quest to sub 16:30 : training log

For sure, my knee is almost entirely healed, and I’m feeling much stronger and plan on switching to a 6 day week for awhile. I’ll start posting runs again starting with this week when it is done. Reflecting on XC, I think the downfall of my season was a culmination of many things. To start, my coach had us doing Vo2 stuff mid August, which in my opinion is way too early when you need to peak in November. Along with this, I think during the summer I was taking my tempos way too hard. During the past few weeks, I have been able to do some really solid tempos at 5:55 pace for 40 minutes (tin man tempo). Another thing that probably contributed to my season ending badly was the fact I had a problem with food, and I viewed food in a skewed scope. I was engaging in disordered eating, especially during the end of the season. My goals for this upcoming season are jumbled a bit. My biggest goal is to qualify for the state meet in the 3200, which will need about a 9:50or faster. I think I can do this if I can stay healthy, and keep building up my foundation throughout February especially.

Monday : 77 mins easy (10.61)

Tuesday : 4 miles shakEout (32 min) AM/ 2.5 WU - 5 mile tempo ( 5:46,5:46,5:43,5:42,5:40) 2.5 CD

Wednesday : 67 easy (8.94)

Thursday : 4 miles shakEout AM (32 min)/ 20 min WU - 8x2 on 1off @CV (5:25ish average) then jog too hills, 4 x HILL sprints, then 4 strides, them cool down until I hit 70 mins.

Friday : 61 mins easy (8.05)

Saturday : 100 min easy (13.54)

Sunday : off

Total : 8:25/ 69.4

This week was pretty good at the beginning, then the weather got bad. My workout on Thursday was pretty miserable especially on the reps going into the wind. My long run on Saturday was in slush and freezing rain, I happened to step into a puddle about 3 mins into the run so my feet were freezing the entire time. Was going to cross train on Sunday but the gym was closed.

Good week, especially with the mixed weather. We've got the same. Makes for a lot of crappy footing.

I wonder a little bit about your paces. In the previous post, and this week, you mention doing your Tinman style tempos at 5:55. That strikes me as fast for a 16:30 guy. Tinman suggests those tempos should be around 5k + 1 minute pace, or, as you say, around marathon pace. I'm guessing right now you could neither run a sub 2:40 marathon nor a 15:30 5k. Or maybe I'm wrong about that. But especially in January, it's far better to dial things back and keep cruising than it is to overreach. You probably don't feel like you're doing too much now, but especially with the recent injury, I would consider dialing it back just a tad. But, keep the miles up like you're doing.

I’ve been going off of feel on the majority of these, and you are correct about that, but I am using his 3200M outline where he states tempo as 3200m pace + 50-60 seconds.

Monday : recovery 4 @8:00 in the A/ 75 mins E in PM (10.31)

Tuesday : 15 up/40 Tempo / 15 down with hill sprints and strides (11.29)

Wednesday : 90 mins easy (12.26

Thursday : 60 mins with 8 30 second bursts at mile effort last 20ish mins (kinda like a fartlek)(8.87)

Friday : 45 mins Recovery (5.84)

Saturday : 100 min LR (best long run ever) (16.39!)

Sunday : 35 mins recovery (4.49)

Total : 8:30/73.4

Recap : this week was a really solid one overall. My body finally started to feel 100% and my lower half wasn’t giving me any trouble at all later in the week. I tried getting a more of a base week in this one, and I say I did a good job. Me and a friend from a nearby school met up for my longrun on Saturday, and we both just felt great and started clipping away. It was pretty awesome, I felt like a machine just moving in good rhythm, and it never felt like I crossed that barrier of going completely to the well or getting lactic in my legs. The splits were : (6:29,6:30,6:19,6:09,6:03,6:03,6:10,6:06,6:03,6:03,6:04,5:57,6:04,6:00,5:58,5:58)

I considered going to the barn with 20 mins left but decided just to stay at the same effort and not force anything. I am signing up to race a indoor 3200m in about 3 weeks, I’d like to go sub 10 and this long run was a big confidence booster.

Great job man that long run looks absolutely fantastic and shows you're super strong right now so I think you might surprise yourself and go 9:20-9:25 outdoors if you keep this stuff up and add speed work

Thank you my man. The most recent long run I did really surprised me, and boosted my confidence for my indoor race. I follow your thread too, its funny I am almost 90% sure that I follow you on strava too haha.

remember me from the other thread? i didn’t realize you have this training log thread. great work on this.

mind if i follow you on strava? i’d like to see your training as it looks pretty close to mine (but more volume and faster)

Look up the Ben Barrows training group on strava clubs. Join it then look for me : I should be near the top of 5e leaderboard. My name is Cole ******.

Monday :62 mins easy w strides (8.8)

Tuesday : 32 mins am (4 miles ) / 4 mile WU / 8x200 with 200 jog and 60s standing (avg 32) / 4 mile CD

Wednesday : 77 mins recovery (10.15)

Thursday :3 mile WU -> 4 mile lactate threshold (5:35,5:35,5:35,5:34)->1 mile easy -> 4x200 up 200 down (36,35,34,34)->1 mile CD

Friday : Easy 60 min recovery (7.62)

Saturday : 98 min LR / 2 up - 10 tempo - 3.4 down (15.46 total) tempo splits : 6:16,6:08,5:59,6:01,5:56,5:58,5:54,5:56,5:54,5:45)

Sunday : 38 mins recovery (4.96)

Total : 8:30/71.6

Recap : probably my best week of training thus far, was able to hit almost every energy system this week. the 200s were kind of a shock to the body since it was my first speed economy session. The lactate threshold felt controlled, was happy with the paces I hit. I’m really liking utilizing the longrun as a third workout, I feel that I’m in really good aerobic shape right now, I never would have been able to do that LR. It felt tempo effort, and I was just keeping the effort there without pushing over the edge, I was gonna do 2up-10tempo-2 down but I wanted to hit over 95 mins still. Looking forward to my indoor race in a few weeks.

That's a great week. Just keep this going for a while. Keep those 200s or strides going, but don't force anything. That pop and turnover will come around in no time. And when you add that powerful aerobic engine to things, you'll be cruising some 72/3 second laps in your 2 mile races and shocked at how smooth and controlled they feel.

Thanks, I plan on taking the week of my race as a down week, in terms of less mileage. I don’t plan on peaking for the race or anything rather I am training through I guess you could say. I hope you’re right about the 72-73s feeling controlled.

I'd say just see how your feel and take it day by day. Sounds like this indoor 2 mile is just a tester for you. No need to taper things down if you just rolling.

But if you have the suspicion you could use a down week, then definitely set it up that way.

If it were me, and I was feeling good, I might keep the miles the same but just make sure the two days before the race were easy/non-workouts. And I might make the weekend long run a moderate to easy one, rather than rippin those tempo miles.

Either way, have fun, keep going, you're training seems like it's really taking off.

coleiolio wrote:

Thanks, I plan on taking the week of my race as a down week, in terms of less mileage. I don’t plan on peaking for the race or anything rather I am training through I guess you could say. I hope you’re right about the 72-73s feeling controlled.

Is this race the distance challenge at Pitt? I'm doing the 3200 there in a few weeks though not nearly as fast lol.

No, it is the distance festival at SVSU next weekend

my past 9 weeks have been : 77.1,76.4,78.5,61.6,61.8,33.4(knee),69.4,73.4,71.6.

This is the best training I have had ever consistency wise. I plan on hitting 60-62 this week off of 6 days with one day of rest. I am thinking of dropping a true down week of 50 miles next week as I am racing and to try and get rid of any niggles I still have (my left leg occasionally bothers me, I am trying to get rid of it though)

That's awesome. I'm over twice as old as you, and building into the 70 mpw range now, too. So, take all my advice with a grain of salt.

But I get some niggles, too. Mostly my knee and now a new thing in my hip. I absolutely must do a bunch of strength training. I do lunges daily before my runs. And 3-4 times a week I do a lot of pre-PT type stuff with bands and single leg squat variations, and then some regular squats, presses, pullups, side planks, etc.

Maybe you're doing all that kind of stuff already, but if not, I highly recommend. Whenever I fall off on that work, some niggle comes in basically immediately.

Can't wait to see how the race goes for you!

that's crazy as I have almost the same issue. I had runners knee for that 3 week stretch, got rid of it. Then my IT band has been bothering me, got rid of it. Now the head of my fibula where the peroneal tendon runs has been bothering me so im taking a day off this week and only doing two w/os. It is all in my left leg only, so I am thinking it may be a musclular imbalance. Ive been focusing on strengthening my hips, glutes and quads.

After my race next week, do you think it might be wise to drop to 60 MPW with one day off? I would have more time to focus on strength, and my coach makes me take an off day every week in season anyways.

Thanks for the support and advice!