I ran the Montreal Marathon in 2011, the
Twin Cities Marathon in 2015, and a
“26 km” race as part of the Blue Ox Marathon in 2017. The Montreal Marathon didn’t go well. It was hot weather and I went out too fast and suffered an epic uncharacteristic bonk. In contrast, both the Twin Cities Marathon and 26 km race were just about perfect, whereby I hit on a speedy (at least for me) pace early that I was able to maintain. I ran faster than I believed possible for both of these races, hence I know the training was really good and so was the taper. So what did I do? Well, I’m going to pull data from my Google Sheets training log and Garmin records to figure this out by making some more tables. The first is overall training.
| Montreal 2011 | Twin Cities 2015 | Blue Ox 2017 |
Wk | Tot | Int | Run | RS | Tot | Int | Run | RS | Tot | Int | Run | RS |
13 | 14 | 0.8 | 4.5 | 6.4 | 13.5 | 1 | 4.95 | 4.7 | 14.1 | 0.45 | 4.5 | 5.1 |
12 | 14 | 0.2 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 13.3 | 0.35 | 3.1 | 5.1 | 14 | 1.05 | 5.7 | 3.4 |
11 | 11.2 | 0.2 | 3.45 | 3.7 | 14.2 | 0.2 | 8.25 | 2.7 | 13.2 | 1 | 4.25 | 3.9 |
10 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 2.5 | 11.8 | 0.9 | 6 | 2.6 | 14.9 | 0.55 | 5.1 | 4.7 |
9 | 12.2 | 0.4 | 6.25 | 2.75 | 10.1 | 0.7 | 6.5 | 1 | 13.2 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 5.7 |
8 | 11.8 | 0.7 | 2.75 | 3 | 14.1 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 6.8 | Backpacking |
7 | 11.8 | 0.25 | 6.75 | 2 | 16.7 | 0.9 | 8.6 | 2.6 | 12 | 1.1 | 4.45 | 3.6 |
6 | 12.5 | 0 | 6.5 | 1.5 | Backpacking | 11.2 | 0.95 | 4.4 | 3.25 |
5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14.3 | 1.3 | 7.85 | 2.7 | 12.8 | 1.35 | 5.1 | 5.2 |
4 | 10.5 | 0.2 | 5.35 | 1.2 | 15 | 0.4 | 7.1 | 5.1 | 16 | 1.05 | 5.6 | 6.45 |
3 | 11.6 | 0 | 6.4 | 2 | 15.5 | 1 | 6.4 | 4 | 14.4 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 5.4 |
2 | 11.8 | 0.2 | 5.5 | 3.25 | 14.9 | 0.75 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 15.1 | 2.3 | 5 | 4 |
1 | 9.5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8.95 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 2.95 | 11.3 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 5.85 |
Race |
Tot | 149 | 2.95 | 61 | 31.8 | 162 | 8.7 | 69.2 | 46 | 162 | 13.1 | 53.8 | 56.6 |
Tot = total hours trained per week (may include biking and strength in addition to rollerskiing and running); Int = interval hours per week; run = running hours per week; RS = rollerskiing hours per week
From this chart I did 3 hours of interval training leading up to the Montreal Marathon compared to 8.7 and 13.1 for the other two races. I also did a one week backpacking trip before each of these races (4 weeks before Montreal, 6 before Twin Cities, 8 before Blue Ox). Prior to the Blue Ox race we had our Vakava camp the weekend before which accounts for such large volumes so close to the target race, including a marathon rollerski.
The next chart breaks down my longest runs and rollerskis. Average heart rates are marked in parentheses. In preparing this, it makes me want to write a letter to myself: Dear Elspeth: You are badass. 18 mile run Saturday. 18 mile classic rollerski Sunday followed by 8 mile skate rollerski.
Week before race | Montreal 2011 Long run/RS (HR) | Twin Cities 2015 Long run/RS | Blue Ox 2017 Long run/RS |
13 | Run 9.6 miles | Run 17 miles (134) | 10 mile run
18 mile skate RS |
12 | Run 8 miles | Classic RS 23 miles (123)
Skate RS 12 miles (123) | 12 mile run with 15 minutes L3 (137,167) |
11 | Run 9.5 miles | Run 15 miles (138)
Run 15 miles (129) | 12 mile run (127)
18.5 skate and classic RS with TT |
10 | Run 11 miles | Run 15 miles (130)
Skate RS (130) | 9 miles (132)
26.5 skate RS (127) |
9 | Run 13 miles | Run 19 miles (134) | 12 mile run (130)
26 mile skate RS (124) |
8 |
| Skate RS 18 miles (132)
Classic RS 17 miles (118) | backpacking |
7 | Run 16 miles
Run 15.75 miles | Run 16.5 miles (137)
Run 15 miles (137) | 10 mile (140) |
6 |
| backpacking | 13 mile run with last mile hard
17 miles RS (134) |
5 | Run 17 miles | Run 18 miles (138)
Run 13.5 miles (137) | 14 mile run with 14 minutes threshold at end (136; 154)
28 mile skate RS |
4 | Run 18.6 miles | Run 22 miles (140)
15 mile classic RS (114) | 16.5 miles (hot weather, 134)
18.55 skate RS |
3 | Run 20.5 miles | 18 mile run (131)
Skate RS 22 miles (125) | 15 mile run with 1 hour of threshold |
2 | Run 16.44 miles | 13.5 mile run (134) 8 days before
Classic RS 18 miles (110) | 8 days before Run 12.3 miles (135)
|
1 | Run 9.6 miles 6 days before Run 10.4 miles 3 days before
RS 15.6 mile 3 days before | 15.6 mile classic RS (110) | Run home from work 6.5 miles (na)
Skate rollerski 6 days before, 26 miles (128) |
Easy heart rates all seem high to me. Perhaps I forget that I was younger….but also I could’ve been going too hard or inaccurate readings. Previously I wore an arm band HR monitor that would always read exceptionally high for the first 10 minutes.
Long runs were fairly consistent for both marathons and obviously lower for the 26 km race. It was nice to be able to run farther than the race distance doing the shorter race.
Next I have a table detailing out my interval work. Heart rates are in parentheses again and were my max for the workout. Two numbers are given for our 5 km skate and 5 km classic time trials.
Week before race | Montreal 2011 Intervals (HR) | Twin Cities 2015 Intervals | Blue Ox Intervals |
13 |
| 5 km skate and classic RS TT (154,157) | Short track workout, longest 1 mile with max HR of 168
30 minutes of classic RS intervals (160) |
12 | Run L4 Intervals 3 x 4 minutes | Run w/ sprints
Long L3 skate RS interval | 5 km skate and classic RS TT (170,163) |
11 | Rollerski L4 Intervals 3 x 4 minutes | Run w/ 3 x 4 min intervals (166) | 1 km DP and skate TT with 2 x 20 minute L3 (166) |
10 |
| Run 10 km pace workout (161)
Vakava DP intervals (varying length) | Run to work with 21 minutes of threshold (163)
4 x 3 minute run intervals (170) |
9 | Rollerski L4 Intervals 3 x 4 minutes
Run L4 intervals 4 x 3 minutes uphill | Run w/ 6 x 2 minute intervals (173) | Run to work w/ 24 minute threshold (163)
Short track intervals |
8 |
| Run 6 x 5 minutes at goal marathon pace (157)
1 km DP and skate TT (162) | backpacking |
7 | Rollerski L4 intervals 3 x 5 minutes | Run with 6 x half mile intervals (153)
Skate RS intervals 4 x 8 minutes (157) | 10 mile run with 20 and then 12 minutes of threshold (150 avg, 168 max)
32 minutes of skate RS intervals |
6 |
| backpacking | 5-4-3-2-1 minutes on track |
5 |
| Run w/ 2 x 20 minutes at L3 (159)
5 km skate and classic RS time trials (157,144) | 13 mile run with last mile hard (161)
2 mile time trial on track (174)
6 x 7 minute L3 skate RS (161) |
4 | Run L4 intervals 4 x 3 minutes | Run w/ 6 x half mile intervals (160) | 4 x 3 min run intervals on track (167)
6 x 6 minutes classic RS intervals (170) |
3 |
| Run w/ 2 x 15 minutes L3 (149 and 155)
Classic RS intervals 5 x 6 minutes (164) | 15 mile run w/ 1 hour threshold (avg HR 152, highest 167)
5 x 4ish minutes skate RS intervals (167) |
2 | Run L4 intervals 4 x 3 minutes | Run w/ 2 x 8 min at L3 pace (164)
Skate RS intervals 5 x 6 minutes (174) | 8 days before 12 x 1 minute at threshold (153)
9 days before 1 km DP and skate TT with other intervals (166)
7 days before Classic RS intervals, backwards ladder, about 36 minutes total (163) |
1 |
| 4 days before 3 x 8 minute classic RS intervals (162) | 2 days before 12 x 1 minute at threshold (145)
3 days before 3 x 4 minute classic rollerski intervals (158) |
Next I compiled the data by interval type:
L4 = 3-5 minutes
L3 = longer than 5 minutes
Short = 2 minutes or less
Interval Type | Twin Cities (# of sessions) | Blue Ox (# of sessions) |
Run: 3-4 minute intervals | 2 | 3 |
Run: less than 3 minutes | 2 | 2 |
Run: 5 minutes or longer | 5 | 5 |
RS: 3-4 minute intervals | 1 | 6 |
RS: less than 3 minutes | 0 | 0 |
RS: 5 minutes or longer | 8 | 5 |
Did not include either “shake out” 12 x 1 minute before Blue Ox
Now we’re getting somewhere!
In regards to total training, my overall volumes and running time are fairly similar for all three races although more for the latter two. My interval time is markedly increased for both of the latter races with the most before the Blue Ox race.
It looks like I don’t need to taper volume until the week before; although I should ramp down on the running a bit two weeks before but OK to keep up the rollerskiing.
Looking at longest runs and rollerskis,
- 8 days before each race did a medium distance run
- longest run 3 weeks before
- medium distance run 2 weeks before
- i.e. build to 3 weeks before (able to run race distance for Blue Ox prep as shorter)
- did more medium rollerskis (10-20 miles) prior to Twin Cities; did some 20+ mile rollerskis prior to Blue Ox including 26 miles 6 days previous; likely affects my overall fitness but wouldn’t add more running d/t injury risk
And finally, here’s my own advice for interval prep assuming both running and rollerskiing:
- 5 L3 sessions running
- 2-3 L4 sessions running
- 5-8 L3 rollerski sessions
- 3-5 L4 sessions (interestingly did only 1 prior to Twin Cities but 8 L3’s vs 6 L4 sessions and 5 L3’s prior to Blue Ox)
- do 2 fast running workouts with interval lengths of 2 minutes or less
If only running, would plan for intervals about twice per week alternating between L4 and faster and L5.
Thus a training plan with my critical workouts should look like this:
Week Before Race | Key distance/intervals |
13 | Run intervals: 1600 m, 1200 m, 800 m, 400 m, 200 m, 100 m Rollerski 5 km time trials |
12 | 5 x 6 minute rollerski intervals Long rollerski |
11 | Run 3 x 4 minute intervals Rollerski 2 x 18 minute intervals |
10 | Run interval 3 x 10 minute Rollerski intervals 5 x 3 minutes |
9 | Run track intervals: 12 x 200 m |
8 | Run intervals 3 x 5 minutes |
7 | Long rollerski Rollerski intervals 4 x 8 minutes Run w/ 3 x 1 mile |
6 | Backpacking week Long run with 2 x 15 minute L3 |
5 | Rollerski w/ 5 km time trials 12 x 1 minute running intervals Long run |
4 | Long rollerski Rollerski 6 x 6 minutes Run 6 x 3 minutes intervals Longest run (if race is 16 miles or less do at least that distance; if marathon do 22 miles) |
3 | Long rollerski Rollerski 5 x 4 minute intervals 15 days before medium long run (15-16 miles) with long L3 session |
2 | 14 days before long rollerski Rollerski (or running) intervals: 5 x 6 minutes 8 days before 13 mile run easy |
1 | 7 days before medium-long rollerski 4 days before 3 x 4 min rollerski intervals 2-3 days before 5 mile shake out run w/ 12 x 1 minutes at L3 |
So, this was obviously a lot of work and the best use I can think of for keeping a training log. Perhaps there’s a better way? I guess a couple quicker ways of doing this is to repeat what’s worked in the past or to do an L3 and L4 session each week, occasionally taking some breaks and occasionally doing some even shorter intervals.
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