RA Coaching Forum

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tuf training (Read 418 times)

    Week # 5 of Pfitz's 18week/55 mi. plan. Training for the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon on 9/28, my third. Mon 9 mi w/4 mi at HM pace (check) Tue 5 mi easy (check) Wed 10 mi mid-long (check) Thu Rest (check) Fri 5 mi easy (check) Sat 2.5 hours easy with my running group and I expect it is going to be warm So far, training is going well. Feeling strong and fit. Hope to work on speed a bit more. Would love to get down to 3:40 or less in Sept. Comments welcome.


    Prophet!

      Have you used Pfitz before ? Whaddaya think about his plan so far ? I'm thinkin about trying it out for my upcoming marry.
        No run today. Heavy, heavy thunderstorms. The kind that shake the house. Damn. All dressed up and nowhere to go... Steve, I've used the plan before and like it. I use as a guide only and modify it as needed and life allows. I know that there are a lot of folks that knock the off the shelf plans, but I am not experience enough to come up with something from scratch, and having this in my back pocket keeps me honest.
          Right on Tuf. I'm right there with you on needing a canned plan. It helps me stay on track. Depending on weather, and assuming your training goes well, I don't think you'll have a problem getting down to 3:40. Good luck. Looks like you are rocking it so far.

          When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

            Easy 5 today. Just felt slow. A bit tired. Unimpressive. Toronto is in the grips of a heatwave in the making. At 5 am it was already 29C with the humidity (a little more than 84F) - and it is only getting hotter. Later today, the expected high is 31C/88F but feeling more like 38C/100F with the humidity! Damn. The schedule for the rest of the week: Wed 10 mi easy Thu Rest day Fri 7 mi easy Sat 2 3/4 hours - about 18 mi


            Future running partner.

              Hang in there. Start your runs slower and bring plenty of water. The heat waves are tough Evil grin, but then when the weather gets to be normal summer temperatures, your runs will feel better because you are more acclimated. Earlier this summer, here in NC we had a heat wave where it was 100+ with Dew Points in the 70's for about a week. Since that week, if it's as hot as about 90 degrees I don't really feel that bad now.
                Against my better judgement, I went out for an easy 7 mi with 8x100m strides this morning in what seemed like not a bad thunderstorm (is there such a thing?). Fuck, was I wrong. I had to abandon my run at about 5 mi. The lightening was something fierce. A bit too close for comfort. A damn shame too. I was feeling the love this morning. 2 3/4 hrs on tap tomorrow morning at 6am. I figure we'll cover 18-19 mi. The expected weather is 17-21C and sunny. Should be perfect.
                  Week #8 Mon 6mi w/6x100m strides Tue 11 mi Wed Rest (or an easy 4-5 mi) Thu 12 w/6 mi @ MP Fri 5 mi Sat 20 mi Total = 54 I've changed a couple of things up. Tue and Thu runs are supposed to be 12 & 11 mi respectively, but I simply don't have the time in the morning to get in anything more than 10 mi. I am already getting up at 4am to get these runs in! So, I've added the miles to today (1) and Fri (2). Also, this Sat is supposed to be my first 20 mi run, but the group is running 2 hrs this week and 20 mi next. I'll stick with the group and push the 20 miler back a week. I'll end up with 48 or 49 mi for the week depending on what I do on Wed (rest or run easy).


                  #2867

                    Running in the rain = fun. Running with lightning = not so much.

                    Run to Win
                    25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)


                    Future running partner.

                      Yeah, thunderstorms can put a damper on things. Especially when a long run is scheduled. Right now here in NC, it's so hot and humid everday that more often then not there is a thunderstorm that passes by in the evening when I like to do my runs. Longer runs in particular are tough because, its' hard to predict if you'll get caught in a storm, since they pop up rather quickly here. I try to do my runs in the morning, but I am such a non-morning person that I always end up late for work when I do run in the morning.
                        Decent 14 mi run in hot, hazy and humid conditions yesterday. It's been crazy humid lately. Dog days of summer, and all that. On tap for this week: Week #9 Sun 5 mi easy - recovery (today) Mon 7 mi easy Tues 10 mi easy Wed 8 mi easy, might add a few tempo miles here though the plan does not call for any... Thu rest Fri 7 mi w/8x100m strides Sat 20 mi Total = 57 mi A few modifications to Pfitz's plan this week, add a mile or two here, take one or two away there. Mostly a time management exercise on my part. Anyhow, we'll see how it goes. A bit worried that I am not incorporating enough speedwork. Might find a 5k in the next few weeks to give the legs a go and see how the training is coming to date.
                          First 20 mi. run of this training plan is on tap for tomorrow morning. This is the first benchmark run of the summer/fall CanadaFit season. Our club runs them as checkpoints of our fitness to date. There are 4 in the lead-up to the fall marathon season. If the forecast is correct, it should be quite pleasant - albeit they are calling for scattered showers. My only concern is for the humidity as the past few Sat runs have been awful. I find this really saps my energy. Hope to treat this as a progression run, taking the first 12k or so easy and then picking it up to MP for the remaining 20k once we hit the marked course. Looking forward to it.
                            This morning I ran 8 mi w/5x600m strides. Generally speaking, this was a good run. I continue to struggle with a) how fast to run the strider; and, b) appropriate recovery between strides. My approach to date has been to run the strider at or around a 10k pace with a focus on form and light feet (e.g. picking them up quickly). If I feel the form slip I back off until I get it back. Recovery is typically 1-2 min. between striders. I would appreciate any comments/suggestions.


                            Future running partner.

                              How'd that 20 miler feel by the way? It looks like your progressing along really well. The strides will definately help you improve running efficiency. I wonder about the length you are doing them (600m). That seems far for a stride. In my humble opinion strides should impose very little added intensity to the overall workout. Much more than that and they become intervals or fartlek. That could be just a difference in what we define as strides too.
                                This morning I ran 8 mi w/5x600m strides. Generally speaking, this was a good run. I continue to struggle with a) how fast to run the strider; and, b) appropriate recovery between strides. My approach to date has been to run the strider at or around a 10k pace with a focus on form and light feet (e.g. picking them up quickly). If I feel the form slip I back off until I get it back. Recovery is typically 1-2 min. between striders. I would appreciate any comments/suggestions.
                                Perhaps this is just semantics, but I agree with Tom. Strides are meant to be low stress and about form. More like 20-30 seconds in duration. Or about 100-150 meters. 600 meters are typically termed intervals. Since you are running these according to a Pfitz plan, he prescribes that you run all of the intervals (for marathon training) at 5K race pace. Also, I noticed that you mentioned in previous posts that your tempo runs are done at HM pace. Pfitz prescribes this pace from 15K to HM but says that the HM pace is for "faster" runners - which I believe he means people like Blaine (or other sub3 folks). The rest of mortals he likes to run at 15K pace. Not a big deal as its only 12-15 seconds faster - but maybe something to take a look at on tempo days.

                                When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

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