4 miles in 40 minutes
I've been working out a lot in the last year and training for nothing in particular - but now I have a goal! Mat emailed out about the Mass Dash relay race. From Mt Greylock to Boston Harbor, 200 miles. It'll be around 12 of us taking turns doing 6 mile legs of the run. The race is a fundraiser for Dana Farber and Jimmy Fund. I'll post more information about the race itself once we have a team registered and all.
Now that I have a goal, I have something to train for! The only running I've really done is playing Ultimate and running on a treadmill. I usually just set the treadmill for a 5k (~3 miles*) and try to beat 30 minutes (6mph average). If I'm pushing myself, I make a deal that I'll stay above a jog the whole time (no stopping for walking breaks in the middle). A 5k in under 30 minutes I can do pretty reliably, now.
For the relay, Mat said that a 10 minute mile is probably a good minimum to aim for. I suppose he's right - if you run too slowly in a relay, they'll probably have to stop you early on because you'll never make it. My training goal is to get to 6 or 8 miles straight at a 10-minute-mile rate (6mph or higher). Once I get there I'll see if I can get my times down. Getting endurance up is probably much more important for a race this long though.
Yesterday I decided to make 4 miles my goal with no stops to see if I could do it. Looks like we can! 4 miles in 40 minutes. What should I try for today? Repeat the performance, faster speed, longer distance, or switch to weights to take a day off from running? Or weights with a shorter run?
Now that I have a goal, I have something to train for! The only running I've really done is playing Ultimate and running on a treadmill. I usually just set the treadmill for a 5k (~3 miles*) and try to beat 30 minutes (6mph average). If I'm pushing myself, I make a deal that I'll stay above a jog the whole time (no stopping for walking breaks in the middle). A 5k in under 30 minutes I can do pretty reliably, now.
For the relay, Mat said that a 10 minute mile is probably a good minimum to aim for. I suppose he's right - if you run too slowly in a relay, they'll probably have to stop you early on because you'll never make it. My training goal is to get to 6 or 8 miles straight at a 10-minute-mile rate (6mph or higher). Once I get there I'll see if I can get my times down. Getting endurance up is probably much more important for a race this long though.
Yesterday I decided to make 4 miles my goal with no stops to see if I could do it. Looks like we can! 4 miles in 40 minutes. What should I try for today? Repeat the performance, faster speed, longer distance, or switch to weights to take a day off from running? Or weights with a shorter run?