Today I planned a 6 mile run to round out my “in between” week after the GW Parkway Classic and before I start (continue?) training for the Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon. The weather forecast called for rain, but I thought I could at least get a few miles in before I got wet. As I got ready, the sky got darker, but the rain held off.
I’m pretty sure I lost my iPod Nano at the race last week. Today I discovered a hole in the fanny pack I had it in, so it probably fell out while I was walking around afterwards. 🙁 Luckily I still have my old (first generation!) iPod Nano. It has some good playlists on it, and only needed a few hours on the charged to be ready ready for use.
I tried to plan a route that is not too hilly, but that’s really impossible for my neighborhood. My 4-ish mile route is the least hilly route, but it’s hard to make that one longer without adding hills or running on the track (which I honestly didn’t think of this morning). The route I took today has a short hill at the end of mile 1, a longer hill in the middle of mile 2, and is pretty much all uphill (with varying degrees of steepness) from miles 3-5. So much for an “easy” route!
My pace was amazingly consistent:
Average pace: 9:30 min/mile
Split times: 9:35, 9:28, 9:24, 9:28, 9:30, 9:30, 9:35 (last 1/2 mile)
For my Half Marathon Training, I think I need to pick a long run pace and use my Garmin to stick to it, so I don’t run too fast. Maybe 9:40 – 9:45 min/mile?
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I'm not sure that you really need to "pick a pace and stick to it". And if I did, I think it would be the pace you did today…9:30. How about try to start at 9:40 ish and end at 9:20ish ?
Good run! Glad you seem to be feeling well 🙂
I need something to keep myself from pushing too hard and going too fast on my long runs. I will use 9:30 as a max pace but be OK with a slower pace if that's what comes naturally.
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wish I would have had your luck …we got our rain earlier and now are under a tornado warning until 9pm watch out its headed your way
Yikes! That is serious bad weather. I think the worst will be far south of us, but we might still get storms.
There are some training plans out there that highly encourage long runs to be within about 30 seconds per mile of race pace. If you have a specific time in mind, I think it would be worth looking into those plans. The faster you run while training, the faster you'll be come race day. Long runs need to be full of quality most of the time and not just logging the miles. (Something I need to do more of, that's for sure!)
Thanks! That was the rule of thumb I was looking for. I am still wary of training plans, but I would be thrilled with a 9:00 pace for the half, and so I will see if I can manage training in the 9:30 range. I love having a new goal to focus on!
I logged very few 9-ish min miles before running the GWPC at an 8:33 pace, but the weather conditions will be much more challenging in June!
A question for you Coco. What do I need to track my outside walk/jog route and time with some simple breakdowns of the time and route?
I have used runtastic (the free app) but it is based on km, which then needs conversion. Ugh.
You continue to inspire me with your discipline. Up at 6:15A for my intervals on TM and then yoga with the yoga club on Gaiam.
Tink
Do you have an iPhone? The RunKeeperPro App ($9.99?) is really great. I don't know if they make it for the Android or other smart phones. You could try the free version and see if it does what you need. I got it in January when the Pro version was on sale for free.
Great going on the early morning TM + yoga. We've come a long way together. 😉