Training Tidbits and 5K plans

It's hard to put into words how good it felt to be in racing shoes again recently.

I wasn't 100% sure until after last week that my leg was really ready to go hard again. The day after the race, my leg actually felt better than it did before--but I did end up with some slight DOMS in my hamstrings. Oh, how I have missed that subtle reminder that running is fun!


I have kicked off some 5k training with the hopes of bringing down my PR and ...who knows how far. I don't have a number in my head right now. I just want to give it my best and see where it all leads. (Maybe I won't beat my PR, but I will have fun trying for a few months!) The beauty of the 5k is that you can race over and over again in fairly short succession, using the races as speed work, and keeping the lessons fresh for the next try. A week later I am mentally ready for another shot. With the marathon, it might take me a year to be mentally ready.

Here's a look over a few months of training. I am excited to see some purple! You can be sure there will be plenty of green and a bit more pink.

Increasing my VO2Max is going to be the main focus for the next 10-14 weeks, as it is absolutely vital to race the 5k well. I always find charts like the one below useful- it's nice to see things laid out in simple format. Pfitzinger is a student of Daniels- whose training I used for the 10k last summer.

Priorities for 5k training,

In order of importance during the schedule

	Preschedule	First 6 weeks	Last 6 weeks
Basic Speed	4	4	3
Vo2 max	3	1	1
Lactate Threshold	2	2	2
Pure endurance	1	3	4

(Pete Pfitzinger & Scott Douglas, Road Racing for Serious Runners)

 Daniels workouts are demanding, with the lower mileage I am running this summer, it would require me to shorten each workout in his plan. So I will most likely use workouts that look more like this one- plenty of challenge, but not enough to tip the tables on me (hopefully!). Special thanks to a friend who sent me the book. :)

The first week finished looking like this:

• 7/29 rest day (after race)
• 7/30 Long (easy) 12 miles @ 8:36
• 7/31 Recovery 4 miles @ 9:13 (DOMS/heat)
• 8/1 Interval 5.3 miles 5x800@ 6:29 pace, recoveries of 3 minutes jogging, missed the 6th interval- ran out of time
• 8/1 PM recovery 3.5 miles @ 8:57 
• 8/2 Trail run - turned  to hike...10.4 miles@ 11:30 pace. (this deserves a post of its own)
• 8/3 Rest/ recovery from trail run
• 8/4 Recovery 5.1 @ 9:08 pace- DOMS again, 90+ degrees

***
While I was running yesterday, my boys got a very special visit with my dad. Here's what they were up to:

The littlest didn't actually get to fly, but the other two did! A great activity for a day that topped out at 101F. :D

Interval Pace Babbling

Warning: This may interest very few readers today, except the die-hard data junkies.

I am not sure what took me so long to make the connection! Interval pace is ran at your predicted 5k pace....all except Jack Daniels.

This week I had a moment where the dim light bulb, also known as "my brain",  lit up-- it was a little "Aha" moment with running.

I have been having some trouble with interval paces in my marathon training. My goal with Daniels' Vdot training is to hit these intervals at exactly the right interval pace- which he lists as 6:10 for my most recent races.

Anyhow, I have been coming up slow in most of my intervals. This is really nothing new since I have started training using Vdot, though. The intensity is tough!

A quick comparison of Intervals across some of the famous coaches

• I pace with Daniels is precise, "most people should shoot for 98% - 100% of HRmax, (95-100% Vo2 max)  rather than always demanding a 100% value". Also, there is an absolute cap of no more than 10K in I pace/week. Interval recoveries are to be easy aerobic, and equal to, (or lesser than), the time spent running at I pace. Intervals are to be 5 minutes or less, and 3-5 minutes is optimal. Using Daniels Vdot calculator: 1:29:30 half= 19:30 5k (6:17 pace) ...actual suggested I pace for training= 6:10
• Between McMillan's calculator and Vdot: Vdot it is faster. McMillan provides a window for training at I pace. My "window" would be 6:04-6:18. Using the McMillan calculator 1:29:30 half= 19:22 5k (6:14 pace) .
• Pete Pfitzinger (Advanced Marathoning) is reported to be a student of Daniels (Noakes Lore of Running), and incorporates his VO2max sessions as 3-5k pace workouts, or between 95-100% of your max heart rate. One of his plans states "Careful readers will notice that none of the VO2 max sessions calls for repeats longer than 1600 meters. The optimal duration for VO2 max intervals is two to six minutes; only elite runners will cover more than 1600 meters in a 6-minute interval.". I am kind of glad he doesn't have his own calculator.  The other two are confusing enough!

Heart rate data
I decided to take a look at my interval pace heart rate - just for kicks.

Using a heart rate max based on the highest number I have recorded in racing/training, my max heart rate is around 172 (5k race and feeling near death).

Click to enlarge- I am hitting around 94% sometimes. Nice water break after about 53 minutes. :)

The numbers, if accurate, show that my top interval HR max is actually around 94%, but most of the interval is spent at  92-93%. So I could be running harder....or my heart rate data could be off. In any case, I thought it was interesting as a test. (You might be bored stiff by it. :)


What has helped me (mentally) deal with the under performance in training is knowing/remembering a few things:

• I pace has always been HARD for me to hit, but in the last 5k I did (one of 2 in the last 3 years!), I out performed the calculator and I had been training at a lower intensity than I am now.
• The recovery times are short for these intervals--equal to or less than the TIME I spend running them. Before I had my Garmin, I ran all my intervals on the road (still do, by necessity) and did them all as 1600's (around 6 minutes each). I afforded myself 1600M recovery running, which  set me up to go faster in my intervals (longer rest), but took a greater toll on my body. It gave me great confidence until my injury period!
• Since all this interval work is done on the road, there certainly could be some variables factoring in with my GPS readings: not totally flat, hair-pin turn involved in a 1200M interval, or trees in the way.
• Racing times matter more than training times. Faster training does not always equal faster racing. 
• I am DONE with all interval paced training for at least 12 weeks. If I do any I paced running, it will be in an impromptu 5k. 

So I have excuses. And that works for me at the moment! :)
***
Bonus random non-related info: I found out that the Eugene Marathon will have ladies Nike fitted shirts in small and medium- green. It's the little things. :)
***
From readers, I would love to know:

Do you use your heart rate monitor? 

Do you like intervals? What is a typical interval session like for you?

Do you have a preferred method of establishing max heart rate?

Should you wear a RACING SHOE in that marathon?

Have you ever wondered if you should wear a racing shoe for your marathon? I have read a lot of blogs lately regarding what shoes to wear in a race. Experience is helpful, but if you are inexperienced, how do you know what to wear? A while back I started looking into the subject and found some excellent advice in Pete Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning.

Every ounce counts in footwear. Most competitive marathoners should lean towards the light end of the shoe spectrum. But does that mean that you should wear a "racing shoe"? 

Elites wear "flats"- true racing shoes- that have minimal support and much less heel lift than training shoes. But they are whippet thin and have excellent biomechanics. The lack of support increases the risk of injury, making certain muscles work harder. And the lower heel puts added strain on the calf and Achilles muscles.

Another option to consider is the "performance trainer". These shoes are lighter than many of the high-mileage trainers, making you feel lighter as you go. What they DO have is support that is missing from a racing flat- and enough in the heel/midsole to protect you during a LONG race, as you begin to fatigue.

Go into a retailer and compare a racing shoe with a performance trainer and you will see what I mean. For instance, recently I compared two Adidas shoes. One was a racing shoe and one was a performance trainer. The difference was about 2 ounces, cushion vs. virtually NO cushion, some heel lift, and a pro-moderator device designed to add stability.

Following are some guidelines (listed in Advanced Marathoning) regarding top candidates for flats in the marathon:

Male:
Faster than 2:40
Weighs less than 160# (73kg)
History of being relatively injury free
Good Biomechanics

Female:
Faster than 2:55
Weighs less than 140# (63kg)
History of being relatively injury free
Good Biomechanics

Lastly, it is always good to introduce a racing shoe or new style of shoe incrementally to your workout schedule. Start by using them in some tempo runs a several weeks out from your marathon to make sure they will work for you.

Weigh it out. Consider the choices and the potential outcomes. Make a good decision and have a GREAT RACE, whatever you run in!

My new BOSTON plan: A Leap of faith & A fresh start

I have been stalling about taking this step for some time.

Really, it boils down to trust: trusting my own limited experience, and trusting God to see me through training, whatever the circumstances (or outcomes) may be. This week I took a big step (for me), and decided to abandon the comforts of a training schedule made by experts (Pete Pfitzinger 18/70) and create my own training plan for Boston- my second marathon. Ever. (Can you tell I am still a bit nervous about this choice?)

Side note: In high school I used to jump off of train bridges and cliffs into rivers and lakes (even skipping a few classes to do so. Sorry dad and mom!). You would have a hard time getting me to do that for money these days.

Thank you to those of you who encouraged me to write my own plan. I don't know if I would have tried without my blogging support crew!

Here is a link to my new training plan for Boston: (click HERE) Let's hope it works! There is a strong possibility that I will go in and erase all the pace info soon, especially if I seem to have any trouble hitting the targets. :) Special thanks to blogger, Danny (he is a genius) who tried to help me post it as an image- I just don't have the skills or the software! 

The plan uses alternating hard/easy workouts with two days specifically for speed work. My peak weeks will each take me approximately 10 miles higher than I have ever done in a single week. I left some workouts as  "cruise intervals" so that I could assess the day before and decide what the best speed workout that day should be. There is a taper and a few cutback weeks. There are a few weeks where I run five days instead of six; this is to get an extra day of sleep as an incentive and body booster.

I started back at the weights last week, which drained my legs, but left me seeing what I have been missing. The plan is to get in 2-3 days a week of strength training on my hard workout days, leaving my legs fresh for the next hard workout day.

Today's run went spectacularly! Nine miles as an easy aerobic run- slightly faster than my goal (Gotta watch that!). I had peace of mind and great time alone with God. My body felt very rested after a "Christmas cutback", and I am glad to be back in a structured program, (no matter how scary it is that I am the author of it).

SIXTEEN   WEEKS   TO   GO  !

Training Conundrums

Preliminary warning: Cute photos have nothing to do with the subject matter of this post!

First, I want to thank anyone who has given training advice to me here. Any and all suggestions are always welcome (honesty and disagreement is OK)! Feel free to leave as many as you like in that little box labeled "comments" below.

Obviously, by the title of this post, I still am undecided about how to best train for Boston. In a way, I think that's good. It shows that I don't want to blindly go into a marathon. However, it's also bad because I really would like not to be still weighing my options at this point.

Boston is 17 weeks away. That may seem like a long time to some people, but the more you look at training plans for Marathons, the more you see a pattern of 16, 18 or 22 weeks. Some are even 6 months or a year.
Why so long? The "experts" in the field create phases within training that include endurance building, peaking, sharpening and tapering (and maybe I missed some others!). Sure, you can run a marathon without all these phases, but my goal isn't just to finish. It will be almost a year since my last (and first) marathon and it might be another year until the next. (But I hope NOT). Putting it simply, I will put as much of myself into this race as I can. It is a PR goal race.

As of Sunday, I started Pfitz's (Pfitzinger & Scott) 18 week plan that tops at 70 MPW, (aka 18/70). The total mileage for this first week is 54, which is actually a cutback from what I ran (not on a plan) the week before. I have toyed with the idea of just adding 5 miles to each week, starting next week. Not sure this is a great idea, but would maybe be just the right boost. 

I have another issue with Pfitz, something I consider more important than the mileage. His plan schedules races as part of the training. It's never seemed wise (to me) to truly race while training for another key race. (Kara Goucher can do it, though, and it looks like she will with the PF Chang RnR half and Boston). My body needs time to recover from racing and I usually take a few days off even after a hard 10K.

I don't want to feel pressured to run a long run the day following a race. Pfitz schedules it. *This is where I should insert that I am still reading his book.* It appears he might advise you to run the races as Lactate Threshold runs instead of "true races". If so, that's better; but, I still wouldn't spend money to go do an organized Lactate Threshold run. I'd do it for free on my home turf.

Another option I have considered is following one of Jack Daniels plans. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you which one, because I have only recently bought the book, and am confused as to which level of plan I should use. Ha! :/  His plans are based more on experience, and not so much on mileage. I have about 2 1/2 years of running experience (not counting goofing around on and off before that). Where does that put me? I don't know.  I like that there appears to be some flexibility in his plan. There are scheduled workouts for each week, but the rest of the mileage is flexible. I can't even tell you how many speedwork days there are each week! One problem is that the plan(s) start 22 weeks from the race. Oops. I missed that window!

Then there's  RunnersWorld's SmartCoach, which is considered to be lame by some. But when you start playing with 55 mile weeks starting, and throw in some race times and goal paces that get harder, it doesn't look so easy. The max with that plan is actually a bit higher than Pfitz. The increases of mileage are steeper. I have considered using the mileage plan and changing the speedwork from one to to two days with progressive long runs & MP runs on alternating weeks...Or something like that. And maybe a few 22 milers instead of 20. This plan is for 16 weeks.

Then there's the plan that someone emailed me this week, which is also interesting!

As you can see...I am still not settled in what I am doing. I sure hope by next week to have a better plan- or at least get comfortable with Pfitz!

This might be the most boring post I have ever made. Ha! If you are still with me at this point you deserve some dessert:

Analyze My Stride? *With Video*

Things have been pretty ho-hum around here this week. I finally broke down and visited my doctor. It's amazing how antibiotics and sudafed (prescription in our state) decrease appetite and provide all sorts of energy reserves! Getting a full nights rest helps too...Which is why I ended up on the treadmill today.

As I headed to the TM, I was thinking of what a valuable resource videos can be for training advice (thanks Janae!) .  And so I decided today would be THE PERFECT day for me to get some help from my readers...all 5 of them...by taking some footage and posting it here for expert analysis.

Here it is! Maybe you can give me some feedback on what to correct so this knee/hip/arm thing can get taken care of. =D


Well, hopefully someone was able to review that and trouble-shoot for me. Special thanks to Nathan, the 5 year-old cameraman in training.
So. On a more serious note...

One of my more paranoid concerns in running is the potential to develop a stress fracture. Here's a couple of questions to you: Are you scared of potential injury? and What do you do to prevent injury? I know I am not doing enough, but here's what I am doing:

• Stretching (very minimal- maybe 5-10 minutes a day after running)
• Rolling with my redneck foam roller (I try to do this daily, but more like 4-5 days a week)
• Eating high calcium foods (like lowfat cottage cheese, drinking milk as a recovery drink, leafy greens)
• Taking calcium supplements in addition to a regular multi-vitamin
• If I run longer than 16 miles I am pretty good about ice baths afterwards, as long as I have the time :/ .

1,500 points to the first person to correctly identify the brand of arm warmer I am wearing here. :)

Here's a hint: one is missing and might be in the sock drawer. (Please don't laugh at my bicep!... Or my fashion sense.)

Special best wishes to all racers this weekend, including Little Fruit Fly and NattyBumpo. And a BIG thank you to P at Adventures of an Average Athlete for the sweet necklace I won yesterday!!

And, if you are in the least bit curious, I am still undecided about what I will do for Boston training. The clock is ticking and I don't have much time for reading- so I am starting to lean towards PFitz- just because his book says you can start his plan and then start reading his book =D Great work ethic, huh?

BEHOLD.

Now. Isn't that precious?!  Notice the chocolate between the eyes, boogers in the nose, and chicken hanging out of the mouth?

The kid just likes to suck his food lately. Gets a piece of something good and presses it to the roof of his little mouth. Hours later, it's still there. He's not eating much with his canines coming in, but he's savoring the flavor! I pulled the car over for this shot. Moments later I tried to take the chicken out, but he clamped down on my finger and I had to release it. He spit out the fragments when we got home. =D

I believe I found the PERFECT Christmas tree! I can't wait to see the look on Jon's face. What do you think?

Don't call the fashion police on me! It's a good day if I manage to wear anything besides old running shoes when I leave the house. Besides, in Elkton no one gives a skunk's tail what you wear. But this was Cottage Grove. I had to dress up.

Training:
Well, it seems I will have some more company in Boston! Looks like Ryan Hall made it past the computer snafu and registered for the race. (Read about it here) Woo-hoo! Looking forward to running with meeting him (in a long line at the expo).

Still trying to decide which route to take as far as training goes. Should I use a trusted plan many have done before (Pete Pfitzinger 18/70)? Or, should I use a slightly more personal approach that gives specific workouts (SmartCoach) . (I do like that I can completely revise it mid-training if needed.) Or...will I be brave and make my own plan - one that will work well for my lifestyle and specific talents/obstacles? I have a little more time to sit on the fence with this.

I did play with SmartCoach tonight, (just a little) to see what types of numbers it would spew out to me for work out paces. Interesting.....very interesting, indeed. I like it better than the McMillan calculator, and McMillan and I are good friends. :)

Sorry! Beezus didn't show. And... exciting plans!!

On Thanksgiving I tried to upload a video of Beezus, a beloved neighborhood pet. It was funny, but the darn thing just wouldn't load. Could it be that my computer is antique outdated? Perhaps. Or it could be a possible user malfunction? Anyhow...sorry if you were disappointed to miss the big appearance. I'll save that for another time.

It's been a while since I posted. Mostly because I haven't had much to write about I have been too busy getting ready for Thanksgiving and recovering from it. The plan was to go up to my parent's house for the big day and enjoy dinner cooked by my mom. Prime Rib. (WTHeck?) We had to postpone it due to illness.  We stayed home and Jon worked. My oldest was bummed.

I more than made up for it on Sunday. My parents came down and I cooked a turkey with all the extras. When the bird was about 20 degrees away from done, the handle of my oven fell off! Oh yes! This will make a great memory. The year we scrambled to put the oven door back on while the turkey kept a-cooking. It actually took an hour longer than I had planned, but was fantastic and juicy. Worth the wait. Blessed again!!



My middle son (Matthew) was VERY proud of his loaf of bread. (I didn't give him a lot of dough to work with =D .  He loves to bake, though)

About running...

November is almost done and I am patiently trying to rebuild my mileage after an extreme taper (totally worth it!) and half marathon on the 20th. I'll just say that it's hard to be patient sometimes. My quads are still rebuilding and I definitely won't be doing any speed work still for another week (at least!) and then hope to get back to two days- one tempo and one interval/fartlek.

Does anyone else have trouble in the post-race recovery time frame? How do you get back into your regular training?  Last half I did (in June, before this one) I was too anxious and I think it cost me- calf strain or tear.

I have a lot of exciting things ahead in the next few weeks! There are approximately two more weeks to weigh out my options for Boston training. By then, I hope to have a solid plan and be able to get started with 16-18 weeks of training for the race. Possibilities include: 

• Pete Pfitzinger 18/70 (I plan to buy his book this week, regardless) 
• Revisiting SmartCoach (I used it for Eugene in may- but tweaked it) 
• Making my own plan (Scary! It would have to be ON PAPER)
• Something I haven't thought of yet...?

What about you? If you are training for Boston (or any other spring marathon), what are your plans? I'd really like to know!...