Getting Slower to Get Faster

A.M. 47:47 at mixed paces.

I started off super slow and jogged around the ice and snow covered track at East ( I just couldn't stay away). I left East with on a loop for home and settled into a decent run pace and then picked it up to catch someone who was moving pretty good. I kept dropping down the pace as this person kept getting faster. I spent a couple minutes near 6 minute pace and then the other runner stopped so I just continued along my way at a more reasonable pace. It wasn't the smartest thing to do on a a recovery day, but is was fun and I didn't strain.

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P.M. 21st East Loop @ Base I, 31:18

I felt pretty good today, so to bring the New Year with style, I decided to add a second run, inspite of being mired in grant purgatory. I did get great data today, so I feel a little bit better about it.

8:19/mi, HR 147

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A.M. Weight = 177.0

A.M. 1 x 800 (3:00), 6 x 400 (75 sec) on Treadmill. Effort = 7.5/10

I wanted to run something just a little faster than what has been the norm for the past few weeks, but still keep it medium hard. Quarters at 5:00 pace seemed about right. And, since this is as fast as the treadmill will go, there wasn't an alternative (the balmy weather this morning would have been perfect for winter track work, but alas, the track is still iced over).

I ran a warm-up 800 in 3:00 (peak HR = 179) and then ran 6 x 75+ secs at 5:00 min/mi with ~2:30 jogging recovery in between. The speed of the reps was very manageable and I increased the incline to 1% on the final rep, just to see if I could tell the difference. It was a little harder, but barely. Overall, I felt the tendonitis in the joint capsule behind my knees, and worked out my upper gastrocs/popliteus/lower hamstrings with my ASTYM-like instrument when I got home.

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A.M. Weight = 178.8

A.M. Breakthrough run on the treadmill (the same treadmill I always run on, with the same shoes, same fan angle, etc) 83:27

Today was a great run for me. Pace at a given heart rate is continuing to come down, even with sporatic training due to work obligations, an odd flat period where running did not feel good for a couple of weeks, and niggling tendonitis behind my knees.

I originally intended to run 8 miles, but settled into a great rhythm and just decided to keep going until 10. After a progressive warm-up starting very slow, I spent 5 or so miles at 8:00/mi in the middle of the run and then dropped down to 7:53 from 6-9.5 and then 7:24 for the .75 miles.

Steady state HRs

8:00 = HR 148-149

7:53 = HR 148-150 (final 5:35 at this pace I averaged HR 148)

7:24 = HR 156

I'm pretty certain this improvement is the result of backing off a little on my hard days and allowing my body to get in the zone where everything is starting to feel good again--pushing hard enough on the on days to drive adaptation, but checking it enough that I feel good the next day. This is really the art of optimal training. Fellow bloggers, you might at first glance think my training approach is hypertechnical and mechanistic. Rest assured, it is not. This is art to me. I didn't try to hit those HRs or paces. I knew before the workout how the run should feel, and adjusted the speed to elicit that feeling. These numbers are observations that I've collected along the way to monitor my progess, not dictate it. And after going through a rougher patch, I'm happy with my gains. Nonetheless, I still have a long way to go.

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A.M. Weight = 179.3

A.M. 24 minute over-under tempo run on treadmill, effort = 7.5/10

Entries the next couple of week are going to be short because I'm busy with my grant.

Alternated 2 minutes at 7:13/mile with 2 minutes at 6:15/mi for 24 minutes. HR generally climbed to 181 by the end of the 6:15 portion and dropped to 170 by the end of the 7:13 portion. Paces were about perfect for how I wanted the workout to feel.

Weights:

DSQ = 10 x bar, 10 x 65;

RDL = 10 x bar, 10 x 65;

Gluteham = 6 (feeling much more in control)

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A.M. Weight = 178.X

P.M. 46:09, Base I, 21st East Loop + add-ons,

Slippin and slidin in the snow and slush slows me down.

9:07/mi @ HR 143.

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A.M Weight = 179.3

A.M. 4 x 3 minutes progessive, effort = 7.5-8/10.

6:00/mi (180), 5:52/mi (184), 5:42/mi (186), 5:30/mi, (189)

Weights:

12, 10 x 70 seated hamstring curl.

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A.M. Weight = 179.3

Off. Extremely busy with grant work. I got the really critical piece of data I needed today, so it was a great day, even without a run.

A.M. 6 x 5 minute progressive AT intervals on treadmill, effort = 6.5-7/10.

Very aerobic. Improvement over last time which was improved over the time before that. (With grant demands my training volume isn't what I'd like, but I'm still improving, even though I'm not quite sure how.)

Rep	Pace	Recovery	Ave HR	SS HR
1	7:08	1:13	162	163-164
2	7:03	1:10	163	165-166
3	6:58	1:11	165	167-168
4	6:53	1:10	165	167-168
5	6:49	1:16	167	169-170
6	6:44	N/A	167	169-170

Similar workout from Dec 29th:

Rep	Pace	Recovery	Ave HR	SS HR
1	7:13	1:08	161	163-164
2	7:08	1:10	163	166-167
3	7:03	1:17	165	168-169
4	6:58	1:33	166	168-169
5	6:53	N/A	168	169-170

Similar workout from November 3rd:

Interval	Pace	Time	Ave HR
1	7:13	5:02	165
2	7:13	5:02	165
3	7:08	5:07	166
4	7:08	5:02	169
5	7:03	5:03	169
6	7:03	5:01	169

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Weights: (generally for ROM, not strength)

10 x 65 DSQ, 10 x 65 RDL, 5 x Gluteham

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A.M. Weight = 178.X

P.M. 21st East Loop, Base I, 30:53

This run confirmsthe improvements I have seen on the treadmill. This is the fastest I have run this route at Base I pace sinced winter set in. I also think the treadmill running is helping my over-ground rhythm. I've had a slight hitch in my stride since my sophomore track season in college and have always felt that it has made me slower. It seems to be going away, which I think could give me a free 15 secs/mile. This may be the cause for some of the recent improvement I have seen.

8:00/mi @ HR 149

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A.M. Weight = 177.9

A.M. 800 warm-up in 3:00, 6 x 400 @ 5 minute pace w/2 min recovery, on treadmill.

Effort = 7.5/10.

With the grant due date coming up quick, I'll take my workouts whenever I can fit them in. I'm not sure how much running I'll be doing this week

Goose egg. A full day devoted to grant work.

A.M. 21st East Loop

8:23/mi, HR 150

The grant is coming along well now. However, extra adminstrative requirements keep materializing that are slowing me down. There are a lot of hoops to jump through to submit one of these.

A.M. Slow jog just to get outside and clear my head a bit.

3.21 mi @ ~9:30/mi, no HRM.

Off. ~16 hours today on the grant.

Off. Another ~16 hours on the grant to get it in.

I'm wiped out and don't feel like running, so I'll listen to my body, and won't.

A.M. 30 minute refamiliarization since I've been off 3 days in a row. The grant is in and now I can resettle into a normal training routine. Getting all the grant work was an exhausting process. I still feel wiped-out.It will probably take a few days to get back in rhythm.

Warm-up, then 8:20/mi at ~ HR 152, then 5 min @ 6:58/mi ~ HR 168, then 5 min cool-down at 9 min/mi.

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Weights:

12 x DS @ 65, 10 x RDL @ 65, 10 x GH

A.M. Laps around sugarhouse park. I wonder how many years of my life I just sacrificed by running in the polluted pea soup smothering the Salt Lake Valley.

Pace/lap (HR): 9:23(136), 8:23(154), 8:12(158), 8:10(159)

HRs are certainly up. It wil be interested to see how long they take to come back down.

P.M. Run Bounding on treadmill at parents house, Base I effort.

This particular piece of equipment is to treadmills what Nike Shox are to shoes. It felt like running on a diving board. I involuntarily went on a 30 minute bound. It was entertaining, but I wouldn't like it all the time.

Off. Still recovering from total overload.

A.M. 4 x 3:00 progressive, on treadmill, 3 min recoveries.

This was my first workout in several days. HR at 6:00 pace is definitely up, but became relatively less elevated as I increased the speed. This means my LT has decayed a little but aerobic capicity has not. Two weeks or less of regular training should restore everything.

Rep	Pace	Ave HR	Peak HR	Recovery
1	6:00	172	183	2:59
2	5:52	176	186	2:57
3	5:42	178	187	2:54
4	5:30	180	190

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P.M. Easy mini run

I'm a big believer in 1) making slow, progressive increases in training load, and 2) that re-establishing normal training frequency should be the first priority when coming back from a lower training level. So, I'm re-introducing doubles with small runs like this, because, for now, volume is a non-issue. The length of these runs will increase as I start to feel back in the zone.

1.08 mi/11:06, just starting to warm-up

A.M. Base I, East-Foothill loop,

Easy run with a few laps around the track at East, which is almost free of snow. I felt  like I was pounding a little this morning. Hopefully returning to a normal training pattern will end that quickly.

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P.M. Base I mini-run

1.22 miles easy, just warming up. Finished with a lap around the block at 8:24/mi. I felt softer on my feet then this morning.

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A.M. Weight = 181

A.M. 8 x 5 minute AT intervals, ~75 sec jog recovery, on Treadmill, effort = 7.5-8/10.

This was a very aerobic workout. Ease of pace was good. I felt a little fatigue at the end just because of the volume, but still had a lot left in the tank. I could have hammered a very hard mile after all of this had I wanted to.

Rep	Pace	Ave HR	SS HR	Recovery
1	7:13	161	165	1:17
2	7:13	163	167	1:11
3	7:08	161	165	1:10
4	7:08	164	166	1:11
5	7:03	165	169	1:11
6	7:03	164	168	1:13
7	6:58	166	169	1:20
8	6:53	168	170	N/A

HR occasionally picked up some static, so it may be artefactually elevated for some of the reps, like 2, 5, and for sure 7 where it temporarily jumped to 180.

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P.M. 1.6 mile mini run, base I

Still just warming up, but this sure is a nice way to ease into doubles.

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A.M. Weight = 182

P.M. Base I on treadmill.

8:13/mi = ~HR 151, so still a little elevated.

Stability work:

1 legged squats, side squats, 1-legged RDLs, Leg ups, twisting legs ups, dynamic plank drills.

A.M. Base I, treadmill (last 5 min a little faster), no HRM.

Catching a cold, rhythm a little off, glutes are pretty sore from yesterday's stability work. Still, a decent run.

Afterwords I cleared the snow (with a snow thrower)  from our sidewalk and several of my neighbors, in my shorts. I enjoyed the funny looks from people driving by.

A.M. 5 x 5 min AT (easier than LT), progressive, 1:10 recovery, on Treadmill

My cold has definitely set in so I was a little worried bout how this workout would go. Surprisingly it went very well. I felt a good sense of rhythm from the beginning, and felt better as the workout progressed. I'm starting to feel back in the zone as my training has become consistent again. As usual, this was a very aerobic workout, and I felt invigorated afterwords.

Rep	Pace	HR Ave	HR SS	Recovery
1	7:03	163	167	1:10
2	6:58	165	168	1:10
3	6:53	166	170	1:10
4	6:49	167	170	1:11
5	6:44	168	172	N/A

Weights:

Seated hamstring curl: 12 x 70, 10 x 80;

Single-leg RDL: 2 x 10 x 20

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P.M. 2.01 mile mini run w/ Michael, worked down to ~8:00/mi, no HRM

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A.M. Weight  = 181.5

A.M. Base I, Sugarhouse Park with laps.

~8:30/mi @ HR 149, with about 10lbs of clothes on. I loaded up the layers today because I didn't want to feel cold--at all.

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A.M. Weight = 180.5

A.M. 4 x 3 minutes, progressive, on treadmill

I was pretty tired this morning so this workout was more difficult than usual, but still within the limits I set for this type of workout. My fatigue is probably a combination of 1) the cold I have right now, 2) the jump back up in training volume, 3) three super busy days in a row at work, and 4) 7 hours of sleep rather than the 8-8.5 I do best with

Rep	Pace	Peak HR	Recovery
1	6:00	181	2:56
2	5:52	184	2:58
3	5:42	187	3:02
4	5:30	191

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A.M. Weight = 180.5

A.M. Base I, no HRM

I ran a loop from home, down 21st East to 21st South, cut up and through some neighborhoods to 15th East, up to 9th South, then down 17th East to home, then some add ons. I frequently changed from one side of the road to the other because of the severe crowns--an annoyance, but probably good for building hip stability.

8:34/mi, 6.74 mi

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P.M. Ease Base I, no HRM

Super easy and relaxed while I shoot my mileage back up.

8:55/mi, 3.26 mi (purely coincidental that my total mileage for the day is 10.0, funny though)

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A.M. Weight = 181.1

A.M. Medium long run with 6 x 5 min AT intervals during second half, 1:00 jog recovery, on TM (11.08 mi).

HR at pace is coming back down. Was back under 150 at 8:13/mi, and ~151 at 8:00/mi. Although I think long runs are bestowed with an undeserved reverence, they do have their place. I'm headed into a big aerobic training phase so I will probably include them regularly and then cut them when I start racing. They can do some good things, but they have a long incubation time. I decided to wait until next year to run Boston, but look forward to a summer of great racing and a fall marathon, so its time to start packing in the miles. I probably won't log it all, but I am doing a ton of core/stability work right now. I've made some very nice gains in fitness since I really starting training again in August, about 5 & 1/2 months ago. Its time to take it to another level. 

Rep	Pace	HR*
1	7:03	163
2	7:03	165
3	6:58	164
4	6:58	166
5	6:53	167
6	6:44	170

* Average of last 2 min of each rep

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A.M. Weight = 182.2 (retaining water from training jump)