With Week 1 comfortably in the bag, it’s time to continue the Base Phase of the McMillan Training Plan. Here’s how the week has gone so far:
Monday (Day 8): Circumstances dictated a treadmill run on Monday. I wasn’t really looking forward to being stuck inside but oddly enough, it turned out to be quite a pleasant change from my usual road routes. Stuck to the McMillan “easy pace” and felt comfortable throughout. Hopefully normal service resumes tomorrow and I’ll be back outside running my intervals….
Plan: 35 to 50 minute easy run
Actual: 6.6 miles in 49 minutes
Tuesday (Day 9): Pretty much the same workout as last Tuesday except for the striders being 25 seconds in duration instead of 20 seconds.
I think yesterday’s treadmill run drained a lot of my energy – the legs definitely felt a little heavy today. Met the required goals though, so all is well on the marathon training front.
Plan: 15 to 30 minute warm up, followed by 8 to 10 times 25 seconds with 1 minute jog recovery, 15 to 30 minute cool down.
Actual: 30 minutes warm up, 8 to 10 x 25 seconds fast (one minute recovery), 30 minutes cool down.
Splits: 7:38 7:24 7:13 7:23 6:48 6:54 7:09 7:17 7:01 7:03
Wednesday (Day 10): Marathon training Day 10 called for 50 to 70 minutes at 7:05 to 7:35 pace. Didn’t look at my Garmin until Mile 4 and by that time I was two minutes faster than planned. I backed off a little in Mile 5, but the slower pace felt awkward so I sped up to a more “natural” rhythm. Then, with about 10 minutes to go I remembered I have a challenging Pace-Booster workout tomorrow, so shut things down and cruised home to the finish. I’ll probably regret this run on Thursday afternoon, but I shouldn’t complain about a solid 10 miler.
Plan: 50 to 70 minute easy run
Splits: 7:12 6:55 6:54 6:50 7:02 6:52 6:45 6:42 6:44 7:11
For the record, the temperature was 88°F at the start and 84°F at the finish. To help with hydration, I carried a handheld full of Melon flavored HEED, popped a couple of Endurolytes midway through the run and had 24oz of Recoverite waiting in the fridge for my return. Loving the Hammer Nutrition on these challenging summer runs….