Hey - quick question for those who have gone sub 1:10 (I also welcome advice from seasoned runners who have gone faster/slower). I’m currently 6 weeks out from my race (so really only 4 weeks of true training remain), and I’m curious about where my pace should be on longer interval workouts. Should race pace come naturally at this point or is it okay if I’m still a couple seconds/mile back of HMP for these workouts? Just wondering whether I will still see decent improvement over the next few weeks.
I attempted a 4x2 mile workout on the roads with 2:15 walking/semi active rest this morning. I ended up averaging 5:19/mile for the entire 8 miles, but I struggled somewht mightily on the last interval. And honestly mile 5-7 weren’t as relaxed as I would have hoped. Also, my pacing was off for the first two intervals (I split 5:14 on the first mile of my first two intervals and needed to adjust the second mile). Overall, I wasn’t super proud of the effort, but I guess I’ll take it at this point. It didn’t feel like a race, but I was hoping that it would have been smoother.
I have doubts about whether I can hold this pace for another 5 miles given how I felt today. Also, for what it’s worth, I’m located in the NE so it was cold (49 at start and 52 at finish), very rainy (shoes were water logged and there were some nice size puddles), and it was somewhat windy.
Background: I have one half marathon in my back pocket from four years ago (1:12) on a very weak training schedule. So far, I’ve averaged 45 miles/wk with a couple 50-53 mile weeks thrown in. As far as workouts, I’ve tried to get in 2 per week, but I’ve given myself some slack on weeks when I just wasn’t feeling it. I know my mileage is low, but I’m just not comittted enough to put in higher mileage at this point (very long work weeks).
Thanks for your help.