Wednesday Treadmill Run

Duration = 33:53
Distance = 2.25 miles

Wednesday: building-to-short treadmill session
Equipment: NB Minimus Trail WT10s, shorts, tech shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 1.75 miles @ 4.4 mph
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

Ok, today I remembered my shoes and the strap for the HRM, but I left the watch next to the computer.  This was run strictly to plan based on pace.  Only issue was some muscle spasms in the front of my left lower leg.

Tuesday Treadmill Session

Duration = 33:58
Distance = 2.25
Calories = 278
Max HR = 158
Avg HR = 142

Tuesday: building-to-mid treadmill session
Equipment: Nike Structure 12s, shorts, tech shirt, Suunto t6c HRM

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 1.75 @ 4.4 with HR in 150-160
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

This time instead of my HRM, I forgot my shoes.  Fortunately, I had a pair that I could use.  This was a very good run.  I can see, and feel, some improvement in conditioning.  The urge to push the pace is strong, but I think I need at least another session at this pace (4.4 mph) with declining heart rates before I increase the pace.  I'll likely stay here for this week and increase to 4.5 for next week.  Time will tell.

Details below (each lap is nominally 1/4 mile):

Lap	Time	min HR	avg HR	max HR
1	5:04	100	111	117
2	3:22	113	133	142
3	3:24	140	143	146
4	3:26	144	149	152
5	3:23	148	151	153
6	3:26	151	153	155
7	3:24	149	155	158
8	3:26	155	156	157
9	5:00	130	139	156
Total	33:58	100	142	158

Monday Treadmill Session

Duration = 33:51
Distance = 2.25

Monday: treadmill building-to-short session
Equipment: NB Minimus Trail WT10s, shorts, long-sleeve tech shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 25:00 @ 4.4 mph
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

Since I like to run full "laps", I finished with the lap closest to the target time.

I forgot my HRM, so I just ran the plan.  I'll need to get a few measured runs to see how I'm doing.  The target progression is 5 minutes added each week until I hit my target times each day.  (The shortest is 1 hour, so I have a while yet to build.)  Also, I'll yield to the fact I'm over 40 and plan a rest day.  Sunday was it last week.  Friday will be that day this week, and I expect I can just leave Friday as a rest day as it works well with most everything else I'm doing.

Yesterday, I signed-up for the USAF Marathon.  This will be my fourth time participating.  The first time was my first half marathon.  The other two were for the full marathon.  2010 is still my marathon PR at 6:45; 2011 was a DNF.  2012 will be run 6 weeks out from the Marine Corps Marathon.  I will plan to run to the gate at Mile 21 and make a call on how I feel.  Any risk to the MCM and I will ride the bus back to the finish.

Saturday Treadmill Session

Duration = 30:33
Distance = 2.0 miles
Calories = 249
Max HR = 159
Avg HR = 140

Saturday: treadmill building-to-long session
Equipment: NB Minimus Trail WT10s, shorts, long-sleeve tech shirt, Suunto t6c HRM

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 20:00 @ 4.4 mph with HR in 150-160
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

Today we ran the plan and finished with everything where I wanted it.  I did not exceed the target range.  I had no issues with completing the run at the planned speed  The only issue is that I still have a period early in the session, but not the start, where the HR reading goes wonky.  This usually resolves itself and the post-processing handles it pretty well.  For longer events, I don't think this will be a problem, but I may need to investigate conductive gels for shorter events.

Friday Treadmill Session

Duration = 31:03
Distance = 2.0
Calories = 242
Max HR = 158
Avg HR = 138

Friday: treadmill building-to-short session
Equipment: New Balance Minimus Trails, shorts, long-sleeve tech shirt, Suunto t6c HRM

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 20:00 @ 4.2 with HR in 150-160
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

This we originally planned as 20 minutes of 4.2, but after 10 minutes I was only up to 145 bpm, so I increased the speed to 4.4 mph.  I went ahead and completed the last little bit to have another 2 mile session.  The temperature was in the low 60s and that may have helped keep the hear rate down.  I'll try 4.4 continuous tomorrow to see if that bring me in on target.  I'm quite happy with this run.  My left calf was still a bit stiff, but maybe a bit better than yesterday.

Earlier in the day, I spent 26 minutes walking with my wife in the local neighborhood.  We covered 1.5 miles while we were at it.

Thursday treadmill session

Duration = 29:41
Distance = 2.00
Calories = 278
Max HR = 167
Avg HR = 150


Thursday: treadmill building-to-midlong session
Equipment: New Balance Minimus Trail (blue), shorts, long-sleeve tech shirt, Suunto t6c HRM

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 20:00 with HR in 150-160
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

The above was the plan.  I figured that 5.5 mph should be about right based on my run yesterday.  For various reasons, I decided to be conservative and started with 5.0 after the warm-up.  This did well until the HRM caught up.  I think the sensors on the strap loose signal until I start sweating.  Once I had a good reading I was already out of the range I really wanted to be in.  I finished the 1/2 mile at 5.0, but I started dropping the speed after that.  I eventually got all the way down to 4.2 mph.  The time when I finished 1.5 miles of running was close enough to the target of 20 minutes that I started the cool-down then.  Other than some slight stiffness in my left foot and lower leg, there were no issues with this run.

I was quite surprised by how much slower I had to run.  I figured that there might be some due to the grade of the treadmill because I tend to find running "for real" to be easier than my treadmill.  I'm sure that was part of it.  The other part, which I hadn't considered, was the temperature.  I ran outside yesterday in ~35F with some wind.  The temperature in the basement where I keep the treadmill is in the upper 60s F.  That was a good part of the rest.

The final item for today, and possibly related to the previous, was USAF strength training.  About an hour before doing my run, I did 5 sets of push-ups and 5 sets of sit-ups.  These were done to temporary muscle failure in the later sets.  These completely wiped me out and required some time before I felt ready to do my run.  The plan was to have done the strength training much earlier in the day, but I ran out of time.  Final counts today were 41 push-ups in 5 sets (2x15, 5, 2x3) and 48 sit-ups in 5 sets (4x10, 8).

First run of new plan

Duration =31:36
Distance =2.4
Calories =238
Max HR =164
Avg HR =138

Wednesday: short session
Equipment: New Balance Minimus Trails WT10s, shorts, tech shirt, jacket, cap, gloves

Warm-up: 5 minutes walking
Main: 21:36 aerobic run (~150 bpm)
Cool-down: 5 minutes walking

Basic out and back including 5 minutes warm-up and 5 minutes cool-down walking. I ran on a fairly level route to the local library and back. No significant issues. Temperature was just under freezing with a brisk NW wind, but the sky was clear and I was in the sun for most of the route.

2010 Perth City to Surf Half Marathon

Duration = 2:43:50 (official time)
Distance = 13.11 (Half Marathon)
Calories = 1661
Max HR = 198
Avg HR = 160
Running Index = 38

Sunday: Half Marathon race
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, tech shirt

Rain was forecast, but it never showed. This was a fun run through beautiful scenery and neighborhoods. The start is in the heart of the Central Business District. The first hill is almost immediate as we climb to enter Kings Park. Kings Park includes the Western Australia War Memorial and the Botanical Gardens. We run over the hill and out the other side before turning around and running back around the other side of Kings Park and out the same place we entered. This adds the 9 kilometers needed to complete the half. The rest of the route is the 12K that was the original City-to-Surf event and draws huge numbers. (The full marathon with 1,500 and the half with 3,000 represent a small part of the over 40,000 total participants.) We complete the first 10K as we rejoin the rest of the runners. (The full marathon run down near the river for the first half and then tuns the half marathon route to the finish.) The middle part of this race is run through local neighborhoods including Subiaco. The final section is in a park and the finish is in sight of the Indian Ocean.

This race is well supported with Powerade and water at all aid stops (roughly every 2km). There is a finishers medal and a finishers t-shirt (only in XL by the time I got there). Plenty of Powerade at the finish. They had run out of the fruit by the time I got there. Just past the finish area is a venue for the sponsors and company teams. There were also food vendors. I got a mango smoothie as it was available from the shortest line. There were shuttles back to Wellington Station near the start. This was a bit painful to wait on sore legs and feet, but the buses were being loaded about as fast as possible and there was a constant stream of them. From the station, I walked back to my hotel, took a shower, ate lunch, and took a nap.

My wife and I finished the day by meeting friends from Michigan who were also travelling in Australia.

Data:

Lap     Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min Dist  min/mile
A 1.  0:12:45.6 0:12:45.6 169 155 137 1.006  12:01
A 2.  0:25:48.5 0:13:02.9 163 149 142 1.045  10:39
A 3.  0:37:55.7 0:12:07.2 162 152 141 1.060  8:59
A 4.  0:50:23.0 0:12:27.3 169 158 146 1.017  11:37
A 5.  1:02:29.5 0:12:06.5 172 160 147 0.937  10:56
A 6.  1:18:01.5 0:15:32.0 169 161 148 1.261  6:25
A 7.  1:29:26.6 0:11:25.1 171 163 148 0.997  10:52
A 8.  1:41:32.8 0:12:06.2 168 160 149 1.025  8:09
A 9.  1:52:59.0 0:11:26.2 174 163 150 1.020  10:43
A 10. 2:06:19.8 0:13:20.8 179 158 138 1.002  10:14
A 11. 2:18:41.3 0:12:21.5 170 162 152 0.989  9:42
A 12. 2:31:13.1 0:12:31.8 177 170 153 1.042  10:35
A 13. 2:42:16.0 0:11:02.9 191 173 161 1.001  9:37

Take some of these paces with a large grain of salt as there were times the GPS was acting up. Also, the peak heart-rate occurred in the final 1/10 of a mile.

USAF Week 13 - Long Run (WPAFB)

Duration = 3:39:35
Distance = 14.00 (GPS sensor)
Calories = 1750
Max HR = 163
Avg HR = 139
Running Index = 45

Saturday: long run
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, tech shirt

Warm-up: 5:00 minutes walking
Main: Rest of 14 miles running with heart rate around 140
Cool-down: 5:00 minutes walking

This long run represents a preview of part of the marathon course. I ran the half last year on Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and, except for a block or two, that course didn't include the route I ran tonight.

I started running with thunderstorms in the area, but not right on base. This provided a nice breeze for the first part of the run. There was some light rain as well and this helped keep the mosquitoes down. In mile 2, I hit a porta-potty. I then ran fairly steady until just after the 6-mile point. By this time, I was on the far side of the base. When I hit a HR of 150, I walked it down to 130 and started running again. I maintained this for the rest of the run. At 7 miles, I turned around and retraced the route back to my start. At just under 2 miles to go, I stopped to take advantage of water on the route. I finished with a push for the last mile and then walked back to my lodging.

At this point, I'm feeling pretty good about the upcoming race. Between here and there is a trip to Australia including a half marathon in Perth.

Data:

Lap     Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min Dist  min/mile  
A 1.  0:15:32.5 0:15:32.5 139 117  82 0.996  14:46  
A 2.  0:29:48.6 0:14:16.1 144 137 123 1.001  13:40  
A 3.  0:44:01.6 0:14:13.0 149 141 132 1.001  14:12  
A 4.  0:58:15.0 0:14:13.4 146 142 133 1.000  14:13  
A 5.  1:12:50.2 0:14:35.2 147 141 131 1.000  14:35  
A 6.  1:27:10.0 0:14:19.8 147 143 136 1.000  14:19  
A 7.  1:42:26.6 0:15:16.6 150 141 124 1.000  15:16  
A 8.  1:58:04.0 0:15:37.4 151 142 129 1.001  15:36  
A 9.  2:13:57.3 0:15:53.3 151 141 128 1.003  15:50  
A 10. 2:29:40.7 0:15:43.4 150 143 128 1.002  15:41  
A 11. 2:47:21.5 0:17:40.8 150 135 115 0.998  17:42  
A 12. 3:04:39.8 0:17:18.3 151 139 127 1.005  17:13  
A 13. 3:23:55.3 0:19:15.5 151 135 119 0.994  18:11  
A 14. 3:39:30.2 0:15:34.9 163 153 139 1.001  15:38

USAF Week 13 - Thursday

Duration = 1:10:40
Distance = 5.00
Calories = 568
Max HR = 152
Avg HR = 140

Thursday: short treadmill session
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, tech shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 4.5 miles with HR in 140-150
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

Another short session on the treadmill. After the warm-up, I started running at 4.0 and increased speed until I was in the target range. I peaked at 4.7 mph. When I exceeded 150, I dropped back to 4.5 and stayed there until the cool-down.

I changed the battery in the stride sensor for my Polar HRM, but I was unable to get it working. I'll probably limp along with the current system until after the USAF Marathon next month. After that, I'll replace or repair depending on the likely cost either way.

Data:

Lap   Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min
1.  0:15:44.3 0:15:44.3 148 123  86
2.  0:28:52.8 0:13:08.5 152 146 139
3.  0:42:14.4 0:13:21.6 150 147 140
4.  0:55:37.2 0:13:22.8 150 147 141
5.  1:10:40.4 0:15:03.2 151 140 120

USAF Week 13 - Tuesday

Duration = 52:11
Distance = 4.00 (treadmill display)
Calories = 495
Max HR = 168
Avg HR = 153

Tuesday: short treadmill session
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, tech shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 3.5 miles @ 5.0 mph
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

Not much to tell. This was a short, fast session. I'd be happier if my heart rate weren't approaching 170 by the time I get to the cool-down. I did compare today with last week which was basically identical. I started with a touch higher heart rate, but I peaked just a touch lower and the recovery curve matched last week resulting in a lower finish heart rate. Really too small over too short a time to be statistically significant, but I'll take any reassurance I can get that I am improving.

Data:

Lap   Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min
1.  0:14:04.4 0:14:04.4 160 133  92
2.  0:26:06.7 0:12:02.3 165 162 154
3.  0:38:09.5 0:12:02.8 167 165 159
4.  0:52:11.1 0:14:01.6 168 157 132

USAF Week 12 - Long Run (Busse Woods)

Duration = 2:41:34
Distance = 10.00
Calories = 1252
Max HR = 157
Avg HR = 137
Running Index = 44

Sunday: Long run in Busse Woods
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, compression shirts, tech shirt

I was visiting friends in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. A request on the V-Boards yielded Busse Woods Forest Preserve as a place to do my long run this morning. The main loop is 7.7 miles long. This is mostly shaded with few long open stretches. My original plan was 16 miles by running the loop twice and a little. The first lap went well with only one quick stop for fluid balance. A mile into the second lap the buffalo burger from last night caught up with me. If I wasn't also tight on time, I would have finished anyway. I walked back to my car which just finished the 10th mile. While there appeared to be water pumps in several places around the loop, I bought water bottles and carried them.

I had no issues beyond the gastro. The compression shorts worked well.

Data:

Lap     Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min Dist  min/mile 
A 1.  0:15:17.1 0:15:17.1 145 122  75 0.996  14:51 
A 2.  0:29:46.5 0:14:29.4 144 140 133 1.008  14:22 
A 3.  0:44:47.2 0:15:00.7 149 138 122 0.989  15:10 
A 4.  0:59:17.2 0:14:30.0 151 145 137 1.004  14:26 
A 5.  1:13:16.7 0:13:59.5 153 146 129 1.000  13:59 
A 6.  1:28:21.6 0:15:04.9 152 143 126 0.976  14:30 
A 7.  1:42:27.9 0:14:06.3 157 145 130 1.026  13:35 
A 8.  1:58:49.4 0:16:21.5 151 139 117 0.990  16:05 
A 9.  2:14:05.2 0:15:15.8 149 142 130 1.006  15:10 
A 10. 2:41:23.5 0:27:18.3 137 123 111 0.996  19:28

USAF Week 12 - Thursday

Duration = 57:47
Distance = 4.00 (treadmill display; foot pod battery died)
Calories = 464
Max HR = 183
Avg HR = 140
Running Index = 42
Max Cadence = 108
Avg Cadence = 86

Thursday: short session
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, tech shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 3.5 with HR in 130-140
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

I was going to run longer, but fighting with the Polar stride sensor was pissing me off. It was all over the map. I think I would notice if all the sudden I dropped to a 70 stride/minute cadence from a 90 stride/minute rate. Then, just before the end of the run, the battery packed it in all together. If the variability weren't a standard characteristic of the stride sensor, I would just figure it was the dying battery. However, I think Polar (or at least their sensor) prefers a heel-strike as opposed to a midfoot-strike. It gets flakier the light my impact is.

I may end up getting a Garmin or Suunto HRM to see if they work any better than Polar. I may just drop the stride sensor and just use to heart-rate data.

Before the end, I threw in a quarter-mile sprint in the middle of the last mile. Trying to balance my speed needs with the miles I need for marathon training may have me running doubles (contrary to some recent discussions I've been involved in.)

Data:

Lap   Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min
1.  0:15:36.2 0:15:36.2 140 122  84
2.  0:29:17.9 0:13:41.7 149 144 138
3.  0:43:11.5 0:13:53.6 152 145 135
4.  0:57:47.4 0:14:35.9 183 149 125

USAF Week 12 - Tuesday

Duration = 52:12
Distance = 4.00 (treadmill display)
Calories = 499
Max HR = 171
Avg HR = 153
Running Index = 41
Max Cadence = 103
Avg Cadence = 86

Tuesday: short session
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, tech shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 3.5 miles @ 5.0 mph
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

This turned out to be a lot more intense than I intended. I'm basically off low HR training for the immediate future. I will start back into low HR training after I recover from the Mardi Gras Marathon in February. Until then, I will be doing intense strength training in preparation for my USAF fitness assessment. As this interferes with the adaptation low HR training provides, I've decided to up the intensity across the board. Also, after I recover from the USAF Marathon in September, I will also being adding some intense speedwork to improve my 1.5 mile times.

Data:

Lap   Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min
1.  0:14:02.6 0:14:02.6 159 129  86
2.  0:26:06.7 0:12:04.1 168 162 155
3.  0:38:08.2 0:12:01.5 169 166 160
4.  0:52:11.6 0:14:03.4 171 160 133

2010 Presque Isle Half Marathon

Duration = 2:34:29 (Official Time)
Distance = 13.1 (Half Marathon)
Calories = 1758
Max HR = 198
Avg HR = 170
Running Index = 44
Max Cadence = 98
Avg Cadence = 89

Sunday: race (long run)
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, tech shirt
Conditions:
Start: 71F, 75% RH, wind S 5mph, clear
Finish: 78F, 50% RH, wind S mph4, clear

Presque Isle Half Marathon, Erie, PA, USA

This was a nice little (~1000 finishers) race. The Erie Running Club provides good support for this fairly flat course. The most notable feature is a hairpin turn in the first mile. Most of the course has some cover from the sun, but this also reduces the amount of air flow. I noticed that I was pushing harder sooner in the race than in previous races.

The only significant issue, other than the heat, I had was severe thrubbage. I rubbed myself raw by the end of the race. I need to remember to wear my compression shorts or apply Body Glide. I didn't notice any issues with my ITB or my muscles.

I need to calibrate the stride sensor to my new shoes as it was reporting long.

Data (from Polar HRM; Time=gun time):

Mile    Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min
1.    0:12:21.7 0:11:40.7 160 151 121
2.    0:24:13.6 0:11:51.9 164 159 152
3.    0:35:43.6 0:11:30.0 167 163 153
4.    0:47:03.8 0:11:20.2 172 167 155
5.    0:58:25.3 0:11:21.5 175 170 164
6.    1:10:01.2 0:11:35.9 178 171 163
7.    1:21:06.9 0:11:05.7 180 176 171
8.    1:32:25.8 0:11:18.9 182 178 168
9.    1:44:00.5 0:11:34.7 182 178 164
10.   1:55:50.3 0:11:49.8 185 177 166
11.   2:09:44.7 0:13:54.4 183 172 155
12.   2:22:05.5 0:12:20.8 179 174 163
13.   2:34:26.3 0:12:20.8 198 178 164
part  2:35:12.5 0:00:46.2 198 190 180

[Posted 2010-07-21]

USAF Week 9 - Thursday

Duration = 58:44
Distance = 4.15
Calories = 436
Max HR = 143
Avg HR = 134
Running Index = 46
Max Cadence = 98
Avg Cadence = 84

Thursday: short treadmill session
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, t-shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 3.5 miles with HR in 130-140
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

Another short session. I didn't push as hard as Tuesday, but I did run further. I'm feeling good headed into the half marathon on Sunday.

Data:

Lap    Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min Dist  min/mile  
A 1. 0:14:15.9 0:14:15.9 142 125  87 1.001  14:15  
A 2. 0:27:45.1 0:13:29.2 143 139 134 1.005  13:25  
A 3. 0:41:26.6 0:13:41.5 143 139 129 1.004  13:38  
A 4. 0:56:13.5 0:14:46.9 142 136 117 1.006  14:41  
1.   0:58:43.5 0:58:43.5 143 134  87 4.148  14:08

USAF Week 9 - Tuesday

Duration = 38:27
Distance = 3.14
Calories = 332
Max HR = 186
Avg HR = 145
Running Index = 45
Max Cadence = 98
Avg Cadence = 84

Tuesday: short treadmill session
Equipment: Asics Gel-Nimbus 11s, shorts, tech shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 2.5 miles @ 5.0 mph (planned; actual included .5 of 7.0 mph)
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

This was a short, quick session. I wanted to push the pace a bit, so the plan was to run the stress phase at 5.0 mph (12:00 pace). This was going well and I have an eye on my Fit-to-Fight assessment, so I ran the first half of mile 3 at 7 mph (8:34 pace). I am very happy with the result. I had no issues with the mechanics of running at that pace. That was a bit over 4 minutes continuous at the pace (and 1/3 the distance of the assessment). Heart rate and respiration were still climbing when I slowed back to 5.0, but I was still able to get enough air to sustain the effort when I got to the planned end of that burst. I will continue to add speed to my Tuesday session.

The reported pace is likely a bit fast as I haven't calibrated the foot pod to the new shoes and, while the treadmill may have been a bit fast at times, I don't think the peak paces were really as fast as shown.

Data:

Lap    Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min Dist  min/mile  
A 1. 0:13:34.1 0:13:34.1 151 126  82 0.998  13:36  
A 2. 0:25:02.9 0:11:28.8 158 153 147 1.003  11:26  
A 3. 0:35:53.0 0:10:50.1 186 164 127 1.002  10:48  
1.   0:38:26.6 0:38:26.6 186 145  82 3.142  12:13

USAF Week 8 - Long Run

Duration = 2:28:38
Distance = 10.04
Calories = 1138
Max HR = 150
Avg HR = 136
Running Index = 45
Max Cadence = 98
Avg Cadence = 87

Sunday: long session
Equipment: Asics Gel-Cumulus 9s, shorts, tech shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 9.5 miles with HR in 130-140 (pushed a bit at the end)
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

I could tell right away this was going to be good session. During my warm-up, my heart rate stayed under 100 for the entire 5 minutes. Then, the heart rate was slow to enter the target range. I pushed the speed up to 4.5 until, after the end of the first mile, I hit 140 and backed off. I was pretty steady until 100 minutes when the treadmill rolled-over and had to be restarted. (Only the time starts over; all other values keep running.) After the restart, I worked back to 4.0. I stayed there until after the end of mile 7. I then pushed the speed to 4.1, and then to 4.2. I also allowed my heart rate to rise with a hard limit at 150 which I saw but never exceeded.

The only issues were a bit of stiffness in my left ankle and minor soreness in the right ankle. Both of these worked out nicely over the first few miles. I will wear the current pair of shoes through the race next weekend, then I will switch over to the newer pair for the shorter runs. I expect I will be ready to retire the current pair after the USAF marathon in September.

Data:

Lap     Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min  Dist  min/mile  
A 1.  0:15:11.3 0:15:11.3 139 115  85  1.000  15:10  
A 2.  0:29:03.0 0:13:51.7 141 139 134  1.000  13:52  
A 3.  0:43:44.0 0:14:41.0 144 139 134  1.006  14:36  
A 4.  0:58:43.2 0:14:59.2 141 137 131  1.004  14:55  
A 5.  1:13:41.6 0:14:58.4 141 137 132  1.004  14:54  
A 6.  1:28:38.2 0:14:56.6 141 137 132  1.003  14:54  
A 7.  1:44:11.8 0:15:33.6 144 136 122  1.004  15:10  
A 8.  1:58:43.4 0:14:31.6 143 137 129  1.004  14:28  
A 9.  2:12:58.0 0:14:14.6 148 144 134  1.006  14:09  
A 10. 2:28:27.4 0:15:29.4 150 141 118  1.007  15:23  
1.    2:28:38.3 2:28:38.3 150 136  85 10.042  14:45

USAF Week 8 - Thursday

Duration = 1:33:45
Distance = 6.02
Calories = 702
Max HR = 147
Avg HR = 135
Running Index = 44
Max Cadence = 100
Avg Cadence = 86

Thursday: sorta-long session
Equipment: Asics Gel-Cumulus 9s, shorts, t-shirt

Warm-up: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph
Main: 5.5 miles with HR in 130-140
Cool-down: .25 miles @ 3.0 mph

I have to stop just getting the one run in during the week, but at least I'm getting it in. No issues during this run. The treadmill was running well under the set speed, but I'm adjusting for heart rate so this isn't as bad as it would otherwise be. I did a quick stop near the end of mile three to swap clothes from the washer to the dryer.

Data:

Lap    Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min Dist  min/mile  
A 1. 0:15:36.5 0:15:36.5 143 124  93 0.997  15:34  
A 2. 0:30:16.4 0:14:39.9 141 137 132 1.007  14:33  
A 3. 0:47:14.4 0:16:58.0 141 135  98 1.003  15:00  
A 4. 1:02:16.4 0:15:02.0 141 137 130 0.997  15:04  
A 5. 1:17:17.7 0:15:01.3 147 140 133 1.007  14:55  
A 6. 1:33:33.8 0:16:16.1 145 136 120 1.006  16:09  
1.   1:33:45.0 1:33:45.0 147 135  93 6.021  15:13

USAF Week 7 - Long Run

Duration = 2:28:49
Distance = 8.34
Calories = 1249
Max HR = 161
Avg HR = 143
Running Index = 36
Max Cadence = 94
Avg Cadence = 69

Sunday: long run
Equipment: Asics Gel-Cumulus 9s, shorts, tech shirt
Conditions: >90F and 50% humidity at the start, some wind from the south that was mostly screened by trees

Warm-up: 5:00 walk
Main: balance of 12 miles with heart rate 130-140 (that was the plan)
Cool-down: 5:00 walk

I knew pretty quick that Plan A was out the airlock. What I settled on was run/walk til dark and call that "good enough". I would try to run near 15:00 pace, but that developed a higher than desired heart rate. I set a limit of 160 at which point I would walk until I was back in the mid 130s. The caused a lot of walking as just walking was keeping my heart rate in the 140s for quite a while before it was finally drop to my target. I used this run outside to get an idea of distances around different "blocks" near where I live. I now have a known route this is ~5 miles around. There is a convenience store on this route that I can use if I need something before I pass my house. I still need to gauge the larger available "block" to determine its length.

This was hard enough with the Polar HRM I use adding its own challenges to the situation. It seemed to loose steps occasionally. This impacts total distance, pace, and cadence. When I'm running I tend to be very consistent around 90 strides/180 steps per minute. When the reported cadence is in the 50-60 strides/minute ranage, I know it is whacked. I didn't run with the GPS sensor today, but that has its own issues. The Polar uses the stride sensor for pace/distance as the priority. It will only use the GPS for speed/distance if the stride sensor is not reporting. I would prefer to have the pace/distance to come for the GPS if it is available while still recording cadence.

Data:

Lap    Time    Lap Time  Max Avg Min Dist  min/mile  
A 1. 0:15:45.8 0:15:45.8 152 134 110 1.002  15:43  
A 2. 0:31:26.0 0:15:40.2 161 150 136 0.997  15:43  
A 3. 0:48:26.0 0:17:00.0 160 145 120 1.003  16:56  
A 4. 1:09:58.9 0:21:32.9 154 142 127 1.004  18:48  
A 5. 1:28:49.7 0:18:50.8 154 140 125 0.999  18:52  
A 6. 1:45:28.0 0:16:38.3 160 151 138 1.005  16:33  
A 7. 2:03:31.4 0:18:03.4 159 143 131 1.000  18:03  
A 8. 2:22:22.2 0:18:50.8 161 144 124 0.998  18:48  
6.   2:28:48.9 0:06:23.8 151 141 128 0.328  19:35