Fourth Annual Runs for Cookies Virtual 5k

First, Happy birthday to Katie of Runs for Cookies!  If you are not a reader of her blog, I highly recommend you check her out.  In honor of her birthday, today was the Fourth Annual Runs for Cookies Virtual 5k.

I had some doubts about my pace for this morning.  I wanted a sub 30 minute, but last week after running Tantalus I was pretty sore for a couple of day.  Since I ran the reverse loop on Saturday I thought I would be sore again, but I wasn't sore at all this time.  I got up, turned my music on and headed out:

Mile 1 = 9:00
Mile 2 = 9:09
Mile 3 = 9:09
0.1  = 9:01

Total 3.11 miles in  28:11, 9:04 pace!  I ran this at Ala Moana Park, which is completely flat.  It was also very calm this morning.  A rain storm blew in about an hour later.  I had a max power of 250 watts (during the last 10th of a mile) with an average of 207.5.  That is my highest average yet!  My average heart rate was 155 with a max of 167.  A great start to my week!

Several hours later...

I was at the Ala Moana shopping center after lunch and realized I ran, but no cookie.  The Cookie Corner took care of that!

Round Top ~ Reverse Tantalus Loop

The moon as I was leaving our hotel

I headed back to Tantalus this morning, but opted to run the loop in reverse, going up Round Top road and down Tantalus this time.  It's been a long time since I've run the loop this way.  I forgot how tough going up Round Top is!  Miles 2 and 3 are straight into the wind.  Tantalus is more protected, but Round Top is exposed.

My pace for the first 5 miles was 13:34 - last week it was 13:47.  I paid slightly for that and my pace for the second 5 miles was 8:39 (8:29 last week.)  My overall pace was 11:12 and last week it was 11:07.

My Stryd was working perfectly again and I knocked out some really great power numbers. I also crushed the last three miles.  According to Strava I had my fastest 5k at 24:50 and my fastest 2 miles at 15:46.  I PRd two climbs and the entire loop, taking second overall female!  That brings my total PRs to 17 for the year (I earned one yesterday during a short 3 miler, too!)

I spent the latter part of 2014 and much of 2015 dealing with hormonal issues.  Anxiety, night sweats, anxiety, insomnia and anxiety.  I know I'm not completely done with those issues, but I am so happy with how I'm feeling both physically and emotionally these days.  So if I sound like a broken record, sorry, but I'm just so happy to be feeling good again!

How is 2016 treating you so far?

January - A Month for PRs!

I had another great run this morning!  Today I ran along the Ala Wai canal, then the four mile Diamond Head circle.  And yep, two more PRs!  This brings my total PRs for the month to eleven.  Since I've run these routes for years, getting a PR is a big thing.  This many PRs is surprising to me.  And now I've probably jinxed myself and my next run will be horrible ;)

This view does not get old! Sorry to my friends running in the snow!

The first PR was the Ala Wai canal.  This is 1.4 miles, totally flat.  I ran it in 13:44, 9:46 pace.  I have run this segment 63 times.  This is right at the beginning of my run, so it's kind of a test to see how the run it going to go.

The second PR was the Monsarrat Mile.  This is 0.9 miles at 3% grade with 154 feet of elevation gain.  I ran it in 11:01, 11:11 pace. I have run this segment 46 times.  My previous best was in 2013 when I was running this route on a regular basis.

The Monsarrat "mile" that isn't a mile

I had a little issue my Stryd power meter this week.  I couldn't get a heart rate or power reading on Tuesday.   I came home and the unit was blinking.  Found out it was a dead battery (new unit, but it had been sitting in the warehouse a while.)  Today I got heart rate but no power.  I couldn't figure out what was going on.  When I uploaded the file it showed an average of almost 2000 watts!  I've been averaging 160-180 watts, so I knew something was crazy wrong.

Today's power (orange) and heart rate (purple)

I left a comment on the Stryd forum and was contacted for a video chat.  It ended up being a simple fix - apparently there's a little bug that changes body weight when a new battery is installed.  It changes weight to an extremely high number (just what every woman wants to hear) and that makes the power number crazy.

Saturday's power (orange) and heart rate (purple)

I was very impressed with the customer service from Stryd.  They were quick to respond and offered several suggestions not only to fix this error but ways to keep the battery from dying prematurely.  I suggested they put the information about changing body weight in the forum discussion and they have already done so.  As a brand new company they seem to be working hard to keep their customers happy.

Devices - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!

That Time I PR'd the Tantalus Loop (Another Runner's HI Run)

Since I started running on Oahu in 2013, my favorite loop is the 10 mile loop up and down Tantalus.  I've blogged about it plenty, but here is the elevation profile from Saturday:

10 miles.  First 5 with 1,654' elevation gained, second 5 with 1,437' elevation lost.  It was a rare completely dry and clear morning on the mountain.  I started out early and even saw stars!  There was more traffic than usual.  I didn't know it at the the time, but the HURT 100 trail race was going on.

I stuck to the road

My pace for the first 5 miles was 13:47.  My pace for the second 5 miles was 8:29.  The key in hitting a PR for this run is mile 6.  It's the first mile that finally starts going down, but then it kicks back up!  I don't know if I've ever run that entire mile before - it seems like when I get to the reversal my legs just refuse to run up anymore.  Not Saturday!  I kept turning 'em and hit that mile in 8:59.  I was feeling really good and kept right on pushing.

During mile 9 I saw a runner up ahead.  I couldn't even tell if it was a man or woman they were so far ahead of me.  I slowly caught them, and saw it was a young woman (late 20s, early 30s, I'd guess.)  I caught her, passed her, and never looked back!  That's a rare occurrence, so I savored it a bit!

After uploading my file to Strava, I saw that I was 9th overall on the entire loop (a new PR), plus 9th overall on the descent (another PR!)  I PRd the climb but am only 14th overall on it.  Les commented about it, and I agree, I am still reaping the benefits from my last marathon.  I didn't go through weeks of burn out or muscle soreness, I will say it again - cross training works!

Runner's HI

We traveled to Oahu yesterday so Les could be in the office here for a few weeks.  The company recently moved to a new location and they are hosting an open house for clients tomorrow.  It's not all work and no play as evidenced by the load of luggage we bring!

We were awake around 4:00 this morning, so I finally got up and went for a short run (and Les went for a bike ride.)  I never expect much on our first morning here.  Jetlag, warmer temps, humidity, you name it, I'm usually pretty sluggish.  I glanced down at my watch during the first mile and saw 9:35.  What?  That's pretty speedy for me!  I didn't feel like I was pushing super hard, so I just went with it.

Mile 1 9:39
Mile 2 9:28
Mile 3 9:33
Mile 4 9:32

4 miles in 38:16, 9:34 pace.  Not too shabby!  I also kept an eye on my power and it held steady at around 185-190 watts, max of 224 and average of 184.  I had an average heart rate of 150 with a max of 161. According to Strava, I PRd three segments in those four miles and even moved up to 10th female on one of them.

I've worked hard the past month, especially on the hills around my house.  It's true, "hills are speed work in disguise!"  Here I am several hours later and I'm still feeling really good about this effort. Runner's high + Hawaii = Runner's HI!

First Week of 2016 - Hello El Nino!

Last night's sunset

I started 2016 off with a rest day!  I pushed hard Monday through Thursday to hit 2015 for 2015 and needed the rest.  But I took off on the second...

Saturday 1/2 - Ran 10 miles in 1:45:52, 10:35 pace

Sunday - Rested

Monday - Ran 3.54 miles with Les.  The first 2 miles went pretty good, then Les' calf started cramping up and we walked the rest of the way home.

Tuesday - Rained out
We got about 1 1/2 inches of rain.  Hopefully the start of a wet year for us.

Wednesday - Ran 5 miles in 56:28, 11:17 pace
I started out slow, but my final two miles were strong.  About 30 minutes after I got home it was raining again.  We received another inch or more.

Thursday - Rained out again
I knew my Stryd would be delivered, so I was okay with another rest day.

Friday - Ran 5.03 miles in 51:11, 10:12 pace
My first run with my Stryd Power Meter

Saturday - Rode 14.34 miles in 1:13:57, 11.6 mph
I'm hoping to get back on the trail on Monday, but after so much rain I wasn't in the mood for mud ;)

Total
Running 23.57
Cycling 14.34
Total  37.91

Taking My Stryd for a Test Run

I received my Stryd power meter in the mail yesterday so of course I took it out for a run this morning!  I could not get a heart rate the entire run, which was annoying and distracting, but other than that it was an interesting run.

After several days of rain, this morning it was clear, cool and windy.  I headed out to one of my normal loops that has a pretty tough climb and a nice downhill.  I really didn't know what to look for or expect.  Here are my mile breakdowns:

Mile 1 - 10:29 pace/ +73' / -39' / 180 Ave Power / 244 Max Power
Mile 2 - 11:33 pace/ +128' / 184 Ave Power / 356 Max Power
Mile 3 - 10:57 pace/ +92' / -23' / 186 Ave Power / 254 Max Power
Mile 4 -  8:52 pace/ +10' / -171' / 196 Ave Power / 263 Max Power
Mile 5 -  9:03 pace/ +20' / -120' / 203 Ave Power / 242 Max Power

The most significant point - my biggest power spike was during the mile with the most climbing even though that mile was my slowest.  It's also interesting to note that my downhill miles still had high power output.  That doesn't happen in cycling - downhill = coasting in cycling.

Total
5.02 miles in 51:11, 10:12 pace
348' elevation gain
377' elevation loss
190 watts Average Power
356 watts Max Power

We did figure out why I wasn't getting HR data.  I just needed to update the software.  A quick and easy fix, so my next run will include HR data.

So what does all this mean?  I really have no idea! I'm posting it today so a few weeks from now, when things do make sense, I can come back and look at these numbers again.

I'm sure as I gather more data this will start to make sense.  I knew I was working hard, and without any heart rate data, the power data was able to confirm that.  The goal is to learn what I am able to sustain for a long period, slowly working to make that number higher so I can run faster without burning out before the end of a race.

I'm pretty sure for the next month or so Les is going to be having way more fun with this than I am!  He was thrilled to have these numbers to look at and kept saying things like, "Your 10 second power was..."  "your 5 minute power was..."