Road Racing and Training Thread - Week Ending 5/4

trying to get my weekly in before the fast 5k/10ks start at payton jordan

M 5 easy

T 6 moderate

W first day off since january

Th 6 easy

F 5k race, bad conditions.

Sa 5 up/down a mountain. moderately hard

Su 9 easy

total 39.5, 7:10/mi

5k race: got a late start to my warmup, then got lost at UC Irvine, barely made it to the start. didnt get any water, no strides, the whole shebang. got my spikes on though. went out in 2:30, exactly goal pace, and i was totally alone in the middle of 2 packs. 1600 in 5:05 already feeling the heat, then i ended up in a small pack running way too slow. at this point there was zero chance of running under 15:50, so i slowed down in lane 2 to let a teammate catch me so i could pace him. i ran him in at 16:33. saved my legs for next saturday basically, when i'm gonna do a 3200 TT i think.

keep in mind i ran a hilly HM in 76min last sunday, just 5 days before this race. so that probably killed my chances

Illinois Photographer - Let your recovery happen. It's not surprising you still feel a bit tight. How soon is the meet?

Lakerunner - That is weird about the moniker. Pretty decent week you had their. For what it's worth, I think you've moved beyond H-J status anyway.

NP1112 - I think sub 16 is certainly in your future, and nice bounce back 1/2 effort. Knowing what you've done in marathon training, I'll be interested to see what your 5k training looks like.

Slartzio - Very nice week, and that's a really nice 2x4 effort considering you were heading towards a sick day.

Cmm268 - Winning is a pretty nice feeling no matter the details.

Muebele - Huge congrats and good luck! Looking forward to seeing you again once life settles into a new normal.

Nop200 - epic expression on your face in the picture where you hit the water.

Slowpoke - That's a really nice week you had there.

Reed - That sounds like a great way to make the best of an off race.

Week 15 of Pfitzinger’s 18-week / 85-MPW max plan

Goal race: Edinburgh Marathon

Goals: A - sub-3:00, B - 3:02, C - 3:07

YTD: 1186 miles

Monday: Rest.

Tuesday: General aerobic - 8M @ 7:41.

Wednesday: VO2max - 11M w/ 6x1200m intervals (~400m recovery in 3:00). Splits of 4:12, 4:16, 4:18, 4:25, 4:27, 4:27. Kludged together the timing on the treadmill rather than the track, so the discrepancies between laps may not be as large as they look. Still, the last couple of reps were pretty tough, so I likely went out too fast early on. Hamstrings were a little achy later in the day, but nothing serious.

Thursday: Medium-long - 15M @ 8:01. A light drizzle wasn’t enough to dampen my spirits on this run. Definitely sore later in the day from the combined effort of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s run, but the good kind of sore that comes from healthy training rather than the intermittent pains and injuries from the last couple of weeks.

Friday: General aerobic - 8M @ 8:01 w/ 8x100m strides.

Saturday: Recovery - 6M @ 8:27.

Sunday: Long run - 20M w/ 14M at marathon pace (6:55 average over 14M segment). These long pace runs have been very accurate for me in the past as a race day predictor, so coming in between my A- and B-goals was a big confidence booster. The run itself felt terrific. Definitely tired toward the end but not exhausted, with plenty of energy throughout the rest of the day and no signs of injury.

68M total. Sunday’s run marks the last major workout and the start of the taper period. Dropping the Monday runs seems to have worked well, as the comparison between these last two weeks of training and the two before that are like night and day. With race day just three weeks off, staying uninjured is more important than ever, so I’ll be focusing on fitness preservation. I’m really happy with how training has gone up to this point, and based on race performances and recent workouts, my marathon goals seem within reach.

Stone Cutter - That 10 mile time sets you up well for your marathon goals, if you ask me. Especially impressive after some down time.

VF runner - Killer long run. That would probably kill me if I tried to do it.

Xenon- I had the same thing happen to me during a half a couple summers ago. I was on point for the first 9 miles and then died for the last 4, and I think dehydration was the culprit as well. What does your water intake look like while you're training?

Illinois - that's one hell of a double marathon season this spring... Green bay is pretty hilly too, no?

NP - that must have been a crazy competitive local race if that time only got you 50th... those kind of times would win pretty much every half I've ever raced!

Slarzio - solid workout. Great consistency and really good job keeping some speed on tap for the last 2 miles.

CMM - nice win. It's always fun to lap someone - I ran a small local 5k/10k last summer that was 1 lap for the 5k and 2 for the 10k - beat the 5k winner through the first lap. A win is a win, celebrate it!

Nop200 - woah. what distances are those 3 races in one week?

Hereford - hopefully the time off consolidated your training up until that point - Time off can put the zip back in your stride.

Reed - good idea backing off, hopefully you have better luck on Saturday.

Kierran - I did the same plan with the same goals training for Chicago last year - Looking good for sub 3.

The Stone Cutter That's a great start! Got to think the lower end of those marathon goals are within reach.

xenonscreams Tough race. Seems like you've had some other good results this season, though.

Lakerunner Hope you feel better. Can't believe they banned Hobbyjog-er - though I just figured out why. Someone seems to have banned the last 4 letters of that word on sight, probably because of the racist spammers.

Np1112 nice race!

Slarzio That's a tough workout on the track. What distance are you training for?

cmm268 Congrats on the win

Muebele Congratulations!

slowpoke rodriguez I'll see you at the first NBB meet. I'm guessing you're going for 15:2X based on that 400 workout?

reed Probably a good move. Fatigue from racing 10k and up has a way of sneaking up on you.

Goal: 5k at 1st NBB twilight meet this Saturday

Goal A: 15:10 Goal B: 15:00

Based on Ben True/Molly Huddle's races the past few days, I should be looking for 20+ seconds faster than at BAA, but I've had to take a pretty aggressive taper because of runner's knee. So, who knows, but just getting back in PR shape after 3 years is pretty exciting.

M: 4 easy

T: rest (knee hurt)

W: 7; 6x800 with 2:00 walk in 2:25,2:22,2:24,2:27,2:27

Th: 5.5 recovery

F: 6 steady

Sa: 6 steady/hard

Su: Rest (knee)

Total: 28.5

Lakerunner wrote:

Nop200 - woah. what distances are those 3 races in one week?

2 mile. I really hope my coach doesn't expect me to PR every meet or even try to run all of them all out, because that would not work out well.

@VF Runner, haha I was surprised the water pit was that deep

Lakerunner: I drink when I'm thirsty, which is pretty much all the time. I think I lose a lot of water in my sleep though because I usually wake up dehydrated. My coach wants me to weigh myself at night and again in the morning to see how much I lose, so I'm going to try that tonight.

The fact that it's cumulative could be relevant: I usually significantly up my water intake the day before the race, but we had a heat wave this week for the three days before that. Maybe a day before was too late.

If I only drink water (which I do) and have a very low-sodium diet (because I legitimately hate the taste of salt, it makes me want to puke) is it possible that the water is just going right through me so to speak? I don't know much about this stuff. My coach seems to think that of the many hypothesis we thought up the dehydration one is the most likely. I have some bloodwork going just in case (iron/thyroid).

Ghola wrote:

slowpoke rodriguez I'll see you at the first NBB meet. I'm guessing you're going for 15:2X based on that 400 workout?

15:30s. Trying to hold 75s per lap. Hopefully they seed me in a heat where a few people are running that pace. I'll be wearing a white jersey and some white compression socks. See you on Saturday.

@Ghola I have a half marathon in 3 weeks, I'm doing another 2x4 this week and than taper. Plan is 6:19 pace, faster if I feel good in the last 3 miles. Good luck for Saturday!

Gah, I am late!

Another week of elliptical and ice and NSAIDs for me. Didn’t miss any workouts this week, and managed 110 minutes on that damn machine on Saturday. I feel like I’m getting better at ellipticizing, so I guess that’s something.

Stuck my running toes in the water today when I went out for 2km before and 2km after my elliptical workout. It turns out running is still really fun! The ankle felt pretty good, but it is accumulated fatigue that will tell the tale. I am planning a 10k excursion on Tuesday, and feeling quite excited about it.

The weather has also been obligingly terrible here – sub-zero temperatures and snow. This has made my forced hiatus from the outdoors easier to bear. I anticipate things will become lovely as soon as I can get back to running full-time!

Comments TK as soon as I finish brushing my teeth. Going to post this now so I don't forget.

Stone:Nice moves, man. For six weeks of training that is not bad at all.

VF: Good luck with the taper. I always find that the psychologically most challenging part of a race cycle.

xenonscreams: I'm sorry to hear the race didn't go the way you wanted, but you winning a water bottle like that made me smile. Glad to see you're keeping a positive attitude about it.

illinois: Good luck in the 5/10! What time are you shooting for in the 5?

Lake:Sorry your old nickname went, but I actually like your new one more. Do you often run by the lake?

NP112:Eeee, 50th on a 1:16 is a pretty fast field for a public race. Well done, especially for running that with elevation and wind.

Muebele: Congratulations! And good luck getting any sleep.

reed: Good luck in the TT. What's your goal for a 3200?

Kierran: Good luck with the taper! Looks like you are in prime position to break 3 to me.

Well hello everybody, looks like continued good training for everybody.

Well it was an interesting week last week.

Might have overdone it a bit, but that's how it goes I guess.

4/27 12 miles 66:37, very good run. Felt pretty good.

4/28 12 miles, treadmill workout. 63:20, this one hurt. Split 16:10, 32:06, then 36 mid for 7 miles, 41 mid for 8 miles 46 high or 47 low for 9 miles and I think around high 51 to low 52 for 10 miles, then just ran the last 2 around 6 flat pace.

4/29 12.5 miles 79:47, ok run.

4/30 12.5 miles again 80:59, another ok run.

5/1 12 miles 72:43 good run.

5/2 6 miles cut back to prepare to race.

5/3 Race 3.2 miles 16:18. It was hot and dry. Race was at 5300 feet.

5/4 another race 3.1 15:52, I was ok with this one as I was a little tired from racing the day before. Was another hot one again. Would have run 15:10 to 15:20 on fresh legs at 5000 feet.

So not a bad week at all, and winning two races back to back was fun. I have not done 2 back to back in many years.

As for the week, 76 miles. 1434.3 on the year.

The Stone Cutter: Nice job on the race, especially on limited training. I recall you hoping for sub-62, so coming in under 61 is impressive. Did you give your friend a run for his money?

VF Runner: It might be close, but those Thursday and Sunday workouts were solid. Stay healthy through the taper, trust your training, and I think you've got a great shot at sub-2:50.

xenonscreams: Sorry the race didn't go well, but dehydration seems to be a likely culprit. Like others have noted, dehydration can creep up on you over time, so if you were doing some running in a hotter-than-usual climate, you might have accumulated a water deficit even if the race itself wasn't particularly hot. Congrats on the age group win though, and put that water bottle to good use! :)

illinoisphotagrapher: Your race schedule is crazy-packed. Two marathons in a month is already beastly, plus smaller races on the side? Impressive.

Lakerunner: Funny how the body doesn't always get the message that "Hey, training for a race here, please don't get sick." Still, pretty decent week all things considered.

Np1112: That race must've been huge! 1:16 only good enough for *50th*??? Nuts. Congrats man, you would've won pretty much any other local race I've ever seen.

Slarzio: Really strong and consistent tempo workout on Thursday. A shame that the congestion had to crop up and put a damper on the latter half of the week. Hope you're feeling better!

cmm268: You gotta win the small ones before you win the big ones. :) Congrats on the first place finish!

Muebele: Congratulations! You'll certainly have your hands full for a few months, but eventually you'll be able to get one of those rad jogging strollers and start crushing races with your kids in tow. Good luck!

Nop200: Those photos are fantastic! Way to have the courage to take on something new and have a blast while you're doing it. Sounds like you've got a hectic race week planned coming up, hope everything goes well!

slowpoke rodriguez: Good luck at the race on Saturday.

Hereford: Travel's a bear. Hopefully you got to see some fun sights during your runs at least.

reed: Sometimes things just don't go your way. I think you made the right call backing off and fighting another day.

Ghola: Keep that knee rested and best of luck on the Saturday race.

Bonham: Josh Waitzkin has a chapter in his book "The Art of Learning" where he talks about how times of injury can be an excellent opportunity to re-evaluate our training and focus on areas that we usually neglect. I'm sure it's incredibly frustrating to not be able to run, but consider incorporating some strength training or making core work a more integral part of your workouts. Hope your recovery is swift.

Swift23r: Big congrats on the back-to-back races, let alone winning both of them!

It's funny, there were two of us coming off limited training hoping to pace our buddy to a first-time sub-60:00 at Broad Street. Little did I know that my buddy shooting for the sub-60:00 had been sick a few days earlier in the week, so he obviously wasn't in top form. He went for it anyway, and not surprisingly, dragged himself in around 63:4x after going out around 24:00 for 4mi. So it was a rough day for him.

My other friend who was also coming off limited training ran a fantastic race, pretty much running consistent 5:55s and nearly even-splitting a 59:0x. But he is naturally a much stronger runner than either of us, having run 1:16:4x and 2:45:5x before.

Muebele - Major congrats to you and your family, man! Obviously running will take a backseat for a little bit, but when you are back on the saddle be sure to check back in. Maybe we can meet up at a local race again. :)

Slowpoke: nice week. Good luck in the 5k

Slart: haha I figured you had to be on a track or checking splits often. Not saying that's a bad thing. I couldn't imagine doing long stuff like that on the track.

Hereford: tough week for running. At least you got a few days in.

Reed: so.id workouts in your week even with an off race. Jealous of your mountain run! Good luck in the TT. Goal?

VF: I was pretty surprised too. Definitely some rough spots. But seeing someone I knew ahead of me really helped me push to catch and beat them! Haha. Me too. Things are always a surprise with my coach. Just found out its at least 3 weeks at 100mpw with 800s and possible some ladder work. 3 weeks of "speed work" he says

Kierran: great week. Always a great sign when the long workouts go well! Keep it up! I believe it is still the nations largest half marathon. Top indiana guy went 6435 and was only 10th haha.

Lake/hobby: yes it is always a good one. Most of the locals peak for this race. And it always brings in the money chasing Africans. Pay 10 deep with the winner getting $3500. Even get some solid out of state fast guys.

Ghola: good luck Saturday! Nope the knee isn't an issue after the aggressive taper.

Bonham: thanks. I wish more races were that deep. Always great having others to push you. Wow that is cold. Spring is finally here for good for us I think. Glad you can keep up with some cross training.

Swift: nice b2b wins! Glad I am not the only crazy one that gets on the treadmill for some faster stuff when the weather sucks.