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Training For The 'Right' Distance
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I'm in Cardiff too! And have similar thoughts of doing Cardiff half next year though might not be living here anymore. But atm I'm just concentrating on getting my mileage up. How did your race go?
5mi easy today in 53mins. Plodding along. Also had a little try at doing strides but as I don't know how far and how many times I should do them, will leave them for awhile.
I'm very, very slow at the moment. Did my 10k in 66 mins and I'd set myself a target of 70 mins so yes, it was slow but it beat my target so I'm very happy. And alive. And uninjured.
I'm doing the BMF 10k in Bute Park on 6th March and want to properly train for this one rather than just "getting around in one piece"
Well, you beat your target - well done!
I'm not that fast either. I can run quicker but my cv's not up to it atm so I just get really red in the face.
So I decided if I'm going to start training, I'll do it properly and this thread couldn't've started at a better time.
mikasa - in your situation I'd do about 6 * 75m strides with a 40 second jog in between. You can group them early in the run (after 2 miles), spread them out through the run or at the end. Vary their location in the run.
Speed is a difficult one. "Fast relaxed" are the verbal cues which would be about 3k pace probably. Start each conservatively and gradually increase speed throughout the stride - as soon as you feel as though you need to push hard take your foot off the gas. It will start to feel natural after a while - don't sweat it.
yer_maj - be patient!
I've just done my first strides session. I was shattered after 4 repeats. The book I'm working from says 100m at near sprint but with 20m building up the speed and 20m slowing down followed by a 100m recovery jog. The recovery jog was half walk with me gasping for breath so I assume I was going too fast? I then did 4 x 400m repeats at 85% HR and was gasping again at the end of each rep but managed to jog rather than walk.
Yer_maj, I'm also doing 66min 10ks and have been for a while now. My fastest ever was 64mins but I've never done any speed/interval training before so I too am very glad of this thread and would be interested to compare notes as we go along. I'm determined to get faster but I think patience is also good advice. thanks Moraghan.
Well done mikasa. I'm lucky to have a 400m track near me in my local park which is ideal for doing the reps so although there are no markers, I've got a fairly good idea of distances. But I'm shattered today and having a rest, I think I really did go too fast on everything yesterday. I have to say though that doing speed work is making running much more interesting so looking forward to another session next week. I think once a week is enough for now, unless Moraghan advises otherwise of course.
Happy running everyone. Some nice slow runs this weekend - yeh!
Thanks soup dragon. Having a programme atm really motivates me to go out for a run and can't wait for me next one. Actually can't wait for the first 4 weeks to be over so I can start some quality work, whatever that may be.
Can I ask what does your weekly training consist of?
Hi mikasa - I'm not very good at keeping to a fixed training plan and the days get swapped about but it more or less looks like this at the moment:
Mon - rest/easy swim depending how I feel
Tues - 5 miles easy pace (<70%)
Weds - speed session - 1 mile warm up, I mile strides, 1 mile 400m reps or 200m reps, 1 mile jog
Thurs - rest or gentle swim depending on how I feel
Fri - bike session on the track with bike club (hard tempo or sprint intervals) for one hour
Sat - 4 miles easy pace
Sun - 8 - 10 miles easy pace.
Total miles for week = 21 - 23
Plus I bike to work 5 miles each way on 4 days a week but I take it at an easy pace unless I'm late setting off. On my 5 mile run day I get the bus then run home.
Today, 6.2mi easy with 6*75m (ish) strides. Strides done 2 sets each between miles 2-3,3-4 and 4-5. The last two seem always to be the hardest. Roll on next week!
Soup Dragon - I really miss cycling to work, it used to only be 3.5mi each way but now it's even less at 1.6mi
Well done on the 20mile week mikasa. Yeh, cycling is great, and I love swimming but I can't fit everything in. Spent last year mainly cycling and swimming and my running has gone right down the pan. Did a half ironman last month having been seduced by the Pirates and loved it but I'm really wanting to get my running improved now. Volleyball no, I duck when balls come towards me!
A slow 10 miles for me today. Took 2hr 5mins and I tried to keep to <70% HR which was difficult towards the end and it kept creeping up. But although I was very slow I felt I could have gone on for another couple of miles at that pace and my legs don't feel stiff at all now. And I just needed water, no gel or jelly babies. Hopefully I will be able to keep to the same heart rate but faster as I improve. It felt good.
Mikasa - Well Done!
Soup Dragon - it's good to hear what you are doing too. I'm following this thread cos I'm a beginner and bit clueless and what Moraghan posted made so much sense. But I'm so far away from the goal of 20 miles a week. But you are helping to inspire me. I think I need to sit down with my hubby and try and plan it into the diary.
Can I ask a question? Do you both always have a rest day after your long run? Or do you sometimes have it before?
Chilibean
I'm pretty much a beginner as a runner as well and with all this proper training malarkey!
This week looked as follows:
Monday - 4.6miles run,all together about 7mi cycling,2hr IVB training
Tuesday - 5mi run, 3mi cycle
Wednesday - off,3mi cycle
Thursday - 4.6mi run with strides,3mi cycle
Friday - off,3mi cycle
Saturday - off
Sunday - 6mi run with strides
I don't feel 6mi is too long for me atm and am planning to run 4.6mi easy tomorrow so repeating last Monday so won't be having a day off after the long run but will probably have one on Tuesday. But obviously had 2 days off beforehand, but not by any specific plan, could've done the long run on Saturday as well.
However, as I've never done a 20mi week, I'll have to see how the weeks pan out, but I really want to introduce more cycling and some other exercises as well.
Thanks Mikasa
Yes, I do some cycling several times a week, but it is usually with my 3yr old on the back! It's town cycling but if i add up on the short trips it can be as much as 8 miles a day. Tend to find running rather difficult after that.
Okay, tomorrow is the start of a new week so shall see how it goes!
Chilibean
Chilibean - I tend to have a rest day after my long run but some people do a slow "recovery run" Its what works for you best I think. If I'm a bit stiff I find that a swim is the best way to loosen up a bit. I try and go out for a run either by running home from work, or I have my kit ready to put on the minute I get home from work. If I stop and settle down to something I find it hard to get out of the door. Its surprising how little time it really takes. In fact I've been know to spend more time deliberating if I've got time for a run than it takes to actually takes to just do it so. I'm not really a beginner as I've been running for 5 years, but I'm so consistently slow and getting slower.
Good start to the week mikasa. Just a swim for me today and the usual bike ride to work/pool.
Running after the bike is hard by the way and if you are fairly new to running it might be worth not doing them back to back - unless of course you are planning a tri.
Hmmm, no one else seems to be taking to this thread...hopefully I've not put anyone off.
Well,last week, after the plod on Wednesday, felt much better on Thursday so went out and did 4.6mi with strides in 48min. Felt quite fresh afterwards. It did feel a lot longer than it should've, more like a 6miler....Then did my 6mi +strides on Saturday.
Two matches on Sunday and still feeling bit tight but off for a run after work today.
Hi Mikasa - I'm still here.
Well done on keeping the schedule going. Are you doing intervals or tempo sessions as well as strides? I'm keeping up the invervals once a week and its hard going. Missed my long slow run at the weekend though and next weekend is taken up with other things too. But just managed to sneak in a lovely slow 7 miles which was an absolute joy.
Keep it going people.
Hi Soup Dragon!
I'm just doing the easy runs with strides twice a week as I've never run this regularly or this kind of distance. It's feeling pretty easy though and at some point would like to start extending the 'long' run and then after the 4 week initial period, I'm hoping Moraghan will come back on here and tell me what kind of quality work I should introduce. I'm on my 3rd week this week. At times I'd like to run faster but know all this easy mileage is the building block to better times etc. And I do enjoy it.
What kind of pace are you doing your easy/long runs at?
None yet I would imagine knowing Moraghan
Well done on your 20 mile week *waves from erunning*
mikasa - my long slow runs are about 12.30 to 13.,00min/miles. So very slow. I can now manage 1 mile at 10min mile pace but my heart rate is about 85 to 90% and I'm gasping at the end. I've spent a long time building up the slow endurance work and can keep going at a slow pace for ages now without needing gels or jelly babies but I'm just so SLOW! The mistake I made previously was to do all my runs at a pace as fast as I could hold for the distance and I got faster up to 10 miles (1hr 48min pb) but never progressed from there and just kept getting injured. So went back to basics after 6 months off but struggling to get any sort of speed back. Patience I think is called for.
waves to Curly
*waves right back*
I've done two 20mi weeks now and starting 3rd one tonight. Was just working from the start of the thread.
1) Get to your goal mileage through easy running and strides alone. Done
2) Hold for 4 weeks. Working towards.
3) Drop mileage very slightly and introduce 1 quality session a week for 4 weeks.
4) Increase mileage with 1 quality session a week for 4 weeks.
5) Repeat until you have your mileage and quality sessions in synch and at your target and have done so for 4 weeks with no problems.
What do you think Curly? Is this base work I'm doing now and if so, should I keep at it longer? I'd quite like the idea of doing the bare minimum for 10k training, 28miles a week, though I'm not sure I can/want to run on 5 days a week, tho atm I don't really have that much on. All opinions welcome especially from more (that would be nearly everyone) experienced runners. Thanks!
That's actually another thing I'd especially wanted to ask of Curly. You are obviously a lot faster than I and SD, but you still do very slow recovery/easy runs? Why is this? It must feel like real snails pace to you.
I'll leave Mr M to answer that since its his thread! But I guess the quality session will vary depending on your focus (which you've said is 10k)...something like mile reps at 10k pace is usually used for that distance, but it may be that a fartlek style session is more suited to you since you are building up...
Bascially there's no need for the easy runs to be any faster - they build the necessary framework for speed at that pace and any faster is stressful to the body, increasing the injury risk.
I tend to think of my easy runs as MP + 25%...but actually I just go out and then look at the pace afterwards. I enjoy it tbh - its not for everyone though as it takes so long and a lot of people do MP + 30seconds for easy runs (which I find too tiring)!
Thanks for the answer.I think my 'focus' is 5k, wanting that PB of 26:22 below 25:00. But I'd quite like to 'have the mileage' to do occasional 10k as well. And just maybe, if I manage to carry on with this running, start thinking about half marathon...It's bit hard just having done the 5k and only have time for that. I'm actually itching to try how fast I could do 10k as the first time, and only time to do the full distance (as 6mi is not quite there) I just took it easy and time was 1:02:00.
My runs are pretty much done at the same pace now. 4.6mi takes me 48min, 5mi 52mins and 6mi 63mins. Ok so m/m differs from 10:10 to 10:27 but the same distances always take me the same time now. I must of gotten used to pacing myself now though sometimes I think I've gone faster just to come back home exactly at the same time. Ok, so I don't have a watch with me, because I've lost my running watch, so I check the time just before I go out of the door, and first thing I get back, so there probably is some variations. Funnily enough it looks like the further I go, slightly faster I go, weird!