I made a concerted effort this week to up my training game, and I think it paid off! Plus, I bought the newest model of my running shoes and a couple of new running shirts, all of which have motivated me that much more to get out the door.…
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday, tempo run: It was raining, but warm, which somehow made for an awesome 5-mile tempo run. My pace was all over the place — it should have been 5 miles at 9:10/mile, but instead it was 10:20, 9:28, 9:18, 9:29, 9:39. Even so, I think it’s generally moving in the right direction and I hope I have enough time to still get those paces down. Afterwards, I did a 15-minute ab workout using my Nike Training Club app.
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday, strength training: Again, it was the Seawheeze strength training plan for the win!
- Friday, speed training: This run was originally planned for Thursday evening, but the temps were too high so I got up extra early on Friday morning instead. Although, I’m not sure that helped my pace at all. I felt totally empty in terms of energy and still pretty sore from the strength training, but so it goes: a 10-minute warm up, 1200m, 1000m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m, and an 8-minute cool down.
- Saturday, yoga: My muscles were still SO stiff from the previous workout, and the 45-minute Seawheeze yoga video did just the trick. Spending an extra 10 minutes with my foam roller also didn’t hurt (well, actually it did hurt a lot!).
- Sunday, long run: A strong 9-mile run. My Garmin watch was empty so I can’t say anything about pace, but my energy levels were high throughout the run and I felt really good. It’s nice to have a run like that once in awhile to keep your training motivation up!
Ok, that’s it for this week’s Bremen Half Marathon training (a bit behind schedule). What are you up to these days?
I’m up to my last training season as a runner, maybe forever. My final Hood to Coast relay is the 28th and 29th of this month and I’m running leg 12 which also includes legs 24 and 36. Fittingly, leg 36 is the last leg and finishes on the beach at Seaside, Oregon. But, enough about me.
I’ve been enjoying your training log for the Bremen 1/2 and have a few questions. For the speed work, what is the rest interval between the work intervals? I assume it varies during the sequence. I also assume that your tempo run is generally flat. Do you have hills in your long run?
I looked at the Seawheeze training plan and really think it is right on target. Do your intervals get harder as you progress through the reps? Personally, I don’t think that you have enough weekly miles to really benefit from the intervals. If you can’t increase your weekly mileage, I’d rather you run a hilly 4 – 6 mile course instead of the intervals and your long run doesn’t have to be at a hard pace, just long as you’re doing now, 9 – 11 miles. A hilly course where you can surge uphill and recover downhill would be ideal if your geography allows.
You might be able to fit in a few long medium effort sprints during your long run like the Swedes do in Fartlek training. For a 1/2 they should be on the long side, say 600 – 800 meters then a recovery jog. For Fartlek, the number, length, and speed of the sprint can be very unstructured, just whatever you feel like doing.
If low energy is an issue, intentional or unintentional weight lost could be the cause. You will recover energy once your weight stabilizes. This has happened to me several times until I figured it out.
Yoga is a key element; I wish I had incorporated it into my running many years ago.
Anyway, keep up the good work. I know that you have one of those pesky job thingies that gets in the way of true happiness but someday it will pass. Sharon and I miss you and look forward to seeing you soon.
Clyde
Dear Clyde, thanks so much for your insight!
I’m loosely following the Run Less, Run Faster training plan which focusing on three key training runs (tempo, speed, and long run) plus two cross-training sessions, so keeping the mileage relatively low compared to other training plans but still maintaining cardio fitness. (I refer to Seawheeze only for their strength training and yoga offerings.) I’ve seen vast improvements over the last couple of years with their plans, so I’m a definite convert.
Generally the rest intervals during speed training depend on the length of the speed interval — ranging from 1.5-2 minutes or sometimes a 200-400m distance. Unfortunately there aren’t so many hills in Bremen to choose from, so it’s a bit more of a challenge to find an appropriate hill, but you’re probably right about their benefits!
My biggest challenge this days is finding enough time to train in between my full-time job plus freelance side projects. But at least the side projects should be calming down soon, so I hope to be able to invest more energy into my training.
Miss you guys too, and look forward to seeing you over Christmas!