Monday, June 24th:
5:55am, 73 degrees, 90%, 5-10mph. Kilmer Loop. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi easy - (NW)
Very warm and humid this morning. Took it nice and easy, especially after yesterday's killer hill session and bike ride. I have found that my new habit of "running tall" really helps me breathe easier and maintain a more proper form.
Tuesday, June 25th:
Off. Tired, no energy.
Wednesday, June 26th:
5:00am, 70 degrees, 80%, 0-5mph. Hialeah-Kilmer-Hialeah. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
8mi total - (7:18): 2mi warmup, 4x5:00 hard (6:02-:08/mi pace), 2mi cooldown
Just didn't have it today. Felt like I was overheating and working too hard the entire session. Definitely have a long way to go before 6:05/mi pace feels comfortable for 13.1mi. Luckily I have lots of time.
Thursday, June 27th:
5:00am, 72 degrees, 95%, calm. Maple Shade Loop (L). Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
7mi - (NW)
Felt much better than yesterday, but still very, very heavy air to breathe. Feels like running in a furnace!
Friday, June 28th:
6:30am, 74 degrees, 90%, 5-10mph. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
8mi total - (NW): wu, 4x strides, 7mi easy, 4x strides
I am not sure if it was the light warmup, the running with the group, or just finally getting acclimated to the heat, but today I felt great. Felt really strong the last few miles and really opened up on the strides after.
Saturday, June 29th:
6:15am, 70 degrees, 90%, 0-5mph. Moorestown. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
11mi total - (7:50): 2:00 easy jog, 4x strides, 7mi easy, 10x Stanwick Hill (:29-:26 secs) w/full jog recoveries (1:40-:45), 1.5mi cooldown
Much, much better workout today than Wednesday. The seven miles flew by with the company of Mike, Rich, and Jamie. Kept an honest easy pace (7:45ish) during this segment. The hill repeats were fast @ 1500m race pace, all in the :28-:29 range, and I blasted the last one all-out in :26 (4:29/mi pace!). Took the cooldown very slow, but felt recovered by the time I was done. Also enjoyed my first ice bath of the season.
Sunday, June 30th:
5:40am, 75 degrees, 95%, calm. 2x Cooper River Loop +. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
8mi recovery - (8:14)
Felt lousy the first couple miles. Very humid again. Suddenly, around 4 miles my stride and rhythm just clicked. Kept my feet low the ground, held an image in my mind of "feeling the ground" with my feet, practiced a strong pushoff and fast turnover. Even though I wasn't moving terribly fast, the effort became much, much easier and felt way more economical.
Weekly Total: 48 miles
The weather was tough this week. Wasn't happy with Wednesday's workout but I know the weather played a major factor. Took me until yesterday to feel like I was getting acclimated to the heat/humidity. On the other hand, I was very happy with yesterday's hill repeats. I know the speed is there. My first date with the track on Tuesday - I am already thinking about it.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
My First Visit with a Sports Chiropractor
At the recommendation of my coach, Larry Friedman, I visited a sports chiropractor, Shane McCann, yesterday for the first time. The 1 hour session was enlightening and very informative. After putting me through a series of physical movements and tests, Shane confirmed my weak/tight areas (glutes and soleus) and gave me exercises to help strengthen them. He opened my eyes to the wonders of a $2.99 lacrosse ball. I learned that sitting in a chair with poor posture for long periods of time will negatively impact my running. Just by running "taller" with better posture, strengthened glutes and more relaxed calves/glutes/plantar fascia, I could expect to improve my running economy up to 3% alone. Stretching bands, foam roller, and lacrosse ball here I come!
Monday, June 17, 2013
Summer Base Training, Week 6
Monday, June 17th:
5:35am, 68 degrees, 90%, calm. Maple Shade Loop (L). Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
7mi slow - (NW)
Woke up tight, lethargic, and highly unmotivated. Worked my way through a slow jogfest. At least I finished the last mile with a positive mindset.
Tuesday, June 18th:
Off. Tired.
Wednesday, June 19th:
5:20am, 62 degrees, 85%, 5-10mph. 2x CHW Loop. Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
8mi total (7:27) - 2mi warmup, 14x 1:00on/1:00off, 2mi cooldown
On paces: 6:19-5:19
Off paces: 8:42-7:59
Felt pretty solid today. The last 4 "on" segments were all in the 5:35-5:19 range as I focused on form. Maintained the same paces despite shortening the recoveries from the last time I did this workout two weeks ago.
Thursday, June 20th:
4:55am, 59 degrees, 85%, calm. Garden State-Grove-Maple-Garden State. Nike Pegasus 29 Shield.
7mi easy - (NW)
My right glute was noticeably tight during the run today. Didn't affect my stride or impair my running - in fact, I had lots of energy today and was able to open up a little the last couple miles. Will focus on stretching more the next few days.
Friday, June 21st:
5:30am, 60 degrees, 80%, calm. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
12mi total - (7:10, JP's watch): 6mi easy @ 7:43/mi, 6mi marathon effort @ 6:37/mi
Absolute gorgeous first morning of summer. Ran with MDRP group and felt great. Didn't wear a watch - just ran with the group's easy pace and according to JP's commands on the tempo segment. Felt relaxed and very in control the whole way. Great sense of freedom not looking at a watch on a run like today. Really allowed me to relax and focus on form.
Saturday, June 22nd:
6:30am, 63 degrees, 85%, calm. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
8m easy - (NW)
Faster easy run with Tom and Colleen. Practiced running taller with better posture to open up my breathing. Stayed relaxed despite the quicker tempo. I was surprised at how much more natural everything felt just by focusing on posture.
Sunday, June 23rd:
6:00am, 70 degrees, 80%, calm. Manayunk-Philly Loop. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
8mi total - (7:42): with 3 hills hard: Falls Road hill 1km@6:33 pace, Belmont Ave hill .25mi@6:08 pace, The Wall in Manayunk .75mi@6:58 pace.
Not for the weak of heart. The entire run was at an easy pace save for the 3 hills. But man those hills were monsters! The Wall, especially, is no joke. I was this close to walking at one point, but I fought hard all the way to Ridge Ave. There were also two monster downhill sections on the course, which really got the turnover going and gave my quads some extra pounding. I then rode my bike for about 15 miles afterward pacing the group for their long run on Forbidden Drive. Got some extra glute and core work in by using all my stabilizing muscles on the gravelly trails. Overall, quite a day of training.
Weekly Total: 50 miles
Next week is technically week 1 of the 12 week Philly Distance Run cycle. My fitness is where I want it to be. I don't have any formal workouts this week and that's probably a good thing since we are getting a suffocating heatwave over the next 4 days. But I must admit I am chomping at the bit to get on the track and start the speedwork soon.
5:35am, 68 degrees, 90%, calm. Maple Shade Loop (L). Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
7mi slow - (NW)
Woke up tight, lethargic, and highly unmotivated. Worked my way through a slow jogfest. At least I finished the last mile with a positive mindset.
Tuesday, June 18th:
Off. Tired.
Wednesday, June 19th:
5:20am, 62 degrees, 85%, 5-10mph. 2x CHW Loop. Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
8mi total (7:27) - 2mi warmup, 14x 1:00on/1:00off, 2mi cooldown
On paces: 6:19-5:19
Off paces: 8:42-7:59
Felt pretty solid today. The last 4 "on" segments were all in the 5:35-5:19 range as I focused on form. Maintained the same paces despite shortening the recoveries from the last time I did this workout two weeks ago.
Thursday, June 20th:
4:55am, 59 degrees, 85%, calm. Garden State-Grove-Maple-Garden State. Nike Pegasus 29 Shield.
7mi easy - (NW)
My right glute was noticeably tight during the run today. Didn't affect my stride or impair my running - in fact, I had lots of energy today and was able to open up a little the last couple miles. Will focus on stretching more the next few days.
Friday, June 21st:
5:30am, 60 degrees, 80%, calm. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
12mi total - (7:10, JP's watch): 6mi easy @ 7:43/mi, 6mi marathon effort @ 6:37/mi
Absolute gorgeous first morning of summer. Ran with MDRP group and felt great. Didn't wear a watch - just ran with the group's easy pace and according to JP's commands on the tempo segment. Felt relaxed and very in control the whole way. Great sense of freedom not looking at a watch on a run like today. Really allowed me to relax and focus on form.
Saturday, June 22nd:
6:30am, 63 degrees, 85%, calm. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
8m easy - (NW)
Faster easy run with Tom and Colleen. Practiced running taller with better posture to open up my breathing. Stayed relaxed despite the quicker tempo. I was surprised at how much more natural everything felt just by focusing on posture.
Sunday, June 23rd:
6:00am, 70 degrees, 80%, calm. Manayunk-Philly Loop. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
8mi total - (7:42): with 3 hills hard: Falls Road hill 1km@6:33 pace, Belmont Ave hill .25mi@6:08 pace, The Wall in Manayunk .75mi@6:58 pace.
Not for the weak of heart. The entire run was at an easy pace save for the 3 hills. But man those hills were monsters! The Wall, especially, is no joke. I was this close to walking at one point, but I fought hard all the way to Ridge Ave. There were also two monster downhill sections on the course, which really got the turnover going and gave my quads some extra pounding. I then rode my bike for about 15 miles afterward pacing the group for their long run on Forbidden Drive. Got some extra glute and core work in by using all my stabilizing muscles on the gravelly trails. Overall, quite a day of training.
Weekly Total: 50 miles
Next week is technically week 1 of the 12 week Philly Distance Run cycle. My fitness is where I want it to be. I don't have any formal workouts this week and that's probably a good thing since we are getting a suffocating heatwave over the next 4 days. But I must admit I am chomping at the bit to get on the track and start the speedwork soon.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Summer Base Training, Week 5
Monday, June 10th:
8:10pm, 75 degrees, 85%, 5-10mph. 3x Neighborhood Loop. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi easy - (7:56): including 4x100m fast strides after (5:00/mi pace)
Started slow and let each mile get progressively faster. Felt like I was holding back the entire run. It felt great to let loose on the strides. I feel my speed returning quickly. As long as the weather holds out for tomorrow night's Cooper River Run, I am excited to see what I can run for a hard tempo.
Tuesday, June 11th:
6:20pm, 80 degrees, 60%, 15-25mph. Cooper River. Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
8mi total - (6:50): 2mi warmup, 2x.25miT (6:00/mi), 3.6mi race in 20:54 (5:48/mi), 1.7mi cooldown
Race splits: 5:42 48 6:00 5:42
Ran much faster than I thought my fitness or the weather indicated. I wore a watch but didn't monitor splits - just ran on feel and focused on competing with the guy who paced me practically the whole way. We had a tailwind the first 3/4mi, a headwind from 1mi-2.7mi, and then a nice tailwind for about the last 3/4mi. I held onto the race leader until about 1/2km to go, when he started putting some distance on me. I could have dug down a little deeper to make it more interesting, but he was clearly fitter than I was today and I was very happy with just busting some rust for my first hard effort. I'll save the red-line competition for later in the season. All in all, I was very pleased.
Wednesday, June 12th:
8:15pm, 78 degrees, 40%, 0-5mph. Garden State-Grove-Maple-Grove-Garden State. Nike Pegasus 29 Shield.
7mi recovery - (8:24)
Very, very slow. Very, very sore. I was sore in places I completely forgot about. Looking forward to tomorrow's rest day.
Thursday, June 13th:
Rest. Good timing, looked like armageddon outside today!
Friday, June 14th:
5:30am, 57 degrees, 85%, 10-20mph. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
9mi total - (8:13): 6.5mi with John Stelmaski ~8:30/mi pace, 2.5mi with Tom Elliott ~7:30/mi pace
Cooler, blustery morning. Light rain to start. Felt nice to run easy with John and then open up a little bit more with Tom at the end. Unplanned to pace it that way, but it worked out nicely.
Saturday, June 15th:
5:45am, 59 degrees, 90%, calm. Haddonfield. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
8.5mi total - 2mi warmup, 8xTriple Hill hard (~:45 sec) w/3:30 recovery jogs, 2mi cooldown
Splits: 45.0, 44.8, 44.8, 45.0, 45.4, 44.1, 44.2, 41.9
No way to disguise it -- running up a hill hard repeatedly isn't fun, but it sure whips you into shape! I really went to my arms on the last couple reps, and just blasted the last one as hard as I could. Made sure to really take it easy on the recoveries so I could hit each rep hard. Very slow on the cooldown. I imagine I will feel a little sore tomorrow. :)
Sunday, June 16th:
7:30am, 65 degrees, 75%, calm. Haddonfield. Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
7.5mi - (7:30)
Nice run with Denning and Mickey this morning. We talked about training the entire way and the run just flew by. Surprised I was able to handle the fast end of easy pace so well after yesterday's hill workout and yardwork. Still, I plan on taking it a little easier tomorrow.
Weekly Total: 46 miles
Rounding into shape nicely. Very pleased with Tuesday's race and yesterday's hill workout. I definitely feel like I am ready for the formal workouts that will start in couple weeks - now it's just being patient and not getting ahead of myself.
8:10pm, 75 degrees, 85%, 5-10mph. 3x Neighborhood Loop. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi easy - (7:56): including 4x100m fast strides after (5:00/mi pace)
Started slow and let each mile get progressively faster. Felt like I was holding back the entire run. It felt great to let loose on the strides. I feel my speed returning quickly. As long as the weather holds out for tomorrow night's Cooper River Run, I am excited to see what I can run for a hard tempo.
Tuesday, June 11th:
6:20pm, 80 degrees, 60%, 15-25mph. Cooper River. Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
8mi total - (6:50): 2mi warmup, 2x.25miT (6:00/mi), 3.6mi race in 20:54 (5:48/mi), 1.7mi cooldown
Race splits: 5:42 48 6:00 5:42
Ran much faster than I thought my fitness or the weather indicated. I wore a watch but didn't monitor splits - just ran on feel and focused on competing with the guy who paced me practically the whole way. We had a tailwind the first 3/4mi, a headwind from 1mi-2.7mi, and then a nice tailwind for about the last 3/4mi. I held onto the race leader until about 1/2km to go, when he started putting some distance on me. I could have dug down a little deeper to make it more interesting, but he was clearly fitter than I was today and I was very happy with just busting some rust for my first hard effort. I'll save the red-line competition for later in the season. All in all, I was very pleased.
Wednesday, June 12th:
8:15pm, 78 degrees, 40%, 0-5mph. Garden State-Grove-Maple-Grove-Garden State. Nike Pegasus 29 Shield.
7mi recovery - (8:24)
Very, very slow. Very, very sore. I was sore in places I completely forgot about. Looking forward to tomorrow's rest day.
Thursday, June 13th:
Rest. Good timing, looked like armageddon outside today!
Friday, June 14th:
5:30am, 57 degrees, 85%, 10-20mph. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
9mi total - (8:13): 6.5mi with John Stelmaski ~8:30/mi pace, 2.5mi with Tom Elliott ~7:30/mi pace
Cooler, blustery morning. Light rain to start. Felt nice to run easy with John and then open up a little bit more with Tom at the end. Unplanned to pace it that way, but it worked out nicely.
Saturday, June 15th:
5:45am, 59 degrees, 90%, calm. Haddonfield. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
8.5mi total - 2mi warmup, 8xTriple Hill hard (~:45 sec) w/3:30 recovery jogs, 2mi cooldown
Splits: 45.0, 44.8, 44.8, 45.0, 45.4, 44.1, 44.2, 41.9
No way to disguise it -- running up a hill hard repeatedly isn't fun, but it sure whips you into shape! I really went to my arms on the last couple reps, and just blasted the last one as hard as I could. Made sure to really take it easy on the recoveries so I could hit each rep hard. Very slow on the cooldown. I imagine I will feel a little sore tomorrow. :)
Sunday, June 16th:
7:30am, 65 degrees, 75%, calm. Haddonfield. Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
7.5mi - (7:30)
Nice run with Denning and Mickey this morning. We talked about training the entire way and the run just flew by. Surprised I was able to handle the fast end of easy pace so well after yesterday's hill workout and yardwork. Still, I plan on taking it a little easier tomorrow.
Weekly Total: 46 miles
Rounding into shape nicely. Very pleased with Tuesday's race and yesterday's hill workout. I definitely feel like I am ready for the formal workouts that will start in couple weeks - now it's just being patient and not getting ahead of myself.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Summer Base Training, Week 4
Monday, June 3rd:
5:20am, 70 degrees, 90%(!), 0-5mph. Light rain. Maple Shade Loop (M). Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
~6mi easy - (NW)
Incredibly humid air this morning. My left calf started off very tight, and once that loosened up I noticed some stiffness in my glutes. Can't say I felt too great today. Glad I didn't have a watch to give me the gory details. :)
Tuesday, June 4th:
5:10am, 62 degrees, 55%, 5-10mph. 2x CHW Loop. Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
8mi total - (7:49): 2mi warmup, 10x1:00on/2:00off (6:24-5:19/8:32-8:11), 2mi cooldown
The weather was such a welcome relief this morning. It seems like it has been hot for forever. This was the first real speed I have implemented since Gettysburg, and it took awhile to get the engine revving again. I kind of eased into the 1:00on segments, starting out most of them around 6:00/mi pace, before working my way down to 5:30/mi pace. Still, I felt great the whole time, form felt strong and no matter what you gotta start somewhere.
Wednesday, June 5th:
5:10am, 59 degrees, 45%, 0-5mph. Kilmer Loop. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi easy - (NW)
Felt so much smoother and faster today with the cooler temps. Guessing that I ran on the faster end of the easy spectrum.
Thursday, June 6th:
4:55am, 57 degrees, 90%, 5-10mph. Maple Shade Loop (S). Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
5.5mi easy - (NW): including 4x100m fast strides after
Felt loose and strong today. Really opened up the middle 50m of the strides.
Friday, June 7th:
5:30am, 65 degrees, 95%, 5-10mph. Light rain. Garden State-Cooper River Loop-Garden State. Nike Pegasus 29 Shield.
11.4mi total - (7:15): 1.65mi warmup, 8.2mi Moderate (7:08-6:49), 1.55mi cooldown
Tempo Splits: 7:08 05 06 6:55 50 51 54 54 49
I wore the Garmin today but only checked my pace on the first mile split of the tempo and then ran the rest of it on feel. Very humid air this morning, but I focused on staying as relaxed as possible and just moving along steadily. Took a Gu at Mile 6. Would have been nice to have some Gatorade along the way as I was feeling a little parched toward the end. Overall felt really strong for my first longer quality effort since Gettysburg.
Saturday, June 8th:
7:15am, 65 degrees, 90%, 5-10mph. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
8mi easy/moderate - (7:12)
Ran with Tom and Rich today and kept a pace probably closer to moderate than easy. It felt much easier than yesterday though since I was mainly tucked in the line of three of us and our conversation just carried us along. I also did a very slow short jog before we started and a couple of really light strides, which had me loose from the beginning. Nice run.
Sunday, June 9th:
7:30am, 65-70 degrees, 75%, calm. HRC Store Run. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
Did the same little warmup routine as yesterday: about 1/4 mi slow jog followed by 4x very light strides. Felt so relaxed and easy on the run today with Denning. Beautiful morning in spite of the humidity. I just love running in Haddonfield.
Weekly Total: ~52 miles
The quality I added felt much better this week. The strides I have been implementing before runs the past two days seem to really set me up nicely, and the faster ones I have been doing either as fartleks or after easy runs hit just the right touch of speed. I was most pleased with the two moderate days in a row - I don't feel nearly as out of shape as I did after last week.
5:20am, 70 degrees, 90%(!), 0-5mph. Light rain. Maple Shade Loop (M). Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
~6mi easy - (NW)
Incredibly humid air this morning. My left calf started off very tight, and once that loosened up I noticed some stiffness in my glutes. Can't say I felt too great today. Glad I didn't have a watch to give me the gory details. :)
Tuesday, June 4th:
5:10am, 62 degrees, 55%, 5-10mph. 2x CHW Loop. Adidas Adizero Tempo 4.
8mi total - (7:49): 2mi warmup, 10x1:00on/2:00off (6:24-5:19/8:32-8:11), 2mi cooldown
The weather was such a welcome relief this morning. It seems like it has been hot for forever. This was the first real speed I have implemented since Gettysburg, and it took awhile to get the engine revving again. I kind of eased into the 1:00on segments, starting out most of them around 6:00/mi pace, before working my way down to 5:30/mi pace. Still, I felt great the whole time, form felt strong and no matter what you gotta start somewhere.
Wednesday, June 5th:
5:10am, 59 degrees, 45%, 0-5mph. Kilmer Loop. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi easy - (NW)
Felt so much smoother and faster today with the cooler temps. Guessing that I ran on the faster end of the easy spectrum.
Thursday, June 6th:
4:55am, 57 degrees, 90%, 5-10mph. Maple Shade Loop (S). Adidas Supernova Glide 4.
5.5mi easy - (NW): including 4x100m fast strides after
Felt loose and strong today. Really opened up the middle 50m of the strides.
Friday, June 7th:
5:30am, 65 degrees, 95%, 5-10mph. Light rain. Garden State-Cooper River Loop-Garden State. Nike Pegasus 29 Shield.
11.4mi total - (7:15): 1.65mi warmup, 8.2mi Moderate (7:08-6:49), 1.55mi cooldown
Tempo Splits: 7:08 05 06 6:55 50 51 54 54 49
I wore the Garmin today but only checked my pace on the first mile split of the tempo and then ran the rest of it on feel. Very humid air this morning, but I focused on staying as relaxed as possible and just moving along steadily. Took a Gu at Mile 6. Would have been nice to have some Gatorade along the way as I was feeling a little parched toward the end. Overall felt really strong for my first longer quality effort since Gettysburg.
Saturday, June 8th:
7:15am, 65 degrees, 90%, 5-10mph. Moorestown. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
8mi easy/moderate - (7:12)
Ran with Tom and Rich today and kept a pace probably closer to moderate than easy. It felt much easier than yesterday though since I was mainly tucked in the line of three of us and our conversation just carried us along. I also did a very slow short jog before we started and a couple of really light strides, which had me loose from the beginning. Nice run.
Sunday, June 9th:
7:30am, 65-70 degrees, 75%, calm. HRC Store Run. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
Did the same little warmup routine as yesterday: about 1/4 mi slow jog followed by 4x very light strides. Felt so relaxed and easy on the run today with Denning. Beautiful morning in spite of the humidity. I just love running in Haddonfield.
Weekly Total: ~52 miles
The quality I added felt much better this week. The strides I have been implementing before runs the past two days seem to really set me up nicely, and the faster ones I have been doing either as fartleks or after easy runs hit just the right touch of speed. I was most pleased with the two moderate days in a row - I don't feel nearly as out of shape as I did after last week.
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