Training Summary: Sep 5-11

Sep 5-11
Mon: 6 miles easy
Tue: AM – 4.5 miles; PM – 7.5 miles, including turnover workout
Wed: AM – 4.5 miles; PM – 10 miles
Thu: 6 miles easy
Fri: AM – 4.5 miles; PM – 7.5 mile light progression run
Sat: 6 miles easy
Sun: 14 miles
Total: 71 miles

It’s been a few weeks since I posted a training update and running during that time has been a bit of a roller coaster just as it has for most of this year. I had a 10 day or so stretch where I really struggled before rallying and having a really good 10 day stretch the past week and a half. Hopefully I’m on the right track now and ready for a good fall of training and racing. This has been a really tough summer for me that’s left me drained on multiple occasions, so I’m definitely ready for some cooler weather.

I’m not gonna bother going into any great detail about this past week because there was nothing spectacular, which is probably a good thing. Consistency is king, and I’m better off hitting moderate workouts week after week than nailing a killer workout here and there then having to back off for several days to recover. Right now I’m trying to get in as many comfortably hard miles as I can plus adding a few strides here and there to work on the neuromuscular component. As those things start to come together, I’ll incorporate more formalized workouts to address VO2 max, aerobic threshold, etc.

I’ve put together a loose long-term plan for myself as well as some goals, and I’m excited to go to work and see what I can do. As crazy as it might sound, I’m actually training for next fall, as in fall of 2017. Based on just how out-of-shape I got over the past two years and all I’ve been through injury wise, I think that’s how long it will take for me to get to a point where I can run what I would call fast by my own standards. Phase I will be to get back into competition this fall and winter, really not worrying about time or place but instead using the events as hard workouts and focusing on building a rhythm. Then, next spring and summer, Phase II is where I hope to be a little more competitive with more structured workouts in my training and some solid efforts in races. Phase III then comes next fall, when if the first two phases have gone well, I’ll be able to take advantage of one of the best times of year weather wise for racing to see if I can hit some of the goal times I’ve set for myself, which I won’t disclose just yet.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I actually plan on “racing” for the first time in 28 months this coming weekend, although it will be a half marathon that I’m simply using as a hard long run rather than a true race effort. Aside from not overdoing it, my goal is to run sub-1:30, which is a little faster than my long runs have been over the past couple weekends when I’ve gone through 13.1 in the 1:34 range. It should be doable and be another step towards getting stronger and building the aerobic endurance I need to get fit. Have a good week, everyone!