8 mile run on Nike Campus

6 pm run on the Nike campus. No one on the trail but me. 

Feeling pretty recovered from yesterday's hard track session.

Next track workout will most likely be 8x300 meters @ 43-44 seconds

with 1 minute rest. 

12x200m average 28.5 with 45 sec rest and 60 rest

Today I did the 12x200m workout  35 degree weather. There was even a small snow flurry while I was doing this workout and it was a little windy during the first half.  I averaged 29s and 30s for the first six.  I did 1 lap jog and ran the next 6 with a few 27s and 28s and finished my last 200m in 26. I added 15 seconds more rest on the last six and to be able to comfortable run at 1:48 800m pace. 

My plan to PR in the 800m my current PR is 1:51

After doing 2 years of 1 speed workout per week at a pace faster than race pace. It is much easier to do slower race pace intervals with short rest. In fact it felt like I was very controlled at 29 seconds per 200m. Why not do speed work year round? For me it is one of the keys to me being ranked number one at www.mastersrankings.com  in the 800, 1500, and mile for sub masters.  

My philosophy for gaining speed for the 800m run.  

For the first 4 months of a macrocyle starting in August, I continue to 

do 1 speed session per week. An example for me is 6x200m cut downs

29,27,27,26,25,24. My rest is usually a slow 200m jog 

close to 1:30 or 2:00 min rest. I continue doing this during

a three or four month base training phase.  In October, I  lowered

my mileage and introduced a 2 mile tempo runs  or vo2 max boosting workouts. 

An example for me is 2 mile @ 10:@20 or 6x800m @ 2:20. 

In January, I begin to shorten the rest intervals of my speed sessions while

decreasing the speed and increasing the volume of my speed sessions.  An example might be 

12x200m @ 28 with 1 minute rest. An example workout for 3 days

later may be 8 x 300m @ 43 seconds with 90 seconds rest. Several months

ago I was doing this workout as a cutdown 45,44,43,42,41,40,39,38 with 2 or 3 minutes rest. 

I plan to do some longer intervals like 2x400m @ 52 with 4-5 minute recovery.

It is important to introduce long intervals at race pace as we get closer to doing some

racing. 

For the next few months I will gradually increase the speed of my intervals while

keeping the short rest. In addition, I will also decrease the volume proportionally.

An example for a 200m interval workout in 3 months will be 4-5 x 200m @ 24-25 seconds with

1 minute rest or 3x400m @ 54 seconds with 90 seconds rest. With this training 

method I will have had to have completed a few 2x400m @ 52-53 seconds with 3 -4 minute rest. This last part of the Macrocyle will be the peaking phase. With this gradual adaptation, I believe I can maintain this peak fitness for 2 to 3 weeks. I also believe it is important to continue 1 long run and 1 tempo run per week late into the macrocycle. For the 3 week peaking phase, it is important to eliminate the long run and the tempo run. 

Running in the cold rain ? Not a problem

I just got a good idea for my next workout.  Galen Rupp and Alan Webb are training inside the Nike Employee building where they are doing their speed workouts. The workout that was posted online was 12 x 200m @ 28.5 seconds with 45 seconds rest.  I decided that I am going to do this same workout on Thursday. It will be a bit more challenging with the current weather conditions.  Because I don't have access to any indoor facilities,  I have been adapting to the climate by doing my track workouts in the rain.  In order to do this I usually have to do a warm up at near my threshold pace. For example, 2 miles @ 10:20.   I also have to wear a few extra layers to get extra warm. When it comes time to the workout, I shed the rain gear and I will be ready to do my speed workout since I have elevated my core body temperature.

  I believe that training in adverse conditions has made me more mentally prepared to race in bad weather. It is inevitable that there will be stormy weather in the Spring during the track season. I don't remember one race in early Spring that it was not cold, cloudy, windy, or rainy. The human body has the ability to adapt. I don't think training indoors is going to help me when I need to be mentally and physically ready to race in a rain storm.  I also get a good boost of confidence when I pull off an amazing workout in the worst conditions. 

http://trackfocus.com/usa-xc/rainy-day-tales-galen-rupp-alan-webb-and-the-second-floor-runway-in-the-mia-hamm-building.  

Easy workout but felt difficult

Tonight I did warmup  2 mile @ 10:50.

Followed by 6x200m @ 28,28,2827,27,27 with 200m jog recovery.

40 degrees F and pouring rain.  Still feeling a little tired from fighting

a cold and a 10 mile run yesterday. 

Finished with 30 pullups and plyometrics, 50 knee high bench jumps. 

Recovery:  Fresh carrort, apple, ginger juice, foam roller, anti oxidant supplements, 

stretching, hot/cold shower and 9 hours of sleep. 

10 mile run on the Nike Campus

Yesterday I played the piano for two church services.  Later that day I ran a 10 mile run around the Nike campus in Beaverton Oregon.  Saturday I had to take a rest in order to combat a cold that was coming on.

2x1.5 mile tempo run

I had a nice time running around the Linfield Campus in McMinnville.
Feeling great after taking a day off from running.
Tonight I had fun playing piano at the Christmas Eve Service at the
Covenant church.

Recovery

I felt surprising well good this morning after a very difficult track session last night. I took two Aleves or Naproxen to help with some aches and pains. I try to stay away from OTC medications, but I was feeling a little beat up. 

I ended up doing a 30 minute recovery run. 2x500 half squats with no weight.

1 x 1o0 sit ups, 2x20 pullups, and a lot of light stretching. 

I will take another easy day to prepare for a sub 10 minute 2 mile run for a little

VO2 max boost. 

Another good track session

4x200 @ 29,28,29,29  in road racing flats with 200m jog recovery

1 lap jog rec

3x200m @ 26,25,25 in spikes  with 200m jog recovery

1 lap jog rec

2x400m @ 60 with lap jog recovery

4x300m @ 45 with easy 100m walk/jog recovery

Temperature was 38 degrees F with no wind.

My Recovery:

Hot and Cold shower: The cold shower is sometimes

a little tough to bear but has amazing benefits. 

2 pints of fresh made carrot, apple, ginger, spinach, red and green cabbage

juice.

Foam roller massage and stretching. 

Some of my favorite supplements:

Osteo bioflex. http://www.osteobiflex.com

It contains Boswellia extract that helps with inflammation.

I believe it cured my chronic shoulder pain and has helped with tendonitis flare ups.

I also take tart cherry extract to combat inflammation and muscle soreness. 

• Delivers cherry flavonoids in a high-powered, concentrated form
• Benefits joint health by strengthening collagen structures in connective tissues

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SWH112/ItemDetail

On a side note:

I am starting to increase the volume of my track workouts. 

I plan to drop the training volume and increase the intensity 

to peak for some key races in July. 

Cold and Dark

8 mile run on the Nike Campus in rain and sleet.  Still a little sore from the plyometric session a couple days ago.  I saw a few Canadian geese and a great blue heron. 

8x300m today

Started today with a two mile jog warmup and a lot of stretching. 

My track session started with 4x300 @ 43,46,44,44 with 100m slow jog recovery 

then 2 laps jog and 4x300m cut downs @ 43,42,41,40 with 300m jog recovery.

then 200m jog and 1x200 @ 28 feeling relaxed. 

40 degrees F. with light rain.  Now time to recover and hopefully become a little

stronger from this training. 

Training on Nike Campus

Easy 8 mile run this afternoon on the 2 mile loop around the Nike campus in Beaverton Oregon. 

The Nike  trail has some small rolling hills and a cedar chip surface. It is well maintained

and has lights for running at night.  It is also very scenic with a lot of trees, ponds, and native plants and wildlife. You may run into herons, Canadian geese, wood ducks, mallards, turtles, beavers, hawks, and even those ugly oversized rodents called Coypu or nutria. 

Another good track session yesterday

800m @ 2:04

600m@1:31

400m@56

200m@26

400m jog recovery.

Worked out on the Linfield college track.

Temperature was 50 degrees F. It was nice

to have a little warmer conditions for this

time of year. 

Hot and Cold treatment to speed recovery

An alternating hot/cold shower is a great therapy to get your body to feel better after a hard

training session.  I always start with about 3 minute hot shower and

alternate with 3 minutes cold shower. I will usually do about 3 cycles and 

end with cold shower. If I am feeling banged up, I may do this up to three times

per day.  I can't think of anything else that will leave you feeling refreshed,

energized, and make you feel 10 years younger in less than 10 minutes. 

Here is a good article that has references to studies that demonstrate

the efficacy of the hot/cold treatment.

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/hydrotherapy.html

recovery from crash training

Today I did about 30 minutes of light jogging on a cedar chip trail. 

I finished with some easy stretching and completed 20 pullups and 100 situps. 

In order for you to reap the benefits

of a couple consecutive  days of hard training, you

must follow this period of intense training with equal recovery days. 

As you progress in your fitness level, it can sometimes

be beneficial to add a few days of intense training 

in close proximity. The idea is that the workout following a hard workout less than 24 hours later will elicit a stronger training effect or cause your body to super-compensate due to the higher fatigue level.

This method of training is called crash training. It is very important

to take extra rest days after a crash training period. You must take

other precautions as well such as massage, ice baths, higher caloric

intake,  etc.. .

Here are some good articles on the topic

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=109580222399443&topic=10

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/crash-training-wang-and-qu-431

Getting Fit for Racing the 800m

Today was a mix of aerobic and anaerobic training. The two elements needed for a middle distance runner. Feeling great after only one day of active recovery from a very hard track session.

2 miles @ 10:20
1x800m @ 2:18
1x400m@60
1x300m@41
1x200m @ 24.7
400m jog recoveries
2x50 plyometric box jumps
and 20 pullups

my recovery included;
1. Cold shower. The tap water is always very cold in the winter. Great for post workouts to reduce inflammation and speed up recovery. 
2.Branched chain amino acid recovery drink
3.anti oxidant supplements .

4. stretching 

5. foam roller 

Speed Work in the middle of winter

Getting ready to compete in the 800m indoors with

another tough track session tonight in freezing rain. 

Started with  2 miles @ 10:20 to warm up and get some aerobic work. 

800m @ 2:18

400m@60

300m@41

200m@24.7

I took about 400m jog recoveries. 

2x50 plyometric box jumps

and 20 pullups.

2 mile cool down

track session in cold and windy conditions

A solid track session today. In a few weeks my goal is to do this workout two times in one session.

 1x600m @ 1:32

1x400@59

1x300m@41

 2x200m@26 

I took an easy 400m jog recovery between intervals. I finished with 50 plyometric knee high box jumps. This exercise is always tough to do immediately following an anaerobic track session due to the high level of blood lactate.  Here is an interesting article about weight training vs plyometric training. http://boddickerperformance.com/?p=1135

It also is better for me to do this after a track workout so I can have the following days used for recovery.  The conditions made this  session a little more challenging with a temp of  39°F and 15-20 mph wind gusts.   

Today's Training

am. 7 mile jog 

2x200m @ 30,28

pm 2 mile warm-up

cut-down 8x400m  with lap jog @ 64,63,63,62,61,61,62,59

1x200m @ 26

very cold and misty 44 f. 

Also spent some time practicing the piano and mixing music for a client with my 

reliable Pro Tools HD 2 rig. 

 2 pints of carrot, apple,ginger, kale, cucumber, radish, broccoli, and cabbage juice is the ultimate recovery drink after a hard track session. 

Also a hot/cold shower, foam roller, branched chain amino acids, and anti oxidant supplements are going to help me be ready for the next days of hard training.