Yesterday was the first day in the lactate threshold cycle of my training plan. Yow! I got my butt kicked! I think it's been so long since I've had to ratchet it up a notch that I think I just plain overdid it too early in the workout. No doubt I have DOMS going this morning.
On paper, the run looked pretty simple - 10 miles total, first 5 GA, second 5 LT. The first five was pretty easy. I thought about how all those miles I've been running lately are paying off. Five miles went by pretty quick and pretty easy. I made the turn around and headed back. I stepped it up a notch (probably a couple based on what happened later) and got my heart rate into LT zone. I was clipping along okay. Until mile 8. At that point my body had had enough. Slowly the pain started shouting in my legs and lower back. I *had* to slow down. The last two mile were attempts to fire the old body back up, run in LT zone for a half mile, and then shut down and recover. It really makes me appreciate how the elite athletes of the world can run through this pain. Essentially the brain flips the legs the bird and tells 'em to keep on moving. Well, my brain is still a wimp.
Still, the workout was respectable. 10 miles at an average pace of 9:37 and an average heart rate of 81% of max. As I've said in these pages many times before - I am amazed every day at what this body is able to do - especially when I think back to what it used to do just a couple of years ago.
On the table today is a nice, SLOW, enjoyable five mile recovery run. Whew!
Good job!!! Isn't it funny how we welcome so much a cool breezy 5 mile run? People will scoff at us! I have yet to try the whole LT thing. I'm just trying to get my miles down and build up my endurance level.
ReplyDelete"...the brain flips the legs the bird..." hahahahah...now it's my turn to spit coffee...LOL...
ReplyDeleteOK Glenn...game on in the who can comment first on Irene's blog challenge :-). Although I'm at a conference all week next week, and unless there's internet access in the meeting room, I suspect I'm doomed.
Enjoy that recovery run today. You deserve it.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Glenn! LT is super hard but you are working so hard and soon it will be so much easier! :) enjoy your recovery run!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is a respectable run! Great work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recovery run explanation.
Good work!!!
ReplyDeleteQuestion-- are you taking two days or one days off? Any cross training on days off?
Good job with the LT run. I had my first one today in a long time. It kicked my butt! Luckily, I had a former 4:10 miler to yell at me and keep me going those last 10 minutes.
ReplyDeleteI like how you look at the past and focus on the improvement, rather than the unexpectedly and unpleasantly painful (but nonetheless satisfying) run!
ReplyDeletethe first (few) lt runs are tough! you'll get 'used' to how that pace feels, though it probably won't feel comfortable still, darn. :) great job getting it done in those last 2 miles!
ReplyDelete