Training Update Sept 18-24

Sun: 19 miles in more than 2.5 hours with stops- sick and coughing
Mon: 5 miles easy recovery
Tues: 3 miles in 18:54 on turf
Wed: 12 miles in 92 min easy
Thurs: 7 miles with 5 in 34:34: 8 miles on the bike
Fri: 7 miles with 5 in 32:12
Sat: 2 mile jog

55 miles total for the week

Can't believe that I got this many in while sick the entire week. Chronic cough still with me. Some good tempo work but I am just not up for intervals.

Workout Update

At the end of the 5th week post marathon, training is beginning to gain some focus. After a week off, and for no particular reason I've gone through a couple of different phases.

- 25-30 minute tempo runs: These felt great- short workouts, quick pace
- 400 meter repeats: Done on a straight road, I want to work on improving speed. Usually 8-10. I started with 90 and have worked down to 84-85.

-Long repeats: I just started in on these this week. 4 x 800 early in the week on the track (under 2:50 ave) then 4 x 1 mile today averaging 5:58.

-cross training: I am back on the bike and in the pool for some short (some intense) workouts.

All I need are some consistent weekend long runs and I will begin looking at races.

I post everything The Daily Mile, although sometimes I get mixed up because it's Friday here and I cannot post workouts immediately to Daily Mile because it's only Thursday in the states.

Sat Aug 21 Workout

am: 10 miles in the HEAT! Last 2 miles were a real struggle
pm: 8 miles on the bike- into post for shopping and back

Fri Aug 20 Workout

am: 1 mile jog with Sumo, then 2 x 2 miles with 5 min recovery.
I've never done this workout before but felt like I wanted to do something slower than my 3 min 800 repeats yet faster than a 5 mile tempo.

Turned out to be a decent workout- 13:10 for number one, then 12:55 for number 2. I did this on the same loop I did my 2 sub 6 min mile repeats a week ago.

Total miles 6.

pm: swim 5 x 200 meters, then 4 mile bike home on tired legs.

Workout Aug 19

am: 1 mile with Sumo, then 5 miles easy
pm: swim 10 x 100 meters, 2 mile bike, 2 mile jog with kids, 2 mile bike

The old heel problem has returned. Now what did I different? More long runs, more intervals, and those 2 barefoot workouts didn't help.

Workout Tues Aug 17

am: 4 mile bike to work
pm: 4 mile bike home
2 mile bike to kids running practice
2 mile jog with kids
2 mile bike home

The first 3 bike rides I push very hard for short bursts.

Workout Monday, Aug 16

am: 2 mile jog with Sumo, then 5 miles easy
pm: swim 10x 100 pretty hard
4 mile bike home

Workout Sunday Aug 15

am: 10 miles in 78 min. I ran on base today so I could get in a few water breaks. If it weren't for the heat this would have been much faster. I like this loop from home-plenty of room for improvement.

Week Summary Aug 8-14

run 37 miles
bike 32 miles
swim 3000 meters

A couple of good quality workouts but no long runs this week.

Workout Sat Aug 14

am: 1 mile with Sumo, then 4 miles easy to work to pick up bike, then 4 miles bike home.

pm: swim, 3 sets of 5x50 meters, then kickboard and fins. 1000 meters total

Friday, Aug 13 Workout

am: 4 mile bike to work (Lightening storm last night kept Sumo up - and me- most of the night so I had to sleep in)

pm: 3 mile jog, then 2 x 1 mile with 5 minutes recovery 5:56 and 5:58. Clearly I am NOT in sub 18 min shape beacause this was hard!

OK what's going on? I've run a few 800 meter interval workouts around 6 min/mile pace and a 18:26 5K last month. Then suddenly I take off my shoes and cruise a relatively easy 4 mile tempo in 26:40 (6:40 pace) on artificial turf. By comparison, I've done a couple of 5 milers around 7 min pace and it was hard! Then Tues I ran barefoot on the grass 17:47 for 5K. Am I really 20 seconds per mile faster running barefoot?

I have to go back to the track next week just to verify what's going on- does running barefoot make that much difference or was my normally reliable GPS that far off?

Thurs Aug 12 Workout

am: 2 miles with Sumo, then 4 miles. comfortable.
4 mile bike to work

pm: 4 mile bike home, then 4 miles to and back from kids running program
1 mile jog with Sumo

Wed Aug 11 Workout

am: 2 miles with Sumo, then 4 easy that felt good.

pm: 10 x 100 meter swim, then 4 mile bike.

good recovery day.

Tues Aug 10 Workout

am: Just a short 10 min jog with Sumo and off to work early.

pm: Short on time, went to the Zoeckler track for another barefoot tempo run. Weather is warm but there is light rain. 800 warm up and took off- after several minutes of running and seeing the GPS ave pace in the 5:40s, I decided to see if I could hold it for a 5K. Two miles in 11:36 and 3.1 miles in 17:47! If this is real, it's a major breakthrough. 1 mile cool down.

Total for the day- 5 miles.

I have to watch it though- my heel is a bit sore the following morning.

(The WAVA age graded calculator says this time compares to a 25 year old running 15:06- but my birthday is less than 3 weeks away!)

Sunday Aug 8 Workout

am: lazy, no run but got on the bike rollers for 20 min.

pm: waited for it to cool off and biked about 8 miles, then hit the artificial turf at Zoeckler for some barefoot running- started off very slow for the first 800 (well over 4 min), but picked it up to finish 4 miles in 26:40- 6:40 per mile tempo run, and that was basically running goal post to goal post.

Believe it or not, that's not a boring workout! I struggled just a little that last mile but I think more from overheating than fatigue. I'm starting to believe that I can hold sub 7 for a long time, but nowhere near 26 miles.

Workout Update- May 29

am: 3 mile easy jog with Sumo, then 2 mile loop in 12:15, 1 mile cool-down.

Dick Beardsley is in the Guiness Book of World Records for running 13 consecutive marathons, each faster than the next. Last year I attempted to run 10 x 800 meter repeats, each faster than the next, and no, I wasn't jogging on the first one (I came very close!).

I guess this is about the 5th time in a row I've bettered my previous time on this loop, but to do it 10 x in a row would not be realistic. The goal is still to get down under 12 minutes, but I expect it will take more long runs, tempo miles, and maybe even some 2 x 1 mile repeats under pace.

Today I felt strong, and the only times breathing became a factor was on the inclines.

At 0530 or 6 am, the local Koreans, already out tending to their gardens, must think I'm nuts.

Workout Update-May 27

am- 2.5 mile jog with the dogs, then 2 miles hard in 12:18, 1.5 mile cool-down. I started doing this 2 mile loop about a month ago in 14 minutes. It's got a couple of small inclines and today I counted fourteen 90 degree turns. Estimating that I lose about 2 seconds on each I think I'm good for sub 12 minutes on a straight, flat course. I'm sticking to this workout rather than intervals, at least for a while. Maybe till I break 12 minutes or get stuck trying.

Have you ever tuned in to what limits your ability to run faster when you do a hard sustained run or interval workout? It's either going to be oxygen debt or your legs simply won't go any faster. Up until this workout, my wind has been good and my legs have been the problem. Today I finally felt that my breathing was not able to keep up.

I've always subscribed to the theory that when the legs can't go fast enough, it's time for speed or interval work, and likewise if you can't get enough air, more distance seems to be in order. Long run tomorrow, which is always a good idea anyway before vacation, then it's off to China for the long weekend. Who knows what running I'll get in there.

I biked the 2 miles to the track and back in the afternoon for the kids workout but was too beat to run. I had them do a 1 mile time trail and today was the largest turn out yet- 24 kids! By the way, officially it's now the Humphreys Roadrunners Youth Running Club.

Workout Update- May 26

My heel is much, much better! I am heading back into serious training, so why not post the workouts?

This morning I ran the dogs for 2 miles in 20 minutes plus, then ran another 20 minutes at a steady pace. I hit some kind of wall and just jogged home in another 20 minutes. Total 60 min run, but my GPS is broke so not sure on the distance- best guess is between 6 and 7. My legs are shot, still not recovered from the long Sunday run followed by another hour on Monday.

Dave's Workout Log for Jan 17-23

Sun
AM: 3 miles, then 4 miles. Foot sore later. Can’t handle 7 miles
PM: swim 1,200 easy with pull buoy

Mon
AM: a few strides is all
PM: swim 1,200 meter easy with pull buoy

Tues
PM: swim 1,800 meter with pull buoy, 4 x 50 with kickboard and zoomer fins
3 miles easy with sumo felt ok

Wed
AM: raining out- 20 minutes of back and forth in the driveway, striding out on the slight uphill. First time in quite a while that I did anything but jogging pace. Foot seemed to feel good after about 10 min.
PM: swim 10x100 meters in the pool ave 1:53

Thurs-
AM: jog 3 miles
PM: swim 5 x 200 meters just under 4:00 each

Fri
AM: 3 mile jog
PM: Swim 1,000 meters in 19:28 with pullbuoy.

Sat
AM: 5 mile jog
PM: swim 15 x 100 m easy

Totals: 23 miles running, 8,900 meters swimming

Dave's Workout Log for Jan 3-9

I swim with these once a week- they require a little more effort on the pull through!

Aqua Fit Swim Gloves







Jan 3
am..5 mile jog
pm..swim 3 x 400 with the small fins 7:20, 7:24, 7:19 tired

Jan 4
am..2.5 mile jog
pm..2.5 mile jog

Jan 5
am..2.5 mile jog
pm swim, 10 x 100 meter 1:54 ave, 2.5 mile jog

Jan 6
am..4 mile jog
pm..swim 1000 meters with webbed hands

Jan 7
am...3 mile jog
pm..swim 1,500 meters with pull buoy in 29 :20s

Jan 8
am..3 mile jog

Jan 9
am..3 mile jog
pm..3 mile jog

Weekly Total= 31 miles jogging, all very slow in snow, 4,700 meters swimming

Heel pain is still lingering but no worse. I didn't record it this week but most of the time I jump rope for 7-10 minutes before swimming.