Overslept Friday

COMMUTE 9.2 miles

Right now Friday is my only morning off. Full day off, really, until or unless I start breaking up my weekend runs to include something short and easy on Friday evenings.

This type of thinking prompted me to look up how to run 100 miles in a week. Turns out many TADs are used, copied from LetsRun:

Here is a 100.1 mile week

Monday: easy 10

Tuesday: 4 am/9 pm

Wednesday: 4 am/16 MP pm

Thursday: 4 am/7 pm

Friday: 4 am/8 pm

Saturday: 14 MP

Sunday: 20.1

Mon: 10/6

Tues: 12

Wed: 10/6

Thur: 14

Fri: 8/6

Sat: 12

Sun: 16

Whew. And I also looked up how to convert cycling into running. Seems a 3:1 ratio is accepted == 24 mile bike equivalent to 8 mile run. To me the 8 miler seems harder, so maybe the conversion is just based on time? Cuz I'm thinking about keeping my weekend long bikes partially in place of some of the back-to-back weekend runs. The switch to biking makes me happy, but it's not really what I'll need for 100 milers.

I did get my TAD yesterday, sort of a test to see how it goes. Definitely not a rest week thing, it wore me out and got me to bed late. Well, so did snacking after the ride... .

I took two benedryls to sleep and didn't set an alarm, so I slept in until 8am. Woke briefly to let dog out around 5 am of course. Woke up face swollen, stiff, and my the left side of my neck hard to move and pained. I thought this would clear out as the day progressed but it hasn't. Makes it hard to look over my left shoulder. I should see Dr L next week. For this and the left shoulder burning pain I've had.

I mapped out my weekend run, 25 miles in the Rockwoods to Al Foster. The only hill might be the climb up Rock Hollow? The goal is distance/time on feet with fast walking breaks. My only concern might be having enough water, I haven't found a gas station or water source yet. And I hope it's not flooded. Not the kind of water I'm looking for.

RM and I planning to ride, but not picked which day yet. Sunday is the cooler day weather-wise. Texted RM, see what happens!

Planning for TADs

RUN 6.1 miles in a few seconds under an hour
BIKE COMMUTE 9.2 miles
BIKE (ETA) 1 hour and 15.5 miles on Puppy at Lafayette park

Tired and sore! But all good, and I'm mentally on track well enough to push through the tired and sore, so it's not a over-trained, under-rested, blown-out fatigue. Just body re-adapting fatigue.

A morning so wonderful weather-wise that it's easy to overlook. Lots of rain yesterday evening (and a soggy dog walk too from it) but not cool and comfy. The sun rises at 5:40 these days so by run time you almost need sunglasses. But not like Mike joked, in need of sunscreen.

IT, EW, BE, and Mike (back from Boston and Savageman training!) for the run. We were together until Skinker hill, then the guys pulled off the front. Me and EW noted that our HR monitors weren't working (hers no reading, mine way too high again). We chatted about her upcoming trip to NY, about oh lots of things, I can't remember it all. She's fun to run with :)

I was struggling it seemed to run, but didn't walk or want to walk. I wonder if I was alone if I would have walked more? Like yesterday?

In the bike commute in, a guy came up behind me at Vande and TGA and asked which Ironmans I'd done. He did IMWI in 2003? and 2006. My last one was 2014 - 4.5 years ago. Man how time flies.

I've been looking at my calendar and trying to figure out how to get some two a days in. I'm not sure why I want to do this? Just so happy to be out there? Want to spread out my miles better? Not tired enough? Part of it is that RM and I have been toying with the idea of a midweek ride, would have to be afternoon/evening. But where to fit it into my schedule? I google'd "how to triathlon two-a-day" and got the expected advice to alternate body parts, avoid too much impacting in one day. And some good suggestions to slowly add this into the schedule, and to make the second EASY. For example, just a 2-3 mile run or even a 15 minute run.

The matrix as it is now: S=speed, L=Long, M=mid-tempo
Adding in (proposed)
Not sure where to add lower strength? Still struggling to get ideas here...
Need to add: plyometrics, upper & lower strength, core strength, postural strength (more of daily thing). Swimming?


                    Morning             Mid              Afternoon
Monday       M bike                                      (upper strength)
Tuesday       S run+plys                                (core)
Wednesday  L run                                         or commute run
Thursday     M run                                        (S or hills bike)
Friday         Rest
Saturday     L bike or run                              (swims good here)
Sunday       L bike or run                              (...and here)

TAROT --> TAROT--> TAROT-->

RUN 10.15 miles in 1:43-ish, 10:20 m/m, 168 spm, 152 bpm

There was a few mins of walking in this run, 30-60 intervals and this is reflected in the cadence, but the HR is still high. So hmmmmm.....

I slept bad last night, long time to fall asleep and didn't like a deep restful sleep. I wake up OK with the alarm with some strong *urge*. This has been happening lately, and I'm seeing a pattern of my belly getting swollen and uncomfortable the night (and day and previous night?) before and it all coming out over 2-3 BMs next morning. Like my gut just stops and accumulates for a day or two or three? But it's not really a constipation issue, it's the other one. Not pretty. What causing it? On my list to research.

Tea, some potato prepped last night, some fruit, and out. My feet are sore from the gravel run still, especially when I wake up and I need to wear shoes and get things stretched back out again it seems. But once this done I'm ready. Had my handheld bottle ready but skipped it cuz it's "only 10 miles". Oi.

I was immediately tired. No surprise, but when you're doubting your endurance for the day in the first mile it means it could be a long run. After 1 mile I thought to myself "I could run home, then do this 4 more times and have 10 miles!".  That's the mind looking for an out, if you're home, you can quit!

Cherokee street had a festival and someone repeatedly chalked TAROT with arrows pointing east towards a since-removed tarot reading station. I wondered after a few blocks when the arrows would end? Would I see arrows pointing the other direction after I'd passed it? Maybe as a joke they led those interested into the river? Ha! Once I crossed Lemp, I saw the reverse arrow.
I went to Lemp Park, doodly-doo around the hilly hairpins, up along the Brewery, up to Soulard Market and over the footbridge towards Choteau, back to Laf Park, out to Jeff and back and right around here starting wondering on my route.

I'm feeling as expected, tired and sore, but mentally OK to go. The *urge* was back again strong but no worries. I did a quick out-n-back in that pretty Benton Place block and hit 5. My options were to keep going, or run the route in reverse and see it from the other direction. I never run this route backwards! That's the mind again, looking for cheaper, easier. Nope.

Continued across Jeff towards Compton. A light rain starting to fall and it felt great. I stuck to my plan of walking hills and when the HR was high, but never really enjoyed the walk. I wanted to get going again. My quads were fatigued and sore, and I think my form started to fall off as the miles accumulated.  Across Grand, under I-44 at Spring-ish, down to TGP, to the bandstand at 8 miles, then home. YAY!

Walked the dog, shower, brekkie of egg white, oats, and fruit. Off to work. No bike commute today because of dentist appt. I'm a bit nervous on that, given the state of my stomach and chew-tics I've had last few months. Gotta fix that.

Really tired track run

RUN total 6 miles in 1:06 but when I really do the math more like 4.25 miles
BIKE COMMUTE 13.8 miles

Woke up OK, tired ride to the track, walked a loop and ran a loop before BE got there. We did his idea for the run: 3x 600 (200 walks), 4x400 (200), and 5x200 (200). Lots of walking, that's how my distance goes from 6 to 4.25. I think we got 14 200s in? Whatevs.

I felt Ok for all the soreness and fatigue, but my HR shot up fast in the intervals even though I wasn't running fast. Well, let me look at the Garmin track...OOOOH SHIT. I was going faster than expected!

600s in about 7:40 range
400s in 7:20 m/m range
200s in 7 m/m!!

DA FUQ!!!! I'm honestly surprised here. Is this a Garmin error?! I ask that because the garmin was also reading HR in the upwards of 190-200 in these intervals. That's awfully high, and I wasn't breathing all that hard and running all that fast, or so I thought.

JFC. I thought the Garmin was misreading the HR, but maybe not? My HR fell fast once we walked, down to 100 be the end of the walk interval. But I BE was definitely (and rightfully) concerned and wanted to cut the 600s off and walk more. But I pushed for all of it. Gimme gimme gimme. I need people like BE to cut me off, so I appreciate it.

WOW. Cadence was high 170s for this. So I was moving fast. Just didn't feel it, especially as he dropped me once the interval started. We didn't change direction on the track, that throws the numbers off. I wasn't pushing for this, and I wasn't watching the pace as I ran.

I was going to change the batter in the Garmin for tomorrow, but.....it might have been right? I haven't run that fast since last August. Good? Or bad?

Well shit.

I was going to do this as a rest week, but in looking at my schedule I might run 45 this week and rest the next. To settle into a schedule to taper/rest into Dark2Dawn. See how I feel.  But I'm thinking 10 miles tomorrow. Slow 10. Not like today.

Memorial weekend continues: Trailnet ride

RIDE 60 miles in 3:42
Lap 1 54 mins, 12.62 miles, 14 mph, 111 bpm, 400-500 vert
Lap 2 2:48, 47.39 miles, 17 mph, 124 bpm, 1600 vert

Lap 1 was with group,
Lap 2 was on my own

Group Ride!! IT, RM, CM, Jan B!!, and RM's friend Dan joined for the Trailnet Pizza ride. DC and MaryC and I did this years ago, 2009 maybe? I haven't seen JB since I think 2014, what a happy surprise. Great day, sunny, warm but not hot, winds out of the south/southwest.

We started out slow, almost uncomfy slow. Frea is not really fit to ride on the bars, she's better in aero and so combine this with Saturday's long ride and I started out hand-sore and butt-sensitive.  haha.

I had a general idea of the roads, it was like revisiting the old routes from years ago. I hung with JB, learned that she's quit/retired, rode Route 66 over 7 weeks, has 3 grandbabies, her kids graduated from college! She was riding DC's old Merlin frame, and needed a new chain I think. Oh DC was going to join us, but he ended up with a "bug" and couldn't come out.

South out of Millstadt, some familiar roads, a few new ones, and then into the Ritz gas station! IT and I joked about it, I texted TH and TB to tell them. Looking at the map, and doing my banana collection game at the rest stops (up to three by now), I realized I could do the long route of 60 miles. It's only 22 miles more than the medium. I looked at it as 11 miles out and 11 miles back, with the latter 11 having the tailwind. So shortly after the Ritz, I said goodbye and headed south on my own.

TBH, I wanted to go faster, I wanted to see what I could do. I didn't mind waiting at all, I loved the company, but I've been doing this so long and so boring and so flat and so LIMITED that I just wanted out of the limits.

Oooooh and the headwind, all the way into Maeystown. Almost as soon as I broke off I wandered a bit off course (missed the bike path) but happily back on soon. Then along a highway that I recognized as one I've ridden with TH, GT, and IT was we trained for MiTi in 2014. Down into Maeystown with my only complaint being that my feet were starting to tingle if I wasn't paying attention.

Once turned northward onto Bluff, I sped up and road the tailWINd up to the rest stop at Valmeyer. A few M&M's, raisins, no peanuts, and a banana, water and biobreak, then off onto Bluff road. I had bad memories about riding Bluff once with PS group, lots of traffic and stress, but none really today. Not a bad experience like I remembered. I was cruising on good road and enjoying the push. Miles flew by here.

Then we turned up into the hills to climb the bluff. This was my only concern in the ride, and I rocked it well enough. Dropped it into low gear, sang to myself the Garth song "if it's a mountain she can crawl it", passed a few people, then settled in. The HR didn't get much over 150 the rest of the way. Yay! I recognized some of the turns as being out old routes, like Hanover road, and Dd road, but we took a different road into Columbia. Good one to mark on the maps, nice hills and curves.

Once to Columbia, we reconnected with the medium route. I didn't know this until later once I figured it out. Realized there was no way some of these riders did 60! Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending, I decided these were like slow hanging fruit (haha, just made that up) and starting reeling in the riders ahead of me. The last 10 miles cruised by, with some feet discomfort, tired hands, and some saddle fatigue. Once to Millstadt I only had 59.something miles so I rode until even 60. Just a quick out and back, and I was hurting by then. Yay!

Everyone else was gone by then, and the post party was pizza and beer. Not my scene so I just grabbed some water and headed home.

Nutrition was just water, two bananas, a rice ball, the trail mix. That's it. And that's all I needed. I seem to remember eating a lot more years ago. ? Not sure.

Feeling good enough later still to clean Puppy and Frea, and the truck and the dog, and listen to the Blues lose game 1 of the Stanley Cup. LGB!

Gravel 20 at Lost Valley

RUN 20.01 miles (haha) in 3:49
averages 11:28m/m, cad 162 spm, HR 136 bpm
moving numbers: pace ~10m/m, 168-171, hard to say but only once over 150 bpm

I've decided to characterize my runs as road, gravel, and trail. Might come up with more? Path, urban, meadow?

I was worn out from the ride yesterday and as I was waking up seriously debated just running form home to Fo Pa for 20 miles. Da fuq?! I can do that any day of the week, I can save that for when it's not a holiday weekend, I can haul my ass out to a trail and RUN! Geeza louisa.

So off to LV, the plan to stick to the Hamburg and abandoned gravel road through LV. No trail. If I'm going to run rail-to-trails, I don't need to be picking and tripping so much this year. And I need to see if I'm really mentally prepared for the long flat of rail routes. I pass a few of these, then I can sign up for the Badger 100K.

I don't know why I think that. I mean, I ran Kansas R2T just fine.

Anyway, perfect day. Light clouds overhead, not warm yet. Trails dry. Today I tested Rice Chex cereal and rice balls. And my usual QT candy of Tootsie Rolls pops. I looped the Mound then headed out. There were a few mountain bikers, but again surprisingly to me few people out. I was undecided out my route, but knew I should take the gravel 'short route' road outbound and I could feel my cheating mind thinking about skipping it on the way back. My goal was to head out towards Defiance and guess on the math to overdo the outbound so any way back I still get 20.

Down the hill (like the Rohirrim riding down to Helmsdeep) and back up. I walked up and was soon attacked my mosquitoes. Oh Damn, the rest of the run I was watching for these. Killed quite a few. I did use bug spray, but only on my legs and neck. Not arms. So guess where they were landing?

The run on the short route road is unfamiliar to me, I've only done it a few times. But it's nice slow long hills. I watched trail on/off points go by, listening to Ten Junk Miles podcasts, hitting mosquitoes, and letting myself walk when I needed to. Looking back at the Garmin track, I didn't walk quite as much as it seemed.

I'd wondered if flooding would be a concern and sure enough the connection from the road to the parking lot (the one I almost parked at!) was completely flooded. Reminds me of the time TV and I encountered this, and when he wandered into the water. I joked that he'd come out cover in leeches. No leeches for me. I turn around. So much for wondering if I'd run the gravel on the return trip.

Back to the top of the hill, I was at 10 miles, with 2 miles between me and the parking lot (only 1 mile if I didn't loop the Mound). Decided to run the Hamburg out to the Katy until I hit 14 miles, that would put me at 20-ish. So down the Hamburg. Bippity bop feeling good.

Until I got to the Katy and found it flooded both ways. I could have crossed the left turn towards Lewis and Clark, but didn't want we feet. I was only at 12 miles. I thought the Hamburg was longer, more like 4 miles long. Not 3. Anyway. Explored a bit, found no where else to got, headed back up Hamburg.

Now I started walking more. I wasn't hungry, doing good on water, just tired and out of condition. So I let myself walk, and the Garmin track reflects a lot more walking after the 3 hours point. But not miserable trudge. Still doing good.

Got back to the Helmsdeep hill, only at 14.5 miles. Ugh. Back down the Hamburg until 16.25-ish, lots more walking now, and then turn to home. Hit the Mound at 18.67 (funny how I can remember all these numbers) and looped the Mound until 20 miles.

Ooooof and YAAAYYYY!!!!!!!! No pains, no aches, just tired and lightly sore. And to my surprise I felt good enough on the way home to get my shopping errands done! In fact, I felt so good later that I even drove to work to get the Garmin charger because I was getting low battery and I wanted the Garmin for Monday and Tuesday.

In summary 20 is kinda my operational limit and I'm ready to build.

NUMERICS: 12:25 (not counting commute)
SWIM 0.00
BIKE 80.6 miles
RUN 41 miles
COMMUTE 38.8 miles

First long ride since...2014?? Levee ride!

RIDE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  61.55 miles in about 3:45
Lap 1 1:54 28.17 miles, ave 14.8mph, 102 bpm
Lap 2 1:02 16.47 miles, ave 15.8 mph, 126 bpm
Lap 3 52:25 16.94 miles, ave 19.4 mph, 121 bpm

Yahoo!! I've been long waiting for a chance to get back on the roads. I've had a bit (well really a lot) of anxiety about riding alone on roads. It's been a long time, I'm unfamiliar with the routes maybe, I don't know what level of fitness I have... excuses -- so many of them.

RM and I joined up for a ride out of Columbia. By the way -- the Marketplace is now a Schnuck's, but I think I knew that already. Right after starting, RM laid down the goals of the ride: keep my  HR under control, ride 90-120 minutes, flat levee road and not the hills in the bluffs. Hill into Valmeyer if we have time. I love his attention to plans like this :)

We headed out on the usual way, behind the Schuck's  out to Bluff road, then whatever road that is that heads over the tracks out to the levee. The wind was kinda strong out of the south, so we hit headwinds the way out. We took it easy, I think though it was easier for me than for him. My season started a lot earlier, I think he said this was his second real ride this year.

The flooding was up against the levee, at two points in the ride we splashed through some water flowing over the roadway. I don't mind water, but then the air smells like cow poo and the runoff is coming out of a field, well, yuck.

Lots of chatting too, I tell him about my 10K challenge at work (that deserves it's own post, LOL). We talk about his new job, leaving his old job, financial stuff, training stuff more. We turned around at one hour and he was pretty worn out. Seems he found his limit around 90 mins. This two hours was Lap 1.

I wasn't done, however, and went back out. Lap 2 is my outbound into the wind. I didn't push hard, I just pushed for steady. Wish now that I had lapped it at the end of the first outbound with RM for real comparison.

I didn't have a specific goal in mind, until I reach what I thought would get me a 60 mile ride. That took me into lower Valmeyer, but I didn't want to climb the hill without RM. So I headed out towards Maeystown until I reached a "mentally ready to turn around" point.

The way back was a breeze, literally. TailWINd, as I like to say. Pushed a little more here, but really the goal was steady push.

Nutrition -- 2-3 bottles of water only. A banana, only. Had a good brekkie of cereal and yogurt and eggs and fruit, I think. No hunger, no fade, no problems.