Pisa Marathon: 7 Weeks Out
At the time of writing, we’re 10 days removed from Amsterdam HM, with 2 hard sessions and some easy running under the belt.
I’ve talked repeatedly about the rare workouts that fill you to the brim with confidence, and yesterdays (Tuesday Oct 29th) was one of the ones! I feel like I’ve absorbed all of the fitness gains from the race. I also feel - and this is important - that I’ve found a shoe that works with my mechanics.
As odd as it might seem, an old super shoe that I picked up dirt cheap on Vinted, that weighs in at 350g (well over 100g heavier than my pricey metaspeed sky shoes) has me running faster, with less effort, to a very significant degree. I believe it comes down to the fact that this is the first super shoe that I’ve worn with an 8mm heel to toe drop - the Nike Alphafly Next % 2. That’s right, the one everyone hated.
For context, I ran my 16 mile long run last Sunday at 4:30 per k with an avg HR of 145 and 230m elevation. Normally this run would be at least 10-30 seconds slower per k. Tuesdays session, was further confirmation:
5k @ marathon race pace / 3 mins jog rec / 4 x 3 mins @ 3:50 per k off 90 sec rec / 3 mins jog / 5k @ MRP.
For me, marathon race pace is 4 mins per k and this would bring my HR to the high 150’s. During the first 5k of this workout I didn’t budge out of the 140’s, so, for the second 5k, I took the pace to 3:55 per k (equivalent to a 2:44 marathon). My HR topped out in the high 150’s. The 3 min reps felt effortless.
Yes, I am sure that running 3:52 per k for 13.1 miles brought a solid boost of fitness. But to feel this easy at 2:44 marathon pace? I can quite literally feel the difference the shoes are making. All for the sum of £75.
Wednesdays run was an easy 12 miler in the ASICS Superblast 2. Again, they have an 8mm drop, which is probably why I like them so much.
Thursday was a morning of heavy lifting but a rest from running, opting instead to perform a double on Friday. Man, my legs felt so tired for the first 10k of the two runs. I literally struggled to break 6 minute k’s. For whatever reason, the second run was much better. I made an effort to stay under 132bpm for both, considering the long run session Holly had set me for the following day…
Saturday: 17 miles consisting of 3 miles warm up followed by 2 x 5 miles @ 3:55 per k with a mile @ 5 mins per k between each. 3 mile cooldown. Performed on the treadmill since ‘flat’ does not exist in Frome. This was the first long run session that I’ve not been excited for. Since the clocks changed, we’ve been waking up at 3am, unable to return to sleep. This morning I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Normally splashing water on my face and drinking a coffee alleviates the groggy, early morning haze, but today was an exception.
“How the hell am I going to run 10 miles at MRP when the warm up feels this much of an effort?” I whined to myself.
I stepped up onto the treadmill and reluctantly held my finger on the button, watching the speed build momentum for a couple of seconds before taking off like Noah Lyles on a 100m dash.
3:55 per k for 5 miles - faster than my MRP of 4 mins per k, but this is simply to make up for the fact that I’m only using a 0.5% gradient. Why not just take it to 1% and run marathon pace? I don’t know. I just don’t want to is the childish but honest answer.
2 sets of 5 miles felt incredibly boring. Which is about the best case scenario for a session like this. Boring is a luxury. If I was working hard it would have felt tough. With the 1 mile at 5 mins per k separating the two efforts, my avg pace came back as 4:01 per k and avg HR as 155bpm. To run 2:49, 4:01 is the required pace.
I feel fit. I feel as if I could run sub 2:50 right now but, as most of us know, a lot can happen in a 6 week period. And a lot can happen on race day. My (short) history with the marathon has been plagued predominantly by less than ideal weather - usually wind. Porto was an anomaly with 40+mph winds and pouring rain (and 500m elevation). Manchester was drier, but still pretty hot dang windy. Amsterdam Marathon didn’t happen due to Covid.
Just give me one good day to see what this old carcass is capable of.
72 miles for the week.