Training Log - Week Ending May 29

First things first....happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone!  Shout out to my Dad (who served during the Vietnam War) and my father-in-law (who served during the Korean War).  A big "thank you" to all those currently serving and all veterans.

Okay, on to the less important stuff......

This week is still easy running after my goal race two weeks ago.  I'll start training for my next race, a 20k, on August 21 next week.

So - all easy miles - about 32 miles total.  I plan to get up to about 55 miles / week later in the training plan.  In my last training cycle I topped out around 45 / week. 

Last week I did a couple of easy runs after taking Monday thru Thursday off.  I thought I was going to feel better than I did after the time off, but I felt flat and stiff.  This week is better, and I feel like I'm starting to get "back in the groove" somewhat, even if it is all on easy miles.

And summer hit the DC area this week!  It was pretty hot over the weekend.  Saturday's short run at 8am was 74 degrees, and "felt like" 82 with super high humidity.  My first run since last Sept that felt "hot", and my first run in only shorts....getting a little color on my back and chest....that felt good.  Time to start "acclimating" to the heat!


Weekly miles: 32
Long run:  11
Weight:  140


Daily workouts:

• Monday - off.  Foam rolling.  My "upper glutes / lower back" are tight.  This is not new for me.  If I ever get sore / stiff, this is the first place it starts.

• Tuesday - 5 miles easy on the WOD trail in Herndon.  Pace - 7:40 - a little too fast for an easy run.  I haven't been looking at my pacing while running, a problem for me is going too fast on easy runs.  Not a big deal since no hard workouts this week.  I like that the sun is up earlier now and I have decent weather....yay summer!  Core work and dynamic stretching.  

Note:  Most of the time my core workout is the Standard Core routine by Jason Fitzgerald at Strength Running.  It's available on YouTube, or you can click on the Strength Running link on my blog home page.

• Wednesday  - 7 miles easy on the WOD trail again.  In Herndon.  But in the opposite direction...slight change in scenery.  ITB rehab routine, stretching, some upper body work.

Side note on the WOD trail - it's a paved path that runs from DC thru northern Virginia.  But, often there are "side" paths for horses, etc. that are dirt.  I run those whenever possible.  So, my runs on the W&OD end up being a mix of asphalt / dirt.

• Thursday - off.  Didn't do nuthin.

• Friday -  5.3 miles easy on the WOD again.  Foam rolling / stretching.  Legs felt a little heavy today, probably from the squats and dead lifts on Wednesday.  I usually feel those two days after, and I haven't done them for a while....like three weeks....so that might be it.  Overall pace @ 8:05.  Also much warmer today...it was about 70 degrees during my run, at least 10 degrees higher than any other run this year.

Side note:  All my weekly runs are before work.  I have to be done running around 7:15 allow time to drive to work from the trail, do any workout, stretching, foam rolling, and shower at the office gym, and get to my desk by 8:00.  It's a nice luxury to have a trail close to my office, and facilities at my office.  Bonus - by driving to the trail close to my work - and THEN running - I can avoid most of the morning rush hour traffic.

• Saturday - 4 miles easy around my house.  Core work / foam rolling / hip mobility stuff.  Overall pace about 7:50.

• Sunday - 11 miles on CandO canal towpath.  All dirt.  Nice to be back on the trail.  I've found it's great to run on in good weather.  In the rain / snow it's all mud and /or super slippery.  ITB rehab / upper body strength.  Unfortunately today I got a big side stitch about 3 miles into the run, the kind that makes you stop and bend over.  So...after walking a few minutes I had to slow my pace.  Overall pace for the run was 8:00.  Might be my body's way to reminding me this week is a "recovery / build back up" week.  I'm not supposed to be running too hard.  ITB rehab routine / chin-ups and push-ups / dynamic stretching.  Single leg squats / single leg dead lifts / rocket jumps (see Coach Jay Johnson - a nice plyometric thing).  Foam rolling.

I've been reading some running advice from 'Coach Jay Johnson' (I have this site linked on the right side of my blog page).  I've decided to NOT check my pace during easy runs, and run more by feel.  When I check my pace I have a tendency to try to keep a pace that may be too fast for how I'm feeling.  "Easy runs should be easy".  So, this week I've put my watch on distance the whole time and checked my pace at the end.  Interesting how my pace has moved by :25 / mile.  They all "feel" the same, and I think that's the point.  I might switch my easy runs from miles to time....not sure yet.  But I will definitely try NOT to run by a specific pace.  I'm a "numbers" person, so it will not be easy.  We'll see what happens.

I'm looking forward to getting back to my quest to run the full length of the CandO Canal towpath.  If interested in my journey, look up the posts with the 'C&O Canal Towpath' label.   I've found the CandO towpath is a "fair weather" trail......so Summer and Fall are the best times to run on that path (less rain and no snow).

Next week, training "proper" for the 20k in August.  I actually wrote my own plan this time based on my experience so far, and using the Strength Running plans as a "jumping off" point.  I'm going with a harder run on Wednesday (10k pace stuff, then moving to tempo runs) and a long run on Sunday with half marathon pace, or progression at the end every other week or so.

Have a good week everyone!

Training Log - Week Ending May 22

Hello Everyone.

This is week is a "recovery" week, after my goal 10k race last Sunday.

I took Monday - Thursday, completely off....I didn't do nuthin.  This is first time I've taken more than one day off in a row since early December.  The last two times I took this many days is because I hurt myself....so I guess that's improvement!

The timing of the layoff was good because I took a work trip, leaving Monday night and returning Thursday night.  I purposely didn't pack any running or workout clothes...just in case I got the inkling to sneak in a run.  I also ate the usual crap food and drank beer, as is usual for work trips when  meeting customers.  Normally I try to eat better on trips, but took this week as a chance to relax on my diet too.

After four days off my lower back started to get achy (old injuries from cycling and a motorcycle accident), and generally felt kinda stiff.  I probably would have been better off doing nightly stretching and foam rolling.....note for the future.

Side Note:  I also ordered some new shoes which arrived on Wednesday, a pair of NB 1500 v1.  Like my last pair of shoes, I ordered the women's version.  I like the 'B' width of women's shoes better than the 'D' width of men's shoes.  I wear size 11 in women's, so it's easier to find discounted prices on leftover shoes from the last model.  I was able to find the 1500 v1 at Runner's Warehouse for $45, then applied the usual website coupon, so my final price was $40....not bad.  This time I've decided to leave the pink laces and be proud.  Three runs so far in them and I like 'em.  I wouldn't normally wear shoes with pronation support, but the reviews I read said it didn't get in the way, and so far I don't notice it at all.

My shoe rotation is now NB 1500 v1 for longer runs; Saucony Fastwitch (men's), which I really don't like very much (stiff sole) which I use on short easy runs.  I won't buy these again, but they don't hurt, so I'll wear em until they wear out.  I have Asics HyperSpeed 6 (women's) for uptempo runs and races longer than 5k.  I use my NB RC5000's for 5k races and track workouts.

This week I also put together a training plan, based on Jason Fitzgerald's plans at Strength Running, for a 20k race on August 21.  It will be my first race longer than 10k.  This week and next week are recovery and easy runs, then I start the training proper, the week after.
.
Total miles:  15
Long Run:  7
Weight:  ? - but probably a couple lbs up

Daily workouts:

Friday - 5 miles easy on the local W&OD trail.  Ended up with a 7:50 pace, about where I normally end up on easy days.  A lot of warm-up prior doing dynamic stretching and the lunge matrix, and man I was stiff and just flat for the first few miles.  I started feeling better toward the end, but never good.   Dynamic stretching cool down and foam rolling.  Upper body strength....my usual exercises including dips, pull ups, low pulley cable rows, and dumb bell bench press.  I would normally do upper body work after a hard run, but since I don't have any hard runs this week I fit it in here.

Saturday - 3 miles easy around the house.  No watch (which I do every now and then to avoid trying to run to a certain pace).   Core work, dynamic stretching and foam rolling. Feeling better than yesterday, but still not great.

Sunday - 7 miles on hilly roads around my house.  7:40 pace.  Feel pretty good.  Nice to have a longer run, and my legs are feeling better than Friday.  ITB rehab routine + single leg squats + single leg dead lifts.  Foam rolling, hip mobility.

And....since all runners like shoes, pic below of my current rotation....

Spring 2016 "Season" Summary

 Background

This Spring was the first time I've actually followed a real training plan (provided by Jason Fitzgerald at Strength Running).  I pretty faithfully followed the plan, including the strength work, hip mobility stuff, etc.

Last year I ran four 5k's, with a PB of 19:11 in September on a perfectly flat course a the local airport.  Really, a course couldn't be any flatter.  In fact, I bet that course is probably as fast, or faster, than a track,  you're running on concrete instead of getting the nice bounce of a good track, but there's also really nice gradual turns unlike a track.....

The month after my 5k PB I hurt my ITB training for a 10k.  Looking back, I can see now I was doing WAY too much track/speed work, not enough easy miles, and not doing any strength work to avoid injury.  So, after taking about 6 weeks off to let my ITB heal, I started a 20 week plan prepared by Jason that is geared toward a 10k goal race.

2016 Changes in training

• Weekly Mileage: 
•  Last year my weekly mileage was in the high 20's, maybe up to 30 miles per week.  I didn't have a consistent increase in mileage...more static.
• This year my weekly mileage topped out in the high 40's per week.  I had a plan to increase mileage, and pretty much followed it.  My plan had a few weeks at 51 miles, but in each case I fell short for various reasons...
• Speed Work:
• Last year most of my speed work was geared around fast intervals, such as 4 x 1200 @ 5k pace.  Very little at faster or slightly slower pace (no tempo runs, 10k pace work, 3k pace work, etc).
• This year I progressed from Steady State pace, to "Real" Tempo runs, later had some 3k pace work and even mile pace short intervals.  Of course, a number of workouts at 5k and 10k pace.  But, in each case they were not as "all out" as last year. 
• Long Run:
• Last year my long run topped out around 8 miles.  I think I might have done 10 miles once.
• This year my long runs started at 10 miles and topped out at 16.  Never thought last year I would spend almost two hours running in one session...this year I ran 16 miles in 1:58. 
• Injury Prevention:
• Last year - none really.  I did some foam rolling and static stretching, but no real philosophy.
• This year I have prevention work planned 4-5 days a week.  Core work, ITB work, hip mobility, hip strength, upper body strength, etc.

2016 Goals

My goals for this year:

• Stay healthy
• Improve pacing
• 5k in 18:36
• 10k in 39:30

Results from Spring "Season"

• No injury so far.  Good.
• The ancillary work, ITB rehab routine, and strength training are working.
• Plus, just plain less all out track workouts...
• A couple times I would get a twinge in an ITB or hamstring - I would immediately cut the workout short or slow down, and do the extra work to make sure it doesn't become an injury.

• Pacing.  Mixed results
• Getting there.....
• Still slightly positive splits, but I'm getting better at pacing "by feel"

• 5k in March 2016 - week 12 of my plan:  18:41.  short by 5 seconds.
• Just short of my 2016 goal.
• My pacing was terrible, the last mile was the slowest by 20 seconds.
• 31 second PB on a hilly course.....
• I will target the Dulles Airport 5k in the Fall this year to reach my 2016 goal.

• 10k in May 2016 - time of:  39:57.  Missed my goal by 27 seconds.
• My one 10k race this year was in heavy winds (20 - 30 MPH), and a little long (6.3 miles).
• I will race another 10k in the Fall to see if I can get to my goal in better conditions.

Rest of 2016

As of right now I have three "goal" races for the rest of 2016.

• Leesburg 20k on August 21.
• Last year I ran the 5k route for this race.
• This year I will take the plunge and go for the longer race.
• Training begins May 30...two weeks after my 10k race.
• Goal time:  1:24:00.  6:45/mile pace.

• Dulles Airport 5k in mid - September.
• Perfectly flat and fast course...set my 2015 PB here.
• Goal time:  18:30
• I think I can take 10 seconds off my PB, which was set on a hilly course and my pacing sucked.

• Run the Parks 10k in DC in late November
• New course for me.  Should be fun.
• Goal time:  39:15 - 39:30
• This is a 10k only race, so I can avoid the problems I had with my Spring 10k race (see Race Report "Loudoun Lyme 10k" post).

Race Report - Loudoun Lyme 10k

Race Report - Loudoun Lyme 10k - my Goal race for the Spring.

It's finally here!  20 weeks of training and I've completed my goal race, my first 10k.

Way back in January I pegged a target time of 39:30, which is one of my goals for 2016.  This was not COMPLETELY pulled out of thin air, but sort of.  At the time my fastest 5k was 19:12 from September of 2015.  That was my last race, soon after I hurt my ITB.

I started a new, 20 week plan in late December which includes runner specific strength work, ITB rehab routines, slowly increased my mileage, and doing "smarter" speed work.

In March I ran a 5k as a "tune-up" race - and finished in 18:41, a 30 second PR.  Nice.  And I was only in week 12 of my 20 week plan.  I did some taper for the race, but not a lot, and this got me thinking that maybe I can run a 10k closer to 39:00, than my original 39:30 goal.....

So after considerable "contemplation", and a couple more "tune-up" races later (an 8k and 5k) that were not as fast, I decided my goal time should be 39:15.  That said, the idea is to run the first 3 miles around 6:20 pace, pick it up a little if I'm feeling it, then see what I have for the last half of the race.  I have yet to run a negative split race...I always go out too fast and then hang on at the end trying to hold off the inevitable slow down.

I've been trying to get better at "running by feel".  But, my longest race so far has been 8k.  So, I'm not sure what mile 4 of a 10k should "feel" like.  So, screw it.  Run at 6:20 pace, adjust accordingly for hills, and see what happens.  I'm GUARANTEED a PR after all.

I picked this race, not because I've always wanted to run this particular event, but because it's a 10k close to my house and is on the right date.  The 10k course is two loops of a 5k course and starts 10 minutes earlier.  So, I might start picking off slower 5k runners around mile 5.  In "theory" I'll be catching 29:00 - 30:00 5k runners right around the finish line.  I will attempt to use that as motivation to pick them off one at a time and see how many I can pass.  The only trouble I might have is slower 5k runners waving at friends and meandering across the course - and in my way.  I saw this happen last year at the Dulles Airport 5k/10k last year, and it was not pretty....two very near misses of wipe outs.

The race start time is 8:00.  I set my alarm for 6:00.  Had my usual pre-race small breakfast of oatmeal and coffee, run around the house to get my legs warmed up, "process" said breakfast (and dinner from last night), and left the house around 6:40.  Arrived at the race, parked, etc. around 7:15.  Walked around a little and did a couple miles of warm-up and a few strides.  Stood around hopping back and forth and getting all antsy until the race started (the usual deal for me).

My wife joined me....she's the best......to get up so early on a Sunday, just to watch a bunch of goofballs run around a local shopping area and neighborhood.  I love when she can make it to the race because this way I have my own support crew to carry all my crap....no need for bag check or any of that.  Plus, I always get a good morale boost toward the end when she screams for me as I go by.  For this race, since it's two loops for the 10k she'll have a chance to yell for me twice.  I always ask her to stand about 1/2 mile from the finish instead of at the finish line for the emotional boost....she sometimes listens.

Weather Report:  mid-40's F - GOOD.  Winds: 20-30 MPH - UH OH.  Well, I've never run a race before in heady winds, but I'm sure it's not good.  Not sure how to adjust, except to go by feel.

So, how did it go?

• Mile 1:  6:13.  Some downhill and I "think" a bit of a tailwind.  All is good.

•  Mile 2:  6:20.  Okay.  Pretty much level and seems to be perpendicular to the winds.

•  Mile 3:  6:21.  This was a tough mile!  Uphill and part of it dead into the wind.  There was a guy about 50m in front of me, so I made a push to get behind him and shield from the wind.  Breathing pretty hard now.

•  Mile 4:  6:19.  We finished out first 10k loop at the end of mile 3 and hit a wall of walkers who had recently started the 5k.  The guy I'm following says "Uh oh", we have no where to go except to run on the outside of the coned off race route...dodging oncoming cars every now and then.  Mile 4 is the same as mile 1, so I was able to catch my breath some.  During mile 4 I also took the lead and let the guy I'm running with draft off me.  When I was drafting behind him it felt like I was going too slow, then when I took the lead the wind hit me and I knew why he was slowing down.

•  Mile 5:  6:21.  Still running around the outside of the marked course, it's still wall to wall with the 5k folks, but now they're doing more of a slow run as we pass.  The other runner and I take turns leading and drafting.  I'm sure this really helped me.....

•  Mile 6:  6:30.  Like mile 3 - uphill and dead against the wind which has gotten stronger (or, I'm just more tired!).  Plus, now we HAVE to get back inside the marked off race course as we crossed a busy street and all get funneled toward the finish.  Lotsa dodging and weaving and yelling "on your right" as he and I run in the right hand gutter before the final two right turns to the finish line. 

•  Last 0.3 Mile:  1:33.  Yes, 0.3 miles (about 5:58 pace).  I think I ended up running longer because we had to go really wide quite a few turns on our second loop of the course as went around the 5k runners / walkers.

After the last turn toward the finish, with about 200m left, I hit the "after burners" to try and beat the dude I've been running with since mile 3.  But, the "turbo" didn't fire, and the guy next to me sprinted ahead and beat me by about 3 seconds to get 3rd place overall, I finished 4th overall, and first in men over 40.

 Total Time:  39:57.  At first I was not happy with this time.  But, now that I'm home and thinking about it, it's not bad.  My overall pace was 6:20 and I was running in really heavy wind.

I don't know how much time I'm calculated to lose in 20-30 MPH winds, but I did read that in 10 MPH wind at 6:00 pace I would lose 12 seconds / mile heading into the wind and gain 6 seconds / mile with the wind, for a net 6 seconds / mile increase in pace.  I don't know if doubling wind speed doubles this number or not, but it makes me think my effort today in no wind would be 6:15 / mile pace or better.

So....that's it!  My goal race for the Spring.  I plan to take next week off, and think about the rest of the year.  I'm 5 seconds away from my 5k goal for 2016, and 27 seconds off my 10k goal.  I will try to beat my goals in the Fall.  And...for the Fall 10k I choose I will try to find a 10k ONLY race, if I can, to avoid the problems today with the 5k crowd. 

Stay tuned!

Training Log - Week Ending May 15

Well, it's finally here.  The last week of my training plan.  Week 20 of 20.

This week is a lot lower mileage and only short bursts of speed work as I prepare for a 10k on Sunday.

I came into this week not feeling too strong.  After a race the prior Saturday (April 30) and a really hard workout on Wednesday (May 4) I kind of limped in the rest of the week.  Sunday's long run of last week was underwelming.  But, as I mentioned, this week is lower volume and intensity heading into the race, so I'm thinking that will get the pep back in my legs.

My focus this week is rest and recovery.

Total mileage: 25
Long Run:  N/A
Weight:  139

Daily workouts below:

NOTE:  All the "speed work" this week is at 5k pace, even tho my race is a 10k.  It's not what I would have done, if I would have written my own plan.  The idea is that it makes the 10k pace "feel" easier....

Monday: off.  Resting up, foam rolling, dynamic stretching.

Tuesday:  3 miles easy + 4 strides.  Feeling better.  Legs finally feel recovered from last week and prior race.  Overall 8:00 pace.  Core work.  Foam rolling. Hip mobility and dynamic stretching.

Wednesday: 6 miles with 6 x 400 @ 5k pace.  Not bad, on the treadmill @ 1% incline.  Did the 5k repeats at 5:55 pace.  Legs are feeling better, hips / butt feel tight.  Extra foam rolling and static stretching at the end of the workout.  Light upper body work and hip mobility.

Thursday: No running.  Foam rolling, dynamic and static stretching.  Rear hip / lower back really tight.

Friday: 5 miles with 4 x 30 seconds @ 5k pace.  Treadmill at work.  Feelin pretty good.  Foam rolling and stretching

Saturday: 3 miles easy + 4 strides.  Ran in DC along the Potomac.  My son had a "dragon boat" thing so I ran along the river while he was rowing.  The run felt good, I feel ready for my race tomorrow.  I probably spent more time on my feet than I should have....but "kids wha'cha gonna do".....

Sunday:  2 mi warm-up + 4 strides + 10k race.  Race time: 39:57 in 20-30 MPH winds and total race distance of 6.3 miles.  8.3 miles total.  Full race report at 'Loudoun Lyme 10k" race report.

Confession: I (Sometimes) Wear Women's Shoes

Thought the title might catch your eye.

Yes, this is still a running blog, nothing too salacious here.  Just passing along something I've figured about running shoes and how they fit me.

I have pretty narrow feet.  Narrow heel, and pretty narrow in the "toe box" area with a high arch.  It seems all men's shoes come in a "D" width, and even tho most shoe manuf say the shoes come in multiple widths, only "D" is available online.  NB seems to work well for me in the "normal" width, but Asics and Saucony are too wide and I have to crank on the laces to keep my feet from sliding. 

I really like the Asics HuperSpeed6, so when my men's size 9 in D width wore out, I ordered a women's size 10 1/2 in B width.  I took the chance when I saw them online for about half price (since the HuperSpeed 7's have come out).

I've run in them a few times now, and the fit is great!  They feel comfortable, fast, and not too tight.  I 'm thinking of trying Saucony Kinvara next....

From what I can tell, the only difference between men's and women's shoes is the color options.  Funny how I have no problem wearing a pink shirt or tie, but pink shoes throw me off.  Luckily, it looks like a shade of blue is usually available. 

So....just passing along shoes options for men with narrow feet or women who might want more room.....

Training Log - Week Ending May 8

Happy Mother's Day!  Hope everyone is having a nice day.

Another weekly training log post.

Week 19 of my 20 week plan.  I've now completed all my "build up" races, and tapering for my 10k race next week.  I'm getting a little excited for two reasons...

1. FINALLY going to run my goal race, 20 weeks is a long time to build up for a race.  Especially a 10k.  I made the long plan because I was coming off an injury, so it might have been smart...but it's a long time.
2. I can justify taking a few days off, and start thinking about what I want to do next - a longer race?  More 5k's?

But, for now it's time to focus on the task as hand.  This week's mileage is a little lower than normal, at about 31 miles, from a high of 45 miles a few weeks ago, but keeping the intensity up.  Wednesday this week was my last all out kind of interval session (5 x mile @ 10k pace), 10 days prior to the race.  The long run this week was also shorter than normal, but with a faster pacing mixed in.  Gotta say, I understand the need for more miles and longer long runs, but I do like the intervals and faster paced stuff more.

Weekly Mileage:  31
Long Run:  10 mi. with 5k pacing worked in.
Weight:  139

Daily Workouts:

Monday - off....not feeling too bad, had a race Saturday, and an easy day yesterday.  Dynamic stretching and foam rolling.

Tuesday - 4 miles easy + 4 strides.  Core work.  Foam rolling and  stretching.  My legs felt a little "heavy" starting the run, but better by the time I finished.  So...success.  Overall pace about 7:50.

Wednesday - 9 miles with 5 x 1 mile @ 10k pace.  On the treadmill @ 1% incline and 6:15 pace.  ITB workout, upper body strength.  Single leg squat and dead lift.  Lotsa foam rolling and dynamic stretching.

Man, Wednesday was a tough workout!  I guess it's supposed to be.  I got it done, and was able to increase the pace slightly at the end of the last interval to imitate a finishing kick.  This is the kind of workout I would do if I had written my own plan....but I would have done them more often.  This is the last really big effort before my race in 10 days.  This would probably be called a "key" workout in a lot of training plans.

Thursday - off.  Didn't do nothing!  Long day at work....

Friday - 5 miles easy.  Ooofff.  I am NOT recovered from Wednesday's run.  Think I felt better after the run, but I could tell the whole time that Wednesday's workout was having an effect on me today.  My HR was up a little for the pace I was going.  Got the miles in...hopefully it helped recovery.  Foam rolling, dynamic and static stretching, hip mobility.

Saturday - 3 miles easy.   Man, my legs are still feeling flat.  I think the 5k race last Sunday and the hard workout on Wed was a little too much back to back.  so, real easy day.  Foam rolling,  Core work. 

Sunday - Plan: 10 miles with 8 x 1' @ 5k pace.  Right away I could tell my legs were feeling heavy still, so I deliberately did not check my pace and run by feel only and try to keep the effort "conversational".  After 6 miles I started the 5k pace intervals.  I did these by effort as well.  I only did 4 as the effort felt too hard, I skipped the last 4 four and cruised in to finish my 10 miles.  My overall pace ended up being 7:29, just about my normal long run pace.  Interesting.

So....this week included a hard effort on Wed I feel good about, but I'm also feeling like I'm a little over-trained and hoping next week I'll feel better as I cut back my miles and intensity some heading into my race next Sunday.

Trainng Log - Week Ending May 1 - Redskins Draft Day 5k

Another weekly installment of the my weekly training log.

I'm in week 18 of my 20 week plan provided by Jason Fitzgerald at Strength Running.

This week I've decided to run a 5k to peak my conditions (hopefully) for a 10k race in two weeks.

I've cut back the mileage, and did a pretty specific interval workout in hopes of beating my 5k PR of 18:41 I set last month (about 6 weeks ago).  18:30 would be great...it would require a pace of 5:58.  Details of the race are posted separately under the title "Redskins Draft Day 5k".

This week I also did some business traveling, but it was not too bad.  I only have to drive to Baltimore (about 90 minutes) from my house and I stayed in a hotel right on the "Inner Harbor".  Made for nice runs early in the morning around the scenic harbor....lots of runners out every morning.  Over the last six months I've traveled to SF, Austin, and now Baltimore.  In each case I've found great running along a waterfront.  In SF it was the SF bay, in Austin I had a great little river right at the backdoor of my hotel,, and  now the Chesapeake Bay.  Feeling pretty lucky to have to have a chance to visit and run these places.

I posted on the 5k race yesterday.  If interested, see "Redskins  Draft Day 5k" post with label of "Race Report".

Weekly Mileage:  26
Long Run:  N/A
Weight: 139

Daily Workouts:

• Monday - off.  Feeling tired from 15 miles yesterday.
• Tuesday - 4 miles easy around the Chesapeake Bay.  Dynamic stretching.

• Wednesday - warm up and 4 x 2' @ 10k pace (6:11), then 4 x 1:30 @ 5k pace (5:55) with equal time jogging rest in the hotel gym. Finished with a couple miles outside running around the bay.  7 miles total.  Hip mobility and stretching.

• Thursday - off.  Racing Saturday.  I've found taking the second day prior to a race off works for me. 

• Friday - 3 miles easy + a couple strides.

•  Saturday - 5k Race + 2 mile warm-up and 2 mile cool down.. ITB rehab routine, upper body strength, foam rolling, dynamic stretching.  See "Redskins 5k" post with Racing label..

•  Sunday - 5 miles easy. ....recovery run.  Felt better after the run than when I started.  Mission accomplished. Core work.  Foam rolling.  Hip mobility.