Taper week continues

Why do I never feel quite right during a taper?  I know this is not uncommon but I wonder how much is physical and how much is mental?

Today I ran 4 miles at a 6:32 average pace.  6:42, 6:34, 6:36, 6:15 splits.  160 HR for most of the last 3 miles.  A hard but not excessively hard effort.  I never felt truly comfortable during any of this run, but I wasn't really hurting that badly either.  I did turn my brain off from about the 2.5 to 2.75 point but besides that 1/4 mile I didn't necessary ever feel like I hit a rhythm. Still it was a solid run, at a solid pace, and it didn't take much out of me.  Just the kind of short, intense effort I need to try to keep me sharp.  

Not that 4 miles at 6:32 pace should be discounted.  This is still one of the fastest 4 mile runs I've ever done.  This is still faster than my 5K race pace from 2 years ago.  

Might do a very short amount of speedwork tomorrow and that should be about the end of anything intense...  legs mostly feel okay.  Just a bit of tightness in my right ITB and right foot;  been foam rolling the IT band and using the golf ball on the foot to counter and I think that should do the trick.

Going out hard

 Did a bit of a test run on Saturday with what was supposed to be a 5K time trial.  I went out really hard, running my first mile at 5:42 pace (a master's mile PR).  This definitely proved unsustainable.  I was able to run 6:00 for mile 2 but after that I started to falter and called it early at 2.5 miles after dropping to 6:07 pace on that 3rd mile.  In retrospect kind of wish I had kept going to 5K but I was hurting and didn't want to overdo it before next weekends race.

Either way, the main purpose of this experimental run was accomplished... I was debating on my strategies for racing my 10K and this run finalized my answer.   I had two options I was toying with;  One option was to go out at 6:10-6:15 pace and try to negative split.  The second option was to go out with the leaders and try to race with them for as long as I could.... looking at past races I could see that most people go out fast and then slow down so I wanted to see how this would feel.. In my test run it did not feel like a intelligent strategy and I can only imagine what my 2nd 5K would have looked like if I had kept going.  So, my planned race strategy is settled.  I'm going to do my absolute damnedest to not go out to fast (easier said than done).  6:10 for the first 2 miles would be perfect.  

I finished the week with 47.63 miles (first time under 50 in 8 weeks).  Sunday I ran 12 miles at an 8:15 pace.  The weather is getting hot and I'm not adapted so the run didn't feel great... to be honest I haven't felt great for the whole week.  However, today I'm starting to feel better and with a week of taper to go I'm thinking I'm going to come into my race next Monday raring to go.  

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2021 Goals Update

1. 10,000 pushups:  5780 on pace for 14560. 

2. 7500 10,000 pulls ups: 3987 on pace for 100105   

3. 26 Hours on the Bike:   18:56 for the year.

4. 2021 miles: 1033.91  the year and on a pace for 2620 miles.

Not going to make to much progress on these over the next few weeks.  Plan to taper, race, and then take a down week or two before focusing on Fall marathon training.

Travel Induced Taper

 Running as hard as I did on Sunday was questionable in retrospect as my body is still feeling the effects.  Nothing major except a loss of "freshness".   We'll see if I will recover and reap rewards or simply over did it?!?

I wound up out of town on Tuesday and Wednesday which dampened my mileage a bit just at the point I needed to anyway.  I woke up at 4 Tuesday morning to sneak in 5.22 in the rain at a 7:52 pace.  

Then Ran 6.05 at the golf course by my hotel (checking Indiana off the list of states I've run in) at 7:34 pace.  This wound up being a pretty epic run, out on the course path as the sun rose.  the path was pitched, winding, and hilly and I wound up getting quite the workout relative to the pace, working some muscles I probably don't normally work so hard.

Back in town on Thursday for 8.30 at a 7:57 pace.  Then an easy 6.36 today at 8:15 pace... I didn't feel great today but my HR was low.  

Looking to be at just about 50 for the week, depending on what I run tomorrow.  I've got 8 weeks in a row at 50 or over, averaging 57 miles over that time.  Tomorrow should be my final workout of the training session so we'll see what it brings.

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2021 Goals Update

1. 10,000 pushups:  5780 on pace for 14962. This has dropped off and I'll probably continue to take it easy on this extra work over the next week.

2. 7500 10,000 pulls ups: 3900 on pace for 10095.   Slipping here too but still ahead of pace.

3. 26 Hours on the Bike:  Got 40 minutes in on the bike for the first time in a while.  Now at 18:56 for the year.

4. 2021 miles: 1015.37 for the year and on a pace for 2628 miles.  I broke 1000 already and we're not even out of May so way ahead 2021 pace.  

Peak Speed Work and Peak Long Run

SATURDAY was a bit of a miserable day.  50 degrees and raining.  My run in the rain was okay but watching two soccer games in the rain following the run was a bit much.  For my run I did a 3.5+ mile warmup through the Maher hills at ~7:20 pace.  Then hit the track and ran 8X400m with 200m Recoveries:

Finished up with about 2 miles of cooldown.  The laps were very consistent.  I guess I would call it 3K pace.  Just enough work to touch on some speed without over straining.  Overall finished up with 8.67 miles with a 7:13 average pace with no pauses.

SUNDAY the rain let up and the weather was actually much nicer.  Overcast, 55 degrees, and minimal wind.  I was gonna put in an easy 15 (or maybe even 16).  I started out feeling pretty good with a 7:30 first mile and then figured I'd cruise a bit to bank some time while I was feeling good.  7:22, 7:21, 7:20, 7:15, 7:20 for miles 2-6 which mostly got me through the hills.

Now I was thinking sub 7:30 for the run with plenty of banked time.  I wanted to at least keep pace through 10 even though I was tiring.  7:09, 7:09. 7:13, 7:10 for miles 7-10.  

After 10 I relaxed a bit and slowed down to 7:22 as I climbed the hill and turned the corner and headed to the road that least into the west side of Brimfield.  Then with 4 miles left to go I buckled back down and ran a 7:14.  

3 miles left, and I figured I'd push through the half marathon point, running mile 13 at 7:00 flat... hey that felt pretty good.  I figured my first miles were my slowest so might as well drop the hammer the last two and see what kind of half marathon I'd wind up with.  Mile 14 was 6:51.  Now just 1 mile left, time to push harder, 6:33.

Final Stats:

15.0 miles
1:47:51
7:11 pace

Wound up with an accidental Strava PR for the 1/2 marathon (and of course the 20K).  Also my 2nd fastest 10 mile time (my 10 mile has been weak... I've run lots of fast 9+ milers but only once stretched it to 10).

peak tempo

 My legs were not fresh today.  I had a plan to run 5 miles fast...  a plan to PR my 5 mile loop.  It was supposed to be a key workout.  But yesterday I ran 8 miles at a medium pace and now my legs did not have spring...  But I've run hard on tired legs before so I figured I'd give it a go and see what I could do.

I warmed up first with 2.62 miles @ 7:38 pace (20 minutes).  7:38 pace today, felt like 7:20 pace did yesterday...  but after I finished warming up and doing a bit of extra stretching and leg swings I wasn't feeling too bad...  What the heck, lets give it a go.

MILE 1: That first mile is always toughest.  Trying to feel out a pace I'm not accustomed to.  Fast, but not so fast that I blowup.  Something I can sustain for 5 miles.  Plus the first half mile is a gradual uphill.  Just enough to make you work a little harder and play mind games with the pace/effort levels.  Once I hit the half mile point and it flattens out it suddenly feels easier and at the same time the pace drops... that's always a good feeling anyway.  I hit that first mile in 6:09.  Off to a good start but was it sustainable?

MILE 2: If mile 1 is a mind game, mile 2 is a mind fuck!   The first half mile is two super steep hills.  Down, then up, down, then up.  Pounding the legs on the down hill, trying not to brake while staying in control, holding form, and absorbing the impact.  Then up a hill.  High cadence, high knees, work the arms but stay relaxed.  Then down again.  Then up an even longer hill; basically sprinting form at this pace.  And as I crest it, my legs are burning but I'm not actually breathing that hard and my HRs in control so now its just about relaxing and holding the pace for the next 1/2 mile which is a gradual uphill.  The gradual uphill feels okay relative to the steep uphill I just crested, but the legs are still burning, making me question how I'm going to keep this up for 3.5 more miles?  Time for my own mind games... don't worry about 3.5 more miles, just power through to the 2 mile mark and see where we're at from there.  Mile 2 is 6:17.

MILE 3:  The "back stretch".  The first half mile might still be a slight uphill but it's practically flat.  The 2nd half mile is mostly downhill with a small hill at the end to make up for it.  Really focused on staying relaxed here; holding form, turning the legs over and standing tall.  The mind games continue as I question if I should turn early and cut it to 4... is 5 over doing it?  But I talk myself into continuing on...  I can still cut it to 4 on the 5 mile course and "jog it in"...  if I bank enough time, I can slow down the last mile or 2 and still keep it under 6:30, right?!?.  High knees and sprint form up the last hill, hitting the 3rd mile in 6:16.  

MILE 4: The legs are still burning but not too bad... I'm not slowing down and I could probably pick up the pace if I really wanted to, except I'm not really want to... Perfectly content with holding the pace I'm at... sub 6:10-6:20 is the goal anyway and I'm hitting it. Pretty much at LT pace I'd conjecture and still not breathing hard.  And now there's only 2 miles left and I get to withdraw that elevation I banked in the first 2 miles...  I tell myself to just hold pace til 4, still playing those games but in the back of my mind there's less and less doubt that I'm going to nail the full 5 now.  I hit that 4th mile in 6:12 and the 4th mile at 24:53... a new 4 mile PR by about 10 seconds!!! 

MILE 5:  Now just a mile left to go.  It's all about holding form now... legs and body are getting tired but still not breathing hard and my stomach is not cramping at all (YEAY!!!).  I catch myself slump a couple times and focus on standing tall, keeping the arms relaxed, and engaging the core;  calling upon all the extra core work I've been doing and I can feel that it's payed off.  I'm doing great til 4.75 and as I turn the corner towards my house things suddenly feel harder than they've felt all run.  With the finish line in sight and a 1/4 mile to go my mind wants to stop?!?  I power through and finish strong.  Last mile 6:09 with a sprint finish.

Final Stats:

5.01 miles
31:05
6:13 pace

PR for the course and for 5 mile in general.  I cool down with 1.5 miles to get my total mileage over 9 for the day.  This has been a great training cycle and I'm ecstatic about my performance.  

At a medium pace

 After 5+ miles easy yesterday, my legs felt peppy and ready for something a little faster but I wasn't quite ready for an all out workout, so I decided I'd straddle the line and see if I could run something in the 7:30 pace range without working too hard.

Heading out the door, I could tell the run was going to go well.  The legs just felt good and my turnover was up (179 avg cadence for the run).  Hit the first mile in 7:32 and followed that up with 7:18 and 7:19 for the 2nd and 3rd.  I focused on attacking the hills and driving with my knees and keeping it relaxed the rest of the time.  Mile 4 the pace dropped to 7:34... I didn't feel like I put in less effort but this mile is always the slowest on this course.  It might be a gradual uphill, although I don't really perceive it or maybe it's just because its not quite halfway through the run and kind of flat and exposed.  Picked it back up mile 5 and 6 and ran 7:20 and 7:21.   Mile 7 I opted for the hilly path and dropped the pace down to 7:09 which I held for Mile 8 as well... then kicked it in for .22 at sub-6 minute pace to make the run over 1 hour.

FINAL STATS:

8.22 miles
1:00:03
7:18 pace

A few random thoughts:

• This is probably one of those hard but not too hard runs they warn you not to do everyday.  Because they're too easy to provide great stimulus while still being hard enough to wear you down.  
• Still, this was fun because I got to run sub 7:20 pace and it actually felt easy
• When I put my 5K pace into Mcmillan calculator it says my easy pace should be between 7 and 8 minutes... 7 min pace still seems pretty darn fast to me for staying "easy" but I'm closer than I've been previously.  
• "easy" is totally subjective and also "easy" for 8 miles is probably different than "easy" for 15 miles or 4 miles.
• My HRM has totally wonked out... it had me at 186 at one point and wasn't correct for the entire run.  I finally gave up and bought a new one.

 

It's track time

 With 3 weeks to go before my next race I figured I couldn't put off getting some speedwork in any longer so I hit the track this weekend for the second time this year.

Wasn't quite sure what I was going to do but knew I wanted to start with 3200m.  I warmed up with 2.5 miles and then after a brief pause to center myself, lineup and started the workout.

I don't know what it is but 6 minute pace is what my legs naturally want to do on the track for the most part.  I started off a bit fast with a 43 second 200m but then found my rhythm and started knocking off 90 second laps.  As the laps progressed, my HR never really took off but I could feel the lactic acid accumulating in my lags.  As the laps progressed I kept pace but it was hard not to tense up; I focused on staying smooth and relaxed.  I hit the 3200 mark at about 12 minutes on the dot.  I walked for about 100 meters and then jogged at 400m at something around 8 minute pace.  

By the time I got to the start I was ready to go again, this time running 1600 at 6 minute pace.  Again I hit the splits without too much trouble.  After another 400m I decided on an 800m.  Hitting that in 2:59... I this point, I still felt okay and considered doing one more 800m but ultimately decided not to over do it, figuring there's a couple more weeks to nail workouts so I'd do a little less and recover quicker.

Ultimately, the workout didn't take too much out of me, but it did aggravate my IT band a bit.  Seems like the sub 6 minute pace is what really triggers it, as even my tempo work didn't really bother it...  after jogging home I wound up with 7.5 miles total.  2.5 mile warm up at 7:46 pace, followed by 5 miles in 32 minutes (6:23 average pace).

I did bring some fatigue into Sunday's long run... it was raining and cold with 17 MPH winds but it was Mother's day and I didn't want to wait out the rain so after feeding the kids I hit the road at about 8:30 am.  It was really just sprinkling but with the wind it was pretty gnarly.  I work my Goretex running jacket and that took care of most of the issues.  Luckily the wind was blowing out of the South so while I had to face the wind early, it wasn't too bad since I was running into the wind in the forested, hilly section of the run, which blocked some of the wind.  By the time I hit the flats, the wind was at my back and it actually tangibly helped my pace, my jacket acting as a sail.  Wound up running a half marathon at 7:49 pace, which was a solid effort in bad conditions and tired legs.

Today, I ran a recovery run;  5.44 miles at 8:24 pace.  The first couple miles were in the 8:40s and my legs were just plain dead but they came around after mile 3 and the pace picked up to around 8:15.  Finished up feeling fresher than when I started which is more or less the point.

After the run, I hit the bench and got some weight work in to stay on my yearly target.  I hit a set of 10 at 155 and then 4 sets of 10 at 165.  Followed that up with 2 sets of 60 pushups.  60 pushups are pretty damn easy these days even after benching which I assumed would fatigue me.

2021 Goals Update

1. 10,000 pushups:  5575 on pace for 15652. Still consistent but all these fringe goals get harder as the running mileage increases.  

2. 7500 10,000 pulls ups: 3684 on pace for 10343.   I just keep slipping on this but am still over pace.  I did get in 16 X 3 today.  Once my 10K is in the books and I back off the training a bit, I'll probably get back focused on these again.  

3. 26 Hours on the Bike:  Still at 18:16.  Almost biked today but ran instead.  

4. 2021 miles: 932.84 for the year.  On pace for 2619.  Ran a new mileage high with 64.66 last week.  4th 60+ mile week of the year 7th week in a row over 50. and am averaging over  50 a week for the year now.

Stretch it to 9

Another great run today!!!

9.10 miles
1:11:58
7:54 pace

Went out for an easy 7...  Hit the 7 mark at 55+ minutes and figured I'd run a bit more to make it an hour.  Then just kept going, looped through the park, around the lake on the grass, more loops through the neighbor hook and finally had to force myself to stop just after 9 miles due to being squeezed for time before work.

I don't have any frame of reference for my current aerobic conditioning level.  Sometimes I get out there and just feel like I can keep going forever.  The weather is just so nice, and I'm running relaxed and really hit a rhythm.  It's approaching the flow state.  I've hit the flow state before but now it seems like it's happening during multiple runs a week...  this is the main reason I run.  Racing and running fast training sessions is fun but what I really enjoy is long steady efforts at a decent but not strenuous pace... it really just amazes me that the human body is able to handle this.

I'm at 57+ miles for the week now with one more run planned for tomorrow... either a tempo run or some track work...  I know I should really go to the track.  Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and do it...  would be good to get some 6 minute pace stuff going.

I did strides!!!

 I know I'm feeling good when I actually do strides.

8 miles today at 8:10 average pace.  Was supposed to be a recovery run today.  I ran easy but faster than my typical recovery run.  My legs felt pretty fresh and my cadence was up a bit as well at 175... I sort of focused on keeping the cadence going but it felt right.  

First 6 miles were closer to 8:15 pace (fastest at 8:06 and slowest at 8:20).  Last two were at 7:53 and 8:00.

I was going to run 7 miles but felt good so I continued to the park and ran 4 X strides in the grass.  got up to max speed and my legs felt great.  I really love the feel in my quads when they are firing at 100%.  I focus on turnover and driving with my knees.  

By IT band and hip flexors are both feeling relatively good.  I haven't really reduced my mileage or intensity so they've either just adapted to the load or were aggravated from some one off mechanics and have healed while training through it.  Nice when 50 mile seems like a down week. 

Stretch it to 10

On 5/7/2020 I ran 15K in 1:03:49 (6:51 pace) in what I ultimately wound up considering my workout of the year.

It's been about a year, but today I ran a similar workout with similar results.  My legs were not particularly fresh and I was not feeling particularly sharp but it's been a week since my last workout and I wanted to get in a long solid effort at sub 7 minute pace.  The weather was good though and it seemed like a good day for a run so I put aside my doubts and gave it a shot.

Splits:

Mile 1:  The first 1/2 mile is uphill and I pushed it a bit to make sure I got out at a good pace.  I can usually get going okay but a warmup probably would have been a good idea.  I was just running out of time.  I was right at sub 7 at the .5 mark and then with the hill work done it got easier and I cut it down to 6:53 at the mile mark without increasing effort. 

Mile 2:  Held that pace for mile 2 and hit the split at 6:51.  At this point I figured I had some time banked on a sub 7 average pace.  

Mile 3 & 4:  These 2 miles were a struggle for whatever reason.  Legs were feeling fatigued and I couldn't quite get a rhythm.  I was pushing harder than I really wanted but still slowing slightly.  6:57 and 6:56 splits.  

Mile 5 & 6:  After turning the corner on mile 4 I started feeling slightly better.  I held effort but the pain and fatigue did not increase and I started to speed up again.  I was worried about the hill that starts of mile 6 but I barely noticed it.  6:45 and 6:51 splits.

Mile 7 & 8:  At the 5 mile point I wasn't sure if I'd wind up running 8 miles or 9 miles and I was doing the mental math to see how slow I could run and still be under 7 min pace with the banked time.  By the start of mile 7 I was sure I was going to do 9.  These two miles I was cruising as I finally found my rhythm and got lost in the run.  I stopped noticing the effort, my mind wondered, and my body entered cruise control.  6:54 and 6:48 splits.

Mile 9:  Mile 9 I consciously picked it up and was running a bit harder but still cruising along knowing I was close to the end.  As I hit the 9 mile mark my average pace had dropped to 6:50 and I was feeling better than my first mile.  Split pace of 6:42.

Mile 10:  I've run a lot of 15K training runs and have often thought that the next time I am running a solid 9+ miler that I should go ahead and tack on the extra bit and stretch it to 10 since my 10mile PR was fairly week in comparison (6:51 pace for the 15K vs 7:13 pace for the 10 miler).  Well, today I stretched it to 10, tacking on an extra loop through the Brimfield park.  I continued pushing and ran 6:28 for the last mile with an average HR of 160.

Final Stats:

10.01 miles

1:08:06

6:48 average pace

While this was one of my best runs ever, it was also remarkably easy, with a controlled but strong effort.  Way easier than the 6:38 pace 8 miler I ran last week and I don't foresee the recovery being quite so difficult.

It's always affirming when Strava gives you training PRs.  These were somewhat ripe for the taking but a PR is a PR.  Even with the new PRs they are still ripe for the taking if I ever run these distancing in an actual race... My 3rd best 10k as well, with my 2nd best happening a year ago during my now 2nd best 15K.  Cut 25 seconds off the 15 K but the last 10K of that run was 2 seconds faster (41:53)

Cut it to 8

Got out the door early today and planned to go a couple more miles but stomach problems cut my run short.  This was the second day in a row that I was running with clenched cheeks... not sure what's going on there... hopefully an anomaly.

Still managed to get in 8 solid miles.  I tried to keep it pretty easy but my HR monitor was reading what I assume is wrong which was pissing me off.  Ran the first 2 miles at 7:41 and 7:35.  Intentionally backed it off a bit and ran 7:53, 8:00, 8:02 (with my HR showing in the 150s).  It felt more like low 140s but it pisses me off to wear a chest strap and for it to read wrong.  

At the 5.5 mile point I turned left instead of right cutting the run from 10 miles to 8 miles.  Last 3 miles were 7:48, 7:31, and 7:20 with my HR back down to the low 140s.  Mile 7 was the Maher hills in reverse... I don't normally run that way on this route but felt like it today for some reason.  I powered up the hills and it felt really natural and good.  

Final stats:

8.0 miles

1:01:50

7:43 pace

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Snuck in a bit of speedwork last night playing barefoot tag on the grass with the kids in the rain.  Got a bunch of quick sprints in and my legs felt excellent.  A lot of times my hips are tight and I don't feel like I can quite manage a sprint (which makes me skip out on strides quite a bit), but last night everything felt right and I my muscles were firing at top speed.  

A recent development is that I'm actually adapting to the miles and gaining the level of fitness I've been hoping for when I started workout out again.  One of my goals was to be able to play hard with my kids and in life in general.  Sunday, I ran 15 miles and then immediately went out hiking and mushroom hunting.  Last night I was able to play tag and didn't feel fatigued at all...  I had this dream that if I worked hard enough maybe I could feel as fit as I did when I was in my early 20s... For a long time it seemed impossible but lately it's starting to feel more attainable... I just need to work a lot harder at it than I used to... baby steps

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2021 Goals Update

1. 10,000 pushups:  5310 on pace for 15630.  4 by 12 at 155lbs on the bench yesterday taking the bar almost down to my chest.  75 straight pushups today.  Not sure if I'm making gains any more but maintaining for now.

2. 7500 10,000 pulls ups: 3561 on pace for 10482.   This one has been slipping ever so slightly but I'm still ahead of pace. My running mileage has been at an all time level over the last 7+ weeks, averaging over 55 miles a week.  I've been handling it pretty well but I'm not quite so fresh for these side goals.

3. 26 Hours on the Bike:  This Monday I ran for the 3rd time in 6 weeks.  Biking is stuck at 18:16 hours.  I'll get my goal in... I always have this idea that I should be able to do easy x-training on the bike and it will only add and not take away from my running... but then I bike and my legs are tired from it or I'm too tired to bike or it aggravates my IT band.  Still think its a good idea in practice... we'll keep working on it.  At least I kept the goal attainable. 

4. 2021 miles:  879.60 for the year and now on pace for 2589.  Probably after this week I'll be averaging 50 MPW for the year... not sure if I'll be able to hold this all year or if I'll wind up dipping back down eventually.  So far, I feel okay with it.

Another tale of two runs

Two Sundays of 15 milers.

The first at 7:41 pace... the second also at 7:41 pace.

The first was easy and this last weekend I suffered.

There are several factors that led probably led to this run feeling much more difficult than last weeks.  Workload, temperature, recovery, etc... But I think a large factor was pacing. 

 Last Sunday I ran easy, kept the HR in the 130s, felt good the whole run, steadily picking up the pace as the run progressed and finished with a comfortable 6:30 last mile.  This Sunday, I started just a bit faster, slowed down in the middle and finished decently but not comfortably...  

Comparing the 2, runs I had 10 miles that were at or under the average pace of 6:41 this week.  Last week only the last 3 miles were under the average pace of 6:41... but with the final 2 miles I made up all the lost time and wound up finishing 2 seconds faster.

A couple thoughts:

1.  For a  good time, run smarter not harder.

2.  I wonder which run gave me a better training stimulus?