50% Wasted

Bleh!!  No set up here.  Let’s get right to it.  Tuesday night team workout at the track.  6×400 @ 3k pace w/ 200m recovery.  6×200 @ mile pace 2/ 100m recovery.  Ran with C group … group was too big so we splintered into two groups.

Distance	Time	Pace
400	1:25:00	5:40:00
400	1:24:00	5:36:00
400	1:23:00	5:32:00
400	1:23:00	5:32:00
400	1:22:00	5:28:00
400	NA	NA
200	0:36:00	4:48:00
200	0:36:00	4:48:00
200	0:34:00	4:32:00
200	0:33:00	4:24:00
200	0:33:00	4:24:00
200	0:31:00	4:08:00

400s sucked.  200s were ok.

First, my views on the 400s.  Why did they suck?  I got ZERO turnover.  I tried to force myself to get more on the forefoot to hear that “tap, tap, tap”, but to no avail.  When I saw the 85 after the first one I wasn’t even shocked.  It felt too easy … as in relaxed.  What happened?  For some reason the C group was massive last night.  I didn’t recognize 60% of them.  It splintered into C+ and C (my terms).  I sidled up to the folks I normal do in the C (towards the back, obviously) as we usually hang in the 79-81 range.  Not last night.  It was slow moving … a slugfest.  I had the sense that everyone was in conservation mode on the quarters in anticipation for the 200s.  Still, 85s??? As for weather being an excuse?  Nope.  Comparatively, it was cool outside (low 80s, moderate humidity).  I overhead lots of chatter that it was “deceptively hot”.  I take that to mean the conditions, while not oppressive, required more effort than any of us anticipated.  Still not convinced that the 400s sucked.  Read on …

As for the 200s, the initial 36 felt EASY.  I instantly hopped on the forefoot and literally glided around the track.  A teammate commented that my form was incredible.  I started inching up in the group finishing in the top half of C.  By the 3^rd interval, I was rolling.    For the final interval, that 31 was the easiest interval of all and finished in front.  Now, the 400s sucked because if I were able to cruise to a 31 (after 10 previous intervals) I should have been in the mid 70s on the quarters.  On the other hand, if I run the 200s at 41-43, then I could not complain about anything.  It would have been a slow night.  Instead, I wasted 50% of the workout.  I’m doubly pissed because we don’t do many 200s … the CPTC track crew focuses on the really short stuff … so I have no idea if we will ever see that workout again for the rest of the year.  Dammit.

No whining without a potential solution.  I need to do more strides before the workout.  We always do 3×200 to set us up for the full workout.  I probably need to double that (at least) to really blow out the cobwebs.  The 3 mile jog from the jobby to the track gets a good sweat going, but obviously I’m not “track loose”.  I spoke to a teammate who is 59 years old (and runs with the B group – not a typo).  He said it takes him 45 minutes to feel loose.  Gah!!!

I followed last night’s session with a crappy night of sleep and a short recovery run this morning.  I slogged for 4.3 miles.  Ugh.  Not down about any of this … just annoyed.  I’ll get over it.

BTW – Ian was kind enough to do a Q&A with me.  His post is up now at Me, But Fitter.  Thanks Ian.

Race Report: YAI Central Park Challenge 5k

Before getting on with the race report, I want to first thank Ian at Me, But Fitter for his terrific guest post.  A very nice discussion followed and hopefully you all found it as valuable as I did.  I’ll definitely do the guest blog thing again.  Great stuff.

Welcome to mid-August in New York City!  Yup.  Weather conditions this weekend … mid ‘80s with humidity at 80% at 9am each day.  Horrible, heinous stuff.  On the flip side, even though I would like a gradual re-indoctrination to the pain of August running, there is something said for acclimating the body and mind earlier to what will come.  All week we’ve been expecting (hoping) for thunderstorms to cool this mess off.  Literally, every single day (all day) the forecast calls for severe rain.  No dice.

When I walked out of my apartment for the jog over to CP on Saturday morning, I knew a PR was very unlikely, if not impossible.  Too damn hot and heavy.  Those are the breaks.  The race itself is a fundraiser for YAI Network, which assists children with disabilities.  Needless to say it was a terrific cause and the race was top-notch all around … publicized and administered very well.  We had some celebrity firepower at the start … Tina Fey (major), Sherri Shepherd (not so much) and others.   [A teammate who finished 4^th received a neck message from Ms. Fey.]  The course was a double loop of lower CP … very challenging with undulating hills every 800m.  So the combo of the weather and course eliminated the hope for a quick time.  Still, I just wanted to run well.  In fact, as I was drowning in my own sweat during the warm up (2 miles), I decided that I would use the race as a tempo (3.1 miles) and tack on a longer run as a cool down.  Since we are in that tough part of the running season (weather), I’m looking at races less as events themselves and learning to train thru them.  If I pop off a good race, then that’s great, but I don’t intend to modify my mileage or training plan for 5ks, 4 & 5 milers anymore.  Mileage matters now.

I tried to take the suggestion of Eat, Drink, Run and not look at my watch during the race.  I did okay thru the first mile and only looked once (6:38).  I went out easy or so I thought, but the heat and course took a real toll.  My overall pace after 2 miles was 6:42, which was on target for good race.  But as you could imagine, mile 3 was a beast.  The wheels started shaking and coming off at around 2.5.  At this point, I just wanted it over and to not pass out on the course so I slowed down … a lot.  I managed to stumble and bumble to the finish line in 21:55 (7:03).  Not horrendous … 31 seconds off a PR.

Since this was a “tune up / experience” race (like all races until November), I always try to find the lessons learned.  If I want to be highly critical, I could say I went out too quickly again.  However, I don’t think that’s necessarily the case.  My 4-mile race pace is 6:47, so a 6:38 start is right on the money for a 5k.  The lesson learned here is simple:  All the preparation in the world cannot compensate for brutal weather … unless you are See Jess Run and regularly run in this crap in Houston.

Essential Reading for Runners by Me, But Fitter

[Ed. - The following post is brought to you courtesy of Me, But Fitter]

I’ve been a runner, with a few injury breaks, for about 22 years now. This year I’ve also started to get more involved in the ‘dark art’ of triathlon, but I’ve always been faithful to my running roots and am certain the sport will be something that I will always be happy that I have in my life. Over this period of time I have collected lots of useful information about many aspects of the sport, but significantly the majority of it has come from only a few specific sources. In this spot that Elgin has been very kind to let me fill, I’ll be passing these key titles on. Most of these things I have found out for myself, or been lucky enough to read about or be told about by friends, but if you pick up any of these and find them as useful as I have over the years, you’ll be a better runner for it and hopefully get that little extra from the sport and see an increase in your performance that I know I have. It would also be great if you could add your own favourite source of information in the comments below so that everyone here can give something new a try…

Runners World (magazine monthly, online, and forums) Anyone who starts to run and does not come to use the solid and dependable information resource that is RW is truly missing out. Your first year in the sport should be full of it, and all the basics you need to know about training, kit, nutrition, racing, recovery, stretching, and much, much more will be there for you. After a year or so the information starts to become a little repetitive as is the way with this type of resource, but I find I dip in and out of its pages and the online resources every now and again for a new insight or method, or a product review, for example. Pass it by at your peril.

Lore of Running – Tim Noakes MD In my opinion this is the runner’s bible. Every aspect of racing and training is looked at in fabulous detail for the geeks among us, and Noakes’s own insights from his training days and experiences add to the value that this book brings. It’s a big one, but the type of book you can revisit again and again and find something that will set you on a new path or make you look at your running in a new light. The three main sections – Physiology, Training, and Health and Medical Considerations – tell you all you need to get to know your body better, to train efficiently and effectively, and to make the best of your training and racing. There are few books that I would call a ‘must have’ for a runner, but this is definitely one of them.

The Mental Game Plan: Getting Psyched For Sport  – Stephen J. Bull Your brain needs as much exercise as your body and yet we do nothing, or very little at least in most cases, about training it. This book steps up and does a fantastic job of building a set of skills to get the most out of the physical effort we all put in, and ensures that our race day performance has every chance of being the best it can be and specific training aims are met in as many sessions as is possible. Very basic principles are discussed but the application of these is hugely powerful, and made a massive difference to the way I approached my training, and also in many ways my entire life. Making the difference is all in the application and with any book such as this there is a lot of work to be done as you go along with the reading but the payoff is indeed well worth the effort.

It’s Not About The Bike: My Journey Back To Life – Lance Armstrong I read this book at a time when my own confidence was sky high and I felt pretty damn invincible when it came to sport. It’s not a book about running but the basic principles can be applied to anyone with a competitive muscle in their body so I feel I can put it in this list. This book rocked me, shocked me, and made me see how humility and understanding of those in a worse place than ourselves, and with less opportunities than ourselves, can help us to grow and become simply better human beings. Everyone by now knows the story of Lance but the details as described in this book of his own fight against an extremely aggressive form of cancer followed by his achievements in one of the toughest sports there is – competitive road cycling – makes for a brilliant story. He has his doubters and detractors and it is clear why based upon the issues that cycling faces as a sport with regard to drugs, but his recovery from his illness and his battle back to the top of his sport is extremely inspiring when viewed as the battle of one human against very short odds. Try it out and see what feelings you have after reading it.
–
Ian Mountford

mountford.ian@gmail.com
http://mebutfitter.com
@imofo
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ianmountford
+44 (0)7961 628472

Calling All Running Bloggers, Readers …

I’m sure at some point you all get bored with my rants … I know I do.  To remedy the situation, I want to invite folks to be guest bloggers on amarathoner.com.  Really, I’ve been considering it for some time.  I figured now is a good time to give it a shot.   Only a couple rules:

1.  Keep it clean.  Who knows after my kiddos finish all 48 installments of Harry Potter, they may one day stumble upon my musings.  I don’t have a legitimate answer to the question, “Daddy, why do adults curse?”  Kids ask tough questions.

2.  Keep it to running, nutrition, training or something endurance-related.  I read a bunch of blogs … far more than is probably healthy, so I’m looking forward to learning what makes others tick.  The manner of post is up to you.  I’m open to answering questions (not sure there isn’t much you don’t know about me) or literally uploading whatever you send me.  Up to you.

That’s basically the house rules.  I can publish you name or keep it anonymous.  I know a number of you who are regular readers and are considering a blog.  Hopefully this forum will launch you on your way.  I have no opinion on length of the post.  You write until your heart is content and I will just take care of the admin, etc.

Logistically, just leave a comment below to let me know you are interested.  No need to include your email in the post.  I see it once you register.  I respect privacy … especially on the Interwebs.  We’ll see how this goes.  Depending on the reaction, we can make this a regular happening.   Assuming there is more than one of you actually interested in this experiment (big assumption), I’ll toss names in a hat a select the “winner”.  Otherwise, if folks have a better method, I’m open to it.

Oh yeah, a picture from the Healthy Kidney 10k.

Courtesy of Sue Pearsall (CPTC)

Last thing … today’s run.  Very nondescript.  An easy 7.26 mile recovery run @ 8:28.