Week 13/17 HM Training - Run #3 TRACK WORKOUT

M = rest day

T = 11.5 km

W = 8.6 km / speed workout

Th = rest day

F = 12.6 km / speed workout

S = rest day

Sun = 19 km LSD

TOTAL = 51.8 km (32.2 miles)

A surprise for me that my mileage for the week is one of my highest (it looks like it's my 3rd highest week to date), and that's with 'only' four workouts. Interesting to see how the training has altered the closer I get to goal half marathon.

Week 12/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest day

T = cancelled 11.5K for recovery day (muscle cramp)

W = cancelled track workout for recovery day (muscle cramp)

Th = 5K (instead of yet another rest day)

F = postponed track workout for a recovery day (muscle cramp)

S = track workout 8.1K

Sun = cancelled 16 km LSD

TOTAL = 14.4 km

My lowest mileage week since February of this year. :( Such a bummer after PRing in my half marathon!

Race Taper Week HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest day

T = 10.01 km

W = 8 km

Th = rest day

F = rest day

S = 5.11 km

Sun = Springbank Road Races (Half Marathon) - 21.25K

TOTAL = 44.4 km

Less than 1 km difference from last week's mileage - huh! Interesting! :)

REVIEW - HM Training Phase II: Strength Work

# of Runs Scheduled: 12 purpose runs + 6 optional runs (3 weeks X 4 runs per week + 2 optional runs per week)

Scheduled Mileage (Achieved Mileage):

*Note: This applies to 6 runs and excludes both hill and tempo workouts, which are not completed according to mileage.

Week #9 = 31 km (11.5 km + 19.5 km) + optional 13 km (6.5 km x 2)

(32 km (12 km + 20 km) + 0 optional runs)

Week #10 = 27.5 km (11.5 km + 16 km) + optional 13 km (6.5 km x 2)

(15 km (5 km + 10 km race) + 1 x 6.5 km optional run)

Week #11 = 27.5 km + optional 13 km (6.5 km x 2)

(27.5 km (11.5 km + 16 km) + 1 x 2.7 km optional run)

TOTAL = 86 km + 39 km (optional)

(74.5 km + 9.2 km (optional))

I ran 4 out of 6 of these runs as scheduled, decreased mileage for one of them, and changed one to a 10 km race.

TEMPO WORKOUT

Week #9 - tempo for 40/40 minutes (check)

Week #10 - tempo for 16/40 minutes

Week #11 - tempo for 30/40 minutes

HILL WORKOUT

Week #9 - 6 + 2 walked repeats / 8 repeats scheduled

Week #10 - 10 repeats / 10 repeats scheduled (check)

Week #11 - 8 repeats / 12 repeats scheduled

Observations:

1. Tempo workouts - I attempted all them. I am disappointed because I would have liked to have seen #1 @6:40, #2 @6:30 and #3 @6:20. It just wasn't in the cards for me during this round of training so I will have to wait until the next round of HM training to try it again.

2. If I were to claim my 10 km race in Ingersoll as a @6:30 tempo, then I did achieve #1 and #2 from above; just not #3 this past week. Semantics!

3. Hill workouts - I attempted all of them. I am more pleased with the 8 solid repeats I did this past week when I was scheduled for 12 than I am of the other two workouts. I know the quality was there. My workout with 10/10 repeats could be claimed as *perfect* but I didn't run the day before so I had an advantage of being rested.

4. I would have liked to have attempted more optional runs, but I really needed the extra rest. I am curious to see during the next round of HM training if I feel "less" tired and can attempt more of these runs as a result of improved fitness.

5. I ran 2 out of the 3 long slow distances. Both my 20 km and my 16 km were strong. :) Once again, I think the "5 km out of 16 km" run is an indication that inserting another recovery week (after Week #8 when Road Work ends and before Strength Work begins) would be ideal.

Week 11/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest day

T = 11.52 km

W = 4.9 km (hill workout)

Th = rest day

F = 2.7 km

S = 9.9 km (tempo workout)

Sun = 16 km

TOTAL = 45.1 km (28 miles)

Week 10/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest day

T = 8.03 km (hill workout)

W = 6.5 km

Th = 6.8 km (failed tempo workout)

F = rest day

S = 5 km (16 km scheduled)

Sun = RACE - Ingersoll Harvest Run

TOTAL = 36.4 km (22.6 miles)

Week 9/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest day

T = 12 km

W = 7.7 km (hill)

Th = rest day

F = 10 km (tempo)

S = rest day

Sun = 20 km (LSD)

TOTAL = 49.7 km

This weekly mileage is still "up there" for me, even with an additional rest day. :) All workouts achieved as scheduled and two optional '5km or rest days' were both taken as rest days.

REVIEW - HM Training Phase I: Road Work

# of Runs Scheduled: 40 (8 weeks x 5 runs/week)

Scheduled Mileage (Achieved Mileage):

Week #1 = 47.5 km (50 km)

Week #2 = 50.5 km (45 km)

Week #3 = 55.5 km (50 km)

Week #4 = 58.5 km (47 km)

Week #5 = 58.5 km (46.5 km)

Week #6 = 62 km (62 km)

Week #7 = 65 km (36 km)

Week #8 = 68.5 km (65 km)

TOTAL = 466 km (401.5 km) / 289.6 miles (250 miles)

I ran 33 of those runs and changed 2 of them to races =

• 17 runs completed exactly as scheduled
• 11 runs with increased the mileage (!!!), but not enough to make up for my 65 km shortfall :(
• 5 runs with decreased mileage

5 outright cancelled runs:

1. 1 recovery run (Week #2 - very tired)

2. 1 recovery run (Week #3 because of a wedding)

3. 1 midweek medium run (Week #5 due to a wicked migraine)

4. 1 LSD (Week #7 - self-imposed recovery week and race)

5. 1 recovery run (Week #7 - self-imposed recovery week)

2 runs changed to races: (Week #4 and Week #7)

# striders scheduled/completed = 10/6

Observations:

1. I increased the mileage on runs twice as much than I decreased. This surprised me! Cool! :)

2. I did more striders than I expected - I thought I skipped more. :( 60% is not great. Isn't that a "C" if I were grading?

3. I was surprised that most of my decreased mileage runs were in one week (crazy heat week). This was a surprise to me because I thought there was more. :)

4. I had valid and good reasons for canceling the five runs.

5. My Thursday midweek medium runs (13K) were almost all negatively affected. :( Not good. :(

6. It was with interest that I see how challenging my Week #4 was (when ideally I should have had a recovery week). Most of my decreased mileage runs occurred during this week. I attribute this to the onslaught of heat and humidity (a.k.a the heat bubble), but I think it still underscores my need to add supplemental recovery weeks to this training program.

7. The point of Phase I: Road Work is just to run slow, easy mileage for eight weeks. In keeping with this philosophy, I stopped uploading my Garmin results to the DailyMile and just manually added the mileage. I also stopped posting my time and mileage in my posts (not sure if this was even noticed or not).

However ... I still kept a record of my pace on the right-hand side of my blog to log any milestones, and I still downloaded my results every day to check.

When my BIL and sister visited the last time, my BIL told me laughingly how my sister had weeks worth of runs on her Garmin that had not been downloaded. She just didn't care. She would use her Garmin for distance, but not pay any attention to any other information upon arriving home. It made a big impression on me. Even though I wasn't posting my pace for all to see, it didn't mean that I was ignoring it. I was still checking it daily, and it was negatively affecting me because I was seeing a decrease in my pace average.

Yet, my sister, who is aiming for a sub-1:45 in the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon next month, didn't pay one iota of attention to it. She took the training advice to heart ... it's just about the mileage and endurance build-up so it's not necessary to obsess over pace ... yet ...

I am blogging this now because I think this is is one of the best learnings, and I'm challenging myself to follow my sister's lead the next time I use this program for training for a half marathon. Lesson learned. :)

Week 8/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest

T = 13K

W = 10K + 8 striders

Th = 11.5K

F = rest

S = 22.5K LSD

S = 8K

TOTAL = 65 km

I lied two weeks ago. This is a new PB for weekly mileage and will likely the highest weekly mileage that I run this year. :) This is my last week of Phase I: Road Work and I don't think I am scheduled for as much mileage during Phase II: Strength Work because it involves hill work and tempo runs weekly. We'll see!

Week 7/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest

T = 11.5K

W = 5.5K + 2.8K + 2.8K

Th = cancelled 13K

F = 5.2K

S = rest

Sun = South Huron Trail Run 8K

TOTAL = 35.8 km

My lowest mileage recording since June 13/19, but more than my total mileage for February 2011 - LOL! This was a sharp cutback in both hours and mileage because I was becoming tired and cranky. I was starting to lose my enthusiasm for training so it was clearly time for me to create a self-imposed recovery week.

Week 6/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest

T = 11.5K = 8 striders

W = 10K

Th = 8K (supposed to be 13K)

F = rest

S = 8K + 8 striders

Sun = 20K (supposed to be 19.5K / 12 miles) :)

TOTAL = 61.7 km (38.3 miles)

This is a new PB - my highest mileage to date, ever, including both 2010 and 2011. :)

2011 - 50K earlier this month (31.1 miles)

2010 - 47.6K in November (29.6 miles)

I think this will be my record for awhile since hill training, tempo runs and track work are scheduled. Still very cool! :)

Week 5/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest

T = 12.13

W = 10K + 6 striders

Th = 8K (supposed to run 13K) :(

F = rest

S = 16.2K (supposed to run 19.5K) :(

Sun = rest

TOTAL = 46.3 km

Week 4/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = OFF

T = 10K (not 12K)

W = 5K (not 10K + 6 striders or 12K

Th = 11K (not 12K)

F = 5K - Summer Night 5K

S = OFF (cancelled 8K + 6 striders)

Sun = 16K

TOTAL = 47 km

Week 3/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = OFF

T = 12K

W = 10K

Th = 12K

F = OFF

S = 16K (switched from Sunday)

Sun = OFF (Saturday evening wedding/Sunday plans)

TOTAL = 50 km

Week 2/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest

T = 10K

W = 8K

Th = 12K

F = OFF

S = 15K (switched with Sun)

Sun = OFF (cancelled switched 8K)

TOTAL = 45 km

Week 1/17 HM Training - Mileage Total

M = rest

T = 10K

W = 8K

Th = 10K

F = rest

S = 7K

Sun = 15K

TOTAL = 50 KM

This is my greatest weekly mileage to date, ever, including both 2010 and in 2011.

2010 - 47.6K in November

2011 - 43K in April

IF all goes according to plan, I should be posting the same comment every Sunday for the next seven weeks, because mileage will continue to steadily increase each week until Week #9 of my training plan when I enter Phase II: Strength Training.

New Record :) Weekly Mileage

I surpassed my previous record for weekly mileage of 44km. :)

This past week, November 22-28, I ran 47.6 km. :)