It Doesn't Get Easier. It Just Gets Faster. (Page 2)

My comment is going in a different direction than I intended. For me, I only consider actual races to be PRs. Otherwise, every time I run a new training distance - whatever it is - it would be a PR. As I run a lot and very rarely run the same exact distances, almost every day could be considered a PR. I have also done hundreds of running races in distances ranging from 2 miles to marathons and none of my training runs are ever faster than my actual racing PRs.

However, if people train over a specific distance and that distance is not something they will ever encounter in a race, I can see how that could be considered a PR. If you have a 6.5 K training course, it may make sense to keep track of your improvements over time as long as you're not out to set a new PR on every training run.

Hijack:

I also have not come across many plans that have someone doing much more than 5k efforts for interval work.  There is not a lot of point to it as doing it at 5k effort will allow you to tax your VO2 max and allow you to recover.

It does not matter to your system if you are running at 115% of your VO2 max or at 100% ........ you do not gain much of anything from going above from a physiological standpoint.  If a glass can only hold a pint of water, dumping more than a pint into the glass (going over the max. oxygen your body can take in at any one time) is just going to spill water everywhere once it is full and make a mess.  Takes longer to clean up that mess (recovery).

/end hijack

1. I haven't had any problems recovering from a 6.5km run, because I know my body well enough to know when I can push and when I should hold back.  At any distance.

2. I warm-up and cool-down outside of the distance that I record, and structure my speed workouts to be at a pace that is slower than I would run on race day for that distance, but faster than, or equal to, the speed I would run on race day for a longer distance.  The speed/intensity varies according to the distance of the workout.

3. As I said in an earlier post, I have never competed in a race and finished with anything less than a PR.  I have never run a 6.5km race, so the only runs I have at that distance have been in training.  As my training speeds increase, my times for those training runs will decrease (I hope)   If I ever run a 6.5km race, I know that I could go faster than I have, since I never push my training runs as hard as my body can go.  I set the benchmark with my training runs, and surpass it on race day. 

As for your race pace suggestion, I did not run the 6.5km at a "6.5km race pace".  Like I said, I could have gone faster.  I probably ran the 6.5km at a 10-15km race pace.

So what's the value in calling this a PR? That's what I'm not understanding, normally when someone refers to a PR, it's the fastest they could go at this distance, not the fastest they went but "could have gone faster."

I guess technically you're right calling it a PR, but what's the value? Couldn't you break that "PR" easily tomorrow with just a little bit more (but still a "I could have gone faster") effort?

I call it a PR because it is the fastest that I have covered the distance.  It's not about the value of the term, it simply is a personal record for me.  Of course I could break that PR tomorrow, and if there was a 6.5km race in town, I would probably try. 

For now, if I happen to improve my times in training, I will record new PRs, and if I don't, so be it... as long as I leave it all on the course come race day.  Afterall, this is just training

I'm a quote person... and I like that one!  I don't think it is true at all, but I like it.

When I first started swimming I could barely go 25yds without either swallowing water, running out of air, or just getting frustrated!  I kep practicing, it got easier, and I got faster! 

So yes it does gets easier,  it gets easier to go faster and push harder

Oh and I love that quote about quitting... forgive me for butchering it:  "you can quit and no one will  blame you, but you will always know"

I use my own variation when trying to talk my friends into trying a tri... "its ok _"name"___ I understand why you wouldnt want to commit to doing a tri, no one will blame you, I mean it is really hard and requires a decent amount discipline, commitment, and mental fortitude, not to mention hard work... but laying in your bed a night when you are alone with your thoughts... you will always know you were just plain scared you'd fail "   - tough love - so far I have four fallen victims to that line... and two of them are now hooked! hahaha

There's also the "You ran in an 'X' race?  Oh I could never do that!"

No, you choose not to try.  Big difference.

Certainly. If you're going to run a four-hour marathon, somewhere along the line you have to train around 9m/m pace. But you don't have to run anywhere near 26 miles at that pace.

Ditto if you'r doing a 6.5K race, at some point you're going to have to train at race pace or faster. But there's no need to to train for 6.5K at 6.5K pace. Or, in other words, PR the training run.

The OP in this matter defines "PR" completely different than I do, especially if running 6.5K at a 15K pace constitutes a PR.

1st point - My 6.5km run was at a pace that was faster than race (Marathon) pace.  I'm not training for a 6.5km race.

2nd point - I don't think we define "PR" differently.  I mean, how many ways can you define "personal record"?  It's either a record for yourself, or it isn't.  No matter the pace of a run, it is a PR to me if I have not covered the distance previously in a shorter amount of time.  Where we differ in opinion is that I choose to include every timed and measured swim/bike/run, while you choose only to include official races. 

Nope. For me a 6.5K PR would be running 6.5K as fast I could cover the distance, not at 15K pace. Doesn't matter to me if it's in a race or not.

Actually, I think you ran this as fast as you could, because neither your 10K nor your 15K times are close to the 7:41 pace you ran here.

On your first point, I understand. I was just answering the corvette guy.

Edited by the bear 2009-08-25 7:02 PM

Ooh, Dog Pile the guy who got a PR in training.

I don't think I can articulate it, but I actually know what you mean.
If that is the fastest you've ever run 6.5 K, then it is clearly a PR, as in, I have never been able to hold that pace over that distance before.
As you said, if you were to race that distance, you could probably do better.
I find that as a begining runner, I have times like this often. This is usally where I decide to set the bar higher for my next event.
As in-Wow, I didn't think I could run sub 9 for my half marathon. Maybe I should aim for it now.
Of course, that is for me. Not everyone is looking for the same thing from running.

P.S. Why isn't sarc one of the font or style choices???

Agreed. If I can do my fastest on a given route in a zone, it's a PR for me. If I raced all the time, maybe that would be the only thing that mattered.

Sometimes it gets easier AND faster.  I'm travelling on business and am running at (nearly) sea level, which is a huge change from the 4500-5000' altitude I am used to.  Ran faster @ lower HR - sweet!

Just for kicks I'm going to reply to the opening post   If you're training by RPE, by definition it doesn't get any easier.  If you're training by hr and retesting regularly, it doesn't get any easier.  If you run 5 miles everyday, it might get easier but if that's the case you may not be getting faster.  At some point, however, each person reaches his or her max ability and then age starts limiting one's abilities and then we get slower every year.  LeMond wasn't talking about his golden years I assume.  It all depends on what you want to get out of your workouts.  If you're competitive by nature, you'll go w/ LeMond's thinking; if you just want to enjoy your training and stay in shape, you won't agree with him.  He was an incredibly competitive cyclist and his quote reflects that.

This BOP v. FOP nonsense needs to end.  People request advice and they get it on this site from all levels of triathletes.  This sport is part science and part art and each athlete is slightly different in what works for them.  There is no final answer -- we are discussing shades of gray.  I hope that we do not offend or scare off any dedicated experienced triathletes just because the name of the site is beginnertriathlete.com.   I also hope we do not insult any triathletes that just wanna have fun, because I'm included in that group

Disclaimer: I mulled this post over during my run tonight, which btw hurt just as much as it did several years ago but was faster and then had a couple beers watching Anna Karenina who throws herself under a train at the end and I have had DickDime and JuliaPurr on my mind nonstop since Saturday and both of them would tell you to your face to work harder but they might not say it so nicely, so I am definitely currently of the mindset that we all just need to get along and train more and blog less!

I must be getting faster... but it's definitely not getting easier