So much for the “recovery week” Coach McMillan promised at the beginning of the week. Tuesday’s workout was tough with 8 x 60 intervals at 5k pace and this afternoon’s 40 minutes Steady State Pace was by the far the toughest workout so far.

I’ll spare you the gory details, but even during the 15 minute warm up my legs were rebelling. Unusually for me, I’d convinced myself the 40 minutes at around 6:30 pace would be almost impossible and was dreading the moment I’d need to step up the pace.

The first mile was quite tough and I struggled to settle into a rhythm, but luckily my 6:30 pace was in the required zone. The second mile was about the same, but at some point in the third mile everything clicked and my mood changed. I can’t say the remaining four miles were easy, but somehow I managed to quicken my pace and average 6:22 per mile for the 40 minutes – 8 whole seconds per mile quicker than last week’s 30 minute effort!

As usual the cool down was a slog and the longest 15 minutes of running I’ve experienced for quite some time. Eventually I made it home, enjoyed a long, cold shower and am literally trying to get my legs back as I type this. Tomorrow is another easy day and according to McMillan is where any fitness improvement will be made. Should be an interesting day….

Knew it was going to be a tough one today and it was! The temperature was 84°F but with the afternoon sun beating it felt hotter [note to self; good choice wearing a cap today]. This particular workout is definitely the toughest of the McMillan marathon plan so far with a required pace for the Steady State Pace in the middle of the run a brisk 6:21 – 6:32 per mile.

The fifteen minutes of warm up came in just under 2 miles at 7:43 pace (just outside the easy zone, but I didn’t really mind). It was very hot, so I took a few seconds to have a drink at the soccer complex water fountain before setting off at my required 6:30ish pace. Tonight I set my Garmin to keep me in the 6:21 – 6:32 range, and it worked like a charm. No beeps from the GPS meant I was in the zone – good news!

As per last week I had to really concentrate and work hard in the last 10 minutes of the 30 to stay on pace. It really is a battle of the mind and the body, but somehow I managed to average 6:27 per mile pace and cover over 4.5 miles.

The cool down back to the house was pretty ugly. My legs were shot and I felt very tired, but I hung in there for another 15 minutes to complete the workout. So, another one in the bag and I’m so looking forward to the easy day tomorrow!

Tough workout this afternoon. Actually it was definitely the toughest of the McMillan marathon plan so far. The required pace for the Steady State Pace in the middle of the run was a brisk 6:21 – 6:32 per mile. I must admit I had doubts going in to the workout that I could maintain this for the required 30 minutes, but was keen to give it a go anyway.

The two warm up miles were fine at 7:37 and 7:25. It was hot again, so I took a few seconds to have a drink at the soccer complex water fountain before setting off at my required 6:30ish pace. The first mile of Steady State running actually felt good at 6:26 which I was able to follow up comfortably with a 6:28 second mile.

In the training plan instructions, McMillan warned that I’d need to “be prepared to increase your concentration to stay on pace” – it turned out he was 100% correct. Mile 3 of the faster phase was quite tough (6:26) but I was able to stay on pace. Mile 4 was a touch quicker (6:25) but by now I was working pretty hard. Luckily I only had about 4 minutes of quick running left before the 30 minutes was up and I managed to stay in the required zone until the end.

So with fatigued legs and a raging thirst I began my couple of miles cool down back to the house. The workout had gone well and I’d covered almost 9 miles in just over an hour. Looking ahead I now have a couple of easy days before Sunday’s Muddy Buddy and hopefully I can get my legs back before we race.