Back to Basics

Ok so my unofficial stalker Paddy told me all I do is write about running, but who the heck would read this if it wasn’t???!!! Well besides him of course...... Hmmmmmmm ....... maybe next time I'll go on a rant.....uh oh...

I got my new racing kit from Mizuno today and it is extremely nice. Apparently they ordered it from Japan for us and I really like the design. It’s the same concept that official Mizuno international Jon Brown has been wearing in his most recent races.

Training wise has been pretty decent this week. Last week’s rest really seemed to help as I didn’t have any bad days. That’s one thing I like at this time of the year and that is to be consistent over going high and low. I stayed away from the group dynamics this week. That’s one thing I forget when I get caught up in what other’s do and forget that the reason I have essentially been self coached over the last 10 yrs and that part of that is knowing how I respond to things both physically and mentally.

Every once in a while I need to remind myself that no matter how hard I try I am still a flaky middle distance runner at heart and that my training tends to be quite unique in some respects. I realize that even more in training with guys like Richard Mosley and especially Steve Osaduik and Ryan Day. Ryan and Steve are true blue slow twitch distance guys and seem to revel in the long tempo runs that tend to be one’s meat and potatoes at this time of the year.

I on the other hand really need to work at the monotony of doing certain types of training. I tend to lose my focus easily in these types of sessions and found that it is essential for me to do certain things before I can have the focus that is needed for those longer steady sessions.

Saturday was a good example as those guys were doing a 5mile tempo. The week before they had done a 10 mile tempo, that I hadn’t done and felt I needed a longer style session so I went out on my own I. But there was no way I could focus for 10 miles....heck even 5 right now so I went back to an old standard that evolved over the years and that is what I have come to term ‘tempo fartleks’. It’s a session where I use my HR monitor and have variations of paces. In this instance it was doing 2km at around tempo pace and 1km 30-40 sec slower.
I find if I do that I have much better focus and more important I like training in this manner.

That’s one huge advantage I think I have over others and that is I have the chance to have really experimented with training at a relatively high level. You learn that there are certain principles that are never altered, but you also learn that there are many ways to do the same thing to suit your personality. Much Like the infamous Quenton Cassidy of ‘Once a Runner’ I am not a true blue obsessive compulsive distance guy and really need to go through a lengthy process to get myself to a point (more mental) where the grind doesn’t wear me down. Physiologically I get the same impact but the mental impact is more relevant to me. Some might be concerned that this might cause some issues when racing, but I find the opposite. When I have a race and need to focus (the flaky middle distance runner in me) I tend to be fine. Eventually I’ll get to those pure steady state runs, but for now I need to do what has essentially worked for the last 10 yrs.

Mon: 70 mins
Tues: 9 x 3mins off 30 sec at LT HR effort
Wed: I hr 39mins solid but comfortable
Thurs: 10min tempo by HR and 8 x 45 sec hills very controlled
Fri: afternoon 45min easy PM 28 mins easy
Sat: AM 4 x 2km at HR tempo 1km about 30-40 sec slower plus 2 x 3mins at tempo off 60 sec PM: gym 28min elliptical trainer plus 30 min weights
Sunday: 2 hr 8mins nice run....figured around 32 km effort pace based upon some splits I hit on the run. Even the last 20 min that I timed from some geographical markers I use were solid