Base Training Final Week Workouts

1/15- Marathon Pace Workout: This morning the original plan was to do a 20-miler at a relaxed pace. That got scrapped when the thermostat read below zero. I decided to do a treadmill workout, but didn't have enough time to get in the whole 20 miles. I started with a 4-mile warm-up in which I put in a few strides to get my legs loose. I then dialed the treadmill down to 6:22 pace and left it there for the next five miles. Once I got to five I increased the speed to 6:18 pace and left it there for five more miles. All told, I did 10 miles in 63:20 (6:20 pc) and it felt pretty good. I practiced my fluid/food intake which I need a lot more work with. I closed the workout with 3 more miles of easy running.

1/18- Tempo/Interval Combo: Another treadmill workout, but definitely a good one. This is probably the third time that I have done this on the mill. I tried it once outside during the summer, but I had an awful time with it. The workout is quite lenghty, but you change gears a lot so it seems to go by very quickly. I started with a three mile warm-up and included a few strides. Then I changed into the Kinvara 2s and began the real work. The workout called for an interval ladder of 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 at 5k pace with the following rests (1:00, 1:00, 2:00, 2:00, 3:00). I did all the hard stuff at 5:24 pace and the rest jogs at 7:30 pace. After the 3:00 recovery jog I got into a 20:00 steady tempo run. I did the first 10:00 at 5:49 pace and the second 10:00 at 5:46 pace (averaged 5:47pc for the 20:00). I followed the tempo run with another 3:00 easy jog, then dialed it back up for a descending ladder of 3:00, 2:00, 1:00 at 5k pace again with similar rests to the ascending ladder. All told it represented 3.9 miles of running at 5k pace (5:24), and 3.45 miles of running at tempo pace (5:47). I didn't have much time for a cool-down so I did just enough to round out my total mileage to 14 on the morning (about 89:00 o/a). I was through 10 miles of the workout portion in 60:00, which is very encouraging considering that this is my GHMP for the Hampton Half in a month! Next up, Boston Prep 16 on Sunday.