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| Stretching Out At The End Of A Run - Peaceful & Connected |
Over Training
Now that we have some decent running weather on the East Coast, I have been focused on getting some training in for my half marathon in April. I've also been focused on training on hilly terrain since the half I'm doing is well known for being hilly.I was incredibly proud of my long run a few weeks ago - I ran 12.5 miles on some humbling hills in my local neighborhood. But there was also an inner voice that yelled CAUTION! I had already peaked in my long run at close to the distance of the half, and I had at least another 8 weeks before the race! It also took me quite some time to recover from those hills. I could barely run the week after and developed a nagging pain in the back of my knee.
As I get older, I get just a little wiser and pay attention to my inner voice yelling at me. I took the forced break the week after that run, and then eased back into my running schedule. However. I brought my long run back all the way to 8 miles, with a plan to increase it by a mile a week so that I would peak closer to the timing of the half.
This strategy seems to be working so far. This week I ran 4 times and managed to achieve some kind of improvement in performance - either distance or pace or both, while also taking on many humbling hills.
Run 1 - 3.5 miles @ 11:13/mile
This run had one long slow hill of 90 feet for 0.9 mile and one short steep hill of 50ft for 0.1 mile.
Run 2 - 6.24 miles @ 11:00/mile
I ran longer and improved my pace. This run had:- Hill 1 - 100 feet incline over 0.6 mile
- Hill 2 - 30 feet include over 0.5 mile
- Hill 3 - 70 feet over 0.75 mile
- Hill 4 - 90 feet over 0.35 mile
- Hill 5 - 25 feet over 0.3 mile
Run 3 - 9 miles @11:09/mile
I ran longer and tried like heck to break the 11:00/mile pace of my previous run. But I just couldn't get there. I did add a few extra hills at the end though.
- Hill 1 - 100 feet incline over 0.6 mile
- Hill 2 - 30 feet include over 0.5 mile
- Hill 3 - 70 feet over 0.75 mile
- Hill 4 - 90 feet over 0.35 mile
- Hill 5 - 75 feet over 1.1 mile
- Hill 6 - 50 feet over 0.2 mile
- Hill 7 - 25 feet over 0.3 mile
Run 4 - 5.0 miles @ 10:39/mile
This run is typically my slowest run of the week, particularly since it's the first run after my long run. However, I surprised myself today. I ran my fastest pace of the week and I've never run this fast on that course before! Clearly it was an easier run - only one real hill for the duration (40 feet for 0.3 mile). But still, it felt so good to finally break through the 11:00 minute pace!
What I'm Learning
I've noticed I'm getting better at holding a little something back for the end of the run. Often running my fastest pace in the last mile. I've also noticed that by repeatedly training on hills, the hills are becoming less daunting. My toughest hill is 90 feet over 0.35 mile. When I'm running it, I feel like I'm going super slow. But I think this is in part because I race down it at 9-10 minutes/mile. I am slower going up, but not as slowly as I perceive (for me anyway). I've also noticed I'm doing much better with my runs when I'm not calorie restricting. I've been eating at maintenance level and consume a higher proportion as carbs and protein and I'm feeling great! I've decided that weight loss can wait until I'm done with my half - the energy I feel is worth eating!
I'm enjoying what I'm learning about myself during my training. I'm enjoying understanding what a mind-game running is. And I'm enjoying seeing what my body can do when I take care of it and train purposefully.
If anyone got to the end of this blog, I thank you!
I can't wait to see how next week goes. My goal is 4 runs much like those above, but increasing my long run to 10 miles.
