A Great Excuse

So while my sweet new Kestrel is being built, I currently do not have a Triathlon bike to train on. This gives me a great excuse to go ride my mountain bike! All I can say is that I am lucky to live where I do. With trails like this pretty much off my front porch, What more could you want?

BTW- Sorry if the video is a little bumpy my single speed has no suspension.

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Spokane River Run

All I can say is that this has to be my favorite race. Why you might ask?

1. It is 5 min from my house.
   
2. I train on these trails every day.
3. probably one of the most amazing courses I have ever run!
4. Always a great crowd participating in the races.

I decided this year to step up to the 25k distance. Honestly my main goal was to get the course record(1:34:30) at the 25k distance. It would be the longest race I have ever run (15.6 miles), but knew the awesome trails and views would help the time fly by! The day before I rode the course on my Mt. bike just so I knew what to expect. After the ride the plan was made, and points of attack decided.

Lining up for the race I could not help but think how the weather could not be any more perfect. I guess just another reason to make this my favorite race :).

As the race started I decided to run a pace that felt relaxed, not worrying about what paces the other competitors were starting at. I had the lead from the start but Second place was hanging about 200 yards back and looked strong. If there was one thing I would change about my race, it would be the fact that I spent way too much time worrying about what second place was doing. Staying focused and running my own race would have been a much better plan. The rest of the race was filled with rocky climbs, great views, and windy single track trails(a great combination if you ask me). I crossed the line in 1:30:40 (5:50/mi pace) and had achieved what I set out to do. As of right now I hold the 10k (32:38) and 25k (1:30:40) course records. There are two other races that occur on the same day(5k/50k), and eventually I would like to some day try and hold all four records. We will see I really am not chomping at the bit to run a 50k anytime soon. So there you have it a sweet and simple post for a sweet race. I will leave you with some more pictures of the days run though :)

Trying to keep the pace relaxed at mile 3

Fueling up with some Gu, and Nuun at mile 9


The last small climb of the day

Next Event
Bloomsday run

Monday

The components of a great Triathlon run week

Spring has sprung and before you know it, the Triathlon season will be upon us. With any task in life the goal is to finish strong, and your next triathlon should be no different. Knowing you have strength to finish your last event in a triathlon(the run), can be a huge confidence booster. So lets start with what the main components of run week are, and then we will talk about how to put the components together.

Main Components of a run training week

1.Medium long run- This run is a relaxed pace run that is just a tad shy of your long run. I usually undertake this run as part of an easy day. The idea? get out the door, relax and enjoy your run. In my training for example I run 8-10 on my medium long run days and 13-15 on my long days.

2.Speed days on the track- There is a reason I did not simply write speed days. As much as we all hate going to the track(I despise it) and running our guts out, the truth is it gives you a workout that is hard to find anywhere else. the track is a super easy way to compare times in an almost controlled environment. An a example of a track session is.

2 mile warm up

6x800 with a 200 jog rest in between (NO WALKING)

2 mile cool down

The reality is track workouts are simple. choose a pace at which you want you run your 800's and try to keep them consistent throughout the 6.

3.Long run days-Long runs are usually a time when we throw pace out the door and just worry about time or mileage. Don't! Long runs can start easy, but after the first 3-4 miles you should be picking up the pace a bit, and running a steady effort. Don't run your brains out, but give it an honest effort.

4.Tempo runs-Go for a run that is divided into 3 sections. First is the warm up run, easy and relaxed. Next is the middle section of the run where you are running at a face upbeat pace. This pace should not quite be as fast as your track session but close. After this do yourself a favor and cool down.

5.Recovery runs- For many recovery may result in a day off, but it is good for the body to keep moving. Recovery runs are simple. Just get out and run. It doesn't really matter how fast or far (sometimes I just run an easy two miles).

6.Brick Run-Bricks are runs where you first cycle then Immediately following your ride, go for a run. A brick run is only necessary one day a week. It mainly gives you confidence to know that you can run off the bike.

These are the components of a solid run week. Now the question is how do you put it all together? The key is when you have a hard day follow it by a recovery or easy day. Don't stack two hard days back to back. Here are two examples

6 Runs a week

Sunday-Medium long run

Monday-Track session

Tuesday-Off day

Wednesday-Long run

Thursday- Recovery run

Friday-Tempo run

Saturday- Brick Run

5 Runs a week

Sunday-Long run

Monday-day off

Tuesday-Tempo run

Wednesday-Short Brick run

Thursday-Medium long run

Friday-Track session

Saturday-off day

One last note. Speed work (Tempo runs and track workouts) are something that you should not just jump into. It is important to have a solid base before completing these. Read more about Base work Here