Improvements During a Trainnig Cycle (Read 439 times)

As some of you may know, I'm training for Grandma's on June 21. I've been using an 18 week program that will get me up to about 60 miles. Currently, I'm at about 50. My training includes tempo intervals and cruise intervals but no straight up vo2max intervals. Weekly, I run 3 easy runs, 1 long run, and 2 quality workouts. I ran a 5k the week before I began my training cycle and used that time to calculate my training paces. A month latter I ran another 5K, a PR. I then adjusted my trading paces downward given the newer 5K. Last weekend I ran a third 5K, and again I set PR. Should I again adjust my paces to reflect the newer PR? If it matters, I cut almost a minute off my 5K time since beginning this training cycle. Currently, I feel good, but fear the risk of injury. I recall reading that the CV system improves faster than the musculoskeletal system and for this reasons runners who become faster can risk injury because their legs cannot keep up with their lungs. I realize there are worst problems to have than stringing together a couple of PRs. I'll add only that the difference in training paces (I use McMillan's site to generate these) is not nominal. My easy run and tempo paces would each decrease by about 20 per mile. I appreciate any advice.

Thanks for the input. By the way, that picture is awesome. My Marathon went horribly wrong. I toed the line with a pretty bad head cold that had just begun to drain into my chest. Instead of adjusting my expectations, I went out way to fast and really paid over the last few miles. I think your right, in that I can sorta cut between the two ranges and probably not train a whole lot faster than i already am. This is especially true for the long runs. Perhaps the problem is that I generally try to shoot for the faster edge of the suggested training paces. Maybe I should adjust that approach.

Daniels says that for training purposes, you can assume that your VDOT improves by 2 points for every 6 weeks of serious training. For marathon training purposes, that equates to faster training paces on the order of approximately 14-20 seconds per mile. In order words, according to Daniels, yes you should make your training paces a bit faster during the course of a marathon training program -- not dramatically faster, but enough to keep stressing the systems at the optimal level. Under Daniels' six-week rule of thumb, you would expect to ratchet up your training paces twice during an 18-week training cycle. As always, your mileage (and pace) may vary. Indeed, Daniels would probably say that your periodic 5K performances are a better gauge of improvement than the six-week rule of thumb. But in any event, if you don't feel like you're pushing too hard, then by all means push the pace appropriately during a training cycle.