Strength workout – 9 mi total – Today’s run was a Hanson’s Marathon Method Strength (SOS) event. I was to run a 1.5 mile warmup, 3mi at 5k pace, a mile recovery, another 3 mi at 5k pace, and 1.5 mi cooldown.
If I had all of my 5k results from the last approximately 12 years, you’d see that they all teeter between a PR of 19:06 and 19:50. I usually do one or two chip timed 5ks a year. And I don’t have a history or properly preparing for them.
Today’s run was like facing the truth, or as titled, looking into a mirror. If there’s a piece of running I stand to improve upon, it would be the lung-busting 5k distance. I can do well at a track workout, 800m here, a mile there, fast short distances, all good by me. Let me see how far I have to go and I’m ready. The 5k distance is for me, start fast and decay to the finish. I haven’t developed the strength to keep a good starting pace steady for the whole distance.
Today I saw improvement from the past 10 days of running in that I had less coughing and need for clearing my throat. I need that kind of progress to continue for a few weeks. Weather is improving to having a mid-70s start temperature, also helping the effort. I ran the route that takes me on the dark roads and sidewalks near Evergreene, in front of Dwyer High School, then on the well-lit sidewalk on Donald Ross Rd and back through Alton for the final piece. My first 5k was 20:25, the second one was 21:03.
I believe these efforts will build more speed and familiarity with quicker paces. I have to also incorporate some pickups on the Sunday long run to also benefit from turnover, which is approx 190 steps per minute, and better breathing efficiency post cold or flu from a week and a half ago.
-dm
drun4fun 