Recent Happenings

Recently, preparations and training for the upcoming ultra season have really picked up. My training has been solid with many great threshold workouts and some solid weekend long runs. My weekly volume has continued to climb hitting 19 hours, my highest so far this year. I have been connecting with lots of training partners for workouts too. I have been training with Dave H, Dave S, Tony, Eric, Craig, and of course Sundari recently. I have really enjoyed having other people to train with and to push each other.

This past week, Feb 27 through March 4, was my 19 hour training week with 6:30 of that volume coming in my back to back weekend workouts. I also did a cross training workout as well as some strength and a threshold workout with 15 minute reps. So far my build up is looking good and I am feeling great. My resting heart rate is showing that I am recovering well and getting even more fit.

I have been having lots of adventures in other areas of my life as well. A few weeks ago the Duluth Running Company had their 2011 team party across the bridge at the Thirsty Pagan. It was a great chance to meet up with lots of team members that I don't see very often. I was also honored to be named the 2011 Duluth Running Company Team Runner of the Year and Team Points Champion. It was a great cap to one of my best ultra seasons yet and the celebration with the team.

Some of the DRC team at the 2011 team party

Another bit of excitement came with the snow that we received this past week. I got a 4 season tent (the REI Arete 2) back in December of last year, and with no snow was not all that motivated to test it out. But the blizzard provided a great opportunity to see how it performed in snow, cold, and high winds.

My 4 Season Tent

I was really happy with the way it performed. The first night I noticed some dampness on my sleeping bag and some condensation on the upper inside walls near the top vent. The following night I changed the position of the vent and unzipped part of the side door vent and woke up to almost no condensation. The tent was really warm, even becoming too hot for my zero degree bag, and it felt rock solid under the weight of the fresh snow and the high wind gusts. The floor stood up to Sundari's nails and it was a flash to set up - even the first time in high winds and blowing snow/blizzard conditions. If you are in the market for a good all season tent the REI Arete 2 is a good option.

Under The Fresh Snow

Keep on keeping on, and have a great week!

Last Week Training and New Shoes

So far this year's training is off to a good start for me. Things have been coming together much better with sleep, nutrition, and recovery, and my workouts have been showing it. Last week my total volume was the highest since the end of last season at over 15 hours and about 100 miles. In addition to my regular runs and a great long run I did two excellent ANT workouts and saw just how well my anaerobic threshold is developing. This week will pail in comparison to the weeks to come this spring and summer, but for this time of year it was great!

Sundari and I post long run at Bagley. It was a great long run with Erik Nordgren.

The trail conditions at Bagley were still sad for skiing and snowshoeing, but great for trail running. Even the single track was not too icy!

My new road Minimus's

I also got some new road shoes at the beginning of this week, and I decided to try something new and go with the New Balance Road Minimus. I have really liked my New Balance trail shoes including the 101's and my new 110's, so I thought these might be a good fit too. The heal to toe drop is much lower than the Mizuno Precision and it is lighter weight as well. The fit and feel of the shoe is very similar to the 110 trail shoes. So far I have no complaints about this shoe, or my 110's. New Balance has really been doing some good things with their shoes lately! I think I am becoming a New Balance running shoe guy!

I hope training and life goes as well for us all this week as mine went last week!

Lightspeed Workout

Reduced weight treadmills, such as under water or air pressure systems, have become popular training tools for many elite runners. I have seen the systems before, but had never had access to one to train on. But recently the Duluth Y, where I do my strength and indoor speed workouts, purchased Lightspeed treadmill system.

The view looking at the treadmill screen

The Lightspeed works on the same theory that other reduced body weight treadmills do. That by running at a lighter weight you can train the body to have a faster turnover and run at a higher speed, while reducing the impact on your body and making recovery from a workout or injury easier. The Lightspeed system has the user put on a pair of thick spandex shorts (you have to purchase these - they get sweaty) which clips onto a bungee and frame system set up around the treadmill. You can raise or lower the harness to control how much lighter you become in the harness.

The frame of the Lightspeed around a treadmill

I ran a test workout on the system last week and, even with everything I have read about these systems, I was impressed. I normally weigh about 138 to 140 lbs, but while on this system I was down to 120 lbs. I began running at my normal easy run pace of 6:45 to 6:50. I quickly began to push the pace and see how I felt. Soon I was clipping off 6:35 miles, then 6:25. The Lightspeed allowed me to run :20 to :25 seconds per mile faster than my normal easy run pace while keeping my heart rate at 146 BPM which is well within my BE 1-2 training zone.

The shorts that hook into the Lightspeed system

I am really excited that I now have access to a Lightspeed treadmill for training. I think it will be a great tool for recovery runs after especially hard workouts and races or in the unfortunate situation I get injured (knock on wood).

Hope 2012 training is going well for all of you. Keep exploring the limits!