xlev2 wrote:
I don't read this thread much but did you post much ahead of the race about your training?
Thanks. Yes, I talked a little about my training a few pages ago. But I will try to lay it out here more thoroughly. Sorry if this write-up isn't too well structured. My mind doesn't seem to work linearly :-)
Basically, I ran on a nine day cycle with three "hard days" in the cycle. This had been built up over several months and was started after six months of nothing but slow running at 85-100 miles a week. That's at 70% of my max HR, so really slow. I started running January 1st in answer to my brother's friendly chiding about my poor condition. When I started, my pace was 12:30 per mile. But I lost 25 pounds over the first two months.
The main workouts...
1) Repeat miles at somewhere between 5k and 10k race pace (about 6:15 pace), with a one minute recovery. I try to jog the recovery but it's more of a shuffle/walk. This I started with 2 x 1 mile and built up to 8 x 1 mile.
2) Marathon paced runs. This I started at 6 miles and built up to 18 miles. Once I got over 12 miles, I started breaking them up into smaller chunks with a very short recovery, like 3 x 6 miles with a one minute jog.
3) Long, easy run at 70-80% max HR (just running comfortably). This I started at 15 miles and built up to 28 miles. I ended up doing more than 20 runs over 20 miles. I really enjoy long, easy runs.
I did two very easy days (70% HR) between these harder efforts. I did 12 miles each easy day, though I did miss a handful of days. Reality gets in the way of the best laid plans.
Then I took a three week taper that was basically cutting 25% from all the workouts each week while maintaining all the same efforts/paces. The tapering part I was really pleased with.
All that said, I ran into trouble in September. I started to get to that "I don't feel like running" place in late August when it was very hot out. Some of my easy days started to be off days, but I pushed through and did well on the harder workouts. Then I ran a 10km track run and a half marathon one week apart. The 10k went well (39.14) despite no resting beforehand and being pretty cold and raining really hard. But I was uncharacteristically sore afterward which should have been a big red flag. But I'm a runner, so red flags are hard to see :-)
I took a couple of days off that week to let the legs recover and then did the half marathon the next Sunday. That went well, too (1:26.04 in perfect conditions) but with three to go my hamstring tightened up and afterward it really got tight during the long walk back to the subway. The course had a lot of short, sharp hills both up and down and I think I pushed both too hard. That lead to six weeks of basically no running. So, I feel like I was overcooked at that point and set myself up for the injury.
Anyhow, once I got going again (thanks some to deep tissue massage that hurt like hell) I got the miles back up right away but had trouble getting in the faster stuff for a while. I had only two months to build back up, so I dropped the repeat miles from the cycle and just did long runs and marathon paced runs. I also added a third easy day between hard runs.
I did my best to keep the mileage up, but found myself still needing a day off almost every week to rest. The hamstring (and the calf on the same side) were always in the background worrying me. Not enough to slow the program, but enough to make me fret.
So, that's that. What will I change? I think I will follow the same basic plan but take it to a 12 day cycle so that I have three easy runs between each harder effort. I may just make that extra day an off day. I hate to miss days (the OCD in me) but I'm not getting any younger.
I am a firm believer in the very slow distance runs as a base for everything else. I ran 19.14 for a hilly 5km on July 4th off zero fast running... nothing faster than 9:30 miles and most of it at 10-11 min. pace. But I had been doing mostly 90 miles every week (12 miles a day in singles plus a longer run on the weekend) since February. I got pretty strong from that, I guess. And I felt fine until I added the speed work and didn't take any extra rest. So I will add in that extra day of easy running (or day off) between hard runs and see how it works out.
Fingers crossed!
Thanks for asking :-)
Bob