Runs4Sanity
Yep, since I don't see any Ultras in the near future and the next marathon isn't until next Spring... I've got some crazy if impossible new goals that I want to attempt this year and am hoping you guys can help me. now keep in mind, all of my PRs have basically been without any focus on speed work, just gaining confidence and naturally getting faster. Now I am adding intervals/speed work to my training, so I want to see what comes of this.
First goal could be impossible as it is 3 weeks away, the YMCA 10k on August 6. My PR is 54:39 with an average pace of 8:48 min/mile, the last time I actually ran it and ran relatively hard.
Goal A: sub 8 min/mile pace or to basically knock 5 minutes off my finish time.
Let me know if that is possible (in 3 weeks) and if so what kind of intervals or speed training would I have to focus on?
My 15k PR is 1:21:34 with a pace of 8:46 min/mile but I think that was on trails and I am pretty sure that was after my first marathon in 2014, but I am too lazy to go and dig stuff up
Goal A: Sub 8 min/mile pace or to just get under 1:15:00
Can it be done, and what would I need to focus on? The next one (have't signed up for it yet) is in September.
My next half marathon is October 1 and my PR is 1:53:12 with an average pace of 8:39 min/mile, I'd like to get it under 1:50:00 just to start.
Goal: close to an 8 min/mile pace
As far as 5k's go, I'm mostly looking at a winter race so I've got a ways to go on that one, but I do want a sub 7 min/mile pace, my PR is 7:57 min/mile and a finish time of 24:40.
Should I focus on just one and see what happens with the other ones? Like make my goal race the half marathon?
*Do It For Yourself, Do It Because They Said It Was Impossible, Do It Because They Said You Were Incapable*
PRs
5k - 24:15 (7:49 min/mile pace)
10k - 51:47 (8:16 min/mile pace)
15k -1:18:09 (8:24 min/mile pace)
13.1 - 1:53:12 (8:39 min/mile pace)
26:2 - 4:14:55 (9:44 min/mile)
When I first started speedwork, never having done it before, and having run for a few years, run a marathon etc. I used the Pfitzinger half marathon plan B from the book Road Racing for Serious Runners.
My 5k PR before starting that was a 8:15 pace (ran a couple weeks prior).
I ran a 5k four to five weeks into the plan at a 7:30 pace (I was hoping for a sub-8 pace)
I ran another 5k five weeks after that at a 7:20 pace.
And then my goal half a couple weeks later was an 8:08 pace.
It's impossible to predict how quickly you will improve. It was pretty fast for me. Maybe take a look at that hm plan? It worked out good just starting speedwork (1 workout per week, not too hard)
You got a link to it?
My biggest fear is injury, I don't have good luck when following other set plans, which is why I've always made my own. But my big question is what type of speedwork or intervals should I focus on, I've got tempos and progression covered, and long runs but speedwork and intervals are a whole other animal for me. But I am excited, nervous and expecting to puke during these workouts, but excited
To be honest, I did take it relatively easy Sunday night during most of the laps bit there were times I felt near puking and I think that was during the 6:48 and 6:50 paces... those were getting hard to hold or concentrate towards the end of each lap.
Different plans will have different methods to how speedwork is laid out and why it is laid out that way.
Higdon starts with 400s and then increases to 800s and 1600s in the advanced half plans, but you run the longer intervals slower.
It's been a while since I looked at the Pfitz book.
I've been using Hudson's book as a guide for the last year. The initial weeks in his plans are easy runs, some progression (like run the last 10 minutes at a moderate pace) and a few reps of hill sprints. I skip the hill sprints and replace them with strength training. As the plan progresses, he adds in some short, fast intervals as well as adding quality sections to the long run. In the month before the race, the intervals are more focused and look more like the "traditional" ones (6 x 800 at 5k pace). I like his book/plans as it is meant to be more a guide and less rigid.
My other thing on speedwork, that differs from the standard running stuff, is that I initially started using it as a way to get a quick workout. I have some DVDs that are high intensity interval training. The idea is that you limit the rest periods to the point that you start a new interval before you are recovered, but the workouts are short in duration, like 30 minutes total. So I would do a warm up, then usually 10 x 2 minutes hard, 1 minute recovery. All said, I could fit the workout in 45 minutes or so before the sun set.
As far as the books go, if you buy them used, you can usually get pretty good deals on Amazon.
You got a link to it? My biggest fear is injury, I don't have good luck when following other set plans, which is why I've always made my own. But my big question is what type of speedwork or intervals should I focus on, I've got tempos and progression covered, and long runs but speedwork and intervals are a whole other animal for me. But I am excited, nervous and expecting to puke during these workouts, but excited To be honest, I did take it relatively easy Sunday night during most of the laps bit there were times I felt near puking and I think that was during the 6:48 and 6:50 paces... those were getting hard to hold or concentrate towards the end of each lap.
No link, it's a book. I could take a pic of it and post but I have a feeling you aren't going to actually use it.
Hey now, I do like taking pieces out of other plans
I'm always reminded why I hate using my phone for this internet stuff.
But I will look it over, and look at it again, and then save the image on my computer.