The most annoying thing: shin splints are back, but guess what: it's now the other leg. Just a few days ago I had a scary bout of bad shin splints in my right leg, and now it's the left. It came on gradually on yesterdays long run, and got bad at around mile 10. I still finished my run (15 miles), and I didn't even slow down much. (Am I crazy?) I can alter my stride so that it won't hurt. Though it makes my running a bit less efficient, so it was more tiring at the end of the run.
It's probably just my crazy mileage of 57+ miles a week. I'm not sure how I will deal with the 61 this week. I haven't even decided if I will run today, but in no case I will run anything but easy. Really easy.
Monday, March 12
Saturday, March 10
My foot is better, no pain this morning, but for scheduling reasons, and also because of a bit carefulness, I'll just go easy today. That is, 7.1 miles.
Next week (week -6), week of 3/12.
Total of 61 miles (record mileage if I can make it), including:
Long runs of 17 and 12 miles.
LT run: this is supposed to be a 4-mile time trial, but I will run a 5-mile tempo instead. After botching the tempo two weeks ago, this is more important. I might even make it longer, like stretching it out to 40 minutes (almost 6 miles). I will try to do sub-6:50, but a 6:30 first mile is unacceptable. The length of this run will be about 9 miles.
Easy runs: 8 + 8 + 7 miles.
Next week (week -6), week of 3/12.
Total of 61 miles (record mileage if I can make it), including:
Long runs of 17 and 12 miles.
LT run: this is supposed to be a 4-mile time trial, but I will run a 5-mile tempo instead. After botching the tempo two weeks ago, this is more important. I might even make it longer, like stretching it out to 40 minutes (almost 6 miles). I will try to do sub-6:50, but a 6:30 first mile is unacceptable. The length of this run will be about 9 miles.
Easy runs: 8 + 8 + 7 miles.
Friday, March 9
I got shin splits today at the end of my run. It's bad, I could barely drive home, it hurt so much to move my right foot between the gas and brake pedals. I hope it will get better by tomorrow, because I want to go long (15 miles) on Saturday and easy on Sunday. This would be somewhat important, because I want to do a quality workout on Monday again. I want to shift the two long runs to the beginning of the week (like long run Monday, second longest Wednesday), so that I can do speed in the weekend. This would be nice, because weekend racing starts soon (to be exact in 3 weeks with the 10 miler).
By the way, I ran the course of that 10 miler this week, and the middle part is ridiculously hilly. It seems like it would be a small miracle if I could finish it in 1:08:40, which would be my HM pace on 10 miles.
By the way, I ran the course of that 10 miler this week, and the middle part is ridiculously hilly. It seems like it would be a small miracle if I could finish it in 1:08:40, which would be my HM pace on 10 miles.
Monday, March 5
Sunday, March 4
Thursday, March 1
Yesterday I tried a 5-mile tempo, and side stitches almost ruined it... I got some after a (too fast) 6:30 first mile, and though I managed to control it until mile 4.5, it came back so bad, that I was physically unable to run or walk -seriously, I had to stop. I was standing for about 10 seconds, then I could run again, and finished the last mile in 7:00. The splits were 6:30, 6:54, 6:41, 6:52, 7:00 for an average of 6:48. Which is not bad, but I have to get better with pacing. I think I'm not used to my new endurance. I used to run tempos just going out hard, and maintaining it for 20-30 minutes. Now I have to run over 30-minute tempos, and I have a speed that if I go out hard, I'm too fast at the beginning. My physiology has changed, and I didn't adapt mentally. I will have to start the tempos, and especially the races slower, otherwise I will crash and burn.
Wednesday, February 29
After looking at my training plan, I have to redo this week. Here is the detailed plan:
Mon: Forced rest (travel).
Tue: 8 miles easy (done yesterday).
Wed: 8+epsilon miles, out of which 5 miles at tempo pace.
Thu: 6.5 miles easy.
Fri: 11 miles midweek long run.
Sat: 6.5 miles easy.
Sun: 16 miles weekend long run.
Mon: Forced rest (travel).
Tue: 8 miles easy (done yesterday).
Wed: 8+epsilon miles, out of which 5 miles at tempo pace.
Thu: 6.5 miles easy.
Fri: 11 miles midweek long run.
Sat: 6.5 miles easy.
Sun: 16 miles weekend long run.
Sunday, February 26
Long time no write...
So I didn't skip the run, and it went fine. My ankle did hurt, especially at the beginning, but you can't not run forever... So I ran uphill sprints at VO2 max, and those obviously hurt quite a bit. I did this in Iroquois Park, which has a big hill in the middle and a moderately steep paved road up to the top with no vehicular traffic allowed most of the time. The distance to the top is about 1 to 1.5 miles (depending where you start), so it is a perfect place for the "uphill spring, downhill jog" repetitions. Since you are always faster uphill than downhill, you slowly creep up the hill, but you still pass sometimes the same person multiple times up and down. This happened on Wednesday with a lady walking two small dogs, who, after seeing me like the third time, sprinting uphill with pain on my face, exclaimed with thick French accent: "WHY ARE YOU DOING ZIS??" I was too out of breath to respond... but isn't it funny?
On Thursday, my ankle was actually better, though it still hurt. On Friday I flew to Atlanta, worked all day, and it was just too intense for me to go for any in the evening/afternoon, let alone a 10-mile run. So I didn't run, but on Saturday and Sunday I made up for it by running 10 and 14 miles respectively. I still only finished 47.66 miles instead of the planned 56.
Crap! While writing this I realized that the long run was supposed to be 15 miles... Total disaster for the week then.
OK, maybe it was naive that with an aching ankle and a conference I can do my regular week. Replanning.... I guess I'll just cut the cutback week.
02/27: Week 8, 56 miles instead of 52. Do week 9's long runs, but week 8's LT workout (whatever it is, I'll have to look when I get home).
03/05: Week 7, 57 miles.
03/12: Week 6, 61 miles.
03/19: Week 5, 59 miles.
03/26: Week 4, 52 miles.
04/02: Week 3, 54 miles.
04/09: Week 2, 50 miles.
04/16: Week 1, 46 miles.
04/23: Race week, 37 miles.
So I didn't skip the run, and it went fine. My ankle did hurt, especially at the beginning, but you can't not run forever... So I ran uphill sprints at VO2 max, and those obviously hurt quite a bit. I did this in Iroquois Park, which has a big hill in the middle and a moderately steep paved road up to the top with no vehicular traffic allowed most of the time. The distance to the top is about 1 to 1.5 miles (depending where you start), so it is a perfect place for the "uphill spring, downhill jog" repetitions. Since you are always faster uphill than downhill, you slowly creep up the hill, but you still pass sometimes the same person multiple times up and down. This happened on Wednesday with a lady walking two small dogs, who, after seeing me like the third time, sprinting uphill with pain on my face, exclaimed with thick French accent: "WHY ARE YOU DOING ZIS??" I was too out of breath to respond... but isn't it funny?
On Thursday, my ankle was actually better, though it still hurt. On Friday I flew to Atlanta, worked all day, and it was just too intense for me to go for any in the evening/afternoon, let alone a 10-mile run. So I didn't run, but on Saturday and Sunday I made up for it by running 10 and 14 miles respectively. I still only finished 47.66 miles instead of the planned 56.
Crap! While writing this I realized that the long run was supposed to be 15 miles... Total disaster for the week then.
OK, maybe it was naive that with an aching ankle and a conference I can do my regular week. Replanning.... I guess I'll just cut the cutback week.
02/27: Week 8, 56 miles instead of 52. Do week 9's long runs, but week 8's LT workout (whatever it is, I'll have to look when I get home).
03/05: Week 7, 57 miles.
03/12: Week 6, 61 miles.
03/19: Week 5, 59 miles.
03/26: Week 4, 52 miles.
04/02: Week 3, 54 miles.
04/09: Week 2, 50 miles.
04/16: Week 1, 46 miles.
04/23: Race week, 37 miles.
Wednesday, February 22
Tuesday, February 21
Monday: Rest. My left ankle is misbehaving, so I try to take my rest day in advance. That means I'll have to run through the week: a visitor here all week long, plus the conference in Atlanta in the weekend.
Tuesday: I forgot to bring my Garmin, so I just ran with my watch. I will have to measure the exact distance later: it is a bit over 7 miles. The usual route from work to the intersection of Cardinal Dr and Cross Bill Rd by the golf course in 58:09. The temperature was 50 F and the shoe is my pair of New Balance.
Tuesday: I forgot to bring my Garmin, so I just ran with my watch. I will have to measure the exact distance later: it is a bit over 7 miles. The usual route from work to the intersection of Cardinal Dr and Cross Bill Rd by the golf course in 58:09. The temperature was 50 F and the shoe is my pair of New Balance.
Saturday, February 18
Thursday, February 16
Today I averaged 6:41/mile on my fast 4 miles of the tempo run. Probably the best so far, and it wasn't even that hard. Perfect pace for tempo, progress is good. Weather was absolutely perfect though, 50F and cloudy. I have some nagging small pains in my left leg/ankle, but they didn't last longer than the first 1-2 miles.
Saturday, February 11
A had one my most unpleasant runs today. It was 14 miles in -4 C, but there was a strong northern wind, which was so bad that the weather service reported -12 C wind chill effect. One can easily withstand it for 30 minutes, even an hour, but this run lasted almost two hours. You just can't dress for this weather. I'm glad it's over.
Friday, February 10
Saturday, February 4
Week -12 finished successfully.
Week -11 includes 49 miles again.
Long runs 14 and 10 miles.
VO2 max: 5 x 2:30 moderately steep uphill, jog back in 1:15-2:15. Total of 7 miles.
Easy runs: 3 x 6 miles.
Easy runs between 7:45 and 8:15, long runs are at 8:01 or faster, and the uphill sprints at VO2 max. (Where will I find the hill?)
Week -11 includes 49 miles again.
Long runs 14 and 10 miles.
VO2 max: 5 x 2:30 moderately steep uphill, jog back in 1:15-2:15. Total of 7 miles.
Easy runs: 3 x 6 miles.
Easy runs between 7:45 and 8:15, long runs are at 8:01 or faster, and the uphill sprints at VO2 max. (Where will I find the hill?)
Friday, February 3
I tried a 2 x 2.5 mile tempo intervals yesterday and it went fine until the last 0.5 mile. It was slightly uphill and I just died on it. So I have plenty of place for improvement... My pace was also quite inconsistent - I ran some 6:36 miles and some close to 7 min. The first interval averaged at 6:41/mile, the second one was 6:40 for the first two miles, but the last 0.5 mile brought it down to 6:46/mile.
I also ran most of my HM race route on Monday (almost 10 miles of it). It is very flat, wide streets, long straights, so it is a perfect course for great time.
I also ran most of my HM race route on Monday (almost 10 miles of it). It is very flat, wide streets, long straights, so it is a perfect course for great time.
Saturday, January 28
I did a strange VO2 workout on Thursday: I went to Jefferson Memorial Forest, and ran on the trails. I did 6 miles, including 5 x 3 minutes of fast intervals, most of them uphill. I was exhausted, and I had a terrible bout of DOMS that hurt even today. I had a miserable long run (13.2 miles at 8 min/mile), because my legs were still trashed from Thursdays run.
On Thursday it also became clear to me that I never want to do a trail race. When I tried to go fast on those twisting trails, many times I almost killed myself running off a cliff or similar. I think trail racing is too dangerous.
I finished the week with 46 miles.
Plan for week of 1/30 (week -12). Total of 49 miles, including:
Long runs: 13 and 9 miles.
LT workout: 2 x 2.5-mile LT intervals. Total of about 8.5 miles.
Strides: 8 x 100 meters.
Easy: 3 x 6.17 miles.
On Thursday it also became clear to me that I never want to do a trail race. When I tried to go fast on those twisting trails, many times I almost killed myself running off a cliff or similar. I think trail racing is too dangerous.
I finished the week with 46 miles.
Plan for week of 1/30 (week -12). Total of 49 miles, including:
Long runs: 13 and 9 miles.
LT workout: 2 x 2.5-mile LT intervals. Total of about 8.5 miles.
Strides: 8 x 100 meters.
Easy: 3 x 6.17 miles.
Monday, January 23
Saturday, January 21
Thursday, January 19
Tuesday, January 17
Monday, January 16
Time to structure the plan. Let's peak at 61 miles: that way I will have one week cutback and then just a very slight increase from the week before.
01/16: Week 14, 43 miles.
01/23: Week 13, 46 miles.
01/30: Week 12, 49 miles.
02/06: Week 11, 49 miles.
02/13: Week 10, 52 miles.
02/20: Week 9, 56 miles.
02/27: Week 8, 52 miles.
03/05: Week 7, 57 miles.
03/12: Week 6, 61 miles.
03/19: Week 5, 59 miles.
03/26: Week 4, 52 miles.
04/02: Week 3, 54 miles.
04/09: Week 2, 50 miles.
04/16: Week 1, 46 miles.
04/23: Race week, 37 miles.
Week of 1/16: total of 43 miles including 12 and 9 mile long runs (two!), 8 miles tempo day (1.5 to 2 miles of warmup, 2 x 2 miles at ~6:45, 2-3 minutes jogging to recover between the intervals, and then cooldown). Easy days: 3 x 4.67 miles at around 8:00 min/mile.
01/16: Week 14, 43 miles.
01/23: Week 13, 46 miles.
01/30: Week 12, 49 miles.
02/06: Week 11, 49 miles.
02/13: Week 10, 52 miles.
02/20: Week 9, 56 miles.
02/27: Week 8, 52 miles.
03/05: Week 7, 57 miles.
03/12: Week 6, 61 miles.
03/19: Week 5, 59 miles.
03/26: Week 4, 52 miles.
04/02: Week 3, 54 miles.
04/09: Week 2, 50 miles.
04/16: Week 1, 46 miles.
04/23: Race week, 37 miles.
Week of 1/16: total of 43 miles including 12 and 9 mile long runs (two!), 8 miles tempo day (1.5 to 2 miles of warmup, 2 x 2 miles at ~6:45, 2-3 minutes jogging to recover between the intervals, and then cooldown). Easy days: 3 x 4.67 miles at around 8:00 min/mile.
Thursday, January 12
Wednesday, January 11
Tuesday, January 10
Monday, January 9
Sunday, January 8
After the 45 miles this week I'm healthy and feel fine, so let's plan 46 next week. We'll see how to go on after that. It's a good idea to cut back somewhat for the first week of intensive traning, but I just haven't decided exactly how much. 40 miles sounds fine and it also gives a nice simple conversion factor to the Pfitz plan.
Week of 1/9: total of 46 miles, including
13 miles of long run, 7 miles of tempo, 4 times 6.5 miles of easy runs.
Easy runs at 7:45-8:15, long run should be 7:45-8:00, and tempo pace is 6:45-6:50.
Week of 1/9: total of 46 miles, including
13 miles of long run, 7 miles of tempo, 4 times 6.5 miles of easy runs.
Easy runs at 7:45-8:15, long run should be 7:45-8:00, and tempo pace is 6:45-6:50.
Wednesday, January 4
Today, in beautiful weather, I ran a 6:45 paced 4-mile tempo. Awesome. I did have to switch to 2-1 breathing pattern at around 1.25 miles into the fast part, which is somewhat scary, because I'm not sure how long I can breathe that fast, but maybe OK. In fact I should be happy that I can sustain high oxygen intake for longer and longer. Maybe those years of smoking are to blame for destroying enough of my lung tissue?
Sunday, January 1
I successfully completed the 44 miles planned for this week, which included a 12 mile run on January 1st. No problem. Why slow down now? Let's do 45 next week.
Plan for week of January 2.
45 miles, including a 7 mile tempo, a 13 mile long run, and 4 times 6.25 miles easy runs. Easy runs and long run at around 8:00, fast portion of the tempo is at 6:50.
I plan 46 miles for last pre-plan week of 1/9, then cut back some for the first week of the plan. How much exactly will be determined then. That will be an important decision, because it will also determine the peak mileage for the plan. Originally I thought I would cut back to 40, because there will be a step up in the intensity. That still sounds like a fine idea.
Plan for week of January 2.
45 miles, including a 7 mile tempo, a 13 mile long run, and 4 times 6.25 miles easy runs. Easy runs and long run at around 8:00, fast portion of the tempo is at 6:50.
I plan 46 miles for last pre-plan week of 1/9, then cut back some for the first week of the plan. How much exactly will be determined then. That will be an important decision, because it will also determine the peak mileage for the plan. Originally I thought I would cut back to 40, because there will be a step up in the intensity. That still sounds like a fine idea.
Wednesday, December 28
Today I had a hard tempo run at 6:49/mile for four miles. It sounds like a good pace (goal was 6:50), but I was really strugling toward the end, so I'm wondering if it was really so beneficial. I'm not sure what's going on with me, maybe it is just colder than ideal and this is close to the limits of my abilities. I'll definitely just try to keep up this pace for this distance for the rest of the pre-plan training.
Monday, December 26
I guess it was naive to think that I could keep up my training during Christmas. So let's try to repeat the plan for last week for this one.
Plan for week of Dec. 26.
44 miles total, including
13 miles long run, 7 miles tempo (4 fast at 6:50), and 4 x 6 miles easy. From now on easy miles should be run by feel, unless we go out of the 7:45-8:15 interval. Long runs should be at around 8:00 min/mile.
Plan for week of Dec. 26.
44 miles total, including
13 miles long run, 7 miles tempo (4 fast at 6:50), and 4 x 6 miles easy. From now on easy miles should be run by feel, unless we go out of the 7:45-8:15 interval. Long runs should be at around 8:00 min/mile.
Thursday, December 22
Time for reality check. After a rather disastrous tempo today, I have to settle that I can't run reliably faster than 6:50 tempos this season. Let's revise the goals for pre-plan. For the beginning, I will use the following McMillan paces:
The pre-plan MPWs are unchanged:
12/26: 40 miles (no long run)
01/02: 44 miles
01/09: 45 miles
The plan weeks will go as planned, but with the McMillan paces above. In an optimal case, I can still break 1:30, but the paces as of now are for an 1:31:20 HM.
The pre-plan MPWs are unchanged:
12/26: 40 miles (no long run)
01/02: 44 miles
01/09: 45 miles
The plan weeks will go as planned, but with the McMillan paces above. In an optimal case, I can still break 1:30, but the paces as of now are for an 1:31:20 HM.
Monday, December 19
Friday, December 16
Thursday, December 15
Summary of my progress: Last week I completed 42 miles, and I'm now around 6:50/mile for my regular 4-mile tempos. My highly structured training plan starts on Jan. 16 (HM is on 04/28). My pre-plan goal was to reach 45 MPW and 6:45 tempo for at least 20 minutes. The former is definitely doable, but that 5 seconds per mile on tempos seems a bit harder...
Wednesday, December 14
Tuesday, December 13
Monday, December 12
Wednesday, December 7
Tuesday, December 6
My training is falling apart again. It is hard to keep up, when it keeps raining outside. I had a mild knee ache, too, so I decided to skip the second half of last week, only completing ~20 miles.
Try to get back on track. Plan for week of 12/05:
Total of 42 miles, easy runs at or below 8:07, tempo is at 6:51, or whatever I am able to.
Long run is 13 miles. Tempo is total of 7 miles. Rest is 4 x 5.5 miles.
Try to get back on track. Plan for week of 12/05:
Total of 42 miles, easy runs at or below 8:07, tempo is at 6:51, or whatever I am able to.
Long run is 13 miles. Tempo is total of 7 miles. Rest is 4 x 5.5 miles.
Thursday, December 1
Wednesday, November 30
Tuesday, November 29
Friday, November 18
Wednesday, November 16
Monday, November 14
Week finished as planned, though the 13-mile long run on Sunday was harder than expected.
Plan for week of 11/14.
Total 39 miles, including 13 mile long run, 7 miles of tempo (4 fast), and 4 + 5 + 5 + 5 miles of easy run. The 4-miler will happen today. Easy miles at 8:10, tempo at 6:54. This should not only be doable, but in fact I achieved the whole set last week.
Plan for week of 11/14.
Total 39 miles, including 13 mile long run, 7 miles of tempo (4 fast), and 4 + 5 + 5 + 5 miles of easy run. The 4-miler will happen today. Easy miles at 8:10, tempo at 6:54. This should not only be doable, but in fact I achieved the whole set last week.
Thursday, November 10
Tuesday, November 8
Saturday, November 5
Thursday, November 3
Wednesday, November 2
Monday, October 31
Saturday, October 29
Home Run 10K Race Report
Bernheim Forest, near Clermont, KY. Goal: 42 minutes. Plan B: just PR (break 44:26).
The race was about a 40-minute drive from our house, so I got up at 6:00, and left home at 6:50. The race was scheduled to start at 9:00, and I also wanted to stop by a supermarket to buy a bottle of Gatorade. With all the race time crowd and parking complications, it was 8:00 by the time I parked, found the start, the port-a-potty, and was ready to focus on the race. Started the warmup at 8:30. It was still below 40 F, so I debated if I should wear long pants. I decided on shorts, long sleeve shirt and cap.
I lined up close to the front at around 8:55, but they had some technical difficulties with the sensor mats at the start, so they delayed the start until 9:07. The 5K and the 10K started together, so the start was a bit crowded, but the folks were surprisingly polite. At 9:07 off we went. The race started with a short uphill section, but the adrenaline was pumping hard in me, so I hardly noticed. After about 1/2 mile, we were going down a hill for about 1/2 mile, then up again. In fact the whole race course was like this: basically there was no flat section, just up-down-up-down. The first mile was a bit nervous altogether, and I tried really hard to stop the urge to go out too fast.
Mile 1: 6:31.
I planed to run the first few miles at a pace of 6:45, so this was too fast. I tried to go a bit easier in the second mile, and when we hit a steeper hill in the second half, I made sure I don't kill myself on it. The field has spread out, and I was only running with a small group of about 5-6 people.
Mile 2: 7:04.
The rolling hills continued and I saw my pace slowing dramatically (my average pace was 6:50 at one point in this mile), though I had an extra reason to be optimistic: I observed that my Garmin was underestimating the distance. I was hitting the mile markers earlier than my Garmin indicated. During the race I wasn't sure if it was the Garmin or the course, but now I have reasons to believe that the course was correct and the Garmin wrong. I know they measured the course with wheel, and the race was in a forest, so the GPS data is not that accurate (I know this for sure - when I look at the downloaded reference points, they are clearly off sometimes.) Also, the GPS doesn't take the hills into account. So at this point I just thought: if I can keep the average pace at or below 6:50, I can still run 42 minutes. The mile ended with a steep downhill. At the end of the mile, the 5K runners branched off so the race got a lot lonelier, but I didn't mind.
Mile 3: 6:45.
The next mile started with a steep uphill (elevation gain of 100 ft), and then a shorter downhill (elevation loss of 30 ft) (in fact it was even worse, because the downhill had a short up section in it). An older guy ran right behind me for most of the mile. Close to the 4th mile marker he pulled up by me and asked: "Are you struggling, too?" I said: "No, I'm OK." Then we ran a bit together.
Mile 4: 6:58.
The next mile started with a long, killer climb, and by this time I was really fed up with the hills. "Struggling guy" passed me and pulled away up on the hill. There was a turnaround point at about half of the mile, and the volunteer said at the turnaround "It's all downhill from here", which wasn't true, of course. But at least the second half of the mile was going down. I tried to accelerate, but I was nearly spent.
Mile 5: 6:56.
The last mile was mostly downhill, but it did have a nasty climb in the middle. I was close to my breaking point. I was afraid to start a kick, because I though I might totally die before the finish line. "Struggling guy" was almost out sight, and nobody was close behind. But at least by this point I knew I would at least PR. Since I didn't have much idea about the accuracy of my Garmin, I wasn't sure what my real average pace was.
Mile 6: 6:36.
For the last 0.2 mile, the 5K runners rejoined the course, which was a terrible idea. Do you know how it is when you meet the 42-minute 5K crowd at the last moments of a 10K? Walkers, all around the place, and so much confusion that I wasn't even sure where to turn toward the finish line (people were walking back, forth, and across the road everywhere). I had to ask at one point what direction the turn was. The last 0.1 mile was another climb giving the course a net elevation gain. Still, I ran the last portion in about 36 seconds, which my Garmin measured to be 0.1 mile. This means a 6 min/mile paced sprint.
Total time: 41:26, beating my expectation, my road and training PRs.
A note on the mile paces: since my Garmin was not that accurate, most likely each mile was in fact a bit faster.
Post-race food was bagels, banana, some other pastries, and water. Simple and effective. It was really cold once I wasn't running, so I went back to the car to change. We had to wait for quite long for the results, and when they arrived, they were all messed up. Apparently many 5K runners were in the computer as 10K runners. The organizers claimed they changed their minds midrace, but it is hard to believe that so many people did that. When they announced the 3 winners of the 10K, it turned out that all 3 were in fact 5K runners. They corrected this error, and then the announcer decided not to read the age group awards, but they just directed us to a table, where they posted the results, and everybody was to pick up their own prize. I appeared as 2nd place in my age group, so I was about the pick up the second place prize, but then some people told me that the "1st place" runner was in fact a 5Ker. After they said they were absolutely positive (they knew the guy, he was on their team), I surrendered my 2nd place prize to the "3rd" place runner and I picked up the 1st place prize (which is, by the way, a very nice framed certificate). What a mess! Poor 3rd place runner probably never knew he won.
All in all I am very satisfied. I PRd, broke my training 10K record, won my age group, and I ran 41:26 on a quite difficult course. And all this on only 35 MPW, and no speedwork, in the base building phase of the half marathon training. I am starting to think that with more specific training, a flat course, and some time for improvement, a sub-40 10K might be a possibility.
Bernheim Forest, near Clermont, KY. Goal: 42 minutes. Plan B: just PR (break 44:26).
The race was about a 40-minute drive from our house, so I got up at 6:00, and left home at 6:50. The race was scheduled to start at 9:00, and I also wanted to stop by a supermarket to buy a bottle of Gatorade. With all the race time crowd and parking complications, it was 8:00 by the time I parked, found the start, the port-a-potty, and was ready to focus on the race. Started the warmup at 8:30. It was still below 40 F, so I debated if I should wear long pants. I decided on shorts, long sleeve shirt and cap.
I lined up close to the front at around 8:55, but they had some technical difficulties with the sensor mats at the start, so they delayed the start until 9:07. The 5K and the 10K started together, so the start was a bit crowded, but the folks were surprisingly polite. At 9:07 off we went. The race started with a short uphill section, but the adrenaline was pumping hard in me, so I hardly noticed. After about 1/2 mile, we were going down a hill for about 1/2 mile, then up again. In fact the whole race course was like this: basically there was no flat section, just up-down-up-down. The first mile was a bit nervous altogether, and I tried really hard to stop the urge to go out too fast.
Mile 1: 6:31.
I planed to run the first few miles at a pace of 6:45, so this was too fast. I tried to go a bit easier in the second mile, and when we hit a steeper hill in the second half, I made sure I don't kill myself on it. The field has spread out, and I was only running with a small group of about 5-6 people.
Mile 2: 7:04.
The rolling hills continued and I saw my pace slowing dramatically (my average pace was 6:50 at one point in this mile), though I had an extra reason to be optimistic: I observed that my Garmin was underestimating the distance. I was hitting the mile markers earlier than my Garmin indicated. During the race I wasn't sure if it was the Garmin or the course, but now I have reasons to believe that the course was correct and the Garmin wrong. I know they measured the course with wheel, and the race was in a forest, so the GPS data is not that accurate (I know this for sure - when I look at the downloaded reference points, they are clearly off sometimes.) Also, the GPS doesn't take the hills into account. So at this point I just thought: if I can keep the average pace at or below 6:50, I can still run 42 minutes. The mile ended with a steep downhill. At the end of the mile, the 5K runners branched off so the race got a lot lonelier, but I didn't mind.
Mile 3: 6:45.
The next mile started with a steep uphill (elevation gain of 100 ft), and then a shorter downhill (elevation loss of 30 ft) (in fact it was even worse, because the downhill had a short up section in it). An older guy ran right behind me for most of the mile. Close to the 4th mile marker he pulled up by me and asked: "Are you struggling, too?" I said: "No, I'm OK." Then we ran a bit together.
Mile 4: 6:58.
The next mile started with a long, killer climb, and by this time I was really fed up with the hills. "Struggling guy" passed me and pulled away up on the hill. There was a turnaround point at about half of the mile, and the volunteer said at the turnaround "It's all downhill from here", which wasn't true, of course. But at least the second half of the mile was going down. I tried to accelerate, but I was nearly spent.
Mile 5: 6:56.
The last mile was mostly downhill, but it did have a nasty climb in the middle. I was close to my breaking point. I was afraid to start a kick, because I though I might totally die before the finish line. "Struggling guy" was almost out sight, and nobody was close behind. But at least by this point I knew I would at least PR. Since I didn't have much idea about the accuracy of my Garmin, I wasn't sure what my real average pace was.
Mile 6: 6:36.
For the last 0.2 mile, the 5K runners rejoined the course, which was a terrible idea. Do you know how it is when you meet the 42-minute 5K crowd at the last moments of a 10K? Walkers, all around the place, and so much confusion that I wasn't even sure where to turn toward the finish line (people were walking back, forth, and across the road everywhere). I had to ask at one point what direction the turn was. The last 0.1 mile was another climb giving the course a net elevation gain. Still, I ran the last portion in about 36 seconds, which my Garmin measured to be 0.1 mile. This means a 6 min/mile paced sprint.
Total time: 41:26, beating my expectation, my road and training PRs.
A note on the mile paces: since my Garmin was not that accurate, most likely each mile was in fact a bit faster.
Post-race food was bagels, banana, some other pastries, and water. Simple and effective. It was really cold once I wasn't running, so I went back to the car to change. We had to wait for quite long for the results, and when they arrived, they were all messed up. Apparently many 5K runners were in the computer as 10K runners. The organizers claimed they changed their minds midrace, but it is hard to believe that so many people did that. When they announced the 3 winners of the 10K, it turned out that all 3 were in fact 5K runners. They corrected this error, and then the announcer decided not to read the age group awards, but they just directed us to a table, where they posted the results, and everybody was to pick up their own prize. I appeared as 2nd place in my age group, so I was about the pick up the second place prize, but then some people told me that the "1st place" runner was in fact a 5Ker. After they said they were absolutely positive (they knew the guy, he was on their team), I surrendered my 2nd place prize to the "3rd" place runner and I picked up the 1st place prize (which is, by the way, a very nice framed certificate). What a mess! Poor 3rd place runner probably never knew he won.
All in all I am very satisfied. I PRd, broke my training 10K record, won my age group, and I ran 41:26 on a quite difficult course. And all this on only 35 MPW, and no speedwork, in the base building phase of the half marathon training. I am starting to think that with more specific training, a flat course, and some time for improvement, a sub-40 10K might be a possibility.
Thursday, October 27
Here is the plan after the 10K in the weekend.
Base building:
10/31: 37 mi, 8:12, 6:56
11/07: 38 mi, 8:11, 6:55
11/14: 39 mi, 8:10, 6:54
11/21: 40 mi, 8:09, 6:53
11/28: 41 mi, 8:08, 6:52
12/05: 42 mi, 8:07, 6:51
12/12: 43 mi, 8:06, 6:50
12/19: 44 mi, 8:04, 6:49
12/26: 40 mi, 8:03, 6:48
01/02: 44 mi, 8:02, 6:47
01/09: 45 mi, 8:01, 6:46
Every week should include a long run of 12-13 miles, and the tempo should be 4 miles.
Training plan:
01/16: Week 14
01/23: Week 13
01/30: Week 12
02/06: Week 11
02/13: Week 10
02/20: Week 9
02/27: Week 8
03/05: Week 7
03/12: Week 6
03/19: Week 5
03/26: Week 4
04/02: Week 3
04/09: Week 2
04/16: Week 1
04/23: Race week
Base building:
10/31: 37 mi, 8:12, 6:56
11/07: 38 mi, 8:11, 6:55
11/14: 39 mi, 8:10, 6:54
11/21: 40 mi, 8:09, 6:53
11/28: 41 mi, 8:08, 6:52
12/05: 42 mi, 8:07, 6:51
12/12: 43 mi, 8:06, 6:50
12/19: 44 mi, 8:04, 6:49
12/26: 40 mi, 8:03, 6:48
01/02: 44 mi, 8:02, 6:47
01/09: 45 mi, 8:01, 6:46
Every week should include a long run of 12-13 miles, and the tempo should be 4 miles.
Training plan:
01/16: Week 14
01/23: Week 13
01/30: Week 12
02/06: Week 11
02/13: Week 10
02/20: Week 9
02/27: Week 8
03/05: Week 7
03/12: Week 6
03/19: Week 5
03/26: Week 4
04/02: Week 3
04/09: Week 2
04/16: Week 1
04/23: Race week
Wednesday, October 26
Sunday, October 23
Saturday, October 22
Today I ran 7 miles, the middle 4 in 27:32, which translates to exactly 6:53/mile. That is a quite a promise. I haven't been able to run 4mile tempos since I resumed training at the end of summer, and now I ran it at a very respectable speed. I actually don't recall running 6:53 paced 4 mile tempo ever.
I ran it by the Ohio river on the bike/run path. Even though at places the surroundings are quite industrial, I like that path. It is fairly flat, but not completely. The river is quite nice.
I ran it by the Ohio river on the bike/run path. Even though at places the surroundings are quite industrial, I like that path. It is fairly flat, but not completely. The river is quite nice.
Thursday, October 20
Wednesday, October 19
Sunday, October 16
This week has been greatly successful. I feel strong and fit. My LT is still not great, but it is a lot better than a few weeks ago. I can run 3.5 miles at 6:59 without much trouble in training. My 13 miler on Wednesday was easier than ever, and I recovered faster.
Week of October 17:
35 miles, including
13 mile long run midweek.
6 miles of tempo in the weekend.
4 x 4 miles on weekdays. That means I am converting to 6-times-a-week running. Better than running 3 x 5.33. Probably leaving my rest day for Monday. It would be nice to run early in the morning on Tuesday and Thursday.
Easy runs at 8:15 now.
Week of October 17:
35 miles, including
13 mile long run midweek.
6 miles of tempo in the weekend.
4 x 4 miles on weekdays. That means I am converting to 6-times-a-week running. Better than running 3 x 5.33. Probably leaving my rest day for Monday. It would be nice to run early in the morning on Tuesday and Thursday.
Easy runs at 8:15 now.
Wednesday, October 12
I just signed up for a 10K on 10/29. Considering that I only started training again about a month ago, I can't expect it to be great. But I'll try to break that soft 10K road PR of mine, and maybe 42 minutes is achievable. I'm not sure sure about the elevation profile though, so that may change things. I just mostly do it for fun, charity, and benchmark my fitness.
Sunday, October 9
I got a cold, but I still finished my week, included a 3.5 mile tempo today (at 7:00/mile). I got really sick after my 13 miler on Wednesday, but a little rest on Thursday took care of it and I recovered in about one day.
Week of 10/10:
34 miles, including:
13 miles long run, if I feel healthy. Otherwise distribute the extra to easy days.
6 miles tempo, 3.5 miles fast at 6:59.
3 x 5 miles easy at 8:16.
Week of 10/10:
34 miles, including:
13 miles long run, if I feel healthy. Otherwise distribute the extra to easy days.
6 miles tempo, 3.5 miles fast at 6:59.
3 x 5 miles easy at 8:16.
Monday, October 3
I lamented before about the name of the Derby "Mini" Marathon. I think this name disrespects the name "Marathon". A Mini Marathon sounds like a kind of a Marathon, when in fact, they are very different races. But some people believe that the "Half" Marathon disrespects halfs. Indeed, I agree, if you want to run it fast, a half can be very-very hard. So here is an alternative. I have to say I like it:
Pikermi
Saturday, October 1
Finally I'm satisfied with my tempo. This morning I managed 3.5 miles at 7:00/mile, and I didn't even have to turn myself inside out to do it. True, the weather was PERFECT, 50 F (10 C), sunny, no wind. But only about 13 hour elapsed since my 4.4 mile easy run last night.
Tomorrow another 4.2 miles and the week's plan is fulfilled sucessfully.
Week of 10/03:
33 miles, including:
13 miles long.
6 miles tempo (3.5 or 4 miles fast at 7:00)
5 + 5 + 4 miles of easy runs.
Easy and long runs at 8:17.
Tomorrow another 4.2 miles and the week's plan is fulfilled sucessfully.
Week of 10/03:
33 miles, including:
13 miles long.
6 miles tempo (3.5 or 4 miles fast at 7:00)
5 + 5 + 4 miles of easy runs.
Easy and long runs at 8:17.
Tuesday, September 27
Like pretty much every conference week, last week was a failure in training. Too much travel and work... but still managed to get out 30 miles, but no tempo run. And I'm still recovering and I haven't run yesterday. But I'll try to continue:
Week of Sept. 26:
32 miles. Consisting of
13 mi long run on Wednesday.
6 mi tempo in the weekend with 3 or 3.5 miles at 7:00 min/mile.
3 easy runs at 4.33 miles each.
Easy runs at 8:18 min/mile.
Week of Sept. 26:
32 miles. Consisting of
13 mi long run on Wednesday.
6 mi tempo in the weekend with 3 or 3.5 miles at 7:00 min/mile.
3 easy runs at 4.33 miles each.
Easy runs at 8:18 min/mile.
Sunday, September 18
Finished the week as planned. I did a 3-mile tempo at sub-7 minute average pace, but I couldn't do a 4th mile. That's OK, I didn't expect to be able to do it (though I hoped a little...)
Next week:
31 miles, easy runs at 8:19.
13-mile long midweek.
6-mile tempo in the weekent, at least 3 fast miles (at 7:00), but I'll try more if I can (even 3.5 is something).
3 easy runs of 4 miles each.
Next week:
31 miles, easy runs at 8:19.
13-mile long midweek.
6-mile tempo in the weekent, at least 3 fast miles (at 7:00), but I'll try more if I can (even 3.5 is something).
3 easy runs of 4 miles each.
Thursday, September 15
Tuesday, September 13
Sunday, September 11
I finished the week with 28.51 miles, of which there was 13.12 mile long run at 8:11, and a 6.15 mile tempo, with 3+1 fast miles at 7:00, 7:06, 6:46, (pause), 6:56. I tried 4 continuous miles at 7:00, but after the 3rd mile, I knew I couldn't manage a 4th, so I decided to stop after the 3rd; then, on a whim, I decided to run a 4th fast mile after a slow one. My pacing still sucks, but that is kind of normal after a long break in speed workouts. It is a bit disappointing that I couldn't run a 4-mile tempo, but it is still a lot better than my tempo last week. I still have a few weeks to be able to do a 4-mile tempo at 7:00.
Friday, September 9
Scratch the SmartCoach plan. It's stupid. Now that I see its details, I don't find it good at all. So I'm starting anew. Some basic facts:
The Derby Half Marathon (I refuse to call it a "Mini Marathon") is on April 28. In any version of Pfitzinger's plan, the weeks go like this:
01/16: Week 14
01/23: Week 13
01/30: Week 12
02/06: Week 11
02/13: Week 10
02/20: Week 9
02/27: Week 8
03/05: Week 7
03/12: Week 6
03/19: Week 5
03/26: Week 4
04/02: Week 3
04/09: Week 2
04/16: Week 1
04/23: Race week
I have 18 weeks before the plan starts. By the time I'm starting the plan, I have a few goals:
- My MPW should be at least 45.
- My pace for easy runs should be 8:00 and I should be able to do 6:45 paced tempos for at least 20 minutes.
- I should keep doing 12-13 mile long runs 3 weeks out of 4.
Here is the plan. The order of the fields is MPW, easy pace, tempo pace. The long run is always 12-13 miles at easy pace. I gave myself 4 weeks to get to 7 minutes in tempos, because I'm not really there yet, but it will be hard to predict when I'll get there. In January, I should be able to start the Pfitzinger plan with the McMillan paces for 1:30 HM.
09/12: 30 mi, 8:20, 7:00
09/19: 31 mi, 8:19, 7:00
09/26: 32 mi, 8:18, 7:00
10/03: 33 mi, 8:17, 7:00
10/10: 34 mi, 8:16, 6:59
10/17: 35 mi, 8:15, 6:58
10/24: 36 mi, 8:14, 6:57
10/31: 37 mi, 8:12, 6:56
11/07: 38 mi, 8:11, 6:55
11/14: 39 mi, 8:10, 6:54
11/21: 40 mi, 8:09, 6:53
11/28: 41 mi, 8:08, 6:52
12/05: 42 mi, 8:07, 6:51
12/12: 43 mi, 8:06, 6:50
12/19: 44 mi, 8:04, 6:49
12/26: 40 mi, 8:03, 6:48
01/02: 44 mi, 8:02, 6:47
01/09: 45 mi, 8:01, 6:46
The Derby Half Marathon (I refuse to call it a "Mini Marathon") is on April 28. In any version of Pfitzinger's plan, the weeks go like this:
01/16: Week 14
01/23: Week 13
01/30: Week 12
02/06: Week 11
02/13: Week 10
02/20: Week 9
02/27: Week 8
03/05: Week 7
03/12: Week 6
03/19: Week 5
03/26: Week 4
04/02: Week 3
04/09: Week 2
04/16: Week 1
04/23: Race week
I have 18 weeks before the plan starts. By the time I'm starting the plan, I have a few goals:
- My MPW should be at least 45.
- My pace for easy runs should be 8:00 and I should be able to do 6:45 paced tempos for at least 20 minutes.
- I should keep doing 12-13 mile long runs 3 weeks out of 4.
Here is the plan. The order of the fields is MPW, easy pace, tempo pace. The long run is always 12-13 miles at easy pace. I gave myself 4 weeks to get to 7 minutes in tempos, because I'm not really there yet, but it will be hard to predict when I'll get there. In January, I should be able to start the Pfitzinger plan with the McMillan paces for 1:30 HM.
09/12: 30 mi, 8:20, 7:00
09/19: 31 mi, 8:19, 7:00
09/26: 32 mi, 8:18, 7:00
10/03: 33 mi, 8:17, 7:00
10/10: 34 mi, 8:16, 6:59
10/17: 35 mi, 8:15, 6:58
10/24: 36 mi, 8:14, 6:57
10/31: 37 mi, 8:12, 6:56
11/07: 38 mi, 8:11, 6:55
11/14: 39 mi, 8:10, 6:54
11/21: 40 mi, 8:09, 6:53
11/28: 41 mi, 8:08, 6:52
12/05: 42 mi, 8:07, 6:51
12/12: 43 mi, 8:06, 6:50
12/19: 44 mi, 8:04, 6:49
12/26: 40 mi, 8:03, 6:48
01/02: 44 mi, 8:02, 6:47
01/09: 45 mi, 8:01, 6:46
Sunday, September 4
Week 1 results: 27 miles, 1 tempo (4 fast miles): partial success only, 1 long run (8 miles): hardest 8 miles I have ever had (sooo much pain, mostly from my tooth, and supplemented with the worst side stitches).
Week 2 plan:
Speedwork: 3 x 1600 m in 6:33 each and 800 m recovery. With 1-1 mile warmup and cooldown, total of 6 miles.
Long: 13 miles.
Easy runs: 3 + 3 + 2 miles.
Easy and long runs at 8:21/mile.
Total is 27 miles.
Week 2 plan:
Speedwork: 3 x 1600 m in 6:33 each and 800 m recovery. With 1-1 mile warmup and cooldown, total of 6 miles.
Long: 13 miles.
Easy runs: 3 + 3 + 2 miles.
Easy and long runs at 8:21/mile.
Total is 27 miles.
The Thursday early morning tempo didn't go very well. The fast miles were 6:45, 6:58, 7:10, 7:18. It's not even the 7:04 average (after fractional seconds) that bothers me - after all that is only 2 seconds/mile slower than planned, but the fact that the pace is decreasing and that I couldn't run faster than 7:18 in the fourth mile. I probably would have faired better with slower first miles, but it is always hard to pace myself on the first fast runs of a training cycle. For now, plan doesn't need to be changed.
I had my wisdom tooth extracted Friday morning and I was in bad pain. I took some hydrocodone up until Friday night, so I didn't run on Saturday - I had terrible headaches and the usual opiate hangover on Saturday (plus the pain from the tooth removal). I toughed it out on Saturday, so I would not have the after effects on Sunday, and I can finally run. I plan 8 miles for today.
I had my wisdom tooth extracted Friday morning and I was in bad pain. I took some hydrocodone up until Friday night, so I didn't run on Saturday - I had terrible headaches and the usual opiate hangover on Saturday (plus the pain from the tooth removal). I toughed it out on Saturday, so I would not have the after effects on Sunday, and I can finally run. I plan 8 miles for today.
Monday, August 29
I will probably try out a SmartCoach plan. I am usually not a fan of Runner's World's SmartCoach, but I plugged in my data and the plan seems reasonable.
Week 1 (out of 35!), 5 runs:
Tempo Run: 6 miles, including 4 miles @ 7:02
Long Run: 13 miles (wow)
Easy Runs: 3 + 2 + 2 miles.
Easy and long runs @ 8:22.
Week 1 (out of 35!), 5 runs:
Tempo Run: 6 miles, including 4 miles @ 7:02
Long Run: 13 miles (wow)
Easy Runs: 3 + 2 + 2 miles.
Easy and long runs @ 8:22.
A fell off the wagon again. I haven't run since coming back from SC on August 7th. That's 3 weeks. Explanation: I tried to do too much, too fast, it was too hot, and I had too much to do. I should have kept it more casual and relaxed, and I shouldn't have tried to squeeze in a serious fall race. With my summer schedule, I see it was almost hopeless.
The 10K plans are out of the window now. I also have to restart base building. I have had some knee issues just before I quit my plan, so I also should be more careful with fast buildup. Starting at 30 miles should be OK, but I'll follow a 10% rule, or even slower.
The goal is the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon on April 28. I have 35 weeks if I'm not mistaken. It would also be nice to run some 10Ks during preparation, though spectacular times are not expected.
The 10K plans are out of the window now. I also have to restart base building. I have had some knee issues just before I quit my plan, so I also should be more careful with fast buildup. Starting at 30 miles should be OK, but I'll follow a 10% rule, or even slower.
The goal is the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon on April 28. I have 35 weeks if I'm not mistaken. It would also be nice to run some 10Ks during preparation, though spectacular times are not expected.
Monday, July 25
After surviving last week's heat wave (though running only 36 miles at the end - the plan was 40, but I just couldn't do 10 miles yesterday in the heat), he is the plan for this week:
Week -11:
Long runs 10 and 8 miles.
Track: 6x800 m at 5K pace (3:12 or faster), with 400 m recoveries. Warmup and cooldown should be 1600 m. Altogether ~6.25 miles.
Four easy runs, 6.25 miles each.
Sum: 43 miles.
Week -11:
Long runs 10 and 8 miles.
Track: 6x800 m at 5K pace (3:12 or faster), with 400 m recoveries. Warmup and cooldown should be 1600 m. Altogether ~6.25 miles.
Four easy runs, 6.25 miles each.
Sum: 43 miles.
Friday, July 22
I'm fucking fed up with the weather. We have a heat wave and the top heat index was 107 F = 42 C today. Even though the temperatures are only in the 90's, my recent experience of running in Hungary validates that 90 F here, in high humidity, and 90 F there in low humidity is sky and ground. If I don't do my run in the morning, I can give up that day. Even late in the evening the temperatures stay high.
E.g. today weather.com gives you a Red Boxed Warning about SEVERE WEATHER in Louisville. Explanation: "Dangerous heat index. Outdoor exposure should be limited." LOL, how about strenuous outdoor exercise? (I did a usual 6 miles this morning.)
E.g. today weather.com gives you a Red Boxed Warning about SEVERE WEATHER in Louisville. Explanation: "Dangerous heat index. Outdoor exposure should be limited." LOL, how about strenuous outdoor exercise? (I did a usual 6 miles this morning.)
Thursday, July 21
Monday, July 18
I bonked real bad on Sunday when I tried to run 12 miles from my new home (house) to my old home (apartment). The whole idea started with the plan to transport my bicycle over. I would drive from the house to the apartment, then I would ride my bike back to the house, run back to the apartment, drive back to the house. Except it was hot, humid, and I got dehydrated quite fast. I have a bottle that holds 1 quart (=0.95 liter) of fluid. I filled it up with Gatorade, and I drank about a half liter of water just before I left. I assumed that even if I consume a quarter bottle every 20 minutes (which is about as much as my stomach can empty into my bowels in 20 minutes), then I still have 100 minutes, and 12 miles should be done in 100 minutes.
I was on pace, all fine in the first 30 minutes, and I didn't feel I needed to drink before that. Then I drank a quarter of the bottle. I felt I needed a drink again at 45 minutes, but I resisted a bit (the 20 minutes was not up yet), and finally I drank another quarter bottle at 48 minutes. Then I started to have that bad feeling that I want to drink more, but I wanted water, not Gatorade. I was also sweating profoundly - my clothes were dripping wet from the sweat. I was running in the middle of the day (big mistake, but I had to fix a flat tire in the apartment before I left on my ride), and it was right after a rain. We are in the Ohio valley, so the humidity must have been close to 100%.
At 1 hour 5 minutes into the run, I knew I was in trouble. I was in the 8th mile, and I hit a nasty hill at the back of Cherokee Park. I knew I still have more that 4 miles to go, so instead of killing myself on the hill, I stopped running, and I just walked up to the top. I emptied my bottle, because I remembered there is a water fountain just off the path on the top the hill - normally I wouldn't stop, but this was an emergency situation. On the top of the hill I filled up my bottle with water, then I immediately drank half of it. Filled it up again, started to I ran to the bottom of the hill. But this part of the course was really hilly. Another hill started right after that - not very long, but I didn't make it to the top running: I had to walk the last portion. I continued this run-walk thing for another short while, but just before mile 9, I called it quits.
Then of course I had to walk home the remaining 3 miles! That was not very pleasant, either, but I could do it.
I hate when this happens. It is amazing, but 8 oz (= 1/4 quart = 0.24 liter) water/Gatorade is not enough here in the summer, at least not in my state of training/acclimatization.
This morning I was able to run 6 miles without too much trouble, though again, my shorts were dripping sweaty when I got home. This was also the first run from the house, but it was sort of disappointing, because the route was not that nice (lots of concrete sidewalks), and there was an extremely nasty road crossing. I think I'll experiment with a different route tomorrow. And I'll bring water. Even for just 6 miles.
I was on pace, all fine in the first 30 minutes, and I didn't feel I needed to drink before that. Then I drank a quarter of the bottle. I felt I needed a drink again at 45 minutes, but I resisted a bit (the 20 minutes was not up yet), and finally I drank another quarter bottle at 48 minutes. Then I started to have that bad feeling that I want to drink more, but I wanted water, not Gatorade. I was also sweating profoundly - my clothes were dripping wet from the sweat. I was running in the middle of the day (big mistake, but I had to fix a flat tire in the apartment before I left on my ride), and it was right after a rain. We are in the Ohio valley, so the humidity must have been close to 100%.
At 1 hour 5 minutes into the run, I knew I was in trouble. I was in the 8th mile, and I hit a nasty hill at the back of Cherokee Park. I knew I still have more that 4 miles to go, so instead of killing myself on the hill, I stopped running, and I just walked up to the top. I emptied my bottle, because I remembered there is a water fountain just off the path on the top the hill - normally I wouldn't stop, but this was an emergency situation. On the top of the hill I filled up my bottle with water, then I immediately drank half of it. Filled it up again, started to I ran to the bottom of the hill. But this part of the course was really hilly. Another hill started right after that - not very long, but I didn't make it to the top running: I had to walk the last portion. I continued this run-walk thing for another short while, but just before mile 9, I called it quits.
Then of course I had to walk home the remaining 3 miles! That was not very pleasant, either, but I could do it.
I hate when this happens. It is amazing, but 8 oz (= 1/4 quart = 0.24 liter) water/Gatorade is not enough here in the summer, at least not in my state of training/acclimatization.
This morning I was able to run 6 miles without too much trouble, though again, my shorts were dripping sweaty when I got home. This was also the first run from the house, but it was sort of disappointing, because the route was not that nice (lots of concrete sidewalks), and there was an extremely nasty road crossing. I think I'll experiment with a different route tomorrow. And I'll bring water. Even for just 6 miles.
Saturday, July 16
If the organizers can confirm the date for me, I plan to race on October 15, and this time, finally, my "A" race would be a 10K. I plan to get rid of that old, soft PR, but in fact I'll try to get close to 40 minutes. We will see how my shape is at the beginning of the cycle. Even if I don't believe the 19:11 5K PR on that (probably) short course, I should have been capable of something like 19:30, and that already gives a 10K equivalent of 40:30.
That also means that I will run tune up 5Ks on 10/1 and 9/17 (or 18). I don't expect to run PRs, but I should be under 20 minutes in those.
Training schedule:
Race week starts on 10/10.
Week -1: 10/3
Week -2: 9/26
Week -3: 9/19
Week -4: 9/12
Week -5: 9/5
Week -6: 8/29
Week -7: 8/22
Week -8: 8/15
Week -9: 8/8
Week -10: 8/1
Week -11: 7/25
Next week is still base: I'll to ramp up to 40+ miles, because the first week of the training will be 43 miles and there is intensity in it.
That also means that I will run tune up 5Ks on 10/1 and 9/17 (or 18). I don't expect to run PRs, but I should be under 20 minutes in those.
Training schedule:
Race week starts on 10/10.
Week -1: 10/3
Week -2: 9/26
Week -3: 9/19
Week -4: 9/12
Week -5: 9/5
Week -6: 8/29
Week -7: 8/22
Week -8: 8/15
Week -9: 8/8
Week -10: 8/1
Week -11: 7/25
Next week is still base: I'll to ramp up to 40+ miles, because the first week of the training will be 43 miles and there is intensity in it.
Monday, July 11
I'm back. I did very little running in the last 5 weeks, gained 3-4 pounds, and certainly lost some fitness, but this morning I went for an easy 5 miler, and I feel just fine. I'll build up with ~30 miles this week, then jump into 40 next week, and after that I take it slower with the 10% rule. Considering that I maxed out at 50 miles in the last cycle, I think my body should be able to handle it. Plus, I didn't entirely stop running in my break: I ran 15 miles on the week of 06/20 and 16 on the week on 06/27 (this latter was 4 + 12; the 12-miler was a great run from Veszprem through Balatonalmadi to Felsoors).
Sunday, June 5
Now that I'm fast and wise (LOL!) here are some words of wisdom: :)
1. I think training at the hottest time of the day for two weeks was a great idea. Just two weeks ago, temperatures in the 70s felt hot, but yesterday, I had no problem with the temperature. I only started to feel hot at the very end. I think this is generally good advice if you are racing in the spring or early summer. Just when you do this, don't try to run your cold weather paces.
2. (this one I posted on the sub-20 5K thread on the RW forums) OF Runner: yes, I think you are absolutely correct: whoever put in the work (in this thread) got the results. You will always see those talented folks, who run 20 miles a week, their PR is like 21:xx, show up in th thread, do some speedwork, and two weeks later they run their sub-20. I'm not one of them... It took me a year and a half to get there. I couldn't do it on 35 miles per weeks, so I went up to ~45 and it worked. Bugaha also noted once that for the average guy it seems like over 40 miles per week does the trick. To summarize: if you already train properly (speedwork, etc), and you want to run faster: just run more.
1. I think training at the hottest time of the day for two weeks was a great idea. Just two weeks ago, temperatures in the 70s felt hot, but yesterday, I had no problem with the temperature. I only started to feel hot at the very end. I think this is generally good advice if you are racing in the spring or early summer. Just when you do this, don't try to run your cold weather paces.
2. (this one I posted on the sub-20 5K thread on the RW forums) OF Runner: yes, I think you are absolutely correct: whoever put in the work (in this thread) got the results. You will always see those talented folks, who run 20 miles a week, their PR is like 21:xx, show up in th thread, do some speedwork, and two weeks later they run their sub-20. I'm not one of them... It took me a year and a half to get there. I couldn't do it on 35 miles per weeks, so I went up to ~45 and it worked. Bugaha also noted once that for the average guy it seems like over 40 miles per week does the trick. To summarize: if you already train properly (speedwork, etc), and you want to run faster: just run more.
Saturday, June 4
Johnny's 5k Memorial Run Race Report
Goal: sub-20. Secondary goal: 20:30.
This was *the* race of the season for me. A pancake flat course that runs along the Ohio River was supposed to be a very PR friendly course - the only problem was that there is unseasonably hot here in Louisville now.
I took Friday off, and tried to rest, though it was quite hard to do so with all the stress going on in my life. My family was in the air over the Atlantic Ocean for one. I still managed to sleep about 7 hours. I did my usual morning routine, and got to the race at 7:25. I picked up my T-shirt, started the warm-up at 7:35. A few minutes later, my friend, Daniel arrived, and he joined me. We finished the warmup at 7:52, found the start line, lined up, and chatted with a nice family with a very young daughter, who was about to run the race.
One nice surprise was that morning temperatures were a bit lower than predicted. A few days ago it was predicted to be close to 80 F, but in fact it was only about 71. So I decided I would go out hard, because I thought I did have a chance for a sub-20. I also hoped that training (consciously) in 90 F this week helped my body to acclimate.
I also bought specific racing shoes this week. It's a pair of Saucony Kinvara 2s, and they are only 8 ounces.
After a few minutes of announcements and the national anthem, we were off. I was close enough to the start line that I didn't have to zig-zag around people. I started running an aggressive pace, trying to keep myself at my VO2 max, and except one burst (to pass a guy), I felt I was pacing right. I turned off the instantaneous pace on my Garmin, so my first clue on my pace came at around 0.25 mile, when I was around 1:30, and I liked that. I kept doing that pace, and I tried to follow a guy who was just ahead of me, and he looked like he was in my age group (30-39).
Mile 1: 5:57
Wow, this is fast - I thought. But I was OK, so I would have felt silly to slow down just for that. At about 1.3 miles we reached the turnaround point (more exactly we made two rights around a block and then converged back to the original course). I started to hurt there. It came out of nowhere: one moment I was perfectly fine, the next moment I thought it was over. I slowed down and tried to recover. Yes, in retrospect, it is clear that my first mile was too fast. At 1.5 miles, there was a water station: I grabbed a bottle and poured it over my head. (Thanks for the advice, clhuntley!) That felt great and gave me a boost.
Mile 2: 6:25
OK, I'm slowing but this is still sub 20-minute pace, and I gained so much in the first mile that now I believed I would have my sub-20! I was chugging along at that steady 6:26-ish pace. I started to push somewhat harder at 2.75, my breathing got irregular, and I told myself that I only have about one 400 m lap left. Somebody tried to pass me, but I didn't let him, and I almost passed the guy whom I followed since the beginning, but he probably accelerated, and left me at the end.
Mile 3: 6:28
The rest was a bit confusing to me: I expected to run another ~40 seconds, but just around the corner, the finish line was there. It was a lot closer than I expected, and it I didn't really kick at the end (though admittedly, I didn't have a lot left in me). There were mile markers on the course, but I haven't looked at my Garmin at the mile points, so I have no idea where the course measurement and my Garmin drifted. Clearly, the GPS is not that accurate (and I see myself running through buildings on the map, now, that I downloaded the data), but it is usually measuring longer than 3.1 miles. I passed the finish line slightly confused.
Time: 19:11
All in all, a great race, and if the course was not short, I crushed my PR. I have yet to decide if I should put an asterisk mark after this PR. One thing is clear: I did run sub-20.
I went back to the finish line with a bottle of Gatorade to cheer for Daniel, who finished with 25:xx. It was his first race ever and he didn't have a set goal.
I was 4th in my age group, so no award for me. A bunch of serious folks showed up, and the bracket was wide: 30-39 years. The guy, who I followed all the way, but beat me at the end by a few seconds, finished at the 3rd place.
Next: no running for me a for a few weeks. I'll be taking my summer break and be back to training some time at the end of June. I should also figure out my racing goal for the fall. 5K or 10K are basically the options - maybe both, but I wouldn't really know how train for that. Then it would be so nice to run the Derby Half in the spring.
Goal: sub-20. Secondary goal: 20:30.
This was *the* race of the season for me. A pancake flat course that runs along the Ohio River was supposed to be a very PR friendly course - the only problem was that there is unseasonably hot here in Louisville now.
I took Friday off, and tried to rest, though it was quite hard to do so with all the stress going on in my life. My family was in the air over the Atlantic Ocean for one. I still managed to sleep about 7 hours. I did my usual morning routine, and got to the race at 7:25. I picked up my T-shirt, started the warm-up at 7:35. A few minutes later, my friend, Daniel arrived, and he joined me. We finished the warmup at 7:52, found the start line, lined up, and chatted with a nice family with a very young daughter, who was about to run the race.
One nice surprise was that morning temperatures were a bit lower than predicted. A few days ago it was predicted to be close to 80 F, but in fact it was only about 71. So I decided I would go out hard, because I thought I did have a chance for a sub-20. I also hoped that training (consciously) in 90 F this week helped my body to acclimate.
I also bought specific racing shoes this week. It's a pair of Saucony Kinvara 2s, and they are only 8 ounces.
After a few minutes of announcements and the national anthem, we were off. I was close enough to the start line that I didn't have to zig-zag around people. I started running an aggressive pace, trying to keep myself at my VO2 max, and except one burst (to pass a guy), I felt I was pacing right. I turned off the instantaneous pace on my Garmin, so my first clue on my pace came at around 0.25 mile, when I was around 1:30, and I liked that. I kept doing that pace, and I tried to follow a guy who was just ahead of me, and he looked like he was in my age group (30-39).
Mile 1: 5:57
Wow, this is fast - I thought. But I was OK, so I would have felt silly to slow down just for that. At about 1.3 miles we reached the turnaround point (more exactly we made two rights around a block and then converged back to the original course). I started to hurt there. It came out of nowhere: one moment I was perfectly fine, the next moment I thought it was over. I slowed down and tried to recover. Yes, in retrospect, it is clear that my first mile was too fast. At 1.5 miles, there was a water station: I grabbed a bottle and poured it over my head. (Thanks for the advice, clhuntley!) That felt great and gave me a boost.
Mile 2: 6:25
OK, I'm slowing but this is still sub 20-minute pace, and I gained so much in the first mile that now I believed I would have my sub-20! I was chugging along at that steady 6:26-ish pace. I started to push somewhat harder at 2.75, my breathing got irregular, and I told myself that I only have about one 400 m lap left. Somebody tried to pass me, but I didn't let him, and I almost passed the guy whom I followed since the beginning, but he probably accelerated, and left me at the end.
Mile 3: 6:28
The rest was a bit confusing to me: I expected to run another ~40 seconds, but just around the corner, the finish line was there. It was a lot closer than I expected, and it I didn't really kick at the end (though admittedly, I didn't have a lot left in me). There were mile markers on the course, but I haven't looked at my Garmin at the mile points, so I have no idea where the course measurement and my Garmin drifted. Clearly, the GPS is not that accurate (and I see myself running through buildings on the map, now, that I downloaded the data), but it is usually measuring longer than 3.1 miles. I passed the finish line slightly confused.
Time: 19:11
All in all, a great race, and if the course was not short, I crushed my PR. I have yet to decide if I should put an asterisk mark after this PR. One thing is clear: I did run sub-20.
I went back to the finish line with a bottle of Gatorade to cheer for Daniel, who finished with 25:xx. It was his first race ever and he didn't have a set goal.
I was 4th in my age group, so no award for me. A bunch of serious folks showed up, and the bracket was wide: 30-39 years. The guy, who I followed all the way, but beat me at the end by a few seconds, finished at the 3rd place.
Next: no running for me a for a few weeks. I'll be taking my summer break and be back to training some time at the end of June. I should also figure out my racing goal for the fall. 5K or 10K are basically the options - maybe both, but I wouldn't really know how train for that. Then it would be so nice to run the Derby Half in the spring.
Monday, May 30
It looks like we will have a heat wave during my race - night temperatures around 75 F, probably close to 80 by the time we race. This makes a sub-20 all but impossible. Which means that I will have to go on and train for a fall race. Looking at the average expected temperatures, it looks like October 11-12 is the time when night temperature averages go below 50 F. So how about racing on October 8? There is a Susan G. Komen race for the cure in Louisville that day - which I would probably hate to run, because it is too big and slow/runners walkers won't understand that they shouldn't line up on the front - but there may be races around that date that pop up later.
Counting 12 weeks back from October 8:
Race week starts on 10/03.
Week -1: 9/26
Week -2: 9/19
Week -3: 9/12
Week -4: 9/5
Week -5: 8/29
Week -6: 8/22
Week -7: 8/15
Week -8: 8/8
Week -9: 8/1
Week -10: 7/25
Week -11: 7/18
This means I'll have about 1 week after coming back (and the jet lag is over) to start the cycle. It looks like I can't entirely stop running in Hungary.
Counting 12 weeks back from October 8:
Race week starts on 10/03.
Week -1: 9/26
Week -2: 9/19
Week -3: 9/12
Week -4: 9/5
Week -5: 8/29
Week -6: 8/22
Week -7: 8/15
Week -8: 8/8
Week -9: 8/1
Week -10: 7/25
Week -11: 7/18
This means I'll have about 1 week after coming back (and the jet lag is over) to start the cycle. It looks like I can't entirely stop running in Hungary.
Wednesday, May 25
Sunday, May 22
Log: Sunday 11:20 am, track session. 85 F, sunny. Shoe: adidas. 3400 m warmup, 3200 m cooldown at ~8:20/1600 m. 3000 m time trial. Splits are:
200: 42.85 (started a bit fast, I should average 46 seconds on 200 m)
600: 1:32.94 (good)
1000: 1:33.85 (getting hard, it is too hot today)
1400: 1:33.99 (the black asphalt of this track seems to radiate the heat - I'm very hot)
1800: 1:35.56 (the heat - or whatever - is starting to affect my time)
2200: 1:40.40 (I'm trying to save this workout but cutting the speed, so I can still run)
2600: 1:40.92 (I switched to irregular breathing - I'm trying not to puke)
3000: 1:32.65 (fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-I'm-dying)
Total: 11:53.16. Pretty disappointing, as I was trying for 11:29. But maybe it was just the heat. I ran 11:33 in a similar time trial last April, and that training cycle didn't give me the sub-20.
BTW with this run I finished a 44-mile week successfully.
200: 42.85 (started a bit fast, I should average 46 seconds on 200 m)
600: 1:32.94 (good)
1000: 1:33.85 (getting hard, it is too hot today)
1400: 1:33.99 (the black asphalt of this track seems to radiate the heat - I'm very hot)
1800: 1:35.56 (the heat - or whatever - is starting to affect my time)
2200: 1:40.40 (I'm trying to save this workout but cutting the speed, so I can still run)
2600: 1:40.92 (I switched to irregular breathing - I'm trying not to puke)
3000: 1:32.65 (fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-I'm-dying)
Total: 11:53.16. Pretty disappointing, as I was trying for 11:29. But maybe it was just the heat. I ran 11:33 in a similar time trial last April, and that training cycle didn't give me the sub-20.
BTW with this run I finished a 44-mile week successfully.
Saturday, May 21
Wednesday, May 18
Sunday, May 15
We organized a conference in town this week and that killed my training plans. I only managed to get 34 miles in (instead of the planned 47). It's like one (really) long run short. I only ran 5 days of the week. Oh well. I consider my losses and prepare the next week like nothing happened. At least I had my VO2 max workout, which is probably the most important in this phase. I ran 5x1000 meters in 3:55, 3:56, 3:54, 3:54, 3:53.
Next week (-2) should be 43.5 miles. According to Pfitzinger, this is how it should look like:
Long runs: 9 and 8 miles.
LT run: 3K or 2 mile race. With warmup and cooldown this would be a 6-mile day.
Three easy runs: 7 miles each.
One change I'm contemplating is that the LT run could be a straightforward 4-mile tempo (plus warmup, cooldown) instead of the race. It is basically impossible to find a 3K race here, so I would have to make it a time trial, and a tempo might be more beneficial. Though the time trial has it's own advantages, especially because I don't do strides, so I may need more anaerobic training. I'll decide later.
Next week (-2) should be 43.5 miles. According to Pfitzinger, this is how it should look like:
Long runs: 9 and 8 miles.
LT run: 3K or 2 mile race. With warmup and cooldown this would be a 6-mile day.
Three easy runs: 7 miles each.
One change I'm contemplating is that the LT run could be a straightforward 4-mile tempo (plus warmup, cooldown) instead of the race. It is basically impossible to find a 3K race here, so I would have to make it a time trial, and a tempo might be more beneficial. Though the time trial has it's own advantages, especially because I don't do strides, so I may need more anaerobic training. I'll decide later.
Saturday, May 7
Week -4 is finished with the planned 47 miles. This is cutback from last week, but the intensity is dialed up; in fact, probably the first time ever, my average pace was under 8 min/mile. Not that I planned for this, but I felt great for virtually all my runs (except maybe the Monday easy 7-miler). In fact, at the moment of writing this, I have run seven days in a row, 58 miles in those seven days (including last Sunday's 11-mile long run), just finished my 9-mile long run for this week, and I feel fresh. Nevertheless, I'll rest tomorrow, though I bet I will feel a little sluggish on Monday.
Plan for week -3: (47 miles)
Long runs: 10 miles and 9 miles.
Track: 3200 m warmup, 5x1000 m at race pace (1:33/lap, 3:53/interval - if this doesn't work, it is allowed to slow down somewhat, but all intervals must be strictly under 4 minutes). Recovery is 400 meters. 3000 m cooldown. Total of 8 miles.
Easy runs: 3 x 6 miles.
Edit: I should learn to add. This is only 45 miles. For this, and other reasons, I couldn't do this week as planned, see next post.
Plan for week -3: (47 miles)
Long runs: 10 miles and 9 miles.
Track: 3200 m warmup, 5x1000 m at race pace (1:33/lap, 3:53/interval - if this doesn't work, it is allowed to slow down somewhat, but all intervals must be strictly under 4 minutes). Recovery is 400 meters. 3000 m cooldown. Total of 8 miles.
Easy runs: 3 x 6 miles.
Edit: I should learn to add. This is only 45 miles. For this, and other reasons, I couldn't do this week as planned, see next post.
Thursday, May 5
I ran 4x600 today, just two days after the time trial. I felt good, so I was aiming for 2:19/600 m. Everything went according to the plans. Splits were 2:20, 2:20, 2:19, 2:17. Recoveries were 1:11 each. (I covered 200 meters a little faster than that, then I was waiting until my watch turned 1:11, then I went on the next interval.)
Tuesday, May 3
I ran a 10000 meter time trial today at the local high school track. Guess what: 41:29. My goal was 41:33, because that is the 20:00 5K equivalent according to McMillan, but I wasn't sure if I could do it. I was fairly confident though that I could go under 42 minutes. So I decided to go out at 1:40/lap pace, which is 6:40/1600 m, 6:42/mile. Here are my 1600 m splits:
6:40, 6:40, 6:38, 6:41, 6:37, 6:42, 1:31 (for the last 400 m).
Before the last lap I was on pace for 41:38, and I was able to kick 9 seconds in the last lap.
I am more than satisfied. I know that track is easier than race, but this was in training! McMillan says this translates to a 19:58 5K. Also, my 5K splits were 20:50, 20:39.
6:40, 6:40, 6:38, 6:41, 6:37, 6:42, 1:31 (for the last 400 m).
Before the last lap I was on pace for 41:38, and I was able to kick 9 seconds in the last lap.
I am more than satisfied. I know that track is easier than race, but this was in training! McMillan says this translates to a 19:58 5K. Also, my 5K splits were 20:50, 20:39.
Monday, May 2
Sunday, May 1
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