Days in Month: 28
Total Miles Run: 226.5
Average miles run per day: 8.38
Days off: 1
Workout Breakdown
Long Runs (10+ miles): 4
Aerobic Strength Intervals: 2
Tempo/Progression: 2
Short Hill Sprints: 2
Long Hill Reps: 1
EZ Distance (5-9 miles): 16
Decent week at 46.5 miles (one day off), bookended by great workouts on Monday and Saturday and feeling like crap while fighting off a cold on the middle days. On Monday I ran a really solid 9 mile progression, where the goal was to start at normal, easy run pace and drop 15 seconds per mile. I started at 8:00 and worked my way down, finishing the last 3 miles in 6:16, 6:02 and 5:43. The 5:43 felt especially smooth. I ran the workout on a mile loop with marked quarters, so while a little boring I was able to really carefully monitor my pace. Splits on that final mile were 87-87-87-82 Hopefully a good sign for my first race in 2 weeks. Felt a little crappy on the next day's recovery run and ended up taking Wednesday off all together, as I got pretty congested. By Friday I was more or less ok and today I did a 13.5 mile long run, feeling very good, so hopefully I'll be ready to roll next week. On Monday I'll do something like 5 x 5:00 w/3:00 rest and on Thursday I'll do the 16 x 200 workout that I missed last week due to my cold. Saturday will be a slightly shorter long run (90 minutes).
Read more...I hate taking days off running, but sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry. After running one of my best workouts of the year on Monday, a 9 mile progression run in the cold rain, I came down with a cold on Tuesday afternoon (not too surprised being that half my office has been sneezing up a storm all winter and maybe that workout was enough to push me over the edge). Anyway, I slept for like 12 hours last night and felt much better but didn't feel good enough to run today, so my current 66 day running streak came to an end. Which brings me to the point that running, at least for me, is about improving my times/Age-graded performances and sometimes rest is the best workout. I feel good enough that I'll probably run short and easy tomorrow but certainly not the planned 16 x 200, but by Saturday I should be able to do my long run and be back on schedule again.
Read more...60 miles on the nose with some good workouts this week. On Monday I did a ladder consisting of surges of 3-5-7-4-6 minutes with 3:00 rest between each rep. That went well though the park was especially windy and the footing on the paths not the greatest. On Thursday I did a set of short hill sprints and today I wrapped up the week with a nice easy 13 miler. Weather was awesome today, pushing 40F and sunny for a change. Getting psyched about my race in 3 weeks, all the pieces of the training puzzle seem to be coming together nicely. Next week I'm doing one of my favorite workouts on Monday, a 9 mile progression run where I start slow and run each mile 10-15 seconds faster than the one before. On Thursday, weather permitting I'll be stepping on to the track for the first time in 2010 to do some 200s at slightly faster than 3K pace. If it doesn't snow between now and then, that will definitely be a go.
Read more...Despite all the snow on the ground, I know that Spring is around the corner and with my first race of the year only three weeks away, I'm glad I've put in all of this winter training. I always get a little nervous after a long period without racing, but 2010 has been by far my best winter training block since I started running again in 2005. I've been dead on consistent at about 60 miles a week for the last 8 weeks, which is more than I've ever run in January and February, but more importantly, I've done a wide variety of workouts, ranging from hills (short sprints and long reps), long intervals, tempos, and a long run of at least 12 miles once a week. Getting out there every day is a plus, but being disciplined enough to do a lot of the unpleasant workouts that really make you better is a double plus. I've also stuck to my pushups and have been doing them 3 days a week. It may be psychological but I feel strong and I'm definitely more toned (I've gone up one t-shirt size).
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Only one month till my first race of the year and the training continues to go well. Hit 61 miles for the week, feeling really good on all of my key workouts. Monday I did 2 x 15:00 at tempo effort on the bike path in Lakewood Park; Wednesday was 6 x Detroit Ave. hill repeats and today I ran for 2 hours (probably somewhere between 15-16 miles), feeling very strong even at the end, which I think is a good sign considering the weather wasn't the best. Hopefully the snow will disappear soon because I have some track workouts scheduled to begin in a few weeks though I may have to make some adjustments depending on the weather. Next week will include one of my favorite fartlek workouts: a ladder of 3-5-7-4-6 minute surges with 3:00 recovery between reps, as well as some short hill sprints and a 1:45 long run. I'm also going to pop into Second Sole on Monday to try on some new racing flats. I'm hoping that the Brooks Green Silence work out because they look like such a cool shoe!
Read more...Another really good week braving the winter elements. Hit 59 miles with three really good 'key' workouts, including 5 x 5:00 w/3:00 rest on Monday (nice and cold and windy for that one!), a series of short hill sprints on Thursday (those have really been working for me -- my form feels real smooth lately), and a 12 mile long run today. Next week will be tougher. My long run will be 2 hours (16 miles give or take) and before that I'll be doing 30 minutes of Tempo on Monday and 6 x 400 meter hill reps on Thursday. Feeling really strong and confident as I work my way through this winter base phase. Only 5 weeks till my first race! Speaking of that I think I've finally mapped out my Spring/early Summer season race schedule (see sidebar). Two 10Ks, two 5-milers, three road 5Ks and one cross country 5K (assuming they'll have that Oberlin XC race in May again).
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Days in Month: 31
Total Miles Run: 263
Average miles run per day: 8.48
Days off: 0
Workout Breakdown
Long Runs (10+ miles): 7
Aerobic Strength Intervals: 3
Tempo/Progression: 1
Short Hill Sprints: 3
Long Hill Reps: 1
EZ Distance (5-9 miles): 16
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