Toying With P90X

I would have done my long run this morning, but my schedule was changed due to dirty laundry. I put off washing my workout clothes all week long and today it caught up to me. I didn't have anything to run in so my long run will have to wait until tomorrow.

It was still a productive day though. I did some quality yard work in the morning. (I finally changed the blade on my mower and it made a huge difference!) I don't know why, but I Love doing work out in the yard. Then we went to a party for our friends' twins' christening. Then this afternoon, I did a little cross training.

My poor bike is still broken... hence the 0.00 Miles biked in 2012. So I grabbed my P90X dvds and decided to do one of the workouts.

One of the things I'm always battling as a distance runner is the loss of upper body mass and strength. My legs are strong, but if I don't work on it, my upper body slims down drastically as my training goes on. So I put in the 'Chest and Back' dvd and put in almost an hour of upper body work.

Pic Source

Basically, the video is a lot of push-ups and pull-ups. A lot of them. There are 12 exercises in the circuit. When you finish all 12, you do them again in a different order. I did this video a few months ago and I worked so hard on the first set of 12, I didn't have much left on the second set. Today, I paced myself better and I think I got more out of the workout.

I still plan to do the entire P90X program towards the end of the year, but after this one video, doing the whole program seems intimidating.

Saturday
Goal For The Day: Cross Training.
Distance: 0.00 Miles.

Notes: I do feel better about my upper body strength after doing videos like this. I should really balance my workouts better so I'm not so one-dimensional. I've become very specialized as a runner and I could be more all-around fit.

Daily Miles: 0.00 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 374.87 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 8,250 meters.

Feeling Super Fast

Have I mentioned that I Love sprinting in my FiveFingers?

I wouldn't say that I Love running in them yet, but I definitely Love sprinting in them. They make me feel fast!

I ran the same workout as last week (4 x 200 meters) and it's amazing how much I get out of a workout that short. It's enough to make me feel the effort. It has a lasting impact on my stride and mechanics... for the better. And it's a great mental boost.

From about 10 minutes of running intervals, I get several days worth of benefits. I'll take some more of that!

(My FiveFingers make me feel like
the end product of this shot.)

Friday

Goal For The Day: Speedwork.

Distance: 2.00 Miles.

Time: Untimed.

Route: Eureka H.S. Track.

Conditions: 59 degrees. 7:30AM.

Notes: 0.5 mile warm-up. 4 x UCLA 200's. 0.5 mile cool-down. I'm still liking the toe socks. I was on the actual track again today instead of the infield and I didn't feel like my feet took too much of a pounding.

Daily Miles: 2.00 Miles.

2012 Totals:

  Run - 374.87 Miles.

  Bike - 0.00 Miles.

  Swim - 8,250 meters.

The Peak Of My Hills

I'm just over two weeks from the Hospital Hill Half Marathon and this week is the peak of my condensed training for the race.

The past couple of days involved running hill repeats... a lot of hill repeats.

Pic Source

I saved Tuesday's workout for after work because of Monday night's track work. I went over to Top Notch while Liz did one of her prenatal workout videos. I sprinted my little segment of the hill 8 times and the physical exertion was complicated by the fact that the house at the top of the hill where I turn to jog back down was having some roofing work done. Whatever chemicals the roofers were using smelled strong enough that I was a little worried about getting a contact high. Every time I got to the top of the hill, I was gasping in lungs full of the stuff. I got through the workout fine, but I might now have cancer.

I took Wednesday off completely. I'm trying to work in a few more rest days so I can recover from the over-training I've been doing in time for the race.

Thursday was a surprising day at The Never Ending Hill Of Doom. I ran up The Hill 4 times. As is the custom on The Hill, I use the term 'ran' loosely. But I felt a lot better on my third and fourth summits than I thought I would. Maybe it was Wednesday's rest. Maybe the hill work as a whole is paying off. Or maybe it was just a good morning. Whatever it was, The Hill didn't feel as deadly and intimidating as it usually does.

So I plan to do a very brief speedwork session tomorrow in my FiveFingers and then run 10-12 miles on Sunday. After that, I'll have two solid weeks of tapering. I'll cut back on my workouts and mileage and hopefully start feeling more rested by the time the race comes around.

Tuesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 4.08 Miles.
Time: 37:40. 9:14 Avg. (8:46, 8:44, 9:43, 9:41, 0:44*).
Route: 8 x Top Notch.
Conditions: 80 degrees. 5:57PM.
Run Details On Garmin

Wednesday
Goal For The Day: Rest.
Distance: 0.00 Miles.

Thursday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 5.19 Miles.
Time: 46:37. 8:59 Avg. (8:12, 7:49, 9:11, 9:43, 9:56, 1:43*).
Route: 4 x Never Ending Hill Of Doom.
Conditions: 52 degrees. 7:19AM.
Run Details On Garmin

Notes: The temperature has been all over the place so far this month. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Race Day is has one of the cooler mornings.

Daily Miles: 9.27 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 372.87 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 8,250 meters.

Guinea Pig

I went back for another track workout at U City High and Mo Run Co. gave us an added bonus today!

A Nike representative brought a load of the new Nike Frees for us to test! Liz and I were in Fleet Feet a couple of weeks ago and I decided not to try on the new Free Runs while I was there. I was hoping to wait until a little later in the summer and then buy a pair to train for the Tulsa Marathon. Today, I got to try them on and take them for a spin around the track!

(2012 Nike Free Testing.)

They had the new versions of the Nike Free 3.0 and the Nike Free Run. The 3.0 is an even more 'minimalist' design that the Free Runs (which I wear all the time). The Free 3.0 has less of a drop from the heal to toe and is a little lighter and more flexible. The Free Run has a little more cushioning and stability but still gives that minimalist feel that I've come to Love.

(Pink for the ladies, blue for the gents.
Although one of the guys in my group said

he prefers pink and wore a pair through the whole workout.)

The rep told me the new Free Run is made from the same last so the fit should be basically the same but they made some changes to the design and stitching compared to my current pair. First, the support webbing that is on the outer part of my shoes is now inside the mesh on the new Runs (beneath the swoosh in the pic below).

(2012 Nike Free Run +)

Even more importantly, they separated the tongue on the new Free Run. When I bought my first pair of Nike Free Runs two years ago, I wasn't sure how I would feel about the attached tongue. But after years of the tongue of my shoes slipping down to the side over the course of a run, I found I really liked the sock-like design of the previous Free Runs and would have preferred Nike didn't separate them in the new version.

(Back to a separated tongue.)

The treads on the bottom of the shoe are basically the same and gave me that familiar longing for a fresh pair of shoes!

(I Love a new set of treads!!!)

I didn't try the 3.0 because of time and because the Run serves my purposes so well at the moment. I did lace up a pair of the Free Runs and took them for a run around the track. I had already run my warm-up and we had a tough workout ahead of us so I didn't go crazy, but I did a little jogging, a little running, and a little sprinting.

The new pair felt good but a little tighter in the toes. Nike is notorious for having tight toe boxes but the two versions of the Free Runs that I've owned have been surprisingly roomy up front. This pair might have been an aberration, they might have just felt tight compared to my current pair that have a lot of miles on them, or there might be a slight change in fit with the slight change in design. I'll have to try on another pair in-store to see if tight toes are going to be an issue.

After a little running around, the tongues were still securely in place but I didn't go very far in them so the jury is still out on that modification.

Overall, I like the new version of the Free Run... mostly because they didn't make any major changes to a shoe I already Love. I'm not thrilled with the change to the tongue and I'm a little leery of the toe box but I would be okay putting money into a pair when my current pair bites the dust. For now, I'll see if I can find a pair of my current shoes on clearance somewhere.

I didn't want to run the whole workout in borrowed shoes... both because they felt a little stiff and tight compared to my current shoes, and because I didn't want to get a pair of loaners too gross and sweaty... so I switched back to my own Free Runs before we started our intervals.

Today we made the jump up to 800 meter intervals and the schedule called for 6 of them. The goal time was 2:45 each with 1:50-1:55 of rest between intervals.

I did the math and tried to set my own goal closer to the week 1 pace. That would put me at 2:50 instead of 2:45 and I planned to settle into that pace even if it put me a little behind some of the guys I had been running with. Last week, I was really struggling in the last few intervals because I hit the pace to hard on the early intervals.

Unfortunately, the first interval felt too good and I came in at 2:43. Oops. I was out in front from the beginning and ran faster than I thought. After that first interval, I decided to tuck in with one of the other guys, Bobby, and let him keep me in check.

Well, Bobby wasn't on my 2:50 plan and he pulled me through the workout hovering around the 2:45 pace. We swapped the lead a few times but, like last week, he was out in front by the final interval and I was just trying to keep him from running away from me.

We got all 6 intervals in and actually stayed pretty close to the 2:45 goal. We got to test some new shoes and ran a hard workout. Not bad for a night's work!

Monday

Goal For The Day: Speedwork.

Distance: 5.00 Miles.

Time: 6 x 800m (2:43, 2:45, 2:43, 2:44, 2:47, 2:46).

Route: U City H.S. Track.

Conditions: 77 degrees. 6:30PM.

Notes: It's getting warmer. Tonight wasn't too bad, but running intervals in June could be interesting. Liz and I have Cardinals tickets next Monday so I'll have to do the scheduled workout on my own. Then, there's a week off for Memorial Day. I won't be back with the group for three weeks. Bummer.

Daily Miles: 5.00 Miles.

2012 Totals:

  Run - 363.60 Miles.

  Bike - 0.00 Miles.

  Swim - 8,250 meters.

The Good Kind Of Slow

I flipped things around today and went for my run first and then spent the afternoon on my boat.

A lap around the Lake is just over 3 miles so I planned three laps to get in the 9-10 mile range. Next week, I'll peak at 10-12 miles and then start a week-long taper going into the half marathon.

The weather has been great all weekend and this morning was more of the same. Most people haven't started migrating to the Lake for the weekends yet, so it was nice and quiet for my run. Long Runs aren't supposed to be too fast, they're more about mileage and I was in the mood to take it easy so I took my time looping the Lake.

When I got back, Liz made ham and cheese biscuits for our Mother's Day breakfast and we ate out on the screened-in porch. It was about as relaxing as a morning can get.

Then I got back to work. A quick trip to the store for some final supplies and a little more work and my boat was ready for a quick test.

(At least she floats... that's always good!)

The test went well and I got a head start on the decorations so I shouldn't have to do a ton of work on the holiday weekend.

It was great spending Mother's Day at the Lake and it was a productive weekend all around!

Sunday

Goal For The Day: Long Run.

Distance: 9.35 Miles.

Time: 1:11:33. 7:39 Avg. (7:49, 7:23, 7:21, 7:40, 7:53, 7:36, 7:28, 7:42, 7:58, 2:39*).

Route: 3 x Lake Loop.

Conditions: 58 degrees. 8:20AM.

Run Details On Garmin

Notes: It would have been easy to stop after the second lap but I'm glad I went for all three. The last lap felt very relaxed and was the pleasant kind of running I had been missing this week.

Daily Miles: 9.35 Miles.

2012 Totals:

  Run - 358.60 Miles.

  Bike - 0.00 Miles.

  Swim - 8,250 meters.

Quick And Easy

Memorial Day is coming up and that means it's almost time for our annual build-your-own-boat race. Liz and I made a trip down to the Lake House this weekend to get a jump on building my boat (and to relax by the water).

I spent the afternoon working on my boat and the basic frame is pretty similar to some of the other boats I've built in the past. Everything came together relatively quickly and this kind of frame is becoming easier and easier to build.

(The fruits of my labor.)

When it was getting close to dinner time, I put the boat building aside for the day and went for a quick lap around the lake. I've run around this lake so many times, it's also becoming an easy routine and it was relaxing to run the familiar loop after a day of construction.

After 3 easy miles and a quick shower, I slipped on my new compression sleeves, had a delicious roast and veggies for dinner, and put my feet up for the rest of the evening. It was a good day!

Saturday
Goal For The Day: Easy Run.
Distance: 3.11 Miles.
Time: 21:31. 6:55 Avg. (7:04, 6:55, 6:49, 0:43*).
Route: Lake Loop.
Conditions: 72 degrees. 6:48 PM.

Notes: Hooray for negative splits!!!

Daily Miles:
2012 Totals:
  Run - 349.25 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 8,250 meters.

Gear Check - Injinji Toe Socks

A couple of my posts about running in my FiveFingers resulted in multiple recommendations that I get some injinji toe socks. I recently picked up a pair when we were out looking at jogging strollers and today, I took them out for a test run.

injinji Website

I bought the no show, lightweight, performance version of the injinji socks. They only had my size in two or three colors (none of which were just plain white) so I chose a blue pair.

(I think it's weird that socks are so technologically advanced.)

(Apparently, these are officially "Mariner Blue".)

It already takes me a while to get my toes separated and into the proper slots in my FiveFingers so I was worried toe socks would be just another frustrating step and not worth the extra hassle. I was pleasantly surprised when my toes easily found their places in the socks. As an added bonus, my shoes seemed to go on more easily as well. (Probably because my toes were already separated.)

(Smurf or Blue Man Group?)

Once my FiveFingers were on, I immediately noticed they felt more snug. Not in a bad way... I would describe it as more secure, not necessarily tighter. I think this will be good because the little bit of extra wiggle room I felt like I had before was one of the reasons I feared blistering. With the socks on, everything seemed to fit a little better.

(The crazy blue of the socks is mostly hidden once the shoes are on so they don't stand out as much as I thought they would.)



For my test run, I drove to Berry Park and jogged over to the track for my weekly sprints. I could tell a significant difference jogging on the concrete path with the toe socks. For shoes without padding, even lightweight socks feel like a cushy addition and I felt more comfortable on the pavement than I have before.

The grass was thick with dew again and I hate wet socks so I got my toes a little wet crossing the field to the track but decided to run the majority of the workout on the track itself. For the past couple of weeks, I've run 8 x 100 meters at full speed but today I ran 4 x 200 meters with a 200 meter jog between intervals.

Like on the pavement, I felt like I had a little extra cushioning while on the rubberized track thanks to the toe socks. Plus, sprinting the curves of the track involved surprisingly little lateral slippage within the shoes. Best of all, by the end of the workout, I had worked up a sweat but my feet didn't have that sensation of sticking to the insoles. I haven't used my FiveFingers enough for them to be too gross, but I think these socks will help prevent and delay the onset of shoe funk.

So after my first test run in the injinji toe socks, I'm more than satisfied with the results and I feel like they were worth the purchase. I don't wear my FiveFingers often so one pair should do the trick for now and I think they will not only help prevent blisters, but they make the FiveFingers even more comfortable, which I didn't think was possible!

Friday

Goal For The Day: Speedwork.

Distance: 2.00 Miles.

Time: Untimed.

Route: Eureka H.S. Track.

Conditions: 59 degrees. 7:30AM.

Notes: 0.5 mile warm-up. 4 x UCLA 200's. 0.5 mile cool-down. Even at 200 meters, it felt good to be up on my toes and striding hard. I Love sprinting in these shoes!!!

Daily Miles: 2.00 Miles.

2012 Totals:

  Run - 346.14 Miles.

  Bike - 0.00 Miles.

  Swim - 8,250 meters.