A tale of 25 miles, a weight workout, and a virtual 10k
I'm linking up with the Weekly Run Down, please head over to Kim and Deborah to check it out.
Monday: weights and four miles easy. But oh man I had a case of the Mondays so the easy run was quite hard. Cause and effect here, I wasn't hungry so I didn't eat anything before my run and the tank hit empty pretty quickly. It's crazy that up until a month ago just about all of my weekday runs were fasted and my body let me know that it has no interest in going back to the old way of doing things.
Tuesday: speed day, 6.5 miles total. For the past few weeks I've been doing 4 x 800 and those have been going quite well so I upped my game to 4 x 1200 and hello those went quite well! 10:18,10:17, 10:09, and 10:07. 3 weeks in a row of unplanned (and very welcome) negative splits.
Wednesday: is usually a rest day, but I planned to take Friday off so I got out for 3.25 easy miles. I was so casual about it that I didn't realize until after I stopped running that I hadn't brought my headphones.
Thursday: 5 miles with a bit of a workout. I did 4 x 400 just for fun. Usually I do my speed work on a flat trail but this was a run around town so the challenge was to see how consistent I could be on different road conditions/inclines.
Friday: a pre-race rest day and I needed it.
Saturday: a virtual 10k! As a refresher, I had zero interest in ever doing a virtual race until it became the only option and one of my favorite podcasters started a virtual race series. Last week I did the 5k, this week was the 10k, and the half is in two weeks.
I walked up to the park with the flat trail where I do a lot of my speed work, which is very flat, a.k.a. "PR engineered". Last week I experienced something of a fly n'die in the 5k, so I set my Garmin up to pace me this time. My plan worked well for the first three miles, but I did struggle in the second half of the race. I bit off more than I could chew pace wise, but that's OK. My final result was a very nice number that I would never have believed that I could hit on my own without a race course to back me up.
Sunday: rest;-)
Random Stuff to Close Out the Week
- I love all race distances from the 5k to the half, but if you forced me to pick just one, the 10k would be it. Before COVID-19 I would have told you that there aren't that many of them, but now I know that I can race one on my own anytime I feel like it, so that isn't a limitation anymore.
- The thing that's making me happiest right now about my speed work & the virtual races: I'm working at the top of my cardiovascular ability but not at the top of my neuromusclar ability, if that makes sense. In the past when I've run for any length of time at the speeds I'm running at now, I've felt a lot of strain in my hips/thighs in a way that wasn't good so of course I backed off. I feel like that limitation has cleared now.
- Related, I don't have a formal plan for my speed work/training besides doing what feels right and what I wanna do.
10K is also my favorite distance. Just enough to feel like you got a good workout but not enough to wipe you out. I have tried the fasted runs in the past and they just don't go well for me either. Nice job on our workouts this week. Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteExactly, there's just something special about the distance and the effort.
Delete10k's are great! I love that distance. :) You hit a lot of miles this week. Way to stay active and sane during this crazy time! Awesome work.
ReplyDeleteTrue that, now more than ever we need to run off the crazy.
DeleteI used to race 10ks all the time but it is a tough distance to race! You have to pace yourself just right to try to maintain your speed but not too fast that you can't finish strong! Nice job.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any formal training plans right now and that suits me just fine.
Exactly, you can't fake a 10k but it doesn't take over your whole life either, it's a nice balance. Right now we're all just training for life.
DeleteIsn't it funny how virtual races have started sounding awfully good now that they're our only option? Haha! Well done on the virtual 10k!
ReplyDeleteOh for sure, I would never ever have dreamed that I would ever do a virtual race. Hey I was wrong and I'm more than happy to admit it.
DeleteNice speedwork! I always love it when I can negative split. I think I need to go back to the track for some intervals. I think 5k is actually my favorite distance. I like the speed. Of course,a t my age "speed" is a relative term! :)
ReplyDeleteha ha, with my running ability speed is always a relative term.
DeleteCongrats on your virtual 10K! 10K's are my least favorite distance because I feel I have to push too hard for too long. LOL Your speed workout sounds fun and challenging. I like mixing workouts up so they don't seem as monotonous. Good job!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think sometimes I just throw every running training technique at the wall to see what sticks, but I try to do something a little different with each workout.
DeleteI'm also a huge fan of the 10K distance but unfortunately we don't have a lot of races for that distance in my area.
ReplyDeleteSame here, but now I know that I can add in virtuals whenever I want.
DeleteAwesome job on the 10K! Are you doing more strength work now than in the past? Or more consistent with it? That may be why your body is feeling so good ;-) Keep up the great work!!!
ReplyDeleteHard to say, though what I'm doing for strength feels challenging rather than just going through the motions. Earlier this year I really started pushing my pace on easy runs and I think that's paying off.
DeleteI love 10Ks. It's my favorite distance for sure. I can't wait to get back up there mileage wise.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing a great job! I have had a case of the Mondays for a month, now. Every day feels like Monday LOL!
Jenn, you will be there very soon! I love seeing your walks on IG each day.
DeleteGreat job with that speed work and the virtual 10k!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteIt sounds like your running is going so well! Congrats on your 10k! I also dont have much of a plan right now- it sort of changes week by week.
ReplyDeleteI love that you did 13.1 on your treadmill last week the day after doing a 5k, so much for not having much of a plan;-) http://www.milebymileblog.com/the-quarantine-makes-you-do-crazy-things-2/
DeleteI think 5 miles is my happy place, but I do like the 10K. Congrats on the great speed work and race. Your hard owrk is paying off!
ReplyDeleteThat's the perfect way to describe it, it's my "happy place" distance.
DeleteGreat job on your virtual race! You are right when you say that even though there aren't that many, we can run one on our own. I also do my runs in the morning after drinking only coffee. I bought a bag of Tailwind and will start using it for my "longer" runs. I am fine with coffee for 4 miles but need more in my stomach if I want to run longer. You are doing great in your speed workouts!
ReplyDeleteFor years I would have told you that running on an empty stomach was just fine and didn't bother me at all, but once I started fueling my body was like "ooh I like that" and now I feel so empty and weak if I run without food first.
DeleteThat's so awesome! Congratulations on hitting a really strong time in a virtual race. That is mentally difficult. I am guessing you like the 10K because you are getting faster now, but you have also been building endurance so it's a nice combo of the two.
ReplyDeleteThanks Elizabeth, it's just a really nice distance. I kept thinking how much "easier" the half will be because I won't be running at such a hard effort.
DeleteLike you I was never much of a fan of virtual races but I'm accepting that there's no choice but to fully embrace them. Congrats on your 10K! I really like 10Ks but find them a tough distance to race.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle! I am quite surprised at what I've learned from the virtual races.
DeleteSo this is very interesting about your fueling! I am always a fasted runner because I also just like to get it moving and don't want to take the time to eat. However, I do eat a small amount, which are fig newtons. I just grab one or two as I walk out the door to go run. What are you eating now before a 3-5 mile run? Great job on the 10k!
ReplyDeleteHey Lisa, when I was still going into the office I was having something small, a banana on my light days and a glass of UCAN before speed work, and that was a big increase from the nothing that I had been doing for year. Now I'm eating my normal breakfast before my workouts, I think that b/c I'm getting up an hour later than usual that might be why I'm hungrier and the quick bite doesn't cut it.
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