Oh, yeah…!
Training Journal – 11/27/13:
Wow, fall has definitely arrived: today’s workout was clear and brisk. I had a run/bike on the plan, but decided to do a Duathlon workout instead. I squeezed in a 4/5/3 mile DU – just the right distances to fit in my workout time window. I think moving forward, I will alternate RuBi and Du sessions on the plan just to mix things up.
I picked up a Zoot Tri Jersey last week (via a great Halloween sale at Trisports.com!); so, even though it was ~46 degrees, I gave it a try (along with the Zoot Tri Shorts I already have.) I also wore arm sleeves and a skull cap for warmth – probably should have worn my thin gloves as well. It was a bit cool at the start, but I warmed up over the course of the session…and would have removed the gloves for run #2 anyway.
I goofed on the multisport transition stop/start on my Garmin between the Bike and Run 2. [Must. Learn. To. Use. 910XT. Correctly.] Because of that, I ended up with a Run 1 session and a combined Bike/Run 2 session at the end of the workout. Shout out to Mat at Strava Support – he broke the combined bike and run 2 into two workouts for me! The “T” times listed below are best estimates, based on the cadence/pace graphs…close enough for me. [OK, enough of the runnerd talk…]
Have a great weekend!
Training Journal – 11/8/13:
October 2013 was split in two: final training for Foxy’s Fall Century on October 19th (with a half marathon thrown in) and then a return to a run-focused training plan in preparation for a late fall marathon. But honestly, Foxy’s was the focus – the culmination of two months of training: 895.13 miles over 51:56:27 (h:m:s:) of invested time. It was a blast and, even though I am a runner first, I can see myself doing more organized rides in the future.
That said, I’m glad to be back to a run-focused plan, though my run base totally suffered. Back to the building stage…
I took a quick business trip to Oklahoma City and had two great runs while there [one, two]. It was taper week for Foxy’s, so, rather than riding or running in the hotel fitness center, I mapped out a route around a local lake.
HIGH/LOW:
As far as new equipment & such:
With that, here are the stats for the month that was October 2013. I decided to display a bit differently this month…
Training Program(s):
whitespace!
Races/Rides Completed:
GIDDY-UP!
Training Journal – 11/6/13:
No scenic picture or off-angle selfie to share, but this morning’s run was one of those that is best described as Blissful.
Early 0430 start, clear sky, beautiful waning crescent moon, temp cool enough to give a short-sleeved/shorts-wearing runner a chill at the start but just right after two miles, ever so slight wind, no other humans or animals in sight.
As for my run, a nice warm-up mile, followed by five quiet…meditative…yet negative split ones, only to see that I needed 10 more minutes to finish an hour-long, sweat test run. Quickly deciding to turn right instead of going straight, and then running that final 1.3 miles at a 7:50 avg pace…and finishing with just a little left in the tank, but knowing I was done.
blissful indeed.
That said, my blissful, “7:50 pace” doesn’t even come close to this “whoa!” video. The treadmill is set at 12.6 MPH or a 4:46 per mile pace, which is the average pace Ryan Hall ran at the 2011 Boston Marathon. whoa, indeed.
Training Journal – 10/31/13:
Last month, I posted about being selected as one of five winners in a Competitor.com contest called “Share Your RUNNOVATION”
Last week, I got my prize pack from New Balance:
Some pretty cool stuff:
I may give the 890s a try in the morning…forgive me, Hoka One One.
Thanks Competitor and New Balance!!!
Training Journal – 10/28/13:
Apologies up front: This, like my “first marathon” and “first ultra-marathon” posts, is a longer one…
This past Saturday, I rode in Foxy’s Fall Century out in Davis, CA. Foxy’s, an annual event hosted by the Davis Bike Club, dates back to the 1960s, so it’s an established event that draws 1500 riders of all ages and abilities each year. The event offered three distances: the traditional, 100-mile century, a metric century (100 kilometers or 62 miles), and a 50-kilometer (31 mile) Family Ride. A friend of mine invited me to ride the 100-mile distance with him in late summer, so I shifted my predominately running-focused training to prepare.
The weather was excellent: clear and cool at the start (~50 degrees) and it warmed up nicely as the ride progressed. I’d guess it was in the upper 70s when I finished.
The 100-mile course which, according to my friend and several blogs I consulted during my training, has changed slightly over the years (route and actual distance); but, at its core, the circular course departs Davis and makes its way through Solano and Napa counties – through Davis, farmlands, vineyards, rolling hills (including a climb up “Cardiac Hill”), 
and then back through the farms into Davis. There were three rest stops along the route, with lunch being served at Wooden Valley School (~mile 51.) The Davis Bike Club’s website describes Foxy’s as “the ideal first century ride” and I would agree. It was just the right mix of flats, rolling hills, and good climbs/downhills to make it challenging yet achievable for a newbie…like me.
Course and event management was excellent. There were tons of volunteers and CHP to ensure riders stayed on course and the roads also had signage just to be sure (color-coded arrows stuck to the road.) The rest stops and lunch stop were placed at perfect intervals and were stocked with a great selection of food and water/electrolyte drink (stop two was water/electrolyte only though.) Lunch was great, though I didn’t eat too much. The ride started and finished at Veterans’ Memorial Center in Davis, which was a great location. At the start, they had coffee and breakfast-type fare, though I didn’t partake (I followed my normal fueling regimen.) Riders were provided a pasta dinner at the finish…I didn’t pass that up! They also had a bike swap meet, which was nice as well – I picked up a jersey for my wife to give me at Christmas!
I am not an experienced cyclist, but this was an excellent event and one I’d definitely ride again.
My Ride
Just a few scattered things I read today and thought I’d share/post…
From an article titled, “Should You Be Coached?”
“Harry Chapin, in a song called Mr. Tanner, about a baritone from the midwest, penned the line, “he did not know how well he sang, he only heard the flaws.” Some of us train that way. We’re really hard on ourselves. It can be fairly destructive.”
“Golfing legend Lee Trevino is quoted as having said, “It’s not the arrow; it’s the Indian.” “
From a race website:
“Stadiums are for spectators. We runners have nature and that is much better.”
– Juha Väätäinen
I always stick this somewhere on each page of my training plan…it caught my eye again today:
“Do the work. Do the analysis. But feel your run. Feel your race. Feel the joy that is running.”
– Kara Goucher
Training Journal – 10/23/13:
From the “It’s never too early to start planning!” camp…
I registered for my first multisport event! Come March 8, 2014, I will be a duathlete – having completed the 2014 edition of USA Productions’ South Bay Duathlon. From the “go big or go home” file, I went for the International distance: 10K run, 40K bike, 5K run (or 6.2, 24.9, 3.1 Miles.) I’m really looking forward to this new challenge.
Training for it will be interesting though. I need to hold on training too specifically for it until maybe after the first of the year because I have a marathon in mid-December that will require my focus after next week’s Foxy’s. Plus, I will need to work the training, and race itself, into my overall training for Big Sur. Still, I am looking forward to it and hopefully doing a few more duathlons…and possibly a triathlon later in the year.
So, major races on the schedule so far for 2014 are:
…with more calendar to fill in order to keep my race-a-month streak going!
Giddy-Up!
Training Journal – 10/12/13:
DENNARR(dot)COM 