Road Racing and Training Thread - Week Ending 5/19

VF Runner Nice report, sounds like a daunting course.

ipaidforthis For those of us that are new to running starting slow is the right way. Try to be wise when it comes to your HM and your knee.

has been who never was Must be nice to be back on the track.

Bonham No expert here, but love to give advice. I would add volume if you are early in your season. It will give you a chance to do more speedwork when you should be working towards your peak.

Feather Is 'lightposts' some form of a fartlek? Good luck with your three year plan.

StevenJ Thanks for adding to the many alcohol related comments!

@SteveInAlaska: I like to believe I am more healty than I have been in a long time. But it still does not feel 100%. Furthermore my many incounters with injuries (on low volume) has made me sceptic regarding my state.

@VF Runner: Glad to know I'm in good company. I used to try avoid these type of runs, but have decided it is less important for now.

@NP1112: I actually got forced into this run by a friend that was visiting me and went out drinking with us as well. Had no excuse not to go. Would have not done it if I was by myself.

SteveinAlaska - I do have a foam roller, but I haven't been to aggressive with its use. In fact, my whole problem is probably due to my lack of stretching or partaking in very few no-running activities during my recent marathon cycle.

During this past cold and miserable winter, I tried to keep up with the weekly mileage at the expense of doing almost anything else. If I wasn't communting, sitting at my desk, eating or watching TV, I was running. That was a mistake.

I need to incorporate a more diverse balance of activities into my routine. And, they must involve stretching too. I'm almost 49, I should know that by now.

NP1112 - No tri's scheduled yet. I only have the B.A.A. 10k on my schedule for now. I will see how the next few weeks go before I make any new plans.

GOAL RACE: Portland Half Marathon (10/6), Seattle Marathon (12/1)

Next Race: Midsummer Night's Run 10k (6/15)

M:AM: 4 miles PM: 10 Miles

T: 12 Miles

W: AM: 7.5 Miles PM: 12.5 Miles

Th: AM: 6 Miles PM: 10 miles

F: 12.5 Miles

St: 6 miles

Sn: 16.5 Miles

Total: 97 Miles

Considering I haven't had a 90+ mile week in almost a month and a half and had a month of downtime, I'm feeling surprisingly strong. I imagine the build up back to 120 miles/week proceeding rather quickly, which bodes well for a nice summer of training. Anyway, the plan is just to get the base mileage back up, then start doing fartleiks mid July, then start doing workouts sometime in the begining of August.

Gmuze wrote:

Feather Is 'lightposts' some form of a fartlek? Good luck with your three year plan.

Yeah, "lighposts" are my go to "I should do strides after this morning run, but it's hot as shit so I'm going to do them mid-run" thing. I just jog for 10min and by then I'm on this bike path by campus and just go hard for 2 posts and jog slow for 5 for the next 10min. or so and head home.

"Plan"....I like that. That's what I'll be calling my seat of the pants, roll with the punches life outlook at the moment! haha

stevenJ: Ouch thats a rough beer mile haha. What was the penalty lap for? What school runners are you training with?

steve: seems like a bicycle would do just the same with more gears to choose from. but i hate sitting for so long on a bike. like you said watching out for and dodging cars would be the real challenge.

reg fields: yah cutting that weight will be a good performance boost. but like you said, that last 10lbs is the hardest to cut. I am doing grandmas marathon on 6/22 and a tune up 5k on 6/18.

gmuze: what a friend to do that to you haha. yea trying that solo would have ended in me sleeping in till the afternoon haha.

printer: when is the baa 10k again?

angel: nice comeback week. is that 10k just to see where you are at or a goal/tune up?

NP1112 wrote:

angel: nice comeback week. is that 10k just to see where you are at or a goal/tune up?

It's a fund raiser for my old high school's cross country/track program. The course is hard as hell with several massive hills (and last year it was 85 degrees at start time, that didn't help), but it's always fun to go back and run it. So yeah, not running for a time, just shooting for the W and see how many old alumns show up!

reg fields: the 5k is on 6/15 not 18. Wish we had an edit button

angel: sounds tough. but good that youre out there supporting the old school. Wish i ran in HS or college and had an old school to support haha.

john berryman wrote:

also, out of curiosity, how much does everyone on here drink and how frequently?

5-6 days a week, anywhere from 1-3 drinks on average - significantly more on weekends. I highly recommend it. Cheers.

@SteveInAlaska:

Yeah, you're right, I guess. I am in solid shape even now. Because of this I still hold back very much on the workouts and try to just roll along most of the time. I think, consistency is key for a great marathon and so I try to be pretty consistent in the 100 - 120 mile range, even when I'm training for shorter distances or not in the marathon build up. When you look closer, you'll see, that my workouts are still pretty relaxed (e.g. 20 x 400 @ 10 K pace). I'll save the really hard stuff (e.g. 4 x 2 K @ 10 K pace or 12+ mile tempos @ marathon pace) for the last couple of weeks in my build up. Just out of curiousity: What have you run for the maathon distance?

@ Grizz:

No, I understood :-) My English might not be verey good when I write, but when I read I have pretty good understanding. And thanks for the compliment! I'll race a 10 K in two weeks and probably a half in four weeks to gauge my fitness.

Pikachu

StevenJ wrote:

... And that wasn't me on Saturday (didn't run until later, and not on the towpath). Presence of a lady friend should have given that away! (OK, sometimes I do run with some of the varsity women)...

...Sa PM1 - 6.5 slow, ate too much / PM2 - 2 with beer mile (plus penalty lap) in 10:18...

StevenJ - I only suspected that it might've been you because I recall you having mention something in the past about pacing some of the faster girls for tempo miles on the track. The guy/girl combo I saw we're moving at a pretty brisk pace. Thus the assumption.

Also, where did you guys do the beer mile, right at the University? I haven't done one since high school. I am however a 2-time undefeated champ! I believe my fastest time was 7-high from winter break of my senior year (no puke/no extra lap). I haven't done one since due to my profession. Would not bode well for me if I was ever caught doing one... You know, the whole trespassing and drinking in public thing!

I only suspected that it might've been you because I recall you having mention something in the past about pacing some of the faster girls for tempo miles on the **towpath**. The guy/girl combo I saw we're moving at a pretty brisk pace. Thus the assumption.

We really need an edit button!

Printer- I hear you. I think I got lazier and lazier with taking care of the "non-running" aspects of training. After all, if you only have so much time to train, wouldn't running be the best use of it if you are trying to run fast? (apparently not if you aren't taking care of nagging pains or tight areas). Again, I am really trying to look at my current situation as a learning experience that will pay off once I can run again. Of course, the sooner that happens the better!

StevenJ- Sounds like you had a solid week. Racing a 800 might be fun too, when was the last time you ran one?

pikachu- I ran 2:37 twice, but have a PR of 70:33 in the half. My comment regarding "not running up to my capabilities" is more referring to the fact that I have never run within 10 minutes of 2x[current half-marathon best]. I know most pros can do 2xHM+5-7min, and most decently trained amateur runners can do 2xHM+10min, so I think I still have a bit to learn about marathon training.

NP1112- Better yet, find out when/if your HS's track team is having an alumni/fundraiser 5K and show up and kick their butts. I imagine it would be quite an experience for one of the track guys to have it handed to them by one of their classmates that didn't even run in HS.

Catching up with the later posters this week:

cyhawk - I like the quality you started implementing this week. I actually think the 8x400m was about the right pace you should be running for a first workout - 76-77 sounds a little aggressive for a first go round. You mentioned you don't have a lot of natural speed - do you have a recent mile PR?

StevenJ - solid week overall. Sounds like you had a rather painful beer mile experience - first time, or have you posted better efforts? I think the fastest time from somebody I know personally is in the 7:20s. Don't know how you guys pull that stuff off. :)

The Angel of Death - wow, you went from less fishing to a lot more running quickly! Glad to see you are feeling well again.

still catching up myself.

first week of law school was interesting, especially considering that i haven't gotten internet in my apartment.

my apologies for the late responses:

xenon- i now have hot water fortunately. i don't have internet yet because my landlord was debating whether or not to upgrade the complex i'm in to google fiber. so i didn't want to get something else then be locked in, but google fiber is all or nothing when it comes to apartment complexes and even though i wished she'd have said they were getting it, we arent.

pablo- ya the reason i asked about the 4miler w/ in/outs is because i've only done 4 mile tempo's before and that workout seems like it would be mentally a lot easier for me because i tend to get bored in longer workouts and slack off a bit. so i suppose i am trying to gauge what my 4mile tempo time would be worth for 4miles of in and outs.

gmuze- i'm probably in the same boat as you. during my last semester of undergrad i would drink probably around 50 beers a week, 30 between thursday and saturday and 20 for the rest of the week, and for about a month or two of this i was still training as hard as i ever had. had one week of 70 beers and 100 miles and classes, and so i'm considering giving 100 beers 100 miles a go after the summer semester of law school ends.

numbers guy- most runs i did in college started out around 8 minute pace for a mile or so, and finished with a mile or two around 6 minute pace, so i think it's me sort of trying to get back to that. obviously with shorter runs the difference between my outs and my back is more stark, but i'm still not having too much trouble doing it every day.

law school is hard though. i've been busy all week trying to do everything. once i get internet at my place it will be easier to post more regularly here, but until then it will be erratic like this week.