WEEKLY Masters' plans for Oct 18-24

Fortunate One · Oct 17, 2010

Post your plans for the week here. 
 
Question: When you're racing, what do you do to finish strongly? I make plans ahead of time (imaginary rubber bands, staying positive, being grateful, etc.) but usually forget to execute these plans, even as I get discouraged by having people pass me.
 
Thanks for last week, BTY.
 
Here is a summary of last week's running and cross-training:
 
Opie...................22.75 M including “yoga run,” plus biking
Hally...................2 M, 36.4 M biking, elliptical, weights, slacking (her word)
Tamster..............18.7 M
Labduck............27.5 M with blistering 15K PR!
Patrick................17.42 M and 3 rest days
Evanflein.............52.8 M with 17-miler that was NOT a long SLOW run
mcsolar99...........80.5 M with fast finish to Sunday’s 20-miler
bty......................25.5 M with 5 K PR
Dove...................we miss you
Hemerocallus.......spinning, swimming, composting
Econo..................7.1 M plus core work, rowing, spinning
OrangeMat........31.1 M plus 18 M biking plus yoga
Fortunate One......17 M with a 10K and 3 rest days
Paul.....................38.3 M including 3:34 marathon (BQ, hugh PR)
JJJesse................40.63 M with only ~7 M suffering
San Souci……....75' easy, 90' yoga, 60' kayak

Tamster · Oct 17, 2010

Thanks FO! Interesting question. I'm not very competitive (really I'm not!) but when it gets to that last mile or so, I just want to finish strong (I don't want to look like I'm jogging across the finish line!) and if I've passed someone, I don't want them to come back and do the same to me.
 
plan for this week will hopefully be more mileage than last week!
 
mon: ...... 0
tues: ...... 0
wed: ....... 7 mi
thur: ....... 3.8 mi
fri: .......... 5.2 mi
sat: ........ 0
sun: ........ 0
 
mileage: 16

hally · Oct 17, 2010

Thanks FO, I don't race much lately but when I did seeing the finish line and the clock usually helped me to find a new gear.
And OM, I think it's great that you enjoy the long distances. I don't see any reason to have it validated by paying money and being an "official" marathoner.
 
Monday=1.5 miles outside
Tuesday=1.5 miles inside...see a theme here? I am having trouble getting going in time enough to get my workout in and get to work.
Wed=ran 2 weights 25 minutes
Thurs-rest
Friday=ran 2
Saturday=rode 31 hiked 4
Sunday=walk 2
 
Totals
7 miles run
31 biked
hiked 4 walked 2
weights once

Labduck · Oct 17, 2010

Thanks for last week Bty, and thank you FO for this week.
 
Hmmm, this is a question I've never thought about. I have always been a strong finisher of races, and most of that has to do with my previous running life as a sprinter. But I'm also motivated by just getting the damn race over with; the faster I run, the sooner I can stop. That's mostly how I feel during the last mile of a race. In all the distance races I've ran, I can only remember once being passed near the finish. It still ticks me off today! 

A rather strange week for me. I need some race recovery runs, but then I need to get ready to run a lot of miles on Saturday/Sunday. 

M - 5 easy...Actual: 5 miles at 7:58/mi. A good recovery run.
Tu - 7 easy...Actual: 8 miles at 7:29/mi. A stoopidly fast run; but it felt good!
W - rest
Th - 3 easy + tailgating...Actual: 3 miles at 7:51/mi
F - fly to Phoenix
Sa/Su - ? pacer miles with Dove...Actual: 25.5 miles 
Planned 30+ miles...Actual: 41.5 miles

Hemerocallus · Oct 18, 2010

Hi Fortunate One! Thanks for taking the week!
 
Good question! I'm much like Lab.... find myself a mile or so from the finish and I'm thinking "here's the horse headin' for the barn!" ...... or.... Let's get this sucker over with! I'm not much of a serious racer and find myself with some left at the end most times, so will kick pretty hard when I know I'm almost there. 
 
Not much of a plan again this week, but am still taking it easy on the knee.
 
 Plan Actual
 
M........... spin class .............. spin class
T............ spin class .............. spin class & blood donation
W ......... swim/pool run ........ core workout
T .......... ? .............................. spin
F .......... travel ....................... 3 hr drive
S.......... 20K + hike ................ 22K Bruce Trail hike
S ......... travel ....................... 3 hr drive
 
Total: 22K walk, 0 run

Opie · Oct 18, 2010

Thanks, Fortunate One! I use creative visualization when training for a race, but then somehow the reality of the finish doesn't tend to rise to that level, similar to your experience. I've also told myself about headin' to the barn.
 
Day............................Plan.................................................................................................................Actual
Monday...............40 min. yoga + 6 mi..............................................................................................both done-6 mi. 
Tuesday..............4 mi...........................................................................................................................3.52 mi.
Wednesday.........1 hr. yoga..............................................................................................................done
Thursday.............3 mi......................................................................................................................done-3 mi. 
Friday.................travel day...............................................................................................................done
Sat./Sun.............about 13 mi.? pacer with Dove <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/notworthy.gif" style="width:29px;height:15px;" title="">.........................................................................done- about 17 mi.
 
Total...............................................................................................................................................about 30 mi.

mcsolar99 · Oct 18, 2010

thanks for the thread fortunate!
 
i love to run negative splits; the key for me is to test my speed frequently with time trials and races, and to use a calculator to project my times to races of other distances. my favorite calculator (works for my times really well) is merv's here:
<a href="http://merv.stanford.edu/runcalc" target="_blank">http://merv.stanford.edu/runcalc</a>
 
 
plan / actual
 
m: 10 ez + cycle? / 10mi 9min/mi + 15 cycle
t: 8 w/6x1k (60s rest) / 8.5mi w/6x1k 3:54 avg
w:7 ez / 8.5 ez 8min/mi
t:14 ez + 20 cycle / 10.5mi 7:45
f:10 ez / 13 hilly 9min/mi
s: 15 ez / 15 hilly+trails 8:15
s; 62mi cycle, 5mi ez run / 64mi cycle (16.5 mph), 5mi ez
 
target: 69mi run, 82mi cycle / total: 70.5 run + 79 cycle

JJJessee · Oct 18, 2010

Thanks, FO. Good ?
 
A cheering crowd works wonders for me <img alt="" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/blush.gif" title="">
Aside from that, one person in sight that I might can catch also works very well.
But the crowd is best.
 
M...rest
T...3.1 recovery
W...8
T....4
F....10.12 @ 9:32
S....0
S....20, fairly even paced @ 10:45 or M+:50
 
45.22
 
JJJ

Patrick · Oct 18, 2010

Thanks for the start and summary FO.
 
 Plan Actual
 
M 3 8
T R R
W 9 9.03
T R
F 3
S 14 4
S 4 14.1
 
TOT 33 35.13

evanflein · Oct 18, 2010

I tend to be in the "let's get this thing over with!" crowd. But I also push myself along with "halfway done, you can do this..." and similar stuff at various points. I also tend to say "One More Mile, Mr. Bill!" a lot. Whatever happened to Mr. Bill?
 
Last big week before Manchester on Nov. 7. Temperatures should be good but I sure wish it'd stop snowing...
 
Monday: Rest Day
Tuesday: 20 minutes (2.76 miles) elliptical and about 10 minutes of U/B weights at lunchtime; 6.9 miles on the TM in an hour, .7 mile walk after work
Wednesday:11.1 miles, 8:23 avg pace on icy bikepaths/sidewalks, .45 mile walk c/d
Thursday: 6.1 mile RAL, .4 mile walk after
Friday: 10.4 miles after work, 8:30 avg pace; .2 mile walk c/d
Saturday: 21.1 miles, 8:34 avg pace; .2 mile walk
Sunday: 6.33 easy miles at 8:47 avg pace, .4 mile walk
 
Totals: 62 miles run, 2.4 miles walked, some elliptical and weights

Econo · Oct 19, 2010

For all my competitiveness off the race track, I'm not motivated at all to catch people in front of me. But if I happen to pass someone, I will run strong to the very end in order to avoid the shame of being re-passed! (ETA: Just like the Tamster!) A mantra helps, too...in my fastest marathon, it was "delay the fade, delay the fade." Not catchy, but it worked that time. Thanks, O Fortunate One!
 
Mon: 30 min = 3 miles on the elliptical
Tue: 3 miles, treadmill
Wed: 3.5 at 5am (it was dark outside)
Thu: 3 miles at the track
Fri: 3.8 (warm-up plus campus 5K that was 2.90 miles because the band was practicing and the route had to be shortened)
Sat: 0
Sun: 7 miles hilly trails, oof.
 
Total: 23.3 for the week and (guiltily) no core/strength work at all

Better than yesterday · Oct 19, 2010

Thanks for the thread, FO.
I finished strong in a 5k in September by yelling "FIND A GEAR" "DAMMIT FIND A GEAR!!" with about 1/8 of a mile to go. The benefits of this are twofold - one, I found a gear, and two, the guy who was just about to pass me started laughing and fell back. I wound up about :20 ahead of him. <img alt="smile.gif" class="bbcode_smiley" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies//smile.gif" style="width:1px;height:1px;">
 
Monday........................4 recovery.......................5 recovery with 4*1/4 strides at ~ Cruise Interval Pace
Tuesday.......................5 easy............................6 including 3.75 easy and 2.25 slow.
Wednesday..................5 easy............................5.75
Thursday......................5 easy............................Rest
Friday...........................Rest..............................8 including 5 @ 8:00/mi pace
Saturday.......................5 with hills......................Rest
Sunday.........................Rest...............................8.34 easy.
 
 
Total Plan.....................24
Execution......................33.1 but no real hills

OrangeMat · Oct 19, 2010

Thanks for the thread, FO. BTY, that's pretty funny, "find a gear!". I totally understand that, even though I don't race. I've found myself saying to myself "push it, come on, push it!" when I've caught myself running a bit faster than usual and wanting a fast finish. But mostly I've focused on keeping my breathing as even as possible, regardless of pace. If figure if I can breathe, I can run.
 
I'm at a bit of a crossroads in my running, I think. Even though I'm not training for a race or anything, last week felt like taper. A running pal who's a seasoned marathoner and triathlete just wrote me that people don't run 20-milers unless they're training for a marathon. Granted, that's just his opinion, but still, I really don't know what to do right now.
 
Mon..... 5.8 miles
Tue...... 9.6 miles
Wed..... 5.7 miles
Thu....... rest day; walked 7 miles of errands
Fri........ 4.1 miles
Sat...... 2.2 miles
Sun..... 20 miles
 
totals: 47.4 miles, 7 miles walking
 
totals so far: 25.2 miles

Paul · Oct 19, 2010

Thanks Fortunate One.
 
M - travel day
T - rest day
W - rest day
Th - 4 miles very easy
F - rest day
Sa - 8,2 miles
Su - 5.1 miles
______________________
Total - 17.3 miles
 
Paul

Fortunate One · Oct 19, 2010

My plan (no racing!):
 
Mon..... rest
Tue...... 3.5 M
Wed.....4 M on TM
Thu.......volleyball
Fri........4 M on TM
Sat......5 M
Sun.....15 M on rail-to-trail
 
Total: 31.5 M

Dove · Oct 20, 2010

Hi, just forgot to post last week.
 

 
My mantra for finishing is "I can do anything for 10 minutes, or 5 minutes, or 1 minute, etc...."
 

 
Last taper week for me:
 

 
Monday: 3 miles and weights............. done
 
Tuesday: 3 miles...............................done
 
Wednesday: 5 miles..............done
 
Thursday: travel
 
Friday: 4 miles....................done
 
Saturday and Sunday: 101.4 miles...........done!
 
Total:116.4

WEEKLY Masters' plans for Oct 18-24

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