There are many times where a race "gets in the way" of your specific training plan. This might mean wanting to cut out miles or cut workouts short so you are rested for a race that is at the end of the week. The goal runners need to have when these races pop up during base training or very high volume training is a goal that is not attached to a specific time. What is the #1 thing you want to take away from the race that doesn't involve a time goal? Your fastest times should come at the end of a training cycle or when you are peaking to run your best so now is not the time to worry about your overall time.
Sometimes in a race week you are actually on a reverse taper (not actually reducing your weekly mileage) and you just have to stick to your training plan. Be confident that you will find that one positive (not time based) out of the race. I have been roughed up mentally by this reverse taper a few different times in my training over the past two months. This week of training during my visit to Colorado will end with the 10 mile Snowman Stampede in Littleton, Colorado.
My goal for this week of training is 105 miles. This will be my 7th consecutive week of running 100 miles. Week 8, my final week of base training, will follow next week.
This race week has played out like this:
Monday
10 easy miles average pace of 7:59 (1/2 of the run with a client at a slower pace)
Tuesday
Mini Workout day - 1 easy warmup mile - 12 miles over hilly course harder at 5:50 pace - followed by 1 mile cooldown for 14 miles total. Then travel to Denver. (Medium Effort)
*WEDS-FRIDAY
-before the race all runs are in Denver/Altitude and I cannot seem to find a flat route. Each 1st mile of the runs are always slower because I run it with my wife to warmup.
Wednesday
- AM - over hilly course -11 miles - 7:25 pace
- PM - 5 easy miles - 6:57 pace
Thursday
- AM - 12 miles over hilly course - 6:56 pace
- PM - 4 miles slow because I had a Burrito and Cookie 30 minutes before the run
Friday
- AM - 10 easy miles, held back because of race on Saturday - 7:11 pace + STRIDES
- PM - 4 easy miles
This week with logging higher mileage, not being as fit as I plan to be in May/June, and having only raced at altitude once before; I need to have a goal that gives me the best opportunity to compete yet take these pieces into consideration. My one and only goal is to compete over the second 1/2 of the race and not get caught up in feeling sorry for myself because my legs are tired (based on where I am in my training plan). I am flexible about the finishing time but do not want my effort to slack.
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Good post, thanks for sharing your log.
ReplyDeleteWas your Tuesday "mini-workout" typical of your base training, or was this a modified training schedule based on having a race on Saturday?
Also, do you do anything special to 'be ready' for your PM run after having logged miles in the morning?
Looks like you had a decent race based on your goals, will we see a 'race report' posted here?
During base training personally I do not get too tied to interval workouts that your success is based on hitting a time (all runners love times). Base training effective workouts that are mainly effort based with longer volume prove to be better in this period both because of the tired legs and fragile mental psych when you are building back up from a layoff or trying to make a "comeback" like I am.
ReplyDeletePM or double day runs are runs you basically should never ever worry about pace on - just log the mileage. Normally your legs will be a bit tired and it is the end of a long work day so your mile pace may be up to 1 minute slower than your normal run pace.
The race report for my 10 miler Saturday in Littleton, CO was 52:50....2nd place. (anyone know of a good altitude conversion chart to see what this time might look like at sea level) I think Jack Daniels has one....Happy as this was week 7 of 8 in base training and am looking forward to a cut back in miles and some "faster" workouts to mesh with the solid base of miles and long runs in the books so far.