WORKOUT! Finally. Pretty cold (-14F) but just a light 5mph wind. Still needed two facemasks, and shoes felt like bricks. Today may have been the last day of the severe cold, though! Three miles easy with two 10 second pickups to warm up, then 4x5 minutes at 5:30 (estimated 12k race pace) pace with three minute recoveries. Here are some stats:
Time Pace HRAvg Dist
5:01 5:28 166 .92mi Felt good, too fast for first third
3:01 7:15 151 .42mi
5:07 5:28 165 .94mi Forgot these were not full miles. Another good effort.
3:00 7:25 151 .41mi
5:02 5:29 166 .92mi Toughest of the four. Started slow, felt clunky.
3:05 7:35 149 .41mi Slowwwing down.
5:05 5:29 165 .93mi Felt really strong, comfortable. Last third was tough.
Finished with five miles around 6:50 pace average. Really felt good overall. While it wasn't 'hard' it is very much an eye opener considering this is just ten seconds off my goal marathon pace. I won't make any judgements about how realistic my goals are until I'm much closer to the marathon, but there's no denying the big gap right now.
We'll see how far these kinds of workouts can close that gap over the next twelve weeks. Cheers.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
8 comments:
Eric,
Twelve weeks is a long time and you won't be wearing two facemasks when you run Fargo. Don't get too worked up about February workouts.
PR
Excellent, particularly given the conditions. Good ice breaker, so to speak.
With your base, you should see these getting easier quickly, or in other words, you should soon be able to do many more reps at the same pace.
I can't wait to see what your first spring weather workout feels like.
True dat, Patick. I'm not going to read too much into my first workout of the build. But it is going to be interesting to see the difference ninety or so days will make.
I figured out a trick with the facemasks today. If you start out with two, then remove one before starting the high vent stuff, it feels like you're not wearing a facemask anymore. Kind of like wearing three condoms, then taking two off...er, never mind.
I was pleasantly surprised how (relatively) easy these were, and I know from recently running some hills and strides that the gains come really quickly after building a big base. Last year I hated this transition phase, but now that I know what's coming, I'm very excited.
Spring actually starts tomorrow here. It's supposed to be 8 above tomorrow morning! With a 20 mile an hour wind--but that's just details. EIGHT ABOVE! Git your shorts on!
Thanks for the comments guys.
I am a little confused...do you wear the condoms over the face masks?
2 seconds per pound per mile is a pretty reasonable estimate of how much excess weight slows you down. Since clothing ain't muscle and you're probably wearing at least 5 extra pounds (relative to what you might wear at even 40 degrees) you can guiltlessly give yourself a constant 10 seconds per mile on those paces.
If you can touch marathon pace or quicker in below zero temps you're doing fine.
Eric, have you thought about doing a race sometime in the coming weeks. It might be a good confidence boost. Also its always to blow some of the rust off. Workouts just don't simulate the intensity of a race. Your training is solid right now. Good luck and stay healthy.
Hide the kids...
Marc, the idea is to keep the condoms in the facemask, just in case you need them. Like a wallet, but more convenient. =)
Evan, absolutely everything you say is gold! You're the most reasonable person I know. I bet you could sell ice to Minnesotans. I love it. My gear is right at 4.5 to 5 pounds, and it's somewhat restrictive as well, so I'll take every bit of that 10 seconds. I'm psyched to get out on a thirty degree day and see how it feels to run around in shorts.
Patrick, I have held off on racing for a couple of reasons. One, I had some bad experiences last year racing off of base before getting my functional strength in order. So, I really need to transition slowly and do the hillwork as well as ease in to the speed. Two, I will take an opportunity later this spring following the marathon to work on my 5k, 8k, 10k, and maybe 10 mile distances. I'm just not overly interested in running any races off of base. Rather than running 15:50 now, I'm looking forward to putting myself in position for, say, 15:20 this summer. That's the thinking anyway.
Thanks for all of the comments! I guess you all were just as anxious for me to start workouts as I was. Cheers!
Awesome running in such conditions, TWO face masks! I'm never complaining about the weather ever again. We get it a bit easier in Sydney I have to say..
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