Rock 'n Roll Marathon Training 2017

My training has been rather lax as of late, but the 10K yesterday in Χαλανδρί got me pumped up. Also climbing Mount Lycabettus with Maxwell this morning got me excited the way the mountains in Bergen do. Except that it was limstone rather than metamorphic rock and getting above the treeline here just means there's only enough water to support succulents. So this afternoon when we arrived in Sounio the first thing I did was run up to the Temple of Poseidon and back. I feel like I could run anywhere here! My hope is to someday come back to Greece to run the original marathon.

So here in Bergen they've turned off the rain for the Sykkel-VM and I decided to head out for a fjelltur to get in some miles and practice the Stoltzekleiven. After running across town, wending my way through the barriers set up for the bike race, I started up the Stoltzekleieven. No little kids there today. Just grown men passing me as they ran while I tried my hardest just to keep up a solid hiking pace. 21:24 was my time to the top. After a break I continued my run up to the top of Rundemanen where I stopped for lunch. Feeling good, I decided to try the back way around to Ulriken rather than just coming down via Fløyen. After going down the back side of Rundemanen, it's a short climb back up to the plateau that ends at Ulriken. There are some nice waterfall views and lakes to drink from along the way. It's a long way across the plateau to Ulriken across alternating rock fields and bogs. At Ulriken I stopped for a beer and to enjoy the incredible views. Last time we went up Ulriken it was inside a cloud. The climb down the Bjørndal is too technical for me to really run, but once I got back down the roads I could fly the rest of the way home. The roads seem so easy after an afternoon in the mountains!

Today I ran the roughly 10K route Zara and I scouted out last week around the lake, up Fløyen and back down through cruiseboat tourist land. I need to scout a route that goes another way down to avoid the cruiseboat tourist packed trails. I do like the lesser grade of the switchbacks on the trails down there. It's not very technical to run, so no problem when I'm tired!

A beautiful, sunny morning run today around the block. I haven't been counting my hiking mileage above; so it seems like I'm behind on my training, but I feel like I'm doing alright.

This afternoon we all headed out to find the waterfall near Fløyen I'd seen the day before from Damesgårdfjellet. We started up the steps to Fløyen and then veered left to follow the stream up Skredderdalen. During the course of the day we got a good look at Bergen's extensive water reservoir system. Having found the waterfall, we decided to continue on to one of the seven mountains we'd yet to climb: Sandviksfjellet!

Not really a run today, but probably still countable as training...

I went off to catch a Zapdos. This "legendary" pokémon is only available to catch until Monday. Failing that I decided to cross the channel and visit some new Pokégyms to get their badges. After walking for a while through a new part of town and getting a few new gyms, I realized I might be near another of the "seven" mountains of Bergen. Looking at Google Maps, sure enough I'd gotten to Gravdal behind Damesgårdfjellet and there was a trail up and over it and down into Melkeplassen!

So today was my first Bergen run in the pouring rain. I really shouldn't forget the necessity of band-aids on nipples, even on a short run in those conditions. OUCH!

Did the run up Fløyen this morning with the healthier half of a Deutsch cruise ship. (The rest waited in a line for the Floibanen that stretched all the way back to the fish market!) It was a pretty warm day, so I ended up taking off my shirt to make a little vitamin D on the way down. Good to know I can still turn a few heads, lol.

Today we decided to scale Ulriken. Well, I scaled it while Cara and the kids rode the cable car up. We all walked over beforehand, and they all came down with me though. We were in a cloud while we were up there, so there weren't much for views outside the occasional moment when the passing clouds cleared. There were sheep everywhere above the treeline, leaving copious amounts of poop. The kids enjoyed all the climbing, but it was a bit much for Cara.

I haven't been running much with all the packing and moving but now that I'm i Norge, I finally have the free time to get back to it. My run this morning was 4 km up Fløyen and then 4 km back down again. The route up required a good bit of hiking rather than running, but that earned flying back down. The café and overlook there at the top is a nice entrepôt to the wilder woods beyond that are replete with trails. I will shortly explore them.

I should prolly start thinking in kilometers. A marathon is 42.2 km. Most of the races are do are in km: 5K, 10K, 15K, 25K, etc. One of these days I'm going to go ultra and do a 50K. Norway is probably the place to do it. Nobody seems to half ass it there. I ran my 3.5 mile sidewalk loop from my apartment up to Whole Foods this morning. It was rough. Not sure if the heat or the hardness of the sidewalks was more of a factor.

Bloated from flying and dinner I did not make it far this evening.

I updated my weight goals for the Savannah marathon since I've actually gained weight in the month and a half between Nashville and Seattle. If marathon running can't keep me from getting fat though, I don't know what can!

Tiger mountain was today's challenge, with almost 3000 ft of vertical gain through ferns and briars beneath the mossy fur trees of the northwestern forest. I ran with Jacques, who appears earlier in this blog but got a job with Amazon and moved to Seattle. Tiger mountain sports beautiful views down to Sammamish Lake and Belluvue, north to Mount St. Helens and South to Mount Rainier. Sadly no volcanos erupted during out trip. Seattle people are a little crazy and have built a concrete launchpad atop the mountain that they jump off of to got paragliding. Just takes mountaineering to a whole new level!

We did not jump off the mountain today, but instead ran back down it. Going up was a challenge where I felt my calves burning and pushed on my quads with my steps to keep going. More power hiking than running really, although Sarah Lavender Smith would have the definition of running expanded to include any movement that's the fastest one can sustain across that terrain. Coming down was a challenge because it was steep, rocky, and there were a lot of hikers and dogs to dodge on the trail. Dogs just like to stand in front of your path to say hello.

It was good to catch up with Jacques. He's also trying to hire folks right now for his team. And he's been keeping up the trail running better than I have! Outside of that week in Boulder I haven't really been off the roads much in the past few months. The surprising thing is that I'm really back to 100% less than a week after my marathon. Maybe I'll slip in that Skogmaraton in August after all...

This past week in Hilton Head was mostly a bikeriding week. I did one 3.something mile run down to the Salty Dog with Brittan, but the stupid shins still didn't feel nice. So I went biking most days instead, even if it was raining. Sunday is the marathon. I haven't really gotten my weight down at all, but I'm still feeling pretty good about it. It should be cooler there than it was for the Nashville one in April, so hopefully that will propel me down to a new PR. We. Shall. See.

This morning we all (ABJLMZ) went on a bikeride to Starbucks. I got to have Lexi on the allycat behind me since she's not a real pro at biking yet. It was fun to all go together and sit up there together catching up. Jaime has many hassles to share dealing with divorced life. Lexi is so quiet and reserved compared to Zara, who's volume has been stuck on loud for a while now, but they've fallen right back in like two peas in a pod!

The shin splints are a real problem. I'm not sure what exactly I need to do about it. I was going to do a longer run tonight, but I ended up cutting it short because I kept having to stop to massage my shins. I need to do some research...

Running at low altitude this morning with Zinners meant rediscovering shin splints. #gravity

Ran from the place I'm staying in Boulder up to the trail between the 1st and 2nd Flatirons. Awesome trail and fairly technical to run back down.

Ran from the place I'm staying in Boulder up to the top of Mt. Sanitas and back. "Ran" is perhaps overly generous for a good portion of the steep uphill, but the downhill I was sure flying. Also stopped to climb the "Red Rocks", promonent tilted Triassic beds like one finds along much of the Front Range.

I really love the loop from Alora's place up around Piedmont Park and down the Beltline to Highland. It's a good way to start the day!

Okay, so last week kinda sucked for training. I did some yoga though. I think. The days just blur together. Cara is home all the time now that she's no longer got a place in the Irish lab (that whole graduating thing), so it can be distracting during my workday. Today was my second run with Zinny, and I think it must have been hotter. She did not do well and I was dragging her by halfway through. Also worth noting: hot pavement and sidewalks are not as nice as dewy grass on doggie footpads.

My second run of the week went better than the first, although my shoulder is sore because I took Zinny with me and she tugs alot. It might also be the last two nights of yoga though. Eiter way, the blisters are healing and didn't really bother me much this morning. Later this month Zinny and I are doing an obstacle course race together in Alabama on a team put together by Andrea Standridge, one of my friends from high school's little sister. It should be interesting...

May The Fourth Be With You!

So I laced up and went out to do my usual loop, but the blisters on my feet intervened. So instead I stopped at the gym and rode 3 miles on the stationary bike before running back home. It's hard because I want to push myself, but I know I have to let those blisters heal.

I've recalibrated by weight goals going forward based on today's reality. I did not expect to be 10 lbs heavier on race day than I was in January. I'm not even sure anymore that running really helps with the weight. I actually weighed more after the race yesterday afternoon than I did in the morning! C'est la vive. Additionally, I've tried to be more realistic about how much distance I actually have time to run, now that I've got a good handle on the exact lengths of the local routes I like to run. You can see the daily logs I hang in my bathroom to keep me motivated below. On to Seattle!

Did my usual loop this morning with much difficulty. My shins really hurt a lot. It is stupid and probably because I packed on an extra 10 pounds last week in Perrysburg.

I ran today along the shore of Lake Erie in a 5K that was about half children from the elementary school that it was a fundraiser for. Nothing quite so humbling as getting passed by little girls on the last mile. My shins and right ankle really hurt during the short race, probably because I've put on weight this week. I don't necessarily take very good care of myself when I travel. Too much opportunity to try new things I suppose. Although the novelty of Perrysburg is starting to wear off a little. It was my first race in Michigan though, so I can cross that state off my list now.

Short runs are easy to fit in, but I've struggled to make the time. Today I forced myself to just get out there and enjoyed running shirtless in the sunshine. It felt good.

Real run today, sans phone. Brought some much needed clarity.

Just a short pokérun this morning. I'm really sore in the legs. It's only my second run of the week. The first was the same loop Monday with Maxwell. After last weekend's 27K I'm having doubts about the marathon in April.

I ran Mossy Ridge in Percy Warner Park this morning. It was good to get back on that trail. I've been a slacker about running since starting the new job. In Ohio I ran for about 5 minutes in high winds and pouring rain before giving up. I've been trying to meet up with a new running buddy, but she keeps standing me up. This morning I just ran anyway. I think with her I need to just plan runs that I would be happy doing myself rather than going out of my way. If only Jacques hadn't moved to Seattle.

Today I took a pokérun again. These are fun. I've done several now. My right heel is sore. It has been sore since my first pokérun last week. I took a few days off last week to let it heal, but walking seems to make it worse. Ergo I am back to running.

Tonight I did a pokérun, which is an interesting variation on wind sprints. Basically sprint until my phone buzzes to indicate a pokémon, stop to catch said pokémon, then sprint some more. Unless it's a pidgey or a rattata, because I can catch those easily with one hand while running. To force myself to sprint I only allowed one footfall per section of sidewalk. Feel really great afterward. Think I might try a longer one tomorrow!

I signed up for a couple more races to fill out the next month: Race on the Trace 5 Miles and Fall Creek Thaw 15K. One I have done before in 2014 and the other I've been wanting to do for years. The Tennessee State Parks Running Tour races are only $8 to run, so it's silly not to run them more often. I'm surprised looking back though that the 2014 Race on the Trace was my last one!

Four miles today - the Whole Paycheck loop. I think my shins might finally be getting used to the sidewalks. Or maybe I'm just more consistently running on the adjoining berm. Either way I felt really good afterward. That's 15 miles so far for this week!

Another Wednesday run around the Mossy Ridge Trail of Percy Warner Park with Jacques today, one of our last as he'll be moving to Seattle soon. I'm excited for him to start a new job after these months off, but I'll miss running with him. He's become a good friend and sounding board in our weekly conversations.

Running this week has been a bit of a struggle. It's cold outside. And I didnt run very far with Jacques on Wednesday. We only did the 4.5 mi loop once. Last week I was ahead because of the 25K, but this week I've fallen behind and I don't know if I'll make my goal. It'll require a short run after our 5K tomorrow.

Tonight we did a 3 mile training run, and by we I mean Cara, Zara, Maxwell and myself! Cara had some difficulties toward the end with her knee, but the kids flew right through it. We are all doing a 5K in Kenturcky next weekend, which is how I convinced Cara to do the training run. It was a great time together in the park, as the weather was in the high 60's as the sun set on our run. I hope we can get out and do more together this year.