RF Reader wrote:
For 2016, I ran 2713 miles, and more importantly, stayed injury free for the entire year for the first time since 2008.
That's a pretty good year!
Dave
RF Reader wrote:
For 2016, I ran 2713 miles, and more importantly, stayed injury free for the entire year for the first time since 2008.
That's a pretty good year!
Dave
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Week 292
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Greetings, 50+ers! First week of the year is through, and I'm focused on making big improvements over last year....consistency and mindfulness will be key. Old man winter has descended hard on a huge swath of the US, we've not been above the freezing mark since last Thursday, a rarity for the Bluegrass. I'm still working on getting the mileage back up. Managed about 35 miles on 7 full days; log reads as such:
Sun: 5.2 middle miles had some sub-7 pace (7:33 avg pace)
Mon: 7.0 easy (8:16 pace)
Tues: 4.0 w/6xhill loops (7:52 pace, 400 ft elev gain)
Wed: 4.0 (1.7 am, 2.3 pm) to & from work. (~7:30 pace)
Thur: 4.1 sub-7 in the middle (7:21 avg pace)
Fri: 4.0 w/10 lb backpack(8:06 pace)
Sat: 6.5 moderate (7:26 pace)
Glad to get a couple of miles of moderately hard effort in, but as I said, the primary focus is on upping the mileage. Happy to report that I was able to complete the 5+ mile runs without needing to stretch out the hip, and the legs are feeling good. Weight is down just a smidgen (171), but still a long way to go. Plan to continue most runs in the 4-5 range and creep in some longer runs and continue with a few effort workouts especially upping the hill repeats. Looking back, I was surprised to see that I've run 18 of the last 21 days and am on a 10-day streak. :-O
Welcome biker boy. Those are some eye-catching numbers on those 1200 repeats. I'd be curious to know what your current race times are. They must be right up there at the national class level for 50+.
Congrats on the AG win, Dave H.
OK, that's all I've got. Glad to see some good training happening. I hope that those that haven't chimed in lately are not sidelined, but even so, it would be good to hear how it's going. Let's make this year count!
All the Best!
happy chilly Sunday [15 and windy here, though just a little snow yesterday so nothing to complain about compared to many other places).
pretty fun week with 7 hours running, another 5 cross-training including hill repeats Thursday and 2 hours with a little fartlek today.
shaping up to be a good afternoon to be indoors watching football.
have a great week,
Dave
I arrived home from two weeks in the UP and Chicago to the same snow, wind chills, and grey skies that I had up North. It's 10 degrees here now but later in the week the highs will be in the 60s so I know I shouldn't complain.
My mileage was in the 40s while I was gone but I didn't do any hard workouts. I'll get back to work this week as I start to get ready for my spring races. My week:
S: Volunteer at race in ATL
M: 6.3 2mi tempo @ 8:00, 2x400 @ 1:50
T: 8.6 E
W: 5.6 E with 4x150
R: off
F: 7.3 15x1H/1E
S: 7.5 E - on snow and ice
I struggled to get out the door this week. The grey days really had me down - I was crabby and out-of-sorts so I allowed myself a "vacation" day to regroup and back off from the pressure to run I'd been feeling. Running had become a job, not something I chose to do for fun. The day off really helped and so did some sunshine. I loved running again yesterday despite the weather, and now I'm ready to get back to having more fun :-) Hope all of you are too!
Female early 50's training for Masters track and field, Middle distances.
M- Off
T- 4 miles E
W- 2 mile tempo (6:50 pace) + 4 x 200 (39-40 secs - 1:30 Rest)
T- 4 miles E
F- Off
S- 1 mile Tempo (6:40) + 800 (2:40) + 6 x hill repeats (100-200m)
S- 6 miles E (Long run)
Just trying to stay healthy and get ready for the 2017 track and field season. Health has been an issue for me these past few years. Good luck to all!
Greetings Dedicated Athletes.
Neither Rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor wind, nor cracked rib will stop me from believing in the run.
Day 11 since rib injury and it is still a lifestyle challenge. Have improved (barely). Able to JOG or SHUFFLE for 20mins. From first day to tenth day improved from 12min pace to 9-10min pace depending on warm soft treadmill or outside in the brutal winter. I must be crazy.
Will someone tell me how long its going to be before this rib enables me to run as hard as i want to?
Thanks
KP
Good morning from snowy and cold Idaho. We have had the heaviest snow in my 20 years here. Also accompanied the past week with temperatures under zero. So most of my runs this week were on a treadmill. Mike F has inspired me to step-up the efforts, which I must temper with adequate rest.
Monday: 2 miles easy around neighborhood in YaksTrax
Tuesday: 5 miles alternating .10 walk with .40 easy
Wednesday: 2 miles easy; 8 x .30 @ 6:40 mile pace / .20 easy; mile easy
Thursday: 5 miles alternating .10 walk with .40 easy
Friday: 5 miles easy
Saturday: 2 miles easy; 4 x (.25 @ 6:31 mile pace / .15 easy; .35 @ 6:49 mile pace / .25 easy); mile easy
Calf muscles a little tight with faster running. I may get out today or just stretch and rest.
Best to everyone,
Igy
RF Reader, congrats on staying injury-free. That is a real, tangible success. It begs the question: Would we rather train as hard as possible, really pushing our limits, risking injury for the rest of the year, and have a peak performance; Or is it better to scale it back, have “moderately good†performances, and stay healthy? And, what if “moderately good†is only 5% to 7% below a “peak performance� Is it worth it? Right now, I say, NO. Curious what others think.
My week:
Mon = 5 miles elliptical
Tue = 3 miles road, medium
Wed = 5 miles elliptical
Thu = 3 miles treadmill, easy
Fri = 5 miles elliptical
Sat = 3 miles treadmill, medium hard
Sun = 5 miles elliptical
This was a pretty good week where here in SW VA we received our first snowfall. We got about 4 inches but the low temps are the real problem. This pushed me indoors for the treadmill. I’m warming up to the treadmill but still not comfortable enough to do something like intervals on it. Simply put, my feet don’t hurt as much on the treadmill as on the road or even the trail.
You get a feel for the violence involved in running a little faster, as, on the treadmill, the sound of the pounding is pretty telling. That’s helped me to work on my form a bit. I have a laptop set up with a good set of external speakers. Youtube and AC/DC concert vids are tiding me over quite well for now.
Have a good week everyone.
Ghost of Igloi wrote:
Mike F has inspired me to step-up the efforts, which I must temper with adequate rest.
Igy
Yeah Mike F has inspired me as well.
First the good news , Charlie 7 Chocolate 0 weight is down to 152 with 20 lbs to go.
Hit with what I think was flu even though I had my flu vaccine a month ago. This really helped me go cold turkey on the sweets now I just have to keep it going. After 4 days of misery I felt fine but decided to not run or hike for a few more days. So after 8 days of nada my legs feel really good. I am going to do a few easy days of hiking/walking then see how I feel.
One of my strange theories...
Spacing out hard running reduces the rate your body detrains when you miss workouts.
I had another good week of 45 miles on my mileage rebuilding program.
M- 7 at 9:27/mi hills +650ft
T- 5 at 9:28/mi
W- 7 at 8:51/mi hills +650ft
Th- 5 at 10:14/mi
F - 6 at 10:03/mi
S- 9 at 8:40/mi trails
Su- 6 at 9:02/mi
Next week I plan to move up to 49-50 miles to see how that feels.
@Daffy - Welcome! 6-mile long run? Haha. 2 workouts in the same week? Okay, now I am not laughing.
@KP - My rib took about 6 weeks. That first week I did some dumb stuff. Then I decided to stop being a dork, get some rest, and let it heal.
@Rtype - I didn't follow. Which one are you saying "No" to? For me, I accept that injuries will happen. If I never cross the line, I am not close enough to it.
"Would we rather train as hard as possible, really pushing our limits, risking injury for the rest of the year, and have a peak performance; Or is it better to scale it back, have “moderately good†performances, and stay healthy? And, what if “moderately good†is only 5% to 7% below a “peak performance� Is it worth it? Right now, I say, NO. Curious what others think."
I agree with your general statement, but this year I am going to push it even if I get hurt because Mike F threw out the challenge. Joking of course on one hand and accepting the challenge on the other. Hey if it doesn't work out so be it. I'll be dead or won't care in another 20 years.
"You get a feel for the violence involved in running a little faster, as, on the treadmill, the sound of the pounding is pretty telling. That’s helped me to work on my form a bit."
I have benefited from the past month of treadmill training by this thought. You can hear your stride and I have made some adjustments that have really paid dividends. Mainly for me extension of the hamstrings while pushing off. Lighter steps.
Igy
Rtype wrote:
RF Reader, congrats on staying injury-free. That is a real, tangible success. It begs the question: Would we rather train as hard as possible, really pushing our limits, risking injury for the rest of the year, and have a peak performance; Or is it better to scale it back, have “moderately good†performances, and stay healthy? And, what if “moderately good†is only 5% to 7% below a “peak performance� Is it worth it? Right now, I say, NO. Curious what others think.
Have a good week everyone.
This is a GREAT question I have thought a lot about but not just for a single season rather a way of life.
There is a ton of stuff to consider.
I can get to within forty seconds per mile of peak performance without working very hard. Feels good not as stressful,probably is healthier and I probably have a lower risk of chronic injury and inflammation.
Also if I decide to fire up for a year or so I can without a problem.
My recent experience supports this approach.
I also really appreciate the commitment and effort of Maximum effort in training as well as racing.
Charlie,
I coached for nineteen years. I would tell the milers they need to have an anaerobic mindset. The capacity to actually enjoy getting into oxygen debt. I enjoy that same feeling. Kind of like the other extreme of a long run.
Igy
Alan Bennet wrote:
@Daffy - Welcome! 6-mile long run? Haha. 2 workouts in the same week? Okay, now I am not laughing.
@KP - My rib took about 6 weeks. That first week I did some dumb stuff. Then I decided to stop being a dork, get some rest, and let it heal.
@Rtype - I didn't follow. Which one are you saying "No" to? For me, I accept that injuries will happen. If I never cross the line, I am not close enough to it.
As soon as I posted I knew that sentence was not clear. I'm saying "NO" to pulling out all the stops and trying for an absolute peak performance because, at least for me now, the risk of injury is too great. I'm now shooting for something I call "Optimal Maximal" where I accept that an optimal performance is still going to get pretty close to my peak with a lot less risk. And, ultimately, keep me in the game and enjoying running much longer.
Greetings, all!
As a relative newcomer to this thread, I especially appreciate everyone posting their racing history and current goals ... it really helps put the individual training logs into perspective for me. My own training and racing pale in comparison with the elite runners here, but everything is relative. I suppose we're all just trying to maximize our potential, enjoy the journey, and stay as happy and healthy as possible.
This week I included a couple light workouts: a tempo run and a few "hill" repeats. At just a 2-percent grade, my "hill" is laughable. But it was still a challenge at (perceived) VO2-max pace!
Mon: Off
Tues: 1-mile warmup; 3.8 miles @ 7:03/mi; .5-mile cooldown
Wed: 7.0 miles @ 9:05/mi
Thurs: 12.0 miles @ 8:15/mi avg (finishing with 8:02, 7:58, 7:42, 7:35)
Fri: Off
Sat: 2.6-mile warmup; hill repeats -- 3 x 2:45 w/5:30 jog recovery; 1.5-mile cooldown
Sun: 5.1 miles @ 8:40/mi
Goal Pace
5K: 6:13/mi
Marathon: 7:26/mi
Most Recent Pace
5K: 6:27/mi (Nov 2016)
Marathon: 7:51/mi (Oct 2016)
Happy trails!
There's not a person on this thread who didn't know exactly what he meant. You, on the other hand, need to explain yourself. What was your objection?
Allen1959 wrote:
I suppose we're all just trying to maximize our potential, enjoy the journey, and stay as happy and healthy as possible.
With that thought in mind, I have been thinking about following a more formal training schedule. A couple other LRC threads have me considering a 9-day cycle, rather than the regular 7-day week.
Also, although I didn't list any half-marathon goals for 2017, I am considering one in the spring for motivation and to gauge my fitness prior to training specifically for a fall marathon. And I would like to schedule at least one 5K goal race after the half marathon and before starting the marathon training.
With those goals in mind, I am planning a flexible nine-day cycle that would assure some time at marathon pace, lactate threshold pace and at VO2-max pace during each cycle. The emphasis would adjust as I progress through base phase, half-marathon phase, 5K phase and finally marathon phase.
The nine-day plan:
Day 1: LR
Day 2: Off
Day 3: VO2
Day 4: R
Day 5: LR2
Day 6: Off
Day 7: R w/strides
Day 8: LT
Day 9: R
Off: Complete rest or easy bicycle; I had success with a 3-day-a-week schedule last year -- injuring-free and meeting my (modest) racing goals, so am scheduling a minimum of two complete rest days during every 9-day cycle.
R: Easy recovery jog or moderate/hard bicycle (such as 15 to 30 miles at 17-20 mph); if I am really feeling beat up, I would just jog a couple miles, and never more than seven; or maybe just take a third total rest day.
LR: Long run of 12 to 23 miles, depending on where I am in each training phase; I would work up to 18 miles prior to the spring half marathon, and 23 prior to the autumn marathon; each long run would start easy and ideally finish with several miles at marathon pace.
LR2: Secondary long run of 9 to 13 miles finishing with a couple miles near marathon or half-marathon pace; but if I am feeling tired or sore, I would just complete the miles without concern for pace.
V02: This can encompass a range of workouts, from traditional hill or track repeats of 3 to 6 minutes (3K-10K race pace/effort), to progression runs that finish at 10K pace; the idea is to at least touch on VO2-max pace at least once every nine days. If I am targeting a 5K, I would emphasize these workouts leading up to the goal race.
LT: I would include a variety of workouts in this category, such as 4-mile tempo runs, 1.5 to 3-mile repeats (15K to half-marathon race pace), or 5 to 10-mile progression runs finishing at 15K (or half-marathon) race pace.
Strides: Toward the end of an easy recovery run, I would incorporate four to eight 100-meter accelerations, holding mile race pace for 60 meters or so; the goal is to work on running form and efficiency.
Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!
-Allen
41.2 miles
No speedwork
40th year of training.
Knee prevents me from running longer than just love an hour.
Seems to start really hurting at about then.
Goal of 2000 miles this year unless cancer goes crazy.
In control right now with bloodwork every 2 months and biopsies every 6.
Alan Bennet wrote:
@Daffy - Welcome! 6-mile long run? Haha. 2 workouts in the same week? Okay, now I am not laughing.
@KP - My rib took about 6 weeks. That first week I did some dumb stuff. Then I decided to stop being a dork, get some rest, and let it heal.
@Rtype - I didn't follow. Which one are you saying "No" to? For me, I accept that injuries will happen. If I never cross the line, I am not close enough to it.
Daffy, if you truly are a female in your early 50's, then your 200's in 39-40, and your 800 in 2:40 in January, tell me that you are a top 10 distance runner in the USA for your age group. I know most of us are anonymous here, so I won't even ask your name. But congratulations to you!! Keep up the good work!