I was scheduled to run 3 miles on the treadmill last night. So when I got home from work, I changed into my running shorts, strapped on my heart monitor, and jumped on the treadmill. I started off slow, walking about 4 mph (15:00 minute/mile pace). I would bump the speed up about a 10th of a mph every 30 or 60 seconds. I began jogging around 4.3mph. I continued to up the speed until at one point I was running at 6mph (10:00 minute/nmile pace). I was trying to keep my heart rate below 145bpm. I could actually run much faster, but thats not my training. My training strategy is to run as fast as I can, and keep my heart rate under 145. I want to stay in the aerobic zone, and build my aerobic speed as per Phil Maffetone.
I didn’t stay at 6mph for very long, and soon bumped it down to 5.8mph. I stayed here for a little, but then bumped it down to 5.6mph. I think by the end I may gotten down to about 5.5mph. I managed to run the 3 miles, and average an 11:00 minute/mile pace even with the slower pace at the beginning of the run. This was pretty good for me. Like I said, I can actually run much faster, but that would take me into the anaerobic zone. That is not what I want. I want to improve my aerobic speed, the speed that I can run while staying aerobic. And I am getting faster!

Posted by Rob in Running on March 2nd, 2007 |