Making 5K's Part of Your Marathon Training

I am in the second week of my speed development stage (Stage 3 of my 3:30 marathon plan: see http://marathonquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/330-marathon-plan.html) on my way to Chicago.  Normally, this would be an interval day where going anaerobic is part of the plan.  To mix things up, a 5K or 10K can be a good substitute for an anaerobic training day.  Of course, if you are packing miles in and doing speed work, fast 5K’s are probably not going to happen.  So, when you set your goals keep in mind that it is training run more than a race.

If this had been a normal race, I would have limited myself to an easy 5-8 miles of running yesterday rather than the 16 miles I put in.  Also, I would have had a more moderate evening. Last night we kind of went over the top.  We had a fairly early meal at Del Frisco’s.  It was great but we had far too much wine for a per-race meal.  So, this morning I was a little concerned about how I would feel for the 5K.  

The 5K this morning started at 8:00 am.  A banana and some coffee got me going and I arrived 30 minutes early which gave me 15 minutes for a warm up and time to stretch out well.  My focus at the end of a 15 minute warm-up was on a few exaggerated strides and various sprints.  I felt loose and the air was relatively cool albeit windy.  The first mile came in a 6:43 and the rest were a little faster.  I ended with a Personal Record (PR) of 20:53.  I’m not sure how much faster I would have been without the 16 miles yesterday or the overindulgence of steak and wine, but I feel I am on track. The legs did not feel dead today. 

Today’s run was a substitute for an Interval day.  The 5K is probably about as effective for my anaerobic training as an interval day.  So, tomorrow, I am back to the track for sprints.  I think the hard part here is keeping balanced on the edge where I am training hard, but not overtraining.  All you can do is try to listen to your body is trying to tell you.