Running Workouts with Graphs Pt. 5
Today I’m going to look back on some running workouts I’ve done lately to see if I accomplished the right training stimulus.
Oct. 13
Run 60 mins
warm up: 16 mins, 1.65 miles
7 sets:
2:30 @ hard pace (targeting 7:30)
1:00 @ recovery (targeting 9:00-10:00)
cool down: 20 mins, 1.8 miles
workout notes: Wanted to spend some time running at a faster pace, primarily for the muscular benefits. Running fast is tougher on your muscles, tendons and joints and can be a really good training stimulus when you’re ready for it. I needed to get some higher-heart rate time too, which I did not accomplish with this workout. I felt sluggish and heavy during my warm up and couldn’t seem to get much faster on these short efforts. All in all, an okay workout with about 6.5 miles, but would have liked to see the heart rate spike into the 165 plus range on the intervals.
Oct 14
Run 5k at hard effort.
warm up: 13 minutes, 1.25 miles
run 5k @ 6:52/mile pace
cool down: 5 minute walk
This was high heart rate redemption from the day before. I realized I was avoid a tempo-like effort, where I sustained hard pace for 20 or so minutes. I accomplished that here and this was tough, but, surprisingly I felt pretty good afterwards. This 5k had a couple hundred feet of vertical feet and it was raining, so I’d like to think I could shave off some more time with better conditionings. I’ve snuck under 20 minutes on a 5k once, 6 years ago and 15 pounds lighter, I think this is my 3 or 4th fastest ever and I’m pleased with that. Accomplished the heart rate goal here and logged a couple minutes in zone 4.
Getting properly warmed up for an effort like this is tricky. You can easily go overboard, and this type of run sucks a lot when you aren’t ready for high output. Today, I felt good warming up and knew it right away whereas on the previous day, I couldn't get the turnover I wanted from my legs while warming up and this chart shows a more gradual warm up.
Oct 17
Run 60 mins
warm up: 15 minutes, 1.5 miles
7 sets:
40 sec @ sprint pace, uphill
1:20-1:45 recovery jog back to start position
cool down: 25 minutes, 2 miles
In an effort to continuing to getting higher intensities I did this workout on a gradual hill on the trails near my house. I ran for 40 seconds up the hill as hard as I could, and jogged down easy to recover. Each interval got harder to recover from, per the plan. I had 10 efforts planned on my watch, but I slowed down so significantly on number 7 I called it there, since I still had a two mile run back to my truck. I should have done longest rests on all of these, even when I didn’t need it in the early intervals. I think that would have allowed me to push it for more volume and with greater intensity. Overall, mission accomplished but could have executed better.
Oct 21
Run 7 miles with 20 minute hard effort.
warm up: 25 minutes, 2.25 miles
run 20 minutes @ hard effort, 2.03 miles (9:51 per mile)
cool down: 33 minutes, 2.6 miles
7 miles with 892 feet
This was a good run. I wanted to get some more volume that my typical runs had been, but also keep the speed focus. I decided to run 25 minutes to a hill, where I would climb for about a mile and the descend for a mile, trying to accomplish it in less that 20 minutes. The hard uphill would challenge my strength and push my heart rate, and on the downhill I would get fast technical running practice, and challenge my muscular endurance with the eccentric overload. It isn’t so clear on the chart where the 20 minute effort was, so perhaps it could have been a little harder, but in order for that, I would have needed to be on less technical trails. It did however, result in a higher average heart rate than if I just cruised for 7 miles.
