TRAINING
Weekly totals as below:
Feb20-26 - 31km (16k long run in 1:58)
Feb27-Mar4 - 44km (19k long run in 2:27)
Mar5-11 - 34km (16k long run in 2:06)
Gradually putting in speedwork (10x400 last Feb21) and tempo (6k tempo last week) as training for marathon #4 starts next week. I've been playing basketball almost every week so I hope the fastbreak runs during the game count as speedwork(?).
I've ditched the heart rate monitor for the meantime as I'd like to try running by feel, especially on my easy days. My Garmin still controls the pace, but if I feel alright, I try to step on the gas a little, just to see the effort level. I've learned to condition myself after running a hill, just after it levels out. The heart is racing which would previously cause me to slow down to recover. Lately, I've prepared a mental note to tell myself, "hey, the hill's over. the road is flat again. your HR will recover so just continue this pace." Almost all the time, it works!
RACING THIS SUNDAY
March18 will be my first bibbed race for the year (TwitterRoadRace 5k was my first race for 2012), a 10-miler under Race for Rage to be held in BGC. I'm quite familiar with the route so I'm hoping to have a good race here. 1:47:55 is the time to beat. Endurance-wise, I should be able to last the whole 10 miles. But with a target race pace of 6:30-6:40/km with minimal tempo and speed workouts, it will be a challenge. I'm looking at this race as a test on how improved (or not) my aerobic capacity is after over 2 months of exclusively running at Maffetone pace. It'll be an indicator as well on how near (or far) I am from being conditioned to run sub-5 (McMillan calculator says I should run a 1:41 16k to be able to finish a marathon under 5 hours).
PAIN
I'm battling pain under my right heel now which I highly suspect to be Plantar Fasciitis. The toe flexing exercise that was recommended from the Internet has proven quite helpful in relieving it so I hope it will gradually subside in time for race day.
WEIGHT
Unbelievably, I've lost 7lbs since the beginning of this year. It's been a challenge calorie-counting my daily food intake (and trying not to exceed that), but seeing the results on the weighing scale has made all that self-control worth it. I hope it translates to better race performances this year.
READING @MACCANOW
I was able to borrow "I'm Here To Win" by Chris McCormack, the 2010 Ironman Kona champ, from an officemate. So far the book has been both entertaining and interesting. I'm only halfway done, but one good advice I got was the section on Mental Folders. I think it'll prove helpful, especially in that section of the race where I tend to break down mentally (like in my last marathon, QCIM3). Macca is cocky in this book, but boy, he has the credentials (many 1st place and podium finishes in the triathlons he raced in) to back it up.
Weekly totals as below:
Feb20-26 - 31km (16k long run in 1:58)
Feb27-Mar4 - 44km (19k long run in 2:27)
Mar5-11 - 34km (16k long run in 2:06)
Gradually putting in speedwork (10x400 last Feb21) and tempo (6k tempo last week) as training for marathon #4 starts next week. I've been playing basketball almost every week so I hope the fastbreak runs during the game count as speedwork(?).
I've ditched the heart rate monitor for the meantime as I'd like to try running by feel, especially on my easy days. My Garmin still controls the pace, but if I feel alright, I try to step on the gas a little, just to see the effort level. I've learned to condition myself after running a hill, just after it levels out. The heart is racing which would previously cause me to slow down to recover. Lately, I've prepared a mental note to tell myself, "hey, the hill's over. the road is flat again. your HR will recover so just continue this pace." Almost all the time, it works!
RACING THIS SUNDAY
March18 will be my first bibbed race for the year (TwitterRoadRace 5k was my first race for 2012), a 10-miler under Race for Rage to be held in BGC. I'm quite familiar with the route so I'm hoping to have a good race here. 1:47:55 is the time to beat. Endurance-wise, I should be able to last the whole 10 miles. But with a target race pace of 6:30-6:40/km with minimal tempo and speed workouts, it will be a challenge. I'm looking at this race as a test on how improved (or not) my aerobic capacity is after over 2 months of exclusively running at Maffetone pace. It'll be an indicator as well on how near (or far) I am from being conditioned to run sub-5 (McMillan calculator says I should run a 1:41 16k to be able to finish a marathon under 5 hours).
PAIN
I'm battling pain under my right heel now which I highly suspect to be Plantar Fasciitis. The toe flexing exercise that was recommended from the Internet has proven quite helpful in relieving it so I hope it will gradually subside in time for race day.
WEIGHT
Unbelievably, I've lost 7lbs since the beginning of this year. It's been a challenge calorie-counting my daily food intake (and trying not to exceed that), but seeing the results on the weighing scale has made all that self-control worth it. I hope it translates to better race performances this year.
READING @MACCANOW
I was able to borrow "I'm Here To Win" by Chris McCormack, the 2010 Ironman Kona champ, from an officemate. So far the book has been both entertaining and interesting. I'm only halfway done, but one good advice I got was the section on Mental Folders. I think it'll prove helpful, especially in that section of the race where I tend to break down mentally (like in my last marathon, QCIM3). Macca is cocky in this book, but boy, he has the credentials (many 1st place and podium finishes in the triathlons he raced in) to back it up.
No comments:
Post a Comment