Mount Whitney in 2 Weeks?

So far this year I have:

1. Run in Tokyo
2. Run in Boston
3. Run in Rome
4. Run in Brooklyn 
5. Run in London
6. Run in Peoria
7. Run in Encintas 

Today a random request came across my phone. I've always wanted to do this but haven't really thought about it in years. The request "My partner is injured, do you want to climb Mt. Whitney on July 15th" 

Hell Yea! 

It's a good life.....

Dave

Run Test June 27, 2017

Before I get to run testing, this Friday we are heading to Hawaii to see this boy or should I say man. He's based there with his Marine unit and we haven't seen him since he shipped out in February. The longest time we've ever been apart. We already have a plan to run and can't wait for the other things we are going to do with him. That tattoo is new and it's the single cover to the song Vicarious by Tool. More impressive than the tattoo is the size of the arm. 

Today was run test day. I've been really bad at consistently doing any kind of testing. I've committed to doing it because it's the only way of knowing if what you are doing has any effect. I've settled on a loop that's easy to get to and basically closed to traffic. There are two roads you have to cross and every once in awhile you have to stop for cars but it's rare. For those of you who know San Diego North County running the look is the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Course trail. It's 4.53 miles and it's not easy. It's rarely flat, there are a couple sustained climbs one sustained decent and then a bunch of sections that are either 2% going up or 2% going down. Most of it is on wood chips and some of it is thick. 

The one thing you may have read is as you get closer to 50 your ability to recover is the biggest change in your running or endurance activities. I've really started to notice that this year. That's why I'm playing around with the length of a block. It used to be I could go on 7 days rotation but there isn't enough rest anymore in 7 days. So right now any long or hard stuff is separated by 8 days. This includes 1 day completely nothing and one day with no legs. This test proves that maybe I need more recovery. I'll keep at it test again and decide. 

My current pre-workout drink. What I like most of all is out fast it clears through my body. 

The Test

Today.                                                                   1 Month Ago

M1 7:18                                                                7:11

M2 7:57.                                                               7:35 

M3 7:15.                                                               7:09 

M4 7:15.                                                               7:13 

.53. 3:39.                                                               3:43

33:25.                                                                   32:53

The first 2 miles seemed dramatically hard today. It was much hotter today and the sun was bright where last month it was cooler and overcast. Next time I'll be sure to go earlier when it's cooler to see if that is the key. Overall I'm pleased for a couple reasons: 

1. I did the test
2. I was really dizzy during the first mile and instead of baggin it I stuck to it. 
3. I felt much stronger on the hills. 

It's a good life....

Dave

Swimming Into Shape

I know this isn't a swimming photo. It's the hill I finish every ride on. It's another good test about feeling in shape. When this hill is easy then I'm getting there. 

I love swimming for the simple fact that when I'm in shape in the pool, I'm in fairly good shape everywhere else. I'm not a sit in an swim kind of guy. When I go to the pool my intentions are to go until my arms feel like they are falling off. My swim program is simple, 3 master's sessions each block which currently is every 8 days. Because it's not set on 7 days the swim days are not consistent. This creates some problems in that there are no easy swim days.That's what I want "I think" anyway. The workout today: 

Just the Main Set

Base +5.                                   Base.                          Base -5

100                                           100                              50.         Round 1

200.                                         2x100.                         2 x 50.    Round 2

300.                                         3 x 100.                       3 x 50.    Round 3

400.                                         4 x 100.                       4 x 50     Round 4

The total swim was 4500 yards. I led the lane, the base was 1:30 and I just made it on 40 seconds for the 50's. Not in fast swim shape but just leading a set like this was confidence building. 

It's a good life....

I'm Back for More

Here's the set up.
1. Personal and Mind dumping - Endorphin Fanatics
2. Running Shoes - shoeranger.com next posting on shoe ranger is the costing of a running shoe. Shoe prices are going up and the brands have been reacting by cutting some costs.
3. The Running Industry - runningshoeinsight.com - Last post was a shout out to Hoka. They are the new kid on the block and really have a thing but they are not trying to change the block they are falling in line.

This picture was just that, a picture I took while out on a bike ride. This is my typical 1 hour easy ride. This is the beach in Del Mar. It's a beautiful place to be any time of the year. It's one of the few beaches that has a park full of grass just before the sand. You can literally go the to beach and not get sandy. 

The summer between my Sophomore and Junior year in college this beach was a daily visit. I worked as a life guard. A dream job in California. I was not a beach guard, I was a pool guard and swim teacher. I worked at a pool in central Escondido. Most cyclists in this area know Escondido as the town you have to go through to get into the mountains of San Diego. On days where we weren't teaching swim lessons, three of us would drive down Del Dios Highway to this beach. We would body surf for an hour or so, have breakfast then get to the pool in time to open it for the day. That was a great summer. 

Now that beach is simply on one of the rides. It's 6 miles from the house and unless I'm riding, I rarely go there. Body surfing is done at Moonlight Beach these days. 

It's a good life.....