Last two weeks:
Week of 4/15 (46 miles):
Sun: 5.5 miles easy.
Mon: 9 miles at 8:00 or faster.
Tue: 5.5 miles easy.
Wed: 3200 m warmup; 3 x 2000 m at less than 8 minutes each, with 800 m recovery; 2800 m cooldown. Total of about 8.5 miles. This is the last hard workout. Nothing should feel hard after this.
Thu: 5.5 miles easy.
Fri: rest.
Sat: 12 miles at around 8:00. Don't push it! It can't feel hard.
Week of 4/22 (37 miles):
Sun: 3.5 miles easy.
Mon: 9 miles easy.
Tue: rest.
Wed: 7 miles easy.
Thu: 3.5 miles very easy.
Fri: rest.
Sat: Race.
Friday, April 13
Tuesday, April 10
Monday, April 9
I just came back from mini road trip in the weekend from Asheville, NC. Still, managed to run every day. I did 6 miles in the Amboy greenway on Saturday in pitch dark - I was barely able to make out the (paved) trail, but I still managed sub-8 min paces. On the other hand, I did one of the the most beautiful runs of mine on Sunday in the Smokies: I ran 5 miles on Big Creek Trail that was leading to beautiful waterfalls.
I finished the week with 54 miles, if I count Sunday to next week (otherwise it was actually 59). My plan was 54, and I do mean to shift my week starting on Sundays, because my races are on Saturdays, and training works better this way.
I finished the week with 54 miles, if I count Sunday to next week (otherwise it was actually 59). My plan was 54, and I do mean to shift my week starting on Sundays, because my races are on Saturdays, and training works better this way.
Tuesday, April 3
Today it was 85 degrees, but I still managed 4 x 1600 meters at or close to VO2 max on the high school track. The sun was out, shining at full power, and the heat over the black surface of the track was brutal. I kept pouring water on my head during my 800 meter recoveries, and I took them really easy. I managed 6:22.82, 6:20.65, 6:26.55, 6:21.88. Average of ~6:23. Which is pretty good, because goal was 6:24.
Monday, April 2
Weekly mileage table for the rest of training.
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 04/02:
-------------
My week is really messed up, because of the travel and all.
Mon: 11 miles at no slower than 8:00.
Tue: 4 x 1600 meters at 1 sec/lap slower than 8K-10K goal pace. McMillan gives me new goal paces for the 8K-10K as 3:57-3:59/km respectively. That is 94.8-95.6 sec/lap. So with the extra 1 sec, it should be ~96 sec/lap (how familiar, huh? the famous 4 min/km I needed for the 20 minute 5K).
Summary: 2.25 miles warmup and cooldown, 4 x 1600 m at 6:24 (1:36/lap) with 800 m recoveries: 10 miles. I hate to do this on a teaching day, but this is what happens when real life messes up the week.
Wed: 5.67 miles easy (7:39-8:09. Easy run is mandatory, Paul's visit).
Thu: 16 miles at no slower than 8:00 (on a teaching day - ugh).
Fri: 5.67 miles easy (travel day).
Sat: 5.67 miles easy (travel day).
Week of 04/09 (04/08):
---------------------
Sun: I'll try to start the week on Sunday, 04/08. This is so that Saturdays, the race days are the end of the week. It will give me more rest before the races. 4.67 miles easy.
Mon: 14 miles at no slower than 8:00.
Tue: 4.67 miles easy.
Wed: 10 miles at no slower than 8:00.
Thu: 4.67 miles easy.
Fri: Rest.
Sat: Ali Shuffle 10K and back to start. Total of 12 miles.
Sun: Start next week with an easy run.
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 04/02:
-------------
My week is really messed up, because of the travel and all.
Mon: 11 miles at no slower than 8:00.
Tue: 4 x 1600 meters at 1 sec/lap slower than 8K-10K goal pace. McMillan gives me new goal paces for the 8K-10K as 3:57-3:59/km respectively. That is 94.8-95.6 sec/lap. So with the extra 1 sec, it should be ~96 sec/lap (how familiar, huh? the famous 4 min/km I needed for the 20 minute 5K).
Summary: 2.25 miles warmup and cooldown, 4 x 1600 m at 6:24 (1:36/lap) with 800 m recoveries: 10 miles. I hate to do this on a teaching day, but this is what happens when real life messes up the week.
Wed: 5.67 miles easy (7:39-8:09. Easy run is mandatory, Paul's visit).
Thu: 16 miles at no slower than 8:00 (on a teaching day - ugh).
Fri: 5.67 miles easy (travel day).
Sat: 5.67 miles easy (travel day).
Week of 04/09 (04/08):
---------------------
Sun: I'll try to start the week on Sunday, 04/08. This is so that Saturdays, the race days are the end of the week. It will give me more rest before the races. 4.67 miles easy.
Mon: 14 miles at no slower than 8:00.
Tue: 4.67 miles easy.
Wed: 10 miles at no slower than 8:00.
Thu: 4.67 miles easy.
Fri: Rest.
Sat: Ali Shuffle 10K and back to start. Total of 12 miles.
Sun: Start next week with an easy run.
Saturday, March 31
Papa John's 10 miler Race Report
Goal: 1:08-1:10.
I considered this race as a tune up for the half marathon, so there was no taper, no special peaking training, and I still ran 10 miles on Wednesday, and left no rest day before the race. Especially when I learned that there are some nasty hills in the middle of the course, I decided that I would certainly not aim to run anything faster than HM race pace (6:52), and even 7:00 min/mile would be fine. I have never raced anything beyond a 10K seriously, so I had no idea what to expect. I knew that I was always struggling at least a little in training when I had to maintain this 6:50 pace, even for just 5 miles. On the other hand, I had run 10Ks at faster pace, but 10 miles is quite a bit longer that 10K.
In the morning I felt somewhat sleepy, and interestingly, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I'm not the nervous type before races, but this time just too many people knew that I was running and they know about my ambitious half marathon goal, so I felt if I ran like 1:15, it would be a disgrace.
I arrived to the parking lot of my workplace (1 mile from race start) at 7:30-ish, and then after a bathroom break, I slowly jogged to the start line. This was a really large race, so I asked around people who already lined up what pace they wanted to run, and when they heard about my sub-7 goal, they all told me to get farther ahead. Until I found myself basically just behind the seeded runners.
At 8:00 (5 minutes before the announced start time) quite unexpectedly, the organizers started the race! I tried to get into a groove, but my Garmin showed I jumped out way too fast, like at sub-6:30 pace. I forced myself to slow down (good decision), so I started to run at pace that felt quite comfortable. Still, finished the first mile quite a bit ahead of pace.
Mile 1: 6:35. (Note: every split I'll give here is by my Garmin, which is not perfectly accurate.)
After the split, I still tried to slow down. Kept telling myself: relax, relax. I thought at this pace I would blow up at the end. At this point we were running on a pretty flat, wide, straight street, and there was a small crowd around me, but there was still plenty of space to run.
Mile 2: 6:38
Still too fast. Relax, relax. The weather was absolutely perfect, 56 degrees and cloudy. I felt fine, but I wanted to slow down, because I knew the hills were coming. I let a whole bunch of people pass me - they ran a smarter race with more even splits. At the end of the mile, the first (not too steep) hill started.
Mile 3: 6:49
OK, this was more like it. At this point I thought there is no need to slow down further. Apparently I was doing better than expected, but that's fine. Clearly the finish was still far away, so I just made sure I don't start to accumulate lactate (I can feel it when it starts).
I ran the course a bunch of times in training so I knew the elevation profile exactly. Miles 4, 5 and 6 are hilly with no flat stretch. But the two hardest hills are the first and the last. The first started now. I knew it was long, so I cut back my pace, and I pictured a big red circular sign with "LACTATE" crossed through in the middle. I picked up some water here and drank 4 or 5 big sips before I threw it away.
Mile 4: 6:49
Nice split! On the top of the hill! In reality it was probably a bit slower, because (I'm guessing) due to the winding road in the park, I didn't run the tangents very well, and my Garmin reached this split before the actual mile marker.
I tried to maintain the effort level, and kept picturing the "no lactate" sign. I think knowing the course was a distinct advantage here, because when I knew a hill was short, I didn't bother to slow down much.
Mile 5: 6:51
I started to get tired, and the second nasty hill was still ahead. But this mile started with a downhill, and I'm a good downhill runner. No braking! It also helped that I realized that my ancient 5 mile PR was 35:xx something, and I just broke it by a big margin (although it doesn't count officially if it's not a 5-mile race).
The nasty hill started, and I turned on my imaginary diesel engines (slower, but strong and steady). No lactate!
Mile 6: 6:48
By this time, my Garmin was significantly ahead of the markers, so I knew that my Garmin "average pace" was not real. I stopped paying attention to that and I just focused on the individual mile splits and the total time, doing the math in my head.
This mile was all downhill. Started steep, then it became rolling, but it was steady down. I turned on the rockets, and I ran like crazy. There was only 4 miles left, and I still felt fine (though a bit tired).
Mile 7: 6:12
Kept going fast, but I was a bit afraid that I could still blow up before the end. It would be a shame to ruin such a great race. I started to feel some side stitches (now where do these come from??). The field thinned out, and I found myself a bit alone, though I never lost sight of other runners. There was a group of 10-20 people ahead of me at a distance starting like 20 yards.
Mile 8: 6:35
Around this mile marker I picked up some water (only the second time in the race). I drank a few sips, but not too many, because I knew there was not really enough time left for the water to get to my blood. I poured the rest on my head: it wasn't warm, but I still started to feel hot doing this pace. I don't exactly know why, but I started to feel worse and worse quite quickly. Side stitches started to really hurt, pain in my legs, cardio system felt like working at maximum level. I switched to 2-1 breathing just before the mile marker (I think), and I started to feel like I was falling apart. But then I told myself: "It wouldn't be a real race if I didn't feel like crap close to the end. Just keep it together." I slowed down a bit to maintain my form, and I started to feel better.
Mile 9: 6:42
Not such a bad split after all! (Though remember, my Garmin was behind in distance.) I didn't have much time to contemplate this, because we went through an overpass, and it was steep. It was also windy, and it was after 9 miles of hard running... still I kept on going, and on the top, I decided to start a careful kick. We were supposed to be 1/2 mile from the finish. I passed a few people, and then when we entered the stadium (the finish line was on the grass of the stadium), I started to run really hard. I almost passed another guy at the finish, but he beat me by a fraction of a second. I think it was really cool to run in the stadium, while people were watching in the audience.
Mile 10: 6:23
Last fraction due to Garmin measurement error or not running tangents: 23 seconds
Finish time: 1:06:49
The race had some 7000 participants, so no award for me this time. I was 101th place overall and 16th in my age group.
Needless to say that this is better than my wildest dreams. It corresponds to 6:41 pace. According to this, I should easily go sub-1:30 in the half marathon. The weather was perfect, but the elevation profile (though not very hard) wasn't the easiest. Let me include a picture for the readers to decide:
The most amazing thing is that I didn't mean to peak for this race, and I didn't feel totally spent at the end. I jogged back to my car as a cooldown, and I'm sure I can do all kinds of chores today. The only body parts of mine that hurt now are my nipples (ouch). I forgot to use Body Glide.
I'm looking forward to the 10K two weeks from now. I believe it's a flat course. Maybe I can go sub-40?
Oh, and one more remark. This race gives you a seeded place if you have a 10-miler of 1:05 or better. It sounds quite tempting... I'm not that far.
Goal: 1:08-1:10.
I considered this race as a tune up for the half marathon, so there was no taper, no special peaking training, and I still ran 10 miles on Wednesday, and left no rest day before the race. Especially when I learned that there are some nasty hills in the middle of the course, I decided that I would certainly not aim to run anything faster than HM race pace (6:52), and even 7:00 min/mile would be fine. I have never raced anything beyond a 10K seriously, so I had no idea what to expect. I knew that I was always struggling at least a little in training when I had to maintain this 6:50 pace, even for just 5 miles. On the other hand, I had run 10Ks at faster pace, but 10 miles is quite a bit longer that 10K.
In the morning I felt somewhat sleepy, and interestingly, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I'm not the nervous type before races, but this time just too many people knew that I was running and they know about my ambitious half marathon goal, so I felt if I ran like 1:15, it would be a disgrace.
I arrived to the parking lot of my workplace (1 mile from race start) at 7:30-ish, and then after a bathroom break, I slowly jogged to the start line. This was a really large race, so I asked around people who already lined up what pace they wanted to run, and when they heard about my sub-7 goal, they all told me to get farther ahead. Until I found myself basically just behind the seeded runners.
At 8:00 (5 minutes before the announced start time) quite unexpectedly, the organizers started the race! I tried to get into a groove, but my Garmin showed I jumped out way too fast, like at sub-6:30 pace. I forced myself to slow down (good decision), so I started to run at pace that felt quite comfortable. Still, finished the first mile quite a bit ahead of pace.
Mile 1: 6:35. (Note: every split I'll give here is by my Garmin, which is not perfectly accurate.)
After the split, I still tried to slow down. Kept telling myself: relax, relax. I thought at this pace I would blow up at the end. At this point we were running on a pretty flat, wide, straight street, and there was a small crowd around me, but there was still plenty of space to run.
Mile 2: 6:38
Still too fast. Relax, relax. The weather was absolutely perfect, 56 degrees and cloudy. I felt fine, but I wanted to slow down, because I knew the hills were coming. I let a whole bunch of people pass me - they ran a smarter race with more even splits. At the end of the mile, the first (not too steep) hill started.
Mile 3: 6:49
OK, this was more like it. At this point I thought there is no need to slow down further. Apparently I was doing better than expected, but that's fine. Clearly the finish was still far away, so I just made sure I don't start to accumulate lactate (I can feel it when it starts).
I ran the course a bunch of times in training so I knew the elevation profile exactly. Miles 4, 5 and 6 are hilly with no flat stretch. But the two hardest hills are the first and the last. The first started now. I knew it was long, so I cut back my pace, and I pictured a big red circular sign with "LACTATE" crossed through in the middle. I picked up some water here and drank 4 or 5 big sips before I threw it away.
Mile 4: 6:49
Nice split! On the top of the hill! In reality it was probably a bit slower, because (I'm guessing) due to the winding road in the park, I didn't run the tangents very well, and my Garmin reached this split before the actual mile marker.
I tried to maintain the effort level, and kept picturing the "no lactate" sign. I think knowing the course was a distinct advantage here, because when I knew a hill was short, I didn't bother to slow down much.
Mile 5: 6:51
I started to get tired, and the second nasty hill was still ahead. But this mile started with a downhill, and I'm a good downhill runner. No braking! It also helped that I realized that my ancient 5 mile PR was 35:xx something, and I just broke it by a big margin (although it doesn't count officially if it's not a 5-mile race).
The nasty hill started, and I turned on my imaginary diesel engines (slower, but strong and steady). No lactate!
Mile 6: 6:48
By this time, my Garmin was significantly ahead of the markers, so I knew that my Garmin "average pace" was not real. I stopped paying attention to that and I just focused on the individual mile splits and the total time, doing the math in my head.
This mile was all downhill. Started steep, then it became rolling, but it was steady down. I turned on the rockets, and I ran like crazy. There was only 4 miles left, and I still felt fine (though a bit tired).
Mile 7: 6:12
Kept going fast, but I was a bit afraid that I could still blow up before the end. It would be a shame to ruin such a great race. I started to feel some side stitches (now where do these come from??). The field thinned out, and I found myself a bit alone, though I never lost sight of other runners. There was a group of 10-20 people ahead of me at a distance starting like 20 yards.
Mile 8: 6:35
Around this mile marker I picked up some water (only the second time in the race). I drank a few sips, but not too many, because I knew there was not really enough time left for the water to get to my blood. I poured the rest on my head: it wasn't warm, but I still started to feel hot doing this pace. I don't exactly know why, but I started to feel worse and worse quite quickly. Side stitches started to really hurt, pain in my legs, cardio system felt like working at maximum level. I switched to 2-1 breathing just before the mile marker (I think), and I started to feel like I was falling apart. But then I told myself: "It wouldn't be a real race if I didn't feel like crap close to the end. Just keep it together." I slowed down a bit to maintain my form, and I started to feel better.
Mile 9: 6:42
Not such a bad split after all! (Though remember, my Garmin was behind in distance.) I didn't have much time to contemplate this, because we went through an overpass, and it was steep. It was also windy, and it was after 9 miles of hard running... still I kept on going, and on the top, I decided to start a careful kick. We were supposed to be 1/2 mile from the finish. I passed a few people, and then when we entered the stadium (the finish line was on the grass of the stadium), I started to run really hard. I almost passed another guy at the finish, but he beat me by a fraction of a second. I think it was really cool to run in the stadium, while people were watching in the audience.
Mile 10: 6:23
Last fraction due to Garmin measurement error or not running tangents: 23 seconds
Finish time: 1:06:49
The race had some 7000 participants, so no award for me this time. I was 101th place overall and 16th in my age group.
Needless to say that this is better than my wildest dreams. It corresponds to 6:41 pace. According to this, I should easily go sub-1:30 in the half marathon. The weather was perfect, but the elevation profile (though not very hard) wasn't the easiest. Let me include a picture for the readers to decide:
The most amazing thing is that I didn't mean to peak for this race, and I didn't feel totally spent at the end. I jogged back to my car as a cooldown, and I'm sure I can do all kinds of chores today. The only body parts of mine that hurt now are my nipples (ouch). I forgot to use Body Glide.
I'm looking forward to the 10K two weeks from now. I believe it's a flat course. Maybe I can go sub-40?
Oh, and one more remark. This race gives you a seeded place if you have a 10-miler of 1:05 or better. It sounds quite tempting... I'm not that far.
Friday, March 30
Wednesday, March 28
Monday, March 26
Sunday, March 25
Friday, March 23
Monday, March 19
Sunday, March 18
On today's run, after about 5 miles I called it quits. I had various pains, it was hot and I was still somewhat tired. I decided not to risk my health and my body's integrity for stupid mileage goals.
So training was bad this week. Starting with the Monday, when I hurt so much I had to stop, continuing with record breaking temperatures, and then the stupid dehydration...
But let's try to salvage what we can from here. Since I'm racing in two weeks, I'll shift long runs to the beginning of the week. Detailed plans follow:
Week of 03/19 (59 miles).
M: 12 miles at 8:00 or faster.
T: 7.33 miles easy.
W: 15 miles at 8:00 or faster.
T: 7.33 miles easy.
F: 7.33 miles easy.
S: 5 x 1200 meters at 99 sec/lap, with 800 meters recovery (in no more that 4:27/rec). With warmup and cooldown to the track and back it will be about 10 miles.
S: Rest
Week of 03/26 (52 miles):
M: 13 miles at 8:00 or faster.
T: 8 miles easy.
W: 10 miles at 8:00 or faster.
T: 8 miles easy.
F: 5 miles really easy.
S: Papa John's 10 miler
S: Rest.
So training was bad this week. Starting with the Monday, when I hurt so much I had to stop, continuing with record breaking temperatures, and then the stupid dehydration...
But let's try to salvage what we can from here. Since I'm racing in two weeks, I'll shift long runs to the beginning of the week. Detailed plans follow:
Week of 03/19 (59 miles).
M: 12 miles at 8:00 or faster.
T: 7.33 miles easy.
W: 15 miles at 8:00 or faster.
T: 7.33 miles easy.
F: 7.33 miles easy.
S: 5 x 1200 meters at 99 sec/lap, with 800 meters recovery (in no more that 4:27/rec). With warmup and cooldown to the track and back it will be about 10 miles.
S: Rest
Week of 03/26 (52 miles):
M: 13 miles at 8:00 or faster.
T: 8 miles easy.
W: 10 miles at 8:00 or faster.
T: 8 miles easy.
F: 5 miles really easy.
S: Papa John's 10 miler
S: Rest.
Yesterday I bonked badly after overheating and dehydration... stupid me, I went for a long run in 78 F, sunny, and with no water and not enough Gatorade. From mile 12, it was a death march. Fortunately I came through a park and a residential area, so I was able to pick up water twice (after not picking up enough in the park), so I resumed continuous running for the last 3-4 miles, but it was still slow and hard.
I should have learned my lesson from the several times this has now happened, but it's hard. First you are fine, just a bit thirsty, then suddenly it all over.
I still completed 17 miles, but the end was slow and grueling. I'm not sure about the training effect of a run like this. Maybe I should repeat it next week... I'll plan my next week tonight.
I should have learned my lesson from the several times this has now happened, but it's hard. First you are fine, just a bit thirsty, then suddenly it all over.
I still completed 17 miles, but the end was slow and grueling. I'm not sure about the training effect of a run like this. Maybe I should repeat it next week... I'll plan my next week tonight.
Friday, March 16
Thursday, March 15
Wednesday, March 14
Tuesday, March 13
Monday, March 12
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.
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.
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.
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