The 60+ mile week

Running

So you would think, having just finished putting my all out for the Monterey Half, that I would take it easy the following week.  You would think.

I took Monday off.  I was sore and Monday is my usual rest day.  

Once you have an official time you can enter that time into any number of websites and they will tell you things like predicted finish times for other races, pace time for training, and how to assemble an engine - uh, perhaps not that last one.  I went to the Jack Daniels running calculator.

I kept looking for the Whiskey links so I could order something.

So Tuesday I go for an "Easy" 60 minute run.

Wednesday I do repetition work but ignore Jack's advice and break into 7 and even high 6 minute miles.  I did a second "Easy" run for 6.3 miles.  It wasn't easy, my legs were tired.

Thursday is my day off, but I ignored that and ran on the Treadmill intervals, with 11:32 and 8:57 splits.  I held the faster sub-9 time for 10 minutes during one interval.

I did my usual 2 hour run on Friday.

Saturday I put in 7.3 miles meaning...that is I ran 16 miles or more on Sunday I would hit 60 miles for the week.

I decided to put in a 3 hour run today.  I hadn't done one in awhile.  The last time I ran for 3 hours I clocked more than 17 miles.  My secondary goal was to run it at my "Marathon" pace above which should net me 18+miles.

To put this amount of running into perspective let us consider much faster runners than me.  Tia Stone is an amazing amateur runner who can hold sub-6 minute miles in a 5 kilometer race and a personal record (PR) of just under 3 hours for a marathon.  Based on her Half Marathon PR, Jack says her easy pace is around 8 minute miles.  If she ran the ~10.5 hours just using easy pace (unlikely as she would mix in speedwork and tempo runs), she would run at least 80 miles.  Elite runners running 6 minute "Easy" miles would run over 100 miles a week, although they often actually train in the 120-140 mile per week range.  Still, I think this will be my time limit on running.

So at the end of the day I hit 18.09 miles in 3 hours and 4 minutes, more distance then I had ever run before in a single run.  I was unable to hold my Marathon pace due to the excessive wind.  I was hoping that since my running path was a loop that I would make the time up by running half the time with the wind.  However, the dehydration or exertion kicked the stuffing out of me.  My total miles for the week exceed 62 miles, another milestone (pun).

My legs hurt - I'm definitely taking it easy next week.

Culinary

My wife made tomato sauce from this summer's tomatoes and froze it:

We always get a bolus of peppers at the end of the growing season:

We often take bones from various dinners like, smoked chicken, smoked pork, and ribs from rib roasts to save for making beans.  It is usually proceeded with a: "this will be good in beans!"

The accumulation was getting out of hand, so I took all of these bits from the freezer and cooked them all day long.  The broth was thick with gelatin.  I saw a pork meniscus, but sadly took no photos.  I cooked some pintos in this broth.  They must be old pintos because they take 4 hours to become tender.

I also found some sausage left overs that I made.?  This got cooked in a skillet with onions, garlic, basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, cumin, white pepper, "New Mexico" hot chilipowder, and some left over tomato sauce that smelled of chicken cacciatore.  I then added the frozen tomato sauce and meat bits from the bone.

  The best frickin chili I have ever made!

The Monterey Half Marathon

Our journey begins on a bright and sunny morning, Saturday, November 15, 2014.  I'm pretty excited. My wife is wonderfully supportive.   This will be my first race with actual chip timers.  So we drink our caffeinated drinks, pack for an overnighter and head out the door.  Not having had breakfast, we stop in San Juan Bautista.

I looked for a happy Rooster...

Who knew roosters liked orchids?

The restaurant was supposed to be Italian, but having no prosciutto, I went with the chorizo with eggs.

We continued on and found our hotel.

Clean, serviceable and walking distance to the race start (15 minutes), fisherman's wharf (10 minutes), and the fun part of town.  I wouldn't choose it again, and there will be an again.

We checked in and then started walking to find the race start, and time ourselves.  We also identified the local caffeinated beverage supply that will be open in time for the race.

I was hoping to support local business, but none of them opened early enough.  All that walking required refueling.

I also picked up my bib number and swag bag.

I had hoped to surprise my wife with reservations to dinner that I made weeks earlier when I booked the room, but the restaurant called me while we were walking and she heard.  Still she didn't know where we were having dinner.  I told her it was on fisherman's wharf.  She then tried to guess which restaurant it was as we strolled the wharf and watched these mammals for a bit.

The sunset was also quite pleasing.

We went to dinner at Old Fisherman's Grotto.  My wife went with local fish (Sea Bass?).

I had a cup of their famous clam chowder - it was quite good.  I carb loaded in style with a seafood combo linguine plate.

In the evening I added the bib number to my running shirt.

The morning started at 5 am.  I set my phone alarm, but also arranged for a wake up call.  I always try to have a back-up, and it paid off as my phone did not go off.  I forget to set it for Sunday, instead it was set to go off on Monday.  For breakfast I had a bagel with cream cheese and a cup of English breakfast tea.  I'm used to loose leaf tea steeped using a stainless steel strainer.  The Starbuck"s tea tasted like the cardboard and paper it was served in.  Last call at the restroom.

We arrive at the race start and I find my corral.

I'm not sure how they assign corrals.  Was it based on my reported expected finish time (2 hours and 30 minutes)?  Or was it based on when I registered?  If it was based on finish time, then I will do better next time.
The start horn sounds.

My wife did a great job of getting running photos.  They charge crazy prices for the ones the half marathon photo people take.

My wife amuses herself while I'm running.

She makes it over to Cannery row as the slow finishers are coming in.

I really did this race just for the sea otter medal, the oatmeal cookie and the beef jerky.

2 hours, 7 minutes, and 4 seconds.
114th out of 282 in my age-gender group
1286 out of 2987 for gender
2553 out of 8905 in race
That puts me firmly in the first 50% of the pack, which was a goal.
Also my time goal was a sub 2 hour 10 minute, so I'm good there.  Next year I hope I can nail a sub 2 hour marathon.  I really appreciated all of the cheering people of Monterey, and beyond.  I thought the aid stations were well placed to supply us with water.  However, drinking out of a cup while running was a bit of a challenge.

I am most grateful to my wife for supporting this new craze of mine that I'm not actually that good at.  Still, I love running!

Conversations with my Left Leg

So I need to record an event.  I ran 15,2 miles in 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Why does this matter?  I averaged a sub 10 minute mile.
So?  You did that with the 12.7 mile run.  Yes, but this was longer and...

My right hip and my left leg have been troublesome since the sub 10 minute pace, 12.7 mile run.  I started asking myself: "Why are you wearing a hydration belt with two water bottles when there are drinking fountains on my route?"  The belt was aggravating my hip.  So I ran the 15.2 miles without my hydration belt, stopping to get drinks of water.  So even with stopping I managed an average sub 10 minute pace.  I also discovered a new stride, where by leaning forward I could hit an hold a sub 9 minute mile pace for awhile.  I got my first sub 9 minute/mile pace (8:50) during mile 13.  I ended those 15.2 miles feeling pretty strong and like I could run more miles.

Okay, but what about the left leg?  Yeah, my left extensor digitorum longus has been barking at me even on slower runs.  It cramps up and I even almost fell during one of these episodes.  I thought maybe I would try to do speedwork all the way until 10 days before the Monterey half marathon.  My left calf convinced me otherwise and I stuck with the original decision to run the 2 weeks before the race using slow Maffetone miles (where I keep my heart rate below 135).  Even on these miles my calf was complaining.

Me: "Hey, why are you cramping up?  It's only mile 2 and I'm running really slow here."
Left Leg: "Don't want to run."
Me: "Sorry, we need to run."
Left Leg: "And what will you do if I decide to quit on you?"
Me; "Oh please, just settle down and run, it really isn't that fast."
Left Leg: "Run slower."
Me: "How about that?"
Left Leg: "Slower"
Me: "Okay, how about now...Hey!  We're walking."
Left Leg: "Finally, you get the picture."
Me: "No way, back to running."

After, about mile 3-5, my left leg settles into a grumpy, resentful, truculent, reasonable pace.  Running this slow is very boring, but I am determined to be in good shape for the race.  I am very tempted to explore that sub-9 pace, but that will have to wait for afterwords and maybe become my goal for the Santa Cruz half marathon.

Culinary

I bought a "Dry British Ale Yeast."  After a summer of sweet under attenuated Belgian beers, I'm ready for something lighter.  I brewed a bitter.

Please don't boil over.
Bitters aren't actually bitter.  They are characterized as "Session" beers that are quite easy to drink.  I bought  8 ounces of Kent Golding hops to make a traditional British bitter.  The next beer in the series will be an American style, almost pale ale like as I showcase Simcoe hops.

 Cordless drills are so useful for taking hose clamps off and putting them back on.  The white pill is "Whirlfloc" for removing cloudiness.  It lies on top of the finishing hops and next to the flavor hops, all Kent Golding.  The efficiency for sugar conversion was greater than 85% just as I predicted.

 Hmmm, phone taking random picture of drive way.

 Bucket with spoon and volume measuring stick.  I put the spent grains in the green waste, or my own compost bin.  The hose is connected to my counter current wort chiller from Blichmann.

 Ahh, pure, cooled and clean wort being added to the yeast starter.

 I found this 2000 Barolo Reserva sitting in my wine rack, it was full when I opened it, but not for long.