noattentionspan

A friend at work came across this article discussing the value of either interval training or tempo training for increasing your speed in a 10km race. It’s a really interesting read and while the study isn’t as complete as I would like, it certainly points out a couple of things that jive with what I’ve heard, and noticed in myself.

Add to that the quote I read on a Facebook Forum for Triathlon “100 Day Triathlon Training Challenge” regarding speed work, “the only way to run fast is to run fast”. Conveniently I saw this about 20 minutes after reading the article.

Seriously, it was like kismet. I’ve been complaining about not getting my time down for running times, but I’ve been focusing on longer and longer distances and on tempo runs rather than intervals or speed work.

To make a long story short, I need to get back to the track and do some speed work. I need to include fartlek work in my regular tempo and long runs. I need to work on speed and THEN I need to work on endurance.

My most recent 5km race time was 23:02. Certainly not my fastest 5km (I’ve broken 21:00 but never quite made it to 20:00), but it’s good enough for calculations. Following this calculation (found at: Runner’s World Training Calculator )

T2 = T1 x (D2/D1)1.06 where T1 is the given time, D1 is the given distance, D2 is the distance to predict a time for, and T2 is the calculated time for D2

I should, in theory, be hitting the following marks:

10km = 47:58
Half Marathon = 1:45:46
Marathon = 3:40:31

The reality is that I think right now I could run a 49:59 / 10km if I pushed hard and things went about perfect for me. I think I could run a 1:49:59 half marathon with the wind behind me and a brilliant run. And I’m pretty sure I could hit a 3:55:59 marathon, but only with angels carrying me for the last couple of km.

So, I need to do some more speed work, eh? My legs just aren’t used to running much faster than a 5:00/km pace for any duration, except when things are going just wonderfully. Ah well, more practice, more intervals, more drive.

Nutrition is haunting me and I almost wish I wasn’t writing it down so I could just ignore it. Particularly as I don’t seem to be making a lot of headway. At this point I’m seriously considering just finding the extra scratch to hire a nutritionist. In my earlier years, I’d save for something like this by eating noodles for a month, they were cheap.

I can’t keep help but think that the universe has an evil machination just waiting should I try this logical path however. Most likely involving an immediate addiction to twinky bars or ding dongs or some crap like that. Still, Hanlon’s Razor applies… “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”. Specifically in this case, I should never attribute to the malice of the universe that which can easily be explained by my own stupidity. Simple fact is that I’m not making the changes that would improve my nutrition and I have to just do it (I should put a swoosh here)

Breakfast:
- Vector with yogurt

Snack (0):
- Crunchie Bar

Lunch:
- Leftover Pork and Rice
- Small yogurt

Snack (1):
- Can of Coke
- Small bag of Cheetos

Snack (2):
- Small yogurt
- Can of Coke

Dinner:
- Salad (Salsa bagged salad, not bad)
- 2 Cadbury Cream Eggs (on sale at Safeway)

Snack (3):
- Ju-Jubes. Amen I don’t count them individually. Let’s just say too many, but not all of them.