Peaks and Valleys

So July was hot. I hear that altitude does wonders for your aerobic capacity, but 90%+ humidity will certainly get you fit. I was able to complete two solid weeks of training around 25 miles (weeks 18 & 19) to kick off July, including a 30 mile 7 day stretch. I told you about the 6x700m session in my previous posting, and I also completed two fartleks in those weeks, consisting of 9 and 8 3on/1off cycles at AT & EZ paces. 

Week 20 (16th-22nd), the heat was pretty horrid and I opted to go on some bike rides instead, inspired by the Tour de France, though I was still able to log 22 miles, including a couple fast finish (AT pace) easy runs. Week 21 (23rd-29th) was less forgiving. I started it off with a bang, doing 5 x :35 hills @ 5k effort, followed by another 6x700m session, this time averaging 3:21 off only 60 seconds of rest, finishing with a couple 100m strides @ :22. I felt really good during it all but the next day my calves started getting tight, and the leg soreness lingered for a few days. The final two days of the week, I went on a trip with some visiting family and just rested. 

While I'd love for every day and week to be great and show a rise in ability, it's important for me to understand that I won't feel 100% every day and some weeks will reflect that. I only logged 16 miles, and most of it came via that big workout. But yesterday, feeling recovered, I took a fitness test for the DMV and ran a :44 300m and a 9:58 1.5 mile, both marks faster than I predicted for myself. And this morning, my 3.8 mile easy run felt just fine, no soreness or labored breathing. 

In both backing off the intensity of these workout sessions and weathering these peaks and valleys that come through training, I can grind my way to some personal bests this Fall. 

Structured

While it is said that things with more structure are more sound, structure is quite interesting to experience. I recovered from my cold after a few more days and gingerly returned to running on the days before my trip to DC, and even managed to get some runs in while on the trip. The purpose for the trip, a structured interview with Customs & Border Protection, was a success and allowed me to enjoy a couple days in our nations' capital before spending a night in Raleigh with some friends on the town.

This is where another form of structure has been developed, in my training. That Sunday, while Damarius enjoyed 3 sets of 3x300m @ 800m pace, I attacked my first workout. Modeled after the workout seen here, Badger Workout, I did a mile warm up, a two mile tempo @ 17:00 w/ 3:00 rest, a one mile tempo @ 7:40 w/ 2:00 rest, 5 x 300m @ 75 w/ minute rest, and then a mile warm down. I needed a rest day that Monday, but since then I've gone on at least a 35~ minute run each day. I say at least because I've also put in a 55~ minute long run, a 45~ minute medium long run, and a 6x700m session averaging 7:37 pace w/ 1:30 rest, and a combined 1.5 miles of warm up and down. In addition to the structured base training, I've also started doing push ups and pull ups most days, and am attempting to progress through Coach Jay Johnson's General Strength & Mobility routines, seen here Jay Johnson's GSM.

The structured approach is (roughly) this: a long run of 20% of the total weekly mileage, 10% of the work faster than easy but slower than 2 hour race pace, and 10% of the work below 2 hour race pace. This allows for the necessary aerobic development and prevents over-training. Over the past week I've run 30 miles, so after a few weeks, I'll increase the total up to 35 and continue building a base for fall races.