Maybe.....

Starting to hit a few repeat workouts here in week 4 of my training for this years races. I started my training on May 31st with a 2 mile warm up followed by 3 one mile intervals with a quick cool down afterwards. Today was my first "repeat" workout. I think after 4 weeks I have made some progress!

May 31st (3 one mile intervals @ 6:12 per mile)
Mile 1 - 6:52 + 40 seconds
Mile 2 - 6:43 + 31 seconds
Mile 3 - 6:33 + 21 seconds

June 28th (3 one mile intervals @ 6:12)
Mile 1 - 6:34 + 22 seconds
Mile 2 - 6:30 + 18 seconds
Mile 3 - 6:25 + 13 seconds

I still haven't hit the mark yet, but I am getting a whole lot closer :) Will this translate into a faster marathon? Who knows, I still have 14 more weeks to complete! I know that right now, I feel like I am getting significantly faster!

On a side note, I am pretty close to finalizing my race schedule for this upcoming season :) Check back in a few days and hopefully I will have it complete!

Happy Running!

Interval Training

My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble. ~ Bill Rogers

I know they are good but why do they have to hurt so damn bad! So why do I recommend that everyone and anyone who wants to get fit or lose weight do interval training...here are the reasons why...

#1 - Want to SUPERCHARGE your fitness, boost your metabolism or burn off that extra fat? Interval training is what you need!!!! You can run your Sprint intervals by either time or distance...the choice is yours...each sprint is then followed by a period of recovery.

#2 - High Intensity Interval Training or (HIIT) is about mixing high intensity bursts of exercise with moderate intensity recovery periods. It's brutal but has incredible advantages. It is the quickest way to get fit, lose fat and supercharge your sports performance. It also will help to increase your anaerobic threshold which can often times be a better indicator of cardiovascular strength than your VO2max.

Anyway you put it, interval training is a killer workout that will without a doubt get you to where you want to be.

Happy Running!

Week 2 Complete

Running has never failed to give me great end results, and that's why I keep coming back for more! ~ Sasha Azevedo

Week 2 of my 18 week training plan, Run Less Run Faster, is complete. I have to admit that even though my weekly mileage is way down, I do feel like I am making some significant improvements in the overall speed department. In addition, the cross training days are really making me focus on using different muscle groups. Here is a quick breakdown of the week that was and what is upcoming for this week.

Sunday - Off

Monday - Off

Tuesday - 2 Mile Warmup, (4) 800 meter intervals (NOT EASY) (2:58, 2:58, 2:57 and 2:55) followed by a 2 mile cool down.

Wednesday - I ended up teaching back to back Spinning Classes so I got in a good 40 miles on the bike.

Thursday - Got in a nice 3 mile warmup followed by a 5 mile Tempo run (36:47)that just about kicked my ass.

Friday - Strength Training

Saturday - 15 mile Long run completed in 1:58:36 which was about 3 and a half minutes quicker than I needed to complete it in.

So in the end I ended up running a total of 29 miles (I know, seems low but I will tell ya that none of these miles are garbage miles) and about 40 miles of biking.

Here is the schedule for week 3....

Sunday - Rest

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - 2 Mile Warmup

1200 Meters @ 4:33

1000 Meters @ 3:44

800 Meters @ 2:58

600 Meters @ 2:13

400 Meters @ 1:27

2 Mile Cool down

In addition I am teaching a Spin Class on Tuesday.

Wednesday - Cross Training probably on the rowing machine

Thursday - 3 Mile Warmup

5 Mile Tempo Run @ 7:15 per mile (that would be 11 seconds quicker per mile than last weeks Tempo Run....not looking forward to this one at all.)

Friday - Cross Training in the weight room

Saturday - 17 Mile Long Run @ 8:11 per mile

Should be a fun week :)

Happy Running!

Week 1 Day 5

Running is one of the best solutions to a clear mind. ~ Sasha Azevedo

I really need to get over the mental aspect of this new training plan. Run Less, Run Faster should actually be titled Run a Hell of a LOT less, Running Faster HURTS! That would be a much more appropriate title in my opinion. Today wasn't really so bad though. Other than it was already 85 degrees outside at 6:15 AM! None the less, I got through today's run. Ran a total of 6 miles. 3 miles for my warmup, 2 miles at Tempo (6:45 pace) and then a 1 mile cool down. It actually is quite nice to be able to run those miles that fast. Not fun, but nice. I just need to get past the fact that I am not going to be running a whole ton of miles this summer, unlike last summer.

Tomorrow is another cross training day. I am actually going to be teaching a Spin Class tomorrow afternoon at 4, so I am going to use that as my cross training. That should give me another 20 or so miles on the bike this week. I am also going to complete my 3rd and final strength workout for the week. I am already looking forward to Saturday's 13 miler!

Hope everyone had a great day!

Happy Running!

Week 1 Day 4

When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less. ~ Paul Brown

Good morning everyone! Never got to the blog last night but I never figured I would actually keep up everyday lol. Anyways, yesterdays workout was completed with no real issues. I realize now that it is going to take me a few days to get used to NOT running everyday. So yesterday was a cross training day. My plan was 20 to 25 miles on the bike and then complete my 2nd strength workout. A little background on this new training plan. It calls for 3 days per week running...2 days per week cross training and 3 strength workouts per week. I can put the strength training on basically any day I want. In addition to that, I get two complete days off per week...this is something I have almost never done! That is pretty much the plan...with the goal of running significantly faster than I have. Here are the details from yesterday.

Biked a total of 20 miles...this was the bottom end of my goal for the day, however time did not allow me to complete anything further. Still was a good 20 miles though with a ton of hills. My legs were feeling it :) Completed the 20 in 46:50

Completed my 2nd strength workout of the week as well. Yesterday I planned pretty much core and upper body. Well not pretty much...that is what I planned and that is what I did...core and upper body. Understanding that I will do my push-ups and Ab Roller every single day. Someday I will get into the absolute value of the push-up when I have more time. That seemed to go over pretty well too. No significant concerns there.

Today's workout is pretty simple. 6-7 mile Tempo Run.

2 to 3 miles Warmup

2 miles @ 6:45 per mile or better

2 miles cool down

There is no strength training today other than my push-ups and ab roller.

Yesterday I went over most of my nutritional needs for the day. I was + 192 calories, + 30 grams of fat, + 24 grams of protein. I still kept my saturated fat below my max and my carb intake was -110 grams. Today and tomorrow are going to be lower calorie days...not by much but still will be below. This is the goal of zig zagging.

That is about all for now....Have a great day everyone!

Happy Running!

Week 1 Day 3 (Technically training started on Sunday, I just took my two rest days early)

Run like hell and get the agony over with! ~ Clarence DeMar

That about what I felt like this morning while getting through this first day of training! I guess if it was meant to be easy everyone would be doing it :) Honestly, other than not hitting my times, it didn't really go too bad. Lots of things to work on though that is for sure!

Cardio workout for the day was completed this morning.

2 Mile Warmup - 16:23

Then came all the fun! Three 1 mile intervals with a 1 minute rest in between each interval.

Mile 1 Interval - 6:52 (Goal was 6:12 so plus 40 seconds)

Mile 2 Interval - 6:43 (Goal was 6:12 so plus 31 seconds)

Mile 3 Interval - 6:33 (Goal was 6:12 so plus 22 seconds)

2 Mile Cooldown - 16:51

All in all I was satisfied with my first run under the new training plan. Running sometimes can be a very humbling sport. I finished no where near the times I needed, but I was happy to get this first speed work done and get a baseline for where I need to get too. Total of 7 miles completed!

Nutritionally I had an ok day. My daily caloric need is 2,330 calories. Today I earned and additional 1,118 calories from exercise. I am going to be "zigzagging" my calories all throughout training this summer. Some days I am going to eat a ton...other days I am not going to eat as much, regardless of exercise exertion. Today was a reduction day.

Total Calories Needed - 3,448

Total Calories Consumed - 2,542

Calorie Deficit of 906 calories

Percent of calories from Carbs - 64.36%

Percent of calories from Fats - 21.24%

Percent of calories from Protein - 19.83%

72 Ounces of water consumed.

I believe I basically got it right where I wanted it today. Remember when you are training, enough fuel in and of itself is not enough. It has to be the right kind of fuel. You need to ensure you find the right balance. A good mix of carbs and proteins and fats will go a long way in ensuring that you have success at your training. If your body runs out of energy, well, it is just going to make everything that much harder.

So on to tomorrow....

Tomorrow is a NON running day! Again this is something I am going to have to get used to on this training plan. Only running 3 days per week! Tomorrow however is not an off day.

Cardio

Spinning. 20 to 25 miles on the bike.

Strength

Bench Press - 4 Sets

Hanging Leg Raises - 4 Sets

Push-ups - 4 sets of 26

Ab Rollers - 4 sets of 11

Bicep's - 4 Sets

Tricep's - 4 Sets

That is it for now. Should be a great day tomorrow.

Happy Running!

Let the training begin

Frustration is the first step towards improvement. I have no incentive to improve if I'm content with what I can do and if I'm completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner. It's only when I face frustration and use it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards. ~ John Bingham

So tomorrow is the day! Been thinking about it a lot over the last several days. I went out this past Saturday morning for what is seemingly my last "easy" run for a while. Starting tomorrow, the running becomes hard again and that, is a great thing. I feel that over the past few months I have become complacent. I have begun to find myself stuck int he same old same old. Ya, I was still running but I wasn't running with any clear direction, I was just running to run. There have been times where I wasn't even enjoying it. One of the things I often tell people I help train is that if you don't intend on pushing yourself hard, why bother. Well, honestly I have not pushed myself very hard these last few months. After I PR'd in New Orleans in February, I have basically just taken my running for granted. Well, not anymore.

Training Week 1 Day 1 Starts TOMORROW!!!!! I am going to do my very best to keep a daily journal about how my training is going for anyone who actually cares to read about it lol. Even if I am the only one, at least I will be able to go back and reflect. Wish me luck over the next 18 weeks. We shall see in the fall if this new plan is actually worth anything more than the paper it's written on.

Tomorrow's Plan

Cardio

10 to 20 minute warmup

3 x 1600 meter @ 6:12 with a 1 Minute RI (Rest Interval) between each mile

10 to 20 minute cooldown

Strength

4 sets of 25 Push-ups

4 Sets of 10 Squats

4 sets of 10 Lunges

4 sets of 10 one legged lunges

4 sets of 10 Ab Rollers

Happy Running!