Training Talk - No Disney Race Planned for Awhile

[afan]

Gotta love colds, at least it's been during my taper weeks though I haven't been able to run for as long as I should because of it. Gym is too warm as it is. Looking forward to the 10k on the 12th and hoping it doesn't rain.

I've started looking at races for next summer and think I've found a couple. The Seattle Mariners host a refuse to abuse 5k that raises money for domestic violence and it runs around and through their stadium, on each concourse level and the warning track. I grew up going to games so this is a must do. I think I'll also to the Torchlight 8k which is an evening race through part of downtown and uses the parade route before the actual torchlight parade, so lots of cheering people. They both fit well with where I will want to be with training for wine & dine by the end of July.

 

[Chaitali]

Sorry about the cold hopefully the race next week goes well! The Marinrs 5k sounds like a lot of fun. I do an evening 8k around here in July and its a lots of fun.

 

[afan]

Finished in 1:14:10 which is great since I wanted to finish under 1:20. It didn't start raining until the 2nd half, so while I was a bit over dressed for the first half I was so glad I had it all on for the 2nd half.

Hope everyone's runs and holiday things are going well.

 

[derekleigh]

After Marathon Weekend 2016 I probably will not be doing any runDisney races for a few years. Our family vacation for the last 5 years has been to Orlando and next year we are trying somewhere different.

But, I am eyeing my 2nd marathon next year if the dates line up correctly. Otherwise trying to cross off more states for half marathons!

 

[Chaitali]

Finished in 1:14:10 which is great since I wanted to finish under 1:20. It didn't start raining until the 2nd half, so while I was a bit over dressed for the first half I was so glad I had it all on for the 2nd half.

Hope everyone's runs and holiday things are going well.

Great job! It's always hard to plan for weather at this time of year and this year has been so surprisingly warm. I'm glad the clothes paid off for the 2nd half of the race.

 

[bellrae]

Was just lurking on the WISH board and thinking how much i missed the Wine & Dine group when I saw this great idea for a thread.

I currently have no planned runDisney races for 2016 (but seriously considering a Wine and Dine do-over after this years race).

Am currently struggling with what distance to do in my training runs given I currently don't have any races planned until July (!!!). How do others plan their training in the "off-season"?

 

[afan]

I'm curious about that as well since I have a 12k in April and then nothing until I start training for W&D (fingers crossed I can get registered) in July along with a couple of 5ks in July and August.

I did a 10k a few weeks ago and haven't done anything over a mile and a half due to new shoes and inserts and the holidays. I know I need to start training soon but am also not sure I need to start at the beginning or if I should start with long runs now of 3ish miles and then pick up the training a few weeks into it. I've only ever trained for the 10k.

 

[Miranda]

I have been struggling to get one run in a week pretty much since my do-over half after W&D on 11/15. Lots of life getting in the way... our doggy took a turn for the worse and we had to put him to sleep. Lots of laziness, too.

I need to turn the ship around, though and formulate a plan... I have plans to do halfs on 3/6, 4/10, 5/14, and 6/5, although 6/5 is the only one that I am registered for right now. I have a 10K on 1/1, which is part of a local series called Will Run For Beer (as are the halfs on 3/6 and 4/10), so I need to do 2 other races in addition to those for the series... probably the final 5K and I think there's a 4 miler in the middle somewhere.

I did another spring/summer/fall series of 8 races last year, too, although I don't think I'm going to do that series next year. It was mostly 5K's and I'm not going to do as many of those next year, but I am going to at least do the 2 10K's and 8K (June and August for the 10Ks, September for the 8K). And I will probably do some fall halfs as well, although I'm not sure which ones yet.

I was thinking I had 12 weeks to make a plan for the first March half, because January to March is totally 12 weeks, right? Well, sure, it is if it's the END of March, not the 6th. So, it's more like 8 weeks. My fitness is still at an okay level, though... despite my 1 run a week for the past 6 weeks (well... 5 weeks I ran, the last week with our dog was a big goose egg), there were 3 runs of 6 miles and 2 runs of 4 miles... oh I guess I did have 2 weekday runs of about 3 miles each, for a grand total of 7 runs between 11/15 and now. So, I guess it is not totally unreasonable to think I could ramp back up to 13.1 from 6 in 8 weeks.

 

[Baloo in MI]

This is a great idea! I am heading out in a bit over a week for the Dopey Challenge. I am very excited but after those races I need to take a break from runDisney races for a bit. Similar to what some others have said my family has had several trips to Disney over the past few years and we are hoping to vacation in some other locations moving forward. So no runDisney in 2016 for me. Looking forward to some local races and in the fall my first ultra; but no running with Mickey for awhile! Looking forward to visiting this thread.

 

[Chaitali]

Was just lurking on the WISH board and thinking how much i missed the Wine & Dine group when I saw this great idea for a thread.

I currently have no planned runDisney races for 2016 (but seriously considering a Wine and Dine do-over after this years race).

Am currently struggling with what distance to do in my training runs given I currently don't have any races planned until July (!!!). How do others plan their training in the "off-season"?

I think it's different for everyone and depends on your goals. I know some people who always want to be half marathon ready and therefore always do long runs of 10 miles or so even if they're not training for a race. That's not me but I generally always want to be 10k ready. So my off season long run tends to be 5-6 miles. But it's a lot looser than when I have a training plan. So I try to still get in three runs a week but no speed work and sometimes I concentrate on strength training or yoga instead. I enjoy the non-training plan periods for having more flexibility and exploring other types of activity or even just getting more rest

 

[derekleigh]

How do others plan their training in the "off-season"?

Generally, weekly mileage stays the same (18-25 miles/week), but just not as much diversity (tempos, fartleks, etc) in those runs. January - March are mostly "maintenance" miles, focus on cross-training. In April - June I lightly add more speedwork. July - September I focus on speed and add a lot of diverse runs are varying distances. October is usually filled with races. November -December for the last few years has been prep work for whatever race(s) I am doing at Marathon Weekend.

 

[FFigawi]

Am currently struggling with what distance to do in my training runs given I currently don't have any races planned until July (!!!). How do others plan their training in the "off-season"?

Simple. I have my coach plan it for me.

All kidding aside, the important thing to do in your off season is to keep your level of fitness up. It's much easier to maintain a base level as @derekleigh described than it is to really slack off and try to build back up again later. Adding in other activities like yoga, swimming, or strength training now will help make them part of your routine in the future too. It's important to have intermediate goals along the way between now and your next race to keep you motivated. And even if you're not registered for an official race as one of those goals, there's no saying that you can't train for a virtual one. If the race you have planned in the future is a half, why not spend two months this winter focusing on speed and trying to set a 10k PR on a route near your house, a track, or a treadmill? I find the key to all of this is to be varied in what you do. Running the same 5 miles at the same pace every time out is mentally boring and not doing much for you physically. Varying your distance, pace, and type of run will keep things from feeling stale.

 

[GreatLakes]

How do others plan their training in the "off-season"?

First, I don't have an off-season. From Christmas through the end of February races are slim but I do try to do at least one in January and one in February. I also try to keep myself able to go out and do a double digit run at all times. If all of a sudden I decide I feel like doing 10 this evening I make sure I have at least that level of fitness.

This winter I am spending a lot of time in the pool working with a coach because I want to do my first tri in 2016. My wife and I also snowshoe in the winter and take the dog on snowshoe hikes.

The key is just to decide on a plan and don't use cold weather as an excuse to skip runs.

 

[BikeFan]

Simple. I have my coach plan it for me.

All kidding aside, the important thing to do in your off season is to keep your level of fitness up. It's much easier to maintain a base level as @derekleigh described than it is to really slack off and try to build back up again later.

So true, and that's what keeps me motivated. I feel like I've worked too hard to let up now. Even if I don't have a race coming up, I try to remind myself that I do this for health reasons, too - keeping the weight off, the blood pressure and cholesterol low, and mind sane (more or less ). That usually keeps me motivated to get out there and log the miles. I also try to "run the year", for example 2015 miles in 2015, and there's always that goal in front of me. I'm like a Labrador - I need a ball to chase after!

 

[Baloo in MI]

After Marathon Weekend I will have a few half marathons, a 25k and then a trail marathon over the course of winter, spring and summer. But my main focus will be my first Ultra, a 50-miler in September. Any recommendations on training plans or other resources that might help me as I begin to think through a plan. Currently my base is pretty good as I had been training for a marathon this past fall and then right into Dopey training. I am excited about trying an ultra, but know that this is a bigger challenge. Any advice or suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

 

[FFigawi]

I highly recommend Hal Higdon's 50-mile plan (24 weeks). I used it for my first 50-mile race, and used much of the philosophy for the other ultras that I've done. The key to his plan and all the others out there are the back to back long runs. You end up doing 3-5 hours on Saturday and another 2-4 hours on Sunday for weeks at a time, all to teach you how to run on tired legs. Go slow, go easy, work on your fueling, and don't skimp on your recovery.

Here's a good site with lots of resources for training, fueling, mental preparation, etc. It's probably the best ultra resource around. http://www.ultrunr.com/

Feel free to ask any questions you've got between now and then. I'm happy to help.

 

[BikeFan]

After Marathon Weekend I will have a few half marathons, a 25k and then a trail marathon over the course of winter, spring and summer. But my main focus will be my first Ultra, a 50-miler in September. Any recommendations on training plans or other resources that might help me as I begin to think through a plan. Currently my base is pretty good as I had been training for a marathon this past fall and then right into Dopey training. I am excited about trying an ultra, but know that this is a bigger challenge. Any advice or suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

You're jumping right into a 50 miler as your first ultra? Good luck! I'm doing one this spring, but I've already done a 50K as my first ultra, and I'm doing an 8-hour race in Feb. as a tune-up. I'm just hoping to break 40 miles in the 8H race. My only recommendation is, pick out some good socks! My feet got wet for my 50K and I got monster blisters! Carrying extra socks is a wise idea.

 

[Baloo in MI]

I highly recommend Hal Higdon's 50-mile plan (24 weeks). I used it for my first 50-mile race, and used much of the philosophy for the other ultras that I've done. The key to his plan and all the others out there are the back to back long runs. You end up doing 3-5 hours on Saturday and another 2-4 hours on Sunday for weeks at a time, all to teach you how to run on tired legs. Go slow, go easy, work on your fueling, and don't skimp on your recovery.

Here's a good site with lots of resources for training, fueling, mental preparation, etc. It's probably the best ultra resource around. http://www.ultrunr.com/

Feel free to ask any questions you've got between now and then. I'm happy to help.

Thanks! I will look into this. I am both eager and intimidated to try the ultra distance. Much appreciated.

 

[afan]

A friend got me a training journal for christmas, so the plan this weekend is to figure out when I need to start training for the April 12k and and what to do before it and what to work on after.

I've also decided, that I'm going to run 3 days every week and then alternate between cross training 2 days one week and 1 day the other week. I realized training for the 10k that while at the beginning 5 days a week wasn't a problem I started to get burned out about 2/3 of the way through. I think by alternating taking every other thursday off it'll help keep me from this. It will also give me wiggle room those weeks if I need to go to the chiropractor or somewhere after work one night.

Doing it this way I'll alternate hill training on the treadmill and outside once it's light enough, every other Wednesday, on the weeks I'm off Thursdays. Which will give me two days off before my long runs Saturday. I also need to get back to the weights for my cross train days.

Also, my one big goal, as silly as it seems, is that I am going to embrace that the gym is too hot. I'm going to just deal with it and know that it will help for W&D. Though really I wish they'd turn it down from 72 to 68. The treadmills are upstairs Two weeks ago the vents had heat blasting out, normally it's cold air so I use a treadmill by the vent.

 

[Miranda]

I had my first 2016 race yesterday, a 10k. I hadn't been running much since 11/15... I did 7 whole runs between 11/15 and 12/31. But I managed to break my 10k PR of 1:17:03 with a 1:13:39! I wish I'd kept training, maybe I could have gotten closer to 1:10.