Trying to Get Faster:
My summer training is focused on speed work. I want to get faster, and get to a level where I can really begin to compete. My thought is that if I can get my shorter distance race (5k/10k) times faster, then my marathon time will drop too. I want to contend in my fall marathon and know that summer training will be essential to achieving this goal. In the past couple weeks, I did a few workouts to prepare for a 5k that may work for you too. The first was a track workout that I would consider a staple in my training. It is called the Drop-Down. Run 2 x 1000m (5k pace), 2 x 400m (mile pace), then 2 x 200m (all out). You can then repeat this if you haven't had enough yet. This teaches your body to run faster and works on foot turnover (very important for marathon training). I also did a classic 4 x 1 mile workout on the roads. I hit my splits in 6:02. 5:54, 5:56, 5:54, while taking three minutes of rest in between. The goal here is to help your body acclimate to goal race pace and hold it throughout the workout. During the week leading up to the 5k, I did one of the craziest workouts I've ever attempted. I started with a sort of 5k simulation. I warmed up and then ran 1 mile under goal race pace 5:50. I then jogged for 4 minutes and then ran another mile in 5:55. After a light cool-down I then hit the track. I did the famed Oregon 30/40s for the first time in my life. In this workout, try to run 200m at mile race pace then 200m 10-15 seconds slower than this. This is called a float workout because the recovery is still done at a quick pace (maybe a little slower than half marathon pace). It is rumored that Steve Prefontaine once did 4 miles of these hitting his repeats in 30 seconds and then in 40 seconds (hence the name). I did two miles total and my splits were more of a 40/50 but I was still pleased with this. The 30/40s end right when your fast repeat or recovery falls off pace. I went into this workout with two total miles as my goal but cannot wait to see how many I can do in a row! I then finished with 12 x 50m of all out sprints (see video of this at bottom and the one on form too). This workout was a beast and I encourage anyone to try some of them out and see if they help you.
2nd Annual pALS 5k:
On 5/27 I ran my first race of the summer. I finished in 5th place in 18:40 (6:01/mile) and took home second in my age group. This is a solid start to the summer and I cannot wait to begin chipping away at this time and hopefully break well into the 17:00 range (Or better!- we'll see). My splits for the race were: 5:52, 6:04, 6:14, :30 .1 mile sprint. I had a strong kick to finish out this race. The good news is that I did not get passed by anyone in the race! I can say this definately has never happened to me before. My splits were about 10 seconds off, which is not too terrible but I would like to be a little more consistent. There were a lot of high school runners in this race, which brings me to a point I want to make about pacing. The high school kids sprinted out to the lead of the race and then faded very quickly. I was probably somewhere between 10th and 15th place until just before the first mile. This does not produce good results in distance racing. Go out at the pace you want to run and hold it. If you feel good, then you can bring it down from there. It is very difficult to run a race when your first mile is 30-45 seconds faster than your overall pace. I have learned this the hard way too. I used to race this way but can now guarantee you will do better going out slower in any distance race. The race I ran benefited People with ALS. It was put on my the parents of Jon Blais. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2005, and despite this, completed the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii that year. When crossing the finish line, he log-rolled to raise awareness for ALS (which many people did at the race). His story is inspirational and I encourage everyone to watch below. Before the race started Jon's dad spoke and told us to remember him and what he fought for. He told all of the runners to think of Jon during the race and be his arms and legs out there when we felt weak. We (as runners) are fortunate for the gift we have been given. We are so lucky and blessed to be given the chance to chase after our dreams everyday.
Run Happy,
David
Check out these videos:
- Jon Blais and his War on ALS
- Ryan Hall Sprints
- Sage Canaday's speed/form drills
Hope these help!