated after the Parkinson’s, but was not even close to dehydrated during First Call.

 

[Naomeri]

Hey, I went from 8th to 5th in the season rankings! Talk about a late rally

I’m sorry the weather was too warm, but at least you didn’t have the Springtime Surprise weather—the 10 miler yesterday was brutal.

I hope your final race of the season will have more ideal conditions than the last couple

 

[DopeyBadger]

Hey, I went from 8th to 5th in the season rankings! Talk about a late rally

I’m sorry the weather was too warm, but at least you didn’t have the Springtime Surprise weather—the 10 miler yesterday was brutal.

I hope your final race of the season will have more ideal conditions than the last couple

Still one more race to go to complete the rally!

So true. Mine was not great, but SS was pretty brutal. I am glad I wasn't dealing with that.

Here's hoping. I'm seeing low 40s in the long range!

 

[DopeyBadger]

2023 DopeyBadger Spring Racing Season Prediction Contest: Non-Cancelled HM
Original Post

Current Standings after the Parkinson's HM:

G is maintaining her lead and is ready for her victory lap. Will she trip up at the finish line of the Spring season series?

Non-Cancelled HM

The Non-Cancelled HM will be held on Saturday April 29th at 8:00am. Named for when all the other races were being cancelled in spring 2021 (?) and this one was not. I did the Marathon that year. The race is held in Oconomowoc, which is about 45 min away.

The weather is looking pretty good at the moment.



Temps in the mid 40s, sub 100 T+D, wind is 5-10 mph, with a 50% chance of some light rain, but rain brings clouds and I'm cool with that (as long as the rain is light). Wind is the main enemy of this course, and we might just luck out. When I ran in 2021, it was 14-31 mph wind with gusts up to 45 mph.

The course is a double out and back along a bike path/sidewalk. It's all paved. The course itself is about as flat as it gets here in WI. The marathon was 183 ft, so we're looking at about 90 ft for the HM. Which is 7 ft/mile elevation gain which is far far less than my normal training runs of 30 ft/mile and Jack/Jill route of 45 ft/mile. GAP was essentially zero. Because of the out/back nature I will be able to drop my own bottle on course and pick it up as I ran by. That should help increase my water intake.

Fitness wise, I'm in a good place. My body responded really well to the time after the Parkinson's HM. My HR has dropped quite a bit to some stellar numbers, but that's also because the temps dropped back down to normal WI spring.

I've done five HMs in the Nike Next% shoe since 2019. My average HR for each of those has been:

2019 Madison HM (1:28) - 148
2022 Princess HM (1:35) - 147
2023 Princess HM (1:40) - 144
2023 First Call HM (1:33) - 148
2023 Parkinson's HM (1:36) - 149

Outside of the 2023 Princess HM, the HR has been pretty consistent for each of these HMs in these shoes. These were in varying T+D conditions. So to keep myself from flying out the gate at an unsustainable pace, I'm going to set an alert on my watch for any HR greater than 149 bpm. This is while knowing that I shouldn't exceed about a 7:00 pace or so in the first 1-2 miles. After that, I'm hoping the HR cap will keep me in line. After the first three out/backs, and with about 3.27 miles remaining, I'll ignore the HR alerts and dig deep for the finish line.

So now, we come to the prediction game. Given G's strategy, I decided we'd add a twist for the final prediction. Blind entries. So no one will know what any one else is guessing so they won't be able to position themselves based on the other participants. To do this, please highlight the guess, then click on the three dots in the header (labeled "More Options"), and click "Spoiler".

Spoiler: Example

Guess

The above is an example of what it looks like if done correctly. We'll go with the honesty policy and no one should click on anyone else's guess until after the race has concluded on Saturday.

My guess is

Spoiler: TIME

1:30:30

.

Good luck everyone!

 

[DopeyBadger]

G guesses

Spoiler: TIME

1:31:00

.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

1:34:19

 

[Naomeri]

1:32:47

 

[flav]

1:33:33

 

[MissLiss279]

Spoiler: Time!

1:34:31

 

[FFigawi]

Spoiler

1:34:42