The Official Darren Vandit - Running Journey (Blog)

Update on my running blog:

I am down with a cold, however still gave the 5k time trial a go..

Managed to run 16'59"46!

So happy and satisfied of this time achieved considering I did this feeling unwell and all alone + in training mode.

Feel free to follow/comment on my running journey!

www.facebook.com/runningvandit

Darren :)

My upcoming target is Saturday, December 3rd where I have a 5k race (the same route I ran 16'59" yesterday solo)

I am hoping to run sub 16'40" during a paced race, tapered and in the 'race mode mentality' come race day.

Any suggestions on what key sessions/running indicators I should do/have in order to run the desired time?

Much appreciated.

Darren.

After Sunday's 5k solo time trial on the road (16'59") I was forced to take 2 days off (Mon./Tues.) due to a mild fever. Resumed training on Wednesday & Thursday without any plan just getting some rust off, and enjoying the running without any targets or planned session.

Had two coaching sessions which I paced my athletes and totalled 12k and 10k on resp. days.

Today is my proper session where I am aiming to run the following;

4 x 2k in 7'00"/6'50"/6'40"/6'30" w/400m recovery jog (2' - 5'00"/km pace) in between.

Should I do this session, what should I be aiming/expecting for 5/10k?

Darren.

Hi - I browsed your other postings in this thread. I have no specific advice regarding your training, but I did notice that you have been getting sick a lot. One day you had a cold, and not too long after, you missed two days with a fever. I would strongly suggest making sure you are fully recovered from everything before hard workouts/races. For instance, since you missed time with a fever, I would give yourself 2 or 3 days to get back into running without rushing things and trying to meet workout goals or races. In the long term, you will probably feel better than trying to force yourself to fight through something.

Thanks & much appreciated for your reply :)

I got unwell because my kids have been unwell a number of times (school started) and the house was infested quite a bit with bacteria + my immune system is not that strong due to high stress levels + training intensity (as you correctly stated)

You are correct in taking a few days off would be the right option (of which I did Mon.Tue. as I wasn't feeling right)

Very pleased to be writing feeling well and strong again, after a fabulous Friday & Sunday of which I shall post sessions shortly.

So the past 3 days were really great. After feeling under the weather at the beginning of the week, I managed to turn things around and hit some good sessions..

Friday - 5k tempo - 16'56" (Season Best)

Splits: 3'36" / 3'28" / 3'21" / 3'17" & 3'07"

(3k w/up + 3k c/down + dynamic stretching + drills)

Saturday - 50' very easy @ 5'15"/km + drills

Sunday - 25k (including 10k in 38'10" + 6 x (1' steady/1' easy) + 2 x 1k in 3'15" w/1k in 5'00" in recovery between repeats - rest of mileage was pretty easy running between 4'20"/5'00"/km)

Looking forward for a nice & easy 1hr this evening to start off a new running week :)

Darren.

Another super week of training last week with the only disappointment being that I only managed 4 runs in 7 days, which were the following:

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - 6 x 1k @ 3'22"/km + 200m in 60" as recovery, totalling 7k with recovery in 25'16". 3' rest + put on the spikes and ran 2k in control, clocking 6'25" (3'14" & 3'11")

Wednesday - Off (Coaching)

Thursday - 12k in 58'30" (easy running)

Friday - 3k in 10'54" (3'43"/3'37"/3"34)

1 lap recovery (400m)

2k in 6'54" (3'28" & 3'26")

1 lap recovery

3k tempo in 9'54" (3'20" / 3'19" / 3'15")

1' standing rest + 1 lap recovery

8 x 200 in 35/6" with 200m recovery in 50" (fartlek) totalled 10'44" (3.34"/km pace)

Saturday - Off (Coaching) but could have run (felt lazy)

Sunday - Half Marathon (training run) in 1:25'50" (averaging 4'05"/km pace.. Felt nice and in comfort all the way, however after 18k (due to lack of mileage) I started bonking slightly. Ran a negative split never the less (41'40" first 10k)

New week ahead, with a 5k race this Saturday.

Planning a back 2 back session (today track + tomorrow a 30' steady/tempo on the treadmill @ 2% incl. & maybe a few fartlek intervals 1' hard x 1' easy.

Feel free to follow me on facebook: www/facebook.com/runningvandit

Darren

** bump..

One thing that I am curious about is that you seem to have a fairly high number of quality days, with three workouts per week, particularly if you count your medium paced days. Have you given some thought to being slightly less aggressive in your training and giving your body more time to recover between quality days?

Seems like the majority of the days that you run (3 out of 4 days in the mosr recent week), you run something at least moderately hard, whereas my approach (and I think the conventional wisdom) would be to have maybe one out of three days that you run be at something faster than an easy conversational pace - basically, two workouts per week and then 4 or 5 days of easy distance.

Thanks for your input/insight Smoove..

Yes I agree, and it is my general practice to follow the 6 - 1 rule (6 training days & 1 rest).. however as I wrote, I became a bit lazy and too busy with concentrating on coaching.. That said, I will soon have more time on my hands and hence can train even twice a day, reach more mileage and include the easy days too (as you correctly stated/suggested)

Yesterday, I had my last track session in preparation for this Saturdays 5k road race. Session consisted of

3k progressive (3'50"/40"/30") = 11'00" (ran 10'44" comfortably)

1' standing recovery rest

3k progressive (3'35"/30"/25") = 10'30" (ran 10'22" comfortably)

2 laps easy

2k change of pace (3'30"/3'15") = 6'45" (ran 6'38" - last k 3'09")

1' rest + 1 lap easy

5 x 400m in 1'14" w/100m rec. jog in 30" - ran them all in 1'11"/12"

What do you think of this session, and how much should I be aiming for this coming Saturday? The route is quite flat, and have some good competition/people to pace with?

Thank you,

Darren!

so i check out your facebook and realised that you still love and continue to run despite your hand issue.

Can't offer any tips but you seem like a passionate dude. Cheering for you!

I was born this way, so my running career started this way too.. Let's leave my 'thisability' out of this and concentrate on what I can achieve and what are the current workouts indicating towards 5 & 10k!

As an aside, if I had two full limbs, I would run much faster than I already am.

Thanks for your contribution and support!

Feel free to keep updated.

Darren.

Cool thread, will follow it.

Is Malta a good place to train btw?

Sadly not at all Greg.

Too much traffic/pollution/lack of countryside & no altitude whatsoever.

The cons. is that we have very little rain throughout the whole year (that said, summer is unbearable we hit 40 degrees celsius from June - August)

Thank you very much for following my running journey :)

Yesterday did just 50' of easy jogging (following Tuesdays track session)

Today, I will do a mini quality session (15' steady (followed by 800m easy) - 10' tempo (followed by 400m easy) - 5' interval) 2' rest & finish off with 5 x 200 in 36"/100m in 24"

Tomorrow just easy 40' plodding along.

Saturday, 5k road running league race!

Your training philosophy is pretty different from mine, so I really cannot make any guesses or predictions regarding your races; I can only wish you good luck.

I don't think it is much differ than yours or the typical athlete out there.. I work a full time office job, coach long distance running + have a family w/2 kids so time for training has become very limited

Here is a sample of my proper training week:

Monday - Easy + drills + strides

Tuesday - Track

Wednesday - Medium Long Run (starting at recovery pace and progressing up to easy pace)

Thursday - Easy + strides

Friday - Track

Saturday - double easy run or gym am / easy pm

Sunday - Long Run

As I said, I was training 4 x a week due to the fact that I had an achilles injury which I couldn't get rid of except with alternating rest days post a workout. Instead of just running easy I did 3 hard and 1 easy out of 7 days. But that is history and am already back to 6 running days, as of this wk :)

Darren.

I wasn't really focusing on the three days hard issue. While at 44, I am down to 1-2 days per week hard, I used to go 3 days per week hard, so I have no qualms there (although I would say that consistency is more important than quality days for most people - I too have a full time job, coach, have 3 kids, etc., but I make getting out every day more of a priority at this point in my life than I do getting in hard track sessions).

I was trying to say that the kinds of quality days that you do are very different in nature than the kinds of quality days that I do, so my ability to give you a guess as to your fitness is relatively limited. I tend to put my workouts into specific boxes - to focus on specific adaptations. Not everyone likes this approach, and they look at training in a different way. Based on your workouts (mixing various paces into most workouts), you seem to fall into the latter category. I am not being critical of that, but it is kind of akin to showing me a story in a foreign language and asking if I think it is well written. It may be a wonderful story, but I lack the tools to analyze it in the way that I would analyze a story written in my native language.

Thanks for your continuous feedback Smoove..

How about I explain to you my concept of training?

So for starters; the key sessions are progressive, in the sense that the first repeats whatever they are, are the slowest of the lot. I always finish the quality session with the strongest effort. For ex. If I have 4 x 2k the pattern would be (7'10" / 7'00" / 6'50" / 6'40")

Secondly. the session usually finished firing the fast twitch muscles (500s/400s/300s/200s/100s)

Third, I love running at tempo/interval heart rate %

A typical track session might include 10k tempo a 5' recovery jog + 2 x 1k @ interval % (once again here you can note that the session went from a steady state/tempo - to higher % efforts.

In my training, I also use shoulder k's (3'20"/4'00"/3'20") or k (tempo/interval pace) /200m (easy recovery jog)

Since I am always open for discussion and other people's view/thoughts, I would like you to share your philosophy/ideology of training/workouts etc etc.

Much appreciated,

Darren.

As posted in my earlier posts.. tomorrow I have a 5k road race.. I am gunning for a 16'30"/40" finish.. Guts n balls out.. We will see how it goes! ;)

You shall hear from me tomorrow :)

Keep those messages going!

Darren.