Sunday, August 29, 2010

Weekly progress (8/23-8/29)

Fairly good week with a few interuptions.

Monday: Yoga in morning; OWS at Arcadia Lake (bike in, 3 laps, 40 minutes total)
Tuesday: Morning run (41:42, 4.86mi, 8:35 pace); No bike commute (raining and court)
Wednesday: Commute to work (31:50, 8.53mi, 16.1mph); Commute home (38:38, 9.04 mi, 14.0mph)
Thursday: Commute to work (33:23; 8.57mi, 15.4mph); Lunch run (47:55, 6.05mi, 7:55 pace); Commute home (34:08; 8.48mi, 14.9mph)
Friday: Morning run (49:43, 5.59mi, 8:54 pace)
Saturday: Long ride (3:52:16; 66.51mi; 17.2mph); brick run(12:43; 1.62mi, 7:51 pace)
Sunday: Long run (1:38:19; 11.17mi; 8:48 pace)

Totals: 29.29mi running; 101 miles biking; 40 min swim

Thoughts: I need to get up when the alarm goes off. I feel pretty good about the week's workout, but I'd like to get a week night bike in. Swimming is super limited too, so I need to make Monday nights worth it. Birthday on Wednesday messed up a planned run. Ate more junk than I needed to.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Weekly Progress

New goal: post training progress from the week.

Monday: 35 min. OWS at Arcadia.
Tuesday: easy 1:15 run.
Wed: Bike commute to work. Yoga at lunch.
Thu:Bike commute to work. Missed lunch run.
Fri: 4 mi lunch run.
Sat: 60ish miles nice and steady. Disappointed in avg speed, but I have nowhere to go, but up. Felt real sluggish on hills. Good rolling hills out there. Followed up the ride with a quick brick 10 min run.
Sun: Planned 2 hour run around Hefner. Left too late. 5 miles in started walking. Ran out of water, but refilled at water fountain. Once I started walking, it was all over. So hot, my shoes were sweat logged. Not a good run at all.

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

La Luz Trail Run

This is a race I've wanted to do for awhile. The La Luz Trail Run is a hard race. I've seen a few of my friends complete it and I've been super impressed. If you don't know about the race, you should learn. You run up a mountain. This year I lotteried into the race, got a few practice runs up the trail a bit in May, and was feeling good.

Then I moved to Oklahoma and fell off the training bus.

Still, Paula and I made a trip out to New Mexico to see some friends and see if I could survive the mountain. So, a couple tanks of gas later, I found myself at the start line.


When the gun went off, I started running as slowly as I ever have in a race before. It was funny how slow I was going. I didn't know how the altitude and the incline would beat me up, so I took my time. The first two miles were uneventful.

At the trailhead, we bottlenecked for a little bit, but fell into a steady pace line. I was right behind a guy, and there was a dude right behind me. The pace was slightly slower than I wanted to go. I thought about busting through and getting into my own rhythm, but I decided to let the pack slow me down. I needed to conserve and not waste energy fighting the crowd. At one point, some dude came bashing through without announcing. Since it was a narrow rocky trail, it was annoying. As he went by, I said to myself, "I'll see you later up the mountain."

Once my watch hit 50 or so minutes, right before the second aid station, I decided to break through. A couple "on your lefts" later, I was solo. I was feeling good and enjoying the views. Again, I was holding back and hoping I might have something in the tank at the end. I met that dude from earlier and gave him "the look" as I passed him.

"The Look"


After the next station came the rock garden. It sucked. The rocks were slippery and jagged. My contacts were playing tricks on me, so I couldn't see all that well. Also, my legs were fatigued and I couldn't really put my feet where they needed to go. Running wasn't happening so I walked the rocks.

At the junction towards the end, I tried to HTFU, but couldn't. There was a set of stairs, totally out of compliance with the ADA. It ripped my legs apart. I pretty much walk/runned the last bit.

Just before the finish, there was another runner right behind me. He and I were hanging together. Once I thought there wasn't much left, I encouraged him to follow me to run to the finish. He agreed and we started hustling. Unfortunately, immediately we rounded a corner, there was the finish line, about 20 yards away. We "kicked" too late.

Paula and my Mom met me at the finish. It was fun all around.


I had the pleasure of driving back to OKC with an altitude induced headache. Some fried chicken and Braum's ice cream later, I was ready to start the work week.

Oh yeah, my time was 2:12:50. I'm not proud of that, but I'm glad I finished in relative comfort. Strangely, I felt nearly nothing in my legs the next day. Fried chicken helps recovery.

Now I have to see if Redman is possible.