We're all out there chasing our better selves (FredtheDuck chases on)

[FredtheDuck]

Do you happen to have the actual splits from the 400m at CV? Those would be much more useful in evaluating how the run went than the overall mile averages.

Irritatingly, I don't - that's a major flaw in RunKeeper - no "lap" function that I can find. Every single one was sub-10, though. The first was sub-9. I walked the 45 second resting intervals (and not super quickly). I'm debating migrating over to Strava, but I need to figure out a faster way to import my running history before I do.

Do you want to race the 5k or just complete it? That would dictate the changes we'd make to the schedule. We're so far away from "A" race day that I'd have no issue with this being a real race if you'd like.

Well... I did have two 2017 5k goals: Sub-11:00/mi and sub 10:30/mi. I was only a few second off sub-11 last time, so I'd love to take another crack at it!

That Goofy and kiddo picture is amazing!

Thank you! It's my favorite recent picture of her - she was just so excited. Highlight of the trip.

I think I've figured out a bunch of good ways to get distance nearby me in the neighborhood but it took some practice at mapping it in my head first

Yeah, I probably need to think about this more. My aim in going to the high school was to find a flatter surface to run the CV intervals than my hilly neighborhood, but I'm not sure this particular route was the right solution.

For your 5k...Race it!

I want to! Looks like Coach @DopeyBadger is ok with it, so yay!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Irritatingly, I don't - that's a major flaw in RunKeeper - no "lap" function that I can find. Every single one was sub-10, though. The first was sub-9.

Can you look at a visual on Runkeeper and estimate the duration of the interval based on the peak and valley of the interval? That would get us close to a good estimate.

I'm debating migrating over to Strava, but I need to figure out a faster way to import my running history before I do.

https://tapiriik.com

That'll import from Runkeeper to Strava I believe. That's how I initially did Garmin to Strava.

Well... I did have two 2017 5k goals: Sub-11:00/mi and sub 10:30/mi. I was only a few second off sub-11 last time, so I'd love to take another crack at it!

Sounds good. Then let's plan on racing it. If possible,
-move Wednesday's CV workout (4x800) to Monday instead.
-Wednesday is now EB.
-Run Friday as 4 miles EA.
-Do a 1 mile WU with strides (just make sure 6 min of running before first stride) prior to the 5k (if weather conditions have a Temp+Dew of less than 130). If T+D over 130, then no warm-up mileage just whatever stretching routine is normal for you.
-Monday (6/26) is 4 miles EA.

Continue as normal.

How does that sound?

 

[FredtheDuck]

@DopeyBadger I'm attaching the snap from today. Looks like it was just my instantaneous paces under 10 and that my sustained paces were better (slower), so that's good.

Plan for the race sounds good, thanks!

 

[Dopeyintraining]

In the meantime, I leave you with the best picture eve

That face, she's so cute

 

[FredtheDuck]

That face, she's so cute

I knowwww, that picture makes me so happy whenever I see it : ) and thank you!

 

[FredtheDuck]

Uneventful run this morning. Was supposed to be at EA, but I couldn't get in to a groove at all at that speed. And, candidly, was fighting a battle with my GI tract and was determined to get the miles in before I had to detour home. So, I went a little faster than, but I took care to make sure I wasn't getting winded or overexerting, especially on hills. Weather was glorious - one truly nice perk of early AM running.

Only other thing to note is that it takes a solid mile for these Kinvara 7s to "warm up" in terms of cushioning and responsiveness. I think it'll get better as the wear in, but for now I'm keeping them for easy runs.

Stats: 3 mi, 39:18 (13:05/mi)

 

[FredtheDuck]

Forgot to update after Saturday's run - we had friends in town from Ohio and it was a pretty busy weekend.

As much as I would have liked to get some extra sleep on Saturday, I knew I was going to need to beat the heat in order to have a good run, and I wanted to try to get to the grocery store really early so that I didn't have to bug out of whatever our friends wanted to do while they were here.

As always, it took a bit of time to settle in to the run. I spent a lot of winter and spring running in the 2 mile range, but am starting to really prefer longer distances (not that 3-5 miles is long for many people on this board) because I feel like I have more time to lock in and run well. I hope that bodes well for the half. Unfortunately, I'm still blowing it with pacing. Saturday's run was supposed to be at my LR pace, which is 13:32. I finished with an average pace of 11:08. I think I get out the gate at a certain pace (whatever my body is up to) and hover there. My brain will tell my body I'm way ahead of my scheduled pace and I'll slow down a tick and feel like I'm going so much more slowly, then check pace and see that I slowed down 20 sec/mi when it needed to be 2 min/mile more slowly. And because I might have been huffing when I noticed I was running too fast, even 20 sec/mi slowdown lets me catch my breath, so it feels like the easy zone I'm supposed to be in, but is definitely not. I keep saying that I'll get there with this pacing, but I'm a little frustrated with myself about it.

Stats: 3.03 mi, 33:45 (11:08/mi)

 

[DopeyBadger]

As always, it took a bit of time to settle in to the run. I spent a lot of winter and spring running in the 2 mile range, but am starting to really prefer longer distances (not that 3-5 miles is long for many people on this board) because I feel like I have more time to lock in and run well. I hope that bodes well for the half. Unfortunately, I'm still blowing it with pacing. Saturday's run was supposed to be at my LR pace, which is 13:32. I finished with an average pace of 11:08. I think I get out the gate at a certain pace (whatever my body is up to) and hover there. My brain will tell my body I'm way ahead of my scheduled pace and I'll slow down a tick and feel like I'm going so much more slowly, then check pace and see that I slowed down 20 sec/mi when it needed to be 2 min/mile more slowly. And because I might have been huffing when I noticed I was running too fast, even 20 sec/mi slowdown lets me catch my breath, so it feels like the easy zone I'm supposed to be in, but is definitely not. I keep saying that I'll get there with this pacing, but I'm a little frustrated with myself about it.

Stats: 3.03 mi, 33:45 (11:08/mi)

How close would you put this to a 5k race effort? I know you're racing this coming week, but we've got your 5k race pace at 34:26 (11:06 min/mile). Which means this training run was right on the cusp of that. Something tells me that if this didn't feel like a 5k race effort, that the pacing just might be too slow for you (i.e. we misjudged your current fitness level). I guess we'll see after the 5k this week whether we need to adjust the pacing. Because being off by 2 minutes per mile is a huge gap. But you'll have to prove justifying the move in pace, based on the upcoming 5k.

 

[FredtheDuck]

How close would you put this to a 5k race effort?

Good question. I certainly didn't feel like I went all out and did feel at the end like I could have continued running for another mile and been fine. I also made it a point to keep checking time and trying to slow down, but clearly missed the mark. Could I have done that entire run faster? Yeah. Definitely. I probably would have felt it in the recovery a little more though.

It has crossed my mind that my paces might be a little off because I was very deliberate about taking my 10k more slowly than a typical run since it was my first time ever running that distance and I was worried about a DNF. But the Takoma Park 5k, while not a full on race, was one that I did feel like I was working at. But my results were so frustrating for that race because I knew I hadn't run my hardest or best and I missed my goal by seconds. I also think there might be an element of consistency at play here. I'd been running less often and for lower distances before starting your plan. I'm wondering if form is getting a little better, muscle memory is improving, and, most importantly (and subconsciously), confidence is improving (meaning, I now know I can run these shorter distances, even with multiple days of running in a row, so I don't constantly worry about leaving enough in the tank).

Like you, I'll be interested to see how the race on the 24th (so not this weekend, but next weekend) goes because it'll be the first time I make a point to push myself a little during a race.

So this week, I'll stick to the plan as written and then next week, I'll make the adjustments to days and strategy that you gave me ahead of the race on the 24th, yes?

 

[roxymama]

"confidence is improving"

If you combine your training with the above sentence...well there's just no telling how far you'll go! The power of positive thinking right?

Good luck this weekend coming up!

 

[FredtheDuck]

The power of positive thinking right?

One can hope! I'm still slightly terrified that I won't be able to keep up with the pacing requirements for the half in September, but I'm doing all I can to give myself the best shot (and am thankful for the encouragement, advice, and coaching!).

And thanks for the well-wishes for the race on the 24th. I think it'll be a lot of fun, and we've got good friends running it, too.

 

[DopeyBadger]

So this week, I'll stick to the plan as written and then next week, I'll make the adjustments to days and strategy that you gave me ahead of the race on the 24th, yes?

Sounds like a plan!

 

[roxymama]

One can hope! I'm still slightly terrified that I won't be able to keep up with the pacing requirements for the half in September, but I'm doing all I can to give myself the best shot (and am thankful for the encouragement, advice, and coaching!).

And thanks for the well-wishes for the race on the 24th. I think it'll be a lot of fun, and we've got good friends running it, too.

You basically said what I was going to say.

Don't worry about the half right now...it's not here yet. When it's time to run your 5k, pretend like your half marathon doesn't even exist....just focus on best 5k effort. Easier said than done...but that's my best piece of advise. Which people drilled into me several times over leading up to my half

 

[DopeyBadger]

Which people drilled into me several times over leading up to my half

 

[FredtheDuck]

Don't worry about the half right now...it's not here yet. When it's time to run your 5k, pretend like your half marathon doesn't even exist....just focus on best 5k effort.

I like this advice! I think it'll be fun to put a lot of effort in to a distance I'm now confident I can do. @MoanasPapa said to me the other day, "If I had told you when you had started running that someday 3 miles was going to be your easy, typical running distance, you'd have thought I was insane." He's not wrong.

 

[DopeyBadger]

@MoanasPapa said to me the other day, "If I had told you when you had started running that someday 3 miles was going to be your easy, typical running distance, you'd have thought I was insane." He's not wrong.

It's so true isn't it!

When I started 5 years ago, my "easy" (because I always PR'd the day) days were 3 miles (somewhere around an 11-12 min/mile) . I felt like I was getting a workout at 5 or so miles. Now, my easy days are 7 miles (at 8.5 min/mile which is truly easy). I don't feel like I'm getting a workout until I hit the 10-12 mile range on weekdays and 15+ on weekends. It's crazy how that works!

 

[FredtheDuck]

4 miler today. Got out of the neighborhood and ran down to the creek trail near(ish) to my house. I only got to spend about a mile and a half on it, but it was a lovely mile and a half. Weather is getting gross already. T+D was 136 at 5:30 AM.

I overran this run, and I knew it. It was just like my Saturday long run - started too fast, slowed down, but didn't slow down enough. I thought a lot about what was going wrong on these runs, and I think what I need to do is really, really focus on pace during the first third to half of a mile. I think that's about how long it takes my body to get going and find a rhythm, but my paces are all going to be relative to whatever that rhythm is that day. I find a tempo that feels good and I kind of hover around it. So if I start WAY too fast, in the 10:xx range, then I tell myself to slow down to the point where the run feels easier and I can breathe easily. But because I started so much faster, my "slow down" pace might only be 30 or 40 seconds slower, which is still way faster than I'm supposed to run for most of my scheduled paces. BUT, if I can force myself to start the run closer to my scheduled paces (say, in the 12-13:xx pace), any adjustments are going to be relative to that rhythm and closer to where I'm supposed to be. So that's my strategy for my next run, and I'm going to turn the verbal pace indicators back on in RunKeeper (and maybe increase the frequency that stats are announced) to help me do a better job out the gate in terms of proper pacing.

All of that said, this run felt good. At about mile 3.5, I wondered if I could do five. I concluded that if I wanted to, I could have probably done a full 10k. When I got home, I realized that that made sense - the pace that I ran was closer to the pace I ran my last 10k race at. That race had far fewer hills than today's run, though I ran the 10k at an "easier" pace to ensure I didn't peter out. I'm looking at my stats now, and it looks like I did a good job modifying pace on the uphills and downhills to keep a fairly consistent effort level going - so that's a good thing.

Stats: 4.13 mi, 48:16 (11:41/mi) (-139 sec/mi from scheduled EB pace)

 

[FredtheDuck]

Today was a CV workout. I got up early, ran to the local HS, did my CVs there, and then ran back. Some guy who was lost completely stopped traffic on a busy street and flagged me down to ask me if I knew how to get to North Carolina. No sir, not off the top of my head.

@MoanasPapa decided he was going to do an early AM run, too. Unfortunately, our pacing is different and I needed to get out the door faster than he was able to, so we didn't really run together, though we passed eachother on the track once in a while. I'm still proud of him for getting up early to get it done - he's not a morning person. He said he hated it getting out the door but felt good about it when he was done. So we'll see if he keeps that up.

My pacing was still way off. @DopeyBadger, I'm pasting the charts so you can see how the CVs went. Tomorrow is supposed to be an easy day and I'll be glad for that - those intervals were tiring!

Stats: 4.44 mi, 52:35 (11:51/mi)

 

[FredtheDuck]

@DopeyBadger can I just confirm that my understanding of the schedule changes for next week (to accommodate the 5k on the 24th) is correct? I'm adding next week's runs to my calendar.

ORIGINAL PLAN:
M (6/19) - Off
T - 4.5 @ EB + Strides
W - Off
Th - 1.5 @ WU, 3x800 @ CV w/ :90 RI, 1 @ CD
F - 4 @ EA
Sa - 4 @ EA BLIND
Su - Off
M (6/26) - Off

NEW:
M (6/19) - 1.5 @ WU, 3x800 @ CV w/ :90 RI, 1 @CD
T - Off (?)
W - 4.5 @ EB + Strides
Th - Off (?)
F - 4 @ EA
Sa - 5k race (+1 mi @ WU + strides before if T+D<130)
Su - Off (?)
M (6/26) - 4 @ EA

And then the runs that are already scheduled for T, Th, F, and S the week following the race (so 5 runs instead of my normal 4 because of the addition of the 4 @ EA on Monday)?

 

[DopeyBadger]

My pacing was still way off. @DopeyBadger, I'm pasting the charts so you can see how the CVs went. Tomorrow is supposed to be an easy day and I'll be glad for that - those intervals were tiring!

Looks like you're still struggling with going slow enough for the WU/CD. This upcoming 5k race will be an interesting barometer. Any chance you can pull this data up on the computer so you can see when the start and stop of these intervals were in time (like how close were they to 4:14 in duration)? Hard to get a great read from these snapshots.

@DopeyBadger can I just confirm that my understanding of the schedule changes for next week (to accommodate the 5k on the 24th) is correct? I'm adding next week's runs to my calendar.

ORIGINAL PLAN:
M (6/19) - Off
T - 4.5 @ EB + Strides
W - Off
Th - 1.5 @ WU, 3x800 @ CV w/ :90 RI, 1 @ CD
F - 4 @ EA
Sa - 4 @ EA BLIND
Su - Off
M (6/26) - Off

NEW:
M (6/19) - 1.5 @ WU, 3x800 @ CV w/ :90 RI, 1 @CD
T - Off (?)
W - 4.5 @ EB + Strides
Th - Off (?)
F - 4 @ EA
Sa - 5k race (+1 mi @ WU + strides before if T+D<130)
Su - Off (?)
M (6/26) - 4 @ EA

And then the runs that are already scheduled for T, Th, F, and S the week following the race (so 5 runs instead of my normal 4 because of the addition of the 4 @ EA on Monday)?

I like the new plan except I would move the 6/26 (Mon) to 6/27 (Tues) and replace the EB run. So instead of 4 @ EB on 6/27, do 4 @ EA. Thus, no run on 6/26. Otherwise, I think it looks good to me.