Week in Review – 6/22 to 6/28
6/22 – 7 Miles in Vibram Five Fingers (VFF)
6/23 – 4*800 on the track at 5k race pace, quarter mile recovery, 5.6 total, later that night 2 Miles in VFF
6/24 – 8 Miles
6/25 – 2 Miles in VFF
6/26 – 4 Miles in VFF
6/27 – 12 Miles at Lair O’ the Bear
6/28 – Lyons River Run 5k in 17:55, 2 mile warmup/cool down, later that night 2 miles in VFF
49.71 Miles Total
Good week of training and I was happy with my time at the Lyons 5k. Trying to get a few interval sessions in this summer on the track to help with my leg speed, that and I would like to go <5:00 at Pearl Street Mile. However, running only 2 miles worth of intervals is a bit weak, I’ll step it up going forward. When it comes to running intervals, I prefer running them by myself. In the past when I did interval workouts with the RMRR, I would always run them too fast, get competetive, etc. Running them by myself, I tend to stay in control and keep them around 5k race pace.
Last Wednesday my achilees was killing me. It’s been sore on and off again for the last two months. Wednesday night I thought about taking a week off, letting the injury heal not wanting to risk anything once I start my buildup for the NYC Marathon. The next day two days I took it easy running in the VFF and the achilees pain subsided, even after running Lair O’ the Bear, I would have surely thought that it would have flared up but it did not. Now it’s not bothering me at all, it sort of comes and goes.
Right now I am trying to eliminate the variables. I think my work shoes tend to make it flair up, with the raised heel and all. Thus, I plan to change up the shoes that I wear to work for a bit, see if I can figure this achilees “injury out” also taking ibuprofen seems to help a lot.
Like all running injuries, I like to run through them if I can!
You should get in the Superior Mile on 7/4 for a sub 5.
I have little desire to do those downhill races.
I already get annoyed when someone tells me they have a PR and I ask them where they ran it and it’s on a course like Evergreen 5k/10k, Slacker Half Marathon or Georgetown Half Marathon. Those do not count.
I feel bad about saying my PR for the marathon is at CIM, that’s pushing it as well in terms of being a “fair” course.
Disagree on Gtown. If you run much of a PR there, I’d be impressed.
I would be very careful about knocking Evergreen. Simon Martin did that last year before the race in his blog, and ran the race and had a different outlook after it. You need to keep in mind that running in Colorado is hard enough and races like Evergreen are the closest thing to being able to run at sea level for most of us. Evergreen also starts at 7500+ ft so its not fair to say its easy. These races are not gimmick races and offer the challenge of being able to be a good downhill runner. I am not great at downhill but still enjoy them.
Unless it is on a track. PRs are always course specific.
What is a fair course anyway?
Not saying that the race is easy or knocking it, but I am guessing that the downhill aspect of it more than makes up for running a race at sea level. But you’re right that it is the closest thing to running at sea level for us Colorado Runners without having to drive to Nebraska.
Looking at the results last year in the 5k, other runners that I know were running ~30 seconds faster than normal, that’s quite a bit. Not sure you would see those results at sea level.
My problem is I don’t think it’s fair for runners to say you PR’d on a course like that. It’s like Albert Pujols using an aluminum bat and then saying he hit 93 homers in a season.
Slacker Half Marathon has >2k elevation drop, that’s insane.
Toby, I would say a fair course is any race that starts and finishes in the same location.
A point to point course can still be run at the same elevation, but due to winds, etc. may not be “fair.” If you had a 25mph wind to your back for 26.2 miles, my guess is that would improve your time by at least five minutes.
Pikes Peak Marathon starts and finishes in the same place. Net elevation gain = 0.
I think you’re just going to have to answer the challenge and go run one of these. Sub 17 at Evergreen.
I have no problem with anyone who wants to use Pikes Peak Marathon as a PR!
I think the Platte River Half Marathon drops maybe 200 or so feet in elevation, but even that little amount I can tell makes it a faster course.
My guess is if Platte Half dropped another 100 feet it would be on par with running at sea level. I’m just going off my time this year and my PR in the Half which was run at sea level.
I do have some good comparisons for the years I ran some downhill races.
I think the superior downhill mile is a gimmick race. I ran a 4:44 in 2007- later that summer I only managed a 5:11 on the track.
Evergreen Town Race 2008- I ran a 5k at Wash Park 3 weeks before in 17:56, my 5k time at Evergreen was 17:25. I can’t say I ever felt the altitude but I think you do get a boost from the downhill. I can’t speak to the 10k. (although I plan on running it this year)
Using the runworks.com calculator a 17:56 5k at 5,280 feet in altitude is equivalent to a 17:36 5k at sea level.
Thus, Evergreen is probably rather close to running at sea level if we use Matt as a baseline.
Runworks is probably not too far off. I ran a sea level 5k in 17:53 a few years back (my bro live in CT). 3 weeks later I ran an 18:15 5k here which is close to what the prediction would be.
Sorry to hear your Achilles has been off / on bothering you. Hope it settles down soon. Have you tried Arnica gel?