Jan 12 - 18 + Run Nose Run 5k Report

Total Volume: 20 hours
swim: 12km
bike: 7 hours
run: 4 hours 11 min.
strength/etc: 5 hours 20 min

Last week was the biggest week of the year so far and ended with a 5k race downtown. The upcoming week contains more run volume so I will have to make room for it by backing off on the maintenance work like core strength and stability a bit. I plan on keeping at least 3 sessions of strength per week going forward as well as stretching and tp therapy as I see these as essential for me to maintain high volume training without become injured.

Some of the highlights of last week:

• Monday swim: The main set had a test of 15 x 100 meter repeats at z3 holding steady. My average was 1:28 per 100 meters which is about 1:15 per 100 yards for you yardage folks. I was pleased with the results and my progress over the last month. Coach thinks we can get it down to the low 1:20s!
• Tuesday threshold run: This one had an additional 2 800 meter repeats at 10k pace over last week (8 total). I went in to this run kind of dreading it as they week prior threshold run wasn't fun really. I struggled to hold good running form at anything less than 3:20 (around 6:40 pace). This week I breezed through the first 7 holding 3:18 (6:36 pace) with terrific form and had plenty left in the tank so I ran the last one at 3:08 (just over 6 min pace). The total run was 1:15 and felt awesome.
• Thursday long run: One hour 20 minutes of steady running in awesome weather from work down to the Riverfront trail and along the river and back. It was a beautiful day.
• Red Nose Run 5k: I raced! Here's a short report ...

The race started at 8:15 am and it was cold as you can see. At the advice of my coach I did a 20 minute warm up run (actually 22) before the race. I made my way to the front of the group for the start although I was stuck behind some 8-10 year old girls - not sure why they were at the front. It took me a little bit of time to get around them and once I did I was a few paces behind the leaders. The first 1/2 mile felt too easy as far as effort goes but the air coming into my lungs and on my face was very cold. My plan for the first mile was to try not to loose too much ground to the leaders. Near the first mile I picked off the number 4 guy and went by him in a decisive fashion so he wouldn't get any ideas about staying with me. We rolled up and down hills and as we started making our way back through the USC campus I was still in 4th and not gaining any ground on the number 3 guy (I wasn't losing any either though). He was probably 8-10 seconds ahead of me. I started gaining ground on him as we cleared the campus and by the time we were a half mile out I was right on his shoulder. He could hear me breathing and picked up the tempo a bit and I matched. In hindsight I should have surged past him while we were on relatively flat ground. Near the end of the course there are two steep downhill sections. He was willing to risk it all and open up his stride on the descents and I wasn't (this was basically a training day afterall) . He had opened a 3 second gap by the final stretch and I didn't have the kick to close it. He crossed the line 3 seconds ahead of me. So the results were 4th overall, 1st M 30-34 with a time of 19:31.

Overall I was very pleased with the race especially since I've only been running without the ITB injury for 3 weeks and have had very little speed work. This being only my second 5k (outside of a sprint triathlons) and my first since early 2007, it was a new PR. It isn't terribly fast however the course wasn't "flat and fast" by any stretch of the imagination. Coach thinks mid 18s is very doable even within the context of a long-course focused season.

This week's focus is running.

Train well!