Tuesday, February 7, 2017

20 Miles a Week

In the last four months I've been averaging around 20 miles per week. This is quite a change over my mileage last year, when I averaged about 50 mpw. At the height of my marathon training, I was doing around 80 mpw. However, since the 2016 Chicago Marathon in October, my energy levels have been low, so my overriding goal has been to take things easy. I'm doing this by getting more sleep and running no more than three to five miles per day. Cutting back on the mileage has hurt my endurance, but at the same time its done wonders for my legs. They aren't constantly sore and stiff like last year, and I'm getting some great turnover in them. So much so that I've rediscovered some short distance speed that I lost when I was marathon training last summer.

One big contributor to my leg speed is due to my two dogs. Since I now have more spare time (since I'm running less), I'm taking them on longer daily walks to the park. Once we're there, we do quite a bit of all out sprinting for 50 to 100m every few minutes as we chase their tennis ball, which I throw out in front of us while we're running. Last year when my legs were trashed, I was never able to do these "intervals" since I was so burned out from my training volume. Now I can give those pups a run for their money!

How will this relatively low mileage mixed with daily "speed work" translate into say a 5k race time? I'm certain that with my current training regimen I won't be anywhere near as fast as I was last year when I had a huge weekly base mileage and could start a race at a relatively fast clip and simply hold on for the remainder by tapping into my huge endurance. Now that my endurance is (mostly) gone but my legs are fresher, I might be able to at least have a decent final mile topped off by a killer 100m kick at the finish line.

I still haven't signed up for any races this year except for the Shamrock Shuffle (which was free) and it's kind of a nice feeling of not having the looming pressure of getting in lots o' miles for a goal race. However, if I see a 5k (or shorter) race that is somewhere near where I live, I just might jump in and see how fast I can kick.

14 comments:

  1. Fresh legs sound glorious, and I bet your pups (plural??? When did this happen) are thrilled to be able to run and play with you!

    Are you not planning to do Ravenswood this year?

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    1. #2 was adopted from a shelter in mid-October. They both love running and start pulling on their leashes when we get to the spots in the park where we usually start our sprints. Yes, I'm planning on doing Ravenswood, how about you?

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    2. Awww, that's great! Heidi always stars running whenever she sees another dog in the neighborhood. She's subtle :)

      I'll be doing a 5k in Ohio that day. When you said a 5k near you, I just assumed Ravenswood :) You could come up and do the 2 mile race near me and Kim at the end of the month!

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    3. I remember you ran that 5k before, yes?. I am intrigued by the two mile distance at the Frosty race. Might be a perfect fit for me right now. Also, it'd be an instant PR! We'll see if I can swing it.

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    4. Yep, I did it last year too. It's a huge event in my hometown, so it's a lot of fun :)

      The automatic PR is always tempting... :)

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  2. I get it. I don't usually run more than 25 miles per week unless I'm training for a marathon! But I sure do love the speed I get from this.

    I hope you will do the CARA 10 miler in March. I'm all signed up!

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    1. Yes. I really like running fast, I just wish I could get more endurance without all the punishing miles! Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to be around to do the CARA 10 miler in March. Are you doing the Shuffle?

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  3. Sounds like you're listening to your body and that it's paying off! You had such a huge year last year that it's gotta feel good to just take things easy (relatively speaking) for a change.

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    1. Yes. It's nice having speedy legs and not feeling exhausted all the time!

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  4. I think it's great to have an "off" season and rest your legs! I'm sure your pups are loving their outdoor time with you too!

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    1. Yes, definitely enjoying this prolonged "off season". I think my pups are really liking their extra playtime! :)

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  5. We need pics of the pups in this post!

    Interesting that you think you'll have a slower 5K time now with a faster finishing kick even with fresher legs. It makes sense though - those endurance miles count! All my 5K PRs have been around 40-50 mile weeks! I am happy to hear your legs are feeling better!!! Do you feel like you have more free time!

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    1. Yes, there is no substitute for me for endurance, especially for distances over a mile. I do feel like I have more free time which the dogs are taking full advantage of! I should take a camera to the park for some shots of the puppy sprints!

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  6. I agree with Kim - we need to see more pictures of your dogs!!! They truly are the best training partners, ever. I am thrilled to hear your legs are feeling so much better after giving them some down time. Hurray for being selective on races this year, too. It'll be very exciting to see how much butt you'll kick once you do find a 5K you want to attack!!!

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