November 6, 2008

PCT Ultra Training Days 13, 14, and 15

Posted by Tony McCray under Ultramarathon Training | Tags: , , , |
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Day 13

This past Monday morning I felt incredible – tons of energy, and a very positive mindset. So I figured it was the right time to get out on my run. It turned out to be the best run I’ve had so far in this training cycle, and the best I can remember for a long time. The plan called for just 30 minutes, with a couple of sets of strides. After doing a typical warmup routine I headed out, and decided to just run easy, however I felt, for 15 minutes before starting my strides. It turned out that “however I felt” was great! I ran 1.7 miles during this warmup at a 9:21 average pace, at a low average HR of 136. This, for me, is pretty incredible. Only a year ago I would have been running more like an 11 mpm pace at that HR, so this is a pretty dramatic improvement. (more…)

 

November 3, 2008

PCT Ultra Training Day 12

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Today I was able to make up for the strength training session I missed yesterday. Generally making up workouts like this isn’t a good idea, but in this case coach said it would be ok. I guess since we are in a pretty low intensity time of the season making up something like this is more reasonable than it might otherwise be. It took less than 30 minutes to get through the routine, and then I spent another 15 minutes getting stretched out. I definitely like these short routines, although I know that as time goes on and I start adding in sets these will take a little longer.

Today’s Numbers

Strength Training/Stretching: 0.68 hours

 

November 2, 2008

Hagg Lake 50k

Posted by Tony McCray under Running, Ultramarathon Training | Tags: , , |
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I just registered for the Hagg Lake 50k Ultramarathon. This will be my first ultramarathon. Registering for my first 50k (31 mile) race is a bit daunting. The race is February 29th, and it seems so soon for such a long run. The reality is though that the race is about 4 months away, so as long as my training goes well, being ready shouldn’t be a problem. Wish me luck!

 

November 2, 2008

PCT Ultra Training Day 11

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I decided to get the mountain bike out today and hit the trails. The goal of today’s ride was to get out and do a longer ride at a relatively low intensity. To accomplish that on the mountain bike meant trying to find a flat trail, or one with a very gradual rise. That is pretty hard to come by around here, since most of our trails are in the mountains. After looking over a few maps I settled on two options: Leif Erikson in Forest Park, or the Still Creek Trail near Mt. Hood. I’ve done Leif a bunch of times, and in the interest of getting out and exploring, I headed to Still Creek. Although the weather wasn’t great today, in another month this trail, or at least parts of it, might be covered in snow, so I figured I ought to ride it while I could. (more…)

 

November 2, 2008

PCT Ultra Training Days 8, 9, and 10

Posted by Tony McCray under Ultramarathon Training | Tags: , , |
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Day 8

I missed my workout on Tuesday – some drills on my indoor bike trainer followed by upper body strength training – because I had a horrible headache by the time I left work. Normally when you miss a workout the right approach is to forget about it and move on. Trying to squeeze in the missed workout along with whatever is scheduled for the day you are trying to do the makeup is rarely a good idea. In this case coach told me to forget about the ride, but said it would be ok to fit the strength training session in at almost any point this week, so that is what I did.

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November 1, 2008

I Feel Slightly Bad

Posted by Tony McCray under Miscellaneous Nonsense
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Someone just knocked on my door. Normally my wife and I don’t answer the door unless we are expecting someone – we got tired of people trying to sell us stuff we don’t need (we buy plenty of this stuff on our own, thank you) or asking for money. Tonight is Halloween though. I’m handing out candy. So of course when someone knocked on the door, I answered it, bowl of candy in hand. (more…)

 

October 29, 2008

Leaf Blowers Blow

Posted by Tony McCray under Miscellaneous Nonsense | Tags: |
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I love fall, but I hate leaf blowers. Right now there are two going outside my office. Revving up, revving down, being loud and obnoxious. Last year around my house different neighbors had four of the things going at once. I was trying to relax and read a book, which proved impossible. There is something about that sound that is particularly annoying…a slightly high pitch to it or something. It seems to provoke a fight or flight response from me – I just want to get as far away from the noise as I can, and I can hardly concentrate or do anything meaningful when they are running nearby.

 

October 28, 2008

PCT Ultra Training Day 7

Posted by Tony McCray under Ultramarathon Training | Tags: |
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Today was just another easy 30 minute run. I’ve done a couple of these already, and I’m sure they’ll continue, so I won’t bore you again with the details. The good news is I felt great – light on my feet with a quick cadence, and the pace was good for a low intensity run.

Today’s Numbers

Running: 2.74 miles, 0.50 hours, 10:58 average pace (9:38 while running), 122bpm average HR

Stretching: 0.37 hours

 

October 27, 2008

PCT Ultra Training Day 6

Posted by Tony McCray under Ultramarathon Training | Tags: , , , , |
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Friday night I ended up at Andrew Skurka’s website looking at pictures from his trip along the Great Western Loop. I was really wanting to get out anyway, and after checking out a bunch of his photos from the trip, I decided that on Saturday I was going trail running. The training plan called for an easy 45-60′ run on a flat road or trails. Around here, a completely flat trail seems pretty hard to find. Looking through a few books, I decided on a trail near Mt. Hood, along the Salmon River…with thoughts of an alternative, depending on the weather.

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October 25, 2008

PCT Ultra Training Day 5

Posted by Tony McCray under Ultramarathon Training | Tags: , , |
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Today was another pretty easy running day. Like earlier in the week, I started out with a 5′ walk to get warmed up, then broke into an easy run over the next mile. After that I brought up the pace and intensity a bit over the next 1.5 miles. It felt good to be running somewhat fast again. At the end of this segment I was around a 7:30 pace. I’m a little concerned about where my HR was relative to my pace, particularly given the duration of the run. By the end of this segment my HR was at 171 (compare that to an average of 167 for the marathon at an average pace of 7:45). I know that this is my first week back training after a two week break (and only my third run since the marathon), so I shouldn’t really expect to be running as fast as before. At the same time, work has been stressful, and I’m worried that the stress is spilling over, and having a negative impact on my workouts. I’m hopeful things at work will be better after next week, so hopefully this isn’t a long term issue.

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