May 14th, 2010
So it looks like I’m officially back to running 7 days/week again! This means my mileage is where it was for marathon training (I’ll hit 66 this week) but split in way that is much easier to deal with. And thanks to the new math, my paces are picking up naturally.
Resuming the shorter speed/tempo stuff is just what the doctor ordered, too – not just for the cumulative effect, either. I’ve always felt that I run faster and easier on the days following speedwork, which is why the oft-repeated advice “you don’t get the effects of speedwork for 10 days” might be true (though I’ve never seen any study or evidence to support this), I believe there’s a worthy short-term effect as well.
Cookies
Another change I’ve made: I stopped giving a crap about my weight since Boston. OK, it helps that my mileage is up there again and for the most part, I still eat very cleanly, but I’ve added in copious amounts of cookies to my diet. I’ve also stopped weighing myself. I can tell by looking at my stomach if I’m gaining and I appear to be holding steady. My feeling right now is, as long as I get faster, it doesn’t matter…though I reserve the right to care again when an important race is on the line.
Last night’s workout
I ran with the club again, this time for hill repeats. I left the house at 5:40pm so I could get in 5 miles beforehand, which in itself is a novel thing since I’m a morning/early afternoon runner. Those miles were faster than usual and I had to keep purposely slowing myself down, reminding myself I’d be tackling hills afterward. Still, I was doing 8:10, 8:02…like that.
Met with the group who, aside from the leader, were all different people from Saturday’s run. It was a little smaller and a different vibe since we were doing a more structured thing. We ran to Lemon Hill and did 10 charges up the hill and back, which came out to a little more than 20 minutes of actual work. Then we jogged back to the museum, chatted a bit and separated.
What I enjoyed about doing this in a group was the lack of negative self-talk I usually feed myself during hard workouts. Seeing other people in the same boat, it became more about rising above, rather than grumbling through. Everyone was doing their own thing though we were doing the same thing together. It was cool.
I liked it so much (and hill work is SO good for you) that I might make it a weekly deal. The only thing is, if I do this, it means I’ll have to forgo a weekly speed or tempo run since 2 quality runs a week is my limit. With that in mind, I think my next step is to analyze which of the 3 workouts I need most, keep that weekly, and alternate the other 2.
Enough rumination, have a great weekend folks. As to my marathon running friends (and shorter racing pals, too) kick some booty this weekend! Woohoo!!
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awesome. I agree, the we’re all in this thing togetherness of hill work makes it so much more tolerable and I believe had many positives.
Enjoy your cookies, especially now that you’re back to some great mileage. I would join you, but I’m one of those people who have a hard time stopping after one cookie, or two, or five, or ten….
And I have to figure out how to shave another 8-9 pounds before Chicago. So please, eat my cookies (but you can’t have any of the chocolate pound cake that Reyana is sending me).
In my younger days I too could do three quality workouts a week. No more. I would think a long run and alternating the others is the way to go. Sounds like you’ve found a compatible mix of folks with this club.
Doggie, you’re my great example for group stuff, even if you’re not grouping it at the moment.
Walter, the trick is to get little boring cookies like ginger snaps or vanilla wafers. You can eat handfuls of those without porking up. :-)
Joe, I was almost thinking I could do 3 because I don’t feel anything from the hill workout, but when I thought about it more, I’d probably feel burnt out by doing that much stuff, so I’ll be a good girl and stick with 2.
That was close, but I finally got one right.
But it’s so fun telling you No. ;-)
i’ve so been itching to get back into speedwork. maybe next week although i do like the fast pace my easy runs are at now that i’m not training.
and enjoy those cookies! i’m not a cookie girl myself but i’ve been enjoying the ice cream lots post-boston
Seriously, speedier after speed?! Lucky you, I’m the opposite. If I have to do back-to-back workouts, I have to put tempo or MP first because I’ll bounce right back from those, but need to take it SUPER easy/slow for a day or two after speedy track work. It’s the damn hip flexors, anything under 5K pace and they tighten right up. Anyhoo, glad you had fun with the group.
You gotta keep the tempo runs and then alternate the hills and the speed. That’s my two cents anyway.
Karyn, nice to know you’re also feeling zippy now that the cycle is over.
Kristin, to be honest, my speed workout this week wasn’t too strenuous, so maybe that’s why I’m feeling so fresh.
Mike, after reading Hudson, who makes a great case of finding your strengths and weaknesses and adjusting for those, I think it depends on the person. But I’ll take it under consideration.
Good for you, Flo–on all fronts. Your mileage is impressive and speed work sounds like a challenge. Most of all, I’m liking your cookie indulgence.
I’m with Mike on the alternating speed and hills, though you could also try to do blocks of each–something like a few weeks dedicated to hill work and then focus on straight speed training? Food for thought.
I like that “blocks” alternative since I tend to get bored with doing things one way all the time. Much food for thought, or cookies for thought…
Glad you’re enjoying the hill folk Flo.
I’ll go for kilometres, biscuits (Anzac biscuits) & hills
I tried kicking some booty, but it was out of reach. Lovely weekend though.
Hm, Hills are kinda-sorta VO2max, but I see the dilemma of which workout would they replace. Maybe do them every other week? Nice job, BTW. Looking forward to some nice race results.