12 mile training run

This morning on the schedule was a 12 mile training run, at training rather than race pace. I completed the 12 miles in 1:54:16 for an overall pace of 9:31 per mile.

I did two 5 mile loops followed by a 2 mile loop. The pacing breakdown was:

First 5 mile loop: 48:43 for a pace of 9:45 per mile
Second 5 mile loop: 47:42 for a pace of 9:32 per mile
2 mile loop:  17:51 for a pace of 8:55 per mile

As usual I tried to keep the last loop no faster than the previous loops, but the psychology of being on the last loop got the better of me.

Coming this week: 50 miles of running culminating in a 10 mile pace run on Saturday and my second 20 mile training run on Sunday.

6 mile Pace Run and Race Pacing

This morning on the schedule was a 6 mile pace run. The idea with the pace runs is to perform the run at the pace at which you expect to run the marathon. Not the fastest possible pace you could run 6 miles, nor the deliberately slow pace of the long training runs, but the pace you expect to achieve on the actual day of the race.

Not having run a marathon before, I'm in uncharted territory as far as setting the race pace. The standard advice for your first marathon is just to run it to finish, but I'm not sure that is such great advice. I think it is wise to have a specific pace in mind. I know that on race day I'll be very keyed up, and without a specific pace in mind I'll inevitably try to run it too fast. And if the pace I set is a "just finish it" pace - which I think would be 10 minute miles for me, since I did 20 miles quite comfortably last Sunday at a little better than 10 minute miles - I will have a very hard time holding it there with all the excitement and knowing I could likely go faster. And again I would be in danger of trying to run it too fast.

I think it is important that I find a pace that I believe I can run comfortably but is also fast enough that the temptation to push it won't be too bad. Then I think I should be able to discipline myself to hold that pace an no faster, and to back off if I exceed it.

What is that pace? Clearly 8 minute miles is too fast and 10 minute miles is too slow. This morning on the 6 mile pace run I consciously took it up a notch from my normal slow training pace, but also made sure I kept it below a 10k pace, aiming for a good cruising pace I thought I could keep up more or less indefinitely. I ran the first 3 miles in 26:40 at an 8:52 pace  and the second 3 miles in 25:28 at an 8:30 pace for a 52:08 total. It's amazing what a warmup does as I consciously tried to keep the second 3 miles easy but I ran it more than a minute faster. I'm also discovering I'm running significantly faster than I was a few months ago at the same "feel" pace. I ran an 8:38 pace at the half marathon in Salem in September but felt like I was working much harder - even over the first half of the race - than I was this morning, which seemed like a stroll in the park.

I've still got some time to settle on the race pace, but it's starting to look like a 9 minute mile pace is not unreasonable, with an 8:30 mile being the "danger pace" I should stay below (like going into the red on your RPM readout in the car). A 9 minute mile pace would get me to a sub 4 hour marathon, so that might be a reasonable goal. We'll see how things go next week when I have another 50 mile week ending in a 20 miler next Sunday.

Peak Mileage Milestone - 20 miles

So this morning I ran the first of the 20 mile training runs, 3 of which are on the Hal Higdon plan I am following. 2 more to go. 20 miles is the longest distance run on the plan.

I ran the 20 miles in 3:18:28, a bit less than a 10 minute mile pace. The route I use is a 5 mile loop, which allows me to stay relatively close to home and put a water bottle on the front porch. I don't like to carry things when I run, and the bottle on the porch allows me to take a water stop every 5 miles without the hassle of toting a bottle. I also take a gu gel energy pack off the porch every loop.

Last Sunday I was visiting in Endwell and ran the 19 mile run called for by the plan. Rather than mapping out a flat course in Endicott and driving down there for it, I foolishly mapped one starting from the Weis plaza down the hill on Hooper road. This course is a lot hillier than my normal route in Danvers (although I did my best to minimize the hills). As I probably should have expected, it was a little too much and in the 19th mile I tweaked my left calf (the same injury I experienced in August after the Rockport Half Marathon) going up the final hill on Hooper Road along ME High School. Fortunately I had the good sense to shut it down when I first felt the pain in my calf and limped in the final quarter mile to the car. This past week I rode the recumbent bike at work on Tuesday and Wednesday rather than the training runs. I tried out the calf on Thursday in a 5 mile run and finished it with no pain. Same thing again for the 10 mile run yesterday.

I changed the 5 mile Danvers loop I've been running to make it as flat as possible to minimize the chance of injury. Compared to what I ran in Endwell, it is very flat with only a few gentle grades. Today's 20 miles felt noticeably easier than the 19 miles in Endwell last week, and - the most important thing - I finished it without injury, although I am pretty sore.

One interesting thing is that I ran the first three 5 mile loops in a fairly consistent 10 minute mile pace. The last loop I ran in 47:27 for a 9:30 mile pace, although I did not try to increase the pace and in fact made a conscious effort to stay slow to avoid injury. Maybe it's the knowledge that I was in the homestretch that led to an unconscious uptick in pace. In any case it was nice to know I had that in the tank after 15 miles.

Air Force Association Veterans 10k and 5k

The Hal Higdon Marathon training plan for this week has a day of rest on Saturday and a Half Marathon race on Sunday. Not being interested in running another half marathon race at this point, I substituted a 10k race today and I'll do an easy 10 miler tomorrow morning.

 

There is a nice 10k event this weekend in Bedford, the Air Force Association Veterans Fun Run that starts and finishes at the VA facility in Bedford. It's a fund raiser for the AFA so I thought it would be a worthy event in which to participate. I was happy to hear that Ellen was willing to join me running the 5k, so I picked her up at school Friday afternoon (Tricia was gracious enough to bring her back this afternoon). Here are Ellen and me prior to the start:

I thought I would "represent" the Marine Corps at the race so I wore my hat. There were a lot of people running in Air Force gear (naturally) and a few in Army wear. There were one or two others sporting the Eagle, Globe and Anchor of the USMC. Here are the flags set up at the finish line...

 My goal at the North Andover 10k in July was to break 50 minutes. I almost reached it in that race, running a 50:19. This time, 15 pounds lighter, I would be disappointed if I wasn't able to improve that time enough to get under 50. The race time temperature was in the high 30's, which didn't bode too well as I don't seem to be a good cold weather runner. The course isn't easy either, consisting mostly of rolling hills. But I ran the first mile in 8:28, which was a good sign as I have generally been in the 9:30 range for the first mile or two. I ran the first 5k in 25 minutes and change, which put me within striking distance of 50 minutes. About the 4th mile I really settled in and was able to increase my pace, finishing in 49:07 for an average pace of 7:55 per mile. I was happy to see that I negative split the second 5k in something less than 24 minutes, and got under an 8 minute average pace for the first time. Ellen did a 28:28 for the 5k, not her best but then she had a chest cold and ran anyway.

Here is Ellen finishing the 5k...

And here I am finishing the 10k...