Road Racing and Training Thread - Week Ending 1/20/19

Blazing times in Houston today, well done.

M- kid sick- 0

T- kid still sick, snuck easy- 9

W- kid still sick - 0

T- 15 x 400 @5kgp (80 sec target) w/70 sec rest in the dark- went too fast- (avg 77, went by feel for the most part)

F- AM- Easy 8.7, pm- 4 (trying to make up for lost mileage

S- 20 min progressive tempo + 3 min rest + 4 mi tempo @ GMP. Went too fast for the first tempo so punished myself by going on a slow second tempo

S- Easy LR- 14.3

Total- 57.5

Feeling good despite a crazy schedule. Work trip starts tomorrow (for an unknown number of weeks). We'll see how running goes this week.

Great job, Houston racers.

I wound up deciding not to travel to Houston and race, as my achilles got worse the last 2 weeks and I didn't want a really hard effort to result in a major issue. I attempted a run on Wednesday and stopped after 1/4 mile when I felt pain down there. So I'm going to take three weeks off and do the rehab (eccentric heel drops, graston work, ibuprofen, etc.) and hopefully salvage some fitness when I can start up again. Bummed I couldn't race, but I think I made the right choice.

Hey everyone and congrats on the Houston results!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 10k at 5'30 min/km

Wednesday: 8x500m with R2'. Averaged 1:45 for the first three and cut down and then 1:43, 1:43, 1:42, 1:41 and 1:40. Felt great and a friend of mine paced me through the last two to make sure I didn't fall out of rhythm.

Thursday: 8k at 4'55 min/km

Friday: 2x3k + 1x1k (R5'). Had to do this on the treadmill since it was raining a lot and the wind was strong... The 3k repeats were at tempo/HM pace (4'10 and 4'08) and the 1k repeat was a test. My coach told me to go all out. More like it was the end of a race and he wanted to understand how I behaved with tired legs. Averaged 3'34 but felt I could go below 3'30... Still got a solid effort in! Warmed up 20' and cool down 1k.

Saturday: Rest (unplanned). A little bit of beer here, a little bit of wine there on friday night led me to not run haha.

Sunday: 15k at 5'05 min/km. My HR was so low on this run that I had to check twice if I was alive... something like 120/115.

One more week of workouts and then I'll start competing again. Let's see what do I have in me! Maybe a 5k or a 10k before the XC races!

Way to go, Houston!

Stone - congrats to you and the Mrs. on handily beating her goal! That had to be a fun experience

AJ - CONGRATS on the big old PR! It's well earned, you've put together a string of monster workouts.

JB - Crushing it!

Slo - Still a damn impressive time. Well done!

Napper - Sorry you couldn't race, but it sounds like you made the right decision

DB - nice mileage! When you say 100 min easy / 20 min jog, what's the difference in pace? And are you doing 2 separate runs?

GFMAH - Another solid, steady week. You're consistent

Cocoon - That's big mileage. Our frames are pretty similar - how do you hold up with the bigger mileage? Also, why the tempo and 12 * minute during the same run instead of two separate workouts?

GT - Solid workouts again. Last week I was asking about rest between days. I actually assumed, and you clarified, easy equi-distant jogs. Those 1600's look real good. Anything on the calendar yet?

TDR - good luck next week!

Sub 6 - another stellar week crushing 90 miles. Tis the season for ice to intrude on workouts or push us to the treadmill

Smoove - I'd like to run an 18:18 ever. Glad to see you getting back at it. And that's a time I do intend to make happen. :)

Pappy - that's an impressive amount of core time.

Urban - solid on the comeback trail, and don't appear to be doing too much too soon.

OR - You're really crushing the mileage lately. It's all the more impressive in a week with three workouts where you're doing an easy 10+ at 7:15 given the conditions. Excited for Boston, but more importantly, glad to see you enjoying the ride

Jot quil - the mega mileage makes me shake my head for both you and Bruin. Really solid workouts. Are you taking those second run 5 milers reallllly easy? Enjoy the next few days!

SI - slow and steady in the comeback. Your patience is to be admired. I'll be interested in what the peanut gallery thinks of your 11 week build to Boston and the direction you go. Btw, that 2:57 PR looks good.

Puddles - impressive mileage on 6 runs. That Lumberjack workout is no joke. I would have needed Saturday off to recover

33, 5-6, 160ish

PRs: 2:59:15 (2018), 1:25:54 (2014), 39:54 (2018)

8k on 3/24, half in May, Chicago Marathon in October, a couple 5k's & a 10k along the way

My week

M - 10.5 @ 7:25 - 10 * 1 min on / 1 min off around 6:0x pace

T - 7 @ 8:27, weights & plyos

W - 12 @ 7:23 - progressive with 7 miles averaging right at 7 flat (7:21 down to 6:16)

R - 7 @ 9:00 - EASY

F - 7.5 @ 7:58 - 4 * strides

Sa - 17 @ 7:49 - original goal was 19-20, but snow, wind, etc had me pivoting to getting in whatever I felt I could

Su - weights , core, gonna put the foam roller to good use. Thought about a few easy miles and the 0 degree temperature swayed my to stay in my comfort zone today

61 miles in 8 miles. First 60 mile / 8 hour running week since the last week of September. Feeling good!

Congrats to all at Houston. Sounds like just as good a day as last year!

StoneCutter - my congrats to Mrs. Stone!

Tall dark roast - "just working hard" is the way to do it. How is the weather looking, a week out?

Smoove - congrats on ripping the band-aid off. And doing that experiment for the rest of us.

Pappy - that's some solid non-running work.

Sub- 6:00 - I am so sick of winter already.

Gordon Tremeshko - that's some good work there. I would think you'd know, based on feel, whether the low HR was from fitness or other factors.

angryjohnny - congrats on a massive PR, and getting revenge on miles 8-10

Dietbacon - good to see things trending well.

pewow - that race sounds like it requires an entirely different strategy from running, between the increased risk of interference from other competitors, and the ability to glide downhill.

Jeremy R - ouch on the work trip of unspecified duration - I remember those from my law firm days

Napper - sounds like the right choice, if the hard one.

PutoMiudo - will be fun to see what you do when you race again

Female, 44, 5'4", 109

PRs 5:25/18:51/38:56/1:03:55/1:24:22/2:57:42

Initial goal - getting back in shape after break.

Goal races: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, Broad Street 10 Miler, Shamrock Half - still looking for some good fast 5Ks once I get in shape.

Goal times: 18:30 for 5K, 1:02 for 10, 1:23 for half

My week: 58 miles, 70 minutes of pool-running, and 2000 yards of swimming:

M: Yoga and 8 miles very easy (8:40) under the Whitehurst

T: 11.5 miles, including 2 mile warm-up (not enough), 8 repeats of about .5 mile in length under the Whitehurst (3:09, 3:13, 3:01, 3:03, 2:58, 3:02, 3:00, 3:07), and 4 mile cooldown. Also leg strengthwork and 1000 yards recovery swimming.

W: 2.5 miles very easy (10:10), yoga, and another 8 miles very easy (8:48) plus drills/strides

Th: upper body weights/core and 70 minutes pool-running.

F: 4 miles very easy (8:40)

Sa: 3 mile warm-up, 5K race in 19:27* (splits were 6:22/6:23/5:59 and 36 seconds, plus a 7 second pause - explained below), 4 mile cooldown. Later 1000 yards recovery swimming.

Su: 14 miles - first 5 very easy (8:46), next 9 moderate (7:44). Later did upper body weights/core.

As Sub-6:00 noted, ice/snow were an issue around here the first half of the week. Monday and Tuesday, I ran underneath the Whitehurst freeway - there's an access road there that's sheltered from precipitation, and you can run back and forth to get in easy mileage or workouts. The "8x~.5" was a simulated 800s workout - run hard from one end to the other, jog around for the rest, then run hard back to the start. It's not precise, but it gets the job done.

Wednesday I braved it on the sidewalks/trails - that 10:10 paced run was on uncleared sidewalks in the dark; the second run was at the same effort, but in daylight on a mostly ice-free bike path. Funny how that works.

I hopped into a 5K park run on Saturday as a rust buster. The time is asterisked because I stopped at the wrong "finish." This being a park run, the finish line was marked by a group of three people and a small marker on the ground. No mile markers. So...I was right behind a guy, and out kicked him to just beat him to the group of people and "finish line". Only he kept going and I then realized that it was the wrong group of people and the real finish line was another 200-300m away. Oops...So regathered myself, picked it back up, restarted the watch, and kicked it in again. I'm glad that happened in a park run, and not a real race. (though it probably wouldn't have happened in a real race just because the finish would hopefully have an arch or something).

Goal Race - Grandma's Marathon (Goal - 2:25?)

Last week - 60

Week 3 (of 25)

S - AM, 10.01 @ 7:16

M - PM, 3.6 @ 6:58

T - AM, 5 @ 7:09; PM, 7 @ 7:08 (treadmill)

W - PM, 10 @ 6:39

T - AM, 5 @ 7:20 (treadmill); PM, 4.6 @ 7:05 (treadmill)

F - PM, 8.86 @ 6:34

S - AM, 16 @ 6:35

Total - 70.07 miles @ 6:53 average

Everything is still going to plan, I'm just building my base for the next few weeks. The long run yesterday was very cold and got very tough but I'm pleased with the way I managed through it.

My right big toe feels better but I'm still taping it up as a precaution. My legs are starting to feel the training a little bit. Goal for week 4 is 80 miles which would be my highest mileage in a little over 3.5 years. Super pumped after watching Houston online today, my buddy ran extremely fast.

darkwave wrote:

PutoMiudo - will be fun to see what you do when you race again

Turns out I will have a 6.5km race this next Sunday. Hilly, but I'll dig as deep as I can to consider it a race test...

Psyched to see the Houston reports that have come in so far! This thread is dripping with quality!

Only have time for half a cup of Monday morning coffee this drizzly A.M... I need to run-commute TO work today if I'm gonna get everything in this week...

Male, 50 yo, 5’7”, 128 lbs

Goals: Executing a strong training plan

Upcoming Races: Gomach HM 3/3 (6 weeks out from...) Boston 2019

Sunday: Week 12 Q1

E steady on flat terrain 27.7k

Nothing much to report on this one. I set my HR alarm at “M” effort and never tripped it. It has been a long time since I have done such a long, steady run. However, since I have been doing T mixes and M mixes at this distance for 6 weeks now, this vanilla long run was a nice “change of pace.” I spent 2:30 out there and felt ready to be done at the end.

Thursday: Week 12 Q2

22 min E + 5k T + 2min jog + 3k T + 1min jog + 3k T +4k E (by HR)

Displaced workout and slightly altered with only 22 min before I started T-ing off (instead of the 40 min on the sched). This had to be done as a commute, into the wind with my Macbook strapped on. Definitely one of the times when training by HR really simplifies things... How would one estimate a T pace under those weird conditions? But, again, my perception of effort confirmed the pitter-patter of my heart (longing to be home after a long day at work). I realized that I was going to have to run a longer iteration of my commute route, but I still almost ran all the way out of the east side of Taipei. But the last T ended right at the last bridge so it was all good.

4 E days: Ranging from 10 to 11.5km.

Total: 89k, 3k short of the 92 on the menu. I remember a time when that woulda bothered me.

2Q Progress: Feeling locked in, I guess, but not locked in to any specific paces; it’s hard to explain. I have to believe that I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in. I’ve never done so much time at T (harder than marathon race pace) in a marathon buildup before. My first 1.0 kilometerage week on the sched... not a lot of margin for error this week. Got to be diligent about having things charged up and dried out and hydrated properly if I’m going to get all of it in. This full-time desk job is quite the elephant in the week.

TDR - Leaderboard update: 1:15:17 at 39 yo is good for 81.3% age grade. Down goes HHH!

Also, if anyone is looking for a good half predictor, look no further than 7x1600 w 0 rest, untapered, 12 days out. Exact same pace today, to the second, in the same shoes and comparable weather conditions.

outsiderunner wrote:

jewbacca - Great race. I read your comments on the other thread. Was it a leg blow up or an aerobic blow up? In any case, 2:28 is a fine run. What did you think of the weather? Looks like there were lots of groups to run with. The results show some good depth.

Thank you, OR. That's a good question and I'm not sure I know the answer. I felt fine aerobically. My muscles just crapped out, but I did go into paces that should be slightly anaerobic towards the end. Probably a combination of a lack of quality long runs and outrunning my fitness.

The weather was good. There were a couple of windy spots, but overall it was great running weather.

S/o to all the Houston racers laying down some really solid performances on an abnormally tough day for Houston.

I had a solid week (Finally) so hopefully I can keep things going in the next few weeks. Won't get any easier but did start to get to the point where getting up early for an AM double felt like a routine so if I can capitalize on that moving forward it will be huge.

M - 10 miles w/ 5x 90,60,30 on, equal off. Averaged a tick under 6:00 on the fartlek stuff (GAP pace was 5:35ish for whatever that's worth. Welcome to Pittsburgh)

T - 10 miles easy

W - AM 5 miles easy, PM 3 up, 7+ mile tempo averaging 5:21 w/ pretty even splits, 2 down

T - AM 5 miles easy, PM 8+ easy on fresh snow

F - 10 easy

S - 5 easy

S - 15 mile long run/fartlek combo. Did this on the treadmill so I don't put a whole lot of stock into the pace. Effort was good though and 90 minutes is long enough for me to consider it a true long run.

Total: 81 miles

Male, 27, 162 lbs, father to two, grad student

Goals (still):

sub 40 10k

sub 19:30 5k

sub 4:55/5:15 1500/mile

Monday: 7 miles @ ~9:45 average on the treadmill. My legs felt like absolute garbage from yesterday. It feels like I have shin splints, so I’m super pissed. I’m glad for the PR, but not the ramifications.

Tuesday: 3 miles @ 9:41. Legs were absolutely shagged. I stopped and my legs hurt like absolute hell. I wobbled over to the edge of the track, sat down, and couldn't get up for 20 minutes. Eventually I got up, showered, and went home early.

Wednesday & Thursday: Off. Just rested to give my legs time to knit themselves back together.

Friday: 30 minutes walking up 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10%, increasing the incline every 6 minutes + 30 minutes of strength. Legs felt ok. Also, saw the doctor and have PF in my right foot like I've been wondering about. Hooray.

Saturday: Off.

Sunday: 50 minutes on the elliptical

Total: 10

Not a banner week for me. I'm going to try running again next week and see how it goes. Frustrated as hell to go from a PR last week to broken this week. Also, I'm slowly learning that my 27 year old body isn't nearly as resilient as my high school self. If only I could go back 10 years, not quit the track and cross teams after my junior year, and stick with running. Gradually build up my mileage while staying strong. Damn you past James!

Hey guys,

Here’s a mini Houston recap now that I’m back home with my phone charged.

But first, was really cool getting to meet the Stones, RRR, and the Jewbacca family. Had a great time with you all!

Race was a big PR (~26:30 faster than my previous marathon). However, sub 3 and BQ will have to wait for the fall. I ran 3:06:52 with a 6:52 positive split (hit the half in 90 on the dot). I couldn’t seem to find a good rhythm and HR was higher than normal at MP (170avg). Not sure what the exact cause was—too much taper, bad sleep the night of, wind—but it seemed like an off day. Still happy with the effort. I gave it 100% and didn’t truly blow up until mile 23-24. Next time!

Nice race...and you got to meet the Stones. What did you think of Mick?

Sun - Off

M - 12

T - 8

W - 7 w/ 4 x 1000m @ T (3:23, 3:36, 3:17, 3:19)

Th - 5

F - 6 w/ 6 x 40s @ MP

S - 4

Sun - 1 x Houston Marathon in 2:28:47 gun, 2:28:40 by my watch

I told myself I'd keep it to a couple of paragraphs.... but here's the race report:

2nd marathon in the bag. I'm happy to improve on my 2:29:15 from Kentucky Derby, and I feel happier about this PR than the 30ish second improvement might indicate. I wanted to be more aggressive over the last few miles. I wanted to push my limits over the final stretch, to see if I could sustain a long drive to the finish, or see if I could hold it together if it went south. Obviously I didn't get my stated goal of sub-2:27, but this is progress anyway.

My early pace yo-yo'd a bit and I struggled to find a group. Going by the watch (I finished at 26.44 miles, so somewhere in there I have some bad mile splits), I started conservatively like I wanted in 5:40 and dropped down to 5:29 & 5:33 when the elite women went by. Decided that wasn't a good idea and slowed back to 5:40. Then dipped to 5:28 catching a pair of women HM'ers who held 5:35s to the split at mile 7.5. 5:30 felt fine, but those miles may not have been the best thing early on.

Self-check at the course split said the pace didn't feel great. Aerobically fine, but legs were uncomfortable. I took that as a bad sign but opted to take hope in the aerobic feedback. I tempered my time expectation a little and hoped I didn't blow up by 16. I briefly considered scaling back the pace, but that was only for a moment. I wanted an aggressive pace, and I was okay with going through a rough patch.

After the split I had a hard time finding people to run with. I caught a guy in mile 9 who went 1.5 miles with me but then started to drop back. We reached the 10-mile marker in 56:02, and I felt good about that. Sub-2:27 pace. The next miles were got harder, as expected. I glanced behind but didn't see anyone nearby. One guy in the distance ahead but otherwise alone. 11-13 were a little windier than I'd hoped, and 13-18 were about as windy as I expected. Less than 10mph, but it adds up over those miles. I had a 5:41 and 5:46 back-to-back and just kept telling myself it would get better when the course turned at 18.

Every self-check through here gave me the same info as at mile 7. Aerobically fine. Legs uncomfortable. Not sure how long I can hold a good pace. The turn finally came just before mile 18 and brought relief from the breeze. There was a pack of 3 women not too far ahead, and I put them in my sights. It was time to go. It only took a small increase in effort and 19-21 went 5:31, 5:28, 5:30.

By mile 22 the pain in my legs was real. However, I went 5:40 and then 5:38 for 23 and thought I might hold it together. But the small rolling hills over the final miles were enough to break whatever I had left. 24-26 was 5:49, 5:56, and 6:06. My right hip flared, which I'm sure was due to my deadened legs compensating with whatever muscles could fire.

Looking ahead, I'm optimistic that 5:30 can be my marathon pace in the near future. Another training cycle. More miles in my legs. Gain a little speed. Don't pull any muscles. Improve little by little. Wear the Cheaterflys. Etc etc.

M, 41, 5'10" 145ish

Next race: Revel Mt Charleston - Vegas Party in April. Expectations: Vegas fun.

Mon - 8 miles @ 8:28 pace on treadmill

Tues - 10 miles @ 7:24 pace on treadmill

Wed - 7 x (3:30 On + 1:30 jog). The fast segment's averaged between 5:49 and 5:59 pace. 24.5 total minutes seemed like a pretty good workout. This was a pretty difficult workout but I felt pretty good afterwards.

Thurs - 9 miles @ 7:46 pace

Fri - 11 miles @ 7:24 pace (somewhat hilly route up and down - varied between +/- 1 to 3.5%)

Sat - 14.2 miles @ 7:27 pace (fairly hilly again - same route only farther) - I wanted to do more of a tempo on the second half but had some severe issues with having to go to the bathroom. I nearly dropped drawers next the highway but then there would have been the issue of wiping. Slowing down helped preventing soiled shorts. After about 3 miles of that, I got to a gas station and found a line of people (wonderful!). Finally, I ended up going in the Women's bathroom since there was no one waiting and a guy came out of it anyway. So naturally, when I get out of there a few minutes later there were 2 women waiting with no one in the Men's room. Embarassing...

Sun - 10.5 miles - 7:34 pace (same route as Friday/Saturday)

Total Miles: 71.4

Houston runners congrats! Some good times. Sounds like a great event and that half is on my bucket list. pewow, cool to hear your XC ski stories.

M - 60, 140 lb

Goals - well early 2019 is up in the air right now as there are circumstances beyond my control affecting goal race attempts.

First full week of running since Club XCs early last month (no XC skiing, but heading out today for 1.5 or 2 hr).

M - easy 6/recovery

T - 4.1 and 7.4 double

W - 10 with 3.2 mile tempo (6:26) and 5X hill sprints

Th - 8 miles

F - 12

Sa - 7 easy

Su - 9 with 5K tune up race (elev. 5700') - downhill first mile undulating and net up loop back to finish, so splits were wonky: 5:52, 6:14, 6:20 - everyone went out very fast (leader a sub 15 guy was 4:50 or faster), and I got into my placing by half mile - no man's land rest of the way. 19:04, 81.5% age grade. 7th overall, 2nd masters, 1st age.

So time/age grade down a bit and pissed about my splits/pacing but had a good outing on a nice day (6" of snow but it was 45 and sunny). The tempo and 5K now give a baseline, I've got work to do, behind last year but hopefully working back up to it over the next month or two.