After the black ice knee fiasco, things have been getting better. I have a February and March of training that can only be described as crap, with 3 workouts in that time and three weeks above 50. Amazingly my third workout was great... 8, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 8 very quick for the training up to that point - 2:23/66/30/64/30/62/29/2:13. That was nothing short of a breakthrough in training, then three days later was the fall and back to square one. Now I am running really consistently, I hope to be ready come November, the month of resolve.
After talking with Gary (my coach) about a comeback plan, we decided that there is no need to try to salvage the season as far as running fast times, but really just putting in good miles and workouts to help in the future. The other thing is to race a few 5ks in order to learn how to race the distance on the track. My first collegiate track race was at the end of my third week back; a 1500 in 4:09. We chose the 15 because otherwise I would have had to run 5ks on back to back weekends, which I dont think is the greatest idea when not in shape. I think that was a pretty good sign because I had pretty much only done tempo work up to that point, and nothing under 5 minute pace except strides since the aforementioned workout, so a 4:26/4:27 mile equivalent is fine with me, last season I had opened with a 4:32 off far more consistent training.
A week later I raced my first 5k, which was not as successful, but it is easy to see why. I was at the end of my first 75 mile week since January, my shoe came untied in the 3rd lap, it was my first 5k, my training was up to that point very inconsistent, it was ridiculously windy on the last turn, etc. My initial response was anger at seeing 15:46 but in retrospect I don't see why I should have expected to run very much faster than that given the circumstances. Right now I feel like I am rolling pretty well though, having just completed my first 80 mile week since October, then doing another 80 and handling the fatigue pretty well.
This last weekend I ran at a last chance meet put on by Santa Clara University and USF, a 3k. It went decently I suppose, it was hot and for some reason the other runners in the race thought I shouldnt be in second place. I was passed on every 200 by someone even though I was trying to not let people in by keeping close to the runner in front of me and eventually shuffled to 7th place by the mile, which I ran in 4:45, off of completely even splits (71 points). On lap 5 I must have run a very slow split and I think I only passed one person. Over the next lap I passed 3 more, then 2 more at 600 to go. I was repassed at 300 to go despite having made a good surge at 600 out and again at 400 out, held onto whoever that was and then ran away in the last 200 to get 2nd place in 8:57, which is about a 9:35 3200. Damned positive splits (5th lap). First place, Cheyne Inman, had just run away with it and it became a race for 2nd after the mile. Later we put together a 4x4 and I split like 56. At the end of an 80 mile week, and 6 weeks of training after 2 weeks off, plus a horrible February with no workouts and low mileage, I will accept those times. It was a good experience, putting in random surges late in the race.
This weekend I have a 5k at Davis, assuming I get in. Hopefully dropping down to 55 miles this week will give my legs the freshness they need in order to run well at that distance.
I have recently applied to a job in Montana at a resort in Glacier National Park which is at 5k ft and hope to get that. The resort is called St. Mary Lodge and Resort, located on St. Mary Lake. If I get the job I will stay there from June 1st-ish until August 10th-ish then go to Chico XC's week of camp in Tahoe. Some other guys that are in for the Montana gig include Torrey Olson, Matt Duffy, Charlie Enscoe, my teammate Cameron and some other assorted runners that Torrey knows. If I don't get the job I will stay in the Bay and work for my dad and try to get to altitude a few times. I got a call today from them but wasnt around to pick it up, called back and got their answering machine, didnt know what kind of message I could possibly leave so I didnt. I wonder why they havent just emailed me... Im kind of excited/worried to see what the call was about.
After talking with Gary (my coach) about a comeback plan, we decided that there is no need to try to salvage the season as far as running fast times, but really just putting in good miles and workouts to help in the future. The other thing is to race a few 5ks in order to learn how to race the distance on the track. My first collegiate track race was at the end of my third week back; a 1500 in 4:09. We chose the 15 because otherwise I would have had to run 5ks on back to back weekends, which I dont think is the greatest idea when not in shape. I think that was a pretty good sign because I had pretty much only done tempo work up to that point, and nothing under 5 minute pace except strides since the aforementioned workout, so a 4:26/4:27 mile equivalent is fine with me, last season I had opened with a 4:32 off far more consistent training.
A week later I raced my first 5k, which was not as successful, but it is easy to see why. I was at the end of my first 75 mile week since January, my shoe came untied in the 3rd lap, it was my first 5k, my training was up to that point very inconsistent, it was ridiculously windy on the last turn, etc. My initial response was anger at seeing 15:46 but in retrospect I don't see why I should have expected to run very much faster than that given the circumstances. Right now I feel like I am rolling pretty well though, having just completed my first 80 mile week since October, then doing another 80 and handling the fatigue pretty well.
This last weekend I ran at a last chance meet put on by Santa Clara University and USF, a 3k. It went decently I suppose, it was hot and for some reason the other runners in the race thought I shouldnt be in second place. I was passed on every 200 by someone even though I was trying to not let people in by keeping close to the runner in front of me and eventually shuffled to 7th place by the mile, which I ran in 4:45, off of completely even splits (71 points). On lap 5 I must have run a very slow split and I think I only passed one person. Over the next lap I passed 3 more, then 2 more at 600 to go. I was repassed at 300 to go despite having made a good surge at 600 out and again at 400 out, held onto whoever that was and then ran away in the last 200 to get 2nd place in 8:57, which is about a 9:35 3200. Damned positive splits (5th lap). First place, Cheyne Inman, had just run away with it and it became a race for 2nd after the mile. Later we put together a 4x4 and I split like 56. At the end of an 80 mile week, and 6 weeks of training after 2 weeks off, plus a horrible February with no workouts and low mileage, I will accept those times. It was a good experience, putting in random surges late in the race.
This weekend I have a 5k at Davis, assuming I get in. Hopefully dropping down to 55 miles this week will give my legs the freshness they need in order to run well at that distance.
I have recently applied to a job in Montana at a resort in Glacier National Park which is at 5k ft and hope to get that. The resort is called St. Mary Lodge and Resort, located on St. Mary Lake. If I get the job I will stay there from June 1st-ish until August 10th-ish then go to Chico XC's week of camp in Tahoe. Some other guys that are in for the Montana gig include Torrey Olson, Matt Duffy, Charlie Enscoe, my teammate Cameron and some other assorted runners that Torrey knows. If I don't get the job I will stay in the Bay and work for my dad and try to get to altitude a few times. I got a call today from them but wasnt around to pick it up, called back and got their answering machine, didnt know what kind of message I could possibly leave so I didnt. I wonder why they havent just emailed me... Im kind of excited/worried to see what the call was about.
2 comments:
i hope you get in to our meet, it'll be cool to see what you can do off of what little quality training you've been able to get in.
and good luck with montana, that would be tight.
i got in, yay
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