sub 40 or 45 min program?

[TheEd]

nice going rook .. your progress is pleasing

steady as she goes, the pace for the 1000's start at 4.00 for the first 3 and then see how you go

don't look to change everything too quickly as there is no way that your body will have absorbed all the new training, so don't get hooked on running the speed sessions faster in anticipation of having overall faster running

go through the cycles and monitor to see how all the supplementary runs go

there is definite improvement

Cheers and congrats

TheEd

[rook]

My 2k workout on Thursday was probably the most challenging yet. I did some trail running for about 1 hour on Tuesday and ended up pushing myself more than usual, so my legs were really tired on Thursday. The first 2k was the hardest, but then my legs felt a bit better for the other 4 runs. Here are my times (I was aiming for 8:10-8:20):

8:32 - 177HR
8:14 - 176HR
8:20 - 164HR
8:15 - 160HR
8:12 - 161HR

The day of rest was much appreciated yesterday :great: and my legs feel much better today. I will be doing some more trail running this Sunday, so that will be my longest run of about 1h30. I will do the easy 10k today (Saturday) and then the easy 30min on Monday to recover before Tuesday's workout.

[TheEd]

bit 'norty' running hard when you should be recovering

rook, make sure you don't allow enthusiasm to override the knowledge and experience you have gained from the cycles

your balance and knowledge relating to your running is providing smooth progress, so don't throw spanners in the works

you making splendid progress

TheEd

[rook]

Hi Ed,

Just wanted to update you on my progress. I took your advice and now I'm taking it easier on the easy runs To be honest I wanted to push myself harder during the last couple weeks because I feel this is when the work will pay off come race day. I've had some muscle soreness from day 1 of this cycle and it's been harder to start the workouts because my legs have been tired, but I made sure to warm-up properly and stretch after, so no harm done. Today I feel great after the Friday rest. The last week of this cycle is easier and I won't push myself as much in the last cycle.

I did the 1k runs in about 4:00 (lost the exact times). The first one was the hardest in about 4:05, then I worked my times down and did the last 2 runs in about 3:55.

I did the 5k today in 20:41. Conditions were great and I felt fresh before the run. It was comfortable until the last 1k, but I had enough energy to finish strong. Lap times:

1:43 - 149 Avg HR
1:39 - 167
1:39 - 183
1:39 - 185
1:41 - 177
1:41 - 183
1:39 - 187
1:39 - 180
1:41 - 184
1:40 - 173
1:38 - 176
1:36 - 174
0:47 - 173

I'm not sure how accurate my HR monitor is... it gives me some strange readings some times, like spikes over 200 when I'm doing easy jogs. Maybe it's just my heart, but I'd rather blame it on the monitor

[TheEd]

rook do you notice that this is a big improvement since March when you ran 17.01 for 4km

simply do the cycles and then we work through things as you improve

these programs truly work, all you need do is be patient and consistent

there is a lot more still to be added to the programs and only until you have progressed without problems will we suggest increased pace etc

be patient you doing very well in a short space of time

TheEd

[rook]

I did a 10K around the track yesterday and I shaved off another minute from my PB, this time I did it in 42:55. I'm really happy with that time! The program is definitely working and the smooth progression is really encouraging :great: Here are my lap times:

Total avg HR 165, peak 187, recovery 169 to 84 in 5min

1:46 - 142 avg HR
1:48 - 156
1:44 - 166
1:43 - 174
1:45 - 164
1:43 - 164
1:43 - 168
1:44 - 167
1:43 - 168
1:44 - 165
1:42 - 167
1:43 - 166
1:44 - 167
1:43 - 168
1:45 - 165
1:44 - 164
1:44 - 166
1:44 - 165
1:44 - 165
1:44 - 166
1:43 - 166
1:40 - 169
1:39 - 169
1:40 - 169
1:35 - 170

I felt pretty comfortable through the race and I was faster in the last 2K, so I think I should have started with a bit faster pace. I'm feeling pretty confident about following a 42min pace for my race in 3 weeks.

I felt pretty good during the 400m training earlier this week. I started with a faster 80sec lap and then did the rest in about 88-90sec. Here are the last 5 times (lost the others):

89.4 - 164 peak HR
86.7 - 172
87.1 - 176
87.3 - 166
85.6 - 175

I'm thinking of doing the next 1Ks and 2Ks in the same times as this past cycle, and then the 400m a bit slower since it's only a few days before the race. Do you think I should aim for different times? Thanks Ed.

[TheEd]

nice going rook

and you have it rolling in the right direction, with you not upping the pace of your 2000 / 1000m session you give the body a greater chance to adapt to the other runs which then sets you up for further improvement later

the more easy aerobic runs you able to achieve the more capable you become to hard sessions and races as you develop

again ... nice going especially by being sensible

TheEd

[rook]

Hi Ed,

I felt a bit of pain in my lower calf muscle when I did the 30min easy run yesterday... :noway: It wasn't a sharp pain and it went away pretty quickly, but it felt a bit tender after the run and today I'm feeling some tenderness in the Achilles tendon area when walking. It's not very painful but it feels a lot like what I had after getting Achilles tendonitis last year.

I might need to play it safe and take 2-3 days off to let the tendon heel. If I can't do the 2K training today how should I alter the program starting Sunday. I want to stick to the program but I really don't want this injury to get serious like last year. :mad:

[TheEd]

work on recovering and go back through your training so you can learn from where maybe you did something to trigger the niggle

remain positive and you should be back on track quickly

Cheers

TheEd

[rook]

Well this break has been longer than expected because I've had a really bad cold the last few days. I'm pretty sure this is what led to the injury. I felt really tired last week, most likely I had started fighting the cold. I guess I just had muscle fatigue and this caused more stress on my tendon.

I took 4 days off from Thu-Sun. The pain in my Achilles tendon lasted only a couple days and I started doing eccentric exercises to strengthen my calf. Yesterday I went for a very easy run just to feel it out. I didn't feel any pain and it's still ok this morning.

I'm still recovering from the cold so I don't want to run hard yet. I will go to the gym tonight to do a little cardio on the bike. I'm hoping to get back to training either tomorrow or Thursday.