Week 10: Day 3 - March 08, 2017

• easy trail RUN with one dog = 3.32 miles; time = 42:45; average pace @ 12:53
• cycling (training ride) = 13.04 miles; time = 1:14:00; average pace @ 10.6 mph
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.6 miles

I took one rest break during my ride this morning, but I made it a little further up the "mountain" compared to last week. A few more weeks and I'll be able to successfully make it to the top without stopping. I don't know what the grade (%) of this hill is, but I know the hill during the 30 mile ride at the Finish The Ride event has a 9% grade. I hope my training ride/hill is close enough. If it is a little harder, that would be better for "practice"/training, so the 9% grade won't feel so hard after all.

Week 10: Day 2 - March 07, 2017

• easy RUN with one dog = 5.06 miles; time = 1:01:37; average pace @ 12:11
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.6 miles

I was originally going to postponed my Wednesday morning ride to Sunday ride. Then I remembered that I have an event to go to at 12pm noon. I guess a ride on Sunday is out of the question. I am going to ride tomorrow morning as originally planned. I bought a new tube and a tire (the rubber outer thing). Basically, I burned a hole on the outside, burned a hole in my tire lining and ripped a hole in the tube when I was riding home from work yesterday. The outer tire thing feels more like plastic than rubber and it feels stiffer. I am hoping that it feels plastic and stiff because it is brand new. It was hard to put it on my bike rim. It is probably just all in my head, but it feels like it can withstand many things and can't get a flat caused by nails and screws. (I'm not holding my breath that it can't get a flat by those things.)

Week 10: Day 1 - March 06, 2017

• bike commute to work/home = 37.99 miles round trip; time = 3:11:12, average pace @ 11.9 mph
• easy walk with dogs = 2.6 miles

I think I am really not meant to ride or commute to work/home by bike. I am cursed with flat tires if I do try. I got my bike in the summer of 2013. I never had a flat between summer of 2013 and December 2015. January 2016 was when I decided that I wanted to ride to work after the time change (in March for spring forward). I had eight flats in 2016 and half of those were commuting to work/home with the last flat at the end of November (I went three months without a flat). After 300+ miles and many rides to work for 2017, I got my first flat (today) of the year. I guess if I don't want any more flats, I have to stop riding and commuting to work/home, but if I stop doing that, my bike will sit in the garage, collecting dirt and cobwebs because I struggle to find motivation to ride "around the block"...for fun...for the sake of it. My cycling group always have regularly scheduled rides, but their ride schedule doesn't work with my schedule. I'm always at work when they are riding. Anyway, I thought 2017 would be better. New Year. Fresh, new start. Reset. Oh well, so much for that. I'm not going to let flat tires stop me from doing my 30 mile ride for "Finish The Ride". Although my planned ride on Wednesday may get postponed to Sunday. I have to get a new tire, and a new tube (as a spare) before I can ride again. I had a spare tube which is in the tire now, but the outer tire has a huge hole and I don't feel safe with a huge hole, exposing my tube.

Week 9: Day 7 - March 05, 2017

• trail RUN (solo) @ Chino Hills State Park = 5.44 miles; time = 1:09:58; average pace @ 12:51
• easy WALK with dogs = 2.6 miles
• cycling (training) = 15.65 miles; time = 1:24:44; average pace @ 11 mph

Running: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 18.31

Total Monthly (February) Mileage: 76.37
Total Monthly (March) Mileage: 12.94

Total Yearly Mileage: 174.02

Total Shoe Mileage: 197.29

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 65.31

Total Monthly (March) Mileage: 65.31

Total Yearly Mileage: 304.57

I almost did not want to ride (bike) today because of the weather. The morning started off with partly cloudy and partly sunny skies. Then it started to drizzle at 1pm, and then it was partly cloudy/partly sunny again by around 3pm. By this time, it was cold and windy, but the temperature (60 F degrees) and wind seemed worse when I taking my dogs out for a short walk (I took them out for a longer walk after my run this morning). Once I got on my bike, the temperature was fine and it was only windy during parts of my ride...scary (side winds) or annoying (headwinds), although I guess I would rather have annoying headwinds because I can't be blown off my bike like side winds can.

Anyway, I went riding on a route that I hadn't done in awhile. It had a "mountain" that I would have to ride on twice. The ride was for training and because I wanted to know what the elevation profile was since it has been awhile and my garmin account doesn't keep "records" of all activities within the last two months...it only record activities within the last 17 days. I don't feel sore from the run or the ride today, so I still plan to ride/commute (bike) to work tomorrow...unless the weather calls for scary winds. I guess I should check the weather forecast, but I have to watch the forecast on tv. It seems that the online weather isn't giving me much details regarding the wind factor.

Week 9: Day 5 - March 03, 2017

• commute to work/home (by bike) = 39:52 miles total; time = 3:12:35; average pace @ 12.3 mph
• easy walk with dogs = 2.6 miles

I didn't used to bring any food/snack for the ride home when I commute to work/home. I did just fine all of last year and the few times this year. Usually whatever I eat during break at work was enough to get me home, and I've been eating the same stuff. At the halfway point on the way home, I was starting to feel weak with my sugar level crashing. I had donuts, candy and other sugary foods on the brain. At some point, I was at this long stretch (five miles) where there weren't any businesses (in buildings) to just randomly in. I was really thinking about stopping by a donut shop or gas station (for candy) at the next chance that I got...until I saw a fruit stand. Buying a cup (one quart) of mango from the fruit stand was the best decision I made. Not only was it super healthy, it helped my appetite (it filled me up) and balanced out my sugar level. I got a better deal for my money on a quart of mango. One donut or a box of candy (I wanted twizzlers) wouldn't have helped my appetite and MAYBE it would fix my sugar level. On top of that, I "helped" out an immigrant (hopefully in the U.S. legally) who was trying to make a living. His fruit stand was pretty isolated...and by "isolated", I mean he wasn't near other businesses competing for money. His fruit stand was, however, on a busy road with lots of cars. I imagined that he made good money because he didn't have any competition. Whoever his boss was..was smart enough to have fruit stands on a busy street with no competition. Oh yeah, there was another fruit stand across the street, a few hundred yards away, but he was for the traffic going the other direction. The road had only two lanes (one for each directions). There were no signs that says "No U-turn", but it is just common sense to know that it is unsafe and dangerous to make a u-turn on a narrow two laned road. Anyway, I ate half of the fruit at the fruit stand before getting back on my bike to go home....that was how desperately I really needed to eat. I was only able to eat half for some reason. Then I finished the remainder of the fruits a few miles later, but not exactly close enough to home. I also took a detour and stopped by a bank on the way home. (I had enough energy to go home...then my acid reflux started to act up.)

Week 9: Day 4 - March 02, 2017

easy RUN with one dog = 5.33 miles; time = 1:03:35; average pace @ 11:56

easy WALK with three dogs = 2.6 miles

I don't feel sore from yesterday's bike ride that had a "mountain" in the first half. I will continue riding up this "mountain" regularly every week until the event or until I can ride to the top non-stop. I may do this ride on Thursdays (or Sundays) followed by a commute ride to work/home the next day.

Week 9: Day 3 - March 01, 2017

• easy RUN ("warm up") with one dog = 2.17 miles; time = 27:42; average pace @ 12:46
• bike ride (training) = 10.14 miles; time = 1:02:19; average pace @ 9.8 mph
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.6 miles

I did a short easy run this morning, sorta like a warm up for my bike ride. I didn't want to skip a run entirely because I wanted to run and put in 17 miles this week. It just seemed easier to do a two mile run because even the small runs add up and I don't have to put in extra miles for my other runs.

The hilly trail run that I like to do when I'm training for a half marathon? I did a ride up half of the trail. Max elevation gain of 1,236 feet with a total elevation gain of 2,025 feet. I'm not sure what the grade (%) was on that climb, but it was tough. I had to take a rest break.

So out of curiosity, I went and checked the elevation profile on 30 mile ride from the Finish The Ride event that I'm doing. If I understand it correctly, the max elevation gain is 1,300 feet and total elevation gain is 2,585 feet. I thought the max elevation gain was 2,585 feet and I'm glad that I misunderstood it earlier. 1,300 feet max elevation gain is so much more doable for me. There are two hills on the ride (more like two and a half hills). If I understood this correctly, the total elevation gain is all the climbs/up hill combined?

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