Weekly Run Thread 11/22 - (We Give Thanks to Jack Daniels)
With Mr. Stark still likely occupied with all things IMAZ, I thought I would start our thread.
Aleksander -- Nice 5k report in the last thread! Congrats on the 1st AG! And the VDOT. And the goal. They are yours. Maybe Jack Daniels just needs some more cranberry sauce. And doesn't your wife want to get faster? Whenever I do intervals, I think of Chris Carmichael line -- If it was easy, anyone could do it. 
37/37 in the books. Running's getting to be like brushing my teeth.
0
Comments
@Beth, thanks for your support. It was not great by any means, but I will take it. My athlete(wife) was mostly joking. Talking about being determined, she is, just likes to talk back. Needless to say, tonight, when she gets back, above her desk, new card is hanging with Q workouts and paces for the week. I maybe sleeping in the dog house tonight. I don't care, as long it gets done as prescribed.
She has an aspiration to be a marathon runner, not a one time deal, but like our triathlon obsession. I told her, we need to graduate 5K first, than work our way up through 10k and 1/2 so we get there.
For now, she is my E-pace and track running buddy. Will see if she catches up to VDOT 53 T-pace runs. They hurt.
@Aleksander - Marathon-running -- and getting an in-house running partner sounds awesome. As a coach, you probably have the only person who is going to give you clear and accurate feedback on your workouts. How many people get that?
Beth
'37/37 in the books. Running's getting to be like brushing my teeth.'
I want to remind you to also floss.
It's the dentist in me!! I tell my patients to floss only those teeth that they want to keep for the rest of their lives. 
Dental Humor: Did you know that toothpaste was invented in (Name whatever state you want)? Because if it was invented anywhere else it would have been called TEETHPASTE!!
Yano
Thanks for starting this, Beth! I was consumed by IMAZ since last Thursday and today is really the first day since last Thursday that I wanted to or have been able to sit down at my PC to get caught up.
Zero, nada, zilch running since last Wednesday. David Ambrose and I ate and ate and ate all weekend and were on the move the whole time. I feel like a pig. But we had an absolute blast! Volunteering at an IM and seeing the whole day as a spectator has changed my perspective of IM. I am humbled and in awe of the people doing it. It really is an amazing thing to complete.
I will get going again with running Thursday morning.
Good work everyone!
@Aleksandar: Well done pal! You sound a touch disappointed, what was your goal time? Did you bump up in vdot? Anyway, a first is a first, and a 19th out of 609 is pretty respectable. Great work man.
@Yano, that is funny. I wear braces. I am done, want them out yesterday, flossing is a major pain. They should be coming out in a few weeks.
@Beth, keep that running going, more reports....
@John, glad you had a good time, what a way to get a different angle on IM. It will make you respect the event even more.
@Dan, my coach, if I were your athlete, you would have had a serious debrief to do, the long of it is this:
10/09/2010 ran 19:34 on a hilly course full of turns, ran 3.14 distance, was with Daniels 5-15k scaled back to my level since. Every session but two were well above VDOT 52 prior to Sunday, all paces across the board with RPE being proper. The week of the race, got into that over reaching state, while I physically came back, not mentally, for sure. Ate like a pig all week and got up on Sunday with 5 trips to johny, not good. Than you add wind into it......my mind could not take it.
Target VDOT 53 to confirm current level, 18:57 or better. Lots of turns again, wind gusting over 25mph, uphill first mile.........Ran mi 1 5:58 was at the front in top 10, than mind decided that between stomach, wind and hurt, over pace into the wind and uphill, it was time to quit racing, backed off, was not racing and crossed the line in 20:23.
3 days before did a cruise interval session that felt awesome 4x1mi(1min)T-pace, was doing paces 6:31-6:26, VDOT 53 is 6:32, felt great, had bunch left in the tank, so VDOT 53 is an objective level, all other I-pace workouts are consistent under 6:00/mi, again in line with VDOT 53, R-pace stuff comes easily under 5:30, under marker that says 53 is correct.
Anyway, disappointed, yes, will I do it again, yes and soon, somewhere flat and fast. Will see.
I want to thank you for all the good advice. And on the volume side, I have kept it at 40mi/week last 8 weeks, with no long run, just a 10mi, along with T-pace, weekly. I will keep it as is till OS, I am cutting back to 2 Qs/week, and slowly now bringing the bike up and ready for Jan.
@Aleksandar: I wouldn't call it a loss... you definitely took it out too hard it seems. Uphill with wind for the first mile and you were under 6, I would say that is the culprit right there. Yea, maybe other things were in play too, but that time is way under, especially when its not flat. So really, you know what was wrong, yes, mentally, but not burnt out, just miscalculation or poor execution. But, I don't know what your comfort level is racing either, some like to take it out and although they don't even split, they still pull out a good race "hanging on". Maybe that's your style.... if so, then it was more of a loss, but of course not total and nothing to be worried about. If you're hitting your paces in workouts with plenty left, and have raced close to that time before, you'll be there again. You are allowed bad days! Keep it up and I hope to be there some day! I'm just still putzing along doing my E runs and not worried about the track until after christmas. Looking to forward to being "LESS" injury free! Keep it up, I'll look forward to your next report. Happy Thanksgiving!
Dan
38/38. Boring, EP on the treadmill at the gym, but feeling good. Legs are starting to accumulate hurt and fatigue, so I've been diligent about stretching (the flossing of running) and core work this week.
I bought a book, called Modern Boxing, from 1938. It has a killer corework routine. I'm going to try it out. From this books, I've also learned about the importance of balance and have been discouraged from considering a career in prizefighting.
@Dan, thanks for a great critique. I am a even split/negative split guy but very dumb in not accounting for terrain and weather conditions. There is a thing called even intensity, that on a variable course produces variable pace. I seem to be forgetting that frequently. And yes, good catch, I had no business being sub 6 in the first mile. Thank you again. Enjoy E-pace running, I am beginning to miss it.
@Beth, we do not recognize running induced fatigue on this forum, just joking, keep it up, you rock.
Dan, Beth and everyone else, Happy Thanksgiving. I am away, at work, should end the night in Ithaca, NY. Hoping to put a run in tomorrow.
Ithaca? NY? Too bad its the holiday, I'm only 90 minutes from there. Beautiful too, you'll love it. Great town with a little known university
Enjoy.
I hope you all had lovely Thanksgivings! I started mine with this week's Q1 workout - 8 miles, with a 5 mile block in the middle at T-pace. Um, yeah. I was scared. I was expecting eyeballs to be popping out. Nope. It was fun. And I had trouble holding adjusted T-pace. I was supposed to run 8:20s, I ran 8:03/8:17/8:03/8:03/7:42 (I kicked the last mile extra hard fo you guys). Good 39/39. And I then I feasted.
Will do 40/40 as soon as UPS guy arrives with new shoes.
You are fast.
I did two runs in Ithaca, along the lake. Very pretty. Loved it.
still laughing at the mexican guy who took dave's beer at mile 18!!!!!
-hb
Q2 today, perfect weather, 50F, wind SE@3mph, flat loop course, 6mi@adjusted T-pace target 6:43, it went down dead on:
6:43, 6:42, 6:42, 6:36, 6:42, 6:41, it felt right on, not like Beth easy, but not eyeballs popping either, just right, little lack of discipline in mi 4. I am a VDOT 53, no doubt. I did have some doubts since I blew that race, but I continue on target for 53.
Dan, we were close, I know it's a holiday and a family one. Next time, maybe I will even get closer to you. My work takes me everywhere.
You are going for a run with me. I am not doing any tempo pace with Beth. The way she is doing those, kicking in the end, she could drop me.
Hope you all had a good holiday. Now, enough of that, everybody off the couch and back to Daniels.
Well done man. I managed to get a run in yesterday and today, tomorrow will be my 6th this week if I can get it in. Still scared to do a TT! I'm holding out until Jan OS and just doing easy miles until then to see where it takes me. I did get a 7 miler in this week which is actually epic for me soooooo early in the season, just felt like running. Good to hear you're hitting those numbers easily. But, I doubt your job will take you to Oneonta, NY!!! Lets all keep hammering and hopefully we kept off the weight (I didn't but junk food is soooo good).
Dan
@Dan, great, now 7mi is getting up there, that is a medium distance run for me. Like, you, TTs are my least favorite. I will not run a TT for OS, that I am set on VDOT 53 to start, even if I don't improve at all between now and Jan start. Cycling is where I am still negotiating with myself, but also cannot see myself doing 2x20(2) any time soon. I am not mentally there. I did start this week that pre OS cycling thing like 3x5 or 2x8.......looks like a joke compared to what's coming.
I flew some kids from Burbank to Penn Yan, than we repositioned to Ithaca. I do come close once in a while, Albany, have not yet flown to Binghamton for this company, even though I flew as United Express Captain into it often on Jetstream 41from Dulles, Va.
I come close to many EN folks on weekly basis. I cross this country in a week several times, many different places, many unknown to me and I use running to get to know them. If there is pretty running, gets a good label.
Well, you're about 10 pts higher than me, it would have to be a double session day for you if you want to run with me!!! I haven't been on the bike either, but look forward to it, I really improved last year with the plans. The rollers are dusted off and a belt replaced since my son thinks its his playground. I may pop on it tomorrow, maybe with no PM since it may tell me things I don't want to know!
@Aleksander. Dude. You have ten VDOT points on me. I could so not drop you. But nicely paced run! And if you are ever in Chicago, join me for a run!
I'm in from run 42. An EP 11-miler. Love the meditation of the long, easy run. True confession: I felt horrible yesterday, so as much as I wanted to lace up the shoes, I decided to be smart and not run. I decided this counts because I made a conscious decision to not be stupid and do a workout that would've done more damage than good.
Hi all - I am back! Day 1/1 today after 2.5 weeks of almost no running. The flu and then IMAZ sidelined me. I have also gained a few pounds.
I know I haven't lost much fitness. Just need to get going again.
Back at it tomorrow,
John