The Distance Runner

Training Training Logs
1

Hence the title, I’m a competitive distance runner, but don’t let that fool you.

Height: 5’9’’
Weight: 137 (Yeah, I’m light)

Lifting Prs
Deadlift: 5x295, 1x305 (Set this week)
Back Squat: 5x175, 1x195 (Set this week)
Front Squat: 4x150
Bench: 2x165

Running Prs
200m: 24 (on the fly for the 400m)
400m: 55.3 open, 51 high for 4x400m split
800m: 1:58.5 (Done on a sprained ankle)
1500m: 4:10.1
5000m: 16:00.0
8000m: 26:52 (cross country, not track)

My main goals are to hit 1.5xBW (205) for back squat and 2.5xBW (342) for deadlift each for 5 reps by the end of this track season. Running, run a 50. split for 4x400m, 1:56 or better 800m, sub 4:00 for the 1500m, and sub 16 for the 5k.

So far this season I’ve gotten faster every meet and stronger every week. I work up to a max set of 5 reps for deadlift or squat on their day, then I go for a triple at the next weight up, sometimes getting it, sometimes only a single, and sometimes failing miserably. Upper body stuff has become accessory work since I’m in season, but it will get more emphasis once I graduate this spring so I can balance it out with the strength I’ve built in my legs.

And for what I’ve done since last Saturday.

2/18/12

2 miles warmup + sprint drills + strides
1609m(The Mile): 4:31.73 (409m: 67, 809m: 2:14, 1209m: 3:22)
Jog a lap around the building + strides
800m: 2:02.23 (28, 58, 1:29)
Jog a couple laps around the building, lay around, then strides
4x400m: 3:37.17 team, 54 split
Jog a mile cool down

2/19/12

6 way BBell Complex @ 55#
Deadlift: 5 @ 135#, 5 @ 185#, 5 @ 225#, 5 @ 265#, 5 @ 295#, fail @ 315#, 10 @ 145# (explosive)

2/20/12

6 way BBell Complex @ 55#
Bench @ 135# alternated with Pullups @ bw + 15#: 5x5 on both
Bench @ 75#, 3x10 explosive
Pull downs @ 70#, 3x10 explosive

Ran 10.5ish miles

2/21/12

1.5 miles warmup + sprint drills + strides
3x4x300m, 1:00 between reps, 5:00 between sets, goal 47-50
Actual: 45-48, 2 reps at 49
1 mile cool down

2/22/12

6 way BBell Complex @ 55#
Back Squat: 5 @ 95#, 5 @ 115#, 5 @ 135#, 5 @ 155#, 5 @ 175#, 1 @ 195#, 5 @ 85#(explosive), 2x10 @ 65#(explosive)
Dips Supersetted with Chinups: 5x5 no added weight

Ran 6 miles

2

2/23/12

3 miles steady (6-6:30 per mile pace)
4x Block Starts

I’ve never used blocks before so the first few run-throughs were interesting. My first one I had one foot hit the other leg, the second one my spike gripped the ground weird about 5 steps in, the third my reaction time was really slow, and the fourth one was good except I looked a tad slow next to a guy who runs a 7.3 60m. This is to prepare for when I occasionally do the open 400m outdoors, and possibly 400m, 200m, 4x400m for a meet.

3

Good to see another athlete logging their training :slight_smile: Best of luck this season! I’ll be sure to subscribe :slight_smile:

4

Thanks man, my last indoor meet is next weekend, I’ll be sure to keep up with your endeavors.

2/24/12

1.5 miles warmup + sprint drills + strides
4 sets of 600m @ mile pace, 20-30 seconds rest, 200m as fast as possible, 5:00 between sets
Goal: 1:36-1:42 for 600m, 28-32 for 200m
1:40, 28
1:40, 30
1:39, 30
1:45, 30
1 mile cool down

Rest was based on the last person that came in so it generally ended up being more than the 20 seconds it should have been in between the 600m and 200m reps. Legs didn’t tie up from lactic acid or anything, they were tired from squatting on Wednesday. I had to flat foot the last 600m because I physically couldn’t stay on my toes past 200m. Overall just plain exhausting.

5

2/27/12

1.5 miles warmup sprint drills strides
400m(28,58), 600m(33,65,1:37), 400m(28,58), 200m(30)
1 mile cool down

2/28/12

Ran 5ish miles.

Was a bit sick over the weekend. Workout on Monday felt ok till the end of the second 400m when my calves cramped up for no real reason. Just shaking the legs out from now till the conference meet this weekend. Next lift is Sunday.

6

2/29/12

1.5 miles warmup + sprint drills + strides
4x200m w/ 1:00 rest
31, 31, 30, 30
2 miles cool down

Nice chill workout to loosen the legs up before conference this weekend.

7


3/1/12

2 miles warmup + sprint drills + strides
800m in 2:02.13 (28, 58, 1:30)
2 miles cool down

3/2/12

1.5 miles warmup + sprint drills + strides
DMR(1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m) in 10:37.20 for the School Record!
1200m in 3:13(32, 65, 1:38, 2:10, 2:42)
Jog .5 miles + strides
4x400m in 3:31.43
400m Split 55(24-25 for 200m and hit the wall at 300m)
1 mile cool down

Edit: I love how all my pictures go sideways. It’s me about 30m into the race when I’m running as fast as possible because we’re in the lead for our heat.

8

3/3/12
6 way BBell Complex @ 55#
Deadlift: 5 @ 135#, 5 @ 185#, 5 @ 225#, 4 @ 275#
Good Mornings: 10 @ 95#, 10 @ 105#, 10 @ 115#

Bad day for deadlifting, but I anticipated that after racing 2 days straight. I just cut off where I failed. Also, for the first time ever I managed to get a hook grip to work, though I switched back to power grip for 275.

9

3/6/12

Ran 10 miles.

Calves feel like shit for no reason. I haven’t run/raced since Saturday and the deadlifting shouldn’t have done anything to affect them either. Should be good by tomorrow’s workout though.

10

Your distance times comparably suck to your 800, do you not race the 1500 or 5k very often?

11

Last year for track was a weird season. I ran that 1500m in 4:10 literally 2 weeks after indoor ended and never ran faster. Basically I was in a constant state of tiredness except that I was running times for workouts that were telling my coach I should be under 1:56 for 800m and sub 4 in the 1500m.

So far this season when I’ve run the 1000m and mile for indoor I had little to no real competition. No one was seeded in the 1000m from my team so I was wrongly placed in the slow heat, winning it by 7 seconds in 2:41 and missing second place by only tenths. The mile I led from the start, gapped the field at 400m to go, and got beaten because I coasted down the homestretch to save energy for the 800m and 4x400m I had waiting for me later that meet.

I rarely run the 5k, generally I only run it in the fall as a fun race during cross country, but because of the 16 flat barrier I’ll be running it near the end of my outdoor season.

Next week I’ll be running the 1500m, 800m, and 4x400m at USF. Should be a good baseline to look at for the rest of the season.

12

3/7/12

1.5 miles warmup + sprint drills + strides
3x1200m w/ 2:00 rest

  • 3:49(77,2:33)
  • 3:46(72,2:30)
  • 3:40(72,2:26)
    2 miles cooldown

I literally felt nothing during this workout. As soon as I finished a rep my breathing went back to normal within 15 seconds.

13

3/8/12

6 way BBell Complex @ 55#
Deadlift: 5 @ 135#, 5 @ 185#, 3 @ 225#, 3 @ 265#, 1 @ 295#, 3x fail @ 315#
Lunge Aparatus Thingamajig: Started with sets of 5 at 50#, worked up to 180# before deciding that more sets were going to tire me too much for my run.

Ran 10ish miles

So the whole thing with the lunge was that one guy that went to lift with us today was doing them, figured that maybe some single leg work might be good but I’d start light because I was tired from deadlifting. Started by adding 10# per set, then after 100# I started going up by 20# per set. 180# was hard, but still doable for multiple sets. Kinda depresses me because that’s a little more weight than I usually use to squat. Man does my squat suck.

14

3/9/12

1.5 miles warmup + sprint drills + strides
100m, 110m, 120m, 130m, 140m, 150m, 160m, 170m, 180m, 190m, 200m, walk back recovery between reps, basically all out except the first rep
No cool down

The only rep that got timed was the 200m, which I hit 25, though considering how tight my legs were from the lunges yesterday I was surprised to even hit that. My glutes are so tight they feel bruised when I sit down.

Florida for track trip in a couple days, gonna be a nice long drive down from Ohio…

15

[quote]ranger_x3 wrote:
Last year for track was a weird season. I ran that 1500m in 4:10 literally 2 weeks after indoor ended and never ran faster. Basically I was in a constant state of tiredness except that I was running times for workouts that were telling my coach I should be under 1:56 for 800m and sub 4 in the 1500m.

So far this season when I’ve run the 1000m and mile for indoor I had little to no real competition. No one was seeded in the 1000m from my team so I was wrongly placed in the slow heat, winning it by 7 seconds in 2:41 and missing second place by only tenths. The mile I led from the start, gapped the field at 400m to go, and got beaten because I coasted down the homestretch to save energy for the 800m and 4x400m I had waiting for me later that meet.

I rarely run the 5k, generally I only run it in the fall as a fun race during cross country, but because of the 16 flat barrier I’ll be running it near the end of my outdoor season.

Next week I’ll be running the 1500m, 800m, and 4x400m at USF. Should be a good baseline to look at for the rest of the season.[/quote]

Cool, that would explain it. Best of luck to you man!

16 
After spending about 19 hours in the car...

3/12/12

4 Miles on the beach, barefoot

I just want to eat, get in my hotel room, shower, and sleep...
17

good look at the florida meet, hopefully you’ll run a 1500m PB :slight_smile: how old are you man?

18

I’m 22 right now. I hope I run a pr too, it’s actually the same meet I set my pr in last year. I just need to remember to get ticked off halfway through the race instead of sitting and kicking like what almost happened last year.

3/13/12

Morning:
1.5 miles warmup
3x400m (61, 59, 58), 400m walk/jog recovery, 4x200m (31, 30, 29, 28), 200m walk recovery
1.5 miles cooldown

Pullups, Dips, random stuff

Afternoon:

Random mini races
4 miles on the beach

Workout this morning was a scorcher, but I also prefer to not be at the track when the sun is almost directly over head like at 11am. Still feels a bit different running on an outdoor track, the reps felt slow despite how fast they were timewise. And of course I’m still getting over the lack of sleep over the weekend and driving here.

19

3/14/12

Ran 10 miles, in the sand, but with shoes this time.

I’m now relatively burnt because all my sunscreen sweat off during the run. Mission accomplished.

20

3/15/12 - Off

3/16/12

Morning: 2ish miles

Afternoon:
1 mile warmup + random bullshitting
1500m in 4:07 (64, 2:12, 3:19-3:20)
More random bullshitting

So I felt so bad before my race that I couldn’t even keep up with my teammates on warmup, the fastest of which ran 18 seconds slower than me. I barely managed to do a couple of sprint drills so I scrapped doing those. I couldn’t hit top turnover like I usually do for my strides, so at that point I was thinking “Man is this race just going to suck.”

Once the race started though, it all changed. I just chilled back in anywhere from 6th to 8th until about 600m to go where the top 4 guys started to break off from the rest, so I picked it up a little to catch back up. Then I rode the shoulder of the two guys leading until 250m to go where I decided it would be a good idea to pass them, but it was too early and I got passed back in the last 80m when I hit the wall, though I still ran about 47-48 for my last 300m which is about as fast as when I finished my 1200m a couple weeks ago.

I was supposed to run the 800m as well, but that didn’t happen because I got a massive blister on the outside of my right foot. And by massive I mean that it’s about 4 inches long and could have connected to another blister had I run a longer distance.