Four Day Weekend!

I took the day off of work to run some errands and get things ready for our trip to the Lake. But like a good little runner, I didn't take the day off from FiveFingers Friday!

Pic Source

(I found this book through my usual Google image search...

now I really want it on my bookshelf!)

Before I got to the rest of today's to-do list, I went over to the track for one last sprint session in my FiveFingers before next week's race. I jogged a little warm-up and then ran a mile of sprinting the straight-aways and jogging the curves. I didn't quite go all out today since I'm supposed to be tapering, but I still got up to speed and stretched my stride out. Going fast just feels too good in these shoes... I couldn't resist opening it up a little!

Friday
Goal For The Day: Speedwork.
Distance: 2.00 Miles.
Time: Untimed.
Route: Eureka H.S. Track.
Conditions: 74 degrees. 7:00AM.

Notes: 0.5 mile warm-up. 1 Mile of UCLA 100's. 0.5 mile cool-down. Getting warmer... literally and figuratively!

Daily Miles: 2.00 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 397.08 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 8,250 meters.

Five Thousands

I went to the track this morning to run the workout I missed Monday night. School must be out because I left the only footprints in the Field of Dew.

I was dreading this workout a little. Running with the group on Monday nights has been so helpful that even the tough sprints went better than they would have if I ran them alone. Today's workout was 5 x 1,000 meters with 3 minutes of rest between intervals. I really expected to struggle through the workout and not enjoy myself.

I was pleasantly surprised!

Pic Source

I went with the same goal pace from the past few weeks (1:25 per lap) which set a goal of running each interval in 3:32. Between the cooler weather and an easier workout yesterday, the first interval felt really good. After that, I expected each interval to feel harder and harder but I made it through all five with a fairly even perceived effort. That might have been a sign that my rest period between intervals was too long but I was feeling good so I didn't mess with it.

There isn't a track session next week because of Memorial Day so I'll pick it up again after the half marathon.
Wednesday
Goal For The Day: Speedwork.
Distance: 5.10 Miles.
Time: 5 x 1,000m (3:30, 3:31, 3:31, 3:31, 3:30).
Route: Eureka H.S. Track.
Conditions: 59 degrees. 7:15AM.

Notes: I still ran the warm-up that I would have done at the group session. Not a bad workout. I hope I keep feeling this good over the next two weeks!
Daily Miles: 5.10 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 393.11 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.

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.

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.

Back For More

I decided to stick with Missouri Running Company's track workouts for a while. Last week felt really good and it was fun running with a group so I came back for more tonight.

(University City High School Track.)

It was hard to tell, but it seemed like there were about the same number of people this week as last week. I think some people weren't able to make it this week and some new people joined us but it must have balanced out.

We broke up into three groups again and my group was a little different this week. Two of the three guys I ran with last week were there and we gained a new guy and a new girl. We did the prescribed warm-up and then got to work.

Last week was 12 x 400 meters. This week was the same overall distance, but in longer chunks... 8 x 600 meters. We were given a goal time of 2 minutes per interval with a one-minute rest between intervals. 600 meters is a lap and a half so we walked diagonally across the infield after each interval to get back to the starting line.

After the first interval, another coach asked our coach how long he was giving us for breaks. When he said 1 minute, the other coach was a little shocked that it was so short. Our coach ended up extending our breaks to 1:20. (Which was good because a minute was just long enough to walk back to the starting line.)

The first couple of intervals went fairly smoothly. I was still feeling confident after last week's workout. Then, during #3, I realized this pace was actually faster than last week's even though we were running longer intervals. Last week, our goal was adjusted after some grumbling to run 400 meters in 1:25 instead of the original goal of 1:20. (We averaged between 1:21 and 1:23.) That would put us at 600 meters in 2:07-2:08. This week, our coach took us back to the original, faster pace without us thinking about it. To run an even 600 meters in 2:00 means crossing 400 meters in 1:20. In the middle of the third interval, I did this math and began to doubt my ability to run 5 more intervals at this pace.

Sure enough, intervals 3 and 4 were on pace but 5 and 6 started to drop to last week's pace. Number 7 was even slower and then I recovered some on number 8. Two of the guys in my group kept closer to today's goal pace and really pulled me along. Otherwise, I probably would have fallen off even more.

I think yesterday's long run affected today's workout. I should have gone with Friday's plan of switching my long run to Saturday and having a recovery day on Sunday. Lesson learned.

Monday
Goal For The Day: Speedwork.
Distance: 5.00 Miles.
Time: 8 x 600m (1:59, 2:00, 1:58, 2:00, 2:07, 2:06, 2:11, 2:07).
Route: U City H.S. Track.
Conditions: 68 degrees. 6:30PM.

Notes: At least it wasn't as hot. It felt mercifully cool tonight but the humidity still had me drenched.

Daily Miles: 5.00 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 331.18 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 7,450 meters.

Making Tracks

I'm still new to running in my FiveFingers and today I was literally getting my feet wet.

(My FiveFingers Footprint.)

It's been hot and humid this week and this morning there were storm clouds hovering over Eureka. Most of the actual storm was off to the east so I drove to Berry Park for a quick jog to the track and a short set of sprints.

(At Berry Park.)

When I got to the field that leads to the track, I could clearly see two sets of footprints that some kids left on their walk to school. Apparently, there was a lot of dew on the grass this morning and every step I took left a very clear footprint. By the time I crossed the field and started jogging around the infield of the track, my toes were wet.

(This was an oddly cool view in person.)

I try to take very good care of my shoes because it's one of the only big expenses of this pastime. I was hoping to avoid pavement and rain in my FiveFingers for a while... to avoid wearing down the treads, to avoid pain in my feet from the pavement, and to avoid smelly shoe funk. Even though only a few raindrops fell this morning, my shoes definitely got damp. Surprisingly, it didn't bother me much. I know a lot of people use FiveFingers in the water and for boating and I can see why. They were just as comfortable while wet and they dried out very quickly. Good to know!

I ran the same workout as last Friday... a half-mile jog to warm up... 8 x 100 meter sprints at full speed... and a half-mile jog to cool down. As if sprinting nearly-barefoot in the grass weren't enough, the stormy weather made it even more fun to run this morning.

Liz and I have a busy day planned for tomorrow but I might try to get up early to do a long run. Normally, I do my long runs on Sundays, but the Hospital Hill Half is on a Saturday. Plus, if I decide to run the speedwork again on Monday night, I'll have that extra day of recovery on Sunday before hitting the track. Then again, I do enjoy sleeping in.

Friday
Goal For The Day: Speedwork.
Distance: 1.50 Miles.
Time: Untimed.
Route: Eureka H.S. Track.
Conditions: 70 degrees and humid. 7:30AM.

Notes: I wonder if I'll be as tired and sore tomorrow as I was after last week's FiveFingers run. Hopefully, I'm getting in better shape and getting more used to sprint workouts.

Daily Miles: 1.50 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 318.17 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 7,450 meters.

Group Training Is Awesome!

The rain held off this afternoon so I hurried up to University City High School after work for the first night of Missouri Running Company's track sessions. I haven't been to these sessions before and U City is about 40 minutes from my office so I was hoping it would be worth the trip.

When I got to the school's track, there were about 30 little kids running around and only a few adults who weren't dressed like they were there to run. For a minute, I thought I had misinterpreted the purpose of the sessions and that they were actually for kids. But it ended up being some kind of after-school program and the runners started arriving for the track sessions a few minutes later. Soon, the kids were escorted off to a soccer field and the track was ours.

Pic Source

As people arrived, we were told to do an active warm-up. One of the coaches on hand said that stretching before a workout is a thing of the past. Everyone is now encouraged to do an active warm-up before running and then stretch after the workout. So we were told to jog an easy mile. Then run two laps of jogging the curves and running the straightaways at about 85% speed. Then run two more laps jogging half a lap and running the other half at 85% speed. Apparently, this will be the weekly warm-up.

Then we were told that the track sessions are intended to improve speed, improve form, and improve cardiovascular fitness. The times we would be running are based on our goal 5K time for the end of the 10-week session. We were split into a few different groups based on our goal times and then each group was assigned a coach and given goal times for our intervals.

Tonight's workout was repeat 400's (one lap around the track). Beginners were encouraged to do 8 intervals and more experienced runners were encouraged to do 12 intervals. But the coaches were great about letting people know not to push it too much (especially on the first night) and to stop whenever they felt uncomfortable continuing.

I was in a group with three other guys and then there were two larger groups set up by their goal times. Our coach suggested we aim for each interval in 85 seconds based on a goal 5K time of 18-19 minutes. The groups staggered their starts so we mostly stayed out of each other's way and we got started.

When I've run repeat 400's by myself, I've aimed for 75 seconds each and started to struggle after 5 or 6 intervals, even with 2 minutes of rest between intervals. At the most, I would do 8 intervals and that took weeks to work up to. Today, I ran 12 intervals at 81-83 seconds each with only 1 minute of rest between intervals and I felt great! It's amazing how much it helps having people to run with and having a coach calling out your times!

By the third interval, one of the guys and I were trading the lead every-other interval. It was an unspoken agreement that we just fell into so neither one of us had to lead the whole time. The other two guys in our group settled into a slightly slower pace and were staggered behind us. One of the guys seemed to be struggling by number 6 or 7, but he hung in there and stuck close to his pace. I thought he might stop when we finished the 8th interval but he hung in and ran another one or two before taking a break and then ran the last couple with us. I still felt good on the last interval so I went ahead and squeezed the trigger a little. I didn't want to go all-out because I was afraid I would injure myself after so many intervals, but I was surprised how comfortable I was running a 1:16 after 11 intervals.

I Loved how supportive everyone was. When a group would start crossing the finish line, they would turn and encourage the rest of their runners through the final straightaway. The coaches did a great job of helping everyone with timing splits cheering people on. I've always felt that runners tend to be friendly and welcoming people and tonight's workout was a perfect example.

When we finished, I chatted with the guys in my group and ran a half-mile cool-down before heading home. I had a great time and it was an awesome workout, but I still haven't decided if I'll be making the trip up every week. I would like to do as many of the 10 sessions as I can, but the cost of gas and the evening away from home might convince me to do something else. I guess I have a week to think about next Monday.

Monday
Goal For The Day: Speedwork.
Distance: 5.00 Miles.
Time: 12 x 400m (1:23, 1:22, 1:23, 1:22, 1:23, 1:21, 1:22, 1:21, 1:21, 1:21, 1:22, 1:16).
Course: U City H.S. Track.
Conditions: 73 degrees. 6:30PM.

Notes: It wasn't a hot night, but it was warm and humid. I can only imagine how hot it's going to be for these workouts a month from now. Summer is almost here. At one point, I considered a goal of 2,012 miles in 2012... I'm 1/3 of the way through the year and on pace for 930 miles. I know that will pick up when I start marathon training and I wasn't running as much for the first 2-3 months, but I'm pretty sure 2,012 isn't happening this year. Maybe that's a good goal for next year.

Daily Miles: 5.00 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 309.20 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 7,450 meters.

Five Fingers Friday

I have a pair of FiveFingers that I bought a while ago but cold weather and the fear of blisters has kept them tucked away in my closet. I took them out for the second time this year and drove to the track to run on the infield.



Vibram FiveFingers Bikila LS

I've heard you really have to ease your way into running in FiveFingers. For one thing, they're about as 'barefoot' as barefoot running gets without your feet actually being naked. I use Nike Free Runs for all of my running so I'm already accustomed to minimalist shoes, but FiveFingers are a whole new ballgame, even for me.

Another concern is blisters. I'm not used to having my shoes between my toes so all kinds of things are rubbing that don't normally rub. Because I'm afraid I'll do too much too soon and end up with blisters that ruin the rest of my training, I kept my first run in the FiveFingers to 1.5 miles. That was a couple of months ago but today wasn't much different.

I'll do a full Gear Check review of my Five Fingers when I have more experience with them and can report more knowledgeably. But the main things I've learned so far:

-Running on pavement requires a lot of attention to form and foot-strike.

-Running on grass is heavenly!

-FiveFingers are most comfortable when running very slow/jogging or when running at full speed. They're less comfortable at the mid-speed pace that I'm used to.

Having learned those things on my last run with the Fingers, I drove to the track to run some sprints on the infield. I jogged a warm-up and cool-down on the infield grass and ran 8 x 100 meter sprints in between.

I don't know if I've ever felt so fast with so little perceived effort! I Love these shoes!!! I always Loved barefoot sprints on the infield during high school track but having that extra layer of protection on my feet made today even better. All of the speed and freedom of barefoot running without the wear and tear on the bottom of my feet. Awesome!

Now I just need to use them more so I can run farther and maybe work them into some short races.

Friday

Goal For The Day: Speedwork.

Distance: 2.00 Miles.

Time: Untimed.

Route: Eureka H.S. Track.

Conditions: 47 degrees. 7:30AM.

Notes: 3/4 mile warm-up. 8 x 100 meters at top speed. Rest after 4 sets. 3/4 mile cool-down. I parked at Berry Park and jogged to the track. I hadn't been here since the park was put in. It's nice! And now I can park there when I want to use the track even if school is in session. Problem solved!

Daily Miles: 2.00 Miles.

2012 Totals:

  Run - 293.47 Miles.

  Bike - 0.00 Miles.

  Swim - 7,450 meters.

So Many Options

Yesterday, I received an email from Missouri Running Co. about their upcoming track sessions. They are offering organized track workouts at University City High School every Monday evening for ten weeks. The sessions are free and they offer a couple of different options for the workouts depending on your fitness level.

That email reminded me that the St. Louis Track Club's Track Series should be coming up soon too. I hopped on their website and they have five track races coming up on Tuesday nights.

So now I have several options to weigh.

Missouri Running Co. track sessions:
http://www.morunco.com/
I like the idea of having people to run some speedwork with. Having other people to help with pacing and motivation during intervals would be awesome. Plus, I was hoping to focus on speedwork after Hospital Hill and this would be a great way to kickstart that transition. And it's free! But U City High is a bit of a drive and I could do my own workouts two miles from home. And it would mean moving our Monday nights at the Rec Center to another night (or missing the weekly swim with Liz).

St. Louis Track Club Track Series:
http://stlouistrackclub.com/
This is a fun series of races. It's the only time I get to race distances this short and on the track. And a series is always fun because of the added competition involved with tracking points across several races. But the Series is at Clayton High School which is basically as far away as U City High. And the Series is $45 which isn't as nice as free.

Other considerations:
Next Wednesday is my final day of teaching classes for the semester. That means I'll only be working late on Thursdays for the rest of the summer. I'm finally getting another night free and I'm already considering using one or two nights for running and races. And, depending on which event I run, we'll have to either move our gym night or our weekly dinner with friends.

I doubt anyone reading all of this really cares about all of the things that go into my decision-making process. It just helps me to get it all in writing to organize my thoughts.

As for today's training, I ran The Never Ending Hill Of Doom again today. I ran the Hill twice just like last week. I didn't feel as bad on the Hill itself as I did last week but the run as a whole felt pretty slow. I certainly wasn't running for speed and I think I was running/jogging slower because I knew the Hill was coming up. On the way home, a good-sized hill was hardly noticeable though so the Hill must be doing its job.

If I keep this up, I won't fear the hills in K.C.

Thursday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 4.01 Miles.
Time: 33:53. 8:27 Avg. (7:59, 7:44, 9:24, 8:39, 0:05*).
Route: 2 x Never Ending Hill Of Doom
Conditions: 68 degrees. 7:23AM.
Run Details On Garmin

Notes: Today felt slow and sure enough, when I checked the Garmin page, last week's run was in 31:31 and today was 33:53. Same course, two-and-a-half minutes slower. They can't all be fast days.

Daily Miles: 4.01 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 291.47 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 7,450 meters.