Class 15

I wasn’t quite right to tell you today’s run was “exactly the same as the first week’s test.” True, the warmup, the route and the distances were the same. But the weather was not, at 30 degrees warmer today – or about 20 more than ideal for distance running.

Thursday’s distances will be four and eight miles, on the river path. I bumped this longest run of the term ahead a few days because weather looks better this week than next. Plus attendance is typically light the day after a Monday holiday break.

TODAY’S ONE-MILE RE-TEST

(with comparison to first week’s mile test; target was to go faster)

Jessica D. – 7:55 (-16 sec. vs. 1^st week’s 2-mile)

Katie – 10:08 (no target)

Maca – 8:06 (-30 sec.) term’s 3^rd most improved

Brady – 7:42 (no target)

TODAY’S TWO-MILE RE-TEST

(with per-mile pace and comparison to first week’s two-mile test; target was to go faster)

Erik – 16:13 (8:06 pace, -1 sec. per mile)

Alex – 17:08 (8:34s, -29 sec.)

Daniel – 15:42 (7:51s, -15 sec.)

Claire – 14:25 (7:12s, -36 sec.) term’s most improved

Jack – 13:36 (6:48s, -20 sec.)

Julian – 14:14 (7:07s, +6 sec.)

Arthur – 14:58 (7:29s, +1 sec.)

James – 14:11 (7:05s, -34 sec.) term’s 2^nd most improved

LESSON 15: 5K TRAINING

You routinely run 5K and beyond in training. The quickest way to improve your race time, then, is by upping the pace one day a week for a distance well below 5K (one to two fast miles total, excluding warmup, cooldown and recovery intervals). Run at projected 5K or slightly faster, so you become familiar with that pace. On another day, extend the length of one weekly run to above the race distance (four to six miles). Run at least one minute per mile slower than race pace, to make the 5K seem shorter. The three to four easy-day runs each week average about a half-hour each at a relaxed pace.