So I decided to switch my focus from marathon and long distance stuff to the 5k. Time to get a little uncomfortable! I have a much easier time bangin' out 10 or 12 miles daily on the roads than hitting the track for 20 quarters, so this is going to suck. Big time. However, I really, really, really want a sub 16. In order to get there I have to do things I might not necessarily enjoy. In the end, if I can manager to break that barrier while staying fairly consistent in my volume, I should be able to also hit my goal for the marathon too- sub 2:40. So it's time to get down to business. I've never really focused on fast stuff before- just aerobic volume pretty much, except for fine tuning leg speed and stuff prior to race day, so it should be interesting to see just how fast I can get. 6 weeks to build up- it'll be cutting it close. I hate the track.
Mury says:
Heh, I'd like to break sub 16 too. I wonder how many years it would take me, if it's even possible any more. Look at the bright side you have an incredible base to work from. Even though the natural progression is for people to go longer as they get older, there's a ton of inspiring stories of how well people transitioned back down because of their base that normal 5Kers don't have. I've read a few stories of people with enormous bases that smoked the 5K on a whim with no specific training for it. I'd say good luck, but I don't think you need it :)
So I'm up to 100's now. 100 mile weeks, that is. I'm not even sure what my ultimate goal is, but I'm still doing one session of intervals to keep my stride true, one long run, and the rest of my miles are all pretty much between 6:30 and 6:45, with surges and what not to stay fresh. I was training for a 50 miler(I wanted a victory really bad) but the timing and life stuff just didn't end up working out, so I didn't even register. Now I'm stuck here getting in even better shape with no goal. I'm think I'm just going to stick with the 100's for a few months, maybe throughout the summer, then try to add in my speed work and hills in the fall for a late fall marathon PR. I'd like to say I'd be satisfied with something around a 2:45, but I want more than that. The old hip has been bothering me a little recently, but that's nothing new and nothing I can't deal with. I swear, there are some days when I feel like I can run forever- and I like that feeling. Made me think of this quote:...
Well, it took a while, but I've built up to 85-90 mile weeks comfortably. All singles too- no doubles. It's such a relief- after consecutive 80 mile weeks I use to feel pretty banged up, but I'm settling in now. It's starting to have a serious effect on my training miles too- my pace and effort level for any given pace is so much more comfortable. I keep pushing it every other day(other than designated speedwork days) to knock a few more seconds off my average pace per mile. I'm trying my best to keep all of my runs in the 'moderate' aerobic zone to get the most out of them, and avoid anaerobic work except for the one day of the week I do intervals. I've found that if I don't do any speedwork with high mileage my form and stride get sloppy and I end up getting injured, so I try and stay consistent. My long run training pace is now faster than my marathon race pace was 3 months ago- that's pretty impressive. I'm gonna do a 'tune-up' 5k this weekend to see where I'm at and if I s...
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johnnyk8 says:
Yikes!!! That serious mileage. What's the ultimate goal? 50 miler? 100?
mjstone05 says:
sub 2:40 marathon later this year is the goal, but I guess it's more just to see what I'm really capable of. I'm going to do a 50 in a couple months, but that's just more for fun because I love running and I love the Appalachians- but don't get me wrong, I do plan on running to win, just in a fun way!
17:15 after less than one week of my modified Lydiard method training with no speedwork in the last 2 months, no days off and 4 hours sleep(ran 9 yesterday at 6:50 pace on the beach and had to work late). Man, I really felt it in my legs after the 2 mile mark though- still finished somewhat strong, maybe a little exhausted. I've only got 70 in this week and I don't think I'm going to be able to hit 100 by Sunday, so I'll just consider this week my warmup :-). Gonna keep up the 100 mile weeks for the next 4 weeks and run another 5k for a comparison with no speedwork. I'll start adding some hills and track workouts after the next 5k and see how it goes. Marine Corp Marathon is still 3 months away so it's a great time for base building anyways, so what the hell.
Gonna try the Lydiard method, only modified a little bit. I'm going to run 100 miles a week for 2 weeks, then Hills & Track work for 1 week, then back to 100's for my MCM prep. Instead of doing one run a day while pulling 100's I'm also going to split it into 2, like a 8 in the morning and 7 at night, or whatever- so long as I hit 15 a day for 6 days and one day of 10, probably that'll be Sunday for a break. My Hill week will probably be 1 day of hills, next day track work, next day hills, and so on. I'm running a 5k this Saturday for a pace base, then I'll run another one after 4 weeks of this method. If I show a drastic improvement w/o injury, well I may be on to something. I've only been doing it for 3 days now and I think I already dropped a pound or two- I'm not even heavy! I really love distance running at a moderate pace, I don't mind a lot of hill work, and I hate track work, so this plan sounds pretty good to me. I've already got a base of about 65 per week, so this isn...
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mike R says:
" If anyone has any advice or anything to add, leave a comment!"
It's interesting to see how the Lydiard method is still around - it must work!
A nationally ranked ultramarathon runner I know has had success with two 8 mile runs a day for 120 mile weeks
I also noticed that many elite training schedules have several "two-a-days" a week en route to significant mileage.
So, today is the last day to register for my first 50 miler before the price jumps another 25 bucks. The reason why I'm holding off is because of the road trip I recently went on where I was only able to squeeze in one solid 90 mile week for about a month. I'm now on week number 3 of 90's(okay, I lied- one 90, one 75, this one will be 90-95 by tomorrow afternoon) and I'm feeling pretty good, fast, and strong. But I'm still not so sure I'm 50 miler strong. I'd like to drop another 2 pounds or so before too- I think my ideal distance racing shape will be around 145(I'm 150ish right now, depending on how hydrated I am). I've been really thirsty lately too- it's hard to drink enough. I think the only real kinks I have to work out in my training are hydration and gu timing. Maybe this wouldn't be so much of a problem if the sun and humidity weren't so strong here in Florida, but nevertheless, they are. Another weird thing that's been on my mind is come race day, do I wear trail runn...
That was an awesome long run until about mile 18. I stayed consistent with my pace the whole way. My only problem was the heat(it's like 90 and humid right now) and not drinking enough water and falling short by 1 GU. I'm finding, the more long runs I do, that 3 is the magic number for a 20-22. 2 just doesn't do it well- the spacing is wrong and without number 3 the pace just can't be held. I made it to almost 21, but I really wanted a 23- that would push me to a 90 mile total for the week that I wanted. I know it's only 2 miles, but it does mean something to me- because now I've gotta start asking myself if I'll have what it takes in 3 weeks to run a 50 in the heat. Granted, there will be aid stations, but it's going to be even hotter out because it's further south and inland. I really have to figure out my water situation though- I started to get a little bit of nausea and the chills. Nausea is okay, but the chills when it's pushing 90 degrees and sunny is not right. I just...
