Oh yeah, all that makes sense, although I'm not a racer.
And when I do take my av pace readings, as noted above, it's over a certain distance (currently 5-6 miles) when I'm doing my 'steady run' (I hesitate to call it my 'long and slow run' because 'long' and 'slow' are such relative terms). It kind of goes without saying that I slow down for more difficult surfaces or inclines, and speed up on easier surfaces or nice flat sections, since I'm a recreational runner, and not spinning around on a flat, uniform track, taking times on my splits. Of course, during my fartleks, the pace varies greatly for each speed-play, as it does on the different sections of my hill repeats.
One more question: what do you consider 'core' strength exercises? I generally consider this new(ish) talk of 'core' to be silly, but I haven't really looked into it, and I try to keep an open-mind about the latest fitness trends. Is it any different than doing a bunch of different kinds of abdominal exercises and various dumbbell and barbell exercises? I admit I've been intrigued by the concept of the slosh tube, yet haven't quite motivated to run to Menards to pick up the supplies to make one. It might be fun to walk around the yard with one while my neighbor obsessively mows his lawn twice a week. I've also been thinking about installing a climbing rope, but weekends are usually taken up with family life and chores. I think climbing up and down a rope would be a great 'finishing' exercise after strength training with weights, whether or not there's a core involved.
And when I do take my av pace readings, as noted above, it's over a certain distance (currently 5-6 miles) when I'm doing my 'steady run' (I hesitate to call it my 'long and slow run' because 'long' and 'slow' are such relative terms). It kind of goes without saying that I slow down for more difficult surfaces or inclines, and speed up on easier surfaces or nice flat sections, since I'm a recreational runner, and not spinning around on a flat, uniform track, taking times on my splits. Of course, during my fartleks, the pace varies greatly for each speed-play, as it does on the different sections of my hill repeats.
One more question: what do you consider 'core' strength exercises? I generally consider this new(ish) talk of 'core' to be silly, but I haven't really looked into it, and I try to keep an open-mind about the latest fitness trends. Is it any different than doing a bunch of different kinds of abdominal exercises and various dumbbell and barbell exercises? I admit I've been intrigued by the concept of the slosh tube, yet haven't quite motivated to run to Menards to pick up the supplies to make one. It might be fun to walk around the yard with one while my neighbor obsessively mows his lawn twice a week. I've also been thinking about installing a climbing rope, but weekends are usually taken up with family life and chores. I think climbing up and down a rope would be a great 'finishing' exercise after strength training with weights, whether or not there's a core involved.