Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Strong 6 miler - Getting back into form

Time: 46:10
Est Mileage: 6 miles
Est Pace:
7:35-7:40

I started my trot about 6:16 AM this morning. The weather has become cool at this time of morning as summer has officially ended. With light winds and 59-61 degree temps, the conditions were as about ideal for me as it can get.

Route summary:

I ran off Wolfpit to Route 1 and headed toward the sunset. Passed the Stew Leonard's and flew down Dry Hill over to
Newtown. Newtown quickly connected to Grumman - and I ventured off to Ellen - then back on to Newtown. Feeling bold and strong, I decided to head North up Newtown to Algonquin. This was a new path for me. I ran up the Algonquin hill all the way past Pocono court -- then did a 180 to head back down. Pace up the hill was swfit. After re-tracing my steps on Newtown, I veered left on to Cranbury which took me back to familiar ground -- up to Partrick. Then 1.2 miles up Wolfpit back home.

It was a glorious morning. I hadn't run a six-miler since before the
Fairfield 1/2 Marathon I did at the end of June.

I run according to time - and not distance. I've become extremely skilled at estimating my pace for any given run to determine a distance. This morning felt close to the range of a
7:35-7:40 pace.

I feel good about my progress in the past few weeks. Now, I need to decide what my next major long-distance race will be.

I need to be cautious not to fall off-track. With my new job at work, I expect I will be traveling far more frequently over the next several weeks. Planning and commitment will be key.

The hockey season is also about to start in October. How would I train for a marathon while playing hockey once per week? Well, I did it last year and ran a
3:24 in Houston in January.

Another key area of focus has to be my eating habits. I am currently about 174 pounds. I'm in much better race form at 169-170 (yes, I can feel a 4-5 pound difference). Need to find a way to cut back on the beers and plan my dinners more effectively.

Next up is the
Darien 10k on 10/18.

This week's plan including progress to date:

  • Monday - 5 - COMPLETE
  • Tues - 6 - COMPLETE
  • Wed - Cross-train @ gym
  • Thur - 5
  • Fri - 4
  • Sat - Rest
  • Sun - 6

Planned Mileage: 26 miles

Recent week activity:

  • Last week, I ran 5 times for a total of 18 miles
  • The week before, I ran 5 times for a total of 21 miles.
  • Each of these weeks has included a single, thorough strength training work-out.

1 comment:

DawnB said...

Ryan, Welcome, Its good to hear from another Norwalker!!! You are going to have fun here. Looks like we will be running alot of the same races. I usually do the
30k the morning of the Darien Road races...Yes I'm told I run to much, What can I say I Love Running. You're off to a good start...