Seven Summits Body – Fitness and Training

Category: Blog

  • 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?

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  • 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.

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  • 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

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

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  • Zwift Run Foot Pod – Opening Video

    Just posted this on Facebook at my Seven Summits Body Group as a live video. Opening the ZWIFT Run Pod for Zwift RUN. I have tried the Zwift Cycling and totally loved it. Tons of fun.

    Open the envelope, open the box, pull out the pod, check the quick instructions, insert the battery, and the rest later when I try to connect to Zwift Run.

    Now I will soon try Zwift Run in the next couple of days to see what it’s all about. Here are a couple pics from the unboxing:

    Here are a couple of pics from Zwift Cycling:

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  • Icy Spikes Running in the Dark

    Had to wear my Kahtoola Microspikes this morning. There was a little bit of snow that started last evening at about 35F and transitioned into a freezing slick surface as the temperature descended with the sun. Check out the pic with my spikes and the frosted sheet of thin ice below.

    I ran on the recpath as it circled the Cedar Hills Golf Course hill section. It’s a common route for those living within a mile or so. It’s a bit dark back down by the creek and ponds. I love the sounds of the creek rolling over the rocks. Every now and then you see the glowing eyes of various critters ducking into the foliage as your headlamp beam reveals them.

    It has been really cold and damp. A damp cold. The worst kind that settles into your bones. Today was a little windy, which made it feel worse. I wore a slightly thicker base layer top and it seemed to work while running. While walking the dog prior to the run it was sure cold.

    In Seattle my heart strap for my Suunto Ambit 3 Peak had decided to become dead. Not sure if it’s the strap or the sender unit. I replaced the battery and still no go. That’s why I didn’t record heart rate on Cougar or Tiger Mountains, and why I’ve been mainly using the Tickr Run.

    I had gotten a replacement strap and sender combo last year when I thought I’d lost mine, and I finally found it in the secret hiding place I’d never forget. Today I opened it up and it paired instantly. It should, being a fellow Suunto and all.

    The main reason I had to get this bad boy up and running is that I am going to run Quandary this weekend. The Wahoo Fitness App is good. It works. It records some interesting data from my Tickr Run sender. Some of it only when I’m moving fast enough. The problem is that cell service is spotty on Quandary. I know the places where it is generally consistent. That’s not too much of a problem though, as the packet can be resent to Strava later when I do have good service.

    The main problem is that some notifications and any use of the camera can cause the app to die a miserable death. Sometimes the data is recoverable, but sometimes Strava spits it back and says it doesn’t taste right.

    So I can’t take any pics on Quandary or send and receive texts Usually I take a bunch of pics if my hands are warm enough. Generally I text my wife progress reports. So I don’t really want to be using the Wahoo Fitness App on Quandary.

    That leaves me with having to locate the heart strap. I did. I tested it this morning. Now I’m happy.

    Expected Weather on Quandary Summit:

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    On another note – Elbrus access might be easier as the US State Department seems to be no longer recommending against visiting the region: Story Here

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  • Thinking Ahead – Quandary December 15

    I have been planning a trip to Colorado in mid-December for a little while now. It’s to celebrate an event with a close relative. While I’m there I hope to get a climb of Quandary in. I was hoping to make another climb back at the end of November, but the weather, road conditions, and a transportation issue meant that I could not.

    As is typical, I’ve been monitoring the weather on Quandary, and here is a report from one of my favorite sources… https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Quandary-Peak/forecasts/4348

    The top image is from the summit, and the bottom image is for about where the bridge is near the “closed for restoration” sign. So not too bad for wind, temps, or wind chill. I’m in the middle of a little boot “quandary” (haha) since I’ve outgrown all my double boots. When the chills go below zero I prefer to wear light double boots, like my Scarpa Phantom 6000 Mountaineering Boot, which is what I did when I climbed Greys with Todd Gilles prior to Elbrus Race 2013. It was quite a bit below zero F that day and I was just fine.

    Salomon Boots I’ll be wearing

    The warmest “mountain” type boots I have right now that fit at all are my Salomon S-Lab X-Alp Carbon Boots (link is to a newer version than I have). They should be sufficient. I wore them last year on a winter climb of Quandary, but had issues with socks and slipping around inside on the descent as the slide locker loosened up. I’ll have to manage that I suppose, in the worst case possibly even unzipping and tightening the slide locker at the summit, in the cold, in the wind, prior to descending.

    I’ll be packing up my gear over the next couple of days, so stay in touch here to get the full scoop as I prepare for whatever my goals evolve into over the next few months.

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