There was a bit of slacking in this week’s training. I didn’t get a second longer run in. With football starting up this week at team camp and adding some extra clinic hours, it messed up the schedule a tad bit. Hopefully Week 4 will bring better results and effort since, I’m more than happy to admit was lacking.
Sunday (7.15) – 3.50
A standard Sunday 5K run with Nike Running.
Monday (7.16) – 2.13
It was Monday evening. I was just having one of those days in training questioning if I wanted to even to run. I ran just enough to continue my running streak and just said to myself to just run a bit to get some distance in.
Tuesday (7.17) – 4.11
Wednesday (7.18) – 8.64
I do not know why I have my heavy leg lifting day on the same day I want to do a long run. I just don’t know, but when it’s spaced far apart enough in my day I feel stronger on my run after a heavy lifting day.
135 – 135 – 135 – 135 x 6 reps
185 – 185 – 185 x 6 reps
225 – 225 x 6 reps
275 x 6 reps
315 x 2 reps
Thursday (7.19) – 4.31
Friday (7.20) – 3.26
Tempo 5K Run.
1st Mile – 7:02/mile
2nd Mile – 6:54/mile
3rd Mile – 6:40/mile
Saturday (7.21) – 4.34
My mileage hasn’t been that of a standard training program with high mileage. But what I know is that there are different ways of training. I don’t necessarily have a strong distance background. I’ve relied on the times I’ve been running through training but also from lifting. I believe strength training is such a vital component in running faster times.
Ryan Flaherty, who works at Nike, talked about increasing mass specific force. Increasing one’s mass specific force, allowed the athlete to increase their stride length and stride frequency. Increasing an athlete’s stride length allows the athlete to cover more ground per stride. A lot of small increases will add up over the course of a marathon, so if the average person takes 20,000 strides in a marathon and I can cover an extra 2-3 increases per stride because I got stronger (3 inches x 20,000 = 60,000 inches which is close to a mile) I could be a mile ahead of where I was prior to strength training and if I running at 6:30 a mile, that’s a difference between me potentially qualifying and not qualifying.
In other running news, I also signed up for the Boston Athletic Association Half-Marathon. While you don’t have to have a qualifying time nor is it prior to my Boston Qualifying attempt, it will be the 9th state in my 50 states half-marathon tour. If I complete it in October, it will have me at my 9th state overall. I hope to get to ten total states by the end of the year, but it does get a bit challenging because of PT school on the weekends.
