CIM Training – Week 5

While Week 4 was marked with a lot of self-doubt, Week 5 was all about confidence.  I challenged myself to hit my goal paces during my “something of substance” workouts and I did.  (The infographic has flames this week because this girl was on fire!)  But, best of all, my easy runs finally felt easy.  Probably because the weather was gorgeous – cooler temperatures and lower humidity.  Fall is just around the corner!

The Details

Week 5 was another transitional phase week.  Like the last two weeks, I ran 8-10 mile easy on four days, a 16 mile long run, and took one day off.  The speed workout for this week was a 6 mile progression run.  I ran pain-free but dealt with tinnitus at the end of the week, which I treated with my allergy protocol of nasal rinses and Zyrtec.  The weather also improved – mostly upper 60s with low humidity.

6 Mile Progression Run.  I haven’t done a lot of progression runs in my previous training.  Pfitz doesn’t have them.  I think the only time I’ve attempted them was when I’ve tried workouts from the Hudson plan.

For this run, I was supposed to start @ marathon pace + 50 seconds and then drop 10 seconds/mile each mile thereafter.  I started the first mile fast – like 7:20 pace – and really had to reign myself in.  I told myself I was going to hold myself to the 10 second drop no matter what and that helped slow me down.  I think the second mile was one of the more consistent ones.  Mile 3 was all over the place since I ran some very small uphills and downhills, which can naturally mean a  10 second pace difference.  I got a mental boost at the turn around right before Memorial Bridge but, again, tried to slow myself down since I was still running under goal pace.  Miles 4 and 5 played out the same – I started each one fast and then eased off the throttle mid-way through.  On the last mile, I didn’t look at my Garmin and just ran at a pace that felt a little faster than the previous mile.  When I finally checked my watch, I was shocked to see 7:00 pace!  I slowed down a lot and just finished the mile strong.

I felt good about the workout but bad that I ran them a little too fast than the guidance.  I knew the Hansons plan stressed hitting goal pace but not exceeding it.  Splits (Garmin): 8:26, 8:12, 8:00, 7:50, 7:38, 7:27.

Long Run.  Going into the run, I really wanted to start hitting my goal long run pace, which is about 8:18.

I started my long run by 8am.  The weather was fantastic all week, but it turned noticeably warmer on Saturday.  I started the run strong and fast – about 8:25 pace.  Almost 3 miles in, my pace had slowed to 8:30ish.  I started to feel a little disappointed that, not only would I not hit goal pace, but this week’s run might not even be as fast as last week’s.  I stopped to allow some distance between me and a runner with a dog as we approached a narrow tunnel.  I used the occasion to gather myself mentally and tell myself that a slower time would be okay.  I switched my playlist to some uptempo music and just ran without noticing pace for the next few miles.  By 5.5 miles in, I had reached Hains Point.  I took a peek at my Garmin and was happy to see that I was finally running in my goal long run pace range – low 8:20 pace!  About mid-way through, I saw a woman with a blond ponytail ahead of me and decided I would try to catch her.  Over the next 2 miles, I gradually reeled her in.  I passed her about a half mile before leaving the park.  I couldn’t believe I was holding such a strong pace for so long.  I did a short loop around the Tidal Basin, which included a water break at the 10 mile point.  I expected a fade since I’d been running so hard but I didn’t really experience one.  I stopped for water again at 13.4 miles. I felt pretty good, though, so I didn’t linger for long.  My overall pace was 8:19 when I hit the final uphill stretch home.  I just tried to hold on and not completely fall apart.  I reached my street, hit the stop button, and was so excited to see that I finally hit goal pace for a long run!  The effort definitely wasn’t easy, though.  Overall pace: 8:24.

Other.  I started breaking down the course for CIM.  I knew the course would be a net downhill but I had been warned that “net” doesn’t mean there aren’t any hills.  I found two videos online – one silent with each mile marker noted and one shot with narration.  They helped me identify the “hills”.  For added measure, I used the “Find Route” tool on RunningAhead and downloaded someone’s GPS file for CIM.  I used all of these tools to analyze the course and break it down into 5-6 mile chunks.  Next comes creating my playlist…

I also started planning my itinerary for race weekend.  Since going out west entails several hours of travel, I’m thinking I’ll make a vacation out of it.

Finally, I registered for the Parks Half Marathon.  I’m very excited about running the race again and hope I can recreate another good result.

The Week Ahead

Next week, I have three workouts – an interval workout on Monday, a tempo run on Wednesday, and an 18-mile long run on Saturday.  That’s a little intimidating.  I’ll also try to get in a sports massage on Thursday.

Inspiration.  Endurance is patience concentrated. – Thomas Carlyle