By The Numbers

For some reason, all runners at some point get obsesive over numbers. Times, splits, miles, meters, pace ... and so on. I'm somewhere in the middle ground, where I have collected enough evidence that I could be convicted in the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder courts.

In the search for reason behind unreal progress, I offer up the last three weeks of workouts before nailing down two important Personal Record. (Yes, an admittedly boring, geeky post.) Most information is being referenced off my RunnersWorld.com training log, with flesh out info from my thread posts on RW.com, and also my log on dailymile.com.

On March 15th I completed the ShamRock 'n Roll Race 10K in a new PR setting 42:55. I knew I was capable of more, but I had not "broke the code" on this race. It was a good race, but I was looking to achieve more. My training weeks start on Mondays and end on Sundays. During these weeks, Sunday was my long run day. (I now perform most of my long runs on Saturdays, with Sundays being a recovery run day.)

10K -4 weeks out: (Mar 16 - Mar 22) - 32.9 logged miles.
I was still in the low to mid 30's for weekly miles (mpw) during this week. For work reasons, I had no logged miles Mon-Wed.
Thurs-Sat: 3 easy runs at various paces. 8.5 miles, 2.5 miles (Army formation run) and 10 miles.
Sun: Hill Run ... I hit a very hilly route and ran back trails for 12 miles. Some of hills on this run are monsters, and I beleive help to build up my legs.

10K -3 (Mar 23-Mar 29) - 39.5 logged miles.
Heavy work requirement were again keeping me busy, but I started my week with an evening trail run on Tuesday.
Tues: Trail 4.4 miles @ tempo pace
Wed: Intervals, 400's x 7. Active recovery (jog-run)
Thurs: 10 miles at tempo pace ... I just listened to the legs, and the times came naturally!
Sat: Easy 6.3 miles. I logged "7:50 is a bit quicker than my recommended 8:00 to 8:30 easy run pace." I now know that statement is wrong, but I was working with the data I had at the time.
Sun: atempt for 20, but the route was flooded so I ended up with 15.3 miles within my new long run pace band.

10K -2 (Mar 30-Apr 5) - 33.8 logged miles
Tues: Intervals, 400's x 8. I landed most of these repeats inside my training pace band. equal distance active recoveries.
Wed: Easy 3.5 in the morning, Trails for 6.2 miles at tempo pace in the evening.
Fri: 8.8 miles at a easy pace.
Sun: 10.5 miles. I was going for 20 once again, but the skies started rumbling and I had to turn around gettin drenched during the last 2 miles.

10K -1 (Apr 6-Apr 12) - 45.3 logged miles
Mon: Army PT short sprints and stair sprints; 8 miles on the trails in the evening.
Tues: Repeats, 800's x 5. Shorter active recoveries made the diference in this evening workout.
Wed: Hills for 3 easy pace miles.
Fri: 7.7 easy miles to get acclimatized for the 5k in Panama City Beach.
Sat: 3.1+ mile warmup; Run for Reina 5K - Scored an insanly quick PR.
Sun: 15.4 mile long run. I was hurting a bit at the end of this.

10K week(Apr 13-Apr 19) - 52.7 logged miles.
Mon: rest and ...
Tues: 3.5 mile easy Army run (good for recovery)
Wed: 4 mile ruck run on the hills. It's an Army thing, but it really builds up the legs.
Wed evening: 5 mile trail run.
Thurs: 9.4 mile run.
Fri: 3.5 mile easy Army run.
Sat: 2 mile warm up; Celebrity Classic River Run 10K - Another ludacris PR.
Sat evening: 10 miles at long run pace.
Sun: 9 miles easy (recovery pace)

So, by the numbers, my workouts in the weeks closing up my new PR's. Can 4 weeks make a difference? I do think that the interval training helped some, as the conditioning on the body was targeted to help durring the shorter races. Those runs that I think helped me the most are in bold font.

But I feel that the majority of my improvment has come from having to slow down because of a minor hip injury after my second marathon in January. That rest and recovery period, and the build up after it alowed me to "break-out" off the plateau I was on and achieve new records.

Happy Training!