This week was a longer/harder one for running, and as usual today (Sunday) was my long run of the week. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go - at least the 18km loop around the bridges, but maybe 21 or 25 depending on how I felt. Two weeks ago I'd done 25 and been fairly wiped out by the end, so logically I wouldn't go any farther till I could do that more comfortably.
I wasn't feeling that lively when I got up. I would have waited to wake up more, but I had to be back for lunch so I started at 8am. My legs felt a little heavy, as if I hadn't quite recovered from my harder Tues and Thurs runs. But my pace and heart rate were decent. (I wear a chest strap to get an accurate heart rate.)
Usually when I get past 15 or 20 km my heart rate starts to rise even if I keep my pace constant. But despite feeling a bit tired, my heart rate stayed level, so I figured I should go longer, maybe 25 km. At 20 km my heart rate was still recovering to below 100 after a minute of walking (I was doing 9 min run, 1 min walk) so I started to think about 30 km, which hadn't even crossed my mind until then. That meant another hour of running, but I was in the groove and that didn't sound so bad.
After about 25 km my heart rate started to creep up despite dropping my pace a little. But I knew I could sustain a higher heart rate for the last 5 km. I was ahead of my target pace so slowing down slightly was ok. And I was feeling good enough to kick a little on the last couple of kilometers.
I could feel my left foot start to get a bit sore but it didn't seem too bad. It felt worse two weeks ago and still recovered quickly. My right foot had a hot spot but it seemed like I could finish before it developed into a blister. Otherwise I felt good.
The last few kilometers I quit worrying about keeping my heart rate under control and sped up to a pace I figured I could sustain till the end. I finished the 30 km a couple of minutes under my goal, which I was pretty happy about. I'd almost given up on longer than about 20 km due to the foot problems, but it seems to have improved or toughened up a bit. Maybe 35 km is doable? And if 35 km, then maybe 42? We'll see. Hopefully I'll be smart enough not to push too far too fast and end up with a setback. In any case, I'll go short/easy this coming week and let my body recover.
I wasn't feeling that lively when I got up. I would have waited to wake up more, but I had to be back for lunch so I started at 8am. My legs felt a little heavy, as if I hadn't quite recovered from my harder Tues and Thurs runs. But my pace and heart rate were decent. (I wear a chest strap to get an accurate heart rate.)
Usually when I get past 15 or 20 km my heart rate starts to rise even if I keep my pace constant. But despite feeling a bit tired, my heart rate stayed level, so I figured I should go longer, maybe 25 km. At 20 km my heart rate was still recovering to below 100 after a minute of walking (I was doing 9 min run, 1 min walk) so I started to think about 30 km, which hadn't even crossed my mind until then. That meant another hour of running, but I was in the groove and that didn't sound so bad.
After about 25 km my heart rate started to creep up despite dropping my pace a little. But I knew I could sustain a higher heart rate for the last 5 km. I was ahead of my target pace so slowing down slightly was ok. And I was feeling good enough to kick a little on the last couple of kilometers.
I could feel my left foot start to get a bit sore but it didn't seem too bad. It felt worse two weeks ago and still recovered quickly. My right foot had a hot spot but it seemed like I could finish before it developed into a blister. Otherwise I felt good.
The last few kilometers I quit worrying about keeping my heart rate under control and sped up to a pace I figured I could sustain till the end. I finished the 30 km a couple of minutes under my goal, which I was pretty happy about. I'd almost given up on longer than about 20 km due to the foot problems, but it seems to have improved or toughened up a bit. Maybe 35 km is doable? And if 35 km, then maybe 42? We'll see. Hopefully I'll be smart enough not to push too far too fast and end up with a setback. In any case, I'll go short/easy this coming week and let my body recover.
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