Road Racing and Training Thread - Week Ending 2/16/20

"We only got one shot at this. One win. Ya know? Vomit on your mom's spaghetti or whatever that talking singer says." - The coach of the Letterkenny Irish

Starting 10 Weeks to Boston

M - 10mi felt great

T - 4.5mi AM -- 6mi PM...felt quite terrible

W - off, stomach bug. Guess it closes the book on the random Sunday vomit run question.

T - 8.6mi including 6mi tempo averaging 5:45 (5:51, 5:51, 5:48, 5:45, 5:46, 5:31). Fun run.

F - 10mi

S - 21mi, 'easy' but trying to keep it honest (7:22 avg).

Longest training run since the first time I tried to run 20mi in college 10 years ago and made a wrong turn.

S - 8.5mi AM -- 4 PM

Total - 72.6mi

Surrendered my first day off of 2020 to sickness. They're not all going to be perfect weeks but I'm happy with what I salvaged after Wednesday. Probably a good time for a down week anyway.

Congrats to AJ on dropping that big juicy 5k PR yesterday. Happy for you man.

AJ congrats on that barrier-breaking PR. HHW you’re going to run great.

I had a bit of an unplanned down week mileage-wise but I managed to keep a lot of quality in as my fiancée and I were in Napa. So much eating, drinking and such but also some running.

M: 6.9 moderate Central Park big loop

TU: 7 total in first project fearless workout, averaged around 3:40x 5 K repeats with 90” rest. Ran 45 or 46 for the first 200 with group and then cruised out a 2:55 800 generally. Felt easy.

WED: 6.7 easy bridle

THURS: only 1 treadmill at hotel! Let fiancée use it as I fashioned a warmup on the bike/running in place/drills; workout on mill was 2sets of 3’ at HM (did 9.8 mph)1’ rest, 2’ at 10 K (10.2mph), 1’ rest, 1’ at 5K (10.4mph) with 2’ between sets. Rest I did at 8’ pace, and everything at 1% incline. Hot in fitness center

FRI: 10 k easy on treadmill as our car got a new tire (yep lol)

SAT: 4.7 easy on Napa River Trail

SUN: no time for long run did a hard 8.7 medium run at 6:40 pace (7’ first mile, trail again which is flat but pretty windy)

Total week:43 miles

Sounds good! It'd be funny if Hyannis in Feb has better weather than Boston in April.

mwh wrote:

Sounds good! It'd be funny if Hyannis in Feb has better weather than Boston in April.

I was thinking along the same lines. I bet the weather will be better.

You are the best, AJ. The best. What a kick-ass close. Loved the race report. So, if every giraffe has his day, what about little rabbits?

Awesome race AJ! Keep it up.

Next race: road 1 mile next weekend

M: yoga

T: 10k Nordic skiing race. Just over 37 so about 90sec slower than two weeks ago. Felt like I was dragging

W: 8 w/ hill sprints

Th: strength and 30min stationary bike

F: 5.5 indoors, was negative outside

S: 90 min Nordic skiing. Had a tempo scheduled but it was a perfect day for skiing.

S: 12 which is my longest run in a couple months

Female, 45, 5'4", 104

PRs 5:25/18:51/38:56/1:02:28/1:24:08/2:57:42

Goal races: One City Marathon, Boston Marathon (maybe)

Goal times: 18:30 for 5K, 1:23:xx for half, sub-2:55 for full

Next races: One City Marathon (March 1).

71 miles, 15 "miles" of pool-running, and 2000 yards of swimming

M: 6 miles very easy (9:17), upper body weights/core, 2 miles very easy (8:53), drills and four strides, and 6 "miles" pool-running.

T: 12 miles, including track workout of 1600, 4x800 in 6:08, 2:57, 2:56, 2:56, 2:52. Recovery of about 5 minutes after the 1600, and around 2:30 between each 800. Followed with leg strengthwork and 750 yards recovery swimming.

W: 8 miles very easy (9:12), yoga, 4 miles very easy (8:57), plus drills and four strides.

Th: Upperbody weights, core, and 9 "miles" pool-running.

F: 12 miles, including a track tempo of 6400m in 25:18 (6:24/6:19/6:22/6:13). Followed with leg strengthwork and 750 yards recovery swimming.

Sa: 10 miles very easy (8:57), followed by drills/strides, upper body weights and core.

Su: 16 miles progressive, split as first 5 averaging 8:44, next 5 averaging 7:19, last 6 averaging 6:38. Followed with lower body injury prevention work and 500 yards recovery swimming.

I'm technically tapering, but this was more of a transition week than a taper week. (As RunnerSam noted, when your training cycle is as short as mine has been, you don't want to taper too much).

It actually ended up being my highest mileage week this cycle but the mileage was allocated over 6 days rather than my normal 4 or 5 (with correspondingly less pool-running), and this felt like an easier week than some others. I also shifted back to a schedule of two smaller workouts during the week instead of one big one, and a shorter long run. My focus this week was not on building strength but rather sharpening a bit.

I still call it taper, but that's because taper to me is a mindset as much as a structure - the difference between continually wondering if I should do a little more and continually wondering if I should do a little less.

Next week, I'll cut back the mileage to around 50-ish, with two short track workouts and a not-so-long run of 12 miles.

F43, 5'6"

Upcoming races:

half 3/22

Cherry Blossom 4/5

Boston 4/20

2020 results:

half 2/9 1:35:19

Back to East Coast running.

Mo: off (flying home)

Tu: 3.5 E in the p.m. Just felt awful. Tired from time change, beat from tiring day at work, didn't get lunch until almost 3 p.m., etc. Had many more miles planned but just bailed at 3.5.

We: 8.4 E morning miles went well though sluggish to start.

Th: woke up in the morning, saw the rain, went back to bed. 8.9 E in the p.m. a lot nicer out.

Fr: p.m. 7 E on the treadmill.

Sa: a.m. 10 E, cold, overdressed slightly.

Su: a.m. 20 at a comfortable 8:13 avg mile, had no idea I was running that pace, felt quite good. I could tell it was faster than my usual E pace (more like 8:40-8:45) but figured it was ~8:30. I didn't do any faster running this week so maybe my legs were just feeling pretty ready to run a moderate pace. 20 is the longest I've gone since the last marathon cycle and quite a bit more than I've gone in the last few weeks so I'm pretty pleased with this one.

~58 miles. Bread and butter mileage, more next week.

Also, AJ - way to kick ass. That was really fun to read.

Some comments...

@runrincerepeat – Good work in the weight room. That really pays off near the end of races when you get fatigued.

@highhoppingworm – You are more ready than you think for that marathon. Enjoy the final week of your taper and crush it!

@jotquill – Exceptional week with some big mileage!

@The Stone Cutter – 8 x 1K is a tough workout. Nice job getting it done in the pouring rain. Plus, awesome news about signing up for the United Half. Always good to test yourself.

@Mrs. Stone – Feel better soon!

@outsiderunner – You put some solid efforts in this week. It’s all about building blocks and while you say that you’re not quite ready to run a fast marathon, you’ll get there.

@Sub 6:00 – Better safe than sorry.

@going faster – Slowly, but surely. You’re getting there. Strong work in the hills.

@LancRunner – Looks like a great week! Nice job hitting a new high for mileage!

M34, 6'2, 176 lbs

Goal Race: Boston Marathon (4/20)

Mon - 7 mi EZ @ 8:24/mi

Tues - 10 mi @ 7:27/mi

Wed - 7 mi EZ @ 8:02/mi

Thurs - 12.2 mi @ 7:04/mi

Fri - 10 mi @ 6:15/mi

Sat - 7 mi @ 7:54/mi

Sun - 22.10 mi @ 6:58/mi

I felt that half marathon in my legs longer than I thought I would. Monday was a chore and I stupidly tried some hill surges on Tuesday during my run and clearly made the wrong decision. Oops. Took it slow again on Wednesday & the legs felt much better on Thursday for a dialed back midweek long run on the bridge loop.

Did a 10-mile progression on Friday where I tried to cut down 10 seconds each mile. Started out at 6:58/mi & ended at 5:32/mi. Thought it felt pretty good. The middle miles were into the teeth of a stiff wind, while the last 3 miles had a strong crosswind going.

Sunday was one of those lovely "Time on Feet" runs. Just locked into a pace & ran. It started pouring down rain about 1 hour into it and didn't let up the rest of the way. After two miles to get into, I put the next 19 between 6:54 & 7:00 with a hefty majority of them at 6:59.

outsiderunner wrote:

You are the best, AJ. The best. What a kick-ass close. Loved the race report. So, if every giraffe has his day, what about little rabbits?

Even a blind rabbit will find a carrot every once in a while.

M36, 6'1" 160 lbs

PRs: 19:45 5K (July 2019), 1:34:43 HM (November 2019)

Goals: 26K trail race (3/22), Whiskey Row Marathon (5/2), eventual BQ

M: 5 mi easy

Tu: 2 mi easy + 6 mi @ 7:35 + 2.2 mi easy, 10.2 mi total

W: 5 mi recovery

Th: 5 mi easy

F: 15.6 mi on mountain trails @ 9:13, 1,111 ft elevation gain

Sa: 5 mi recovery

Su: 4.5 mi easy + 8 x 200 w/ 200 jog + 1.1 mi easy, 7.6 mi total

Total: 53.4 mi

Back to back weeks over 50 miles and a new weekly high total for me. Tempo on Tuesday was challenging but invigorating. Long(?) trail run on Friday was a pretty solid effort on rocky trails. Threw in some 200s at 5K pace towards the end of today's run as glorified strides to get the legs turning over a bit.

Work travel Tuesday - Friday of this week and weather looks like it will be a challenge so will likely have to spend some time on the treadmill. Mileage will probably dip a bit but still hoping for a decent week. If anyone has suggestions for workouts that will make the experience less soul crushing, I'm all ears.

Signed up for a 26K trail race that's 6 weeks out from my May marathon. I'd also like to find a 5K at some point soon to see what six months of fairly consistent training has done for my speed at shorter distances.

Hope everyone has a great week!

42M, 5'10 145ish

*- indicates treadmill

*Mon - Intervals 15 x (40 sec with 70 sec rest)

*Tues #1 - 10.2 Miles @ 8:45 (HRM fault)

*Tues #2 - 5.1 Miles @ 9:03 (120 bpm)

*Wed #1 - 10 x (40 sec with 120 sec jog)

*Wed #2 - 4.6 Miles @ 8:57 (116 bpm)

*Thur #1 - 10 Miles with Surges @ 8:47 (117 bpm)

*Thur #2 - 5 Miles @ 8:55 (112 bpm)

*Fri #1 - 10.1 Miles @ 9:08 (115 bpm)

Fri #2 - Windy 6 Miles @ 8:57 (123 bpm)

Sat - 1.2 Mile Warm Up + Windy Long Tempo 12 Miles @ 6:31 (173 bpm)

Sun - Nice Weather Finally 14 Miles @ 8:27 (132 bpm)

Weekly Totals

Miles: 96.2 Miles

Duration: 13:33

Elevation Gain: 1868 ft

"I already know how to run slow. I want to learn to run fast." Emil Zatopek

Got my 4 in. Mile wu, 16x100, 6-6:30 on straights, easy on turns, mile cd. Considered doing diagonals but there was snow on the infield.

Male 51 5'8" 137lbs

PRs

Marathon 2:57:06 Dec 2018

5k 19:00 June 2018

Upcoming Races

April 2020 Boston

Oct. 2020 Chicago

Mon. 45min bike trainer

Tues. 45min bike trainer

Wed. 50min elliptical

Thurs. 2.5mi Easy

Fri. 5mi Easy

Sat. 8mi Easy

Sun. 17.7mi Easy

Total 33.4mi

After last week's long run discussion I'm a little confused. If I run 17.7mi and it accounts for 53% of total weekly volume is it still a long run? Kidding aside, adding a long run of that duration in light of my recent low volume of running may have been pushing it, but I need to get things back on track for Boston. At the end of the long run my calf began to get a bit tight again. I think it should be OK, but I will know better Monday morning.

Had a decent week but not quite as much as I was hoping for over the weekend. Felt the beginnings of a cold on and off starting Saturday so I took Saturday off and hit a little less quality in the 'long run' than planned. Still not a lost week by any means though.

M - 8 miles easy

T - wu/cd + 4x600, 2x200. Goal was 34-32-30 splits for each 600.

30.84-30.80-30.44 = 1:32.08

33.97-32.38-30.64 = 1:36.99

33.70-31.99-31.26 = 1:36.95

34.18-33.32-29.89 = 1:37.39

2x200: 28.89, 28.84

W - 10 miles easy

T A.M. - wu/cd + 5x 1k, 4x200. 90 seconds to 2:30 rest on the 1ks and 90 seconds on the 200s.

Splits: 2:54, 2:55, 2:55, 2:57, 2:54, 28.48, 28.42, 28.50, 28.17.

T P.M. - 30 minutes easy. Probably 4.5 miles.

F - 8 easy with strides

S - off

S - 15 miles with some light quality in the last few. Nothing crazy just down to 5:30 or so.

RRR: Crazy weight fluctuations! Were you hungrier when lifting or running more?

Worm: Sounds like your weather was similar to ours in Indiana this week. Work is done. Solid 7mi marathon progression! Put the work to use Sunday!

Quill: Nice early runs. Tuesday rainy workout sounds tough mentally too. Careful with your back while moving.

Stone: Heck of a progression run, 15 mi! I like that gear workout on Sunday. Sounds like it would helps break up those longer runs.

Mrs Stone: Hope the back gets well soon. I threw my back out in 2014. Had to use a light muscle relaxer and i believe 2 weeks off to get back to normal. Of course I tried running through in the beginning. She sounds tougher than me haha

OR: Solid week of progressions on progressions

Sub6: Best news is the win on jury duty. Take care of that lower leg issue. Sounds like you are on top of everything

going faster mph: Stride and cadence work on trails sounds tough. I would go crazy having no watch runs all week!

NiceGuy: Ouch on the off balance treadmill. Take a level to that thing and fix those feet! One of ours at work was off and like you I eventually felt it. Do you play with the speed or incline at all for the long run?

Lanc: I am sure it helps when the home, work, and running life all go smooth! awesome on the long run and weekly mileage highs!

moke: great work on a tough weather race!

RunGuy: Good week with all the pick ups. Should get you going for increasing the load. New shoes that dont fit can ruin the run/day.

Pappy: Treadmill run sounds fun to break up the monotony

AngryJohnny: heck of a 5k pr story! congrats! and then top it off with a huge sunday! Take a few easy days, well earned.

Gordon: smart to know when to take a day if your body is upset. Nice work on the longest training run and keeping the pace honest!

Thoguhts: good work fitting quality in on a time crunch week. 1 treadmill at the hotel gym sounds cramped

pewow: always been interested in nordic skiing, but i dont live in the right area haha. good luck on the road mile!

darkwave: congrats on highest miles. keep up all the "little" things will keep you going. Wish I were more motivated to do just some of what you do after running haha

drcrusher: always a good feeling when you see much faster than things felt after, especially on a long run

Tyler: great week after the half. that long run sounds horrible, building some mental strength too

coffee dad: mountain trail long run sounds like a good time!

BHviking: lots of treadmill runs right up my alley! great week and better weekend

Still improving: good luck getting back into the swing. sounds like its still there with that nice long run.

statfanatic: nothing crazy just some easy 5:30s haha. What is your goal race?

Hello all,

I used to post years ago, 2012-2014 range. Stone caught me posting in last weeks thread haha. Had an achilles surgery, very similar to Rupps, 12/2015. Has taken a long time to get back to consistent training, but I think its finally happening.

PRs off the top of my head are (5k) 15:54, (half) 1:15:43, (full) 2:39:45, and (50mi) 6:18:29

Goal race: 4/4/20 Carmel Marathon

Goal Time: ???

Tune up half: (maybe) 3/15/20

Mon: 20mi in 2:32:10. Treadmill. 687' hills. Easy - > moderate then last 3 fast. 6:33, 6:28, 6:19

Tues: 8.4mi easy trails

Wed: 8.5mi + 4.3mi w/ accels. Work day double

Thurs: 12.6mi easy sloppy trails

Fri: 9.5mi w/ accels

Sat: 17mi total w/ 12x800 (3min jog). Treadmill 254' hills. Auto lap on garmin/stryd set to 0.51mi just bc. Started at 3:06 and finished at 2:47.5 with around a 2:58 avg for 0.51mi. First speed and predictor workout. happy

Sun: 7.1mi easy trails

Total: 87.7mi