Run training update from Honolulu, Hawaii; lessons learned

 

Running has went well while living back in Honolulu; it's a beautiful place to be outside, and the weather is perfect for it.  At least compared to back in Bangkok it is, where it's always way too hot.

This update isn't meant to be informative related to training approach for experienced runners.  I'll still include some "lessons learned" related to experiences at the end, but many runners have been through a lot more training scope than I have.

I've looked into what I might be doing differently if I was training more seriously before, watching the typical training theory videos, which would go better if I was 20 years younger, or on steroids / hormone replacement.  At 55 I need to work around limited recovery capacity.  I'm up to running 37 km / 23 miles per week recently, so related to volume that's not bad, but I'm not running as fast as I was a year ago, so intensity (speed) has needed to drop out, at least until I can work back up to that.

Some general and aesthetic background first:  I live at the Eastern edge of Waikiki, near Diamondhead, and run around Diamondhead three times a week, then out and back the Ala Wai canal after that.  It's beautiful there.  It was a stretch moving up to that weekly volume, but it works out.

view from the Diamondhead hill, on a really early outing

the opposite side of the run, the end of the Ala Wai canal, after circling that volcano

there really are a lot of rainbows here

Back to running progress

That's what run pacing looks like recently, if anything on the fast side.  I brought a watch that tracks heart rate but lost the charging cord on the trip, so I let that part of tracking stats go.  It was interesting varying running intensity but I can feel how that's going, and more typical challenges are pulling together motivation, effort level, sorting through stiffness, and breathing.  

That initial 10 minute km--in the stats / picture--is from walking over to the park (I start it at home since that phone has no active SIM card in it), then a short stretch, with a second warm stretch after a warmup run.  It takes doing loosening up.

A typical route looks like this:

I usually run the 12 1/2 km route, doing the canal out and back; that's slightly longer, going through that other neighborhood area.  There are two hill sections on the route and I'll usually walk a little at the top of the first steeper one, or sometimes both.  Frequency looks like this:

I wasn't running that far at the beginning of April, the current 12 km, and switching over took some doing.  Sometimes I walk a good bit, hike, ride a bike, or swim, and I've been ice skating twice in the past month, and mixing activities can tax training recovery.

Lessons learned

All well and good, but what do I understand differently now after this experience?  I ran an equivalent amount last May, but still my impression of it has changed a little.

Effort required to run at a relatively normal pace, for me, that 6 minutes per km (9 1/2 minute miles), stays on the high side.  I could be clearer as to why.  It seems like it's hard to improve conditioning without varying training intensity, doing faster shorter interval running, so that the normal pace feels more moderate.  That risks injury for me, if I don't take that slow, and for whatever reasons my interest has been to increase training distance instead.  I'm really running to stay in shape, and to experience it, not to train for fast race times.  I don't race.

I haven't fallen into a clear routine for timing, related to exactly when I run, and I think that throws off making improvements.  Early morning is most pleasant, but I'm not a morning person, and that requires running without ingesting any caffeine first.  I need to also eat when I drink tea to protect my stomach, or at least that's how I see it, so I can't run too early if I have a light breakfast.  Sometimes I run in the afternoon instead.

It's interesting how relative effort related to body tension and breathing forms works out.  For pushing it for distance increase it's hard to fully recover, and carrying leg and body tension from not being completely recovered seems to add a lot of extra work (and adds a few minor aches, of course).  It's odd how the two things inter-relate, experience of tension and effort level required to run.  I've experimented with shifting posture, relaxing my shoulders, and using different hand positioning to help with relaxation while running, but I would expect that what works for anyone is a bit individual.

Often I'll experience a very stable, slow form of breathing that only evolves as I fully relax, usually after 6 km.  I might push that pace to as fast as 6 minutes per kilometer, but often that's not fully sustainable, and I'll alternate a faster and rougher breathing pattern.  I don't know what that means, but it seems the faster and shallower form might relate to my body clearing lactic acid or carbon dioxide faster, or maybe I just need more oxygen.

Related to that running theme of muscle and soft tissue recovery, very light activity, like swimming or walking, seems to speed that process up.  Youtube running channel content producers always claim that slow "recovery runs" work better than rest days, and it seems that might be right.

I think I could push it a little harder.  I'm concerned about injury, since I've experienced three very minor injuries in the 5 1/2 years I've been running.  Those issues were nothing that required much treatment, all just extended extra soreness in a tendon or ligament, but taking a month or more off running definitely throws off progress.

It's not just that; part of the running experience is about enjoying it, relatively speaking.  Focusing and leaning into the pace over a shorter run, for example for 45 minutes, isn't so bad, but pushing it doesn't work well with longer hour and a half range runs.  I could emphasize the divide that's already happening in these runs, starting slower, and changing pace at the mid-point / 6 km mark, but part of the conditioning input that's not as clear in the stats listing is about grinding out two uphill sections early on.  Leaning into the hill climbs is a little rough but also kind of pleasant.

To offer others advice, for people regularly doing shorter runs or always at a moderate pace, it worked well for me earlier this year to divide a run into an initial slower pace then a later faster one.  It was odd how close the two were in terms of actual running speed, both essentially right around 6 min / km or 9 1/2 min / mile, but easing off a normal pace just a little made it feel much less intense.  In a sense that's like using the first 5k of a 10k / 6+ mile run as a long warm-up, which is probably not ideal for maximizing training effect, but it took the sting out of working up to normal effort level several times a week.

some of that is heat stress, running back in Bangkok

she is hardly ever in the social media photos

light hikes can be nice here, very scenic

ITea World An Hua Dark Tea / Hei Cha

I'm reviewing the third of four hei cha / dark tea versions sent by ITeaWorld for review (many thanks to them).  This follows review of a Liu Bao and Hubei compressed mini-tablet version.  Those were pretty good; better than I expected.  

I hadn't learned it at the time but the Hubei version was processed from black tea, which explains why it didn't seem like a pressed green brick version (what Hubei is known for) would seem as warm in tone as it did.  The Liu Bao was a drinkable, mellow version, not always how those go, but the trade-off of intensity and complexity for more approachable character would be positive for many people.  Maybe it was the pre-fermented style, similar to shou in pu'er; that would explain that.

Before even trying this it wasn't what I expected.  I'm most familiar with a hei cha type from Anhua that's a long compressed log-like shape, which is often then presented as discs, sections cut off that large shape.  Apparently there are other hei cha versions from there.  I looked up a reference that says a little about that:

https://exquisiteleaves.com/anhua-dark-tea-introduction/

Basics

Geography: Anhua Dark Tea is produced in Anhua County and Xinhua County in Hunan Province, China.

History: In 1524, the expression ‘dark tea’, was used for the first time in print. It specifically meant dark tea from the Anhua region.

Tea type: As indicated in its name, Anhua Dark Tea belongs to the post-fermented dark tea type.

Tea plant: The tea plants growing around Anhua County are middle-sized bushes.

Processing: ‘Smoking’ / drying the leaves over pinewood is what gives Anhua Dark Tea its unique character. Different types of compression and wrapping result in Anhua Dark Tea’s different variations.

Variations: Heizhuan (Dark Brick), Huajuan (Patterned Roll) and Tianjian (Heavenly Tips) are variations that offer premium teas of the highest quality.

This version is smoked too; you can tell that before brewing it, from the dry leaf smell.  The type I had been familiar with is this one:

https://yunnansourcing.com/products/2012-li-yuan-long-shi-liang-cha-anhua-hei-cha

Qian Liang tea is compressed in a long column (typically 36.5kg) through a laborious process that involves steaming the leaves and funneling them into a three layered cylinder of woven bamboo.  Then a team of 5 to 8 people will simultaneously compress the tea using leverage and then tighten each section with thick bamboo stripling.  Once firmly compressed the Qian Liang "logs" are dried in the sun and then finally cured for months in an indoor warehouse.  In this form they can be aged for decades or even centuries without molding, only improving in taste, aroma and complexity with each passing year!

This other style of tea would tend to be aged a bit before sale, and this version being sold is less than three years old now, as described in part of their website information:

This sells for $20 for 100 grams, for a sample set of 20 of these teas in 5 gram samples.  That's inexpensive as above average quality teas goes but still in a fair range, given hei cha tends to cost a bit less than many types.

On with how it came across.

Review:

#1:  smoky.  It was easy to tell from the dry leaf scent that this is a smoked tea. 

I got distracted online and brewed the first infusion way too strong, and used a flash infusion to dilute it, really drinking two together.  I'll go lighter on the next round; intensity seems pretty good, a bit much brewed long like this.

Pine smoke comes across most; that will probably fade some over the next couple of rounds, letting the rest shine through.  The rest of the flavor profile is pleasant, just less distinct for strong pine smoke overwhelming it.  It tastes clean, warm and rich, and has good depth.  Gongfu brewing may not be ideal for this tea type; often for smokier teas brewing them Western style works better, letting aspects that would turn up across a number of infusions mix together instead.  We'll see, and I can try it again, since it's a sample set with 5 samples of each type.

Some people see warm teas as more a fall and winter theme, and where I am now it's always room temperature out (in Honolulu).  Bangkok is in the middle of a rough heat wave, up to around 40 C / just over 100 F, more iced tea range.  I seem to be fine with drinking different teas at different temperatures, only once in awhile craving something that relates to that theme.  I'm feeling relatively low energy today and some calm, mellow tea like hei cha sounds good, versus getting blasted by high energy sheng, the usual.

it's bright and sunny here but not hot

#2:  smoke still stands out but the profile has already shifted a lot.  There's a little less pine effect in this smoke but the basic smoke taste is perhaps even stronger, like smelling a campfire.  Other lighter and brighter warm tones are just now starting to show through more, but it will probably work better to list them out next round.

#3:  much nicer balance; the smoke is on an even level with the rest, nicely integrated.  It matches the character of the rest well.  I really like smoke teas when the tea base is suitable, like a well-made Lapsang Souchong.  Lots of those don't balance well though.  Warm mineral provides a nice base for the rest, to the extent one sees the layers that way, or else the smoke could be interpreted as such.  It doesn't taste like it would be a complex or fruity tea, beyond that one input, but warm tones are complex, and there is sweetness helping the rest balance well.  The effect is relatively clean; some hei cha can seem a little musty, off in flavor, or even sour.  

It's hard to break down that warm range.  There's mineral, like dark rocks, and warm tones a little closer to black bread.  Maybe very minor inputs relate to spice or dried fruit; it seems complex in comparison to just covering mineral and warm earth range.

#4:  for the rest continually ramping up that smoke really hangs in there.  It's pleasant how full the tea feels in your mouth.  Hei cha tend to be simpler and less refined teas, covering less flavor range, mostly a range of warm earth and mineral, with less developed feel.  The feel is nice (not exceptional, but pleasant), and this has decent complexity, even though the flavor range is complex but narrow set.  Aftertaste is interesting in this too, the way some of that warm mineral hangs around.

#5:  not transitioning much.  I'm not doing the mineral complexity justice here; there are really a few tones mixing in that, like warm rocks, a bit leaning towards spice, and a touch of struck match, a hint of sulfur.  It's not complex in the sense of covering a lot of range, but at least there is complexity within that range.

#6:  this is fading a bit, even for that infusion running longer.  It seems like whenever processing oxidizes or ferments a tea quite a bit, or maybe even related to a roasting transition step, you trade out some durability in the tea for that change.  Sheng would be half finished at this point.  Then again sheng is so intense I would've needed to use much shorter infusions; maybe it's just that.  Brewing that first round as two infusions, both a bit strong mixed together, probably didn't help either.

Conclusions:

Pretty good.  It's a basic kind of tea, as hei cha tends to be, but the smoke component worked well with the rest.  People really into smoked teas might love this, and others could see it as tasting like an ashtray after the initial blast of pine wore off (the smoke form didn't retain the pine note past the initial rounds).  

The first rounds probably would've balanced better if I hadn't brewed the first a bit strong, and this may have been just as good used to prepare three infusions brewed Western style.

The tea itself contributed other flavor range beyond pine, smoke, and mineral, just nothing too distinct.  Still pretty good, for what it is.

Diamondhead, that old volcano we live near, from a beach further away

Greengold Georgian Tovli Esteri white tea

 

On to reviewing a Greengold Georgian white tea, their Tovli Etseri version.  It's part of a set of samples the owner, Nika, sent for review (many thanks!).  Many have been novel, pleasant, and high in quality, with some not suiting my personal preference as well as others, how that always goes.

It's this, from information in a catalog available through their website:

There are no prices on their website, since they are a producer, only selling teas at a wholesale level, not through a checkout style sales page.  Anyone really interested in the teas, who isn't a tea vendor, could still check in with them about buying them; it couldn't hurt to ask.

It's not as easy to pigeonhole Georgian tea styles as it might be in other places, with exceptions different from the norm anywhere.  Versions and styles seem to vary.

One thing I didn't do in this review is compare these to other interesting white teas that I've tried recently.  It can be hard to keep track of really fine details, and it works better to compare secondary aspects like intensity, refinement, feel, and novelty more directly, not across months of time.  I think in terms of pleasantness and those factors some others have been comparable, maybe more on par with a Chinese version than a Thai example, but that could be wrong. 

Mao Feng material Chinese white tea and Wang Put Tan Thai shou mei, reviewed here

Review:

#1:  a bit light, to be expected for this proportion being lower than normal, and quick, with the leaves needing time to saturate.  What does show through is pleasant, honey sweetness, bright melon, light floral tone, and sweet straw-like warmth.  This is what you'd hope it would taste like.  

Thickness of feel comes across already, even brewed quite light.  Not at rolled oolong intensity, but you can pick it up.

#2:  warmth and depth increases a lot.  In a limited sense intensity does, but this is still subtle, there's just a lot going on.  It's hard to break the flavor list down, given how integrated and subtle the flavors are, but in a limited sense there's a lot going on.  

Melon still stands out more than the rest to me.  Warm tones include something like the straw-like sweetness before, picking up, now towards a light wood tone, like fresh sassafras root.  It's a sappy and sweet scent that lots of lighter woods give off, when you peel a thin leather-like bark from a younger tree.  Interpretation as light and warm floral could make sense but to me it's not exactly that.

#3:  I let this soak more like 30 seconds to try it brewed a little stronger.  The earlier thick feel shifts to feel creamy now.  There's a sweetness, richness, and brightness to this that reminds me of the taste of cream.  The fruit range evolves just a little, a hint towards citrus.  It's a stretch to say that this tastes like Creamsicle, the Popsicle flavor, but it does bring that to mind.  Aftertaste range picks up a bit brewed slightly stronger, lingering more.  

This is quite pleasant.  To be clear I'm probably using positive terms to interpret flavors related to liking it.  That straw-like aspect might taste like balsa wood instead, or someone could take issue with flavors seeming subtle, the intensity.  That's just white tea for you though; if moderate intensity seems negative it's probably better to stick with other types.  Some oolongs can cover similar range and be more intense.

#4:  warmth very gradually keeps picking up.  This shifts towards a dry fallen leaf flavor range, just brighter, sweeter, and more fruity than US fall tends to cause.  It reminds me of sweeping the driveway in Bangkok, where tropical plants dropped lots of fine leaves and flowers, many from fruit trees.  The next infusion shifts slightly again, but keeping this short works since that's already the basic story.

Conclusion:

Really nice!  I tend to not care much for the most subtle range of white teas, when intensity is so limited that they don't taste like much, but this was nothing like that.  The sweetness, creaminess, melon fruit, hint of citrus, straw-like warm tones, and evolving leaf flavor range and touch of citrus were all very pleasant.  

The tea was subtle enough that pushing it a bit to bump intensity might still make sense, but I wasn't really doing that, and there was still plenty to experience.  For sure this would give just as good results using Western brewing, and it may also work out experimenting with cold brewing.