Most of my Monday runs will be 3 miles. In fact, even at the peak of my training, the Monday run will only be 5 miles. So, Mondays are perfect days to play around with the pace a little bit. This particular week is a “step back” week. That means that my long run will actually be shorter than last week. I’ll be running only 5 miles this weekend. These “step back” weeks happen every three weeks. The Tuesday run, however, jumps to 4 miles this week. It seems a little confusing, but it’s really not so hard to work out.
Planned workout
8 minutes warmup
3 miles at 9:00 pace
5 minutes cool down
Actual workout
8 minutes warmup
3 miles at 8:49 pace
5 minutes cool down
I hopped on the treadmills and dialed up an 8:55 pace. I found the crack in the curb out in the parking lot and stared it down for 2.25 miles. I was definately feeling the run at that point, but I felt I had enough to make it through to 3 miles. I cranked up the speed in the last quarter mile and finished strong.
On the injury front, the bit of pain I felt on the top of my foot Saturday did not linger, and I felt no ill effects during my run today. Given my relatively short run this coming Saturday, I’m pretty confident it won’t be a problem.