Monday, March 31, 2014

A few more weeks until my opener...

Well, I think it's pretty official that the outdoor season has begun.  There have been a number of meets held around the country, and world for that matter, where athletes are starting to drop some fast times.  And although I'm still a few weeks out from opening up (Apr. 26, Penn Relays), my skin is starting to itch again!  I'm ready to get things rolling!

I'm feeling very, very fit at this point in my training.  I'm definitely not race-ready, but I don't plan on really doing some hard, race-specific training for a few more weeks.  But my competitive juices are flowing as I see other athletes opening up their outdoor campaigns.  And being at our NJNYTC practices the past two weeks? Oh we're ready.

Last week was another tough one.  Gags hit us with some 800m repeats for some strength on Monday, a tempo plus hills on Wednesday, and some speed-endurance training on Friday.  It all hurt.  With Penn Relays coming up, I'm looking to continue pushing my training the next few weeks.  I don't want to start backing off because I'm not looking to run blazing fast times during this part of the season.  I'll be looking to shake the rust off during my first few races before I try to blow things open at Oxy.

Check out last week's training below...

March 24-30

Monday
Morning-
8x800 (2:20x2, 2:18x2, :16x2, :14x2)
Afternoon-
Weight Session
Total Mileage: 10

Tuesday
8 mile recovery run
Drills/Strides


Wednesday
Morning-
4 mile tempo (5:20, :20, :15, :10)
Afternoon-
6x150m hills
Total Mileage: 13.5

Thursday
Morning-
7 mile recovery run
Drills/Strides


Friday
Morning-
 1x600, 1x400, 3x300 (800m pace)
Total Mileage:9
Saturday
14 mile long run

Sunday
OFF

Total Weekly Mileage: 61 (6 days)


For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Monday, March 24, 2014

NO ASTERISKS!!!

Training has continued to move forward this past week.  The weather has not been cooperating with us, but we have found a way to get the work done.  The one thing about the NJ-NY Track Club is that we get our workouts done one way or another!

On Monday, we did repeat 1k's, despite the sub 20 degree weather.  It took some time to get into a rhythm, we worked together to get the job done.  As Coach Gags said to us a few months ago, "You don't get an asterisk next to your time for training in bad weather!"  It's been a bit of a joke amongst the team, but it's true.

On Wednesday, I did a four mile tempo, followed by 6x200 on the track.  Those workouts are great for working on strength and speed all in one day.  Friday we did 6x600 at mile pace, which ended up being a really tough workout for us all, but again, we got the job done!

This week will be another tough one as we won't be backing off the training for a few more weeks.  My training log from last week is below.

March 17- March 22

Monday
Morning Workout-
8x1000
Afternoon-
Weight Session
Total Mileage: 10

Tuesday
Morning-
8 mile recovery run
Drills/Strides


Wednesday
Morning-
2x 2 mile tempo (5:15, 5:05)
6x200 (800 pace)
Afternoon-
Weight Session
Total Mileage: 10

Thursday
Morning-
5 mile recovery run
Afternoon-
4 mile recovery run
Drills/Strides 
Total Mileage: 9


Friday
Morning-
 6x600 (mile pace)
3x300
Total Mileage:8
Saturday
14+ mile long run

Sunday
8 mile recovery run

Total Weekly Mileage: 67


For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I hope you all are enjoying in the festivities!  Responsibly, of course.  This past weekend, the Run O' The Mill 5k went off without a hitch!  The weather cooperated and the runners came with smiles on their faces to race.  We hope to continue to hold the race every year, so make sure to mark your calendars for next year!

Training is going great as well.  As I have posted previously, this time of year is all about getting the work in to prepare ourselves for the long outdoor season ahead.  I feel like I am in good shape and my body is healthy which is always, always, always, a plus.  Last week, we did a little bit of aerobic, strength work on Monday, followed by some solid 800 meter specific work on Wednesday.  Due to the race on Saturday, we combined our long run and tempo run on Friday.

As of right now, we are looking to open up my season at Penn Relays.  Word on the street is that there won't be any USA vs The World events this year.  So I'm not sure what event I will be doing yet, but I think it will be the open mile again as I did last year.  My first 800 looks like it will be at Oxy in May.  Coach Gags and I are going to keep a flexible schedule though as the season goes on.  I'd like to run more 1500s this year because I think I have some untapped potential in that event, but I'll be sticking with the 800 as my primary event!

I hope everyone is enjoying the fast approaching springtime, as long as the weather continues to improve!  I have posted my workouts from last week below...

March 10- March16

Monday
Morning Workout-
4xmile (4:50-4:55)Afternoon-
Weight Session
Total Mileage: 9

Tuesday
Morning-
9 mile recovery run
Drills/Strides


Wednesday
Morning-
200, 500, 3x200
Afternoon-
Weight Session
Total Mileage: 7

Thursday
Morning-
8 mile recovery run
Drills/Strides


Friday
Morning-
14.5 mile long run
w/4 mile tempo in the middleTotal Mileage:14.5
Saturday
8 mile recovery run

Sunday
9 mile recovery run

Total Weekly Mileage: 64.5

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Run O' The Mill 5k!

We are back into our regular routine now...3 workouts a week, increasing mileage, and hitting the weights again 3 days a week.  And my body liked it more when I was tapering for indoors.  But the next 2 months of training is some of the most crucial for the outdoor track season.  Like I said last week, it is a long season and our bodies need to be able to handle the racing and traveling that comes with it.

The weather is finally starting to cooperate as well, which has been a blessing for us in the Northeast.  It has been a rough winter of training with all of the snow and cold temperatures that have been hitting us.  Thirty-five degrees has been feeling like a heat wave though, which is a little bit scary.  Now we just need the rest of the snow and ice to melt so that the trail open back up and I can do some running on soft surfaces again, which is greatly missed!

For those of you weekend warriors, college athletes going on spring break, or anyone in the New Jersey area there is a great opportunity for you to come out and meet/support the New Jersey New York Track Club!!  On March 15, in Clinton, NJ the second annual Run O' The Mill 5k race will be held!  It is a USATF certified course and a sanctioned event hosted by 5000 meter Olympian Julie Culley and the New Jersey New York Track Club!  All members of the club will be there including legendary Coach Frank Gagliano.  We will be working the event to make sure that it runs smoothly but we will also be there to answer questions, take pictures, and sign autographs!  I have posted a link to the race website at the bottom of the blog so that you can check it out.  I expect to see you all there wearing your St. Patrick's green!

The week ahead sounds like it will be a tough one for training, but I'm for the challenge.  If you don't push yourself in practice week in and week out, your results will reflect your fitness accordingly.  My indoor season has reinvigorated my drive and desire to become a better athlete.  I hope to do so this outdoor season!  My training log can be found below...

Run O' The Mill 5k Race Website! 

March 3- March 9

Monday
Morning Workout-
6x800 (2:16)
4x200 (26-27)
Afternoon-
Weight Session
Total Mileage: 9

Tuesday
Morning-
8 mile recovery run
Drills/Strides


Wednesday
Morning-
4 mile tempo run
Drills/Strides
Afternoon-
Weight Session
Total Mileage: 9

Thursday
Morning-
8 mile recovery run
Drills/Strides


Friday
Morning-
3x600 (1:30)
6x400 (60, 59, 60, 60, 57, 56)
Afternoon-
Weight Session
Total Mileage: 8
Saturday
13.5 mile long run

Sunday
8 mile recovery run

Total Weekly Mileage: 63.5

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

The Indoor/Outdoor Transition


There hasn’t been much going on this past week.  It’s that in-between period where there is no racing or training to do, yet all you want to do is train or race.  Mentally, I was still recovering from the USA Championships.  Physically, I don’t think I needed too much time off.  I took the first two days of the week off just to let my legs recover from the racing the weekend before.



Coach Gags and I talked and laid out a little bit of game plan for the upcoming weeks.  Tuesday through Sunday I went out and ran some nice slow runs.  No watch, no specific distance to hit, no goal mileage for the week.  It’s sometimes best to get out on the roads and get back to a starting point for the outdoor season.  It is a long, grueling season that can span for up to 6 months for some athletes.



This week (currently), we decided to start getting back into our routine of three workouts a week and building the strength program again.  And from there, we will take everything week by week and evaluate how my body is feeling.  Some of the best advice that I can give to young runners is listen, and work, with your coach.  A lot of times they have other athletes who might have other goals or plans.  It’s good to talk with them and discuss your current situation and how it will work into everyone else’s training programs.  When I say that, I don’t mean you have to have a “special” training schedule.  But you can bounce ideas off of each other from the season before.  What the coach saw, versus what you felt/saw.  Every athlete is different and not everyone needs to be doing the same thing, or some athletes might need to work on certain areas of their fitness more than others.  It also keeps a healthy relationship with the coach and the athlete, which is important for success.



As the weeks move forward, I will gear up more for the outdoor season.  Until then, I’ll be building my aerobic fitness to get ready for the months ahead.  There is nothing on my schedule at the moment in terms of racing, but I hope to open up in late April or May.  Hopefully there are a few 1500 meter races on my schedule as I think I need to continue to become a versatile runner and be able to race in both middle distance events.  But we will see where things take us!



Here is my training schedule for last week…



January 24-February 2

Monday
**Travelling**

Tuesday
Day Off

Wednesday-Friday
Recovery runs of 45-50 minutes
Drills/Strides
Light weight sessions

Saturday
80 minute long run

Sunday
50 minute recovery run
Drills/Strides

For questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post below or email me directly at mikeruttrunning@gmail.com!