Mighty Half-Dome!

I survived our attempt to hike, and climb, Half-Dome. None of us made it to the top. :-/

Yosemite Nat'l Park: Mist Trail/John Muir Trail: Dist.: (12.41), Pace-avg: (57:30). Speed-avg: (1.0)mph. Speed-max: (8.2)mph. Burned: (2168) Calories. That was -really- tough. Next time, heavy stair-master training for no less than (6)mos. before-hand.


PLACE-HOLDER ENTRY, MORE TO FOLLOW.

Long Run No.10

2011-09-18, Sunday

Today's plan calls for a Long Run. [Yes, I skipped my Friday Easy Run. Bad Lance!]

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.72)mi. Pace-avg: (17:03). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (1599) Calories. Running lights.


Plan: Run (12) mi. @ a (17:16) pace for a total time of (3:27:21) hrs.
Actual: Jog/walked (12)mi. @ an avg. pace of (16:48), for a total time of (3:21:40.86), bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.72)mi. cool-down walk. [Jogged a total of (6.7)mi. in aggregate.]
Fuel: Pre-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts (Raspberry); Post-run: Honey Stinger, Stinger Waffle (Honey).

I left the house a bit after sundown, but there was still light in the sky. Throughout the park it was mostly a twilight illumination. There were quite a few people at the main picnic tables tonight, but they were mostly gone when I looped back around later. Tonight, instead of jogging all the way to the end of the county road the meets the end of the bike path, I tried multiple laps through the park. That seemed to take  longer due to the repetition. My running lights crapped out on the first return lap, so I relied mainly on ambient light, with a few zaps of my new SureFire LED light, from time-to-time.

On my return leg, the fourth leg, the moon finally rose. It was a waning quarter moon, but nice and bright all the same. Surprisingly, there was a police cruiser in the lot near the picnic tables. I don't know if they were there to chase off any late-night park people, or something else, but I did see the red and blues light up when two (2) cars drove down into the park. One turned around immediately, the second thought he'd just loop around the lot anyway, then leave. There was no apparent incident.

Now that I'm home, sitting here writing my blog entry, I feel like a creaky old man, so I better get stretched out, eat and shower.

Weekly Mileage: Planned: (24) mi. Actual: (22.29)mi. Missed it by that much.

-Lancer!!

Thursday Tempo Run No.6

Today's plan calls for a Tempo Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run. Dist: (7.57)mi. Pace-avg: (16:31). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (4.8)mph. Burned: (812) Calories. Running lights. 

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (15:40) pace for a total time of (1:02:43)hrs. 
Actual: Jog (4)mi. @ a (14:47) avg. pace for a total time of (59:08.02)mins., bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (2.57)mi. cool-down walk. 
Fuel: Pre-run: Clif Bar around 1745 hrs.; Mid-run:GU Roctane (Pineapple); Post-run: Honey Stinger waffle (Honey).

Tonight's run went very well, despite skipping my Easy Run on Tuesday, and leaving the house after dark, and without my neck gaiter (to keep the wind chill off my neck). D'oh! There was almost no one in the park tonight, no doubt due to the chill, but also more likely because high school football is back in season; and the new TV season has started, too. I could hear the crowds and the marching band out in the park. Not sure which high school was playing tonight, but the sounds carried with the chill night air. I did not need to use my running lights much tonight, except for (2) occasions when cyclists with bike lights were approaching: I wanted to make sure they saw me before their lights lit me up.

There was a large waning gibbous moon out tonight so my lights were mostly redundant. Running by moonlight is very soothing. The biggest hazard I encountered tonight was while passing the golf course: One of the sprinklers shoots pretty far past the fence that runs parallel to the bike path, and I was hit solidly with a wall of water. C'est la vie.


Other News: I have completed my Half-Dome equipment shopping. I think the only thing I really need is some trail mix for the hike, although I also plan to take some of my running fuel, like Chomps, and Energy Blasts. I will have to be sure not to overdo the sugar on the hike.


-Lancer!!

Half-Dome Equipment

OK. So I finally got out Monday and bought some more gear for the Half-Dome trip next week:

1. Sleeping bag, rated for (0) deg. F., which will no doubt be far more than enough;
2. Camelbak (3) Liter water bladder;
3. Outdoor Products Skyline 8.0 backpack, water bladder compatible; returned, hip-belt unreliable;
4. closed cell foam pad for going under the sleeping bag, but I think the tent cabins have cots;
5. (3x) Camper's Mirrors by Stansport, for use as signal mirrors, et al.;
6. (3x) Emergency/Solar Blankets;
7. (4x) Pairs of Wool-blend socks for hiking;
8. (1x) pk. Camp soap sheets (50);
9. (2x) Life Guard Glow Red LED lights sticks;
 

More later.

Tuesday: Returned the OP backpack, haven't committed to another one yet, but have two (2) good candidates. I will be checking Royal Robbins again, tomorrow. Testing the CamelBak Antidote (3) Liter bladder: No leaks yet. The plastic taste does not seem to be much of a problem, yet; that may change on the trail. I need to do at least one lap through the park with my gear that I am wearing, and carrying, on the Half-Dome hike sometime this week.

Skipped my (3) mile Easy Run today: Just too tired for some reason. I could even go out and do it now, in the dark, but I am trying to keep myself to a morning wake-up schedule, and not a "sometime in the afternoon" wake-up schedule.

-Lancer!! 

Sunday Night Easy Run

Today's plan calls for a(n) Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (8.20)mi. Pace-avg: (16:27). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (4.8)mph. Burned: (884) Calories. No running lights.

 

Plan: Run (5)mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:26:25) hrs.
Actual: Jogged (5) mi. @ a (15:22) avg. pace, for a total time of (1:16:49.65) hrs., and bracketed by (1)mi. warm-up walk, and (2.20)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Nothing (water); Mid-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Post-run: Honey Stinger, Stinger Waffle (Vanilla).

Tonight's run went very well. I made a conscious effort to jog the whole (5) mi. at a near (15:00) pace. And I succeeded! My splits for tonight's run: Mile(1): (15:09); Mile (2): (15:13); Mile(3): (15:20); Mile(4): (15:39); Mile(5): (15:30).


Going forward I will have to make sure and keep focused the same way. Tonight, I tried a Honey Stinger waffle for the first time. Other running bloggers have mentioned them, and I found some at Dick's Sporting Goods, so I had to buy a few to try. It was only vanilla, but it was pretty good. The weather was pretty cool, and overcast. The moon came through pretty clearly, even with the clouds, so I didn't need my running lights tonight.


Other News: The Half-Dome endurance march is getting closer: Only a little over a week away.


-Lancer!!

Another Friday Easy Run

Tonight's run is another Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.06)mi. Pace-avg: (16:22). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (657) Calories. No running lights.

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:09:08) hrs.

Actual: Jog/walked (4)mi. @ a (15:39) avg. pace for a total time of (1:02:35.73) hrs., bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.06)mi. cool-down walk. 
Fuel: Pre-run: Nothing (cold water); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Dinner!

Tonight's run went well. I warmed up with a set of (30) squats without weights, then (30) squats with an empty straight bar. I still can't recall how much it weighs: somewhere between (5) and (10) pounds, I think; I never weighed it. There were some people on the path tonight, even though it was growing overcast. On the return leg the wind picked up and it started to sprinkle, but no real rain. At one point the cool wind turned very warm, like a hair-dryer, which was actually nice, although I wonder where all that warm air actually came from. Bonus: there were flashes of lightning in the clouds on my way back home. That was actually pretty cool. No thunder, though.

I jogged the first (1.07)mi. of the Jog phase on the outbound leg, then had to walk a bit. Then I was able to jog for (1.53)mi., and had to walk the rest. The humidity due to the weather change kinda' got to me, but I also started out a little fast, initially: (13:28) pace. I should have set a (15:00) pace and kept at it, but I didn't actually plan that. As always, I am just trying to make sure I am going at a pace faster than the one on my daily plan.

-Lancer!!

Another Thursday Easy Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (7.88)mi. Pace-avg: (16:14). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (11.7)mph [(6.8mph)]. Burned: (854) Calories. No running lights.

Plan: Run (5) mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:26:25) hrs.
Actual: Jog/Walked (5) mi. @ a (15:11) avg. pace, for a total of (1:15:54.38) hrs. Bracketed by (1) mi. warm-up walk and a (1.88)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Tall glass of Gatorade (Berry), then dinner.

Tonight's run went well. I left the running lights at home, because I knew it would not get too dark: Tonight's moon is still waxing gibbous, and larger than Tuesday night. There were still quite a few people in the park tonight since I actually left the house before sundown.

My Garmin Forerunner seems to be freaking out since it logged my max speed tonight at (11.7)mph. Tchya! As if. I mapped the data to Google Earth, and I see that the path logged by my Garmin also has me crossing through a couple houses, then back-tracking a bit, on my way to the park. Even bigger,"As if!" My Garmin locked in the satellites pretty quickly tonight, although that is not the first time it has been able to do this. I wonder if I should have turned it off, and restarted it. I did that earlier in the week (just in case), and it seemed to be as accurate as it normally is, so I will have to ensure I do that going forward. The rest of the data may be skewed a bit, but the graphs in TC look fairly normal. The tallest peak in the Speed graph actually reads (6.8)mph.

My total jogging distance tonight was (2.12)mph on the first leg of the jog, and then (1.84)mi. on the second, inbound leg; total jogged miles: (3.96) non-continuous miles. Something in my belly didn't feel quite right tonight, so I did not try to pursue my (4) mi. continuous jogging goal for tonight; not even the three (3) mi. goal. Since I went to the movies this afternoon, and tried to get out the door for tonight's run as early as I could, I may not have had enough water in my system, but I did not get sick, or anything, so it's OK.

Tonight's splits: Mile (1): (14:07); Mile (2): (14:12); Mile (3): (16:59) walking; Mile (4): (14:57); Mile (5): (15:50).

Other News: I finally got out to the movies and saw Captain America, The First Avenger. It was really good, and I am glad I saw it on the big screen. I still regret not seeing The Green Lantern on the big screen, but it'll no doubt be available on disc in time for Xmas.

-Lancer!!