Detroit Marathon Training - Week 2 - Run #1

Tried to get some speed work in today. I'm realizing that I might be pushing myself too hard, and I'm not sure if that is good or bad. With the last marathon, I really felt like I slacked off on my training, though everything turned out very good in the end. But now that I have seen progress, I'm hungrier than ever for good results. So I'm feeling more motivation this time around, and in turn am pushing myself harder.

Today I ran 5 miles. For the first three, I ran the first 1/2 mile at 8:34 pace, followed by the second 1/2 mile at a 6:31 pace. So I went with the 1/2 mi speedwork right off the bat, and at a faster pace than before. I had to ease up the last 2 miles, though I gradually pushed myself harder and harder the last mile, increasing my speed almost every 30 seconds. I ended up finishing the 5 miles in 38:18 (7:40/mi pace), just slightly faster than last week's tempo run.

I am sore, but hey, I did it and I didn't get hurt. I have noticed my breathing after I run has been fine. Not too long ago, I used to be really wheezy after a hard run, but lately I've been fine. The only problems I've had lately seem to be the gallons of water I sweat during my runs. But if that is the worst problem I have, I guess I'm pretty lucky.