Mon: 7.26 miles, 7.01 mile run @ 8:18/mile pace with 4 x 100m strides afterwards
Tue: 7.09 miles, included 5200m tempo run in 20:25 (6:17/mile)
Wed: AM - 3.25 miles, recovery run @ 8:33/mile on treadmill with 1% incline
PM - 5.1 miles, easy run @ 8:23/mile
Thu: 7 miles, fartlek with 8 x 200m fast with 600m recovery jogs
Fri: 4.25 miles, easy run @ 8:27/mile on treadmill with 1% incline
Sat: 11.1 miles, long run @ 7:52/mile negative split run
Sun: planned rest day
Weekly Totals: 7 runs, 45.05 miles
As you can see above, I had a week with a tempo run, an interval workout, a long run, and strides! I got in a variety of paces and distances. This is a bread and butter week in terms of stimulus to improve fitness and running efficiency!
The Tuesday tempo run did not go as well as hoped. I was a few seconds slower per mile than the same run I did a few weeks prior. This was mostly affected by the fact that I did not feel 100% physically. My legs were tired and sore. This was evident in my stride, as I was never able to get into a rhythm/groove. My stride felt unbalanced and choppy. I was not trying to run faster than my last tempo run, rather I was just trying to run about the same pace and compare my heart rate in order to give me an idea of any fitness gains I may have experienced in the two weeks between. Unfortunately, I did not garner much feedback from the run other than being able to push through discomfort like I used to.
The Thursday run was something new to me as I had not done an interval workout in I don't know how long. I didn't want to have it totally unstructured, so I ran on a track and didn't pay any attention to how long it was taking me to run the 600m recoveries. I ended up running most of the 200s between 37 & 38 seconds. It was a good reintroduction to fast running. I was definitely uncomfortable in my stride and just tried to relax, elongate my pushoff & have a quick recovery (part of the stride).
What a difference a week can make! I say this in reference to my long run. I took the same route I used the previous week. I didn't feel great for the first half of the run; however during the second half of the run, I just seemed to get stronger as I progressed. I ended up doing this run 17 seconds per mile faster than the previous week with a heart rate 4 beats per minute slower. Plus, I didn't almost pass out after 10 miles :) This only confirms that something wasn't quite right with me last Saturday.
This was the 3rd consecutive week of 40+ miles. This next week will be a welcome cutback week. I have started to feel some of that cumulative fatigue I remember when I used to run. I think this was the reason that my paces slowed on easy runs and they felt more difficult this week. It was a victory for me to slow down and get the miles in the last two weeks as I need to make sure I take care of myself. I also began the stretching routine this past week that will hopefully bring my pelvis & hips back into proper, balanced alignment. As I have stated before, this must happen for anything else to move forward. I anticipate the process of getting back into proper alignment may take a while, but I hope to at least have some noticeable feedback in the next couple weeks to a month.
Oh, and the race I was planning to do Labor Day weekend (Coal Creek Crossing 10M) is out...I'll be enjoying myself in the mountains for a few days, not to mention getting in a couple runs at 8000+ ft of altitude!
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