My coach generally has us on a schedule of 3 workouts a week, every other day, and 2 "long" runs in between. What pace should I be consistently running? I'm aiming for breaking 16 for 5k this year (I got 16:30 last year).
My coach generally has us on a schedule of 3 workouts a week, every other day, and 2 "long" runs in between. What pace should I be consistently running? I'm aiming for breaking 16 for 5k this year (I got 16:30 last year).
So, your schedule looks like this:
M: workout
T: long
W: workout
TH: long
F: workout
S: off
S: off
While you don't say what your workouts are, there doesn't seem to be a lot of room for RECOVERY (unless your coach is counting your long runs as recovery runs).
Your long runs should be slow enough so that you feel yourself recovering. I know of many sub 16 guys that go 7 flat pace or slower on their easy days. The main thing is to be able to run your speed workouts with fresh legs.
For example, you could feel like crap and still hit the times your coach wants in the workouts, but if feel good then it will be easier on you and you can start to see progress.
Well, the long runs are supposed to be recoveries, I guess, but I get the feeling that we run them too slowly. How slow does one have to go for it to qualify as recovery? I think that 8 minute miles for 6 miles isn't very helpful.. I also think that 6 miles isn't a particularly long run anyways, but I'll run what my coach tells me to do. He isn't very specific about pace.
I also do a long, slow run independently on Saturday with my running partner, which is probably 8-9 minute pace and from 8-10 miles. My coach factors our warmups into the total distance of the day, so when we run 6 miles, its more like a 7.5 day.
1. 6 miles isn't a long run
2. I run 8 minutes/mile occasionally, and I can run well below 16 minutes for 5k, despite being a 10:15 2 miler in HS
3. Run more, and go by effort on the recovery runs. If it feels strained, you're going too fast, whether it's 6:30 pace or 8:00 pace
That WAS why I put it in quotes. I'm currently running slightly more than 40 miles a week. Should I just add distance to the runs and not worry about pace?
You should talk to your coach. I don't have enough info to even begin to help you. If the guy above has your schedule right and you're not running 2 days a week, I'd start by running on one or both of those days. Then I'd add a few doubles here and there. Then, and only then, would I worry about lengthening the other runs. All of this is over the course of a longer period of time of course, not something you should throw in starting tomorrow.
But above all, talk to your coach. I don't know you and you don't know me, so my advice is of limited use. Good luck!
You think that 8 minute pace is too slow for recovery, but you run your long run at an even slower pace? This doesn't make sense to me. The point of a recovery run is to recover. You don't have to run fast to do this. The long run should be a bit quicker than the recovery run. If you're going to pick up the pace on anything, run the long run faster and keep the recovery runs the same.
Also, start running every day before you start thinking about adding miles to the runs you're already doing.
CoachedbyMarden wrote:
Well, the long runs are supposed to be recoveries, I guess, but I get the feeling that we run them too slowly. How slow does one have to go for it to qualify as recovery? I think that 8 minute miles for 6 miles isn't very helpful.. I also think that 6 miles isn't a particularly long run anyways, but I'll run what my coach tells me to do. He isn't very specific about pace.
8 minute miles is an extreme example that I made. Maybe my last training week will help you. All of this is what my coach makes me do, but he doesn't tell me how fast or slow to run the easy runs.
Sunday- 60 minutes, 6:30 pace
Monday- 30 minutes at 6:30, 4x100m strides
Tuesday- 10 minutes, 5k in 15:56, 20 minute cool down
Wednesday- 20 minutes at 6:30
Thursday- 10 minutes, 5k in 16:11, 20 minute cool down
Friday- 60 minutes, 7:55 pace
Saturday- 1k repeats at threshold pace with active rest.
As you can see, I do not run all of my easy runs at 8 flat pace. But, I did have to run one at 7:55 pace because my legs were dead from running two consecutive races. The point is, I wasn't trying to hit my normal 6:30s because I would be struggling the whole way, and your easy runs should NEVER be a struggle.
I also love that my coach uses minutes instead of miles for easy days. So, if you are on, you can get more miles in. But if you are off, which every runner is at one point or another, you run less miles and are able to recover for another day.