Introduction to Zwift Running Dec 4, 2019

I have to admit that training on an incline treadmill has helped me to make huge gains in my fitness, body composition, mountaineering, and racing goals. Have you ever looked forward to a treadmill workout? Have you ever thought of your treadmill workout as a game? What's been stopping you?  If you want to see more after watching this short video, check out the webpage here: https://inclinetreadmilltrainer.com/zwiftrunning/introduction-to-zwift-running/

Rut Training Run - tapering was an option?

Tapering? I normally don't taper well. I experimented with it off and on over the years. Right now I'm watching my stats in both Training Peaks and the Stryd Power Center so I can see where I'm at in readiness to race. I experimented with tapering for the Broken Arrow VK and I think I was a little flat for that one. Could I have finished 10 minutes faster? I don't think so with the technical terrain, especially the snow.

Scenery at the start of the Broken Arrow VK in Squaw Valley

This week I'm experimenting with tapering for the Rut Training Run. I'm pushing my stats for three runs in a row of greater than 220 RSS (Stryd) or 150 TSS (Training Peaks). This is done on the treadmill at roughly 3.1 miles in about 64 minutes (5k) at 22% incline (a little over 1000m of climb).

There's my Stryd Race Readiness from the Metabolic Fitness graph in the Improvement tab. It's right on 65.

40-65 Skill means you are prepared for a half marathon race.
55-70 Skill means you are prepared for a marathon race.

I'm currently at a little over 7,000' of vertical for this week. Tomorrow I will be over 10,000' and then I'll be done running till Saturday at the Rut Training Run. I'll be doing some cycling tonight, Wednesday (OTB Trainer so lucky to get a mile or two in) and Thursday.

I think I made a mistake for the Broken Arrow VK by not getting in any appreciable vertical early that week. We'll see how I feel on Saturday and apply the lessons learned for my next race. Possibly another "C" race in early August.

All in all it's been awesome to try to come back to running, such as it is with all the vertical. Yes, it's fast vertical, but it's slow running. I've felt it when I've been out doing 10:00 miles out on the road. Ugh.

Map My Fitness (Map My Run, by Under Armour) has a 1000 km challenge every year. I've entered it for a handful of years running (pun) now, and every year was so totally lucky to get in even 300 km. This year I'm way ahead of pace. I'm over 800 km already, putting my solidly in the top 5% of registrants. Super duper. I'm actually on pace (according to Strava) to exceed 1000 miles this year.

Rut Training Run - only a handful of days to go

Again, like the foolish child I am, I registered for the Rut Training Run 10.5 mile course. It starts with the VK, and gives me an opportunity to pre-run it with a group of fun runners in a non-competitive environment.

My recent PR on Baldy South Ridge

Wildlife? Horned Toad on Baldy summit

From their most recent email:

What to Expect at Aid Stations: We will have water, Skratch Labs Drink Mix and a salty and sweet option for you at both aid stations. Note that there will NOT be gels at our Training Runs or Race aid stations this year. We believe Skratch Labs makes some of the best nutrition products on the market, however, as of 2019, they do not make gels so plan accordingly to bring your own if gels are a part of your nutrition plan! Aid Stations (for both routes): Aid Station #1: Mile 3.5 (Lone Peak Summit) Aid Station #2: Mile 9.1 (Base of Africa trail before steep climb up Andesite.)

The Rut is a Cupless Event in 2019! In case you have not heard we are going cupless this year! In 2018 the Rut went through 12,000 non reusable dixie cups at our event. We are excited to send zero dixe cups to the landfill in 2019! With that said, it is up to you to provide a vessel for carrying water on the RutTraining Runs and Races this year!

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I just recently did a run up the South Ridge of Baldy and hit a PR by 9 minutes. 9 Minutes. Yep. The worst thing is I really felt super slow and useless. That's greater than 700 VAM which is really good for me. If I can get on top of my breathing and pacing I think I should be able to get something good done at The Rut VK end of August.

I ran down a section of the Dry Canyon Trail known affectionately as a Strava Segment "Hell's Half-Pipe" and it killed me. Running downhill was the worst.

I'm still recovering which made this morning workout really a slog. I did a VK on the treadmill in 64 minutes. Still, a slog and it hurt.

Rut Training Run - the week before

The Rut is doing a training run July 13 for their 28k and 50k. Interestingly they are supposed to climb the VK route, which is on neither of the routes. Then it forks for each of the routes for 10.5 or 15 miles. Since it's a great opportunity to do the VK as a pre-run I opted for the 10.5 mile, which is totally doable as a run/walk.

Here are some details from the event:

Training Runs Schedule:
7:00-7:55 am: Runner Check-in Big Sky Resort Base Area Huntley Dining Room at Base of Explorer Lift. See MAP.
8:00 am: Start Training Runs
8:00-1:00 pm: Runs in progress (1 pm cut off for all runners & routes)
11:30 am -1:30 pm: Lunch catered by Big Sky Resort

Check in is at Huntley Dining Room near Base of Explorer Lift: (See Map)
While you may not need a bib or timing chip for the Training Runs we still want to know who is starting and finishing the runs with us! So we will have a check in from 7:00AM to 7:55 AM at the start finish area in the Huntely Dining Room near the base of the explorer Lift. **Note that this is a different location than the normal Rut Races check in!** 

I'm really looking forward to pre-run the VK route, since I'll be racing it at the main event on August 30. I did so well, and felt so strong at the Broken Arrow VK that I'm really excited to see what I can do at The Rut.

"Long" run at 5 miles on pavement this morning

Training with the Middle School MTB Team

It's been a bit of a rough transition from the Broken Arrow, with a lot of pain getting back up to speed. While the Rut Training Run is at best a "C" race, meaning just a regular training run effectively, I still want to be strong enough to make the cutoffs and measure my own efficiency on the VK portion of the run.

I've dropped down to on average 45 minute or so training periods, outside the MTB team rides, which are two hours of on and off riding at a mellow pace for the most part.

I need to increase my singletrack training a bit, and increase my mileage enough to cover the 10.5 miles I'll be doing at The Rut Training Run.

I need to get some steep and rough technical terrain practice in, since The Rut VK has quite a bit of that. Especially near the top. The pics and vids make it look a lot like an intense crawl. Far out.

I'll post some more here in the next few days as I prepare. We'll be camping near the Big Sky Resort where The Rut takes place. We were going to take the trailer, but our tow vehicle is having some issues and might not make it in time. In that case I guess it's tents.

We'll see. Wish me the best. Thanks

My Gear Spread Pics for the Broken Arrow VK

I'm sure you've seen them on Instagram and Facebook, etc, but it's common for runners to post pics of all their stuff laid out or being packed, with all the cool kid hashtags. I took some pics, but they aren't really all laid out and I didn't do all the cool kid hashtags.

Here's my suitcase almost packed, and a few other baggies I'll be putting into my personal item carry on. I'll be carrying on this suitcase too, as I don't want to pay the exorbitant fees for checked luggage. Though I guess technically I have airline points that would earn me a freebie checked bag.

That being said, it took me quite a bit of effort to get my gear together. I'm hoping tomorrow I'll be able to pause enough in the hotel in Reno to get some better gear spread pics and maybe explain a few of my choices. I was hoping to encompass a broad range of potential weather conditions.

Wednesday forecast for Squaw - note that wind!

Thursday Afternoon June 20

Most recent (Thursday) forecast for Squaw

What even is training for a VK all about?

Quoted long-form from this article:

The sport of VK running is relatively unheard of in Australia. It’s a Euro thing that is quickly gaining traction as trail and Skyrunning grows around the world. The International Skyrunning Federation defines it as follows: “Races with 1,000 m vertical climb over variable terrain with a substantial incline, not exceeding five kilometres in length.” The shortest VK in the world, which incidentally is also the fastest, is in Fully, Switzerland. It’s 1.9 km in length, with an average incline of 52% Essentially, vertical Kilometers are all about super steep mountains where an athlete has to maintain a steady state at close to maximum exertion for anywhere from 30 minutes (For the best in the world!) to an hour. 

Training for such an event requires very specific sessions and to get the lowdown on what to do I asked some of the top guys in the sport. The consensus was fairly clear: 

1) Start by gaining some experience and strength on big hills. Do lots of general runs, up to 2 hours, where you focus on consistent rhythm when climbing and get to understand what your limits are and at what point you are tipping over the edge. 

2) Once a foundation of general fitness and strength is laid, introduce 2 x weekly sessions, one being hills reps on really short but steep climbs (EG: 10 x 60 secs). The steeper the better! The other should be on longer climbs, up to 20 minutes (For example 3 x 10 mins or 2 x 20 mins). 

3) Weight training, with emphasis on power, not endurance should be done regularly. However this is should be introduced gradually into a program. Running should always take priority and a good base of mountain training is necessary before introducing gym work. 

The above is a very basic guide. On the days between the hill-specific workouts, it’s good to maintain a connection with some flat running and speed. A weekly long run of up to 2:30 hours is also important to build fitness and endurance. Cycling can also be a good addition to compliment the running.

 (minor edits for formatting that made it tough to read)

So yeah, I'm a bit weak in a few of those areas. I was doing some short hill sprints earlier in the season, but right now I've been mostly focused on getting increasing weekly vertical goals in. This has brought my weekly miles down a bit, since it's tough to get in 30 mile weeks at 3 mph. That's my average speed at 22% on the treadmill.

I'll be posting more of this training specific information as well as condition updates for Squaw Valley where the Broken Arrow Sky Run VK will be held. Stay tuned please.

Getting Excited for Broken Arrow Sky Race VK in Squaw Valley

I was thrilled to find out that much of the ridge will be clear of snow, except for a few of the usual spots for the Vertical Kilometer (VK) race on Friday June 21 2019. The organizers posted a video of the famous Stairway to Heaven section of the course, showing a little bit of snow to be traversed at the base of the stairs. Check out their video:

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VID_20190612_150104647_3 from Broken Arrow Skyrace on Vimeo.

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So much fun watching that, right?

My wife said "That looks a lot like you" and I replied "only my thighs are thicker..."

Here is a shot of the advanced weather report for you.

Just yesterday evening I did a big push up the trail on Box Elder Peak, and surprisingly was able to push 700 VAM in spite of much of the trail being under water and scary rough crossings like so.

This is final bridge that stopped me from going further. It was too dangerous to cross.

Broken Arrow VK Course Updates for June 14

The Broken Arrow Sky Race organizers have posted on their Facebook:

VK drop bags will be available on top of Squaw Peak (at the finish line). It's helpful to pack a warm layer here so you can hang out and cheer on the other finishers.... but please note that these bags have to be left at the registration tents no later than 830am! Remember ... you'll be cruising down to High Camp (another mile) from the top of the peak too.

I was curious about the descent, and that sort-of a little-bit answers it.

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6/14/19 Course Update from Broken Arrow Skyrace on Vimeo.

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And then a bit more on the ridge line conditions:

There are patches of dirt for sure and the entire Stairway to Heaven ridge line are dry ....
Remember that while there is a LOT of snow on the course it's likely to be 80-degrees on race day. Essentially you're feet will be on a winter surface while the rest of you will be experiencing summer.

So let's see where I am in my training over the next few days. Remember that to me this is a "B RACE" which means it's more important than a mere fitness-test race, which is coming up for me in July, but not as important as an "A RACE" which is my August event.

Week Straight Out of Heck

So here I am, after what seems like a rest week. Last week we did some trailer camping with the whole family in Yellowstone National Park over the Memorial Day Holiday. Didn't get any running in, which I expected. This week I led a NICA Utah Mountain Bike League Coach Training workshop and we had a high school graduation. I had to work around my teen racer's training schedule. We had company and enjoyed late nights and eating out some.

That made it difficult to get in my normal 4 AM training sessions, and even the evening sessions were very difficult to slip in between other stuff. Zwift was taunting me, with the last two events in the Tour of Watopia just scheduled so poorly there was no way I could get to them. Fortunately I got in the first five, so got the special Kit. But I have to keep reminding myself I'm not training to be a bike racer, so I have to just let it go and train hard enough to ride with the team, and provide some cross training for running.

Quandary has been taunting me, with a first weekend of awesome weather since December. I had messaged the staff at the Broken Arrow VK about the recent snowpack, and they assured me that they'll run in the snow, as fun as that might be. I figured training at Quandary would be a great way to possibly improve my performance and get my snow running legs back. Bad weather is irrelevant to that, since I can stumble along at 1 MPH in 40 MPH winds anytime without training for it.

We had scheduled a family trip to Quandary coming soon, and I'm nervous about the weather, again, stumbling along in high winds is just wasting effort and recovery time to prevent me from really training. I thought maybe I'd slip out alone this Saturday, but we have a family BBQ related to all the fun stuff we've been through the past few weeks. Since the weather is most likely going to be an issue next weekend, along with transportation issues, etc, it's probably best to just not go at all.

Work has been "interesting" - yes that's the right word. We moved into the new building on a temporary occupancy permit, giving us 90 days to finish the construction while we all sit here with marginal services. There's no cold water. The fridges don't work. There's no place to sit and relax while eating. The desks are all criss-crossed with wires all over the place. A few select of us have our monitors pointing toward our micromanaging overlords so they can see when those of us not related to them are doing something other than buying Ferrari's for them. Contractors saw and screw and chop and put ladders over our heads. Yeah. Fun fun. And the new location makes driving a little bit more troublesome, especially in the afternoon.

It's really fun to take up a blog post on whining, and I have gotten in a few miles of training this week. Not as much as I would have hoped for a few weeks out from a race though.

I think I need to add in more long runs, which at my elderly shuffle pace means 2-3 hours for 8 miles or so at a decrepit power or HR output. I also need to get in some hill repeats, assuming I can get outside sometime. That's been super tough with all the rain and snow and lightning and mudslides. I hope that spring time has finally arrived on the Wasatch Front.

Broken Arrow Simulation

This morning I was planning on running with an evening ride. That was to interface nicely with a family member who was behind in their training and needed to start riding by 4:30 to get it done and off to their day commitments on time.

Broken Arrow VK Simulation

I decided to try a Broken Arrow simulation and set the Stryd app to 24% and thus the treadmill to 24%, and walked at about a 230+ Watt average power for 70:00 minutes.

I managed to get in 2.8 miles, 3550' of elevation gain, so right about spot on for the Broken Arrow VK. It was tough, and I'm sure it messed up my Stryd Power Center stats, especially for the Improve tab, but I need to figure out how to crank out 270+ Watts in 70:00 in the wild if I want to achieve my goals.

It also means my calculated CP (running FTP) of 222 is somewhat under-calculated. That means I should only be able to crank out 222 Watts in about an hour before it drops off. Yeah.

Power Hiking Watts

The big trade-off here is that it's difficult to do this math in regards to power-hiking (fast walking) at 24%. In fact, outside in the wild my 750+ VAM efforts report less than 200 Watts. Anyway, it's a pile of numbers to make charts and graphs and stuff to help me prepare. It's all good.

Minor Injury

Managed to tweak my hip muscle moving my own desk items and chair from the old office to the new. Either that or crawling around under my desk trying to get it all connected with a working internet connection. It's tougher than it needs to be. Especially considering how ridiculously over-priced the place probably is.

Evening Workout

Did a route in Watopia (Zwift) titled "Out and Back Again" and set a handful of PR's. That was nice. My hip hurt a lot causing me to attempt really good posture to alleviate the pain somewhat. I also used my Selle SMP Hybrid Cycling Saddle which is a really good fit for me and my style of riding. I have another just like it on my main mountain bike. It's padded just about right, and while it's supposed to be a  "sit in it and don't move" kind of saddle, there are actually a lot of positions in which it's comfortable. Just sayin'.

I ride like this, for the most part in HR and power Zone 1-2 as my cardio when I'm doing higher wattage power hiking. Seems to have worked good over the last few months.

Catching Up With My VK Training

Today was interesting, to say the least. Work has been a struggle, as we're moving into a new building which is apparently an owners' wet dream, but downgrading the employees even more than in the current building, if that's at all possible. I won't go into details, but right now we're sitting elbow to elbow at kids picnic tables holding hands, singing Kumbya, and getting nothing at all done. The Google studies this nonsense was based on used interns (slave labor) and they believed that if they were super productive they'd get their own offices, but instead were let go at the end of their counter-intuitively productive runs.

That stress has been difficult to overcome, and has led to a reduction in recovery, which is an expected result. 

On top of that I've bumped up my outdoor running, shooting for various VK-Like ascents in the afternoon. In spite of the snow and slime and mud and muck and 30 degree spring weather. In both cases of recent attempts I've had to bail after 2400 to 2600 feet of ascent. One for a creek running down the trail and the other for slushy snow over slimy mud at the edge of a seriously 500' vertical drop onto Hwy 92 up the Alpine Loop Road.

On Saturday I ended up riding the Eagle Race Course on my mountain bike, leading a group slowly around on a warm-up lap for a Time Trial attempt at the Varsity Team. Oddly that resulted in some awesome heart rate bumps, since it was effectively a maximum exertion full body workout that I wasn't much used to. I haven't ridden outside since December, except for the bike skills classes I lead for the Utah NICA League.

I've been doing a lot of Zwift, and even that has taken a hit lately with the outside steep runs added into my training. I've noticed that running up the hills, trying to emulate a VK, that I start getting slower and weaker in a couple of steps at 60, 75 and 90 minutes. I need to train around that, so looked at my Stryd to calculate what a good gap would be for a 90 minute effort, and decided that if I could get on the treadmill at 21% and hold it there at 220 watts for 90 minutes I'd be filling in one of those gaps.

[Stryd Power Center screenshots to think about]

Like I said, I had a bad night and worse morning, without really good quality sleep so I decided not to get up at my usual 4 AM and instead slept in till 5:15. Nice. But I'm really pretty well behind. So this afternoon after work I did it. Did 3.8 miles and 4200' in 90 minutes at 21% averaging pretty dang close to 220 watts.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to take my daughter to her Gymnastics Regional Meet in San Diego. While there I got to run at precious oxygen rich sea level and hit a one mile PR. Nice. It was inspirational. I also got to do some serious hill climbs in the area around Sunset Cliffs. 

BTW: I was watching Anime on Amazon Prime Video while on the treadmill and in the sauna. 

Anyway, just thought I'd take a few minutes here to catch you up on what I've been doing lately. I'll try to spend more time here in the next few months as I prepare for my most important races and events this year.

Please subscribe and don't miss the next few posts, okay?

Can You Use Stryd in the Snow? Check this out ...

My plans for Saturday changed suddenly when I needed to give my wife and daughter a ride to the University of Utah gymnastics meet that afternoon. My wife asked if I could do Olympus in that time. I doubted it, but figured I could do Grandeur, a peak at the junction of Wasatch Blvd and I-80 and much closer to the UofU campus.

Standstill Traffic on I-15 in Salt Lake City

It had snowed a lot in the few days previous. Salt Lake City was nearly shut down by the storm. I checked Strava and found that some groups had already been up Grandeur that morning, so what the heck, gonna try it.

Stryd pod, right foot, hiding under laces, in orange clip, near the beginning of the hike

I wanted to try my Stryd footpod outside on a steep slope with my Suunto 9 Baro. Pairing in the parking lot at the trailhead was pretty easy. I had had difficulty before pairing to a Suunto HRM strap but it seemed to work out okay today also. I used the orange clip, figuring if it fell out of the clip I'd be able to notice more quickly and perhaps rescue it in the deep loose snow.

The snow turned out to be much more loose, and the trail less defined, than I had anticipated, so my pace was about 40% slower than I had hoped. I checked my watch, in "Trail Running Power" mode and saw that the Stryd was sending info, which was comforting, as I wasn't sure how slowly it would actually allow me to go and still track. The UA Hover shoes supposedly won't work below 11:00 pace, which means they're worthless to me.

As I neared the summit the snow became quite deep in drifts, up to waist high wading, and the wind kicked up, and the snow started falling. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to see the track back down, especially with the really flat lighting. I had to slip into my down jacket since I was dressed so lightly, thinking I'd be moving quicker.

At the top it looked like there was a trail running event (RUFA) coming up the back side, with a tent to check in at. They asked me for my number and I told them I'd come up the front side. The way down was a lot more difficult. The snow was loose enough that I ended up skiing down on my heels much of the way, despite the Kahtoola Microspikes. I was really glad I'd brought my trekking poles. Even then, I fell once and slid a ways before stopping.

Stryd footpod, right shoe, covered in crunchy snow crystals, at the end of my hike

Finally at the car, I had to dig my Stryd footpod out of the encrusting ice and pop it in my pocket. I synced it with the Stryd App so that I could check it out later.

Verdict: Sure, use the Stryd footpod in the snow. The clip held it in even bashing through the snow on the descent and in spite of the snow crusted around it.

I arrived to pick my family up and take us all out to eat on the way home. Great fun day out for all.

Here are some stats synced from my Suunto 9 Baro to my Strava:

Stay tuned for a video demonstrating some of the tools and techniques discussed in this article.

Stryd Tech Support Question About Incline Speeds

I have been curious about using a Stryd pod for a little while now, especially with Zwift, since it might pair more consistently than the Zwift Pod, or my Wahoo Tickr Run, or my Garmin Pod or my Adidas Pod, none of which are really accurate, or connect consistently.

As a side bonus, if I use the Stryd App and sync to Strava, I can get in my usual steep treadmill training and out in the hills maybe figure out a way to more efficiently move in the mountains. You know, with the Run The Rut Lone Peak VK coming up in like 30 weeks.

Question:
After reading this

https://support.stryd.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002319913-How-do-I-set-incline-in-the-Android-app-

I was curious, is there a maximum incline or minimum speed that Stryd will accept for incline training on a treadmill?

It might be typical for me to set a treadmill at 22% at 3.2mph give or take a little.

Thanks!

Charles Miske

Response:

(Stryd Community and Help Center)

Jan 23, 09:36 MST
Hi Charles,

Thank you for contacting Stryd. Let me try to help you!

The Stryd app allows an incline from -50% to +50% and there are no restrictions on pace. At 22% incline and 3.2 mph, Stryd will still work!

Let me know if you have additional questions!

R

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So yes, it looks like it will do what I want it to do. More later folks!