This weekend’s long run was 16-18 miles, with the last 6-8 at Marathon Pace. Last night I went out to my work Christmas party at a comedy club not far from home. A friend drove me home, so I decided I’d run to pick up my car for the beginning of my run, and then finish on the treadmill. We still have snow on the ground, so trying to run too quickly outdoors isn’t an exciting idea.
Apartment to car: 8.05 miles, 8:46mm, avgHR 164, maxHR 176
(Drove home, changed to shorts, had coffee..)
Warmup on TM: 2 miles, 8:23mm, avgHR 159, maxHR 171
MP on TM: 8 miles, 7:41mm, avgHR 174, maxHR 184
I decided that if I was really doing a ‘fast finish’, I should try to pick it up at the very end, so I did the last half mile in 3:32.
Overall I’m pretty happy with the run. The marathon pace part wasn’t too bad, particularly considering how late in the day I ran it.
I think I’ve really figured out the secret to these longer runs: I break them down so they’re not intimidating. The treadmill is limited to 30 minutes, so I tend to run 3 miles, then stop the treadmill and restart it again. As a result, I use the 3 miles as a mini-target. It’s not 8 miles I have to run, it’s 3, and then 3, and then 2. Evidently I have such a short memory I don’t consider the fact that when I start that last two, I’ve already done 16!
speedy run! i have to do the same mental mileage breakdown, even when running outside. what race are you doing next and what’s your goal?
3:23:00 on Jan 19th. I REALLY wanna get into NYCM.