MP run @ 156-157 HR. Haven't done one of these in a long while. Today wasn't a great day to try it with the wind, either. I was able to wear shorts, so no restricting extra gear. It still went well enough. Effort felt about right for MP, and legs felt (and feel) very fresh.
1.7mi WU 12:30
41F, 16mph NNE wind
5:43(157) | 5:48(156) | 5:54(156) | 5:53(157)
5:51(157) | 5:51(158) | 5:51(157)
Ni!
Showing posts with label MP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MP. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, March 28, 2008
1:06:00 :: 11 miles
MP workout. A bit cool (26F), but very light winds made it nice workout weather. Two mile warmup in 13:12, then:
5:35(154) | 5:34(157) | 5:36(159)
5:35(159) | 5:39(160) | 5:38(159)
5:37(160) | 5:37(159)
:36(130) :48(120) 1:04(110)
Built up a very good rhythm and held it steady. Felt easy and strong all the way through. Good run.
5:35(154) | 5:34(157) | 5:36(159)
5:35(159) | 5:39(160) | 5:38(159)
5:37(160) | 5:37(159)
:36(130) :48(120) 1:04(110)
Built up a very good rhythm and held it steady. Felt easy and strong all the way through. Good run.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
1:00:00 :: 9.5 miles
Evaluation run. Nice morning--35F with a breeze. I was able to shed the jacket and wear just a thin pair of tights.
Mystery Coach changed this one up a bit. The last six or so evals have been at 152HR, but this one was moved up to 158HR to check in on marathon pace effort and recovery. Today's run had a calming effect on me after the 'MP' run from a few days ago. My fitness is better than I had thought (not that Mystery Coach hasn't been trying to convince me of that for weeks).
3 mile warmup (20:05)
5:32(158) | 5:40(158)
5:39(159) | 5:41(158)
:36(130) :47(120) 1:08(110)
2.5 mile cooldown
Legs felt good, turned over really well, but felt a bit tired during the warmup.
Mystery Coach changed this one up a bit. The last six or so evals have been at 152HR, but this one was moved up to 158HR to check in on marathon pace effort and recovery. Today's run had a calming effect on me after the 'MP' run from a few days ago. My fitness is better than I had thought (not that Mystery Coach hasn't been trying to convince me of that for weeks).
3 mile warmup (20:05)
5:32(158) | 5:40(158)
5:39(159) | 5:41(158)
:36(130) :47(120) 1:08(110)
2.5 mile cooldown
Legs felt good, turned over really well, but felt a bit tired during the warmup.
Friday, March 14, 2008
1:00:00 :: 9.6 miles
MP run. 25F and windy (15mph). Seven miles at current marathon pace, based on a heart rate of 152-154. Very disappointing result as far as pace. I expected to be a good 5 to 7 seconds ahead of last year at this time, not behind.
Two mile warmup in 13:36
5:49(153) | 5:50(153) | 5:52(154)
5:59(154) | 6:01(155) | 5:58(153)
6:02(154) | :27(130) :36(120) :51(110)
Not sure what to think about this. It's so bad, I'm wondering if I'm coming down with a cold or something.
Two mile warmup in 13:36
5:49(153) | 5:50(153) | 5:52(154)
5:59(154) | 6:01(155) | 5:58(153)
6:02(154) | :27(130) :36(120) :51(110)
Not sure what to think about this. It's so bad, I'm wondering if I'm coming down with a cold or something.
Friday, June 15, 2007
1:15:32 :: 12.25 miles (with 7@5:41)
MP run. Everything was feeling good, so I had a seven mile MP run at 5:45 pace to do. The conditions were relatively tough, although 65F and breezy sounds beautiful, with 98 percent humidity, it starts to take something out of you. It's a very strange feeling to get cold from the breeze, but feel like you're breathing in toothpaste at the same time. As Fatboy would say, Mmmmm...minty.
5:47(151) | 5:47(156) | 5:42(159) | 5:42(161) | 5:39(162) | 5:38(162) | 5:41(164)
Couldn't find a happy medium during the run. Felt sluggish the first two miles, so I tried to snap out of that a bit, was holding fine at 5:42, but then the effort got out of control. I felt out of sync slowing down, and felt the effort was too much holding pace, so other than just stopping and taking a 30 second walk, I couldn't think of what to do. My body let me know what it thought of the effort during the last half-mile, as I started to feel the wave of fatigue that is usually reserved for day two of the back-to-back. I actually found myself missing my winter weather today, which is completely nuts. Two plus mile cooldown to finish.
Did the full recovery routine after this one--cold bath and chocolate milk. I probably overcooked this workout a tiny bit, but not too terribly bad. I'm very happy with where things are at less than one month post-marathon--I can afford to be a bit more conservative on the efforts right now in order to make sure I'm recovered. It's a long summer.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
5:47(151) | 5:47(156) | 5:42(159) | 5:42(161) | 5:39(162) | 5:38(162) | 5:41(164)
Couldn't find a happy medium during the run. Felt sluggish the first two miles, so I tried to snap out of that a bit, was holding fine at 5:42, but then the effort got out of control. I felt out of sync slowing down, and felt the effort was too much holding pace, so other than just stopping and taking a 30 second walk, I couldn't think of what to do. My body let me know what it thought of the effort during the last half-mile, as I started to feel the wave of fatigue that is usually reserved for day two of the back-to-back. I actually found myself missing my winter weather today, which is completely nuts. Two plus mile cooldown to finish.
Did the full recovery routine after this one--cold bath and chocolate milk. I probably overcooked this workout a tiny bit, but not too terribly bad. I'm very happy with where things are at less than one month post-marathon--I can afford to be a bit more conservative on the efforts right now in order to make sure I'm recovered. It's a long summer.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Friday, May 04, 2007
47:51 :: 8 miles
MP run. Wind was blowing like mad--20+mph and gusting--and it was raining off and on. Tried a couple of different loops, but couldn't avoid or minimize the wind. Two mile warmup in 13:29, then six miles at 5:45 pace (as I could manage).
5:46(147) | 5:47(153) | 5:43(154) | 5:39(156) | 5:46(158) | 5:41(159)
Recovered to 120HR in :50 and to 110HR in 1:01. Standing around HR prior to run was steady at 47--lowest recorded this cycle.
Couldn't settle into a pace today, probably due to conditions. Also noticed that the pace felt 'fast' from a mechanical perspective. I wasn't comfortable at pace like I was during some other pace workouts or during the half. The HR was better than normal, but the 'ease' just wasn't there. I wore my racing flats today, which gives me a bit different feel than the trainers--that could be something. My guess would be because I haven't done strides or 1000s since the race, my perspective is skewed and 5:45 feels fast again.
Also very possibly could have been an off day. I haven't had one for a while, and two easy runs in a row are a known cause of that feeling. Today's workout should eliminate that feeling (at least for the first half) from tomorrow's run.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
5:46(147) | 5:47(153) | 5:43(154) | 5:39(156) | 5:46(158) | 5:41(159)
Recovered to 120HR in :50 and to 110HR in 1:01. Standing around HR prior to run was steady at 47--lowest recorded this cycle.
Couldn't settle into a pace today, probably due to conditions. Also noticed that the pace felt 'fast' from a mechanical perspective. I wasn't comfortable at pace like I was during some other pace workouts or during the half. The HR was better than normal, but the 'ease' just wasn't there. I wore my racing flats today, which gives me a bit different feel than the trainers--that could be something. My guess would be because I haven't done strides or 1000s since the race, my perspective is skewed and 5:45 feels fast again.
Also very possibly could have been an off day. I haven't had one for a while, and two easy runs in a row are a known cause of that feeling. Today's workout should eliminate that feeling (at least for the first half) from tomorrow's run.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Friday, April 27, 2007
1:06:11 :: 11 miles
Two mile warmup in 13:03, then seven miles at MP, as follows:
5:43(151) | 5:43(154) | 5:41(156) | 5:42(156) | 5:45(156) | 5:37(159) | 5:41(160)
Recovered to 120HR in :56, and to 110HR in 1:09. Two mile cooldown in 12:50.
I'll add some commentary later...have to get to work! Good run.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
5:43(151) | 5:43(154) | 5:41(156) | 5:42(156) | 5:45(156) | 5:37(159) | 5:41(160)
Recovered to 120HR in :56, and to 110HR in 1:09. Two mile cooldown in 12:50.
I'll add some commentary later...have to get to work! Good run.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
1:29:40 :: 14 miles
Volume and speed workout. The schedule for today looked like a lot of fun on paper, er, on e-mail--10 minute warmup, 30 minutes at 5:45 pace, 15 minutes at 6:15 pace, 3-4x1000m at 3:07 (5:01 pace), then a cooldown.
Everything went to plan, which is very encouraging. 1.45 mile warmup, then 5.25 miles (5:44-153, 5:44-157, 5:42-158, 5:43-159, 5:43-161, 1:23-162), followed by 2.4 miles (6:11-153, 6:16-152, 2:32-154), and 4x1000m on 5:00 (3:07-168[120-1:16], 3:07-163[120-1:15], 3:06-164[120-1:12], 3:05-164[120-1:19]).
Recovery to 120HR was 1:19 (following the last 1000m rep) and to 110HR in 1:36, then a two mile cooldown on the treadmill. This recovery looks pretty good compared to other workouts. I definitely felt good today. The first two miles of the 5:45 pace segment had me feeling a little tired, but that sorted out and the pace began to feel easier. The 6:15 segment was a bit difficult to hit exactly right, but I was close. That felt a bit odd--not really slow enough to feel like I was getting a rest, but not so fast that I couldn't get some recovery. Then, boom goes the dynamite, it was right into the first 1000 after a steady 55 minute run. Surprisingly, (or not surprisingly if you are the Mystery Coach), I felt great. I hit the mark right on pace. The next one started a touch slower, but ended about the same, and felt about the same, but three and four were like melted butter on a fresh from the oven caramel roll. I haven't experienced that sense of easy speed in my legs for years. The first 300 meters of the last two reps were completely ridiculous! I would put the effort for all four of the reps equal to the effort of the middle four of the 7x1000m I did last week. A fair amount of oxygen debt for the last 500m, but quite relaxed and controlled compared to last time--and nearly ten seconds per rep faster. Quite an adaptation in just a week. The recoveries were similar as well, and it's a good thing I wasn't out there with last week's instructions, because I felt just fine after four, and the recovery to 120 was leaving me with better than 30 seconds to spare.
Great workout today. Really enjoyable with a good mix of pace work and moderate speed.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Everything went to plan, which is very encouraging. 1.45 mile warmup, then 5.25 miles (5:44-153, 5:44-157, 5:42-158, 5:43-159, 5:43-161, 1:23-162), followed by 2.4 miles (6:11-153, 6:16-152, 2:32-154), and 4x1000m on 5:00 (3:07-168[120-1:16], 3:07-163[120-1:15], 3:06-164[120-1:12], 3:05-164[120-1:19]).
Recovery to 120HR was 1:19 (following the last 1000m rep) and to 110HR in 1:36, then a two mile cooldown on the treadmill. This recovery looks pretty good compared to other workouts. I definitely felt good today. The first two miles of the 5:45 pace segment had me feeling a little tired, but that sorted out and the pace began to feel easier. The 6:15 segment was a bit difficult to hit exactly right, but I was close. That felt a bit odd--not really slow enough to feel like I was getting a rest, but not so fast that I couldn't get some recovery. Then, boom goes the dynamite, it was right into the first 1000 after a steady 55 minute run. Surprisingly, (or not surprisingly if you are the Mystery Coach), I felt great. I hit the mark right on pace. The next one started a touch slower, but ended about the same, and felt about the same, but three and four were like melted butter on a fresh from the oven caramel roll. I haven't experienced that sense of easy speed in my legs for years. The first 300 meters of the last two reps were completely ridiculous! I would put the effort for all four of the reps equal to the effort of the middle four of the 7x1000m I did last week. A fair amount of oxygen debt for the last 500m, but quite relaxed and controlled compared to last time--and nearly ten seconds per rep faster. Quite an adaptation in just a week. The recoveries were similar as well, and it's a good thing I wasn't out there with last week's instructions, because I felt just fine after four, and the recovery to 120 was leaving me with better than 30 seconds to spare.
Great workout today. Really enjoyable with a good mix of pace work and moderate speed.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Friday, April 06, 2007
1:24:00 :: 13 miles
Marathon pace run. The run was a mixed bag. Legs felt good, but the stride was clunky. No fatigue in the legs, but the heart rate was jacked. It was just that kind of day.
Weather was, again, terrible. Fifteen degrees with an 18mph north wind. To top it off, my GPS was screwed up and kept recording the miles incorrectly, even though skies were perfectly clear. It's time to get rid of that thing and switch to measured courses and a heart rate monitor with a stopwatch.
My wife identified that we are affected adversely by a cold before we even experience symptoms. Last week, she had a problem with her heart rates escalating by 6-8bpm during a workout at the same efforts she was used to, but when the workout was over, she recovered to her low heart rate (120 for her) in less than a minute--very quickly. Today, I experienced the same thing. Two days ago, I had a tickle in the back of my throat that told me I was getting the cold she just had, so I started taking zinc for it. Even though I have remained symptom free, I have had two workouts (Wednesday and today) where my heart rate was higher than normal for the effort and pace I am used to. Initially, I thought it was the three days of biking, causing me to miss out on two strong aerobic workouts. After today, I believe it is the cold.
The workout was 9 miles at 155 heart rate. Mystery Coach has been advising me (if it wasn't obvious), and since the calf problem cropped up, he has been concerned about overstressing the leg as well as carefully managing recovery. 153-155 HR today got me 5:52 to 5:56 pace, which would be disappointing if there wasn't a good reason. Just like in my wife's example above, I recovered to 120HR in :36, and to 110 in :53, feeling like I had just finished a nicely up-tempo jog. Even though the GPS was screwed, I was able to get some times on the loop, which indicated 5:48 pace at 157HR. I'm comfortable that a 157HR today is equivalent to 153HR on a normal day, which tells me I'm still making progress in spite of the brief delay due to the calf problem. Next week's workouts should give tell me if I am right about that, or just blowing smoke.
Earth Day Half Marathon is April 21--coming up quickly. Then, finally, the Fargo Marathon.
So, end result, the weather, the GPS, and the heart rates were a bit frustrating, but I got 9 miles in at 155HR as planned
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Weather was, again, terrible. Fifteen degrees with an 18mph north wind. To top it off, my GPS was screwed up and kept recording the miles incorrectly, even though skies were perfectly clear. It's time to get rid of that thing and switch to measured courses and a heart rate monitor with a stopwatch.
My wife identified that we are affected adversely by a cold before we even experience symptoms. Last week, she had a problem with her heart rates escalating by 6-8bpm during a workout at the same efforts she was used to, but when the workout was over, she recovered to her low heart rate (120 for her) in less than a minute--very quickly. Today, I experienced the same thing. Two days ago, I had a tickle in the back of my throat that told me I was getting the cold she just had, so I started taking zinc for it. Even though I have remained symptom free, I have had two workouts (Wednesday and today) where my heart rate was higher than normal for the effort and pace I am used to. Initially, I thought it was the three days of biking, causing me to miss out on two strong aerobic workouts. After today, I believe it is the cold.
The workout was 9 miles at 155 heart rate. Mystery Coach has been advising me (if it wasn't obvious), and since the calf problem cropped up, he has been concerned about overstressing the leg as well as carefully managing recovery. 153-155 HR today got me 5:52 to 5:56 pace, which would be disappointing if there wasn't a good reason. Just like in my wife's example above, I recovered to 120HR in :36, and to 110 in :53, feeling like I had just finished a nicely up-tempo jog. Even though the GPS was screwed, I was able to get some times on the loop, which indicated 5:48 pace at 157HR. I'm comfortable that a 157HR today is equivalent to 153HR on a normal day, which tells me I'm still making progress in spite of the brief delay due to the calf problem. Next week's workouts should give tell me if I am right about that, or just blowing smoke.
Earth Day Half Marathon is April 21--coming up quickly. Then, finally, the Fargo Marathon.
So, end result, the weather, the GPS, and the heart rates were a bit frustrating, but I got 9 miles in at 155HR as planned
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Friday, March 16, 2007
1:00:27 :: 10 miles (with 8@5:55)
Seven inches of snow yesterday and -9F this morning (but only -5F when I started the workout! JOY!), so pardon me for a moment while I express myself with a stream of expletives...
Never mind. I'm over it. The workout went well enough, although I was a little bit disappointed in the pace. It started out well enough, but quickly snapped back to the reality that my current marathon pace is around 5:55, not 5:45. Felt good today, notwithstanding my mental state, which is utterly filled with frustration, anger, and a dash of rage. If Mother Nature was a real person, I'd be in a holding cell right now waiting for a lawyer and my psych consult. The NCAA has nothing on me as far as March Madness is concerned right now.
The workout: two mile warmup in 13:12, then eight miles at current MP, based AGAIN on heart rate (152-154) because the roads and the temps were less than ideal.
5:46(151) | 5:50(153) | 5:58(151) | 5:56(152) | 5:58(153) | 5:58(153) | 5:55(153) | 5:51(154)
Breathing was a bit more labored than I would expect at this pace, due to the facemask, but otherwise felt really strong. Recovery to 120 HR in 37 seconds, and to 110 in 54 seconds. Felt like I could have gone twice the distance at this pace without a lot of extra effort. Good day in spite of the conditions.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Never mind. I'm over it. The workout went well enough, although I was a little bit disappointed in the pace. It started out well enough, but quickly snapped back to the reality that my current marathon pace is around 5:55, not 5:45. Felt good today, notwithstanding my mental state, which is utterly filled with frustration, anger, and a dash of rage. If Mother Nature was a real person, I'd be in a holding cell right now waiting for a lawyer and my psych consult. The NCAA has nothing on me as far as March Madness is concerned right now.
The workout: two mile warmup in 13:12, then eight miles at current MP, based AGAIN on heart rate (152-154) because the roads and the temps were less than ideal.
5:46(151) | 5:50(153) | 5:58(151) | 5:56(152) | 5:58(153) | 5:58(153) | 5:55(153) | 5:51(154)
Breathing was a bit more labored than I would expect at this pace, due to the facemask, but otherwise felt really strong. Recovery to 120 HR in 37 seconds, and to 110 in 54 seconds. Felt like I could have gone twice the distance at this pace without a lot of extra effort. Good day in spite of the conditions.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Friday, March 02, 2007
1:11:04 ::11 miles
Marathon pace workout on treadmill. Two mile warmup (13:54), then seven miles at current MP (based on heart rate of 151-156) in 6:02, 6:03, 6:03, 6:05, 6:09, 6:10, 6:11. Adjusted the speed to keep HR around 155, which got tougher as the run went on. HR went as high as 159 for a short period, which was also around the time when I was feeling the best (mile 5 and 6). Seemed like the lower end, 151-153 was less comfortable than the 155-157 range. My form seemed to fall apart and breathing was a bit heavier. Interesting.
Good run. I can see this is going to take some concentration, but the effort was reasonable enough to do for quite a while. But, if this is what marathon pace feels like for the first twenty before it gets tough, I have a lot of work to do.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Good run. I can see this is going to take some concentration, but the effort was reasonable enough to do for quite a while. But, if this is what marathon pace feels like for the first twenty before it gets tough, I have a lot of work to do.
Run Two | Weather | Supplemental | Nutrition | Sleep | Injury
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)