posted Dec-22-2006 11:25 PM               

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posted Dec-23-2006 09:42 AM            

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posted Dec-24-2006 07:36 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by joev9:
kudzu, seems to me you might have left a little bit (maybe those 5 seconds) on the table in that 5K if you were able to crank it home at a 5:37 pace for that last 0.11 mile. in my only sub 20 effort (so take it for what it's worth), i did the last 0.11 mile in 0:40 and that was all out, all i had left effort. my thinking has always been that a good 5K is forged in miles 2 and 3 and that that last 0.11 mile is *almost* irrelevant because the difference between 5:30 pace and 6:30 pace in that last 0.11 mile is only a total of about 6 or 7 seconds. if you had pushed 5 seconds per mile faster in miles 2 and 3 and could only muster a 0:40 for that last 0.11 you would have been under 20. not trying to be critical, just making a suggestion...

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You're absolutely right: if I had pushed five seconds a mile faster in miles 2 and 3 and run three seconds slower in that last .11, I would have finished the race in 19:57 instead of 20:04.

I can't argue with that math.

But there's a higher math which says: don't even think of running a PR 5K two weeks after a hard marathon, especially if you've hardly touched on 5K paces for the past few months.  In fact, be happy if you simply run a solid time.

That higher math, unfortunately, trumped your math this time this time around. And dang it, I say. My will was there, but will alone isn't always enough.

Still, I'm happy. When I begin to do anything like race-specific training, I'm sure that I'll be able to execute your good and sensible plan, and then some.

[This message has been edited by KudzuRunner (edited Dec-24-2006).]

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posted Dec-24-2006 11:37 PM            

I’m 42 and only started running in June this year. I used to run a little, over 20 years ago, but was always more of a recreational runner than a competitive runner. One indication of this is that I only have 3 recorded times, one each from when I was 20, 21 and 22. The best was a 1:26.30 half marathon on what I still remember as a VERY hilly course in Kent, England, in 1984 – up and down the South Downs. The other times were a 67:25 10 miler and a 32:49 5 miler.

Since taking it up again I find myself a lot more interested in training properly and am much more disciplined about track workouts. The wisdom of age I guess….

My first run was a 5k at the end of June, when I hadn’t really put in enough training, and it was a real effort to get in at 21:30 – satisfyingly under 7m miles (just) but hard, hard work. I basically just gutted that one out based on the memory that I USED to be able to run under 7minute miles easily. Over the summer and Fall I gradually stretched my ability to maintain 7m miles, a 43:50 10k (7:03 pace), a 52:00 12k (6:59 pace at the Bridge to Bridge in San Francisco), and a 1:05:52 15k (7:04 pace). I did a ˝ marathon in there as well (Big Sur) but my pace slipped off over the last half (obviously due to a lack of mileage in training). I was still fairly pleased with 1:36:00 (7:19 pace) for only my second ˝ marathon – a 10 minute decline over 20 years. Still, I think this is my softest record for the coming year. If I can put the mileage in, sub-1:30 should be possible. (Actually that 10k looks pretty soft now too…)

But back to the 5k. A little over a month ago now I decided that I should work on my speed and bring down my 5k and 10k times over the winter and then work up the distances in the Spring. That’s where this thread comes in and I credit the introduction of some tough track intervals, based on recommendations here, with helping me cruise through the 20 min goal. I started with 5 x 1000m in 4.00 or under with 90s jog over 200m but after a few sessions of this I decreased the jogging time to 60s (which makes it more like running than jogging since this is 8min mile pace itself). I tried to keep the pace very even on these 1k intervals - both the 1k times and also the lap times within each interval. I think these intervals gave me the confidence to see 20 mins as a valid goal for this year (it was previously a 2007 goal). I had to stop the intervals when I had some knee pain but I’m fairly sure this was due to the hills I’d also put into the schedule (the downhill, not the uphill - that felt like it was really building strength). I eased up for about 10 days with little but a couple of 3 mile jogs. A week ago I decided to find out if my knee was going to be up for a 5k on Christmas Eve by doing a track rehearsal. Everything went great and I managed to do 12.5 laps at an average lap time of 1.36, and only varying from 1.34 to 1.38. I deliberately didn’t sprint the final 200m and the final time was 19.56 and my knee felt fine (presumably due to the lack of downhill sections on the track….). I had the confidence I needed for the 5k today but the track is flat and fast and a 5k road race has other people on the course, slight hills and, most importantly, no way to pace myself as accurately as I could on the track. On the plus side I had lighter shoes than I wore on the track and it was a small race with a few regulars and I have some sense of their likely paces.

As expected I went out too fast, 6:15 for the first mile, it felt like work, but it felt like a pace I could keep up so rather than try to reign it in and risk going too slow on mile 2 I concentrated on keeping a good form and maintaining my distance from the group of 3 or 4 runners ahead who I was pretty sure were sub-20 runners. I was surprised when mile 2 went by in 6:14, mile 2 did not feel especially tough but the elation didn’t last long as I realized I was definitely slowing and there wasn’t much I could do about it. There was no question that mile 3 would be slower as the runners ahead pulled slightly away but I hoped I wasn’t slowing too much. Unfortunately the end of mile 3 sees the only slight rise on the course and although the end was almost in sight it was getting tough to maintain pace. I was wishing for a bigger race, I wasn’t going to catch the half dozen runners ahead and I couldn’t hear anyone behind me. As I passed the third mile marker it was both disheartening, to see my pace had slipped to 6:45, but a relief to see that it had only slipped to 6:45. A bit of an increase in pace for the last 0.1, which goes downhill, brought me in at 19:52. So I had managed to do what I did on the track, but in a much harder way. Of course now I’m thinking that if I can just keep up that 6.15 pace for one more mile….

I guess I graduate this post now. The sub-40 10k seems daunting but a few months ago the sub-20 5k looked fairly daunting too. Thanks again and I’ll see some of you at the sub-40 10k thread…..

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posted Dec-25-2006 10:21 PM            

I started running in 2001. Looking back at my log, I noticed I took one month off in 2002 and 2003. I did not take a month off in 2004, and had a rough 2005: I had a non-running related (according to the doctors) ailment that required three surgeries to heal. I missed about two and a half months of running in 2005.

2006 was sort of a comeback for me. I ran consistently every month and will reach my goal of 1500 miles.

I feel a break is necessary. I know I will loose endurance, but I have quickly recovered from such breaks in the past, and think that in the long run it will be a good decision.

I plan to lift weights - lowish weight with many (ish) reps. I have found that I don't gain weight when I lift, but actually drop in weight.
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quote:

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Originally posted by Tchuck:
Mainerunner,

Not sure if I missed something but why are you taking a month off running? This will set you back. Are you injured? Will you be doing any cardiovascular exercise?

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posted Dec-27-2006 08:59 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by KudzuRunner:
You're absolutely right: if I had pushed five seconds a mile faster in miles 2 and 3 and run three seconds slower in that last .11, I would have finished the race in 19:57 instead of 20:04.

I can't argue with that math.

But there's a higher math which says: don't even think of running a PR 5K two weeks after a hard marathon, especially if you've hardly touched on 5K paces for the past few months.  In fact, be happy if you simply run a solid time.

That higher math, unfortunately, trumped your math this time this time around. And dang it, I say. My will was there, but will alone isn't always enough.

Still, I'm happy. When I begin to do anything like race-specific training, I'm sure that I'll be able to execute your good and sensible plan, and then some.

[This message has been edited by KudzuRunner (edited Dec-24-2006).]

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You should be happy Kudzu, because you are right that was a very good effort two weeks after a marathon. Sorry if I came off as being critical...

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posted Dec-27-2006 09:14 AM               

I don't want to question your strategy and realize you bounce back but you also need to realize that training is cumulative even in offseason. Threshold development can take years.

This winter, I am continuing my CV reps and tempo work and am ahead of where I was last year when I did MAF training for 2 months in winter. This will give me a great head start come spring and I am sure I will PR in all events again even on same miles per week.

You don't need time off. Most of us need time off from intensity but not running or cardio work. If you still are committed to taking time off from running, at least do cardio work like stairmaster, elliptical and bike.

Just my thoughts to help you be a better runner in 2007.

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posted Dec-27-2006 11:52 AM            

During the four weeks off my plan is to do circuit weight training - working quickly with light weights/many reps. I have a punching bag at home that I also plan to use to get the heart rate up. I think the change will improve my overall fitness, and by February, I will be ready to run.

quote:

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Originally posted by Tchuck:
Maine runner,

I don't want to question your strategy and realize you bounce back but you also need to realize that training is cumulative even in offseason. Threshold development can take years.

This winter, I am continuing my CV reps and tempo work and am ahead of where I was last year when I did MAF training for 2 months in winter. This will give me a great head start come spring and I am sure I will PR in all events again even on same miles per week.

You don't need time off. Most of us need time off from intensity but not running or cardio work. If you still are committed to taking time off from running, at least do cardio work like stairmaster, elliptical and bike.

Just my thoughts to help you be a better runner in 2007.

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posted Dec-27-2006 12:11 PM               

I am running a 10k this Saturday. Anyone else running New Years Eve race?

- Christine

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If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your
attitude. Don't complain." ~ Maya Angelou
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Christine

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posted Dec-27-2006 12:12 PM               

I am running a 10k this Saturday. Anyone else running New Years Eve race?

- Christine

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If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your
attitude. Don't complain." ~ Maya Angelou
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Christine

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posted Dec-28-2006 03:15 PM            

Long Run 10-12 Miles
Recovery 6-7 Miles + Striders 8x
Tempo 1 Mile Warm up - 3 Mile Tempo - 2 Mile Cooldown
Recovery 6-7 Miles +Striders 8x
Semi-Long 8 Miles w/ Interval Training in the last 2-3 Miles
1 800 Race Pace, 3 400s RP, 2 200s Sub RP, 2
100s Sub RP
ProgressiveTraining Run 5-6 Miles + Pylo Workout (15 min)
Recovery 6-7 Miles

This adds up to right about 50 mpw (give or take). What do you all think of this program? (Don't be shy).

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posted Dec-28-2006 03:17 PM            

Long Run 10-12 Miles
Recovery 6-7 Miles + Striders 8x
Tempo 1 Mile Warm up - 3 Mile Tempo - 2 Mile Cooldown
Recovery 6-7 Miles +Striders 8x
Semi-Long 8 Miles w/ Interval Training in the last 2-3 Miles
1 800 Race Pace, 3 400s RP, 2 200s Sub RP, 2
100s Sub RP
ProgressiveTraining Run 5-6 Miles + Pylo Workout (15 min)
Recovery 6-7 Miles

This adds up to right about 50 mpw (give or take). What do you all think of this program? (Don't be shy).
By the way, I am actually already sub-20 w/ a PR of 18:35 so my program is more trying to go into the 17s if that makes any difference.

[This message has been edited by rnkrunner (edited Dec-28-2006).]

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posted Dec-29-2006 11:11 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by rnkrunner:
Hey guys,
Just found this thread and it is a great thread. But I wanted to post my base program to see what some of you fellow 5k'ers thought of it. Here it is:

Long Run 10-12 Miles
Recovery 6-7 Miles + Striders 8x
Tempo 1 Mile Warm up - 3 Mile Tempo - 2 Mile Cooldown
Recovery 6-7 Miles +Striders 8x
Semi-Long 8 Miles w/ Interval Training in the last 2-3 Miles
1 800 Race Pace, 3 400s RP, 2 200s Sub RP, 2
100s Sub RP
ProgressiveTraining Run 5-6 Miles + Pylo Workout (15 min)
Recovery 6-7 Miles

This adds up to right about 50 mpw (give or take). What do you all think of this program? (Don't be shy).
By the way, I am actually already sub-20 w/ a PR of 18:35 so my program is more trying to go into the 17s if that makes any difference.

[This message has been edited by rnkrunner (edited Dec-28-2006).]

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My suggestion would be to have 3 longer runs per week (2 with some quality) and the other days comfortable 5 miles. Generally recovery runs should not be more than 10% of weekly mileage give or take.

Long run is fine, if feeling great, do last 2 miles at a pace around 1 min below 5K pace

Mid Week Long 8-10 miles - include tempo work, 3 miles hard is ok but I prefer if you'd do 5 miles at a bit slower tempo pace or Tinman Tempo pace of around 45 sec. below 5K pace) or rotate weekly. This slower pace is very effective and feels less "race like" and is excellent for building threshold. Below is a thread talking about tempo runs of various lengths and speed and for 5Kers
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=248995&thread=248888

Mid Week Long 8-10 miles - include critical velocity reps or reps at your 10K pace like 6 X 1K w/ 2 min rest between plus striders and then when race season approaches throw in 4 X 200 - 300M M at 800M - 1 mile pace. Don't really need to do this now as you aren't trying to peak.
http://www.peakrunningperformance.com/docs/Critical_Velocity.htm

Don't think you need to progression run later in week if doing a faster finish long run (if feeling good). The striders are great and will keep you in touch with your speed during base training when doing them 2 - 3 times per week.

These are my suggestions - take them for what they are worth. They are from the Tinman philosophy of training and they made me faster on same miles per week from '05 to '06 and I am currently doing a version of the above but only one key work out per week and fast finish long run as I am doing only 20 - 25 miles per week.

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posted Jan-03-2007 08:25 AM            

My previous 5 mile PR was 33:41. On December 9 I broke my 4 mile PR by 31 seconds.

All this by running 90% of my miles at between 10 and 11 minute pace the past 10 weeks. Long slow distance does not make long slow runners at least in my case. I hardly even had a run of over 4 miles the past 10 weeks. Most of my runs are a mile at most...I just have been running seveal times a day on the treadmill...1/2 mile or so at a time...

Anyhow the splits

6:38
6:39
6:34
6:49
6:28

The last quarter was 86 seconds....piece of cake.
December mileage was 129 miles.
What helped me break the record was more miles run, speed meant nothing. I did 3-5 minutes of slight incline runs here an there maybe 2 days a week...probably 25 minutes of incline running a week total at speeds of around 11:00 per mile. No secret...maybe my best secret was not wearing shoes for about 70% of my miles...strengthened my legs perhaps?

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posted Jan-09-2007 09:24 AM               

Oh, and just to show where I'm at right now, December was a light month for me at only 156 miles. The first week of January was 50 miles and I ran a (non-certified) 9k on Jan 1 in just under 38 minutes.

[This message has been edited by JimR (edited Jan-09-2007).]

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posted Jan-09-2007 12:18 PM            

Quote from
Joe Henderson

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posted Jan-10-2007 07:32 AM            

Mile splits

6:28
6:31
6:20
:38 last tenth

I was thinking about breaking my all time treadmill record of 19:43 so started out around 9.5 MPH (6:20 pace) but realized that would be quite uncomfortbale so I went to around 9.3 MPH which I could handle for 5 minutes or so at a time...when it got tough I went down to about 9 MPH for a couple minutes then back up to 9.3.

2nd fastest 5k under 20...3rd time under 20 but all on the treadmill so unofficially. I need to keep up the edurance work. The speed is coming back slowly as I work on that sparingly as noted by my last post.

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posted Jan-20-2007 05:31 PM               

I trust the course; it was measured, I found out, by several people in the Exercise Science program here at Ole Miss, using a calibrated wheel and also using GPS.

My splits are slightly screwy, but the overall distance registered precisely 3.1 miles.

I went out pretty fast but controlled, slowed on the uphills at the beginning of the second mile, hammered the long downhill just after that. Starting at the halfway point, I did something I've never done in a race before: I applied Jack Daniels's principle of "If it hurts, speed up." And it worked.

The way I applied it was: I set my sights on a series of people ahead of me: a guy who'd beaten me in the 4th of July 5K; a teenaged girl, #1 female; and a pair of guys who were in 4th and 5th place, respectively. Then I surged with what felt like reckless abandon to catch up with, and pass, each one. I slowed very slightly after I'd moved decisively ahead, caught my breath, then took on the next.

At the two mile point we swung right and headed back up the long driveway towards the Lyceum. I caught up to the last two guys here. They were both young and in shape. I pulled in behind them, waited until we were almost at the top of the rise, swinging left around the Lyceum circle, and then I surged again and blasted past them. I was certainly on sub-6:00 pace at this point, as we blasted back down the long drive. I'd run the last part of the course before the race and knew that when we hit the guard booth and swung right, there was four tenths of a mile to go, mostly slightly down hill, but with one gentle rise at about the 3 mile point.

One of the two guys dropped back. As we approached the guard booth, I felt the other guy start to surge. Before he could pass me, I surged too, cutting right and continuing to push as hard as I could.

I've run races what I thought of as "hard" before, but I've never deliberately worked my speed this way--racing, not just pacing, scrambling as hard as I could for position and...well, dominance.

The guy caught me in the middle of the last gentle rise and, lo and behold, although I started to kick, he outkicked me.

But I set a PR. And I learned something new. I learned WHY the way I raced is a good way to race, even though it should be a wasteful way to race.

It's a good way to race because it places you right on your edge at all times, rather than allowing you to slow the 10-15 seconds a mile that you may slow on uphills and then forgetting to push back onto your edge.

You're more liable to extract the best possible time out of yourself if you deliberately engage, in an aggressive and calculating way, with the fittest runners around you. I didn't do this for the first mile; I simply paced myself, finding my fasted comfortable groove. And I didn't max out on the uphills. But I deliberately hammered every single downhill for all it was worth and tried to let as much of that speed as I could flow along with me as the downhills tailed out into flats.

Too, engaging with the runners around me forced me continually to up the ante. Instead of saying, "Well, I'm working hard now, and hurting, so there's no particular reason to hurt more," I said, "I am GOING to catch that person, no matter how much it hurts, and I'm going to lower their morale by how strongly I move past them." And once I'd done that, and survived, and realized that although I was pretty maxed, I wasn't totally gone, I said, "Well, I can slow slightly now and catch my breath, and if the person comes back I'll just lower the hammer again." But of course everybody except the last person never came back.

The last guy turned out to be a 23-year old triathlete. I came in 5th OA and first master. A good day.

Good races, all.

[This message has been edited by KudzuRunner (edited Jan-20-2007).]

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posted Jan-21-2007 09:09 AM               

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posted Jan-23-2007 07:13 AM            

Anyhow a breakthrough for me last night.

After starting a basebuilding program on October 22

Weekly mileage since then.

20
22
24
18
26
28
30
19
33
36
39
26
35

Sunday I had run 9.5 miles total and yesterday I felt very strong. I had run about 350 miles of base the last 3 months and broke 4 mile and 5 mile records. Yesterday I wanted to break my 2 mile or 5k record on the treadmill.
Of the 350 miles I would say 300 of them were run at 9:00 or slower per mile pace.

Yesterday I started the treadmill out at 10 MPH and after 2 minutes I decided I would attempt to break my 5k record of 19:43. I hit 1 mile in 6:13 and felt better than I thought I would. I hit 2 miles in 12:26 and started to tire. I thought I had this in the bag and was ready to slow down but told myself there was only 1 mile left and I would keep going hard as long as possible. I hit 3 miles in 18:40 and 5k in 19:14.

A record by 29 seconds. Wow! I am in the best shape of my life. I am positive I can beat 20 minutes outside now. It may take 2 or 3 races but I have the endurance and training to accomplish this.

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posted Feb-05-2007 01:38 PM               

Last year at this race I ran a 24:59. In May I ran a 22:00 even. I would _really_ like to drop to a sub 20. (which I think works out to a 6:26/mi pace) I had four months off from injury/surgery, and since then (starting in November) I've been running a steady 25 miles a week. Longs are around 8 but I've gone to 10 and 12. Avg long run pace is around 8:30 to 9:30, with my shorter runs (3-4 miles) around 7:30-8:30 (with crossing streets...dodging cars...). Lately I've been starting slow and working up to a 2 mile stretch that I try to drop into the 6:40->6:20 range. 6:40 is hard... but I think I can keep that up, but 6:20 I feel like I'm on the edge of breaking down and I'm not sure how long I can keep it up. My mile time is somewhere under 6 min. I've started playing with intervals and I can run 100 repeats around 15 sec, and 400's between 1:09 and 1:15 consistently. My main problem is that A) I'm 5'11" and 204 lbs, and B) I've got asthma that kicks in when I get running too hard over a distance of about mile. The closer it get to my mile time, the harder it kicks in. A mile all out and I finish not being able to get air in.

Anyway, based on the above, or not based on the above, what do you think I should be running this week? Long runs? 100's? 400's? Miles? Hill Sprints?? Lately I've been thinking of hard 100's based on the thought of strength at speed (or faster) to give me better economy, thereby lightening up my breathing stress, if that makes sense. I'm just not sure what would benefit me the most right now. This is only my 3rd race so I'm not really sure what I'm doing. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

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[This message has been edited by angrek (edited Feb-05-2007).]

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posted Feb-05-2007 01:51 PM            

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posted Feb-05-2007 02:46 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by angrek:
I'm 2 weeks out to a 5K and I'm a bit...lost?...on what to run this week and I could really use some advice.

Last year at this race I ran a 24:59. In May I ran a 22:00 even. I would _really_ like to drop to a sub 20. (which I think works out to a 6:26/mi pace) I had four months off from injury/surgery, and since then (starting in November) I've been running a steady 25 miles a week. Longs are around 8 but I've gone to 10 and 12. Avg long run pace is around 8:30 to 9:30, with my shorter runs (3-4 miles) around 7:30-8:30 (with crossing streets...dodging cars...). Lately I've been starting slow and working up to a 2 mile stretch that I try to drop into the 6:40->6:20 range. 6:40 is hard... but I think I can keep that up, but 6:20 I feel like I'm on the edge of breaking down and I'm not sure how long I can keep it up. My mile time is somewhere under 6 min. I've started playing with intervals and I can run 100 repeats around 15 sec, and 400's between 1:09 and 1:15 consistently. My main problem is that A) I'm 5'11" and 204 lbs, and B) I've got asthma that kicks in when I get running too hard over a distance of about mile. The closer it get to my mile time, the harder it kicks in. A mile all out and I finish not being able to get air in.

Anyway, based on the above, or not based on the above, what do you think I should be running this week? Long runs? 100's? 400's? Miles? Hill Sprints?? Lately I've been thinking of hard 100's based on the thought of strength at speed (or faster) to give me better economy, thereby lightening up my breathing stress, if that makes sense. I'm just not sure what would benefit me the most right now. This is only my 3rd race so I'm not really sure what I'm doing. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

---

You are running too fast for the shape you are in.
The best way to get faster is the easiest way.
SLOW DOWN. But that won't help you run a sub 20 five-k this year....its ok...you have got time. You will burn out if you
keep torturing yourself by doing the sprints.

Sprints don't make you faster for a 3 mile run. They may help you over 50 yards. But a lot of 3 mile runs will make you faster on 50 yars sprints. You should rarely run to the point where you feel uncomfortable. I am breaking records left and right lately and it is much easier than before.

The secret is to run your fast runs (maybe every 2 weeks do a fast run or race)....run your fast runs at just under the point where it gets uncomfortable. The only point where you should be feeling uncomfortable is the last 1/4 mile or less of a race. Otherwise you are taxing yourself too early. You need to find the line and try not to cross it...Go right up to the point where it starts to hurt and back off. Others have said this before but it takes experience to find that point and believe this is true.

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posted Feb-05-2007 03:19 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by thereshegoes:
angrek--it's counterintuitive but you need more slow miles I'm guessing.

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I agree. I ramped up to 40 in November way too quickly (5 miles a week) and started tweaking a few tendons (or whatever they were) in my ankles so I backed off during December.

quote:

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Originally posted by thereshegoes:
The 100's are probably doing you little to know good.

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Actually I can feel it help with a couple things. My leg turnover is quicker/easier, and I can feel a 'second kick' so to speak during my runs when I push. It also helps my speed a little. I can feel certain paces or pace pickups being easier since I've started these a few weeks ago. Little bit more...'spring' in my step if you will. Probably doesn't help my long endurance but there but I generally feel stronger...

quote:

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Originally posted by thereshegoes:
From what you describe--the "asthma"

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Well, I was trying to keep it short so I didn't go into detail. I have allergies and asthma. I'm allergic to animal dander (and I have 3 cats and a dog), dust, mold, mildew and every grass except Kentucky Bluegrass. And I have excercised induced asthma. I have a cortocosteroid(sp??) inhaler, a fast acting abuterol inhaler and a 5 hour foradil inhaler that I take twice a day, once 45 minutes before a run. (even slower runs would suffer without doing this)

quote:

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Originally posted by thereshegoes:and the way you feel at 6:20 pace makes it sound like you need to improve your aerobic fitness. It sounds like you're going into anaerobic territory at 6:20 pace so I doubt you're aerobically fit enough now for a sub 20. Aerobic fitness comes from running more miles slowly. I'd bet if you bumped up your mileage to a slow (~9:00/mile) 40 mpw and quit the speed work you'd do yourself more good than you're doing now. I'm not the expert on this here, but just saw your post and thought I'd give you my $.02.

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Well, I agree with you. I do need to improve my aerobic fitness and the four months off at the middle/end of last year really hurt me. I guess I started thinking about intervals because I've been running nothing but slow for the last 2 years and I figured all 5K plans seem to have some sort of speedwork (don't they? I think? no?) so I thought I'd give it a shot.... :\

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posted Feb-05-2007 04:25 PM            

PS as for your asthma, I didn;t mean to imply I didn't believe you. I just wanted to cite a couple of examples that made me think you needed to slow down. Running in an anaerobic state as often as you do can't be good for your asthma. Seriously, run more and run slowly! You're lungs (and legs) will thank you!!

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