Road Racing and Training Thread - Week Ending 3/30

np1112: Great week, 30 miles is most impressive! How did that feel? Manage to keep it progressive?

cmm268: Another superb week, great Sunday run it what sounds like pretty adverse conditions

Kierran: How's the calf now? Congrats on a perfect month!

Slartzio: Good thinking on taking a couple of easy days this week, definitely not worth burning yourself out.

TheGarbageDisposal: Really nice Sunday workout, where'd you come in the race? I imagien your marathon pace must get you pretty near the front in a 20 miler?

The Stone Cutter: Welcome back! Congrats to your stepdad!

Ghola: congrats on the PR! Great time and bodes well for what you can do in some better conditions.

printer: That doesn't sound good at all. How long are you off running? Better to be healthy though I guess.

KBXC: congrats on the breakthrough, Fridays workout looks like a real improvement.

Forcerunner: nice week, looks like a couple of good workouts in there.

bajada master: The workout from the 18th suggests you should be able to run around 22 for a 5k now if not a little under. When's your next race?

Muebele: Shame to hear your training is being disrupted by illness now! Keep at it and it'll come around eventually I'm sure.

reed: what do you think you did badly in the 1500? Where'd you end up finishing?

xenonscreams: Definitely don;t let your confidence take a hit, there's nothing you can do if you're sick on the day. These things happen. Just write it off as a bad day and forget about it.

HardLoper: Sounds like a tough race, also does sound like you should be able to break 18 though if you've gone out too hard in that one and still got 18:13.

Kierran-350 miles in a month is nothing to sneeze at, awesome being able to handle the volume and mixing in the types of workouts you are. I think 2:50s will come in the 800s, especially if you have a cutback week in terms of mileage.

Slartzio-Sounds like you recognized that your body needs a well deserved rest, hopefully a few days of easy running gets the legs reset.

GarbageDisposal-Definitely a great sign that you were able to 100+ this week on 6 days and Sundays long run with 16 at MP. Hopefully I bump into you and np1112 in the corral.

TheStonecutter-Welcome back! Although I do check out your blog from time to time when I remember. Congrats to your stepdad and definitely a great feeling when you pace someone else to their goal time.

Ghola- Nice week, especially that 5k on the track Saturday. A 10 second PR is awesome!

printer- wow, very sorry to hear about the setback, clots can be very serious:( I have a lot of coworkers who have gotten DVT from all of the flying we do for work and it's not fun. I hope the blood thinner medication works and you are able to clear things up first and foremost.

KSBC-Awesome week for you! Great indicator for what's to come in races if you are almost PR'ing in practice.

Forcerunner-Nice week--those hills are going to pay off for you come racing.

bajada master-solid weeks, I like the speed session on 3/18. Do you plan to build them into your weekly schedule?

Muebele-Looking like a solid plan and still plenty of time to round into the shape you want for May 4:)

reed-I don't want to comment since you are bragging about your weather:) Seriously though, to hear about your 1500 but I am with you in that higher mileage seems to help a lot when it comes to running performance for me as well.

xenonscreams- sorry to hear about your race. You definitely had a great build up the past few weeks so I wouldn't stress too much over one result. Hopefully you are able to get your GI pain ironed out.

HardLoper-Nice week with the consistency and 5k performance

Good day to everyone.

Looks like another good round of training and racing for everybody. No races planned right now, so just training away.

Sunday 3/23 12 miles, 70:04. Nothing crazy here, just tried to keep a good effort going.

Monday 3/24, zero. I did not sleep well the night before and was pretty tired all day.

Tuesday 3/25 13 miles, 1:13:59. Another good effort as the weather was pretty good.

Wednesday 3/26 14 miles, No Time. Didn't really care about the time for this run. 12 mile loop and 2 to get to the park.

Thursday 3/27 13 miles, 1:15:16.

Friday 3/28 13 miles, 1:29:37, ran in Buena Vista Colorado at about 8900+ feet. The run was ok, but the wind was crazy up there, so I just ran around on a bunch of different trails.

Saturday 3/29 15.5 to 16 miles 1:29:31. This ended up being a good run at about 5:45 avg for the run.

Overall about 80 to 81 miles for the week. Seems like another week that I missed a day and played catch up to get back on track.

NP1112- Nice week, looking at that log one would never guess that you had minor setback just 2 weeks ago and had to take time off. Exactly 3 weeks to race day from now!

CMM268- Another great week, I am losing count... is that 8 or 9 at 100+? That's a very impressive streak man. You and NP1112 seem like the heavy favorites for running the biggest PRs in Boston.

Kierran- Very nice week. Also your progress shows what consistent training and solid buildup can do for the body's ability to handle higher levels of training. Keep up the great work.

Slartzio- Quality week man and very nice tempo.

Stone Cutter- Again, great to see you back and it seems like you are being smart and easing back into things.

Ghola- Congrats on the PR man! I know BAA 5k will be on the roads but you should hopefully be in better shape and have more competition, so maybe sub-15:15/15:10?

Printer- Saw the news on your FB last week so not a total shock, but your health should always come first and I got my fingers crossed for you for it to hopefully clear up soon. Hope to at least still see you at some point during the weekend.

KBXC- Nice week man, looks like that slight down week last week really helped you recharge your batteries.

Forcerunner- You're stringing together one solid week of training after another with very strong workouts. It should pay off soon when the racing starts up again.

Bajada Master- Nice week and very solid workout.

Muebele- Sorry to see you got sick but it looks like you are bouncing back and getting back into it towards the end of the week. hope it continues into this week.

Reed- It seems like your longer interval workouts (800s/Mile repeats) and tempo workouts are still going well, so I might not judge how things are going by your 1500 race. Regardless, I am also constantly re-evaluating my training as well so it doesn't hurt to take a step back and review your training after your 10K. Best of luck!

Xenonscreams- Sorry to hear the race didn't go well. Hope you bounce back soon.

Hardloper- Progress is always good. Keep up the training.

Once and Future- You've been training consistently, and should be ready to roll. Good luck in 2 weeks!

(My 20 was a fairly small no-frill race so my buddy went 1-2. I won a gift certificate to the local running store that was worth $2 more than my entry fee!)

Swift23R- Another good week man. Hope you have a good run today/tomorrow with the crazy wind we're getting.

Goal Race: TBD 5K, Early May

Goal Time: sub 18:00

Sun 3/23. Supposed to run an easy 5. Didn’t happen.

Mon 3/24. 5 @ Slow Pace. Supposed to be a rest day, ran a makeup of 3/23’s workout instead.

Tue 3/25

- Noon. 5 @ 8:00

- PM. 1200GP, 1200CP, 800GP, 800CP, 400GP, 400CP, 1600 Hard. Splits- 4:32, 4:43, 2:56, 3:02, :88, :91, 5:44.

Wed 3/26. 5 @ 7:50

Thu 3/27.

- AM. 5.7 @ 8:00

- PM. Supposed to run another easy 5. Didn’t happen.

Fri 3/28. Circuit training- 30min.

Sat 3/29. Supposed to do an 8 miler with miles 4 and 5 at tempo pace. Didn’t happen.

Total: 24.5 miles.

No a good week for me. 10 miles short of goal mileage and I missed 3 workouts (made up one of them). Tuesday’s speed workout was a weird one. GP intervals were supposed to be at Goal Pace and CP intervals were supposed to be at Current Pace. Had a very hard time running the right splits and I still felt fresh after the final 400. Ran a ‘bonus’ 1600 @ 5:44 which felt good. Planned a hard workout for 3/29 but it poured all morning and my friends threw a surprise bday party for me in the afternoon. Hopefully I’ll rebound and re-focus this week.

Garbage, CMM268, NP116, Once and Future & Muebele, Thanks for the nice words.

I was getting worried yesterday when my arm started to feel numb & sore. So, I went to the urgent clinic. The Doctor there reassured me that my arm pain had nothing to do with my leg (old neck disc issue).

He also said that I have very little to worry about since the veins are superficial and that I'm already taking blood thinners. That conversation helped me a lot.

The pain from the inflamed veins also started to subside this weekend. So, I snuck out for a short easy run today (6.5 mile in 54:00). As long as I don't feel anything new, I'm going to try some easy runs this week. I have another ultrasound scheduled for next week. If all goes well, I'll attempt Boston.

Thanks,

@StoneCutter Welcome back!

@np1112 Very impressive long run, how long does it take for you to recover from such a long effort?

@printer Sorry for your injury man, I'm glad that things are clearing up now, not a good time to have a major setback.

@Once and future Good luck with your taper!

ghola: congrats on the PR! hopefully the weather and competition in boston is better for ya to get that PR even lower.

Printer: dang rough few weeks for you. hopefully you will still meet up with some of us for lunch, or whatever. Keep us updated on everything, as much as you feel like posting that is.

kbxc: awesome tempo. Looks like you are in pretty good shape already. should have some PRs coming early this season!

force: dang those are some fast hills! whats next on the list for ya?

bajada: great weeks. that ladder workout looks really good

muebele: rough weeks. hopefully the nicer weather knocks the sickness down that is going around and you can get back to normal. when is the new kid due?

reed: how are you going to add the miles in keep singles or add a double day? i like the short workout after the race.

xenon: Sorry about the race. i think its a good call to not race when youve been feeling like crap.

hardloper: nice mixed week there. worked a few systems. is the 12k a road race?

once: awesome week, long run, hills, tempo. what else can ya squeeze in haha. Is london next weekend? 30 felt, about how you think it would haha. Each mile wasnt faster than the previous. But every 5mi was faster than the last.

Garbage: I know. Next week will start the over thinking and worries haha

slartzio: Ummm...I scheduled 3 easy days before my next workout (thursday). I honestly didnt feel that bad after the run. Was not as sore as I was expecting. I think it was bc it was a progression and I wore a heavier shoe than usual.

Goal: 2:29 at Boston

Monday: 3 & 10

Tuesday: 3 & 8.75 - 3 x mile @ 5:30 up a 3% incline

Wednesday: 3.75 & 12 - 10 miles of the 12 at 5:39 pace, every mile do 1/4 mile at 3% incline - treadmill

Thursday: 8 - 15x200m @34

Friday: 3.75 & 9.25

Saturday: 8.5

Sunday: 12 - Shamrock Shuffle 8k - PR of 25:44

This week will be a high mileage week, around 110 with a 27 miler on Sunday

Sunday: Carlsbad 5000 16:40 22nd OA Masters race.

Race report: Got out fast (5:12), 2 miles in 10:34 and on track to run mid 16s. 3rd mile got me though and from about 2 and 1/4 on it was pure survival as it often is in this race for me. Pretty loaded field as 16:42 got me a T20 finish last year and the faster effort Sunday barely got me within T25.

The good: 2 second PR on this course in a race where I felt awful for the last 1/3 and had to gut it in. 15 seconds better than my 16:55 2011 debut 2 years ago when I 1st started back racing. And I'm 2 years older to boot.

The bad: I wanted to stick my nose in it and be T15 here. Felt like my fitness was better this time around. Had myself set up pretty well through 2 miles and then + split the last mile. Don't know if I could've run much faster, but feel I could've competed a bit more the last 1/3 of the race.

The future: Not as hungry to run track as I have been the last few years. Going to keep running but without any specific focus for now. Will check back in from time to time.

Cheers everyone. Keep up the great training and racing :)

np1112: 30-mile progression? Insane! In your experience, at what volume do you start considering training runs in excess of 26 miles?

cmm268: Looks like a quality-packed week, tempos, intervals, and progressions galore. Stay strong, almost on the home stretch!

Slartzio: Definitely take it easy, you want to be able to make the most of the next two months.

TheGarbageDisposal: Awesome Sunday workout. Nice long pace run a few weeks out has to have you looking good for your goal.

The Stone Cutter: Welcome back! Way to keep a positive attitude and quickly identify a new goal.

Ghola: Congrats on the PR! Looks like you're closing in on your goal with more than a month to go.

printer: Very sorry to hear it, that's gotta be heartbreaking this close to the race. Hang in there, and hopefully this week brings a positive turn.

KBXC: Love the car analogy, and glad to hear the training is paying off.

Forcerunner: Workouts looked solid, consistent times with no fading toward the end.

bajada master: How long were the rests in those intervals? If you can hit that 6-minute mile, the 22-minute 5k should follow pretty quickly.

Muebele: Man, illness is no fun, hopefully it clears up quickly. And don't get me started about the weather - it snowed again today with more on the way Thursday. >.<

reed: Wow, 20-second gap in the first and second laps of that race, pretty crazy! Best of luck in your 10k - like you said, trust the training and run your own race.

xenonscreams: Regardless of the circumstances, races like that are frustrating as hell. I think the early part of the week took a pretty heavy toll, though, and there just wasn't enough time to recover and give 100% on Saturday.

HardLoper: Honestly, sometimes you've got to push yourself and see what the limits are. I think if you stay consistent with the training, you'll see the improvement you want.

Once and Future: Nice, congrats on the mileage PR! With the training you've been doing and a tempo pace consistently 30 seconds or more under goal pace, you're looking great for London. Bank the training and rest however much you need to before race day. Oh, and calf's feeling better, no problems since Saturday.

Swift23r: I'm jealous of what must've been an adventurous and picturesque trail run in Colorado.

SlowDown: Interesting Tuesday workout. Probably a good sign if you felt fresh after those intervals.

illinoisphotographer & Ca$hclay: Congrats on the great race performances!

illinois: where have you been? I wish you would have posted more of your build up to Boston. Care to fill us/me in some more on your training cycle? Congrats on the 8k PR!

cash: wow sounds like a tough and competitive race! More room to beat your time next year some more now. keep it up!

kierran: As in weekly training volume (miles?) I have done 27 mile runs in a 90 mile week (100 mile rolling 7 day). The last time I hit 26+ was in a 145mi week. So it just varies depending on the workout goal of the run.

Thank you all for the welcome back. There is still quite a lot of great training going on with this group. But this week I wanted to single out...

Kierran - You've been quite the model of consistency. Aside from the 31 for 31 streak in March (which is an impressive show of discipline in itself), you are great at following the given task for each day. Easy, recovery, medium, intervals, tempo - you never seem to want to bite off more than you can chew, which is a particularly great habit of patience to have for marathon training.

I can almost hear the building confidence in your voice in your posts each week - and rightly so. You never try to do more than the workout calls for, which lets you stay healthy and continue to improve on a weekly basis.

In fact, I think there is much to be said for not "forcing it" and just "letting it come." The one bright spot for me this winter was a 5K PR that came at a time when I was least expecting it and not really even trying for it. But looking back at my log book, the 8 weeks prior to that race were super consistent, steady volume/workouts that let me stay healthy and suddenly have a great aerobic base to race off of. I hope things continue to unfold the same way for you over the next several weeks. Keep up the great work. :)

np1112 wrote:

illinois: where have you been? I wish you would have posted more of your build up to Boston. Care to fill us/me in some more on your training cycle? Congrats on the 8k PR!

Sorry -- been on and off. Gotten busy at work. Doubling generally 5x a week. Marathon pace = around 5:40

I've been trying to finish up all the treadmill workouts at a sub 5:20 pace (usually 5:0x) to practice "kicking" a bit.

I'll go back to Feb:

Feb:

Week 1 - 3x3 mile @ 16:15,16:10,16:12 - 10 miles on treadmill @5:50 pace with 4% hills every mile 18 mile long run. 78 miles total

Week 2 - 10 miles @ marathon pace, 20 mile long run, last 5 miles @ 5:30, average 6:08. 97 total miles

Week 3 - 10 miles - 1st 5 @ marathon pace (5:41), 2nd 5 @ HM Pace (5:21), 15 long run with last 5 @ 5:30. 84 miles total

Week 4 - 10 miles @ marathon pace, 20 miles with last 5 at 5:35.

March:

Week 1 - 9 miles @ marathon pace, 22 mile long run @ 7:00 pace: 97 miles total

Week 2 - 3x4 mile intervals with 3 minutes rest: avg 5:34, 5:29, 5:23. Half Marathon Sunday - 1:13:14 -- very hilly, 15 deg with 20MPH winds, 3rd overall. 73 miles total

Week 3 - 9 miles @ marathon pace the day after the HM, easy mileage - 24.5 miles on Saturday @ 6:39 pace, Sunday OFF - 87 miles total

Week 4 - 10 mile @ marathon pace, 15x200 @ 5k pace, 8K race in 25:44 - 82 miles total

April:

Week 1 (this week) 110 miles - 15 short hill strides, 27 miles on Sunday. Running a track 5K this weekend as well

@The Stone Cutter: Thanks for the support! I'll confess to lurking on the forums for a while before posting, and a common thread I noticed across a lot of the regulars was the consistency of their training. It's something I've sought to emulate, and hopefully I can keep things on track for the rest of this training cycle (and beyond!).

Illinois: Wow very solid build up! Things are looking good for Boston. Hopefully we can get a good size group to meet up before the race.