Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Why I Love the RLRF Program...

Not that long ago I was suffering in the depths of a major running funk. I've been running for quite a few years, but stepped it up when I quit smoking about 4 years ago. As most of you know, 99% of my training is done on the treadmill. So it is usually SUPER boring and repetitive. I was in a rut where even running just a few miles was a struggle and felt way too hard. RLRF has changed that. No. Seriously!!

After a sorta craptastic tempo run last Wednesday, I'm happy to report that my scheduled 20 miler on Friday was a complete success. I even beat my goal pace by :12 per mile AND ran an extra .5ish. Sweet!

I had the weekend off from running since it was A's birthday, and had my speed work planned for Monday. However. I caught some sort of stomach bug and was up with the chills and puking most of the night. Needless to say, my Monday run didn't happen. This morning, I squeezed in a trip to the gym, and had a pretty complicated run on schedule:

Goal: 10-20 min warm up easy @ 10:53, 3x(2x1200 @ 6:28, 2 min RI), 4 min between sets, 10 min cool down easy @ 10:53. 

Which translated into me doing this:


Actual: 1.87 @ 10:43, 1200 @ 6:32, .12 @ 2:00, 1200 @ 6:26, .16 @ 2:00, .25 @ 4:00, 1200 @ 6:26, .15 @ 2:00, 1200 @ 6:26, .15 @ 2:00, .25 @ 4:00, 1200 @ 6:26, .15 @ 2:00, 1200 @ 6:26, .15 @ 2:00, .25 @ 4:00, 1.00 @ 10:34.

Total: 9.00 in 1:33:19

What? 9 miles? Really? Certainly didn't FEEL like 9 miles. And I like that. I never ever thought I would say 9 miles was "pretty easy" or "went by fast." That's awesome.

Where am I going with this? Well, I've never used a training program. I wasn't sure I would like the structure of it all. But you know what? I really like it. There are times where I think I stop sooner than I need to, or don't push myself harder.

***

As an aside. I'm really on the fence about my crazy idea of running a 100 miler at the end of March. If I'm going to attempt this, I probably should step up my mileage a bit. Anyone ever run 100 miles? Any tips? Thoughts? Suggestions? Deterrents?

6 comments:

  1. My concern about trying RLRF for myself is just deciphering all the running algebra!

    100 miles sounds so scary, but then so did a 5K and 10K and half marathon .... so ....

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  2. "Fast Cory" (a fellow blogger) just did a 100-miler over the weekend...maybe check out his mileage and whatnot on his blog (just Google the quotes)...and I know several who have done Leadville. I admire your tenacity to do it, you are awesome!

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  3. I loved and craved the structure of RLRF. As a newer runner, I liked knowing exactly how hard I should work out. The just go run thing never worked for me.

    I'm running 50M in December and then I'm planning to shoot for 100 miles in late-March as well. Are you looking at the NJ100 too? You already did 50 so you have a leg up on me. My coach suggested at least a second 50M or 100K for me before attempting 100M. I'll do that in Feb.

    Not sure what your mileage is but the long run is very important to work out fueling issues which are critical in 100M. And if you are looking at a technical mountain kind of 100M, weekend long runs on trails with similar terrain are extremely important.

    The NJ100 is a flat rail trail course so if you are targeting late March and will have to do mostly treadmill training, it might be a good one to check out!

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  4. YEAH! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the RLRF program. I know lots of people who've tried it & quit. I think it's a love-hate thing. I love the variety in workouts - those miles just slip by. I like having the mental aspect of something to chase after for each run.

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  5. I'm reading RLRF now and plan on trying it for 2012 races. I've read nothing but god reviews about the training.

    I'm hoping to run my first ultra next year. Not 100 miles but beyond 26.2 :)

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