I'm going to improve my 5 mile time

Today called for a hard interval session and I wasn't sure how it'd go after a tough run on Tuesday.

Targets were as follows:
10min warm-up,
2miles @ 6:20min/mile (10k pace)
2*1miles @ 6:06min/mile (5k pace)
2*0.5mile @ 6:00min/mile (slightly faster than 5k pace)
10min warm-down

There was to be 5min rest after the 2mile, and 3min rest between the mile and half mile repeats.

Summary of session below:

Thursday's Summary(13/08/09):
Total Distance: 7.5miles included:
10min warmup - easy pace
2miles in 12:36 - (av pace: 6:18min/mile, avhr: 179)
5min rest
1mile in 6:08 - (av pace: 6:08min/mile, avhr: 180)
3min rest
1mile in 6:13 - (av pace: 6:13min/mile, avhr: 179)
3min rest
0.5mile in 3:00 - (av pace: 6:01min/mile, avhr: 178)
3min rest
0.5mile in 2:57 - (av pace: 5:54min/mile, avhr: 178)
10min warm-down - easy pace

Comments:
Overall a good session+felt great to get it done+should stand to me. The 2mile @ 10k pace wasn't as bad as I thought, might have gone out a bit fast (haven't got break-down of 0.5miles yet), but got inside the 10k target.
The 5min rest was badly needed. I took 3/4 of this static, taking on some water, before I got into a jog again to get ready for next bit.
The 1mile repeats were tough+found the 2nd one the hardest, about 7s off the target pace.
surprisingly, the 800m repeats were fine, and don't know where that pace came for last one (maybe there's always something left in the tank?)

Feel fine now+great to have a better session than Tuesday...

Gringo78 wrote: »

Good going...its a tough session. I suppose the 0.5 mile repeats at the end just seem easier because of the duration seeming relatively short in comparison to the 2 mile and mile repeats. I think it simulates a race a bit in that you start out fast and steady and the 0.5 mile at the end is like your finishing strong sprint, maybe gets the mentality that at the end of a race, with 0.5 mile to go you can start to really open up the throttle, that you do have a few extra gears you may not think you have.

Glad to have done it alrite now, the rest of the interval training mite for programme, does not look as severe as that workout!
Maybe the 3min recovery after the 800m is a bit long, I was well recovered for the last 800m like.

Had rained heavy enough overnite i'd say, but fine for this morning's run.
Same route as last week, ran with lad from work, and we both found it a bit easier today, especially the hill.
After the 9mile loop, we pushed last 4 miles at 7:30min/mile pace. nice run to get in, time to watch the pro's at it now in Berlin;)


Saturday's Summary(15/08/09):
Total Distance: 13.27miles
Time: 1:45:19
Avg Pace: 7:56min/mile
Avg HR: 160

Week 10 Mileage Summary:
Mon: 5.93miles (tempo)
Tues: 5.65miles
Wed: 0 miles (REST)
Thurs: 7.5miles (intervals)
Fri: 5.72 miles
Sat: 13.27miles
Sun: 0 miles (REST)

TOTAL: 38.0miles

Off work this week+back from a nice break in Killarney and Clare. Got some running in while away, and a good interval session in this morning.
Intervals called for 5*1200m at 10k pace, but was feeling good+pushed it for current 5k pace, which is 6:07min/mile or 4:35min/0.75mile

Summary of last few days below:

Tuesday's Summary(18/08/09):
0miles (rest)

Wednesday's Summary(19/08/09):
Total Distance: 5.0miles (on threadmill!
av pace: 8:00min/mile
Thursday's Summary(20/08/09):
Total Distance: 5.80miles
Time: 44:04
Avg Pace: 7:36min/mile
Avg HR: 155

Friday's Summary(21/08/09):
Total Distance: 7.37miles
10min warm-up, then 5*0.75mile with 2m25s recoveries, 10min warm-down.
Interval Summary:
Int Time (HR)
4:33 (169)
4:37 (174)
4:36 (173)
4:33 (174)
4:35 (177)
Overall average: 4:35 (173)

This was a tough interval session. Ran it at farm as usual and ground was really wet, should have seen state of back of shirt, legs, and shorts after!
Did well, to get last interval on target especially, as wind picked up a bit during it.

Tomorrow, hope to get a long run in.

Long run day, and this was longest I ever have run, over 2hrs running and clocked over 15miles.

Ran usual sat morn route with lad from work, parked at Harty's Quay and did Monkstown loop over the hill (~9miles) and then quick gulp of water and did 6mile loop in opposite direction by Blackrock Castle (~6miles).
Started off cautious enough for first couple of miles, legs were a bit heavy after yesterday's intervals, but soon we were averaging 8min miles and we kept to that pace after. The 9mile loop was ran easy enough, its getting easier to get up that 1.5mile hill, the more we run it.
After the water-break, we then set off for the 6mile loop, and found ourselves locked into 8min/mile pace again, I don't think we could have shifted up/down speed on this today...
Feels really good to have this done. Heart rate really behaved itself today and haven't seen it as as low on a long run for a while at 149 average.

Saturday's Summary(22/08/09):
Total Distance: 15.29miles
Time: 2:02:31
Avg Pace: 8:01min/mile
Avg HR: 149

Week 11 Mileage Summary:
Mon: 8.48miles (tempo)
Tues: 0 miles (REST)
Wed: 5.0 miles
Thurs: 5.8miles
Fri: 7.37 miles (intervals)
Sat: 15.29miles
Sun: 0 miles (REST)

TOTAL: 41.9miles

A good and high mileage week this week, while also getting intervals+tempo in.

Half marathon is now only 3weeks away and these weeks will fly. There's a 5mile race next thursday, a 5k week after and then the half itself week after that. Prob will do 13mile long run next week and then ramp down to 10mile the week after.

original target was to get under 1:30:00, but feel a 1:28:xx might be on now.
I know the course from running it last year, and the first half is tougher than second, so hope to go out steady enough+run a quicker second half, to bring time in...

Bought a pair of asics hyperspeed at weekend, and wore them for my run tonite at farm to help break them in.

First time running in these type of shoes+they felt fine, def more feel with them, and felt pretty light.

Also seemed to be running a tad faster tonite for my usual easy pace hr range (150->155). Looking forward to wearing them now in the Ballycotton 5 on Thursday, to see how I find them in a race!

No tempo run tonite, might try+combine it at weekend with my long run somehow.

Tuesday's Summary(25/08/09):
Total Distance: 6.75miles
Time: 51:20
Avg Pace: 7:37min/mile
Avg HR: 153

Set out to target 30:50 tonite, and came home in 30:45, so delighted.

Mile splits and av-hr in brackets below:

Mile 1: 6:10 (170)
Mile 2: 6:13 (181)
Mile 3: 6:25 (181)
Mile 4: 5:58 (182)
Mile 5: 5:59 (182)

First mile was tough, thought I had pushed up enough at start, but found myself running in crowds+as a lot of ye know, Ballycotton isn't the widest of places to be running through, first 0.5mile was slow i'd say, saw 6:23 av pace on my watch at one stage, but found some gaps + sped up a good bit to get thru 1st mile in 6:10 (target mile pace).

Mile two had a bit of a drag in it at start, but wasn't too far off pace, passed a lot of faces I know from running scene here, so knew I as doing ok. 3rd mile had the dreaded hill in it, bit of a climb to start with, then final bit very steep. got up it ok+passed a few on hill, so a good sign.

As soon as I got to top, bit of a downhill stretch+momentum really pushed me down it.saw that I was running under 6min pace+ said i'd go with it for a while, needed to bring back time somehow if I was to get under 30:50.

Last mile, still saw myself doing same pace, even with few drags that there are coming into Ballycotton, only issue I had here was that some traffic was being allowed though+I had to run in/around them...not good when you've only 600m left+lungs are bursting!

Stopwatch tells me 30:45, which is 6:09min/mile average pace, really happy with this, as its > 30s faster than my GSK 5 time.
Last year, I ran same course about 3mins slower as well.

Also ran this tonite with the asics hyperspeed shoes I got at weekend, these will take a bit of getting used to, but def notice some difference running with them. Hopefully legs won't be too sore tomorrow!

Thursday's Summary(27/08/09):
Total Distance: 6.6miles (5mile race + warm-up/down)
Race Time: 30:45
Avg Pace: 6:09min/mile
Avg HR: 180

Gringo78 wrote: »

Checked the results sheet and you were down for 30:45 also according to official results...great time..edging fast towards sub 30...only thing that will stop you now is a shortage of 5 mile races on the horizon!!

Like you've just posted on your own log, the next 5mile for me will be next year i'd say.
Looking at mile splits, last nite, I ran through first 4miles last nite in 24:46(last 4 in 24:35), which is a PB time as well (ran stryker 4 in 25:19)

There are a couple of 4milers in nov/dec, + will target improving my 4mile time, I think a realistic goal is 24mins in one of these races, with modified interval training upto then. That would get me in a good position for sub-30 for 5mile next Spring.

Apart from a 5k next Tuesday, its the half marathon thats on my mind+getting a good time there.

See you for a warm-up in Blarney

was wondering would I be heading to gym for my run today, but rain cleared up in afternoon, and was hoping pitches at farm wouldn't be too bad, main one was really wet though, good practice for cross-country!

Got 5.5miles in at an easy pace, keeping heart rate in 150-155 range. legs a bit heavy today, and the wet grass made it a bit harder. summary:

Monday's Summary(31/08/09):
Total Distance: 5.52miles
Time: 42:57
Avg Pace: 7:47min/mile
Avg HR: 153

Last day of August, so have added total mileage to table below:

Year 2009|Jan|Feb|March|April|May|June|July|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec|TOTAL
Number of miles run|26|47|42|71|59|127|160|164|-|-|-|-|696
Number of days run|4|6|8|12|9|18|22|22|-|-|-|-|101