More paces

So I forgot to discuss my other components of schedule.

The first is 5x1000 @ Vvo2max pace.  This is essentially a hair faster than 3k pace.  So instead of taking the 60-90 seconds rest most of those other workouts require, this will be 3:00 rests.  Goal is to run 1000s in about 3:00-3:02.

The next workout is more tempo based, 10-15x1000 @ just a bit quicker than tempo pace, but only 30-60 second rests.  So about 5:20 pace to start, maybe a hair faster by end.  This allows me to get more work in at a slightly faster pace than what I could run tempo run at.  They aren't really hard, and you just start to feel each one at end, but if run too fast the short rests will wreck you.  Buffering workout is what this is called because you really are living on the edge and dancing a thin line.

Then the ASR  workouts,  anaerobic speed reserve.  10 second hill sprints, 30 meter sprints with a flyin, 150 meters sprints.  Why?  It all goes back to speed in the end.  If you can only run a 200 in 35 seconds, then running a 800 in 2:20 is pretty hard.  But if you improve that 200 time to 33 seconds, then running that 2:20 is possible.  Flyin= a distance before 30 meter sprint to get to top speed.

If you can run a 800 in 2:20, then a mile in under 5:00 is reasonable.  Continue on up to whatever distance you want to go.  The faster you can run 30 meters, the more potential you have to run a faster anything of greater distance.  Pretty simple eh?

So improving 30 meter to 150 meter speed = improving every distance beyond that, given you do the other required workouts in those areas. 

You take yesterday's workout of 8x quarter mile.  With only 60 seconds rest.  If I ran a mile race on track, I can safely say I'd run 4:36-4:42 after averaging just under 70s per quarter yesterday.  Now if I get to the point I'm running 67s per quarter, I'd safely say I could run about 4:30. 

Pretty much before midwinter I hit a plateau of about 5:20-5:30 pace where I was running just about every race from 5-k to 10 miles at.  In some ways that's good, but plain and simply it means I need to improve speed to bring those paces down.  Once I get to another plateau, you go back to speed again.

Really, this is all about October's marathon.

Work on pure speed, get 3-k&5-k times down.  Then move up to 10-k, get that down, then up to 20-k range, get that down, and finally show up to marathon in October in shape to run sub 2:30 again.  To have any shot to be top 5 I'll probably have to break 2:30.   2015 was last masters marathon champs, top 5 ranges went from 2:24-2:29.  6th was 2:35.  So top 10 hopefully, and top 5 if I have a great day.