How I got faster in 2015

2015 was the best year of running I've had since I started racing 10 years ago.

10K PR, October 2015

It’s easy for beginning runners to improve. Usually runners see major gains during the first several years, but then the law of diminishing returns kicks into effect, making PRs less frequent and smaller in size. This is particularly true for racing at shorter distances, where shaving just a few seconds off of one’s time becomes challenging. Therefore, I see 2015 as "the exception" and not the rule. It's highly unlikely that I will have another year like this again, so I wanted to document what worked for me.

This year, I set six PRs:

• 20:51 in the 5K (38 seconds PR)
• 30:08 in the 4-miler (8 seconds PR)
• 43:56 in the 10K (17 seconds PR)
• 1:37:33 in the half marathon (4 minutes, 7 seconds PR)
• 1:35:08 in the half marathon (2 minutes, 25 seconds PR)
• 3:35:29 in the marathon (4 minutes, 31 seconds PR + BQ)

With the exception of the marathon and the 4-miler, all of these PRs occurred within the October/November timeframe. What did I do differently in 2015 as opposed to prior years of running? 2015 was not my highest mileage year-- in fact both 2010 and 2014 were higher in overall mileage. Here are what I consider to be the key factors.

I trained differently.

After having spent years and years doing the same tempo runs and the same interval workouts, I finally broke out of that patten and gave my body new training stimuli. While different training approaches work for different people, I think that one thing is true for everyone: variety is key! Not only did my training approach change in 2015, but I rarely repeated workouts. There were a few workouts that I did maybe 4-5 times this year, but that's it.

Here is a comparison of my training log from 2014 vs. 2015. Note that in 2014 I ran two marathons, but in 2015 I ran only one marathon in the spring.

2014 Training

2015 Training

The overall training volume is almost the same. The difference is how I ran the miles. In 2014, I focused more heavily on tempo runs and long runs. In 2015, I focused more heavily on intervals and hill sprints. Particularly in July, there was a 4-week period that was very hill intensive, sometimes combining hill repeats with mile repeats and tempo runs. The major differences in 2015 I see are:

• Lower weekly mileage during the second half of the year allowed for more quality speed work
• Shorter intervals at a faster pace (e.g. 1 minute, 2 minute as opposed to 800's and 1200's)
• More varied workouts
• Fewer tempo runs
• Lots of 5Ks in the heat-- one per month from April to September
• More combo runs (e.g. hill/tempo, hill/interval, tempo/interval)
• More consistency in monthly volume, even though overall volume is slightly lower

I trained consistently, without illness or injury.

I was able to train consistently throughout the entire year without any time off for illness or injury. In the past, I have never been able to keep up with injury prevention exercises because there were too many of them, and they took too much time. So in 2015, I focused on my left hip. It's my weakest area, and the first thing that starts to hurt. I did strengthening exercises for my left hip only about 3 times per week, lasting about 3 minutes. I didn't do any core work this year or anything else. I find that if I take on too much, I end up getting overwhelmed and ultimately ditching the exercises altogether. 

After the Richmond half marathon, a lot of stuff hurt, so I was diligent about foam rolling and I got two massages. I also took an entire week off, as prescribed by my coach. I also finally have a shoe system that works. Nike Lunarglide for long runs, Mizuno Elixir for long speed work, Mizuno Sayonara for short speed work, and Mizuno Inspire for short easy runs.

I focused on the process, not the outcome.

Even though I of course love setting PRs, I was more focused on the process of racing than I was the result. I learned to take risks, to experiment, to be bold, and to have a more relaxed attitude about racing in general. I used to get extremely anxious and uptight whenever a race approached, and now a race is "what I'm doing this weekend" and not something to get all worked up over! During races, I was more focused on pushing hard than on what my watch said, and I didn't spend mental energy focusing on things I didn't like. I embraced training and racing in the heat. I focused on running by effort instead of by pace, so I was never upset about being slower during summer races.

I had the help and support of great people.
The combination of having two great coaches-- a McMillan coach to help me with the physical side of things and a P.h.D in sports psychology to help me with the mental side of things--has really helped me succeed. And of course, having Greg support me all year even when he was unable to run was hugely valuable. I had all of these people in 2014 as well, although I didn't start working with the running coach until July.

I'm hoping to squeeze out a few more PRs in 2016, particularly at the marathon distance where I think I have the most room for improvement. I look forward to more healthy, happy running this year!

B & A Trail Marathon - a BQ by 4:31

PRR Festival Twilight 4-miler in 80+ degrees!

The Richmond Half Marathon