Happy with this week in general. Increase the mileage - 100km in 8 days - not quite a 100k week but good enough.
Tues 18k in 4:37 average on hilly terrain
Thurs 12k in 4:28 average with tempo 8k section
Fri and Sat each 10k in 49 min
This morning 35.3k in 2:56.30 - on 5.00min/k pace as per sportstracks. Felt stiff and sore for the first hour (!) before loosening up. Took refill stop at 17k, 22k and 30k - didnt count these in the time - total less than5 minutes though.
Henry was cycling past at 25k and rode next to me for 3k or so for a chat - helped greatly at this crucial point.
Great thing was the even splits - fastest 5k 24:48 (30-35k) and slowest 25:16 (25-30k). Legs felt dead at the end but really could have pushed on for a little more. I ran nearly exactly the same distance at the same point last year in 5:15min/k, so feel I am still on track for my goal.
I really want to push on this week, avoid the temptation to taper for freo HM so I can prepare best for July.
Good to see Henry today, read of TB's ongoing long run preparations, and TS&TF back running after the honeymoon - running 7 days straight after a month off is impressive.
Thanks for the comment Rich, I must admit in my first year of running in 2005 I used TB's blog as a source of inspiration, and then in 2006 used TS&TFs for the same purpose - they are interesting to peruse as two very different approaches to training. If you dont read them yet, have a look. TBs link is with all his posts on WAMC messageboard, and The Slow &The Furious' I think is still linked from his Coolrunning posts.
Solid sessions on both Tues and Thurs, especially after the 10k race on Sunday! You are better prepared for the marathon this year and I still think that you are better suited to longer distance races (HM & above). All the best.
ReplyDeleteBoy - were you looking good when I rode with you - and talking at the same time. There's no question that you are going to smash 3:30 easily, the question is only by how much - looking at your progress 3:10 might be feasible.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure whether doing the Freo HM without at least a bit of a taper (I'm just talking 3 or 4 days of low-intensity stuff) isn't going to be counter-productive. That depends on whether you are going to do it as a race proper or as a training run, say at marathon pace.
Whatever it is, looking forward to your updates.
PS. Get yourself a bike, it does wonders for sore legs. My experience is that a long ride after a hard effort loosens up the muscles without killing the joints (or then I'm just showing my age, eh? :-D)
Thanks guys! Did 12k today to make a 97k 7 day period - lets call it a 100k week.
ReplyDeleteHomo - good point. Think I'll drop the intensity wed-fri, add a 5-10k recovery on Sun and run it at 90% effort. That way I'll still do 80k for the week but also get an idea where I am pacewise.
Yeah I think 3.10-3.20 very likely the way you are going, if you keep improving at this rate, (and the further you go the harder it gets to maintain the improvement of course), then a sub 3 is probably a very real possibility by next year at the latest, and that is a much sought after achievement australia-wide...
ReplyDeleteI think Widi may be right the HM and the 42 your best races.
I agree with H also a bike is extremely useful especially with us almost senile injured over 30 blokes like me. seriously though crosstraining has a lot of training benefits, not found in running only.