Finally Got The Nerve To Ask For A Training Review

[Scott Zincone]

Ever since this Discussion Forum was set up I always wanted to make this request, but was too scared to do it.  The main reason was "what if I do not follow the advice I have been given?"  I certainly do not want to lose credibility within the blog.  But maybe it was the big bowl of ice cream I just ate, but here goes:

I am officially requesting a review of my training and any thoughts on my current running goals.

This past week was my first time getting 60 miles in a 6 day period.  I believe I can handle 55 to 60 a week now.  But will listen to my body just to make sure.  I have a few races in mind for the rest of the year ranging from a 5K to my first marathon.  So here's my schedule.

• June 14th -10K - nothing special with this race.  But I did PR in a 5k in March and for some reason feel like I am a slower runner since then.  Would be nice if I could discover some speed in the short time between now and then.
• August 9th - 5k - Now this race is one I would really like to be fast in.  This will be an alumni race for former runners on my high school cross country team.  I was able to make it 2 years ago and ran 21:33.  This year marks 20 years since I graduated.  I would love to go under 19 in this one.

• September 13th - Half Marathon - This would be my first half marathon.  I have run this distance only a few times in training.  I would like to do more than run it.  I am not sure what my goal time should be right now, but I would like to push myself. http://www.danvillehalfmarathon.com/
• October 25 - 10k - A local race.  Only one in my town each year.  Would not mind showing off some speed in this one.  But mainly it would be a tune up for my next race.

• November 9th - MARATHON - This would be my first one.  As I type this the only goal I would have would be to finish..uninjured ! http://www.obxmarathon.com/site3.aspx

To be honest I really do not know if my current training as well as the training I get leading up to November will be enough to run a marathon.  Please feel free to tell me what you think.

Thanks in advance for your help fellow bloggers !!

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[Josse]

So Scott I have followed you scence your injury.  You are dedicated and willing to work hard.  I can tell that with all the cross training you did to keep in shape through the injury.  This is what I would do- Keep up the mileage not really focusing on pace just 6 days a week (this really helped me).  I would also take a recovery week every 3-4 weeks or when a race comes around this helps you to be able to handle higher mileage.  Use your races for speed work.  I would only do marathon pace to half marathon pace tempo runs durning a week that you want  some faster stuff in.  But listen to the body only do this if you think you can handle it.  I think with consistancy you will do great and surprise yourself with your racing.  Keep up the good work.

[Jon Allen]

I agree with Josse.  Stay consistent and keep slowly increasing your miles and especially your long run.  A few tempos that Josse talked about plus your races should do great speed wise.  It might be good if you can sneak in another race (10k or 15k?) in July, too.  But stay consistent, don't try anything crazy, and you should be good for your marathon.  You still have 5 months for it and you are already at 60 mpw!

[James Winzenz]

Your current mileage should be more than enough to get you to your marathon goal and more.  The only thing I might mention is to make sure your easy runs are easy.  I have seen a lot of miles in the 7:xx range, which was one of the mistakes I made earlier this year.  I ended up wearing myself out a bit and got injured (although not severely).  I have had to sometimes work hard (and have not always been successful) at keeping my slow miles below 8:00/mile just to make sure they are easy.  From a speed work perspective, my own goal has been to not introduce any speed work into my running until I hit 50 mpw.  You are already there, go ahead and put in some tempo miles, MP miles, striders, etc., but not too much, maybe just once a week to start out with and probably no more than 2X per week.  You will want to make sure you are getting in some quality long runs at an easy pace to get your body used to running for a long period of time.  Don't worry so much about the distance, more about the time.  Your 5K and 10K, as well as the 1/2 marathon, should also give you a good idea of what to expect to be able to do for the marathon.  My personal rule of thumb has been that my 5K pace is basically about 1 minute/mile faster than my marathon pace (at my current level of fitness).  Obviously this formula does not work for the elite runners on the blog, but it may help you to get a good idea of what you are capable of.  I would also recommend starting to introduce some MP miles into your long runs, maybe start with 3-4 (after a couple miles warmup), and work your way up from there until you are up to 10-12 MP miles on your long run.  I can already tell you that you are much better prepared for your upcoming marathon than I was for my first, or even my marathon last year.  I have found that by far the most important thing is to get in the aerobic training, which you are already doing.  Keep up the good work, you will be prepared

[Sasha Pachev]

Scott:

Thanks for posting the request. We need to see more people do that. Try to encourage others to do this as well when you get a chance.

Training-wise you are doing just about the best you can in your situation. With your job hours I would recommend always erring on the side of easy. Hard runs are effective when you can count on good recovery. You never know when you are going to get called into work, your sleep opportunities are uncertain, and I imagine at times you have to miss meals. Make sure to leave something in the tank after every workout. Few people realize that the ability to run fast is 80% health and 20% training. When you train at the expense of your health, you negate the benefits of training fast.

There is one thing that you can control to a point, and it is diet. Find out what foods nourish your body best, and try to have them handy. Do not count on fast food to provide nutrition. If it's been less than 16 hours since you last ate, no food is better than fast food. A good place a lot of people do not think of as a good place to visit when they need a quick meal is a grocery store. You can buy some fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole wheat bread, or juices and have a quick meal in the car.

[Scott Zincone]

Josse - Great idea about a recovery week.  I will try to work that in on my week of Midnight Shift every month.

Hulkster - I am so naive.  When trying to think of the things I needed to do to get ready I gave no thought to long runs.  My days off are not always on weekends.  Getting one in every 7 to 10 days should be no problem.

James - No doubt I need to make the easy days easy.  I have been doing better with this the last couple of months.  I try to run with my brother-in-law whose easy pace is about 30 sec. slower than mine.  I have used them as recovery runs.

Sasha - Some people that know me might say I complain too much.  So I try not to on the blog.  Of course everyone has to find the best way to mix in their life schedule and running schedule so neither suffers.  But you hit the nail on the head with some of my struggles.  My sleep is always erratic.  I have troubles getting it right again with each shift change.  It seems to be harder to do since I have been running more.  Which is weird, because I thought the more fit you are the better the body could adapt to those changes.  I usually do not miss a meal, but they run late.  Sometimes I find the only chance I can eat is to go through a drive-thru and eat in my car or at my desk.  And I know that food is no good for me.   But I am able to go home to eat 80% of the time.  I have even worried sometimes after a hard workout before work, what if I have to chase someone or fight, will I have the energy to do it?  My life may depend on it. 

Anyway enough complaining.  You guys and gal have given me a lot to think about.  This is going to be fun.  I am excited about officially beginning my training as a marathoner.  Keep an eye on me and let me hear it if I start screwing up !

True story:  back in 1984 after watching Carlos Lopez win the Olympics at age 39 or 40 I thought I will wait until I am that age to run my first marathon.  I am not sure why I thought I needed to wait, but I am glad to be doing it now!