Submitted by Eric Powers
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. 26
Monday’s run was a morning six-mile training run through neighborhoods. It was supposed to be a speed workout day, but it was very cold and windy so the speed work was pushed back to Tuesday. My legs were fine but I felt a little sluggish overall.
Tuesday, Feb. 17
On Tuesday we did long interval training. We started with stretching and a mile warm-up around campus. The workout was 4x1200-meters and 1x800-meters at around 5,000-meter race pace with a lap jog between each repeat. I felt pretty strong throughout the workout and held the same pace throughout.
Wednesday, Feb. 18
Wednesday’s workout was a training run at a medium pace. I didn’t feel any soreness or tiredness from the speed work on Tuesday so I went seven miles along neighborhood roads. It was a warm, but very windy day. We finished practice with some core work.
Thursday, Feb. 19
We began Thursday’s workout with a short warm-up, stretching, and core work. Then, we ran 3x100-meters at about 800 race pace to work on some quick leg speed. Finally, we ran six miles on trails and through the forest. It was a warm, sunny day.
Friday, Feb. 20
On Friday, I ran six miles along neighborhood roads. It was a medium-paced run on a warm, sunny day, and I felt somewhat tired. After the run, I made sure to eat a big dinner (actually, two big dinners) and get enough sleep because I had a long run the next morning.
Saturday, Feb. 21
Saturday’s workout was an 11-mile long run through neighborhoods. It was a cool, sunny morning. The extra food and rest from Friday seemed to pay off: I felt great during the run. Later in the day I felt pretty tired, but taking Sunday off helped me to recover fully.
Sunday, Feb. 22
I did not run on Sunday.
Conclusion
I am keeping my mileage pretty consistent this season so far, even increasing it slightly as the weeks pass. My training has been much steadier than last year, and I have also been training at a faster average pace. I am still feeling healthy and more than ready to race. There are only a few more weeks to go until I find out how much I have improved since last year.