A gentle 17kms

So back on it tonight and its warming up here in Sydney. A nice 25 degrees odd when I got home from work, and the plan tonight was a good 17kms, but fairly steady and easy. I've been reading up on some training methods used by others for marathon running and there's some interesting stuff knocking about. I've decided to use some of it as part of my training as I think, certainly for my runs during the week it makes some sense to do.

So I've split my runs according to my heart rate, and I'll be running to heart rates rather than time. I had been doing this for a few months actually, but I'm just making this into a bit more of a formalised programme. So tonight was about keeping the heart rate up at about the 145 - 152 range and keep it there I did, rocking home in around 93 minutes for the 17kms. That works out at 5min 28sec kms, which for the first run back after the weekend's brutal 44kms, I was fairly happy with. Although I did find it a little bit slow. Typically the first half was fine and I actually found myself having to run a bit quicker than I was as the heart rate was too low. But in the second half I was finding myself slowing down somewhat to keep the heart rate within range. So doing nearly 5.30min kms was a little disappointing, but it's about keeping the heart rate within a certain range that's important, not the pace as I have to keep telling myself.

The good thing is that it hasn't killed me and I feel quite refreshed after it all. Normally I tend to push myself in each run I do. I imagine that my training has actually all been at around the 150-160 heart rate - well most of it anyway, and I need to stagger it a little.

Tomorrow is about pushing it higher up at the heart rate ranges of 158 - 165, and doing 14kms of that. Following that will be a lighter run where the heart rates will be between 138 and 145, roughly around 12kms. Then I'm maybe planning another 44kms at the weekend on the trails, before a 15km warm-down the week after. Things are hotting up now in the training stakes and I want to get fitter, but also stronger on the hills. So hill work will be a big part of the weekly sessions too.