NOS 2014 Week 13, Run WKOs: Taper Time!
Unlike the bike workouts, this week brings a reduced run total! 
The key run workout is Wednesday's intervals, which for me is 3 X 1mi. So, if you have been nursing a "niggling" injury, this week was designed for you! 
With all this free time, I plan to visit the pool and get some meters in so I can put up a respectable time for the 1000m TT Swim Challenge! 
The posts from those EN'ers getting these tough workouts in under Artic conditions are truly inspiring! 
Keep the mojo going and "be safe out there" (wasn't that what they said on Hill Street Blues after the morning meeting?) 
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Pace was not all that fast because of the conditions, so I stayed in Z1-Z1.5 although I still did the 10 strides (almost fall twice in the ice/snow while doing them, but survived with no injury to regret!)
I left the bike for this afternoon once I get back from work. Running in the snow really tests your legs, because I am felling pretty tired!
Link---> http://connect.garmin.com/activity/433522171
@Gonzo I am starting to see some excuses creep into your posts since you got older!
I made a last minute decision to switch wko's around due to the expected snow today/tomorrow so I did tomorrow's track run today. Unfortunately, as noted in Steve and Gonzo's posts, there was still plenty if ice out there...the track was tough to toe off of when running at z5. Im not sure how some of you folks run z4 or z5 on the treadmill, but I feel like I need to do those outside so I gave it my best and tried avoiding a face-plant in the process.
Current z5 pace 6:32
2 mile WU
Int1 800m @ 3:15
Int2 1 mile @ 6:35
Int3 1 mile @ 6:37
Finished with some extra z2-3 time
Total 53:30 min, 7 miles, 7:41 avg pace
Hoping to do my bike later today....stay warm and safe out there!
The effort was certainly there but I'm hoping I can preform better when I test in 1.5 weeks. I'll chalk the slower than expected times up to the icy conditions.
@Brad I can do them on the treadmill because I am not as fast as you!. Great job!
Very solid workout in the end
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/EP2ECYCK5W37EDBCLNCGKCVPYY
http://www.strava.com/activities/108014889
@Elizabeth - way to catch the PF early and nip it in the bud!
@Stefan - solid work!
ended up doing 35' at ~Z1 with 10 x 30" strides at Z5+
treadmill wasn't that bad, but I'm looking forward to getting outside tomorrow for those brutal intervals!
@ Ray, Do we break it to Gonzalo now about the trials and tribulations of getting older or let him figure it out for himself?
@ Gonzalo, Don't read the line above this. Actually, I ran a personal best marathon this year and I broke the PR that I set back when I was 45. Of course I was pretty slow then and about 15 pounds heavier.
@MM I think he will need to find out on his own! Part of the aging process.
Things like waking up with a pain that wasn't there when you went to bed and now you cant work out.
Or not being able to eat what you could when younger (39) and now your stomach is trashed and you cant work out.
Or having to get up to go to the bathroom 5 times during the night so you didnt get any sleep and now you cant work out.
Or your nap time spills over to when you should have done your work out and now you cant work out.
We can just sit back let him post and watch the regression. It actually is kind of cool to watch after you have been through it.
There are all punks MM! Punk as defines in Webster as anyone younger than 55
@MW they have treadmills now at the craps table?
@DJ crusty
Ran all three intervals "All-OUT" but wasn't able to hit my personal target but taking that workout from yesterday into account I'm pleased with the result.
1) 5:44 / NGP 3:35 / MaxHR 177
2) 5:42 / NGP 3:32 / MaxHR 183
3) 5:45 / NGP 3:37 / MaxHR 183
http://tpks.ws/4ppN
http://www.strava.com/activities/108202023
I did an easy 1.5 on the treadmill. My foot is still recovering so I didn't want to push beyond my limits. I also did an easy circuit in the weight room.
Hope everyone is warm and cozy!
@Ray - since I am 54 this year (and will go to AG Nat'ls and compete in the age-up for the 55-59 AG), I don't mind being called a punk as I move into your age group! I do have many, if not all of those items on your list!
Yesterday I did the 40' aqua-jog in-lieu of the run and it was a great idea. Today I still felt the efforts from yesterday's hard bike. My warm-up was "creaky" and felt like I ws stomping with my quads still sore. Surprisingly my 3 X 1mi were pretty good (target <7:50/mi) @ 7:39, 7:17, 7:19. <br />
On an interesting note that many of you up North will find very humorous! We might get snow here in San Antonio tomorrow night. Just a dusting at best. But since there is no snow removal equipment, and snow means complete and total shutdown.
Z5 pace 7:28
2 mile WU
1 - 800m @ 3:22 / 6:40 pace
2 - 800m @ 6:35 / 6:49 pace
3 - 1 mile @ 7:02 pace (lost about 10 sec negotiating uneven/rolling sidewalk)
Finished 7.09 miles at 1:04
So I'm not doing a test/race til march(if I'm lucky) so no taper for me. I decided to repeat last weeks oh so fun 8x 400. Hit all at target pace with a couple secs faster on the last one for kicks.
Wow, came home after work today and heard Brenda stomping on the TM and sounding like Smaug the Dragon breathing fire, she smoked her run today. So I was up next, W/U, 3 X 1 mi to complete at 5 km pace, It hurt ! I alway's need to ease into a pace or my calves tell me "not so fast dude" or I'll slow you down. So........
let's do this!
W/U - 15 Min with pick ups.
1st Mile - Started @7:00 mi every 1/4 mi increased speed topped out at 6:40
2 nd Mile - Started @ 6:40 as above topped out at 6:23 mile
3 rd Mile repeat(hurt) - Started @ 6:23 @ the halfway way point @ 6:19 last quarter mi @ 6:13
Happy to get er done and live to train another day. Big push here peeps by all to leave OS on a high and injury free training block, cheers !
@Steve - Way to pick up the pace on your intervals. Totally with you, finish strong AND injury free!
@Joe - Good call on the aqua-run. It's boring as hell, but it's effective!
Was planning on doing today's run early this morning, but was feeling tired and doing repeats @ 5K pace didn't exactly motivate me to get out of bed. I think i made the right decision by getting some additional rest. I did the wko in the afternoon (on the treadmill unfortunately) and did all 3 repeats @ 6:22/mile pace which puts me right at my 5K PR pace per mile. For me, at any given pace, i always feel more exerted on a treadmill vs. outside. Not sure why that's the case, but i'm hoping because i was able to run at PR pace on the treadmill, that i might see a VDOT bump. I plan to skip testing next week because there is a local valentines day 5K and i think that will be good timing for a post out season retest.
Total run: 1 hour , 7.4 miles
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/434323470
Target was Z5 = 6:39 min/mile for the 3x1mile intervals,
Did :
-WU 1 mile at Z1.5
-Int#1 : 1 mile @ 6:34
-Int#2 : 1 mile @ 6:31
-Int#3 : 1 mile @ 6:38
-Recovery in between these intervals was 3/4 mile at Z1+30 seconds or so (until HR was 140)
-Finished with 1 mile very close to Z2
Happy to be done with this today !
So I'm in week 14 and my run today was 30 minutes at Z1 followed by 6X90' (2) at Z4. It's starting to feel like a taper. The coach's notes said to visualize my upcoming test (I have the bike test tomorrow) and it was a little difficult to think about the bike while running easily through the neighborhood, but when I got to the intervals it wasn't hard at all to visualize the HM I have on Saturday. My form felt good and the intervals were easy. The main problem is that whenever I taper these days there always seem to be these little nicks and boo boo's that make themselves known that are usually just annoying and work themselves out by race day. Same thing is happening this week so I just have to have faith that they'll go away. The funny thing is that they usually don't bother me while I'm running or biking. Maybe it's the endorphins that mask them.
Keep it up folks, you're almost there.
Got the run done today.. 3 x mile repeats @ nothing near 5k pace. For me there's not much room between 5k pace & go all day pace anyway. So, I settled in @ all day pace. I'll get back into "faster" running mode next week.
Good work everybody