Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Week 2 Training! Too Slow?

A running update is long overdue. Week 2 of SFM training running included:

Sunday: 7 mi; So I lied in my previous post. I am capable of running 11+ min miles for an extended period of time on fresh legs. I concentrated really hard on running very easy and pulled off this run at 11:13 min/mile pace (was supposed to run 11:16's). I was pretty pleased with myself in a backwards sort of way. It helps I'm paranoid about my foot because it keeps me from picking up the pace when I'm feeling good.

Tuesday: 6 mi with 2x 1600@9:06 pace; my 0.5 mi splits for the two pick-ups were 8:49, 9:12 & 8:53, 8:50. Really enjoyed this run.

Wednesday: 6 mi; 10:56 pace (goal was 11:16)

Friday: 14 mi; 11:03 pace (goal again was 11:16) 6 fun miles with ShoeRunning -- yay!! I felt pretty good this long run. I'm working to cut out my run-walk-eat-blok walking breaks since I normally prefer to not walk during runs. ShoeRunning met me for the middle 6 miles which is exactly the distraction I needed. I haven't been able to run with her since before Big Sur so we had a lot of catching up to do. She left me around mile 11 and the last 3 were definitely tougher without her company.

So overall Week 2 was great. My foot is behaving. The trend seems to be no pain on Tuesday runs, some discomfort on Wednesday and Friday runs, very slight discomfort on Sunday runs. However so far each week the amount of discomfort seems to decrease. Today's run (a Tuesday) had zero pain. I think the consecutive running on Tue/Wed causes Wed runs to have some discomfort. Then the longer Friday distance causes it to flare up a little bit. Overall it is continuing to get better so I'm sticking with the plan for now.

I am a little confused about this 11:16 goal pace for runs. I know it is probably a good goal for long runs (a 4:45 marathon is roughly a 10:52 pace; common wisdom is not to do long runs at goal marathon pace) but I feel it is a little meek for some of the other runs during the week. I'm gladly sticking to the prescribed pace now until this foot thing is 100%. However, I feel I should probably do at least one of the non-tempo/interval runs a week at something close to marathon pace or possibly a little faster.

If my body holds up the plan is to transition from SFM training to half marathon PR training after SFM. My goal is a sub 2-hour half marathon (roughly a 9:00 pace) about 2 months after SFM. I'm feeling like all of this 11:00+ pace running is not conducive towards a 13.1 mile 9:00 pace run. The training plan I am following has some interval/tempo work every Tuesday to keep mixing things up, but I'm still a little hesitant to train my body to run at 11:00+ for all other runs. An "easy" pace for me typically runs at about 10:30-10:40 nowadays. Thoughts?

10 comments:

Jason said...

Sounds like you are doing well. I know what it is like to be paranoid about an injury.

Marlene said...

If what you know as an easy pace is faster than the prescribed training pace, I don't see why you shouldn't incorporate a run or two closer to that pace. I think the most important thing is keeping your long runs at the slower pace.

Marlene said...

(Great job on week 2, btw!)

Mica said...

I'm glad your foot is feeling better! My fingers are crossed that it stops nagging you!

In regards to pace, I'd probably add one tempo or pace run per week just for mental training alone...but then I am certainly no expert on anything at all.

X-Country2 said...

Going into a race injury free is much more important than a pace time, but I agree that it's difficult to know what's what. Trust the plan though. It always seems to work out in the end with those.

Alisa said...

I get really frustrated with pacing too. The plan I've been on has very specific paces for each run and I've been good about sticking to them but it's been hard.

I think until your foot is 100% better you should stick to slow and steady. Once it's feeling a bit better maybe through in more tempo miles to get your body better conditioned for a sub-2:00 1/2. Though, I am certainly no expert!

I did try on a few long runs a method I read about online where you do one mile at goal pace and one mile recovery pace. I tried this on a 18 mile long run and it definitely helped my confidence.

Runner Leana said...

Do you train with a HRM at all?

If you want to run a race at a 9:00/mi pace then doing a bunch of runs at 11:00/mi isn't going to help get you there. I'm not a running expert, but there are a few different categories of runs. Maybe an 11:16/mi pace works for long runs but I wouldn't do my shorter runs at that.

You first run after the long run is a recovery run, and I try to keep my HR in zone 2...no matter what the pace. No HRM then just run at a comfortable pace I would say.

Hope the foot feels better soon!

The Laminator said...

Thank you for your supportive comment on my blog. I think your SFM training is going well. I ran that race last year and had whole bunches of fun. If you have questions about pacing, etc...feel free to ask. I'm taking more questions for Q&A... =)

Take care of your body and good luck on rest of training!

ShirleyPerly said...

Glad to hear the foot is cooperating! Unless the weather is considerably warmer than what you expect for your target race, I too would not want to do all my runs at a considerably slower pace. That said, there was this one tri club coach who always wanted us to do the majority of our runs at a Zone 1 (very easy) heart rate.

Marathon Maritza said...

I don't think you should take it any faster until your foot is 100%, but I agree...the 'easy' paces are way too slow sometimes. Did you use MacMillan or the RW calculator? One of those gives you a range for the easy runs and it seems much more realistic overall. THat being said, I always run my slow runs at just a complete comfort, not-pushing-it-at-all, general or aerobic runs at 'happy' pace (challenging, but not HARD or GP) and usually call it a day. :) Sometimes you just have to listen to your body.