Twelve Mile "Workout" (Ugh)

As seemingly effortless as Friday's run was, yesterday's 12 mile long run was everything but. I seemed to be working hard every step of the way.

One of my near term goals is to break 2:00 in a half marathon. Based on my current 10K PR, I am almost there (McMillan estimates a 2:02 half). But based on my past performances (So Cal Half), I start having trouble about 9 to 10 miles in. So, the speed is there. I just need to be able to apply it for 2 hours.

With that in mind, I'm going to try to make sure that the majority of my miles are aerobic (heart rate less than 80% max) or less. That means that other than Tuesday and Thursday speed sessions, I'm going to try to keep my heart rate down, which naturally means that pace will be during training.

So yesterday, with this in mind, I tried to make sure that I stayed below 80% MHR. It seemed that I was working hard the entire time. I was continually slowing myself down to make sure that I kept my heart rate low. The minute I stopped paying attention to that target, my pace would naturally speed up, and my heart rate would increase. I 'm pretty sure this is good news, because it means that I am more comfortable running at a faster pace.

The worst part was that at about mile 8, my stomach started rumbling! Don't ask me why, but I was hungry! I hadn't put any gels or snacks in my fuel belt when I started, and I was now going to pay the price! I buckled down and tried to tough it out (as if I had a choice), but ended up bonking at mile 11. I brought the last mile in at a shuffle/walk, but I did finish. Average heart rate over the run - 79% MHR. Total time on the course - 2:18. This means that despite bonking and slowing down to stay aerobic, I was only three minutes slower that my other LSD runs!

I'll finish up this week with a four mile recovery run and some gym time this afternoon.