Day 7: One Week Celebration!
5 miles, 35:49 - 7:10 pace (7:52, 7:12, 6:55, 7:00, 6:50)
In the past I might have said "One week down," but I'm not counting down the days to my big race anymore. Instead, I'm enjoying each day of the journey. In the following weeks, I anticipate getting together to run with friends more often, which will add enrichment to the experience.
Today was a great run. I have to say things are working out as I've hoped. I'm gradually feeling stronger, getting faster, and experiencing less pain. If you notice my splits above, this is the first day I've dipped under 7:00. I had been close several times, but I wanted the sub 7s to come naturally rather than throw in an artificial burst just for the sake of going sub 7. These two sub 7s came naturally without any extra effort, which of course is a great sign.
Mileage for week 1: 38 miles in 7 days (5.4 miles per day avg.)
A word about mileage and mileage build up: Now, 38 miles is probably far too high for most people to start. Since I've been running for over 20 years, I have the muscle memory that allows me to come back faster than the average person as long as I don't push the pace too hard. You will see though that throughout the week I stayed with 5-6 mile runs, making sure not to build too fast. Could I have run more? Sure, but what's the point? At what cost? The marathon I'm shooting for is 4 months away, so what's the rush? Have a plan, stick to it, and be patient. I will unveil my full plan after week 2.
When it comes to building mileage from week to week, the rule of thumb is to raise your mileage 10-20% per week. I feel if your mileage is low you are safe with 20% but if your mileage is high, you should stick to around 10-12%. For example, if you run 20 miles one week and only raise your mileage 10%, you will only add 2 miles. It's pretty hard to build up your mileage at that rate. Adding 4 miles the next week for a total of 24 is both responsible and effective. Conversely, if you're running 80 miles a week, I don't suggest adding 20% and running 96 miles the next week. An 8-10 mile increase (10-12%) is an effective mileage build and far safer.
