Running With Jack

Where did the weekend go, I thought we were supposed to have more time during tapering? Let me try to catch up…

On Friday night my wife had a company dinner, so I went for a two hour run on my hilly course in Weingarten. It was a humid 26C/79F and sunny as I set out. I warmed up with a relatively flat kilometer, than started up the first hill. I hadn’t run any real hills for a couple week and felt this as I rounded the top and started down again. I ran halfway down than started up again on a portion of the 50-mile race course – the steepest portion! With the high humidity I was drenched by the time I got to the top – I hope it’s cooler during the race.

I continued over the race route for about 30 minutes, eventually running down a long steep hill in the full sun into the town of Johlingen. To the amazement of a couple dog walkers I then turned around and ran back up again. I heard a remark from one of them about being crazy to run in this heat…

I paused at the top of the hill long enough to drink some water, then headed back towards the cooler woods. I ran another half hour or so over the rolling hills, then headed back to the car, finishing in just over two hours. I ran at a slightly faster pace then most of my hilly long runs, that with the high humidity left me comfortably tired by the end of the run.

On Saturday it was again warm, sunny and humid, around 31C/88F. My wife got home late from her company dinner, so I tried to be quiet to let her sleep in. I picked up around the house and did the dishes. It was a nice day so I decided to grill lunch, steak, bratwurst, peppers and potatoes. Later in the afternoon I decided I needed to work off some calories, so went for a bike ride, around 28K/17.5 miles.

When I got home my wife wanted to look at camcorders, so off we went to the electronics store. We ended up buying a Sony DCR-SR 35E, which had good reviews and seems like a decent mid-price camcorder with a harddrive.

On Sunday the temperatures again shot through the ceiling (33C/92F), and the humidity was worse than Friday. With it becoming even more likely that race day will be more of the same, I decided some heat training should be on the agenda, so I implemented my patented (not really) technique:

1. Sit for 3 hours in the sun and bake.
2. When the humidity is at its worse, e.g. when the thunderstorm clouds start gathering in the distance, go for at least an hour run on a sunny asphalt bike path.

I made it back just as the first raindrops began to fall…and I was pooped…it was hot! A couple of neighbors were eyeing me strangely from their shady lawn chairs as I ran up to the house – my clothes were soaked and I was dripping streams of sweat…anybody want a hug ;-)

This morning is again super humid and the storm clouds are moving in. The initial weather report for this coming Saturday’s 50-mile race is 24C/75F and cloudy, I can only hope. If not then I know that I can handle the heat, I only need to keep the pace down and drink like a fish.

Have a great week!

Posted by Jack at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Saturday at 5:00 p.m. I met members of my running club at our trailhead for a run. Normally I don’t run on Saturday’s with the club as I do my long run on Saturday morning, but I did my long run on Friday night in preparation for the upcoming 50-mile race. My legs were a bit tired, so I showed up early and warmed up with a 7-8 minute run before heading out with the group over the 11K loop.

I fell in with the mid-pack group, several who were recovering from races, including the Mannheim marathon that I also ran. We started out at an easy pace, around 6:12/K (10:00/mile). I was in no hurry, my legs were still recovering from the almost 3-hour hilly run the night before (and the marathon the week before). After about 5K those recovering took the shorter route back to the trailhead and I continued on with a couple of the guys who wanted to run the entire loop.

We seemed to immediately pick up the pace, which kind of worried me, but my legs held up as we cruised around. We did a faster 2-3 kilometers, whereas I fell several paces behind, than backed off again, whereas I caught them again. I didn’t watch the time for each individual kilometer, but we ended up averaging about 5:25/K (9:00/mile) for the last 6K.

I ended up with 80K (almost 50 miles) for the week, not bad for a “recovery week” after a marathon. I attribute this to running the marathon at about 45 seconds/mile under my normal marathon pace, which allowed me to recover much faster. I should mention that my legs are not fully recovered, but enough to continue my training anyway.

On Sunday my legs felt good enough to do some cross-training. I decided to do some cycling, whereas I cycled around 40K (25 miles). This gave my leg muscles a good workout, but without stressing my running muscles. When I got back I also did about 10 minutes of rowing, whereas I used the upper body as much as possible.

This evening (Monday) I want to run around 20K at marathon pace, we’ll see how the legs hold up. Have a great Monday!

Posted by Jack at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday I had intended on meeting a few people from my running club for a run, but got home late from work, so headed out on my own. I was hoping for a tempo run, but as I started out I knew my muscles were still aching too much from Saturday’s long run and Sunday’s Crossfit session. After 10-15 minutes my muscles loosened up some and I was at least able to run a few 8:00 minute miles before finishing my 9K/5.5M loop in the dark.

I have been looking at different cross-training possibilities over the summer and have decided to give Crossfit a try, which has become obvious if you have been reading my posts for the last week. I have tried to do weight training, supplemented with swimming but find lifting free weights to be a bit stale. The diversity of exercises that Crossfit offers, as well as the severity, is quite refreshing. I look forward to continuing the program at least until race season begins, and from there we’ll see.

Posted by Jack at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This afternoon was bright, sunny and in the upper 80's. My knee was feeling good, so I decided to try an extended walk. I walked part of my normal running route covering around 12K/7.5M at about a 11:00/K (17:34/M) pace, which I consider to be okay considering I still have my stitches in the knee.

I'm heading to the doctor on Monday before work, I hope he share my feeling that it is time to take the stitches out.

If all goes well I want to try to run a few miles at least by Tuesday night, but I'll see what the doctor says and how my knee feels - I'd rather be a bit overcautious than to do too much, too soon.

Have a nice weekend!

Posted by Jack at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My knee seems to be getting more flexible each day and I only have a bit of pain when I have to traverse too many stairs or uneven ground, e.g. when I take the train to work and back. After dinner last night I was feeling fat so as my wife went upstairs to study, I headed out for a walk. I headed out over the first couple kilometers of my running route, which are mostly asphalt covered and even-surfaced. I tried not to bend my knee too much as I walked and before I knew it I had 5K behind me and was back at the house, no trouble at all.

I have a theory that I must have some tissue damage or something in the knee as I have pain in the knee itself from time to time, as opposed in the location of the cut. I know I hit the ground pretty hard with both knees when I tripped a week ago. I was also thinking about the tripping incident – I tend to believe now that one of the main reasons that I tripped was because I was still nursing a pulled muscle in the other leg which was causing me to shuffle as I ran, e.g. I wasn’t picking my feet up as much and my stride was deceased. I guess the lesson to learn here is to try to stay on more even paths while healing.

So tonight I want to do some more upper body weight training. I am also thinking about different resistance exercises that I can do for my good leg – got to keep those muscles toned :-)

If my knee feels up to it I will probably keep walking every other day, if nothing else this perks me up and burns a few calories too. I have been maintaining my weight this week, but I want to lose at least 5 lbs. before my marathon in mid-Sepetember! Got to have goals, right.

Posted by Jack at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

My knee seems to be healing nicely, the swelling has disappeared and the wound itself is clean and mending. On Saturday I spent 15 minutes lifting free weights in my shed, careful not to bend my injured knee. This afternoon (Sunday) I went for a 2-mile walk along a flat asphalt bike path around town. I'm sure my limping along, trying to keep my left leg straight looked pretty funny to the many people that passed on their bicycles, but I didn't care - I was happy to be out and about.

I want to try to continue with weight lifting and walking throughout the week until my stitches come out on Monday the 27th. I am hoping I can start running right away, but really don't know if my knee will be too still the first few days or what. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Have a nice Sunday and new week!

Posted by Jack at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Last night I did a short upper body workout with free weights, mixed with some push-ups, sit-ups and assisted pull-ups. I also did some domestic cross-training, i.e. housework, allowing my wife time to study. My right foot feels pretty good except when I walk up and down stairs. I am going for an easy run tonight and see how it feels – if it still is quirky then I will postponed Thursday’s planned long run until Saturday.

We have another holiday on Thursday and Friday I’m taking a day vacation, I love living in Germany sometimes…

Posted by Jack at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night I help a friend who is moving to a new apartment move some heavy furniture. I finished off this upper body workout by lifting free weights for 15-20 minutes when I got home. This morning I feel the “workout” in my arms and shoulders. Tonight I have an easy run on the schedule, then another one on Friday.

Sunday I plan on running the Northern Black Forest Marathon in Egenhausen, about an hour’s drive from where we live. This is a low key marathon that welcomes runners, walkers, and Nordic walkers. It consists of two hilly loops over diverse trail types ranging from asphalt to gravel to single track forest paths. I want to use this as a practice run for my 80K/50M event coming up in June. So basically I will power walk the uphills and run the rest.

Last year I finished in 4:42:00, this year I’m not setting any time goals as it is more important that I take it slow so I don’t have any interruption in my training plan.

The Westerwald 50K Forest Run

Last year I completed the Westerwald 50K Forest Run as my first 50K event. This year I am also thinking about running the event, which takes place on May 17th. Each year the organizers change the route, trying to keep the trail interesting and challenging. This year I think they have outdone themselves with the latter part, check out the profile (elevation in meters, distance in kilometers):

Posted by Jack at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday’s weather was the exact opposite of Saturday’s: sunny, warm (16C/61F), no wind, blue skies. My wife went next door to spend a couple hours with a sick neighbor, so I decided to take a walk. I headed out over the same route that I ran on Saturday morning, but this time instead of being pelted with rain and hail I was flooded with sunshine. It was an unseasonably warm day and people were out in droves, walking, running, and cycling. I power-walked for about two hours, covering somewhere between 13-13.5K (8+ miles), good for around a 9:00/K (14:30/M) pace. It was a good workout and not quite to hard on the legs as running the same. More importantly it helped burn a few of the calories that I seemed to have accumulated during the last week or two of tapering.

The walk really helped clear some of the baggage that has been eating away at the back of my mind. For example, I have been kind of stressed out about my marathon next Sunday. Although I have tried to be relaxed about the whole thing, I have actually been more nervous about the race than I care to admit. My training has not been as aggressive as it was last year and I’ve been concerned that I will pay dearly for it on race day. Anyway I’ve come to terms with myself and am going to just go and enjoy the race and not be too concerned with when I finish. My main concentration will be to try to maintain a consistent pace throughout the race, something that I have not achieved with my first four marathons.

Posted by Jack at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last night I sought out a new way to induce pain on my poor old body, or in other words did some calisthenics and weight training. I am a complete beginner to weight lifting, so more or less do whatever pops into my head. I am working on a more serious plan, I just haven’t seemed to get around to finishing it yet. I think what I have been doing is effective, as it is putting muscles into action that have been neglected for a long time.

I jotted down my workout last night as a means to document my progress. If any of you are familiar with crossfit you may notice some resemblance:

25 jumping jacks
20 toe-touches
20 pushups
20 sit-ups
20 abdominal stretches
20 squats (body weight)
(pause)
20 pushups
20 sit-ups
20 abdominal stretches
20 squats (body weight)
(pause)
10 chin-ups (3 correct/7 jump)
20 pushups
20 sit-ups
10 ring hangs (jumping up and locking my arms straight on the gymnastic rings and holding in this position for 5 seconds)
10 bench press (approx-55-60 lbs)
(pause)
50 jump rope
10 chin-ups (jump)
10 shoulder press (machine)
10 squats (machine)
20 pushups
20 sit-ups
(pause)
10 bench press
20 leg curls
10 bench press
10 ring hangs
10 bench press
(pause)
10 chin-ups (negative)
10 bench press
10 squats (machine)
10 barbell rolls
10 clean and jerk
(pause)
20 seated cable rows
20 abductor press
20 pushups
20 sit-ups
20 abdominal stretches

This took about 55 minutes to complete. The “pause” between groups was usually between 30-60 seconds, so this was a fairly intensive workout (for me at least). I know I need to organize the workout so I am exercising all the major muscle groups and in the right order. But this combination of calisthenics, gymnastics and weight lifting is the direction I am trying to take this cross-training effort.

As always I am open for suggestions.

Posted by Jack at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thursday = Rest Day

I did do 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups for breakfast.

Upcoming training:

Friday = Weight training
Saturday = Long run, about 3 hours
Sunday = At least an hour run, easy pace.

Posted by Jack at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I am having another busy week at work this week so have limited time to blog. Last night I did a good gymnastic/callisthenics and weight training workout at home.

By the way my “home gym” is growing. I picked up a weight bench, barbell, 2 dumbbells and about 60 kgs. of free weights for around $12 on e-bay last week. I also found a set of new gymnastic rings for about the same price. The weight bench and weights are old, but totally functional. I only need to build a squat stand and I should be good for anything that I want to do at home.

Tonight will probably be another run with my headlamp, as I expect I will be working later. We have been having a lot of rain this week so it will be interesting trying to stay out of the mud puddles.

Posted by Jack at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I wanted to go swimming after work yesterday, but worked late again and had no desire to do so after the end of a long day. Instead I spent a half hour doing some gymnastics and weight training, including:

100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
20 pull-ups (jump)
40 squats (body weight)
bench press
shoulder press
two arm row (I think it’s called)
etc.

Tonight I am hoping to get off work at a reasonable time so I can run with my running club tonight – if not it will be another run by flashlight.

Posted by Jack at 6:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have been wondering this lately, so I decided to ask Merriam-Webster:

Gymnastics - Physical exercises designed to develop strength and coordination.

Calisthenics - Systematic rhythmic bodily exercises performed usually without apparatus.

So where do all the push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, squats, etc. that I have been doing fit in? With either one really, but since I use various "apparatus" (jump-rope, weight bar etc) I will use gymnastics.

Last night I spent two hours working on a frame to support my new shoulder press machine. Basically this involved splicing several 60 x 80 mm boards together and drilling a bunch of holes. This frame will in turn be fastened to the massive timber beams upstairs in my shed (I’ll take a picture when I’m done).

I also did an aggressive (for me) gymnastic/weight training workout including:

120 - Push-ups (sets of 20)
100 - Sit-ups (sets of 20)
30 – Squats (sets of 10)
10 – Squats (with 30 kg)
10 - Jumping pull-ups (use as much leg push as needed, lower slowly)
10 - Pure negatives pull-ups (climb to top using whatever means necessary, then lower slowly)
etc.

My grand finale:

Approx. 12 minute round robin of: 10x each dumbbell shoulder press/curls/bench press followed by 1 minute of jumping rope – repeat until muscle failure.

Despite using very low (almost laughable) weight, this workout still left me whimpering like a puppy.

My weight is still 73 kg/161 lbs. (same as last Wednesday), but I swear my jeans feel looser this morning :-)

Can anyone recommend a standard weight training program that I can use? In the moment I am just doing whatever pops into my head, I need to get organized with my weight training.

Posted by Jack at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Sometimes I love E-bay, especially when I see neat little toys like this:

This machine used to sit in a fitness studio, now it is sitting in my garage waiting to be set up. For $30 I just couldn't pass it up.

Oh, and I got in a great workout picking it up with a friend of mine, it weighs something like 90 kg/200 lbs. - we had to demount it from a wall and carry it down a couple flights of stairs!

Posted by Jack at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Last night I did some cross-training. I have had a lot of trouble motivating myself to go up in the shed and work with my free weights, so I decided to take a different approach. Here is an outline of my little torture session:

- 10 minutes of gymnastic stuff, e.g. pushups, situps, crunches, leg lifts, etc. - one after another.
- 20 minutes of light-weight weight training exercises trying to work most of the upper muscle groups.
- 5 minutes on exercise machine, e.g. rowing, leg presses (?), resistance stuff.
- 10 minutes of weight training with concentration on the legs, e.g. squats etc.
- 5 minutes on the stationary bike.
- 10 minutes of gymnastic stuff, e.g. pushups, situps, crunches, leg lifts, etc.

This seemingly harmless little workout kicked my butt, I thought I was in better shape with all the running I’ve been doing. I’m such a wimp. I have a lot of hard work ahead of me if I want to compete with Superman.

Have a great day!

Posted by Jack at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It was bright and sunny when I got off work yesterday, so I decided to go for a bike ride rather than swim. I rode about 30K/19M with my trail bike, in the process mapping out a new 21K/13M running route for the winter. It’s all flat, well protected by forest against the upcoming winter winds and runable in the dark. I will use this route for a medium long run or when the weather is too nasty to run my long runs on my hilly route.

After returning home I decided to dust off my free weights in the shed. It has been months since I used these. I worked on the upper body for about 20 minutes and finished off with several sets of pushups and crunches. This morning my body reminded me just how long it has been since I went bike riding and did weight training, I’m pretty sore.

My diet is going well, I was 76 kg/168 lbs on Monday morning, and have already dropped 3 pounds. I really haven’t done much more than to cut out sweets and take smaller portions. I generally also limit my meat consumption to 3-4 times a week and try to limit fatty foods on a regular basis.

Tonight I’m going to stop at the swimming pool on the way home from work and get my swim in that I missed last night. If my wife doesn’t require my attention I may go for a 45 minute run as well, otherwise I will save this for Friday night.

Posted by Jack at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

After Saturday’s easy-paced 10K race I was left with overabundant energy, so put it to use yesterday in checking out some new running trails with my mountain bike. This winter I don’t plan on driving to the neighboring town of Weingarten every weekend to run on my hilly trails, so I was looking for an alternate route in the forests around where I live. I have also been running the same 14K/8.7M trail on my shorter runs for almost 2 years, so am looking for some new scenery.

Anyway I rode my bike the 4K/2.5M to the trailhead of the Graben Running Club trails and started exploring some of the narrower logging and game trails that weave through this wooded area. I found several possible alternatives and will probably try the first one this evening. In any case I managed to accumulate around 32K/20M on my bike by the time I got home, a good portion of the mileage on muddy forest paths.

This week I am tapering for my 50K that I am running on Oct. 21st. My tentative training is as follows:

Monday (tonight): 14K/8.7M easy pace run
Tuesday: Swim night
Wednesday: Running with Graben Running Club – 11K at faster pace.
Thursday: Easy-pace run
Sunday: 10K race

Yes, that's a 10K race on Sunday - I decided to run a 10K race next weekend as well. Hopefully I can channel my tapering energy into a new PR and still survive my 50K race six days later. Stay-tuned!

Posted by Jack at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In any case my 50K race is coming up on Thursday morning (a holiday in Germany Ascension Day). Tuesday I want to take a 20 minute jog, but otherwise I will be chilling out the best I can until the race. I am really looking forward to the race, am slightly nervous, but I know if I concentrate on going out slow and take it easy on the uphill sections I will be fine. I?m not really interested in setting any records, I just want to take it easy and finish. Early weather reports are calling for a mild 21C/70F and partly cloudy, which would be just about right.

We?ll see what happens. Have a great week!

Posted by Jack at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)