Morning everyone. 6.7 this a.m., with 2.5 at tempo/10k pace. (I thought I was moving pretty fast, but half way through my tempo run this fast younger dude that I've seen on the rail trail before comes cruising past me. Oh well...)
QOTD: How many times a week, if at all, do you run a "workout", specifically focusing on speed or hills or similar? I know folks have dedicated long (sometimes very long) runs, but what about strength/speed focused runs? Looking back at my running and racing over the last six months, I feel like I have a lot of junk mileage, 5-7 mile runs where I just run at an average pace that I'm not sure are doing much for my fitness. I think I need to focus on a long run and a couple of more intentional training runs, with my runs in between being true recovery runs from those workouts.
Wandering Wally
7 miles last night on a bike path. Playing hooky this afternoon for some trail running.
QOTD: I use the Maffetone method, so every run has a purpose: Stay below my target heart rate. Beyond that I vary the time and distance of each run. Saturday mornings are the long run for the week.
Run! Just Run!
Trail Runner Nation Podcast
Uh oh... now what?
The 3-mile morning loop is did.
QOTD: None
oops..forgot about universal delete thing...
rgot
The dog and I ran a slow easy 3.5 mile loop along the lake last night. I have mixed feelings about this 70 mile ultra this weekend. Mostly because I don't have faith in my training or fitness and will have to rely on my brain and experience to get through the day. Boy am I in trouble! I guess I am a bit apprehensive and excited. The weather looks to be fantastic at least. Rain tomorrow.. mid 70's on Saturday and partly cloudy with a 100% chance of pain.
QOTD: These days, workouts don't fall into my routine like they should. I'd rather just run the dog. I suppose I should add in some faster stuff, at least fartleks with the dog. It's not like she can't keep up. LOL. However it is harder to keep an eye on her when I'm running tempo pace unless I'm on the rail trail. In years past though 2-3 workouts a week was my max. The long run counts as one workout. Tempo or speed another. Generally just 2 workouts a week other than before peak times. Day to day runs, I often through in striders or short fartleks for leg turnover. This is a good way to get a bit of pace into a normal day to day paced run.
In dog beers, I've only had one.
Morning. I ended up getting in 9 last night and felt great. I had some interesting thoughts after my run so I wrote a blog post about it today:
http://trailsandcocktails.blogspot.com/2013/06/everything-and-nothing.html
Today is a SRD. Going to see a potential new apartment after work, crossing my fingers that it's nice.
QOTD: I tried speedwork for awhile when trying to PR in the marathon, but I hated it. I still incorporate hill repeats sometimes. Mostly I run pace by how I feel that day. It seems to work out. And I always try to get in one long run a week.
Donate to my NYC Marathon fundraiser for Every Mother Counts!
NYCM: 11/4/2018
Pete
The pooch and i had a nice 7 mile trail run.
QOTD: No. I run for fun with no real specific goals. Every run I do is hilly though. I never do speed work.
TrailTromper
Tallahassee, Florida
Tim
7 miles on some wet trails in the rain. I was slipping and sliding on the rocks. Getting back to truck and putting on a dry shirt after a rainy run = awesome feeling!
QOTD: I try to mix it up over a 2 week period. I regularly do a tempo run and a long run. On some hilly runs, I'll alternate working the uphills and working the downhills. I need to do more speed work, as in the past 800 and 1200 repeats really paid off.
@T&C - Nice blog post.
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
flashlight and sidewalk
I'm due for a day of, so that. Also due for core/pushups routine, so that too.
Qotd: every time I try to add in formal speed work I end up with an overuse injury. My plan for now is to build my base way up (I'd like to do a couple of 60 mile weeks) then drop the mileage back down and add in speed stuff.
**Ask me about streaking**
Made a last minute decision to hit the trails last night for a sunset run with the dog. 6.9 miles with ~1800 ft of gain to the top of the Tram and back. Finished up right at dark. Nice and cool up on the mountain, it was nice to escape the 90deg heat and hit the trails. Probably do 6ish tonight.
QOTD: No, but I would like to one of these days. I throw in a random fartlek session but nothing regular. I do run hills pretty often though, so maybe that can replace speedwork. Always seems like I am too tired to put in a good effort so I skip it. So either I am working too hard on my long runs or just not good at pushing myself when fatigued.
Ultra Cowboy
Did 4.7 on the River trail last night. Faster than usual. Pace bootie at work.
Crew meeting was productive. Our runner was even there. The over all theme for WS is "Finish while enjoying the moment".
Plan to run 7 on trails tonight.
WYBMADIITY
Save
Hill repeats (walking) today followed by a good stretch in the drizzle.
QOTD: I don't mix any speed work into my workouts. First, I worry about injury and second I will never be fast again. I have done a couple things differently this year. Longer tempo runs, long base building runs, less road and more trail runs, five mile stretch runs (stop during the run and stretch), every run is a hilly one, and throw a good walk in every two weeks (walk up the hill run down working on good body lean)
So the answer would be once a week, either stretch run or hill walk.
@ DD2 There is no such thing as junk miles in my book.
SRD
QOTD: I'm actually moving in the opposite direction than OP by adding more "junk" miles. I used to feel that every workout needed to stretch either endurance, VO2max, or speed. That lead to too high intensity and I got injured. Right now the only targeted training I do is a long run every week. I love competing against my own PR on the trails I run regularly, but I only allow myself to do that once every month.
Over the course of this year, I plan to build up to 35 mpw, and if that proves sustainable I will increase to 40-45mpw and then add some quality back in. But for the coming 6-12 months, I'm focused on injury-free base building. I have to admit I actually like intervals, and I look forward to when I will dare use them again.
3/8 Way Too Cool 50k WNS
4/19 Tehama Wildflowers 50k
afternoon! Got in 4 easy miles at my newly found refuge on lake erie in NW Ohio. It was just me, two birders and a raccoon on the trails. The weather was perfect, too. Now am on a 6 acre island and I need to figure out tomorrow's plan.
qotd: not usually, I try to do my version of fartleks and speed work, and do regular long runs, but I don't follow a regular routine.
Sue
I took the day off.
QOTD: No but I keep thinking about farlecks and maybe some hills. I also run for fun but heard if you do some speed work it may help burn some of the flub.
Rocky: Pretty sure I will be working Michigan Bluff at Western state. Look for me to say Hi. Oh and we are doing TRT Tahoe City to Brockway this weekend.
05/13/23 Traverse City Trail Festival 25K
08/19/23 Marquette 50 dns 🙄
Yay... got out twice. An hourish on trails this afternoon. This spring's first fawn sighting happened. We saw twins, wobbly, barely a few days old--both froze as they had been taught, then realized they were in the middle of the road and wandering off to disappear into the salal. The first fawns of spring of 2013 !
QOTD... addendum: There are no junk miles or today was all junk miles. I was just playing, pushing on the ups, running hard to the next big tree, pausing to look for whales, running hard to the next junction; running easy, but all the way up Cedar Grove--not a consistent bit of effort in the hour, but I woke everybody up and felt good when I got back to the car. Yesterday was junk pedaling--nothing hard, just push on the pedals almost all the time. I tend to think most people don't build a proper base that allows play days that are still productive.