Hello Hello!
Hope you all had a lovely weekend!
Today marked the end of Week 3 of Marathon Training… 15 weeks to go! (It sounds downright depressing when I look at it that way!)
In case you missed it:
This week on the training plan included:
Monday:
Cross Train – 30 minutes on the Elliptical (Resistance 9, Incline 20) and 25 minutes on the stationary bike (Hill Level 9)
Tuesday:
Pilates Reformer Class + 3 mile run
Wednesday:
5 mile run
Thursday:
Pilates Reformer Class + 3 mile run
Friday:
REST! (And rest I did – out like a light on the couch at 10pm)
Saturday:
5 mile pace run
Sunday:
6 mile “long” run
I use “long” loosely, because this week was a “Stepback” week according to Mr. Hal-
Notice that although the weekly long runs get progressively longer, every third week is a “stepback” week, where we reduce mileage to allow you to gather strength for the next push upward. Rest is an important component of any training program.
Right before I headed out on my “long” run of the week, I read Aron’s post on long runs.
I kept this in the back of my mind my entire run, and had to force myself to slow it down a bit. . . I tried my very hardest to keep my pace at no faster than 9:00.
It was actually hard to keep my pace down- I wanted to run fast, especially during some of the songs that Pandora knew I wanted to hear (more on the greatest Pandora station ever tomorrow morning)… but I knew I was doing it for a reason.
And as it turned out, I finished with an average pace of exactly 9:00/mile!
My boy Hal was proud too:
Normally I recommend that runners do their long runs anywhere from 45 to 90 seconds per mile slowerthan their marathon pace. This is very important. Listen to what the Coach is about to tell you! The physiological benefits kick in around 90-120 minutes, no matter how fast you run. You’ll burn a few calories and trigger glycogen regenesis, teaching your muscles to conserve fuel. Running too fast defeats this purpose and may unnecessarily tear down your muscles, compromising not only your midweek workouts, but the following week’s long run. Save your fast running for the marathon itself. There are plenty of days during the rest of the week, when you can run race pace.
Victor Melling: By the way, what are you planning to do for your talent: sing, dance, chew with your mouth closed?
Gracie Hart: I will do whatever you want me to do, Yoda.
Off to relax and watch a movie with boyfriend… enjoy the rest of your weekend!
