Last year's edition of the
Run for the Animals 10k was a huge PR for me. With a 36:49, I knocked off over a minute and 25 seconds from my previous best. In the 20 weeks prior to that race, I was averaging over 60 miles per week. Leading up to this year's edition of the race my training has been a little different - only 41 miles per week.
 |
| Finishing the 2016 Run for the Animals |
However, one thing I've done differently in training this year is to mix in three swims per week in addition to those 41 miles. At the very least, swimming has kept my legs looser as floating and kicking is therapeutic - allowing my joints to heal while at the same time increasing my aerobic base. I'm hoping that 3x per week swimming is worth five miles per week of running. Another thing working in my favor is that I've been dialing in my LCHF diet and have lost about five pounds over the last month. This puts me only two pounds over my ideal "
racing weight". I'm probably a pound or two lighter than I was for last year's race. Maybe that's worth another handful of seconds?
Goal:
Ideally, I'd like to run a sub 38:00 and snag a 2nd best PR, but that is no easy feat since it means running two 18:59 5ks back-to back. But is this goal realistic given my current fitness? In order to figure that out, I assumed that my fitness is the same as it was for
my last 5k race, which I finished with an 18:16. I then plugged that time into the
McMillan Calculator. The result that popped up said that I should be able to run a 37:56 10k - almost to the second of my goal!
So, if it's not too windy (and not too hot) on Saturday and I pace myself correctly, I may just be able to eke out a 37:59! In any event, it will be a fun time with my family as my dad is planning on running the 5k and my niece is planning on running the kids' race.
Also, the last edition of the
Grim Mile will be held the following day. I may be a late entrant to that race, depending on how my legs feel.
