A.M. Did a 5 mile tempo on the Fast Running Blog 5 miler course to access the damage from the lack of training and the foot-caused biomechanical problems. Set a modest goal of breaking 30:00, but still was not quite sure if it was going to happen. Wore an HRM to get a better picture of the problems. Jeff and I warmed up 2 miles with Benjamin in 15:41, then ran another 1.37 to the start of the tempo. Noticed that HR was 125-127 at 7:30 pace - 5 beats too high. The tempo went like this (quarter splits, off memory, my own not the watch's): 86 - 89 - 86 - 86 (5:48) - 85 - 87 - 87 - 87 (5:48, 11:36) - 86 - 89 (14:31 at the turnaround) - 84 - 82 (5:41, 17:17) - 88 - 89 - 83 - 83 (5:43, 23:00) - 87 - 85 - 84 - 80 (5:36, 28:36.0). 5:43.1 average, negative split by half - 14:31 - 14:05. HR was 159 - 160 at 5:48 pace, again about 5 beats too high. I was not lucid enough to check it during pickups to 5:30, but I would guess 166-167, again 5 beats too high for the pace. Those were not intentional. Jeff was having trouble with his sense of pace due to the lack of anything fast in the last 3 weeks, and also due to the fact that the pace was dog slow for him. Nevertheless I was able to check the max HR after the fact and it was 173 probably reached in the last quarter. Not surprising. I nearly threw up when I finished from the effort in the last 200, which was done in 38 Jeff kicked in the last 100 on top of the already fast (for me) pace and managed to gap me by 4 seconds. Afterwards we cooled down to make the total 10. Jeff then ran 2 more miles. The foot did OK. I felt it, but it was at about the start of St. George level at the start of the tempo, which was OK but not that great, but what was encouraging is that when I was done it was not any worse! Overall I was pleased with the results. I finished in the top range of my optimistic exceptations, and was able to do it with a negative split in a fartlek-style run with the pace varying from 5:56 to 5:28 excluding the last quarter. Some cardio power was lost during the layoff. Although most people would not call a training period of 8 weeks that involved 2 marathons quite exactly a layoff. What this tells me is that daily mileage is more important for aerobic power than a long run, even if that long run is long and hard. I did my long runs (TOU and St. George) , both done at almost race pace with at least 2:35 on my feet but my daily mileage was lacking. Thus some aerobic power was lost. P.M. 2 with Jenny in 18:31. Julia ran the first 1.5 with us in 13:53. 0.5 with Joseph in 4:53.
| 