Official Workout/Fitness Thread (Re-born)

[nate33]

Marathon training is going well.

My Tuesday tempo runs are up to 5 miles at a 6:50 pace (in the heat of the afternoon). I think I can hold a 6:40 if it ever cools down.

I do sprint work on Thursdays. Two weeks ago, I did four 1-mile sprints with a 2:00 break between each. I went 6:59, then 6:28, then 6:01 then 6:02.

My Saturday long runs are getting longer. In the last four weeks, I went 12, 13, 15 and 17 miles respectively (at an 8:00 pace). I'm feeling a little too sore right now. That last 17 mile run kicked my ass. My quads are still sore. I think I'll take it easy this weekend and just do 8-10 miles.

The Marathon is on October 17th. I have 6 weeks to go. After taking it easy this weekend, I'll go three more hard weeks and then taper for two weeks.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Lost 14 pounds in August -- and that with only sticking to the diet half the month.

Haven't been able to do much the past week due to back pain, though.

The real key will be if I can lose at least as much in September.

[willbcocks]

While in Beijing over the summer, I joined the gym and have been going regularly so as not to lose my momentum. I rarely feel great during my workouts though, which I think is a combination of the air being more polluted in beijing (the minor reason) and having a completely different diet, none of which I prepare myself (the major reason).

Still got another mile at 5:28 the other day, proving the first one wasn't a fluke.

Today I ran 8x 400 meters, 6x at 5min/mile pace, and the last two at 4:36/mile pace. At that speed, I really need to get off the treadmill...

Nate: what's your core workout? I feel like this is the first part of my body that's giving out when I'm running. My other weak link is my right nasal passage, but I suspect you won't have any quick fixes for that.

[nate33]

I have a set of ankle weights. I put them on, lie on my back, and draw large circles in the air with each foot. I do 8 clockwise and then 8 counter clockwise on each foot.

I then put my legs together, bend my knees, and pivot my knees from side to side while keeping my knees together and my shoulder blades flat on the ground. 10 times.

40 situps

Lie on my stomach and lift my leg off the ground behind me as high as I can go - 20 times for each leg.

Lie on my side and lift my leg as high as it will go - 20 times for each leg.

Remove the leg weights and do a plank for as long as I can hold it.

Lie on my stomach with my hands stretched over my head and arch my back so my legs arms and head are off the ground as high as I can hold them. Hold for as long as I can. (Like a reverse plank.)

Balance on one leg and touch my toes using the opposite hand, 8 times on each leg.

That's it. The whole routine takes about 15 minutes. I do it in the evenings before I brush my teeth and go to bed.

[tkunit]

I am fat now, to fat to even read this thread

[dobrojim]

I've been mostly X-training since VT but it's now officially time to get my
butt back onto the track for intervals. Planning to do that tonight in fact.

I've been cycling a fair amount though. I'm up to just under 1000 commute
miles on the year. I did a century ride 2 weekends ago. My annual Triathlon
is coming up weekend after labor day. Then I might run a half. I'm signed
up to run a 50k the week after that which is a low-key party/social type run
in WV. Then I have a 10K and Marine Corp in Oct. I'm thinking of doing either
Richmond (marathon) or a new 50 miler that Mont Co running club is starting
this year to provide an alternative to the JFK50 which has gotten ridiculous.

I'll probably do a pyramid tonight - 2-4 200s, 2 400s, 2 800s, 2 400s and 2-4 200s.
I need to build up the speed aspects again. It's been since early July that I did
any speed work.

Nate, what marathon are you running?

[nate33]

Columbus Marathon

Going by my 1/2 Marathon time last year, my goal time should be about 3:20. I'm going to try and go 3:15 and qualify for Boston, but I'm not sure if I'll pull it off. I'm only running 25 miles a week right now and I don't think I'll get that up much higher than 30-32.

[dobrojim]

gaudy weekly mileage totals are NOT important and can even
be detrimental. I did my best marathon on 35-40 miles MAX
and it usually wasn't that high.

doing the interval training track work is more important

add in a couple of long (over-distance) training runs in the 1-2 months

[that's what I will be using the 50k I'm running at the end of
this month for, an over-distance training run for MCM]

before your race and you'll do fine, provided you are disciplined enough
and have a very accurate idea of how fast you should run and don't
get caught up trying to go faster early in the race. If you can race
a 10k or 2 that would be a huge help and will guide you in how fast
you should try to run.

[nate33]

dobro,

On your long "over-distance" runs, do you take a lot of walk breaks?

I have a hard time running efficiently at a pace slower than about 8:00. (Anything slower and I feel like I'm just wasting energy.) On my last long run, I ran 17 miles at roughly a 7:55 pace with a 20 second walk break every mile. My total average pace ended up to be 8:08, but my quads will killing me for the next two days.

I'm afraid if I try and do any super long runs, I'll end up overstressing my muscles to the point where it'll be detrimental. I don't think slowing down any more is going to help.

Or is it normal to be sore as hell for two days after your long run?

[dobrojim]

re overdistance runs (and WALKING breaks) - for marathon training, no, not really.
When I was more focused on the ultra yes. The idea with the over-distance run is
to train your brain to be used to running for an amount of time/distance that will
be greater than what you need to run in the race. The key is to slow down at least
90-120 seconds slower than your race pace for almost the whole time.
At some point late in the run, pick up the pace for 1-2 miles to something
approaching your race pace. By going slower the majority of the time,
you should have a reasonably quick recovery and can get right back into
your normal training.

Going slower is hard to do at first, but should allow to avoid the pitfalls you
describe.

It's not your muscles or lack of fuel that causes a runner to bonk generally around
20 miles, it's more because in training, that is what they acclimatized themselves to.
When they get to ~20 miles, they brain starts telling them, OK, it's time to stop.
It's a protective adaptation but one that can be overcome by the kind of training
I describe above.

at the track last night, it was hot as hades. But I still did the workout I was planning
less one of the 800s. For me, doing the intervals will be key to a successful MCM,

[willbcocks]

Pyramid run--sounds interesting. I'll have to try that when I can get on a track as there's no way to do a 200 on a treadmill.

After doing the 8x 400 for the first time, the next day I was sore as a mother (a new mother--I imagine they are very sore, and probably in roughly the same area of the body). I'm not sure if it was because of the running or because I did some "dynamic" stretches for the first time in years before running. I imagine like all exercises, I won't be sore next time...

[dobrojim]

broke 1000 miles bike commuted for the year with today's ride in

[closg00]

It is my shame that I cannot post here I've totally slacked since having kids.

[dobrojim]

Pyramid run--sounds interesting. [snip]

key factor being doing it on half rest - that's what makes u strong

[willbcocks]

Could you explain what you mean by half rest? I don't really know anything here.

[dobrojim]

half rest - if you did a 400 on 70 sec, you have 35 sec recovery before your
next one - take half the time of your running interval in rest/recovery
before the next interval.

proud of myself - got up exceptionally early for me, dropped
off daughter 2 on a kid-sitting job, then swam a mile and ran
five.

[dobrojim]

followed that up this AM with a 15 mile trail run that was partially marred
by a fall drawing a little blood in 1-2 spots. Things had been going so well
up to that point. I hate when that happens.

[dobrojim]

got my 'full' pyramid track workout last night

2x200
2x400
2x800
2x400
2x200

felt good and I didn't have to wimp on the second 800 last night

My annual foray into the realm of triathlon is Sunday. We'll see
how this goes.

[pancakes3]

here's a more pedestrian update.

i play hoops 2x a week, jog about a mile and a half after work every day. i'm signing up for a 5k in november. i'm about to "ramp up" my jogging... going faster, working on longer strides, going 2+ miles, trying to do some situps to improve my doughy core.

aiming for 20 mins. sub 20 would be awesome.

[dobrojim]

sub 20 in a 5k is very respectable
(for non-runners, that's a 6:26/mi pace for 3.1 miles)

maybe you're naturally gifted as a runner but
without a little more serious training regimen,
that might be a tough goal to achieve. Then again
maybe you're just younger and faster than me



edit to add - I've run sub 40 in a 10K 4 times, the last time
in 2002. I don't run a lot of 5Ks so I don't have any under 20 min
times to brag about. My best 10K was just a sec or 2 under 39:40.
I knew I had run as well as I could have that day due to the fact
that I almost heaved 2 times at the end of the race, once right
in the shoot, and once again about 30-45 sec later. I finished the
last 0.2 miles that race 7-8 seconds faster than I ever had before.
That's a LOT. That was the last ever Georgetown 10K.