TR Running Thread 2023

Straights are typically shorter than the turns - that’s why you typically have a little sticky-out bit for the start of the 100m.

2 Likes

I recently started using it too. Works great. The only part I don’t like, but I get, is that usually I do not use the track for warmup or cool down. So I have to use the multi sport mode to accommodate this. Start with a run… Switch sports and pick track, when done switch again to run… You end with 3 run on multi sort mode…

@Joelrivera I usually run to the track, then lap when needed, resulting in a single activity. But w/this track mode, I guess I’ll have multiple activities (no big deal for me), one for the run there and then another for the track session. I get home on a city rental bike :smile:

@AgingCannon Typical tracks have 84.39m straights w/curves having a radius of 36.5m as shown below (image via google search) Although, I’m quite positive there is some slight variation/allowance to this that still meets competition standards, governing bodies, etc… And after further research, this track I live near is called an equal quadrant track (consists of two 100m straights each and two 100m curves) which are not so common anymore. All one has to do is run fast in lane 1 thru the curve to really dislike the tight radius compared to modern tracks.

2 Likes

Hello again,
doing the barryP approach as ive mentioned, if i missed 2 runs due to sickness, would you restart the week or keep the progression going?
I’m still at pretty low volumes (2hrs total for the week)

Wider turns and shorter straights makes for a faster track. Some schools have short turns and long straights. I once ran on a track that was a triangle. And then there is this one that has four straights. Most HS are set up with 100 meter straights to accommodate football and soccer fields… colleges tend to have track only facilities so the wider turns.

Note: This track is also 407 meters. :crazy_face:

1 Like

You’ve really got to listen to your body on this one and ease back into it. There’s no shame in resting while sick.

Caveats aside and assuming you’re following the normal S M S M S L pattern and you missed a S and a M run, I would close out the week with a S and a M or another S and skip the L this week.

So it’s look like this: X X S M S M, S M X X S M or S X X S S M

Then the next week, just get back to normal and dialing back the distances or taking an extra day off if you’re still recovering from illness. It’s ok to go S M S M S M or or S S M S S M. There’s no magic here that’s going to make or break a season.

1 Like

If I’ve been sick or had to miss runs for other reasons, I’ve always repeated the week. I’ve even repeated weeks in a plan if I had a bad week and struggled w/the workouts. No need to rush forward especially if you were sick. Also you’re only starting to ease back into running. Restarting the week won’t wreck your season :wink:

2 Likes

Where in Fl are you? Weather has been great in Orlando

Melbourne area… Orlando usually slightly better than here during the winter and much worse during the summer (no breeze)

OK, have started reading BarryP. Consistency and injury prevention being my watchwords during the journey back into a shape other than round, I like the idea. One question, though… do I understand correctly from y’all that you run 6x weekly even though you’re also riding, so that several/most days a week get two sports assigned to them?

If I run 6x weekly, my week would look like this:

Or should I start by running only 3x per week, like this?

Basically, given the three rides already present in the week, is it better to run 3x weekly on the days you don’t ride, or 6x weekly in smaller doses to keep the total TSS reasonable?

(Note that I’m using “run” as a generic for forward motion on foot… I’ll start by walking as suggested and gradually migrate to running.)

For now you should probably start w/singles per day, i.e., no double sessions. Keep the intensity on the bike, build up time on your feet until your body is used to running as well the daily and weekly loading. When I did this post achilles tendonitis, I started w/less than 15min 3x/week. When I got to 30min, I only progressed the long run until it was 1hr. Then I added a 4th day, 15min run and gradually progressed it to 30min. When I finally built up to 5d x 30min and 1d 60min, I worked on progressing two of the weekday runs to 1hr. The very last thing I progressed was the long run.

Short version, you have to be patient and add time gradually. It’s better to feel like you can run further or faster, than to struggle and/or be injured. Build up and get your body/chassis accustomed to running. If you need to crush something, crush the bike workouts.

4 Likes

That sounds like a really solid plan, and it makes sense to me. Thank you.

I might do that approach, im just increasing total volume by 12 minutes anyways next week, it’s not going to break me lol

As you’re building up frequency and time, I like the progressions that @KickrLin is suggesting. A similar approach would be to build up the days more quickly, but the distances slower (still keep the same weekly time/mileage ramp rate the same).

Once you get to doubles, I like to put at least one (if not both) of the medium runs/workouts on the same day as the midweek bike workouts and put the short runs on their own day. That way you get 1 completely off day and 1 or 2 easy days with only a very short run. Otherwise you’re 6 days straight of med to hard days. FOR ME, having more easy days to micro-recover during the week is more sustainable. YMMV.

EDIT to add: If you keep it to 3 runs a week, you’re not doing BarryP anymore, you’re just adding running to a TR bike plan. High frequency is the key to that “program” with a secondary focus on high weekly mileage. Running easy is just the means to achieve those long term. In parts 2 and 3, he very much advocates adding intensity while maintaining frequency and mileage. He also gives some guidance on how to combine with biking and use in triathlon (i.e., 1 intensity workout a week instead of 2 or drop one of the short runs or combine one of the short runs w/ a bike as a brick).

3 Likes

Got sick this week. Thought i was recovered and resumed the training only to fall sick again on sunday.
Thats 2 weeks i havent fully completed :frowning:

I need my body to cooperate
1 thing i noticed, first time riding my tri bike, i find that my run gets “affected” differently. Different muscles being used on the bike makes my running hit different, different muscles get “sore” from it. It’s a weird feeling lol

No, my friend, you need to cooperate with your body. You are engaged in training to sculpt your body into better shape (in strength and speed, not just looks!). When you are sculpting clay, and a piece of it cannot hold the weight you ask of it, do you blame the clay?

I forget whether it was in the BarryP threads or where I read it – been reading a lot about training recently – but someone said this: “You need to do the training you are currently prepared to do, not the training you would like to do.”

It’s an important lesson for me to try to internalize, because I often try to do too much. Sounds like you’re on my crew too!

3 Likes

Agreed. Did my first two walks yesterday and today… found it interesting that just by fast walking on the treadmill I can get my HR into Z2 (~140 bpm) or even low tempo (~145-148 bpm). So I’ll keep to walking and add (minutes to each walk, and more days of walking each week) for now.

It seems to me that the initial goal, while walking, is to hit six days a week and a max HR of no more than 135. Once walking isn’t enough to put me into Zone 2, then I’ll start introducing some jogging into the mix.

2 Likes

I got sick toward the end of my recovery week / deload week but still ran.

I seemed to get in a good day bad day rhythm after that and had a bit of a relapse into my current LT block.
First week of a four week block last week and I got the key sessions down but missed or cut the easy sessions down.
Key Sessions.

  • 10 miles with 6 mile at LT pace ~ 7:23 per mile ( the day before I was so bad I only ran 1.5 miles easy, so a nice surprise I got this done, 5th best 10 miles run ever)
  • 7 miles with 5 miles tempo
  • 20 miles long run, was sore, so it wasn’t any stress on the HR and lungs but muscles were so tight I stop to stretch a few times, normally run a max of 18mi and is was the last two miles that the tightness was a real problem, muscular endurance is my problem when running otherwise I could run a 3h12m to 3h15m FM

So a tough 2 weeks, recovery week was also -6C to plus 2C, with illness and the weather.

Still on track, current prediction 3hr23m - 3h27m.

@KickrLin You can add a target of 3h25 to the table if you wish, which is Boston Q time for me.
Age adjusted 3hr24 is sub 3hr if I was 27-28 yr old, so that would be nice but not a target, I am focusing on process goals, do the work, fuel the work, recover from the work.

Hey All,
I’m doing the Triathlon TR workouts and a littel disappointed in the RPE scale for run workouts. Every base run is an RPE6… actually most every run is an RPE6 in the Half Ironman plan. Can anyone share with me what TR is doing to improve their run workouts? I’m hopeful the information will keep me from wondering to another platform…

Is that in Indianapolis? :grinning: