2017 25 Minute 8k XC thread

Monday: 5.06

Tuesday: 5 mile tempo on the track at 5:55 pace. 5:58, 5:58, 5:59, 5:56, 5:44. Total mileage including WU and CD: 9.79. (Thoughts on the tempo? Looks slow, but shouldn't be hammering it)

Wednesday: 5.04 am, 7.05 pm. Total: 12.09.

Thursday: 7.08

Friday: 5x1200s, 400 jog in between. 4:02, 4:06, 4:01, 3:57, 3:53. Total mileage including WU and CD: 9.79

Saturday: 5.08 am, 7.03 pm. Total: 12.11

Sunday: 13.07 LR

Total: 68.06

This coming week I plan to hit 74 miles. Also plan to run Wharf to Wharf. Goal is to get top 100 and also improve my time (33:33, 2015) and rank (65th, 2015).

Also plan to run another 5 mile tempo, but this time on road/trail.

Good luck in the 10k Xperirunner - Solid week and your tempo looks good by the way you closed it, I wouldn't be worried about it if I were you.

First week with faster efforts for me

M - 10.5 with 4 mile tempo (on grass)

T - 10.75 with strides, 1 mile barefoot

W - 9.25 easy

Tr - 10.25 w/ 12x~250 (on grass), started slowish, ended fastish

F - 5 / 5.5 easy

Sa - 13

Su - 6.5 and hill sprints + 2xstride

Total - 71 miles

Good first "full" week for me. Still running without a watch and workouts were a bit more fun that way. I'll be at 70-75 for at least two more weeks with similar schedule of workouts and stuff. I need to get better about doubling...

Good luck! it's mid summer. tempos should be off of feel, not a slave to the watch or straining.

M: Product testing on treadmill (~35 min total) / 59' - 8

T: 50' / 4 easy + strides/drills

W: 10 mile tempo- 56:45

R: 62' - 8

F: 91' hilly trail run

S: 56' - 8

S: 17 w/ gas pedal down miles 11-15

total: ~83

Opedius Rexing and ClonedDuck:

Thanks guys for the thoughts and encouragement. Good job to you guys as well.

My week:

7

5.5, 3.5

8

6

8.5

7

11.5

total = 57 miles @6:49 pace

was originally shooting for 60 this week but didn't push things and ended up hitting 57 miles. Not too worried as I increased by 5 miles this week. Might actually end up switching my long runs back to Saturdays as I feel like there's pressure at the end of the week to hit mileage with the long run when it's done on Sundays. Not sure yet. Probably need to get some strides in next week haha.

About time for an update.

Mileage for the last few weeks has been relatively low (~30) due to a couple illnesses I had. Although the days I have run these past few weeks, I've been doing 5-8, which is pretty good for me for early summer.

I've also done my first 2 hard-ish workouts since starting things back up again:

1) A 6x1000m session on the track in 3:36 average (45 seconds rest) 3 weeks ago.

2) 30 minutes of 90 seconds on, 30 seconds off. Ran 4.65 miles in 30:00 (6:27/mile throughout) last week.

I took way more down-time after track than I was planning to so I'm definitely behind where I was last year in terms of getting my mileage up and starting to do those quality tempo sessions. But I definitely prefer to be over-rested and under-trained, rather than run-down and hurt.

Goal for this current week will be to do a hill workout, a short but continuous tempo run, and a 10 mile run.

I was on my own through my freshman year of college, but managed to walk on the team for this coming year. Ran 24:43 for 8k in mid-October on a decently fast course and then reduced mileage so I wouldn't put future testosterone/performance levels in jeopardy.

I typically ran about 50 mpw during high school, and decided to bump it up quite a bit last summer. From mid July through late September, I ran about 75 miles a week for 3 weeks at a time, and then would drop down to about 60 for one week to recover (basically I'd remove doubles). This is clearly a big jump, and probably wouldn't have been sustainable if I had continued to do it throughout the spring. Now that I'm more developed, it will start to make sense for me to keep this mileage (or higher) throughout the year.

A typical week looked something like:

Monday -

am: 50 minutes easy

pm: 30 minutes easy

Tuesday (always some kind of intervals) -

am: 15 minute warm up, 5-5-4-3-2-1 (minutes) fartlek, where recovery is equal to the length of the next rep, 15 minute cool down

OR same warm up and cool down, 10x800 in about 2:24 with minute jog rest on bike path

OR

hill repeats

pm: 4 miles easy

Wednesday -

am: 75 minutes easy (about 6:30 pace)

pm: rest

Thursday -

am: 50 minutes easy

pm: rest

Friday (always a tempo) -

am: 15 minute warm up, 25 tempo followed by 4x400, 15 minute cool down

pm: 30 minutes easy

Saturday -

am: 50 minutes easy

pm: rest

Sunday -

am: 14 miles at around 6 minute pace or 100 minutes easy (did the faster long runs later on in the season)

pm: rest

This seemed to work well at giving me a pretty huge improvement from high school performances.

Mileage for track season was usually 55-60 with lots of quality track work (pretty much the opposite of the outline above). Ended up with 3:51 for 1500 which was a little disappointing given some of the speed workouts I did. I think I will do much better in the future off of a higher mileage approach given my physiology.

Last week:

Monday: 5.02

Tuesday: 5 mile tempo at 5:56 pace. 5:58, 6:17 (wind), 5:58, 5:47, 5:40. Total mileage: 9.94

Wednesday: 7.04 am; 5.03 pm.

Thursday: 3.09 am; pm: 5x 1000m with 400 jog in between. 3:26, 3:26, 3:25, 3:23, 3:17. Total mileage: 9.22; Total for day: 12.31

Friday: 7.10 am; 5.09 pm

Saturday: 5.01

Sunday: Wharf to Wharf: 82nd place in 33:44. Not a PR, but satisfied where I'm at. The most important goal for me was to get the top 100 jacket, which I got. Total mileage: 10.52 miles.

Pm: 3.59 miles

Total: 70.65

Wharf to Wharf analysis: Started off at 5:30, 5:33 for the first 2 miles. Third mile was rough as I ran 5:59 (17:02). Next 3 miles were in 5:35, 5:45, and 5:23. I went through 5 miles at 28:21. In my opinion, if I were to run a 8K right now, I think I can run near 28:00. I hope that I can run 27:00 at my first 8k race and hope that I can finish under 26 in October.

Coming week: down week.

What's up everyone, this is a cool thread so I figured I'd join the fun. Good to see so many other guys working towards a great season. Graduated college a year ago, but am still gonna be training for 5/8ks (Paul Short anyone??).

I'm honestly not that fast but am getting a lot better and enjoying the ride. Started running partway through college and my first season I didn't break 31 in the 8k or 18 in the 5k. This past spring I hit low 16s and my 5 mile split in a 10k was mid 27s. Anyway, my goals are to hit under 15:50 in the 5k and while I havent ironed out a specific time, I think I can do mid 26 in the 8k.

Hit 67 miles last week. Ran most of them in 85-90 degree weather right after work, (well i guess i could wake up early but i dont really want to for easy runs) so they've been a little slower than past weeks.... but I'm still getting consistent training in. Been on the Daniel's plan so most of my quality work is light and fairly under control at this point. 1 mile cruise intervals at 5:40 , 200s/400s at R pace...roughly 35s and71/72. Long run was over 16, probably will max between 17 and 18. Also been able to cruise pretty comfortably on long runs which on one hand is encouraging, but on the other, I dont want to taking easy runs too hard. I guess I still need to find a balance there.

But it is going well and it is great to read up on everyone else's as well.

Welcome gary king! Glad to see more post-college people posting.

M: 0

Tu: 0

W: 4 easy

Th: 7 easy

F: 6 with 5x1K workout in 3:22 avg (equal time walk/jog recovery)

Sa: 3 easy

Su: 10 (long run)

Total = 30

My week went alright. Ran 30 miles again. Not in a hurry to get mileage back up, slow and steady is my philosophy.

Did a 10 mile long run which felt pretty good, and also a 5x1K workout on the roads (instead of a planned hill workout). Ran pretty well for July although I still have a ways to go as I could only do 5, while I normally do 6 with a hard 400m afterwards.

Goals for next week will be a hill workout and a standard tempo run of some sort.

Awesome thread. Seriously good luck to everyone trying to throw down in XC. One piece of advice I would give to everyone is be patient when the season starts. The time you want probably won't come the first 2-3 races. Stay patient and just be as consistent as possible. If your coach cares then trust his training and believe in your fitness at the end of the season. Late October/early Novemeber is when it matters. Believe in those miles you put in and the times will come at the end. In 2016 I started the season at 26:58 and finished with a 25:01. Just be patient and trust the process.

To the grinders out there wrote:

Awesome thread. Seriously good luck to everyone trying to throw down in XC. One piece of advice I would give to everyone is be patient when the season starts. The time you want probably won't come the first 2-3 races. Stay patient and just be as consistent as possible. If your coach cares then trust his training and believe in your fitness at the end of the season. Late October/early Novemeber is when it matters. Believe in those miles you put in and the times will come at the end. In 2016 I started the season at 26:58 and finished with a 25:01. Just be patient and trust the process.

That's quite the in season progress! Tired legs now pay off ;)

M: 8 / 4 + strides & drills

T: no run but did a short hike

W: rest

R: 11 with 13 x 2' quick 1' easy

F: 4 / 8

S: 2:10 - 18

S: 6 very easy

Total: ~59

Okay week. I bought the Zoom Flys the week before and wore them on a long tempo and they ripped apart the back of my heels. Had been loading up on gauze pads/bandaids/mole skin etc. and running through it but nothing was really working. Decided to take 2 days off to attempt to let them heal up, it's getting there.

Cap it off with my worst long run in years. Thought the rail trail I was on had water fountains at the bathrooms... it didn't. Crapped the last 2 miles in almost 20 minutes my body was so messed up from dehydration as it was a hot one.

Plus side is the longer structured fartlek felt good touching some speed a chunk faster than marathon pace.

10 weeks out.

Had a few crazy weeks in late June/Early July where I got stung by a bee, had my foot swell up like a balloon and per the doctors request I take a week off. I learned 36 hours was sufficient recovery but missed out on 15 or so miles. After that week which should have been 60 ended up being 48, my foot was acting up a few days later on a Sunday so I took it off to be safe. Ended up hitting 58, a solid 70 mile week with my first 2 workouts of the summer. 3x1.5 mile and 16x200 w/ 400 recovery in between. Last week was back down to 48 because the humidity broke me and I couldn't handle it anymore.

This week has looked like

S- 14

M- 6

T- 9.5

W- 10.5

T- 10

F- 5 with strides and a cooldown ~ 7 in total

S- 3/ track meet (running 800 leg of a dmr, and running a 5k as a tempo) So Hoping to get 10 out of all this.

I'm looking to go into a heavy training block after this and go 77-85 and maybe a down week or throw in another quality week before training camp starts. I'm meeting up with a teammate o Friday or Saturday to do a tempo so it'd be nice to do 5 or 6 at decent pace.

Monday: 0

Tuesday: 4.07 am; 6.09 pm; Total: 10.16

Wednesday: 5 mile tempo on the track. 29:22 (5:52 pace; 5:51, 5:58, 5:57, 5:54, 5:42), total mileage: 9.86

Thursday: 7.02

Friday: 6.10 afternoon; 4.12 evening; Total: 10.22

Saturday: 25 min WU, 16 x 150 with 250 jog in between, 20 min CD. 150s were in the 26-28 range, but my focus is to work on form. I broke it down into 50s. 1st 50 is to accelerate, 2nd 50 is to sprint all out, last 50 is to stride. Total mileage: 9.60

Sunday: 13.19 LR 7:24 pace as I went by feel

Total mileage: 60.05

This coming week: Plan to do 6 mile tempos on the road and hopefully run 77 miles.

Good to see all the college and post collegiate runners! I'm going into my freshman year of college in NAIA. I'm hoping for 25:15 in the 8k. My training has been around 45 for the last couple of weeks (all long/easy runs around 6:35/mi). I have done one tempo (only workout). I tempo'ed an 8k in 27:02 (I was expecting more like high 27s) so I'm feeling confident coming into this season

Previous weeks:

About 45 miles in 6 days, 1 hard effort these past 2 weeks - a 2x(3,2,1) fartlek with equal rest and a run up black butte.

This week:

M 8

T 12 total, 7 am, 5 pm

W 8 with 4 mile tempo at 5:40 pace, weights for the first time in ~2 months

T 6.3

F 4 easy

S 9 total - 5k in 15:59 - 5:05, 10:22 thru 1 and 2 miles

S 8

55 miles total.

I was pretty happy with the race, especially because I ran ~15 seconds faster than last year despite being less far along fitness-wise than I was at this point last year. Now the "real" work sgarts.

Xperirunner - looks like your fitness is coming along. 16x150 seemed kind of weird to me and I think you might be better served by just doing strides consistently and varying the pace...but that's just me...you do you.

OAR - update with how you do at the track meet please.

How many other people here are in the pnw? I know reed, ClonedDuck, Oedipus, and myself are. It would be cool if we all could end up racing each other.

cubism cubed- Nice 5k.

http://www.bunnhill.com/BobHodge/rtp3.htm

Im from the Bay Area.

Cubism Cubed wrote:

How many other people here are in the pnw? I know reed, ClonedDuck, Oedipus, and myself are. It would be cool if we all could end up racing each other.

I'm going to college in Eugene Oregon. What races do you go to?

Another post college guy here. Finished my last track season in 2016 and haven’t run xc since 2014 where I was injured. Trying to improve some really outdated PRs. Finally running consistently. Tough to handle a 40 hour per week job with this but we’ll see how I can do.

2016: 9:24 Steeple

2014: 25:50 8k (Injured, was in 24:50 shape before)

2013: 25:42 8k

2012: 15:30 5K

10 miler last week at 6:19 pace with the last three feeling easy at 6:03, 5:59, 5:49.

M: 7.29 miles 6:39 pace. Barefoot strides. Real easy.