Previous to this run, I'd never done a Magic Mile. No, I just ran at a pace which was comfortable. For a Half Marathon, this works well (at least for me); however, for a distance of 26 miles 385 yards (a marathon), or greater, it won't work as well.
The first problem with the way I trained for the Half Marathon is that for running longer, I'll start tapering off each of the additional 13.1 miles. And, end up finishing WAY slower than I started. The idea is to run the same times mile-after-mile.
The second problem with the old training method is that it's boring. I go out and run mile-after-mile all by myself (most cases). Sometimes, I'd join up with a group. I notice that when I run with a group, I perform MUCH better at the longer distances.
So, with that said - I joined the marathon group at CK Sports (the running store I shamelessly promote). And, with that group comes the Magic Mile.
Prior to running this Magic Mile, my swiftest mile time was right around 10 minutes. For a mile. Most likely, a mile very early in a run on a cool day with no sun.
This mile was different ... I ran a mile to warm up the legs (hey, I'm 43 years old - it takes more than a step out of the bathroom to get things moving). Then, we lined up and off we went. Four laps around the track. One mile. A "comfortably swift pace" which turned out to be 9 minutes and 3 seconds. Where'd THAT come from?
And, it told me what I already knew --- I should train at 11:30/mile to 12:00/mile on my long runs every week. But, at least now, it's official.
0 comments:
Post a Comment