Major Abort

Just a quick note on my post from this morning in reference to my run on words: while on vacation I read a biography of Cicero (which was very good, BTW) and in there I learned that "books" from that period (first century BC) were written on long scrolls with no punctuation, no capital letters, no paragraphs or spacing. I can't imagine reading a sentence, let alone a whole book, in that format!

Anyway, to the task at hand...

The plan called for speed work today, and so off to the track I went with two things in mind. Number 1: I've been reading about the importance of step-back weeks in marathon training and that these are supposed to occur after every 4 weeks or so of hard training. This would make this a bit late for me, but looking at my training I've been adding mileage in a up a little, down a little, repeat type approach. Therefore, I've decided to step back not so much on the mileage, but rather on the intensity (at least for the intervals, or so I thought). And that leads me to point Number 2: I've also read something on the Runner's World Forum (in the 3:15 BQ thread since I, too, can dream) that interval pacing, no matter what distance, should be consistent.

Does everyone agree with this? What I take from this is if I am running mile repeats at 4:00/km pace (my theoretical VO2 Max pace based on a 45 minute 10k result), then my 400m repeats should also be at this pace, as well as 800s, 1000s, 1200s, etc... I've done 400m repeats at a faster rate before, so I figured to do them again at this slightly slower pace (roughly 1:37 per repeat) should actually feel rather easy. After all, last week's speed workout saw me run three one-mile repeats at this pace. Getting rest after every quarter-mile should help to make everything go smoothly, I reasoned.

I decided to run 12X400m repeats with about a minute of recovery between each. Rather than stand and wait out the rest (like I did in the heat and humidity about a month ago), I decided to jog slowly 200m between each rep.

Here is how I fared in the overcast and nicely temperatured climes of my local high school track:

1. 1:34.74 (3:53/km)
2. 1:34.45 (3:55/km)
3. ...
4. ...
5. ...
6. ...
7. ...
8. ...
9. ...
10. ...
11. ...
12. ...

As you can see, this was a good workout, but 10 REPEATS TOO SHORT! Just when I was beginning to think that marathon training, though tough, is a reasonable endeavor for someone missing a ligament in the old ankle to attempt, something completely out of the blue stops me in my tracks. Towards the end of the second lap I felt a twinge in the right calf similar to what I experienced at the beginning of March whilst completing my first ever 24km training run. The only way to describe it is to say that it felt like a major cramp had come and gone and all that was left was the lingering after effects. I stopped and stretched for a bit, then got up and tried jogging, but to no avail. I ended up walking home very much disappointed in this turn of events.

I have no idea why this happened. If this was the result of this past weekend's race then one would think that my Monday recovery run would leave me hobbled. If my near crash after Friday's run (where I really felt spent and I'm sure my muscles were completely out of energy stores) is the culprit then why didn't my calf tighten up during the race? Let's just say I am almost as upset with the fact that I don't know what caused this and, therefore, am powerless to prevent it as I am with the calf issue itself.

In the end I ran a total of 3.1km (2k warm up, 2 intervals at 400m with 200m easy jog in between, and a feeble attempt at more jogging for another 100m or so) in 16:35 for an average pace of 5:22/km. 'Nuff said.

Garmin don't lie.

Surprising Oneself

Sometimes you go into a run not expecting much and spend the hours leading up to the supposed ordeal coming up with alternative plans and justifications for why you might not run the way you were hoping you could. This was one of those times for me, and yet it turned out OK. In fact, it turned out a bit better than OK.

I skipped Mondays regular 5km recovery run because my knees were a bit sore from the Sunday long run and so I'd been itching to run again for a couple of days. That being said, I felt tight, I have not been sleeping well (thanks for nothing Home Run Derby, or should I say Commercial Derby!), and I've been feeling a bit under the weather on top of it all. So as today's interval workout neared I wondered just what I would have to contend with and was resigned to "just get through" and get back to resting and icing.

After looking at the various printouts of marathon training plans on which I loosely base my training I settled on what looked like a decent workout that I thought would be difficult to achieve, but somehow was easy on the brain and achievable for the body. This was to run 3 1-mile repeats with 800m recovery jogs in between. The goal pace was 4:15/km, or roughly 6:51/mile. Given my last two interval workouts I thought that this would be really difficult, but potentially doable. After all I had run 5x800m last week at an average pace of 4:00/km, and the week before that I ran 4x1000m with 1000m meter recovery jogs at an average pace of 4:08/km or so. Moving up in distance (total of 4.8km versus 4.0km) as well as longer interval distances I thought that slowing down to 4:15/km pace was reasonable. That being said, I was feeling a bit worn out and somewhat wonky in the knees. My quads felt tight, glutes ditto, calves yup yup yup. "This is going to hurt," I thought to myself as I left the house once getting back from work.

But then the surprise part started. The easy warm up jog over to the track felt pretty good, though not exactly speedy, and by the time I got to the track I was more optimistic than when I left. I dropped my water bottle on the grass and started into my first interval. The sky was overcast and threatening a bit of rain. A girls soccer game was going on and lots of people and dogs were milling about, but they seemed respectful of the three or four runners who were out there with me and stayed clear. After the first 400m I checked the trusty old Garmin and saw that my pace was hovering a little below 4:00/km pace, much faster than I thought I was going. I said, "Oh Oh!" and wondered how the rest of the mile would go, let alone the other two that I still had in front of me.

The impending doom never happened. I completed the first mile repeat pretty gassed, but not as much as one would expect. I slowly jogged the 800m recovery, dropped the water bottle again, and set off with a mind to running the next mile in the same time. After the second one I was really gassed. That last 400m was really tough. I had to walk the first bit of the 800m recovery jog and told myself that I only had one more interval to go. I knew it would hurt, but at least then I'd be done. Rain had started falling by this time, but it wasn't heavy enough to matter. In fact I'd wished for it to just open up and cool me off, but to no avail. As I started into the last interval I knew it would be a battle to the end, but was determined to get'er done. Here are the surprising results:

1. 6:19 (3:57/km)
2. 6:22 (3:58/km)
3. 6:20 (for some reason this shows up as 3:56/km on the Garmin data)

Not bad. (Though thinking back to my 5k race back in May that 4:15/km pace is only one second faster than race pace, so perhaps I was just a little too pessimistic in my predictions.) The entire 10km took me 52:54 for an average pace of 5:17/km (8:31/mile). Next up is a long easy run on Friday and then the Toronto 10 Miler race on Sunday morning. Wouldn't it be nice for another surprise to happen then?

Garmin don't lie.

Back Road Intervals

Went out for another run along the country roads of the County, this time attempting some interval type training. I decided to run up and down the gravel road that leads to the cottage we are borrowing since that would mean no dog encounters (or so I figured).

I ran 2k to warm up and then started into my planned 800m intervals with 500m easy jogging in between. I wanted to do five sets and then have another 2k of cool down at the end to complete the intended 10k run. My goal was to run the 800s at 4:00/km pace, so 3:15-ish for each rep or so. The hills along the road, as well as the loose gravel under foot, made this even more challenging. Also, the two ladies that came and stopped on the side of the road with their two big dogs meant that I had to go out onto the main road for the last two reps (no leashes, so no Vava). The stats went like this:

1. 3:20 (4:10/km)
2. 3:09 (3:55/km)
3. 3:15 (4:02/km)
4. 3:11 (3:57/km)
5. 3:09 (3:55/km)

Other than the first split I think it went as planned. I was a bit tight and relatively tired when heading out before breakfast, still yawning occasionally during the warm up. That, and the hills I encountered along the gravelly road, perhaps explains the miss on that first 800m.

Next up is another tempo run on Friday. These I find the toughest to get up for, mentally speaking.

Garmin don't lie.

Happy Canada Day!

A short post for Canada Day since I managed to get a run in this morning, and the rest of the day will likely be fairly busy what with the little ones all jazzed about our country's Birthday and all.

I couldn't find the tape I use to support my knee as I rummaged through my stuff this morning and was a bit hesitant to go running at all without it. However, with stores being closed today, I didn't want to let this little oversight keep me from my run. I figured I could just go for an easy run and forget doing any speed work if my knee was feeling off. I did skip Monday's easy recovery run partly because we were travelling that day, and partly because I thought that my knee could use the rest after a milestone week as far as mileage went. As result, I had no idea how my body would react and headed out nice and easy.

I ran towards the Canal and slowly started loosening up. By the time I hit the path that runs beside the Canal I decided that I would try and do some faster 1k intervals with easy 1k recovery jogs in between. No real plan, just go faster than 10k race pace was what I was hoping for. I guess that was a good goal because in the end I had a great run. The intervals looked like this:

1. 4:15.93 (6:51/mile)
2. 4:06.55 (6:36/mile)
3. 4:07.43 (6:38/mile)
4. 4:05.59 (6:35/mile)

It was definitely a tough workout, and the pacing in the recovery jogs just kept getting slower and slower, but I'm glad that I was able to do some speed work after all. In the end the entire run amounted to 10km in 53:41.34 for an average pace of 5:22/km (8:38/mile). Next up is a tempo run on Friday. This run also puts me over 600km for the year, which is nice. I should be well over 700km by the end of July is things go as planned.

Garmin don't lie.

Intervals Again

On the hottest day of the year I went out and did something that's been rare in the past year of running: intervals. After an off day yesterday it was time to hit the track. (I did not swim because I am waiting for the UofT office of convocation to update the student records system so that the Athletic Centre can see that I am indeed a first year alum and, therefore, eligible for a decent discount on a membership. Tomorrow I will see if that is all doable and maybe get back to swimming again.)

Anyway, after biking home in the +31C (90F) plus humidity weather I was already pretty tired, but had been looking forward to doing some speed work for the first time in quite a while. I got ready and biked over to the track with a bottle of water and another of Gatorade as well as some apprehension over what I would be putting my body through. The plan was to run a warm up and then do 12X400m intervals with 90 seconds rest in between. I found a shady spot next to a small utility type building and parked my bike. This would prove to be a great resting place between each interval since the sun was still pretty strong in the early evening and it was definitely hot. I like the heat, but haven't had a chance to get used to it just yet. Workouts like this one should help in that department.

I ended up running only ten intervals because I felt a twinge in my right knee on the ninth one, but I still consider the whole workout a success. I was trying to stay at 4:00/km pace or faster (6:25/mile or so), which meant 1:37 per 400m. Here's how it all went down:

1. 1:33.90 (3:51/km)
2. 1:32.80 (3:48/km)
3. 1:31.80 (3:46/km)
4. 1:32.97 (3:49/km)
5. 1:34.52 (3:54/km)
6. 1:33.84 (3:50/km)
7. 1:31.65 (3:49/km)
8. 1:32.85 (3:51/km)
9. 1:35.92 (3:57/km)
10. 1:34.17 (3:53/km)

The average pace for for these intervals is somewhere around 3:50/km, or 6:11/mile, so it was definitely right on target and perhaps a bit too fast. I tended to start out each rep a little fast and then had to hang on as I came around the last bend and ran straight into a headwind. This was not an easy workout and I definitely felt a bit sick to my stomach towards the end, but that was partly due to the huge lunch I'd eaten and all the Gatorade and water that I had been drinking to try and stay cool. I think next time, heat or no heat, I will save the drinks for later in the workout so that it doesn't all slosh around inside my stomach so much. Also, my max heart rate ended up being 177bpm so I don't think I pushed myself to the absolute limit, which was good.

After the intervals I ran another 6 laps to complete the workout for a total of 8km, which was the distance planned for today. (I warmed up with 4 laps, or 1.6km and then ran 4km worth of intervals with those stationary rest periods.) In summary, a great workout. The knees are feeling it a bit tonight, but I've already iced and foam rolled a bit so I am hopeful that they recover for my Friday run.

Garmin don't lie.

A Good Test of Intervals

Today was a bit of a rushed day, though it seems like most of them are at the moment. After a busy day at work I had to take off a bit early for a dentists appointment. It was not pleasant in any way, shape, or form, but I will spare you all the details. I have to go back next week for another session, though I was promised that it wouldn't be either as lengthy or as painful as today's.

The good news was that I was back home in time to go for a run before the madness that is rounding up the troops for baseball practice (this time Malcolm's). I'd been looking forward to trying out some intervals and since I encouraged Monica to do some 400m repeats last night I figured I should subject myself to a similar workout.

I ran a nice warm up on the way to the track and found it to be almost completely empty save for a lacrosse team that was just finishing practice. I put down my water bottle and started into the 6 sets of 400m intervals, which I was planning to run at between 1:28 and 1:32. I pulled those times out of the McMillan Running Calculator based on my dream 5k finishing time of 20:00. I don't actually think I have a shot at going into the teens for the 5k, but I thought that the intervals looked achievable. Given that I was only planning on six of them, and that I remember doing a set last year where my times were about 1:37 for the 400s, I didn't think that I would hurt myself too badly if I pushed it a bit faster. I was a bit short on time so I didn't do the 400m recovery jog that I remember doing and opted for a simple 1 minute recovery while sipping from the water bottle that I had brought. The intervals ended up looking like this:

1. 1:29 (pace: 3:40/km, 5:54/mile)
2. 1:25 (pace: 3:31/km, 5:40/mile)
3. 1:27 (pace: 3:34/km, 5:45/mile)
4. 1:25 (pace: 3:31/km, 5:40/mile)
5. 1:26 (pace: 3:32/km, 5:42/mile)
6. 1:25 (pace: 3:31/km, 5:40/mile)

Needless to say this was a success! It hurt like hell from the third repetition on, and the headwind I had to run into on the homestretch became more of an obstacle to overcome with each 400. I also found that I ran about 10 - 15 metres past the line where I started each rep in order to get the Garmin to register 400. I guess that means that my intervals, if the track is to be trusted as being an authoritative 400m, likely were a second or two faster than the above times indicate. I must admit that I am suprised with my ability to complete these intervals, and as hard as these workouts are I really do like them. As long as my body doesn't completely disintegrate I would like to do one interval workout per week throughout the summer. There's nothing like the feeling of getting a really good workout, and long runs, as hard as they are in their own way, cannot be compared to a good set of repeats that set your heart racing. Hopefully this is just the start for me and I'd like to do longer and harder interval workouts in the future.

After the sets I jogged easily home. The total for today added up to 6km and took me 28:27 of moving time to complete (not counting the 5 rest intervals, of course). The average pace for the entire run was 4:43/km, though I wonder if that matters at all in this sort of a workout. My heart rate peaked at 180bpm, and at the end of each minute of rest it always went back down into the 130s, which was good.

Garmin don't lie.

Intervals, with the wee ones in tow

Yes, I did some (pretty pathetic) intervals. The family piled in the car to go to the track, which we normally do not do, but given dinner plans, etc. and the boys' desire to "go see Daddy run" this made the most sense. I walked around the track once to warmup a bit while the boys ran in front of me, though only one did actually run. The 3 year-old kept on sprinting ahead, then turning around to tell me something interesting about something interesting. After the first lap, Owen (the 6 year-old) wanted to run with me a bit so we started on my warmup jog. He is looking forward to the "cub run" at the Zoorun 10k in October, and wanted to test himself over the 1km distance. I, the proud Dad, am impressed that even after his first 400m lap, he completed the 1k, and in 6:30! He wants to join his school's cross-country running team this Fall, which is awesome!

I went a bit further, and after 1200m started in on my intervals. My initial plan was to do 5X400, but I thought I'd play it based on how the knee was feeling. Between each 400 I jogged a full lap to recover. The splits were 1:41, 1:36, 1:36, and 1:37, and I had to dodge lots of people arriving for some kids soccer games, as well as my own son who jumped out near the end of the second interval to give me a hug - I was really close to putting my knee in his face, and that would have ended in the local hospital for him and the doghouse for me! In the end I ran a total of 5k in 27:27 and then walked the rest of the way home. I must admit that the knee felt better than expected, but I almost bailed after the third 400. I'd like to think it was only because of the knee, but it was as much because I was dying. I decided to do the fourth interval just because I was curious to see how much I would die. The split was similar to the others, so maybe I wasn't pushing as hard as I could have, perhaps protecting the knee... In any case, even though the distance is short this felt more like a workout, and that was a welcome change from the easy 5ks I've been limiting myself to doing.

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