Glad to hear.

We're at day 47, it should be starting to feel easy to get out consistently and bang out 30 minutes minimum. Most of you who are "still here" and did not over do it in the first part of this challenge and are uninjured should have fairly clear sailing to really ramp fitness in the second half of this thing. I view the first half as the "train to train part". The second half is where the real training happens. The first half is just getting ourselves physically, mentally and in some cases, logistically ready to ramp the running.

thanks everyone for playing along.

For those who have been sitting on the fence, why not join in and do your personal 50/50?

Dev

I'm a bit disappointed it appears I won't even hit 70 runs, trying to keep training somewhat balanced with biking and swimming, keeps the numbers down. In addition to just needing some rest since many of my runs are on the higher mileage and/or intensity side. I am happy with my mileage though, keeping that in the top 50 at least.

Half Marathon was this past weekend. Finally got a run in today. Legs were trashed. I have been refusing to look at the challenge. Waaaaahhh.

At work now and ran 30 minutes before work. I have been tillering the back of a ladder all day and really want to run now. Instead of the rollers which take take concentration. It would be nice to just veg out and run for the sake of running. Just let every thought go and run.
That is what I like about running. When all is said and done you do not need take anything to do it other then sneakers (maybe not even them.) and no thought at all.
IT IS JUST RUNNING
But alas I promised myself no doubles this week. Waaaaaa I want to run.

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At the 30 day mark I thought I had a LONG way to go. Now suddenly we're almost to day 50!

I'm only 1 behind and I'll get it made up very soon.

nice way to negative split! Yay!

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Tomorrow marks the halfway mark of the 100/100 challenge. I had a little time on my lunch hour, and I’ve crunched some numbers about how everyone’s doing. There are a number of people registered for the challenge that aren’t actively logging workouts, but I wasn’t sure where to draw a cutoff line so I included everyone.

Total number of participants: 498

Run Frequency
On 100+ pace (49 runs): 34 (6.8%)
On 90+ pace (44 runs): 85 (17%)
On 80+ pace (39 runs): 115 (23%)
On 70+ pace (34 runs): 151 (30%)

Run Distance
On 700+ mile pace (343 miles): 11 (2.2 %)
On 600+ mile pace (294 miles): 29 (5.8%)
On 500+ mile pace (245 miles): 64 (12.9%)
On 400+ mile pace (196 miles): 119 (23.9%)
On 300+ mile pace (147 miles): 174 (34.9%)
On 200+ mile pace (98 miles): 238 (47.8%)

I started off thinking I’d shoot for 80 (6 days a week with 6 bonus off days), but I’m at 49/49 and having a lot of fun. Now I just have to figure out what to do with all the run fitness I’m building…

Ah, after tonight I will be 11 back from 49.... time to tack on some extra 30 min runs.

Three runs this week @ 6 a.m.! I'm NOT a morning person, but thanks to the Challenge, I got out the door! My pace @ 70% HR is down 20 sec/mile with just 30-35 min avg time for runs.

Hey Scott, thanks for that tip. I agree it is important to learn how the body responds, and this can change over time either for the better or worse. For me, it is a matter of learning how my "new" body works.

Anyway, yesterday I took a full day off training. In fact, I literally took a full day off of "life in general" and went through the motions... but barely.

For a number of reasons, I needed a mental break from all the pressures of day to day life and did not feel like doing anything at all. Maybe it was just last week's crazy busy business trip, with lots of flying lots of lack of sleep and running 8-10 miles in the middle of what would ordinarily be my "REM sleep time" catch up. And I'm dreading a 3 day trip to the west coast starting Sunday evening, returning overnite on Tuesday, so that was not helping my morale either.

I really was tempted to go out and run because of this challenge, but then I took a step back and said, "No, I think I really need a mental break".

I did the bare minimum at work, the bare minimum at home, nothing on the training front.

It was just one of those days when you step away from yourself and say, "I think I need to checkout for a day". I don't have this often, and I usually plan days when I will "check out", but in this case it was reactive, and probably needed.

This morning's run was 8k and felt really good (as we would expect after a day of having "checked out"). Right now I am 3 runs behind 100/100 pace and around 40 k behind the pace to hit 1000K by the end. It means I have to do around 11k per day for the next 50 days, or 70K per week with a few weeks of 80-90k.....that will be hard, not from a mileage perspective but more so from a time management and motivation perspective.

As you know it is much easier to get motivated for something that you have never done. When you have done something before it is much harder.

Dev

That was a GREAT decision. I've done that a couple times this challenge and feel a mixture of guilt and happiness upon doing so. :) That said, this challenge has me at 4 hours/week WAY before I ususally do in the season and I'm so glad I joined! Many times the only reason I go for a run when I don't want to is the idea of climbing up the spreadsheet. :)

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Dev,

Thank you for sharing. I took a rest day yesterday. I still ran for 30 minutes, but it was slow & easy. Today, I feel much more energized. Taking a rest day to recharge your batteries is important. As working triathletes with kids, we push ourselves too hard. You sound especially busy and your contributions to ST are noticed. I don't know how you do it all.

Again, thank you for sharing. You're an inspiration.

Have a great weekend. Rest Up! :)

100/100 Challenge Tip of the Week:

I wanted to continue on the post I started last week, which is learning from the experience. The ultimate objective is reaching maximum potential in peak races, so when reviewing a previous season that is a good place to start. Did you reach the peak performance you were looking for? If not, here may be a few of the causes.

Unrealistic goals and expectations: Example if you are running a 20 minute PR for 5k at the start of the training block, a goal of 1:17 for a half marathon is an unrealistic expectation. You would be surprised at some of the goals I have heard with the comment, "I have three months to train."

Reaching peak fitness too early: Runners spend way too much time in specific training. Do the workouts at proper times. If you felt you were in better shape a month before peak race, chances are you got to fitness too fast. It really is like gourmet cooking, in the fact that every thing needs to be added in proper sequence and timing. If this is the case, adjust and add more base time before adding specific training.

Did not allow enough time: This is not being properly prepared to add the specific training in the right time frames. If your plan did not end with four solid weeks of peak training, consider adding more time to the next training block.

Failure to taper: This is a tricky one, as some athletes respond to more modest tapers, while others respond to more aggressive tapers. If you felt the taper was too short or modest, try a more aggressive approach next time.

How did I perform in my Tune Up races: This is a second step in reviewing a plan. Some runners actually perform better in tune up races than the peak race. This is caused by reaching fitness too early. If this is the case, than modify the plan to eliminate this from repeating itself.

Poor performances in early races, but improve steadily in the training cycle: This indicates the plan was efficient to some level, but fitness was lower than expected at the start and you play catch up in the training cycles. This limits you from building on the training foundation you have established in past blocks.

If you have the tendency to get out of shape between training blocks, develop a plan that allows you to stay fit in the off training periods.



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Good stuff. Thank you!

Hey Scot you talkin to me.
I am trying to fend off the peaking early part.
If it feels good and easy how do you Dance around that? Right now a 7:10 minute mile seems pretty easy. As does the 6:20 mile during intervals.

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Thanks....I get a lot of help on the home front. My family just does not like me posting details on what they are doing because unlike me, they are almost never on the internet in any form (that includes my 16 year old...which is an oddity today). But yes, life is busy and in general, like most age groupers, we like it that way (not only that, my family does not like it when I am not busy), but from time to time, I/we need to take a step back to slow down the pace. There is only so much energy to give. During the 100/100, it's a self imposed additional layer of scheduling and pressure to figure out where to get all these runs in around life and the other tri stuff, but I do know from past experience, the payoff is good. The big run base allows me to park the run training in a bit of maintenance mode and focus on swim and bike when the weather outside gets good, knowing that the run training is largely taken care of.

I find you can ramp swim and bike training really quickly off big run fitness, but the opposite never works.

Dev

"I find you can ramp swim and bike training really quickly off big run fitness, but the opposite never works." (Dev)


I'm banking on this, as February begins my getting back into the pool and more indoor bike training.

It always works to a large degree. My athletes here in Ottawa always have a winter run focus because we can't bike outdoors here and too much trainer time leads to mental burnout.

They all perform on the bike in the spring/summer (for them) even though the bike training is not that huge.

I do try to get them to maintain some semblance of swimming which they should but if they miss it, they won't injure themselves (unlike running).

For myself, I have been able to take large blocks of time off swimming in the winter, because I am am doing 5-10 hours per week of upper body aerobic work with XC skiing. That has been less this year, so I'll need to get back in the water soon if I want to actually race in the spring (like in April or May). If I want to only race in June/July, then I have time on my side.

"I am am doing 5-10 hours per week of upper body aerobic work with XC skiing." (Dev)

That just sounds like fun. I love snow!

100/100 Challenge Tip Of the Week:
I would to conclude my thoughts on learning from the experience.

Was specific endurance limited: Did you fail to focus on a specific training for the course at hand. If you had a 10k and were doing base miles did you fail to include hills, tempos etc that mimic the course? The cure obviously would be more planning of a peak course. One of the things that a lot of people fail to do for Boston is focus on downhill running and the transitioning to uphill running. Do a tempos that mimic that transition. If you have a tendency to go out too fast do a workout where you do a 1200 at 5k pace go do a 2-3 mile tempo at half marathon pace, and finish with another repeat. This will mimic going out fast, settling in and then closing fast. Of course the paces are slower than a race but the tempo changes will aclimate you for the race effort.

Experimentation:
Do not be afraid to alter or experiment with your training. Training has always been the experiment of one anyway so find what works and make minor altercations such as more mileage , different tapers, , different types of tempos etc. I see so many athletes get stuck with the same training plan and use it over , and over but as you evolve as an athlete so should the plan. You may get good results with a plan but you may get better results with another plan so do not be afraid to make adjustments.



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Just wanted to remind everyone that today is day 50....let's hear what you did special on day 50. For me it was over 4 hours of training including a race. I'll post details a bit later today. I just need to catch up on a number of things at home and pack up for a trip to the west coast that I leave for tomorrow afternoon.

Day 50 with 40 runs ( pretty much on plan ) breaking 300 miles for the challenge.

Rough run today, I went downhill skiing yesterday the first time in about seven years. Great day but ,my quads were shot.

Dropped my son off at a birthday party and the gym was like two miles away. So....... I had a 10 mile run to get in today and this was my first chance. all I had was a hour and fifteen minute window. So I set out to do it in a hour and fifteen minutes. After a 1:07:3x seconds I accomplished my goal ahead of time :0) it felt very good. i set the dreadmill faster from the begginning so I did not have to play to much ketchup.:0).....get it ketchup hahaha... it felt slightly hard but i was able to deal with the pace pretty good. just hope the dreadmill translates into some pretty fast times on the road!

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i am barely keeping up with my 70/100 to my big surprise.
i lost 4 days to illness in the beginning and i lost another 6 last week due to travel and hard physical work. i actually had to take a day off today. not too happy about that.

I ran 14 today, for my 36th run. Slowly working myself up from the mid 200's to 130's today. I'll be doing my first doubles this week to do some catch up. Really enjoying this.