INTERESTING STUFF

How about I start with a training update, since it’s been so long since my last post?

Thursday: 8 miles with Evan, including the last 5 minutes at MP.
Friday: I slacked off and recorded a zero.
Saturday: Group run - everyone seemed to be in holiday mode. We made it 12.5 miles and no one really seemed into it.

That gave me 50.5 miles for the week.

Sunday: 6.5 miles, including 4 x 8 second hill sprints.
Monday: 8 miles with 8 x 40 seconds between 3K and 10K pace with 1:20 jog. The black flies are starting to appear.
Tuesday: 11 miles on the LRT.

Some of the stuff I find interesting about Brad Hudson’s book;

1) I like how he talks about year-over-year improvements to training. It seems like common sense, but how many of us sit down after the season and look at what worked and what didn’t work? In addition to increasing mileage over the years, he talks about adding more “work” from year to year. That could be in the form of the number of workouts, starting workouts earlier in the year, doing more reps, etc.

2) He talks about gearing your training so that you’re able to hit all your workouts in your peak week. “Peak” meaning the largest amount of work – not necessarily the most mileage. If you can’t hit your goal times during this peak week, which occurs right before your taper, then you need to think about adjusting your race day goal.

3) He’s all about having your plan written in pencil and adapting as you go along. Each day you basically have 3 plans; Plan A is your original training for the day, Plan B is the days training scaled back, Plan C is an easy day or day off. Basically, if you can’t run Plan A, he suggests cutting the workload for the day (for example, instead of a 30-minute tempo, you’d only run a 15-minute tempo) rather than postponing it. He feels postponing it has a domino effect of pushing other workouts. If you can't scale back, then take it easy or take the day off.

4) He’ll include different stimulus – even at the end of easy runs – to help push your fitness level. So you’ll see lots of easy runs with the last 5-10 minutes at a moderate pace. He feels if you can add this little extra – without adversely affecting your next workout – then you should add it.

5) Along the lines of #4, he talks about doing more than just surviving your long runs. Therefore, he’ll mix in some quicker paces towards the end of them.

I’m sure there’s lots more to come, but so far so good.

Quote of the Day;

"I’m glad that shit’s over with.” – Doug Suker at the end of Saturday’s group run