With my target race about three weeks away, its time to pull it all together and see if the training is working, how everything works together and just what are my chances of survival. In this training plan, that comes in the form a tempo run.
A tempo run is basically a longer run (though shorter than a long run) at or very close to race pace. Specifically, I would do 8 miles at race pace (7:00 minute miles) followed by 1 mile at 10K pace (slightly faster than marathon pace). Doing the last mile faster ensures that you're not draining the tank completely during the tempo run. It is also great training because in a race, you want to be able to accelerate through the last portion of the race to finish strong.
It was dark when I went out for this run, after sunset, so I chose to run on the track. Most runners hate the track because there is no change of scenery. Because it is often dark when I run (either before sun rise or after sunset) the track does not bother me. I despise having to avoid dogs and cars...both of which have historically bad effects on runners. So the track works for me. The only draw back, is that the track is flat...which may be an issue due to the hills on the race course. We'll see.
I found the 7:00 minute miles to be fairly comfortable. The actual splits started close to 7:08 and worked down a couple to four seconds a mile to 6:55, and 6:50ish. The last mile was done at 6:30, which was faster than my targeted pace, leaving me to wonder: can I go faster than 7:00?
For now, I'm going to stick with 7:00s for my tempos and target race pace and do speed work as fast as reasonably possible.
Epilogue
While I felt really good about the work out, the recovery took longer than expected. My calves were super sore even a couple days after. Part of that I attribute to the shoes. I wore my Newtons--which I plan to wear in the race. The Newtons have lugs on the forefront of the shoe which is supposed to help with running form and give you an added spring to your step. But the lugs also keep me of the rear of my foot which strains the calf muscles a little more. I don't think it's unhealthy...just need to wear them more to strengthen my calves and be ready for race day.
Over the weekend, I did 14 miles for the long run. I kept the pace steady but definitely bonked. I feel like I'm still recovering from the combination of the tempo and long run. However, the next couple weeks should get easier as I start to taper and build into a perfectly energized condition for race day.
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