Half marathon training really kicked in this week. After weeks of running 3-4 miles, 4-5 times a week to build my ‘base’, I started stepping it up with distance and speedwork. If you care absolutely nothing about running, and don’t want to read about my training, go here and watch this video instead:
Hello again to the two of you who stayed with me! 🙂
This week’s runs were a mixture of good and bad. It went a little like this:
Tuesday: I ran 2 miles at an 8:20 pace, and then tacked on 5 all-out sprints of about 30 meters (or right around 100 feet).
Wednesday: 4 miles at an average pace of 8:28. Mile splits were 9:26, 8:50, 8:36, and 7:52. I may not be super fast, but I am mastering those negative splits 🙂
Friday: Before I talk about my workout, I feel the need to point out that I got the flu shot on Wednesday afternoon. NEVER again. I felt like poop all day Thursday and Friday–aches, muscle soreness, upset stomach. So understandably, while Friday’s run may look good on paper, it was anything but good. Half a mile in, I was struggling for air. I hurt everywhere–shoulders, back, hips. This was probably a run I should have just stopped, but a quitter I am not. In spite of all that, I finished a 5K (3.1 miles for you non-runners) in 25:58. Not too shabby of a run, considering I was on the verge of death.
Sunday: The moment of truth. Up until today, I had only put in one 5 miler and it killed me. For some reason, I feel like if I could run 6, reasonably well, I would be able to do this whole half-marathon thing. And I owned it. (<–I can say that, it’s my blog. I can brag a little if I want too!) 6 miles (with quite a few hills) in 51:20. That’s an average pace of 8:32 per mile. And in case you care, the mile splits looked like this:
1 mile- 9:26
2 miles- 8:45
3 miles- 8:20
4 miles- 8:08
5 miles- 8:51
6 miles- 7:40
I hit the metaphorical ‘wall’ at 5 miles. I always run on an empty stomach, and plan to do that for the half. However, I will be ‘fueling’ during the real run and plan to start that on my training runs to see what works best for me. The great thing about these empty-stomach training runs is that I can really tell where I’ll need to fuel. Enter mile 5 of Sundays run. =)
Next week’s training steps it up even more, with a little cross-training thrown in for good measure. The awesome thing about fall is that it is running SEASON! I have several races on the calendar that I am super excited about and can’t wait to share with you!
PS: If you are in the area, I’m really looking for more running buddies. Even if you can only hang for 2 or 3 miles of my long run, I’d love to have you! 🙂
Total miles this week: 15.6
Total smiley faces in this post: 4
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