Day 6: As Green as Far as the Eye Can See
6 miles, 43:27: 7:14 pace (7:39, 7:10, 7:16, 7:05, 7:03, 7:12)
You know it's going to be a good day when all the green lights on your route synchronize perfectly and give you the right of way throughout your run!
The first mile today felt amazing. I've been starting my run less than a half hour after I wake up, so I figure to be stiff and for it to take awhile to get rolling. However, today that wasn't the case. I felt smooth and light from step one. Though this is a great feeling, it can backfire if you don't control it. In my case today, it did have a slight negative effect on my run, as a too fast early pace caused me to labor toward the end. My goal at the end of every run is to feel great and WANT to run more. I can't say that was the feeling at the end of the run today.
A word about warm ups:
That first mile, whether you designate it as a warm up or not, IS a warm up. You need to take it slow in order to avoid injury and get the most out of your workout. I make sure I don't exceed a 7:30 for my warm up mile. This is an arbitrary number, but it serves to keep me in check early on.
Now, it's important to note that all 7:30 miles aren't created equal. A warm up mile shoud NOT be run at an even pace per quarter mile. It's far better and safer to start off slow and pick it up slightly each quarter mile as the legs start loosening up. Today I paid attention to my 400 spilts of warm up and it broke down like this: 2:00, 1:56, 1:53, 1:50 = 7:39. I felt that I did that fairly well, but then dropping it down immediately to 7:10 for my second mile was probably a bit too extreme for day 6 of my training. I should have started around 1:50 per quarter mile for a 7:20 mile. If I had, I probably would have been able to run the rest of my miles in sub 7:10 while feeling strong the entire way. In the end, the overall time would have been similar, but I would have had a better physical and mental benefit, while probably setting myself up better for tomorrow's run.
How do I know these splits? I use a GPS watch and periodically check it as I'm running to make sure I'm not overdoing it. I don't want to fall into the trap of being a slave to numbers; on the other hand, it's smart training to make sure your run optimizes your fitness and allows you to return tomorrow for another consistent workout. I feel this is a huge part of staying healthy and gradually building your fitness. All runs - even if they are the same distance and overall pace - are not created equal. Depending on how it's run, it can either provide you with the endurance to take the next step in your training or sideline you for several days with an injury.
Run with your body and your mind.
