Marathon pace minus ten seconds today, based on a heart rate of 158. The workout set up much the same as the last time I did it. About 32F with a 5mph wind, so slightly cooler but less windy. I stuck with some light pants rather than shorts, as the pace wasn't quite hot enough to keep me from freezing this morning.
Due to yesterday's tweaks, I warmed up on the bike, got in a good stretch, and ran 2.5 miles on the warmup, just to be cautious. It seems to have helped, as I don't have any problems nearly two hours following the run.
The seven miles went down like so:
5:28(156) | 5:45(157) | 5:40(157) | 5:44(158) | 5:40(158) | 5:41(158) | 5:39(158)
The first mile I was trying to get to my 156-158 mark, and it took a while to get there. The pace didn't seem that quick at all, and was very comfortable. Miles two and three I was paying for it though. My shins, thighs, and butt got a little bit of lactate burn going, and it took the better part of the next three miles for it to go away. Once that cleared off, the legs felt good, but the breathing was a bit more labored than usual. It was very similar to the experience I have being caught between 'effort levels', where if I add or drop a few beats per minute, the breathing settles down and the overall feeling is smoother. Recovery was 52 seconds to 120, and 1:08 to 110, a good bit longer than before. Two and a half mile cooldown on the treadmill.
Anyway, the overall run was a mixed bag. I was encouraged to see the pace drop by a few seconds per mile at the same heart rate, but the heart rate recovery was about 50% longer than the previous effort. Two out of the last three days have been kind of 'blah', and my overall mileage has dropped by ten miles a week or so. I've been a little bit down in the dumps about some non-running things in the past couple of weeks (my job, my job, and my job--in that order), which I think might be affecting me in general by increasing stress levels, etc. Hopefully I can get that under control shortly and get myself back on track. Good run today.
Click the MP-10 label below to compare with the previous workout.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
3 comments:
I think work/life stresses can have a big effect on recovery and resting heart rate. During the times of the year when I've been stressed it's really showed up in the training log. Hope things get sorted out soon.
Sounds like pretty decent conditions for the run, and the paces reflect it. As far as cranking it to get the HR up the first mile goes, I know all about starting too fast during marathons because the heart rate and perceived exertion seem too low. I've paid for it dearly too. I can't think there's anything wrong with easing into it and practicing the first mile of the marathon with these.
Excellent point, Mike. I considered adding a sentence or two about the first mile of today's run being an example of what throttling up that first mile or two in a marathon will do to your legs. I thought I was already getting too wordy, so I edited myself. Stupid editor.
I agree with Mike on both accounts a) how stress in others areas of your life can show itself in your running and b) starting too fast and payig dearly for it. That said, great workout, your preperation is really coming along well (and you did recover from the fast first mile). Just wait until you have some clear roads and warm weather. Well done!
Post a Comment