Runner's Forum: The Official: Training Summary Start Up Thread

6 miles plus strides and drills yesterday

4 easy miles this morning, and tonight I've got a 5k race. Should be good 

Managed to get in 8 miles this morning with about 20mins of tempo pace running in the middle.  Wanted to "freshen up" a little after having a couple of days off.  The ice massaging over the last couple of days seems to have worked for now on my achilles.  Will continue for another couple of days, drop the milage back to what it was about 4 weeks ago and go from there.

KDogg, looking forward to hearing results of your 5k.

Ok yesterday was my 1500m race at Rice. I was fairly happy with the results, it wasn't blazing fast but it was the first outdoor meet and technically a pr.

The race went out way to fast, 55 for the leaders, i tried to stay controlled and came through at 63 which was exactly what I wanted but I was in last place. The next 400m I relaxed to much but picked it up again after 800m until the finish. I should know by now that in a 1500, if you ever feel relaxed you are not running fast enough. You've got to be pushing the limit the entire way. Anyway I finished in 3:58 for 9th place(3:41 was 1st).

Today I did 10mi hard (at 5:45 pace) then 1mi cooldown right after I got ome from the airport. The weather was great and there was only 10mph wind, rare for this time of year. I would have waited till later in the day but the wind was supposed to pick up again this evening.

Great stuff Chiggy. Can only dream of 3.58 1500m. Can only dream of 3.58 1000m to be honest.

 Dan and broado, when are your runs. I think I recall Zurich is in three weeks.

Had my 14.14km run today. A great day 27000 people doing either the 5.6km scenic run/walk around Melbournes botanical gardens or the longer run which includes going through a mile long tunnel and over a 2km bridge. It is for our Chidlrens Hospital which is a fantastic cause and many people run to repay work done at the hospital for their sick kids, or sadly for the memory of some little ones no longer with us.

I was aiming at 65 minutes, just over 4.35 splits. I got a good start, always hard with that many people, but managed to get nearer the front, so found a rhythm quickly. Was going faster than I expected. Beat my 5km bst time, just over 21 min) struggled over the bridge, but regathered coming down the other side. Did my best 10km time (just over 44 min) and from there it was mostly smooth to the finish. FInsihed in 1.03.23 which I was stoked with. Approx 4.30 km pace and felt really good doing it.

It was 4 and a half minutes quicker than I did it last year, so hopefully that is a good sign for my half and full marathons to come. Still a while off yet though.

ex-k1-w1 - glad you're out and about again, nice one. 

chiggy, well done, that's a brilliant time.  I wish I could run that fast!

gfinkelde, brilliant job on your run and running for such a good cause. 

I'm icing up watching the Mersyside derby on the telly.  I got through my last long run in one piece.  I ran 30 seconds slower per k than marathon pace.  I ended up doing 36.5k in 3:02:17.  A bit slower than I'd wanted but I didn't want to push it and held back.  I'm trying to learn the art of discipline!  I still feel quite tired and am taking a day off tomorrow.  Bring on the taper!    

Great work all.  

hello chaps

 It's so cool - if not a little scary - reading how far and how fast you guys go! I'll just keep upping my game bit by bit I guess - and eventually I'll get there.

After Tuesdays success at the speed runs I did a 30min stint on the treadmill on Friday hoping for 6k (as opposed to the 5k I usually do). Alas I didn't quite make it 5.5k, but still slowly improving my overall pace. I had a bit of stitch and I think one of my biggest problems was just the boredom. I wasn't doing intervals so there was really no need to be on the treadmill (other than the unseasonal blizzard outside), I lost focus and motivation a little bit... I don't know. I'm still happy with 5.5k but I could have done better.

Today I did my biggy - 10k - wahoo! Such a beautiful day here - still some snow on the ground higher up, blue skies, freshly snow-capped mountains. LOVELY! My route worked well, I avoided the evil hill and well, I just really enjoyed it. Was a really lovely run, I did in 1hr03min which I was happy with means that my pace is improving albeit slowly.

Had a chat with my circuit instructor about my knees - I'm getting better at icing now - and have started cycling more and doing stints on the elliptical going backwords to help build up my leg muscles as apparently it could be a muscular imbalance which is partly to blame for my knee pain.

I'll keep you guys posted!  And thanks again for all of your support and encouragement, it's brilliant! You all rock!

: )

Lex

Well I took a couple of days off and it really did a lot for my attitude and my training.  I took off three days last week and then went for my long run on Saturday afternoon.  It was just about 50F and clear with a bit of a head wind coming off of the river.  I was supposed to run 14 miles as part of my training for VT City Marathon but I just felt too good to stop.  Instead I continued on and ran 17 miles in 2:25:48. 

It was a great day out on the river here in Philadelphia, PA.  There was a Crew Race (I believe it was the wembly cup) on the river and it was nice to see all of the hustle and bustle out there and to see the city coming alive in Spring.  This Saturday really reminded me why we run and it also reinforced the idea that a little rest goes a long way. 

Thanks everyone! and kdogg one of these days your going to have a great race and, from what I've seen, when you do its gonna be scary good.

Today's workout was interesting, and windy yet again. A little different than what we normally do and man was it tough. It was 3x1600m with 4 min rest but instead of going for a steady pace the first 600m was supposed to be fast (almost mile race pace), then the last 1k was supposed to be at 5k race pace. I didnt quite make the prescribed paces but I feel it was a good workout.
1st one was 1:35(600m)/3:04(next 1k) for a 4:39,
2nd 1:38/3:09 for a 4:47,
3rd 1:41/3:10 for a 4:51
I feel like i'm getting ready to make the step up to the next level, which might put me in contention for scoring points at conferene. But that would be a BIG step.

Keep up the good work guys, it looks like there has been some good improvement from pretty much everyone.

Dan, lets hope your foot gets sorted properly and you are able to finish on Oct 12.  Are you running with a group or is this somehting you wanted to do on your own?  Whatever it is, the motivation is certainly there.  Good on you.

6 miles of recovery running at 5:22/km pace.  Getting cooler again in the mornings here (40 - 50F), have to wear my really cool knitted cotton gloves!  What do you runners who inhabit really colder climes wear on your hands to keep the chills away?  The rest of my body is fine, I have gear for when it gets frosty, but my hands are very susceptible to the cold.

Hey guys,

Run group night tonight - as my group was slated to do a bootcamp and I had already done circuit training this morning I was inadvertently promoted to the intermediate group (from my cosy little beginner group) who were doing speed trials.

Holy macaroni!!!

3 laps of a 1 mile block at race pace (I don't have a race pace - well I didn't until tonight!). I was running with guys who are serious runners and compete. They were running fast. I had to too. It was such hard work! BUT I never lost visual with my group, and came in 10 secs or less behind the guy in front running an 8'40'' fairly consistently (I haven't learned the fine points of timing myself yet).

SO tough! But I feel really chuffed with myself - firstly just for doing it and for trying my hardest - I am also pleased with my time (I only started a couple months ago, from almost no activity and I only quit smoking at new year). I managed to run with the serious guys and I didn't embarrass myself too badly!

Another good day! raaaaa! : )

"Runner!"

Driving to the starting point of our run last night there was a dog wandering around on the road which we would soon encounter because we had to run back by the spot. Luckily it was a friendly dog although a bit too friendly as he decided he would run with us and tripped my wife up once, making some bikers riding by cringe loudly. I got the dog to run up with me for a bit until a group of runners who take up the whole sidewalk and are fairly rude passed by and he chased after them. I can only imagine the look on their faces when they probably thought we should take better care of our dog only to realize it wasn't really ours. I informed a cop parked down about a block about it and then we ran on. 

All the people from last week must have been psyched out about the "wind" and "cold" it was 44 10mph winds. There were only a handful compared to last time.

chiggy, having also suffered the pain of achilles problems, I know how good it is to finally shake it.

Ran 4 x 800 at 85-90% intensity with 200 recoveries on the grass in my cross country spikes.  Felt really good and the first time in a long time I've been able to hold that intensity for that distance.  No idea how long each repeat took me cos I don't have a stopwatch with splits at the moment.  I also checked my "800m" course I was running at a local park and found it was just under 700m.  Have plotted a new loop for future repeats to make it a bit more realistic.

Good work all.  Everyone seems to be making good progress, which is great to see.  

I went out early this morning.  It was dark again at 6:30am due the weekend's daylight saving change.  I felt a bit groggy and made sure I warmed up well.  I did 10k at marathon pace in 44:09.  I then did 1600 x 4 w/800m jogs in between.  I was a bit faster than last week overall, but did one less repeat.  5:30, 5:26, 5:28, 5:25.  I felt good afterwards and not too knackered.  Tomorrow I'm going to do a nice easy run and then take Saturday off.  My legs feel in good nick.      

Still recovering a bit (I think) from the weekend's runs.  I am already getting amped up about the marathon.  Once you get that last long run behind you, the anticipation starts to get out of hand.   On my run yesterday (8 miles) and today (5 miles), I ran the first 3 miles of each run about 30-40 sec/mile faster than I wanted to.  Now is the time to rest and keep the runs easy but I inevitably start visualizing the marathon and subconsciously pick up my speed.  This is part of the reason why I wanted to push it a bit hard over the weekend, because I figured it would tire my legs out and force me to go easy on the taper.  I can tell my legs are still recovering.....but it isn't translating to my speed. 

I think I will load my Ipod with only Reggae music.....that should help keep my pace in check. 

Did two runs yesterday. I planned on doing 4 miles before work, but after struggling through 2.5 miles on the treadmill, I threw in the towel. After work, I decided to run a few more miles. I ran just over 2 miles. I felt much better, and was able to improve my "modern era" pace record. Finished in 16:05, which made it a 7:58 pace! Barely a crawl for some of you, but it was the fastest I've done since I've started running again (just think, I used to be able to 2 miles in less than 13 minutes). And the best part is, my foot didn't hurt at all. I think I can get back into my longer runs again!! I plan on finishing this week with a few more 4-6 mile runs, then back to my training schedule!

 Good luck everyone, and thans for the encouragement.

Good job with the intervals. Sounds like some tough running.

 It looks like there won't be any running for me the until about Monday. The wife's knee is acting up again and the doctor gave her a cortisone shot on the promise that she wouldn't do any exercise until after she goes back Monday. And to prevent her the grief of watching me run while she's on the sideline i'm just going to relax. She really has a hard time dealing with being injured. Especially with our 50k relay 5 weeks out and our 30k solo about 10 weeks away. If anyone wants to pray for her health we'll take it.

Did a 12.5km hill run wednesday, and a 10km tempo run today. (With a day of snowboarding in between) The snowboarding actually seems to have loosened my legs up which is good........ But I have a cold at the moment, and I can really feel it.

gfinkelde It's must be a good feeling! You can't beat it when you start to feel like you have a bit of "umpf" in your running. btw, PS That hill is a killer! You are getting good training by the sounds of it. Hope you and Kiwi manage a good time trial runs.

 MB - good to hear you know who is in charge - Although my long runs are measly distances at the moment, I do find it hard not to push myself....

It sounds to me like you have trained well, so I am sure you will do fine. Seems like you just have to play things by ear a bit on the day.

I am still a few weeks off (and a few tough runs away) from feeling like I am back in any sort of form. It's all going ok I guess, but I am looking foward to being able to push a bit faster over the medium runs....i.e. run at or below marthon pace for 15-plus km.

My goodness.. they're your choices... Crikey! I wouldn't have a clue - but option two has two strikes (money and early start) so I'd leave that one alone if it were me!

I have had a poo day today. The last couple of mornings I haven't been feeling great when I wake up - bit of a sore throat, a tiny bit of ache - the signs of a cold. Yesterday I bailed on circuit training and swimming but I had to go to kickboxing in the evening which was a short but hard session. I did feel a lot better at the end of the day but then woke up today feeling rough again. So after checking the fitness section of the forum which suggested a short run may help a head cold I decided to go for it. It was grey and miserable so I thought it better to go to the gym and do the treadmill - rather than get cold and wet outside and make things worse. 

So instead, I got cold and wet cycling to the gym, then found out the gym was one treadmill down and pretty busy. I managed to find a free one, but about 17 minutes into my run (I was aiming for a relaxed 8k) I was glowered off the treadmill by people pointing out 'you're only allowed 20 mins'. Not happy, everyone else was walking on them, I was running - why pick on me? Because I made them realise how unfit they are maybe?! So I had to give up my run so someone else could waste the treadmill slot by having a stroll on it. GRRRRRRRR. Go and stroll around the shops!

I did a half hour in the pool instead which was okay but not the same. So I only managed about a mile and half and felt thoroughly ticked off by the whole thing. And my throats doing no better.

Will try 10k on Sunday provided all well - my lovely sunday morning run has been hijacked by a friend so not sure how I will adjust to company on this run... I really liked the time alone with my tune, ah well, I'll give it a shot and if I don't like it I guess I'll have to say something

This is karma for gloating at my time isn't it?!   : (

Hello all,  I think it's been about 2 weeks since I posted last.  I ran my first 1/2 marathon of the year this morning.  It went alright considering that I haven't been training for the past 2 weeks either.

I ran it in 2hrs 8mins 33sec.  I was feeling really great for the first 10miles running under 9min pace the whole way and then I hit "The Wall".  It took me 38.33mins to run the 3.1 miles left.  I think I ran the last part at a 12.5min pace.  All I can say is that at least I finished and VTcity marathon 2 person relay with my wife is just 7 weeks away.  I'm sure the 15 days off and the 233lbs I'm carrying now didn't help my time at all.  I'm hoping to get back down to 210 or 200 by May25.  I know the weight and lack of training is why "The Wall" hit me so hard this time.

 Anyway enough of my pain.  Hope everyones training is going well.

 Run Safe

chiggy, if I'd posted in time, my vote would've been for the long run.

LexB, personally I believe there should be a rule in gyms that you have to at least jog on a treadmill; no walking at all.  Having said that, I never use a gym anyway.  I'm lucky enough to live in a climate where the weather is never so bad that I can't run outside, and I do body weight exercises to keep my strength up so don't need any other gear.  I travel a fair bit with my work so found that I couldn't rely on having anything but my running gear with me.

Dan, sounds like you may be back on track.  Great.

The 8k time trial yesterday went well.  34:38 which is about 45s better than last month.  Woohoo!  I want to get down closer to 32:00 eventually, but that might be pushing it.

Nahtus excellent effort for the first of the season. I am sure as you say the weight will come off, and quickly.

Exkiwi - I think you would have me covered on 2 laps of the tan, especially slightly longer ones. I havent actually done a time trial, but my best is 16.30 while doing fartleks. Had already done a lap warm up at that stage.

kdogg, well done. It is the paradox of running at a high level. Is it better to runa  slow time and win, than running a personal best and finishingid pack. I know what I prefer from elite athletes. I get really annoyed hearing top level athletes talking about how happy they are they did a personal best and that is all that matters. I like to see a winner. Let the hacks like myself run personal bests.

Anyway a couple of ordinary 8km runs this weekend. Felt a bit crook and was hoping a run would clean it up, but it didnt. Long list of chores to do kept me busy!!!.

Have a great week guys, look after yourself if you have the big race just around the corner.

ex-K1w1 - well done on cutting down on the time.  Great stuff. 

k-dogg, excellent race.  Well done.  

Before I jogged this morning I watched the Paris marathon on telly.  The women's race was a brilliant toe-to-toe finish.  The speed of the elites is still mind boggling.   Anyway it really pumped me up for my run, but when I got outside I remembered I'm supposed to be taking it easy!  LOL.  This tapering  is a lot more difficult than it looks.  I did 20.7k in 1:46:35.  There was a strong south westerly breeze which really helped in keeping from going too gung ho.  Legs feel alright and hope to continue to feel less fatigued with each day, so at least I'm feeling the benefit of this tapering lark.  

Happy running all.