Cliff Nielson's Brief Training Log

3.4 miles @6:26/mi + 2x100m fast stride

Working out like this is even more motivating with when applications like Strava pay you! 

10 min warmup @6:00/mi

3x100m stride @14

• 600m/90sec rest/600m 4 min rest
  • 1:36.2, 1:39.2 avg=1:37.7
• 400m/60sec rest/400m/60sec rest/400m/60sec rest/400m 4 min rest
  • 64.5, 64.0, 64.8, 66.2 avg=64.87
• 200m/30sec rest/200m/30sec rest/200m/30sec rest/200m 4 min rest
  • 31.17, 30.76, 31.63, 30.94 avg=31.12
• 200m/30sec rest/200m/30sec rest/200m/30sec rest/200m 4 min rest
  • 29.94, 29.85, 30.75, 29.49 avg=30.00

10 min cooldown @6:17/mi

10 minute warmup @6:20/mi

1 mile @threshold w/5 minutes rest

• 4:56

3x300m w/6 minutes rest

1. 41.85
2. 40.23
3. 42.81

1x200m

• 27.84

Quick conditioning workout:

• 5x broad jump
• 10x ceiling jump
• 30x lunge
• 20x low squat lateral hops 
• 10x low squat forward-back hops 

3 mile easy run on treadmill @6:40/mi/20:00

Easy core post-run

10 minute warmup @6:26/mi

165.4m stride (start line to 800m line) @25.93 (31.3s/200m pace)

4 x 321.8m (lap):

• 51.18 
• 50.57
• 49.90
• 49.89

4 x 200m:

• 29.96
• 29.56
• 29.77
• 27.96

10 minute cooldown @6:33/mi

Really controlled and easy workout- just trying to get my legs under me after the last few weeks of inconsistent and minimal training. Lap repeats were at 4:10/mi pace and 200m strides were just to get a few intervals in at a slightly faster but controlled pace. 

3 mile easy jog on treadmill @7:00/mi 

18 minute core circuit (20 sec on/5 sec off)

Easy 2 mile jog on the treadmill @7:00/mi

Drills. 

10 minute warmup @6:25/mi + drills and lots of strides

Mile Race:

• 51.34 (*63.81 400m pace)
• 50.24 (*62.45 400m pace)
• 51.80 (*64.39 400m pace)
• 53.37 (*66.33 400m pace)
• 52.81 (*65.64 400m pace)
  • 4:19.66 (*4:14.55 altitude converted)

I felt really strong for the first 1000m but I started feeling funny once the hurt set in. This is my first track race in 2 years, since I ruptured my plantar fascia in the 2013 edition of this race. Sat behind Tim for the first 3 laps and then started pushing by him on the backstretch. Trac Norris and Jonathan Harper came past me on the 5th lap and then Travis Fuller went by me with 60m to go. My legs felt like jello for the last lap- I have forgotten how to run when the hurt sets in but I am confident that I can get back to how I used to be. Altitude conversion brings this race down to 4:14.55. 
Finished my race and tried to go back to normal but my legs felt like rubber and I kept coughing because of the air quality. Jumped in the 800m pretty last second to try and run an 800m at goal mile pace (4:00). Ran the 800m in 2:00.23. Felt SUPER comfortable and had splits of 60 and 60 per 400m. Made a really strong push at 400m and then backed off at the 600m. Wasn't planning on killing this race and treated it like a workout. Took 4th in that race but I wasn't really worried about what the other guys were doing. Confidence booster. Next race will be an 800m in Boise sometime in the next few weeks.

So great to see so many of my past coaches and teammates. Also good to see all of my BYU friends... I have got to go do a group run down there with them sometime. 

Didn't cool down but I am going to be doing some core and lifting tonight. 

For all of the latest in the world of endurance optimization:

The Cliff Edge Website

10 minute warmup @6:17/mi +drills and a single stride. 

4x300m w/6 min rest

• 40.60
• 40.66
• 40.90
• 42.00
  • 41.04 average 

1x200m

• 27.29

400m warm down @7:00/mi

Still haven't quite recovered from the race(s)/lifting on Saturday but I am pleased with today's workout. Could have done a few more 200s but I was still a little sore from Saturday and we were running short on time. Tim murdered me in this workout and was in front of me for all but the 3rd interval. 

I am going to be trying to get to 39.x for 6x300m before this season is over. Tim watched Matt Centrowitz run 9x300m @35.x two summers ago, so 6x300m @39 doesn't seem too ridiculous. 

Easy 4 mile run on the treadmill. 6:58/mi. 

Killer core workout, after:

• 4x4x20s plank series
• 4x4x20s plank mobility series
• 4x4x20s plank w/single leg lifts series
• 4x4x20s (r. crunch, L. crunch, leg raise, bicycle)
• 4x4x20s (r. sit up, L. sit up, v-up, russian twist)
  • 15 second between all 20 sets, no rest between intervals

10 minute warmup @6:27/mi

2xmile w/1  min rest 

• 4:58.87
• 5:05.48

5x200m w/1 min rest

• 30.33
• 30.93
• 31.06
• 31.37
• 32.35 (had to full stop mid-interval)

THIS IS NOT THE WORKOUT THAT I HAD PLANNED
Got to the BYU indoor track and it was absolute madness. It was like everyone decided to show up to the track and start doing random things, all at the same time. Just off the top of my head, I saw: 2 dodgeball games, 1 karate class, 3 intramural workout classes, lots of kids sitting in lane 1, probably 50 hobby jogger/walkers, cleaners cleaning different parts of the track and on top of that you have all of the people crossing the track to get to the intramural games on the interior court. I spent the entire workout weaving between people, stopping, slowing down and dodging little kids (they are suprisingly unpredictable). I was going to do 5x1mile and I felt fine, it was just too aggravating for me to want to dodge people for that workout and it was kind of toasty in there. I have a good workout planned for Saturday, so having an easy workout isn't really a big deal for me. 

Did a 10 minute cool down at 6:30/mi and then some conditioning:

• 4x
  • 10 max vertical squat jumps (superset)
  • 20 bodyweight squats

Workouts like these have helped me practice my cross country racing tactics and strategies.  

Easy 5 mile run on the treadmill @6:59/mi

7 mile easy run @6:54/mi on some nice, soft, cushy grass at lakeside park. Ran as easy as I wanted to. Wish that I could get out to this park more often in this kind of weather. As the sunset starts getting pushed back, I should have many more opportunities! 

10 minute warmup @ 6:26/mi

• 4x100m stride with middle 40m all out
• 4x400m w/60 sec rest:
  • 63.05, 64.05, 63.48, 64.05
• 4x400m w/60 sec rest:
  • 62.85, 63.43, 64.36, 64.92
• 4x200m w/30 sec rest:
  • 30.44, 31.97, 32.79, 33.19
• 4x200m w/30 sec rest:
  • 30.09, 30.53, 30.76, 30.39
• 1x200m
  • 27.74

10 minute cool down @6:42/mi

Conditioning:

• 2x 135lb x5 Barbell Squat
• 2x 145lb x4 Barbell Squat
• 3x 20lb Lateral Box Stepup (each leg)
• 5x max standing broad jump
• 5x max vertical jump 

4 mile easy run @6:54/mi on the cushy and soft grass of lakeside park after sunset. 

4 mile easy run @6:54/mi on the treadmill

10 minute warm up @6:40/mi

1600/500/400/300/200 with 5/4/4/4 min rest

• 1600m
  • 4:39.2
• 500m
  • 1:14.71
• 400m
  • 59.39
• 300m
  • 43.51
• 200m
  • 27.35

10 minute cool down @6:40/mi

This workout helped me become a faster runner. To see one of my latest races, click here. 

4 mile easy run @6:42/mi on the soft and cushy grass of lakeside park just after sunset. 

3 mile easy "adventure" run @6:40/mi. around Thanksgiving Park during my lunch break. Tried to run on soft surface as much as I possibly could so I ended up doing most of my run around a really uneven dirt field (the outside of Cornbellys). Slowed me down quite a bit but felt really comfortable even though it was cold and windy. Race day tomorrow, in Boise. 

10 minute warm up @6:10/mi, drills, 4x100m strides in the parking lot, put on spikes and did a bunch more strides before the race started. 

800m "race":

The gun went off and I got boxed in pretty bad, couldn't get out without ruining someones day. Went through the 200m in 30ish and watched as the leader tore through that lap in the pace that I wanted to run (26.x). The race got away from me and as soon as I realized that I wasn't going to be able to hit the time that I was shooting for (1:52-1:53), I shut it down. Finished in 2:00.6, feeling very frustrated. Haven't done very much racing over the last couple years and it really showed. 

Went and jogged an easy mile and then put my feet up and started focusing on what I wanted to do in the 3000m. I had only registered for the 3000m to run it as a workout. My training is in no way geared towards the 3k and I am still around 10-11 pounds over my race weight of 155-156. Before the race, I decided on a race plan of just running 5k effort/pace for the first 2800m and then killing it on the last lap. Went out and did an easy mile warmup, drills and a bunch of short strides on the inside of the track, while we were waiting for the race to go off. I went into the 3000m still feeling a bit down from the botched 800m.

3000m race/workout:

Stuck to my race plan and hit 35.x on just about every lap (might have ran a couple 36s during the last k) and then ran full tilt for the last 200m. Closed in around 29-30, which is okay. Had a finish time of 8:52.9 which isn't too bad considering I am way over race weight and doing next to no endurance training because of my foot. 

Right after my race finished, I threw on my trainers and went out to the parking lot for a mini-workout- just to try and get a little bit more out of a disappointing weekend. 

Mini-workout:

5x1 min hard, 1 min easy. 

• 4:54/mi average on the hard portions 
• 7:13/mi average on the easy portions

10 minute easy cool down @7:06/mi. 

Had a long solo drive back to Orem, with a lot to think about. Today ended up being more of a training day than a racing day. 

Easy 4 mile recovery run on the soft grass of lakeside park. Ran as slow as I wanted to and averaged 6:40/mi. 

Started this workout just as the sun went down- so I was very cold in my t-shirt and shorts. 

10 minute warmup @6:39/mi (ran part with Seth and Chris)

4x100m strides w/middle 20m at top speed

5x200m w/4 min rest:

• 27.16
• 27.24
• 27.22
• 27.38
• 26.38 (put on spikes)

10 minute cool down @6:38/mi

I foolishly assumed that it would be warm enough for me to run in a t-shirt and short shorts because it was 49 degrees at 4:30 PM but the temp dropped by 10-15 degrees after sunset. I seriously just couldn't get my legs going because I was so stiff from the cold. 

4 mile easy run @6:39/mi on the lovely grass of lakeside park. 

Was planning on doing a workout but I wasn't feeling great and it was cold, dark and a little breezy. 

Ended up just running a really really easy 4 miles with Tim on the track @7:01/mi. Afterwards, we did 4x200m strides: 29.30, 29.85, 29.64, 29.05

I ran this workout in a fasted state- fasted training helps me run faster on race day. 

2 mile easy warmup @6:25/mi. 2x100m strides and drills. Feeling pretty sick and running around in the cold weather doesn't help. Had to do an abbreviated workout because I felt like butt. Legs were stiff, inelastic and unresponsive. I really just wish that it was summer because I hate rushing to do workouts before sunset when I have been working all day. 

Workout: 2x(400-300-200-100) w/2 min recovery between all intervals

• 60.1, 44.1, 29.1, 13.1
• 59.9, 44.1, 28.8, 13.3

2 mile cool down @6:46/mi. Felt pretty crummy but went and did a couple conditioning exercises, right after:

• 3x5x135lb barbell squat
• 3x5xmax vertical jump

4 mile easy run @6:44/mi on the luscious grass of lakeside park. Feeling pretty sick and tired from a hard day at work. 

Weather: Mid 40s and a little bit windy.  

2 mile easy warm up @6:17/mi, 2x100m strides and drills. 

Workout plan: 2 mile tempo, 1000m, 800m, 600m w/2 min rest

• 2 mile tempo in 10:06 (5:09, 4:57)
• 1000m in 2:45.3
• 800m in 2:18.0
• 600m in 1:41.6

Still feeling sick but the workout didn't go terrible. Happy with the 1000m- it felt really comfortable but I could feel the lethargy from being sick set in after it. The 2 min rest didn't help either. Was planning on doing a bit more volume but held back a bit because I am still pretty sick.

Conditioning after:

• Crab walks 3x15 steps each side with double bands 
• 3x5x135lb barbell squat
• 1x5x145lb barbell squat
• 3x8x45lb each side lateral squat
• 3x5x max vertical jumps

Without a workout like this from time to time, I wouldn't be able to perform well on race day. Here is one of my latest races. 

2 mile warm up (2.0)

5-4-4-3-3-3-2-2-2-2 on 6th south (3.8)

2 mile warm down (2.0)

This workout did not go well. After the run, I was very bored but writing this article about reading fast kept me busy. 

1 mile shakeout+drills (1.0)

2 mile warm up+drills+strides (2.3)

1 mile race (1.0)

1 mile easy (1.0)

20x1-1 @5:00/7:00 (3.3)

1 mile cool down (1.0)

Workouts like these are what made Mikey Brannigan into such a great runner.