Of course, I’m only on Day 2 of the marathon training plan, but so far so good. Monday was just an easy run of between 35 and 50 minutes – I ended up running six miles at 7:25 per mile pace in my Newton Gravitas. As is typical in the Newtons, it was hard to run easy (if that makes sense), but I held back with the understanding that the recovery days are key to the training plan’s success.
Last night was a slightly more challenging workout – a 15 to 30 minute warm up, followed by 8 to 10 times 20 seconds with a 1 minute recovery jog between, followed by a 15 to 30 minute cool down. The workout took place at the Norfolk Botanical Garden where the first event in the Tidewater Striders Summer Series was taking place. I arrived early and pretty much had the trails to myself for a very enjoyable run.
I ended up covering 10 miles in about 71 minutes and felt strong throughout. The 10 x 20 second efforts were not flat out sprints, but definitely fast, controlled efforts which should help develop my neuromuscular system. Hopefully, according to McMillan, I will also see a difference in my finishing kick at the races too.
Finally, about an hour after the 10 miles was complete, it was time for the Countdown Four Miler – a great idea for a run race where you pick when you want to start a 4 mile run with the goal of crossing the finish line when the clock strikes zero. This year the clock started at 80 minutes which allowed for walkers hoping to pace at 20 minutes per mile. I chose to start at 28 minutes with the aim of running even 7 minute miles. The one mile marker was located in the wrong place, so in the end my pacing went out the window and I just ran on “feel”. Of course my pace judgment was awful and I finished the four miles about a minute ahead of schedule in just under 27 minutes for an average 6:45 pace.
So, all in all, not a bad evening’s work – 14 miles in the bag at a little under 7 minute mile pace. Just hope I can recover in time for today’s easy run in which I need to remember the following:
Adaptation does not occur during stressful workouts, it occurs during the rest/recovery periods. With optimal stress and optimal rest, we will achieve optimal progress!
Sounds like you’re off to a good start!
Be sure to get some sort of hydration system; as you hit the longer distances, dehydration becomes a major issue, and so does overheating.
I read an article about an Australian ultramarathon winner named Wayne Gregory who had some sort of wearable wrist water bottle. He froze it — and so besides giving him an extra water source, it lowered his body temperature (the wrists are an ideal heat transfer point.) By keeping his core temp down, he was able to keep going and win the 100 mile race.
I don’t know where he got this gadget, but the lesson here is that you can lower your core temp by putting ice (or running cold water) over your wrists if you feel like you’re starting to overheat.
Good luck and keep running!