Training Log - Week Ending October 30

This week starts my taper for a Half on Sat. Nov. 5.

I'm proud to say I've covered more than 50 miles in each of the last three weeks, a new level of consistency for me.  I've also put in a significant amount of HM pace work in my long runs over the last few weeks.   This build up has left me....tired.  My legs feel a little "dead".  But, I haven't tapered yet, so I guess they're supposed to(?)

This week I've covered 41 miles, about 20% volume reduction from the last few weeks, but I've kept in some "faster" work on my Tuesday workout, and HM pace work on my (shorter) Long Run.  I've kept to six days of running (in prior tapers I've cut back to five).  I am certainly NO expert on this stuff, and I'm definitely doing this by trial and error.

Tuesday's workout - NOT a good workout.  Like last week.  I think this is because my Saturday Long Run's have been pretty hard - including HM pace and long distance.  I'm assuming if I had the choice, when planning for a HM, that I would rather have a harder LR than fast Tuesday workout.  Each of the last 2 weeks, my LR has been 17 and 14 miles with 4-5 miles @ HM pace, some of the hardest I have ever done.

Saturday LR: My last long run this week prior to my HM next Saturday.  11 miles total, with miles 6.5-10 @ HM pace, then 1 mile cool down.  The 3.5 @ HM felt pretty good, I ended up in 6:35 - 6:38 pace throughout the HM work.  Overall, I feel good about the run, Saturday afternoon I felt good, not sore like the last couple of weeks.  So....I think I'm ready to run the HM around 6:40 pace - or slightly faster.

Weekly Mileage:  41
Long Run:  11
Weight: 141


Daily detail:

• Monday - 47 min easy on WOD in Herndon.  5.7 mi / 8:10 pace.  VERY slow start, legs not cooperating.  Felt better toward the end.  hip mobility.
• Tuesday - 7.6 mi with 5 x 2' @ 10k effort w/ 2' float.  Legs feeling really tired and flat.  Was going to do 8 reps but cut back to 5.  Chin up/rows/dips/chest press.  single leg squats and dead lifts.  rolling / stretching. 
• Wednesday - 40 min easy / recovery in hotel treadmill.  4.9 mi.  Still tired.  stretching.
• Thursday -  45 easy - treadmill at hotel.  5.7 mi.  stretching
• Friday - 46 mi  on WOD.  6 mi (7:35 pace).  Finally feeling better.  core work.  stretching. 

• Saturday - 10 miles with 4 @ HM effort

• Sunday - walk with my wife.  Overall lazy day.

Next week - more taper, then race on Saturday.

Training Log - Week Ending October 23

As of today - two weeks till my Half.

I'm happy that I've run over 50 miles / week the last 3 weeks.  First time I've had that kind of consistency at higher mileage (for me).

This week is more of the same as week, except I've cut back the Long Run a little bit, the 17 miler last week left me drained for a few days....and I would rather not take the chance of over-training as I get closer to the race.

Note on warm-up:  Prior to every run I do some leg swings (front and sideways).  Iron cross type swings, and the "Lunge Matrix" (see CoachJayJohnson).  I really think this helps getting warmed up, provides some strength, and helps avoid injury.  Takes about 5 minutes......my 2 cents.

Weather - it's been WARM this week!  Kinda like Summer is back.  Not that I mind it this week, but hope it cools off next week.

Cooled off some for my Sat long run, but SUPER windy - about 30 MPH.  Used UCAN again for my long run.  I was hoping I would get used to it, but still gotta choke it down and it causes some stomach upset, but not bad enuf  that I'll stop using it.  Got in 5 miles of HM pace work, and it felt good...but maybe too hard of an effort?

Next week start tapering.  Probably a good thing, my legs are feeling a little overcooked.

Weekly Mileage:  51
Long Run: 14
Weight:  141


Daily Detail:

• Monday:  56 min easy on WOD.  Legs STILL a little tired from Long Run on Saturday.  WOD in Herndon.  7.0 mi / 8:05 pace.  Core work.  Rolling and stretching.

• Tuesday: 10 miles with 4 x (8' tempo / 3' float), (5' tempo / 3' float).  Legs were heavy and tired today.  Had to cut back the tempo work some.  Bummer.  Good days and bad days, right?  Upper body strength, single leg squats / single leg dead lifts.

• Wednesday: 40 min easy.  Recovery.  5.1 mi / rolling and stretching.  WOD in Herndon.

• Thursday:  60 min easy.  7.7 miles.  Hip mobility.  WOD in Herndon.  FINALLY feeling recovered and good again....

• Friday:  58 min easy.  7.1 mi.  Core.  WOD in Herndon

• Saturday: 14 miles with mi 9-13 @ HM effort (6:45/6:52/6:28/6:23/6:33) - variance in pace is due to uphill/down hill.  Overall pace = 7:12.  Feel pretty good.  Hard effort.  Upper body work, ITB rehab work, single leg squats.

• Sunday:  2 mile "brisk walk".  Rolling/stretching/hip mobility/leg swings.  Feeling tight.

Training Log - Week Ending October 16

Another week in my build up for a half marathon in a few weeks.

This week's path had a detour to Richmond for the Virginia State HS Golf Championships (my Son qualified).  Since this is a running blog...I'll stay to the running facts.   This means 6-7 miles of walking on a hilly golf course for the three days (Sunday - Tuesday), AND trying to find a place to run very early in the morning in Richmond (actually Midlothian, a suburb).  I ended up running on some trails in a park nearby the hotel.  I kept the runs a little shorter and easy since I knew I would be on my feet the rest of the day walking the golf course.

It also means I moved my workout from Tuesday to Wednesday, and changed my planned 3 mi tempo run to a "fartlek" based on how I felt.  My legs were actually pretty tired from walking / hiking the golf course!  (Who'da thunk?).

Used UCAN again for my long run on Saturday - third time trying it.  Working out well.  I still don't like the taste very much and kind of have to choke it down (gritty, and kind of nasty).  But....it works...so to me that's worth it.  17 mi run progression run....my longest run EVER!  yay.  About 5 miles of faster pacing for miles 10-14, faster than I thought I had in me, and didn't feel TOO hard.  So confidence boost for half marathon in a few weeks.

Total mileage: 53 (plus about 16 mi of walking)
Long Run:  17
Wt:  ~ 140


Daily workouts:

• Monday:  5.4 miles on trails in Richmond.  Dynamic warm-up and cool down.  Plus 6-7 mi of walking a hilly golf course.

• Tuesday: 5.4 miles on trails in Richmond.  Dynamic warm-up and cool down.  Plus 6-7 mi of walking a hilly golf course.

• Wednesday:  10.1 mi on WOD in Herndon. First 5 mi around 7:30 pace, then fartlek faster and slower pacing last 5 miles.  Overall, 7:25 pace.  Rolling and stretching.  Abbreviated upper body work and ITB rehab exercises.

• Thursday:  60 min easy on WOD.  7.7 mi (7:45 pace).  Rolling and stretching + hip mobility

•  Friday:  57 min easy on WOD.  7.3 mi (7:55 pace).  Feeling pretty good.  Ready for Long Run tomorrow.  Core work / rolling / stretching.

• Saturday:  17 mi progression run on CandO towpath.  First 9 miles in about 7:15 pace.   Then, miles 10-14 in: 6:55, 6:23, 5:58, 6:32, 6:31.  Then last 3 about 7:35 pace.  Total time: 2:01.  Overall pace 7:06.  Obviously need to work on pacing.  Feel good about the run tho.  Longest run EVER.  upper body work, ITB routine, single leg squats and dead lifts.  Rolling and stretching.

• Sunday:  Walk with my wife (couple miles).  Hip mobility exercises, rolling and stretching.  Legs are really feeling it today from yesterday's run!

Training Log - Week Ending October 9

After last week of easy runs (and one long run at an easy pace), it's time to get back to some workouts this week!

One thing I've noticed, I have a tendency to run my "Easy" runs a little too fast / hard if I'm "feeling good", and find that by the end of the run I'm a little more tired than I should be.  This usually happens on Monday after I'm off on Friday, and Thursday after a "recovery" day on Wednesday.  So, this week new emphasis to "remind" myself that easy is.....easy.

Tuesday work out - my plan was the typical 20 minute tempo run.  But, trying something slightly different....8 min tempo, followed by 3 min at "steady" pace x 4.  In theory, I get 32 min of tempo work, and the "steady" pace is only about 20 - 30 sec / mile slower....so not much of a break between "tempo" efforts (This is a workout CoachJayJohnson assigns).  I think I paced it pretty well,  but I did slow down on the last rep - that's the hardest part of the workout - knowing you have to put in a pretty good effort for 32 minutes with a 3 min "mini-break" thrown in.  8 minutes is also a new length for me to think about.  I liked how it broke up the effort, and 8 minutes is not "that" long, mentally I can get thru it.  The hardest part for me was keeping the effort "steady" for the 3-min between.  Tendency is to slow down too much to an easy pace.  I'll probably try this workout a few more times, to see if I can get better at it.  I also like that I can easily do the workout on the running path since I'm going by time, and not by distance (GPS is not exact enough for me).  Plus, I'm getting more "in touch" with how I "feel" on the tempo and steady efforts.  I didn't once check my pace during the run.

 __________

Weekly Mileage:  52
Long Run:  15
Weight:  141 (every time I drop below 140 I "give myself permission" to eat more, and get on a junk food kick.  I need a little more discipline if I'm going to keep my weight a few pounds below 140.  That's my goal for the half marathon.....135 to 138).

_________

Daily detail: (Workouts bolded):

• Monday - 57 min easy on WOD.  Ended up with 7.1 mi (8:00 pace) + 4 strides.  Core work.  Legs feeling "okay", little residual from Long Run last Saturday.

• Tuesday - 9.6 mi w / 4 x (8' tempo w/ 3' min "steady").  First time trying this.  Approximate 8' tempo paces (6:3?, 6:4?, 6:4?, 6:4?), approximate "steady paces (6:5?, 7:0?, 7:0?).  ITB rehab work, upper body strength, single leg squats, single leg dead lifts.

•  Wednesday - 39 min easy / recovery run on WOD.  4.9 mi / 8:00 pace.  Feeling...eh, okay.  Hip mobility work. Rolling and stretching.

•  Thursday - 70 min easy on WOD.  9.2 miles / 7:40 pace.  Feeling better today.  Ran out of time after morning run, and did rolling and stretching at nigh....so my hips were tight all day.

•  Friday -  55 min easy + strides on WOD.  Core work.  Rolling and dynamic stretching.

• Saturday - 15 mi with 10-13 @ HM pace + 2 mi cd.   7:25 pace first 10 miles, then 6:35 pace for 3, 8:00 pace last 2.   Felt pretty good.   ITB work.  Upper body.  Lotsa roolin n stretching. 

• Sunday - OFF

Training Log - Week Ending October 2 (Generation UCAN and Strava)

This week is about recovery.  Having raced the last two weekends, I'm due for a "down week".

I ran six days this week, but all were "easy" runs; which I would classify as "recovery" or "easy" pace.  If in doubt, I slowed down....or even took walk breaks if I felt I needed it.

I don't have any injuries, per se, but my left ITB is a little "sore", and I'm feeling some irritation in my left hip / butt.  I also have some weird on / off pain on the outside of my right ankle / lower shin.  So...slightly beat up, but not injured.  Good time to run some easy miles and let all these "pains" heal.

Long Run
I changed up my long run this week, and ran on roads around my house to g get in some hill work at an easy pace.  I usually run my long runs on the C and O towpath or WOD trail, both are pretty flat.  Since my next race will be hilly, I decided to do some hill work this week.

I had planned on doing 12 miles, but made a wrong turn from one dirt road to another, so I ended up doing 15.8 miles (oops!), but I don't feel that bad or worse for the wear.  Overall pace was 7:50 which is about right considering stopping a few times to figure out where the hell I was...and 600 ft of climbing.

Generation UCAN
For my long run this week I tried UCAN for the first time.  I'm using the Cranbeery / Raspberry super starch.  I mixed up a little less than a scoop full with about 12 oz of water and shook it up A LOT, a few times, to get it mixed up decently well.  As I've read previously, its still kind of "gritty" tasting, but not bad.  I downed it about 30 minutes before the start of my run.  I had no stomach problems and didn't take anything else for my 2 hr run, and I never faded at all.  It was an easy run, and I never pushed the pace, so no conclusion yet on if its working better for me or not. 

In prior half marathons I've faded around 10-11 miles (1:15 or so), so my next half will be the real test.  I plan to use UCAN for every long run to make sure I get used to it prior to the race.

Strava
I joined Strava today, and still learning how to use it.  If you're interested, I'm Scott Harmon in Leesburg, VA, USA.

Next week I will start a five week training block for a Half on November 5.  That's not a lot of build-up, but I'm generally in pretty good shape, from the races recently.  A couple of good long runs and tempos, and I think I'll be good to go (fingers crossed).  Note, the Half coming up will be hilly, so I'm going to work in some hilly routes here and there.

Important Side Note:  Fall weather has finally hit the DC area.  It's nice to have cooler temps.  Hope it lasts for a while!

Weekly miles:  47
Long Run: 15.8 (on hilly roads around the house)
Weight:  ?

Daily Detail:

• Monday - 35 minutes Recovery run.  Pretty slow and easy, just moving my legs after the 10k yesterday.  4.1 miles (8:30 pace).  Lotsa of rolling and stretching.

• Tuesday - 50 minutes Easy.  Starting to feel better.  6.3 miles (8:00 pace).  Core work / rolling / stretching.

•  Wednesday - 60 min Easy.  Think I'm pretty much recovered from 10k race.  Ended up with a pace of 7:45 / mile (I don't look at my watch during easy runs), which tells me my legs are about back to "normal".  miles today 7.7.  ITB rehab work, single leg squats, single leg dead lifts with 20 lb dumb bell, upper body strength (pull ups, rows, dips, chest press).  Rolling and stretching.

• Thursday - 50 minutes Easy.  Hip mobility / rolling /stretching on treadmill (heavy rain this morning).  6.3 mi (7:55 pace).  Feeling a little sick.  Head cold won't go away.  Left work a little early to get some extra rest / sleep.

• Friday - 57 minutes Easy.  7 miles (8:15).  Core work / stretching.  Feeling better from extra sleep and rest last night.  Legs have around too, and feeling fully recovered from the last couple races.

• Saturday - 15.8 miles on hilly country roads around my house.  ITB rehab work.  rolling and stretching.  total time 2:03 (7:47 pace and 600 ft of climbing). 

• Sunday - "Brisk walk" for 40 min, rolling and dynamic stretching..