Then I did 12 miles on Thursday. Originally I planned to run the Cromane loop, but then changed my mind and ran the much hillier Caragh Lake road instead. The out-and-back route contains 6 proper climbs; since Boston is hilly, my training runs are going to be hilly as well.
It took a lot of slowing down on those climbs. The one leading to the turnaround point featured nearly 250 feet elevation gain in less than a mile, and at times I had to slow down to a virtual crawl to keep the heart rate down. It clearly showed that I still have plenty of work to do. This comes as no great surprise. The last marathon had been a mere 17 days ago, and I’m basically on week one of my Boston training. I just didn’t expect the run to be quite so slow.
I also suffered from a severe case of the stupids. “12 miles at 8:00 pace, that will take me 1:20, let’s say 1:25 to take into account my slower pace these days and set the alarm for 6:10 am.” I was a bit surprised at how bright it was when I set off, but so close to Full Moon that wasn’t particularly alarming. It wasn’t until I was back home and saw that the run had take 1:40 that I finally and belatedly realised that 1:20 at 8:00 pace will give you 10 miles rather than 12. Thomas, you idiot. I was late for work.
Today’s run reinforced just how much out of shape I am. I was stiff and tired and the legs were distinctly unhappy about having to move again. This did come as a real surprise. 12 miles aren’t exactly a long run anymore, and I can’t remember the last time I was so sore the day after a run at such leisurely pace. And of course I was slow again today. In all honesty, I do expect rapid improvements from here.
My mum has just left, the week has passed very quickly. She even had a few nice days, weather wise. She’ll be back in spring.
- 12 Nov
- 6 miles, 48:35, 8:06 pace, HR 144
- 13 Nov
- 12 miles, 1:40:54, 8:24 pace, HR 147
- 14 Nov
- 6+ miles, 50:53, 8:25 pace, HR 143
Yes, Boston has hills but I don't consider it especially 'hilly'. The 1st 16 miles are actually down-hilly but feel flat which is what gets the quads of most poor unsuspecting runners. This is followed by the infamous 5-6 miles of the Newton hills. The final 5 almost all downhill miles depend if there is anything left in the quads. In my book training for the 'downs' is the key.
ReplyDeleteCHECK OUT THIS LINK TO RUN DOWNHILL FASTER AND WITH LESS IMPACT;
ReplyDeletehttp://www.5min.com/Video/An-Introduction-to-Evolution-Running-5-29683894
I completely agree with the first comment - it's the down hills that kill you in Boston. 'Heartbreak Hill' is nothing really - earlier hills are worse. But you have to be prepared for the beating your quads take from the downhills...
ReplyDeleteMy question is - how do you *train* for downhills and still get fit?