Sunday, September 10, 2006

Marathon Training: Week 7

I recovered from my disastrous week last week. Whew.

I ran my seven miles yesterday morning. It was a perfect day for a run -- cool and breezy, overcast but not raining. It was a very enjoyable experience. All told, I ran 20 miles this week. Again, not fast, but I made it, and ran the whole way. This constitutes a new personal best long run. My last was 6 miles in about 1999. I ran a lot faster back then, as I was in better shape, but whatever. I'll get back to that speed one day.

As I was running in a new area, I came to be thinking about hills (there's a lot of time to think during a 7-mile run). The definition of a hill is very different depending on what you're doing. To "feel" a hill in a car, it has to be pretty big -- something like the 2222 or the Spicewood Springs hills from 360. That's about the only way the car really has to work hard, and many not be able to maintain it's speed on the incline. On a bike, hills creep up in more scenarios -- you're susceptible to a smaller incline before you slow down on a bike. While running, it seems to take almost no visible hill to require me to slow down while climbing. 'Course maybe that's cause I'm not in marathon shape yet. Maybe then it will take a slightly visible hill.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There certainly is a lot of time for thinking during longer runs. Personally I really like when you are in great shape... your mind disappears elsewhere... and before you know it, you have almost finished your run! If you would like to see what other runners have to say about their marathon training, then I recommend that you have a look at Marathon Training, a website that is tailored specifically for marathoners and those who want to become marathoners. Good luck!

Heather said...

Thanks! I'll check it out!