How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

Weather - 62 degrees, sunny.

Ran 4 miles to the Zendo, planned to meditate but there was a sesshin in progress, so I turned around and walked 4 miles back to town.

#191

z.m. - #104

Weather - 70 degrees, cloudy.

A nice day for a race, humid, but I like it that way. I ran ok, not too bad, not too good, just mediocre. I ran the first mile in 6:11, it felt like 6:30, so I had a good start. Don't know the 2 & 3 mile splits, but I obviously slowed a bit. The same thing happened in my last two races - with about 1200m left I shoot past my threshold, which is the way it should be, but I am unable to continue pushing. Today I had to slow down a bit to recover, and the last 800m I could only maintain the pace. It was too bad because I was battling a runner who always beats me. We were even with 800m to go, he put in a small surge but I could not respond. I felt I could have went with him, I had juice in my legs, but I could not will myself to suffer through oxygen debt, so I followed him in, 2 seconds behind.

In each of the last 3 races I could not tolerate anaerobic running during the last mile. Everthing else is clicking - my pace is good, leg strength not a hindrance, breathing fine. After thinking about it I see that I have been working hard with long runs, 5k pace intervals, and hills. I have not been doing any anaerobic specific workouts, so it makes sense that when it comes down to the last mile of a race my mind revolts and tells me to slow down. I guess it is time to get accustomed to running in oxygen debt.

Wednesdays I usually like to join 2nd Wind for track work, but I doubt they will be doing what I need to focus on, so I will work on my own, doing 200m bursts, followed by a 100m jogging rest, repeated until exhaustion. After 4 or 5 of these sessions I should be habituated to end of race pain.

Overall I feel my fitness is good, my body feels fresh and healthy, and my times are still decent when compared to last year. Having found a weakness in my training, it is time to work on it and see how it affects my race results.

Next race is one of my favorites, the Lake Mingo 7.3 mile trail run on June 14. Last year I ran it on dead legs and was still able to place in the top 25. I should be fresh this year, and I have 3 weeks to get some anaerobic sessions in.

#192

z.m. - #105

Weather - 50 degrees, raining.

A nice day for running, but crappy for most other activities. An easy 4.5 miles in the park and woods, I felt energetic, strong, and went a little faster than normal for an easy run - this is the season for risks. I peaked in March and early April, and have since come down a bit. I would like to try and reach another peak by mid-July, so I need to run harder, faster, longer in my upcoming training sessions. I will still be mindful of easy runs, but maybe I need to experience more discomfort/pain in my hard sessions. If training is harder than a race, then maybe I won't die in the final mile like the last few. Maybe this method won't work and I will end up injured, but I think it will be fun and memorable if my training is heavy with oxygen deprivation.

#193

z.m. - #106

Weather - 68 degrees, sunny.

Ran hard today, more intense than usual. Per my plan to ramp up the intensity of my workouts, I ran 5 x 600m loops at Busey Woods. Each 600 was run at all-out pace, as if it was the final 600m of a race. I gave myself 400m rest between each bout. As I rounded the boardwalk during the rest, the phrase "dread and joy" kept appearing in my mind. Dread because going all out for 600m causes not only physical stress, but mental as well, as each step feels like it could be the one that brings me past the tipping point, and I wonder how I can continue to run in such a state. And joy because of giving every bit of energy and concentration to the moment - there is supreme happiness in that state of being. After the 5th rep my legs lost some energy, so I decided to end there. I ran 2 cool down miles around the cemetery and park, and then did some stretching and strength exercises.

As I walked home I noticed it was 5:50pm, and the track session with 2nd Wind was starting at 6:00pm. I was only 5 minutes from the track so I decided to jog there and see how many intervals I could complete with the group. Since my plan for the next 4-6 weeks is to make training harder than racing, I need to become accustomed to running hard when already exhausted.

I arrived at the track and saw the planning clipboard called for 4 x 1200m. I knew I was too tired to complete all 4, but I at least wanted to do 1. We did 4 x 100m accelerations to get ready, and even though my legs were not fresh, they still had strength.

The intervals were to start every 9 minutes, which gave an ample rest time, so I knew I could give a strong effort and still recover for the next 1200m. During the first interval I got behind Matt and planned to follow him the entire way. I wanted the pace to be faster than 5k, so about 6:00 /mile, or 90 second 400's.  However, I was surprised to find that the group was running slower, so I passed Matt after 300m and picked up the pace. I finished the first 1200 in 4:26, which I felt good about. I was able to do 2 more 1200's, in 4:30, and 4:37. 

This was a good start to my new regime of intense workouts, putting in 4 miles of on-the-edge running.

Friday will be a 2 hour long run. I plan on running it faster than my normal long run pace.

#194

z.m. - #107

Weather - 77 degrees, sunny.

Beautifully warm day. Ran 4 easy miles around the arboretum, finished 4 minutes faster than normal. My body is beginning to respond to my desire for harder efforts. I am feeling a bit sore from yesterday, so I may delay the 2 hour long run until Saturday so I can have an extra day of recovery.

#195

z.m. - #108 

Weather - 84 degrees, sunny, humid.

First warm day with high humidity, it made for a tough long run. I should mention that I ran between 1:00-3:00pm.

I started out strong, running 6 1/2-7 1/2 minute miles, but after 45 minutes I was losing too much water and felt dehydrated. I was running figure 8 loops in Busey Woods, so I left the woods and went to the spray fountain in the park and soaked myself. I felt I would be fortunate if I could run 90 minutes.

When I got to Carle Park I soaked myself again, and repeated this when I arrived at Meadowbrook Park. I checked my watch at this point, 91 minutes, I kept running, slugging out each minute.

At 1:45 I wanted to stop, but after all of the prior work I decided to gut out another 15 minutes. I passed my house at the 1:50 mark. I stopped the watch, went inside and drank a glass of V8, a glass of Bolthouse Farms Blue Juice, ate a banana covered in sunflower seed butter, and finished it off with a glass of cold water. When I went to the sink to splash cold water on my face I looked in the mirror and saw that my running shirt was covered in white salt stains - that is not a good sign.

I resumed my run and was able to complete the 2 hours. I slowed considerably during the final 5 miles, probably 8 1/2-9 minute miles - it was like hitting the marathon wall, but way too early.

I stopped at Cardinal when I finished and did strength exercises and stretching, then walked 10 minutes home.

#196

z.m. - #109

Weather - 80 degrees, sunny, humid.

Ran 5 easy miles in Busey Woods this morning. I was expecting to feel sore and tired from yesterday's slog, but instead felt refreshed and my legs had recovered their strength. I ran fairly quick, and the last 3 minutes of the run I went all out, end-of-race style. I am trying to become accustomed to running hard after tipping over my threshold.

I have decided to eliminate all time goals for races. I find that concentrating on time takes away some of the enjoyment of running. And I run best when feeling relaxed and happy, so not thinking about time does not mean my races will become slower. My goal is to run as best I can on any given day, so I will run the fastest time I am capable of, whether I am concerned with time or not. I want to focus on effort and feel, and this should lead to a correct running pace.

#197

z.m. - #110