Posts Tagged ‘tempo runs’

Advanced Running Tips: When to Eat the Doughnut

You can go anywhere for advice on form, hydration, stretching, etc., but only here will you get the inside poop (so to speak) on the crucial topic of when to eat a doughnut before running.

I’ve held court on the benefits of fried doughy pastries many times in the past, and have even revealed the Kenyan secret to world-class distance running, but just like splitting the atom, eating a pre-run doughnut requires extreme caution.

This morning, for example, I foolishly ate a lovely, puffy doughnut right before I went out for a five-mile tempo run. This is the hallmark of a rank amateur, since everyone knows you need at least 45 minutes to an hour for that sugary mass to work its way into your bloodstream and rocket you to superspeed. But I was late getting out this morning, so I threw caution to the wind and glommed it down before heading out.

Well, I was right as rain for three miles before that lovely, puffy doughnut magically transformed into a gruesome, leaden anchor in my gut. Nothing like a good stomach cramp to ruin your run.

Anyway, I managed to complete my workout with an average 8:19 pace, which wasn’t too bad. Coming on the heels of my 14-miler on Sunday (9:01 average pace, negative splits – 1:04 vs 1:02), I’m progressing nicely with 18 weeks before my marathon.

So today’s lesson, kiddies, is to eat the doughnut. Don’t let the doughnut eat you.

5 x 800s Are Five by Five

Speedwork went well this week under cooler temperatures in Sacramento. I had to dodge a soccer team doing laps a few times, but things could hardly have gone better.

Intervals: 5 x 800 meters
Goal pace: sub-3:36
Lap 1: 3:29.00
Lap 2: 3:25.50
Lap 3: 3:27.37
Lap 4: 3:34.13
Lap 5: 3:31.25
Average: 3:29.45
Total distance: 5 miles

No red fails for the second consecutive week, so I’ll have to keep adding a repeat until I get one. Next Wednesday it’ll be 6 x 800.

Today I did a seven-mile tempo run at 8:39 average pace. I eventually have to bring that down about 30-35 seconds, but I’m making good progress.

Yasso Surpasso (Barely)

I’m about 21 weeks away from my marathon, so I have the luxury of increasing mileage gradually. I did a 12-miler last Sunday and will do another this Sunday before bumping up to 14 in a week.

In the meantime I went out in the heat for my Yasso 800s yesterday with, as always, a target of sub 3:36. There was a large PE class using the track for laps, so I had to run in in lane 4 the entire way around, but that’s the way things go.

Intervals: 4 x 800 meters
Goal pace: sub-3:36
Lap 1: 3:35.25
Lap 2: 3:35.62
Lap 3: 3:29.86
Lap 4: 3:34.86
Average: 3:33.90
Total distance: 4 miles

Ha-ha! Talk about skating in on the razor’s edge. But no big red fails. Next week I’ll try 5 x 800 and see if I can squeeze another sub 3:36 in.

Today I did a six-mile tempo run at 8:30 pace. Things are looking up.

Junk (Food) Miles

My bizarre doughnut experiment is yielding confounding results. I’m afraid at this point the conventional wisdom regarding nutrition isn’t applying to me. Last night I treated myself to a Taco Bell pig-out: three crunchy taco supremes and two spicy bean burritos. For breakfast this morning I had a cranberry bagel with reduced-fat cream cheese, two 14-ounce mugs of 100% Kona coffee with a teaspoon of raw sugar in each, and an Entenmann’s chocolate doughnut.

I proceeded to run six miles in 47:30 without undue effort. It was 33 seconds faster than my previous best on this route this year and only about two minutes short of my best ever for that distance.

I assume as I increase mileage I’ll need more slow-absorbing complex carbs and less sugar, but if this keeps up I’m planning a best-seller titled, From Boston Cream Pie to Boston Marathon.