This post might not be the greatest if you're looking for juicy running stuff (because my running life is that interesting). However, I still am running! I run about four times a week now, mainly sticking with flat MAF runs. Things have been going well! I'm still searching for the right workout balance, and this past week my experiment was doing weightlifting/climbing in the morning, and running at night. But who am I kidding, I barely climb now a days. It doesn't even really count. I did however play around at Dogpatch Boulders last week for a couple of hours. I worked on this competition style problem which was fun! I didn't get it though :( But came close enough. 

Competition style V3. A bit stretchy! lol

Running at night has been great though. One minor caveat is that my digestive system hasn't really been nailed down for evening runs. I think just about every time I go running at night I end up in a mad rush for the bathroom (maybe TMI? But who cares, runner's are notorious for their bathroom tales). And UNFORTUNATELY, the rangers that take care of the public bathrooms in the park are irritatingly timely when it comes to locking the doors. Luckily I have found refuge at the Hilton's bathrooms...which I should say are quite fancy!

Yay for pristine bathrooms!

Another negative aspect to running at night: when things get dark, the nocturnal animals come out! I see multiple skunks and raccoons. Which might be a positive for some people, but I think getting sprayed by a skunk might just ruin my day.

Two of the little stinkers crossed my path on this run.

The perks are that it's cooler out. It can get a bit breezy on the ol' bay trail, especially in the evening, but I find the breeze kind of welcome in the heat. Also, the sunset. I really look forward to any time that I can catch the sunrise or sunset. My body is also much more warmed up and ready to run as opposed to going the first thing in the morning.

By the beach in Burlingame - night run.

I just need to adjust my eating schedule I guess. Maybe I shouldn't down a large meal 15 minutes before running.

Aside from running, Jon and I have been focusing on backpacking and training for our upcoming hike up the Mountaineer's route at Mt. Whitney. We are both new to the sport, and knew it wasn't going to be easy, so we've been doing some hikes around the bay area with loaded packs.

Two weeks ago, we did one of the most popular Bay Area hikes - Mission Peak in Fremont. Just a skip and a hop across the 92. We wanted to go somewhere new, and since I had heard so much about Mission Peak I decided it would be a good spot to do our first hike. Plus I heard there were cows. SOLD.

We went with our friend Kelvin, and packed our bags full to ensure a good workout. My bag ended up weighing 34 pounds.

The total elevation for our little loop was just over 2100, however almost all of the elevation gain was within three miles, so it was pretty steep most of the way up.

We left bright and early, and for the first time in a long time, I got to see a sunrise. I knew that there was no shade at Mission Peak and that it was supposed to be a hot day in Fremont.

The first thing we noticed was that it was CROWDED. Even at 7am, we had to park about a mile away. There was a flood of people, and to me it looked like a pilgrimage to the top...something I really haven't seen before on a hike.

We were the only ones with giant packs on, and I think almost everyone that walked by us made comments about it.

Our pace that we maintained was steady. I practiced the "rest step" technique that my mountaineer friends (Rini and Brandon) told me about, and I think it helped from burning out.

We summited in just over an hour, and joined a large crowd that was on the top. There was a long line to take photos with the notorious marker at the top. While the guys sat and took pictures and at their lunch, I decided to hop in the line, the entire time talking myself in and out of standing there. In the end, I gave in, and we snagged a photo.

The stupidly long line to take a photo

Anddd here we are! Complimentary colors!

Oh, and I can't forget the cow photos. We were able to get pretty close to them. So cute!

COW

The hike back down was a relief. I ended up slowly jogging most of the way down, much to the disapproval of Jon, and my quads.

Credit to Jon - hiking down Mission Peak

This morning was our second backpacking trip. I managed to squeeze in another pound, with my bag tipping the scales at 35. Kelvin joined us again, as well as another group of friends that had coincidentally planned a hiking trip at the same place!

Our plan was to arrive at the park at 7 and start hiking. Mt. Diablo gets HOT. The last time Jon and I attempted a run up it, we ended up turning around and not summiting because of the heat. We didn't want to make that same mistake, so an early start was a requirement.

What we didn't realize, was that the state park didn't even open until 8:00am. FAIL. Luckily after about 15 minutes one of the rangers opened it early for us, and we got to a start at 7:30.

Cred to Jon for this photo! Hot hot hot!

The climb up to Eagle Peak was brutal. Some of the parts had up to a 40% elevation grade, which is pretty steep. Having the backpack and hiking those steep grades was really difficult for me, as well as hiking down the really steep sections. There were moments when I would have to slide on my butt and then attempt to stand back up from a deep squat.

Our group at the top of Eagle Peak - Credit to Jon

I also had no idea how large my backpack was, and constantly snagged tree branches and brush. Apologies to my friends that I may have snapped branches in their faces! I think/hope that I was able to maneuver through the gross amounts of poison oak that lined the trails, especially for Jon's sake since he seems super sensitive to it.

Credit to Jon

The trail is undeniably beautiful, but I couldn't spend much time looking around since I was so focused on walking straight and not tripping. I was really feeling the weight of the bag on the uphills this time around, and was definitely the slowest of the bunch. To my defense, I also had the most weight in my bag. My heart was pounding! Luckily my friends were kind enough to wait for me, or hang back to make sure I didn't fall off a cliff (which was actually a real danger considering how clumsy and unbalanced I was with the pack).

Are we in a drought?

I don't think I've ever drank so much water on a workout before, and I am pretty sure I'm still dehydrated. We were all sweating buckets because the sun was really unforgiving, especially towards the end of the summit, and the entire hike back down. I literally watched Kelvin darken about three shades from the sun, even with sunscreen.

Me literally begging for Jon to help me take water bottles out of my pack. "WATER. WATER."

We all celebrated when we finally reached the top, and then proceeded to tear through our packs to eat lunch and refill our waters. The view was spectacular, and we were able to see several landmarks due to the crystal clear skies.

checking out the view

Jon's better pano

After an hour of dilly dallying, we worked our way back down. The sun was much stronger by that point (around 12:30). The way we took back down was a much friendlier road, a fire road for the most part that was on a steady and easier grade. This was the way that I ran up it previously maybe a year ago, and seemed so much easier.

There was about .01% shade on the trail going down. Everyone's feet started to really ache and blister, and you could feel the energy from our group being sucked away by the intense rays. My heels began to blister in strange spots, so I ended up favoring my toes for the second half of the decent.

Hiking down - Credit to Jon

I started chatting with one of my friends, and we were able to make time go seemingly much faster. At least it took our minds off of our aching feet. We talked about many things, but most of the subjects were the cold drinks that we were going to indulge in after. Jamba Juice...pina coladas...bloody mary's...otter pops...

Once again, we were cheering when the cars were in sight, and immediately I took off my pack. It surprised me at how I felt like I cut off a limb of my body when I took it off. Walking without it felt strange!

Total elevation was just over 3900 feet of gain, and 13.6 miles.

After all of our talk of Jamba Juice (or more, me talking up about how good it is after a long workout), we all promptly headed to the nearest one. I drank my Strawberry Whirl sz. Medium in record time.

Pretty sure I'll be sore tomorrow, but I think it was an excellent hike to help prepare us for Whitney. 

Anddd to end this super long post, here are some random photos that describe the rest of my week.

Some of our heirloom tomatoes from the garden

The girls are getting bigger! Treat time!

Chickens!

Sandwich makers are greatly under appreciated. Tuna melt for dinner!

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Giving backpacking a shot!

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Major progress this week! I hit milestone after milestone, and the taper has only just begun! 

Four out of the five runs this week were all under a 10 min/mi average. Which is INSANE because this week was also the very first run that I've averaged under a 10 min/mi. I don't know what my body is on, but I like it. 

Tuesday's run was a teensy tiny four miler. It was a 9:56 average. Wednesday was a 10 miler, which was a 9:44 average. Thursday was hill day, and I did over 700 feet of elevation in 8 miles, and that was a 10:35 average. 

That run in particular was still a huge leap for me, considering the last hill day 8 miler I did exactly one month ago was just over 600 feet and 24 seconds slower per mile. 

February 19th

March 19th

Saturday's run was 16 miles. Even though it is significantly shorter than my previous long runs, my legs were still tired and revolting against going since I've been going so much faster. I still managed a 9:51 average, and broke my half marathon PR (2:08:44) since starting MAF. And then this morning's 10 miler I snuck in just under 10 mins with a 9:58 average, but that also included the two hills at Coyote Pointe. NOT TOO SHABBY.

Sorry to be so braggy, but after four months that required EXTREME patience, it feels amazing to finally reach my goal of hitting under a 10 min mile average at my MAF heart rate (149). I feel like screaming it from the rooftops! My goal for this whole thing was to hit a 10:30 min mile by the time the 50 miler came up, so I'm quite thrilled. 

Speaking of which...it's only 12 days away. I am officially done with long runs, and the longest one to do now is only ten miles. It's starting to hit me. EEK.

My legs are surprisingly tired after this week, I think because of the pace increase. While my heart rate is remaining the same, it's really difficult to convince my legs to move faster. This is one of the downsides of MAF, you lose your speed. While before I would think that moving at a 9:45 pace would be beyond easy, now it's a bit of a struggle to get that spring back in my legs. I'll take it though. People that do MAF need to realize that the speed will go away but you can earn it back with hard work and elbow grease. :) 

Aside from the great running week, I have been experimenting with some paleo baking. To satisfy my sweet tooth I made some Double Chocolate zucchini cupcakes. They are incredible!!! Plus it's pretty cool that I snuck in a whole cup of grated zucchini and they taste absolutely sinful. In all the recipes I cut down the honey by about half since I am a bit sensitive to overly sweet foods now.

I also made some banana bread with some old bananas we had sitting on our kitchen table. Jon LOVES banana bread, and now that he's trying to eat healthier, he can indulge in these paleo slices instead. I threw some walnuts in there, and you can't even tell that it's good for you. 

Lastly I made some Lemon Poppyseed Mini Muffins, made with fresh lemons from our neighbor's tree! They are so cute and tiny, and perfect for when you want a bite of something mildly sweet. 

Other than all the baking and running, I've been spending a lot of time in the garden. I'm taking it seriously this year. Yesterday we spent a couple of hours at the SF Flower and Garden Show, and my mind was blown. Talk about a gardening heaven! However after several hours of standing and walking after my 16 mile run, I was EXHAUSTED. Seriously, I think walking slowly for four hours is worse than running a marathon. But I did buy these little guys to brighten up my garden and office space.

Speaking of gardening, back to work for me!

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Holy Record Running Week, Batman!

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Seeing how MAF training is getting a lot of spotlight these days, I thought I'd share some of the positive and negative attributes that I've experienced for the past four months.

Keep in mind that your own personal experience will vary. You may just be genetically gifted and find that the MAF hr is actually hard to keep because you're so freaking...well, I'll stop there. Just keep walking if you're one of those people. This list is for those sad and probably broken people that are teetering on the fence and looking for a justification to ditch MAF or stick with it.

The Downs

• You are force-fed humble pie. MAF training starts off by just checking the ego at the door, and eating a slice of humble pie. Not real pie. I wish it was. Mmm...pie. You're going to be much slower. Grandma and Grandpa are going to pass you on their speed walks with their smug poodles. Your significant other is going to exclaim, "WOW that took you such a LONG time, I was so worried about you, I called the police for a search!" Try not to strangle that significant other. They mean well. The point is, you need to be real with yourself, and understand that you need work.

• It requires an unbelievable amount of patience. MAF training takes PATIENCE. And lots of it. The people that seem to need it most are the people that are hardest to slow down. I don't like to categorize myself too much, but I know I'm leaning heavily toward a type A personality. I like to go, go, go, I love following a strict schedule, and I have a hard time slowing down and listening to my body. I didn't ever want to use a heart rate monitor, simply because I knew that the numbers would be scary.

• It also requires a heart rate monitor. I personally don't mind this part because I am a data nerd, but some people think it's a bother and you can get dependent on it. And nobody likes to put on a cold wet heart rate strap on at the first part of their morning. 

• This plan takes TIME. If you're telling yourself that if you don't see improvement in a couple of weeks you're going to quit, then you probably shouldn't even bother. It took me at least one full month to see any progress at all. In fact, my progress went backwards into the dark pits of Hell before it started to claw it's way back into daylight. It brought me to tears more than once. Not only will it potentially take over a month to see progress, but progress for me afterwards was steady and slow. Soon, slow starts to not feel so bad, but depending on the aerobic shape that you're in, it could possibly take years to reach your plateau of speed.

• You might scare away your loved ones. Sure, not everyone is going to be as dramatic as me, but I do think this one will happen to some. I went through extreme highs and lows, from feeling like flying to threatening to quit and pouting on my bathroom floor. If you have a significant other or anyone that you're living with, you might want to give them the heads up that you won't be quite yourself. My poor boyfriend...

• You will feel alone. Very, very alone. It is difficult to run with other people at the beginning of the training. Not only will you most likely be minutes slower than your average pace before, but simple things like talking will bring your heart rate up. I did 95% of my training completely alone. You will have friends that will politely run slow with you, but it ends up being more stressful because you know you're holding them back. 

• Kiss your races goodbye. During your MAF training, you probably shouldn't be racing. Some people squeeze in a 5k or 10k, but I would discourage it at least until you're a few months into the training. This can be hard, especially if you're a racing maniac like I was. The ol' medal rack might need some dusting.

• Prepare to walk. I had to ditch trail running for the most part, simply because any hill would bring me to a screaming halt or a crawl. I'm still not great at hills, and I need to walk very slowly up most of them, often stopping part way. This saddens me a lot, and continues to be one of the worst parts about MAF training to me. Sure, you can still keep training on the trails, but in order to keep my sanity during base training I needed to run more on flat ground.

• Warm ups are time consuming. Maffetone is pretty strict about his warm ups, and I think he has a point. I had to force myself to do a very gradual one mile warm up before every run. This easily adds on an extra 12-15 minutes, considering that I start off walking. It also makes me a little miserable because I start running early in the morning when it's cold out. Your average runs will take much longer considering you will be running a slower average pace, with the additional warm up. I should mention that he also recommends an equal cool down, which I don't always do...

• You might have to forfeit other sports and activities. This one is debatable, but I think it has helped me progress faster. I had to say goodbye to my rock climbing gym, and plyometrics. Why? Not only was it additional stress to balance all the things, but if I did anything to make myself sore it would easily raise my heart rate for the run. I don't believe you need to say goodbye to all strength work, but you will probably need to make some adjustments.

• It's a birthday downer. This one is a half joke, but really...for every birthday you're basically waving adios to another precious heart beat. If you're older, you can't help but look down at the younger whipper snappers doing MAF and have envy of their 160 MAF hr.

Okay, I think that's enough of the negatives. Are you still there? If you are, then maybe you have a chance. I needed to be honest, because there are indeed a lot of downsides. I do believe that the positives outweigh them, so here they are.

The Ups

• Injuries, be gone!  This one is a biggie, and one of the most prominent and wonderful parts of MAF. My training used to be littered with fall back weeks due to injuries. I have had almost every injury in the book. Hip pain, shin pain, knee pain, foot pain, you name it and I've probably experienced it. With MAF I have more than doubled my weekly mileage with far fewer injuries. In fact...not to jinx it, but no injuries. :| It weirds me out actually, and I can't stop talking about it to my friends (sorry friends.)

• Sicknesses are sparse and short! Running easier and slower is much more friendly on the ol' immune system and adrenal glands. I used to get sick much more often, and I can say that in the past four months I haven't been sick for more than one day. At the most it would be the start of a cold, but I would be able to stop it completely by the second day.

• You appreciate your surroundings. Since I'm moving at a much slower pace, I have time to let my mind wander and relax. I've grown to appreciate and anticipate getting out in the morning to watch the sun rise. I pay more attention to the wildflowers that are sprinkled along the path. It's nice. 

• Practice good breathing. This goes hand in hand with the meditation. Prior to this training, I never really did an actual recovery run, or easy run. My easy runs used to be a 9:30 pace, which clearly was still way too hard. Therefore, I never was able to get full deep breaths while running. At my MAF pace, I can have keep controlled breathing for up to five or six counts in and out. If you breath out with an audible "phhhhh" sound, it will almost guarantee a drop in heart rate. I find myself focusing on my breathing even outside of work and it's calming. 

• You'll look forward to every run. Well, maybe not EVERY run, but I find that I do get more excited to go out each morning. I set my heart rate monitor so it doesn't show my pace, so when I go home it's a surprise to see my progress. There's always that dangling carrot of hope.

• Meditation becomes your friend. I've never been one to meditate. Throw me in a yoga class and I'm that person that rolls their eyes at all the weird breathing and chants. Lately though, I have really been able to focus on my environment and quiet the ongoing voice in my head. As soon as I start thinking about the race or about life in general, I see my heart rate rise, so meditation helps me keep that in check.

• Run Longer. Like I mentioned, I have more than doubled my weekly mileage. In fact at the start of the training, it's good to log in more time. I recommend at least six hours a week. I rarely get tired mid run, and at this pace I feel like the energizer bunny that can keep going, and going. It might be a good time to sign up for a new distance of a race, since you'll be accumulating a good amount of miles.
  

• Have more energy. I believe this is partially due to my new low carb/high fat diet too, but I know that running slower gives me more energy throughout the day. I used to do long runs and be absolutely useless for the rest of my weekend, but now I am almost annoyingly energetic. I have no problem running 38 miles a weekend and still get all the house chores and gardening done.

• You'll be more mindful of your heart rate. I am more in tune with my body now, and can feel when my heart rate is higher without a monitor. I can sense when I start to get sick faster, which gives me an advantage of defeating it quicker. 

• Watch yourself progress. You are at the bottttom of the barrel. But with patience, you WILL get better. With more patience, you'll get good. And with even more patience you'll be sitting on top of that barrel throwing down the arrow like in Mulan. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should watch this. The only way to go is up, so enjoy the process and watch yourself improve. Go little Gazelle.

• Gain a greater sense of peace and holistic lifestyle.  Lastly, I am just all around a more peaceful and calm person. I may still be quite a bit slower than my prior years, but I know that I can maintain this throughout my life and extend my running career. This experience has taught me to look at my health holistically and that alone is gold! No more ibuprofen, no more ice baths, no more band-aids on a larger underlying problem. I feel proud of myself for addressing the issue from where it's stemming, and it's been making a clear difference. 

I think this sums up the ups and downs. I'd be curious to hear other people's stories if they have done any MAF training. If you are just starting out, one of the best pieces of advice I can give is to follow Maffetone's nutrition. Nobody likes to restrict food, but changing that is part of the whole issue here, and you will see faster gains by taking out sugars and processed foods.

Good luck, and keep your chins up. :)

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The ups and downs of Maffetone Training - with Goat illustrations!

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