Weather - 32 degrees, cloudy, snow. Ran 7 easy miles through
Crystak Lake Park, Busey Woods, and the golf course. It snowed during
the run, which I thought was better than cold rain. My upper thighs are
toasted from the race, it is that typical feeling I felt during last
years marathon training - walking up and down stairs causes the most
discomfort. I made sure to run calmly and with restraint today, and was
surprised I was able to cover 7 miles without undue strain. Afterward 5 sets of strength exercises in the park, stretching, and 40 minute walk home. I
am canceling the bike intervals this week because of the damage in my
leg muscles. The next race on my schedule is the Christie 5k on April
12th. That fits nicely into my training - this week easy runs, next
week 2 hard sessions, bike intervals, and a long run. The
following week will be easy leading into the 5k. Last year I
ran the Christie 5k and it was a breakthrough race. The previous
year I had tried to break 20:00 in the 5k but was unable to do so, my
best being 20:09. I ran the Mountain goat 15k in 1:11, 3 weeks before
the Christie 5k, and was humbled by the experience. After the 15K I
immediately set to training hard everyday, which caused a big strain on
my legs, but I ignored the pain and just balled my way crazily through
the days. I combined sprinting, hill and interval work in the same
sessions, and ran long once a week. I had no base, so I figured I would
build it on the fly as I worked on my speed. After 3 weeks of this I
ran the Christie 5k in 20:04, and I would have broken 20:00 if I had
not taken a wrong turn 800meters from the finish, losing about 5 or 6
seconds. I was excited by the quick improvement, and a few weeks later
I finally broke through, running a 5k in 19:30. Remembering
last years sequence of events, I know that I am capable of quick
improvement once I begin stacking speed sessions week by week. The
difference is this year I have a 5 month aerobic base with which to
build the speed upon. After next weeks hard sessions my speed should
improve, so I should equal or slightly better last year's performance.
A few weeks ago I ran a 5k in 20:15, bringing it down 20 seconds should
be possible, so 19:55 would be a reasonable expectation. #129 z.m. - #43
| 