Home from vacation and back to reality!

Here's a quick update on my knee and a post-ski vacation activity report. On 12 February, my running coach recommended walking my crunchy right knee for a week and asked for an update the following Monday, Feb 15th, which I sent. Despite the recommendation to walk, I took two easy mid-week runs - a slow 3k and then a faster 5k a couple days later. I appear to have escaped any consequences for being pig-headed.

Last week, I enjoyed four days of downhill skiing in the Italian Dolomites. I even got up on a snowboard for half a day.  I ran an easy 5k on Thursday, 25th February (40 min with a 2:1 r:w ratio). And I've been doing sun salutations every night for about 30 minutes. I also swam laps for 45 minutes on Saturday in a delightful pool with my kids in Italy before hoping on the bus.

This weekend's assignment is 12k with a MM. I decided to bump it to Monday due to high winds and driving rain today. Plus I got about four hours sleep on the bus home.  My coach was pleased with my report and suggested limiting the run to 10k without a MM. So that's the plan after work. He cautioned me about "unnatural postures" in yoga, mentioning that runners can hurt themselves. I agree. I don't force myself into any postures. In a yoga class years ago, I hurt my hip in pigeon pose, and it took a very long time to recover.

Sunday I did a cross-fit workout (burpees, push-ups and 500m row - AMRAP in  20 minutes). I completed 4 rounds. The intensity of the workout left me humming for the rest of the day.

My knees are feeling fine - The right one is not making any more shag carpet sounds. During one of my yoga sun salutations last week, my knee cap made a little pop and it felt like it realigned itself. After that, no more noise. Before I left on vacation, I made an appointment with a physiotherapist who also teaches the POSE method of running.  I'm also going to ask her to help me with my shoulder, which has been giving me some pain, especially when lifting weights above my head.
 
I've come through the doubting stage of marathon training. I won't quit or change my planned distance. I have confidence in myself and I will gut it out. I will discover myself at the finish line. I registered for the CPC Half-Marathon today too. Step by step! 
 
The last tidbit is a burning desire to buy a new tri specific wet-suit.  I have another reason to lean out now. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on Size Large when I really prefer to fit into a medium. Enough said.
 
 
 

tapering for next week

Distance Assigned: 5k


2. Pace assigned: none - I gave this a playful relaxed effort in the pouring rain on a wind-swept beach.

3. Pace ran: 5.5 in 46:10. I played around with the Garmin again and set a 1.6 km segment in between a really slow warm up and cool down of 1.7 km. Without running on a measured path (I was down at the beach), I found it more difficult to pace/push myself - I didn't have a notion of where the "finish line" was. This was a very relaxed run with lots of walking before and after the middle segment. (the extra half k was just to get back to the house.)

4. Speed-work done: I ran some sprints early in the week (again, trying to figure out how this goofy watch works. Over 40 equals CAN'T SEE THE WATCH FACE, which was very funny - the joke being on me, of course. Maybe your next book: Running with Bifocals..... Sub'd another row for a mid-week run, but walked 30 - 40 minutes every morning at 6:30 (my mother in law is visiting from the States, so we're up early to share some coffee and go out with the dog).

5. Any aches/pains? No. I was still a little sore today from weightlifting on Thursday. Some morning yoga helped.

6. Questions? You asked for a reminder about pacing/walk break ratio for the Amsterdam Half, which has a three-hour cut off time.

7. Weekend workout planned for next weekend: Oct 18--Amsterdam Half Marathon--plus 3K warm up and 3K warm down


Have a great week. I'm getting excited about next week - I already mapped the packet pickup location!

MM feedback and race plan for Paris

You had a really good MM. With better pacing, you could have run faster by about 6-9 seconds.

On the next MM, do the first and second 200s in 1:10, then drop to 1:07, then 1:05. You should be able to pick up the pace during the last 3-4 200s. Above all, have fun.

Assuming that you will run the 16K this weekend, you only need two 30 minute runs. You can either run these easily or insert some CD and Acceleration-gliders. You can place your swimming and cycling on the days that work for you.

Pacing: I suggest running the first 2-3 kilometers at 8 min/km. If you feel good, go down to 7:30 per kilometer. At the 12K mark, you could run whatever you want. Remember to slow down if it is warm: 15 sec per kilometer slower for every 2C above 14C.

Let me know what happens, I look forward to this.

Magic Mile 19 September 2009 Smokin!

Today's weekend running assignment was an easy 5k jog with a magic mile in the middle. I took it out to the marked trail near the house - out and back to the starting point is 3.0k, making this a perfect little workout.

200 01:02.7
400 01:02.2
600 01:13.0
800 01:03.3
1000 01:19.5
1200 01:02.1
1400 01:18.1
1600 01:05.3
total 09:06.2

1.5k WU 12:42.8
1.5k CD 13:35.5
5k 35:24:00

Looking at my lap times, I think I went out a little fast and could have saved some for the second half. I wasn't using pace music, so this was "by feel" and faster than my 800 meter repeats.
By comparison, I ran the magic mile in April as 10:44.0

I am really pleased with my progress, even though I am impatient to run faster. I remind myself if I try too hard, I will hurt myself. Such a set back would take me further from my goals. So, steady there, Steady!

Observations

You had a really good MM. With better pacing, you could have run faster by about 6-9 seconds.

On the next MM, do the first and second 200s in 1:10, then drop to 1:07, then 1:05. You should be able to pick up the pace during the last 3-4 200s. Above all, have fun.

plan for week of 24 August 09

On one of my midweek runs (such as Tuesday), run from 30 to 60 minutes. It would help to run a 4-5K segment in the middle of these runs experimenting with 2-1 for a kilometer, and then 3-1. Try to run a pace of 5:45 to 6:00 per km.

On the other mid-week day, find a 1600 meter segment (1.6K) and time yourself. Run at a faster pace than other runs, but not all out.

This will give us a good chance to predict pace for your race.

plans for next MM & pat on the back

Congratulations, Chris

You had a major improvement in your MM. This shows that you are getting into solid shape, and I know that you will continue to improve. On the next MM, here is what I would like for you to do:

400--2:33
800--2:30
1200--2:28
1600--2:23

I wish you great enjoyment on the 14K this weekend. Just stay with your plan of 1-1 and you should power your way through.

You are doing great!

Jeff

Fastest ever!

1. Distance assigned: Magic “1600M” FASTER!!

2. Pace assigned: Magic Mile (MM) 400 meter times: 2:50, 2:40, 2:40, 2:30
Pace actually run:
400
02:23.8
800
02:36.3
1200
02:43.2
1600
02:25.5
10:09.7
(average temperature 80 degrees)

3. Walk break ratio assigned: walk breaks as desired

Walk break ratio used: one - 30 sec at 1200

4. Speed-work done: none

5. Any aches/pains? No. Two mid-week runs totaling 65 minutes, plus 30 min row, and 45 min swim

6. Questions? No.

7. Weekend workout planned for next weekend: June 21--14K (1:1 walk breaks)

Wow - what a difference a month makes!

Today's assignment was to run another "magic mile," which can be used to measure improvements in conditioning and to predict finish times for a race.

Today's splits

400 02:27.9
800 02:41.4
1200 02:49.7
1400 03:05.4

Last month's

400m 2:08.0
800m 2:45.5
1200m 2:50.5
1600m 3:30

Although the times look similar, compared to my first one, I felt great. I didn't have to walk during the last 200 meters. I wasn't breathless. I didn't achieve the inverse split that was ssigned, but I had a lot of fun. I'm tempted to try it again tomorrow with the intention to make every segment faster than the last. Today, however, I just padded along, trying not to try too hard.

Monday, I'll add my HRM chart, which tells the inside story. I feel so proud of myself.

My first Magic 1600 meters

Here's what it looks like:

1600m
400m 2:08.0
800m 2:45.5
1200m 2:50.5
1600m 3:00 (estimated)

~30 sec after each lap; sometimes during too. Last 200m featured a lot of walking.

I had fun and challenged myself. I realized afterwards I didn't hit the lap button when I finished. I thought I had, but I did capture when my friend, who ran a 2k loop, finished. So I could make a reasonable estimate.

During the week, I scouted the Dunes and found a portion of a running trail marked by 100m increments. I ran out 800m, and turned around. However, I couldn't see the finish line, which was only a faded triangle. Next time I will mark it with some coloured chalk. I walked quite a bit of the last 200 meters. I don't think I triggered my lap button properly when I finished the last segment.

I concentrated on figuring out how to run the segments on the marked trail. Consequently, I overlooked the instruction to run the 10-minute warm up at 1:1. I didn't take walk breaks during the warm up. I will remember this for next MM.

I stayed up too late the night before and went to bed at 11:30 PM, which is unusually late for me. I woke at 5:45 AM and finally got up at 6:30, not feeling sufficiently rested. I guess I was nervous, since I also didn't feel like eating. So I ate just a banana along with my usual espresso.

I am having trouble adapting my schedule to rest on Fridays. I really like to go to the gym Friday after work. I did a short high intensity interval row. I cut the planned duration in half to save some of my legs for the run on Saturday. I did only upper body weights and core work (plank). No squats or lunges.

I could switch my weekend run to Sundays, but would have to give up running with a buddy, which I don't want to do. And I wouldn't rest on Saturdays either, since it's fun to bike ride, etc. And occasionally on Sundays I have sailing class commitment for my son. Perhaps I will do the cardio in the morning on Fridays so I have 24 rather than only 12 hours rest.

Weight is down 1 pound for the week. I ate really good food during the week, but I think I ought to eat more to keep up with my exercise level. I will look at increasing my net calories to get and stay above 1200 per diem.

new coaching instructions

Mr Galloway has added some faster running to my non-long-run weekends. He says, "Do these on a track if you can. This will help you improve speed for the 16K and the Amsterdam Half. The 800 meter repeats can be run in 5 minutes. Walk for 3 minutes between each. It helps to pace yourself so that you are running the first 400 in 2:20, walk for 30 seconds and run the second lap. Keep the watch running."

**But on the long runs, Please run them using a run-walk-run ratio of (run one minute/walk one minute). This should eliminate the aches and fatigue you had on your 13K run this past weekend. RUNNING 1-1 IS VERY IMPORTANT AS YOU INCREASE DISTANCE.

Yes it would help to use your GPS or a measured course. The GPS gives you freedom to run where you want.

On the short runs during the week, you should do 1-1 for the first 10 minutes. Then, you can run at whatever pace you wish. I have added some magic miles into the schedule. Please read the original letter for instructions about how to do this. On the first one, don't run as fast as you can--just run to get a time. From that point, you want to try to run faster on each successive MM.

What's a Magic Mile?

According to Mr Galloway, the "Magic Mile" time trials (MM) are reality checks on your goal. These should be done on the weeks noted on the schedule. The MM has been the best predictor of current potential and helps us set a realistic training pace. With this information, you can decide how hard to run during various situations. (If you have any injuries you should not do the MM)

Warm up for a Magic Mile with about 10 minutes of very easy running with liberal walk breaks
Do 4-6 accelerations. No sprinting, just gradually pick up the pace of each 40 to 50 meter segment to about what you want to run in the MM.

Run around a track if at all possible (or a very accurately measured segment)

Time yourself for 4 laps (1600meters). Start the watch at the beginning, and keep it running until you cross the finish of the 4th lap.

On the first MM, don't run all-out: run at a pace that is only slightly faster than your current pace.

Only one MM is done on each day it is assigned

On each successive MM (usually 3 weeks later), your mission is to beat the previous best time.
Don't ever push so much that you hurt your feet, knees, etc.

Jog slowly for the rest of the distance assigned on that day taking as many walk breaks as you wish.

After you have run 3 of these (not at one time--on different weekends) you'll see progress and will run them hard enough so that you are huffing and puffing during the second half. For prediction purposes, you want to finish, feeling like you couldn't go much further at that pace.

Try walking for about 10-15 seconds after each lap during the MM. Some runners record a faster time when taking short breaks, and some go faster when running continuously. Do what works for you on the MM.