I ran a small threshold run today on the CU time trial course. The original plan was to run a five mile threshold, but I can definitely feel the miles I have been doing slowing me down. I decided that it was a much better idea to run a shorter tempo and to let my body relax and familiarize itself with my current level of training. That being said, I ran the first mile in 5:39 (monster hill), second in 5:21 and last half in 2:42. I know that had I not done such hard workouts this week, I would have had the ability to run the full course in under 27 minutes (cutoff for the CU team). It was also muddy, and this was only my threshold pace (not race pace). With all summer to train, I know that I will be ready next fall. My body definitely feels tired, though. I think that my recent jump in miles has decreased my current ability to run fast. Currently, I am in the hardest block of training for my first "peak", the Bolder Boulder. Knowing this, it is not really as important to have the ability to go fast now, rather build a solid foundation to go fast when the time comes. My coach has me on a second peak season for the CU time trial, so over the summer my miles will do another "peak" about mid July, before tapering once again. I think that this strategy is very good. Rather than overwork yourself all the time, it is better to put in miles at strategic times to perform well at a specific time. | 