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Sunday, October 10, 2010

Longest Run since AFC in August

I do so look forward to my weekend endurance-training run.  During the RnR marathon training, I think I tried to build up my long run mileage too quickly because I was over eager, excited about tackling longer and longer runs than I'd ever attempted before.  I believe that wound up hurting me since I didn't get quality training from those runs, or at least didn't race the way I ran them.  And I just wasn't properly prepared.

This time, under coaching supervision, I'm not going to let myself lose control and try to chase the mileage before I'm ready.  HOWEVER, having repeated that to myself over and over again, I set out to do 10 miles today and wound up doing 12...comfortably.

My rationalization is that I'm not really up into real LSD territory quite yet.  I don't think it starts to be a long, slow run until I'm exceeding 14 or 15 miles.  And I like how Mike has me focused more on time spent running as LSD pace rather than fixating on mileage, even though I still do.  10 miles isn't very stressful, especially at an easy going pace, so tacking on an extra 2, I don't think, was unwise.  Maybe Mike will tell me otherwise when I catch him up.

I pretty much did this entire week on my own.  I never did close the loop with Mike to get my running assignments. I guess I shouldn't expect him to push workouts on me.  I'm going to have to press him for training guidance and coaching.  I know he's got a full plate of really good runners.  My amateur aspirations are probably way down in his scan.  If I'm going to pay him for his expertise, I just need to make sure I'm aggressive about getting my money's worth.

But I decided, on my own, that at this point in the training, a 90-minute endurance, slow-paced run was the right course.  I figured if I went past 10 miles in 90 minutes, that'd be okay.  And I did.  I wound up running 100-minutes and covering 12 miles.  And I feel pretty good, not counting the annoyance of the left ankle.  Good news is that the calves are both holding up nicely.

I ran at Lake Miramar, in the cool of the morning.  It was great.  I got there ahead of the crowd so parking was no problem.  I had a banana and a bottle of water before leaving home, then ran one lap clockwise, took 30-45 seconds to drink some water, and then ran another lap counter clockwise.  I finished the 10 miles in around 82 minutes and only felt slightly fatigued, so I pushed another mile at an 8:00 pace to finish  11 in the allotted time.  I walked for a couple of minutes after turning around at the 1-mile post and then did a very easy jog back to the start, finishing 12 miles in 1 hr 40 mins.

I really enjoyed it. Through the first 8 miles, I successfully kept my HR under 140, even though most of the miles were a little too fast.  I wanted to let loose a little, so I ran mile 9 at something like my HM pace and bumped the HR up in the 150s.  I wound up running miles 10 and 11 at faster than goal M pace and really pressed myself on mile 11, peaking out at around 160 bpm.  It's a completely different sort of stress running ahead of pace.  Slower, my lungs and heart are barely taxed, but it's the legs (hips and ankles, mainly) that are feeling it. Faster, and my legs feel better, but ventilation and heart rate start to reveal I'm near over threshold.  They're two different forms of exercise, and I really need to avoid working cardio at that level during the long run.  I should save that for my tempo and speed workouts.  I won't do that once I'm going above half marathon distance.

I'm not really too sore or stiff.  I feel good.  I might try to get by Laces later and see if Mike will "juice me up" and do some electro-therapy on the ankle.  We'll see what he says about my self-guided week this past week.

Summary of today's splits:
Mile 1 - 7:51 (too fast, slowed down)
Mile 2 - 8:25 (better, still fast but good marathon pace)
Mile 3 - 8:38 (feeling good and bouncy)
Mile 4 - 8:25 (still need to slow down)
Mile 5 - 8:26 (still at goal marathon pace; feels slow)
Mile 6 - 8:59 (time includes a 30 second water stop)
Mile 7 - 8:25 (steady pace)
Mile 8 - 8:23 (amazing; 1 hr 7 mins and HR is only 136-138)
Mile 9 - 7:43 (intentional pace pickup)
Mile 10 - 8:17 (slowed back down; skipped water)
Mile 11 - 7:11 (very fast, trying to get to mile post by 90 mins)
Mile 12 - 9:51 (turnaround; walked for a few mins and then jogged slowly)
---------------------------------

1:40:34 total time
Avg HR = 137

(Nike+ recorded 12.47 miles in 1:39:48.)

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