T
Tony
Guest
SwStudio wrote in message ...
>"onemarathon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> [email protected] (rick zebco) wrote:
>>
>> > Over the last 3 years I've tried several methods of gettin better k
>> > race times.
>> > *doubling my weekly mileage for about 3-4 weeks
>> > *lots of hills reps ( once a week,progrevly adding each week)
>> > *100 meter spints
>> > *400 meter spints
>> > * 1 mile hard runs
>> > * weekend long run (7-10 miles)
>> > * stairs (progressivly adding each week)
>> > * biking
>> >
>> > Sometimes I have success,& trim my times down, sometimes I seem to
>> > stay about the same,
>> > I have done several combinations of the above & I think my problem is
>> > when I do get faster, I'm not sure what the one key was.
>> > I can look at my logbook & look at my best races & see what I did for
>> > training prior to that race,but how far back do u go? Are the workouts
>> > you done the past 2 weeks,3 weeks,4 weeks the most crucial, or even
>> > the training you did 2 months ago ?
>> > My goal is a sub 20 min, the best I done is 20:47 last year. I
>> > thought i trained hard all winter, but the 2 races I did this spring
>> > were around 21:30.
>> > That got me pretty down. I still run,but I am taking a break from
>> > racing for awhile....maybe next year. I need to find out what is the
>> > best way to get to 20 min, & train hard for a few mos.
>>
>>
>> and now for something completely different:
>>
>> i've gotten my two best 5k times this summer (within weeks of each
>> other). i don't have any real secrets to divulge since my running
>> workouts have been rather unstructured and more "free-form" in nature,
>> but prior to those races i was doing two strong tempo runs per week and
>> one fartlek session per week. not a lot of mileage... only about 27-30km
>> per week, but i made those km's really count. you may ask "why only
>> three runs per week?" the answer is that i was also doing a lot of
>> cross-training, more specifically for triathlon. i was also cycling 40+
>> km's 2-3 times a week, and swimming for close to an hour once a week.
>>
>> a lot of distance endurance work in the other disciplines really seemed
>> to complement my running. the overall conditioning, which allowed me to
>> peak just in time for those races took me beyond my previous road racing
>> efforts.
>>
>> your non-running workouts, if given even just a bit more attention,
>> would allow for better overall conditioning, and give the running
>> muscles a rest. as for you times, well.... you are ahead of me... my
>> best 5k is 22:11.
>>
>> best of luck, and see the other posts for the scientific methods of
>> getting to where you wanna be.
>>
>
>I agree the cross training helps - I think the main reason is
>that it replaces the mileage you are not doing in terms of
>increasing aerobic capacity.
>
>The added bonus is the working of other muscle groups.
As a cross-trainer myself I agree up to a point. As others have said
specificity does matter, but that comes more into play at higher levels of
competition. If you're cycling in addtion to running, its better to use a
high cadence and this will help keep your leg turnover up for running and
won't bulk up your legs as much.
- Tony
>
>
>cheers,
>--
>David (in Hamilton, ON)
>www.allfalldown.org
>www.absolutelyaccurate.com
>
>
>"onemarathon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> [email protected] (rick zebco) wrote:
>>
>> > Over the last 3 years I've tried several methods of gettin better k
>> > race times.
>> > *doubling my weekly mileage for about 3-4 weeks
>> > *lots of hills reps ( once a week,progrevly adding each week)
>> > *100 meter spints
>> > *400 meter spints
>> > * 1 mile hard runs
>> > * weekend long run (7-10 miles)
>> > * stairs (progressivly adding each week)
>> > * biking
>> >
>> > Sometimes I have success,& trim my times down, sometimes I seem to
>> > stay about the same,
>> > I have done several combinations of the above & I think my problem is
>> > when I do get faster, I'm not sure what the one key was.
>> > I can look at my logbook & look at my best races & see what I did for
>> > training prior to that race,but how far back do u go? Are the workouts
>> > you done the past 2 weeks,3 weeks,4 weeks the most crucial, or even
>> > the training you did 2 months ago ?
>> > My goal is a sub 20 min, the best I done is 20:47 last year. I
>> > thought i trained hard all winter, but the 2 races I did this spring
>> > were around 21:30.
>> > That got me pretty down. I still run,but I am taking a break from
>> > racing for awhile....maybe next year. I need to find out what is the
>> > best way to get to 20 min, & train hard for a few mos.
>>
>>
>> and now for something completely different:
>>
>> i've gotten my two best 5k times this summer (within weeks of each
>> other). i don't have any real secrets to divulge since my running
>> workouts have been rather unstructured and more "free-form" in nature,
>> but prior to those races i was doing two strong tempo runs per week and
>> one fartlek session per week. not a lot of mileage... only about 27-30km
>> per week, but i made those km's really count. you may ask "why only
>> three runs per week?" the answer is that i was also doing a lot of
>> cross-training, more specifically for triathlon. i was also cycling 40+
>> km's 2-3 times a week, and swimming for close to an hour once a week.
>>
>> a lot of distance endurance work in the other disciplines really seemed
>> to complement my running. the overall conditioning, which allowed me to
>> peak just in time for those races took me beyond my previous road racing
>> efforts.
>>
>> your non-running workouts, if given even just a bit more attention,
>> would allow for better overall conditioning, and give the running
>> muscles a rest. as for you times, well.... you are ahead of me... my
>> best 5k is 22:11.
>>
>> best of luck, and see the other posts for the scientific methods of
>> getting to where you wanna be.
>>
>
>I agree the cross training helps - I think the main reason is
>that it replaces the mileage you are not doing in terms of
>increasing aerobic capacity.
>
>The added bonus is the working of other muscle groups.
As a cross-trainer myself I agree up to a point. As others have said
specificity does matter, but that comes more into play at higher levels of
competition. If you're cycling in addtion to running, its better to use a
high cadence and this will help keep your leg turnover up for running and
won't bulk up your legs as much.
- Tony
>
>
>cheers,
>--
>David (in Hamilton, ON)
>www.allfalldown.org
>www.absolutelyaccurate.com
>
>