Monday: 7.3 miles (7:07). Only ran once because I had an early flight from Chicago.
Tuesday: 10.7 miles (6:22); 5.4 miles (6:50)
Wednesday: 11.3 miles with 12x600m with 1:00 jog rest. Goal was to start at 1:45-1:48 and see how I felt. Lately, I've been struggling with worrying about the total number of intervals, rather than breaking it into small pieces, which I used to do in the more glory-filled days. So the goal was to focus on three sets of four. Went out in 1:46, 1:45, 1:45 and it felt really easy so I ran the rest in 1:42-1:44. It felt pretty smooth through 10, then the last two got a little bit tough, so 12 was the perfect number. Had to start at 5am and it was still 75 degrees with a 73 dew point. I'm over summer; 6.9 miles (7:22)
Thursday: 7.3 miles (7:23); 4 miles (8:13); 6.3 miles (6:50)
Friday: 9.4 miles (6:36); 5.5 miles (7:07)
Saturday: 10 miles with four mile tempo in 19:38. Jumped into the Goodlettsville Classic with hopes of running just under 20:00 as a tempo. There were a couple of decent high schoolers in the race, so I hoped they would take me out for the first mile but no one wanted to lead. Ran the first mile in 5:01 with a decent lead and then went: 4:48, 4:54 and 4:55. Felt smooth and controlled and I feel like I could have run close to 19:00 if I hammered from the gun. Good confidence booster after a Chicago bomb; 5.6 miles (7:15)
Sunday: 14.5 miles (6:33). Was going for 20 but the heat got me again. I made the mistake of waiting until 7:30 to start, and after finishing my 9.4 mile loop, it was already really hot and humid. Once I hit 11 miles, I could tell I would do if I tried 20, so I modified the course and struggled the last two miles. I will start doing my long runs by 6am since finishing a little after 8:00 is much better than 9:30.
Week Total: 104.2 miles. Decent week after struggling in Chicago. It shows my fitness is there, I just need to be more patient and have more mental focus for the longer stuff. Since I'll be shifting to longer intervals and more marathon-type stuff soon, I should be able to improve on that. I have a few more weeks until my first race, so I should be able to get in some solid training to wrap up the summer break.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
July 13th-19th Training
Monday: 8 miles (7:15); 1 mile (9:00 and I don't even know why I'm counting this); 6.3 miles (6:57)
Tuesday: 8.7 miles with 4xhill blasts. Got smoked by a 4:30+ miler on all of them(7:25); 6.3 miles (6:40)
Wednesday: 8.4 miles with axed workout. Plan was 20x1:00 on/off, slowly working into it. I was running easily but was rolling 4:30ish (plan was to average around 4:40 or so). My patellar tendon was hurting from the get-go, especially when I started my recovery jog. I didn't want to make it worse, so I stopped after eight. It probably was hurting so badly from trying to chase down the 17 year old kid on the hills; Skipped second run to be safe.
Thursday: 11 miles with 9.53 miles moderate at 5:38 average. Goal was to average 5:45 or so and keep it on the easy side of moderate. Locked into that pace but unintentionally dipped down the last few miles. Felt good and knee wasn't bad; 3.9 miles (8:43)
Friday: 9.6 miles (6:50); Skipped second run. Visiting my aunt and uncle in Rockford, IL, so I didn't have much time.
Saturday: 6.1 miles with 4xstrides (7:06)
Sunday: 11.8 miles with DNF at RnR Chicago. Wow, terrible day. I'll write a more extensive recap later this week, but my goal in the weather conditions was to break 67. Got in a 4:58 first mile and was in 10th or so. Gradually worked my way up and put on the brakes a bit with 5:08, 5:04, 5:07 splits. Started slowing down with a 10:26 next two miles and then it got butt ugly with a 5:22, 5:39, 5:47. I don't know what was up, my legs just revolted and I couldn't push, even though it felt easy. It was like the last four miles of the Garry Bjorklund half but on steroids. After about seven miles, my knee was getting really achy and I didn't want to jack it up while running close to 6:00 pace. Pulled out a little before 10 miles. Bummer.
Week Total: 81.1 miles. Terrible volume and an even worse race. I felt like I was having all the symptoms of low iron but I got results in today and it's fine. I need some training adjustments, a mental kick in the butt and to get my head back on straight. The work continues next week.
Tuesday: 8.7 miles with 4xhill blasts. Got smoked by a 4:30+ miler on all of them(7:25); 6.3 miles (6:40)
Wednesday: 8.4 miles with axed workout. Plan was 20x1:00 on/off, slowly working into it. I was running easily but was rolling 4:30ish (plan was to average around 4:40 or so). My patellar tendon was hurting from the get-go, especially when I started my recovery jog. I didn't want to make it worse, so I stopped after eight. It probably was hurting so badly from trying to chase down the 17 year old kid on the hills; Skipped second run to be safe.
Thursday: 11 miles with 9.53 miles moderate at 5:38 average. Goal was to average 5:45 or so and keep it on the easy side of moderate. Locked into that pace but unintentionally dipped down the last few miles. Felt good and knee wasn't bad; 3.9 miles (8:43)
Friday: 9.6 miles (6:50); Skipped second run. Visiting my aunt and uncle in Rockford, IL, so I didn't have much time.
Saturday: 6.1 miles with 4xstrides (7:06)
Sunday: 11.8 miles with DNF at RnR Chicago. Wow, terrible day. I'll write a more extensive recap later this week, but my goal in the weather conditions was to break 67. Got in a 4:58 first mile and was in 10th or so. Gradually worked my way up and put on the brakes a bit with 5:08, 5:04, 5:07 splits. Started slowing down with a 10:26 next two miles and then it got butt ugly with a 5:22, 5:39, 5:47. I don't know what was up, my legs just revolted and I couldn't push, even though it felt easy. It was like the last four miles of the Garry Bjorklund half but on steroids. After about seven miles, my knee was getting really achy and I didn't want to jack it up while running close to 6:00 pace. Pulled out a little before 10 miles. Bummer.
Week Total: 81.1 miles. Terrible volume and an even worse race. I felt like I was having all the symptoms of low iron but I got results in today and it's fine. I need some training adjustments, a mental kick in the butt and to get my head back on straight. The work continues next week.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
July 6th-12th Training
Monday: 11.3 miles (7:18). Last run in South Carolina and met up with my old high school buddy Ben Jackson. I felt bad that I'm living large as a PE teacher and he's only an orthopedic surgeon now. I got lost on the way to meet him and lost again on the way back to the hotel, so it was some extra mileage, that I ended up needing. It was good to catch back up with him though.
Tuesday: 6 miles (7:20); 8.9 miles (6:45).
Wednesday: 6.8 miles with axed workout. I was going to do 10 miles of 1/2 mile on/off at 5:05/5:25 pace. I should have been smarter with the weather and at least started 5s a mile slower than that (upper 70s with a dp. in the lower 70s). My legs felt ok, I just couldn't get going at the right speed. Was running a little slower and it was getting toasty, so I cut it just under two miles into the session. Will try a modified workout tonight; 7.8 miles. I was going to do 6 miles of a mile at 5:00-5:05 and a mile at 5:20-5:25. Quads felt like cinder blocks on the warm-up with Spencer (he was just doing mileage) and on the strides as well. It was also 85 degrees at 9pm. I felt like a chump just running easy, but fast running wasn't happening. I blame spending over an hour taming my backyard jungle with my crappy push mower in the heat of the day.
Thursday: 6.4 miles (7:29); 10.6 miles (6:34)
Friday: 10.5 miles with a five mile progression in 25:37 (balanced splits of 5:13, 5:11, 5:09, 5:05, 4:59). I was going do something different, but last night, Dave Milner told me that Jake Hurysz (3:40, 13:38 guy who just graduated from Colorado) was in town and was looking for some tempo company, so I joined in. We didn't get started with the workout until about 8am and it was already 80/74 then. Tempo was rusty the first mile or so and then things got much more relaxed with a little bit of a push the last mile. Nice session, especially with some good company. But recent college grads make me feel old; 7.6 miles with 3x.30 mile hill (7:36). Met up with Nathan, who is a high schooler down the road from me. He's a pretty decent runner (4:30ish mile) and has some raw talent, so I'm adding him to my somewhat consistent training partner stable, which is now up to two runners. I wanted a little bit of intensity to block up with this morning's workout since the intensity has been so low this week. Nathan thought I was joking when I showed him the hill I was going to use, which joins Joey Elsakr's mocking he gave me a few months ago and even my wife laughed at me and she doesn't even run. But it's real to me! Anyway, Nathan hammered from the start and I couldn't let him whoop me. I ran 85, 84, 84, which is the fastest I've ever run on this hill and I was expecting to open around 90. Also had to show the kid who was the boss on the last one.
Saturday: 6.8 miles (7:44); 8.1 miles (7:16)
Sunday: 19.6 miles (6:44). My plan was to run the first 14 at sub 6:30 pace and then run five miles alternating a 1/4 at sub 5:10 pace and sub 6:00 pace. I could already feel the heat on my back a mile into the run but felt good when I hit home for my pit stop at 9.4. I quickly checked the weather on my phone and it was up to 83-76. I was feeling good, so I kept with the plan and ran my first quarter on target. After I was done, it felt like my skin was on fire and on my second fast quarter, I could tell I would probably spontaneously combust if I kept it up, so I planned to jog it in the rest of the way. After a water stop at 16ish, I really started to wilt in the heat. Quickly was over 7:00 pace for the next mile and dropped an 8:02 next mile. I wasn't thirsty or anything, I was just dead. I tried walking a couple of times but that was more tiring and would take forever to make it back home. Walked the last .40 miles in since I was running 9:00ish pace. Wow, that was dramatic.
Week Total: 110.4 miles. Volume wasn't bad but less intensity than expected with lots of adjustments, excuses and whining about the weather. But hey, the dew point didn't drop under 70 one time this past week and had a good workout on Friday and before this week, was having solid session. This upcoming week will probably be under 100 again as I'm travelling to visit my aunt and uncle for a couple of days in Rockford, IL and then headed to Chicago for two nights to run the RnR Half. It's supposed to be hot and humid, so my main goal will be to go for the sub 67 bonus. Sub 66 may be too tough if the weather is as hot as expected.
Less than three months until the Chicago Marathon. I feel good about where I currently am but there's a couple of things I need to work on before I'm ready for marathon training.
Tuesday: 6 miles (7:20); 8.9 miles (6:45).
Wednesday: 6.8 miles with axed workout. I was going to do 10 miles of 1/2 mile on/off at 5:05/5:25 pace. I should have been smarter with the weather and at least started 5s a mile slower than that (upper 70s with a dp. in the lower 70s). My legs felt ok, I just couldn't get going at the right speed. Was running a little slower and it was getting toasty, so I cut it just under two miles into the session. Will try a modified workout tonight; 7.8 miles. I was going to do 6 miles of a mile at 5:00-5:05 and a mile at 5:20-5:25. Quads felt like cinder blocks on the warm-up with Spencer (he was just doing mileage) and on the strides as well. It was also 85 degrees at 9pm. I felt like a chump just running easy, but fast running wasn't happening. I blame spending over an hour taming my backyard jungle with my crappy push mower in the heat of the day.
Thursday: 6.4 miles (7:29); 10.6 miles (6:34)
Friday: 10.5 miles with a five mile progression in 25:37 (balanced splits of 5:13, 5:11, 5:09, 5:05, 4:59). I was going do something different, but last night, Dave Milner told me that Jake Hurysz (3:40, 13:38 guy who just graduated from Colorado) was in town and was looking for some tempo company, so I joined in. We didn't get started with the workout until about 8am and it was already 80/74 then. Tempo was rusty the first mile or so and then things got much more relaxed with a little bit of a push the last mile. Nice session, especially with some good company. But recent college grads make me feel old; 7.6 miles with 3x.30 mile hill (7:36). Met up with Nathan, who is a high schooler down the road from me. He's a pretty decent runner (4:30ish mile) and has some raw talent, so I'm adding him to my somewhat consistent training partner stable, which is now up to two runners. I wanted a little bit of intensity to block up with this morning's workout since the intensity has been so low this week. Nathan thought I was joking when I showed him the hill I was going to use, which joins Joey Elsakr's mocking he gave me a few months ago and even my wife laughed at me and she doesn't even run. But it's real to me! Anyway, Nathan hammered from the start and I couldn't let him whoop me. I ran 85, 84, 84, which is the fastest I've ever run on this hill and I was expecting to open around 90. Also had to show the kid who was the boss on the last one.
Saturday: 6.8 miles (7:44); 8.1 miles (7:16)
Sunday: 19.6 miles (6:44). My plan was to run the first 14 at sub 6:30 pace and then run five miles alternating a 1/4 at sub 5:10 pace and sub 6:00 pace. I could already feel the heat on my back a mile into the run but felt good when I hit home for my pit stop at 9.4. I quickly checked the weather on my phone and it was up to 83-76. I was feeling good, so I kept with the plan and ran my first quarter on target. After I was done, it felt like my skin was on fire and on my second fast quarter, I could tell I would probably spontaneously combust if I kept it up, so I planned to jog it in the rest of the way. After a water stop at 16ish, I really started to wilt in the heat. Quickly was over 7:00 pace for the next mile and dropped an 8:02 next mile. I wasn't thirsty or anything, I was just dead. I tried walking a couple of times but that was more tiring and would take forever to make it back home. Walked the last .40 miles in since I was running 9:00ish pace. Wow, that was dramatic.
Week Total: 110.4 miles. Volume wasn't bad but less intensity than expected with lots of adjustments, excuses and whining about the weather. But hey, the dew point didn't drop under 70 one time this past week and had a good workout on Friday and before this week, was having solid session. This upcoming week will probably be under 100 again as I'm travelling to visit my aunt and uncle for a couple of days in Rockford, IL and then headed to Chicago for two nights to run the RnR Half. It's supposed to be hot and humid, so my main goal will be to go for the sub 67 bonus. Sub 66 may be too tough if the weather is as hot as expected.
Less than three months until the Chicago Marathon. I feel good about where I currently am but there's a couple of things I need to work on before I'm ready for marathon training.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
June 29th-July 5th Training
Monday: 1.7 miles (9:29); 6.2 miles (7:30); 6.3 miles (7:11)
Tuesday: 9.9 miles (6:58); Skipped second run because it was Mary's birthday
Wednesday: 12.2 miles with 16x60s on/off. With the dew point right at 70 and with a race on Saturday, my goal was to run 4:50-4:55 on the fast portion and sub 5:55 on the recovery. I ended up averaging in the upper 4:40s and 5:40s and 5:16 for the 32 minutes (6.09 miles). I had trouble finding my rhythm for the first few and doubted how many I could do but once I got to around my 10th interval, I felt better. I was going to run up to 20 but with the upcoming race, I didn't want to run too hard. This was my first time running this workout and it was hard finding the right pace on the GPS since with only a minute per lap, the GPS can jump some. Maybe this would be good to do on the track with a little modification; 6.8 miles (7:12)
Thursday: 7.5 miles (7:26); 4 miles (8:44); Skipped afternoon run because I spent the rest of the day driving to South Carolina
Friday: 8.7 miles (6:54); 3.6 miles with strides (7:09)
Saturday: 12.2 miles with 4 mile race in 19:11. Plan was to run under 19:30 and stay under 4:50 pace on my GPS. It was pretty muggy with a 70 dew point and the course had a lot of gentle, gradual hills with not many flat sections. It rained before the race, but it stopped before my warm-up, which made the roads a little more slick. The first 1/2 mile is a gradual uphill and ran that with Adam Freudenthal at a little under 5:00 pace. Once it was over, I pushed the pace down a hill and started to break away First mile was 4:48, and I came through two miles in 9:32. I was pretty certain I had sub 19:30 in the bag and came through the third mile in a 4:50 split. I debated going for sub 19:00, but there were some hills that were bugging me, so I just kept on with the same effort.and finished with a 4:49 last mile. Really good performance because I struggle on those types of courses and felt like I could have broken 19 if I had some people pulling me along; Skipped second run because I was at my sister's until nightime.
Sunday: 17.6 miles (7:04). Ran to Strictly Running to meet up with some people to run with. Back in the day, I would do my long runs here during the breaks in college. I'd get hammered by the older guys and it was some really good training. After 3.5 miles solo, I ran with some high school and college kids and ended up breaking away with a guy named Russell and Zack Langston, who was a RS freshmen last year at NC State and is a pretty good runner. I ran 14 with them in the 7:15 range and then stopped the run at 17.6 since I hung out at the store for a while afterwards and didn't feel like starting back up again.
Week Total: 96.7 miles. Lower volume but I had a shortened long run and three skipped runs, so it's not that bad. One solid workout and a nice, confidence-boosting race. Things are starting to come around. This next week will have higher volume and plan on a solid workout and long run.
Tuesday: 9.9 miles (6:58); Skipped second run because it was Mary's birthday
Wednesday: 12.2 miles with 16x60s on/off. With the dew point right at 70 and with a race on Saturday, my goal was to run 4:50-4:55 on the fast portion and sub 5:55 on the recovery. I ended up averaging in the upper 4:40s and 5:40s and 5:16 for the 32 minutes (6.09 miles). I had trouble finding my rhythm for the first few and doubted how many I could do but once I got to around my 10th interval, I felt better. I was going to run up to 20 but with the upcoming race, I didn't want to run too hard. This was my first time running this workout and it was hard finding the right pace on the GPS since with only a minute per lap, the GPS can jump some. Maybe this would be good to do on the track with a little modification; 6.8 miles (7:12)
Thursday: 7.5 miles (7:26); 4 miles (8:44); Skipped afternoon run because I spent the rest of the day driving to South Carolina
Friday: 8.7 miles (6:54); 3.6 miles with strides (7:09)
Saturday: 12.2 miles with 4 mile race in 19:11. Plan was to run under 19:30 and stay under 4:50 pace on my GPS. It was pretty muggy with a 70 dew point and the course had a lot of gentle, gradual hills with not many flat sections. It rained before the race, but it stopped before my warm-up, which made the roads a little more slick. The first 1/2 mile is a gradual uphill and ran that with Adam Freudenthal at a little under 5:00 pace. Once it was over, I pushed the pace down a hill and started to break away First mile was 4:48, and I came through two miles in 9:32. I was pretty certain I had sub 19:30 in the bag and came through the third mile in a 4:50 split. I debated going for sub 19:00, but there were some hills that were bugging me, so I just kept on with the same effort.and finished with a 4:49 last mile. Really good performance because I struggle on those types of courses and felt like I could have broken 19 if I had some people pulling me along; Skipped second run because I was at my sister's until nightime.
Sunday: 17.6 miles (7:04). Ran to Strictly Running to meet up with some people to run with. Back in the day, I would do my long runs here during the breaks in college. I'd get hammered by the older guys and it was some really good training. After 3.5 miles solo, I ran with some high school and college kids and ended up breaking away with a guy named Russell and Zack Langston, who was a RS freshmen last year at NC State and is a pretty good runner. I ran 14 with them in the 7:15 range and then stopped the run at 17.6 since I hung out at the store for a while afterwards and didn't feel like starting back up again.
Week Total: 96.7 miles. Lower volume but I had a shortened long run and three skipped runs, so it's not that bad. One solid workout and a nice, confidence-boosting race. Things are starting to come around. This next week will have higher volume and plan on a solid workout and long run.
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