Summary of Wejo's Article

My high school xc experience was very similar to Wejo's college running... too much 'racing' in practice and a lot of missed running b/c of injuries. After three years of cross country my pr was about the same (18min 3 mile -> 18:30 5k senior yr).

I went 8 years w/o much of any running and recently got back into it 10 months ago. I over did it at first trying to rush and get ready for a marathon (resulting in 2 and 1/2 months trying to get over a stress fracture)....

BUT the last 6 months I've toned things down, started taking easy days easy to stress recovery, doing intervals relaxed focusing on form and when/if I feel my form start to fall apart I end the workout there. By merely emphasizing recovery, I'm already sub 17 for 5k.

bump to continue discussion!

i do not spend much time here anymore. While wejo's article was good i am kind of amazed he was such an idiot in college.

I mean my God i learned in high school that it was about a controlled no all out effort in training and racing.

How did you not get that?

i realize you were not a miler/halfmiler but efficiency was always key to my interval training. Intervals were to simulate race, hit time intervals in the stride & effort that you would use in a race. It was called pacing.

Anyone can hit times in intervals but doing it in a consistent controlled stride and without sprinting is the only way to gain any real benefit.

I also used fast recovery runs under 6 30 but most of my twice a day training was speed work high quality. My morning workout was almost always a controlled 2 mile xc run between 930 and 10. a half mile warm up, two & a half mile warm down.

It was all about controlled effort not going all out. PE was all we had no heart monitor. I would say, even at my fastest, i never went above 85 percent effort in a workout. I always left at least 10 percent. Case in point a workout years ago at a local college where i crossed path with a fellow hs rival. We were both going to do 10 200 in 27. So we agreed to do them together. There was alot of posing as i just was used to leading intervals and did so for the first few. My rival claimed we were supposed to be pacing not racing and i agreed. We argued a little and i said let me show you. I did the next interval in 23 and said that was what i would run if i was not pacing. We finished the workout and the next week he moved up in race distance.

I just find it hard to believe that someone in college could not comprehend the benefits of workouts were in the pacing not the effort.

Everyone should read this. This covers the biggest problem with runners today.

Who is wejo you ask?

[quote]wejo wrote:

>...``

I pride myself on my consistency. Even when I wasn't that good I was consistent. Out of college when JK started coaching me, I improved every year I ran.

In 1998 I set a 10k pr on the track, and won the Marine Corps Marathon.

In 1999, I made the world half marathon team.

In 2000, I made my first track nationals and lowered my pr to 28:27.

In 2001, I won Mt. Sac and placed 4th at nationals behind Meb, Abdi and Alan. I also won a 10k in Montreal setting a pr.

In 2002, I had a nerve problem in my foot (one injury) and missed the track season as a result, but I paced Paula Radcliffe to her marathon record.

In 2003, I placed 4th at nationals behind Meb, Alan, and Dan Browne but beat Abdi.

In 2004, I developed a foot problem that has continued to bother me until today.

So in 5 of 6 years, I improved. I call that consistent.

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