Signs of endurance returning
I have now completed a run of between 9 and 12 miles for 4 consecutive week-ends. Until today, they had all proven quite tough and tiring. In all the runs, my heart-rate has averaged around 145 (80% of max). All previous efforts produced mile-paces between 7:40 and 7:50. Today, with a similar HR-effort, my mile-pace averaged 7:18.
I think the key is that, on previous runs, as well as the return for effort being lower in general, my HR has also risen sharply in the latter stages. Today, I felt comfortable throughout and the HR, apart from the normal up-ward creep over distance, remained stable. I think this is actually the most encouraging workout since my return to running.
Ironically, I almost skipped a long run altogether, as my calf and hamstring muscles have been feeling really tight since Thursday's race. I think leaving it until late on Sunday gave my legs just enough time to recover.
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