TUXC

First off, mad props to JRags for getting this going. It's something we'd been talking about for a while but hadn't acted on, and I think he's got it off to a great start.

Secondly, welcome to the class of 2012 (if any of them read this) and to all members of TUXC, great job getting the miles and workouts in thus far through the summer. The log is looking really good, and I'm excited to see it progress and being to come to fruition in September.

I think JRags' comments into his training have been super helpful, it's always interesting to hear how things are going and what effects/results/etc. it's having on the lungs and legs. For me, I'm about three weeks into getting back on track. I was traveling for a month, running relatively consistently while I was there but taking a relaxed attitude about it (which I think can be very healthy both physically and mentally). Now that I'm home, training is going well. I'm getting the mileage up around where I was last summer (don't think I'll go much beyond that), doubling most days with an easy 4 or so in the evening usually. I think for guys that are gearing up for 5-10k distances, doubling is a great tool, so long as it doesn't take away from time you'd be eating or, more likely, sleeping. If you have the time, energy, and patience for it, it can help get the mileage up without too much strain on the body. That said, it will take some getting used if you've never doubled before; be patient and gradual with it, maybe doubling twice a week to start until that feels normal, and then adding days. But it shouldn't take away from the quality of your workouts or leave you super dead, and if it does it's probably not worth it. On the double days, one of the runs (if not both) should be super easy. I like to double my workout days or the days after workouts to shake out the soreness from what I did.

So far the tempos have gone well, getting the legs back used to sustaining near-race pace, and doing strides and our flying 60s for that top-end stuff. JRags' experience with long-run fartlek has got me thinking, and I think I'm going to have to give it a try on Sunday. My long runs often gradually turn into long tempos towards the end, but I've never toyed around with set intervals of fartleks, and I like the idea. I think strides and stretching are two keys that have helped me maintain quickness, footspeed, economy, and ROM (for you JR) especially during the base phase when those things might otherwise be neglected.

Above all, I think summer is a time when one needs to strike a balance--and it can be tough. On the one hand, we're pushing the miles, hammering through some tempos when we'd rather be jogging (or on the beach, or bowling), trying out doubles--any number of things, all pretty intense. Yet it's also a time for recovery (the three months of the year we don't race every weekend), for taking it easy, for preparing for the real work, which comes in September and October. You should be pushing--pushing the mileage, pushing your stamina in tempos, pushing your top-end speed in flying 60s, pushing the lifting--but also listening, to your body, your legs. Summer isn't the competition in and of itself; it's where we gear up for it. It can be a tough balance to find. I've certainly found myself at both extremes in the past, pushing a bit too much, but also taking it too easy (and paying the price come September when workouts started).


Now that I think about it, maybe that's the best way to think of it: we have to avoid the two extremes. Not pushing enough, not testing the waters in terms of mileage, not getting the body used to hard tempos and fast running will leave you unprepared and shocked by the fall's first workouts--and the season is too short to make it all up in a few weeks. But doing too much, or figuratively blowing your wad in July and August, and you'll find yourself spent, burned out, and dead when the real time to throw down is upon us. Now is certainly the time to try things out in terms of training when a race isn't always 6 days away, but be smart about listening to the legs and making sure they're ready to start the real shit in 6 weeks. No matter how you look at it, though, what we do at Mt. Greylock on November 15 has already begun.