My right leg has been almost pain-free for the past two weeks. There is still a small amount of stiffness under my knee, and I do feel a couple seconds of mild pain if I bend my knee as much as I can or if I bump my leg while getting out of the car.
Because of this improvement, I'm wondering if I would have time to train for the 5K that will be held in South Jordan City on June 21 as part of their Country Fest. I ran the race last year. Most of the course is on the Jordan River Parkway where I do most of my running. I'm not interested in running the race just for the sake of running it. If I thought I could set a new PB by breaking 30 minutes, then I would like to do it. I should have no problem with the distance by June 21; it is a question of how fast I can do it.
Hi Allen,
ReplyDeleteWow, you must really be feeling better to be thinking of a race. Great news!!! But, remember take it slow as not to reinjure yourself! As you advised me awhile back, there is always another race if you don't feel prepared for this one.
But as you said, you will be doing the distance by June 21st anyway, so running the race you know you can do. The only question is, could you break 30 minutes. To this question, I have a question for you... when you are running now, like your last run of 2.5 miles, how fast did you do it in, what is your current pace? (I don't recall reading a time/pace, sorry) Based on your answer to my question, and your years of running experience, do you think you could be running a sub 30min pace for the 5K, come June 21st?
Don't mean to throw the question back at you, but I don't know what your running time is now, and I don't want to misguide you, for fear you could reinjure yourself:( My gut tells me you can do it, but I'm also very concerned that you stay injury free because there will always be another 5K race (not the Jordan Parkway), later on in the summer.
Just trying to help you, as you have helped me soooo much. I ran the 4Mile course again for my last race (Mother's Day), and PR'd again. This time I ran it in an 8:22 pace. Thank you for your guidance on stride cadence, it was MOST helpful!!
Joanne
Happy to hear your right leg is much better, you should be A-OK to run that 5k race in June. If you have any doubts about your knee during the race you could always treat it as a training run. I don't need to tell you to be careful as you're the most level-headed, rational, realistic runner I know!!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne,
ReplyDeleteTo break 30 minutes, I'd have to average a 9:41 pace. I would want to aim for a 9:30 or even a 9:20 to compensate for going out a bit slower the first mile while I warm up. During my run on Monday, and also one of my runs last week, I measured my pace during my last half-mile at 12:40. That was a comfortable, resting pace with no attempt for speed. I just finished my 2.5 mile run for today and measured that half-mile at 12:16, still a comfortable resting pace. I would have to cut 3 minutes off my pace to break 30 minutes, and I don't know if I can do that with just four weeks of training. My plan is to run 3.5 miles next week and then level off at that distance for a month so my body can put its energy into speed instead of increasing distance.
Last Fall, before my injury, my comfortable LSD pace was 10 - 10:30, and my 3K pace was about 9:30. My PB is 30:43, set in September, 2007. I won't know until a week before the race how fast I think I can go. During the four weeks before the race, I plan on doing cadence drills, fartleks, and just running LSD a bit faster. I'll stay away from intervals, because they put more stress on ones legs than the other speed drills.
Thanks for your concern about me not being injured during the next four weeks. It is easy to get carried away in training for a race and ending up injured.
Hi Bruce,
ReplyDeleteI won't enter the race unless I think I have a good chance to break 30. So, I'll see what happens during the next month. Thanks for your nice compliment that I'm the most level-headed, rational, realistic runner that you know. I'm not so sure about that, because I do some dumb things from time to time, but I try to be sane about it most of the time :)
I was reading in RW about the ultra that begins in Death Valley. You've said you're thinking of doing an ultra, so you ought to do the DV one :) Just joking. That race sounds like pure torture.
Just a PS to my comments about my training for the 5K. Half the race is on the Jordan River Parkway where I do my running. The other half is a detour through a residential area. I'm contemplating doing a dry run of that course the Saturday before the race, and if I come close to 30 minutes I'll go online & register for the race.
ReplyDeleteThis assumes, of course, that my leg and body have done well during the four weeks of training. During each run during the next four weeks, I'll be monitoring how my leg feels, and if it gets worse, I'll abort the June race and look forward to the September race at which I did my PB last year.
Oh boy, I can't do arithmetic anymore. My time on Monday and last week was 6:35 for the half-mile or a pace of 13:10 not the 12:40 that I gave in my response to Joanne. That makes my 12:16 pace today even better!
ReplyDeleteAllen,
ReplyDeleteWith your experience I have no doubt that you will be careful. But as you said, training for a race sometimes one can get carried away. Your numbers look good and after your dry run of the course, you will have a better idea if you can break 30.
And I agree with Bruce, you are the most level-headed, rational, realistic runner I know!! Just look at your own training plans. They're amazing and well thought out.
I'm rooting for you!!
Joanne
"I'm rooting for you!!"
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to have a cheering section :)