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How many miles did you run today?

FlyingMonkey

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I was never in the military, but I grew up in a military family, with a 'best-at-eveything' type father who had us mountain walking (with packs) from the age of 6. He was a drill sergeant when I was younger, and although he was a mapmaker by trade, he also completed training as a para-engineer (behind-the-lines sabotage), however he wasn't allowed to be deployed as they said that as a cartographer he was too valuable to be killed... Maybe I have something of him in me, but I think my grim determination really comes from surviving ten years at traditional British boarding schools.

Anyway, @Michigan Planner, that's still an amazing mileage. I like what everybody does here in different ways, even @edinatlanta... ;)
 

edinatlanta

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Screen_Shot_2016-08-01_at_12.34.21_PM.0.0.png
 

sugarbutch

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The past 4/5 runs left me with completely soaked shoes from various water hazards. I tried stuffing them full of newspapers and hanging to try, but then they just smelled like corked wine. Saw this gizmo while picking up some lawn supplies and figured I would give it a shot.

View attachment 1397425
That reminds me that I need to build a helmet drier like that before race season kicks off later this year
 

Michigan Planner

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FlyingMonkey

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I'd never even seen one of these types before. In our local coin laundry in Japan, they have a specialist trainer washer and dryer. The dryer was like an enclosed version of this. I never have any problems with my shoes smelling, I don't know why, but I do machine wash them once every couple of months.
 

edinatlanta

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4.5 miles and about 7 flights of stairs

Much better than yesterday

Running in a tanktop is revelatory

For my beer hypothesis i had a split of champagne and one cocktail yesterday and that seemed to be good.
 

sugarbutch

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4.5 miles and about 7 flights of stairs

Much better than yesterday

Running in a tanktop is revelatory

For my beer hypothesis i had a split of champagne and one cocktail yesterday and that seemed to be good.
When do you expect to publish your findings?
 

FlyingMonkey

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It was raining yesteday evening so I decided to delay my final Yasso 800s session (for now) until this morning. It's not that I don't like running in the rain, but sprinting in the rain is a little bit more risky. Luckily the rain also washed the humidity out of the air, so it was perfect this morning.

I tried to be a lot more conscious about how I was running today, running stronger rather than faster, if that makes sense. I tried to concentrate on consistency and control, rather than stretching for times on one leg and then being slower on the next. Having said that I started a little slowly. However once I got going I did keep in strong and I felt fine. I know I could have run these faster, indeed overall I was just under a second slower than my pace aim of 3:40/km.

Here are the splits (without the warm up / warm down and the active recover intervals, recovery jogging about 200m, which were all about the same time as each split):

3:04​
2:53​
3:00​
2:59​
2:56​
2:55​
2:54​
2:54​
2:52​
3:00​
5:57​
8:57​
11:56​
14:52​
17:47​
20:41​
23:35​
26:27​
29:27​

I'm pretty pleased with the consistency, in fact I was actually getting a little faster every time from the third split onwards - and remember the first and last split are not run on the same course, but are part of the route from my place, and include a nasty little hill, so they are always going to be slower.

I still think these have nothing to do with marathon performance, but they are a good tough workout that probably helps a lot with sustaining controlled high pace over distance.
 
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edinatlanta

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edinatlanta

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It was raining yesteday evening so I decided to delay my final Yasso 800s session (for now) until this morning. It's not that I don't like running in the rain, but sprinting in the rain is a little bit more risky. Luckily the rain also washed the humidity out of the air, so it was perfect this morning.

I tried to be a lot more conscious about how I was running today, running stronger rather than faster, if that makes sense. I tried to concentrate on consistency and control, rather than stretching for times on one leg and then being slower on the next. Having said that I started a little slowly. However once I got going I did keep in strong and I felt fine. I know I could have run these faster, indeed overall I was just under a second slower than my pace aim of 3:40/km.

Here are the splits (without the warm up / warm down and the active recover intervals, recovery jogging about 200m, which were all about the same time as each split):

3:04​
2:53​
3:00​
2:59​
2:56​
2:55​
2:54​
2:54​
2:52​
3:00​
5:57​
8:57​
11:56​
14:52​
17:47​
20:41​
23:35​
26:27​
29:27​

I'm pretty pleased with the consistency, in fact I was actually getting a little faster every time from the third split onwards - and remember the first and last split are not run on the same course, but are part of the route from my place, and include a nasty little hill, so they are always going to be slower.

I still think these have nothing to do with marathon performance, but they are a good tough workout that probably helps a lot with sustaining controlled high pace over distance.
How do you decide what training scheme to use? I just run.
 

FlyingMonkey

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How do you decide what training scheme to use? I just run.

That's a long, long topic! But, short(ish) version:

1. First of all, you don't have to train, you can just run at your own pace for fun. Nothing wrong with that. But that isn't training. Training means pushing yourself further than what is simply fun.

2. If you want to train, you have to decide what you are training for. To lose weight? To get fit? To be able to run a certain distance? Greater speed? Do you want to run a particular race, or a series of races? All of these could mean very different training schemes.

3. Fundamentals. There are basically five types of run (there are also things between all of these, and variants on each but don't worry about those for now):

Distance (AKA "The Long Run")
Control (AKA "The Easy Run")
Tempo
Strength intervals (AKA "Hill Repeats")
Speed intervals (AKA "sprints"

Each of these is done for different purposes, for different distances and paces. The whole point about training is that whatever you do has a purpose, a reason, an intended outcome.

All of these are moveable feasts, and depend on your exising capabilities and where you want to be. So how do you work out what these mean to you?

Well, try this:

For your Long Run, think about what is the furthest you ever run at the moment? Add a mile and start there, but really you should be thinking of this in terms of time you are on your feet - 1hr, 1.5hrs, 2hrs. With Half-Marathon or Marathon distances in mind, you need to be able to be on the you feet for the time you aim to take for the race. However, the Long Run is also the foundation for general running fitness and will paradoxically, also increase your speed at shorter distances. How fast do you run this distance? Slow down. You should be running long runs at a pace at which you can breath through your nose the whole time and hold a conversation with someone. These runs are aerobic, i.e. you have enough oxygen to do these, and ultimately you shouldn't need any food during them, although carrying water is always a good idea. Do not push it (exceptions include specific kinds of Long Runs that include intervals or a 'fast finish').

For the Easy Run, run this at the pace you generally think of as 'your pace'. The easy run should be about keeping a consistent strong pace, not too fast, not too slow. You should be able to say things to someone else at this pace, but you won't be able to have a casual conversation. Your Easy Run will generally be about 1/2 the distance of your Long Run. Easy runs are also aerobic, but if you are just starting off, you might find them more draining than you thought

Tempos are the killer if you haven't done any training before. Tempo runs are hard and fast, anaerobic runs, meaning your body goes into oxygen debt and you start to use other fuel. You run these to train your body to sutain a high pace, even though it really doesn't want to. You are at 90-95% with tempo runs. You can't talk to people, except for the briefest phrases! Generally these are short, and have a warm-up and cool-down period first. But if you are training for distance races, the more distance you do, the longer you want to push these too. Generally they should be no more than 1/2 the distance of your Easy Run and probably less, at first. How do you work out what pace it should be? Easiest way is to take your best 5k pace and add about 20-25 seconds/km. If you haven't done a 5k, it's worth doing your own time trial at this distance just to see what your capabilities are.

Intervals are one of things that really mark out training from just running. Because you really wouldn't do them voluntarily. But they also shouldn't be done straight away, and ideally not without experience and/or supervision. There are many different kinds of intervals, but the two I've mentioned are some of the most important, the first, Hill Repeats, for building strength (and also for trail and moutain running), and Sprint Intervals, for increasing speed.

I do not recommend doing Sprint Intervals until your base fitness has increased and you can do a decent tempo. You will pull things (hamstrings and calf muscles most likely). I also do not do them in really cold weather, for the same reasons. Hill Repeats on the other hand are a foundation of any runner's program. Find a slope that's not too long, but you know you can run. Run up it, jog down. Repeat. And so on. Add repeats as you get stronger, and change the hill to a steeper, or longer one, as you outgrow you original slope. My favourites (in a masochistic way) are the steep steps you tend to get up to shrines and temples in Japan. I've seen videos of Japanese female short-track speed-skaters training this way -- it's a... niche interest -- and if you've seen the thighs on those gals, you know this is effective strength training.

4. Building a Program

It's really important to realise that you don't just do all of these all the time, straight away. Your training program has a beginning and an end depending on your goals, and it has periods and seasons.

My advice to a beginner on this would be:

Record everything. Doesn't have to be online and shared with everyone, although Strava and co. are very convenient. I just use a stopwatch, mapping apps and and a spreadsheet. But the important thing is to track your progress for yourself.

Don't run more than 3 or 4 times a week at first, and if you're older like me (45+), probably the risks of injury and burn-out start to outweigh the benefits of running more than 4 times a week period. If you're young, well, **** you (joking - you can probably run a lot more). When you are actually training as opposed to just running, your body needs recovery. As you get fitter, you can do more and get away with fewer and shorter periods of recovery, but you still need them.

Always warm up before each run (unless it's a Long Run, which is pretty much all at warm-up speed anyway). Don't stretch cold before a run. Sooner or later you'll pull something badly. All those pros you see stretching on the starting line? They've already warmed up.

Always do a decent program of stretches immediately after each run.

If you are thinking in terms of a 6-month starting program, you should build a foundation based on strength and distance first: that means prioritizing the Long Run and Hill Repeats. No Tempos, definitely no sprints, and perhaps not even many Easy Runs. Do a lot of long, slow running, and strength work. 2 of months of this (winter is ideal). Cross-train as well - swim or cycle or do gym stuff. Weights are good at this stage. Maybe two decent long runs a week (one where you are pushing the distance, one which is not quite so long), and one good session of hill repeats.

In month 3, bring back the Easy Run more often and gradually reduce the hill repeats, then in Month 4, introduce the Tempo! In Month 5, you may be ready for some sprints and other interval work. You are still doing your Long Run(s) and Easy Run and gradually increasing your distance, and keep doing some cross-training throughout too. In Month 6, maybe enter a couple of local 5k races, to see how things are going.

At this stage, you are no longer a beginner and you can start to re-evaluate your goals. Is it looking like distance is your thing? Are you actually surprisingly fast over 5 to 10k? What do you want to do? A new training plan awaits...

There are lots of resources out there, but rather than diving into specialists like Daniels or McMillan, first I'd say read aticles and plans on Runner's World aimed at beginners:


And use the calculators on this site, also aimed at beginners: https://www.helpfulrunner.com/
 
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Fueco

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Dusty Heaters

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15 miles easy this mid-morning. 8:10 avg pace with pretty consistent splits, 147bpm.

Sunny, mid-70’s, light breeze, really refreshing day compared to what we’ve had. No stops, fuel, water, or shirt. Somewhere around mile 11 or so I was starting to regret not having water with me, but it was okay.

2629A78E-A1E0-4A60-BFA3-DDDC2B0EB357.gif
 

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