January 2017 Running Challenge

Stoshew71 wrote: »

greenolivetree wrote: »

Thanks for your input @stoshew71 Like I said I can't seem to get to even one or two 7-8 mile runs and I'm injured so I feel I need to forget the idea of long runs for awhile. Maybe max out at 6 and just try to sustain 5 days a week for quite awhile before I try to increase distance of a single run. I was just curious because I've never heard anyone suggest that a new runner run doubles BEFORE increasing their long run.

Well the gait guys didn't actually suggest running doubles for a beginner. The host of the show asked what would be better, running a long run or running smaller runs more frequently and maybe even a double? The guy was just answering a very specific question posed at him. I don't think he was actually suggesting that a beginner runner to actually run a double.

Yes, that is true, she brought it up. I can't remember his exact words but something like he could support that idea, probably on a case ny case basis. Again, just curious as that was a totally new idea to me.

@autumnblade75 When I run with a sinus-based cold, I feel loads better after too. It clears the system out!

@MNLittleFinn Glad to see you're feeling better. I'm sure another rest day will do you good.

@greenolivetree I had to leave the idea of long runs for over a year, and didn't run anything more than 5 miles. But then, with that base, I was able to train for a HM. It's a long journey when you're injury prone like I was and you seem to be, but it makes the successes even better when you finally have them. I look at these awesome, fast runners and those who smash out long distances like it's easy and am convinced I get a bigger high from my lowly achievements, purely because I've fought so hard for them. Or that's what I tell myself when I sit and look longingly at other people's successful training

Just a short run today. A cutback week, finally!

January Running Challenge

1st - 12.66 miles inc 5km PB 25:05
3rd - 3.11 miles
4th - 6.17 miles
6th - 3.03 miles
7th - 3.11 miles
8th - 12.04 miles
10th - 3.09 miles

MTD - 43.21/100 miles

Upcoming races:
12th March 2017 - North London Half Marathon
9th April 2017 - Brighton Marathon

@greenolivetree I run doubles now, just small doubles like 50-60 minutes with 30-40 minutes. Imo the biggest hurdle is clothes you need to wash, but if you watch your pacing it's actually not that hard to do. It's more of a mental block really and once you get past the first 2-3 weeks your body gets used to it and you start feeling better that not running. I used to run 6 days a week, taking a day off just because I thought I need it but looking back at it the day after my complete day off I was always tighter so I just run everyday now, I just take it really easy on Mondays, no more than 40 minutes. But I would advise to first get to a point where you can run consistently 5 or 6 times per week until you think about running doubles

7lenny7 wrote: »

banana742581 wrote: »

Geez. 20 miles?? Thats awesome! I just went the furthest I've went so far, 5 miles. Lol. But its a start. I can't wait to hit 20 though! Wow!

@banana742581 congrats on a new distance PR!!! That's always exciting to matter what the number is.

I remember being where you're at and to be honest, I was generally no less excited about the earlier distance PR's than the later distance PR's. Every time you crack that barrier it's a moment to savor and be proud of. Running 5 miles for the first time is no less of an accomplishment than running 1 or 3 or 10 or 15 or whatever for the first time. It's new ground that your worked hard for.

The except to that, for me, where two distance PRs do stand out a bit more than the others are 3.1 miles and 26.2 miles. I feel equally as proud about either one.

@banana742581 Yes, I remember completing my 1st 5 mile run and I was super excited about that too! When I did, I had no idea that I'd ever train for a marathon. I'm still worried about that extra 6.2 miles though! Lol! Less than 7 weeks to go!

@7lenny7 thank you so much! I am super proud of it. It felt great

@BeeerRunner that's awesome! I can't wait until I can run my first marathon. Or even half a marathon. Lol. That would be such an accomplishment. Congrats on being so close! You got this!

January Running Totals (miles)
1/1 – 10.39 warmup, 7.5 mile race, cool down
1/2 – 2.12 easy cross country
1/3 – 8.58 warmup, tempo intervals
1/4 – 5.01 easy
1/5 – 5.99 warmup, speed work, cool down
1/6 – rest day
1/7 – 16.59 warmup + Winter Warrior Half Marathon
1/8 – 7.62 easy on indoor track
1/9 – 6.51 easy
1/10 – 6.02 warmup + MP

January total to date – 68.83

Nominal Challenge Goal – 225 miles
Real Goals: Train toward Boston, working 3 Freezeroo races plus Winter Warrior Half into the training plan. Avoid injury.

Today's notes – Today's notes are in honor of @MNLittleFinn and his issues with recovery.

For the newer people, this needs a little background.

I am in training for multiple races. The big target races are the USATF Cross Country Championship in Bend, OR on February 5 and the Boston Marathon on April 17. I have a running club, without which Bend wouldn't make sense. The club has a very experienced coach, who wrote the marathon training plan I'm following for Boston. We use the Jack Daniels system of paces for training purposes. From slowest to fastest, the defined paces are:

E: easy, for running long runs and base miles that support quality workouts
MP: marathon pace, the pace to run for your goal marathon finish time.
T: tempo, or lactic threshold. A pace that is sustainable for about an hour of running.
I: interval pace, roughly equivalent to your 5K race pace
R: repeat pace, roughly equivalent to your one mile race pace

These paces vary by runner, and over time for individual runners as conditioning changes. Right now, my target for E is anywhere in the 7:45 to 8:30 per mile range. For MP, I'm tentatively targeting 7:30 per mile. Last training cycle I targeted 7:15 per mile for MP, and that was probably too aggressive.

Tonight was speed work at an indoor track. Convention for speed work is a 2 mile warmup, the structured speed workout, and a 2 mile cool down. I skip the cool down as often as not, depending on time, energy level, and how many miles I need to fill out the training week. The mileage plan for tonight would have me doing the cool down. Today's speed work assignment was: 4 x 200 at R, with 200 recovery; 2 x 1600 at T, with 200 recovery; 4 x 200 at R, with 200 recovery.

I ran a pretty respectable half marathon last Saturday. A half marathon isn't the major big deal that a full marathon is, but I must still respect the need for recovery. Coach asked me how I felt, and I told him about my minor training aches. How much should I tone down the workout?

"Don't do anything at R. That's out. Run 2 miles of MP, see how you feel, and then maybe run 2 more miles of MP."

That's toning it down more than I would have on my own, but Coach is a pretty smart guy. He had Achilles tendinitis when I met him, so he knows exactly what I'm recovering from. I'd better pay attention when he says to back off.

Lane 6 (7 laps to the mile) was not available due to the college field team having pole vault equipment set up on one end, so I ran that MP in Lane 1. 1600 m is close enough to a mile. A target of 7:30 per mile works out to 56 seconds per 200 m lap. If I can hold pace precisely, I should bring 1600 m in at 7:30.

I did okay. I lapped the watch every 8 laps of the track, and felt good enough after 2 of those to do 2 more. My 1600s came in at 7:26, 7:16, 7:17, and 7:15. I guess I worked on 7:15 per mile enough last training cycle that it's become fairly natural for me.

Afterwards, Coach talked to me about the importance of running easy, and how that helps recovery and healing. One of the things he said was, "If it hurts, stop!" So when I set out to run the 2 mile cool down, and I noticed my left calf muttering more than it should at an easy pace, I stopped 100 m into the cool down. I can live with 2 fewer running miles. Let's go stretch and do my cone touches.

Came home and worked my training spreadsheet. 2.5 miles less today than estimated in the plan, so I might not hit the target mileage for this week. But that's okay. Recovery is more important than hitting an arbitrary number in the training plan.

2017 races:
January 1, 2017 Freezeroo #2 (Resolution Run 7.5 mile) (Mendon, NY) Finished in 50:45
January 7, 2017 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY) Finished in 1:32:40
January 14, 2017 Freezeroo #3 (Pineway Ponds Park 5 mile) (Spencerport, NY)
January 28, 2017 Freezeroo #4 (Hearnish 5 mile) (Victor, NY)
February 4, 2017 USATF Cross Country National Championship 8K (Bend, OR)
February 11, 2017 Freezeroo #5 (Valentines Run "In Memory of Tom Brannon" 8 Mile) (Greece, NY)
February 25, 2017 Freezeroo #6 (White House Challenge 10K) (Webster, NY)
April 17, 2017 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA)

Apparently, I lost my ticker, so I made a new one:



As far as the races I was thinking about - I checked out the parks where the 5K/10K (Feb. 11) and the 4M/12K/HM (Apr. 1) are being held. I don't know the actual course, nor did I spend any time on the trails. Just drove through, and climbed a couple of towers in the 2nd park to survey the area from an elevation. Feb. 11, I was going to sign up for the 10K. The park is fairly flat and I'm betting the course is on park roads since there is only about a mile of trails in the whole park. For Apr. 1, I was thinking about either the 12K or the HM, leaning towards the 12K based on the description of hills. It didn't look like hills are quite as bad as I had suspected, depending on the route. Still, I'm thinking of doing the 12K.

Here's what I just realized today... I have a camping trip planned for Feb. 11 already, and it is about 3 hrs. drive from the 10K location. I'm going with other people, and the time to meet doesn't really give me enough time to do the 10K and go camping. I have to choose one or the other, and I'm thinking I'll go camping and just train for the 12K on Apr. 1.

FrankieandSpots wrote: »

I'm in for 90km - which feels ambitious as I haven't done much running for December.

Lazy camping and visitors staying made for a late start...
5th: 7km
6th: 8km
7th: 6km
8th: 3km (24km for the week)

9th: 4km
10th: 5km
11th: -

33km/90