T-Minus About 100 Days to a National record - Part 3 of Hitomi Niiya's Training for a Half Marathon NR
Thanks for coming back three days in a row. This is the third and final day. It covers December and January's training. You'll be able to see the final approach and sharpening phase. Speaking of which, the only training camp Niiya went on from October on was a week in Okinawa in December. The rest of her training was all done from home in the Tokyo suburbs.
Please do not reproduce this info without permission. You're more than welcome to give these workouts a go (although I can't guarantee you'll survive).
Notes in advance
・Runs were twice a day except on Friday and Sunday, which were once.
・Strength training every day except Sunday.
・Daily mileage totaled about 30 km. Fridays were 15 km, Sundays 20 km.
・r = recovery. Where the time was written, it was stationary recovery (not jogging to the next one, although there were times when she did jog)
December
Dec. 1 (Sun.): Minato City Half Marathon guest appearance (jog effort)
Dec. 2 (Mon.): jog
Dec. 3 (Tues.): 4800(1600+3200)x3, r5'
4:57.4 - 3:20.7 - 3:19.8 - 3:17.8 - 39.81 = 15:35.51
4:54.3 - 3:17.0 - 3:16.7 - 3:16.6 - 40.45 = 15:25.05
4:52.5 - 3:15.4 - 3:14.7 - 3:12.4 - 39.34 = 15:14.34
Dec. 4 (Wed.): jog
Dec. 5 (Thurs.): 1000x6, r400 jog
3:04.6 - 3:04.5 - 3:04.4 - 3:04.1 - 3:03.5 - 3:01.3
Dec. 6 (Fri.): jog
Dec. 7 (Sat.): 20 km
4:07.6 - 3:56.4 - 3:50.0 - 3:48.5 - 3:47.5 - 3:42.7 - 3:38.7
3:36.8 - 3:37.6 - 3:38.7 - 3:36.3 - 3:33.5 - 3:34.6 - 3:37.6
3:34.7 - 3:35.0 - 3:36.7 - 3:35.1 - 3:33.7 - 3:32.4
Dec. 8 ('Sun.): jog
Dec. 9 (Mon.): 400x10, r30" + 400x6, r30" - in Okinawa
72.25 - 69.78 - 72.64 - 71.11 - 72.51
71.36 - 72.57 - 71.86 - 72.42 - 71.23
71.36 - 71.86 - 70.90 - 71.12 - 70.37 - 70.42
後ろからあおり運転を喰らうので手で静止するの風景#バックミュージックはマロンコーチの鼻息 pic.twitter.com/9wzgiyfz3E— 横田真人 (@MASATO_800) December 9, 2019
Dec. 10 (Tues.): 12000 m pace run (on 1000 m loop)
3:51 - 3:43 - 3:39 - 3:38 - 3:36 - 3:35
3:38 - 3:31 - 3:33 - 3:29 - 3:28 - 3:26
Dec. 11 (Wed.): jog
Dec. 12 (Thurs.): 5000x3, r6'
3:09.2 - 3:10.9 - 3:10.0 - 3:10.1 - 3:09.7 = 15:49.9
3:09.3 - 3:10.3 - 3:11.6 - 3:10.6 - 3:07.3 = 15:49.1
3:10.0 - 3:10.9 - 3:12.4 - 3:14.5 - 3:08.2 = 15:56.0
*No pics or video from this workout as she looked too ready to kill someone afterward.
Dec. 13 (Fri.): jog
Dec. 14 (Sat.): 1000x8, r60"
3:07.35 - 3:07.74 - 3:07.18 - 3:07.11
3:06.52 - 3:05.94 - 3:06.14 - 3:04.02
Dec. 15 (Sun.): 24 km - last day in Okinawa
4:18.2 - 4:04.7 - 3:55.8 - 3:54.7 - 3:53.7 - 3:52.8
3:52.1 - 3:49.8 - 3:49.9 - 3:42.4 - 3:43.7 - 3:37.9
3:38.1 - 3:40.5 - 3:38.4 - 3:37.7 - 3:37.9 - 3:36.6
3:34.0 - 3:33.8 - 3:32.7 - 3:33.3 - 3:31.3 - 3:31.2
Dec. 16 (Mon.): rest
Dec. 17 (Tues.): 400x20, r30"
74.14 - 73.70 - 73.91 - 73.91 - 73.90 - 73.95 - 73.56
73.27 - 73.42 - 73.46 - 73.58 - 73.38 - 73.56 - 73.23
73.26 - 73.28 - 73.45 - 73.09 - 7342 - 73.09
Dec. 18 (Wed.): jog
Dec. 19 (Thurs.): 2000x4 uphill (r jog)
6:53.7 - 5:21
6:50.2 - 5:08
6:44.8 - 4:45
6:45.0
Dec. 20 (Fri.): jog
Dec. 21 (Sat.): 24 km XC
4:20.3 - 4:03.8 - 3:54.6 - 3:51.8 - 3:49.1 - 3:44.9
3:46.6 - 3:46.6 - 3:45.1 - 3:43.8 - 3:43.4 - 3:42.6
3:41.3 - 3:39.3 - 3:41.0 - 3:41.4 - 3:34.9 - 3:36.3
3:39.9 - 3:35.7 - 3:35.9 - 3:36.1 - 3:37.1 - 3:36.3
Dec. 22 (Sun.): jog
Dec. 23 (Mon.): 2000x5, r2'
3:09.3 - 3:10.2 = 6:19.5
3:04.8 - 3:06.1 = 6:10.9
3:08.5 - 3:09.0 = 6:17.5
3:04.4 - 3:04.7 = 6:09.1
3:08.6 - 3:08.4 = 6:17.0
Dec. 24 (Tues.): 12000 m pace run
3:44.1 - 3:41.5 - 3:35.8 - 3:39.4 - 3:36.9 - 3:37.1
3:35.6 - 3:35.5 - 3:36.2 - 3:35.2 - 3:33.3 - 3:33.2
Dec. 25 (Wed.): jog
Dec. 26 (Thurs.): 1000x8 uphill, r1000 jog (back downhill)
3:27.2 - 3:58
3:26.3 - 3:55
3:26.3 - 3:55
3:28.5 - 3:52
3:25.1 - 3:52
3:24.0 - 3:51
3:23.2 - 3:49
3:23.7
Dec. 27 (Fri.): jog
Dec. 28 (Sat.): 24 km long run
4:11.9 - 4:00.3 - 3:49.4 - 3:52.5 - 3:48.7 - 3:46.4
3:46.8 - 3:40.9 - 3:36.8 - 3:34.1 - 3:37.7 - 3:41.2
3:37.8 - 3:35.3 - 3:39.2 - 3:33.0 - 3:34.4 - 3:41.1
3:35.8 - 3:33.7 - 3:36.3 - 3:35.9 - 3:40.4 - 3:36.8
Dec. 29 (Sun.): jog
Dec. 30 (Mon.): 400x18, r30"
75.83 - 72.35 - 73.27 - 72.11 - 73.12 - 71.68
73.11 - 71.29 - 72.90 - 71.47 - 73.45 - 70.46
73.13 - 71.08 - 72.58 - 70.50 - 72.75 - 69.04
Dec. 31 (Tues.): 12000 m pace run
3:43.3 - 3:42.6 - 3:39.7 - 3:38.4 - 3:36.7 - 3:34.9
3:35.2 - 3:34.9 - 3:33.7 - 3:33.9 - 3:32.3 - 3:28.7
January
Jan. 1 (Wed.): jog
Jan. 2 (Thurs.): 1000x7, r400 jog
3:05.9 - 3:07.1 - 3:06.0 - 3:05.9 - 3:05.6 - 3:05.7 - 3:02.8
Jan. 3 (Fri.): 20 km
4:22.4 - 4:06.5 - 4:02.6 - 3:55.5 - 3:51.8 - 3:50.2 - 3:48.3
3:45.8 - 3:43.4 - 3:41.1 - 3:40.8 - 3:40.5 - 3:38.1 - 3:39.6
3:37.8 - 3:38.5 - 3:37.3 - 3:40.2 - 3:33.9 - 3:29.7
Jan. 4 (Sat.): jog
Jan. 5 (Sun.): 3000x3, r4', target pace 9:30
3:10.5 - 3:07.5 - 3:10.4 = 9:28.5
3:09.6 - 3:06.9 - 3:08.2 = 9:24.7
3:07.3 - 3:10.5 - 3:07.9 = 9:25.6
Jan. 6 (Mon.): jog
Jan. 7 (Tues.): 400x12, r30"
72.19 - 71.77 - 72.71 - 71.91 - 72.64 - 71.93
72.30 - 71.75 - 72.27 - 71.39 - 71.85 - 70.59
Jan. 8 (Wed.): jog
Jan. 9 (Thurs.): 1000x4, r400 jog
3:04.6 - 3:08.7 - 3:03.6 - 3:04.8
Jan. 10 (Fri.): jog
Jan. 11 (Sat.): jog
Jan. 12 (Sun.): National Women's Ekiden
10 km 30:57
Jan. 13 (Mon.): rest
Jan. 14 (Tues.): 12000 m pace run
3:44.23 - 3:42.66 - 3:38.44 - 3:38.73 - 3:36.67 - 3:37.20
3:33.55 - 3:33.60 - 3:32.38 - 3:31.70 - 3:28.09 - 3:26.36
Jan. 15 (Wed.): jog (flight to Texas)
Jan. 16 (Thurs.): jog (including 2nd half of Houston Half course w/pacer)
Jan. 17 (Fri.): 3000 m (w/pacer)
3:09.74 - 3:06.53 - 3:08.14 = 9:24.41
Jan. 18 (Sat.): jog
Jan. 19 (Sun.): Aramco Houston Half Marathon
15:37 - 15:34 - 15:52 - 16:10 - 3:25 = 1:06:38
・won by 1:30 over 2nd place
・Japanese national record
・fastest ever by woman born outside Kenya or Ethiopia (a Tanzanian has since run 1:06:37)
Afterword
Thanks for sticking with this all the way to the end. As you can probably tell, we didn't really do anything special in training, just doing the obvious, day in and day out. From mid-October on she didn't have a single interruption to her training. That training was based on principles of increasing load, maintaining continuity, and goal-specificity.
We've readily published her training diary because what you can learn from a training plan is only one part of what's important. Developing training that is "based on principles of increasing load, maintaining continuity, and goal-specificity" is the hardest thing for coaches to do properly with their athletes. It's the essence of coaching, and it's something that can't be conveyed just by looking at the training schedule.
I've enjoyed all your comments so far. They've given me a lot to think about.
source article:
https://note.com/twolaps/n/nb3983f8edbb6
translated and edited by Brett Larner
Comments
2 questions:
1 - What is the reason for doing the 12km pace runs (or similar session) the day after intervals?
2 - Does she typically do her main sessions in the morning or evening?
Thanks a lot for sharing this and big congratulations for the great performances. 2 questions:
- when she does the 12K pacerunning, is this done at her own feeling/effort, or do you prescribe/control the pace? Since it's a moderate effort (slower than her estimated marathon pace), how do you determine the pace? Did you maybe measure the aerobic threshold (where lactate goes above resting values) and does she have to stay below that pace? Or do you go by heart rate?
- the 3 x 4800m is an interesting session, where she started with 1600m at 74" per lap (3.05/K) so around her 10K race pace. After that, the next 3200 she goes back to 3.20-3.15/K so slower than half marathon pace. I was wondering what the idea is behind that.
Thanks! Hugo van den Broek