Pace Run Finished!

2.5 miles in 31:07. 12:26 pace! Wasn’t too painful, considering I felt a lot of dread about it. The warmup and cooldown jog helped, but boy did they make the workout take a long time; nearly 1:15 with some light stretching at the ‘start line’.

My right knee area, which has been bugging me since my track work Wednesday, turned out to be in good shape (thank you ice&ibuprofen). I started to get a hint of a shin splint around the 10min mark, but it let up before the half. My split was about 15 minutes for the first half, 16 for the second, so in the future I’ve got to take it a little bit easier out of the gate.

I didn’t wear the HRM for this run, instead opting to wear my new chronograph, a gift from Steph for finishing my 5k. I feel like I’ve learned a lot with the HRM, and will wear it for my distance runs on the weekend, but it’s also nice to have the chrono freeing me from math a little, and on a run like this where I know my target pace I’m confident I don’t need the direct feedback.

First Pace Run

I’d love to say, “2 months ago I didn’t know what a pace run is!” But that would incorrectly give the impression that I know what a pace run is today. I suppose in about an hour and a half I’ll find out.

Plan is to do 1.25 miles out and back on a dirt road near my house after a 1 mile warmup. I’ve christened it Mike Romeo, for Martinsville Raceway, since it’s where I plan to do all my pace runs if this one works out. Lower traffic + softer terrain.

Goal is to polish off the 2.55 miles in 32 minutes, about a 12:30 pace. My race pace to make my 78:13 goal is 12:37. Will report back!

Crosstraining – Erg!

I haven’t been on an erg (a rowing machine) much since college, but I know how to use one (mostly) right, and I know it’s a good workout. So my plan is to use one for crosstraining every Thursday.

Last week the 2 ergs in my gym were taken, so I came to the gym only cautiously optimistic, and willing to wait if necessary. I found both unoccupied, so I started up.

Plan was to do a sort of intervals where I start at one minute of hard rowing, followed by a 1 minute easy rowing break, and build up to 5 minutes of hard rowing, still with 1 minute easy row after. Then back down. Kind of like a “step” interval for running.

It was hard, as I expected, but not nightmarish. My arms are a long way from the condition they were in when I had my year of crew in college, and pulling hard huuurt. Some of my middle ‘intervals’ it was tough just to keep moving, and I couldn’t pull hard all the way through.

Still, I made it through the whole routine, and I don’t feel too beat up today, so I’m already looking to go back.