RunningAHEAD - Topic: Training

Diesel Power

posted: 12/11/2007 at 10:45 AM

Excellent idea. I think cross training can only help you during marathon training, as you'll get a workout in without the hard pounding on the legs. I'll be giving the now hopefully healed knee a try this week. If all goes well, I'll be getting back into the swing of things Monday 12/16, right after my last final of the semester. Due to the numerous injuries I suffered at the end of the season, I will probably start back again at 10 miles per week and increase 10% for eight weeks. This will supplemented by semi-weekly weight room visits. My legs need strengthening. The tentative plan after that will be to have eight weeks of intermediate training, still increasing my long run and doing training similar to that of this season. I'll cap it off with six weeks or so of peak training, cutting mileage down while focusing more on speed. I think that's where I got into trouble this year... I tried to increase my mileage base and speed work simultaneously. If I play my cards right, I can do this twice (with a week or two break in between) and peak leading up to the Baltimore Half in October.

Durrr

posted: 12/11/2007 at 7:42 PM

So if you're planning to run a half marathon in October, will you be doing any 5ks during the fall season?

rickschaffer83

Diesel Power

posted: 12/11/2007 at 8:28 PM
modified: 12/11/2007 at 8:32 PM

Absolutely. However, it's part of the reason I wanted to have the full year schedule, and later conceded to the two seasons schedule with five races instead of six. I intend to run at least a couple of 8Ks and 10Ks next year, Annapolis, and the Baltimore Half. If I do about a race a month (with one or two no-race months for recovery) I can easily squeeze in 5-6 5Ks in 2008. For instance, I could do Annapolis in August, a 5K a few weeks later, Baltimore on 10/11, and then a 5K in November and December. DR, running the Baltimore Half may be good training for LPVM '09. Maybe you should consider it if it makes the schedule. That, and I'd really like for that to count as a race. If not, maybe we could make an addendum to the League rules which allows for each League member to have ONE race per season (or calendar year?) which can count as a scored race if they're the only person to run it... perhaps this could be allowed only if the race is longer than a half. That would allow DR's marathon effort in March to be recognized by The League, even though no one else is physically up for the task.

Durrr

posted: 12/12/2007 at 8:27 AM

I would certainly like my League-solo marathon to be counted, so I may tend to agree with that exception. But I'm not sure if I'll commit myself to the half, as I'll be training to race 6-7 5ks in the fall time period. I hope you'll also keep some strong emphasis on 5ks, because I want to see you break 20:00 by the end of 2008.

rickschaffer83

Diesel Power

posted: 12/12/2007 at 8:37 AM

My emphasis in 2008 will be on becoming a more well-rounded runner. I've been running 5Ks for a while... it's time to step outside of my comfort zone for a while and try something new. At the same time, I think training for longer races will only help my 5K time by helping my endurance. I have no problem running a mile in the lower 6s, I just need to improve my splits. For the record, if I stay healthy/uninjured, I will be very upset if I don't break 20:00 in 2008.

Durrr

posted: 12/13/2007 at 1:39 PM

After a long, four-day hiatus, I'll be making my grand return to running tonight. Probably just 6-7 miles at regular training pace.

AmoresPerros

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posted: 12/14/2007 at 11:02 PM

Rick, I was only doing 7 of the core workout exercises before, because I hadn't learned the rest. Tonight I learned the rest and did all 15 of them -- it's a lot more tiring that way Smile

It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.

Durrr

posted: 12/15/2007 at 5:34 PM
modified: 12/15/2007 at 5:36 PM

Fifteen core workouts sounds a bit too strenuous. I try to do trunk work four times a week, but I alternate between Day A and Day B. Day A focuses on upper abs and lower back while Day B is for lower abs and obliques. It's basically the same principle that weight lifters use when they work different muscle groups from gym session to gym session. So today I completed the longest single run of my life --- both distance-wise and time-wise: fifteen miles in two hours and four minutes. Greenwell was the location, and to accomplish said distance I ran the 5k course 5 consecutive times --- minus the final 0.6-mile segment, which I walked out (I stopped running when I got back to the short trail that cuts through the thin woods). Essentially it was a 20k (12.5 miles) plus an extra 2.5 miles. Each of the four full 5ks were run between 25:50 and 26:10, but I picked it up towards the conclusion and ran the final 2.5 miles in 21 minutes. Although not snowing/sleeting as I feared it might, the weather was still very cold and dreary, and the sleeves of my sweatshirt were utterly smeared with snot by the end. Also, my fingers went so numb that I could barely squeeze my water jug upon finishing (the temperature was slightly above freezing, but I figure that my system had circulated so much blood that no more could be spared for finger extremities). And despite the fact that I was on the trails for over two hours, I didn't encounter one single, solitary separate soul --- save the stray scavenging crow here and there and the honking flocks of geese far overhead. It was rather lonesome, yes, and if not for my indefatigable dedication and unbreakable will, I surely would have lost all motivation by mile 12 or so. And although it makes me want to both yawn and puke, I think I'll go back to Greenwell next Saturday and do the same thing --- albeit this time I'll complete all five 5ks for a solid 15.625 miles. After that it'll be time for my first Great Challenge: the brutal St. Mary's River State Park eight-mile course --- X 2!

AmoresPerros

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posted: 12/16/2007 at 9:46 PM

This weekend I moved back into distance to help prepare for trying some Greenwell work next weekend. Yesterday ran 5.7mi, with 8:47 avg on the first four (roadside grass/dirt/gravel) and 10:02 avg on the 5th which was beach. I meant to keep them over 9min, but kept going too fast; the sun was setting, and that made me hurry to finish -- I was already hitting water and mud that I couldn't see well -- it is annoying in the dark in general and especially when the ground is wet. Today I ran 9.5 mi @ 8:56 avg (all roadside grass/dirt/gravel). My goal was to stay above 9min for every split, but around the 7mi mark, I came down a hill and noticed a great wind down it, so I turned around and ran up it into the headwind several times -- that was fun, b/c I wasn't going very fast but I was still working hard. A guy passed me going downhill while I was going uphill, so I finished, turned around, and couldn't resist the challenge of catching up to him, which took about half a mile, and defeated my goal of keeping every mile split no faster than 9min. But that was fun. Smile

It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.

Durrr

posted: 12/17/2007 at 9:05 AM

Well, if you combined those two distances, you'd be just one mile shy of what this Saturday's intended distance shall be.

xenoplastic

posted: 12/21/2007 at 6:41 PM

I haven't been running much, but in my lame defense, my foot has been annoying. It behaved funny a few days after the race, so it's hard to even make a direct correlation between it and running the race. Regardless, a new year is upon us and a hope to renew the running vigor. My work has now completely shut down most access to the outside world via the Internet. I'm posting this from home, so I'm not sure about this site. However, both Hotmail and GMail are down for the count, plus many other social networking sites I may have chosen to use for communication.

AmoresPerros

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posted: 12/22/2007 at 7:26 PM

splits according to my watch from today at Greenwell But, my watch was recording 3.13mi a little before we finished the Greenwell 5K course 3.13mi in 26:20.02 3.13mi in 25:30.72 3.13mi in 25:26.71 3.13mi in 24:53.62 3.13mi in 33:20.26 (I branched off & did a slow one here) (15.73mi in 2:16:15)

It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.

Durrr

posted: 12/23/2007 at 11:58 AM

I put down 25 kilometers/15.6 miles in my running log, but if the distance was actually 15.73 miles ... then I'll say I did 15.73 miles in 2:08:##. So my fifth and final, mostly solo 5k must've been around 25 something. But as you can see from the splits that Perry posted, we were booking during that fourth 5k, averaging a 7:58 pace. Needless to say, every step taken during my fifth consecutive full 5k (or 3.13 miles, I should say) was a shock of pain. Perry rejoined me for the final half, and we had a strong finish. I even managed to do two strides afterwards. And although the run was only a half mile and four minutes longer than last week's Greenwell run, it was ... the longest run of my life! Hah, every long run from now until the marathon itself will be the longest run of my life. I think I'm training well, though; upon concluding the run I felt exactly the same as I did when I finished that 10-mile run back in mid-September, meaning that the effects of the long run remain stable as my distance prowess increases (think of how racing a 5k to your best potential feels exactly the same whether you're in shape to run 22:07 or 18:32). Twenty-four miles will likely be my greatest training run --- to be done two weeks before the marathon, and in the time between then and the big day I'll drastically reduced my weekly mileage to 20-25.

AmoresPerros

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posted: 12/23/2007 at 5:23 PM
modified: 12/23/2007 at 5:23 PM

No, the 15.73 was my total distance, but I ran my last part off-course because I was behind from running very slowly in my last 5K -- I'm sure you remember me running around for another half mile or so after you had already finished -- so I don't know my watch's measurement for the course 5 times. That is just its measurement where I happened to stop after I had (more than) enough to cover a last 5K.

It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.

Durrr

posted: 12/23/2007 at 8:44 PM

Okay, I just did 3.13 X 5 with a calculator and the result was 15.65, so that would be just a tad over 25 kilometers.

The League of Extraordinary Runners

Training (Read 5242 times)