Great efforts and numbers being posted up this week. Unfortunately, I can still remember my test from 3 weeks ago. The most pukeworthy to date. I feel that this is a harder test than the bike, thought they both suck.
I am currently in week 11 of the NOS, but will be following along in both groups until my OS is over at the end of the month. I will use this group as a landing place/home as I transition into different training blocks. There's a lot of mojo to be had in this group and I would like take part and add some of my own.
Test numbers so far: wk 1 - 20:53 vDOT 47 wk 8 - 19:37 vDOT 51 (I rounded up 1 sec)
Well my 5k time was not a surprise today. I did very little running since my first IM this past October as every time I started to run my injured knee ( 3 injuries and 2 operations) seemed to protest loudly. I've always been able to compensate for my weaker leg on the swim and bike but it just can't hide from the run. I was 10 seconds away from cracking into the 40 vDOT neighborhood (24:10 ~ vDOT 39 and I used the treadmill to hide from the weather). Well at least my knee seemed to hold up for the testing today. That will be my goal - bust into the 40 neighborhood.
WOW! Just WOW! This JOS group is AMAZING:-))) I wish I had time to address each and every one of your posts! Everyone is a rock star... whether you crushed it today, or not - everyone really put it out there! If you guys haven't seen Brenda's videos on FB, you should check them out! I think she really expresses the anxiety of this DANG run test (challenge:-)) and how we all feel going into this thing. I feel a little guilty about getting up at 8:00 and seeing a whole slew of posts about your run test that you FINISHED already:-) A nice perk to being semi-retired! So glad to see some of you with good surprises:-) I must give a shout-out to William Jenks! That was a great run test after the stress fracture and "just running". I think with many of you, the Run durability in the Post Season set you up nicely for a great run test today!!
Personally, I swagged my VDot between my "hangover 5K" on New Years Day and my VDot from last year. So I went from a 39 to about a 35. However, that does put me in the Al Truscott "100 club":-) [VDot plus age] LOL I am hoping to get that back up towards 40 as the training progresses. Good thing I didn't plan on a test today because I had wicked vertigo this morning and just did an easy 4-miler on the treadmill after it subsided. Weird... (I think it was actually water in my ear from swimming).
So now we have a starting point. Again, it's great to see so many smart peeps out there listening to their bodies and letting the run build as the OS progresses. As Dawn said - it's all about getting through this injury free! AND it goes to show you that you don't need to do a ton of speed work to get your run in the direction it needs to be.
After spending 90 min @ the dentist my thoughts of a run test went out the window...instead an ez 5 mi was all I could muster...I've been on the RD wagon for a few months so I've got a pretty good feel for my run fitness...I'll hit one of the local 5k's in the coming weeks...onward we go
My schedule is a day behind everyone else this week. So today I did the run, and since I'm not testing I did next week's Wed run (60 min @ TRP with last mile at HMP) But I actually read the workout wrong and did the last 30 min at HMP. Whoops. Next week I'll be working the schedule on the same day as the rest of you guys.
the backdrop. Herniated a disc 3 days before IMLP. Haven't run since last run on the Tuesday before lake Placid until the 2nd week of November. This long break became a plan. My doc is a big cyclist and we did easy trainer rides to get me in some shape, then upped to an 8 week TR plan that I did very hard and got a 7 Watt bump. Goal was to build bike fitness and back strength before trying to run again. I have now been running in upwards of 20+ miles per week at good pacing. A 7.5 mile run without trying to race, came in at a Vdot of 42 (my former PR is Vdot48)
This AM, I went to do a Vdot test. first off, it was 17 deg F outside, second, my legs still hurt from my first day of skiing on Sunday, third, I have a horrible cold/ post nasel drip working. (ok I have whiney excuses. Goal was to run 7:15, 7:10, 7:05 (if possible).
Mile one - Felt fast out of the gate, had to purposely slow up from 6:5X to 7:10.
Mile two - had to work to hold 7:18
hit a small upgrade at end of mile two and called it quits.
feeling is that 7:15ish feels like the right number for Z4 Wkos based on experience.
Swagging a 21:45 5k gives me a Z4 of 7:25 and a TRP of 8:37 (which feels correct based on all of my recent longer (7 mileish) runs
so that is a Vdot of 45... gonna work off of that and retest when we get there in a few weeks.
Oooh - that hurt. Not sure I've done a run test in the last two years (focusing more on far than fast for some ultra running). But, todl myslef simply to not stop and got it done yesterday. It was better than I thought so onward!
Tested this AM. I HATE TESTING! I would rather run 2 hours at a comfortable pace than 30 min like a mountain lion was chasing me. So for you fasties who can do it in 20 min- you just remember that some of us are miserable for 10 minutes longer!
Background- no "training" since HIM on 8 Nov, but still running 4 or so times a week with some long and tempo thrown in. Did a half marathon in Dec with a new PB of 2:13 (vDOT 32) which was a net downhill point to point course. I've not been doing any bike work per se, but I had a Century in late Nov and commute 20 miles per day to work- the way home has some good hills and provides and excellent workout. So- not organized and planned, but not goofing off either. And weight is about the same as Nov.
I went all out this AM and had the best test ever. If I were a puker, I might have. My 5K test time is about the same as my best ever race time. HR was high zone 5 the whole test, so pretty sure I could not have gone faster if the mountain lion were chasing me. That said- time was 29:19 for a vDOT of 31. Higher than the 29-30 I trained at last year. Not sure how much faster I am going to get and the proverbial "100" requires a vDOT of 53 (18:50)- that ain't NEVER gonna happen!!!
Bike test is Saturday- after I put it back together after being in the case 2 months...
2nd run this week kinda sucked. Didn't feel like getting out of bed at 5am to do anything, none the less go run in 3o and raining, but that is what this OS training and being accountable by posting does for you.
I tried to throw a few hills in there (hardly any around my area) and progressed from Z2 to Z3 by end. Legs and body are feeling the test week by now. The weekend should be interesting.
got in 2 miles after the ride yesterday (on my new treadmill...love just hoping on!) @ betweenTRP and Z2. I am off on vaca tomorrow (off day) so did the saturday bike with EN wu, then bricked again on the mill z2/3. Finished up with the core stuff and now I've got to pack!
I'll be doing all running(if safe where I'm staying) and maybe some swimming next week, but I'm traveling with family and they are not tri peeps. Bringing my swim cord, some bands for core/stability work and doing body weight stuff.
Reminder to pace this OS during the first weeks as your body goes into shock, absorbs the new routine the load begins to accumulate. Over-delivering on those bike intervals can cost you and compromise your weekend run quality so Steady as She Goes here. Definitely no shame in a gradual build here.
To SS's point, has anyone employed an "adjusted approach" to the OS to prevent injury? I don't want to undermine the great work our coaches have done in designing the OS workouts. And I only have one season with EN. But last year, I noticed when looking back at my training logs either sickness or injury when transitioning from one training plan to another, most notably from the jump in volume going from get faster to IM. But I could see the same happening from post-IM to OS. I've gotten in a month or so of run durability, but that is pretty easy running.
OK, I have a VERY SERIOUS QUESTION. When it says, "Accumulate 10 min of hills", does that min 10 min of "uphill" running or a total of 10 minutes running up and down that hill. This is a very important difference...
Scott, so glad to hear you are back in business! I know that was a rough summer for you and your plan looks like it worked really well. Phew! Your numbers look pretty amazing already. Woohoo!
OK, I have a VERY SERIOUS QUESTION. When it says, "Accumulate 10 min of hills", does that min 10 min of "uphill" running or a total of 10 minutes running up and down that hill. This is a very important difference...
@Leslie, I don't know the answer to that, but I would shoot for 10 min total of going uphill. Getting on some hills is probably the main thing.
As far as my test goes, I had planned on doing the New Years Resolution run today as my test. It is a 5 miler but on Saturday so I hacked the plan. Unfortunately, the temps bottomed out and we had the rain from yesterday turn to snow and ice so my run today was a little bit more challenging than normal. I still feel good about it with a 7:50 average and a VDOT o 42. It means my next test will be much better when I run the Valentine 5 mile run on the same course (as long as the conditions are better). I also felt tired from the core work yesterday and the increased intensity of the week on the bike, so I will take it in stride.
Had to switch up the Saturday bike and the Sunday run due to work, kids, wife...I guess just life. Anyway, 3 miles at z1 to start felt like watching the grass grow. Then when I was done I realized it said midway point of z1 and z2 - oh well! It all adds up over time I guess. I did hit the 2x1 @z4. Total run time 55'.
The good news is no knee pain so happy about that. After bike run harder than it should be, heart rate too high for pace which is due to the lack of fitness. Fitness will come back, just have to stay after it, work works.
Run in afternoon went great and couldn't help but take advantage of the temps in mid 40's... ahh running in just shorts and tee felt good again. I think that's why I hit paces a little faster (not much) than prescribed. I'll take a sub 40' 6 miler as Z2 out/ Z3 back.
ok, my day late earlier in the week is confounding me... missed a run yesterday. Decided to go off the flatish bike path and do some hills on a route I spied on strava recently. Well it's got a serious 2 mile hill with 500' of climbing... made up for yesterday's run, and nicely (8:31 pacing) for this hilly 7.5 miler.. had nothing left for hard bike work today. gotta figure out tomorrow bike/ run...
Sigh...another day skiing instead of running. I wish it would stop snowing and the sun would come out to dry up the roads. But until then, today's 30 second ski lesson: The Steeps...
Week 1 Sunday run done. Hard to believe at 6 am it was 60 degrees here! Crazy weather. 3 mi TRP @30:30, Zn 4 miles @ 8:57 and 8:38, first one a little slow, then some easy work for 7.5 mi. total. Came up a little short of week's run goal, but I was already on a run durability plan for last 5 weeks, used the test week as a little run recovery.
I entered the OS after having done 10 weeks of Run Durability. During that time my mileage averaged in the mid 30’s. I ran the bulk of the miles at my TRP pace (8:30)on the TM at the gym. After about a two mile warm up I usually incorporated a few miles with variable incline and would do ¼-1/2 mile bursts of speed… usually when the hill profile was highest. One problem I’ve had is the calibration of the TM’s at the gym… I like consistency… they don’t. All of the machines are different. I set each of them to run 7.4… but the mileage recorded by the Garmin 920 varies wildly due to my choice of machine. Sometimes I have to run 6.6… just to record 6 on the watch. So… I run that speed and watch HR to determine the actual workload.
This week I was able to get in a run each day and ended the week today running 7 (TRP 7.4) including the 2x1(8.8,8.9 speed on TM). For the week I managed 7 runs totaling 39 miles.
One thing I’m using to stay mentally tough this year… is when things get hardest and my mind starts running through excuses… trying to get me to decrease the interval length… the speed of the interval… duration of the workout… or even worse… to even start it… I say to myself “this stuff is hard and it’s ok to be a wimp once in a while… but tomorrow is a much better day to be one!”… It’s working so far...
Have a great training week in week 2 everyone… and if this is your first OS…Manage the fatigue or it will manage you….
Comments
I am currently in week 11 of the NOS, but will be following along in both groups until my OS is over at the end of the month. I will use this group as a landing place/home as I transition into different training blocks. There's a lot of mojo to be had in this group and I would like take part and add some of my own.
Test numbers so far:
wk 1 - 20:53 vDOT 47
wk 8 - 19:37 vDOT 51 (I rounded up 1 sec)
Personally, I swagged my VDot between my "hangover 5K" on New Years Day and my VDot from last year. So I went from a 39 to about a 35. However, that does put me in the Al Truscott "100 club":-) [VDot plus age] LOL I am hoping to get that back up towards 40 as the training progresses. Good thing I didn't plan on a test today because I had wicked vertigo this morning and just did an easy 4-miler on the treadmill after it subsided. Weird... (I think it was actually water in my ear from swimming).
So now we have a starting point. Again, it's great to see so many smart peeps out there listening to their bodies and letting the run build as the OS progresses. As Dawn said - it's all about getting through this injury free! AND it goes to show you that you don't need to do a ton of speed work to get your run in the direction it needs to be.
WooHoo - here we go! You guys ROCK!!!
@Carol - thanks for volunteering!
. Goal was to run 7:15, 7:10, 7:05 (if possible).
@Shaughn - Improved? really? you are THE definition of durability!!!
@Trent - really strong numbers, and great to see someone else that isn't scared off by cold temps!
@Larry - I suspect you are much faster than that outdoors, also the DM(Dreadmill) could have been off on it's pacing, as many are?
@Jenks - Solid test!
so, now - MY test -
the backdrop. Herniated a disc 3 days before IMLP. Haven't run since last run on the Tuesday before lake Placid until the 2nd week of November. This long break became a plan. My doc is a big cyclist and we did easy trainer rides to get me in some shape, then upped to an 8 week TR plan that I did very hard and got a 7 Watt bump. Goal was to build bike fitness and back strength before trying to run again. I have now been running in upwards of 20+ miles per week at good pacing. A 7.5 mile run without trying to race, came in at a Vdot of 42 (my former PR is Vdot48)
This AM, I went to do a Vdot test. first off, it was 17 deg F outside, second, my legs still hurt from my first day of skiing on Sunday, third, I have a horrible cold/ post nasel drip working. (ok I have whiney excuses
Mile one - Felt fast out of the gate, had to purposely slow up from 6:5X to 7:10.
Mile two - had to work to hold 7:18
hit a small upgrade at end of mile two and called it quits.
feeling is that 7:15ish feels like the right number for Z4 Wkos based on experience.
Swagging a 21:45 5k gives me a Z4 of 7:25 and a TRP of 8:37 (which feels correct based on all of my recent longer (7 mileish) runs
so that is a Vdot of 45... gonna work off of that and retest when we get there in a few weeks.
let's get to work!
@ Captain Dinhofer - I can't imagine doing anything at 17 degrees!............some nice intensity you managed to get in there however.
@Captain Carol - I am not quite yet in the 100 club......trying to get there as soon as I can!
Nice work Sue!
A little TRP work at lunch: https://www.strava.com/activities/465176121
SS
Tested this AM. I HATE TESTING! I would rather run 2 hours at a comfortable pace than 30 min like a mountain lion was chasing me. So for you fasties who can do it in 20 min- you just remember that some of us are miserable for 10 minutes longer!
Background- no "training" since HIM on 8 Nov, but still running 4 or so times a week with some long and tempo thrown in. Did a half marathon in Dec with a new PB of 2:13 (vDOT 32) which was a net downhill point to point course. I've not been doing any bike work per se, but I had a Century in late Nov and commute 20 miles per day to work- the way home has some good hills and provides and excellent workout. So- not organized and planned, but not goofing off either. And weight is about the same as Nov.
I went all out this AM and had the best test ever. If I were a puker, I might have. My 5K test time is about the same as my best ever race time. HR was high zone 5 the whole test, so pretty sure I could not have gone faster if the mountain lion were chasing me. That said- time was 29:19 for a vDOT of 31. Higher than the 29-30 I trained at last year. Not sure how much faster I am going to get and the proverbial "100" requires a vDOT of 53 (18:50)- that ain't NEVER gonna happen!!!
Bike test is Saturday- after I put it back together after being in the case 2 months...
I tried to throw a few hills in there (hardly any around my area) and progressed from Z2 to Z3 by end. Legs and body are feeling the test week by now. The weekend should be interesting.
I am off on vaca tomorrow (off day) so did the saturday bike with EN wu, then bricked again on the mill z2/3. Finished up with the core stuff and now I've got to pack!
I'll be doing all running(if safe where I'm staying) and maybe some swimming next week, but I'm traveling with family and they are not tri peeps. Bringing my swim cord, some bands for core/stability work and doing body weight stuff.
Nice work Trish and Trent!
Reminder to pace this OS during the first weeks as your body goes into shock, absorbs the new routine the load begins to accumulate. Over-delivering on those bike intervals can cost you and compromise your weekend run quality so Steady as She Goes here. Definitely no shame in a gradual build here.
My TM incline work today: https://www.strava.com/activities/465882205
Was sweating buckets by the time I got to a 4% grade
Scott, so glad to hear you are back in business! I know that was a rough summer for you and your plan looks like it worked really well. Phew! Your numbers look pretty amazing already. Woohoo!
@Leslie, I don't know the answer to that, but I would shoot for 10 min total of going uphill. Getting on some hills is probably the main thing.
As far as my test goes, I had planned on doing the New Years Resolution run today as my test. It is a 5 miler but on Saturday so I hacked the plan. Unfortunately, the temps bottomed out and we had the rain from yesterday turn to snow and ice so my run today was a little bit more challenging than normal. I still feel good about it with a 7:50 average and a VDOT o 42. It means my next test will be much better when I run the Valentine 5 mile run on the same course (as long as the conditions are better). I also felt tired from the core work yesterday and the increased intensity of the week on the bike, so I will take it in stride.
The good news is no knee pain so happy about that. After bike run harder than it should be, heart rate too high for pace which is due to the lack of fitness. Fitness will come back, just have to stay after it, work works.
@Carol F - Thanks!
ok, my day late earlier in the week is confounding me... missed a run yesterday. Decided to go off the flatish bike path and do some hills on a route I spied on strava recently. Well it's got a serious 2 mile hill with 500' of climbing... made up for yesterday's run, and nicely (8:31 pacing) for this hilly 7.5 miler.. had nothing left for hard bike work today. gotta figure out tomorrow bike/ run...
https://www.strava.com/activities/466597123Sigh...another day skiing instead of running. I wish it would stop snowing and the sun would come out to dry up the roads. But until then, today's 30 second ski lesson: The Steeps...
This week I was able to get in a run each day and ended the week today running 7 (TRP 7.4) including the 2x1(8.8,8.9 speed on TM). For the week I managed 7 runs totaling 39 miles.
One thing I’m using to stay mentally tough this year… is when things get hardest and my mind starts running through excuses… trying to get me to decrease the interval length… the speed of the interval… duration of the workout… or even worse… to even start it… I say to myself “this stuff is hard and it’s ok to be a wimp once in a while… but tomorrow is a much better day to be one!”… It’s working so far...
Have a great training week in week 2 everyone… and if this is your first OS…Manage the fatigue or it will manage you….