Submitted by Eric Powers
Feb. 2-8 journal
scrunners webmaster John Olson has asked me to keep a training journal during the upcoming track season to follow my progress.
Editor's note: Consult with your coach before following a training schedule. Powers has agreed to write a journal on his training as time permits during his 2009 outdoor season.
Monday, Feb. 9
Today was the first real track workout of the season. We started with two miles easy to warm up. The workout was 4x1200-meters at about 5K race pace with 400 meter jog between each repeat. We finished with a mile cool down. I felt pretty good on the workout, although I wasn’t used to the faster leg speed.
Tuesday, Feb. 10
Tuesday was a recovery day from the speed workout. I ran five miles at a moderate pace along roads. My legs were pretty sore and I was a bit worn out from Monday. I also did some core work after the run.
Wednesday, Feb. 11
On Wednesday, I did a longer training run. It was a warm, sunny day, and I ran seven miles through neighborhoods at my usual training pace. My quads were still a little heavy, but my pulse was low and I felt fine otherwise. I finished the workout with a few strides.
Thursday, Feb. 12
On Thursday we did a workout focusing on leg turnover. After a short warm up, we did five laps around the track in which we ran the first 200 at mile race pace and then the second 200 at an easy jog. The purpose of the workout was not to build lactic acid but to work on leg speed. Then we ran another four miles at an easy pace. We finished with some core work.
Friday, Feb. 13
I took Friday off except for some light stretching.
Saturday, Feb. 14
Saturday’s run was a 10-mile long run through neighborhoods in cool, drizzling conditions. The run went by quickly and I felt fresh. I had an endurance gel packet about halfway through for energy. I have found that they are very useful during long runs to help finish the run strong.
Sunday, Feb. 15
On Sunday I ran a six-mile training run. It was a cool, windy day, and I ran on the grass along roads. I felt good and held a medium pace.
Conclusion
This was another good week for me. I have continued to avoid sickness and injuries pretty well by being careful with anything that bothers me and stretching often. Each week I become more eager for the season to start and for me to be able to race for the first time in about eight months!