Saturday, February 07, 2009

Spring arrives for a short time

Eight degrees, wow, it's like the winter of 2006 all over again (it was the warmest running winter I recall in the last five). I was down to a few layers and traded the touque for a Marine Corps Marathon hat. Nothing like a race hat to make you feel a little speedier.

My shoes need to replaced quickly. I've been trying to hold on to them but they've lost that bounce. I have one ready but I'll need another one -- last marathon training cycle, I broke in my brand new shoes a little too early that by the time marathon day came by, they had been worn down.

Anyhow, I'm saving my long run for tomorrow as I was out till 3 a.m. at a pub. Tried to sleep it off and hydrate so by noon, I was out there to do six kilometres. Figured I start it off strong and see if I could increase pace.

Kilometre
1. 4:57
2. 5:01
3. 4:57
4. 4:40
5. 4:20
6. 4:32

Not bad, started about at a 8 minute mile then finished at 7:15 mile pace with the fifth kilometre a little faster. I think adding speed, tempo and pace work will go a long way toward getting me back in fighting shape. These days, I think to attain those speeds, it's a matter of toughening up my head.

6 kilometres with 4:45K pace in 28:38:21

5 comments:

Marky Mark said...

It was wonderful today! How many miles do you put on each pair of shoes?

Marlene said...

Nice job, especially after a night out!

Enjoy the temps. It really sucks to be laid up right now.

yumke said...

Mark, I usually try to get 500 to 600 miles but I usually test the upper limits. I hate the idea of changing shoes every 3 months but I guess I should be paying more attention.

Marlene, so sad to hear about your injury and I hope you're able to keep your fitness up. You'll be back.

Arcane said...

Only time goal is to go slower than 4:10 for a PW for the marathon distance. The pace might be a bit too slow if I ran it continuously, but I've been toying with the idea of bringing a camera and taking a picture of myself in front of every mile marker. That would force me to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.

I still don't see how you can get 500 miles out of your shoes. I'm lucky if i can get 300 out of them.

Quinto Sol said...

Nice, strong run.

I like to get about 400 miles out of my shoes. BUT, I have been know to get up to 600 and as little as 250.