5 Mile Long Run - Ready to Begin Again

Today I slept in a bit, but got out the door about 10 am to do a 5 mile long run. My body was more than ready to go - my right leg was feeling better. Again, uncharacteristic of this time of year, it was warm and humid with temps between 71 and 75 degrees with 68% humidity. It reminded me of last week's race and the weather conditions there.

The run went really well. I ran at a relatively easy pace but tried to push the pace up a little more toward 11 min/miles with a 45 sec to 1 min walking break at each mile. My splits were:

Mile 1 - 11:13
Mile 2 - 11:39
Mile 3 - 11:57
Mile 4 - 11:59
Mile 5 - 11:14

Total: 58:05 min
Avg Heart Rate: 159 bpm

This is a bit slower than the pace I have been training at for 5 miles, but I think I am still recovering from the marathon. The humidity slowed me a bit as well.

I don't know if it is the recovery effects from the marathon, or the post marathon "blues." It seems harder to get to and maintain the pace of running I was used to before the race. Perhaps I just need to give it more time. I also don't have a training plan right now, which I am beginning to realize helped to give me focus on my running. Now that I have had a week since the marathon, I will put together a training plan to ease me back into running and help target my upcoming 5K and 10K races. I also want to incorporate other types of training such as weight training, core work, and focused running to include intervals, speed and hill work.

However, there is the little issue with my left heel...the plantar faciatis. I am going to see about finding a sports doctor to examine and recommend some approaches for dealing with it. My chiropractor has increased the lift in my right shoe and thinks this will help. We will see. In the meantime, until I get that resolved, the hill training will have to wait.

I listened to this week's Phedippedations which discussed hill training. Hill training can be a challenge in central Florida. It is pretty flat here. My friend Shirley uses the university parking garages for her hill training, so I will probably do that.

So I am back on the road again...and as the glow of completing the marathon fades, it is time for new goals to conquer! I am ready to begin the next running adventure! First stop, next week's Park Avenue 5K.