CLYDESDALE RUNNING

I like to plug numbers into the McMillan Running Calculator, if for nothing else, then for shits and giggles. I haven’t found it to be particularly useful by itself, but maybe a little as a tool, or starting point. See, when I plug in my best 5K time (23:35, this summer), the calculator ascertains that I should be able to run a 1:49 half marathon, which I’m fairly certain is way out of reach right now. Based on the same 5K, I should be able to run a 38:52 8K. My actual best 8K is a 43:35. However, I think I’m a better runner at this time, but probably not 1-minute/mile better. So let’s toy around with it a little more; if I plug in a time that determines my 8K time should be 43:35 (because 8K is not option as a jumping off point), than my half marathon time should be around a 2:02. More realistic, but still 15-minutes faster than my only half attempt so far, which took place just a few weeks before I set that 8K time.

I was planning on a 10-minute mile at my half marathon coming up, which would put me in line for a 7-minute or so improvement (around a 2:10:00), then I went for a 13+ mile run on Labor Day at a 10:10 pace. Hmm, according to McMillan, if I’m capable of running a 2:10:00, then my long workout runs should be done at a 10:58 to 11:58 pace. Granted it says little about comfort level. Plugging in a 2:00:00 brings that long workout run pace down to 10:10-11:10 pace, and to get 10:10 on the other end of that spectrum (9:12 to 10:12 pace), then I would be shooting for (what else?) a 1:48. There’s that damn sub-1:50:00 number again. So what the heck can I/try to run for?

Is a 2:10:00 selling myself short? Is a 2:00:00 overly ambitious? Will I end up regretting not going out harder when there’s a little left in the tank, or will I go out too hard and regret it in the later miles? These are things I need to learn because one; I care how I do, and two; I need to understand this process for an inevitable 2009 marathon.

This particular race has pace groups for the marathon, and not the half, but they share a course for only the first couple of miles. So I think I’ll go out there and join the 4:15:00 (9:44 pace) marathon pace group and see how I feel after the split. Updates to come…

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.