Very good run. Temp was 15F with *no* wind, and roads were pretty clear. A day like today actually makes me feel bad for guys like Mike who have days like this in March. Goal was to maintain 145 heart rate for 2:15. Goal accomplished, as I averaged exactly 145 for the run, with individual miles ranging from 141 to 151, but mostly 144-146. Paces ranged from 6:10 to 6:30, mostly 6:20-6:25.
I should have known how good this run would go based on how sleepy tired I was walking out the door. While I wasn't dreading the effort, I was certainly ambivalent about starting it. Following the first mile in 7:07, my legs were up to speed and my heart was banging out a steady 145, going through the first five in 31:46. The HR started creeping up at this point, so I feathered back a bit and settled into 145 again at 6:25 pace until mile 17, where that pace started registering 146. I decided to just maintain effort through the finish rather than try to slow a lot to maintain the HR, and ended with the last four miles in 6:24(147), 6:16(147), 6:16(150), 6:11(151). I felt like I was maintaining pace, though the numbers don't reflect that at all. Anyway, the overall run felt ridiculously easy, like an absolute jog. I haven't had many 20+ mile runs I can say that about, at any pace.
One other thing I thought was a good sign was I didn't take any gatorade today, just a few ounces of sweet tea five minutes before stepping out the door. It really seems like avoiding the insulin surge by heading out the door on an empty stomach has paid off. There is a huge difference between glycogen usage at 6:25 pace and 5:35 pace I'm sure, but being able to get through a 21 miler at this pace without taking on any fuel has to be a sign of fuel efficiency, right?
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
2 comments:
There is no doubt in my mind that you're climbing up the ladder of fitness. This was a nice run to read about.
I'm torn on the gatorade issue myself. I think it might be of use to take on some during the harder long runs, for practice and to see how the body reacts, but personally I only have a cup of coffee before and water during. I don't like having any sugar beforehand.
I wish I was more qualified to give you nutritional advice. The first time I did sub-6s on Magnolia Road in college (9,000 feet) I was hung over on Mad Dog. I always took a pack of goo at mile 18 in my marathons, but don't have much to offer beyond that.
Good run. It's nice to see how your uptempo work during the week is paying off on the long run on the weekend.
Have you set a goal pace yet, or are you just trying to push that aerobic threshold down now and see where it takes you? Casual (kind of) observation tells me you've got enough in the endurance department to carry you the distance at a much faster AT, once that capacity is further developed.
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