Recovery

I'm still feeling the affects of that last repeat session - nothing's sore per se, but when I get out there to run I just feel some overall fatigue.  JT says it will take about 9-10 days to be fully recovered from that session, but obviously I should feel 90%+ after just a few days.

I was scheduled to run a couple of easy days on Thursday and Friday.  Everything went fine on Thursday, but on Friday . . . . 

 . . . it was one of those days where it's a very good thing I don't own a gun!  Having some serious issues w/ work would be putting it mildly.  When it was time to run my easy 5-miler I was still "highly agitated" and I had a tough time keeping the pace in check throughout.  

I've got some threshold work slated for later today.  I'm hoping to be feeling recovered enough for that one, but I'll have to wait and see.

Training:  

Thurs, 1/1:  5-miles @ 7:06 pace

Fri, 1/2:  lifting (upper-B, abs) stretching, rolling

5-miles @ 6:53 pace - faster than I wanted

Another Day at the Office . . . NOT!

OK, I've done a few 300m sessions over the past several weeks, but nothing like this - this was hard, really really hard.  After emailing the results to JT her response was, "welcome to 800m training" as if everything I had been doing up until now was just a warm up.  If this is indeed the case, I'm going to be in a little bit of trouble.

Yesterday's session was a two set affair, where the 6 x 300m for set-1 was meant to generate a high amount of fatigue for set-2, which was the real meat of the workout.  However, instead of running the reps in set-1 at 50 or so, which is what most of my 300s have been to date, I was to be shooting for 48.5 . . . . and this was the easy set.  

Complicating matters, I haven't found a way for my Garmin to display tenths and hundredths of a second when using "lap mode" until you go back and check it out AFTER the workout is over.  (if there is a way to do this, please let me know)  So I would have no way of knowing whether seeing a 48 on the display was a 48.03 or a 48.97, making it impossible for me to make slight adjustments rep to rep to really dial in the pace.  

The first rep of set one showed a 47.  What did that mean, I didn't know - was that a 47.9 in which case I was just a little bit fast, or was it a 47.1 meaning I was WAY too fast.  Had I known, I could have made the proper adjustment.  Number-2 came in at 48, great - but now I can't slow up anymore on #3 because the 48 might be a 48.9.  So I try to run the same pace again . . . and it displays a 47.  Damn, I guess that means the first 47 was a low 47 and the 48 was a low 48 - now I had run half of this set way too fast.  (This was confirmed later when I saw that the times for the first 3-reps were:  47.1, 48.1, 47.9)  

By being able to "triangulate" the first 3-reps into knowing what the proper pace should be I ran the next two properly in 48.7 and 48.9, but on the 6th one I was flat out gassed and could only manage a 49.2 w/o taking too much out of me for the tough second set.

Set-1 totals (47.1, 48.1, 47.9, 48.7, 48.9, 49.2)  for an average of 48.3 - this wound up being only slightly faster than target, but that's only because the last two weren't so good due to running the first three too fast.  (average of the first 4 was 47.9)  Not really the way I wanted this set to go, and I knew I was certainly heavily fatigued heading into the second set - maybe too fatigued.

I then took my 5-minute break and got ready for set-2 by changing into my brand new spikes - Saucony, Endorphin-MD.  (I needed spikes for the season, and I want to start breaking them in little by little)

Set-2 was only going to be 3-reps, but these were to require much more effort as they were meant to simulate running the 2nd lap of a tough 800m race (i.e. going close to all out w/ a lot of lactic acid already in the legs)  Target pace was going to be quite variable as the fatigue would continue to build (46-flat to 47.8)

The first one felt absolutely great for the first 200m.  The spikes felt nice and light and I cruised through 100m in 13.x, and 200m in 28.x.  Fatigue started to set in after that and I slowed up some, but still came across the line in 44.9  (again, all I saw was 44 on the damn watch, I only figured out later what the actual time was)

On the second one, the high level of fatigue started to hit after just 100m.  With 80m to go it felt as though someone had poured cement into my thighs.  I struggled mightily to finish, but I guess the first 100m was fast enough for me to finish w/ a time of 46.6 - about on target.

At this point I felt worse than I have ever felt during any previous workout, including the toughest hill sessions.  I was very light headed, my legs felt wobbly - I caught my spikes on the track a couple of times just heading back to the start line as I was having a tough time just picking up my feet.  I had to do another one and I wasn't so sure it was going to be possible.

On #3, I stumbled during the first 10 meters - spike caught the track again.  I upped my focus - on picking up my damn feet - and headed down the straightaway.  By 70-80m I was already toast.  Well, here was my 800m race simulation! I did my best around the curve and checked the watch to see a 200m split of about 31 seconds.  Damn this was too slow - I didn't want to run a 48.  I gave it everything I had and picked up the pace somehow.  The last 80m felt like they were in slow motion, and it seemed like the finish line wasn't getting any closer.  Eventually I crossed the line in a time of 47.4 in what was clearly the most difficult rep I had run, maybe ever.  

Set-2 (44.9, 46.6, 47.4) for an average of 46.3  

I will certainly need a couple of days to recover from this one - but as tough as it was and as bad as I felt, trying to get that one done was actually enjoyable on some demented level.  JT told me to back off on Saturday and run an easy threshold workout (5 x 1000m) instead of that tough long interval session - we're going to push that one out to next week. 

Also, my first race is now tentatively scheduled for Jan 24th - not much time to prepare now.

Training:

Wed, 12/31:  4-miles, including two sets of 300m repeats.  Set-1:  6 x 300m - avg: 48.3  Set-2:  3 x 300m - avg: 46.3

Ratcheting Up the Intensity

I had a call w/ JT (coach) yesterday to discuss the plan for the next week.  She had a 200m repeat session scheduled for early in the week and a very tough interval session scheduled for later in the week.  

We also discussed what my target pace should be for my first race, and she mentioned she had a 300m session that was a pretty good predictor of 800m race pace and we were to do that session the following week.  As we discussed race strategy (i.e. going out hard on the first quarter and holding on vs running a more even split) I told her that I wanted to do one very fast 600m session (which might only be 1 or 2 repeats) before the first race.  The idea being I wanted to run a very solid first quarter in practice, and then see what it felt like to have to try and hold that pace for another 200m.  I figured this would give me great information for how to run the race as I'd know how much I really had in the tank, and hopefully it would also give me some confidence heading into that first one.  

She agreed that it would be a good idea, but in order to fit in a very difficult workout like that, we would likely need to move that 300m session up to separate workouts properly over the next month.  Which means we're going to scrap the 200m session, and instead I'm going to be running that 300m session tomorrow! 

Here's the workout:

Two sets of 300m repeats w/ 95-110 second breaks (jog 100m back to start and then rest 1-minute) First set is meant to build up a high level of fatigue for the second set:

Set-1:  6 x 300m @ 48-49 seconds.  Then rest for 5-minutes.

Second set is either 3 or 4 reps, but she wants them between 46 and about 47.8.  I believe the average of set #2 is the estimate for 800m race pace.  

The pace of the second set seems more than a bit scary considering I'm going to be pretty gassed from that first set.  JT told me that the first one after the 5-min break might be OK, but the next two are going to make me feel absolutely horrible.

And then I've got a session that will probably be as tough or tougher than that on Saturday because it's long intervals.  

Mile (5:16) - 4:30 rest - 1200m (3:55) - 3:30 rest - 800m (2:30-2:32) - 2:30 rest - 400m (68)

I guess we're starting that final push towards the winter season.  As of right now it's looking like my first race will probably be on Jan 31 - exactly one month to go.

Training:

Mon, 12/29:  lifting (upper-A, abs) stretching, rolling

Tues, 12/30:  5-miles in 33:50 (6:46 pace)  ** Maybe too fast heading into tomorrow - not a good idea.

Consistency (for a change)

Looking back through my log book I had a rough go of it trying to hit my Sunday long run every week during late November, early December.  Something always seemed to pop up during the week to make me cut the Sunday run short - either some soreness from a tough hill session, feeling sick, something not feeling quite right in my right knee, etc.  It was never anything all that serious, it just always seemed to be something on Sunday, and as a result my long runs were every other week for a while.  

Well I got in another long one yesterday (of course this is long for me, not really what most guys would consider LONG) and this makes three weeks in a row, and four out of the last five. After last week's 12-miler at 6:55 pace I thought I'd back off on the pace a bit yesterday, but it didn't happen.

I managed to keep it in check for the first few miles, but I felt really good at about mile-5 and the pace started to pick up w/o me having to think about it.  By mile-9 the pace had dropped to about 6:20 and checking the Garmin after the run I discovered that I logged the last 3-miles in about 19-flat.  

All totaled - it was 11-miles in 1:14:57 for an average pace of 6:49, and the average HR was only 156 which for me isn't too bad on a run like that.  I've got to make sure I keep my long run streak going here for a few more weeks - I'm sure we'll cut it back for a brief period when I start my winter races (for maybe 3-4 weeks) but it will be the staple of my March mini-build when I start to get ready for the spring/summer season.

Training:

Sun, 12/28:  11-miles in 1:14:57, 6:49 pace.  HR - 156

Custom VDOT Table

For those of you that have read the Daniels book and are familiar w/ the VDOT table and the terms "rep pace", "interval pace", "threshold pace", etc - you might look at some of the paces of my recent rep and interval workouts and say, "there's no way in hell this guy can run a 5k or 10k in the times suggested by those workout paces". . . . . . and you'd obviously be 100% correct.

If one were to look at the VDOT table and find the corresponding VDOT number associated w/ a Rep pace of 69-seconds/400m (pace of yesterday's workout) it would show a VDOT of 66.  Looking across to the estimated 5k race time for someone at VDOT-66, you'd see a blistering 5k time of 15:42!  Clearly, it would be laughable to imagine me ever running a 15:42 5k, so what's wrong??

The answer is that the standard VDOT table is set up for marathon runners.  I don't think it says that specifically in the book, but this is the case.  Later in the book where Daniels breaks down 800m runners, 3000m runners etc, he puts in separate VDOT tables for those shorter distance specialists.  In fact, for 800m runners he goes so far as to have TWO tables just for them!  One table is for the guy who is more of an 800m/1500m guy and one for someone who is more of a 400m/800m type.

Below I've posted some paces for these two 800m types as well as the data from VDOT-66.  I chose the line where each guy is running w/ the identical Rep pace of 69-seconds/400m.  

Table	R-pace (400m)	I-pace (Mile)	T-pace (Mile)	E-pace (Mile)	Estimated 5k
VDOT(66)	69	5:00	5:28	6:49	15:42
800/1500m	69	5:08	5:40	6:53	16:20
400/800m	69	5:16	5:56	7:01	17:17

As you can see, the further we move to the right, the more the shorter distance specialist slows down, or conversely the better the marathoner holds the pace.  When we move from R to I pace - the 400m/800m guy has already lost 16-seconds/mile compared to the marathoner, and this jumps up to almost 30-seconds/mile when we get to threshold pace.  At the end of the line, we see drastically different 5k times for guys that would run a Rep workout at exactly the same pace.  

As for me, I'm not using any of these tables exactly, but I'm loosely tied to the 400m/800m table. I've been working w/ my coach for a while now, and she's pretty much dialed in paces for me that don't always hit any of these tables, but they do seem to fit my current profile.  

For example, my Rep pace for 200m and 300m repeats is slightly faster than the 34 and 51.5 suggested by the 400m/800m table, and while I am using about a 5:16 mile pace for intervals, these workouts are much much tougher for me than the rep workouts, and it takes everything I have to get through them.  Clearly the shorter and faster I go, the more comfortable it is for me.  Hopefully w/ more training my curve will start to flatten out somewhat, and perhaps in a year or so my profile will fall between the 400m/800m and 800m/1500m types.  I don't think in 100 years I could get a profile that approaches the standard VDOT table, and that's OK.  I'm just not that type of runner.

From the Jim Ryun Archives . . . (sort of)

Today's rep session at the track was mapped out as follows:

Standard warm up:  (mile jog, stretching, 2 x 200m, re-stretch)

600m - 1:44-1:45

3x400m - 69

4x300m - 51

6x200m - 32

The running was to be continuous w/ slow jogs in between equal in length to the previous repeat. This was somewhat similar to last week's ladder session in that it was a Rep session w/ slow jogs in between, however that session consisted of only 2.8km at pace while today's workout would be 4.2km.  Also, today's pace would be slightly slower than last week due to the big jump in volume.  The idea here was to get a nice rhythm going throughout.

JT mentioned to me that this was a similar to a workout that Jim Ryun used to do (except that #1 - he would do 2x600m keeping the volume at each rep length 1200m, and #2 - he'd be home, showered and in the middle of dinner at the time I'd still be toiling w/ the 300s)  The point though was that I too was going to be doing this workout at "rep pace" (from the Daniels book)

Another little tidbit I discovered was that in the Daniels book, this actual workout appears w/ the 200s being done at "fast pace" (faster than Rep pace).  JT doesn't want me really gunning it in the cold weather, but if the weather was warm enough, I was going to try and crank up a few 200s if I had anything left by then.

Thankfully the temps were up at 55-degrees today, so that was good.  The only issue I was going to have was that some discomfort flared up in my left thigh on Friday - I was going to need to warm it up really good and try to be careful.

Typically my warm up 200s come in around 31-32 seconds, but for whatever reason the first 200 today clocked a 29.4, which surprised the hell out of me.  I hadn't run a 200 under 30 during any of my repeat sessions.  I throttled back a bit on the second one (30.5) and got ready for the workout.  Now I was really hoping I had something left for those last few 200s.

600m - 1:44, 

3x400m - 70, 68, 68

4x300m - 50, 50, 50, 49

I had a nice rhythm going and the 300s felt especially solid.  Time for the 200s.  The plan was to ramp them up as I went along.  First one- 31, second one - 30 (where I ran the curve conservatively and focused on the straight), third one - 29.8 (opposite of #2 - fast curve, held back some on the straight).  

On to the last three - I was going to try and run hard for almost the whole 200m on these.  Number 4:  28.02, that one felt good . . . . . until I stopped.  It was at that point that I was reminded that I had a slight issue w/ the left thigh - oops.  I thought about ending the session there, but somehow it only bothered me for a few seconds, and by the time I had jogged around to the starting line it felt fine.  I made sure I cut the pace way back on #5 - (32), and w/ no issues after that one, I went ahead and ran a 30 to finish up.

The thigh feels OK now, but I'm going to have to be careful for the next few days.  Last time I had this same flare up it lasted a couple days and then just disappeared.  I'll hope for the same here - it doesn't seem to be anything serious.  

Overall the workout went better than I expected.  I feel like I'm getting more coordination back on my 200s, and my stride on the 300s felt nice and smooth - some improvement over the past month for sure.  I'm not running these 300s on the balls of my feet to hit the times anymore, it's more of a mid-foot stride which has the advantage of being much more sustainable over longer distances.  Making progress always feels good - just have to make sure I don't injure myself in the process.

Training:

Sat, 12/27:  7-miles including, 600m - 1:44, 3x400m (70,68,68), 4x300m (50,50,50,49), 6x200m (31, 30, 29.8, 28.0, 32, 30)

Training the "King of the Mile"

Over the past couple of months I've been reading up on the training methodologies of some of the world's top middle distance runners.  Sebastian Coe, Wilson Kipketer (800m WR holder and the only man to break Coe's mark), Kip Keino, Nixon Kiprotich, and the King of the Mile - Hicham El Guerrouj.  (I still haven't gotten around to Norredine Morceli, but I will be doing so in the near future)

It's pretty easy to find info on Coe's training through the various books published by his coach and father, Peter Coe.  However, finding detailed info on a lot of these other guys is a bit more difficult.  (I'd really like to find more detail on how Kipketer trained)

I happened to stumble upon this training information of El Guerrouj as he prepared for the 1997 season.  Only a few cycles of his year round training are included (I understand he only rested about 3-weeks a year), but it gives a pretty good overview.

You'd expect to see the period of ridiculously tough workouts as the season approached, but what I found interesting was the intensity of his early season training.  (October-November of the previous year)  A great deal of weight training for strength, hill repeats and plyos for power, and up-tempo aerobic running that was in the form of either cruise interval type repeats at around 5k pace or 30-60 minutes of continuous running at an unbelievable pace of about 3-min/km.  (even for him that was fast as it was just 30% slower than his mile race pace!)

Anyway - some good info there for anyone who cares to read it.  Perhaps I'll post up some training of the others from time to time.  

Nice 5-miler today, and tomorrow morning I've got a tough rep session that El Guerrouj could probably do running on his hands.

Training:

Thurs, 12/25:  Off

Fri, 12/26:  lifting - general upper, abs

5-miles @ 6:58 pace