Today wrapped up week 6 of 18 for my Hanson's Marathon Plan. So far, I have run just over 250 miles in this training cycle (and 59 so far this month). I'd like to say I'm 1/3 of the way there...but that would only be true in terms of training weeks and certainly not in effort or mileage. I have my first big ramp up in miles coming in 2 weeks, and then, once March 11th hits, it is game on!
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| Getting it done this week meant a 5AM snow run (before the real snow came!) |
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| Week 6 |
I started wearing my heart rate monitor again this week, after Sunday's race. I am very impressed with how this training plan has affected my heart rates already. I am running much more efficiently at level 2 heart rate. My easy runs this week (9:00 - 9:30 pace) averaged a heart rate between 140- 145ish (25 - 28 beats below lactate) and my long(ish) run at a 8:50 pace averaged 148. When I trained with my coach for my previous 9 marathons, level 2 runs (most of training with the exception of lactate runs and speed/strength work) were done at 10-15 beats below lactate, and nearly the same pace I am doing now with much lower heart rates. I am debating whether or not I need to "speed" up my recovery days 15-20 seconds per mile, but am thinking I am just going to keep to the lower end of my pace recommendations for now.
Additionally, my lactate (168) pace has dropped from a 7:40-7:45 ish pace to a 7:20-7:25 pace! I averaged 168 for the race last weekend at a 7:22 pace and felt great! I am going to try upping the ante on the tempo runs for the next few weeks to see how I feel (Hanson's says that whatever your doing your tempo run at entering week 9-10 of training, is what pace you've committed to training for for your marathon).
I've noticed that I am beginning to feel different when running this week. Gone is the "pep in my step"/caged animal phenomenon that I used to get running on fresh(er) legs during my more difficult workouts (long runs, lactate runs or speed workout). There are NO fresh legs with this program. But a feeling of strength has replaced the caged animal feel. My legs may feel tired, but I am ending every workout, including the hard ones, feeling as though I could either run way more miles, or run way faster. Those easy, seemingly purposeless, miles that I once thought were the ones I could skip every now and then, that aren't S.O.S. (something of substance) runs according to Hanson's, now have purpose. Number 1 - they have helped my heart rates drop, as previously discussed. Number 2 - they keep demanding more on my legs, without wasting them for the S.O.S. runs. And, number 3 - they are teaching me to run sans pep/the caged animal feel.
Theory: I think there are some runners who can run a marathon, in its entirety, on the caged animal/pep in step feel. I am not one of them. My marathon/racing history suggest that I, like most hobby runners, can make it to mile 20-22 with that feel...and then crash. In Hartford, I made it to 23.5ish before that. Most runners, can run a banging half, 10k, and certainly a 5k on the caged animal plan. Hanson's is beginning to make more sense to me. There are no more caged animals, only legs (and bodies) that have been trained to handle the demands of the entire 26.2 miles that a marathon covers. Here's to hoping I can make it through the next 12 weeks of training to test this theory out on race day!
Stay tuned for Tuesday, when I post my two new recipes for the week for my 24 in 2014 Clean(er) Eating plan! Here is a preview of the fun...
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| Quinoa and Kale |
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| Lentil Burger Mix! |
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