Training 3/16-3/22

Good quality running this week for sure.  I got on the track again and it felt good.  I've been working out at the American University Track, which might just be my new favorite track.  My mileage has been a tad less the last few weeks(in the 90s), but one of the things I've worked well on is adapting to higher volume.  So far for the year 2015, the first 3 months I have averaged over 102 miles/week.  So taking it down a notch has felt good, but I was by no means fresh for the Van Metre 5 Miler race on Saturday.

Monday: 4.5 miles + 1600m of 50s @ AU Track; 50m sprint, 50m float, 50m sprint, 50m float etc

Tuesday: AM: 1200m(3:41), 1600m(4:51), 2000m(6:05) w/ 1 lap jog rec @ AU Track, 9.5 miles

PM: 3 miles easy

Wednesday: AM: 10.5 miles

PM: 5.5 miles

Thursday: 8 miles with 3 mile "moderate" tempo in 16:00 @ AU Track

PM: 5 miles

Friday: AM: 4.5 miles

PM: 3.5 miles w/ 4 x 200m strides

Saturday: AM: VAN METRE 5 MILER-This race was unbelievably the most twists and turns I have ever had to deal with.  To my own error, I didn't study the course well.  From the gun I put myself into 1st place, and for most of the race I was asking race officials which direction to turn next.  It was frustrating there wasn't a lead vehicle.  I was also unsure which tangents to run.  There were a few hills, which naturally I felt strong on from all the hill workouts I've done over the winter.  I could feel Greenlaw and Klim not far behind me, and was able to see where they were at each turn.  I eventually gained ground on them, and ran alone the entire race.  The effort felt like a hard tempo, I threw some surges in at the end to finish in 25:27, which seemed a bit slow, but my coach told me to not expect much from this.  However, many have told me that this course is always a tad long for some reason.  Who knows.  The important thing I cared about was that I got the effort in, and the win was nice, as this was my debut in the Saucony singlet.   

PM: 5 miles

Sunday:  20 Miles: I started out moderately on the towpath, coming through the first 10 miles in (67:00) minutes, but I was building my pace and ran quite quickly the 2nd 10 miles(58:00), finishing the total 20 miles in 2:05. The last 5 miles of the run I was running 5:40 pace and I saw Klim at Riley's Lock.  I thought I saw Greenlaw too but he wasn't there according to Jake's blog here: http://jakeklim.blogspot.com/.  I was amazed at how effortless this run felt, even after running the race yesterday.  Once I got back to the lock, as if 20 wasn't enough I decided to tag on a grueling 200m steep uphill run up the road that goes towards River Road.  I grinded up the hill, legs aching, and at the next plateau turned around, and finally said "ok, that's enough."  I jogged back down the hill, longing for food and a nap.  90 Miles for the week.

I think I am super fit but it won't really show in racing until the time is right, which hopefully, I'll be able to give something special at Cherry Blossom in 3 weeks.  My coach and I plan to taper down fully for that race, so I should be fresh and ready to go.  I also KNOW the course all too well now.  I have run this race every year since 2010.  I think sub 50:00 is possible this time around, we'll just have to wait and see.  My all time best for the distance is from last year in 50:57, so bettering that performance itself is a tall task.  This is the Trial of Miles, the Miles of Trials.  Your toughest competitor is yourself.

-Sloane    

Welcome to the Saucony Hurricanes

I got word in February that I got selected to the 2015 Saucony Hurricane Team.  This is a wonderful new start for me, as I have been in search for a team for the past several months.  The end of last year was a time where I was a little bit in no-man's land.  I wasn't on a team anymore, I had left =PR=, and I was looking at options on what was the next phase.  On a whim I entered the USA Club XC Championships, buying a pair of Saucony Kilkennys in the process, in not very fit condition.  But I felt it was a good idea to get a race in, and actually did more decently than I thought, finishing near the top 1/3 of the race.  But I needed to get to work.

I worked hard over the winter on my endurance, under Roland's guidance.  The training was unlike anything I have been able to do before, and actually came quite naturally to me.  I ran in the snow.  I ran in the single digits temps.  Heck, that's really not that bad if you think of the tough Minnesota runners and what they have to deal with, or Tyler McCandless training in the mountains of Colorado.  It gave me perspective when I thought of those guys training in those conditions.  If this winter was going to be tough, I welcomed it.  One day during the middle of the week, I ventured off onto snowy trails with my yaktrax on.  I ran for 2 hours.  By the time I was done, I collapsed in my car, exhausted.  Running in the snow was a slow pace, but trudging through it works your whole body.  I only ran on the treadmill a few times this winter, only because it was tempo stuff that couldn't be done on a snow covered track.

"Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win."
-sign on Tom Fleming's wall while training for the Boston Marathon

This was pretty much a 2 month training phase, which finished in mid-February.  I'll pick up from my last post:

Week 2/9-2/15: 110 Miles(last week of endurance segment)

M-AM: 5.5 miles with drills/PM: 3.5 miles
T-AM: 9 miles/PM: 7.5 miles
W-AM: 4 x 5:00 fartleks, 9.5 miles/PM: 5 miles
Th-AM: 14.5 miles/PM: 6 miles
F-AM: 8 x 200m strides, 6 miles/PM: 6.5 miles
S- AM: 12 miles progression(total 70 min)/PM: 3.5 miles
S- AM: 21 miles in the snow/PM: Strength Training

After Mid-February, we did a 4-week transitional period consisting of tempos and faster paced running.

Week 2/16-2/22: 105 Miles

M-AM: 5.5 miles with drills/PM: 5 miles
T-AM: 16 miles
W-AM: Hill Repeats(high knees, bounds, sprints), 9.5 miles/PM: 8 miles
Th-AM: 16 miles on snowy trails/PM: 5.5 miles
F-AM: 4 x 200m strides, 7 miles/PM: 4 miles
S-AM; 3 mile tempo: 15:40, 9 miles/PM: 5 miles
S-AM: 10 miles/PM; 4 miles

Week 2/23-3/1: 96 miles

M-AM: Pool Running 45 minutes+ Drills/PM: 5.5 miles
T-AM: 14 miles/PM: 4 miles
W-AM: 10 miles with 5 x mile on road(@5:08, 4:54, 4:58, 4:52, 5:01)/PM: 4 miles
Th-AM: 8 miles/PM: 7 miles
F-AM: 8 miles with 4 x 200m strides/PM: 5 miles
S-AM; 4 mile tempo on road: 20:15, 9 miles/PM: Strength Training
S-AM: 20 miles

Week 3/2-3/8: 102 Miles

M-AM: 5.5 miles with drills/PM: 3.5 miles
T-AM: 5.5 miles/PM: 10.5 milesf
W-AM: Hill Repeats(high knees, bounds, sprints), 11 miles/PM: 5 miles
Th-AM: 19 miles in snow
F-AM: 4 x 200m strides, 7.5 miles/PM: 4.5 miles
S-AM; 3 mile tempo on treadmill @ 12mph w/ 1.5-2.0 incline: 15:00, 7 miles/PM: 5 miles
S-AM: 18 miles @ 6:20 pace(easy)

Week 3/9-3/15: 92 miles 

M-AM: 5.5 miles with drills/PM: 3 miles
T-AM: 10 miles/PM: 4 miles
W-AM: 10.5 miles with 6 x mile on road(@5:01, 4:53, 4:54, 4:49, 4:55, 4:45)/PM: 2 miles
Th-AM: 9 miles on snowy trails/PM: 5.5 miles
F-AM: 4 x 200m strides, 4.5 miles/PM: 3.5 miles
S-AM: 5 mile progression(5:00-5:10 pace)+1.5 mile cool down/PM: 3.5 miles
S-AM: 19 miles/PM: 3.5 miles

This week started the sharpening period, and I am on the track again.  I've been working out at the AU track, which might be my new favorite track.  I am also racing this weekend, at the Van Metre 5 Miler.  It is merely a tune-up for Cherry Blossom, and I will train through this race, so I will race it not completely fresh.  The idea is to run fast and race while tired.  My target will be my Cherry Blossom Race Pace.

Week 3/16-3/22:

M-Track: 1 mile of 50s(50m sprint, 50m float), 5.5 miles
T-AM: Track: 1200m(3:41), 1600m(4:51), 2000m(6:05), w/ 1 lap jog between, 9.5 miles/PM: 3 miles
W-AM: 10.5 miles/PM:

Thursday will be another 3 mile tempo, and then Saturday is the race.  This should simulate the last 5 miles of Cherry Blossom.


SPRING RACING SCHEDULE:

3/21: VAN METRE 5 MILER
4/12: CHERRY BLOSSOM 10 MILER(Goal: SUB-50:00), current PR is 50:57
4/26; PIKES PEEK 10K(Goal: SUB-30:00), current PR is 30:43
5/11: SWARTHMORE TRACK 5,000M(Goal: TBD)
5/25: LOUDOUN STREET MILE


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