AM/Lunch - Aerobic Builder - 14 miles, averaged 6:43 w/ 8-mile tempo in 49:25 (6:10/6:11 average): 6:10, 6:13, 6:07, 6:13, 6:05, 6:12, 6:09, 6:16
On our run on Saturday I tried to get Brandon to do his long run with me and do some tempo miles in the middle or at the end. He was going to be gone, but Patrick piped up and said he would run with me, given that he runs at 6:30-6:00 all the time. We were going to run yesterday, but I told him Monday would be better so I could get a day more recovery (even though I would lose another day on the race end of the split). We met up at the Purdue Co-Rec, which he oversees.
3 miles ~my warmup pace to a little bit faster (I am guessing it was driving Patrick nuts to run 8:00 minute pace), then into the workout. I told Patrick to run low 6:20s to start and cut it down. That didn't happen, but I felt better than I thought I might, so I let him push. Effort was up a bit in the middle miles, but not outside of the zone of what I usually do for these. If Patrick started to push a bit outside of my zone, I let him go for a while (I told him keep it above 6:10). He did about 10k and I went to 8, with the final miles being my most relaxed (I think he surged too much judging by the splits). He was a bit more gassed at the end than he appeared in the workout even though I thought I was the one really working, and then I went on to run 2 more miles and could have run 2 more if asked to. Proof that aerobically and in terms of marathon specificity a high mileage plodder will win out against low-mileage fast "easy" day runner most of the time.
Can I hold this pace in a marathon? I don't know. I wouldn't run that fast to start, but at least low-6:00 won't scare me like it once did if the the watch shows those paces. As usual a tuneup half and a big final workout will tell me what pace I should target.
3 miles back to the Co-Rec
PM: North side - 4 miles at gentleman jogger pace.
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