Posts Tagged ‘running improvement’

Aliens have officially taken over my body.  I just had the fastest tempo run ever.

1.5 miles warmup, then 7:25,7:17,7:20,7:16 for an avg. of 7:19.  Then on the final 2.5 mile cooldown, I look at my watch in the midst of it to find I’m running 8:05s!  Huh?  At that point, I realize I’ve been passing all these young guys and gals on their Saturday run and I’m just doing my cooldown. Average for the whole 8 miles, 7:54.

I could get used to this.

Yesterday was one of those weirdly fast yet comfortable runs I’ve been reveling in lately.  I started with an 8:31 mile, then 8:26 and it went down from there, with a few 8:05s – final tally; 8 miles, avg. 8:18.

Then today (day 10 of my mini-streak), I did 7 miles w/8 strides.  Again, another excellent, faster-than-usual time out there, average 8:26.

The interesting thing to note is that these faster easy runs started happening before the weight loss kicked in, so I think my fitness was already changing, but the weight loss is solidifying the fitness improvement.

Speaking of, here’s another reason to try Daily Plate or at least start investigating what you eat.  I usually buy Thomas’ whole wheat mini-bagels but I ran out the other day, so instead of driving to the closest huge-ass supermarket, I walked down to my local Whole Foods and bought some multi-grain sandwich bread, thinking, “this must be much better for me than that Thomas’ crap”.  Joke’s on me!  Turns out the mini bagel has more protein, more fiber and less sodium.  They do have more sugar, but I’d rather have the protein and fiber than worry about the sugar, frankly.

But enough diet talk, I’m sure it’s a bore for a majority of readers out there.  Sorry, I’ll be done with it soon.

I hope you all had a great holiday week with as little family irritation as possible.

We escaped from the world for a few days with the most romantic, non-angst-ridden holiday I can remember.  The B&B we stayed at was empty, even the owners were gone, so we had the place completely to ourselves. Christmas day we went to the “Grand Canyon of PA”  (that cracks me up every time I type it), hiked in the snow a little and happily froze our asses off because it was so beautiful and serene.   I was this close to having a 3-day non-running vacation, but ended up doing a 4-miler yesterday morning before we left, just to add Wellsboro, PA to my list of places I’ve run.

Back to Philly and running life, something strange has been going on with my running this last week.  I suppose it’s the culmination of those weeks of speedwork and tempos in conjunction with races (can’t beat 5Ks for speedwork) because all of a sudden, my “normal” easy pace has taken a dive.

I did that 5K last Saturday, then the next day I ran 9 miles, avg pace 8:29.  Tuesday I ran 12, avg pace 8:31.  Today I ran 13, avg pace 8:29.  And each of these runs started the first couple miles with 8:40s, the bulk of the runs averaged around 8:15/mi.  They felt comfortable, not strenuous at all, so I’ve been doing quite a few double-takes looking at my wrist.  If I hadn’t been running  my usual measured route, I’d think my Garmin had gone batty.

But there’s more to these runs than a new pacing, I had actual bouts of Runner’s High on Tuesday and today.  It occurred to me that maybe the high is due to getting faster (big wad of happiness right there) but it’s more than that, it’s an amazing feeling, like dancing all out or fucking, for that matter.

It’d probably be a good idea to wear the HR monitor on tomorrow’s 9-miler, but on the other hand, what makes it special is how it feels and monitoring my HR will surely put a damper on it (because of course, it must be too fast…McMillan’s finger is probably cramped from wagging it at me).  Then again, the monitor and McMillan are all about “proper aerobic conditioning”.  Must every second of running be the best possible science?

OK, so I hereby declare that my Christmas present to myself is to leave the rulebook at home until mid-January when the new training cycle begins.  Just run because it feels good, whatever that may be.  Belated, as far as gifts go, but perfect for someone who likes to get high.

This weekend, I had an epiphany, an eye-opener of the widest kind.  But before we get into it, I’ve got some ‘splaining to do.

As you all know, I loved marathon training, found it challenging but not difficult using the plan I’d chosen, Pfitzinger’s 18/55.

I admit that during this period, I fully expected to end up faster in other distances simply by dint of “the marathon training process”.  I’d read enough accounts of easy PRs gained, both during and soon after such training periods, that of course I expected it to happen for me.  How unhappy-making then, that my one race in the midst of the plan (a measly 4-miler) ended up with such disappointing results.

To understand just how disappointing is to look back at my Spring PRs: a 5K in April (23:06) and a 10-miler in May (1:19).  Both of these races are in the same ballpark of McMillan’s calculator.  Yet here was this 4-miler in September at 30:48!  I attributed it to the marathon training process, tired legs and the fact that it was a short race when I’d been training to go long.  I played it down.  But in my critically thinking head, I was a bit dismayed.

Fast forward to this last weekend, my 10K race.  Yes, it was a sizeable PR and I’m genuinely satisfied with my performance, but if I compare it to last Spring’s PRs, it was not good.  In fact, as far as McMillan goes, it’s right on par with my shitty 4-miler!  When I realized this (and that my Marathon time also fits in the same McMillan range as well) I had to recognize it as a trend, not a few unrelated blips.

So I began investigating the Big Picture and it quickly became apparent to me what was going on.

#1 Revelation:
My mileage build for the marathon was no great shakes.
Note: These monthly graphs include all training runs, but exclude races.

Or rather, since I was no stranger to 45-50+ mile weeks, it was stupid for me to expect that doing the same thing would give me some kind of bonus.  Sure, I had a peak month, but the surrounding ones don’t look any different than assorted previous months.  The fact that my marathon training mileage was apportioned differently (spread out across 5 days instead of 6) certainly helped my endurance, but the mileage itself wasn’t a stress factor, and stress (or increases) are how envelopes get pushed.

#2 Revelation:
My average pace got slower…much slower.

See anything notable starting in June?  That’s where marathon training began and with it, recovery and much slower long runs.  Quite an obvious difference, huh?  Back in the Spring, I not only ran all my easy and long runs faster, I was also doing both a speed and a tempo workout each week.  For marathon training, I had weekly speed or tempo, never both.  So no dramatic mileage growth and less fast stuff, too.

How silly, then, to think marathon training should have given me a speed boost, why would it?  I didn’t stress either speed or mileage – just longer long runs.  That said, I gained beautiful endurance which was completely the whole point anyway – I never could have run a marathon back in the Spring.  With this in mind, I consider my marathon training 100% successful, I have no regrets or complaints.

The important and freeing thing though is that I now feel totally OK with where I’m at speedwise, even if it seems I’ve regressed a tad, because I understand why.  It’s not because I’m all washed up, that I started too late or used myself up too soon (yeah, I actually was thinking this crap).  No, it’s an obvious reaction to a lack of stimuli.  Duh!

Does this mean I’m abandoning everything I learned during marathon training?  Well, you can see from the last month on graph #2 that I’m still doing some slower stuff, though honestly, it won’t be doing those 10+min recovery runs unless I really need them.  And expect this month’s avg. pace bar to become a lot shorter starting with next week’s dual quality sessions.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll approach the next marathon much differently, either.  I’ll try to increase the mileage, but a main priority for me is keeping training fun and I’m not sure how many miles it’ll take before fun turns into drudgery.  And I love that I was able to avoid injury the whole cycle, so keeping the fast stuff to once a week sounds wise, too.

The main thing is realizing that everything requires it’s own proper attention, that no one training cycle is going to cover all race bases and to keep expectations in line with that training.  I’m only beginning to understand how all this works, how I work.  As they say, “we’re all an experiment of one.”  It sure is fun figuring it out.

Yesterday was my first 20 and a very nice run at that, though completely uneventful. The route is so familiar (my usual museum loop with a little tacked on and then going back the opposite way), that it was very low stress.

I ended up trying 3 different gels from 3 companies in my quest to find a favorite taste, so didn’t take the flask, though I did finally take some smart advice to snip into the tabs of the gels before I left so they’d tear off easier – much easier!

I think I’ve finally settled on Carboom Apple and GU Vanilla, though I had some wicked farting when I got home and since this happened on one other gel-eating occasion, I’d like to whittle the offending one down to Carboom, Hammer or Gu before I order a whole box of anything.

Btw, remember I thought I was going to be all about the Hammer gels? Couple things happened to change my mind:

1. The fact that without electrolytes, I’ll be tied to taking some kind of supplement or drink, which I don’t want to do, preferring to have it in the gel and 2. Their customer service did something really annoying which I didn’t report at the time but since I report the good, I should also report the bad. Here’s what happened:

If you recall, I ordered a variety pack of Hammer gels a few weeks ago and it was a nice package, they were very generous about sending samples of all their other products, so I was in Hammer love. It wasn’t till a day later when I sorted out the gels that I realized there was no Plain flavor, one I was particularly wanting to try since I’d heard it was supposedly a more subtle flavor. I thought I made a mistake about it because it was written on the invoice and packing slip that it had been included, but it simply wasn’t there, so I wasn’t going crazy, it really was missing.

So I email Hammer saying I was missing a gel. Several days go by and no reply, so I call. I talk to a guy who admits the Plains were out of stock when they sent the package. He said he’d send me one. Great (though I was left wondering why they didn’t make mention of it or send me two of another flavor).

A day later, I finally get a reply to my email from a woman there who apparently never talked to the guy I spoke to, because she said, “We’re sorry, and don’t worry, we’ll make a note that we owe you a gel and we’ll include it with your next order.” Huh? I immediately wrote back that “Why in the world should I have to re-order to receive it? I already paid for it!” Then I mentioned my previous conversation with the guy. She sends back a very apologetic email and a few days later, I receive my Plain gel.

Now, at the same time I made the Hammer order, I’d also ordered some different gels from Zombie Runner. Oddly enough, one of the gels in that order got messed up in shipping, but unlike Hammer, Zombie Runner gave absolutely exquisite customer service, instead of giving me the runaround, the day after I contacted them, I get an email saying they’ve sent the whole variety pack again, when all I requested was the one replacement gel. Talk about over and above!

So all this boils down to me being a bit pissed at Hammer and from here on in, my gel ordering will be from Zombie Runner. Great company, great customer service.

Back to running. Another nice thing about yesterday’s run was, even though I’d downloaded a bunch of new songs, I started the run with my headphones tucked away and never pulled them out. A few months ago I wondered how I was going to run a marathon without music, but that worry is totally out the window now.

After the run, I did something new and different, I used a recovery drink – the sample of Hammer’s Recoverite. I’ve never taken anything specifically for recovery, usually just stuff some protein thing in my mouth, but the drink wasn’t bad, like a light creamsicle flavor. And I felt fine and dandy afterwards, legwise, so I might just get a tub of it, customer service be damned. On the other hand, Slimfast or chocolate milk sound even better, so maybe I’ll do that. Or maybe I’ll do what I’ve been doing, stuffing some protein thing in my mouth. All this food technology can really cloud a person’s perception of what is truly necessary.

Nutritional meanderings aside, let’s get to today’s run. First I went with Nick to the Museum steps to see him off on a big 6-day bike trip, 300 miles into the mountains ending in a beer festival in Cooperstown, NY. The ride is being led by our friends Jeff and Lara, the same Lara you’ve read about as my sometimes racing pal.

After some picture taking, good-luck hugs, and a “Go Team Yeast!” as the group rode off on their beer-guzzling adventure, I did my 7 recovery with 8x100m strides. I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel about the strides, having done the 20 the day before, but it went just fine.

It’s interesting to note that with all the heavy, yet pace-controlled runs in Pfitzinger’s plan coupled with the fact that it’s summer training (so a supposed pace deficit due to heat), I’m unable to really gauge how my speed is improving, though I assume it is. I haven’t been adjusting my paces for the heat, which doesn’t mean I’m faster on the whole, just that I’m pig-headed. What I am able to tell is that I’ve gained strength, I simply feel stronger and ready for the miles. I don’t fret about “oooh, I’m doing a 20″, it’s just a logical progression in the scheme of things. Now if only I could be so cavalier about the speed question…

What an interesting speed session. Actually, both last week’s and this week’s were eye-opening, in that both sessions were at goal race pace, a pace that in the past I would inexplicably avoid acquainting myself with until the actual race. I’d do some stuff slower and some faster, but never right on. Stupid, huh?

I have seen the light though, and today’s 5×600 at goal pace w/90sec recoveries was useful in it’s attempt to keep me evenly paced and at a contained speed. I gotta say, I really suck at gauging pace and need to work on it. So my lastest plan is to run a “throwaway” 5K after Broad St’s over, and run it without my Garmin (Oh My God!), just to see how my inner clock handles it. Just like a real runner!!

Back to the present, things are looking pretty good for Saturday’s race (though I no longer take anything for granted). Today’s workout was the same one I did before my last 5K on March 11th and the difference in effort was night and day.

It cracks me up when I look back at my logs and read the derision I used to attach to interval sessions, even in this blog I bitched and moaned about it, but now that I’m used to them and understand you don’t have to spill your blood and guts to improve, it’s a different ballgame.

I think the main thing for me was realizing that if your interval times aren’t what they “should” be (thanks to some goal you’ve put in your head), lose the ego and do them slower till you find the sweet spot. Once you find that, it’s only a matter of time till the goal paces you were dreaming of start peeking out and making themselves known.

Of course, it remains to be seen how these sessions will translate race-wise, but if anything, I’ve done some meaningful preparation these past few weeks, which is infinitely better than my former prerace prep: a few tempo runs and then swinging by the seat of my pants.