With all the talk about past stress fractures, etc., it did sound like they were pushing the limits. That being said, with all the work they were putting in, I was very interested to see how they ran at CMM. I don't think that it's possible to run a fast marathon without quality work, but then again, it's not possible to run a fast or slow marathon if you don't make it to the starting line...

Yeah? I follow a blog by a guy doing the Hudson program and trying to run sub 2:30 at Boston. He also seems to a big proponent of the prescribed hill charges. Maybe I'll have to add those...

There's still you, Ben and Snellen... Snellen and you are both Striders members. Just sayin'... or do they give any money for 4th?

Ben is a striders member?

Ben is a striders member?

Oooohh so they give money to 1-3 Striders members? I thought it was just top. I don't know what i'm talking about. Nevermind.

There's the dilemma, in a nutshell. I've been doing the Hudson hill charges after Ted recommended them, and they are great. It's amazing how I feel afterwards, like the whole CNS has been stimulated.

Another fan of short hill sprints here (longer ones for workouts), these have always served me well as a good means of improving stride power and efficiency, and I ran a decent 400m doing lots of these back in the day. On the point about training, yes, there's a thin margin between training hard enough for some peak performances and breaking down. That's admittedly been my running history, and I would hazard a guess that it's fairly descriptive of a large number of distance runners. With respect to me, the crash has typically been preceded by one of the following mistakes when it comes to ignoring feedback from my body: 1. General Myopia - It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day training, and forget the larger picture. Feeling like you have to do a workout in adverse conditions or when you're body is not fully rested is silly when you start to view things 1-2 years out. 2. Feeling like You Have to Run a Race - This is related to the last one, but deals more with the fact races aren't free these days and some can represent an amount you don't like pissing away (e.g., the $100 cost at some of the so-called destination marathons). Additionally, you've invested a substantial amount of time into training over the past few months and you don't want to waste it. Again, this is silly. If you force try and force the race, irrespective of how you feel, you will either get hurt or run poorly and feel demoralized. Better to scrap it, and turn your sights to the next race. 3. Keeping the Running Streak Going - We all do this at various points in time, and it's great when you have one going. However, the minute you develop the "streak must go on mentality," you're generally screwed. The common thread linking these is overconfidence. When you're getting in shape, it's simple to talk yourself into taking easy days harder because you're fitter than before and ignoring the symptoms of overtraining as general fatigue. It's a slippery slope and one many of us succumb to. I think if you have faith in the logic behind each of your workouts (i.e., easy days should be easy) and listen to the responses from your body, you should be fine. Thus, my current experiment with taking rest days when needed (even considering 1 every 8th day but I hate to be rigid) and adapting my general plan to how I'm feeling. Assuming I can follow this, I'm optimistic on the results.

Thanks. Doubtful on the 5K. I could probably squeeze some cash and hardware out to offset the entry fee, but my legs feel shot right now and I'm drained from a mix of sick people around me and trying to cram CFA exam studying in on weeknights. At least that last one's almost out of the way.

JTyler - that is a great post! One I will probably need to read from time to time!