10 mile steady state run (1:14:20)

We have had cold wind and rain all weekend. Saturday morning was so cold and windy I bailed on any running. My right calf was sore all day as if I had been jumping rope on one leg. I have no idea why. I woke up on Sunday to similar conditions, put on running clothes, looked outside, and thought "this is crazy." I started putting away dishes when I looked out the window again 15 minutes later and saw the sun with no rain and only light winds. I decided to go for it!

I left and went down to Joe Walker where I did a loop and then came back on 55th, then took M-8 to 45th and continued to Towncenter and up to Rancho Vista. It was windier up there so when I got to Hillview I cut back down to 45th and took that to M-4 then turned around and went home.

10 miles in 1:14:20 (avg pace just under 7:30). I was feeling good by the time I got to Joe Walker and decided since I didn't run yesterday that I would try for 10 at a little bit faster pace. Here are the splits: 8:04, 7:24, 7:35, 7:17, 7:44, 7:21, 7:29, 7:23, 6:52, 7:12. The route has rolling hills but nothing too hard. I had little to no calf issues on the run!

2mi warm up + 9mi steady state run

The plan this morning was to meet Keira Henninger to run the Leona Valley Trail Races Marathon course. I got a call at 6 in the morning that Interstate 5 was a parking lot and there was a major traffic problem at the 5 - 14 interchange. It was also pouring rain at the time and she decided to turn around. I decided I didn't want to run for 5 hours by myself in the rain today and went back to sleep. I am hoping to get out there more often once the time changes and it will be lighter earlier. When I woke up about an hour later the rain had stopped and there was blue sky. What happened? So I headed out from my house. I ran a loop that I have wanted to try. The course was from my house, up to the aqueduct and left towards Palmdale. I ran to the end and down the hill behind Highland High, then weaved through the neighborhood to 30th and headed home on Rancho Vista. It was exactly 11 miles!

There was snow on the top of the Tehachapi Mountains this morning! After a two mile warm up, up to the aqueduct (400ft elevation gain in 2 miles) in just under 18 minutes, I started feeling pretty good and picked up the pace. The next miles were as follows 7:32, 7:25, 7:16, 7:02, 6:32, 6:51, 6:51, 7:14, 6:43. I went through the 10 mile mark just under 75 minutes and that included the first two miles in 18 minutes. Total time for 11 miles was 1:21:17 or 7:24 pace. The calf heald up pretty good which makes me feel a little better about next weekend (Santa Clarita Half Marathon).

I have been working with Google Earth and my Garmin software to make maps for some of these trail runs. Here's what my run looked like today on the map and elevation!

5 mile @ Steady State

Steady State Run, Tempo Run, Threshold Run, LT Run, what the heck is the difference? Greg McMillan would say the Tempo Run, Threshold Run, and LT Run are all the same. A Steady State run is some where between an "easy" pace and a threshold run. I would argue that a Threshold run is a Steady State run. It is any run where you hold a pretty consistent high aerobic pace for a set amount of time. Are you still confused?

I didn't plan on running faster this morning, but I started out feeling good and went with it. I ran my Rancho Vista loop that is exactly 7.5 miles, but I always make it an even 8. After my first mile 8:16 I started picking up the pace. The next 5 miles were 7:18 (feeling pretty good), 6:56 (still feeling strong), 6:50 (keeping it steady), 6:42 (let's not get too crazy here), 6:54 (this is my last one). Then right before the 6 mile mark my right calf gave me a quick, "slow down or else!" and I listened. I finished in 8:01 and 8:19 and had twinges again the rest of the day. "Whew, that was close." Total time was 59:15 (avg pace 7:24) for 8 miles. I was feeling great for 5.5 of that steady state run.

These calf strains seem to be contagious this year. Olympian, Blake Russell just pulled out of the NYC marathon due to a calf injury.

Found this interesting article and endurance calculator that computes your carb calories needed to run a certain time in a marathon and then how many carb calories you should "load up on" prerace. I'm not sure I totally understand it but it is interesting to read and play around with.

Ryan Hall is splitting with his coach Terrance Mahon after a disappointing year. Rumor is he is still staying in Mammoth. I am a little surprised actually. His 4th place and American best time in Boston didn't seem too disappointing to me. Of course everyone wants to win or be on the podium. Dropping out of Chicago was a big deal though.


OK YOU HAVE TO READ THIS ONE!

And finally, another great Thirsty Thursday with Jack Daniels. Maximizing performances with age.

"Stepping outside the comfort zone is the price I pay to find out how good I can be. If I planned on backing off every time running got difficult I would hang up my shoes and take up knitting."--Desiree Davila