Road Racing and Training Thread - Week Ending 4/6

Goal: London (sub 3:17)

Weekly: 32.5

YTD: 638.7

Mon: Rest

Tues: 8 with 2 mile race in 12:41 for 23rd/106. 3 up, 3 down

Weds: Rest

Thurs: 6.5 with (4x2mins @ 6:03, 6:06, 6:13, 6:13[6:09], 6x1min @ 5:56, 5:56, 5:54, 6:02, 5:37, 5:30[5:48]) 1 min rests

Sat: 6 with 5k in 19:57 for 11th/146 1 up, 2 down

Sun: 12 with 10k in 40:57 for 114th/526 6 on the end

Bit of a worrying week all told, still feeling under the weather and just wasn't able to get close to the paces I wanted to hit.

On Tuesday I was hoping for about 12:20 as it's not a flat course but just struggled from the off. On thursday I would normally hit about 5:50 for 2 mins and 5:30 for 1 min but felt awful after the first 2 min rep.

On Saturday I decided to go out hard so I could gauge what I should be aiming for, for the 10k on Sunday. I was originally going for sub 40 but after Tuesday and Thursday thought that this might be out of the window. I only just went sub 20, so was pretty sure that sub 40 was out of the window.

Sunday itself was just really tough, there was a headwind for the first 3 miles and I stupidly went out at 39:59 pace, which was made more difficult by the wind in my face. It meant I fell to bits at about 2.5 miles and had to drop down to closer to tempo pace to manage to finish. It was unusually warm and the air felt very close despite the wind. I saw about 10 people ahead of me dropping out, so it obviously wasn't just me struggling. It was a PR by 20 seconds and a course PR for me of 1:10 but I thought I was in much better shape than this till a week ago and I really had to grind this out.

I'm now getting very nervous about London this weekend, I'm well into my taper now, having only ran 32.5 last week but still feel like crap, maybe I raced too much, but racing shorter stuff doesn't usually run me down. I only have 3 runs scheduled this week before the weekend and they're all pretty easy so fingers crossed I'll be feeling better come Sunday!

19:47 on Saturday rather and Friday was a rest day, not sure how I missed a full day!

Goal Race: TBD 5K, Early May

Goal Time: sub 18:00

Sun 3/30. 10.2 @ 8:00.

Mon 3/31. 5 @ 7:50.

Tue 4/1. .5WU, 1600(5:43)- 800(2:49)- 400(:85)- 800(2:50)- 1600(5:47), .5CD

Wed 4/2. 5 @ 7:55

Thu 4/3. 5 @ 7:48

Fri 4/4. REST DAY

Sat 4/5. 6mile. 2 easy (8:00), 2 hard (6:11, 6:06), 2 easy (8:00).

Total: 34.2 miles.

A pretty good week. The 10 miler was my longest run in over a month and I felt really good. Tuesday’s workout was a tough one. I was smoked at the end but pretty pleased with my times. A bit disappointed with Saturday’s workout but I was very hung over. I have a 4 mile race this weekend so wish me luck.

@King Hobbyjogger I think 61 is realistic with that 8k time. I did a 10 miler last fall and a workout that worked for me was 6x1m @ race pace minus 10s with 1 min recovery, made race pace feel a bit easier.

@Reed Solid race!

@Kierran Great tempo and long run, it seems that the training is starting to pay off!

@Cmm268, Garbage Disposal, Np1112 Happy taper guys, you trained your as*es off, I'm sure you'll do great in 2 weeks.

Goal race: Boston - Goal time - 2:29

Total weekly mileage: 105

Monday - 5 AM, 9.5 PM -- 6:50 pace -- felt sore from Shamrock the day before

Tuesday - 5 AM, 10 PM -- 6:55 pace

Wednesday - 5 AM, 10.7 PM -- 6:53 pace

Thursday - 6 AM, 1-.7 PM -- 7:01 pace

Friday - 6 AM, PM OFF -- Sore and tired. Didn't feel good at all

Saturday - 2 AM with strides, 8 PM -- 5k College track race, 15:58 -- Felt like shit and had no leg turnover. Splits of 4:49, 4:54, 5:xx.

Sunday - 27.1 miles - 6:55 pace (marathon in 3:01:30)

Now time to taper!!!

The Stone Cutter Good start to your comeback

Xenonscreams I'm glad you seem to be getting your legs back under you.

King Hobbyjogger Nice race!

reed 40 guys in one section? That sounds nuts to me.

cmm268 Good race, and definitely a smart call to hold back this close to Boston.

TheGarbageDisposal Another good ten miler!

Next: BAA 5k - hoping to PR w/15:20 or so

Goal: sub-15:00 at a last chance meet. Maybe a 10k.

M: Rest

T: 10.5 total; 5.8 mile tempo in 31:22 (5:24/mi). Progressed from 5:31-5:14 pace.

W: 4.5 recovery

Th: 8 easy. Still tired.

F: 8.5 total; track workout: 4x600 w/400 rest in 2:00 (1:46,1:49,1:44,1:44).

Sa: 5 easy

Su: 13 total; including 10 mile up-tempo in 58:00.

Total: 49.5

I went a little too hard on Tuesday, and as a consequence didn't feel good until Sunday. I'm also trying to deal with runner's knee that's just come back this week. F*ck runner's knee.

I continue to be impressed by everyone's mileage and times. Every week I read them and think, "how in the world..?" :-)

Still looking for a good first race. Kids events are almost over for the year, just in time for the heat but my weekend schedule will be a lot easier.

Sometime in 2014 would like to run a sub 22:00 5k and sometime would like to do a sub 6:00 mile.

Weekly workouts

Mon - off

Tues - 2.5 mile warmup then 6x800 @ 3:15, 3:15, 3:19, 3:13, 3:18, 3:19 3 min rest.

Wed - off

Thursday 6

Friday 5

Saturday 5.5

Sunday 5

4x1200 is the workout for this week. What pace should I be looking to come in at? 5:10 - 5:20?

thanks all, have a great week!

-Slartzio- Don’t feel bad about scaling it back this week. Rest is important especially if you arnt used to it. A few easy workouts should leave you healthier and more eager.

-Xenon- Great week. Sometimes all it takes is a good workout to inspire some confidence and re-energize you.

-Reed- Nice debut 10K. Bummer about the crowds but at least it’s a good learning opportunity.

-Cmm- Strong week and nice 10miler. Looking good for Boston.

-Garbage- My comments for cmm apply your you too, I guess, since you ran very similar weeks. Might there be a cmm/GarbageDisposal showdown in Boston? That might be interesting. LR bragging rights are on the line!

-NP- Strong week. Still looks like a lot of miles, plan on cutting down for the taper?

-Swift- Nice week. Training for anything specific?

-Once and Future- That’s a ton of racing. Even back to back over the weekend. Hope your legs recover for the race. Good luck.

-Illinois- Nice week, good luck with the taper.

-Bajada- 22 shouldn’t be too difficult for you. I’m no stud like the other posters here, but try running your 4x1200s @ goal pace with 50% rest. Just an idea.

NP1112- Awesome week man. Really hoping you get a chance to show what you're fully capable of in 2 weeks.

Kierran- Great week and I second your feeling that your training really appears to be at another level right now. Hope you keep it going and really nail the last few weeks of your cycle.

Swift23R- Dude you might not plan workouts, but you sure as hell do some pretty quick medium long runs every week. We gotta get together for a run sometime after Boston. I know you've been up here for awhile so you have probably done all the big ones around/near town, but any interest in doing Bolder Boulder, Sailing Shoes, Garden of Gods (5 or 10)? Or looking out a bit more into late summer, the Classic 10K or even Georgetown to Idaho Springs half?

Zev- Nice week and mileage total, and races/goals in the immediate future for you?

Once and Future- Don't worry man, you are looking awesome for this race. You have a bib number that we can track? If you don't want to post it on here you can click on my handle and e-mail me if you want. No problem if you want to remain semi-anonymous, but sometimes it helps just a bit knowing you have people tracking you when you are out there in the late stages of the marathon. Either way, good luck!

Slowdown- You are looking really good for your goal base off of these workouts. I love how you did a "reverse ladder" (most people go up and then back down in interval length but what you did was definitely harder) and nailed goal 5K pace at the end. Keep up the good work.

As for me/CMM, he did beat me last year so I am looking for some payback! (just kidding CMM). Although my goal this year is still a bit more aggressive than his, which I may regret around mile 18-22 in a couple of weeks, but to quote Christo Landry's interview after he won the USA 10-mile title yesterday "”I might blow up, but if you don’t take chances, why are you out there?”"

IllinoisPhotographer- Looking good man. Hope you'll be joining the sub-2:30 club 2 weeks from today.

Ghola- You're stringing together one solid week after another and I am really hoping you can nix that runner's knee before it gets worse or even just linger. If you can toe the line I am sure you'll get pulled along to your goal time by the field that the BAA 5k usually gets.

Bajada Master- That 6x800 workout indicates at least sub-21 fitness, so you are looking really good as well.

Sailin shoes and classic 10k are for sure ones. I have a long list of races I will run the rest of the year. Alot of races in Denver as well as the western slope here in the state.

stone: Great progression with the time off.

slartzio: awesome consistency thursday. down time is always nice. especially if you had been feeling a little down. hopefully those few days is what you needed to come back refreshed

xenon: almost like last week never happened. back to normal it seems

king: very nice on the 8k! I agree with Reed on the tempo pace. My coach always said if you feel like you can go faster (without making it feel 100%) then go for it.

reed: still a good time considering all the things against you in the race. Just more time to knock off in the next 10k which i am sure will be a lot in the right race for you

cmm: hill repeats suck. and even more when you dont feel up to them. shows alot that you started, finished, and ran them well. congrats on the 10mi PR! shows a lot that you ran controlled and coulda gone faster (if wanted). What do your next 2 weeks look like?

garbage: I think sub 2:28 is still very very much possible. 512 pace for a 10miler with almost 100 miles in the previous 7 days is no joke! 2 weeks! Just hope almost everything goes right this time...haha

kbxc: great week. and i hope you smash the workouts this coming week.

kierran: what a week. mileage PR, mid long run, long run, break through workout friday. things are really going well for you. keep it up!

once: haha your hands got ahead of your head, missing friday. thats a lot of racing for a week out from london. but i am sure the feelings are just normal taper ones. youll be good to go come race day. you have all the work done already

slow: i would be happy to run at all if i was hung over (why i dont drink much if any). I will be down to ~90 this week and ~60 next week. Big cut from the 140s where I was at in base.

illinois: Looks like you got recovered pretty well. What is your 5k PR? Was sundays run a practice with fueling and such or just an over distance long run?

ghola: solid week. where should your goal place you around for the BAA 5k?

bajada: good looking week. i have no clue on the 1200s sorry

bajada master wrote:

...

4x1200 is the workout for this week. What pace should I be looking to come in at? 5:10 - 5:20?

thanks all, have a great week!

Sorry I didn't see this part the first time for some reason. I would actually say they should be at the same pace you did those 800s. (so 4:50-5:00). It's a tough workout to run them at 5K goal pace or slightly faster, but you should be able to handle it.

@Cmm268 I think it was the combination of everything. Running everyday, plus the mileage bump and the HM pace workout getting longer, around 7 miles.

I feel I was already feeling tired a couple of weeks ago and I was trying to hit HM pace on tired legs, so it was more than a true tempo especially at the end of the workout.

Hey everybody,

What's shaking? I began posting in these threads last summer. I went into hibernation over the winter. Now, like the manliest of tulips, I have risen again.

It is tremendously inspiring to see how many regulars are still posting here (and posting big numbers!). Garbage Disposal, xenonscreams, Ghola, Slartzio, cmm268, Stone Cutter, king hobby jogger, reed, brumrunner, Np1112: you may not remember me, but I remember you, and I love that you're all still running and posting about it here. Highfives!

After a brutal winter in Edmonton, the snow has mostly disappeared, leaving us with a charming landscape of dead grass and dog poop. The trails are clear, or at least covered in gravel instead of ice. The temperature are balmy, or at least above zero. (That's 32°F to you imperial philistines.) It is time to start a new cycle of training.

I went a bit crazy over the winter. I didn't miss any runs – it was 80k-90k (50-55 miles) a week of easy runs through the cold and the dark. But my morale took a serious beating. If spring came any later around here I would have moved long ago. Those of you who run in places that don't get snow, or that get snow for less than six months a year: I hate you all.

Anyway, after last year's 10k experiment – which ended in a 33:17, a PR, but well short of my 32:30 goal, for those of you keeping track at home – I've decided to jump back to the marathon. The goal is a 2:40 in Portland in October. Given my marathon PR (2:54), this might seem way too ambitious, but I set that two years ago, and I feel I have learned a lot about how to train since then – not to mention developed my strength a good deal. Pfitzinger's 18 week 85mpw plan will be my guide, though I plan to get up to 100mpw in time.

First, though, I need to make sure my body can handle it. Some part of my right hip has been mildly unhappy since the fall, and recently the bit of my right heel between the Achilles tendon and the lateral malleolus decided to join in the rebellion. I'm due to see the doctor a week from tomorrow, and will ice and think good thoughts in the interim.

This was me last week:

Monday: 13.7k easy

Tuesday: 13.9k easy

Wednesday: 8.7k easy

Thursday: 13.8k easy

Friday: 13.7k easy (am), 13.7 easy (pm). Evening run was great. Hit some pretty snappy times and felt good.

Saturday: 13.7k easy.

Sunday: Off because of joint problems and painting new apartment.

Total: 104.9km.

I had planned to run some hills on Sunday, but the hangover I acquired I acquired in the company of some boisterous South Africans on Saturday night , combined with the fatigue from painting and moving furniture every non-working or running hour over the last two weeks, put paid to that. Resting the heel and hip also seemed judicious.

Comments!

Stone Cutter: Do you have a goal for Philly? What are you thinking as far as a training plan? How long is Broad Street?

Slartzio: That easy week seems to have paid dividends. Good call! I stopped taking Sundays off for the first time last season and learned the hard way the importance of managing active recovery when you train seven days a week.

xenonscreams: That's a heck of a week. Must feel very nice after your travails last week. Do you always eat breakfast before your morning runs?

King: Based on your Shamrock time, I think your Soldier goal is quite realistic. Nice long run on Sunday!

reed: Wow, that's a hell of a debut in the 10. Was it on a track? Where do all these non-scholastic track races happen, anyway? I can't find a decent 5k on a track for love nor money in Northern Alberta.

cmm268: That is a godly week. You must be feeling great about your Boston chances! How long does the P90 core routine take? I have a ~10 min routine I do every day, and I have been thinking about changing it up.

Garbage: That sounds like a super fun 10 miler. I always love popping down to altitude when you train above sea level. For me, it is when I visit my brother in Vancouver. Combination of oxygen-rich air and flat terrain makes me feel like a thoroughbred every time.

KBXC: Nice 800s! I always hate running 800s.

NP1112: Egad, what a week. 19 at MGP this close to Boston? Preposterous.

Kierran: Super-solid week. I can totally relate to the joy of leaving long johns at home. Since I am doing the same plan as you: does Pfitz really call for 24 miles at that point in the cycle? At work right now so can't double check.

Once and Future: I find I often surprise myself in situations like yours (i.e., when I feel I have done perfect prep I don't go as fast as I think I can, and when I feel I am screwed up my prep I often go faster than I think I can). Good luck on Sunday!

illinoisphotographer: Wow, amazing week. What's your rationale for running 26.2+ in training? I am curious.

Ghola: boooo, injuries are the worst! I hope your knee starts behaving itself soon.

pewow-Sorry to hear about your hamstring. Hopefully a few weeks off will heal you up. Can you do any cross training (aqua jogging, cycling, lifting legs, etc?)

KBXC-solid week of running, keep it up

NP1112- Awesome week once again. 19 at MGP after a week like that in a block like you have sets you up nicely for Boston. Here's to hoping we get some good weather:) I am going to skip my intervals tomorrow and will do a 3x1mi tempo Friday. Mileage this week will be 70-75 with moderate run of 12-14 on Sunday. Next week short interval workout Tuesday and maybe 1-2 tempo miles Thursday but probably down into the 40s. What about you and Garbagedisposal?

Kierran-Awesome week especially that tempo and long run.

Swift23r-Very consistent training for sure. Some days I find it best to ignore the watch (or in your case not time the run). Do you think some shorter weeks with speed will help increase your motivation?

Zev-Nice week of running

Once and Future-Looking good, although you did race both days in a taper weekend I think you have ample rest in the week. I wouldnt sweat it and hopefully you are taking it easy this week. You got it this weekend!

SlowDown-Great to hear about the 10 miler and good luck next weekend in your 4 mile race.

illinoisphotographer-Crazy long and impressive run Sunday. Cheers to the taper.

Ghola-Great week yourself, very impressive tempo run. Hopefully some easy running or days off clear up the runners knee over the next 2 weeks leading into the 5k.

bajada master-Nice week. I would say 5:00 -5:05 for your 1200s. Those 800s indicate 20:xx fitness

GarbageDisposal- You would have easily had me last year as well, the only reason I had a better time is because you hobbled to the starting line. I like your agressive goals and after seeing how you raced this year so far definitely think it's achievable for you. I definitely plan to run a few races like the quote you posted this summer

Bonham-Welcome back, of course I remember you! Definitely make sure you build up your mileage in a sane manner to prevent injuries as it sounds like you are dealing with a few niggles already. p90x ab ripper is about 15 minutes, so it's short and sweet.

Cmm268,

Well the motivation is there, just a lack of good races to run. In the past I would just find races to run even if they were not the greatest. As I have gotten a bit older, I have raced less this year then in the past. I have a bunch of races I will run later in the year. I have run 80+ miles a week or more 32 of the last 35 weeks. At some point a few down weeks will have to happen as I don't feel like I can continue to run the mileage I have and continue running fast.

Bonham: I did the same workout 2 weeks out for my last 2 marathons. It may not be popular but it's worked for me. And many much faster runners my coach has trained. Glad to see you back!

Cmm: looks good. Only thing we have similar is next Thursdays run haha. This week I'll be around 90 with a 5k Thursday and an easy 16 fir or sat. Next week is around 60 with a 5mi tempo mon and a 1.5mi TT on thurs (another police physical test). Just happened to workout when I am tapered and in pretty good shape lol

Slartzio: Wow, seven up weeks straight! Most I do is four. Definitely a good time to back off.

reed: Thanks, it's either that or over-enthusiasm. And not a bad debut 10000m! I know from last week how hard that race is when things aren't going to plan.

cmm268: Yeah my highest week ever was 77 and I've done a few at 75, so this is up there. Nice workout at the race. What's the ab ripper workout like? I'm looking for new core exercises.

TheGarbageDisposal: Great week, looking forward to hearing about your race (or watching it, but I won't know who you are unless you tell me). If you see a crazy girl with her hair dyed orange cheering and taking pictures it might be me...

Kierran: Nice week, that's a lot of mileage!

SlowDown: Good luck with your race!

illinoisphotographer (and everyone who's tapering for Boston now, for that matter): Enjoy your taper!

Ghola: Totally going to kick your butt in the BAA 5K. Just kidding. I'll be a few minutes behind. Hope you race well though!

Bonham: Nah dude I had a test at the hospital that morning and there were hot pancakes and eggs for just $4 in the cafeteria so I couldn't resist! I totally regretted them though...

So many people running Boston, if anyone wants to meet me I'll just put myself out there and say that you can find me online very easily, and if you send me a Facebook message saying you're from the weekly training thread (don't even need to divulge which poster you are) we can plan to meet up. That or we can just plan to meet up from the get-go. I've met people from LRC before and surprisingly it has always gone well. And you guys are the cream of the crop, the best posters :)