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Thursday, February 18, 2010

You Always Get What You Want; (believe it or not)

After a year of 6 days on, one day off I have just began a new training cycle, harking back to my most successful racing days. Beginning this week I am 13 days on with one day off. Today was the first Thursday run in a LONG time, it has always my rest day before the big weekend but now things have changed.

Why change? I feel that this risk has great potential benefits to increasing my overall workload and therefor provide additional stimulus to compete at a higher level. Toward this goal I am now up to 60 miles each week and shooting for a peak of 80 by the summer time leading into the Chattooga 50k and its revamped course.

These are mileages my body has seen previously, so I am not as concerned about injury potential, not that concerned. I will continue with mostly easy (while still seeking those hills out), aerobic efforts, especially in the initial weeks of increase. This is nothing groundbreaking, of course. Just the old advice from many veteran runners. Like Frank Shorter says, "If you want to run better, you need to run as much as you can... if you want to run faster, you need... to run faster."

And that is the final piece to this puzzle, to get away from the comfortable, easy cruise intervals of the marathon program and inject a little blaze into Tuesdays. For the last few weeks I've been adding some higher end 'speed' work as well as the disguised hill blast workouts. Sprinting the last half of hills with explosive strides. I feel slow and not-powerful... but we start somewhere. I know the body is less willing to do new things than the mind... so I, and my mind will keep on with this plan until the body is ready to accept it. I can feel it already considering the benefits while still holding its stubborn ways.

This is running karma. You get more of what you have become.

5 comments:

  1. Hi Sean,
    Good Lord are you running some crazy high miles:) Wow, I totally have respect for anyone that can bust out 80 miles a week!! It sounds like you know what you are doing and have confidnece in the outcome. Good luck to you and your monster miles Mr. Stud:)

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  2. Efficiency AND speed...going for the whole package!

    I love hearing about your training- especially your approach to training. You seem to have an excellent handle on training the body, but more importantly, the mind and spirit.

    Have a great weekend:)

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  3. Wow, and I am just moving up to 5 days/week and 50 mile peaks. Keep up the good work.

    I am adding you to my blogroll.

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  4. Good Job!! you'll adapt and reap the benefits this summer and fall from all the hard work and quality miles and speed work sessions! I agree completely with frank shorter quotes.. really I swear, the only way to race fast, is to train fast! :o)

    cheers!! from over the mtn here in Bristol!!

    happy running in boone, NC!! :o)

    jenny:o)

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  5. Wow, that is awesome. I'm not sure that I have the dedication that it takes....yet.

    So, what are you going to do on the extra day? mid distance run in prep for the long weekend?

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