5500ft altitude.
8 X 1000 on 400 recovery jog.
3:03 (4:54 mile pace)
3:03
3:04
3:02 (4:52 mile pace)
3:03
3:05 (4:57 mile pace)
3:03
3:03
There's no reason I should have felt like I did this morning... and I'm reluctant to even say this, but these were simple. I never felt like I was pressing and never felt uncomfortable even a little. Relaxed the entire time. Even at 5500ft altitude these felt easier than the session I ran 2 weeks ago at sea level even though I averaged much faster today!
There were 3 other people on the track this morning- my athlete BJ, my once imaginary super model friend Bob, and Chrissie Wellington (Ironman world champ and now world record holder). I thought I would be running alone- funny how Boulder works, it really is a small town. It was really great to see Bob again and when I said I was going to run the last 2 K's under 3:00 he was the voice of reason. He asked "why?" and I had no good response. So I chilled and ran the last 2 easy again saving myself for Thursday's hard tempo run... Bob has my back.
14 comments:
Bob? That dude had the baddest ass 'stache at your party last year. Super supermodel.
Ya... I remember that- it was a sweet moustachio. It actually looked good on him too! I think I blogged about how there are two kinds of guys- those who look good in a stache and those who look like a**holes... I was the latter.
I am in the "blond" club there too. It is almost a given that with the blond you are in that second grouping. I have been having those feelings that you once mentioned: "I wake up, look at myself in the mirror and want to kick my ass."
And yet we always will try it again. When I shaved my beard a couple weeks ago I (of course) left the stache... and I looked in the mirror and asked myself to step outside.
So where are you thinking you are for Chicago (if you are divulging it)? 2:29:59?
It really is amazing to see the workouts you're ticking off and your ability to absorb them compared to the dark time you had back last winter.
Man those are some sweet numbers!!
Thanks Ward.
Brett- 2:24 is my goal. 5:30 pace. I need to simply get within sight of a 2:18 to see if I have the ability to get there in the next 2 years. Seeing that I am progressing nicely has me thinking optimistically.
What I am able to do now (the last 4 days have been awesome for me) is 100% a result of the low HR aerobic work I've been patient to build. For months I would only very rarely allow myself to run above HR 150... now this is the result. This is what I have been 'preaching' on this blog for the last year+. Not only am I running faster, but I'm running faster longer and easier. GZ has brought up the idea that I am unique in how I respond to this type of training, but I see so few people actually try it for an extended period of time that I can't fully agree. I've been patient. And in January I wasn't and I sucked.
Word
well, maybe to clarify a little ...
I do think that we are all to some extent unique but that does not mean general principles do not apply.
I think that you are a bit different then most runners in that you have this crazy huge base of several years of training for very large amounts of time (volume) - with a focus on fuel management (and so at specific and usually lower HRs).
So I agree that most don't have that, most don't have the patience to do that (refer to threads on "fun".)
Yea patience is the key word. So often times you can just go do a 'recovery run' and not realize you are bounching around and over 150 HR.
I really tried what you preached (almost by accident) several months ago when I really needed to just put a few back to back to back 10+ mile runs together (which was long for me). The only way I thought I could make it through was to slow the hell down. I was shocked when just dropping 30 seconds a mile off the pace immediately knocked my heart rate down 10+ beats. Before I even got to the end of those sessions (in just a few days!) I was already running the same route at the same HR but nearly 30 seconds per mile back faster again...bizarre.
Patience is such a key word you used, because it can feel so damn slow to be running 135 HR, 140 HR, etc....
BTW, the first 3 comments are pretty F'ing funny!
GZ- Ya... that fun thing. But I gotta say, being able to run those kilos today and have it feel easy was pretty damn fun!
Brett- Agreed. Even if a runner just wore a HRM on their easy days it would help a ton.
And just to make mine and GZ's moustache point... I am going to change my profile pic for a reminder.
...GZ has brought up the idea that I am unique in how I respond to this type of training, but I see so few people actually try it for an extended period of time that I can't fully agree... "
Isn't this what Gordo has preached for years? It seemed to work pretty well for him.
I've been trying to try it myself this year but can't get the mileage in to do it justice. With a young daughter I'm finding it difficult to cycle/swim and run and after only running last year I'm finding the allure of the bike too great this year. As a result I'm goal-less for the year - which doesn't work too well for me...
Trev- After my first triathlon in 1996 on St Croix I chatted with Mike Pigg for a bit after the race. He told me as a newbie to simply spend as much time as I could at HR 145-155, nothing more. So that's what I did and have been doing for 12+ years. The idea comes from Phil Maffetone and is based off a formula that uses a predicted Vo2 max of 180. You subtract your age from HR 180 and then train at that HR (+-5 beats) to develop fat burning economy. It works. If an athlete is aerobically weak it doesn't really matter how much time they have available to train- they need to develop a strong aerobic fitness before they can reach their potential. I feel that if an athlete is very aerobically weak and they only have ~3:00 a week to train, they still need to focus on the lower HR at least for a little while. Otherwise they'll reach a fitness ceiling quickly that is not very high.
You gotta have goals. Even little ones help.
Lucho,
Your answer to a flippant comment of mine was excellent - if you pay so much attention to answering a person who is nothing to you I can only imagine how you look after your athletes.
If I had the spare cash I'd sigh up in a flash!
Thanks,
Trev
Post a Comment