FIRST Training: Day 1 - 6 miles

Garmin link
- 2 mile warm-up
- 3 X 1 mile @6:41 target; 1 minute rest interval

     mile 1:  6:04
     mile 2:  6:25
     mile 3:  6:59
     (average 6:29)

- 1 mile cool-down

Today is exactly five months before the NYC Marathon, with the Philadelphia Marathon three weeks later. I am starting the 16-week FIRST marathon training program, with target paces and distances specially designed to get the 45 to 49-year old gentleman to Boston next April. It consists of only three running workouts a week; one day of speed intervals, a tempo run, and a long run (13-20 miles). In addition it advises cross-training another two or three days a week. I swam 3000M yesterday, so got a little x-training in early.

This was the first time I used the Forerunner for an interval run, and it worked great, except that I could not see my times until afterward. So I was running blind - could not tell whether or not I was hitting the 6:41 target. As it turns out, I ran the first mile way too fast and the third mile about 20 seconds too slow. But the average (6:29) was comfortably faster than the target.

The speed work was tough, but that's not too surprising since I haven't focused on it before. I'm looking forward to the tempo run on Wednesday, but am apprehensive about the long runs. The first 20-miler is at the fourth week!