Also use Speedcross, great for me on runs under 15k and snow!
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Want to make things more interesting? Figure out which shoes can have elastic laces and which need actual string laces due to terrain challenges. I have 2 Xterra races where the terrain is challenging enough that my elastic laces let my feet slide and slow me down. Other races, my feet don’t move around due to terrain.
Wish I hadn’t left mine in Austria last ski season 
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Started running a couple weeks ago (pretty stoked on it!) and when I start my run (past 2 runs or so), I have some general knee discomfort for maybe the first minute, and then goes away. Post run, walking, going up stairs, and general movement doesn’t hurt. Should I full stop until I can go out without any discomfort, or just dial my pace / duration back a little?
Hey TR Runners.
I just finished IMFL and I’m already starting to feel the offseason itch. Anyways my goals for 2020 are going to be at the Olympic distance, and in particular I’d love to bag a top-10 in USA Triathlon Nationals in my age group. To do that I figure I’ll need to be able to crank out a 38min 10k off the bike. Currently I can pretty regularly hit 42min for the 10k, and this was with an Ironman focused training program. What can/should I do this offseason to position myself to get those types of gain on the run?
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Dial it down pace wise and build. No need to get hurt which will put you in a worse position.
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Seeing as most of the really high level athletes at the OLY distance still train in the 20-30 hours per week area, I’m going to be focusing on getting to running 4x/week and improving fatigue resistance. I think I had tended to do my running intervals too hard, so listening to how Joel Filliol and Arild Tveiten coach up their guys, instead of trying to do super hard intervals, they aim to do more intervals at either under or only very slightly above current 10k pace. But for me, I’m not going to be focusing on those hard of intervals for a while, and instead getting in a lot of good consistent miles <= LT1 and throwing in some tempo and stride work. January rolls around and I’ll be trying to get time/mileage up along with some longer style VO2 intervals (doing an overall VO2 block Jan/Feb) and going to save the most specific race prep work to 4-6 weeks out from races. Otherwise all other focus is going to be trying to increase aerobic capacity or fatigue resistance with tempo work, alternating blocks.
4 min off of a 10k is hard work… One of the things I really noticed about doing road triathlon is that there is a lot less separation possible. For xterras there’s a lot of separation on the bike, and even on the run due to the technical nature. On the road, it’s all about pacing it right.
I actually qualified for 2020 nats, but don’t think i’ll have the money to go out there. How far is it from you? Days drive to Milwaukee?
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Thanks. for the insight. The more I read up on how I’m going to get that much faster on the run the more I realize that while do-able for me (I think) it’s going to be pretty hard. The big unknown for me is that while I have a pretty solid running base from the last 15 years or so, I’ve really neglected that top-end, so I’m curious how those years of base building are going to play out in this attempt.
As for Milwaukee, I still need to qualify as there are very few USAT sanctioned races here where I live, but the one I’m aiming to qualify at I took 1st in my AG last year so I’m thinking I’ve got a good shot there. It’s only a 5hr drive for me, and that’s where I grew up so I’ll be getting to stay with the folks for the race. My cost is pretty much down to gas and race registration which is really nice!
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Ultimately, to run a 38, you’ve got to be somewhere around a 36-37 open 10k. It gets more realistic to do that when you’re improving from the base and not relying on energy stores that will be depleted since the run is last in the triathlon
Can a zwift runpod be used outside?
Just received one, thought it might be more consistent to record indoor and outdoor runs the same way.
Should be able to. I have used my Garmin one via ANT+. The ZPod is BLE only, but should work the same.
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Yeah, just open up zwift on your run so you can virtual run on zwift to avoid running outdoors while you actually run outdoors while enjoying your virtual scenery!
Wait…
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I did that the very first day Z Android was released 
It was even in a outside running race when I did it. Just stuck it in my pocket and was in 2 places at once 
So still use the zwift app then - I wondered if it plugged into other apps.
Seems strange that zwift do half marathon plans but don’t expect people to run outside. A bit like TR not so long ago though, I suppose.
Oh, Zwifts training plans are a hot mess. They are setup with one specific use case and flow. If you want to deviate from it in any way, you are out of luck. No juggling days, limits on when you can access the next workout and more restrictions.
As to the other use of the pod, you should be able to pair it to activity tracking apps (not Strava 
) like the Wahoo Fitness one, and have it capture steps and such.
Has anyone tried Tabata-style training for marathons? I tried it for the first time on the treadmill last night; ten sets of 30s on, 30s off. Other than worrying that the gym staff might come over and reprimand me for stressing their equipment, it went just fine.
I’m hoping that adding a new stimulus might help push me down towards the 2:35 mark early next year.
2:35 marthon? Wow that is cooking.
It would be! I’m only on 2:39 at the moment, but I don’t think my usual training methods alone are going to get me there. And shaking things up a bit is always good fun anyway
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I cannot help you w/getting to 2:35. But I am curious as to what your training look like when you go into full marathon mode? Do you do something like Pfitz 18/70 or have you evolved your own training routine?
And as you said, change is good! A bit of new stimulus might just be what you need.
I base it very loosely on on the Jack Daniels plan, mostly in relation to the speedwork or interval components.
For my weekly long run I generally try to alternative between one week at a consistent easy pace (around 30 to 45sec/k slower than race pace), and one week sandwiching increasingly long durations at race pace between the easy parts, up to around 20k at race pace.
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