OS week 8 - decreased fitness, what am I doing wrong?
So, as I was explaining on the dashboard... I'm kinda loosing my motivation as it seems that I'm running slower and slower...
First 5k test last Sept @7.10 mi/min, next test in Dec @7.20 mi/min and today ran the 5k averaging 7.45 mi/min...
I've been testing on the same route with about same weather conditions. Weight about the same (+3lbs compare to last Sept), no injuries, legs a bit tired but nothing crazy. I'm in week 8 of OS plan. Done all the 1 mile and 1.5 mile runs of the plan at ~7.00 mi/mile but when I have to run for more than 1.5 miles, it doesn't seem to work... The last 3 weeks the Sunday long runs were a catastrophe, even had to hitch a ride back last week...
As suggested by Tim Cronk I read this thread, it was very informative, but I don't add any extra mileage to the plan and stick to the distances recommended. Although I might have accumulated some fatigue as my last long runs have not gone well.
I hit almost all the training sessions and don't feel really tired - I'm always happy to go to bed at night but wake up before my alarm and I don't feel tired when I get up. I drink a lot of water - about a gallon per day (I live in a hot climate) and eat pretty healthy (no meat, no processed food, no sugar, very little wheat, etc).
I think I feel maybe a little bit mentally tired, demotivated. But I don't know if it's because I see that I'm regression or because I'm regressing because i'm mentally tired.
John Kitchen, I ran my Sept 5k test in 22:20, which leads a VDot of 43.7 - with the associated paces here under
| Easy/Long | E/L | 9:29 | ||||||
| Marathon | M | 8:08 | ||||||
| Threshold | T | 7:38 | ||||||
| Interval | I | 7:02 |
I started the OS in Dec. (then stop and stared again where I stopped it because of travels in Europe) using my Sept Vdot and didn't "downgraded" my paces to the new Dec VDOT - That was maybe my first mistake? But even with my second 5k test results it would haven given me a VDOT of 42.8 and an interval pace of 7:09 - 7 second slower.
I definitively set my pace based on actual Vdot and not were I want them to be.
Should I take a break from the OS plan? Run slower during my intervals? How can I get my mental back where it used to be?
Thank you for your help!
Comments
Sounds like a Mojo SOS to me - let's take a look.
Keep in mind - we are complex beings and upping your performance game is hard, and it's going to take some work to home in on the cause of your performance woes. Growth as an athlete will rarely be as simple as, "train and measure the gains". Don't get discouraged - accept this as the game we signed up for.
Could be mental game, certainly.
Could be physical - energy level tied to nutrition, energy tied to fatigue - I see you've written both of these off, but I'd recommend keeping your mind open for now and assessing what's going on for you.
It's hard to know whether to start by looking at your 5k tests or your Sunday runs...
It's the 5k tests that caused you to post, but I find this quote compelling:
..."The last 3 weeks the Sunday long runs were a catastrophe, even had to hitch a ride back last week..."
What happened for you on these runs? Why did you call it quits on the last run?
Be as specific as you can regarding what you were experiencing that caused you to pull the plug?
Very best,
Russ
How long are your long runs? What pace did you run them at? At what point did they turn into the catastrophe?
Have you done all the OS bikes? Are you hitting all your numbers on the bike? How has the bike testing gone?
How are your rest days? Do you feel refreshed and recovered?
There have been many discussions in the past about overtraining , overachieving, building fatigue, and digging oneself a hole in the OS . Sometimes less is more. Maybe an extra rest day, dropping one or two workouts, dropping one or two intervals , doing some of your intervals at the lower end of the prescribed ranges, are some ways go a bit easier.
Run training should be done at the paces dictated by your current Vdot test. Having said that if you still able to your 1-1.5 mile OS intervals at the previous Vdot pace it would appear the fitness is there. It could be a matter of testing correctly. Did you go out too hard too early on your last test? Or it could be a motivational thing, its hard to motivate oneself to run that hard for that long. You could try a local 5K race for motivation, only if you've ruled out fatigue.
And now for a little humor---- My last 5K test was a DNF...Yep at 1.5 miles I was trying to figure out how on earth I was gonna finish at this pace, and then I had an emergency bathroom call that saved me from myself! Testing is hard for everybody!
@ Russell - Thanks for the mojo push
well during my last "long runs" that are not that long - around 6 to 8 miles - I just quit. 28 minutes into the run I just didn't want to run anymore, and ended up walking almost all the way back home
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/275625970
I can't really recall why I decided to stop. Just I couldn't push myself anymore to do it.
@Tim - thanks for all the good advices
yes did all the OS rides, don't have a power meter so do it my HR. Yes hit all the numbers I was suppose to. Didn't do the test yet for the bike. I know I'm not gonna do well so can't motivate myself to jump on the bike. Will do it tomorrow AM.
Took a lot of rest this week. Did only the 5k test so far.
For the test my plan was to run the first mile at 7:10, the second at 7:05 and the last one at or just under 7:00. It worked for the first mile. The second was at 7:14 and the last one I walked/run
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/275625992
No 5k race on island but a 1/2 marathon coming up in a month. Really want to do it, but I'm afraid to underperform during the race.
My fiance thinks that I am self-sabotaging ... Did really well last year on my first HIM (5h13min) and I feel that if I do another one this year I won't be able to beat my time and improve. So I sabotage my training so I won't even try...
@Greg: I think you're right! I should ease up, take a deep breath and re-focus on the reason why I want to improve my HIM time. And most importantly I should accept that some weeks are "off" and believe that I'll get out of the hole soon enough
@William: yep that's a good advise. I'll take it easy this week and maybe I can test again next week.
All in all I just have to keep the faith the work works and i'll get out of this unpleasant hole very soon!
Thanks
Curious to know how you are doing your HR work outs. I am also doing the bike with HR but I think if I hit every set with the correct HR I would be absolutely shelled by now.
Take yesterday’s 45/45s. It was only on the last one that my heart rate got up to 174 (that’s the bottom end of my zone 4). If I had done all of those 45s with my HR in zone 5 I wouldn’t be able to walk today.
It’s the same with the longer zone 4 sets. If I ride (indoors) at a constant speed/same gear then I am hitting the bottom my zone 4 around 9 minutes into the ride. So only the last 6 minutes of my 15 minute ride will be in the correct zone. If I pick a faster speed to get the HR into the right zone from the outset then I can’t complete the set without slowing down (although my HR will probably still be in the correct zone).
Would be interested to know how other people manage their HR training on the bike, I am a lazy so and so, so am probably taking things far too easy… however, I also cycle a short distance into work every day so I know what effect the OS is having on my legs by the extended time it gets to get to work!
Hope the mojo returns soon,
Helen
This is my first OS so I'am no expert. I have yet been able to get my HR very high on the VO2 workouts. I personally don't feel like there is enough time to spike my HR that high. I just try and pound it out the best I can. I have had much better results on the longer rides. I just gear up until my HR starts to increase. I do have trouble keeping it there but I think that's the point of it all.
Hope this helps....at least you know you aren't the only one struggling with it now!
I'm on the same boat. There isn't enough time for me to spike my HR where it supposed to be, I just push as hard as I can... really wish I had a Power meter to see if I do this correctly or not.
@Helen - I think you are managing it just fine. Heartrate is a significantly lagging indicator, so you have to estimate the workload that will eventually produce an HR in the correct Zone. Additionally, unless and until you get into significantly longer Zone5 sets, your HR might never get there before it is time to rest again.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/276025684
You can take a look at my VO2 work from last week to get an idea of what I am talking about. My Zone 5 Hr is 160+. You can see that I rarely got there....and, truth be told, that w/o had a higher average HR than my previous VO2 sets due to travel and fatigue earlier in the week.
I'm sure the comments that will follow your question will also help me!