3 Calls To RUN WITH ME

>> Monday, December 29, 2008

First, a quick workout update: I’m pretty much back to 100% after 4 horrible days. The last 2 days have been MUCH better. So this morning, the plan was to run 8 miles. I strapped on my YakTrax and headed out into the very pleasant 31 degree morning.

After 2 blocks, I was done. When I was home sick a few days ago, it hit 40 degrees. All the packed snow (which is fine to run on with YakTrax) had melted, and then it refroze as ice. YakTrax can’t magically make running on ice easy. It SUCKED. The whole run looked like this:



So I turned around, got home, grabbed some different clothes, and headed to the Y to do the run on a suckmill. It’s been about 2 years since I’ve had to step foot on a suckmill, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Here’s how it went down:

- 0-3 miles: 8.4 mph
- At 3 miles: up to 8.6 mph
- Halfway (4.0 miles) at 28:30
- At 5 miles: up to 8.8 mph
- At 6 miles: up to 9.0 mph
- At 7.15 miles: up to 9.2 mph
- Around 7.5 miles: up to 9.7 mph

Total: 8.0 miles in 55:20 (6:55/mile pace)
Negative split by 1:20.
Sweaty as f*ck.

Yeah, I forgot to wear a “technical” shirt. I just wore my normal grey cotton shirt that I usually wear when I lift weights at the Y. But it doesn’t work as well when I’m covered in sweat. Here I am collapsed next to the suckmill just as I finished:



And here I am 2 minutes later in the locker room (notice the sweat):



AND in that photo above, you can also see the “vein of approval” bulging out of my forehead (which indicates a good workout).

If the sidewalks stay this icy, next week I’ll do my 9 miler at the Y. I'll shoot for a little faster pace than today (I’m pretty sure I can do that - it had been so long since I had been on a suckmill that I was unsure how fast I could go today).

WANNA GO FOR A RUN?!? Pick one below:

Run #1: Pharmie is going to be at the Metrodome for Dome Running on Tuesday evening (tomorrow), and I’m pretty sure I’ll join her. She said she'll be “extra slow” because she hasn't done speed-work there in a while. I think I’ll do 1-lap intervals like I did 2 weeks ago (601 meters). I may back out if my heel gets sore from the run this morning, but I’d like to at least show up to do a few intervals. I’m thinking I’ll be there around 6 pm (Dome Running goes from 5 pm to 8 pm).

Update: There might not be any Dome Running this week - neither dates (30th or the 1st) are on the schedule. I might show up just to make sure, but it looks like the dome is closed!

Run #2: I’m going to try to break 5 minutes in the 1600 at another indoor track meet on New Years Day (Thursday Jan 1st) at 11:30 am. It’s on the Bethel University Campus, which is about 10 miles north of Minneapolis/St. Paul near the intersection of 35W and 694. I think they are planning on having the 1600 first, so I JUST MIGHT enter all of the events after that (you can do that for no added charge). This might change, but their website has the events in this order: 1600m, 200m, 800m, 1 Mile Judged Race Walk, 400m, 2000m C2 Row. I don’t think I’d do the race-walk and the row; I’d just do the running events.

This is a FUN EVENT! If you want to break out some mid-winter speed, come check it out! Being it's New Years Day, it doesn't start until 11:30 am. It’s cheap too: $16 pre registered, $25 at the door! I’ll be trying to take at least 8-tenths of a second off my 5:00.7 mile so I can go sub-5! Get more info here.

Run #3: I'm thinking about getting a group together on Saturday morning for a “Speed Saturday” workout on the stairs next to the JJ Hill House (near the Cathedral of St. Paul). There are about 150 steps and they are usually pretty well shoveled and salted. This morning, after my run at the Y, I stopped by the steps. Here’s the path covered in ice that leads down to the stairs:



And here are the stairs themselves (notice the man in the middle at the very bottom):



There’s more ice than I had hoped. So if anyone is interested, we’ll have to make sure to share the path and not be super concerned with how fast we do them - passing and meeting other people will be tricky, and we’ll have to share the non-icy areas. Borsch thinks he’ll be there. I’ll tentatively say 9 am this Saturday. And I’m also thinking about turning it into a Crossfit-inspired workout with pushups at the bottom of each lap. We’ll see. More to come on this later.

Have a good week, everyone!

30 comments:

Calyx Meredith 3:50 PM, December 29, 2008  

It's a little scary to me that you post enough under the topic to have a "sweaty boobs" label. But I digress - the real reason I stopped by was to tell you I thought about you when the Vikings made it to the play offs. Glad to hear you're feeling better!

Kelly 3:50 PM, December 29, 2008  

Do you ever wonder what other people think of you when you take these photos of your sweaty self in public places?

teacherwoman 4:15 PM, December 29, 2008  

Glad to hear you are feeling better. ... and back to your sweaty self!

Emily 4:16 PM, December 29, 2008  

Isn't it illegal to take pictures in a locker room? Nice job on the suckmill, although you get a demerit for using the term w/o my permission. I like to think I copyrighted that bitch last week with my 11 miles on the suckmill. Have fun on the stairs - wish I could join!

Emily 4:25 PM, December 29, 2008  

Maybe I did pick up the term from you? My brain is so shot right now I don't know what is going on.

Credit card has been cancelled too! Good times, but I'm too old for this crap.

X-Country2 4:32 PM, December 29, 2008  

Yeah, I'd recommend getting a technical shirt for the car. Juuuust in case this happens again. :o)

jen 4:55 PM, December 29, 2008  

Did you say you haven't been on a treadmill in 2 years?? Wow. There's a streak I could get on board with.

Glad you are feeling better Steve! Good luck on the upcoming workouts.

Missy 5:29 PM, December 29, 2008  

At least the dreadmill doesn't cause you to bust your ass and crack your melon or something equally ridiculous (hopefully) like the ice would! Not so soft.

Unknown 6:09 PM, December 29, 2008  

I have been using the word dreadmill for a long time. Now, I like the word... suckmill. That is perfect! I hate treadmill. However, your speed close to 10 mph is astounding! I would fall flat on my face if that suckmill goes up to 10 mph. You are way too fast.

Carly 7:18 PM, December 29, 2008  

Nice work on the "suckmill". I would die trying to keep up a pace like that.

LMAO at the locker room photos.

RooBabs 7:40 PM, December 29, 2008  

I just got Yak Trax for Christmas and they are great on the snow. Good to know that they don't work so great on ice, so that I don't get over-confident and fall on my face (or worse).

I've been doing my long weekend runs on the indoor track at the rec center- it's 1/9 of a mile. That means for a 10 mile run, I have to do 90 laps. Next Saturday is 12 miles- that's 108 laps. So I guess I have a little sympathy for you on the boring old treadmill, ya sweaty beast.

BTW, how 'bout them Vikes?!

ECrunnergirl 8:15 PM, December 29, 2008  

Suckmill...hee hee...that's classic! And those stairs look frightening! Hats off to you guys running in that crazy cold! Very inspiring :-)

Michelle 8:49 PM, December 29, 2008  

Hi Steve,
I am so happy you are feeling back to your old self!!

I think i will be calling you Speedy from now on!!!

Your so great arranging all these running meet ups!! Wish i lived closer to you guys!!!

Unknown 9:28 PM, December 29, 2008  

I don't know how you did any more then 4-5 miles on the suckmill. That is a feat in itself. Let along the speed. I feel your pain with the snow melt and then the refreeze to ice. HATE IT!

Chellie has Issues 9:34 PM, December 29, 2008  

Holy hell you are fast. Never in my wildest dreams could I run that fast. I would be sweatin' buckets too! Yak Trax are nice, but yes it has to be a certain type of snow or they don't do any good.

Ron 10:21 PM, December 29, 2008  

Now that's a flight of stairs. I would love to run those ONCE.

Marlene 10:32 PM, December 29, 2008  

Nice run on the suckmill - it amuses me that your warm-up pace is my all-out sprint. ;)

Yikes - caereful on those stairs!!!

BaddApple 11:56 PM, December 29, 2008  

I prefer DreadMill (TM) I trademarked it so its mine. I was going to run outside, but it was to windy so I wimped out and ran on the DreadMill (TM) at Lifetime. I would like to run with you sometime, but I would be way to far behind. Not in your speed class yet. I will be skipping the Dome this week because I'm on vacation. I also think the cement had done some mean pounding to my knee. Good luck in the race. I know you will beat 5:00 minutes.

Anonymous,  5:55 AM, December 30, 2008  

you sweat like I sweat.

not sure what that says about us.

methinks I must need that 'techno shirt' of which you speak.

Marci 6:29 AM, December 30, 2008  

You shoulda worn a technical tee. Super smoking fast run on the dreadmill by the way!

joyRuN 7:00 AM, December 30, 2008  

Ummmm, Run #3 looks quite treacherous. I know you said it's usually well salted/shoveled & all, but that's a LOOOONG way down!

Jen Rife 7:56 AM, December 30, 2008  

Hey - Be sure to check out the Dome Running schedule. I don't think they are open this week. I don't think I'm going to do the meet on New Year's, but I'm 100% in for running the stairs! I've been looking forward to that one! (although I'm sure my excitement will fade when I'm about 1/2 way through the first set)

Kim 8:27 AM, December 30, 2008  

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, you dominated the dreadmill. i wish i finished my 8 miler yesterday in under an hour. not even in my dreams. you are a vein-bulging, sweaty boobs superstar! careful of that ice!

Jess 9:19 AM, December 30, 2008  

I'm sorry, but those look like stairs of death to me!

Darcy Franklin 9:34 AM, December 30, 2008  

Don't give up on me yet, but I won't be able to join you. I am teaching my first of many endurance rides over at Lifetime on Saturday. I am also hitting the crossfit gym hard this week.

However, I have an idea for your stairs/crossfit inspired workout. Designate a certain number of flights for sprinting(great for power), squat jumps (glutes) and one footed jumps(calves) up the steps. At the bottom do 20 push-ups and at the top (if there is a place to do tri-dips) do 20. One set would be one cycle through. Try to do as many sets as you can in 30 minutes OR do 5(or any other #) sets for time. FUN!!!!

Good luck.

Carolina John 9:44 AM, December 30, 2008  

glad you're feeling better, steve. and that's a helluva pace on the dreadmill.

we did 19 miles on sunday on the treadmill at about a 6.0 - 6.2 speed. so i bow to your pace and sweaty boobs. i sweat way more than that.

Anonymous,  1:23 PM, December 30, 2008  

Returning to form, with a funky pits photo, all sweaty & matted!

I agree, that looks like the Stairway to Hell. I see it littered with the broken bodies of "friends" you lured to their destruction, for failing to appreciate your blog, and not bringing you enough fudge....

We anticipate a really great photo of you as 2009....

Steve in a Diaper!? (Super Gross)....

Are you IRON(MAN)IC ENOUGH?

I think so!

Unknown 2:56 PM, December 30, 2008  

Glad to hear you are feeling better, but it sucks that you weren't able to run outside.

Cotton shirts + running inside = icky!

Have a Happy New Year!!

ps, I voted for you even though you don't put me on your blogger list. ;-)

Charlotte 3:41 PM, January 01, 2009  

You know they wrote me up for taking pics in the Y, right? Don't ask me what "writing me up" actually means as I'm not in middle school anymore but I just thought I'd warn you.

Sorry I missed the fun today! I wish I could have seen you break 5! I've been knocked out with an ailment to icky to describe (okay, it's a boil - there, sorry you asked?) and sick kids. Anyhow, I won't be in running shape for Saturday either but I DO intend to catch up with you guys one of these times!

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comments! Have a great day!

Twitter

Follow steveinaspeedo on Twitter

Facebook Fan Page

All content and original images copyright 2006 - 2024 by Steve Stenzel, AKA "Steve in a Speedo." All Rights Reserved.
Want to use something seen here? Just ask - I don't bite.