The Build-Up

The solitude and tranquil nature of this place re-captured my soul.  I felt alive.

My summer started off with shorter intervals working on speed and jumping in the mid-summer night's mile race.  The primary focus was to keep up leg speed before diving into the real training.

The week of July 15-21 I did a workout of 5 x 800 meters to get things going.  It was just a moderate effort, working down to no faster than 2:24.  I was to race the Rockville Twilighter 8K that weekend, which was cancelled.  At the time it was cancelled, I had a really good feeling, because I knew that I needed to continue to just train.  Besides the Midsummer night's mile on July 12, not racing for the rest of the summer was EXACTLY what I needed.  The workouts speak for themselves the past several weeks.  From there, I did a solid build up of workouts while also averaging weekly mileage of 95/week.

Below is my progression of workouts/mileage during the past month:

Week July 22-28: 107 miles/week
Track: 1 x 1200m: 3:45, 5 x 1600m: 4:55, 4:54, 4:57, 4:56, 4:57
Long Run: 20 miles

Week July 29-August 4: 90 miles/week
Track: 10 x 600m w/ 200m jog recoveries: 
1:57, 1:51, 1:48, 1:47, 1:46, 1:47, 1:47, 1:46, 1:47, 1:47
Long Run: 18 miles

Week August 5-August 11: 99 miles/week
Monday: 10 mile progression hilly route in Boyds(64:00)
Tuesday: 9 miles
Wednesday: AM: Track: 10 x 1000m w/ 200m jog recoveries: 
3:03, 3:00, 2:59, 3:01, 3:00, 3:02, 2:59, 3:01, 3:00, 3:03/PM: 4 miles
Thursday: 9.5 miles
Friday: 14 miles
Saturday: AM: Long Run 20 miles(2:17)/PM: 6 miles
Sunday: AM: 7 miles/PM: 9 miles

Week August 12-August 18: 84 miles/week
Monday: 6.5 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: Track: 25:00 warm-up, 10 x 1600m w/ 2:00 min rest recoveries:
5:06, 5:05, 4:59, 4:58, 4:57, 4:57, 4:57, 4:55, 4:57, 4:56, 15:00 cool-down
Thursday: 13 miles
Friday: 12 miles
Saturday: Long Run 16 miles
Sunday: 13 miles

I can confidently say I am on a different level now in my training.  The difference really is in rest(which has been less than in the past).  These have been some of the best workouts I have ever done.  The 600s were the perfect distance to start the build up, and by doing the 200 jog rest gave me short recoveries.  The 10 x 1000m was a build-up from that by adding a lap to each interval, and by running close to the same pace.  Then the cooler weather broke through on Wednesday morning, and I did the best workout of my career thus far: the 10 x 1600m w/ 2:00 minute rests all averaging out to sub-5:00 pace.  If the weather is good at Philly in 4 weeks, I feel I can run very fast.  But I need a good day for it.

Blacksburg, VA(August 9-11):
Blacksburg is one of my favorite places to visit and train.  I have fond memories here when I was on the Virginia Tech Cross Country team.  On Friday I arrived and went to Pandapas Pond for an afternoon run.  The trails of the Jefferson Forest were exactly as I remembered.  I parked off Route 460 in the usual small parking lot and headed out into the forest.   There are miles of trails which have a series of ups and downs and different climbs.  I hadn't been here in 4 years, but I knew exactly where to turn.  Pretty soon, I was out in the middle of nowhere.  No cars, no traffic lights, no noise.  Sure, this is also why I train in Poolesville, MD, because of it's secluded/rural nature.  But nothing compared to training out here.  I need to come out here more often, I thought to myself.  The solitude and tranquil nature of this place re-captured my soul.  I felt alive.  And I re-discovered my joy for running more than ever.  This was truly, living.  I climbed up and down the hills, feeling my lungs take in all the fresh air they could get.  I pressed the pace on the way back to get in 14 miles that afternoon.

Saturday morning I got up early for a long run.  I decided to drive out to the New River trail, about 30 minutes from where I was staying.  The sunrise below was awesome.

The new river trail is actually flat, and is 57 miles long.  I started at Draper, pictured below, near milepost 6.  I headed out to milepost 16 and turned around to make it a 20 miler in 2:17.

Later that day, I drove out to the Blue Ridge Mountains to take in some awesome views.  I drove out to the Parkway to view the Devils Backbone, Elevation 2687 ft.

Saturday evening I did a second run along the Huckleberry Trail, which starts right near the Virginia Tech Campus/downtown Blacksburg.  I got in an easy 6 and felt quite good for having run 20 miles that morning.  The next morning, I ran on the trail again for another 7.  I drove back during the day, but stopped at Harper's Ferry that afternoon/evening to get another run in.  I got in 9 miles to finish up my 99 mile week.  As I drove home back to reality, I still had the above image in my head.

I will return to Blacksburg again, hoping sometime this fall.

The Good, Hard-Working Runs of Summer

As my racing teamate Matt and I ran along Haines Point in DC, we chatted along quite comfortably at 6:30 pace.

"I feel like we could run this pace forever," he said.

He would cover 19 miles for the day as I would cover just under 21.  The weather felt amazing compared to the brutal heat the week before.  My body felt good.  It felt strong.  Maybe it was a good thing the Twilighter 8K was cancelled, I thought.  It was certainly not an important race to me, as what I am focusing on now is that target half marathon PR.

I have noticed a few different things in my recent years of training/running.  My body is able to recover much quicker than it used to.  I can handle more mileage and intensity than I used to.  The trick is finding the right mix of workouts combined with long endurance type runs and the right amount of mileage.  That comes to the next difference.  I have noticed, that my overall paces are faster combined with higher volume.

In a nutshell, I am able to handle more intensity at high volume.  

My summer started with doing shorter intervals(300 meter repeats, 400 meter repeats), and jumping into the MidSummer Night's Mile race.  Georgetown Running Company's Joe Wiegner would run it, and I was looking to hopefully run the race close to his pace.  But Joe is a kicker, and he certainly has been concentrating on the mile much more than I have.  I learned I was not a miler in high school, and still never will be, but it is a good race for me to work on what I would describe as a very uncomfortable, short, gasping for breath type of running with little to no oxygen.  I hung with Joe for the first 800(we went out fast-at least for me-split was something like 2:10).  The third lap he gapped me, and though I am competitive with my former roomate, the race certainly was not long enough for me to give him an honest fight for the win.  But it was a good workout to get in, as I always like to get in some type of shorter race over the summer.

The next morning, I went out to Edwards Ferry and pounded 20 miles in 2:09:00.

The following week, I did my first semi-longer interval workout of 5 x 800 meters.  It was nothing special, I started 2:27 and worked down to 2:24.  I anticipated to save my legs for the Rockville Twilighter 8K that Saturday.  If only I had known it would be cancelled, I would have done more.  I only hit 82 miles that week, but I felt good going into the next.

These past several days have been awesome.  Today, I drove out to Harper's Ferry with Travis.  He was to do 17 for his long run this past weekend but pushed it to Monday instead.  Luckily we both had the day off from work.  I had planned on 14 today but figured to do a few extra miles and help pace him.  We ventured out on the towpath and enjoyed the magnificent scenery.  The cooler weather felt awesome, and although I had run 107 miles last week, I felt quite good.

Last week I did a very good workout.  I did a 1200m at a moderate effort followed by 5 x1600m on the track.  I also got in plenty of hill running in Poolesville.  It is one of my favorite places to train.

Monday: 10 Miles: 62:00(Edwards Ferry/Whites Ferry Loop)

Tuesday: 15 Miles: 1:40:00(Hilly route in Poolesville)

Wednesday: AM: 2 mile warm up, drills, 1 x 1200m: 3:45, 5 x 1600m: 4:55, 4:54, 4:57, 4:56, 4:57, all with 3 minute rests between, 1 mile cool down/
PM: 8 miles: 55:00(Swains Lock)

Thursday: AM: 3.5 miles recovery/
PM: 9 miles: 60:00(Pennyfield Lock)

Friday: 12 miles: 80:00(Rileys Lock/Seneca Road loop)

Saturday: 21 miles: 2:22:00(on towpath towards DC/VA with Matt)

Sunday: AM: 10 miles recovery: 82:00(with runners in my training group at Rock Creek)
PM: 10 miles: 69:00(Sycamore Landing/Seneca Road loop)

Total: 107 Miles

I'd lie if I didn't say training like this is hard as shit.  It is not just running for fitness.  I am trying to do something that is very, very difficult.  But the challenge is what keeps it going.  As Kennedy said, "We don't go to the moon because it is easy, we go to it because it is hard."

-Chris Sloane

7/1-7/7: 92 Miles/Week

Monday:  PM: 11 miles

Tuesday: AM: 14.5 miles

Wednesday: PM: 8 x 300m: 48, 48, 47, 47, 46, 46, 46, 46 with 1:30-2:00 min rests

Thursday: AM: 8 miles/PM: 9 miles

Friday: AM: 12.5 miles

Saturday: AM: Long Run 17.5 miles

Sunday: AM: 11 miles

Total: 92 miles

6/24-6/30: 103 Miles/Week

I got in 103 Miles last week.  I've been getting in great mileage.  My endurance is strengthening, while also acclimating to the humidity.  Once a week I try to get out on the back roads of Poolesville (pictured above).  I really do love it out there.  On Wednesday, I did my first speed-workout since May.  It was also my 30th birthday.  On Saturday I did my long run, and it was quite humid, even though I started early.  During the 2 1/2 hour session, I went through 16 ounces of water, which is a lot for me to drink while running.

Monday:  11 miles @ Riley's Lock

Tuesday: 14.25 mile Edwards Ferry/Club Hollow loop

Wednesday: AM: 10 miles
PM: Track: 8 x 400m: 67, 65, 65, 65, 66, 67, 65, 66, ~6 miles total

Thursday: AM: 9 miles
PM: 4 miles

Friday: AM: 8 miles
PM: 6.5 miles

Saturday: Long Run 21.5 miles 2:30:00

Sunday: 12.5 miles + strength training

Total: 103 miles

6/17-6/23: 98 Miles/Week

I ran 98 miles this week.  My mileage has crept back up there.  On Monday afternoon, I met the Red Fox aka Jake out on the trails of Lake Frank.  I had an eerie feeling Fox had something up his sleeve, as you can tell by reading his blog post here: http://jakeklim.blogspot.com/2013/06/fox-and-friends.html.  Nevertheless, he stood down.  We got in 10 for the day.  The next morning I headed out on the towpath towards the Chain Bridge and took that over to VA to explore a few trails along the river, which were quite serene.  I got in 11.5.  Wednesday was a double: 8 miles in the morning, followed by another 11 miler in the evening along the Millennium Trail.  Thursday morning I met up again with Jake, Jerry Greenlaw, and Joe Wiegner at Riley's Lock and got in 13 miles on the towpath and some back roads.  Interestingly enough, as Jake pointed out, we had all finished Pikes Peek 10K this year in under 31 minutes:

Wiegner: 30:31
Sloane: 30:43
Greenlaw: 30:48
Klim: 30:52

Friday was another double: 6 miles in the morning, 5 miles in the evening.  The heat of the summer is here, so I have been trying to get up earlier.  On Saturday, I started my long run around 6:45 AM on the towpath and  ventured into DC/VA on Mount Vernon/Rock Creek trails for a while before heading back.  I got in about 19.5 in 2 hours 8 minutes.  Sunday was a double again: 9 miles in the morning(finished JUST before the rain came down), and 4 in the evening.

This week I plan to get back into doing workouts again, while keeping the mileage high.  I haven't done any type of speed work in a month, since that road mile I ran on May 27.

6/10-6/16: 94 Miles/Week

Monday: 12 miles

Tuesday: 12 miles

Wednesday: 13 miles

Thursday: 11 miles

Friday: AM: 4 miles, PM: 10 miles

Saturday: 20 miles(2 x Edward's Ferry/White's Ferry Loop), 71:00/59:00

Sunday: 12 miles


Total: 94 miles

Fall 2013

Philly 9.15.13

DC 10.20.13

Richmond 11.16.13

Aside from a few regular summer races I do, I thought long and hard about my fall season.  It was difficult to decide NOT to do a marathon this year, since it is a distance I love to train for over the summer and into the fall.  I ran a PR last fall, although it certainly isn't quite up to par with my other performances.  I believe it will catch up to the others as I age, since it actually caters to that, but right now I have a greater interest in the half marathon distance.  It also just feels right.

I've run 1:08 for the half marathon twice in the past year and a half.  I'd like to surpass that barrier now.  It's going to take a lot of work, and I am going to have to train very, very hard this summer.  My ultimate sight is on the 1:05 qualifying time for the 2016 Olympic Trials.  The qualification window for doing so opens this August 2013, and ends sometime before the 2016 Trials.  This is a long term process that I've been thinking about even before the 2012 Trials.  I knew I wouldn't qualify for 2012, however, and wasn't expecting to, because I was not ready to do so.  My goals at the time were to run perhaps under 1:10, which I happily did in 2011.  The following spring, I qualified for and competed in the USA Half Marathon Championships, a race which I was not happy about performance wise, but proud to be a part of.  But I've learned to look at the bigger picture.

I believe I am now beginning to enter my prime as a runner.  I turn 30 this month, and while I am not a kid anymore, I am lighter, stronger, faster, and smarter than I have ever been.  I have learned how to train for different races, and to coach others.  I have learned how to deal with bad races and move on.  I have learned what I am capable of.  I am ready.  I will go all out, with nothing held back.  The time to do it is now.

This fall I decided I would do 3 major races stretched out over a 2 month window.

9.15.13: Philly Rock and Roll Half Marathon

10.20.13: Army Ten Miler

11.16.13: Richmond Half Marathon

Originally, I was thinking of doing Philly(11/17) instead of Richmond, but I like the way Richmond's course is layed out and looks quite fast.  Plus, it's nice to do races in 3 different cities.

Over the summer, I will do a few short races to keep from getting stale.  I'd also like to see if I can go sub 4:20 in the mile.  The Rockville Twilight 8k I placed 6th last year, and I'd really like to crack top 5 or even win the damn thing...

7.12.13: MCRRC MidSummer Night's Mile

7.20.13: Rockville Twilight 8K 
  
I may add additional races, but for now, the important ones are noted.

Mileage was 81 this week.  The base continues to build..