I have finally decided to resume my training in earnest. I want to run a 5K around the Thanksgiving holiday and have not run in the three weeks since my marathon, though I did play three flag football games. I used the Runner's World Smart Coach to sketch a training plan for me.
The plan today was to run four miles at slow 9:53 min/mi pace. I could not contain myself though and just ran finishing my neighborhood loop of 3.89 miles in 30:26, a 7:49 min/mi pace. I really don't like running on the roads at night because I don't have much shoulder to run on and am too tall to run for long stretches on the sidewalk because a branch will whack me in the face for sure. My wife bought me a reflective vest that should at least warn drivers that someone is on the road, but I think it may be too dangerous to keep this up and I must look for alternatives like running during the lunch hour at work. I don't plan on doing any more running on my treadmill than necessary.
Anyways, I plan on running at least a couple of 5Ks to prove to myself what kind of speed I have. I plan on getting my marathon time down to 3:30 next year and given my performances this year I have a lot of work to do. I'll be looking to run at least two marathons in 2010 and want to break 20 minutes in a 5K, 40 minutes in a 10K, and 1:40 in a half marathon. My current times are 46:21 in the 10K, 1:49:59 in the half-marathon, and 3:58:19 marathon. I have not raced a 5K in an organized race, but I have run 3.13 miles in 22:57 and 23:26 during training.
Overall the body feels good. My left knee felt a touch tight after the run and my lungs definitely felt the burn of the effort, but this went away shortly during and after the run.
The NYC Marathon this weekend was awesome. Congratulations to Meb and Tulu they really showed the class of great winners - supreme effort and respect for their sport and fellow competitors. Also inspirational is the book I am reading now The Perfect Mile the story of the three men who challenged themselves to break the four minute mile barrier in middle of the 20th century.
Happy running!
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