The temps are getting higher, hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather. (Of course, if you're in Arizona / Nevada / Texas maybe it's getting too hot!)
I've been summarizing my weekly training, but thought it might be good to a look a slightly longer timeline....like a month....so here's my first "Monthly Summary".
May was a "transition" month for me in a couple ways.
- Completed a 20 week training cycle ending with a 10k on May 15, took a week off and starting over.
- My first 10k race...ever....with a time of 39:57.
- I'm a little disappointed with the time, but it was in 20-30 MPH winds, I had to negotiate a whole mess of 5k walkers / joggers in the last couple of miles forcing me to run around on the outside of the course and fight my way through the crowds.
- My watch recorded 6.3 miles.....
- I think I was in shape for about 39:00 in better conditions. But, how often do we get "perfect" conditions? I'm learning...not often.
- Enough complaining, I accomplished my goals of:
- Finishing the training cycle uninjured - most important
- Putting in the best effort I could on the day.
- I will complete another 10k later in the year to try for the 39:00 time I think is in me.
- In May I've also decided to shift my focus around training and racing.
- I had this idea to have long build up's and plan for a "perfect" Goal Race.
- I spent 20 weeks getting there, and then felt kinda flat afterward.
- I think I'll have more fun racing more often, trying different distances, and just see what happens. I'm not going to start racing every weekend....but more often when I feel like it with the main of of "enjoy it - having fun".....
- It's not like I'm trying to qualify for the Olympics...and I will be 49 next month....so have fun....
- Pretty sure I will be less likely to burnout with this attitude as well.
- More (Easy) miles in my future
- I'm newer to running (about two years now), and I'm learning a few things about myself.
- In my last training cycle my highest mileage weeks were around 45.
- This is a decent increase from last year, when my highest weeks were about 30.
- I plan to keep increasing my mileage with more easy running. Extend my easy days a mile or two each and see how things go.
- I can't do more than one Speed Work day (tempo run / intervals) and one Long Run per week (my Long Runs intermittently include some faster pacing). More than that I start to feel too rundown. I tried two speed days and a long run toward the end of my last cycle and I don't feel like I was fully recovering.
- All my Easy runs will be focused on time going forward, not mileage.
- By using time, and not mileage, I am freed from looking at my pacing.
- It is refreshing for me to run in one direction until my watch "dings" that I've hit halfway on my scheduled time, and I can just turnaround and head back (I'm usually on a trail or path and doing out and back runs).
- I only look at my mileage and pace after I'm done - this way I can just run by how I feel, and whatever happens, happens. It's also easier for me "mentally" to add 5 minutes to my easy runs every few weeks than putting down one additional mile in the plan....don't know why, but that's how my brain works. Hopefully my easy runs will now be consistently "easy" like they should be.
- Miles run in May: 119 (including a week or very low running after the race)
- Big Event for the month: My first 10k
- Accomplishments: Completed a training cycle of higher mileage without injury.
- Disappointment: My 10k time was slower than I wanted.
- Increase "easy" miles - based on timed runs
- Half marathon in late June - to have fun and "finally" run one.
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