Training for distance runners

I got into running the second semester of my senior year of high school in the spring of 2005 when I would go to my little sister's track meets and watch her run the mile. I was completely mesmerized by the thrill and excitement that came with watching a distance competition. I ran cross country my freshman year at a division 3 college. I entered college with a 5k-road pr of 20:40 (about 6:38 pace) Sheer will pushed me to a personal best 8-kilometer time of 33:00 over (6:36 pace for 5-miles so i was improving) a rolling hilled xc course. From the end of my first cross country and throughout the following winter I trained very hard. I ran many miles. I would do long runs most of the time. I ran about 6 or 5 days a week and would do very hard 2.5 mile and 1 mile and 1.5 mile runs at an all out pace. This type of training paid off. At the first race of the summer road racing season, I went out in 5:17 and went through 2-miles in 11:00. I was on a significant personal record path. I ended up dying and running a 19:08 for 5k which was a good 1:40 better than my previous best. I felt alright with the result. A very solid improvement. (This was the Run For Bonifest May of 2006). That summer, I continued to train by logging long runs and fast short runs at all out pace. The training continued to pay off with a 17:55 5k at the st louis race for the cure in June of 2006. I finished the summer running 18:30-19:10 for several more races. I entered the 2006 fall cross country season ready to work. We ran a ton of miles and a ton of intervals, and that paid off too. I ran a personal best 5-mile of 30:15, and I capped the year off with a 68:00 10-mile run. After that, however, the wheels fell off. I trained very inconsistently and changed my running up quite a bit with a focus on 400 meter intevals. (while they may make me sharp, they can't carry me through a first mile in 5:15 and finish with a respectable time). At the 2007 run for bonifest, i ran a 19:18 after leading the first mile of a rainy day in 5:40. At the 2007 race for the cure, I ran an 18:50. although i had run 18:55 in march at the toolen's running start 5k, I broke 19:00 no more times that year. My racing stagnated and i began to grow depressed. 2008, i trained very inconsistently due to work and preparation for the arrival of a baby boy. I had a very sub par season never once breaking 19:00 for the 5k that year. I debuted at the 10k with a crappy time of 42:00.

The point of this blog is to discuss why I was not getting better. I feel like it was due to the fact that I changed my training that worked for me so well to something that I saw a lot of good runners doing, but in the end did not work for MYSELF.

In 2009, I broke 19:00 at every 5k i entered which was just about every weekend, and I ran a season's best of 18:15 (as of july 2009). I am running a lot better, and even though I have not matched the 17:55 yet, I am certain I am in the best shape of my life. I am ready for new horizons and dream of breaking 17:00. I am currently following a training that involves elements i once incorporated such as 5k-time trials, 3k time-trials, and 1-mile time trials. long runs and long tempos. These have developed me very well over the past 5 months, and i actually feel like now i am back on the right track and ready to forge forward with improving in my distance running. I'm only 22, and i should be improving, not plateuing.