Intensives

[Pika]

Great to hear about your race today!
7.17 for the first mile! Your coach will be happy with that I bet- sounds like you did exactly what you were supposed to do- let us know about the debriefing!
Emily- Wahine will probably jump in here but my understanding was that her race tactics were aimed at a bigger overall plan of breaking some preconceived "barriers" not necessarily to race that specific 10km with the goal of doing a personal best in the most efficient tactical way.
Though if I ran 10km at that pace it would be a PB-I would love to run 10km in 50min!
Good job again Wahine

[Wahine]

Yup Emily, Pika is right. This was not meant to be my best race, it was meant for me to see how fast I can run and the point was to run so fast that I couldn't maintain pace. What my coach wanted me to learn from this was that I can run faster than I think and I can still continue to run. So now, when he asks me to go out and hold 7:45 for 6 miles, I know I can do it if I start out slower and build which is the best strategy for a race of that length. The problem was that I used to think that I wouldn't be able to finish if I went too fast, now my idea of what is too fast has changed. So yes, strategically speaking, you're better off doing your first mile at a reasonable pace, picking it up as you go along and trying to finish the second half faster than the first. That's good advice no matter if you're a beginner or a vetran.

I managed a 2 mile recovery jog and a 25 mile recovery ride today. The ride felt a heck of a lot better than the jog.

[Grog]

On race tactics...

I read in Runner's World recently that some study has shown that women starting off a 5K race faster than they would have normally also finished faster. They advised NOT to be conservative for this type of distance. This was thought to be valid for a shorter distance (like a 5 K) but not for 10K and more, where they kept on advising negative splits (i.e. faster second half).

I am yet to try it. I have a 8K race in March and I think I'll do just that, leave my watch at home and see what happens...

[Wahine]

For those of you interested in the post race debriefing here it is:

That result is exactly what you should expect. While your body gets used to running a lot, you're going to get increasingly slower....for now. When you hit a 40+ mile week, then we'll descend over three weeks back to about 20/25 and start speed. You'll be amazed at how that goes when you have a couple of hundred miles under your belt. Rome wasn't built in a day...:-)

You're doing just right. Most important now is not to overtrain, pay
attention to your body. Mileage is not worth illness/injury.

So there you have it. Straight from the horse's mouth. All's well. The funny thing is that now I'm more motivated than ever to hit a 40 mile week so I can start going back down to my "normal" mileage.

[Shiraz]

Thanks for posting Wahine. I really learn from reading your post. I do truely believe we limit ourselves and set preconceived barriers as you stated. I broke a few personal barriers myself last year by running 6 half marathons in 9months. I would have never thought that was possible for me. You have certainly inspired me to find new challenges and I love hearing about your training. I am going to try your double days. Thanks for sharing. I followed your IM last year. I can't wait to see what this year brings

[emily_in_nc]

This is all great information, thanks everyone! Just reading your reports and information motivates me a great deal. I am itching to do my first 5K!

Wahine, you're amazing. While I'd be thrilled to break the 10:00 barrier for even one mile, you are running < 8 minute miles! I simply can't imagine my legs moving that fast! Truth be told, though, as with cycling, I think I'm built more for distance than speed, so if I never run fast, that's fine too. I'd love to eventually work up to doing a 10K, then maybe a half-marathon, but right now I'm just taking it one step at a time. My next steps are running an official 5K, and running 5 miles total for the first time in my life. Baby steps....!

Emily

[Wahine]

Shiraz - Good on ya for all those half marys!! The doubles are actually a lot easier on my body than long singles. I feel better after a 5&5 day than a 10 day.

Emily - You're doing great. It's not about how you do relative to others but how you improve yourself. Really. I'm not blowing smoke out my butt. I get blown away by lots of competitiors at my races, that doesn't stop me from trying.

So the intensive update is...

I tried a rcovery run yesterday and my legs were still pretty ouchy so I only went 1.7 miles (pats self on the back for not pushing past the pain). I've also mentally commited myself to 2 days no running. I figure I'll try another reco run on Thursday and see how it feels. Right now I feel like I'm tip toeing on a really fine line, I want to make sure I fall on the right side of it.