Road Racing and Training Thread, Week Ending 12/31/17

OR - nice volume. Keep it up for 2018

I did not post for the last 2 weeks, had a very short one with 43k and three runs from 11-17 Dec, and 96.9k from 18-24.

This week

M - off

T - 18.1k w/ 3x2k w/ 2' rest, 5'ez, 4x800 w/ 2' rest, 4x200 w/1' rest (7:22/15/09//2:42/42/42/43//35/34/33/32)

W - 16k

Th - off

F - 9.7k w/ 8x20-40" efforts

S - 15k w/ 5k race in 16:23 (Not Certified, Garmin measured 4.9k)

S - off

T - 58.6k

Super happy with the race result. Nice little race on a 1k loop with ok competition. Little wind and slight uphill gradient on 1/3 of the course.

2017 started out with the continuation of an injury that kept me from running since mid-July 2016. Beginning of March I returned to running and slowly increased mileage. My first race back was a certified 10k where I went 35:50 end of April. Fast forward 7 months and I PRed at a certified 10k in Dec going 34:33 (3s improvement).

Unfortunately, I started feeling something off in my left foot 2 days prior to my last race. Today it feels bad and I am afraid of it being a severe injury (broken mid-foot). Interestingly, I had the same feeling in my right foot two weeks ago and it went away. I only feel it on top of the foot when I put on running shoes, where the seam touches the foot (first metarstarsal). I will stop running for a few days and see how it goes.

Still, I am happy with my year and want to thank all of you, you guys have been motivation on several occasions.

Happy new year to everyone.

Nice race hantph96. Always feels good to end the year with a bang.

I finished off a strong year with a so-so week. I got sick with a cold last weekend, and ended up taking Monday off (after taking off last Friday). So while I was hoping to make up the 7 miles I missed last Friday this week, it was all I could do to come within a mile of my planned mileage for this week.

M - off

Tu - 11 easy

W - 16.25 miles with tempo portion (7:12, 6:53, 6:31, 5:42, 5:21, 5:27, 5:34, then the rest around 7:30)

Th - 10.75 easy

F - 6 easy

Sa - 6 x 800 at 2:28.8 average with 2:00 walking rest (7.25 total)

Su - 10.75 easy

Neither workout was spectacular, and hardly the confidence builders I would have wanted as I prepare to taper a touch for Houston before putting in a big push for Boston, but the fact that I got two workouts in while being sick and came close to my mileage goal is enough to make me take it as a win.

It caps off a good year - an all time mileage PR for a calendar year (3088.25), ran 332 days (at least 6 miles), weighed 146.5 on 1/1, and weighed 146.5 on 12/31, top 3 age group at Boston, new half-marathon PR, and back into the 15:40s for the 5k. All in all, I couldn't ask for much more at age 45, and looking forward to hopefully a new PR at Houston a couple of days after I turn 46.

Haha I guess ignore the RRT thread i started an hour before this!

Mon 6/6

Tue 4/4

Wed 4 work stuff got in way

Thu 4/9 w 6xMile 60s rest 6:03-5:58-5:58-5:59-6:00-6:00

Fri 4

Sat 4 w hard fartlek/sprints

Sun 4 planned

51 total

Just another Okay week volume wise, Work was busy, BUT got a good tempo session in and an upper in speed session.

Spending extra time w my daughter all weekend so taking it easy. Plus the weather is brutal for here. Lows in the negatives.

Plan on hitting decent mileage w some tempos the next ten days. Then Taking it a bit easy a couple days on vacation, then starting a 12 week half training plan for the April race on the 21st

Decent year. I think will end up w 2700 miles running and roughly 3000-3200 on bike (I don't track just commuting a lot w the occasional longer ride). Happy New Years!

RRR- Sorry about that. I looked before posting, but did not see it.

hant - I hope your foot feeels better. Somethings these things just go away. Congrats on the 5k race!

I really hope you PR at Houston and continue racing well in the new year so don’t take my comments the wrong way. But I think you are too focused on workouts and using them as confidence builders. Everything you do in training seems to be tailored around the WORKOUTS.

If you resolve to do anything different this new year I hope it is this: Train, don’t strain.

outsiderunner: another good week.

hantph96: great race. Congrats!!!

Smoove: another good week.

runrincerepeat: Still a decent week with a lot going on. What race are you running the 4/21?

My week had no running again. I did stationary bike a few hours and joined the Y to start swimming. 2017 was a good year for running however just because I started running again and even though injured I'm still interested. I may have run over 300 miles in 2017, went from 215 pounds to 196 and ran a faster than expected turkey trot. The injury I'm sure is from previous neglect and lack of stretching. My knees feel 95% better ankle is still off though. All in all I'm in much better shape than I started.

2018 I plan to get in much better shape. I plan to start out by cross training while keeping my mileage low. By the end of Feb. I'll hopefully be ready to start building up. I have a Half Marathon planned for April 28th and I still plan on doing well in it. I just need to become an athlete again.

I'd like to thank all you guys and gals for putting up with me on here. Your training and attitudes is very inspiring. I have found it very motivational. I think almost everyone posting on here logged some huge improvements and PR's in 2017. I hope the best for you all and wish you an ever better 2018.

38 yo male training for Houston half then Boston.

M: 10.75 easy

T: 10 easy

W: 6 x 1200 @ 5k pace w 3 min jog rest. Result: 3:55, 3:59, 3:58, 3:58, 3:59, 3:57. Goal was sub 4:00. 10 miles total

Th: 8.2 easy AM, 8 easy PM

F: 10.2 easy

S: 2 up + 3T (5:46, 5:43, 5:43) + 8E (7:05 avg) + 3T (5:45, 5:43, 5:42) + 2 down. Goal was 5:45. 18 total

S: 11.5 easy

86.7 miles total.

Another very good week for me. I could still feel last sunday’s progression run in my calves on Wednesday so I wasn’t sure how the 1200s would go, but I was comfortably under my goal pace and had to make myself stop at 6 reps (I had only planned on doing 5). Saturday’s TLT was another all-timer thanks in large part to temps that were cold but not “too cold.” Also had a nice pack of fellow runners on the tempo segments, which was a yuge help.

Overall a good year — my 10th year as a born again runner. Had good runs in Boston and Chicago. Set PRs in the mile, 10k, and half. Made some new friends along the way. As a older colleague likes to say, “Every day is a gift folks.” Indeed, particularly those that involve running. Happy New Year folks.

Pappy - I left some comments for you (and Smoove) over in last week’s thread.

I think you have it the wrong way, my friend—I get a ton of inspiration from YOU, and I am sure others here do as well.

Smoove -I like your Wednesday run, and I am not just saying that. You got six in a row (no rest breaks) at sub-7, which I am sure is cake for you. Expand that gradually to 10 or 12 (or more), and it will put a smile on my face (and, in my view, help you as a runner). I guess I am suggesting that you be “outsiderunner” one day per week...which would mean that I would have to be Smoove one day per week?

Pappy - Thanks so much for saying that my mile PRs are complete BS! One of the best compliments I have received for sure.

AJ - Strong week! I guess I am a born again runner (in my sixth year), or a little engine that never was. :-)

You had a fine 2017. All the best in 2018, and I will add this...I am picking ‘Bama to beat Clemson.

Last day of the year! I only started participating in this thread a month or two ago, and I've been reading it for 3-4 months.

It's not a very long time, but I already learned a lot from you guys and I already find myself checking it constantly to see if you PRd in your races, and in the short time that I've been participating, many of you have. So congratulations all for another great year of running from all of you and thank you for all the support you've been giving me, and each other, in training.

My week:

M: 7mi @ 7:44/mi

T: 8.7mi @ 7:03/mi

W: 0.8mi up + 9.3mi (15k) @ 6:21/mi + 0.8mi down

T: 15mi @ 7:31/mi with a decent hill (1,000ft elevation gain overall)

F: off (had some foot pain that worried me a bit but I think it was nothing)

S: 1mi up + some drills + 6.2mi (10k) @ 6:05/mi + 2.5mi down

S: 20mi long run @ 7:03 with some hills (1,470ft elevation gain according to strava)

Overall happy with my week, except for having taken Friday off. My two faster runs on Wednesday and Friday felt very easy, even though my Saturday 10k was just 1 minute over my PR, which makes me think I'm already in much better shape than when I set that PR. My long run was also good, I managed to have a nice pace even with some hills and to throw in a couple of km at MP towards the end, and I'm not feeling dead like I used to when I ran without carb gels.

Quick 2017 recap and a bit about 2018 plans:

In the beginning of 2017 I wasn't running at all. I stopped November of last year to go to a trip and ended up not coming back, but even before stopping I wasn't in very good shape.

April came and I was registered in the Paris Marathon, cause I'd registered a year before when I was training a bit. I ended up running on 0mpw and didn't do all that bad, finishing in 3:39. Despite a decent result, I felt super out of shape and decided to start training again towards the end of April. It was only 15-20mpw but I was already feeling better.

In June I was doing ~25mpw and had my first race, a 10k, in which I set a 41min PR. I'd been in better shape before, but hadn't raced a 10k during that time. My goal was sub40 so I wasn't very satisfied. I started ramping up my mileage (since I always read on letsrun that mileage matters) and my times started to drop super fast. 39min for 10k in July, 38 in September, 1:17 for 20k in October, 36:30 for 10k in October and then 1:20 for the HM in November.

Now, it's December and I'm running during a high mileage (for me) week in training 37:30 for 10k, which was way out of my reach in races a few months ago. I'm also running 70mpw whereas previously I'd never run more than 25mpw consistently.

This makes me very happy with my year, and I'd like to set specific goals for 2018, but my fitness is changing so fast, even though I only started doing faster workouts this week, that I'm afraid to set goals that are too easy and end up running slower than I could because of that, and I'm also afraid of setting goals that are too fast because I know that my times are not gonna keep dropping this fast forever, and I don't know when it's gonna stop, so I might be disappointed and demotivated.

But the Paris marathon is close enough (beginning of April) that I think I can set at least a range that I'd like to run it in, 2:35-2:40, which is faster than my HM PR but I think it's doable. Then in August I have the Maratona Internacional de Floripa, which I think is too far to set specific goals, but I'd love to be able to run with the lead pack for a while (it was won in 2:34 last year, but it was windy). We'll see :)

Main goal for 2018 though is to stay injury free, at least from serious injuries, and to keep taking running seriously, without slacking off too much like I used too.

Happy NYE and 2018 everyone!

DietBacon wrote:

Now, it's December and I'm running during a high mileage (for me) week in training 37:30 for 10k, which was way out of my reach in races a few months ago.

Now that I re-read my post I think this bit is not very clear. I meant that, while a few months ago I couldn't even imagine running 37:30 for 10k during a race, now I'm running that time during training without pushing very much, and during what is a high mileage week for me (70mpw).

OR - another aerobic week in the bank

Smoove - running like a sewing machine! Interested in seeing how your springs races turn out. Will be fast.

AJ - another top notch week! I like that tempo/easy/tempo long run. Pfitz has some 17 mile progressions in his plan that end up at MP then HMP then Tempo for last 5k .. he also has 24min Tempo 4mins rest 18min Tempo (which seems tough)

Hant - very nice week!

Pap- small gains make big gains in total.. keep up the solid work. It feels so good to shed some excess weight.

Bacon - enjoy seeing you on strava. Looks like you have some amazing running routes

Pappy- meant to mention. Goal race is a local half marathon. 3k people and a tough course. Flat first 9 miles downhill the 10th (sucks you in) and last 5k it gains almost 500 feet! It's tough.

DB - You go, man! Glad you joined the gang, but am gladder yet that you are sticking with running. Who knows where it can take you? Looks like it will take you far. Will enjoy watching you take down various barriers.

Opinions needed: I think I have until Jan. 14 before the next price jump, but I am listening to opinions on Shamrock Half vs. Shamrock Full. Would like to decide today, but, again, I think I have until the 14th. Somehow I get the feeling that the half would be super fast. However, the longer the better seems to be what I am built for. I will listen to other ideas (other races), too.

I was historically a relatively low volume runner - I rarely got about 40 my first couple of years of college, and rarely go above 55 until I was 42 and started marathon training.

I don't regret the low volume - it was in part a necessity as I was frequently injured since I was new to running - but there is no disputing that more mileage usually yields big dividends.

outsiderunner wrote:

DB - You go, man! Glad you joined the gang, but am gladder yet that you are sticking with running. Who knows where it can take you? Looks like it will take you far. Will enjoy watching you take down various barriers.

Opinions needed: I think I have until Jan. 14 before the next price jump, but I am listening to opinions on Shamrock Half vs. Shamrock Full. Would like to decide today, but, again, I think I have until the 14th. Somehow I get the feeling that the half would be super fast. However, the longer the better seems to be what I am built for. I will listen to other ideas (other races), too.

Maybe the longer the better is what you are built for. Or the longer the better is a result of all the high end aerobic work and light on threshold/faster stuff? I would do the half and train pretty hard for it with some tempos etc .. see what kind of time you can roll out.

RRR - Got it. And thanks for responding. The half does intrigue me, and I may do what you have suggested, but I still wonder if it is too short of. a race for me. Will never forget the feeling I had in the last 10k at Richmond, where I really got going.

Been following this thread in all it's forms since 2009 or so. For 2018, I'm going to try and participate as a way of getting back in the shape. I'll be in the bottom 1% here, having gained probably 75 pounds in the last 6 years and for all intents quit running. But it is time to start anew.