A Long Short November (for Training)

Among the goals that I didn't accomplish in November 2010 was posting more frequently about my training. I failed to meet this goal in part due to time constraints, and in part because I didn't have as much training to report on as I would have liked. So, in the interest of a better start to December, here's my November recap:

I "came back" from my self-imposed hiatus on 16 November 2010, with my only concrete goal for 2011 being to run a 5K PR. Since then, here's what's happened:

16 November: 10 minute warmup, 4x(400m speed, 60 sec rest), 10 minute warmdown; 400s @ 75, 77, 78, 79
17 November: ~6 miles easy (~40 minutes), 5x100m barefoot strides
18 November: nothing
19 November: nothing
20 November: 10 minute warmup, 3 minutes tempo, 1 minute rest, 7 minutes tempo, 1 minute rest, 10 minute warmdown
21 November: nothing

Miles for the week: ~15
Time for the week: ~1 hour, 40 minutes

22 November: nothing
23 November: ~6 miles easy (~40 minutes)
24 November: nothing
25 November: 10 minute warmup, 2x(3 minutes tempo, 1 minute rest, 7 minutes tempo), 10 minute warmdown
26 November: 2 miles in 13:07, 20 minutes total run time
27 November: nothing
28 November: ~20 miles @ sub-7:00/mile pace (2 hours, 19 minutes total time)

Miles for the week: ~35
Time for the week: ~4 hours

And, in the interest of completeness, the past couple of days:

29 November: nothing
30 November: 11 minutes warmup, 5x(400 fast, 60 sec rest), 13 minutes warmdown; 400s @ 75, 78, 81, 83, 85

So all in all, some success, some failure . . .

Success: Getting back into (a semblance of) a routine; as in, posting more than 0 miles per week. For the most part, workouts have been solid and, given the circumstances, relatively speedy. First long run in a while was not a crash-and-burn disaster. Not feeling sick, injured, or burned out anymore.

Failure: Not enough volume, not enough consistency with workouts. Not enough strides. Last speed workout of the month was beyond crummy, and fell short of desired number of reps. Some annoying blisters on my feet from taking an unfamiliar pair of shoes on a long run.

Given the above, I think the next steps are fairly obvious: continue to increase volume, run more strides, and run less crappy workouts. The last one merits dissection, as I'm still not entirely sure what caused my last workout to go south so quickly. Tentatively, I am primarily attributing it to my attempt to reach an optimal racing weight, which has me on a diet high in protein and fiber, and low in simple carbs and total calories. My guess is that this is not such a bad diet for longer, low-intensity running (where fat is a more significant energy source), but may impact shorter, higher-intensity efforts, as a result of the likely persistent glycogen shortage caused by this diet. I am basing this guess on the fact that while I felt fine running a slower pace during the warmup/warmdown, my legs went totally dead during the intervals, which didn't happen the last time I tried this workout. Or, I could be just making things up. In any case, I'm gambling that I can't reach my 5K goal at 135 pounds (the weight my body seems to naturally want to be), and that my natural build will not preclude the loss of at least 10-15 pounds. Time, and additional training volume, will tell if this is a mistake. But in any case, it's worth a shot, since I haven't tried it before, and the best that similar plans have yielded in the past is an 18:20 5K, which general theory suggests that I am better than.

Parting words: A week from today, barring catastrophe, I will finally be finished with my MBA, so I can go back to being a normal person who has most weekends free, and who can reasonably expect to spend 12 hours, maximum, at work on weekdays. I am hoping that this more regular schedule and additional free time will improve my ability to train at a high level. Then again, maybe it won't. In any case, I am excited to be moving on . . . if only I knew exactly where . . .