Upper Midwest Trail Runners Set To Run Trails

Press Release!
2/29/08

The website for the Upper Midwest Trail Runners is up and running!

For a measely $20, you get membership into the UMTR, which includes:
The opportunity to meet other trail runners
The chance to volunteer to maintain and protect trails
The inside track to learn about more trail races
The opportunity to speak up and contribute content to the UMTR Web site
Free membership in either or both of UMTR’s two race series
Discounts at selected running stores and trail races
Discounts on a trail running guidebook, Minnesota Running Trails: Dirt, Gravel, Rocks and Roots that describes 49 trails around Minnesota

Click HERE for the UMTR website!

Tabata Protocol - It's Big In Japan

Here's an interesting philosophy that can be applied to nearly any activity you do - whether it's cycling, running, lifting, rowing, hitting the heavy bag, squats, pushups...etc.

The Tabata protocol consists of 20 seconds of maximum intensity activity followed by 10 seconds of rest or lower intensity activity, repeated 8 times. The idea is to tax the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, thereby improving both - rather than doing moderate aerobic exercise only.

I know what you're thinking..."Why not just run intervals?" Well - you still can. The Tabata protocols differ from regular intervals by having a load time that is greater than the rest time.

If anything, it's a good way to shake up a stagnant routine. The body needs to be challenged in a variety of ways in order to keep from plateau-ing. The Tabata protocol will be a fun little fitness test perhaps once or twice a month. Any more than that and I think you're asking for trouble. Also, it's a good idea to warm up for a while before you tear into a set of Tabata intervals.

I have messed around with ideas like this in my own training, as far as calisthenics were concerned (20 seconds of pushups, 10 seconds of rest x 8), and definitely remember them from a brief stint in martial arts in high school, but have never thought to apply it to running. It will be interesting to have another fun exercise in my bag of tricks for rainy days, that's for sure.

An abstract from a study of Tabata intervals and their effect on both VO2 max and aerobic capacity can be read here.

And an article in this month's Experience Life magazine about the Tabata protocol and the history.

2008: Week 8 Recap

This week I decided to go the gentle route. I cut out the core for the week, opting instead for strictly elliptical and yoga when time permits.

I've been feeling burnt out on my routine and it was a good week to be able to be home for even an extra hour in the mornings or evenings to keep up on the housework and cook a few meals, including salmon with asparagus and mashed potatoes, trying out a new Pad Thai recipe, and venison steaks with wild rice & steamed veggies. I've been a protein fiend lately. Weird.

I also had pecan pie for dessert both Monday and Tuesday. I don't usually do refined sugar during the week, but I felt like my diligence and dedication during January and February called for a treat.

However...Week 9 will see the feeble beginnings of "real" running somewhere, somehow on Saturday, March 1 and some good, solid workouts at the gym utilising a dynamic routine or core strengthening.

Mon. 2/18:
Elliptical - 1:00 / 151 avg. / 170 pk. / t.e. 3.4 / mileage "7"

Tue. 2/19:
Rest day.

Wed. 2/20:
Vinyasa Yoga. I had planned on an elliptical workout this evening as well, but decided to give my quads the night off and go home and have a burrito instead.

Thu. 2/21:
Elliptical - 1:00 / 151 avg. / 168 pk. / t.e. 3.4 / mileage "6.5"
Elliptical make up for lazy Wednesday - 1/2 hour at steady speed, 1/2 hour doing intervals - 1:00 / 159 avg. / 186 pk. / 889 kcal / t.e. 3.4 / mileage "6.5"

Fri. 2/22:
Took a page out of Jess' book and stayed up too late playing Rock Band to run this morning. Had a "situation" that needed tending to this evening...so...No workout today. I did score a perfect 100% on Radiohead's "Creep," though, so that's "swawesome." To use yet another Jessism.

Sat. 2/23:
Elliptical "Intervals" - 1:20 / 152 avg. / 180 pk. / 985 kcal / t.e. 3.3 / Mileage: "6.5"

Sun. 2/24:
Elliptical - 1:10 / 158 avg. / 175 pk. / t.e. 3.7 / 1005 kcal / Mileage: "8"

TOTALS:
TIME: 6:30
KCAL: 3768
"MILEAGE": 34.75

Quote Of The Week:
"The Chicken is dedicated to the egg, but the Pig is committed to the bacon!"
Darrell Waltrip - quoting I don't know who on the telecast of the Daytona 500.

Poll Results: Ink and Paper

How do you keep track of your mileage and/or workouts?

60% Said "Ink and Paper"
46% Do it electronically
13% Have a great memory
6% Just do it for fun!

I keep track on my In Training blog, of course, but I have long been a fan of the Moleskine notebooks and journals. The "weekly planner" book works great for keeping track of my workouts, jotting notes and of course, keeping my life together. I write every morning in my good ol' squared notebook and have several sketchbooks that are slowly but surely being filled with ideas and uh...sketches.

2008: Week 5 Log

I still like the way the book looks better than any electronic log. They get a well-used quality to them kinda like your favorite pair of shoes. And going back to compare say, last year to this year is really easy. The Moleskine books even feature a pocket in the back that you can put that special leaf into (or maybe that toenail or dime sized patch of skin from the blister you got from your first Ultra). I might (once I start keeping track of caloric intake and all those other esoteric numbers) need to upgrade to an electronic spreadsheet type system, but for me, paper and pen work fine for now.

News From the No Shoe Zone

Barefoot Ted ran the Orange Curtain 100K with no shoes whatsoever. In under 12 hours.

Point of wearing NOTHING on the feet while running.

And counterpoint on the wearing of Vibram FiveFingers or some other quasi protective footwear.

THOUGHTS:

As I get closer to my "start running" date from healing up my toe (not caused by running barefoot), I am really excited about getting back to my barefoot running!

As far as whether or not you're truly a "barefoot" runner if you wear shoes once in a while...I'm in the "if it protects you from parasites and lacerations, it is a good thing" camp. There are places where it may seem unlikely, but actually feels quite good to run barefoot. There are other places where it's foolish and risky to run completely barefoot.

It's kind of up to your own common sense and comfort level. Many folks would not run on the Mississippi River Parkway barefoot, especially after the acorns fall. I found it to be rather like running on exfoliants!

I wouldn't want to run my route to work and back barefoot though, because of the litter on the side of the road and the fact that a lot of the path is crumbling asphalt, which is murder on toes. And of course, this time of year, not many folks above 41 degrees latitude want to be without some footwear to keep the soles protected from freezing ground and snow! Frostbite is always a very real possibility even in running shoes. So to me, going sans footwear in this weather = downright foolish.

I am a firm believer that once humans started walking around to help them gather food, they devised ways of protecting their feet. I have a keen interest in moccasins, especially as their design relates to how different indiginous people in different parts of the world devised footwear to adapt to and protect themselves from their surroundings.

In my opinion, the perfect shoe would be an almost seamless, light, breathable, flexible cover, with little or no support or padding that to impede the way the foot should function. The closest to this I've come...is barefoot. Unfortunately, not every terrain or location is barefoot friendly. Sometimes the added protection of something underfoot is positively necessary.

Certainly, though, that "protection" need not be the 'cutting edge' products we often see in today's overdesigned, overprotected shoe market. The only thing that would make a runner faster in the "ideal footwear" is perhaps added traction and protection from underfoot obstacles or from kicking things.

After all, the Tarahumara run many hundreds of miles through rugged and unforgiving mountain terrain on sandals made from old tires! Of course their well-developed aerobic economy and superior "running lineage" probably also play a part in their performance as well.

SIDENOTE: Click here for information about the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon, which benefits the Tarahumara through the Native Seeds program.

Protection is vastly different than products that are supposedly designed to enhance our biomechanics.

I am a firm disbeliever in footwear that supposedly augments your biomechanics. Nike Shox, MBT's, Nike Free, all forms of "motion control footwear," those ridiculous Adidas with the collapsing pockets, ORTHOTICS!...All weaken and erode the connection one has with the earth through the great sensory organs of the soles of the feet. We're so disconnected now, that many folks who have spied me running barefoot have said "My feet are so sensitive, I can't even walk across my living room floor barefoot!"

That isn't sensitivity. That's sensory overload from never allowing the naked foot to ever touch the ground! Like a child learning to see, the newly barefoot, when learning to walk or run without shoes are responding to every piece of stimuli they run over with the soles of their feet. That feedback becomes overwhelming and usually translated to "OW!" With time and patience, the feet strengthen (not deaden) and do as they were always meant to do. Just remember, it takes many years to "un-learn" how to walk in shoes and "re-learn" how to walk and run barefoot.

The soles of the feet of the barefoot runner often "toughen" but not in the sense one would think. They don't become stiff, scaly and rubbery, they become almost like a fine grained, very strong and well-oiled leather. Like they're supposed to be! They transmit data to the brain that helps us preserve the feet, allowing us to react within milliseconds of stepping on that pointy rock, instead of blithely stomping over terrain heel first like we might while wearing shoes.

If done in a manner that reflects common sense (I am not one of those barefoot runners who brags about being able to run in goatshead thorn territory), barefoot running can enhance the running experience and open up a new dimension of connectedness in ones running, especially for runners plagued with frequent injury of the knees and hips. Don't knock it until you've tried it, I say. And don't expect that your barefoot running will be as fast or as easy (in the beginning) as your shod running.

I wouldn't call myself a "barefoot runner" when I'm wearing my Vibram FiveFingers, I would just call it running with a level of protection that makes sense for the terrain I'm running on, and at the intensity I want to run! Sometimes that's no shoes, sometimes that's full-on trail shoes, sometimes it's right in between. As long as I am running and protecting my feet, without going overboard and thinking I need orthotics or some wacky spring technology in my shoes, or conversely, running in places that bare feet oughtn't be then that's all that really matters!

2008: Week 7 Recap

Lucky week 7...I have decided to stop the low HR training and begin doing something that resembles tempo work, or at the very least, modified fartleks on the elliptical. Again...one does what one can. I thought it was a good experiment, but I am not sure if I saw the kind of gains I had hoped for in doing exclusively low HR training. I stayed un-injured (or at least no more injured than when winter started), which is a good thing.

Basically, I'm just looking forward to running and looking forward to training for something.

I am ramping up the core workouts:
Plank, front & sides: 3 x 1:10
Bird Dogs: 3 x 30 sec.
Back Extensions: 3 x 1:10
S.H.E's: 3 x 12
Dips: 3 x 10

Mon. 2/11:
Rest.

Tue. 2/12:
Elliptical "hills" - 1:15' / 149 avg. / 176 pk. / 943 kcal / t.e. 3.3
Core - 33' / 134 avg. / 175 pk. / t.e. 2.2
Instead of speed, on the elliptical I generally go for resistance. Since when one runs fast, one puts a greater load on the legs, etc. I'm trying to simulate that as best as I can. Unfortunately, while the HR goes up, the mileage decreases when the resistance increases. Core workout felt a little like bootcamp at 5:00 a.m. I was thinking about doing the same kind of workout on the shores of the Mississippi when it's warm out. Get nice and sandy then go run. Good idea, Keith!

Wed. 2/13:
Elliptical "dumbell workout" - 1:40' / 145 avg. / 177 pk. / 1192 kcal / t.e. 3.0 Mileage "7"
20 min. warmup.
40 min. elliptical dumbell workout.
20 min. intervals.

Thu. 2/14:
Happy Valentine's Day! Ordered flowers for Sweet Muffin from FTD a couple days before the holiday, they kindly informed me on Valentine's Day they wouldn't show up until the day after Valentine's day. If a major flower retailer cannot handle the demand on Valentine's Day, perhaps it's time to tuck tail between legs and go sit in the corner. Mad scramble for replacement flowers, cancelling the shipment of the FTD order and ordering a courier to rush flowers out from my office to hers so that I don't look like even MORE of a schmuck by having flowers arrive at Sweet Muffin's the DAY AFTER Valentine's Day. Thanks for nearly ruining the holiday, FTD! Also - no workout today. Decided to clean the house of the accumulation of winter grime.

UPDATE: After about four hours of being on hold with customer service, FTD is going to refund the purchase price and the shipping. So that's nice.

Fri. 2/15:
Elliptical - 1:40' / 154 avg. / 190 pk. / 1367 kcal / t.e. 3.4 - Mileage "10"
Core: 33' / 133 avg. / 164 pk. / 345 kcal / t.e. 2.0
Did a simulated interval workout, which was basically the "hill" setting on the Elliptical. On the "uphills," kept the HR down. On the "downhills" I gave' er hell. Actually got a blister on my toe from the elliptical. Unbelievable.

Sat. 2/16:
Hiking at Afton - 2:10' / 149 avg. / 1-- pk. / 1987 kcal / t.e. 4.1 - Mileage "9"

I went out to Afton after fixing my furnace that decided to break down on Friday night. After a ridiculously expensive housecall to diagnose the problem, the call was made to just fix it my damn self (with a little help from my dad). It was a stressful money week.

The early afternoon sun fooled me into thinking it was much later than it was when I was in the bottom of the gullies and hills and the sun was peeking over the edge of the many hills to climb. Felt really good to air it out on some of the downhills, but I'm still not running hard yet. Just loping along, being extremely grateful just to be on my feet!

I was nearly knocked over by a big fluffy dog as I walked past three people, each with a dog, who were apparently oblivious to the leash rule at Afton. I nearly always slow to a walk around dogs out there just because it's hard to tell how they're going to react to you when you run past. Granted, these dogs were "just playing" and damn if they weren't all really cute, but what if someone had gotten scared or panicked when stepped on by the dog that looked like it should have a barrel of whiskey around its neck rescuing skiiers in the alps?

I saw the first fat robin of the year, which for me, means spring is around the corner. Of course, some birder will probably tell me certain robins never leave...but it was still encouraging. Of course this morning it is...0 degrees fahrenheit.

Sun. 2/10:
Elliptical: 1:00 / 146 avg. / 170 pk. / 760 kcal / t.e. 2.8
Core: 122 avg. / 152 pk. / 292 kcal / t.e. 1.4

TOTALS:
TIME: 9:53
KCAL: 7228
"MILEAGE": 37.5

Recipe Corner: Favorite Veggie Burritos

Last night I made a version of my favorite take-out veggie burritos. I seriously could eat them every day of the week. I have found myself caving into the desire for these delicious burritos from the Pineda taco stand by my house at least twice a week and I figured it was high time to perfect the recipe myself.

They're pretty damn simple to make. But just in case you ever want THE BEST BURRITO YOU'VE EVER HAD, follow these simple steps:

Ingredients:
Lettuce - variety of, shredded
Cilantro -a bunch, diced & mixed with lettuce
Avocado - halved - you'll only need 1/2 for about 3 burritos.
Onion - sweet & diced
Tomato - sliced
Garlic - 1 clove
Near East Spanish rice
Vegetarian refried beans (any brand will do)
A small amount of mixed frozen vegetables
Sour cream
Salsa - your choice
Tortillas - I have used wheat-free and flour tortillas and can tell you that flour tortillas win the taste test hands down. Sorry, Adam. Anyhoo, your choice, this is America, after all - just get them as big as you can find.
Cheese, both shredded four cheese blend and the thick, mexican cheese.

Instructions!

Cook rice, put 1 clove of crushed garlic into rice as it cooks.
Add small amount of frozen veggies into rice in last five minutes it has to cook.
Heat beans. Mix into rice.
Spread liberally on warm tortilla.
Add other ingredients.
Heat slices of the mexican cheese briefly on skillet, put into the burrito.
Fold.
Douse liberally in Sri Racha hot sauce before each bite.
Devour. Drink with either Mexican Coca-Cola or Jumex Mango nectar.

Buon Appetito!

Chocolate Milk

Following many of my workouts, I have been enjoying a tall, cool glass of Oberweis Dairy chocolate milk.

It's really, really good. Plus, due to it's optimal protien to carbohydrate ratio, it's great for refueling tired muscles after a hard workout.

Actually, it's just a really good excuse to drink chocolate milk. Seriously, it rocks my face off.

How Far is Too Far?

Because I want to run faster, and because I am a geek, I googled "training to run fast" and this is what I came up with.

It's the equivalent of a drag racing parachute. For people.

Get yours while they last! Only $50.00 at Nike$tore!

Stay tuned! I'll be selling dirty ol' used tires and lengths of tow rope for $50.00 on this site soon!

2008: Week 6 Recap - Revision

Did the same core workout this week as last week. Had thought I might be able to add time & reps, alas, it seemed like doing so was beyond my capacity this week.

I also made this week a "cycle down" week mileage-wise, seeing as the time spent on the elliptical was about the same for the last three weeks. I needed a small break from the repetitive motion and decided to do more cross-training this week. I dare say the core workouts have me feeling strong!

Mon. 2/4:
Yoga - 1:00'
Core - 30'
500 kcal (est.)

Tue. 2/5:
Core - 30'
Weights - 30'
3 x 5 pull ups
3 x 20 lunges holding 25# dumbells
3 x 20 squats @ 85 lb.
2 x fail incline bench press
121 avg. / 183 pk. 628 kcal
I ran into Kevin (often see him running at Afton, though I doubt I could keep up with him) at Lifetime this evening & wound up ditching the elliptical throwing in a resistance workout in addition to my usual core. I talked with Kevin for a while about his schedule and got some good weight lifting tips. I forgot how much I love the burn of weighted lunges!

Wed. 2/6:
Elliptical "hill workout" - 1:34' / 155 avg. / 178 pk. / 1339 kcal / = 36' / + 50' / - 7' / t.e. 3.4 Mileage "7.4"
Put myself through the paces on a simulated hill workout. I would have rather this been campground hill out at Afton, but one does what one can. Actually, this was a hell of a workout.

Thu. 2/7:
Elliptical "hills, not intervals" - 1:00' / 142 avg. / 158 pk. / 650 kcal / = 40' / +01' / - 18' / t.e. 2.8 Mileage "6"
Core - 20' / 120 avg. / 155 pk. / 165 kcal / t.e. 1.8
Not shabby, but not much zip in legs or zest to stay on the machine tonight.

Fri. 2/8:
Elliptical - 1:15' / 132 avg. / 167 pk. / 805 kcal / = 5' / + 7' / - 1:04' / t.e. 2.5 - Mileage "7"
Core: 32' / 121 avg. / 151 pk. / 264 kcal / t.e. 1.4
Ugh. So absolutely bored with elliptical to the point of fear and loathing. Felt better after core workout. Need different plan for Saturday.

Sat. 2/9:
"A Different Plan:" Hiking at Afton - 2:00' / 146 avg. / 178 pk. / 1387 kcal / t.e. 2.7 - Mileage "8"
Core - 31' / 130 avg. / 168 pk. / 255 kcal / t.e. 1.6

I had plans initially to do something this afternoon, but it got canceled on my way out the door to the gym. I turned around and changed into some warm clothes and put on my "screwed" Vasque's and headed out to Afton to hike. When I got there, the whole "Afton gang" was there celebrating Alicia's birthday!! It was such a pleasant surprise to see them there.

I said a quick hello, then went out for an hour and then came back around to the visitor center and shot the breeze with them all, then went back out for another hour. The weather sure did change between lap one and lap 2. The wind and snow kicked up, allowing me to sneak pretty close to some young grazing deer by the stone gate next to the shelter at the top of Africa Loop before a jay busted me by screeching at me and spooked them.

"Hiked fast" for about a mile on the frozen St. Croix. It was really quiet, except for the patter and squeak of my "screwed" Vasque's in the snow. The snow made for quite a workout. I pushed it up the hills, knowing better than to "run," I suppose.

Everybody's chomping at the bit for spring and talking about the races they're planning on doing. Allan Holtz is turning 58 soon and has 6 tough 100's planned! Sheesh!

Sun. 2/10:
Elliptical: 1:00 / 142 avg. / 197 pk. / 978 kcal / t.e. 3.5
Yoga: 1:00

I woke up with a mild headache, so decided to go and try and get rid of it with some endurance exercise. It seemed to work, for the most part. I'll rest Monday.

TOTALS:
TIME: 13:05
KCAL: 7093
"MILEAGE": 35.4

Running Happy, Saving the Planet

Running Times Magazine has and article about Anton Krupicka that is pretty fascinating.

My favorite quote from the article:

"Anton typifies the young and new breed of runner," says Buzz Burrell, manager of the La Sportiva Mountain Running Team. "They aren't running to work off their inner angst or pain. They don't have their heads down, grinding out the numbers, substituting mental calculations for movement. They don't think that suffering is noble or pain somehow makes you a better person. They already are good people, they have their heads up, and they run as an expression of joy and freedom. You can actually see the ease in Anton's running form, and you feel good when he goes by you."

Just why the hell shouldn't you be happy when you run? In my own highly scientific experiments, running comes much easier when it is accompanied with positive visualization, living in the moment and not being leashed to the past, bad running experiences and pain. Running makes it easy (for me) to let that stuff go.

Of course this month's Running Times is full of Letters to the Editor which show what a polarizing figure Mr. Krupicka seems to be.

He is outspoken, especially his comments about what modern society is doing to the environment, but that makes him all the more interesting, in my opinion. I could really care less if he peppers his speech with curse words, and I'm glad they didn't totally bleep them out in the article.

There has to be stewardship and consciousness of the environment in exchange for our blessed time on the trails. How are we supposed to "trail run" if we mess up the environment too badly for there to be trails anymore?

Of course...I drive out to Afton just like almost everyone else who runs there does. Except Pierre, who usually rides his bike out there to run.

I don't have a mountain in my backyard, unfortunately. Carpool, anyone?

There is a link to Krupicka's blog called "Riding the Wind" on my list of Other Running Bloggers on the lower right.

Arrowhead 135

It looks like John Storkamp was first runner at the Arrowhead 135 Ultramarathon.

I ran into his friend and running partner Kevin at Lifetime last night. He gave me some valuable tips on running specific weightlifting and I could tell he was excited for the races he has on his schedule for the spring and summer.

I guess this answers part of our mutual question "I wonder how John and Pierre are doing up at Arrowhead?"!

Congratulations, John!

2008: Week 5 Recap

This week I am going to attempt to incorporate the following core workout into my routine:
3 x 1:15 plank/side plank
3 x :50 back extensions
3 x :15 bird dog
8 sets Swiss Hip Extensions
3 x 10 dips
I got this workout and modified it somewhat from the Runner's World February issue. I will do it for the prescribed seven week cycle and see if I am still challenged by it.

On the days I don't do this or yoga, I will revert back to my old 100 pushups / 100 situps / pullups & dips workout.

Mon. 1/28:
Yoga - 1:20' / Going to try and do Yoga "right." No HR data. No monitor or watch worn in class. Practiced next to some guy who is the skinny white male reincarnation of Gumby, which made me keep thinking I was doing it wrong. Balance seems out of whack. Could be an inner ear thing, since my ears keep popping all day long. Could just be this bitter, awful cold weather. It's sapping the life out of me.

Tue. 1/29:
Lunch: Sushi, followed by immediate crippling abdominal cramps. I believe I will spare the rest of the gym all outward signs of my internal discomfort.

Wed. 1/30:
Elliptical - 1:20' / 150 avg. / 161 pk. / 811 kcal / = 1:10' / + 6' / - 2' / t.e. 2.8 Mileage "8"
Core - 16' / 128 avg. / 165 pk. / - cut short.
Still recovering from the 2008 Porcelain Throne Marathon I participated in last night and into this morning, but had to do something. Heart rate monitor did not work for first 20 minutes of workout, nor did the hand-grip heart rate monitor on the elliptical. I know it's cold out, but is it possible I've been walking around with NO PULSE? -45 degree windchill this morning. Winter is officially Getting Old. Today, rehydrating.

Thu. 1/31:
Elliptical - 1:20' / 144 avg. / 160 pk. / 977 kcal / = 54' / +02' / - 20' / t.e. 2.6 Mileage "8"
Core - 20' / 135 avg. / 157 pk. / t.e. 1.8
Not sleeping well. Up at 2:30 a.m., read for a while. Finally dozed off around 3:30, had to wake at 4 in order to get my workout in and get to a morning meeting, leaving me with about three total hours of crap sleep. Think I know what this insomnia/anxiety is about. I will take steps to remedy the situation.

Fri. 2/1:
Elliptical - 1:02' / 147 avg. / 168 pk. / 781 kcal / = 46' / + 06' / - 08' / t.e. 3.1 - Mileage "6"
Core: 32' / 116 avg. / 149 pk. / 251 kcal /
Intervals. Felt rested and strong today after body shut down last night and passed me out at around nine. Marvelous! One of the Lifetime trainers saw me doing the Swiss Hip Extensions and exclaimed: "Dude. That is impressive. My clients would fire me if I made them do that." Of course he probably didn't see the first week of my Swiss Hip Extensions, where I fell over a lot.

Sat. 2/2:
Against All Medical Advice run at the Richard T. Anderson Conservatory - 2:25' / 154 avg. / 193 pk. / 1819 kcal / = 24' / + 1:19' / - 40' / t.e. 3.4 - Mileage "10?"
Core - 31' / 133 avg. / 153 pk. / 269 kcal / t.e. 1.6 - my HR was really skewed as a result of running all morning. This was the same workout as Friday, and my average HR was 16 beats higher than it was then.

I taped up the toe joined Adam Harmer and the gang out at the Richard T. Anderson conservatory intending on going for a "little hike." I think that idea only lasted about thirty seconds. As soon as everyone took off, I rationalized that I would simply try to keep up with Matt Patten, who is doing low HR training. Well, then it felt better and better to run...and soon I found myself blasting down hills and blazing trails. Fresh, cool air, good company and a bunch of hills had me way too giddy to walk.

I wound up doing several loops (I lost track of exactly how many, now that Adam has a crazy bunch of new little spurs and deer trails out there), a couple of which I did with Pete Anderson, who I had never met before and mistook for Ted Nugent when I first met him, and Wayne Nelson, who came all the way from Rochester to run Meniscus Hill.

The toe didn't hurt a bit, unless I happened to roll over it weird, but it was a far cry from being completely hobbled a few months ago. If I intend to keep taping the toe, I'm going to need to invest in wider shoes. I had zero room in the Vasques and the outside of my foot kept getting pinched and falling asleep. I certainly don't need a bunion on THAT side of my foot, as well!! Fortunately, part of the shoe question will be answered when Vibram releases their new model of FiveFingers...They will be great training shoes. I just need to find something to "run hard" in.

It felt so good to drive home with sore quads and burning lungs from inhaling freezing air. Of course now I've given my scout's honor promise that I won't run again for real until March, and I intend to keep it.

A special thanks goes out to Karen Gall who waited for Pete and I to finish our loops so she could serve up some of the cheesey potatoes she brought. Damn, that was a fine way to finish that run! WANGO TANGO!!

Sun. 2/3:
Super Elliptical Bowl - 2:25' / 149 avg. / 179 pk. / 1942 kcal / = 1:52' / + 17' / - 16' / t.e. 3.0 - Mileage "20"
I usually elliptical at about 2/3 max. resistance on the elliptical. I wanted to see how fast I could elliptical at a given HR if there were little resistance. I also wanted to knock out 20 miles and not have it take 4 hours. So I put the resistance down to 2 or 3 and let 'er rip. It wasn't very crowded up at the Highland LTF, so I didn't feel like I was hogging the machine. It was a fun little challenge.

Of course today (Monday), there's a weird ache on the inside of my knee. I am glad I will be on the elliptical only another month. I didn't hurt this bad even after running on Saturday for the first time in months!

TOTALS:
TIME: 11:19'
KCAL: 7198
"MILEAGE": 53.5

JANUARY:
TIME: 37:15
KCAL: 19365
"MILEAGE": 169.75