Mon: easy/moderate - 11.37 km, 4:53/km, 143 avg heart rate
Tue: easy/moderate - 8.18 km, 4:51/km
Wed: easy - 9.9 km, 5:16/km, 134 avg heart rate
Thu: AM: easy - 4.82 km, 5:16/km
PM: easy - 8.13 km, 5:12/km, 135 avg heart rate
Fri: easy - 9.72 km, 5:04/km, 140 avg heart rate
Sat: moderate - 16.32 km, 4:53/km, 152 avg heart rate
Sun: planned rest day
Weekly totals: 7 runs, 68.44 km (42.52 miles), 9.78 km per run
Mon: wanted to try and just try and do a run at under 8:00/mile pace with as little effort as possible to see how it felt and how my body reacted to a little harder effort.
Tue: goal was the same as Monday's run
Wed: back to just an easy run to log the miles
Thu: AM - easy run to get my body used to doing doubles again
PM - easy run
Fri: easy run...didn't want to run to hard because I was focusing on the following day's long run
Sat: I wanted to keep the pace below 8:00/mile. I knew the effort level would creep up as the run went on because I had not done a run this long, much less at a desired pace. I knew I would reap large benefits from a concerted effort here.
Overall, the week was kind of just ho-hum. As you can probably tell, I didn't do any "hard" running this week. I was purposely keeping the intensity low because I was getting to a mileage volume I had not been at regularly. You know how they day, increase volume or intensity, but not both at the same time? Well, I wasn't so good at following that rule in the past. I figured since this was my first of back-to-back weeks at 40+ miles, I would keep this one a little lighter and add a tiny bit of intensity the following week.
I did realize that lots of easy running can get a little mundane. Of course the majority of running should be at this pace, but I have been running easy almost exclusively for months now. I have an itch to start doing some faster stuff. That is not to say that lots of slow running isn't good because it is absolutely essential. I very much adhere to the philosophy of lots of slow running builds a foundation for the hard running to come. This translates to a specific training cycle as well as the running lifespan of an individual.
It is good in multiple ways. First, it lays an aerobic foundation. It builds ones aerobic capacity to a certain extent. It also builds a neuromuscular foundation: 1) it provides a Resistance to injury because the body adapts to the requirements without the added stress of hard running, and 2) it makes you more efficient at performing the act of running, which in turn allows ones aerobic capacity to improve even more. I have embraced this concept because I have too many personal experiences that tell me the other way (running hard before establishing a sufficient base) leads to injury. I am setting myself up with all this slow running to achieve my fast racing goals!
My back continues to remain pain-free (generally speaking). More specifically, I am completely convinced that running does not effect the status of my back. I have been struggling with the achilles tendinitis in my left leg. It seems to be improving, mostly because of the eccentric calf exercises, but I have to continue to focus on improving my left side stride to alleviate it as one of the potential causes.
Here's to continued improvement! Cheers!