Having reported on my mile reps session on Tuesday, I had another good session on Thursday where I maintained 8:06/mile, much of which was into a strong headwind, and averaged only 81%maxHR. It would have been interesting to have done this session as one of my drift tests, so that I could have compared the pace directly with 2 months ago, when I reckoned I was at my peak. It felt good though, but running that fast into a headwind did take it out of me and I consciously slowed to let my friends get away; I didn't want to be racing them only 10 days before the marathon. Even so, I beat my PB, on what was our club's long handicap course, by 4 minutes. Another sign of how far I've come!
Friday night was our club's annual dinner. I really enjoyed it: they're such a good bunch - 55 friends together. There was much talk of marathons and a lot of encouragement. One friend though warned me not to let my 3:45 target ruin my enjoyment of the day, particularly if I miss it! I know what he means, but I wish he'd been a little more positive. Maybe the thought that I might beat his PB was too much for him? ;-)
Saturday's easy 13-miler wasn't nearly as easy as I'd thought it would be. Maybe staying out till after midnight didn't help. Maybe it being a rather chilly 6 deg C didn't help. My legs were OK, but it just seemed an effort mentally. As I write this I feel as tired as if I'd done 20 miles. Tapering blues? At least I now have an easy week to get my energy back before the big one. The main thing is I now feel I'm back on form. I just hope my endurance hasn't suffered, having missed 2 long runs. I guess I'll find out in a week's time!
| Day | Miles | a.m. | p.m. | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5 | Easy recovery 65%maxHR | Probably the lowest average HR I've ever recorded - 113bpm | |
| Tuesday | 6.8 | 3 1-mile reps | ||
| Wednesday | 5 | Easy recovery 66%MaxHR | ||
| Thursday | 7.6 | Steady run at marathon pace or slightly faster 141bpm 81%maxHR 8:06/mile | Ran the course of our club long handicap race, completed 7.65 miles in 61:55 - 4 minutes faster than my PB! | |
| Friday | Rest | |||
| Saturday | 13 | Slow 9:40/mile 121bpm 70%maxHR | Sunny but rather chilly | |
| Sunday | Rest | |||
| Total | 37.4 miles |
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