Week 13 – Key Run Workout #3
Today marked the fifth and final 20 mile run of the 16 week training program, and I must be honest, I’m glad it’s behind me. The plan called for 20 miles at Planned Marathon Pace plus 30 seconds (around 7:18 per mile), but with the weather forecast calling for temperatures in the mid to high 70s and humidity hitting over 90%, I decided I would just run the 20 miles “by feel” and see how it went.
I ran the first 5 miles with a couple of friends at a nice and easy pace (8:35, 8:23, 8:04, 7:52, 7:48). Having people to run with always helps the time go by fast, and the easy pace was a pleasant change from the constant time trial mentality I seem to be stuck in lately.
At this time I left my friends and went it alone, still trying to keep things easy, and aware of the high humidity. Each mile was slightly quicker than the previous one and it was a nice feeling to be ticking along at a good pace. Splits for mile 6-10 were 7:20, 7:14, 7:10, 7:07 and 7:06.
Now I was at the halfway point, starting to feel thirsty and looking forward to finishing off the last 10 miles. My pace was a bit up and down and I ran some more with a few friends I bumped into. Everything was good up until about mile 17, where the humidity started to take its toll. Luckily I was able to hang for the final 3 and finish off the workout in just under 2 and a half hours for an average pace of 7:29 per mile.
On a side note, I hope the weather is more cooperative for the Marine Corps Marathon than it was for the Chicago Marathon today. Sadly, one runner collapsed and died, and hundreds more were taken to hospitals and medical stations. Temperatures reached 88 degrees (the hottest in Chicago’s history on this date) and many people were forced to cut their run short. What a sad day for all concerned.
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Comments
Wow, you are simply amazing! I applaud you for your persistence in withstanding such high humidity & for having fun running the first few miles with your friends. It’s good to shake things up, especially when you’re running such a long distance!
Just out of curiosity, are you going to be using a hydration system during your marathon race? Do you currently use one for your training? It might not be a bad idea with such high humidity & the distance you’ll be running!
If you want to chat about hydration systems, I’d be happy to share what I know & would of course be curious to hear your opinions of the current ones on the market…..
Good luck with the Marine Corps marathon!
-C
P.S. BTW, I finally posted a response to your comment on my running blog.
Hi Steve ever done comrades a few of my friends do it every year, I really take my hat off to guys who run marathons.