Looks like some heat early in the week, followed by some cooler days, so maybe schedule your workouts by temperature.
Middle Distance Workouts (5K to 15K)
We’re aiming for some pace change this week with a ladder and a progression run.
Workout 1: 4-6 by 3-minute reps, where the first 2 minutes are at I pace and the last 1 minute is at R pace. With the added R pace, we’re going to increase the rest, so do 3 minutes of rest in between each one, and concentrate on maintaining form, particularly in the R-pace section of each rep.
Workout 2: We’re going for a ladder again, but with some longer reps: 2-4-6-6-4-2, all at T pace, with 2 minutes of E pace rest in between each rep. Try not to start too fast so the two 6-minute reps are at the right pace.
Long Run: 25-30% of your weekly mileage at E pace
Long Distance Workouts (Half Marathon to Marathon)
The middle distance runners don’t get all the ladder fun this week.
Workout 1: Tell me if this is too hard. The ladder rungs are 5-10-15-10-5 (minutes), all at T pace except the 15-minute middle rep of the workout, which should be at M pace. 5 minutes E pace rests after each rep. Don’t forget the minimum of 10 minutes at E pace for a warmup and cooldown.
Long Run: 25-30% of your weekly mileage at E pace
Resources
Introduction:Background and advice, particularly for those not running 20-25 miles per week
Thanks @adamengst for continuing to provide structure to our weekly runs! The heat and being on my feet all day at work has been messing with my running schedule and ability to do quality workouts for the past few weeks.
This week the cards fell such that I had to run the marathon workout this morning - started at 7:30 am but it was already about 78F and humid. The ladder was tough but doable; I found the 15 min M pace interval the hardest to sustain and was relieved to be over the “top” of the ladder to churn out the last two T pace intervals, which felt better than the first part of the workout. I sat in the creek with my dog for a few minutes at the end of the ladder before our cooldown (not nearly cold enough for an ice bath though) and I also ran out of water before the last 5 min rep (was only carrying 8 oz). Looking forward to a reprieve from the heat tomorrow!
Clearly, we need to have some FLRC dispensation with employers to stop this work nonsense from getting in the way of training.
Good! That was exactly what I was hoping would happen—the first two reps are relatively easy despite being faster, the middle one is a grind even though it’s a bit slower, and then you get to finish faster and it’s a bit easier because the end is in sight.
Nothing beats a creek or pond after a long, hot run!
Well I got a break because my work schedule dictated that I Ran the workout this morning in the relative coolness. And I carried plenty of water - thanks for the tip Gabrielle.
I put a lot of mental preparation in expecting a tough workout so it didn’t kill me but it was tough enough. I found the second set of tempos the hardest part - Particularly that last five minute where I really had to focus to keep a steady pace. The 15 minute marathon pace actually went pretty smoothly.
And I definitely won’t be using the standing desk today I’ll be working on my porch in the rocking chair
I also enjoyed the distance workout ladder last week. Instead of running times (5, 10, 15 min) I modified to distance (1/2 mi, 1 mi, 2 mi and back down.) This helped me keep on pace, which I did! 5 miles of quality work is a lot for one session and I was happily tired for the rest of the day.
I just started a marathon training plan (Hal Higdon), so from June 29 week on, I’ll try to sync these workouts with the speed days on Hal’s calendar.
