In need of advice! (Read 1035 times)

Kimmie:

Now you got me interested--you are probably a really good guineapig!  I don't know which Lydiard you've read but this is basically what Lydiard training principles are all about.

Your performance is governed by your aerobic capacity, not with your speed though your basic speed would ultimately determine which event you're best suited for as well as race tactics.

You should first build your aerobic base--because it takes longest to develop it and it wouldn't go away quickly.

Then, in order to prepare yourself to do more race specific workouts, you'll need to get your legs ready by doing lots of hills; to bring about the spring and flexibility which you had deliverately ignored during the conditioning phase.

Now, it's time to "knock off the volume" (as you had noticed) and get you sharp and race-ready by doing fast running as well as race itself.

Buiding your aerobic base (lots of slow miles) is like putting money in the bank; then sharpening by doing repeats is like using that money to do some investment.  Races are buy, buy, buy...  I mean, what's fun about just putting money in the bank and never spend it?  This is the time to go traveling, buy a boat, go to Europe, have fun!!!

Now, you keep "having fun", what's gonna happen?  You realize you spent all the savings and now you have to get back to the salt mine and get money back in the bank again....

You've done your homework; you are having fun now.  Bear in mind; running races is, just like everything else, a learnt skill.  The more you race, the more you become better at.  This is where you are right now.  If you run another 5k on 4/2, most probably you'll set yet another PR.  You may carry on, depending on what you do in between and what kind of base you'd built up until now, and set yet another PR on 4/25.  Or you'd realize that you've spent all your saveings and you may be flat...  Who knows?

Running a 10-miler is not going to hurt you.  Looking at your log, you really hadn't had much of long run since January.  If anything, it'll be better for you to recharge your aerobic pathway.  Of course, you'll want to do some short time trials like 1, 2 miles and maybe some short sharp stuff like some 400 repeat (not too much volume; I'd say something like 6 X 400 or something like that) or one of my favorites, 50/50 where you'll sprint 50m and FLOAT 50m and repeat that for, like, 4 or 5 laps around the track (1600~2000m).  Much like Tabata sprints.  This is really effective to get you ready for races.

Assuming 4/25 race IS your target race, I would use the 10-miler as a good solid workout; have a few time trials over 1 mile and 2-miles (maybe 2 miles 2 weeks before the 5k) and do some short, sharp stuff (never much volume this close to races).  I think you'll knock on the sub-20 door.

Good luck!

I just wrote you a damn good reply but it was sucked into a cyber black hole...  Anyways, I'll try to see if I can remember what I wrote...

My advice to you is: by all mean, go for “racing” 10-miler!  I mean, all due respect, you are not going to run a 10-mile race so fast that you get in highly anaerobic and screw up your metabolism to throw away good condition and ruin your “season”.  Rather, this would probably put you in a good aerobic stead and do you good.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised, with little I know about you, if you run somewhere around 1:15 or even a bit faster—unless you feel so light and fast and you start out too fast at the gun.  So, for that, here’s actually another advice; try to have ONE good 90-minute jog something like a week before that 10-miler.  Go nice and easy (wear pants to slow you down).  This is what we call “putting a cap on”.  You see, training for middle and long distance running is all about balancing speed and stamina.  Sometimes your speed comes back too quickly (here’s another thing; it’s all about “peaking”) and then you need to go for a long run/jog to “put the cap on”.  Sometimes your speed is not back yet and that’s when you need to do more sharpening.  It seems like you’re at this stage.  Many don’t understand that and, for the first try, they can’t run fast and they’d simply throw their arms up and give it up and say, “I can’t run fast!” and go back to “plodding”.  Sometimes you feel so light and fast at the start of a marathon.  They might set PR in the first 10-miles but then they are sure to run out of gas going into 10~15 mile mark.  A typical training mistake many make.

Anyways, important thing after the 10-miler, assuming you’ll decide to run that 10-miler, is to make sure you recover from it afterwards.  I’d say for the whole week, at least for 5 days, do nothing but nice easy hour’s jog or so (45 minutes and up).  Don’t try to set your training course PR no matter how good you feel.  Just nice and easy “longish” jog.  This is where many make another mistake.  They feel invincible and push and push and push…  They’ll burn out at best; or they might end up getting injured.  So restrict yourself and discipline yourself to just jog.  For sure, NO intervals or tempo run.  Maybe some easy strides…  Just a few of them. 

Everybody gets a kick out of different things.  I love track—I don’t get bored from it.  One of my favorite workouts I’ve done (way back when…) was 20,000m tempo run on track; 50 laps!  We (I was pacing 2 girls as their coach) had a set lap time and my job was to maintain that pace for 50 laps!  And I loved it!!  I love 5k and like to stick with it so I can see the progress and compare.  That’s a track runner in me.  I tell ya, from what you’ve been describing and the way you’ve been running, when things click, I actually wouldn’t be surprised if you set yet another PR over this hilly course of your hometown (of course, I have NO idea how hilly it is so I’m making this totally irresponsible comment here…).  When you’re on, you’re on,  IF you’re that kind of a shape, that is.  If you’re more interested in setting PRs in every distance, by all means, I think you’ll probably dip under 45 for sure for 10k.  I plugged in your 20:30 (39, was it?) into Dick Brown’s VO2Max calculator and it came out as 42 for 10k and 1:34 for half, which is 7:12 mile pace.  Of course, that’s “potential” and, like everything else, you need to “learn” to get that out. 

At this point, I think, whatever you decide to do, you’ll most probably do well.  And that would be interesting to learn more about yourself.  Just make sure you do learn from it; don’t just let it float away…  That’s what training is all about—evaluation of training and learn from your OWN experience.  Based on what you’ll learn, what you do this year is really for next year. 

Have fun whatever you decide to do.  Whatever you decide to do, I’m sure you’ll do well.

Of course, what I've originally written was so much better...but, unfortunately, it was gone forever... :-(

 I'm sorry to hear that your much better post was sent off into cyber space; I have heard a lot of that happening on this forum lately. However, I am not dissappointed with the info of your second post, but it does make me wonder how good that first post was if this one was not as good.

You have made me settle on the 10 miler - I was a little weary about racing only 5ks with a 5k goal race coming up because I have read a lot about how varying the race distances can help across the board so I don't want to get it in my head that I am only a 5k racer.

For the 10 miler, I doubt I will go much faster that 1:18 or so just because I don't have the long runs under my belts - but I do have the confidence and the youthful ignorance of believing that anything is possible.

Now you have me wondering about that 10k race after the 10 miler because I know that I can go a lot faster than by PR of 47 - since I did that on a windy course with winds gusting at 70km/h (and the 10 is as rcognized at the 5 - I just figured I was a 5k girl for a while there) and yes the 5k course is THAT hilly haha

Of course whenever I do set a PR I never settle with it - I am alwaysing thinking about next time and what I need to do to get better (sub 20 5k is a goal for me as well - and my current PR is 20:32)

You do have me thinking about running a half marathon again since all the HMs I have done have been just to finish or get the long run in (PR 1:52) but now you have me thinking about getting some decent training in giving one another go much much later in this year.

I did want to ask you if there is a book by Lydiard that you recommend? I enjoy reading but I dislike reading off of a computer screen - plus, with summer holidays less than 4 weeks away, I'll need something to read when I'm not running.

Also, I notice Lydiard writes mostly about Marathons (and at age 20 and with little racing under my belt I know I won't be doing one of those for a long time) but does he also write about shorter distances?

As for the Canadian running magazine, do you know what issue he is in? My friend subscribes to the Canadian running magazine and I subscribe to Runners world so we usually read and then swap so I'll have to look for that article.

Thanks again for all your help!

no brainer.  do the 10 miler.

I'll be near there on the Saturday (24th) before your goal race running the 5 Peaks event in Dundas.  I've been busy running up and down hills trying to get ready for that one.

I've got all the issues of Canadian Running and can't recall an article on Jerome Drayton yet, and definitely not in the current issue.  Maybe it's in a future issue.

I just wrote you a damn good reply but it was sucked into a cyber black hole.

Notepad (or the Apple equivalent) my friend, we don't want to miss any of your thoughts.

Thanks everyone! I'm starting to look forward to this race now!

And in September I think I might even try to make my school's XC team

Man, I have more goals than I can keep track of!

And in September I think I might even try to make my school's XC team

That's awesome.  Unfortunately, I don't think my school's team is in the market for a 32 year-old PhD student who runs 10 minute miles...