Slow and steady 22km
Hi there! Another day, another run! Since last weekend I had to change plans for the November Spijkenisse Marathon. Rather than just pacing for a friend, I will aim to slighly beat my own pr!
With just 8 weeks to go, that is not only fun and intense but also a little tricky as I will need to increase my trainingsload quite a bit - without getting injured.
For this week, I will test how my body handles the increase of weekly distances while cutting back on the more intense training sessions. If it goes well, I can carefully start increasing the intensity of some of the sessions aswell!
The workout:
While I am running with a small calorie deficit, I decided to go for a low zone 2, medium distance run. I noticed that despite yesterdays run and strenght training I felt pretty ok. Mentally I already made the switch to the new schedule, but I also suffered enough injuries in my running carreer to know that I still have to be careful not to push too hard.
I decided to just decide on the route on the go - wanting to end with somewhere between 20 and 25 km. I ended running a fun route partly unpaved with lots of green and some animals in sight. Due to to time of day, there was hardly anyone around so I could just enjoy these 2h in peace.
Despite the distance, I decided to use 2 gels (1 isotonic, 1 caffeine boost) so I could make uo a little for the calorie deficit. After finishing the run, I drank 1 liter of chocolade milk to restore my energy balance further.
Happy running!
Switching from pacing to chasing your own PR is bold, and that 1 liter cho;colate milk recovery was a clutch call on a calorie defcit. Low zone 2 with extra carbs from two gels is a nice way to push distance without frying the legs. The quiet unpaved route sounds perfect for keeping ego in check and building steady, that stuff adds up. PR booster or not, chocolate milk wins every time' :)
Happy running! That was a very good training, thanks for sharing with us.🦾
It almost looks like a baby carrier with the two water bottles on your chest 😁
Do you prefer that over the camelak type of pack? A lot of the hikers here use the camelbak.
Haha it is a camelback (solomon activeskin)
Also have the 2l bladder for in the backpack, but I prefer the softflasks up front. Mostly because the bladder will get warm after 25km and your back will be very sweaty. Also these flasks are more comfortable drinking and gives you the opportunity to do 2 different types of drinks (for example left just water, right side sports drinks).
The bladder really comes in use if you do ultra runs where you need >3 liters of drinks with you!
Got it, that makes a lot of sense! Never thought about carrying two types of drinks, that's a good idea (obviously I'm not a runner!).
What a gorgeous place to have two hours of peaceful exercise, with no one around to ruin the solitude! You do have your training down to a science, but after a long running career you've figured that one out. The last thing you need is an injury that sets you back or even worse knocks you out of the race!
Milk is one of the best hydrators there is, always a great way to replenish after a great workout. It's nice that you have so many nice areas to enjoy the nature while running!
Haha yeah! Time flies, this October it will be 10 years since my first full marathon (Amsterdam).
Crazy how little I knew back then ;p but wisdom comes with age (also the need to dose your energy haha)!
For such a small country , close to the most populated area, there are still so many beautiful landscapes! Always a treat to run there - regardless of the weather!