10 K Pace Run in MUTEKI

Oct. 14, 2018

1st 2.5 K: [Target lap: 12:17.00/Actual lap: 11:46.78]

2nd 2.5 K: [Target lap: 12:17.00/Actual lap: 11:32.92]

3rd 2.5 K: [Target lap: 12:17.00/Actual lap: 11:55.45]

4th 2.5 K: [Target lap: 12:17.00/Actual lap: 11:12.59]

Total 10 K:  [Target lap: 49:10.00/Actual lap: 46:28.74]

One week to go before Aqua Line Marathon 2018. The training scheduled for tonight was 10 K pace run. The target pace was 4:55/K. The target finish time was 49:10. I ran a 2.5 K loop in my neighborhood four laps, with the target lap being 12:17 each. 

After stretching my legs a little, I started off for the first lap. I paced myself based on my average half marathon pace. The first lap was 11:47.78, almost 30 seconds under the target. I slowed down a little, trying to bring the pace closer to the target. But the second lap was even faster: 11:32.92. I took shorter strides to control the speed, but my cadence went up, and I ended up running faster. I made further effort to control my speed by not only taking shorter strides, but also by deliberately slowing down the cadence. The third lap was 11:55.45 as intended. The came the last lap. I kept the same pace as the previous lap, but planned to kick in the last 500 M. That I did, and finished it at 11:12.59, the fastest of four.

Tomorrow, I will give myself a good rest. On Tuesday and Wednesday I will jog for an hour. On Thursday I will do my last interval training. On Friday I will jog for an hour again. And the night before the race, I will give myself a complete rest. Is it too much? I'm not sure. It feels like it, because in the past I would rest more than  train in the week leading to the race day. But since that's what former ultra marathon world record holder recommends, and I want to give it a test to see how my body will react to this kind of stimulus.