2015 sub 20 5k (Read 379 times)

I ran, maybe for the last time in my life, a second workout in two consecutive days. In Daniels' 5-10K program, phase 3 is about working on VO2Max. In that phase, he puts the week's two workouts on consecutive days (usually on wednesday and thursday) ...

 

Heh heh, I like that you're a couple of weeks ahead of me in the Daniels' program

I was looking ahead at his Phase III and wondering about those back-to-back qualities. Surprising. I don't believe that kind of workout appeared in the last edition, certainly not with the consistency that he has in this one.

I'm really happy with the quality schedule in Phase II so I may stick with that, but I will at least give his back-to-back Q1/Q2 a try for a few weeks before I render judgement. I guess his argument is that you're less likely to overdo the first quality if you have another one the next day, and since you tend to feel the after-effects of the qualities not the next day, but the day after, this schedule can be easier than others. At 41 I don't personally tend to overdo too many quality sessions

We'll have to see. It certainly seems to go against what I understand to be Lydiard's "Hard day/ Easy Day" mantra.

Sometimes two workouts in a row are okay. Pfitzinger has a blurb on them in his book. Basically, if you know you are going to get DOMS, do the two workouts in a row and then suffer later 

NIce race Tchuck.  That's close enough to be rounding error (meaning if your run that race 4 times you go sub-20 twice).  Keep up the good work.

On the subject of two hard workouts back to back:  I should say that I consider a 20+mile run at pretty much any pace a 'hard' workout.  When I was in my best marathoning shape I would run a XC race at full tilt ranging from 3 miles to 6 miles on Saturday morning and then run a 20-22 mile long run Sunday morning (frequently including some miles at faster than MP).  Did that about every other week from Sept through November and raced my marathon in the first week of December. I did that two years in a row and ran my marathon PR one year and marathon PR + 1second the other year.  It worked wonders for me.  I still feel that it's easier to run two hard workouts back to back rather than have one easy day in between.  Ideal for me would be Hard Workout, Easy, Easy, Hard workout, Easy, Easy.  Repeat.   It's just that doesn't fit well in my 7 day schedule so compromises must be made.

41:54 on a 10k this Sunday. From the Daniels tables this is a bit slower than a sub-20min 5k (41:21).

But my first 10k in 2 years (last was 46:03) so I'll take it!

Now I just need to find a 5k in Ottawa... Unfortunately I won't be in town for the Run Ottawa May farm 5k.

It's been a few weeks since I reported training / progress so here goes:

Still no 5K race results but some encouraging training and racing.

In the last three weeks my mileage has been spotty but getting there .... 43, 28 (missed my Sunday long run) and 50mpw.  Have run 4 interval sessions (ranging from 200 to 600m repeats), one set of tempo repeats and two races (2.75 miles and a 10K).  The rest was easy running.  Yesterday's race was the 10K on a slow course (hilly, in Golden Gate park in SF) in 41:21.  I ran all but the last two miles mostly on my own.

I was in 13th place heading into the last two miles and passed #12 at about 4.68 miles.  How do I know this?  He was several strides ahead of me and I looked at my watch to see how far to go and saw 5.45.  I thought now's the time to go HARD and get this guy so I did.  I passed him and tried to go a little harder even to make sure he had no ideas on passing me back.  Glanced back at my watch and now it read 5.36!  Holy hell, I was looking at pace, not distance! ( No I didn't run any 5:40 miles, this was a downhill section)  I had just kicked hard and the actual distance was 4.68 miles!  I thought I was done for but I dialed it back down and somehow didn't lose too much (and that guy didn't pass me back).  Next was #11.  Pulled up next to him at about 5.5 miles and we exchanged some pleasantries and I though surely he would beat me in the end but abruptly he fell off the pace and I was now about 5 or 6 strides back from #10.  Unfortunately he turned on the afterburners for the last .1 or so and pulled away to make sure I didn't catch him.  Definitely good racing.

Plans are for a 12K race next Sunday then there's an important USATF 5K race the week after that that I will run.  Unfortunately that race is a very slow race.  Downhill for 1.5 miles then turnaround and run back up.  I usually run that one about 30 seconds slower than a flat, fast 5K.

Onward and upward!

C'mon guys.  Post some of your racing and training!

I ran another race this morning.  Capital City Classic 12K in Sacramento.  Ran pretty good and I am certainly making progress on that sub-20.  Here's a list of the races I've run this year and the progress I've made.  The only actual 5K I've run is the Reach For A Star 5K on 3/22 and it fits right in line with the 5K Equivalents predicted by my races at other distances.  I do have a 5K scheduled for next weekend but it's a tough course and it'll be close as to whether I make sub-20 on it.  I've had two weeknds of long races now and I think I'll get a fitness bump just from that alone.

Wing, congrats on breaking 20! Nice job!

Ken - That's a great looking 12K time you got there! Congrats!

Guess I should jump in here. Starting this May. Ultimate goal is sub 19 but need to get sub 20 first.