My ipod died midway through my run - fully charged, but I think it said "fuck this, it's cold".    It works OK now.

lol

 

I thought it was from 2012, but in any event the paces are just a guide, I go by what I feel like during a given workout.  Many here have heard me say many times that I was not able to hit my target pace for the day, but that I was okay with that.

 

How he goes about determining what his true paces are is immaterial, I was just laying some basic groundwork to begin incorporating speed work into his training in the simplest way possible.

 

I do not think it is good to get too technical with things with those just venturing into speed work because it can get frustrating and people will just say screw it, and we don't want that!  ;-)

You are a philosopher/teacher at heart. :-) Me, I'm just a big meanie, and if I were a coach, I'd be the coach with the whip.  

Seriously though, I think that Dave, with a 1:48 HM PR, is doing himself a disservice by not training in a more conventional manner. He has enough experience now to do real speedwork, not beginner speedwork. I'm not one who follows all rules and I am not a slave to theories. I like to do my own thing. But there are basic rules that I feel I must follow if I want to do decent halfs and fulls. One thing I am careful with is that I make sure I run the right paces for my tempo runs ("right" for me is 10k to 15K pace, as determined by McMillan based on my recent PRs). Those runs vary between 4 and 7 miles. My tempo runs are what benefit me the most while HM/marathon training. My intervals (600 to 1200m) are done at 5k pace, never faster (because it doesn't really fit into marathon training). Intervals are also very important, but I think that I could do without them if I had to. For example, I did Chicago with no interval workouts, just many tempos.

And because what Dave did today looks to me like a tempo run, I thought it was a good occasion for me to ramble like this. Thank you for your patience. 

OK, just skimmed most of the discussion, but want to send prayers and good vibes to Damaris!

 

JJ - I think it was you who asked what I am running - I have the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon on Sunday. There is one other RW/RA person doing the event: Adam (12EasyMiles) is doing the Gold Medal Challenge - half-marathon Saturday and full on Sunday. Icebreaker is on a 3-lane, 445-meter track inside an Olympic skating arena complex.

My biggest concern right now is not the race, but the drive home. It sounds like my home will be getting hit with potential blizzard conditions Sunday afternoon. Won't that be a joy to drive home into? And I won't have much choice, since DS will be with my FIL as DH flies to California that day. And much as I love my FIL, I'm not sure he is up to keeping DS overnight, since DS has meds he has to take and has some dietary restrictions that my 76-year-old FIL just doesn't quite understand.

And for some reason, the front of my right knee hurts right now. What the ....?

Oh no! Good thoughts out to you, Shari. Hoping for a great race weekend for you and a great time for Kevin with his grandfather. I hope the bad weather doesn't hit your area. But if it does, please do not rush and be careful on the roads. I'm sure your FIL will manage fine with Kevin.

You are a philosopher/teacher at heart. :-) Me, I'm just a big meanie, and if I were a coach, I'd be the coach with the whip.  

That is funny, and probably true!

Regarding tempo runs, remember that I am a Daniels disciple, and he defines them differently than others.  With Daniels, only the portion of the run that is actually run at tempo pace, is a tempo run.  Ergo, if you run 2 miles easy, then 2 miles at tempo pace, followed by 2 miles easy, that would be considered a 2 mile tempo run.  Whereas with others, it may be considered a 6 mile tempo run.

His tempo pace is also much faster going from 10k pace down, while others go from 10k pace up.

As far as intervals, depending on the workout and the purpose, I will run them at tempo pace, "I" pace, and/or "R" pace. Each workout has a specific purpose be it clearing blood lactate, stressing your VO2 max, or improving your running/racing economy.

So what we have are different training philosophies, different terminology, different training purposes and poor Dave caught in the middle. 

 

I do not think it is good to get too technical with things 

Too late! I am already confused!

Seriously, LRB & Lily, thanks for all the comments, and sorry everyone else for hijacking the thread. Probably should've started a new one.

As noted, hard to know where I am fitness-wise now vs. my 1:48 HM, since I had a long injury time off, although have been getting the mileage back up the last couple months. And that 1:48 HM was probably soft even at the time, as it was a significant negative split -- 8:11 average pace, but miles 9-13 were 8:03, 7:59, 8:00, 7:47, 7:31.

If did have in mind more of what Lily was talking about, mainly because it seemed most straightforward (and I didn't know any better). But I will start trying some things. And probably will be on the treadmill anyway -- aside from the road conditions, I will need to rely on the TM to set the paces.

Thanks again.

And just because January cannot suck enough for us:

 

My husband got a chest XRay today without telling me and they found a 6mm pulmonary nodule. It looks like they are usually benign but I am freaking out.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2139920-overview

Goodness.  I'm sorry.    What's going to happen next?  I hope you'll get to the next step soon.

D, I'll take a couple shots of Red Stag with you in mind tonight

He just needs observation every 6 months tk make sure it is not lung cancer.

 

I had time for 4 miles.  I am still coughing and cannot breathe well but I needed a run today.  I am now picking up my friend from the hospital and drinks and food when I get back home.