The Eugene Diaries: Chapter 14
Life on the road
I don’t really travel for work a whole lot, so when I do, I’m always reminded how much it affects me. How much harder a simple six-mile run feels.
I was in Vegas this week and I wasn’t even participating in the Vegas of it all and yet, every time I got on the treadmill for a run, I felt the trip in full. Seven miles, 14 miles, six miles, etc.; Whatever run I did, I found myself wondering why it felt so hard, why it wasn’t easier, and wondering how it would feel to run on my trail again back in Omaha. Fatigue from the trip played a part, as did the gym in general. It was hot in there. Certainly much warmer than my gym at home.
I thought about running outside but running amidst the hustle and bustle of Fremont Street seemed like a bad idea. I also didn’t have a car, so taking an Uber to some trail wasn’t in the cards either. So, I’d get up, make my way down to the fifth floor, run on the treadmill, and get on with the rest of my day.
Thankfully, everything other than the runs made for an incredible trip with coworkers and friends. Laughs were had and memories were made. I won’t let a few bad runs stick with me.
Hell, I can’t. The Eugene Marathon is now 27 days away.
This week in podcasting:
My guest on episode 44 of Chasing Three Hours was Ron Ruhs! Ron is on the Board of Directors of G.O.A.T.z, a volunteer-run organization founded in 2012 that creates trail running events that contribute to the Greater Omaha Area. We discussed that, as well as his initial journey into running. It was not something he planned on ever doing, but an injury in another sport ultimately led to it. Plus, big mileage, how running has changed him in the day to day, and what’s next. Shoutout to Jodi Semonell for recommending him for the pod!
Chasing Three Hours is brought to you by Fleet Feet Omaha! I recently made a purchase at Fleet Feet, picking up my race day shoes for Eugene. I couldn’t be more excited to run the marathon in my new Vaporflys and Fleet Feet made it happen. Whether you need something for race day, something for easy days, or just need to find out what kind of fit works best for you, stop by one of their two locations in Omaha or their spot in Lincoln and mention Chasing Three Hours for $15 off your first pair of shoes at regular price!
The log:
March 25th: 6 miles in the AM + 4 miles in the PM
March 26th: 9 miles with 5 x 600 meters at 5k pace
March 27th: 7 miles
March 28th: 14 miles
March 29th: 6 miles
March 30th: 8k tune-up with a mile warmup + mile cool down
March 31st: 18 miles
Total: 71 miles
March total miles: 356.41 miles
Year to date: 995.25 miles
March 25th: When I went out for my run Monday morning — six miles at recovery pace — I had no idea I only had one more outdoor run on the entire week, but that was indeed the case. After a really strong Long Run the day before, I kept things things nice and slow, averaging 9:19-per mile with my heart rate averaging 118. An excellent recovery run.
I planned on getting back outside Monday night for my second run of the day, but the temps were cooler than expected by 6:00 and I didn’t bring enough layers to make four miles at a slow pace at all enjoyable. Decided to hit up the apartment treadmill, a precursor for a lot of treadmill runs the rest of the week. 9:13-per with my HR at 114.
March 26th: As I made my way to the West Papio Trail on Tuesday morning, I was worried a bit about some of the ice that was on the sidewalks. By the time I got to the bottom of a hill, my car struggling to stop, I decided to turn around and run the nine miles on the treadmill. Which really sucked because I had a workout on tap, with five reps of 600 meters each.
I started with 4.121 miles at 7.5 miles per hour, before going 11 mph for the first four 600s, then bumped it up to 11.2 for the last rep. I finished with a couple more miles at 7.5 mph. Overall I finished the nine miles averaging 7:25-per mile. My HR only averaged 128 throughout. It was the last time all week where I felt good about my HR during a run because…
March 27th: HOTEL GYMS ARE TOO DAMN HOT! Good Lord. I woke up before 5:00am in Omaha and didn’t run in Las V until 6:22pm Omaha time. A very long travel and work day, I decided to push the scheduled 14 miles to Thursday to give myself a break, as well as allow myself to get to dinner. I cannot remember a harder seven miles at recovery pace, but the long day + the warm hotel gym really sapped any enjoyment out of this one2. 9:14-per mile with my HR averaging 128. Same average HR as the day before. Not fun.
March 28th: Thursday’s wasn’t much better, but at the very least, I did feel better by the end of it than I did at the start. I valued sleep over any sort of a normal morning routine, so I was up and running within 15 minutes. Planned on 7:30s for the 14 miles coming into the week, but when I got to 7.5 mph — 8:00-per — I figured I should just stay there for the entire run. My HR climbed a bit early but settled in and I averaged 145 over the course of the run. This is the one, more than any others throughout the week, that I was just happy to finish. I wouldn’t have to run that distance again on the road.
March 29th: Finished the previous night stopping by a convenience store off Fremont Street, in search of bananas. I was unable to find any, so my morning routine on Friday would remain abnormal. Was again up and at it within 15 minutes for six miles at recovery pace. Averaged 9:15 for each of the six with my HR at 131 for the run. Could I have run these outside instead of inside, with temps much better? Perhaps. I was asked that Friday and thought about it, but I worried about all the stoplights and people getting in the way. With a hard workout on tap, I planned on one more trip to the treadmill Saturday.
March 30th: Going into this one, I had done nine total tune-up workouts across 3+ Pete Pfitzinger training plans; Three 10ks in the leadup to Chicago, two 10ks + a 10-miler in the leadup to Lincoln, two 10ks in the leadup to Des Moines, and a 10k two weeks ago that’s the best I’ve ever done. All week long, and especially once I got to Vegas, I pretty much dreaded this workout. I knew I’d be doing it on the treadmill, I knew it would come at the end of the trip, and by the time it arrived, I knew it would be in a sweltering hotel gym. While I’ve done 10ks in all but one of these tune-ups, the plan itself calls for any distance between an 8k and 15k. I went into the morning expecting a 10k, but early on I decided it was for the best that I cut it to 8k instead. I turned on the treadmill and pushed the speed to 10.1 MPH.
It was pretty unenjoyable.
I went 5:59-per mile with my HR averaging 178 throughout. A slower run with a higher HR than the one I put together a couple weeks back. Even with some coffee and nutrition to begin the day, the lack of any sort of normalcy with my diet3 over the previous three days showed itself and made this one a whole lot harder than it had any right being. It was good to get this one done.
March 31st: I wrote the majority of this newsletter on Saturday afternoon, while sitting at the airport. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really excited for Sunday’s run either. It was going to be long — 18 miles — and it would have to be early, because of the Easter holiday. On top of that, [waves arms at the rest of the week]. I wasn’t that excited because I didn’t think it would go well.
Which is hilarious because Sunday’s run was pretty much perfect.
I was tired when I got going before 6:00am but the weather had me feeling good early on. I wasn’t as fresh as normal, but I didn’t have to be. On top of that, my HR never got out of whack, only averaging 142 over the course of all 18. I averaged 7:36-per4 for the 18 miles, finishing the last one in 7:19. After four days of runs that felt taxing, at (mostly) slower paces no less, this one felt great. I needed this one. I’m happy I got it.
Eugene is 27 weeks away and this morning represents the beginning of the taper. Couldn’t be more pleased the bad week of running ended on such a positive note.
I pre-built the workout expecting to go outside, and getting the extra .12 would have pushed the turnaround outside of a hard 600 meters.
And all the others, to be honest.
I didn’t have a drop of alcohol in Vegas but wow did I learn how big of a role my diet has played in my uptick in fitness. Forget about how I ate (not terribly, all things considered), I ate less than normal in Vegas compared to Omaha. No snacks, only one breakfast before a run, and very little coffee to wake me up. I’m very excited to get some normal food in me, at normal times, again.
With a breakfast gathering on tap, I started as late as I possibly could, but still felt like I needed to push the pace faster than most of my regular Long Runs as of late.
Although not ideal, this travel during training (like last year's "wedding crasher" rhythm), is good as it causes you to see how to adjust in different circumstances and environments. As you know, we don't know how race day will be. Great job and welcome home.