Hey MT, About that wonder about getting steadily slower...

 

You, like me, seem to be like to run at least a race a month. I'm now on a 24 month streak of this nonsense. Lately I'm starting to worry if I can still show up "mentally hungry" like I used to. Is this diet of steady racing dulling my game? I'm talking about that last percent or two that I don't get from training, that race magic. It's been a while since I've sensed real race magic. Yeah, I can show up and run hard and get a decent result but I don't feel like I'm bringing that x factor lately.

 

Right now my calendar has me likely racing the next three weekends (only one a real performance goal) and a race a month already scheduled through January. I'm really wondering where and when I'll "bring it." I'm just halfway hoping I get fitter so I get faster. I'm not burned out on racing and don't want to pull any events from my calendar. In fact, I'd probably add more If I had time.

 

Can you relate to this or is it just me? If you can, might it be something other than getting older?

If you find yourself getting stale and slowing down after several months of racing, it is possible that you've just reached the limit of whatever training you are doing and are on the downslope.  Time for a few weeks off and then to cycle back through base, strength and speed cycles.

Newer runners can go for long periods of time and just get better and better off virtually any training.  But once you've been at it a good while this nice experience goes away.  Sooner or later the body will stop responding to whatever you are doing to it, and you need to build up again then re-introduce the higher-intensity stimuli.  Mental racing fatigue often goes hand-in-hand with the physical components.

That said, a race a month isn't an awful lot (unless they are all HM and above).  Are you doing anything to vary your training?

 

If you find yourself getting stale and slowing down after several months of racing, it is possible that you've just reached the limit of whatever training you are doing and are on the downslope.  Time for a few weeks off and then to cycle back through base, strength and speed cycles.

 

Newer runners can go for long periods of time and just get better and better off virtually any training.  But once you've been at it a good while this nice experience goes away.  Sooner or later the body will stop responding to whatever you are doing to it, and you need to build up again then re-introduce the higher-intensity stimuli.  Mental racing fatigue often goes hand-in-hand with the physical components.

 

That said, a race a month isn't an awful lot (unless they are all HM and above).  Are you doing anything to vary your training?

My training isn't that varied. I have various minimum's I like to hit depending on where I'm in a cycle. I like to keep a balance to life and 6-8 hours a week is about it. I'd certainly say my race performances have been steady, not declining. One thing Is sure, I'm not doing any systematic training, other than building up to longer long runs. Actually executing a cycle properly may be lo hanging fruit.

That said, I started this with the intent of practicing the skill of racing and pacing. I think I've learned a lot and have executed very well relative to my fitness on many occasion. What I'm looking for is that race switch that allows me to wring out a little extra from my training. I've been there. I know the feeling. I saw it at the New Bedford Half, the 10K I ran on New Years, the CC race I ran last December. I summoned a little of it during the final miles of May's marathon but mostly I've been noting it's absence. Gotta say I was pleased to run 38:04 last month but it felt a little like punching the clock. It's not that I don't like running hard and the hurt that comes with it. I haven't raced long since May. Perhaps I need to...

MTA: I missed a race, a 5K in June in my tally. So, in the 19 races I've run in the past 12 months I've hit this about 25% of the time BUT not so much lately. I guess 25% is a good number. Perhaps the longer I keep running the lower that percentage will get. And to circle round to MT's post is it possible that It's just getting harder to bring that race magic? On a half marathon I think that magic is worth at least 90 seconds to me.

MT, you've been at it longer than I so you've got much better data to assess, execute, and evaluate. I just threw my bit out (selfishly) as I'm trying to analyze my current plateau (physical and mental). The physical part makes sense because my training looks like a metronome and I could always do more or differently. The mental part of racing is not so clear as the motivation to run and race is there.

I worked with a guy for 15 years who was always a competitive cyclist during this time. His big thing was the time trial, frequently on the same courses, so he had a ridiculous amount of data on himself. During this time he aged from his mid 40s to 60. Not surprisingly slowing with age was a topic of discussion over the years. It's true his times at 60 aren't as fast as they once were but the drop-off wasn't linear or consistent and he'd often improve a year after thinking he'd never see a particular time again. So keep fighting the fight.

Also, just to clarify, there are different levels of race magic to me. There is the "basic run of the mill race day magic" that allows you to flip a switch and run a little better than prior assessments would indicate (my 25% figure came from that -- and they weren't all PR runs) and then there is "transformative race day magic" that just transcends logic. I can easily count those on one hand too.

 So, in the 19 races I've run in the past 12 months I've hit this about 25% of the time BUT not so much lately. 

19 races in a year sounds like a lot.  I've heard about performance suffering from racing too much.  Not necessarily because of physical exhaustion but because racing becomes more of a workout and the mind just can't get the body to fully do what it is capable of.  Maybe it would help to cut back on the number of races and focus on <4 goal races per year with maybe 6 or so tune-up races?  I don't think I've ever had more than 3 goal races in a year and usually less than 5 tuneup races.

 

Those 19 races include 2/3rds as short stuff, mostly 5Ks and a couple 10Ks. So yeah, It's not a huge physical burden. Mentally differentiating goal vs. tune ups races may be a start. I don't really do that much. I'm guessing that doing harder workouts may help train the mind for going deeper in the pain cave come race day. Most of my weekly running is casual and easy. I do enjoy racing. Perhaps I'm feeding the beast a little too much.

Even single and in school, I could never find the time to burn myself out on 5Ks.  You can run a ton of them in a year without issues.  It's the long stuff that will eat you up.  This is especially true if you are effectively running 5Ks in place of more frequent, scheduled hard workouts.

+1 on harder workouts conditioning you for the pain cave.  Not that you should burn yourself out regularly on interval workouts, but a few well-run interval workouts which boil the frog are just the medicine to condition you to love pain.

 

X - I remember a few years ago when you ran a 1:22 1/2 marathon.  I was like - this dude is going to break 2:50 this year.  I still think you have it in you, but I think your training needs to get back to where you were then.

Ha. You know, I ran 1:22 again this spring. This time off of less mileage and then ran a 3:04 for the full. Those two distances continue to be out of wack for me. I'm fortunate to do this on lower and easier mileage. My hope is to do a proper marathon cycle for Boston and have been thinking about taking a two month stretch off from any racing next winter and just focus on training. I don't know if I can commit to it and break the habit. Otherwise I'll just be hanging around this plateau, I suppose.

MT, sorry I've derailed your post with my focus/head problem. Your post triggered something on my mind and then I just started thinking out loud.

 

Good luck in getting in, hope they have a few spots left.  So, I guess that means tha,t if you could, you absolutely would register for and run 2014 Boston?

 

I've been nervously awaiting this announcement because that means I have to make a decision by Sept 9.  I have the BQ-20 (which is quite slack for 50-54 AG) but I've been going back and forth on whether to run.  It's gonna be so crowded and expensive ($175 just to register, airfare for me and the wife, hotel for a couple/three days), but then again it is Boston 2014.  Vhat to do, vhat to do ...

Guess what?  I didn't register for Boston yesterday.  I feel so ... free, liberated, empowered (?) ... now.  Good luck and good training to everyone who's going, I'll be watching and rooting for ya.