2019 3:20, And Beyond (Read 444 times)


From the Internet.

    Busy and stressed! Anxiety's been getting the better of me lately. Blech. I'm getting over it in a training/racing context (like I'm not getting physically ill before workouts anymore - pre-marathon up until a few weeks ago it was hit or miss whether I'd be fine or like, nauseous and quivering before a Q session) but still working on it for the other aspects of daily life. This week felt like a big turning point in terms of training anxiety so I'm pretty happy about that.

     

    Past few weeks: 47.6 (down week/vacay), 64.5, 64.2, last week was 71.7

     

    M - mile tempo intervals on the road, not the worst weather but still more warm and humid than I like for a sustained workout. 6:47, 6:53, 6:51 with a couple minutes jog in between. Thought I'd try to do the recoveries near MP but it became very clear about 90 seconds into the first recovery that it was too warm for that nonsense, lol.

     

    T - 10 mi easy


    W - 3.4 easy shakeout midday, went to the well at club track PM. Broken 1000s - 1000m, 800-200, 600-400, 500-500, 400-400-200, another bonus 1000 at the end for the lucky HM/FM folks. Details are in my log, it's a lot of numbers that are semi-meaningless because who tf runs like, 500s on a regular basis, lol. I normally dial back the pace on longer workouts but something just clicked with the faster paces that day. I won't be running ALL my track stuff this fast, especially as the marathon gets closer, but it was a major confidence boost to be running intervals somewhere between 3K PR pace (6:16) and mile PR pace (5:54) and like.. not dying? Excited to see what fall/winter bring in terms of 5K and under once I'm recovered from my October race!

     

    Th - 7 miles easy easy easy. >9:00 pace, I must have been shuffling close to 10:30-11 for the first half mile, lol. Felt really good by the end though, a good true recovery run.

     

    F - easy-ish progression MLR. Mile easy then aimed for 3 at 8:00ish, 3 at 7:40-45, 3 at 7:20-30. Ended up progressing pretty steadily instead of in chunks, 8:05 down to 7:09. One more easy mile, 11 total for the day.

     

    S - 6 easy with a local running friend

     

    Su - 17 at 7:54 average; 2 gels, 1 salt pill, ~15 oz of water. Felt a bit tough for lady reasons but legs felt decent, didn't feel beat up at all afterward. Longest run since the marathon - have done 13-15 a few times and had one day where I doubled for 17 total in June, but this didn't feel impossibly long or anything. Miles and consistency doing their job!

     

    My run streak is at 126 days now! This week's assignment is to keep the long run at 17, run some "challenging hills" for my second workout since I've put in a good amount of steady/tempo type work recently.

    rlk_117


    Resident Millennial

      brew- hahha good memory of my shoe woes. yes, i triple-checked my bag before leaving home!

      glad you guys hate them too! well, they're not "disposable" ever - they're just out of sight. they'll sit around for thousands of years in a big pile in the middle of nowhere, entering our soil and water streams. drinking that water will be good for us ... not.

      yea, the bags are illegal in CA. straws as of july 1, i think that one is statewide too.

       

      lauren- nice week!! based on 17@7:54 being a standard long run, I feel like you are proportionally better at endurance than at speed? based on the 3k and mile race paces you listed. also laughing at the 500s comment - I have gotten a bit used to 300 times recently but I will never know how to calculate 500 paces and I think I'm fine with it!

      _________________________________________________
      mile, 5:26 /5k, 19:34 /10k, 41:00 /13.1, 1:31:49 /26.2, 3:12:58

      mattw4jc


        matt sweet bike. Who says I've not replied here on a run already? 

          

         

        Matt - Carbon - swanky! I'm a little jealous. The secondary market for gravel bikes seems to be pretty dry here, but hopefully I'll find one before too long. Nice use of the bottle holders, too.

         

        matt- yay bike commuting!! love the running shoes in bottle cages. 

        Thanks. I spoiled myself for a birthday a while back. Justified by the fact that we are a one car family and I ride year round. I don't have a streak or anything though because sometimes the wife picks me up for one reason or another. Today I drove because I have to leave work early and help with kid taxi duties. But I'll easily have more than 5,500 miles for the calendar year.

         

        But I do warn people if they follow me on Strava that I will spam their feed with this 5 days a week:

        Morning Run

        Morning Ride

        Afternoon Ride


        From the Internet.

           

          lauren- nice week!! based on 17@7:54 being a standard long run, I feel like you are proportionally better at endurance than at speed? based on the 3k and mile race paces you listed. also laughing at the 500s comment - I have gotten a bit used to 300 times recently but I will never know how to calculate 500 paces and I think I'm fine with it!

           

          You know, I don't actually know anymore! I'd always thought I was better at the shorter stuff but I think just being in a typical beginner endurance deficit while running relatively strong shorter races a few years ago might have been masking it. I always prefer short/hard/fast workouts on the track to tempo workouts, but a good upbeat long run is right in my wheelhouse too.

           

          I don't have a lot of experience with the shorter track stuff yet also - last winter was my first ever indoor season, had never raced the 3K or mile before; I'm sure I'll be able to PR later in the year but whether it's just a second or two or more than that remains to be seen!

            OMG.  Just bumped into Mary Cain at my neighborhood Whole Foods and schmoozed her up.  Must think I'm a weirdo.

            darkwave


            Mother of Cats

               

               

               

              @darkwave - you're the queen of variety. Do you ever look at total hours spent doing some sort of fitness activity? 20+ possibly? Awesome.

               

               

              Less than that, I think.  My RA log says that I spent about 8.5 hours running last week.  So...add to that 3 hours of pool-running, about an hour total of swimming, 2 hours total of yoga.  So that's 14.5.  Then probably about 2 hours total spent at the gym over 5 sessions - 16.5.

               

              Which seems like a lot, but I'm guessing you might come close if you added your biking and running time.

               

               

               

               

              dwave interesting. I guess I'd be afraid to drop the lid. Any reason you're logging the weather in the runs now? Keeping track for future races to compare heart rates? I previously did it for what I was wearing just in case I wondered what I'd need for 40F with 20 mph winds but sunny.

               


              Confused?  Are you referring to my RA log or Strava?  I've logged weather in my RA log for a long time - many years.  I did add a Strava plug-in a few months ago that is laughably inaccurate.

               

              RLK - those type of cups are a sign of an org not managed by serious runner.  Way back nearly a decade ago, the now defunct Suntrust Marathon/Half-Marathon in DC did the same thing.  Everytime you pinched a cup they shattered in your hand.

               

              Lauren - are you planning on racing soon?  That long run was very close to your current marathon PR pace, wasn't it?  And doing repeats at between 3K and mile pace also?  I would think you shouldn't wait until October to hop into something and get a fitness check and perhaps a new PR.

              Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

               

              And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.

              Running Problem


              Problem Child

                 

                   I did add a Strava plug-in a few months ago that is laughably inaccurate.

                 

                RLK - those type of cups are a sign of an org not managed by serious runner.  Way back nearly a decade ago, the now defunct Suntrust Marathon/Half-Marathon in DC did the same thing.  Everytime you pinched a cup they shattered in your hand.

                 

                 

                 

                Must be the plug in. Just seemed to randomly start showing up so I wasn’t sure if you did it on purpose for tracking it for upcoming races after the last weird race, or as you said did it forever and added it.

                Wharf to wharf isn’t what I’d call a ‘serious’ race (never done it) because it’s a 10K that comes out to 6 miles. I’m pretty sure it sells out because it’s a fun event for lots of people around town and Santa Cruz isn’t a horrible place to spend a Sunday in July. I’m actually surprised the area (known for being fully of hippies) used plastic. Like IM LITERALLY SHOCKED because this is a town that actively fought Starbucks coming in because they don’t really like outsiders and were one of the first (only?) to let homeless people use a street corner for their address so they could register to vote. Great area to visit. Pizza my Heart is almost mandatory (forgot to say that RLK) for the short deal. $6 for a slice and a shirt. Always a long line but it moves kind of fast.

                 

                https://wharftowharf.com/wharf-to-wharf-race/

                 

                Locals get to register before almost every else so yeah it’s kind of hard to see it as ‘inclusive’ but then again dipsea seems to have its own secret rules like donating or mailing your entry from the exact post office where the mail is picked up from. I’d do it if I wanted to travel 5 hours for a weekend with a 6 mile race. I’d rather do the SF Ultra Marathon that was Sunday. Apparently it has two medals. I assume two loops so it’s mostly mental and not as hilly as Western states, but maybe no photos with Hal or Sally.

                Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                VDOT 53.37 

                5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                mattw4jc


                  Less than that, I think.  My RA log says that I spent about 8.5 hours running last week.  So...add to that 3 hours of pool-running, about an hour total of swimming, 2 hours total of yoga.  So that's 14.5.  Then probably about 2 hours total spent at the gym over 5 sessions - 16.5.

                   

                  Which seems like a lot, but I'm guessing you might come close if you added your biking and running time.

                   

                  If I ride all 10 commutes and run 60 miles, I'll break 17 hours. However, most weeks are closer to 15 or so. The marathon cycle will probably see more 17 hour weeks though.

                   

                  After my Sunday morning 12 miles with some at MP, my right calf started cramping / tightening up. It wasn't bad and was feeling pretty good by Monday night. But when I started out this morning, it felt a little off. I stopped at the house and put on some calf sleeves. That helped some and I continued on for 11.5 miles total at an easy pace. After and now, though, it has felt even tighter and sore. Not sure what is up.

                   

                  Shoes maybe. The ones I wore Sunday are a bit older, but I wore newer ones today (<250 miles). More stretching, some rolling with the stick tonight I suppose.

                  rlk_117


                  Resident Millennial

                     

                    Wharf to wharf isn’t what I’d call a ‘serious’ race (never done it) because it’s a 10K that comes out to 6 miles. I’m pretty sure it sells out because it’s a fun event for lots of people around town and Santa Cruz isn’t a horrible place to spend a Sunday in July. I’m actually surprised the area (known for being fully of hippies) used plastic. Like IM LITERALLY SHOCKED because this is a town that actively fought Starbucks coming in because they don’t really like outsiders and were one of the first (only?) to let homeless people use a street corner for their address so they could register to vote. Great area to visit. Pizza my Heart is almost mandatory (forgot to say that RLK) for the short deal. $6 for a slice and a shirt. Always a long line but it moves kind of fast.

                     

                    https://wharftowharf.com/wharf-to-wharf-race/

                     

                    Locals get to register before almost every else so yeah it’s kind of hard to see it as ‘inclusive’ but then again dipsea seems to have its own secret rules like donating or mailing your entry from the exact post office where the mail is picked up from. I’d do it if I wanted to travel 5 hours for a weekend with a 6 mile race. I’d rather do the SF Ultra Marathon that was Sunday. Apparently it has two medals. I assume two loops so it’s mostly mental and not as hilly as Western states, but maybe no photos with Hal or Sally.

                     

                    They have east Africans and and Olympians at the race, I'd call it serious. Beach to Beacon, Bloomsday, Bay to Breakers, etc are all weird distances but plenty serious. But definitely most of the 15,000 participants are not serious.

                    The cups were bioplastic. I also learned this weekend that the town of Santa Cruz doesn't have composting (threw my banana peel in the garbage Sad )

                    SF also allows you to register to vote with an intersections.

                    Dipsea is much much harder to get into - there is no "just register online" ha.

                    _________________________________________________
                    mile, 5:26 /5k, 19:34 /10k, 41:00 /13.1, 1:31:49 /26.2, 3:12:58


                    From the Internet.

                       

                      Lauren - are you planning on racing soon?  That long run was very close to your current marathon PR pace, wasn't it?  And doing repeats at between 3K and mile pace also?  I would think you shouldn't wait until October to hop into something and get a fitness check and perhaps a new PR.

                       

                      Intriguing - I was waiting for better weather and wanted to lock in a BQ for 2021 so I think I can't race TOO soon or I'm outside of the window for that. But I haven't actually registered for the Oct race yet, so maybe I'll scope out my September options and see if the weather looks like it'll cooperate, see what my coach thinks. I'll be racing Falmouth in a couple weeks and will take a down week after that before the final marathon training push either way.

                      OMR


                        Keen:  I have access to an incline trainer that goes to -3%.

                        Lauren:  Oof, that's a nice LR.  Not to the extent of getting physically ill or anything, but I used to get training anxiety...now it's more like fear.  ;-)

                         

                        Humidity broke here yesterday, which made today's intervals (15 x 1min comfortably hard) much more pleasant.  Paces ranged from 6:40 to 7:31, in somewhat random fashion.  Clearly I have no concept of comfortably hard.

                         

                        (If you're wondering, yes, that was intentional...not referring to the random paces...)


                        Speed Surplus

                          OMG.  Just bumped into Mary Cain at my neighborhood Whole Foods and schmoozed her up.  Must think I'm a weirdo.

                           

                          Please tell me you recruited her as a potential poster here. I'm sure she can go sub-3:20.

                           

                          RLK - Nice 6 miler and not far off from PR shape on a hilly course isn't bad at all.

                           

                          Lauren - Serious mileage. Nice work.

                           

                          mattw - That's a lot of biking! Do you feel like it helps much with running fitness?

                           

                          My past week:

                           

                          <tfoot> </tfoot>
                          Day Miles Pace Duration Description HR Egain Link
                          Mon 5.1 7:52 0:40 Probably a little fast, but I didn't want to be out in that heat for too long 138 152 strava
                          Tue 9.3 8:43 1:20 Eazy egain 136 640 strava
                          Wed 18.6 3:00 0:55 Really smooth today after some time away from the bike 122 999 strava
                          Wed 18.6 2:52 0:53 There's no polite way to say it - I was hauling ass 😎 124 789 strava
                          Thu 5.1 8:18 0:42 Forgot to upload this one. SO HOT 140 151 strava
                          Sat 10.2 8:14 1:23 Cool weather and in the zone...just kept going 141 263 strava
                            66.9 5:19 5:56    

                          2994

                           

                           

                          I think I'm going to race a 3k on the track tomorrow, even though I've had probably my worst month of training this year. I ran 19:17 for 5k in March on a somewhat hilly course, which converts to right around 11:00 for 3k, so I guess I'll probably target that?

                           

                          Realistically, I'll try to go out in 5:55-6:00 pace and see what I have left.

                          5:27 / 18:49 / 40:32 / 88:12 / 3:12

                          darkwave


                          Mother of Cats

                            Lauren - I wasn't necessarily thinking of moving your marathon up, but rather of doing something a bit shorter.

                             

                            Anxiety before workouts - I honestly don't get this, though I've heard of others experiencing it - I think it's because I train by effort, so there's never any "what if I don't hit my paces."  And I'm not worried about the workout hurting because I know how it's going to feel (since I run by effort, the workout always feels pretty much the same).

                             

                            Which is not to say I don't get a bit of "I don't feel like working hard today" before each workout.  But that's different from nervousness.  Which, in turn, is different from fear, which I had to work through in my previous sport (equestrian - jumping horses).

                             

                            It's really interesting to parse and separate the different feelings.

                            Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.

                             

                            And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.

                            Running Problem


                            Problem Child

                               

                              They have east Africans and and Olympians at the race, I'd call it serious. Beach to Beacon, Bloomsday, Bay to Breakers, etc are all weird distances but plenty serious. But definitely most of the 15,000 participants are not serious.

                              The cups were bioplastic. I also learned this weekend that the town of Santa Cruz doesn't have composting (threw my banana peel in the garbage Sad )

                              SF also allows you to register to vote with an intersections.

                              Dipsea is much much harder to get into - there is no "just register online" ha.

                               

                              To each their own. I'll take my chances at dipsea (or quad dipsea...maybe that's easier) before I take my chances at Wharf to Wharf again. When they start grouping people based on their location to the race I'll make sure to avoid it. I'm sure Santa Cruz appreciates me staying out of their town so they can keep it preserved. I'd consider Mt. Marathon more serious than Wharf to Whart or B2B. It's not a race I'd tell someone to show up to if they're looking to PR.

                              Your banana peal will biodegrade in a landfill just fine.

                               

                              I can get a shirt for being top 100. $50. 

                              https://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/atq/d/santa-cruz-19-wharf-to-wharf-top-100/6945016263.html

                               

                               

                              anxiety BEFORE workouts? I get enough AFTER workouts (didn't hit my paces so I'm a failure) to cover both sides of it, but I'm also really guilty of not running my best on the day and letting the clock dictate my workouts.

                               

                              I thought I forgot running clothes today. Turns out they were right behind me. I recovered with two boxes of Mike an Ikes. They MIGHT be vegan according to an app a coworkers has. I said if I went vegan I'd consider them vegan. oreos are vegan and they're both delicious.

                               

                              Mary Cain...googling...hmm she seems tall (my height) for...wait..Allie could beat her. PFFF Allie is WAY cooler...because Alaska.

                              Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.

                              VDOT 53.37 

                              5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22

                              CommanderKeen


                              Cobra Commander Keen

                                Clever - Best of luck on the race. I'll be looking out for that one.


                                DWave - I kinda feel the same about workouts. Bringing cycling in a bit, Greg Lemond summed it up pretty well saying "It doesn’t get any easier, you just get faster".
                                Aside from just effort, I think the running power thing helps eliminate pace anxiety. I just try to hit my interval power/effort target, pace be damned.
                                Here's another Strava weather tracking app - maybe this would have more accurate data for you: https://www.stravaweather.net/


                                Brew - I love Mike and Ikes. Have since I was a kiddo. Yummy.

                                5k: 17:58 11/22 â”‚ 10k: 37:55 9/21 â”‚ HM: 1:23:22 4/22 â”‚ M: 2:56:05 12/22

                                 

                                Upcoming Races: