Training, April 9-15

Monday: 6 miles at 10:03 pace on a local hilly trail
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 6 miles at 9:33 pace with Kelly J. at a local forest preserve
Thursday: 6 miles at 9:27 with the FNRC, first mile with Kelly W.
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Rockdale Ramblin Run 10K, 44:52, 8:02 pace, 3rd in my age group!
Sunday: Rest

You can also follow me on DailyMile.

Total miles: 24.2

Thursday

Before the 10K

Obviously not running related but wanted to share another pic from Saturday night

Thoughts:

• I need to make strength training a part of my routine. Those rests days above? At least one of them should have been some kind of strength and/or core workout. This is the only part of my training that is not going as planned. I'm starting to get to a point in my running where my body is telling me I can't continue just on running alone. If I want to get faster and make 30+ weeks and 100+ mile months part of my routine, I need to be stronger overall. Especially with marathon training starting in less than two months. If anyone has any suggestions for runner-specific strength workouts, let me know. 
• With the exception of Monday, my paces this week were where I wanted them. Easy runs around 9:29 pace, if I did a tempo run this week, the tempo miles would have been around 8:03 and that was my pace for the 10K race. Although, if it had been a true tempo run, miles 1 and 6 would have been at my easy pace, but oh well, I'm competitive and it was a race. 
• I still need to get new shoes. But I also need to get new (non-running) pants. Hmm. Decisions. 

Everything I know about going fast

Here's a picture of me running not so fast.

Most runners want to go faster. It's a natural desire. You run and run and run, and you want to see improvement. In both speed and distance.

But how do you go faster? Easy. You ... go faster.

I've gotten a few questions lately via DailyMile and comments on this blog about tempo runs and track workouts, so I thought I would share my knowledge.


Let me be clear, I am not an expert. This should be obvious, but just in case you weren't sure ... I'm just a blogger who runs, or maybe a runner who blogs. Either way = not an expert. 

If you want actual expert advice, check resources such as Runners' World Smart Coach or a Hal Higdon training plan to learn how and when and for how long to do these workouts properly. 

Also, before adding speed workouts, you should have a good "base" before you start these. But I don't know what that is. If you can run for an hour without stopping and/or walking, that's probably a good indicator.

And the basic rule is only do one speed workout per week. And not the day before or after another "hard" run (like your long run).

For all of the workouts below, my warm up and cool down is usually a mile at my easy pace. 

Tempo run: Warm up, run for a few miles at a "comfortably hard" pace, cool down.
From what I've read, "comfortably hard" is around your 10K pace. If you don't know what that is, consult the McMillan pace calculator, or run by heart rate. (This is how I calculate my heart rate.) You want to maintain the same pace throughout your tempo miles. So don't start off too fast. 

Track workout: Warm up, run sprint intervals with recoveries, cool down. Most speed workouts call for sprints of 400m (1 lap around the track), 800m (2 laps) or 1600m (4 laps). Recoveries should be at your easy pace (sometimes I go slower) and can be done by distance (1-2 laps) or time (maybe half to 3/4 of the time you sprinted). I definitely recommend checking out the McMillan pace calculator to figure out sprint paces, and check out Runners' World Smart Coach or a Hal Higdon training plan for suggestions on distance and number of sets. The big thing to remember about track workouts is that all of your sprint intervals should be at the same pace. You don't want to push too hard on your first one and then have each one get slower. You want to hit the same pace each time, for the duration of the sprint.

If this sounds like a lot to remember, one really easy way to do speedwork is with a fartlek (it means "speed play"). It's similar to a track workout, but without as much structure. Warm up, and instead of doing sprints structured by pace and distance, just sprint to a point in front of you - the end of the block, the yellow house, a mailbox, etc. Then jog (recover) for a bit. Then sprint to the next point. Then jog. Repeat. Cool down when you're done. This is also good if you are out on the streets/sidewalks and get slowed down by things like intersections and stoplights.

Or, just go run some hills. I've always heard that hills are "speedwork in disguise."

There are more workouts you can do for speed - pick-ups, progressive runs, hill repeats, etc. I haven't really done much research on those, and that's where I draw the line on pretending like I know what I'm talking about.

If you know more about running than I do and anything above is incorrect, or you have more to add, please correct me in the comments. Or, if you're not correcting me, let me know what kind of workouts you do to get faster. 


ALSO - if you like purses and purse-like things, I'm doing a virtual party with Thirty-One. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society. 

Training, April 2-8

I never do training log posts, but Kim revised her weekly training post format to include lessons learned, and I liked it, so ... let's see how long this lasts :)  This is my current "training plan."

Workouts (you can also follow me on DailyMile):

Monday: "Rest" day after the half marathon. Rode my bike! 8.43mi in 55 minutes (9.2mph)

Tuesday: Met Kim after work for 5.15mi in 45 minutes, 8:38 pace ... and great conversation :)

Wednesday: Met Kelly J after work for 6.42mi in 1:02, 9:40 pace ... and more great conversation :)

Thursday: Rest. Actual rest this time. Wanted to be fresh for the following morning's hilly run.

Friday: Group run at Waterfall Glen. 9.34 hilly miles in 1:31, 9:45 pace. Beautiful morning for a run! Was smart and brought chocolate soy milk, pretzels and other snacks to eat post-run.

Saturday: Rest. Unless you count going to the gun range. Those things are heavy, so maybe it was a little strength training?

Sunday: Track workout. 6.02mi in 53 minutes, average pace = 8:44. Goal was 3x1600m at 7:33 pace with 800m recoveries. Actual splits were 7:29, 7:38, 7:41. WU was 9:51, 800m recovery paces were 9:55, 9:50, 9:25 and 1/2 mile CD was 10:33 pace.

Total miles: 27 running, 8 biking.

 

Lessons learned:

Bring snacks for hilly long runs that are about an hour from home. It really does help!

Stick to the goal pace during track workouts / speed sessions. Clearly, my sprint paces during this morning's run got slower. That's not the goal. The goal is to keep a consistent pace for each interval. I actually noticed I was going way too fast during my first sprint and forced myself to slow down. Had I not done that, my sprint splits would have been even more inconsistent.

For the past few months, I've been rotating between three pairs of shoes. The oldest are Brooks Adrenalines which are nearing 400 miles, the newer two are Mizuno Wave Nirvanas with 292 (blue) and 167 (yellow) miles on them. The yellow Mizunos are currently saved for races, and I rotate the blue Mizunos and the Brooks for training. I think I might try Brooks again for my next pair. I know I've ramped up the mileage a lot in the past few months, but I've been getting some minor aches and pains, and that never happened before the Mizunos. Right now I'm worried the nail on the big toe on my left foot might fall off - it's been sore/tender since last Sunday's half marathon. Also my ankle never felt painful, but it's finally starting to feel back to normal (and I've been wearing my Brooks a lot more lately). And I got my only blister ever in Mizunos, although that might have been due to double socks during a very cold 5K. All of these aches might not be the shoes, but my Brooks have served me well, so no harm in going back to them.

How to Make Long Runs Easier

This would just stress me out.

One thing that still makes me feel like a novice runner is the fact that I still get nervous/intimidated by long runs. Basically any distance that takes me out of my comfort zone. When the weather's hot, that distance is around 7+ miles. In more comfortable temps, runs of 9+ miles intimidate me.

Why?

Well, some of it is based on experience. And others are based on the "what ifs?"

Such as ... What if I'm miles from home/my car, and ...

• I have to go to the bathroom? Like, really go? [Been there. Not fun.]
• I'm not just thirsty, but feeling dehydrated? Like, I will drink water out of this dirty puddle dehydrated? [Been there too. Didn't drink puddle water but did call husband.]
• [If it's hot], I'm starting to feel heat stroke? [If it's cold], I'm starting to feel numb? 
• Severe weather rolls in? (This is only a concern if the current weather or forecast call for it, but sometimes if you've planned your whole weekend around your long run, you just have to get out there.)
• I get injured or feel severe pain? 
• I just can't go any farther? 

These are just the things that go through my mind when thinking about / planning for a long run. I'm sure there are others that might cross your mind. 

So, to me, it's not the miles that intimidates me (well, not totally). It's everything else. It's the thought of being stranded miles from home with some problem. But if I can eliminate all those other nagging "what ifs," then I can just focus on my running.

For me, this is how I eliminate the what ifs.

Bring my phone with me. That way if something goes wrong, I can call my husband. This only works if he is home and available to come assist me. But I hate running with my phone. It's bulky. So I usually don't do this.

Plan my run to stop at home or at my car (and a bathroom of some sort) every few miles. It didn't occur to me to do this for awhile. Not until I overheard a co-worker talking to another co-worker about her marathon training, and she mentioned that when she runs long distances, she does 5 miles, stops at home, does 5 miles again, etc. When I heard that, I thought it was so brilliant, and so simple, why didn't I think of that? Why did I think my entire long run had to be done in one lump, and I wasn't allowed to set foot at home or go into my car until it was done? Now, in addition to planning my runs to pass by as many drinking fountains as I can (at least while the temps are high), I plan my long runs to stop by my house every few miles. (Every 3-4 miles on hot days, every 5 or so on cooler days.)

This helps for two reasons:

• It breaks up my run. Now, I don't think of it like I'm running 12 miles. I think that I'm running 4 miles, 3 times. That sounds so much more doable. 
• It eliminates all the worry. I know that if I suddenly have to go to the bathroom, I'll be home in a short distance. Same goes for if I get really thirsty (or need some electrolytes), or it starts storming, or I feel serious pain, or if I need to adjust my clothes (maybe I'm chaffing or I dressed much warmer than I should have).

Other things you can do (that I do not do): Before your run, hide some water or sports drink along your route. (I just don't trust other people not to steal it or tamper with it.) Or, bring cash with you so you can buy water or a sports drink while your out. (But then you have to carry a partially empty, sloshing bottle.) 

Yes, stopping at home during my runs slows me down, and it gets me in the habit of stopping during my running (and thinking I need to go pee more than I do), but when you're running a race you have support - water stations, some with a sports drink, and medical tents and port-a-potties, etc. This is how I can build that into my training runs. Plus I'm not trying to win. I'm just trying to finish and do a decent job to the best of my ability.

But most importantly for me, doing this eliminates the worry, the intimidation, the nagging "what ifs" and allows me to just focus on running.

Do you have anything that intimidates you about running? How do you deal with it?

My gift to you! I've calculated all your target heart rates for running.

Mi Garmin

A couple months ago, I invested in a Garmin watch for running, specifically the Garmin 405cx. I had been using MyTracks on my Droid to track my time, distance and pace during my runs, but frankly, I was getting tired of strapping a bulky smartphone to my arm while running. (I don't listen to music when I run.) Plus, I liked that this watch included a heart rate monitor.

(Looking for a review of the Garmin 405cx? Here it is: I love it. It's awesome. Easy to use. The whole bevel thing is fine. That seems to be the only hang-up some people have, based on the reviews I read before buying it. If you are comfortable with tech gadgets [say you are young enough that you have spent your entire life playing with tech gadgets, starting with an Atari joystick, of course] you won't have any issues with the bevel. The GPS is always accurate, and the watch finds my location fairly quickly. It's a great watch. Buy it.)

Anyway, I've had the watch for a couple months now and so far have really only paid attention to my pace. (And time/distance of course.) The heart rate stuff has been an afterthought. (Oh, that was my average heart rate? Neat.) I don't know much about heart rates and working out, what I should aim for, what's good or bad.

I figured I should though. I spent all this money on the watch, plus I don't feel like I have a very good handle on what paces I should be running. I always start off too fast. I try to listen to my body, but there's a lot to listen to - legs, lungs, heart. Obviously if I'm in pain, I'll stop/slow down. But what am I capable of? Especially as I up my weekly mileage?

And frankly, I'm nervous about my next race - the Rock 'n Roll Chicago Half Marathon. So far I've only done one half marathon, and yes, I'll admit I didn't stick to my training plan during the last couple weeks leading up to that race. But I didn't do a good job pacing myself. I averaged around 10:45-11:30 pace for the first 8 miles and then I guess I hit the wall (or the half-wall ... get it ... ) I felt like if I wanted to finish at all, I would have to walk the rest. I did much better during my last longer distance race - the Soldier Field 10. No idea what my pace was from mile-to-mile though. I must have inadvertently changed a setting on MyTracks and it didn't calculate my time at every mile.

Anyway, Google lead me to this article from Runner's World (I figure they know what they are talking about): How To Use A Heart Rate Monitor.

It's written in plain English - no mention of lactate threshold or VO2 max. (I'll save that for later.) The article gives formulas for calculating your maximum heart rate (MHR), and also suggested ranges for different types of training runs and different races (as a percentage of your MHR). Simple enough.

True story: I have a mug like this.
It was a gift from my sister-in-law.

And since I have a not-so-secret love of spreadsheets, I dumped it all into a Google doc spreadsheet, and used formulas to calculate all this stuff for me. So now when I run, I know what heart rate to target. BONUS, when I age another year, all I have to do is change one cell in the spreadsheet and all my info is updated. (Super geek mode - I'm sure I can put in a formula so that it updates my age for me based on my birthdate and the current date.)

So, my gift to you - Chart of Target Heart Rates, by age and distance.

All you have to do is replace field A2 with your current age and it should calculate your heart rate info. If you can, feel free to download a copy for yourself, or save a copy to your own Google docs. Unfortunately if you just do copy-and-paste, it won't pull the formulas, just the values. Feel free to share with others (if you share a copy and not the link above, just make sure to give credit where it is due, as I did on the spreadsheet).

My question to you - do you keep track of your heart rate while you run/exercise? Does everyone else do this and I am just the last to figure it out? 

And if you know anything about this stuff, do these formulas/heart rates sound correct? The article is about 10 years old. Honestly, the range for the easy/long run seems a little low to me. BUT I know I still have a lot to learn about running/fitness, so I'll just go with it and see what happens.