Defenestrate

/dēˈfenəˌstrāt/

verb: throw out the window.

Through the ins and outs (and In-and-Outs) of training, we tend to develop our own expectations for ourselves. *This* is my tempo pace; *that* is too fast for me; I can’t keep up with *them*. It’s time to defenestrate that BS.

This week I sat down and wrote out a detailed, comprehensive, 8-week training plan. Thematically, the idea is to conquer the past by attacking the present — make that rep, that stride, that drill count, and you will see progress. I’ve incorporated goals for weights, plyometrics, and strides in addition to speed and endurance work designed to address specific needs. Today, we’ll take a look at how Week 1 went. I won’t detail all of the remaining weeks in this manner, but I am highlighting this past week’s work in the Goal/Action format so that the structure may become familiar. Let’s get started.

• Sunday 9/27 — Goal: 14 mi long run

  • Action: 15 mi long run. Autumn has arrived, seemingly overnight. Teamed up with a fellow Ann Arborite who also happens to be a former NESCAC legend in his own right. Legs were feeling the 8k TT from the day before, but the longs are getting shorter.

• Monday 9/28 — Goal: AM 3 mi / PM 7 mi

  • Action: AM 3 mi easy / PM 8.5 mi easy. Nothing like a mild jaunt through Nichols Arboretum in the morning to get the blood pumping. I ventured back there briefly in the evening, although it was simply a throughway to the destination: Gallup Park. ‘Twas there I encountered my mortal enemy, the true scourge of the earth, the rats of the sky: geese. I had half a mind to take them on right then and there.

• Tuesday 9/29 — Goal: 8 mi + hill strides

  • Action: AM 8 mi easy + 6xState St hill strides / PM 20 mi bike. I did strides on our street, which is made of cobblestone. Because of this, cars usually drive up the hill more slowly. They make for good competition.

• Wednesday 9/30 — Goal: Workout 1: 1xArb Loop, 1xArb, 6xHarvard

  • Action: 10 mi total — Tried to hang tough on the Arbs. But man, they’re never easy. Conversely, I haven’t felt this strong up Harvard in years. Two years, to be exact. The 48 to close it out was a surprise. Shows I could have pushed more through the body of the workout.

    • 2.5 mi up

    • Arb Loop: 9:26 w/ 7’ jog recovery

    • Arb: 3:39 w/ 5’ jog recovery

    • 6xHarvard: 55, 53, 55, 55, 53, 48

    • 2 mi down

• Thursday 10/1 — Goal: 10 mi + Plyometrics

  • Action: 10 mi morning loop + 15 mi bike. Had to hit the roads before the run on flu-shots (get ‘em). Turned into an impromptu hammer-fest toward the end, but what can I say? The legs were feelin’ good. What would have been plyos in the afternoon became 15 miles on the bike.

• Friday 10/2 — Goal: 7 mi easy

  • Action: 7.5 mi easy in Toledo. Felt like the last few days caught up to me a bit here, but focused on keeping the form 100. Forgot my contacts in Ann Arbor, so this was a glasses run. I do not recommend glasses runs. If you do recommend glasses runs, you probably have better glasses than I do. You probably would not recommend glasses runs if you had my glasses.

• Saturday 10/3 — Goal: Workout 2: 1xMile, 3x4x300 @46, 44, 42, 1xMile

  • Action: 12 mi total — No contacts, AND no glasses. One blind mouse out there trying to get around the oval. I didn’t feel like the speed was there today -- even a hard push was only getting me to 44 sec on the 300’s. I made the audible on the last set for that reason and I believe it was more productive than the alternative. Sometimes you gotta cut your losses! I had wanted to go 42’s on the 300’s for the last set, but I didn’t have that in me today. Better to regroup and blast the next one.

    • 3 mi up

    • Mile: 4:55 w/ 5’ recovery

    • 4x300 w/ 60”: 45.2, 46.8, 46.8, 46.4, 3’ set recovery

    • 4x300 w/ 90”: 44.9, 44.6, 44.8, 44.1, 3’ set recovery

    • 4x200 w/ 120”: 29.0, 29.0, 29.0, 27.9, 5’ set recovery

    • Mile: 5:02

    • 2.5 mi down

While I didn’t meet all of my goals this week, there was undeniable growth. Found strength on Harvard, bookended a challenging speed endurance workout with a couple of #verynice mile tempos, and maintained consistent quality on easy days. Set the bar high, and attack it. On to the next.