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Progression Run Love

February 5, 2012 by Kristy 18 Comments

After a rough 20-miler last weekend I wanted to try a different approach for this weekend’s long run.  I wanted to avoid going out too fast in the beginning but also wanted to include some marathon-paced miles towards the end.  Since it always takes me forever to warm up in the winter, starting out slower gives me a chance to warm up naturally (not forcing it) all while saving energy for the later miles.  I love progression runs so I decided on the following…

3 miles at 9:00 pace
4 miles at 8:50 pace
4 miles at 8:40 pace
the remaining miles at 8:30 or faster pace…this would give me about 7 miles near MP. 

I didn’t do so bad…

image

It’s funny, my legs went on autopilot and resorted to old marathon paces – 9:00, 8:45, and 8:30.  I had a hard time keeping myself at 8:50 or 8:40. 

Overall, I was pretty pleased.  I felt great; it didn’t feel too taxing and I had energy at the end of the run. 

Are you a fan of progression runs?

Do you have a pace that your legs automatically gravitate towards?  I was stuck at 9:00 minute/miles for awhile before I started doing speedwork.  My legs always gravitate towards this pace. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 20 miler, Boston Marathon, long run, marathon pace, progression runs

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cindi says

    February 6, 2012 at 7:02 am

    Love it! Nice job! We could have run together this weekend, very similar distances and paces!

    I like progression runs like this. I find it easier to complete a long run when I have an “assignment”, instead of just “run 17 miles”. When I have assigned paces for certain miles it makes it more manageable.

    Reply
  2. Tara Burner says

    February 6, 2012 at 7:04 am

    nice job…
    I am just now getting back to my running after injury that kept me sidelined for few months

    Reply
  3. Beth @ RUNNING around my kitchen says

    February 6, 2012 at 7:48 am

    Great job! I enjoy progression runs and it makes it more enjoyable if you have different goals at different points. And, yes, I find that even when I get faster, if I’m not focusing, it is easy for my legs to revert back to an old pace!

    Reply
  4. Kara says

    February 6, 2012 at 8:01 am

    I just tried my first progression run on a whim yesterday! It would have been much more enjoyable if I hadn’t started the run with an 8:30 mile, haha.

    Reply
  5. misszippy says

    February 6, 2012 at 8:37 am

    Great run! I think progression runs are so valuable for marathons. Looks like you nailed it. I’m sure it was a confidence builder, too.

    Reply
  6. Katie says

    February 6, 2012 at 10:04 am

    Nice run, Kristy!!! I actually really like that one… I will have to file it away for when I am in MT mode again! You must feel awesome! 🙂 And I am the same– I call 9 min miles my “happy pace.”

    Reply
  7. MCM Mama says

    February 6, 2012 at 10:43 am

    I love progression runs, but I never do them for my long runs, so I’m totally impressed. I take the first couple of miles to even feel like running is fun, so I’ve learned to just take it easy and then pick it up a bit when I’m warmed up.

    Reply
  8. Chris D says

    February 6, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    NICE!! Pretty awesome splits there… nice control! Great Job!

    Reply
  9. Rachel says

    February 6, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    I sweat you!!!! Can I please have your running legs? No progression runs here yet… I’m just happy to be running at all. I feel like, even though I ran throughout my pregnancy, I didn’t run the best I could. Does that make sense? Hopefully w/ #2 I’ll be more focused.

    Reply
  10. Carly D. @ CarlyBananas says

    February 6, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    Great run! I did something similar this weekend’s 8 miler – I ran the first at my designated “long run” pace and then took the last 3 miles and tried to run each a little faster until I got to half marathon pace for the last one. My 8th mile was my fastest 🙂 I felt so happy at the end!

    Reply
  11. Meredith @ DareYouTo says

    February 6, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    DANGG. THat is intense. My runs aren’t yet long enough where progressions are even possible like that, but I aspire to follow your footsteps!

    Reply
  12. Christine @ Oatmeal Bowl says

    February 6, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    I was just happy to finally be able to do a 10-min tempo run w/out stopping. 17 miles *woosh* Nice job on your progression run!

    Reply
  13. Alyssa says

    February 6, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    I need to try this! It takes me forever to warm up too. I’ve never done a progression run. My legs seem stuck at a 9:30 or 9:40 pace – I really want to get faster paces to be my autopilot pace! Running faster seems to require concentration, it doesn’t happen naturally. So annoying! Nice work on the run!

    Reply
  14. Michele @ nycrunningmama says

    February 6, 2012 at 7:25 pm

    Great run! I’m a huge fan of progression runs – one of the major reasons is b/c it helps break up the run for me. It can be so hard to see 20+ miles on the training schedule, but knowing that I only have to focus on a few miles at a time at the set pace, makes it more manageable! Plus, I’m a huge fan of starting slow and finishing fast =)

    Reply
  15. Kelly says

    February 6, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    nice work! I’m a fan of progression runs – I just started doing them kind of by accident. It feels great to end a run so strong – to me it’s been a confidence booster

    Reply
  16. Meggie says

    February 6, 2012 at 9:13 pm

    nice job! I like progression runs. A lot of my regression runs are on accident, too, esp if its an out and back. I always come back faster probably because I know the faster I get back, the faster I am done!

    Reply
  17. Julie says

    February 6, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    I like the idea of a progression run, but have yet to successfully train with it as a system

    Reply
  18. Celia says

    February 7, 2012 at 11:32 am

    I like progression runs. It lets you practice marathon goal pace on tired legs without beating up your body as much. Knowing you feel good at mile 20 plus on pace is a great confidence booster 🙂 although in a marathon I have yet to implement a negative split : P

    Reply

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