Not quite up to speed

Week 13 of my 24 marathon Training Programme sees me enter the "Build 2 Phase" where my objectives are to "continue to build endurance, increase fatigue resistance at 5k and 10k pace and build efficiency at half-marathon and marathon pace" - not much really! While Monday was a rest day I headed out for a recovery/easy run on Tuesday morning before my first weekly speed session at the track in the evening. My legs felt comfortably strong but the wind and rain increased in intensity during the run leaving me saturated by the time I got home. While the rain was gone come evening the wind was still strong and the advice at the track was to "stay in the outer lanes" as one of the stanchions supporting the netting around the hammer throw enclosure was swaying dangerously in the wind. Apparently it had come down in high winds last year. My schedule was for 1,000m reps @ 5k pace (now more or less 06:00 = 2.5 laps in lane 3 @ 03:54). As other were running in lane 3 without ill effects I did a quick risk assessment and decided to stick with my original plan ( anyway I couldn't work out how many laps in lane 8 would do). During my final warrmdown lap the wind picked up and the rain came down sideways and as I passed the hammer throw enclosure the stanchion was swaying nitoceably and it's base plate was rising and falling on it's concrete foundation (glad I was leaving) Looked like the next session was cancelled. While my legs were tired the reps went reasobably well: 03:54, 03:50 & 03:48 with 3 minute recoveries. When I got home I discovered the programme called for 4 x 1,000 reps - Doh! An easy 8.6 mile run again on Wednesday (rain gone but strong westerly wind didn't help on the return home) ahead of today's 4.5 miles @ 10k pace (which has now reduced from 06:18 to 06:14 thanks to last Sunday). My miles repeats at 10K pace over the last 4 weeks were hard enough - how was I going to string 4.5 of them together without stopping. I know that I should be capable of running 10K at 10K pace but not at 6 in the morning and still half asleep. I decided that I would run on effort so that at least I would cover the 4.5 miles without blowing up halfway through. I stuck to my normal 8.6 mile route with the scheduled 2 mile warm up/warm down leaving the middle 4.6 miles for the hard pace work. As this included some hill work (up past the guide dogs home and again up a gradual rise past Carrigrihane PO on the return) I wasn't going to obsess over the time. While the effort felt hard at the start I got into a grove for a while keeping the leg turnover and effort steady so that I finished the 4.6 miles in 29:57 (a minute or so down on the 06:18 pace target) - actual pace of 06:31. I'm not too upset about it as a 30 minute tempo run for my level of fitness according to Jack Daniels (of the "Running Formula" kind) should be completed at 06:36 pace. I'll see how my pace develops over the coming weeks. To be honest if I had managed 06:18 pace I would have beaten my 4 mile PB by a few seconds and have been heading for a 36 second 5 mile PB (remember that's an IF). Tue 11th Mar a.m. 8.6 Miles in 01:09:14 (08:03 pace @ 129 HR) p.m. 7.2 Miles in 56:54 (07:54 pace @ ?? No HRM) incl 3 x 1000m @ 03:48 - 03:54 Wed 12th Mar a.m. 8.6 Miles in 01:12:11 (08:24 pace @ 122 HR) p.m. 2.5 miles on the treadmill in 19:44 (07:54 pace @ 130 HR) Thur 14th Mar 8.6 Miles in 01:03:02 (07:20 pace @ 144 HR) incl 4.6 Miles @ 06:31 pace & 157 HR