2024 Training Log of a post-collegiate runner

1/1/2024 - 1/7/2024

Monday - 10 miles + strides, 7:03 avg, 984 ft elevation gain, 153 HR, core

Tuesday - (1) 7 miles, 6:59 avg, 495 ft elevation gain, 156 HR, core. (2) 5 miles with 3x150 in the middle, 7:05 avg, 26 avg for 150s, 128 ft elevation gain, 154 HR

Wednesday - 12 miles, 6:56 avg, 499 ft elevation gain, 160 HR, core

Thursday - Workout, 13.19 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, WO - 4x(3,2,1) w/ 1 min btwn reps and 3 min btwn sets, 5:30 pace to 5:00 (performed on a hilly route), 3 mile CD, core + lift

Friday - 9 miles + strides, 6:44 avg, 889 ft elevation gain, 163 HR, core

Saturday - (1) 8 miles, 6:59 avg, 551 ft elevation gain, 160 HR, core. (2) 6 miles, 7:03 avg, 266 ft elevation gain, 156 HR

Sunday - Off

Total - 70.9 miles, 8h 9m, 4,347 ft elevation gain

Pretty solid week. This is my "long" week at work so I can't really fit in a long run. On long weeks I work M,T,F,S,S. However, if you include my long run Sunday 12/31, this is an 86 mile week Sunday-Saturday. If you think my heart rate is high, it is not. My heart rate is naturally higher so I never look at it and always run on feel. 160 to me feels like 140 for others. I am feeling good so next week I am going to take advantage of only working 2 nights and bump up to 75 miles. I should also note that I will always have a day off in the week. Maybe in the future I will switch to a day off every 2 weeks but for now this is what makes me feel the best (and reduces my risk of injury).

1/8/2024 - 1/14/2024

Monday - Workout, 13.52 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 8x1k @ thresh 60s rest (3:28, 3:25, 3:27, 3:25, 3:25, 3:26, 3:25, 3:25), 4x400 @ 5k 60s rest(77, 76, 76, 77), 4x200 @ mile 60s rest (35, 35, 35, 34), 3 mile CD, core + lift

Tuesday - 10 miles + strides, 6:48 avg, 515 ft elevation gain, 159 HR, core

Wednesday - 12 miles w/ 3x150 in the last mile, 6:42 avg, 856 ft elevation gain, 162 HR, core

Thursday - Off

Friday - 11 miles + strides, 7:05 avg, 472 ft elevation gain, 156 HR, core

Saturday - Workout, 13.08 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 2-1-2-1 miles @ thresh (11:24 (5:43, 5:41), 5:36, 11:22 (5:43, 5:39), 5:36) 2 min rest after 2's 1 min after 1's, 3 mile CD, core + lift

Sunday - 16 miles, 6:52 avg, 909 ft elevation gain, 163 HR, core

Total - 76.2 miles, 8h 37m, 2769 ft elevation gain

Good week. I felt like I executed my workouts perfectly. Body is definitely tired but next week is a down week. Achilles began slightly hurting about 13 miles into the long run (probably from a lot of hill running), but I'm not too concerned with it because the pain is more annoying than actually painful. I've dealt with this exact achilles pain about 3 months ago and I ran through it no problem while strengthening. I certainly pushed the envelope this week so now I need to take it easier to allow my body to heal and absorb this training.

1/15/2024 - 1/21/2024

Monday - 8 miles + strides, 6:54 avg, 512 ft elevation gain, 157 HR, core

Tuesday - 8 miles + 3x150, 7:09 avg, 735 ft elevation gain, 153 HR, core

Wednesday - 12 miles + strides, 6:56 avg, 643 ft elevation gain, 160 HR, core

Thursday - Workout, 13.82 miles, 3 mile WU + strides, 5x3 5x2 5x1 all w/ 1 min rest (thresh to 5k on hilly route), 3 CD, core + lift

Friday - 9 miles + strides, 6:43 avg, 771 ft elevation gain, 158 HR, core

Saturday - 1) 8 miles, 7:06 avg, 495 ft elevation gain, 155 HR. 2) 6 miles, 7:08 avg, 285 ft elevation gain, 153 HR

Sunday - off

Ok week. Achilles was inflamed after Monday and Tuesday's run, and it hurt the worst on Wednesday. I had been doing plenty of calf raises and the pain was completely gone by Thursday. I am a firm believer in running through most soft tissue injuries while doing the proper strength work. I was kind of tired all week which is expected since I pushed to 76 miles last week. Back to 75 next week.

Forgot to add totals - 65.6 miles, 7h 31m, 4,038 ft elevation gain

Keep working OP. Your 5k/10k look stronger than your 1500-3k. Only suggestion would be to slow down some of your easy runs so that you can really focus on your main sessions. 150s/160s on your easy days isn't really that easy. Try to float some ez runs where you start off in the 130s & finish in the 140s.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to try this week to keep a lower HR on my easy days. I have a chest HRM so I'm gonna start using it more to get an accurate HR reading.

1/22/2024 - 1/28/2024

Monday - Workout, 13.2 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 8x1k alternating thresh/10k with 60s/90s rest (3:28, 3:17, 3:28. 3:17, 3:28, 3:18, 3:29, 3:16), 6x200 on/off (36,37,35,36,35,36), 3 mile CD, core + lift

Tuesday - 10 miles + strides, 7:03 avg, 535 ft elevation gain, 156 HR, core

Wednesday - 12 miles w/ 3x150 last mile, 6:51 avg, 666 ft elevation gain, 162 HR, core

Thursday - Off

Friday - Workout, 14.2 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 4x2k - 2x1k at tempo w/ 60s jog (7:12, 7:15, 7:07, 7:12, 3:32, 3:31), 3x1 on/off, 3 mile CD, core + lift

Saturday - 10 miles, 7:00 avg, 466 ft elevation gain, 159 HR, core

Sunday - 16 miles, 6:23 avg, 564 ft elevation gain, 169 HR

Total - 75.7 miles, 8h 32m, 2,345 ft elevation gain

I know I said I was going to try for a lower heart rate on easy days but I got lazy setting up my HRM. I did run "easier," or what felt like easier, but watch still said HR was high. Workouts felt ok, Monday was pretty cold so running fast was tough. Friday was a solid base hit. I didn't plan on running as fast as I did on Sunday but I just let my legs spin and stayed in a comfortable rhythm. Ended up progressing from 6:53 down to 5:55 for the last two miles. I will say that at no point did I feel like I was "digging" or working too hard which probably means I'm super strong right now. The last time I was fit, I would be pretty tired after hitting the 12th mile at 6:30 pace, but this time I felt like I was chilling 15 miles in. Gonna keep this momentum going.

1/29/2024 - 2/4/2024

Monday - 11 miles + strides, 6:59 avg, 692 ft elevation gain, 155 HR, core

Tuesday - (1) 7 miles, 7:06 avg, 531 ft elevation gain, 150 HR (2) 6 miles with 3x200 (31.9, 30.8, 30.4) with 400 jog rest, 7:09 avg, 200 ft elevation gain, 148 HR

Wednesday - 12 miles + strides, 7:05 avg, 689 ft elevation gain, 155 HR, core

Thursday - Workout, 14.74 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 6x(1,2,1) w/ 1 min btwn reps and 3 min btwn sets, 3 mile CD, core + lift

Friday - 10 miles + strides, 6:59 avg, core, had my watch on the wrong mode so dont know other stats

Saturday - (1) 8 miles, 6:55 avg, 456 ft elevation gain, 158 HR (2) 6 miles, 7:10 avg, 400 ft elevation gain, 152 HR

Sunday - Off but did some core

Total - 75.5 miles, 8h 45m, 3,169 ft elevation gain

felt strong this week. The Thursday fartlek was one of my best workouts ever. I averaged 5:10-5:00 on everything and was recovering well. Heart rate was also lower this week which is good. Last sunday through this Saturday was 91 miles. I haven't ran that many miles in a week since my last season of college XC, and to add to that, I'm running much faster with successful workouts and feeling good. Going to hit 75 again next week.

2/5/24 - 2/11/24

Monday - 10 miles + strides, 7:00 avg, 446 ft elevation gain, 154 HR, core

Tuesday - Workout, 13.23 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 4x200 on/off, 10x400 on/off, 4x200 on/off, 3 mile CD, core + lift. First two sets at 5k (38-37, 76) and last set at 3k (36-35).

Wednesday - 12 miles with 3x150 in the last mile, 6:51 avg, 732 ft elevation gain, 157 HR, core

Thursday - Off

Friday - Workout, 14.12 miles total, 3 WU + strides, 7xmile @ thresh with 60s jog, 3 CD, core + lift. (5:44, 5:46, 5:38, 5:38, 5:42, 5:33, 5:35)

Saturday - 10 miles, 6:54 avg, 404 ft elevation gain, 159 HR, core

Sunday - 16 miles, 6:15 avg, 200 ft elevation gain, 168 HR

Total - 75.6 miles, 8h 20m, 2,014 ft elevation gain

RIP Kelvin Kiptum.

2/12 - 2/18

Monday - 8 miles + strides, 7:05 avg, 659 ft elevation gain, 152 HR, core

Tuesday - (1) 6 miles, 6:57 avg, 472 ft elevation gain, 155 HR, core. (2) 4 miles w/ 3x200 (400 jog rest) in the middle (30.8, 30.3, 29.9), 6:55 avg, 148 HR.

Wednesday - 12 miles + strides, 7:04 avg, 525 ft elevation gain, 154 HR, core

Thursday - Workout (fartlek), 14.32 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 5,4,3,2,1,4,3,2,1 float to 6, 3 mile CD, core, lift

Friday - 6 miles, 7:04 avg, 331 ft elevation gain, 154 HR, core

Saturday - (1) 8 miles, 6:57 avg, 479 ft elevation gain, 155 HR, core. (2) 6 miles, 7:11 avg, 390 ft elevation gain, 151 HR.

Sunday - Off

Total - 65 miles, 8h 45m, 3,520 ft elevation gain

I was feeling rough this week. After putting together three 75 mile weeks and hammering the long run last sunday, my body was wrecked. This is normal for my down weeks though so not really worried about overtraining.

2/19 - 2/25

Monday - 11 miles + strides, 6:42 avg, 463 ft elevation gain, 159 HR, core

Tuesday - Workout, 13 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 5x(1k, 600, 200) first two sets thresh, 10k, 3k / sets 3 & 4 10k, 5k, mile / last set fast but controlled (3:28, 1:58, 37) (3:24, 1 :58, 36) (3:15, 1:53, 35) (3:15, 1:54, 35) (3:08, 1:51, 33) rest started at 60 btwn reps / 90 btwn sets and added 30s every two sets, 3 mile CD, core, lift

Wednesday - 12 miles w/ 3x150 in that last mile, 6:53 avg, 699 ft elevation gain, 156 HR, core

Thursday - Off

Friday - 10 miles + strides, 6:50 avg, 217 ft elevation gain, 157 HR, core

Saturday - Workout, 12.5 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 6x800 3x600 3x400 all at 10k and all with 200 jog (2:37, 2:37, 2:37, 2:37, 2:36, 2:38) (1:58, 1:58, 1:56) (77, 77, 78), 3 mile CD, core, lift

Sunday - 16 miles, 6:48 avg, 659 ft elevation gain, 157 HR

Total - 75 miles, 8h 31m, 2,043 ft elevation gain

Another solid week. Felt good every day. On Tuesday's workout I got cold halfway through which made me struggle to run fast. It's so hard to stay warm in a workout once the sun goes down. I am now less than 4 weeks out from the 10k and I'm feeling pretty dang confident about going under 33.

2/26/24 - 3/3/24

Monday - 10 miles + strides, 6:52 avg, 558 ft elevation gain, 158 HR, core

Tuesday - (1) 8 miles, 7:08 avg, 525 ft elevation gain, 156 HR, core. (2) 5 miles w/ 4x150 in the middle, 6:53 avg, 138 ft elevation gain, 145 HR (lower from a few stops), 150s : 22.2, 21.9, 21.5, 21.0

Wednesday - 12 miles, 6:51 avg, 404 ft elevation gain, 154 HR, core

Thursday - Workout, 15 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 5x(3,2,1) 60s btwn reps & 3 min btwn sets, 3 miles CD, core, lift

Friday - 11 miles + strides, 6:55 avg, 541 ft elevation gain, 154 HR

Saturday - (1) 8 miles, 6:44 avg, 446 ft elevation gain, 158 HR, core. (2) 6 miles, 6:56 avg, 338 ft elevation gain, 153 HR

Sunday - Off

Totals - 75.6 miles, 8h 35m, 3,106 ft elevation gain

Last 75 mile week for a while. Thursdays workout went well. I kept the 3's relaxed and hit 5:30, 2's I pushed and ranged from 5:25-5:10, 1's were fast but controlled and hit 5:00-4:50. Tuesdays speed session was very nice as well. 21s felt very smooth and I actually felt fast. Back in college I would really struggle to even run a 22 and I felt like a fish out of water trying to run fast. Next week the volume will stay the same except Friday I will be running a 5k time trial and Sunday will be a 12 miler instead of a 16 mile long run. I'm not setting any specific goal for the TT because I just want to go out there and run fast. I am interested if anyone has a prediction of what fitness level I'm at.

3/4 - 3/10

Monday - Workout, 12.47 miles total, 3 mile WU + strides, 3 sets of (mile, 3x400) 75s btwn reps / 3 min btwn sets, 3 CD, core, lift. (5:20, 76, 73,75) (5:18, 75, 75,73) (5:14, 74, 74, 73)

Tuesday - 10 miles + strides, 6:49 avg, 430 ft elevation gain, 162 HR (I think I was dehydrated), core

Wednesday - 12 miles w/ 3 x 150 in the last mile, 7:05 avg, 850 ft elevation gain, 150 HR, core

Thursday - Off

Friday - 5k TT, 9.34 mile total, 3 Mile WU + strides, 5k TT (15:56), 3 CD, core, lift

Saturday - 10 miles, 7:04 avg, 453 ft elevation gain, 153 HR, core

Sunday - 12 miles, 6:21 avg, 121 ft elevation gain, 164 HR, core

Total - 66.1 miles, 7h27m, 1,870 ft elevation gain

After two years of underperforming, of back to back to back stress fractures, of self doubt, I have finally broken the 16 minute barrier. Splits were 3:10, 3:10, 3:13, 3:13, 3:07. I knew I could trust my fitness to get through 2k on time, and after that it would depend on how bad I wanted it. Being solo it was no easy feat, but as I came though 400 to go, my little brother who was there to yell splits, said 14:44. What a feeling that was because even though I was deep in the well, I knew I could throw down at least a 75. Finished it off with a 72 and laid out on the track for at least 2 minutes. Now it is time to taper down and get sharp for the 10k in 11 days now.

3/11 - 3/17

Monday - 8 miles + strides, 6:55 avg, 791 ft elevation gain, 151 HR

Tuesday - (1) 5 miles, 6:49 avg, 240 ft elevation gain, 158 HR, core. (2) 4 miles w/ 4x150 in the middle (21.9, 21.6, 21.4, 21.0), 6:48 avg, 108 ft elevation gain, 141 HR (a few stops)

Wednesday - 10 miles + strides, 6:45 avg, 348 ft elevation gain, 156 HR, core

Thursday - Workout, 3 mile WU + strides, 4x2k tempo 60s jog, 6x20s surges 60s rest, 3 CD, core, lift. (7:12, 7:11, 7:08, 7:11)

Friday - 8 miles, 6:59 avg, 571 ft elevation gain, 156 HR, core

Saturday - 8 miles + strides, 6:54 avg, 367 ft elevation gain, 156 HR, core

Sunday - Off

Total - 56 miles, 6h18m, 2,526 ft elevation gain

Tapered a little this week. Body felt tired. It was very warm for Thursday's workout which was definitely a shock to the system, but I got through it. 5 days away from the 10k and I am feeling very confident in myself. Got a workout tomorrow then an aggressive taper Tuesday-Thursday then its go time.

3/18 - 3/24

Monday - Workout, 3 mile WU + strides, 2x800 60s rest, 1600 2.5 min rest, 800 60s rest, 2x400 90s rest, 3 CD, core, small lift. 2:38, 2:37, 5:12, 2:38, 72, 74

Tuesday - 8 miles, 6:55 avg, 364 ft elevation gain, 155 HR, core

Wednesday - 6 miles + 4x20s surges, 6:41 avg, 95 ft elevation gain, 157 HR, core. Surges ranged from 4:20-4:10

Thursday - 4 miles + strides, 6:43 avg, 108 ft elevation gain, 153 HR

Friday - 3 mile WU + strides, 10k race, 3.38 mile CD

Saturday - 8 miles, 7:12 avg, 210 ft elevation gain, 147 HR

Sunday - Off

Total - 49 miles, 5h35m, 875 ft elevation gain

I don't really know what happened. I went through the mile on pace and hit 2k feeling decent. At 2.5k my legs started to lose strength and I couldn't keep up the pace. I never hit a wall I just slowed down. I have never slowed down so much in a race. I ended up running a 34:23. I don't know if sleep could have effected me that much, but I really struggled to get 8 hours in the days leading up to the race. The night before I was constantly awoken by trucks and loud cars outside of my hotel room (night shift schedule btw). I tried to push my sleep schedule back without losing too much sleep but my biological clock never adjusted. I am not making an excuse for the performance but these are things to think about. I ended up writing about the race on strava so I am going to post what I wrote here.

Not what I wanted would be an understatement. Went through the mile on pace and felt fine. Around 2.5k my legs felt like they were losing strength. I started slowing down and didn't have the strength to speed back up. My heart felt like I was running threshold, but my legs simply did not have it. Two weeks ago when I broke 16 in the 5k, I felt like I had immense strength and could switch gears on a dime, but today did not feel like that. The gears wouldn't turn. I'm not upset with myself as I know I am a better run than this and still have confidence in myself. But it's important to look at the bigger picture to understand why these things happen. I have been training at an unprecedented level for myself since December, and now my body is tired and needs to heal. Even though this was the goal race and it didn't go as planned, the things that I accomplished in this training block far outweigh this disappointing race. I may not walk away from the track tonight with a new PR and a barrier smashed, but I walk away with a new understanding of training and my body's limits. I am going to give myself some time to recuperate then I want to focus on the mile for about 6 weeks, and then it will be time for a well deserved break. This is an example of how the journey is much greater than the destination. The journey is what makes you who you are. The destination may or may not be the cherry on top. Once my body heals from the calamity it has been through the past few months, I will be stronger than ever. And I will continue to push my limits. My will is indomitable, and I will continue the cycle until fate catches me.

I love threads like this. Keep your head up, OP – not everyone can run within 30 seconds of their 10k PR every race, and you just broke 16 for the 5k! Take a bit of time to recover, run easy with some strides, and hop back on the saddle. Breakthroughs take time, and you'll surprise yourself if you can stay consistent.

Thanks for sharing and congrats on the new 5k PR! And perhaps, more importantly, a solid and consistent block of training that will serve you well in the future. You're going to drop that 10k significantly. Our PRs are very close together - mine, 15:54 and 33:01. I love that 5 x 3-2-1 fartlek. I run it with a minute rest after everything, and much slower, like M pace - HM - 10K instead of HM-10K-5K or faster like you. That gets my feedback, if you want it. Slow down! Everything. I'd recommend dialing down the intensity of the workouts by slowing down paces, or, if not, then reducing the workout volume. If you're not interested in doing either, then I'd recommend more of your January training, less February training. My hunch is that you were overcooked by the time you got to the 10k race. Maybe you disagree with everything so far. Regardless, I can say with confidence - slow down your easy runs. Like a lot. Looking forward to hearing how your training goes and what's next.

The 3,2,1 fartlek is one of my favorites as well. And I certainly agree that I had over-done it. Going forward I am not going to let myself run sub-7 everyday like I did. I thought I could handle it but it really did wear me down. Which explains why I peaked before tapering. I'm definitely going to do race-pace workouts less often and focus a lot on threshold. Thresh seems to be my weakness right now.

3/25 - 3/31

Monday - Off

Tuesday - Off

Wednesday - 5 miles, 7:17 avg, 213 ft elevation gain, 145 HR, core

Thursday - 10k + strides, 7:19 avg, 328 ft elevation gain, 143 HR, core

Friday - 8 miles + strides, 7:14 avg, 361 ft elevation gain, 148 HR, core

Saturday - 6 miles + strides, 7:04 avg, 354 ft elevation gain, 153 HR, core

Sunday - Off

Total - 26 miles, 3h7m, 1,256 ft elevation gain

I'm ready to get back into it. Temps rose towards the end of the week which raised HR. Now I am about to start a 6 week block to focus on the mile. My goal is to run around 4:30. I'm going to be doing one mile specific workout every two weeks, a threshold session/fartlek every week (fartleks will have some V02), a progressive long run every two weeks, and a speed session every week alternating track stuff and short hill sprints. I wish I could do a long run every week but my work schedule makes that difficult. Plus I'm already aerobically strong from the previous block. I'm going to incorporating some of Joe Rubio's training principles into this block because I'm probably going to follow his principles for the summer/fall.