Half Marathon PR at the Ruisalo Juoksu!
In less than one week I have managed to do two personal records in two different distances for running. It has been about four weeks since I started serious run training and obviously the benefits have been paying off quickly.
Last weekend I made my PR in the 5km distance with a time of 15:34 and now this weekend I have improved my 1/2 marathon to 1.12:43. While the improvement is only 16 seconds from my previous best, the course this weekend was significantly more difficult with lots of hills and soft dirt paths. Perfect training for my goals later this season and it also shows my running is improving to where it should be.
Next up is a little recovery for my sore legs and while I focus on swim training.
More PRs to come soon...
- Darby
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
New 5000m PR!
Training must be progressing well as I just took 45 seconds off my previous best 5km time!
The event was a small 5000m track event here in Turku and I used it purely for training purposes. Doing some tough cycling training earlier in the day in addition to a week prior of hard swim and run trainings.
Next up is a half- marathon in Ruisalo that will also be a good test and training exercise. The course is not particularly fast, so I am not expecting a new PR for half-marathon. Just a tough training to help me do better in world championships.
Until later...
-darby
The event was a small 5000m track event here in Turku and I used it purely for training purposes. Doing some tough cycling training earlier in the day in addition to a week prior of hard swim and run trainings.
Next up is a half- marathon in Ruisalo that will also be a good test and training exercise. The course is not particularly fast, so I am not expecting a new PR for half-marathon. Just a tough training to help me do better in world championships.
Until later...
-darby
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
World's Prep Vol.1
This will be the first time I have had a real chance to prepare for one race.
After taking a significant break from real training for about three weeks, I have now started my preparation for world championships in November. It seems like a long way away, but in reality I have only 6 more weeks training in Finland before going to Florida to do my final preparations.
The basic plan is this: Swim a lot and get faster. Bike a lot and get stronger. And run a lot and get faster. Simple!
The exact plans for this period of training really start with maintaining my health. I cannot afford to be injured at all during the next two months. I am notoriously bad a creating injuries at the worst possible time. So for now my priority is to stay healthy no matter what. If it means I have to train a little less, then its fine as long as I make it to the start line with whole body working in one direction.
Swim training is always my focus because I am still learning. To accomplish my goal of a top 10 placing in Florida I need to spend a large amount of time training with the local swim club. They have some guys who are at a very high level (almost made it to Beijing!) so I am continuously pushed to go faster. Even the 14 year old girls in the club are pushing me... I guess I have a long way to go until I become a 'real' swimmer... Every day spent training with them makes me faster.
The bike training is less a priority for me. I am already near the top of the field in that regard. The only thing keeping me from being even faster is a lack of long trainings. My usual training the past few years is max 3 hours per ride. Generally closer to 2 hours on a normal training day. That is not enough to make it through 90kms of max effort. So I will begin to do some real training rides a couple days per week. Something between 3-6 hours on my long rides. Combine this with some harder intervals and tempo sessions should bring my bike level up another notch. I have been a little lazy the past couple years with cycling and now its time to get going again.
Running. This is where being healthy is important. I am very new to running also and my body does not like the pounding. As a rule, I am injured the majority of the time when running. Currently I am UN-injured and I would like to keep it that way! Focusing on technique trainings and shorter fast runs will minimize my risk to injury and keep my progress moving forward. My goal of running near 1:15 is achievable if I keep this training level all the way to the event.
Sorry for the dry post. Next time I try to think of something interesting to say... Or perhaps a quote is best to seal this entry.
" I figure the faster I pedal, the faster I can retire- Lance Armstrong"
After taking a significant break from real training for about three weeks, I have now started my preparation for world championships in November. It seems like a long way away, but in reality I have only 6 more weeks training in Finland before going to Florida to do my final preparations.
The basic plan is this: Swim a lot and get faster. Bike a lot and get stronger. And run a lot and get faster. Simple!
The exact plans for this period of training really start with maintaining my health. I cannot afford to be injured at all during the next two months. I am notoriously bad a creating injuries at the worst possible time. So for now my priority is to stay healthy no matter what. If it means I have to train a little less, then its fine as long as I make it to the start line with whole body working in one direction.
Swim training is always my focus because I am still learning. To accomplish my goal of a top 10 placing in Florida I need to spend a large amount of time training with the local swim club. They have some guys who are at a very high level (almost made it to Beijing!) so I am continuously pushed to go faster. Even the 14 year old girls in the club are pushing me... I guess I have a long way to go until I become a 'real' swimmer... Every day spent training with them makes me faster.
The bike training is less a priority for me. I am already near the top of the field in that regard. The only thing keeping me from being even faster is a lack of long trainings. My usual training the past few years is max 3 hours per ride. Generally closer to 2 hours on a normal training day. That is not enough to make it through 90kms of max effort. So I will begin to do some real training rides a couple days per week. Something between 3-6 hours on my long rides. Combine this with some harder intervals and tempo sessions should bring my bike level up another notch. I have been a little lazy the past couple years with cycling and now its time to get going again.
Running. This is where being healthy is important. I am very new to running also and my body does not like the pounding. As a rule, I am injured the majority of the time when running. Currently I am UN-injured and I would like to keep it that way! Focusing on technique trainings and shorter fast runs will minimize my risk to injury and keep my progress moving forward. My goal of running near 1:15 is achievable if I keep this training level all the way to the event.
Sorry for the dry post. Next time I try to think of something interesting to say... Or perhaps a quote is best to seal this entry.
" I figure the faster I pedal, the faster I can retire- Lance Armstrong"
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