Chasing the DIII Dream

After much deliberation, I decided to register my handle and continue to provide training updates. Looking back over the entirety of the thread, I feel that the wealth of positivity on display far outweighs the few negative remarks made by those disappointed in the outcome of my first summer of quality training.

That being said, I would like to keep this a positive space. The goal of this thread is to demonstrate quantitatively the value of persistent hard work when it comes to making improvements as a distance runner. Whether or not I am on my school's team is beside the point. I love the sport and want to stay involved in the capacity that I can. Right now, that means training solo and competing unattached in whatever races are available to me. This I am content with. Let's keep the conversation centered around my training and races rather my non-participation in NCAA athletics.

With that out of the way, here's my training from the last 4 weeks:

8/17/20-8/23/20

Monday

A.M. Recovery Run: 7.28 mi in 56:19 (7:44/mi)

P.M. 400m TT:

2 mi up / 400m in 58.5 sec / 1 mi dn.

Tuesday

Track WKT:

1.8 mi up / 6x300m (56 avg.) w/ 300m float (6:15 pace avg.) / 2 mi dn.

Wednesday

5.40 mi + 6x110y ST in 42:32 (7:22/mi)

Thursday

5.63 mi in 39:39 (7:02/mi)

Friday

A.M. 3.86 mi in 28:07 (7:17/mi)

P.M. 3200m TT:

2 .8 mi up / 3200m in 10:18 (splits of 5:06, 5:12) / 1 mi dn.

Saturday

7.21 mi in 52:09 (7:14/mi)

Sunday

14.19 miles 1:40:18 (7:04/mi)

Totals: 7h 3m , 59.1 mi

Comments: Managed two PR's this week in solo time trials, but given the smothering conditions and lack of competition, I think it's safe to say I can better these by quite a bit in an actual race. During the 400m, I came through 200m in ~28 seconds and really thought I would manage to hold on for a 56-high/57-low but then fell apart the last 150m. During the 3200m, I started out on pace for 10:00 flat, passing through the first 800m in 2:30; however, I found it too difficult to maintain that clip all alone in hot and humid air. Gradually got more complacent as I settled into 76's, 77's and finally 78's. I was frankly disappointed with myself for not pushing harder, but without the real incentive afforded by race scenario, the lung-searing burn of my true-VO2 Max pace proved an insurmountable adversary.

8/24/20-8/30/20

Monday

A.M. 6.98 mi in 50:48 (7:16/mi)

P.M. 4.29 mi in 31:38 (7:22/mi)

Tuesday

Trail WKT:

2.5 mi up / 5x1K (3:21 avg.) w/ 1:30 recovery / 3.1 mi dn.

Wednesday

A.M. 7.99 mi in 58:03 (7:16/mi)

P.M. 3.67 mi in + 6x110y ST in 29:43 (7:21/mi)

Thursday

Trail WKT:

1.8 mi up / 8 mi tempo in 46:52 (5:51 pace avg.) / 1.7 mi dn.

Friday

8.84 mi in 1:02:36 (7:05/mi)

Saturday

14.10 mi in 1:39:06 (7:01/mi)

Sunday

9.41 mi in 1:07:19 (7:09/mi)

Totals: 8h 52m, 76 mi

8/31/20-9/6/20

Monday

9.36 mi in 1:06:16 (7:04/mi)

Tuesday

A.M. Trail WKT:

2.5 mi up / 10x400m (75.4 avg.) w/ 1:00 recovery jog / 2.5 mi dn.

P.M. 3.63 mi in 25:25 (6:59/mi)

Wednesday

9.68 mi in 1:09:55 (7:13/mi)

Thursday

Trail WKT:

2 mi up / 2x[2 mi (11:05, 11:09) + 2x400m (75, 77; 77, 75)] w/ 3:00 recover jog / 1.7 mi dn.

Comments: Took a 2.5 minute jog after each 2 mile rep and a 1 minute jog between 400's.

Friday

8.58 mi in 1:00:08 (7:01/mi)

Saturday

15.55 mi in 1:44:29 (6:43/mi)

Sunday

10.00 mi in 1:12:24 (7:14/mi)

Totals: 8h 43m, 75.5 mi

9/7/20-9/13/20

Monday

9.37 mi in 1:08:30 (7:19/mi)

Tuesday

Trail WKT:

2.6 mi up / 6x600m (1:57 avg.) w/ 1:30 recovery jog / 2.5 mi dn.

Wednesday

7.16 mi in 50:38 (7:04/mi)

Thursday

6.29 mi in 43:29 (6:54/mi)

Friday

5.13 mi + 6x100m ST in 38:17 (6:57/mi)

Saturday

5K Road Race

2.3 mi up / 3.15 mi in 17:01 (splits of 5:16, 5:31, 5:25, 0:49) /2.2 mi dn.

Sunday

11.54 mi in 1:23:00 (7:11/mi)

Totals: 6h 31m, 55.8 mi

Comments: Without a doubt, Saturday's 5K course was the toughest I have ever run on. The first mile was ever so slightly downhill, and I and two other guys coasted through between 5:10 and 5:16. This had me feeling optimistic, but the second mile had some monstrous climbs and I came through we came through in 5:31, the both of us gasping for air. Over the course of the third mile the terrain undulated like a sine function. I would begin to reel my competitor in on the uphill portions, but he galloped away from me on the downhills with a reckless speed I couldn't bring myself to match despite my best effort. He extended his lead as we passed through the final mile marker: he in with a 5:15, I with a 5:25. The last kick in the gut was the ever-steepening incline on the final 200m. Needless, to say, I found it difficult to find my kick. Lost by 9 seconds but was less upset when I found out the guy who beat me dropped a 16:09 on the track a couple weeks ago! The consensus among the finishers I spoke to was that the course was a tad long (My normally uncannily accurate watch had me at 16:45 through 5K.) and the rolling terrain worth approximately 30 seconds. Overall, not a bad start to my fall season, and I am already looking forward to my next race on October 2nd!

I hope this isn’t too creepy. As a W&L alum, I keep up with what’s going on at my alma mater. I live in the area and know many of the professors. Your hard work is clearly evident in both your running and in your educational pursuits. Keep it up.

Welcome back. Love to read the updates. You're motivating a former D3 college runner turned washed up late 20s runner to keep working.

pleaz wrote:

I hope this isn’t too creepy. As a W&L alum, I keep up with what’s going on at my alma mater. I live in the area and know many of the professors. Your hard work is clearly evident in both your running and in your educational pursuits. Keep it up.

Not at all; thank you for your kind words. When I originally created this thread back in the summer of 2019, I had hoped to connect with runners in the Lexington area (linked to W&L or otherwise) and glean info about routes and races that I could check out upon my arrival that fall, so I'm more than happy to have you chime in.

I am glad this thread is back. As a former ODAC athlete, I enjoy hearing things related to the conference, especially your training since I am coming back from a long injury and am wanting to get back after it.

Glad you're back. I'm excited to see your progress!

9/14/20-9/20/20

Monday

8.74 mi in 1:03:19 (7:14/mi)

Tuesday

Trail WKT:

1.8 mi up / 6 mi tempo in 35:03 (5:50 pace avg.) / 1.7 mi dn.

Comments: Felt excellent on this one. Started off on the slower end with a 6:01 before working steadily down to a 5:42 last mile.

Wednesday

A.M. 3.86 mi in 28:38 (7:25/mi)

P.M. 6.98 mi + 6x110y ST in 52:10 (7:06/mi)

Thursday

Track WKT:

2.1 mi up / 8x800m (2:40 avg.) w/ 200m rec. (~55 sec.) + 4x200m (36.8 avg.) w/ same rec. / 1.9 mi dn.

Comments: Rained on me the entirety of the workout, and I suffered from indigestion throughout. By the time the 4x200m rolled around, I was struggling with waterlogged shoes, slipping insoles, and a queasy stomach. Still glad I got the work in, despite wanting to have run a bit faster across the board. For what it's worth, I split through 8K in 28:20 and aside from some discomfort associated with the aforementioned factors, the effort was consistent with a faster tempo run. If I could find a flat half with some decent competition, I don't think 1:15 would be out of the question!

Friday

6.36 mi in 46:52 (7:22/mi)

Saturday

8.03 mi in 55:35 (6:55/mi)

Sunday

12.63 mi in 1:32:22 (7:18/mi)

Comments: Felt drained. It was probably a mistake to do a route with 1200 feet of climbing when my leg's were still sore from the lifting I did Friday. Hopefully I can get some good rest tonight and bounce back tomorrow.

Totals: 7h 43m, 66.5 mi

Have you considered doing any lifting? I found that once I began consistently going to the weight room my 400 and 800 times improved significantly, and with it my cross times. If you feel your middle distance speed is an inhibitor it might prove to be a useful next step.

You've come such a long way dude! That's insane my guy.

d3runner011 wrote:

Have you considered doing any lifting? I found that once I began consistently going to the weight room my 400 and 800 times improved significantly, and with it my cross times. If you feel your middle distance speed is an inhibitor it might prove to be a useful next step.

I have indeed started lifting once a week! Trying to build to twice a week, but it still leaves me sore for a few days afterwards.

I do a routine consisting of dumbbell deadlifts, overhead dumbbell presses, bicep curls, rows, an dumbbell lunges. I also try to do a core workout a few times a week (push-ups, v-crunches, bus drivers, planks, etc.) and glute strength with a resistance band once or twice.

It's so easy to let this little stuff slide, so I'm really trying to stay on it and be consistent.

9/21/20-9/26/20

Monday

A.M. 3.76 mi in 26:48 (7:07/mi)

P.M. 7.47 mi + 4x110y ST in 55:14 (7:09/mi)

Tuesday

Trail WKT:

2 mi up / 5x4:00 w/ 2:00 rec. jog = 4.65 mi in 28:00 (6:01/mi) / 2.6 mi dn.

Comments: First 3 minutes of each rep were at threshold (5:40-5:50 pace). Last minute was a surge (5:20-5:30 pace). Recoveries were at at 7:10-7:20 pace.

Wednesday

A.M. 4.37 mi in 30:10 (6:54/mi) + core

P.M. 8.51 mi + 6x110y ST in 1:00:17 (7:05/mi)

Thursday

Track WKT:

2.2 mi up / [5x400m w/ 100m rec. jog (~30 sec.)] w/ 400m rec. jog (~1:55) / 2.2 mi dn.

Comments: This workout made me realize how short 100m is. 1st set @ 8K pace, 2nd set @ 5K pace, 3rd set @ 3K pace.

1st set: 79,79,79,79,79

2nd set: 77,77,78,78,78

3rd set: 76,76,78,76,75

Pacing was far from perfect. Meant to run 80's for the 1st set, since I estimate myself to be in mid-to-high-26 8K shape, but the flatness of track tricked me into running faster. 2nd set was spot on at 16:10-20 5K pace. 3rd set would have been ok (perhaps a bit conservative) at 9:25-9:30 3K pace, but I slept a bit on that third rep and let a 78 slip in there.

Friday

6.47 mi in 47:25 (7:19/mi) + core & lift

Saturday

9.51 mi in 1:07:25 (7:05/mi) + core & glute strength

Sunday

15.00 mi in 1:43:09 (6:52/mi)

Totals: 8h 34m, 74.1 mi

Just read the whole thread and I am excited to see where you go man! I am an incoming D1 freshman so to see stuff like this is very cool to see for me.

9/27/20-10/4/20

Monday

8.01 mi in 57:47 (7:12/mi) + core

Tuesday

Track WKT:

2.2 mi up / 8x300m (56 avg.) w/ 300m rec. float (6:10 pace avg.) / 2.2 mi dn.

Wednesday

6.48 mi in 46:14 (7:08/mi) + core

Thursday

3.94 mi + 6x100m ST in 29:49 (6:55/mi)

Friday

A.M. 2.12 mi in 14:43 (6:55/mi)

P.M. 5K Road Race

2.9 mi up / 3.10 mi in 16:28 (splits of 5:16, 5:20, 5:28, 0:24) / 1.1 mi dn.

Comments: I had my doubts going in, but this race turned out to be super well-organized.

Scored the win and a 14-second PR. Took it out at sub-5:20 pace and began to gap by the

400m mark. Ran evenly through 2 miles in 10:36 before cruising to victory over a slightly

hillier third mile. Definitely could have pushed harder. I got complacent when I saw

second place was nearly one minute behind me at the turnaround point. (The course was

an out-and-back affair.) Ended up letting off the gas a little but kicked hard with 100m to

go when I saw 16:15 on the clock and realized I had a shot at breaking 16:30. Overall, this

was a huge confidence booster. I have no doubts about my ability to run 16:1x now if

pushed to it by some worthy competition. My next race will be another 5K on October

24th.

Saturday

8.16 mi in 57:44 (7:04/mi)

Sunday

12.67 mi in 1:29:22 (7:03/mi) + core

Totals: 6h 28m, 56.01 mi

Congrats on the great race! Coming from a similar position...D3 hopeful that has worked his way to a 35 min 10k and now hopes to go much faster training by himself. Reading this thread is pretty inspiring and gives me motivation to run a lot faster. Keep it up!

On War wrote:

Congrats on the great race! Coming from a similar position...D3 hopeful that has worked his way to a 35 min 10k and now hopes to go much faster training by himself. Reading this thread is pretty inspiring and gives me motivation to run a lot faster. Keep it up!

Thank you! It can get kind of grindy cranking out those fast workouts solo, can't it? 35:00 is commendable. I didn't break into that range until this past March but am already in shape to challenge the 34:00 barrier. Progress can come remarkably quick with consistency.

10/5/20-10/11/20

Monday

A.M. 6.23 mi in 43:25 (6:58/mi)

P.M. 3.24 mi + 6x110y strides in (25:59)

Tuesday

Hill WKT:

2.6 mi up / 3x(7x100m (19 avg.) w/ jog dn. rec.) w/ 3:00 rec. / 2.2 dn.

Wednesday

A.M. 6.29 mi in 45:05 (7:10/mi)

P.M. 3.64 mi + 6x110y strides in 28:34 (7:06/mi)

Thursday

7.14 mi in 51:53 (7:15/mi)

Friday

6.77 mi in 46:37 (6:53/mi)

Comments: Got through one rep of the 5x1K workout I had planned before the track team rolled in, and I was told to leave. Thought about going back later that evening but decided to just push it to Saturday morning.

Saturday

Track WKT:

2.2 mi up / 5x1K (3:15 avg.) w/ 300m rec. jog (~1:25) / 2.3 mi dn.

Comments:

Definitely not worth the wait. Despite the having beautiful weather all week, the weekend brought with it lots of rain. The goal here was to start at 3:15 and work down to 3:10, but instead I split 3:14, 3:15, 3:15, 3:16, and 3:15. This type of workout is bound to suck solo, but normally I have the grit to manage it. Overall, I just felt kind of flat unable to go any faster than 16:15 5K pace.

Sunday

Long Run:

13.52 mi in 1:26:56 (6:26/mi)

Comments:

Wet mud and steady rain made this a slippery affair, as I ran out-and-back on a soggy Chessie trail. It still felt good to cruise over flat terrain, though. Started off at 6:3x's and slowly cut down to 6:2x's and then 6:1x's before running the last couple miles at 6:0x pace. Definitely a solid progression over which I felt very in control. Haven't attempted a more moderate long run in a while, so it was comforting to see I haven't lost any fitness in that department.

Forgot to post the totals:

7h 16m, 63.49 mi

Also did core exercises and glute strength on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

10/12/20-10/18/20

Monday

8.09 mi + 6x100m strides in 59:17 (7:00/mi)

Tuesday

Trail WKT:

2.5 mi up / 2x5K (18:13, 18:01) w/ 800m rec. jog (3:36) / 2.2 mi dn.

+ core, glute strength & lift

Comments:

Didn't feel the greatest today but still got some solid tempo work in.

Wednesday

8.11 mi in 1:00:26 (7:27/mi)

Thursday

8.44 mi + 6x100m strides in 1:01:33 (6:59/mi) + core & glute strength

Friday

6.26 mi + 6x150m strides in 47:59 (7:02/mi)

Comments: Started the workout but felt really flat, so I decided to push it to Saturday and opted for some barefoot miles and extended strides on the soccer fields instead.

Saturday

A.M. 2.58 mi in 19:03 (7:22/mi) + core & glute strength

P.M. Track WKT:

2.1 mi up / 2x[3200m (10:47, 10:30) + 2x200m (37, 36; 36, 35) w/ 200m rec. jog (~55 sec.)] w/ 3:00 rec. / 1.7 mi dn.

Comments:

Didn't have as much in the tank today as I was hoping for but still got some honest work in. Ideally, I would have been about 10 seconds faster in each 3200m rep and hit 35 for every 200m, but I knew I couldn't afford to postpone this one again being only a week out from my next race, so I had to compromise, given I wasn't feeling my best.

Sunday

Long Run:

13.13 mi in 1:27:46 (6:41/mi)

Comments:

Started out a little more conservatively than last time given that I race in six days and had struggled various point in the week, but I actually felt decent at the end so dropped to sub-6 pace for the last couple of miles.

Totals: 7h 45m, 68.25 mi

Correction: I had 5:00 of recovery between each set of 3200m and 2x200m on Saturday, not 3:00.