You must understand that progression is of the essence --- and that it's likely that only a few splits in the actual marathon will reflect the overall average pace of the marathon itself. It's all about how it averages out. Take my 22-mile long run from this past weekend. The overall pace was 6:46mi, yes, but if you separated the 11-mile halves, you'd have paces around 7:00mi vs. 6:30mi (the latter was of course boosted by a 5:45 final mile). Thus that long run was a simulation of how I aspire to tackle the marathon. So, if my goal is to run the marathon at a 6:30mi overall average pace (i.e., necessary for breaking 2:50:00) by way of running the opening half at a 6:40mi pace and the latter half at a 6:20mi pace, wouldn't it be counterproductive to do all my hard training at a 6:30mi pace when it will be necessary to run the latter miles faster than that to offset the relaxed early miles (I would definitely burn out too soon if I tried to hold a steady 6:30mi pace for the whole race)? I need tons of aerobic endurance, yes, but I also need to be able to drop the hammer when the time is ripe. Therefore the 5 X 5k workout I envision would also simulate such progression. And I know that you yourself achieved success at Boston by beginning the race at a narrowly sub-7:00mi pace before gradually accelerating over the whole marathon.
Except that your fastest sustained race pace may be 6:20, which equates to a 19:41 5k. So with the exception of your first 5k, the entire rest of the workout is done at faster than marathon effort. And if you assume that the workouts you are doing for the marathon will lead to improved fitness the day of the marathon, then marathon effort during your training translates to paces that are slower than your goal marathon pace, as your full fitness is not yet realized until race date.
You are correct about how I happened to run that one particular marathon. But I believe you would see in my training that my ~3 mile repeats were all run significantly slower. It was effort-based and my fitness on race day and favorable conditions enabled me to run faster on that day.
Your plan may work fine, though. You have a history of performing well at workouts where you race the clock in an effort to reach new heights. You stay relatively injury free while doing this. Most importantly, though, you tackle your workouts with confidence. I'm doing you a big disservice if anything I say causes your confidence to waver. Believing in yourself is very important and if you believe you can run that workout and that race as planned, then you are a step ahead of anyone else whose ambitions are smaller.
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... Great, the extended forecast says it's supposed to be snowing on February 8. ....
...
Great, the extended forecast says it's supposed to be snowing on February 8. ....
The Amy facebook report says we are getting 999,386 feet of snow on February 8th.
(Which might catch us up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula)
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
Perry went down to DR is mileage last week.
I got 21 in today, so if I get in 31 for the 50K on Saturday I coudl have an 80 mile week.
I think Perry is poised to pull the same trick he did last week --- keeping a log entry ace up his sleeve. That is, last week I finished just ahead of Perry with 72 miles to his 71.7 ... but then the next day I saw that he logged yet another run that took him up to 75.8 miles for the week. Likewise, though I ran 80 miles this past week and Perry's log says he did 78.2, the fact that his last few log entries go are labeled as parts "1/5, 3/5, 4/5, 5/5" --- and also the fact that Crystal's logging mentions Perry running with her for 2 + tempo miles that aren't reflected in Perry's logging (surely they're the missing part "2/5") --- indicates that Perry probably actually did about 80.5 miles last week. However, I did prevail in the last "Monday-Sunday" version of the week (01/27/14 - 02/02/2014), as I amassed 87 miles during that 7-day stretch.
Yesterday was my record for most sub-6:00 miles in a run (or a day, I could say). There was 13 X 5:56 + 5:52 + 5:49 (only 2 recovery periods during those miles).
Oops, yes, I missed the actual tempo part of mine. I was entering mine & hers simultaneously, which was a bit confusing. I just found it in the buffer area, and saved it.
Perry went down to DR's mileage last week.
My mileage actually dropped a bit for both of the last two weeks:
I got 21 in today, so if I get in 31 for the 50K on Saturday I could have an 80 mile week.
Phil, we saw you listed in the registrations - glad to hear you're planning to come. We look forward to seeing you. We were a bit worried you might have gotten injured at that 50K you never reported back from.
I am good. Look forward to seeing you guys too.
DR how do treadmill miles compare to outdoor miles. At some point do you start to focus on running more of your miles outdoor in prep for the marathon?
When it comes to faster running, at least, the key difference is that on the treadmill you're not supplying the momentum but rather are simply getting dragged along. However, the treadmill does force you to maintain a constant pace (whereas a natural run is subject to alternating surges and lags, hence why pace graphs are always squiggly). But yes, the lack of outdoor running is a concern. So far my 3 primary long runs (19 miles, 20 miles, 22 miles) have all been confined to the treadmill, which makes me especially anxious over whether the pending winter storm will make road running impractical this Saturday when I need to run my most crucial long run --- which is supposed to incorporate hills. That's another treadmill drawback. For though I usually put it at 1% incline halfway through the run, that doesn't do a very good job of simulating the rolling ups and downs of typical outdoor running. I feel like I was much stronger on inclines a year ago when the vast majority of my mileage was conducted around my hilly old neighborhoods.
Joe couldn't hack it for 3 consecutive early morning fitness center runs, though --- ironically --- this would've been the most amenable morning for an uncertain arrival time. I was out of the bathroom before 5:15 a.m., but then I didn't start on the treadmill until 5:39 since I first broke out the floor mat and went about a core/calisthenic routine.
Joe should log his miles -- Joe, DR & I all have had big mileage starts to this week (30mi in two days). DR is clearly ahead, as he's already run at least once today.
I likely could have made it on time, then. I texted at 5:05 to say I wouldn't make it, since that meant I couldn't get there until probably 5:30 at the earliest. The clincher was that I had 4.5 hours of sleep and that's after two days in row of just 5 or 6 hours of sleep per night. So I thought some sleep would be wiser than the run.
... So I thought some sleep would be wiser than the run.
This was probably wise. It's not like you have completely lacked running over the past couple of days...
But yes, the lack of outdoor running is a concern. So far my 3 primary long runs (19 miles, 20 miles, 22 miles) have all been confined to the treadmill, which makes me especially anxious over whether the pending winter storm will make road running impractical this Saturday when I need to run my most crucial long run --- which is supposed to incorporate hills.
A lot more wintry precipitation tonight, and then it looks like it's going to be snowing all morning on Saturday. I think I may be doomed into having to set yet another treadmill distance record.
If you look at the weather and treadmill use in terms of it being relative to your competition, then you may be in a good place, DR. The runners who rely more on outdoor running will have struggled this winter and be less prepared for the marathon, but you've been able to train well. And if the other top guys aren't afraid of treadmills, then at least you're in good company!