I feel as if the last three weeks have gone really well, and I finally started to feel some tightness this last week for the first time this summer. Luckily, I take a down week every three weeks so next week I will cut about 10 miles off of my weekly average (somewhere in the low 70's). There were times during these last two weeks where I really started to feel as if my threshold or tempo running is getting better. I am finding that anything that I do impacts the way I feel when I am running this much, whether it be lack of sleep or yard work, the implications seem to be magnified. I really think the key to being a successful runner at any level is being able to know how your body responds to certain types of things, which is why it is important to pay attention at all times. I am glad to have this down week coming up, and hopefully I will come back even stronger the following week, when I try to bump up into the 90 mile range.
June 23rd
M 10 easy w/ strides (Last 3 miles- 6:50, 6:50, 6:35) felt pretty good
T 7.5 Easy
W 11 Easy AM, 3.5 PM (14.5)
T 8 Easy AM, 5.5 PM (13.5)
F 9.5 AM (1 WU/6 fartlek 5minTw/1min jogX8/1.5 CD/strides) tight, but felt good
S 8 easy AM felt pretty tired, yard work yesterday(4hrs), PM took off
S 16 easy Airport road felt good, little tight towards the end
79 miles
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Webs, Gnats and Flies
Our long run today may have been the worst since I have lived here...not because of how I felt, but the conditions were horrible! It first started with me and Hibbitts running through spider webs, then swarms of gnats, which I am sure some went in my mouth and then flies started biting us as it got hotter. After we had finished I looked like I was wearing a gnat sweater. We had to finish up at an hour in and get the hell out of there. We finished up the rest of our time on a dirt road outside of town which was nice, but difficult. It was the longest run we have done so far this summer and I am sure I will feel it tomorrow. Here is my log for the week. This is my highest total ever and I feel pretty good so far.
June 16th
M 10 easy w/4 strides (6:50 pace) felt great
T 7.5 easy
W 10 easy AM/6.25 easy PM tired went easy (16.25)
T 7.5 easy AM, 6 easy PM (13.5)
F 1WU/4X10min tempo w/ 2min. jog recovery/1.5 CD and strides Felt great (sub 6) (9.25 total)
S 8 easy AM, muddy and wet 5easy PM (13)
S 16 easy, flies and spiderwebs at Canyon finished on dirt road
85.5 miles
June 16th
M 10 easy w/4 strides (6:50 pace) felt great
T 7.5 easy
W 10 easy AM/6.25 easy PM tired went easy (16.25)
T 7.5 easy AM, 6 easy PM (13.5)
F 1WU/4X10min tempo w/ 2min. jog recovery/1.5 CD and strides Felt great (sub 6) (9.25 total)
S 8 easy AM, muddy and wet 5easy PM (13)
S 16 easy, flies and spiderwebs at Canyon finished on dirt road
85.5 miles
Sunday, June 15, 2008
New Heights
From left to right - Erik, Hibbits and I at the start of the Absurd 10k (by Stephen Spillman)
This week was a good week of training. I reached my highest mileage total ever and my legs feel great and I am injury free. Here is my past week of training:
June 9th
M 10 easy 7X150, felt good
T 8 easy AM, 4.75 PM (12.75 Total) felt good for both, really windy
W 10 easy 4 X100m strides felt a little tired, windy again
T 9 easy AM, 6.5 PM felt pretty good for both, nice weather (15.5 total)
F 5.5 easy and 4 Race Pace strides
S Dean Kelley 10k, course not marked right, went half a mile too long on first loop, dropped out at 5k 1.5 WU/4 racing/2 tempo/1.5 cool down, felt great/PM 4 easy a little tired (13 total)
S 14.5 easy in Canyon, felt great, but really hot
81.25 miles
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Absurd 10k!
Why the hell can't these people get it together when it comes to road racing? I know that most of these organizers do it for fun and to support the community, but when there are cash prizes offered for breaking certain times, the courses better be marked accurately, and everyone needs to have a good idea of where they are going. Here are a few of the problems with this mornings Dean Kelley race in Amarillo.
1. The one mile, 10k, and 5k all started together with the groups simply staggered, 10k started behind the 5k so I was dodging 5k runners through the first half mile.
2. The race started about 15 minutes late, which is significant when you follow a specific warm-up routine. Everyone was getting tight, waiting for the gun...you can only do so many strides.
3. The 5k and 10k runners were on different routes which led to confusion when people are breaking off on certain paths and yet you have no idea who to follow, or who is in your race, because there was no lead vehicle.
4. There were no mile markers, no k markers, every now and then there were turn markers if you were lucky enough to stay on the right path.
It goes without saying that no one ran the right course. I knew the course was screwed when I crossed the three mile marker at around 20min! I knew we were in trouble when at about a mile in everyone in the lead group started going different directions. Come to find out, me and a few others went about a half a mile longer on the first loop and by the time I got to the 5k marker we had had enough of the confusion and misdirection. No one wanted to post an inaccurately slow time so we stepped off to the side.
It is really too bad, because I only plan to race a handful of times during my summer training and I really feel like that was a waste. We salvaged some of the morning though. After we stepped off, me and a couple of my athletes went for a hard 15 min tempo run to complete the planned workout for the day, and then cooled down with an easy 1.5. As far as how I felt during the race...legs felt heavy when we started, but loosened up about 10 minutes in and then I started rolling a bit. I started conservative as usual and then started picking guys off. I was sitting at about 5:30-40 pace pretty comfortably and felt like I could have hit mid 17 for 5k, but I guess we will never know. I feel good about the day considering this is an 80-85 mile week for me, which is as high as I have gone. I really felt good on the 15 min tempo run after. Training is on track for now, but please...race and meet organizers...have a lead vehicle!
Will probably get in about an easy 5-7 tonight and then at the canyon tomorrow for an easy 16.
1. The one mile, 10k, and 5k all started together with the groups simply staggered, 10k started behind the 5k so I was dodging 5k runners through the first half mile.
2. The race started about 15 minutes late, which is significant when you follow a specific warm-up routine. Everyone was getting tight, waiting for the gun...you can only do so many strides.
3. The 5k and 10k runners were on different routes which led to confusion when people are breaking off on certain paths and yet you have no idea who to follow, or who is in your race, because there was no lead vehicle.
4. There were no mile markers, no k markers, every now and then there were turn markers if you were lucky enough to stay on the right path.
It goes without saying that no one ran the right course. I knew the course was screwed when I crossed the three mile marker at around 20min! I knew we were in trouble when at about a mile in everyone in the lead group started going different directions. Come to find out, me and a few others went about a half a mile longer on the first loop and by the time I got to the 5k marker we had had enough of the confusion and misdirection. No one wanted to post an inaccurately slow time so we stepped off to the side.
It is really too bad, because I only plan to race a handful of times during my summer training and I really feel like that was a waste. We salvaged some of the morning though. After we stepped off, me and a couple of my athletes went for a hard 15 min tempo run to complete the planned workout for the day, and then cooled down with an easy 1.5. As far as how I felt during the race...legs felt heavy when we started, but loosened up about 10 minutes in and then I started rolling a bit. I started conservative as usual and then started picking guys off. I was sitting at about 5:30-40 pace pretty comfortably and felt like I could have hit mid 17 for 5k, but I guess we will never know. I feel good about the day considering this is an 80-85 mile week for me, which is as high as I have gone. I really felt good on the 15 min tempo run after. Training is on track for now, but please...race and meet organizers...have a lead vehicle!
Will probably get in about an easy 5-7 tonight and then at the canyon tomorrow for an easy 16.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Easy on Hog's Head
This morning Aaron Hibbitts and I got up and ran an easy 9 miles on what I like to call Hog's Head road (dead wild hog on the side of the road). It was about 61 degrees and breezy which was nice to get a break from the terrible wind we've had. We took it easy in hopes to run a descent time in the Dean Kelley 10k this upcoming weekend. I am not sure what I will have in my legs considering this will be around an 85 mile week for me, which is as high as I have gone thus far. I am hoping to get some video footage of the race this weekend and will post it if I do...here is a picture of Hog's Head:
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My Surface
Here is a sample of where and what I train on the majority of the time, especially when trying to get as much mileage as I can. I live in Amarillo, TX and also train in Canyon where I coach at West Texas A&M. There are a variety of different dirt roads to run on and these are just a couple of examples:
"Airport Road"
- A long relatively flat dirt road, there are a few curves, but this one goes forever.
"The Alley"
- There are back alleys like this throughout my neighborhood and if I am going on a shorter run, I simply just run up and down these alleys...the dogs are the most annoying part of this option, but it is a quick and easy alternative.
"Airport Road"
- A long relatively flat dirt road, there are a few curves, but this one goes forever.
"The Alley"
- There are back alleys like this throughout my neighborhood and if I am going on a shorter run, I simply just run up and down these alleys...the dogs are the most annoying part of this option, but it is a quick and easy alternative.
My Training Up To This Point (4 weeks)
I really meant to start this blog when I started doing my summer base mileage a month ago, but obviously that didn't happen. I took about a week really easy to let my body recover from the training I did over the winter and spring (Approx. 1,100 miles). To catch everyone up on what I have done thus far after the track season here is my training log for that time period:
S Rest
25 miles
May 5th
M 7easy weights
T Rest/Yoga
W 7easy weights
T Walk on treadmill about 20min AM, 4 easy
F 4 easy Ardmore
S 6 easy Ardmore
S Rest
28 miles
May 12th (4:00 project)
M 8 easy strides/weights
T 5.5 easy AM, 4 pm little sore and tired
W 8 easy, felt good strides/legs a little sore
T 5 easy AM, 4pm felt good
F 7.5 fartlek 10X3min/60sec recovery felt good for 6 and felt bad for the last 4, legs felt sore, less lowerbody lifting, more core
S 4.5 easy, felt good
S 13 at Canyon, picked up last mile about 6:30 pace, felt good
60 miles
May 19th
M 8 easy 8X150m 5-10k pace, felt good
T 5.5 easy felt good, 3 PM easy felt tired
W 8 easy with strides felt good
T 5 easy AM felt really good, 4pm little tired
F 6.5 miles Fartlek 1.5 WU/CD 15/10/5 1/5th rest Felt pretty damn good hit 5:30ish towards the end, strides
S 5 easy AM felt good, 5 easy PM felt good hot!
S 13 @ Canyon AM, felt good humid, sweating like crazy
64 miles
May 26th
M 9 easy w 4X30sec strides 5-10k pace, felt a little tired from the day before
T 7easy AM, 4 easy PM felt pretty good both runs
W 8.5easy, legs felt light, stomach hurt after
T 6 easy, felt ok breezy, 5.5 PM Hot Windy, took it easy, stopped for water in the middle
F 2 Shakeout AM, 6 Fartlek PM 1/2/3/4/5/4/3/2/1 extremely hot 95+, ran controlled, legs felt good
S 5.5 easy AM, 5.5 PM felt great
S 14.5 Canyon, hot picked it up towards the end felt good
73.5 miles
June 2nd
M 9.5 easy, windy felt stiff at first but better at end/ 6 X200m strides
T 5.5 easy AM, felt a little tired, 6 easy PM felt pretty good
W 10 easy, nice and cool, moderate pace held back at the end, didn't want to overdo 7X100m strides
T 7.5 easy was tired ran slow, 3.5 PM felt tired
F 6.5 fartlek 3X10m w/ 2min recovery felt great around 5:20-30 last 2 min., 3 easy cool down AM
S 7.5 easy in Oklahoma, felt good sweat my ass off...PM - off in Dallas
S Rest - Dallas
60 miles
S Rest
25 miles
May 5th
M 7easy weights
T Rest/Yoga
W 7easy weights
T Walk on treadmill about 20min AM, 4 easy
F 4 easy Ardmore
S 6 easy Ardmore
S Rest
28 miles
May 12th (4:00 project)
M 8 easy strides/weights
T 5.5 easy AM, 4 pm little sore and tired
W 8 easy, felt good strides/legs a little sore
T 5 easy AM, 4pm felt good
F 7.5 fartlek 10X3min/60sec recovery felt good for 6 and felt bad for the last 4, legs felt sore, less lowerbody lifting, more core
S 4.5 easy, felt good
S 13 at Canyon, picked up last mile about 6:30 pace, felt good
60 miles
May 19th
M 8 easy 8X150m 5-10k pace, felt good
T 5.5 easy felt good, 3 PM easy felt tired
W 8 easy with strides felt good
T 5 easy AM felt really good, 4pm little tired
F 6.5 miles Fartlek 1.5 WU/CD 15/10/5 1/5th rest Felt pretty damn good hit 5:30ish towards the end, strides
S 5 easy AM felt good, 5 easy PM felt good hot!
S 13 @ Canyon AM, felt good humid, sweating like crazy
64 miles
May 26th
M 9 easy w 4X30sec strides 5-10k pace, felt a little tired from the day before
T 7easy AM, 4 easy PM felt pretty good both runs
W 8.5easy, legs felt light, stomach hurt after
T 6 easy, felt ok breezy, 5.5 PM Hot Windy, took it easy, stopped for water in the middle
F 2 Shakeout AM, 6 Fartlek PM 1/2/3/4/5/4/3/2/1 extremely hot 95+, ran controlled, legs felt good
S 5.5 easy AM, 5.5 PM felt great
S 14.5 Canyon, hot picked it up towards the end felt good
73.5 miles
June 2nd
M 9.5 easy, windy felt stiff at first but better at end/ 6 X200m strides
T 5.5 easy AM, felt a little tired, 6 easy PM felt pretty good
W 10 easy, nice and cool, moderate pace held back at the end, didn't want to overdo 7X100m strides
T 7.5 easy was tired ran slow, 3.5 PM felt tired
F 6.5 fartlek 3X10m w/ 2min recovery felt great around 5:20-30 last 2 min., 3 easy cool down AM
S 7.5 easy in Oklahoma, felt good sweat my ass off...PM - off in Dallas
S Rest - Dallas
60 miles
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