Tuesday, April 30, 2013


The 2012-2013 race season is over, and looking back on it, i’m pretty happy, though i think i definitely burned out towards the end, and didn’t put in a hard enough effort in some races.  In particular, i think my hancock, stratosphere, and big climb results were pretty lame.  

BUT i did hit my goal of increasing all my times generally by 10% which is pretty great.



Race
2011
2012
improvement
sears
21:02
( 1262 seconds )
19:21
( 1161 seconds )
8%
aon
14:45
( 885 seconds )
12:55
(775 seconds)
14%
hancock
15:32
(932 seconds)
13:40
(820 seconds)
13%


Some observations:

1) I did better in the shorter races.  My improvement at sears was less than in other races, and i think i did relatively poorer yet in the power hour climbs.  

2) Even more so, it seems the races i did after the power hours, i did quite poorly.  Although i improved almost as much at hancock as at Aon, the year before at hancock i’d had the flu and had spent the night before throwing up, so the improvement there was not as drastic.

3) I didn’t hit the start of the season quite where i wanted to be, and trained during the season to improve my condition, which combined with races, travel, etc, left me pretty burned out and tired by the end of the season.  

4)  I definitely felt trashed by the power hours, especially when i did one six days after the other.  I definitely overestimated my ability to recover during race season.

5) I finished too many races fresh.   Late in the race, i was unwilling to pass someone even when i should have.  

So, with that mind, i am going to work all summer trying to hit the season in better shape, so i have less need to improve & lose weight during the season.  My goal is to take 10% off all of my times, which would mean:


race
2012-2013
2013-2014
(10% improvement goal)
Would have placed
/ what i got
US bank
13:20
(800 seconds)
12:00
(720 seconds)

Sears tower
19:20
(1160 seconds)
17:24
(1044 seconds)
21st /
69th
300 n LsSalle
9:45
( 585 seconds)
8:46
(526 seconds)
5th /
13th
Aon Chicago
12:55
( 775 seconds )
11:37
( 697 seconds )
9th /
23rd
Hancock
13:40
( 820 seconds )
12:19
( 738 seconds )
22nd /
67th
Stratosphere
10:45
( 645 seconds )
9:40
( 580 seconds )
21st /
34th
presidential towers
20:43
( 1243 seconds )
18:38
( 1118 seconds )
10th  /
20th

What am i going to do differently?

1) Starting my high intensity workouts now, which will allow me to aim for a much slower increase in my high-intensity fitness.  Ease into the season fairly fresh

2) Work more on muscular development, and muscular endurance, My legs were used up before my cardio was.  Go way deeper in yoga poses, lift, climb stairs in a weighted vest.

3) Edge weight from 181 to 170.  Don’t attempt to lose weight during the season, even allow a pound or two to creep on during the season, if that’s what my body is asking for.

4) Focus more on between-workout recovery, eating super clean, anti-inflammatory recovery meals, lots of carbs & moderate protein right after workouts.  i had been too carb-phobic, and i think it hurt me, as i was not able to work out at a high enough intensity often enough.  

5) I need to do more tortuous workouts to build the mental fortitude to suffer and even pass someone at the late stages of a race.   With even a long race being under 20 minutes, it’s only a tiny blip in my day/week/month.  

6 comments:

  1. Thank you, Cheryl! I'll be posting more detailed plans as things go along!

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  2. David, I've built up my leg strength & muscle endurance over the past couple years by spending one day per week in the gym focusing on lower leg strength. On climbs over 175 meters my legs rarely give out. My three main exercises include 1) Tababata leg presses 2) One legged lunges (using a TRX cable) 3) Weighted lunges. I also incorporate hamstring curls (to maintain symmetry) and calf raises. However, there is a price to pay: 1) I've gotten heavier and races over 10 minutes scare me 2) I'm sore most days of the week 3) I have to really baby my legs (stretching, massaging, etc.) to prevent injury.

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  3. Thank you alex, this is really great advice, both the routine and the fact that once a week seems sufficient. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again!!

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  4. Hi David,

    I've just stumbled across your blog and am really enjoying reading your posts. I'm new to stair running and am looking at ways to improve my times so appreciate reading your improvement ideas, analysis, etc.

    Good luck for your 2013 races and I look forward to reading more from you.

    Corran
    (The Netherlands)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Corran! I'm glad to hear you're getting something out of it, and i hope you have some great stair races. Maybe i'll see you at an event someday. :)

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