Notes
Out & Back: 2 mi w/u, then 8.64 miles (~60 minutes) at a strong aerobic effort (MP effort/HR), then 0.76 mi c/d. Total of 11.5 miles.
1st 4 miles of O&B: 7:02.5 avg pace, 153 bpm avg HR (=153/187 = 82% Max HR)
Next 4 miles of O&B: 6:56.9 avg pace, 157 bpm avg HR (=157/187 = 84% Max HR)
So, assuming my Max HR is around 187 bpm, my % Max HR for this run was about right where it should be for this workout.
Felt really good today -- I had the 2nd round of the Pfizer Covid vaccine 2 days ago, so I didn't run at all the last 2 days. I wasn't sure how I was going to do today based on all those variables -- not running for a couple of days is good for rest/recovery, but doesn't always equate to running well the first day back. Having the vaccine had me seriously worried that I'd still be feeling the effects. However, I had only a mild soreness in my arm near the injection site that only lasted for the morning yesterday; I had no nausea or joint stiffness, although I had a mild case of the chills and a mild headache yesterday (1 day post shot). So, all in all, my pace and HR numbers look decent from today's run -- better than expected. The Lake Wobegon Marathon is 5 weeks from tomorrow, so I don't have a lot more building up to do. I'd like to run 20 miles at a very easy effort tomorrow (could be 2:45 to 3:00 duration). Next week, I'll replace the Friday O&B run with an easy Aerobic run of about an hour, and then run a Fast Finish Long Run next Saturday with 9 or 10 miles at close to marathon effort level, and maybe the last mile at HMP or even 10K pace.
Oh yeah, I wore the Saucony Endorphin Pros today. I think some credit for the paces is owed to the shoes -- they felt wonderful at MP. (To be honest, they felt a bit clunky during the w/u and c/d, but very smooth during the O&B portion.) I will definitely wear these for Wobegon, even though I am not shooting for a PR at Wobegon. I think that I should run it conservatively and mostly by feel; if I need to have a time goal, I would be very happy with a 3:15 (this would be a solid BQ time and probably an AG placement at this race). I'd really like to see if I can finish a marathon without cramping, so that should be my "A" goal.