Marathon Training — Long Run 5 Miles

Brian Martin
Jul 23, 2017 · 2 min read

After a long day of walking through the city yesterday in 95 degree heat — it was long run day. We didn’t get back until later in the morning so by the time we stepped outsdide to run at 10AM, it was already wayyyy too humid and hot to enjoy the cool that an early morning run brings. But you have to make do with what you have, and away we went.

Got some new headphones as well that are a little less bulky but still wireless with a long battery charge — and I’m happy to say that they worked out really well for the run. They will definitely serve me well once I’m running 10+ miles for my long runs.

So the run today, as I’m sure you know by the title, was 5 miles. Total time was 48:59 which breaks down to a 9:46 minute/mile pace…MUCH faster than what I thought it was going to be given the time of day and the temperature. This is good though because I finished and felt like I had more left in the tank, so my pace was not to the point of complete exhaustion.

However, I am still being cautious with my ideas of time. Ideally for the full marathon distance, which I have never done before, just finishing would be the greatest goal to shoot for. Thinking of time though, I do have the time of 4:30:00 in my head. So while these early runs seem quicker than that, I will not be making any adjustments. Just keep doing the workout and let my times fall where they fall.

Almost the entire time, my heart rate was in the cardio zone, averaging 155bpm. This was probably the most exciting part of the day for me, because despite having coffee only an hour or so before my run, and the humidity/heat, my body still worked efficiently during the 5 miles. This is SUPER exciting because my body is more conditioned than I thought to handle adverse conditions, like I am sure I will come across in the marathon.

New running shoes are in the works, and this week of training builds on the last. Next weekend is 7 miles and I am already looking forward to it.

Keep running —

Brian Martin

Written by

In training for the Philadelphia Marathon. I like to run, write and talk about fitness. ACE Certified Personal Trainer. 🏃 Instagram: bmart692

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