Chasing 3 Hours: Screw the Dew Point

Chasing 3 Hours: Screw the Dew Point: With dew points in the 60's and 70's most of this week, I could have easily made an excuse to not run high mileage.  But, there has ...

Screw the Dew Point

With dew points in the 60's and 70's most of this week, I could have easily made an excuse to not run high mileage.  But, there has been too much of that the past few weeks, so I hunkered down and ran and ran and ran.  There were doubles on Monday and Friday, double digit runs on Tuesday and Thursday, a 5k race on Wednesday and back to back long runs of 16 and 19 over the week end to total 93 plus miles.  I will admit, most of these miles were at a relaxed, easy pace, but that's alright.  I did run a pretty good 5k in 18:19, which ain't too shabby considering the conditions.

I was a little shocked to see that there was only 10 weeks until the Twin Cities Marathon.  Summer is certainly slipping away and it will be go time before you know it.  Lots of racing coming up with the MDRA 15k, the Como Park Relays, then finish up the summer with Vicotry 10k, City of Lakes Half Marathon, all before the big event.  Love this time of year, you are in good shape and lots of  fun racing adventures to take advantage of.  Now if we can only get that dew point to drop just a bit...

Chasing 3 Hours: Break in the Action

Chasing 3 Hours: Break in the Action: After last week's drop in mileage, my plan was to really step it up this week.  Stepping up as back to 90 miles.  But, my mid-week busin...

Break in the Action

After last week's drop in mileage, my plan was to really step it up this week.  Stepping up as back to 90 miles.  But, my mid-week business trip to Miami threw me for a loop and was unable to run more than 75 miles for the week.  Other things conspired to keep me from having a good week.  First, it really took me a ing time to recover from Sunday's long run in the heat, humidity and jungle-like dew points.  I did my recovery runs Monday and I felt awful.  Tuesday was a travel day, so I could only run a few miles in the morning before my 9:30 flight.  I planned on running again once I arrived, but flight delays and major traffic jams meant not getting checked in until close to 7.  I know, I am a dedicated runner, but I was tired, crabby, hungry and it was 95 with a heat index of 103.  Screw it, I will make it up tomorrow.  Well tomorrow brought more of the same, so I was forced to run on the treadmill, which I can only stand for so long.  Thursday's flight was also delayed and I didn't get back until after midnight.  One question:  How do people do it?  Travel around the country for a living?  It is the worst and I am so thankful I don't do it a lot.

I caught up with some mileage over the week end with my annual camping/trail running extravaganza!  I got to my first campsite on Friday night and soon realized that I forgot the rain fly for the tent.  No problem, there was not a cloud in the sky and I could make my own rain fly with a tarp and some string.  Unfortunately, my homemade fly was no match for the tornadic activity that hit that night!  The rain started pouring in the tent about 3 am, so I grabbed the dog and all our stuff and ran to the car as fast as possible.  Lovely, I was stuck in a car on a super humid night with a wet dog and dirty laundry.  Needless to say I didn't get much sleep and didn't feel like running that morning.  So, I made a detour home to dry out the tent and pick up the rain fly for the next adventure.  Spent the next few days at Sibley State Park, which is a beautiful spot.  Ran 2 or 3 times per day, and hit every trail in the park, including the trek to the top of Mt Tom.  That run alone made up for the rest of the week.  It was great weather and a great spot.

Still, I only managed 75 miles, which was well short of my goal of 90 plus.  I need to hop back on the mileage train this week and get back on track.  Also, have a bit of racing to do.  The Torchlight 5k is next on the docket.  I honestly have no idea how fast I can run this thing.  I have had had two weeks with virtually no quality, but maybe the fresh legs will pay off.

Happy Running!
Rick

Chasing 3 Hours: Happens Every July

Chasing 3 Hours: Happens Every July: In looking back at my running logs and reading posts from years past, I discovered that I fall in a rut every year about this time.  It'...

Happens Every July

In looking back at my running logs and reading posts from years past, I discovered that I fall in a rut every year about this time.  It's the combination of ramping up mileage, higher temps and humidity and knowing that there are 12 more weeks of this.  This year was no exception and this week was a doozy.  Perhaps I ramped up a little too much at one time, but I was tired, unmotivated and a little creaky all week.  Still managed to run over 80 miles, but was sapped of energy for most of the week.  Bounced back a little today, where I completed my version of a Duathalon, 19 mile run followed by mowing the lawn!

Next week doesn't get any easier.  My plan was another 90 mile plus week, but traveling to Miami for work mid week and a camping trip at the end of the week, makes for a scheduling mess.  I can't imagine Miami in July is conducive to comfortable, probably not much different than what we have here today.

My mile race was a bit of a disappointment, logging a 5:33, so about 6 seconds slower than last year. The continuous high miles doesn't help with the top end speed much.  Not sure I could have run it much faster.  Probably need some strength training and speed work to make much improvement.

Chasing 3 Hours: Mean Streets of Minnetonka

Chasing 3 Hours: Mean Streets of Minnetonka: As the mileage begins to creep up to the ridiculous level, I am always looking for motivation or a gimmick; something to keep it interesting...

Mean Streets of Minnetonka

As the mileage begins to creep up to the ridiculous level, I am always looking for motivation or a gimmick; something to keep it interesting.  The Tuesday progression runs and Thursday track workouts are easy enough to get amped up for, but those mid-week MLR or longish recovery runs can become a real bore.  I've explored most corners of Minnetonka, but I know there are places I have missed, so....  I decided I would run every street and trail in this fair city.  Not sure how many miles that is or how long this will take, but I am willing to give it a try.  With the help of Map My Run, I can easily see my progress.  After only a few days I discovered a new trail behind the Glen Lake neighborhood and a another nifty shortcut trail that gets me from Purgatory Park trail to Scenic Heights.  I also discovered a beautiful house on Nantucket Road, just off Excelsior Boulevard and County 101.  Friday, July 3rd, I ran through a neighborhood that ended in a Cul-de-sac.  Trust me there a million of these in Minnetonka, but  in the middle of this cul-de-sac was someones dead Christmas Tree, completely draped in hundreds, if not thousands of firecrackers.  Not sure what to read into that symbolism.  Love my country but screw Christmas?

So, as I made my way through the mean streets of Minnetonka, I managed to tally up 91 miles, including a 17 mile long run, a nice progression run on Tuesday and an encouraging track workout on Thursday, where I did 5x1 mile intervals.  The final one was at 6:06 pace and felt pretty effortless.

Welcome back Malena Larsen!  She ran this week for the first time in a couple months.  Always good to get a running buddy back into the mix, particularly one as special as her!

Happy Running!
Rick