Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Exercise Thing - I Need goals

So I've put my foot off the pedal when it comes to exercise. I haven't gone off the wagon but I have definitely cut back. Now I am running three times a week for at least 5 miles per workout with the occasional 7 mile run when I feel like it. Much less than the four items a week with the 7 mile run. And I definitely cut back on the strength training from at least twice a week to once a week if I'm lucky.

I think I need a bit of a rededication. So first of all, I am running a 10K the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The goal is to run it in a 9 1/2 minute/mile pace. The next goal is to do the Presido 10 but this time run the 10 miler as opposed to the 10k. If any of you are distance runners, how do you make the time to do an actual ten mile training run? That's over an hour and a half and if you're old and creaky like me, that is about 2 1/2 hours of working out when you include the stretching a cool down. And yes, next year I will do Bay to Breakers in costume. Any suggestions?

3 comments:

Michael said...

(1) Commit to a day when you do the long run every weekend, and block out that time. Tell people that you need to do your run on Sunday morning, and they will adjust.
(2) The long run should be down at a very easy pace -- you don't need to run fast to build endurance, you just need to keep running. Without a heartrate monitor, the best indicator is conversational pace: if you can carry on a conversation with someone running next to you, you are okay; if you can't, or you can only get out a few words at a time, you are going too fast. This will feel crazy slow at first, and you may find yourself needing to take walk breaks, but if you keep at it, you will get faster.
(3) You may not need 2.5 hours if you run at the right pace. You shouldn't need a huge warmup because you are going to run at an easy pace. If you wanted to walk a half-mile first, that's fine, and definitely stretch afterwards, but if you run slow enough, you shouldn't need a huge warmdown.
(4) Focus on time, not distance. You build endurance by continuing to exercise for more than 75 minutes, irrespective of the pace or intensity. Instead of going for a 10 mile run, go for a 90 minute run. However far you get in that 90 minutes is how far you went.
(5) Do you do all your runs at the same speed? Getting faster means (a) running easily for longer distances; and (b) running hard/fast for shorter distances. The websites for Runners World and Active include a number of free training plans and articles about this. One option is a once-a-week fartlek session (swedish for "speed play"). After 10-15 minutes of easy jogging, run hard for a block, then easy for a block and repeat 3-5 times. "Hard" does not mean all-out sprinting, just picking up the pace noticeably from your average run.
(6) Be VERY CONSERVATIVE in upping the mileage and intensity. No more than 10-15% more a week, and never up the mileage and the intensity in the same session. Try to finish each workout feeling like you could have done more. Injuries will set you back way more than you lose by building slowly.

DC Food Blog said...

Thanks Michael. My current running is a 9 minute 15 sec/mile pace for 5 miles with a half mile cooldown. I do a 9 min 30 sec/mile pace for my 7 mile runs. Which means I've never done more than a 75 minutes of running. For my long runs, I'll take your advice and do a 75 minute run (irrespective of distance) for the next month as my long run.

Laura P said...

Hello my blog friend --

I am right there with you, needing rededication. I did my first 8K last weekend (I only walked it, but I did it) and I'm going to sign up and train to (hopefully run) a 10K in the Spring. I thought about you and how awsome you do with the running. You are an inspiration.

Just thought you would like to know...

Keep up the good work!