T - 6mi @ 12:15 (easy pace) / 6 x 400m @ 10:13 (average) + 1mi w/u & 1mi c/d
Decided to bite the bullet and go for a speed session! It was tough. My calves are so tight recently - they were sore even during the warm up :(
My first 3 intervals were okay, but the last 3 were slower: 09:34, 09:28, 09:50, 10:31, 11:04 and 10:54 (these splits are the pace time, rather than the run time!)
You can see the effect the intervals had on my heart rate! (This graph excludes the warm up and cool down)W - 6 x 400m @ (10:00) with 200m recover (+w/u & c/d) / Rest
T - Rest / 4mi @ 11:54
4 reasonably steady miles. Still struggling with my calves - its very frustrating that its my legs that cause me to walk - I think it was easier to deal with when it was because I was too out of breath!
F - Rest / Rest
S - 12mi @ 13:00 (slow pace) / Rest
S - Rest / 12mi @ 12:53 (average)
Urgh, another hard slog, and still not over halfway! Did a bit of number analysis with this run, as usual, my calves and achillies were very sore to start with and I felt I was struggling, but around mile 5, I felt as though I finally relaxed into the run (about time too!), I stopped to stretch just before then, and it also co-incided with me arriving at the canal, so I was running on softer ground - all of which helped I'm sure.
For the first half I ran/walked an average of 13:10/mile and the second half was 12:36/mile - this would have been a bit quicker, but I took a gel around mile 8, and couldn't run and take it, so that mile was 14:11. The last three miles were in the top four for pace, and the last mile was my quickest one of all - 11:17 (maybe I just wanted to get home!). So although it felt very tough at the start, it did improve, and makes me feel slightly more hopeful for the longer runs coming up - maybe I am made for distance? (I'm certainly not going to win any speed awards!).
There was a note on the bottom of my gel that made me smile; "Trash the competition, not the planet! Please don't litter." :D
Total Distance: 20.25 miles
Weight: Not sure - didn't weigh in this week!
Summary: Finally managed three runs this week, so I will mark that down as a success. Still much slower than I'd have liked, but hopefully the consistency in the running, and getting used to the longer distances will help the speed drop a bit (I'm not looking for miracles!)
Thought: Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working. (Not that I'm claiming my training as a 'great achievement', but I like the sentiment of keeping going :) )
Question: What do you do about drinks on a long run? I found I was having to ration my drink towards the end, and wasn't near any shops!
I love that graph! Shows a consistent effort too :-) And good work on the LSR. I think pacing it so that you can hold it, or even speed up, in the final miles is great for confidence.
ReplyDeleteYour calves.. Do you stretch? It sounds like that might not be enough, and you need someone to get into them. You could foam roll (though I find that difficult on the lower legs), or you could have a half hour sports massage just for your problem spots. I did that during marathon training and it did me the world of good.
Also love your thought for the week. It's when you want to give up the most and don't that you make the biggest strides in progress :-)
Geez, I which I didn't have knee problems so that I could run and run and run!! The impact from running just doesn't farewell on my joints no matter how much I try to strengthen them. I love reading about other people's experiences though, it's like day dreaming that I am runnning :-) I use a rebounder now to try to mimic running, and it's been great but it doesnt provide the same feeling as when you're running outdoors with the wind against you face. Keep up the good work!
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