Lessons in Marathon Training: Run Slower

Bla bla bla, I’ve been busy lately, but I’m making sure to balance out all the things I commit myself to with plenty of fun, and not overscheduling myself so much that I have no time to hang out with friends. And sleep. I love sleep. (And lamp.)

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Last night, that meant grabbing dinner with Lacey. We went to Tappo (New Yorkers: from the same people who do Vezzo) and sat outside with a few glasses of bubbly.

I got the pizza with nine-grain crust, fresh garlic, broccoli and chicken. The broccoli was a little sparse, but it was otherwise delicious.

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This morning, I tried to wake up at 6 to run, but there was no way in hell that was happening. I snoozed until close to 7 and finally headed out for my four-miler. I’m also a little burnt out on my normal routes, but there’s only so far I’m willing to travel in the morning, so my choices are somewhat limited. I usually run south down the West Side Highway, but this morning I ran north to just past the ferry terminal.

My plan had me doing four “easy” miles at a 10:04 pace. Lately, my natural, not-pushing-it pace has been close to 9:00, and the other day, I definitely had a hard time keeping an “easy” pace. Maybe it was that “easy” run that was a little too fast, maybe it was that speedy run with Jocelyn, maybe it was the bubbly last night, but I had NO problem keeping the easy pace today.

My legs felt like absolute lead. I wouldn’t say it was a bad run–I just felt really sluggish. I was in a groove the entire time, but that groove happened to feel like I was in a groove running through quicksand, and I ran 4 miles in 40:04. I have my long run tomorrow (9 miles), and I’ve read that a run the day before your long run keeps you from running your long run too fast. Don’t worry, my legs are exhausted now.

Link Love:

A few posts you should read:

Awesome iPhone Photo-Editing Apps: from Chef Katelyn–a few free apps to help you edit great photos from your phone. I used Aviary for the ferry pic above.

Bia on Kickstarter: A Watch to Keep Women Safer: A company called Bia is trying to fund a GPS sports watch marketed to women. What’s different about this watch is that it has a location-based panic button that users can push in case of emergency, which was apparently one of the most-requested features. I’ve read enough scary stories about women being harassed while running to think this is a brilliant idea. The company needs $400,000 to produce a first run, and it’s almost there. I threw a little money in, and you should, too, if you believe in this.

Are you guilty of running faster than you should for easy runs? If you could design your own GPS watch, what features would it have? What are your favorite iPhone apps?

10 comments on “Lessons in Marathon Training: Run Slower

  1. Ash Bear

    I’m having pizza from that same chain tonight. 🙂 Yes, isn’t it crazy that one run can be so speedy but the others too slow. Guess that’s why we have 16 weeks to figure things out!

    Reply
  2. Linda

    The pizza looks great. I run faster than my recommended training paces. But as the week progresses and my legs get more tired I come a lot closer to running at the recommended paces. Usually as the distances increase, I’m better at running closer to my recommended training paces and also at a more consistent pace. Right now my paces are all over the place. It’s a little frustrating. I think I’m struggling with some respiratory issues still and I keep neglecting to call the pulmonary doctor for whom my regular physician gave me a referral. Whether or not I’m having a respiratory issue or not, thinking about my breathing while running is also messing with my head! I start running fast and holding the pace for a while and then I feel like I’m not getting air or that I’m wheezing. I think it’s different from just pushing the pace too hard. I also experienced it a little at the gym today after doing some bursts of quick rowing for 200 meters. I need to call that doctor…..

    Have a good long run. Are you still running with a Camelbak?

    Reply
  3. Kim

    I wish i liked broccoli…that woukd make my pizza much healthier, right?

    A little fyi…a member of our triathlon team invested in kickstarter a while ago and got burned…the company said they got all their funding and were ready to go to production, but no product ever came out. Kickstarter sent out an email basically saying, “shit, we are sorry” so everyone was out their money and the product. Hope its a different story this time around. Seems like a cool product.

    Reply
  4. Katelyn

    Thanks for the shout out, girl!! And TRUTH about Bia — I can’t wait to spread the love for it. Lord knows we could all use the extra security!

    Reply
  5. Cathryn @ My Heart's Content

    I missed my run yesterday (too busy sleeping) and was planning to go out today and then do my long run tomorrow, but was wondering if that was wise. Now I think it may be wise, thanks for the advice. Although if my long run gets any slower,it’ll be a long walk!

    I dream of running faster than I should run!

    Reply

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