Run Training Post: Tempo Threshold Run

Today was one of the hardest days for me to get up and out of bed. I have a feeling that my Saturday night activities with friends took more out of me than I could tell as I recovered Sunday on the couch.

My alarm went off at 5:00am and I hit snooze. 9 minutes later it started blaring again and so I hit snooze. After another 9 minutes the madness started again and I turned the whole thing off and laid there until 5:30. I contemplated throwing the alarm clock across the room, but since I use my iPhone as my alarm, I decided against destroying my electronic portable telephone machine thingy.

I was searching for the motivation to get out of bed and nearly ditched my workout until realized if I didn't go at 5:30am, trying to get a treadmill after work to do my Tempo Threshold run would be nearly impossible. Plus the 20 minute limit they impose upon you on the Treadmill when the gym is packed totally messes with any good training you try to put in.

So after that 30 minute mental battle, I jumped out of bed and headed to the gym. The training run was great! I felt good as I warmed up and once I hit the tempo pace I honestly felt very comfortable. I ended up running at about 6:55 per mile for the 2.5 mile Tempo Threshold portion and thought I would be able to push it to 6:30/mile but I backed off and followed the training plan.

I am definitely starting to feel stronger as I come into my third week of focused, periodized run training. I plan on racing on 9/19 to get a gauge for where my pace is at in the 5k.

Between now and then I am going to come up with a goal time that I think I can hit. I think I would be happy with anything between 19:20 and 19:59.

Training Summary
Distance: 4.5 Miles
Time: 34:45
Pace: 7:43 (total set)
Tempo Threshold Pace: 2.5 miles @ 6:55/mile

Run Training Post: Long Run Done Easy

Had a great long run today. I did this same hill run route on 8/8/09. Last run was 2 minutes slower and my heart rate was 4 beats faster. That doesn't mean much but I'm hoping my training is starting to add more fuel to my tank.

This route started with a hill and ended with a hill and had a few hills tucked in between. The pace felt good and I could have pushed the pace without too much difficulty but I started to feel the hills towards the end of the run so I'm glad I kept the pace steady and slow.

Run Summary
Distance: 7.2 Miles
Time: 59:04
Pace: 8:10/Mile
AVG HR: 140 BPM

Run Training Post: Tempo Threshold

Great training run today at 5:00am. Did this one on the Treadmill. I have not made it to the high school track to do my speed work so the treadmill has been a good second option. Felt strong with good fast leg turnover. Had a little twinge in the back of my right leg that I will keep an eye on. Nothing too big now. Looking forward to my rest day though!

• 1mi WU @8:30/mi
• 1mi T @6:58/mi
• 2.5mi E @8:00/mi with 3/400m @ 6:00/mi with 400m recovery
• .5mi CD @8:30/mi

Run Summary
Distance: 6.5 Miles
Time: 50:29
Pace: 7:46/Mile
AVG HR: 135 BPM

Run Training Post: Building Endurance with EZ Runs

Over 2 minutes faster than my last 5 mile run last week. HR 1 beat faster on average. Felt great through the whole run. Got out on the run at 5:30am. Weather has been great this early in the morning. Speed work tomorrow! Kept my run very easy today so I don't put two hard workouts together in a row.

Run Summary:
Distance: 5.1 Miles
Time: 40:53
Pace: 8:00/Mile
AVG HR: 138 BPM

Run Training Post: Tempo Threshold Run

Today was another Tempo Threshold training run. I am starting to enjoy these fast paced runs. The training plan has my distance increasing over the next couple of months. Today's tempo distance was only 2 miles, but it felt good keeping the pace at 6:58 per mile for those quick 2 miles. My warm up and cool down mileage was much slower at about 8:15 - 8:30 per mile. I stretched after the run and massaged my calves, IT Bands, and Achilles to keep any possible plantar pain away.

Training Summary
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: 31:00
Pace: 7:45/Mile
AVG HR: 127 BPM

Run Training Post: Easy Distance Run

Great training run today. I have not done many long runs in the recent past so anything over 5 miles seems to be a "long run". I made sure to keep the pace steady and easy through the distance run. Felt good over the distance and probably could have doubled the distance at that pace.

I need to remind myself that as I get more serious about training, I don't want to lose focus on what my goals are. Building endurance right now is important. Speed too, but the more endurance I'm able to build up the easier it will be to keep the pace high for a longer amount of time when it counts.

Training Summary
Distance: 6 Miles
Time: 49:01
Pace: 8:07/Mile
AVG HR: 140 BPM

First Day of my New 5k Run Training Program

Today is the first day of my new 5k run training program. For months I have been toying with the idea of having a personalized run training program created and I finally found a runner who not only knows how to put together a plan but he's also a totally freakishly fast athlete who competes at levels any every day Age Grouper like me dreams of being.

The cool thing about this plan is that it is a periodization based plan that takes me from week to week to the end of the year. I will race 3 times between now and then with the final race being one where I will go for a Personal Record. If I can PR under 19:00 minutes that will be the first "official" finish I have at that pace. Any 5k finish at 18:59 or faster will do!

So, I'm on the hunt for a PR race between now and the end of the year. I will then take some time to relax and regroup before getting faster next year. Maybe 18:30 or better!

Workout Summary
Week 1 - Base
1 Mile Warm-Up at 8:15/mile
1.5 Miles at 6:58/mile - Tempo Threshold
1 Mile Cool Down at 8:15/Mile

Atlanta Hill Run - 300 Feet Altitude Gain / Loss

One of the great things I've discovered about running around Atlanta is that the altitude changes are very unassuming. Yesterday's run was a little over 7 miles (7.25 miles based on Map My Run) of rolling hills. Those 7.25 miles had about 300 feet of positive and negative altitude changes. I was able to keep my pace steady, slow, and EZ. My heart rate averaged 144 bpm even with all the undulation so I would call that an EZ run.

These days, I consider anything over 7 miles to be a long run. Couple those miles with hills at every turn and you've got a great workout. I will probably run the same route next weekend. I saw a couple of other side streets that had some good long slow inclines. Depending on how I feel, I might turn those 7.25 miles into 9 or 10!