And now? Now we run..

Vito Andolini

Well, I've decided to start a log,
I mentioned earlier in the year on the goals thread my goal for this year was a sub 40 10k and my first attempt at that will be the clare 10k at the end of June,

I'd a tough year last year with a couple of injuries pretty much kept me from racing, except the runaway 5k 19:2x,
Hit some good form towards the end of the summer but ended up with some calf trouble before I could convert it into results.

I've followed the 30-45 mile plan in Pete pfitzingers book for the last 12 weeks subbing the second rest day for a easy/recovery run to get the mileage up to 40miles+.
The plan is to jump into week 4 of the 45-57 mile plan starting tomorrow,

All criticism, advice and observations welcome!

Vito Andolini

Probably should have said I'm a 30 y/o msn in the op!

Monday,
9.5 miles gen aerobic, kept this nice and easy, kept an eye on heart rate to ensure I didn't work too hard.

Tuesday
9 miles,
1.5mile warm up, 6x1000m at 3-5k pace 2.5 cool down.

Happy enough with this session, was lashing rain when I left the house, and it got no better throughout the session!
Splits: 3:51,3:55,3:53,3:55,3:58,3:54,
Probably closer to 5k pace than 3k pace, had a bit of a concentration lapse in the 2nd last one, it's something that happens me sometimes and something I need to sort out.

JohnDozer

First bit of advice would be not to do the Clare 10k. At least the Great Limerick Run have the decency to call theirs a 6 mile race!

Nice 5k time by the way... Envious!

HelenAnne

Vito Andolini wrote: »

I've followed the 30-45 mile plan in Pete pfitzingers book for the last 12 weeks subbing the second rest day for a easy/recovery run to get the mileage up to 40miles+.

Best of luck with the log & the goal. I'm v envious of your 5k time.

Like you, I had an injury-filled year last year, ending up with a calf problem in October. I was just flicking through my training log at the weekend and I noticed that I have been very consistent with my '2 rest days per week' vow that I took when I came back from my calf injury. I haven't dropped my weekly mileage much, but I added in an extra rest day, and I haven't been injured now since the calf thing last year. I don't know if that's the secret for me, and you're ten years younger than me anyway, but I'd keep an eye on how you feel and if you need that second rest day, add it back in.

Vito Andolini

JohnDozer wrote: »

First bit of advice would be not to do the Clare 10k. At least the Great Limerick Run have the decency to call theirs a 6 mile race!

Nice 5k time by the way... Envious!

Thanks John,
I started a thread in the events forum and the feedback did seem to be that the course was short, we'll see if there's a 10k on the same weekend that suits I'll probably go with that one.

Vito Andolini

Thanks Helen, I completely agree with what your saying, the one thing I've learnt is run the hard runs hard and the easy runs easy, I'm a big believer in recovery runs done easy. I'd prefer drop a session or any run and rest than spend more time on the physios table!!

Vito Andolini

Wednesday
10 miles endurance,

Friday
9 miles general aerobic
With 6X12sec uphill and 8X100m strides
8:08 avg
Saturday
12.5 mile endurance.

Monday
8.10 general aerobic
8:15 avg

The endurance runs start out at an easy pace and gradually get quicker,
They're probably tougher in my head than they are physically!

Vito Andolini

Tuesday
LT session
1.5mile w/u 14min @LT 4min rest followed by 2x 10min @LT off 4min rest
2mile c/d
The LT paces were
14 min 6:40
10 min 6:31
10 min 6:38
Kind of held back slightly in the first rep but happy enough with the session over all

Wednesday
10.25mile endurance @ 8:22 avg
Started with a 8:50 mile with a 7:32 last mile, last mile was probably a bit too hard but always think it gives me a great mental boost to do a fast last mile in a run like this.

Thursday
5.06miles rec @ 10min

Vito Andolini

Friday
Gen aerobic + speed
Included in this was 2x(4x200m)
Tough enough session even if it didn't l

Vito Andolini

Friday
Gen aerobic + speed
Included in this was 2x(4x200m)
Tough enough session even if it didn't look too bad on paper,
Splits, 42,41,43,42,41,42,40,41

Saturday
12.25mile endurance,
Avg pace 8:20min/mile, kinda came off the pavement on my ankle about a mile in ran it off but was sore!
~52 miles for the week, first week over 50

Tuesday,
9.33m @ 8.04min/mile
Was supposed to do this on Monday but took an extra rest day ankle was still sore on Monday,

Wednesday
10.69miles
With 2x(1600m,1200m,1000m) @race pace 50%recovery 4mins between sets,
Tough session, glad to get it done,
Paces,
6:09 6:14 6:18
6:17 6:18 6:13
A little short of 5 miles at race pace, it was tough but will be tougher stitching 6.2miles together with no recoveries!

Vito Andolini

I've been a bit lazy updating this,
21 May 11.11 miles 8:20avg
23 may 12.65miles 8:24avg
25 may 9.5 miles with 8x250m strides
26 may 8.16 miles 8:24avg
27 may 5.07 miles recovery
28 may 6.19 miles recovery

Vito Andolini

Friday 29th
Plan called for a 5k race this weekend I was working over the weekend so did a 4X1mile session off 90sec recovery @ 5k pace
Mile splits: 6:03,6:05,6:07,6:06.
I love this session! Tough as f**k but great when you have it done.
9.5 miles total

Saturday
6.16 miles steady
7:57 avg

Monday
9.14 miles gen aerobic 8:13 avg

Tuesday
3x1200m, 3X800m off 50%time recovery
Another good session kept all intervals under 6:08 pace,

Today
10.90 miles @8:18
Hard going after yesterday's run thought about cutting it short several times, funnily enough from 7 miles on the legs felt grand

Ososlo

Vito Andolini wrote: »

Friday 29th
Plan called for a 5k race this weekend I was working over the weekend so did a 4X1mile session off 90sec recovery @ 5k pace
Mile splits: 6:03,6:05,6:07,6:06.
I love this session! Tough as f**k but great when you have it done.
9.5 miles total

I did that very same session on Saturday! It was extremely controversial and seen as WAY too extreme a session on my log. Be interesting to see if you get the same reactions!!!
Well done to you! You seem to have recovered very quickly after it to run steady the day after. I left it 2 days to do anything speedy but bounced back pretty quickly too.

menoscemo

Ososlo wrote: »

I did that very same session on Saturday! It was extremely controversial and seen as WAY too extreme a session on my log. Be interesting to see if you get the same reactions!!!
Well done to you! You seem to have recovered very quickly after it to run steady the day after. I left it 2 days to do anything speedy but bounced back pretty quickly too.

I think you are being a little economical with the truth here

Vito said he did it in place of a 5k race. The criticism (or debate) on your log was that the session was so hard as to be a race effort, which is clearly what vito wanted it to be no?

Myles Splitz

Hi Vito,

First off very good session.

The one caveat I would say is if your One Mile Reps were used to replace a race would you not have changed the following day to match this. Would you run steady the day after a race? It can be a dangerous habit to get into as you are flirting with injury risk.

Not only that but you need an adaptation period to get the benefits from them harder efforts. Its not the session that drives the improvement its the adaption you make after you recover. This is why most training plans tend to have the hardest session roughly 10 days out to allow the body to recover and adapt.

Ososlo wrote: »

I did that very same session on Saturday! It was extremely controversial and seen as WAY too extreme a session on my log.

Despite being the same on paper I would see these as vastly different. If you were to ignore the distance figure you basically ran a harder session.

At the pace of Vito's session he would have had to run 2km reps to replicate your session.

I think this is something which is all to frequent, especially in marathon runners seeing training plans telling them to run X amount of long runs beyond 20 miles without actually taking into account their pace or level.

Ultimately yes they do have to cover the same distance which is why it can be important beyond a physiological energy pathway standpoint to do these sort of sessions at the same distance regardless of level but the recoveries both on the day and around the session need to take into account this level.

Vito Andolini

Hi Ososlo,
I'd agree with Meno and Myles i'd an easy week on the run up to the session and it was instead of a race I was well rested in the run up to it,
Where as you'd nearly 2 and a half sessions in the week, as Myles said it was a tougher session for you, it was said on your log to knock out that session last week you should be in a good place to pb,

@Myles I agree with the steady run after the race, the plan I'm following always has a long run after a session/race, and recovery or rest the next day. Would seem to me a recovery run would be better but I'm following the plan blindly!

yaboya1

Hi Vito,

If circa 6:00min/mile is your 5k pace, surely your steady pace should be quicker than 7:57min/mile. I would have thought that was approaching easy/recovery pace no?

Vito Andolini

yaboya1 wrote: »

Hi Vito,

If circa 6:00min/mile is your 5k pace, surely your steady pace should be quicker than 7:57min/mile. I would have thought that was approaching easy/recovery pace no?

Yes and no, but mostly yes!
The runs I called steady earlier are endurance runs, they start slowish and speed up over the course of the run, the last mile is run about a minute+ quicker than the first. That kinds of scews the average pace. Also I was running them at a pace where I thought I was starting the plan, I've had to speed them up since the 4X1 mile as I'm getting quicker!

Vito Andolini

Thursday 5.44miles easy recovery,
I really believe people don't do enough recovery miles, something I was guilty of in the past.

Friday 7 miles gen aerobic 8:06avg
Followed by 2x 6x100m strides,

Saturday 13.02 miles endurance 7:53 average,
Started off with a 8:17 mile and ended with a 7:06 mile gradually getting quicker, ran a hilly enough route but was happy enough with the revised pace
Longest run of this plan, won't be going as long again, also the longest week ~57 miles,

Have an enforced rest day today just a lot on this evening, I a 5k race planned for Friday evening looking forward to that.

Vito Andolini

Tuesday 9.5 miles gen aerobic,
With 2 sets of 6x150m strides

Wednesday 8 miles rec9:09min/avg

Thursday 5 miles rec 8:58 min/avg

I've a 5k race this evening, race 1 of the clare athletics 5k series, aiming for around 19 mins,
Also registered for the coillte 10k in dundrum in July.

Vito Andolini

19:01 watch time will wait and see for official results

Happy enough a bit of a hilly first mile or so but the 2nd mile was slightly down hill, a good race splits: 6:02 6:04 6:04 :49

Vito Andolini

Saturday 6.05 miles @ 9:26 easy recovery,
The plan had me down for 10 miles endurance but after racing Friday evening I thought it might be too much Saturday before work, legs felt good, no post race soreness or niggles.

Sunday 10 miles endurance
Started off with a 8:20 mile and ended with a 7:25 mile with an average pace of 7:56min/mile a solid enough run,

Monday 8.02 miles gen aerobic @ 8:10min/mile
Took a hilly back road route for this great to get off the beaten track didn't meet anyone except a few cows and a couple of sheep!

Today 5.15 miles @ 9:09min/mile
Up early to get this done, handy recovery run.

Still haven't seen any official results for the 5k last Friday evening, happy with my time would have been great to go sub 19 when I was so close but I'll have another crack or two at it before the summer is over,

All focus now is getting to dundrum injury free and in good shape it's a fortnight tomorrow, very little hard running left a session tomorrow and one mini session 5 days out from the race, I'm not sure what to aim for this summers goal was sub 40, but would 39:30 be unrealistic?

Vito Andolini

17th June
10 miles with 4x800,4x600 50% recovery between intervals
Made a mistake in setting this up on the watch ended up running the full interval length for the first and second ones realised it on the first and fixed the watch on the second,
Splits: 3:00,2:59,2:59,3.01
600m: 2:13,2:16,2:13,2:12

18th June 4.17 recovery,
Legs were tired and stiff for this one

21th June
9.96miles endurance
Had a wedding 2 days before this, and had done a bit of traveling to get there and home, with a both of tiredness and having over indulged a bit, wasn't looking forward to this,
It didn't dissapoint, it was a slog from the get go, the first couple of miles were the worst, told myself at the start of the third mile I'd turn and go home,ended up htfu'ing and got it done.

Monday 8:17 general aerobic
8.02 avg

Tuesday
5.04mile recovery

Wednesday 7 miles gen aero 8:15 avg
With 7x100m strides

Thursday rest

Friday,
7 miles with 1200m @ race pace and 4 100m strides,

A bit of a disappointment the morning was lashing rain and windy but once I was out and warmed up felt grand, did about 1.5mile warm up then let fly for the 1200m, the watch beeped a couple of times in the first couple of hundred meters to tell me slow down but one it hit "desired zone" it didn't beep again. Ended up with 6:23 pace, it was a slog the from about half way on. 6:07 miles felt a lot easier a fortnight ago.

Saturday 6.02 miles gen aerobic 8:06 avg

Vito Andolini

Sunday
5 miles recovery

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
4 miles recovery
With 4x100m strides

It's all about dundrum tomorrow evening now!

Notwork Error

All the best this evening man! Have a gud un!:)

Vito Andolini

Dundrum 10k 41:09

Was late getting out of work, so had a bit of a rush to get down. Collected my number and did a couple of laps of the gravel track to warm up.

I lined up a couple of rows back from the front and at about 8:03 we were off,
A bit of ducking and diving in the first 200-300m quickly got up to pace and going well first mile nice and flat, 6:18

A little fast in the first mile slowed a little for the second passed a couple of runners caught up with a group of 3 runners we ran together for the next while 6:22

Was happy with the timing in the second mile just to keep it going now, we started to drop one of the group now one of the others said we were in target for sub 40, in my head I was thinking there was a lot of running left yet! We dropped another of our runners just me and another now mile 3 6:28

We went through the town with our first lap over all to do again now! Had to pick up the pace a little bit now was still on target but had to lift it a bit, about half way thru I started to get a stitch on my right side nothing too bad but annoying was still with the other runner was letting him set the pace thought I'd let the stitch pass before pushing on a bit. Mile 4 6:35

Not good seen 6:35 on the watch picked up the pace straight away dropped the other guy with out warning! Stitch was still there but had to go thru it now, passed a guy and girl that were working together, working hard not but not getting the benefit from it stitch was getting worse mile 5 6:45

Last mile wasn't sure how far off I was but I knew I needed a quick mile stitch was bad struggled through this seen the pace had fallen to 7min the guy and girl passed me again was the end line was never going to come! A couple of the crowd were shouting for a girl behind me, mile 6 6:56

Was off target but had .2 of a mile left wasn't going to let the girl behind me over take me, from the minute we turned back into the town she got loads of support and it drove me on a bit didn't let her pass me crossed the finish line glad to be finished. .28 mike 1:39

A tough day in the office, I don't know what went wrong, the stitch definatly didn't help was killing me for the last 2 miles. Maybe it was the heat I don't know but crossing the line I was gutted to be so far away from 40 minutes

Did 40 minutes recovery this morning legs feel fine so all good there!

Vito Andolini

Friday 3rd 6 miles recovery

Today 6.4miles gen aerobic 7:56 avg

Don't know really were to aim for next, whether I should get stuck back into an 8 week block or tick over for a week or two and have another crack at it.
The other thing that's really bothering me it the stitch, what caused it and what can I do to prevent them in the future,

Notwork Error

Vito Andolini wrote: »

Friday 3rd 6 miles recovery

Today 6.4miles gen aerobic 7:56 avg

Don't know really were to aim for next, whether I should get stuck back into an 8 week block or tick over for a week or two and have another crack at it.
The other thing that's really bothering me it the stitch, what caused it and what can I do to prevent them in the future,

Trying to breath from your diaphragm could help Vito. Focus on almost belly breathing and not on breathing from the chest or throat, nice deep breaths when you feel it coming on. There could be a load of reasons for it happening, anything from eating too close to race time, drinking too much too close to the start or even your posture being too tense.

Vito Andolini

Notwork Error wrote: »

Trying to breath from your diaphragm could help Vito. Focus on almost belly breathing and not on breathing from the chest or throat, nice deep breaths when you feel it coming on. There could be a load of reasons for it happening, anything from eating too close to race time, drinking too much too close to the start or even your posture being too tense.

Could well be the water drank a lot on the way down, with it been warm. I didn't give that much thought.

Vito Andolini

Tuesday
4.25 mile gen aerobic @ 8:05 avg
Followed by 2 miles tempo @ 6:35 avg
1.2 miles c/d

I'm going to run more of this kind of run gradually lengthening the tempo bit, I'll drop a mid week endurance run for this.

Vito Andolini

Long time no log!
I've being tipping away mostly easy miles for the last while, had a calf problem that kept me out for a week or so, eased myself back into it a bit too easy I think!
For the next while it's all about the base!
Going to do 8 weeks or so should put me ingots form for spring road racing.

Monday
7.56 miles @ 8:05 average, followed by 6X100m strides. Total 8.74 miles

Today
15 mins easy warmup
13 mins tempo 6.38min avg
20 mins cd

First bit of quick running for a while good to get it done.