The Running Thread -- 2022

[garneska]

On a normal night, I go to bed around 8:30-9:00 and wake up at 5:15 to go running. So 8 hours on average I guess?

Ok that is good then. I normally am asleep at 10 and am up at 6 am.

 

[DopeyBadger]

No my easy runs aren't very easy. They don't feel easy enough. McMillan uses pace as a base for his training plans (I'm following a Level 2 Downhill plan right now), and my HR creeps up into the grey zone almost for every run. So I'm always wish-washing between "Should I stay in zone 2"? or "Should I follow the planned pace for my run?"

My advice, ignore pace goals when it comes to easy days. You have the freedom to run these much much slower. Think of the easy days pace goals as maximums instead of hard fast pace goals. So if it says 9:00-10:00, and you want to run 10:30, then run 10:30 (or 11 or 12). As per Tom Schwartz's unpublished data, you can go as slow as +5 min from 5k pace and still reap benefits of the easy day. Make your easy days easy, so your hard days can be hard. My Daniels easy pace zone is 8:00-8:49, Hansons says 8:33-9:33, McMillan says 8:20-9:00. I consistently am running my truly easy days at 9:20-9:40 pace. Even adjusted for T+D puts me around 8:50-9:20. On my moderately easy days, (which only occur when I have at least two consecutive easy days) I'm around 7:55-8:05 pace. For reference, my M PR is 7:24 pace and HM PR is 6:40 pace. So I'm going about 2.5 min/mile slower than HM pace during my easy days. This has not held back my race performances or my progression over years of effort.

To answer your question Billy, I haven't felt a fade in training runs. I have been paying attention to that, since I read your recent posts. The only thing was on my long run on Sunday, my HR suddenly spiked at the end:

Yea, that spike is a sign that your body had to ramp up the effort a good bit to maintain. With a training run that lasts that long, that's likely not cardiac drift. I'm guessing though that this run was done in the morning and as the run progressed the temp increased and the sun rose. That could easily be an explantation as your body was working harder not because of the load but simply because the action of running was harder due to the change in weather. One thing to consider, when I set a pace goal for a run I look at what the highest T+D I'll see during the run is. So let's say I was doing a 3 hour run at 7-10am. At 7am the T+D is 130, but at 10am (when I'm projecting to finish) the T+D is 150. I'll set the entire run's pace goal based on the T+D of 150. That means I'll train too slowly to start, but train appropriately at the end. I've personally found this to be a more executable strategy then trying to allow the pace to slow over the course of the run due to the ever increasing temps. I feel like I get a better workout by just starting out slower from the get go.

 

[GollyGadget]

No my easy runs aren't very easy. They don't feel easy enough. McMillan uses pace as a base for his training plans

My advice, ignore pace goals when it comes to easy days

Just want to echo what Billy and others have said. Make sure your easy days are easy. Officially, my easy pace is 9:37-10:34. However, my actual average easy pace is close to 11 and sometimes it's over 12. When I go out for an easy run, I ignore the pace and run by feel. As long as you know what easy feels like and aren't at risk of running too fast, I'd highly recommend giving it a try.

 

[FFigawi]

@azrivest I agree with what’s been said about your easy runs. They’re not easy if your HR is climbing out of z2 and into z3. You need to back off the pace and make sure you stay as low in z2 as you can. It’s along the lines of the 80/20 rule, which basically says the best results come from spending 80% of your time at low intensity and the other 20% at moderate to high intensity.

 

[sandam1]

No my easy runs aren't very easy. They don't feel easy enough.

I've been told that for easy/long runs, the pace is a speed limit, not a goal. Repeating this has helped me remember that slowing down is not only okay, but recommended, if the effort is too much.

My PT calls the space between easy pace and tempo paces "break down" pace. This is the point where you aren't going slow enough to get the benefit of an easy run, not going fast enough to get the benefit of a tempo run, but taking all of the risk of injury or "breaking down." For obvious reasons, you want to avoid this.

 

[azrivest]

I've been told that for easy/long runs, the pace is a speed limit, not a goal.

Except that when your training plan prescribes a pace range for the run, it's easy to get confused

Thanks everyone @DopeyBadger @FFigawi @GollyGadget @garneska for your great advice. Helps to realign my training correctly.

Vulnerability moment: I'm also guilty of being too proud. Strava gives me the feeling of having to prove myself since I know other ppl will see what I did. I have to stick to my end-game goal, which is to successfully run my first marathon. Nothing else. Especially not impressing other runners on Strava.

 

[garneska]

Vulnerability moment: I'm also guilty of being too proud. Strava gives me the feeling of having to prove myself since I know other ppl will see what I did. I have to stick to my end-game goal, which is to successfully run my first marathon. Nothing else. Especially not impressing other runners on Strava.

I understand that but you have to figure out how to let that go. That is one of the big drivers of people over training. I was/am the same but I really had to tell myself it is not each individual run it is the race. I can absolutely commiserate.

 

[NYC_MW]

Vulnerability moment: I'm also guilty of being too proud. Strava gives me the feeling of having to prove myself since I know other ppl will see what I did. I have to stick to my end-game goal, which is to successfully run my first marathon. Nothing else. Especially not impressing other runners on Strava.

You are definitely not the only one guilty of that. *raises hand sheepishly

 

[The Expert]

Vulnerability moment: I'm also guilty of being too proud. Strava gives me the feeling of having to prove myself since I know other ppl will see what I did. I have to stick to my end-game goal, which is to successfully run my first marathon. Nothing else. Especially not impressing other runners on Strava.

That was a hard one for me to get over, too. Can you set your Strava runs to private?

 

[Cabius]

That was a hard one for me to get over, too. Can you set your Strava runs to private?

I have no friends on Strava. How do you all make friends on Strava?

(how do you make friends?)

 

[Marebear_runs]

I have no friends on Strava. How do you all make friends on Strava?

(how do you make friends?)

I recently forgot to stop my watch after a run and then immediately went for a short drive up a steep road. I stopped my watch when I got to the top, but it looked like I finished my run with some superhuman sprint uphill. I got my first and only follower after that

 

[HangWithMerida]

I have no friends on Strava. How do you all make friends on Strava?

(how do you make friends?)

Some are from other running groups I participate in. A couple are from my neighborhood. I've had people add me and I've added them after running the same races. Only a couple are people like family and IRL friends that specifically found me and added me.

 

[azrivest]

I have no friends on Strava. How do you all make friends on Strava?

Most of my Strava friends are work colleagues or ppl in my running group.

 

[HangWithMerida]

Vulnerability moment: I'm also guilty of being too proud. Strava gives me the feeling of having to prove myself since I know other ppl will see what I did. I have to stick to my end-game goal, which is to successfully run my first marathon. Nothing else. Especially not impressing other runners on Strava.

That was the hardest thing for me to get over when I started slowing my easy runs down. Well, that and never getting achievements anymore. Some of my strava friends are FAST. Multiple time BQ marathoners whose easy paces are basically my 5k pace. So, I get it. But it pays off on race day!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I have no friends on Strava. How do you all make friends on Strava?

(how do you make friends?)

Might check out the DISboards community group (link). A ton of users are in that group, and some non-DIS members are in there too.

 

[Cabius]

Might check out the DISboards community group (link). A ton of users are in that group, and some non-DIS members are in there too.

Joined up -- thanks!!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Also going to just mention that if your insurance will cover it, getting your ferratin levels checked might not be a terrible idea. It’s a blood draw, not a finger poke.

 

[GreatLakes]

Also going to just mention that if your insurance will cover it, getting your ferratin levels checked might not be a terrible idea. It’s a blood draw, not a finger poke.

Piggybacking off of this check out Inside Tracker. I know a few runners that have found deficiencies through them and corrected them.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Piggybacking off of this check out Inside Tracker. I know a few runners that have found deficiencies through them and corrected them.

And I know Marathon Training Academy has a support code in all of their recent podcasts for 20% off

 

[azrivest]

Also going to just mention that if your insurance will cover it, getting your ferratin levels checked might not be a terrible idea. It’s a blood draw, not a finger poke.

I have an appointment with my GP next week. I might ask to get my bloodwork checked.

I'm also going to consult a nutritionist next week to see if I can adapt my eating. My iron levels have always been notoriously low (no one in my family can ever give blood because of that!) so maybe something there as well?