It has now been two weeks since the New York Marathon and I've run seven times - twice in the first week and five times this week. Certainly my weekly mileage is down but the pace and intensity isn't - of the seven post-marathon runs just two have been easy days. I step out the door with the knowledge that I should be easing back into things but my feet connect with concrete and I soon forget.Yesterday I was out for a 7-miler with the Hellgater's and ended up running with Eamonn and Mike B. A few miles in the pace quickened and Eamonn, who is coming off the NYC marathon and also having foot issues, dropped off. Mike and I continued on at a brisk pace. At one point I looked down at my fancy watch and realized we were running better than a 6:40/mile pace. Whoa! We finished 7.1 miles in 50:28 - a 7:06 pace.
Along the way Mike noted that I was running well and asked if I could have gone for more at the marathon. Hmmm... Now that is an interesting question. I did run a significant PR. My legs did turn to concrete 20 miles in. I was stiff and sore for days afterward. But could I have run faster? Could I have pushed harder?
Today, I went out by myself for an easy five. It started off well. But again things seemed to speed up somehow. Here are my splits:
- Mile One - 7:58
- Mile Two - 7:13
- Mile Three - 7:07
- Mile Four - 6:51
- Mile Five - 6:43
"All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work."
-Calvin Coolidge
5 comments:
You are so ready for an ultra!!!
I've always heard and been advised that during "active recovery" you should either do distance or speed, not both ( I guess this goes for almost any time, but especially now). I'm sure as long as you keep the mileage low and increase the speed gradually, you'll be fine. And, listen to your body!
You're really young and probably have many more minutes to shave off that PR, just take care of yourself and you'll smoke the next one even more.
i agree with justrun. don't let those HG lads persuade you to push yourself too far too fast. there are plenty more marathons in your future, and each time, I'm guessing you'll take minutes off...
you could write a whole book on the 'could i have run faster?' question. There are so many factors that go into every given moment of a race on a given day - who knows what would happen if you had a 'do-over' . .
be careful with your crazy after-race running - just listen to your body, it'll tell you when and if it needs to rest.
I'm tempted to ask where you get all your quotes, but that would ruin the surprise of finding them when I read your blog. I love quotes and I'm amazed at how you always find ones that are so fitting to what you write about.
Steph Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence... I do want to try an Ultra someday but I don't know if I am quite ready yet.
JustRun Thanks for your kind words and advice.
Yvonne Thanks for your comments and sage advice. I will try not to push myself into an injury.
Ginger What a book that would be! LOL. I am glad you enjoy the quotes. I'll keep trying to find good ones for you!
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