3 mile tempo + 4 x800m intervals

Well I had to try the workout I gave Dale last week so here it goes.

2 miles warm up

3 miles threshold 19:15 (6:30, 6:30, 6:15)

4 x 800m intervals (2:50, 2:47, 2:46, 2:45)
1 lap recovery jog between each.

1.5 mile cool down.

It was a tough workout. I think next time I would add another threshold mile and try and be closer to 6:20 pace. I am not used to those 800s and both my calves were sore today. It is still really cold at 6:00am!

It snowed on all day Sunday and we ended up with about 6-8 inches! Last time we got snow like that was December 17, 2008. I had a great workout that day too!

Track workout #2 (6 x 800m)

I was able to get to the High Desert Runners interval night tonight. Clay's workout was 6x800m and he wanted Zac to run 2:45s. I was unsure weather or not I could hang with that time. Two weeks ago when I ran the same workout I only ran that fast on the last 800m of the workout. It was extremely windy tonight. I ran to Joe Walker from my house (1.5 miles), then did another 1.5 miles while I waited for everyone to arrive. I was picking it up on the back stretch of each lap (with the wind) and noticed that I was hitting exactly 20 seconds each time. When everyone arrived we did some warm up drills and then started the workout. I talked Zac into taking turns leading so we each got to draft for one lap of each 800. The first 800 was a warm up that I lead in 2:54. Then we dropped the hammer down. The next two were 2:40 and the last three were around 2:42! The last three got progressively harder to maintain pace on the second lap. I haven't run that fast in a long time. Zac started to have foot pain again on the last 800, my advice was to call it for the day and take a few days off. I cooled down by running home for a total of 9 miles today. I expect some soreness tomorrow.

I came home to this sunset!

I found a new blog from UVA where I attended a Running Medicine Seminar this past April. The blog is uvaendurosport.wordpress.com check it out. There is some excellent running articles here. A MUST READ!

Finally, this week Andrew Wheating ran 3:30.9 1500m (a 7 second PR and 5th fastest US 1500m ever) in Monaco! Check out this webpage with the race video and post race interview. It is a great interview because Wheating is so excited about his performance. How does one of the top 1500m runners in the country PR by 7 SECONDS? WILL POWER! ABSOLUTE WILL POWER!
"Make it one lap, lets go for one more. Once more around, I'm still in this. Third lap, LET'S DO THIS! Before you know it there's 300 to go and this is the best part of the race, LET'S GO!"

"It's friendly...it's always what can we do to better each other, its never I'm gonna kick your butt."
--Andrew Wheating on international track & field competition


Hard things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer.
--Percy Cerutty, an athletics coach in the 1950s and 1960s


Don't be concerned with what you can't do. Work on what you can do - then count your blessings.
--Alan Robinson, 56-year-old partially paralyzed marathon runner


It takes patience to become the best runner you can be. Top athletes realize that running is a long-term sport. It is set up for people who value delayed gratification and who like hard-earned success.
--Anthony Famiglietti, two-time Olympian and six-time national champion

Quartz Hill intervals

I met Clay and Zac at 6:15 am at 65th West and L-8 for a hill workout. Clay was on the bike suppying water during each rest break. Zac was obviously tired. I had run 3 miles of warm up by the time we started. The workout was 4x 1/2 mile hill repeats, with the second one being the most difficult. The first was on 65th from L-8 to M. I lead and finished in 3:05. The second was still on 65th from M to M-8. Zac was running right behind me until half way when he stopped suddenly and ran for the side of the road. I thought for sure he was loosing his breakfast, turns out he found a road reflector that had come loose and he picked it up for a friend's collection. He still almost caught me by the end. I was first to finish the second 1/2 mile hill in 3:19. Clay says the grade on this section of 65th reaches 8% at the end and is around 6% in the beginning. The last two 1.2 mile loops are in a neighborhood just south of M-8 and 65th where Zac has done repeats before. The first half of the loop is tough then levels out at the top and finishes downhill. I was spent after the first two and Zac was about 10 seconds ahead of me. I finished in 3:10 and 3:05. He was under 3:00 for both. I ran a cool down home (2 miles) for a total of 7 miles today. It was a tough workout but I felt really good about it. I think my achilles will be a little sore tomorrow. We did not time our rest breaks but started on perceived readiness. There is an interesting article on runnersworld.com on perceived readiness during interval training that is worth a read.


FYI: Sergio Reyes is running the 10,000m at USA championships on Thursday at 6:20 pacific time. The meet is in Iowa. It will be broadcast live on flotrack.org. Check it out.

Yasso 800s! (average 2:49)

Clay, Dale, Michael and I met at Joe Walker this morning for Yasso 800s! For those of you that don't know what the heck that means, it is 10x 800m with equal recovery time. Your average time can be used as a predictor for your marathon time.

I woke up late and was 3 repeats behind by the time I got there. I jumped right in with Michael after a mile warm up and did his last 4 with him then finished out the last 6 on my own.

There were great conditions again this morning and here are my splits.

2:58
2:55
2:53
2:52
2:48
2:47
2:46
2:42
2:46
2:44

I have wanted to do this workout many times before but never attempted the full 10. It was tough! My average time was 2:49!

Clay and Dale were hitting sub 3:15s the whole way and Michael said he was steady at 3:00 before running the last few under 3:00 with me. It was a great workout for all of us.

There is some controversy around this workout as a predictor. Some people swear by it, some think it is baloney. I think the workout has to be placed into your marathon training at the right time (2-3 weeks out) and you have to have the aerobic base behind it to make it work.

Read Runners World's article here.

Coach Greg McMillan says that in his experience, Yasso 800s predict about 5 minutes too fast. In my case averaging 2:49 would predict a 2:54! Hey that is my goal time, how convenient.

I believe that the folks that don't believe it works also don't have the aerobic base to support a goal time equivalent. I read one discussion board post that said, "I can run Yasso 800s in 3:05 but my marathon time was 3:25." He either didn't have the aerobic base behind his training or he picked the wrong course. I don't think it would work if you ran Palos Verdes or San Fransisco (hilly). If you use this in your marathon training and you don't run the predicted time, my guess is that if you CONSISTENTLY built up your mileage over the next year or so you could probably hit that time. In high school or college I bet I could have hammered that workout and average 2:40s easy but there was NO WAY I had the aerobic ability to run a 2:40 marathon.

Yasso 800s are basically a VO2max interval workout (and a long one). If you take my goal time of 2:55 for the marathon for example, the VDOT calculator says my interval pace should be 2:53s for 800m, and McMillan's Calculator says I should be running 2:45-2:52. Funny how that works out!

Either way it was a great workout by all and we have one more hard workout planned for this weekend. Sunday at 60th and the aqueduct at 6am...16 miles with the last 8 at marathon pace (6:40)!


A few fun unrelated article to check out:
First, Deena Kastor submitted three holiday recepies to the New York Times! Green Chile Pumpkin Pie. YUM!

Second, a funny article on MEGAMARATHONERS! Can you believe that the record for most marthons run in a life time is 1636! My favorite quote is, "The jerk percentage among marathoners is just so much lower than the jerk percentage among lawyers," (no offense Brad). For those of you that still think that running is bad for your body and hard on your joints causing arthritis (you're probably not reading my blog), then how do you explain the guys in this article, all over 60 years old and all running strong (and more mileage than I do). Even one of these guys, Mr. Defronzo, was born with a curved spine and diagnosed later with an enlarged heart, and at the age of 74 ran his 402 marathon! Funny that he is also a lawyer with a 12ft x 12ft picture of himself finishing the Philadelphia marathon that says, "I will go the extra mile for you." His doctor says, "his vitals are those of a much younger man, and his muscular and skeletal system is spectacular."

Third, it is Thirsty Thursday again! This clip of Coach Jack Daniels PhD. is on altitude training and east Africans and is worth the watch!

Track workout 5x1600m cut downs

What a great track workout! I met Dale at Joe Walker for 5x1600m with a one lap recovery. There isn’t much to say, the splits talk for themselves.

6:21, 6:15, 6:06, 6:04, 5:49

I started at about half marathon pace and ended at 5k pace.
There was a light steady wind down the home stretch that got stronger as the workout progressed.
Rest time was one lap jog and a 10m walk up, probably 2.5-3.0 minutes total.

I ran to the track for warm up plus a little on the track (2 miles total). I finished with one mile cool down. Total mileage for the day = 9miles.


Did you all hear about the 3 people that died at the Detroit Marathon/Half Marathon last weekend? Runners World interviewed a Cardiologist with questions about why this happens in the article here.

My question is what do these people change for race day? Would they have died if they were running a long hard tempo run at home? What makes race day so different? Could it be an increase in caffeine from a combination of coffee and gu w/ caffeine? These people are mid packers, they don’t seem to be weekend warriors, and they are almost always men. The articles I have read report the death rate as high as 1 in 50,000 and as low as 1 in 120,000. But they also say that runners have 30-50% lower rates of heart attacks. In my opinion, the benefits far outweigh the risks!

Jordan Hasay was third in her pre-nationals xc race this past weekend. Not bad considering the only two women ahead of her (Jenny Barringer and Susan Kuijken) are also recent Olympians.

Finally, here is a new one! The leader of the Des Moines Marathon had to stop late in the race (about 400m to go), not becuase he dropped his fluids, not for a port-a-potty stop, but for a passing freight train! The second place runner caught up to him while they waited for the train to pass but the man who was leading still ended up winning. Read on.

More MP Intervals: Total 6 miles @ MP

I joined Clay and Dale again for their track workout and helped rabbit them on their mile repeats. They ran 5x1600m with a one lap recovery jog. I ran through the first and third recovery laps maintaining pace and ended up running 2x4000m (~2.5miles) and finished with another 1600m for a total of 6 miles at marathon pace. My 4k splits were 16:50 and 16:20 and I finished with a 6:25 mile. Total mileage for the day was 9.
Clay and Dale are both getting some great quality workouts in preparation for the Long Beach Half Marathon in two weeks. Once returned from MN I will drop the times down and run the 5x1600m as intended, then do prolonged marathon pace work on the weekends.

I would like to test myself with 10 miles at MP (6:40) in the near future.

I just finished a book by Bart Yasso titled My life on the Run: The wit, wisdom, and insights of a road racing icon. I was lucky enough to go to the Boston Marathon expo early and get to meet Mr. Yasso as he was signing free copies to the first 50 people in line. It is one of those books that you can pick up, read a chapter, and then pick it up again weeks later and continue (my kind of book). I have way too many running books on the shelf that I have not read. I am hoping that posting short book reviews for my readers will motivate me to read a few more.

This book is very entertaining. Most of it chronicles crazy stories of some of the most bizarre and hilarious races and endurance achievements Mr. Yasso has participated in over the years. He has hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, run the Badwater Ultramarathon, and biked across the country...in 20 days! He also describes how the "Yasso 800s" came about. Running has become his passion and addiction, replacing drugs and alcohol. The best part of the book is his message he wrote on the inside cover, "Never limit where running can take you."

There are also three levels of training programs for races from 5k to marathon that I was not too impressed with, but overall the stories make this book a worth while read. Most of you could read it in a weekend. It took me a year and a half.

My favorite paragraph in the book is:
"As runners, we each have a duty to accept the role as mentor to a slower runner or a new runner or someone who doesn't think he or she can walk around the block, let alone finish a 5k. Remember, we're not some members of a snooty, noses-in-the-air fraternity. We are runners! So let's spread the message. Can you imagine how grand this planet would be if everyone where a runner? Obesity? Not a problem. Depression? Never heard of it. Sluggishness? Get the hell out."

He also rated the Twin Cities Marathon: Most scenic urban marathon. He says, "Many runners, including me, believe this is one of the best organized marathons in the country. They deliver on every promise, including natural beauty. This race is in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and it seems like you pass 9,999 of them. The foliage is amazing, right up there with anything you'll see in New England. The finish line is in front of the state capitol in Saint Paul, and parts of the course are along the mighty Mississippi River. You'd never know you're in a city of 400,000 people, except they're all out cheering for you."

I can't wait!
The forecast now calls for (partly cloudy) low of 45 and high of 59! Should I wear long sleeves?

MP intervals (6:40 pace); 8 miles total

There are VO2 max intervals and there are cruise intervals. Today I started MP (marathon pace) intervals. I know that sounds crazy. Most of the time when you are training for a marathon you will do a marathon pace run for a prolonged period of time, maybe 6-13 miles at marathon pace. I joined Clay and Dale this morning for their Tuesday morning interval run which was 4x1600m with 1 lap recovery at 6:40-6:50 pace, which is about their threshold pace. This happens to be my marathon pace and I didn’t want to run too hard today so I was the pace setter. I hadn’t run that hard in a month and did this workout as a test to see how the leg would respond. We ran the first mile in 6:53 then did our 1 lap recovery. I then decided to not stop after the next mile, continue at the same pace while they recovered, and then met up with them for the third mile. I was able to maintain pace and even caught my self at 6:20 pace for a while. We then recovered for another lap and then finished with a 6:25 mile together. Great job you guys!

So just as cruise intervals split up a long tempo run, I just split up a 4-5 mile marathon pace run. I would only recommend this if you are coming off an injury and are signed up for a marathon in the near future and need to test the leg at a faster speed. You don’t get the benefits of running near your lactic threshold (although I was close at times) and you don’t get the benefits of prolonged time at marathon pace (specificity of training), but you do get to test yourself to see if you are ready for these type of workouts.

So “MP intervals” is a new term coined by yours truly.


I heard from many people that struggled in the heat this past weekend. Then today I read this great article from runners’ world on marathon performance in the heat. They found that for every 10 degrees over 50 (what they consider the optimal temperature) you will slow on average 3%. So if the temps are in the 80s, go ahead and expect a slowing of 9%. Check out the article here.

I found another article based on Twin Cities Marathon runners which showed an even greater slowing for slower populations of runners. This is nothing mindblowing, (yeah when it is hot I slow down too) but interesting that some articles have quantified the effects of heat on a marathon time.

Speaking of the Twin Cities Marathon, we received our participant booklets yesterday in the mail. Two weeks ago I was worried about the TCM and really nervous about CIM, but today I am excited for TCM and hopeful for CIM.

I just checked the 10 day forecast for Minneapolis. It goes as far ahead as October 1st (marathon is Oct. 4th). The predicted low is 46, the predicted high is 65 (we’re good there), but there is a 60% chance of rain, hopefully not a downpour! I’ll be checking the weather daily.

“I ran and ran every day, and I acquired a sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never, give up, no matter what else happened.” --Wilma Rudolph, US track star

Weekend move and 1600m pacer

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have not done much running but getting some great strength workouts with our move to the new house. After 6 hours of moving all the large furniture and appliances on Saturday I dropped off the U-haul and ran to the track to meet Clay and Zac for a 1600m time trial. The first one I ran with Zac who's goal was a sub 5:30. We ran dead even splits but he was just over in 5:31 (a 20 second PR! Happy Birthday Zac!). He will be under in no time. Then after a short recovery I paced Clay to an A/G PR of 5:49 We ran 89sec for the first two laps and then 85, 86 for the last two. After another recovery I decided to see what kind of leg speed I had right now and to my suprise ran a 63 second 400. There is hope for that sub 5:00 mile in May. It turned out to be a great interval workout for me, so everyone was happy.

See Clay's blog for more commentary and pictures!

Total mileage for February was 84. If we keep having weather like we did this weekend I will have no excuses to not be running more consistently in March.

6 x 800 intervals (7 miles total)

I got myself up early today. It has been a while since I have been dedicated enough to do that. I drove over to Joe Walker and did my intervals on a track! When we are moved into the new house I will be able to run over to this track as a warm up.

I did a 1.5 mile warm up then hit the track in the dark for 6x800m interval workout. Two weeks ago I did 5xhalf miles on the road. My splits today were 3:05, 2:47, 2:48, 2:45, 2:42, 2:34. My rest was one lap jog (2.5-3 minutes). It felt great to get off the roads and onto a track.

I was pleased with how I felt after five, like I could have done a few more at the 2:45 pace. The hardest part of 10x800s I think will just be staying with it mentally. That is total hour workout on the track not counting warm up and cool down.

I keep forgetting to post this news:

I am officially registered for the Orange County Half Marathon

The race is May 3rd. Clay is running as well. If he feels ready I will pace him to a sub 1:30.

I got a question from my friend Dan Ham recently about my GPS training watch and what I recommend. I have been running with a Garmin Forerunner for the last 4 years and don't now how I ever ran without one. I started with a Garmin Forerunner 201 but last August bought a Garmin Forerunner 305 with some birthday money. Now I don't know how I ever put up with that 201. The Garmin Forerunner 305 has a more accurate GPS, easily uploads to you computer, is smaller on your wrist, has an altimeter, and has some other cool features including a heart rate monintor option. If you don't need or want the heart rate monitor you can get everything else in the Garmin Forerunner 205 (but they are about thet same price). The 305 is on sale at amazon.com for $164.84 which is a steal. It is hard to find it in the store for less than $200. The most recent model is the Garmin Forerunner 405, it has all the same features (with a few upgrades) but is the size of a regular watch and nearly twice the price. I like the larger interface of the 305.

5 x half mile intervals (6 miles total)

After a two mile warm up, the workout today was 5xhalf mile intervals on the road. My times were 3:00, 2:47, 2:44, 2:46, 2:46. The recovery was 2:30min jog/walk between each. I felt a little sluggish this morning even in my addidas adizero tempos. I had little left after this workout. The goal is to be able to do 10x800s at this same pace (see Yasso 800s) by the end of April. I will repeat this workout every other week adding one half mile rep each time.

The LA Marathon will be run this year on Memorial Day, May 25th. They have gone back to the old course which starts and finishes in downtown LA. There is a blog for the LA Marathon with some good info and videos.

Next run: Long run 10-12 miles.

I read a good tip in Runner's World this month: Your long run should never be more than 50% of your total weekly mileage. They said triathletes break this rule too often.

6x2 minute intervals: total 7 miles (51:29)

I was wide awake this morning at 6am and haven't run hard intervals in a while and my legs felt good right out the door. The workout today was 6x2 minute intervals with equal recovery (2min). It ends up being equivalent to 6x600m on the track. 6 was what time permitted today, I probably could have done one or two more. During each 2 minute segment I ran between .35 and .37 miles which averages 5:34 to 5:40 pace per mile. I did a 2 mile warm up and a 1.5 mile cool down for a total of 7 miles in 51:29 (avg pace 7:21). Almost equal time to my 7 mile run yesterday but this was a much harder workout.

It was a good workout today, but remember it takes one minute to reach your VO2max so I get a total of 6 minutes at VO2max today. To optimally work on VO2max long intervals are better because you get more time credit. 800s or 1200s (3-4 minute intervals) I think are optimal. Not too long, but long enough to get some good time spent at VO2max. If I had done 6x3 min intervals I would get credit for 12 minutes at VO2max. The key is to stress your system at your maximum oxygen update so that you are able to utilize more oxygen per minute.

I had a friend email me the other day that wanted to know what his training paces should be if he wants to qualify for Boston. Being under 35 years old, his qualifying time is 3:10. Answer: When you are near 3:10 shape your long runs should be between 7:45-8:30 pace, marathon pace is 7:15, threshold pace (tempo pace) is 6:50-7:00, and you should be running intervals at 6:15-6:30. Race equivalents for a 3:10 marathon are a 19:30 5k, 40:30 10k, and a 1:30 half marathon. You probably can't run near these paces right now since you are just starting your training. The best way to determine your current training paces is to run a mile or 5k time trial and plug your time into the VDOT calculator. I would also suggest running a few miles at your marathon goal pace now, even if it is 1 or 2 miles in the beginning and adding a mile every few weeks. You will know you are ready when you can run 10-12 miles at your marathon goal pace and consider it a moderate workout. As far as weekly mileage is concerned everyone is different. It depends on how many days a week you are running and how much time you have to train. I know that I can get into 3:00 marathon shape with running about 4 days a week and about 40 miles per week. To get down to 2:50 I might have to put in a few more. I hope that answers your question Dan! Good luck. I think you should get your brother involved in this one!

6x 1/4 mile hill intervals with 3mi WU/CD

I did my hill workout this morning the same as November 13, except I only did 6 repeats due to limited time. I did a 3 mile warm up to the hill, then 6x intervals up the hill, then 3 mile cool down back home.

My times on the hill were a little faster this week. I ran 1:33, 1:37, 1:36, 1:37, 1:37, 1:34.

Based on the elevation profile the total elevation change from the bottom to the top is about 90ft in a 1/4 mile, which equals an average grade of 7%. Not super steep but still challenging to run hard, especially the last 50m or so, which is the steepest.

Total mileage for the day was 9 miles in 66:50 (avg pace 7:25).

I felt good the rest of the day.

One week until Topanga Turkey Trot. The race is SOLD OUT!
I think I have a good shot at being in the top 10. The winner last year in the 15k was in 1:03.

8x 1/4 mile hill intervals with 3mi WU/CD

I finally got a round to starting my weekly hill workouts today. I ran over to 47th and L-14 (about 3 miles). This is the start of the steeper portion of the closest hill to my house.

I did 8x 1/4 mile repeats up the hill with about 2:15 min rest running back down the hill.
My times were all 1:39 except the first (1:45) and the forth (1:38).

I was sore to start, ok on the run, now sore again in both hamstrings from yesterday's circuit workout with kettlebell exercises. I realized I haven't used kettlebells in about a month and I am feeling it today.

Total mileage today was 9.5 in 1:14:50 (avg pace 7:53).

I would like to work up to 12 repeats up the hill between 1:35-1:39. (If I left from my house that workout would be 12 miles total and take an hour and a half.)

I have one more race for the year on November 29th. I transfered my entry to Boney Moutnain to the Topanga Turkey Trot 15k. I will train through this race (no tapering) but cut out the hill workout that week.

Just when you think you've seen it all!

Thursday half mile hills 3x+half mile flat 2x (total 9mi)

I got my last hill workout in before the race on the 25th, although after talking with my buddy Arnie I don't think anything I have done will prepare me for the single track switchbacks for 13 miles that I will experience in a week.

I did my normal hill route starting on 47th at L10, running up to the end of 47th, making a left and then up to the joshua tree at the peak (half mile). I did this route 3x in 3:20, 3:15, and then broke my record again in 3:09. I was pretty spent after the third one, but did 2 more half mile intervals on the way home in 2:47 and 2:50 followed by a 2 mile cool down.

Total mileage was 9 in 1:08:13 with an average pace of 7:34.

On the half mile hill route, the real grade increase doesn't start until the quarter mile. When I am ready to do hills again I am going to do quarter mile intervals which would start on 47th at L12 and finish at the same joshua tree. I will probably start with 6-8 times and build on that. It would be a tough workout for sure.

I found another cool running/pace calculator/estimator. Check it out here.

Did you see the video of this guy struggling to finish the Chicago Marathon this year?

Half mile intervals 2x hill, 2x flat

I got out EARLY today (5:30am) for my weekly hill workout. I did the normal 2.5 mile warm up and then started my half mile hill. I ran the first in 3:26 and then broke my record on the second in 3:13. After those two I realized I had to get back home so I cut the hills off at two and decided to do two more half mile intervals on the way home, which is relatively flat or downhill. The last two times were 2:52 and 2:55. I felt like I could have gone a little faster but it was still dark out and I was being cautious of my footing, even with my headlamp. I had a mile cool down at the end for a total of 7 miles with total time of 51:56 (avg pace 7:25). I think from now on I will add one or two flat half mile intervals after the hill repeats. I really feel like I am flying after burning out the legs on the hills. Rest time between the hills was about 4 minutes running down, but only about 2.5 minutes in between the flat half miles on the way home.

This is my first post for October so I have mileage totals for September. I ran 114 miles in September, which is up from 82 in August. I did have two pretty long runs (16 and 18 miles) but mostly I was more consistent with 4x/wk running which helps with the mileage totals. My legs are feeling pretty good right now. Clay and I have also been stepping up our lunch circuit workouts with increased intensity and more cowbell, I mean kettlebell.

8 mile run including 3xhalf mile hill repeats

I have been wanting to do some hill training during the week for a while now and haven't been able to get out and run some, until this morning.
The closest hill is at the end of 45th W. (2.5 miles from my house). It goes up for about 150m then levels off 150m then continues to increase in grade for the rest of the distance up to half a mile. The steepest part is the last 50m. Recovery is running back the same route, but I may change that next time (too much steep downhill running).

I did three repeats today, but I think I could have done two more for sure. They were all around 3:25-3:30. The fastest I have ever done this half mile course is 3:15 back on March 12th.

With the 2.5 mile warm up and cool down back home, the total mileage was 8 miles in 59:25 (average pace 7:25). I felt really good out the door today. Hopefully I can get out of bed earlier next time so I can do one or two more repeats.

Looking for a two hour run this weekend.

Grass Mountain Intervals are back!

I decided a few weeks ago that I would run a half marathon distance on the day that the women's and men's Olympic marathon was held. What I didn't realize was that the marathon was run on the morning of August 24th in Beijing, which is August 23rd here. So I did get in the half marathon on total distance today but it was run the day after the women's Olympic marathon.

The workout started with a 2 mile warm up and down, on the trail across San Fransisquito Rd. from the Grass Mountain trail head. Then I did the Grass Mountain interval format that we were doing last fall, which is 1 minute at interval pace (95-100% VO2max) followed by one mintue power hiking until I reach the top. Then jog down. It is 2.8 miles to the top of Grass Mountain. The elevation at the start is 3668ft and the top is 4610ft.

We went up and down twice, which is our standard format. When I say "we" I mean Clay Patten and me. His son Zac came along and today they both biked the entire workout (13 miles). Clay would get ahead of me on the flatter areas and I would catch him on the steeper inclines. He helped pull me along to a record for this workout. Last year I was running in the 26 minute range. Today I ran 25:59 for the first set and 25:20 for the second set. My max HR on the first set was 178 and 183 on the second. By the end of my last set I couldn't even get my HR under 160 on the rest interval.

How do I know all this information? My new Garmin Forerunner 305 is awesome. I upload all my workouts to my PC and it graphs every possible data set for me. What does that mean? More numbers to play with (speed, distance, HR, elevation, grade, pace) For those of you interested, amazon.com has one of the best deals right now.

Oh, I almost forgot. On the way down the hill on the last set we were stopped by a HUGE rattlesnake crossing the path. It was the first I have ever seen and it was BIG 5-6 ft long and as thick as my wrist.

Cool Stat for the day: Over the whole 13 miles today there was a total of 3000ft ascent!

3 x 5 minute intervals, total mileage 8 miles

Today I repeated the first long interval workout that I did 3 weeks ago. The workout included 3x5 minute long intervals at vVO2max.

I started with a 2 mile warm up then did the 3x5 minute intervals with 5 min recovery in between. Then on the way home I completed 2x quarter mile repeats with 2 min recovery between. Finished with a mile cool down.

The weather was near perfect again.Total time running was 58 minutes exactly (7:15 pace).Total mileage was 8 miles.Total time at V02max was 9 minutes.My first 5 minute interval I ran .80 miles (6:10 pace).My second 5 min interval I ran .85 miles (5:55 pace).My third 5 min interval I ran .92 miles (5:30 pace).

These distances were better than 3 weeks ago, I checked.I added in 2x quarter mile repeats near the end of the run.
The first was in 1:20 the second in 1:18.

I cooled down for another mile for a total of 8 miles.

This is a good workout, next time I could add another 5 minute interval or start with 5 min intervals and do cut downs 5-4-3-2-1.

Two weeks until the July 4th 5k!

I am headed to Minnesota on Saturday with my family and hope to get in a few good runs on the parkway while I am there. I will try and update the blog if I have time.

Intervals 5x4 minutes, Total 7 miles (50:17)

I got out a little late this morning. I still got all five four-minute intervals in but did not have as much warm up or cool down so the total mileage was 7 instead of 8-9.

The interval speed was also a little slower but consistent at 6:00-6:10 pace.
Distance over 4 minutes was right around .65 miles each time.
Total time at vVO2max was 10 minutes.
Total running time was 50:17 for 7 miles (average pace 7:11).

Overall I felt pretty good about the workout it was just a little slower, 10-15 seconds per mile pace slower than I would like.

I ran in a new pair of Asics-Kayano 14 that I got in Boston for $40. I ran in them on Sunday and today for the first times. The pair I have been running in (Asics Kayano 13) feel a little worn out. I just went back and calculated the mileage on them, only 208 miles! They should have twice that in them. I will probably switch off for now, running longer runs in the newer shoes.

It is hard to keep an even pace doing intervals on the road. On a track you know exactly where you are. Even with the Garmin it is just hard to get a sense of speed and pacing. I go mostly on RPE (rate of perceived exertion), as I feel like I am very close to max HR, and overall I feel like a have a good sense of pacing. I haven't been doing workouts at this speed in a while which also makes it more difficult.

Having a little sharp lateral left knee pain tonight. I was fine all day until this afternoon. Hopefully just a little swelling.

Interval training on calm Thursday morning!

Pushing back my weekly interval workout was a good idea. This morning there was NO wind and I felt really fresh. It is important to be flexible with your training plan and be able to adapt to last minute changes. If you plan on a long run over the weekend and you wake up with no energy (or there is a 40 mph wind) then switch it with Sunday and just do a few easy miles to get the "kinks" out and then do a few strides/pick ups/accelerations with the wind after the run.

I switched my interval workout to Thursday and it payed off. I ran a total of 7 miles which included 2 miles warm up, then 4 minute intervals at vVO2max with equal rest, then a mile cool down.

Total time was 52:01 (average pace 7:26)
Each interval was 4 minutes at vVO2max
First interval was .64 miles
Second interval was .66 miles
Third interval was .69 miles
Fourth interval was .70 miles
Pace ranged from 6:05-5:45 during each interval

Total time at VO2max was 8 minutes
I had planned on doing 5x4 minute intervals but stopped after 4 due to time and just didn't want to push it. I felt pretty good today, I probably could have gone on 3 min rest.

Here are two articles from running times magazine on interval training. Great information. Running Times is much more informative and educating then Runner's World. I haven't read a great Runner's World article that I learned something from in a while, it has been good for the blogs only. One of the articles below is written by Greg McMillan!

I also increased my volume (number of reps) on my circuit workout this week. I have been going twice a week on the circuit training so far.