This week’s training:
Monday – 9 miles (7 @ marathon pace–big jump from 3 miles two weeks ago!)
Tuesday – rest
Wednesday – 8 miles with 3 mile repeats @ 10K pace
Thursday – 3 miles easy with strides
Friday – rest
Saturday – 18 miles LSD with fast finish (last few miles @ marathon pace)
Sunday – 3 miles easy
Total: 41 miles
This week, I was aiming to hit target paces in three of the five runs. Training paces can be a little tricky, and the marathon pace suggested by the Runner’s World conversion calculator (based on mile time trial) seems incredibly optimistic…especially as it was actually my 10K pace at Tour Des Fleurs! Granted, that was far slower than my usual 10K for a variety of reasons. But I have serious doubts about being able to sustain that pace for an extra 20 miles just seven weeks from now–especially since my HR kept zooming into the 180s! So I’m having to think differently about “marathon pace.” Plugging my most recent (subpar) 10K time into different calculators, they predict a finishing time much closer to my last marathon in June and a pace more in line with my easy runs. That’s probably more realistic…But if speed and pace sessions are at the same easy pace I normally run, what’s the point? 🙂 So, I’ve come to this: I’ll train at the pace predicted by the mile time trials and the RW calculator, as that does the most to challenge me and help me improve. But come race day, I’ll shoot for a more realistic pace–one I hope to test out at That Dam Half in a few weeks.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been listening to so much Bob Hamp lately (if you’re unfamiliar, you really should treat yourself to the videos at http://bobhamp.com) but I also find myself thinking differently about training in general. Especially when executing a pre-packaged plan like the one from Runner’s World, it’s easy to fall into thinking of running as the totality of training. But this week, the phrase echoing in my head is: REST AS HARD AS YOU TRAIN. Life has been busy, so it’s required me to be intentional, but I making time for rest…and reaping the rewards. I’m also beginning to think about eating as an equally important component of training. Over the past two years, I’ve grown in my understanding of how to properly fuel for a marathon and was more in my right mind after the last one than any previous. 🙂 But now I’m looking to take it to the next level–thinking about what I eat all the time, not just for workouts. I’m in the nascent stages but have a clear set of principles to guide me and am hopeful about the results showing up in training and on race day. Stay tuned!