Fall 2006 Training Log

Well it's been a very busy fall this year, but I'm really pleased with the steps I've taken forward in training compared to last year. It took a few weeks to adjust the near-1000m altitude where we are living now, but I think it added a little extra stimulus.

Major differences so far from last year are that I don't have to be prepared to run fast in March (for Commonwealth Games last year) so I have been able to keep my mileage up and relax a little with less VOz max sessions and more tempo runs. I will continue this type of training right up until the late spring because I feel I gain a lot from the aerobic training, as I think many do. I think some mid-distance runners forget that the 1500m, for example, is more than 75% aerobic, which is a good indicator of the type of training one should do.

With this being said, I think it's really beneficially to compliment aerobic training with the complete opposite side of the spectrum, such as short fast hills and plyometric training. And, it is also very imporant to mention that even though aerobic base is crucial, you should never try to run mileage that causes a reduction in overall quality of training -- it's a fine balance that every athlete and coach needs to establish and recognize.

So, here is an example of the last month of my training, where I've also used some 5-6km road races as a training boost and test of fitness. Many will need to read this definition key before looking at the training:

Black writing - training
Red writing - my comments, mostly written for myself and coaches to look back and know how I I was feeling at the time. I like to be able to look back at training and know what worked and what didn't and perhaps why.
wu - warm-up jog
wd - warm-down jog
E - easy run
' - minutes
" - seconds
X's - diagonals on a soccer field - stride across, jog ends. ie. 8' X's means I did 8 mins of continuous diagonals.
Cir. - circuit training: abs, push-ups, medicine ball, jumps, skipping, etc.
Plyos - plyometrics: lunges, hopping, jumps on boxes or step-ups, many jumps are also over hurdles, as well as some other coordination drills. This training is an important aspect of my training (ie. I would cut mileage out before this) because it helps maintain speed and power.

Click here to see pdf of training>>