I was all set for a sub-3:05 attempt at Frankfurt, aiming for 7:00/mi pace. However, after a few different discussions about my goal both on here and at the Runner’s World message board, the possibility of a sub-3 attempt was planted in my head.
My training certainly points towards the possibility, and with all the miles I’ve done I certainly should have the endurance. So today I decided to give 6:51/mi pace a go to see how it felt. I did it down at the track, as it’s the closest bit of flat land for running, and I didn’t want anything else influencing how the pace felt.
Warm-up went well, and I soon slotted in to a comfortable pace for the 2 miles at marathon pace. The breathing felt very controlled and the legs were turning over without any real effort. Averaged 6:51/mi, with an average heart rate comfortably in marathon HR range, even though at times it was monitoring higher than the effort felt (like my easy run yesterday).
So… given that 6:51/mi felt good, going for sub-3 means I can work with the pacing group, and the conditions forecast for Frankfurt are currently perfect – 10º and 2 mph winds – I think I might give it a go. I will assess on the day, depending on conditions and how I feel in the first few miles, but I figure it’s got to be worth a go… right?
| Lap | Time | Distance | Pace | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 52:05 | 7.0 mi | 7:25 min/mi | 172 |
| 1 | 22:57 | 3.03 mi | 7:33 min/mi | 168 |
| 2 | 13:51 | 2.02 mi | 6:51 min/mi | 180 |
| 3 | 15:16 | 1.96 mi | 7:46 min/mi | 172 |