The time is really flying by - hard to believe I am half way done with my training. My training plan is essentially 20 weeks long, with the first ten week focused on base and mileage building and the second ten weeks focused on more speed and tempo training.
With ten weeks to go, I am now starting to see specified paces for my runs. There seems to be a lot of runs coming up with marathon pace (MP) in them. And that scares me a little bit because I don't really have a marathon pace.
I have talked before about VDOT and how I use it to dictate my paces for runs based on my previous PR. Ever since last fall I have been using a VDOT based off my 5k PR and it has worked pretty well. But now that I am marathon training I wonder if I should be using that OR if I should use the VDOT based off my PR from last spring's half marathon. There is quite a bit of difference...
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| VDOT based on my 5k PR |
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| VDOT based on my half marathon PR |
To handle this, at first I am going to start off with the 8:01 min/mile pace for my marathon paced runs and go from there. If the pace starts to feel too hard or too easy I can adjust from there. Also in less than two weeks I have a hilly 15k race. This race should serve as a little guide for my endurance and fitness.
How do you determine your paces?
6 comments:
Congrats on the half way point! Very exciting. :)
It's been so long since I've looked at one of those charts... I let Mark tell me what paces to run. :p
As long as you listen to your body along the way, you'll be golden!
Our coaches have us do a 2 mile time trial and then we enter that into this Oregon Pace Calculator or something like that... I am not very good at paying attention to my pace on my long runs. In the past I just wanted to get them over with. ;) But now that I am not running them alone, I will be more mindful of how fast I am running!
I always wonder about the calcs too, for the same reason. Right now I let my coach tell me my paces. I think your plan is what I would do too though!
That's so exciting that your marathon is coming up. I've been running less than you have so I have no great wisdom to offer on the pace thing, but from what people have told me about my training, I think for the first marathon, it's a good idea to start off easier and then get faster if it feels too easy.
I am trying to figure out where I should be for my marathon pace too, I have my first one in July. I am thinking I will start slower than recommended and go from there.
That sounds like a good plan!
Mike and I were planning on running that 15K but then we decided on another half marathon instead! You'll do great!
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