The last long run before the taper starts is a 20 miler. These long runs are supposed to be run at a decent pace, with the second half faster than the first half. Specifically the first half should be marathon pace (MP) + 20% and the second half MP + 10%. For me this means 8:10 min / mile pace and then 7:30.
I personally hated the first two 20 mile + run in this marathon plan. It was several years since I had done a 20 mile training run and I found the last five miles or so very tough, feeling like I was barely hanging on to the required pace.
The third ultra long run (22 miles) felt a bit more comfortable and the final one today also went well. I have wondered in the past if it is really necessary to run so long, and have had a successful marathon of the Hansons plan which peaks at 16 miles. However these ultra long runs do practice the end-of-marathon feeling, build confidence in completing the distance and hopefully build leg strength.
In any case today's run was faster than prescribed but felt about right effort-wise. The first half was at about 8:00 pace and the second more like 7:20 for a 2 hour 33 min run.
The other negative about these fast finish long runs is that you feel wiped out for quite a few hours afterwards, so it's best not to plan any physical tasks for the rest of the day!
And now for that blissful word... taper.
No comments:
Post a Comment