Bad Weather, Even for Juneau

Mt. Bike 15 miles
Run 14 miles

It's well known that the weather is not that great in Juneau, but most of the time it's really not that bad. Today though, it really was that bad. 37 degrees, heavy rain, and 20-30 mph wind. I was planning to head out for a mid morning bike/run but with the weather I couldn't get myself out the door until 2:00pm. It's tough to motivate to get out the door when you know that you're going to be soaked and cold for a few hours. After 5 minutes in this weather you just kind of accept it for what is and begin to forget about it. Or at least that's how it went today. I rode my bike to the Dupont-Pt. Bishop trail head and was pleasantly surprised to see the trail almost completely clear of snow and ice! This is one of the most technical trails I have EVER run on so I kept my pace very slow to avoid injury but I was able to make it about 7 miles out along the shore of Gastineau Channel that this trail parallels. Just as I was looking to turn around I made my way down to the beach where I found an old cabin, outhouse, and several tombstones dated between 1896-1926. This made for some nice photos and a nice turnaround point. Al Sharpton is a jackass

I wore my Montrail Vitesse today. I've had these shoes for over a year but have only put about 150 miles on them because every time I do a run over 1 hour in them they hurt the balls of my feet. I don't know why I continue to try shoes that always hurt my feet. I guess I feel like they will get broken in eventually and not hurt, but obviously they don't fit my feet properly. I was just reading last night about how much Karl Meltzer likes running in Vitesse so I was reminded of mine sitting in my closet and decided to give them a go today. Well, my feet are sore now and I need to just get rid of these shoes so I don't make the mistake of wearing them again.

Too Much Optimism

Road Bike 26 miles

I went out on my road bike today thinking I could get away with the least amount of clothing yet this spring. It was almost 50 degrees and it had been dry all morning. I opted to leave the booties, insulated gloves, rain pants, and neoprene socks at home (all of which I have been wearing on my rides for the past couple weeks). For the first half of the ride I was comfortable, or at least only a little bit cold. And then the rain came. And the temperature dropped. By the time I got home I was wet to the bone and the temperature had dropped to 40 degrees. My hands and feet were in serious pain and my core temperature had certainly dropped as I was shivering uncontrollably. I was planning to go out for a run after biking but once I warmed up a bit I was exhausted and only wanted to take a hot shower and lay down. I've done the hot shower, and had some dinner, and now it's time to lay down. I'll hope to make up for my short day with a good long workout tomorrow.

fuck blogger

Weekly totals: Ski 8 miles; run 31 miles; bike 120 miles; 13.5 hours. Again very similar to last week with the decrease in skiing picked up by an increase in biking. Will hope to ride closer to 150 miles this next week while keeping the running around 30. Also, need to get more consistent with my weight training. Haven't been to the gym in over a week: It's just so damn boring sometimes... but so beneficial.

Rolling Along

Road Bike 51 miles


Got out on the road bike today after work for a nice 3 hour ride. It feels so good to be back into biking enough to get out for 50 miles and not have it wear me out too much. I'm thinking more and more that I'd like to ride the 24 hours of Kincaid in June so I'm really just getting started but right now I've gotten myself into better biking shape than I've been in since last fall.

Happy 90th

Run 10 miles

Today would have been my Grandma's 90th birthday had she not passed away a few weeks ago. I always spoke with her on her birthday and it would have been nice to be able to do so today. I guess it's hard to avoid that helpless feeling when you lose someone close to you. That feeling of regret that you didn't get to speak with them one last time - to be sure they know just how much they have meant to you and how much you have learned from them. My Grandmother was an amazing women and I sure did miss not speaking with her today.

Mini Triathlon

Classic Ski 8 miles
Mt. Bike 15 miles
Run 8 miles

What a difference a day can make. After feeling very weak through 7 miles in 56 minutes yesterday morning I took yesterday afternoon off and also took this morning off. Tonight I ran 8 miles in 51 minutes and felt great... and this was after skiing for an hour and biking for an hour.

It was such a beautiful evening in Juneau. I need to start taking my camera out with me more often. I have many mixed feelings about how much I like living in Juneau, but on a nice calm, partially sunny day like today it's pretty near the most magnificent beauty you could ever find yourself surrounded by.

Time For a Nap

Run 7 miles

Took the afternoon off after a 7 mile run before work. Not sure why but I feel more like I ran 27 miles than 7. I felt this way last night too. Maybe I'm not getting enough sleep. Hoping to have more energy again tomorrow.

Training is tough right now in Juneau. The snow on the trails is too soft for running. Yesterday morning I must have fallen 20 times while I was running on the Dan Moeller trail. Most strides I would only sink 4 or 5 inches but every once in awhile I would break through up to mid thigh and down I would go. There is still enough snow for skiing but now that it's above 40 degrees most everyday I'm finding my interest in skiing becoming less and less. I'd like to ski at least once more this season but I'll be surprised if I actually do. There aren't any trails clear enough yet for mountain biking and they are all too soft for snow biking. Road biking is OK right now, but there is so much sand and gravel on the sides of the road that it's really more like riding on gravel than pavement. And then there's the rain. It's been pretty much raining for 6 days straight and I'm running out of shoes and clothes that are dry. I guess it's pointless to complain about the rain in Juneau... kind of like complaining about the heat in Death Valley.

Free Shoes

Run 6 miles
Mt. Bike 23 miles


I've got this random pair of Asics trail running shoes that I've had for about 2 years. In that time I've worn them about 4 times because every time I wear them I decide that they are too small for me and I put them back in the bottom of my closet until months later I decide to give them a try again, hoping that somehow they have grown larger or my foot has grown smaller. I ran in them this morning for the first time in about 8 months and I don't ever want to run in them again. I would love it if someone who might fit in them would take them off my hands. They're a size 10.5 but they fit like a small 10. If you wear 10.5 they will be too small for you.... trust me. but if you wear a 9.5 or 10 they should be perfect. They are Asics Gel-Eagle Trail. Let me know if you want them and they are yours for the cost of shipping. I would guess that they have less than 30 miles of running on them and I've never once worn them for anything else.

Unplanned Recovery Day

Road Bike 5 miles

Went to bed last night planning to get up and ride about 40 miles this morning before work. I woke up though and had no energy. Eventually I made it out the door into the steady rain. After 2.5 miles I realized that I had left my seat post bag with bike tool, spare tube, patch kit, and tire levers at home. Just after turning around to head back for this I noticed that my rear wheel was very untrue and made a mental note to check it when I was back at home. Riding over the bridge to get back on Douglas Island I suddenly heard a clanking noise and looked down and saw my frame pump bouncing on the road. The bracket that holds it to the frame had suddenly snapped in half. When I got home I had ridden 5 miles and was already soaking wet. At this point I checked out my rear wheel and discovered that I had a broken spoke. I thought about still heading back out on my mountain bike or heading out for a run, but decided it just made more sense to take a day off. After all, I had no idea what the heck was going to happen to me if I headed back out there.

Some Slow Speed

Run 8 miles

Ran a local 10k road race this morning. Kind of forgot how much I hate running hard on the road, especially if it's flat. I didn't race 100% but I did run pretty hard (about 85% effort). I was hoping to get in a good tempo workout and was expecting to feel a lot stronger than I did. Afterwords I thought about the fact that I hadn't really run fast in over 8 weeks so it began to make a little more sense to me that I just don't feel like I have any speed right now. The best thing though was that I was able to run a decent pace for 10k and did not experience any knee, ankle, arch, or ball of foot pain (all of which have bothered me on and off for the past 2 months). The other good thing was that this race had a much larger turnout than the other 2 local races that I've run. I think I finished 2nd, or maybe 3rd today. It was nice not to win another race simply because there were so few runners. Don't get me wrong, I love to win, but not when I'm running an event as a training run and as a way to support the local running club. When I win a race that I've put 100% focus into (like this year's Susitna 100) it's one of the most satisfying feelings, but winning a race that I've put no focus into whatsoever (like the other 2 Juneau races I've run before today) is for some reason very uncomfortable and embarrassing to me. I do not care much for the attention that comes with winning any race, but for some reason it is especially unsettling when I win a race that I do not put 100% effort into. Today was great though. By finishing 2nd or 3rd I was able run a bit of a cool down, sip some watered down urine flavored sports drink, and head for home without ever more than a one sentence conversation with anyone. Not that I don't like talking to people (OK, often I don't, but not all the time), but I don't like talking to people after a race when the conversation is focused primarily on me. I find that when I win a race this type of conversation is very hard to avoid. I can more or less deal with this if it's a race that I've put weeks of serious effort into, but for whatever reason I just can't be comfortable in these situations when I have not put in the effort. Anyone else ever feel this way? Or am I just more antisocial than I'm willing to admit?

Another solid week of cross training. 30 miles running, 39 miles skiing, 75 miles biking, in about 16 hours of time. Very similar to last week's totals.

Back to Normal

Run 6 miles
Lift upper and lower body
-16 lifts: 3 sets of 12 reps

The weather in Juneau has returned to the usual steady rain and after 6 days of sunshine it was hard to accept this. I'm sure by tomorrow I'll be ready to get back out in the rain, but today I ran one mile to the gym and spent my workout time running on the treadmill, stretching, lifting, and watching baseball (the Mets are now 4-0, and still on pace to win 162 games). I got in a good two hours of activity but somehow this type of workout is never nearly as satisfying as a good day out in the rain.

I feel like the weight lifting really helps me though. I'm not sure if most endurance athletes lift weights, but for me I know that I recover much quicker from a stressful workout or race if I have been regularly lifting weights. I also feel as though I can get into shape quicker if weight lifting is part of my training. I really only trained for the Susitna 100 for about 2 1/2 months and I think the fact that I was lifting 2 days a week really helped me increase my mileage as quickly as I did.

Nothing to Say

Skate Ski 8 miles
Road Bike 25.5 miles

Run, Bike, Rant

Run 4 miles
Road Bike 31.5 miles

After almost no biking in January and February I've been doing a decent amount of biking for just over 3 weeks now and today I finally felt my "biking muscles" responding the way I would like them to. I hit the road north after work and was feeling great right away. I kept telling myself not to go too far because the wind was at my back and when I turned around I was going to wish I had done so a lot sooner. As usual though, I didn't listen to myself but kept coasting along at 20+ mph with very little effort. When I did turn around I felt the wind hit me like a wall but I quickly noticed that I had the strength to push against this wall and maintain a decent speed. I rode most of the way back above 15 mph and felt as though I were just getting warmed up when I pulled into our neighborhood.

It would have been nice to stay out awhile longer but I was hungry and I reminded myself that my next serious race is at least 12 weeks away and the last thing I need to do right now is overwork and burn out before my summer races even get started. So far now the plan is to stick with very slow increases in mileage and intensity. Of course I'll probably push myself too far or too fast one of these days soon and then I'll just have to change the plan. In reality this is the way my training typically goes anyhow. My "plan" more often than not doesn't present itself until after I'm already most of the way through a training cycle. I typically just go with what I feel and then pretend to myself that it was all part of some "plan" all along. I guess this is my way of trying to convince myself that I actually know what I'm doing, that there's more to it than just going out and doing what I love to do and letting things unfold from there.


[Political rant to follow, feel free to stop reading now]

I know this is my training blog, but once again Alaska state politics has my blood boiling and now that I have a blog I can write about it so I don't have to complain about it to Jill a dozen times (a half dozen should be adequate now). Yesterday there was a statewide advisory vote to determine whether the people of Alaska would like the state legislature to pursue an amendment to the state constitution that would ban same sex partners of state employees from receiving state benefits packages which are currently provided to all state employees and their partners. 54% of voters said yes that they would like the legislature to pursue this constitutional amendment. Yes, you did just read that correctly: 54% of Alaskans do not believe that same sex couples should be treated with financial equality! Why is it that people feel such a need to force their personal opinions on homosexuality into public laws limiting other people of equal rights and freedoms? When you raise the bar to the issue of gay marriage you have the typical defense that allowing gays to marry will diminish the significance of heterosexual marriages. Although I in no way agree with this logic, at least it is a reason, no matter how thin the ice is that supports it. This particular issue that was voted on here in Alaska yesterday though has no logical defense for those that voted in favor of it. That is unless you consider intolerance and bigotry to be logical defenses. I've never really liked red-heads all that much. Maybe I can try to convince the Alaska State Legislature to ban partners of red-headed state employees from receiving state benefits. Oh wait, my hair is kind of red. And my Mom's. And my sister's. You might think I'm oversimplifying this issue, but then when you stop and think about it, am I?

The Beat Goes On

Run 12 miles
Bike 8 miles on trainer
Lift upper body
-8 lifts: 3 sets of 12 reps.

Another day with some good mixed cross training. Ran 95 minutes in the morning and lifted in the afternoon after a little warm up on the bike. We're supposed to have one more day of sun tomorrow before we get back to the usual rain/snow mix. Hope to get out tomorrow afternoon for a nice ski or bike ride. I should go skiing as much as possible in the next few weeks since the season is coming to a close, but I find myself being more and more interested in getting out on the bike each day. Hopefully I can get out of work early and have enough time to do both.

Mellow Day

Mt. Bike 10 miles

Jill mentioned yesterday that she thought the Salmon Creek trail would be good for biking so I set out after work to check it out. With my "skinny" 2.1" tires it just wasn't going to happen though. It was another sunny day and the snow was just too soft. Gotta get me a snow bike. Maybe next year. Ended up riding 10 miles on roads getting to the trail and back. Pretty tired out from skiing yesterday so it was nice to take a day "off".

No Foolin'

Classic Ski 50k - 31 miles


If someone told me this morning that I was going to ski a 50k today I would have thought it was an April Fool's joke. If I had also been told that I would classic ski a 50k in 3:03 I would have known it was an April Fool's joke.

But then it ended up being one of those days in which everything came together much better than expected. The snow was fast, I had the perfect wax on my skis, and I was feeling very strong as I had only skied 12 miles total in the previous 3 days. After a few miles I began to think about going for 50k and then after 25k I began to think about tyring to continue pushing the pace to see how fast I could do a 50k. I didn't end up pushing 100% but I did work much harder than I had intended and it felt great. I'm thinking now, based on how quick I did this that it must have been a short 50k but at the very least it was 29 or 30 miles. Either way it was the longest ski I have ever done. Good times.

And today was the first day of a new baseball season, and my beloved Mets are on pace to go 162-0. No Foolin'.