Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Is This What It's Supposed To Be Like?

I simply cannot believe how I am feeling right now. This is incredible.

I took it easy on Monday and Tuesday, recovering from the weekend. I was still feeling highly satisfied after Saturday's great tempo run. I cannot help but compare the workouts to the equivalent ones from a year ago. This time round I'm running them faster, at a lower heart rate and, crucially, running them much more controlled.

Mystery Coach gave me some highly challenging workouts, but he always warned me not to push too hard in training. I didn't always stick to that, on a couple of occasions I pushed as hard as I could just to reach the pace he had prescribed.

It all feels so much easier right now. I can honestly claim that I am finishing each workout still with a lot in the tank, the same (or at least very similar) workouts that had me sprawling on the floor.

Recovery is also good. I happened to run at exactly the same heart rate on Monday and Tuesday (that wasn't planned) but was 12 seconds per mile faster on Tuesday. It felt so easy, like floating over the pavement, effortlessly. If only I could bottle that feeling.

I felt so good on Tuesday that I didn't hesitate to run a workout this morning that almost knocked me out last year: Volume speed, as the coach called it. Warm-up, then 2 miles at 6:30, 2 mile "recovery" at 7:15, 2 miles at 6:20, another "recovery" at 7:15 and 2 more miles at 6:10. That last one almost killed me last year, which is why I didn't attempt a fourth fast segment at 6:10, something the coach had suggested I should try if, and only if, I still had plenty left at that point. What I had completely failed to comprehend back then was the extra challenge of the "recovery" mile being pretty damn fast. It makes a massive difference.

It was raining, it was windy, but neither bothered me too much. The 6:30 segment required a fair amount of fine-tuning with the Garmin, as did the 6:20. The first recovery was a tad fast, the second pretty much spot on. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the 6:10s, but ran it purely by feel, not really looking at the Garmin, pushing just enough to feel "comfortably hard", but always in full control. That resulted in 2 6:06 miles, slightly net downhill but also against the wind, which may or may not have cancelled each other out. My only regret was that I did not have time for another 6:10 segment - that's the problem with running in the morning, I don't think the boss would have accepted a "sorry for being half an hour late, I had to extend my run by 3 miles because I felt too good to stop" excuse. Mind, Niamh wouldn't appreciate the same excuse for being late for dinner either.

Real life has another hurdle. Maia is sick at the moment and I had to sacrifice a fair amount of sleep comforting her. I hope that won't catch up with me.

6 Feb
8 miles, 1:04:12, 8:01 pace, HR 136
7 Feb
10 miles, 1:18:13, 7:46 pace, HR 136
8 Feb
10 miles, 1:07:36, 6:46 pace, HR 155
   incl. 2 @ 6:28, 2 @ 6:19, 2 @ 6:06

7 comments:

  1. Yes, I think that's what it's supposed to be like!

    Interesting about comparing workouts to 12 months ago. I'm doing the same with runs from 2007 to work out if I'm in the same shape.

    Great point about running more controlled than last year. You're obviously in better aerobic condition. Amazing how the body can continue to improve.

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  2. I suspect that last year it was all a whole lot harder because you were only just comming into the form required to run those workouts.

    This year youve had a year to consolidate that fitness, you certainly didnt slack off after the spring.

    Perhapes, the effort levels your exerting now is more in line with what your Mystery Coach had in mind last year, and youll still be making substantial improvements without the additional risk of pushing too hard.

    Still if its all too easy then i know id be tempted to raise the bar just a little.... Im not sure i could resist ;)

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  3. Fast. Thats the word I'd use to describe it.

    Well done.

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  4. hi thomas. i see you are a club member but in your dairy you never mentioned training with them. just wondering. great running..u have come a long way since your first ever race

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  5. you have put in the work over a good few years and are now seeing the fruits of your work :0]
    Enjoy your fitness and keep putting your family first.

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  6. Anonymous, your impressions are right. I am a member of a (very, very small) running club, but we don't do any runs together. It wouldn't really suit me anyway, I prefer running early in the morning and no club has its sessions at that time. The main benefit I get from being a club member is getting an entry into Ballycotton that way.

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