Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Evaluating Christmas

The high winds had prevented me from running an evaluation last week and conditions were still on the challenging side of the spectrum on Monday and Tuesday, but the forecast for the Christmas Days was better and I figured I should seize the window of opportunity. Tuesday evening I still wasn't quite sure if the wind would be quiet enough but conditions were actually beautiful and close to ideal.

I had troubles getting my HR up initially. I guess I'm no longer used to running anything faster than snail's pace.

The numbers in brackets are adjusted pace, 3 seconds for every beat off the 161 target.
       
        Mile 1    6:38   HR 161    (6:38)
        Mile 2    6:42   HR 161    (6:42)
        Mile 3    6:43   HR 161    (6:43)
        Mile 4    6:51   HR 160    (6:48)
        Recovery to HR 130: 38 seconds

The numbers are a bit slower than the previous evaluation. Because I have significantly dialled back the training intensity since then that is a) expected and b) okay. After running so slowly for a few weeks the pace felt faster than usual, but even so the evaluation is still a very mellow workout. The recovery time is a bit higher than I would have expected (maybe because last time it was so low) but it's not an outlier either.

I had been rather looking forward to this, just to get a break from the relentless drudgery that Maffetone training can be at times. Just to get the legs moving for a change was basically a Christmas present to myself.

Since nobody is reading this due to Christmas, and the ones who do should be with their families instead, I'll leave it at that. Merry Christmas!
22 Dec
10 miles, 1:25:14, 8:31 pace, HR 137
23 Dec
10 miles, 1:24:24, 8:26 pace, HR 135
24 Dec
11.9 miles, 1:28:57, 7:28 pace, HR 146
   incl. 4 mile eval: 6:38, 6:42, 6:43, 6:48, 38 sec recovery [cleaned up paces]

4 comments:

  1. I'm reading and yes of course happy Xmas.

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  2. Me too. A very Merry Christmas!

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  3. Merry Christmas to you and your family, Thomas. May the new year bring as much joy and success as this one has. Glad you're feeling good.

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  4. Happy Christmas my friend, I've enjoyed this past year following your progress, and of course copying a few tips along the way. I hope you'll continue to educate & inspire us in 2015. All the best to you and yours.

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