Running the open fields, zone 2
Hey! Today’s training on the road to Spijkenisse-SPARK Marathon was scheduled as a low zone 2 run. As a low impact training that allowed to get some kilometers in.
Right before starting the run, I got a text from a friend that he was very curious how I would do on a small strava segment he just found. As I did intervals yesterday, the timing wasn’t the best, but… running should be fun! So before doing my zone 2 workout, I did a little warmup and ran the segment twice. The segment turned out to be shorter than expected / I ran a little longer than required.
Fun little distraction, will set a stronger time some other day! Buut first back to my own trainingsgoals.
I decided to go for a 12 km run that is for +/- 10 km unpaved. The fun part of the route is that it was mostly an open field run! Seeing some rabbits, birds and sheep but other than that just grass.
Sofar, this week totalled 56 km, with still 3 days to go I feel my legs can take the increase. Tomorrow I will do a 4x 7 minute (just above) marathon pace session - hoping that will help me increase my long distance speed a little further.
The biggest dilemma right now is what balance to consider with the training vs the nutrition plan. While the kgs are not exactly melting away just yet - I do notice some losses. Weighting less should result in a faster marathon pace, but the reduction in food will also reduce the energy you have and running with not enough energy will result in semi productive sessions. I will take some time to work this out further in the weekend, to find a good balance between the two goals!
Happy running!
Fantastic choice on your route! Those fields are pretty, lots of clean air, greenery, a few animals. That looks like an awesome place for a run. I would love to take a nice long walk there myself!
Great work on your training, if you can feel those legs getting stronger already you are headed the right direction obviously. I don't know how you aren't losing weight faster, you must have a nice high calorie diet! lol Back in the days when I did a lot more running one of the big perks was not having to worry about what I ate. But these days as an athlete you have to balance in that nutrition properly for top performance.
Keep up that great running, but I'll be sticking to walking! lol
Haha yeah, when I started running 10 years ago, I could just eat whatever. After my long runs I normally did 1l chocolate milk + 2 snickers and I was 78 kg.. now doing 2x as much kilometers but the weight isn’t really moving anymore. Regardless of the weight , eating cleaner should have a benefit (and hopefully makes you enjoy the off days more ;) )
The god old days of youth past! The cleaner diet certainly is a must for me these days! lol
Haha I was still in denial, but yeah!
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I liked what you said "running should be fun" because sometimes I forget that, and start to focus on getting better and better and all of the sudden I think "hm, but this should be fun for me". Btw I hope you solve your dilemma soon, thanks for sharing your workout.✌🏻
Thank you!
Yeah, I would definitely try to make every run enjoyable! Progress just comes from consistency!
Btw: you are doing a great job yourself! Keep it up! 💪
I love the overcast weather in that first photo. We don't get many days like that here.
Did you run in the unpaved area to reduce impact on your knees, or just mixing up the run?
Thanks man!
Just mixing it up! For me, fun is most important so I try to find a route I really enjoy most of the times! Unpaved does has some benefits with regards to the knees and joints but I have not had any overtraining issues since may 2024 😁 so just a run to clear the mind!
!pizza
that little strava detour before a zone 2 day made me smile. Those 4 x 7 min a touch faster than marathon psace should click if you keep it controlled, nice sharpening without beating up the legs. On the nutrition tug of war, try a tiny steady deficit on easy days and keep carbs for quality sessions, it’s like earmarking cash for bills and defnitely helps you show up with energy. Week at 56 km already is solid, the open field miles sound relaxing too :)
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