Monday, February 24th - Wednesday, February 26th:
Rest. Giving my achilles a chance to feel 100% before starting back up again. I figured a solid of week of no running should help. I'll re-evaluate how I feel on Thursday and decide whether or not to resume easy running then.
Thursday, February 27th:
8:15pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
2mi (16:50) (8:25/mi)
Easy shakeout run to test the achilles. Felt a little winded and out of shape after 6 days off, but achilles felt okay. Will see how I feel tomorrow - if all is well, I might shoot for 4 miles and then keep increasing mileage as long as symptoms are okay.
Friday, February 28th:
1:25pm, 21 degrees, 25%, 0-5mph. Neighborhood. New Balance 1260v2.
2mi (16:09) (8:05/mi)
Another very easy shakeout run. I actually thought I was running like 8:45-9:00/mi pace, so I guess that's a good sign I haven't lost much fitness over a week. I was intentionally trying to run super easy to see if it would help loosen up my leg muscles (calves/soleus/hamstrings/quads). I was comfortable for the duration of the run, but my lower soleus felt mildly tender after two miles so I figured I would call it quits there and consider the day a success. I am also incorporating some calf raises with my stretching, which seems to help.
Saturday, March 1st:
9:15am, 25-30 degrees, 50%, 0-5mph. 2x Neighborhood Loop. New Balance 1260v2.
4mi (32:11) (8:03/mi)
So I took Larry's advice and used the lacrosse ball on my plantar fascia in addition to my calves/soleus both last night and this morning and I felt a WORLD of difference on today's run. Felt practically 100% with no symptoms whatsoever. I even opened up the last 100m or so at about 6:30/mi pace and felt strong and smooth. Knock wood, but I think I may be past the worst of it. Still, I missed 6 days of running so I will probably use the first 6 days back to incrementally increase mileage from 2 to 7mi per run before adding some light quality. I am hoping that if things continue progressing nicely by the following week (the week of March 10th) I can resume my regular schedule with slightly adjusted workout paces/volume. I feel blessed to have caught this one relatively early - I will feel more blessed when this damn winter weather goes away! :)
Sunday, March 2nd:
6:45am, 34 degrees, 70%, calm. Kilmer Loop. New Balance 1260v2.
6mi (48:02) (8:00/mi)
Aside from some still mild achilles/soleus symptoms, I feel great. The rest of my body feels really loose and strong. I picked up the pace the last mile (7:36) which actually alleviated the minor symptoms I was feeling. I'll continue to use the lacrosse ball, do my strengthening exercises, and run easy until I feel absolutely 100%. But each day it feels like I am moving in the right direction, which is good.
Weekly Total: 14 miles
I consider this week a great success. I took off the proper amount of time to let healing occur, and I am slowly inching the mileage back up while monitoring symptoms. I know I haven't really lost any fitness - it's just a matter of being patient to let healing happen naturally, and not feel the urge to rush things. I actually feel this little flare-up was just the dose of reality I needed to keep my training in perspective not only for Broad Street, but for the long-term.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Broad Street 2014 Training Plan, Week 3
Monday, February 17th:
8:35am/10:00am, 20-24 degrees, 45%, 5-10mph. Neighborhood. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
4mi (33:14) (8:08/mi) - 2mi warmup (16:11), 2mi cooldown (17:03)
9:00am, 20-24 degrees, 45%, 10mph. Monroe Ave. Adidas Adios Boost.
8mi workout (52:08) - some strides before and a light jog afterward. Goal of 25x.25mi (~85/avg) w/~:30 recovery jogs.
Actual splits: 83.3 82.8 85.8 86.6 88.2 85.4 86.9 86.3 87.7 85.9 85.7 84.3 86.6 84.8 86.6
85.6 86.4 83.2 84.5 82.9 85.7 85.4 84.1 82.1 78.9
Actual recoveries: 34.4 30.0 31.2 28.5 31.4 32.4 35.3 31.3 30.6 30.2 29.4 32.2 30.2 34.4 32.3
33.1 30.8 34.3 33.6 35.0 32.7 35.1 32.1 30.3 31.3
Average splits: 85.03
Average recoveries: 32.08
Without a doubt the hardest workout of this cycle. Mentally tough, physically tough, weather was no picnic, left calf started cramping halfway through...and it was solo. Back and forth on a .25mi stretch of clear road on Monroe Ave. Had a tailwind and crosswind on the "odds", and a headwind and crosswind on the "evens." About halfway through, when my left calf started cramping and I wasn't really hitting my splits, I really considered throwing in the towel. But I kept breaking up the workout into sets of 5 in my mind, and told myself I had just 3 more to go, 2 more to go, 1 more to go, before resetting at the next set of five. I then ran the 20th rep fairly hard thinking I would stop at 20, but when I hit a good time on that one and wasn't completely dead, I figured what the hell, I came this far - might as well finish the thing. Really pushed the effort on the last two and was surprised what I still had in the tank. I can't believe I completed the entire workout and averaged right about my goal (85 seconds per quarter), taking just an extra two seconds per recovery to do it.
My calf was pretty sore afterward, so I did a good bit of stretching, soaked in a nice hot bath for awhile, and then applied an Icy/Hot patch on it afterward. Needless to say, the next couple days will be SUPER easy with a planned day off on Wednesday. There is great relief that I shouldn't see a tougher workout this cycle - because that one was a monster. :)
2:35pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
2mi shakeout (17:03) (8:32/mi)
Very easy recovery jog to help loosen up the left calf. Progressed from 6.7-7.4mph increasing 0.1mph every .25mi. Stretching afterward.
Tuesday, February 18th:
7:15pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
5mi (40:37) (8:07/mi)- (8:25 06 06 00 00)
Felt expectedly flat after yesterday. Progressed from 7.0-7.3mph for 1st mile, and then 7.4mph for 2 and 3, and 7.5mph for 4 and 5. Totally ready for my day of rest tomorrow. In fact, I will go ahead and log it now so I can't change my mind, haha.
Wednesday, February 19th:
Rest.
Thursday, February 20th:
6:25pm/7:20pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
3mi (24:43) (8:14/mi) - 2mi warmup, 1mi cooldown
6:50pm, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adios Boost.
4mi (27:44) - broken workout - 2x.5mi (2:44 46) w/.25mi jogs, 5x.25mi (88, 87, 87, 86, 85) w/.25mi jogs
A couple lessons to take away from tonight: 1) you can't exactly translate 5k "pace" to the treadmill, 2) it's okay to modify a workout on the fly when you just feel flat and start WAY too fast, 3) you can't win them all. I was attempting to do a standard 5K interval workout - 6x.5mi at 5K pace (5:25-:30) w/.25mi recovery jogs. I knew after the first one that it felt way too fast, but I somehow fought through the second one out of spite. From there I just switched it up to 5K "effort" for 5 more quarters to get in some type of quality. It's funny how I could barely manage the same pace I kept up for 25 quarters(!) on Monday with just :32 recovery. Probably a good sign that I wasn't ready for another fast workout, even after two recovery days. I'll chalk this one up to fatigue, being too aggressive, and being overly optimistic of my treadmill capabilities. From now on, I'll just run comparable "effort" for faster stuff on the treadmill and stick to tempos and easy runs for more targeted paces.
Friday, February 21st:
5:10am, 39 degrees, 95%, 0-5mph. Maple Ave out-and-back. New Balance 1260v2.
7mi (55:25) (7:55/mi)
My left achilles/soleus started bothering me around 2.5mi in. Stopped twice to stretch it along the way. Manageable, not terrible pain by any means, but probably a good sign to lay off the really fast stuff for awhile. I used a cold compression wrap and lacrosse ball after the run. I may ditch the moderate long run planned for this weekend depending on how I feel and switch the schedule up to rest days or easy days over the next few days. Might try an easy shakeout later today to see if that helps.
Saturday, February 22nd:
Rest. The achilles was pretty sore the rest of yesterday, so I scheduled a massage for today to see if that helps it clear up. Plan on resting until it feels 100% again. No more crazy fast workouts on the treadmill for me! :)
Sunday, February 23rd:
Rest. The massage session went well yesterday. It turns out I had quite a few tight areas, including the outer lower quad and lower hamstring, which were the likely origins for the seizing I started to feel in my achilles. Holli also found a nice bubble starting to form at the base of my achilles, so I am glad I got in to see her early. Despite feeling some pretty instant relief, I probably won't run again until Friday - just to be sure I allow the achilles proper amount of time to heal so I can still get in a good 8 week block before Broad Street.
Weekly Total: 33 miles
You know what they say about 20/20 hindsight. I can't change what's done now, just focus on recovering and then being smart once I am healed. Despite this week's hiccup, I still feel like I am playing with house money, having already run an unexpected 5K PR this season and still plenty of time to recover and run another PR at Broad Street.
8:35am/10:00am, 20-24 degrees, 45%, 5-10mph. Neighborhood. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
4mi (33:14) (8:08/mi) - 2mi warmup (16:11), 2mi cooldown (17:03)
9:00am, 20-24 degrees, 45%, 10mph. Monroe Ave. Adidas Adios Boost.
8mi workout (52:08) - some strides before and a light jog afterward. Goal of 25x.25mi (~85/avg) w/~:30 recovery jogs.
Actual splits: 83.3 82.8 85.8 86.6 88.2 85.4 86.9 86.3 87.7 85.9 85.7 84.3 86.6 84.8 86.6
85.6 86.4 83.2 84.5 82.9 85.7 85.4 84.1 82.1 78.9
Actual recoveries: 34.4 30.0 31.2 28.5 31.4 32.4 35.3 31.3 30.6 30.2 29.4 32.2 30.2 34.4 32.3
33.1 30.8 34.3 33.6 35.0 32.7 35.1 32.1 30.3 31.3
Average splits: 85.03
Average recoveries: 32.08
Without a doubt the hardest workout of this cycle. Mentally tough, physically tough, weather was no picnic, left calf started cramping halfway through...and it was solo. Back and forth on a .25mi stretch of clear road on Monroe Ave. Had a tailwind and crosswind on the "odds", and a headwind and crosswind on the "evens." About halfway through, when my left calf started cramping and I wasn't really hitting my splits, I really considered throwing in the towel. But I kept breaking up the workout into sets of 5 in my mind, and told myself I had just 3 more to go, 2 more to go, 1 more to go, before resetting at the next set of five. I then ran the 20th rep fairly hard thinking I would stop at 20, but when I hit a good time on that one and wasn't completely dead, I figured what the hell, I came this far - might as well finish the thing. Really pushed the effort on the last two and was surprised what I still had in the tank. I can't believe I completed the entire workout and averaged right about my goal (85 seconds per quarter), taking just an extra two seconds per recovery to do it.
My calf was pretty sore afterward, so I did a good bit of stretching, soaked in a nice hot bath for awhile, and then applied an Icy/Hot patch on it afterward. Needless to say, the next couple days will be SUPER easy with a planned day off on Wednesday. There is great relief that I shouldn't see a tougher workout this cycle - because that one was a monster. :)
2:35pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
2mi shakeout (17:03) (8:32/mi)
Very easy recovery jog to help loosen up the left calf. Progressed from 6.7-7.4mph increasing 0.1mph every .25mi. Stretching afterward.
Tuesday, February 18th:
7:15pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
5mi (40:37) (8:07/mi)- (8:25 06 06 00 00)
Felt expectedly flat after yesterday. Progressed from 7.0-7.3mph for 1st mile, and then 7.4mph for 2 and 3, and 7.5mph for 4 and 5. Totally ready for my day of rest tomorrow. In fact, I will go ahead and log it now so I can't change my mind, haha.
Wednesday, February 19th:
Rest.
Thursday, February 20th:
6:25pm/7:20pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
3mi (24:43) (8:14/mi) - 2mi warmup, 1mi cooldown
6:50pm, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adios Boost.
4mi (27:44) - broken workout - 2x.5mi (2:44 46) w/.25mi jogs, 5x.25mi (88, 87, 87, 86, 85) w/.25mi jogs
A couple lessons to take away from tonight: 1) you can't exactly translate 5k "pace" to the treadmill, 2) it's okay to modify a workout on the fly when you just feel flat and start WAY too fast, 3) you can't win them all. I was attempting to do a standard 5K interval workout - 6x.5mi at 5K pace (5:25-:30) w/.25mi recovery jogs. I knew after the first one that it felt way too fast, but I somehow fought through the second one out of spite. From there I just switched it up to 5K "effort" for 5 more quarters to get in some type of quality. It's funny how I could barely manage the same pace I kept up for 25 quarters(!) on Monday with just :32 recovery. Probably a good sign that I wasn't ready for another fast workout, even after two recovery days. I'll chalk this one up to fatigue, being too aggressive, and being overly optimistic of my treadmill capabilities. From now on, I'll just run comparable "effort" for faster stuff on the treadmill and stick to tempos and easy runs for more targeted paces.
Friday, February 21st:
5:10am, 39 degrees, 95%, 0-5mph. Maple Ave out-and-back. New Balance 1260v2.
7mi (55:25) (7:55/mi)
My left achilles/soleus started bothering me around 2.5mi in. Stopped twice to stretch it along the way. Manageable, not terrible pain by any means, but probably a good sign to lay off the really fast stuff for awhile. I used a cold compression wrap and lacrosse ball after the run. I may ditch the moderate long run planned for this weekend depending on how I feel and switch the schedule up to rest days or easy days over the next few days. Might try an easy shakeout later today to see if that helps.
Saturday, February 22nd:
Rest. The achilles was pretty sore the rest of yesterday, so I scheduled a massage for today to see if that helps it clear up. Plan on resting until it feels 100% again. No more crazy fast workouts on the treadmill for me! :)
Sunday, February 23rd:
Rest. The massage session went well yesterday. It turns out I had quite a few tight areas, including the outer lower quad and lower hamstring, which were the likely origins for the seizing I started to feel in my achilles. Holli also found a nice bubble starting to form at the base of my achilles, so I am glad I got in to see her early. Despite feeling some pretty instant relief, I probably won't run again until Friday - just to be sure I allow the achilles proper amount of time to heal so I can still get in a good 8 week block before Broad Street.
Weekly Total: 33 miles
You know what they say about 20/20 hindsight. I can't change what's done now, just focus on recovering and then being smart once I am healed. Despite this week's hiccup, I still feel like I am playing with house money, having already run an unexpected 5K PR this season and still plenty of time to recover and run another PR at Broad Street.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Broad Street 2014 Training Plan, Week 2
Monday, February 10th:
5:15am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
6mi (49:41) (8:17/mi)
Easy recovery run after this weekend. I also had a great 70 minute massage yesterday afternoon, which left me a little sore. Felt great by the end of the run, though, running 8:00/mi the last mile.
Tuesday, February 11th:
5:10am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
7mi (55:29) (7:56/mi)
Did the same exact progression as last Thursday: 7.0-7.3 for Mile 1, 7.4-7.9 Miles 2-7. Smooth.
Wednesday, February 12th:
7:45pm/9:00pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
4mi (32:01) (8:00/mi) - 2mi warmup (16:02) 7.0-8.0mph increasing 0.1mph every 1:30, 2mi cooldown (15:59) 8.0-7.0mph decreasing 0.1mph every 1:30
8:10pm, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adios Boost.
6.25mi (40:14) - 5x1mi (5:50 46 43 43 41) w/.25mi slow jogs (2:18), (10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.5, 10.5/10.6mph) and (6.0/7.0mph)
Solid, solid workout tonight. Felt pretty controlled and relaxed for the first one, but I could really feel the effort as I hit that 10.5mph on the 3rd rep. Pretty tired after the 4th one, but gathered my energy and actually increased the pace halfway through the 5th rep to finish strong. I like how I divided each .25mi recovery into two segments (.125mi @ 6.0mph, .125mi @ 7.0mph) as it allowed me to recover and then lead into the next rep. It's really amazing how you sometimes think you aren't able to sustain a pace, but the constant buzzing of the treadmill forces you to keep up, stay mentally strong, and then re-establish the right feel. I can't help but think these treadmill workouts will only continue to improve my mental strength for racing. At times I feel like a lab rat - but a very fit, fast lab rat. :)
Thursday, February 13th:
6:50am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
6.75mi (55:28) (8:13/mi)
Easy recovery run. Random progression from 6.7-7.7mph.
2:15pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
4mi (32:00) (8:00/mi)
Steady 7.5mph the whole way. Listened to Linkin Park on my Nook. For once, the time flew by. :)
Friday, February 14th:
4:40am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
7mi (55:29) (7:56/mi)
Did the same exact progression as Tuesday: 7.0-7.3 for Mile 1, 7.4-7.9 Miles 2-7. Got into the groove after mile 5. I just realized I have run 28 miles on a treadmill in the last 34 hours. Spring has GOT to get here soon!
Saturday, February 15th:
6:30am, 30 degrees, 80%, 5-10mph. Moorestown. Saucony Cortana 3.
15mi (1:47:22): 5mi easy (8:07) into 10mi cutdown (7:28 19 07 6:58 46 34 27 16 06 5:48)
Another breakthrough workout for me - not because of the overall pace average, but in my ability to close around 10k pace at the end of a 15mi long run. Still had some left in the tank, too. Thankfully, I had Jamie and Keith with me for the first 11mi - they helped share the work, made the time pass quickly, and essentially reduced the difficult solo section into a mere 4mi tempo run. Each time I dropped the pace, I wasn't sure how many more gears I would have - but each time, I would establish the rhythm within a 1/2mi and find out I had even more in the tank. The last mile had a couple tricky footing sections, and one point where I had to make a complete 180 degree turn. Probably could have touched 5:40 if I wanted to. I am really excited where my fitness is at right now. I hope I get decent conditions again in a couple weeks when I jump in a 10K, with the hope of taking down another PR there (35:57).
Sunday, February 16th:
7:00am, 20 degrees, 52%, 10-15mph. MRC to Maple Ave to Haddonfield Rd and back.
8.75mi (1:08:30) (7:49/mi)
Comfortable pace group run in the cold. Started with Colleen, Steve, JP, Jamie, Joe Halin, and Brad. Jamie and I turned around when we got to Haddonfield Rd and headed back together. A bit cold, but we still kept a decent pace. A few icy patches here and there made for occasional tricky footing.
2:25pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
3mi (25:30) (8:30/mi) - random progression 6.5-7.8mph (9:06 8:30 7:54)
Very easy recovery run. Goal was to shakeout some of the congestion from yesterday in anticipation of (hopefully) a long tempo interval session tomorrow. We'll see how clear the track/roads are.
Weekly Total: 67.75 miles
Another great week. Really nailed Wednesday's and Saturday's workouts. Brimming with confidence right now, but cautious not to overstep that fine line between quality training and over-training.
5:15am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
6mi (49:41) (8:17/mi)
Easy recovery run after this weekend. I also had a great 70 minute massage yesterday afternoon, which left me a little sore. Felt great by the end of the run, though, running 8:00/mi the last mile.
Tuesday, February 11th:
5:10am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
7mi (55:29) (7:56/mi)
Did the same exact progression as last Thursday: 7.0-7.3 for Mile 1, 7.4-7.9 Miles 2-7. Smooth.
Wednesday, February 12th:
7:45pm/9:00pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
4mi (32:01) (8:00/mi) - 2mi warmup (16:02) 7.0-8.0mph increasing 0.1mph every 1:30, 2mi cooldown (15:59) 8.0-7.0mph decreasing 0.1mph every 1:30
8:10pm, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adios Boost.
6.25mi (40:14) - 5x1mi (5:50 46 43 43 41) w/.25mi slow jogs (2:18), (10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.5, 10.5/10.6mph) and (6.0/7.0mph)
Solid, solid workout tonight. Felt pretty controlled and relaxed for the first one, but I could really feel the effort as I hit that 10.5mph on the 3rd rep. Pretty tired after the 4th one, but gathered my energy and actually increased the pace halfway through the 5th rep to finish strong. I like how I divided each .25mi recovery into two segments (.125mi @ 6.0mph, .125mi @ 7.0mph) as it allowed me to recover and then lead into the next rep. It's really amazing how you sometimes think you aren't able to sustain a pace, but the constant buzzing of the treadmill forces you to keep up, stay mentally strong, and then re-establish the right feel. I can't help but think these treadmill workouts will only continue to improve my mental strength for racing. At times I feel like a lab rat - but a very fit, fast lab rat. :)
Thursday, February 13th:
6:50am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
6.75mi (55:28) (8:13/mi)
Easy recovery run. Random progression from 6.7-7.7mph.
2:15pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
4mi (32:00) (8:00/mi)
Steady 7.5mph the whole way. Listened to Linkin Park on my Nook. For once, the time flew by. :)
Friday, February 14th:
4:40am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
7mi (55:29) (7:56/mi)
Did the same exact progression as Tuesday: 7.0-7.3 for Mile 1, 7.4-7.9 Miles 2-7. Got into the groove after mile 5. I just realized I have run 28 miles on a treadmill in the last 34 hours. Spring has GOT to get here soon!
Saturday, February 15th:
6:30am, 30 degrees, 80%, 5-10mph. Moorestown. Saucony Cortana 3.
15mi (1:47:22): 5mi easy (8:07) into 10mi cutdown (7:28 19 07 6:58 46 34 27 16 06 5:48)
Another breakthrough workout for me - not because of the overall pace average, but in my ability to close around 10k pace at the end of a 15mi long run. Still had some left in the tank, too. Thankfully, I had Jamie and Keith with me for the first 11mi - they helped share the work, made the time pass quickly, and essentially reduced the difficult solo section into a mere 4mi tempo run. Each time I dropped the pace, I wasn't sure how many more gears I would have - but each time, I would establish the rhythm within a 1/2mi and find out I had even more in the tank. The last mile had a couple tricky footing sections, and one point where I had to make a complete 180 degree turn. Probably could have touched 5:40 if I wanted to. I am really excited where my fitness is at right now. I hope I get decent conditions again in a couple weeks when I jump in a 10K, with the hope of taking down another PR there (35:57).
Sunday, February 16th:
7:00am, 20 degrees, 52%, 10-15mph. MRC to Maple Ave to Haddonfield Rd and back.
8.75mi (1:08:30) (7:49/mi)
Comfortable pace group run in the cold. Started with Colleen, Steve, JP, Jamie, Joe Halin, and Brad. Jamie and I turned around when we got to Haddonfield Rd and headed back together. A bit cold, but we still kept a decent pace. A few icy patches here and there made for occasional tricky footing.
2:25pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
3mi (25:30) (8:30/mi) - random progression 6.5-7.8mph (9:06 8:30 7:54)
Very easy recovery run. Goal was to shakeout some of the congestion from yesterday in anticipation of (hopefully) a long tempo interval session tomorrow. We'll see how clear the track/roads are.
Weekly Total: 67.75 miles
Another great week. Really nailed Wednesday's and Saturday's workouts. Brimming with confidence right now, but cautious not to overstep that fine line between quality training and over-training.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Broad Street 2014 Training Plan, Week 1
Monday, February 3rd:
5:05am, Treadmill, 1.5% incline. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi (48:45) (8:08/mi)
First full run on the new treadmill! Sure beat the freezing rain conditions outside this morning, and the 4-8in of snow we are supposed to get later today.
Tuesday, February 4th:
6:15pm, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adizero Boston 3.
7mi (54:31) (7:47/mi)
Progressed from 7.0-7.9 mph based on feel. The time really flies by much faster than I had imagined when Sportscenter and Jeopardy are on TV. :)
Wednesday, February 5th:
7:50am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adios Boost 2.
11mi (75:44) - 1.5mi warmup, 8mi@6:24/avg (6:30 27 27 25 23 23 21 19), 1.5mi cooldown
Very different sensation running a longer tempo run on a treadmill. A) You overheat pretty quickly, so you have to adjust the effort and expectations accordingly, and make sure you have lots of water/Gatorade and a towel handy, B) You almost have to think in quarter miles/half miles to make it mentally manageable, because the time inevitably passes slower than when running outside at that pace, C) You have to keep up with the damn pace of the treadmill - the machine is unrelenting in that there are no breaks/recoveries! Still, I showed some great physical and mental resolve by negative splitting the run and not trying to do TOO much - that being said, that last mile was a tough one.
Thursday, February 6th:
4:50am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi (49:35) (8:17/mi)
Easy recovery run after last night's workout and the quick turnaround. Slowly progressed from 8:45-8:00/mi pace.
Friday, February 7th:
5:25am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adizero Boston 3.
7mi (55:29) (7:56/mi)
I liked the way I structured this easy run. Mile 1 broken into .25mi segments: (7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 mph). Mile 2 to Mile 7 I kept upping 0.1 mph at time at each mile marker (7.4, 7.5, 7.6...). Allowed me to easily progress into the run, starting comfortably slow (8:34/mi) and finishing smoothly faster (7:36/mi). Best I have actually felt on a run this week.
12:00pm, 33 degrees, 48%, 5-10mph. 2x Neighborhood Loop. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
4.5mi no watch - with 4x strides after
Felt a little funny running outside again. I actually felt kind of dizzy the first 1/4 mile, as if my brain had to readjust to moving scenery. Kept it very controlled and easy. Same with the strides after - ran at about 5k effort, just in case I am able to sneak in the 5k race tomorrow afternoon before (MORE!) snow moves in again.
Saturday, February 8th:
8:25am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Mizuno Waverider 17.
2mi (16:20) (8:10/mi)
Easy shakeout run before this afternoon's 5K. Started at 7.0mph and increased 0.1mph every 1/4mi. Very relaxed and easy. Love the fit and feel of the new shoes I was breaking in.
2:55pm/3:55pm, 29 degrees, 33%, 0-10mph. Naval Yard. New Balance 1260v2.
4mi total - 1.5mi warmup, 2 x 1:00 "on"/2:30 "off, 1.5mi cooldown
3:30pm, 29 degrees, 33%, 0-10mph. Naval Yard. Adidas Adios Boost.
5k (16:53!) (5:26/mi)
I am over the moon right now! Today was just a day where everything fell perfectly together. Despite the forecast for possible snow, the weather kindly cooperated - there were minor, insignificant flurries about 45 minutes before the gun, but they completely stopped and the sun revealed itself about 10 minutes before the race started. I decided ahead of time not to wear a watch - I wasn't chasing a fast time today, per se - I just wanted to get in the feel of racing for the first time since the Distance Run last September. Also, the regular winds off the riverfront were almost non-existent - there was just one 1/4mi stretch on each lap where you felt them pick up for a bit, but not enough to throw off rhythm.
I also liked that the course was two loops - kind of like Euro Cross Country races, except on pancake flat asphalt. I stuck with a reasonably comfortable rhythm on the first lap and was stunned when I came through at 8:22. I wasn't completely spent at that point, so I knew as long as I held it together I could nail a good time. I focused on the runner ahead of me and closed the gap by 2 miles, passing him. He drafted off me for about 1/2mi before taking the lead again, and we pushed each other and maintained the pace until we were dead even with 150m to go. Turns out, he had one more gear than I did, but I was thrilled when I saw the finishing time - 16:53! It was his first time breaking 17:00 since high school, same for me. And on a day where I totally wasn't expecting it.
I was on cloud nine during the entire cool down, and couldn't stop smiling on the drive home. As this was the first race of my season, I am just hoping it is a positive harbinger of things to come. :)
Sunday, February 9th:
6:30am, 19-23 degrees, 63%, 0-5mph. Home - Moorestown (Stanwick) - Home. New Balance 1260v2.
12.6mi (1:37:27) (7:44/mi)
Eased into the pace of this run after yesterday's race effort. I was thrilled that I wasn't that sore - I wasn't sure when I woke up how my muscles would fire this morning. Didn't check splits until afterward, but it turns out I ran almost a perfect progression (8:23 8:00 7:49 43 45 42 36 38 39 39 36 26). Felt great the whole way.
Weekly Total: 63.2 miles
Couldn't be happier with this week. Having the treadmill now is HUGE for my consistency. I don't have to worry about missing training, and I can carefully monitor workouts when the weather outside is bad. I am still stunned by the 5K result. Let's see where I can take things from here. :)
5:05am, Treadmill, 1.5% incline. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi (48:45) (8:08/mi)
First full run on the new treadmill! Sure beat the freezing rain conditions outside this morning, and the 4-8in of snow we are supposed to get later today.
Tuesday, February 4th:
6:15pm, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adizero Boston 3.
7mi (54:31) (7:47/mi)
Progressed from 7.0-7.9 mph based on feel. The time really flies by much faster than I had imagined when Sportscenter and Jeopardy are on TV. :)
Wednesday, February 5th:
7:50am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adios Boost 2.
11mi (75:44) - 1.5mi warmup, 8mi@6:24/avg (6:30 27 27 25 23 23 21 19), 1.5mi cooldown
Very different sensation running a longer tempo run on a treadmill. A) You overheat pretty quickly, so you have to adjust the effort and expectations accordingly, and make sure you have lots of water/Gatorade and a towel handy, B) You almost have to think in quarter miles/half miles to make it mentally manageable, because the time inevitably passes slower than when running outside at that pace, C) You have to keep up with the damn pace of the treadmill - the machine is unrelenting in that there are no breaks/recoveries! Still, I showed some great physical and mental resolve by negative splitting the run and not trying to do TOO much - that being said, that last mile was a tough one.
Thursday, February 6th:
4:50am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
6mi (49:35) (8:17/mi)
Easy recovery run after last night's workout and the quick turnaround. Slowly progressed from 8:45-8:00/mi pace.
Friday, February 7th:
5:25am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adizero Boston 3.
7mi (55:29) (7:56/mi)
I liked the way I structured this easy run. Mile 1 broken into .25mi segments: (7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 mph). Mile 2 to Mile 7 I kept upping 0.1 mph at time at each mile marker (7.4, 7.5, 7.6...). Allowed me to easily progress into the run, starting comfortably slow (8:34/mi) and finishing smoothly faster (7:36/mi). Best I have actually felt on a run this week.
12:00pm, 33 degrees, 48%, 5-10mph. 2x Neighborhood Loop. Nike Pegasus 29 USATF.
4.5mi no watch - with 4x strides after
Felt a little funny running outside again. I actually felt kind of dizzy the first 1/4 mile, as if my brain had to readjust to moving scenery. Kept it very controlled and easy. Same with the strides after - ran at about 5k effort, just in case I am able to sneak in the 5k race tomorrow afternoon before (MORE!) snow moves in again.
Saturday, February 8th:
8:25am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Mizuno Waverider 17.
2mi (16:20) (8:10/mi)
Easy shakeout run before this afternoon's 5K. Started at 7.0mph and increased 0.1mph every 1/4mi. Very relaxed and easy. Love the fit and feel of the new shoes I was breaking in.
2:55pm/3:55pm, 29 degrees, 33%, 0-10mph. Naval Yard. New Balance 1260v2.
4mi total - 1.5mi warmup, 2 x 1:00 "on"/2:30 "off, 1.5mi cooldown
3:30pm, 29 degrees, 33%, 0-10mph. Naval Yard. Adidas Adios Boost.
5k (16:53!) (5:26/mi)
I am over the moon right now! Today was just a day where everything fell perfectly together. Despite the forecast for possible snow, the weather kindly cooperated - there were minor, insignificant flurries about 45 minutes before the gun, but they completely stopped and the sun revealed itself about 10 minutes before the race started. I decided ahead of time not to wear a watch - I wasn't chasing a fast time today, per se - I just wanted to get in the feel of racing for the first time since the Distance Run last September. Also, the regular winds off the riverfront were almost non-existent - there was just one 1/4mi stretch on each lap where you felt them pick up for a bit, but not enough to throw off rhythm.
I also liked that the course was two loops - kind of like Euro Cross Country races, except on pancake flat asphalt. I stuck with a reasonably comfortable rhythm on the first lap and was stunned when I came through at 8:22. I wasn't completely spent at that point, so I knew as long as I held it together I could nail a good time. I focused on the runner ahead of me and closed the gap by 2 miles, passing him. He drafted off me for about 1/2mi before taking the lead again, and we pushed each other and maintained the pace until we were dead even with 150m to go. Turns out, he had one more gear than I did, but I was thrilled when I saw the finishing time - 16:53! It was his first time breaking 17:00 since high school, same for me. And on a day where I totally wasn't expecting it.
I was on cloud nine during the entire cool down, and couldn't stop smiling on the drive home. As this was the first race of my season, I am just hoping it is a positive harbinger of things to come. :)
Sunday, February 9th:
6:30am, 19-23 degrees, 63%, 0-5mph. Home - Moorestown (Stanwick) - Home. New Balance 1260v2.
12.6mi (1:37:27) (7:44/mi)
Eased into the pace of this run after yesterday's race effort. I was thrilled that I wasn't that sore - I wasn't sure when I woke up how my muscles would fire this morning. Didn't check splits until afterward, but it turns out I ran almost a perfect progression (8:23 8:00 7:49 43 45 42 36 38 39 39 36 26). Felt great the whole way.
Weekly Total: 63.2 miles
Couldn't be happier with this week. Having the treadmill now is HUGE for my consistency. I don't have to worry about missing training, and I can carefully monitor workouts when the weather outside is bad. I am still stunned by the 5K result. Let's see where I can take things from here. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)