Run Update 24.01.2017 & 28.01.2017

Tuesday I had my first speed workout for the year. I am not a fast runner. Going by average finishing times of women in my age category, in all the events that I've taken part in, I place my speed at above average. And if I were to go by the generally accepted Cooper theory (see below image) I would fall in the "fair" category. But since speed like most other skills can be developed through practise, I am quite hopeful that I can push myself from fair to the "good" category. This is where speed training comes in.

The theory behind speed  training is making your body accustomed to running at higher speeds by incorporating high speed running spanning smaller distances thereby allowing you to run at a pace far quicker than your average race pace. Over time you can slowly build up these short distances which could range anywhere from 50 to 800 meters.This will in turn help develop your ability to go faster for longer. Here is more expert wisdom here... http://www.runnersworld.com/speed-training and here... http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/sprint-ahead-three-benefits-of-running-short-intervals

Like with all other run-types, here too my plan was to start small and build up. Tuesday's speed session had me slotted in for a (200x4) x 2 speed session with 1 minute rest interval between dashes and a 4 minute rest interval between the two sets. The objective was to run 200 meters as fast as I could while maintaining a steady pace. Had a time goal of less than a minute to complete the 200m. Though the RI allowed was 60 seconds, I needed a minute and a half to 2 minutes to feel recovered enough to go again. The first set went off well enough with the dashes taking 55, 57, 57 and 61 seconds each. The next set felt taxing. I managed two dashes under a minute but had to call it the end with that.

I suppose that leaves room for improvement for my next speed session. :-)

This weekend we were travelling to my native home-town, a small little village called Chowanur in the district of Thrissur in Kerala. I had packed my running shoes & gear fully intending to run my 1hr drill on Saturday but instead I ended up running a much shorter but challenging 3K. I loved running through my old haunts, up & down steep slopes, along narrow pathways and through the familiar paddy fields of my childhood summers. It was like my very own private trail run and I felt absolutely great at the end of it. I also had Dom's company through the run which was an added bonus.

I wish I had places like that around here where I could run now and then just to mix things up a bit.

Run Update 22.01.2017

Took a lot of effort to get out of bed today when the alarm went off at 4:30. But I did manage to get out the door and on the roads - albeit rather late at 6:00 am. 

Today's run felt like a lot of effort - probably because I was tired and there wasn't enough zzzs in the tank. Being later in the morning, the temperature was higher (not uncomfortably so) and I had swapped my pre-run banana snack for a couple of dates both of which probably contributed to the general feeling of sluggishness. 

But despite all that I managed to push on through at an average pace of 6'51" which is 2 seconds faster than last week and put me at 50 meters further than last week. It is miniscule progress but small & steady progress is any day better than fluctuating progress or worse no progress at all so I'll take it! :-)

I'm pretty pleased that I have been sticking to my workout schedule quite consistently. As predicted there has been a few tweaks here and there but I am very kicked to see the number of green ticks! :-)

Run Update 17.01.2017

Thats two good runs in a row!

Today's tempo run went better than expected. Managed  to maintain an average pace of 6'27". Definite improvement from last week's 6'38". My next tempo run calls for 4 sets of a 2K tempo run. Need to try and maintain the same pace there.

This progress is a good incentive to keep at it.

Run Update 14.01.2017

I'm feeling really good after my run today. Weekends always call for a long run and when I'm training for a half marathon, a long run could be anything between 12K & 18K which would take me anywhere from 90 to 135 minutes. But now that I'm training for a faster 10K, I've kept my long runs down to 1 hr. The strategy is to run a little further every week in that 1 hr. I expect that I should gradually be able to bring the distance up to 10K from what its currently at.

Last week I could only go 8.3K in 1 hour. Thats an average pace of 7'14". Keeping that as my base, I drafted a 30 week plan the end of which had me running 10K in an hour through gradually quickening my pace by 5" every two weeks. This week's target was set at 8.37K (avg pace 7'10"). For easy computation, I set out today with a round figure of 8.4K in mind. Breaking the hour down to 15 minute intervals, my target for each interval was 2.1K.

I had my eye on the time the whole way through but I found myself zipping along faster than my goal pace without much exertion. 2.2K then 4.35K, Then 6.5K and finally 8.7K. Thats an average pace of 6'53" which is awesome! Maybe it was just a freak day where everything was just right - hydration levels, nutrition, glycogen stores in the muscle, humidity, temperature and the stars aligned just right to let me have an awesome run. Or maybe, just maybe, my fitness level has improved with two weeks of consistent training. In any case, I am now going to try and maintain this same pace over the next few weeks (6'50 -6'55") and hopefully achieve the final target by the end of 26 weeks as opposed to 30. 

Watch this space.

Hips don't lie

Now that I've started a little bit of speed work it is quite apparent that my hips are a major weak spot. I always considered my hip mobility and the flexibility around my pelvic joints to be pretty good. But now I have clear evidence that shows otherwise.

Last year, after my TWCM Half Marathon in Jan, I had strained my hip abducter muscles a little. I continued running without really attending to this "minor" injury. I then ran the Auroville Half Marathon, followed by the Marina Runnerz 10K, followed by the cool runner's 10K. This last one had my hip abducters singing! - which was enough to finally force my attention to it. I gave it adequate rest and after about eight weeks or so, it returned to normal.

I ran 5 more events after that - Pinkathon 10K, D2D Half Marathon, Dream Runners Half Marathon, CTM Half Marathon, & the Trivandrum Half Marathon. That last one there had me hearing the next set of protests. This time, I felt a heavy strain on the Hip Flexors where I wasn't able to lift my leg off the floor without wincing. Luckily, this event was the last on my schedule for the year and sure enough, with about 8 weeks sans running, things were feeling absolutely normal.

With the faster paced running I've been doing this new year, I've noticed the strain recur. Anybody can tell you that injury-rest-injury again isn't a good plan. The key to running injury-free (I hear) is to strengthen, strengthen, strengthen! The hips play a vital role in running - just look at the physiology of the running movement - and better its mobility, the better you run.

Here are some indications of how good or bad your hip mobility is:

1. Stand up straight with your feet flat on the ground. Then stretch one leg out at a time and see how high you can lift it off the floor without bending at the knees. Hips with good mobility would allow you to lift your leg up to hip height or more.

2. Stand up straight with your feet flat on the ground. Then lift one leg up, bent 90 degrees at the knee - the thigh should be parallel to the floor. Now try straightening out the leg. How high does it come up? Strong hip muscles should allow you to straighen the leg out completely (so the whole leg is parallel to the floor)

3. Try the three-legged downward dog pose from Yoga. Get into the downward dog pose. Then lift one leg off the floor - keeping it straight. Flexible hips should allow you to lift the leg high enough so you can draw a straight line from your palms to the heel of the lifted leg.

Clearly my hip mobility sucks. I have started doing some hip stretches & exercises to remedy this. Here is one article that I found really helpful and a video which I found to be very effective. In addition, my hubby & self-appointed trainer has been giving me tips & pointers to further develop my hip strength. All of which I hope will help me with my speed goals & to become a better runner.

Run Update 10.01.2017

Full Steam Ahead!!!

The enthusiasm with which I started my new year plan continues unthwarted. Started out on my tempo run today with high motivation and a tank full of energy. Today's work out was a 2K x 3 Tempo run with a 4 minute rest interval between sets. The target pace was 6'35" which meant that each 2K set was to be completed in a duration of 13'10". 

I loved the work out. It was quite challenging and I felt like I was running at a really high effort. I had some teething troubles with the first set and felt like my pace & effort fluctuated quite a bit but with the 2nd & 3rd set I kind of found my rhythm and had a good time with it.

My timings for each of the sets were 13'23", 13'18" & 13'12 which puts my average pace at 6'38". Its not not 6'35" but damn close and I'm pretty pleased with it! Going forward I need to improve the consistency of the timings between sets but for a start this is great!

Run Update 07.01.2017

I'm pretty high on motivation levels (given that the new year is still fresh and all) and am feeling extremely gungho about the training schedule I've set for myself. This morning, I went for my 1hr run as per the calendar. 

It was a good run and in terms of effort, it ranked pretty high. But my fitness level is not as high as I imagined it would be, and as predicted in my previous post, I couldn't sustain the pace that I had set for myself. 

Before my two month break from running, I was able to do on an average about 8.5 - 8.7k per hour and I had worked out my training schedule based on this level. Today was meant to be a test run to see if to check if it still held good but I fell short by around 200 meters. 

8.3K @ 7'14" pace: Thats where I am at now. (Come to think of it that was my half marathon pace at my last event!) I will have to re-work my training schedule to accomodate this drop in level.

Run Update 03.01.2017

Looks like not running for two months has made a major dent in my running level.

This morning, I got out for a, what was supposed to have been, moderate-fast paced 6K. My target was 6'45" but just a few meters into the run, I found myself struggling to maintain even a sub 7'00" pace. Even more upsetting was that I found myself needing a water break (or just about any break) at around 1.5K. It was a nice, cool, crisp morning  - perfect to run in. I was well hydrated and had had enough rest & nutrition - I ought have found it a breeze! 

After about 2.5K, I found myself settling into my comfort pace of 7'30 - 7'45". By then I had decided to just roll with it and try to enjoy the rest of the run. But the arduous start took it its toll and soon I wasn't feeling up to completing 6K either. I called finish line at 4.5K.

Given this latest development, it looks like the paces I've set for myself in my sub 60 training plan is a long shot from what I may actually be able to achieve. The longer, 1hr runs call for a pace starting with 6'55". If I am not able to sustain that for even 5 minutes then whats my pace at 60 minutes gonna look like I wonder? The Tempo runs call for a pace of 6'30" and the speed training for paces 6'00" and under. Well, lets see! This is only warm-up week after all.

Running Resolutions

Here's a brand new year & brand new goals to conquer...

When it comes to running, setting goals keeps me motivated. Having a target to achieve, eggs me on and its probably the biggest reason why I get out of bed at 4:00 am when all around me are fast asleep.

Somewhere in September last year I figured out my goal for this year. It happened when a friend texted me for training advice for her upcoming 10K. She told me how she ran her 1st 10k earlier in the year with hardly any training and that she wanted to be better prepared and run stronger this second time around. I asked her what her timing was like for the first one and she glibly said, "1:07 or something. Pathetic no?"

My best time to date (look on the right panel) is 1:08:35. This is after a few 10K races and several months of training. Now they say, in the running community, never to compare your timing and pace to anyone else. Yeah right! Sure this girl probably has about 10 years on me but I must admit that it was still a little bit of a slap in the face. Thats when I decided that I would work on my speed and build my way up to a sub 60 min 10K. 2017 - Goal set.

How do you shave off  8 minutes and 36 seconds from your time? Easy - just run faster! Indisputable logic, but let me break this down. It takes me on an average 1 hour and 10 minutes to complete 10K. Thats an average pace of 7'00" to a kilometre. To meet my goal, I would need to bring my pace down to a little less than 6'00". Which means running each kilometre a minute faster. In real time, that won't just happen overnight. It will take a lot of practise and a lot of dedication to gradually bring my pace down.

Ofcourse I had to comb through several resources to find a training plan that will allow me to do just that. None were perfectly suited - they either were at too advanced a level or had too many running days or were clashing with my schedule etcetera, etcetera. So I ended up borrowing from several sources, tweaking it to suit my fitness levels and my likes, to come up with a plan that looks like this:

Ofcourse, I know it will get edited along the way based on how I fare. But its a start!