July Update

July is coming to a close, so good time to post a training update and summarise what’s been going on over the last 4 weeks. Aside from a random sick day that scuppered my plans for the local Independence Day 5K, I’ve managed to get out and run every day in July.

Monthly mileage currently stands at 250, spread out pretty evenly over 32+ hours, and thanks to continued training utilizing the Maffetone principle, the legs are feeling good and the base-building is going well. Using Maffetone’s formula, the optimal heart rate to develop my aerobic system comes out at 137 bpm, so I’ve been making a concerted effort to stay at or below this MAF [Maximum Aerobic Function] number for the bulk of my training.

June 29th – July 5th [64.5 miles]
Monday (am) – 1 hour @ MAF.
Monday (pm) – 1 hour @ MAF (14 secs/mile slower than the morning run due to the heat/humidity).
Tuesday – 30 minute incline treadmill run @ MAF.
Wednesday (am) – 1 hour @ MAF.
Wednesday (pm) – warm up, 3.3 miles of “speed” work at the local track, cool down.
Thursday – just over an hour @ MAF.
Friday – 90 minutes @ MAF.
Saturday – sick.
Sunday – jog to the local track, 5 mile MAF Test, jog home. The MAF Test is simply an objective measure of aerobic progress. The idea is to perform the same activity on a regular basis (in my case a 5 mile run at the local track), to measure progress over time. The test was quite disappointing to be honest, as I was only able to average 8:06/mile for the 20 laps on the track. I’m guessing Saturday’s sickness had something to do with the results, but it will be a good benchmark for future tests if nothing else.

July 6th – July 12th [69 miles]
Monday – 1 hour @ MAF.
Tuesday (am) – 1 hour @ MAF.
Tuesday (pm) – 3 mile tire drag @ MAF. With the extra resistance of the tire and the afternoon heat/humidity, it was tough to keep the heart rate down, hence the 11:44/mile pace for the 3 miles. Another good benchmark for the future though.
Wednesday (am) – 1 hour @ MAF.
Wednesday (pm) – 1 hour incline run @ MAF. Set the treadmill at 6% and varied the speed to keep my heart rate under 137 bpm.
Thursday – 1 hour @ MAF.
Friday – just over an hour @ MAF.
Saturday – progressive 7 miler. Stuck to MAF for the first 4 miles, but allowed the heart rate to max out at 152 bpm in the final mile. Nice change of pace!
Sunday – warm up, cool down and 3.7 miles of “speed” at the local track.

July 13th – July 19th [66 miles]
Monday – 30 minutes @ MAF.
Tuesday – 55 minutes @ MAF.
Wednesday – 1 hour treadmill run @ MAF. Notched up the incline to 6.5% this week. Progress!
Thursday – 1 hour @ MAF.
Friday (am) – 1 hour @ MAF.
Friday (pm) – 3 mile tire drag @ MAF. More progress. 30 secs/mile quicker than the last tire drag at the same effort level.
Saturday – warm up, cool down and another 5 mile MAF Test. At 7:58/mile pace, the test results were a bit disappointing again. My daily training pace at MAF is typically a lot faster than 7:58/mile, so not exactly sure why I’m so “slow” on the track. Ah well, another benchmark.
Sunday – long run of 2 hours 30 minutes. Kept things under control for 16 miles, then let the heart rate do its thing for the last 3. Nice to finish a run relatively fast for a change.

July 20th – July 26th [63 miles]
Monday – 45 minutes @ MAF. Painfully slow in the afternoon heat/humidity (8:34/mile pace). Planned to run for an hour, but decided to cut it short as the pace was rapidly slowling to a crawl.
Tuesday – 40 minutes @ MAF. Morning run and a lot more productive than the Monday afternoon slog.
Wednesday (am) – 45 minutes @MAF.
Wednesday (pm) – 15 minutes @ 15% on the treadmill. Just wanted to test the legs at incline
Thursday – 6 miles @ MAF, with a fast mile and cool down mile to finish off. Managed 5:40 something for the fast mile. Not too bad considering all the slower paced training.
Friday (am) – 1 hour @ MAF. Faster pace thanks to the cooler temperature and lower dew point.
Friday (pm) – 3 mile tire drag @ MAF. More progress, chopping another 30 secs/mile off the last tire drag.
Saturday – warm up, cool down and another 5 mile MAF Test. They say too many MAF Tests can be counter-productive, but after two poor attempts in the last 3 weeks I wanted to log something semi-decent. 7:35/mile is slight progress, but I’m hoping for much better results as we move into August.
Sunday – 2 hours @ MAF. Pleasant run to close out a productive week.

So, as you can see, not too much anaerobic running at all this month, which has allowed me to devote some time to the excellent Kinetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge. The challenge is the brainchild of Sports Rehab Therapist and Running Coach, James Dunne, and is broken up into 5 stages, with each stage lasting 6 days as follows:

  1. Basic Mobility & Balance Training
  2. Basic Strength & Core Training
  3. Intermediate Mobility & Plyometric Training
  4. Resistance Band Training
  5. Running Technique Drills

I’m currently halfway through Stage 3 and am pleased with the results from the first couple of stages. Hip strength and mobility seem to be improving, so I’ll stick with the challenge and hope for more gains in the next couple of weeks. The challenge is free and well worth checking out if you’re looking to transform your running. Each day James prescribes a specific 10-15 minute set of targeted techniques, drills and exercises, specifically chosen to make you a stronger, faster runner in 30 days. Good stuff!

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