For a few months, I’ve only been running twice a week (not counting few short half-mile to a mile jogs to the gym a week): one long run that’s usually 7+ miles at around 10’ pace staying in zone1 or 2 + one 800x5+ rep workout at 6’50” to 7’30” pace (that sometimes even drag to 8’ pace on a rough day) with around 80% rest times that are either super slow jogs or walks depending on how I feel.
My Coros watch currently thinks my threshold pace is 7’50” and has dipped to as fast as 7’42” in the recent past, which I take to mean it thinks I can sustain that pace for 50-60 mins, but that sound ridiculous to me because I don’t even have the confidence to run 7’45” pace for a 5K right now (though I haven’t actually tried) because imagining running nonstop at close to my workout pace feels like a recipe for anaerobic demise. Why does my watch have such unrealistic expectations of me?
How might I train differently to actually deliver on the “threshold pace” my watch attributes to me while staying under 20 mpw? I’m in no rush to get there but the mileage constraint is a hard one (sorry, much as I realize I’m probably going to be scolded for wanting results without putting in the mileage work).