I've seen these on other forums, so I figured why not try it here.
How was your training? Anything eventful? Races? Etc....
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I fell just short of 20 miles for the week, will most likely hit it this week. I had my first five mile run in a year since my weird shin problems AND first 50 minute run.
I got a little disheartened because I feel like I am going way too slow, but I guess it makes sense that my speed isn't increasing when I am running longer. I definitely feel I should be faster than 9:00 miles.
I am trying to lose some of the 30 pounds I gained when I quit XC in college. I wanna get down to 160, and I am actually making an effort starting last week.
2014 Goals
Don't die
I fell short of my goal of 40 miles. I hit just under 34 instead because I took an unplanned rest day on Tuesday due to extreme fatigue and general lack of motivation. At the time I thought I might be getting sick but I seem to have avoided it. I also skipped my long run for the week because I had a ton of family obligations from Thursday through Sunday and simply didn't have the time or energy to fit it in. So, I guess you could say it was a frustrating and lackluster week of running for me, though I did get in a good ladder workout on Thursday (400-600-800-1000-800-600-400). Normally I'd be upset about not meeting my mileage goals but I am learning to take a longer view of things. I am steadily increasing my mileage, I am avoiding injury (which is huge for me), and I am feeling fitter all the time. There's no need to rush it. I'll hit 40+ this week for sure, though.
mapfe, nice job on the 5 miler and the 50 minute run. Try not to worry about your pace. It'll come down naturally. It's so hot out now anyway.
I fell short of my goal of 40 miles. I hit just under 34 instead because I took an unplanned rest day on Tuesday due to extreme fatigue and general lack of motivation. At the time I thought I might be getting sick but I seem to have avoided it. I also skipped my long run for the week because I had a ton of family obligations from Thursday through Sunday and simply didn't have the time or energy to fit it in. So, I guess you could say it was a frustrating and lackluster week of running for me, though I did get in a good ladder workout on Thursday (400-600-800-1000-800-600-400). Normally I'd be upset about not meeting my mileage goals but I am learning to take a longer view of things. I am steadily increasing my mileage, I am avoiding injury (which is huge for me), and I am feeling fitter all the time. There's no need to rush it. I'll hit 40+ this week for sure, though. mapfe, nice job on the 5 miler and the 50 minute run. Try not to worry about your pace. It'll come down naturally. It's so hot out now anyway.
34 miles and a ladder isn't a bad week at all when you are battling fatigue, exhaustion, and family obligations. All this real world stuff makes running so much more difficult.
I definitely do focus on the pace too much. I quit running during college XC, so my expectations are a battle between my former fit self and my current self who has several years off of running.
The Scrub
My week was great. I hit 42 miles an all time high with a long run of 14 mile (7/20-7/26 since I start my week on Mondays). Finished July with almost 160 miles. Training is going well. Week 6 of 10 for my half marathon training. Just completed a great tempo run today 1.25 mile warm up 30 minutes at 8:05 pace, 1.25 mile cool down.
I'm starting to feel like the my goal of a sub 1:50 half is obtainable. Previously I thought it was just wishful thinking. I'm feeling a stronger. I'm getting leaner (counting calories and attempting a small deficit). I think that keeping positive is really what makes going forward much easier.
mapfe: My easy pace is 10-11 min/mile. You're doing well if you're easy pace is 9 min/mile! I hope that someday mine will be. I have also found that running damn early in the morning is much easier given the much cooler weather.
ellithoe: sounds like you are really crushing it if 34 miles was an "off week".
Nice week and month, deds. You're putting in some good mileage. I think your half goal is obtainable. How did that tempo run feel? If you can handle 30+ minutes at 8:00/mi without much of a struggle then you're in good shape for a 1:50 half, considering that your weekly mileage is pretty solid. Hopefully it'll be a bit cooler by the race, and you'll also have the benefit of adrenaline, crowd support, etc.The only thing I might recommend is picking it up on your easy runs just a little bit, if possible. I suspect that you should be able to run below 11:00/mi quite comfortably if your tempos are in the 8:00 range - closer to 9:15-9:45.
Thanks. I can pick up my pace, but then my HR goes up. I'm trying to keep my HR below 158 (78% HRR). This keeps me at around 10:30 pace. If it was like 60°F or cooler, I'm sure my pace would be much faster. However, I live in the desert and the coldest it gets is like 75-80F when I run.
What do you think?
Thanks. I can pick up my pace, but then my HR goes up. I'm trying to keep my HR below 158 (78% HRR). This keeps me at around 10:30 pace. If it was like 60°F or cooler, I'm sure my pace would be much faster. However, I live in the desert and the coldest it gets is like 75-80F when I run. What do you think?
Ah, okay. That makes sense then. I've never done HR training but I've seen people have success with it. I bet you're right that your pace for that HR will come down dramatically in the fall/winter. Running in heat jacks your HR up pretty high.