Weekly Training Update: T-13
Week of October 19th-25th:
Total Mileage: 59.98
Total Time: 6:35
Average Pace: 6:40
Overview: Intensity was up, and after a large buildup in mileage the last two weeks, it was good to reduce the mileage a little this week. I'm a bit disappointed to miss some intended runs this week due to a busy schedule of traveling, bad weather, and family visiting but in the end I don't think it will make too huge of a difference. Always remember to balance quantity, intensity, and recovery.
Monday: 6.01 miles in 41 minutes. Easy run after a tough weekend following the 10k race and 20 mile long run.
Tuesday: 12.12 miles in 1:20.
Early morning workout. Ran to the high school track at 5AM. After a good warmup run I did about 10-15 minutes of dynamic drills and strides. My routine always includes standing leg extensions in various directions, squats, skips, and form drills. Everything is moving, not static.
The workout was 8 x 800m averaging 2:24 with equal time 400m jog recovery (whatever time I ran the 800m in my recovery was the same amount of time).
This workout, when 10 repetitions are completed, is more commonly referred to as Yasso's 800's, after Bart Yasso, and is supposedly able to predict your marathon time. For example, averaging 2:24 for all 10 800's with equal recovery should mean you can run around a 2:24 marathon. I completed this workout 11 days before my 2:35 debut marathon at the 2014 Houston Marathon in an average of 2:29, so it is close but not why I did this workout.
The pace felt harder than it should have and I honestly wanted to quit after the first rep. I was obviously not full recovered from the weekend but dug deep and was happy to complete eight and get some good mileage in first thing in the morning. The mind always tries to rationalize quitting or changing the workout, especially when you are not in a group or have a coach. I felt in the 8th one I was going to have to push over the edge to get two more in, sometimes you need to do this but I felt today was not one of those times between my mileage and racing.
Splits: 2:28, 2:24, 2:25, 2:25, 2:24, 2:25, 2:25, 2:22
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 10.02 in 1:04 regular run.
Friday: 21.1 miles in 2:13. Two trail runs as part of Ragnar Trail Relay Hill Country. I ran two legs back-to-back each time to rack up some more mileage and make-up for our missing 8th person. First run of ~13.1 miles was really hot and I was really full from lunch, stomach was upset the rest of the weekend and I struggled with hydration.
Saturday: 10.7 miles in 1:15. Ragnar Trail continues. Knocked this run out around 1AM in the morning off of no sleep and not much of a break from the earlier two runs. It also had started to rain but was much cooler. Our team finsihed first place overall with three chicks and missing an eigth person so that was pretty awesome, we also finsihed around 4AM, exactly when huricane Patricia hit so we spent the morning huddled in the tent finally catching some sleep.
Sunday: 50 minute indoor cycle while watching Brain Games. Traveled home from San Antonio.
I have done some indoor training in the past while doing mental games and find it is very beneficial, similiar to what some studies have shown. At the gym I would play solitaire on the treadmill and wouldn't stop until I won! Mental fatigue plays as big a role if not more than physical fatigue. I recommend apps like Peak or Lumosity. Be careful not to fall! I just saw today that Peak partnered with a professional Rugby team and if you ever read any of the studies their testing games are identical to the one on those apps.
General Health/Diet: General soreness and fatigue. A little more beat up than usual after the trail racing. In the Chilled Cryospa as much as possible! More home cooked meals has been good. Still eating fairly regular diet with few restrictions, always trying to stay away from sugar.
Tip of the Week:
Trail Running: Mixing up your training and racing with different places and terrain can be very beneficial both physically and mentally. Trail running has always rejuvenated me by getting me into nature and away from the concentration on pace. You really don't need anything different, while some more aggressive tread will help, there really is nothing stopping you. This weekend at Ragnar I able to get some quality in with over 2,100 feet of climbing and descending and mixing the pace up from low 4:00/mi descents to 10:00/mi ascents and everything in between. When running trails it is important as ever to increase your cadence, faster shorter steps will allow you to cover rough ground effeciently. The key is that you are able to un-weight a step when it's not good footing, your ankle is rolling, or you stumble, your next step is already on its way. You will also have more options for foot placement, extending your stride as needed. For night running, a bright headlamp makes all the difference.
Inspirations:
This weekend I was really happy to meet a long time trail idol of mine, Ricky Gates. One of the top, if not the best, US mountain runners there is, Ricky is a very unique and interesting guy. I've always followed his journeys as his stories and photography are just as impressive as his running. Check some of his stuff out here.
Just down the road from Ragnar while we were huddled in a tent out of hurricane Patricia, Team Trail Racing Over Texas member, Matt Zmolek was just starting the Cactus Rose 100 miler. By then of the weekend he walked away with the 500 jacket, for completing five Tejas 100 milers. Unreal. Congrats Matt!
