Pain Killer

The 4th week of my training cycle...nice. In fact, so nice, that I'm extremely pumped.

Sunday -- 15 miles including pick ups of 1',2',1',3',1',3' alternating recoveries 3' & 4' alternating recoveries. Very nice run this morning at White Rock Lake. Felt extremely well, even so on the "warm up" and carried myself well through the pick ups. Going to definitely take this as a positive effort and hopefully keep rolling with the rest of the week.

Monday -- 9 miles relaxed or 6:35 pace. Amazing run this morning. Ran on Merrifield since it is measured and wanted to get on the hills before Wednesday. Ran 6:55, 6:30, 6:25, 6:25, 6:18, 6:00, 5:57, 5:47, 5:35...and felt amazing in doing so. I read sometimes when the foreign athletes say, "ran with great sensations..." and this is only what I can imagine they are talking of. This was the best run of the summer thus far. Tomorrow will be a little easier and then the hill workout on Wednesday.

Tuesday -- 10 miles over rolling hills + 8 x 100m strides (going to try these uphill). Ran pretty solid today for my scheduled "easy" day. Did the first six with Hannah in 6:58 pace with splits of 7:21, 7:25, 7:21, 6:51, 6:38, 6:07 then tacked on 3 miles of 6:36, 6:23, 5:43 to finish it off. I only ran 9 because when I got to 7.5 miles I got extremely hungry and felt really bad. I turned around early knowing I am going to most likely warm up and cool down w/ Katie tonight. Felt good though. The entire 9 miles took 60:29.

Wednesday -- 3M easy, 8 x 1' uphill (jog down R) w/ #8 being 1:25, and an extra 1' rest after #3, 3M. Was a pretty decent workout. In fact, felt great on the uphills. My recovery seemed to be a little longer today, averaging around 1:39 for the jog down. Really felt good form-wise on the uphills. Warm up and cool down were rough, but not a big deal. I'm out of town until Saturday night, so might not update until then. Keep it real. Fight the good fight and run every day that you are healthy.

Thursday -- 11 miles easy. Ran in Hull Texas, which is my hometown and had an amazing run. I ended up running 69:10 for the 11 which I believe comes to about 6:19 pace or so. Last mile was 5:54. Just felt good rolling.

Friday -- 10 miles relaxed at 6:35 pace. Was relaxed, but ran 6:21 pace instead for 63:32. Felt great again.

Saturday -- 6 miles relaxed at 6:35 pace + 8 x 100m strides (uphill??). Ran w/ Katie this morning and managed 6:50 pace for a nice easy effort to finish off one of the better weeks of training I've had in some time.
Total -- 80 Miles

Team F.A.O.K. Training Group

Tonight begins the first training session with Team FAOK Training Group. I'm really excited for the group because for one, it's the training group that I will be coaching and two there is nothing I like more than coming up with training plans. Fortunately and unfortunately I only have one member of the training group to speak of, but that hopes to change soon.

That lone runner happens to be Katie Noss who has been not only a teammate of mine in the past (and now the present) but also one of my best friends. She is the founding member of the training group and brings credentials of 3 NCCAA National Championships, including 2 in the women's outdoor 5000 meters.

Session 1, July 24th -- 2M + 6-8 x 1' uphill + 2M + 4 x 60m sprints on grass track. First workout went really well, in fact, better than I thought it was going to go. Katie really attacked the hills and actually took less recovery than I wanted her to (I was looking for 1:45, she averaged about 1:25). Next workout will be a fartlek session on Friday.

To join the training group:
Contact Jacob Phillips
214-641-8448
jacobp@dbu.edu

Credentials for joining group:
Men:
-- 5k -- sub 16'
--10k -- sub 34'
--HM -- sub 1:14
Women:
--5k -- sub 19'
-- 10k -- sub 39'
-- HM -- sub 1:30

standing on the corner of main street...

Another week has passed and now, onto my 3rd week of cross country training. I've got a fartlek on Sunday, and a tempo effort on Wednesday (which might be moved to Thursday to run w/ Matt Daniels...). I think if I can keep on top of my nutrition and my health this will be the strongest I will ever end a phase when all is said and done. I'm already progressing well, just have to keep it up and not rush fitness!

Sunday -- 13 miles including pick ups of 1',2',1',3',1',3' w/ alternating recoveries of 3'&4'. So. What to say about this one? Ridiculous? It was hot and humid and I just didn't feel very fluid. Who knows? I'm frustrated with it though. The pick ups weren't bad, but the whole run seemed to be uninspired...or maybe lacking. Not sure, I just have to figure this out. I'm about to ice bath right now, but the effort I gave today was too much for the poor performance. 25 minutes warm up, then the workout, and our 10 mile loop took us 66 minutes (which is too slow for a workout day); 84 minutes total.

Monday -- 9 miles at 6:35 pace. Ran faster than 6:35 pace. Forgot to save the time on my watch and for some reason kept putting off updating this. Not a bad run though. I know that the splits were something like 6:36, 6:25, 6:25, 6:18, short mile, 6:08, 6:08, 5:54, 6:02 or something. That's just off of memory. I could be wrong.

Tuesday -- 10 miles relaxed. Wasn't really relaxed, but ran slow. Total time was 66:22 which is slower than 6:30 pace, so I'm happy for that. I wanted to run easy, and did, just felt a little uncomfortable. First time I haven't been the first from my group to finish around WRL.

Wednesday -- 3M w/up + 4M at 5:25 pace + 3M c/down. So finally got this in. Was not sure if I was going to attempt it today or on Thursday, but decided to just get it over with. I know I can run 5:25 pace, but it's all about being around that effort level and not too far below it or whatever. So I warmed up for 3M (20:46) + 5:33, 5:27, 5:24, 5:19 + 3M (21:00) for 10 miles total. Felt good. Could have continued dropping the pace if necessary. 11 easy tomorrow.

Thursday -- 11 miles easy. Wasn't technically easy, but wasn't hard. Ran 65:15 for 10 miles and then just added on for the last mile. Ran 6:30's and felt fine in doing so. Got really hungry around 8 miles. Tomorrow is a very relaxed run. Probably with Hannah for 6 and then tacking on 3 miles.

Friday -- 9 miles at 6:35 pace. Ran with Hannah for the first 6 this morning as is our once per week ritual. Went well, ran the six in 7:20 pace, closing in 6:58, 6:24...then tacked on miles of 6:36, 6:19, 5:54 to finish of the 9 miles in 62:50 or sub 7 minute pace...hahah...9 miles tomorrow around WRL w/ Katie.

Saturday -- 9 miles at 6:35 pace. Got the run in. 'nuff said.
Total -- 75 miles

Between a bullet and a target

So begins week number 2 of the new training cycle. I'm pumped about it. There is a significant jump in mileage and I feel like I'm ready to begin what is the start of a series of harder and harder weeks. Focus on the now though or you'll just get stuck between a bullet and a target.

Sunday -- 7 miles w/ 5x60" every 4' on a very hilly course. Just finished this workout. Not as tough as I would have liked it to be, but as Gabe said, via Renato Canova, "you can't rush fitness..." I ran two miles for warm up in 13:37 (~6:50's) then ended up running 6 minute pace for the duration of the workout. My last mile was 5:52 for cool down. I just got ahead of myself and started thinking about other things. Was really composed on this workout and didn't make it anaerobic or anything which was good. The hills were tough as usual on merrifield. That's why she's my girl though.

Monday -- 9 miles at 6:35 pace. Too fast. I'm ashamed to post that this was done in 56:03. I was trying to relax (which I was the entire time) and run the 6:35's, but it's just no dice on Merrifield. I get to rolling and with all of the hills you cannot stop or you will be trashed on her...6:47, 6:30, 6:17, 6:22, 6:01, 6:01, 6:04, 5:53, 6:04...

Tuesday -- 10 miles over rolling hills + 8 x 100m strides. 63:10 which comes out to 6:19 pace. I ran the first 6 miles with Melissa Christian in 6:35 pace before picking it up over the final 4 miles. Felt good. Got really hungry over the last 2-3 miles for some reason. Did 4 x 100m strides as I just wanted to get out of my wet shorts. Humidity is a crazy thing. Ice bath tonight.

Wednesday -- 3M, 8 x 1' uphill surge (jog down recovery), w/ #8 being 1:25, 3M...not sure what to say about this one. I felt horrible this morning and barely got out of the bed and onto the road (or I suppose out of the office and onto the road...). I started a little after 7 a.m. and warmed up slowly for 3 miles before attacking this 300m hill for some repeats. I achieved what I wanted to do which was to remain composed on the uphills and stay in attack mode. I just have a long ways to go before I'm back to the fitness level from last summer. Total workout took 60:22 for about 9 miles.

Thursday -- 11 miles easy. Edit this and make it 10...really wanted recovery today, like 7+ minutes per mile, but I was running with Matt Daniels, Ryan Lusk, and Scott MacPherson which meant that if we stayed slower than 6 minutes per mile we were doing ourselves a favor. Ended up getting the 10 mile loop in 65 minutes even which equate to 6:30's. I'll take it. Most likely am going to need another ice bath tomorrow. Not a big deal though as I have a really slow run tomorrow. Trust me.

Friday -- 10 miles easy. Really ran easy today compared to yesterday. Met up w/ Hannah and ran the first 6 miles with her and finished off 4 by myself. It actually worked out well. Hannah is in great shape, we ran 5 miles last week together in 7:16 pace and today ran 6 in that same pace, so definitely improving on her part. She even threw in a 6:20 last mile today!!! The whole 10 took me 69:05...so not bad for a recovery day.

Saturday -- 6 miles at 6:35 pace + 8 x 100m strides. Had a hard time getting motivated for this run, but actually felt amazing after the first mile or so. Ran 37:30 and closed in 5:49 and 5:51 to finish and wasn't even pushing. Felt good. First mile of course was slow, but ran comfortable after that!
Total -- 65 miles (two - 2M runs in the afternoon)
Summary -- Great week of training. Had a decent workout on Sunday night after a long weekend and followed that up with a great workout on Wednesday (great = survived without oxygen debt). First higher mileage week I've had in some time. Looking forward to the training. Have got to take care of my body though.

...

So I finally got my July schedule from Gabe. I was getting pretty anxious about this being I am suppose to start up next week. I just really want to get off on the right foot and have a good Cross season. I have some pretty tough goals, that I think are reachable, but I need to devote the proper amount of time to training and to health. No rush here; plenty of time to see the results, right?

Week 1 is a transition week.

Sunday -- 5 miles easy. Decided to start today just to get in some work. It's been 13 days since I've last "run" and I wanted to start off the week with a nice and easy run to begin the base process. Sunday is the beginning of my week, so I just decided to start then. I ran on Merrifield where I will be doing most of my running since I want to build this base with hills. I ran 6:38, 6:30, 6:18, 5:18, 5:30 for the 5M, which added up to 30:39. Not bad considering I've put on 7 pounds and have been drinking way too many cokes. Afterwards I jumped into the pool for 6 laps to work on some strength and to get cooled off from the heat! I'm icing now and look forward to tomorrow's 5M effort in hopes that I run no faster than today.

Monday -- 5 miles easy. Ran this with Matt Hansen (aka the great white hype) after his 14 mile run yesterday. He was feeling the effects of the long run and my left calf was tight, so we just went about it relaxed, not really trying to do any serious damage. We hit the first mile in 6:44, 6:26, 6:55 (??), 5:59, 5:55...Not really sure what happened on the 3rd mile. Maybe we went further than the turn around? I'm not sure. Maybe we just slowed down. It is a tough mile with hills coming at you both ways...regardless, the run was over in 32:01 and actually felt good after about a mile. I need more sleep, but that will come with training. Hopefully the rain will hold off for the week. I don't want to get muddy.

Tuesday -- 5 miles easy. Actually ran 6 with Hannah and Christina. Did so in about 44 minutes. Not bad. Ran with Christina on the way out, but added on towards the end. Felt nice and easy. Needed this. Gabe says I need to be more aerobic right now. So that is what we are going to focus on. It's going to be tough, but I trust what he says. We'll see.

Wednesday -- 2M w/up + 4x60" surge with 4' recovery (surges at 4:50 pace), 1M cool down. Warmed up in 13:50 for 2M then proceeded with the workout. Ran the surges at what I thought was goal race pace, which is 4:50 at the moment. Took the recoveries really easy (or tried to). Ended up covering 2.5 miles exactly for 4 surges and 3 recovery periods. I ended up getting 6 miles total for the morning with a 1.5 mile cool down. Not bad.

Thursday -- 5 miles easy. Ran with Katie at 7:15 p.m. and it was hot as haities!!! We ran 6:50 pace which was fine, but it was just so hot. Not bad. Next week I consider real training to begin.

Friday -- 5 miles easy. Ran with Hannah. Ran 36:20 or 7:16's for a nice easy morning run.

Saturday -- 29th Honeywell Lunar Rendezvous Run 5K/Walk , 1st place overall; 15:59 (4:50, 5:14, 5:26, 28.69). Went to Houston with the intentions of pacing my new teammate Katie Noss in this 5k as she made her debut as a member of Team Ameriprise Financial. But feeling rested with my first week of training at nearly all "aerobic" runs, I decided to tempo this run. I don't want to say Tempo, per se, mainly I was going to run the 1st mile with the leaders and then settle in and maybe kick if need be. I actually thought that there would be a few 15:20 guys in the race which would mean I would not even try and race as I am not that fit just yet. But getting to the mile I was 15 seconds ahead of the second place runner in 4:50 and just settled in and relaxed and coasted home as easily as I could winning by what I believe to be ~40 seconds. (2M w/up + 5k + 1/2M c/down)

Total -- 37 miles

learning from history?

Since I am not running for the moment, I have thought it best to use this time wisely. Aside from learning how to do a sit up correctly (or any sort of core exercise for that matter), I have been researching the training methods of different runners and coaches. Most notably, Bill Dellinger, Alberto Salazaar, Mark Wetmore, Terrance Mahon, and Steve Scott. I also have taken another look at the Daniels' Running Formula and the book by Coe and his father. All in all, I'm just trying to get a better understanding of what works well on a broad range for the different distances.

One thing that has stood out to me is how close to, yet how far away from the different ranges are. For example, in reading about Steve Scott's training in 1982, the year he set the American Record in the Mile, and in reading Alberto Salazaar's cross country training during a season at the University of Oregon, you notice how these two athletes were training for two completely different races/distances, yet there are so many similarities in their training. Of course, there are huge differences, but the similarities is what I am looking for. I guess it is sort of like the saying taht someone creates something and everyone just adapts it?

One staple in Scott's training was a 10 mile run every week that was deemed "hard" or "good-paced" or "fast". This is interesting for me as he did this run religiously, even on weeks in which he might have raced two times. He was a racer. I believe he raced 43 times that year! But aside from the 10 mile run, there weren't that many workouts. I mean, of course he did work, but the constant was the 10 mile run, high mileage weeks, and he was always racing.

In looking at Salazaar's XC Season plan, it seemed his staple (aside from high mileage and high intensity) was the 800/300 workout on Pre's Trail. Al would do a fast mile, or 1.5 mile or something, then jog over to Pre's Trail before taking part in the 800/300 workout. Al did not race a ton, I believe I only counted 4 races throughout the fall. He was much more on training and then racing, which contrasts Scott.

Scott also had unbelieveable range. He ran some really good 10k's that same year as the mile AR. It seems that he was constantly in over-distance shape, but also worked on his speed year round with short hill sprints and some very tough workouts, though the specific workouts were few and far between. Hill sprints were constant, just as the 10 milers.

More to come a bit later.

You can't stop it

This is the beginning of week #2 of regeneration. I feel extremely lazy; sort of like a sloth, assuming that sloths are lazy. I haven't run since Monday, which is okay. Nothing wrong with a little recovery. I am going to use this week to get into a core/strength routine so that I don't completely turn into a couch potato.