The pressure is on!

Coming in to the 4^th week of training - a weekend plan that I failed to follow, again! I am close to finding out that I might have underestimated the lead time to train for a Sub-2.

Week # / Date	Distance	Ave. Time / km	% Heart Rate Ave.	Est fin 21k
Barley/Nov.'13	21.35	0:05:36	?	1:59:43
TGT/Oct. 24	25k	0:06:20	90%	2:38:20
TGT/Oct. 31	21k	0:05:55	90%	2:04:15
1 / Aug. 23	16k	0:06:44	88%	2:21:24
2 / Aug. 29	16k	0:06:22	91%	2:13:42
3 / Sept. 5	19k	0:06:51	84%	2:23:51
4 / Sept.12	20k	0:06:25	89%	2:14:45
5 / Sept.19	21k	0:06:30	89%	2:16:30
6 / Sept.26	16k	0:06:15	90%	2:11:15
7 / Oct. 3	18k	0:06:15	90%	2:11:15
8 / Oct.10	20k	0:06:15	90%	2:11:15
9 / Oct. 17	21k	0:06:10	90%	2:09:30
10 / Oct. 24	25k	0:06:20	90%	2:13:00
11 / Oct.31	21k	0:05:55	90%	2:04:15
12 / Nov. 7	21k	0:05:50	90%	2:02:30
D-Day Nov 15	21k	0:05:45	90%	2:00:45

I found 2013’s New Balance 25k and Sante Barley’s 21k race data and plotted them in my training plan in the hope to get the same output.  Given that I have been cigarette-free for a long time now, and the lead time to prepare for it, I think I’m on the right track.  All that’s missing is an actual race sometime in October to serve as a pre-race conditioning.

From the highlighted boxes above, I find the remaining weeks training plan a bit hard to reach.  Which is good because this is exactly the right mind set I’m supposed to have for me to focus.  I just agreed to do a bike ride with Jek to Antipolo this weekend.  A ride on tired legs will be good conditioning as well.

Going in to week 5 of training, tonight I have a company bowling tournament to attend to.  Reliving my previous bowling employment engagement before, the events that will happen tonight will have some damaging effect on my training – beer and late night rest might probably cancel my morning weekday run tomorrow, that will make me do successive active days to make up for it – an injury in the making.  Now let’s see how this goes.

Week 3 Training – Sore hammy & getting a bit structure

I just did a 5k speed play this morning and as expected, turned out to be sore but satisfying.  I did manage to reach sub-30.  

I am doing a little reading again on different training plans.  I feel the need to do a structured approach on this coming in to week 4.  Although I have been doing LSD for the past 3 weekends, I feel it is not enough or am I just too eager to get back into shape?  

The eagerness helps a lot in making me get out of bed in the morning.  It also keeps me driven to do that extra push when I feel I should stop.  So far the sore hammy I have right now made me aware of my limits.  I will give this a rest tomorrow and do easy runs on the rest of the weekday runs just to be sure.

Week # / Date	Distance	Ave. Time	% Heart Rate Ave.
1 / Aug. 23	16k	6:44/km	88%
2 / Aug. 29	16k	6:22/km	91%
3 / Sept. 5	19k	6:51/km	84%
4 / Sept 12	21k (?)	7:00/km(?)	80%(?)

Going back to the running plans, I will do my LSD this weekend within the correct measure at 70-80 percent (as opposed to last LSD’s 84% average).  I will also look into giving that 10% increase in mileage.  Cross train on the bike at an easy stroll.

Let’s see how this goes.  #ontheroadtosub2

Back to Training – on the road to SUB-2

I finally signed up for a half marathon for the year – not just your usual 21k fun run, it’s the Pinoy Fitness Sub-2 Challenge on November 15.  What made me do this?  It’s the challenge that I already did Sub-2 HM 2 years ago, without even aiming for it.  So basically I did it because of the training that I put in to it.

 

How soft did I become in the last 2 years?  How fast can I regain that running form?  Can I mix my race training with cycling?  Will this trigger my love of running, complement cycling and eventually jump to multisport?  These were the questions that made me decide to take the challenge.  And it cost me P1,350.00 to know the answer.

I am now going into my third week of training, and I still have 8 more weeks to go before the taper.  I will have to miss my birthday run – the New Balance run on November 8, because of this.

So far I’m doing okay in training.  I have logged 36km last week; this included 2 weekday 5k intervals, 1 10-miler moderate and a 10k recovery.  This week has been a good one with a couple of 5k intervals and I plan to do a 21k LSD on Saturday and probably a 5-10k recovery on Sunday – sorry, no-bike-weekend.

It’s also good to note that I haven’t had trouble waking up in the morning to do my runs.  I even wake up before the alarm!  Also no post run pains no matter how hard I run.  I guess all that cycling paid off after all.

On a side note, it seems that I can’t find my core and until now, trying to look for it.  I am currently running on brute leg power.  If I remember correctly, I used to run faster without that much effort.  That’s one thing I’m looking after.

Then again I don’t want to risk getting injured.  I love the feeling of worked-up muscles! But I still have a rest day plugged in to my schedule and supplements  to compensate.  As with the saying  “easy to bed, easy to rise” – it’s a  good way to live by.

Let’s see how this goes.  I'm so excited that I'm looking for a tune-up run some time October.  And so far this made me blog again.  I guess I’m really focused.