Day 13: You Need Quality Sessions 🌟

Stats of the Day

• Run Distance: 5.27 km
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Pace: 5:43 min/km
• Average Heart Rate: 140 BPM
• Heart Rate Zones: 88% in Zone 2, the rest in Zone 1
• Sleep Score: 93 (8 hours, 10 minutes)
• VO2 Max: 52 (holding steady)
• Endurance Score: 6076
• Heat Acclimatization: 100%

Building a Base, But Ready to Level Up

Today's run was almost a repeat of yesterday’s—a steady 30-minute base run—but with a slight improvement. I’ve been doing mostly easy, aerobic sessions, which are great for foundation-building, but it’s no surprise my VO2 max hasn’t improved yet. Pushing for that increase might mean it’s time to add in those quality sessions that challenge me outside the comfortable Zone 2.

Quality Sessions Are Key

One thing that quality sessions require? Time and focus. Unlike base runs, where I can get by with a quick 30 minutes, tempo and interval work generally need a solid 40-60 minutes to hit the right intensity and get the benefits. And that means setting the alarm a bit earlier to make sure there’s no rush. Yesterday, I planned on doing a tempo run this morning, but with the clock ticking, I could tell I didn’t have enough time to do it justice.

Without those dedicated quality sessions, speed improvements are hard to come by. If I'm serious about reaching my sub-1:30 half marathon goal, I need to embrace some discomfort and break the routine. That means making the extra effort to fit these quality runs into my week, even if it means adjusting my schedule.

Out of the Comfort Zone and Into Growth

If I want to reach that goal, there’s no way around stepping up. The real growth happens when I’m willing to push into uncharted areas, moving past what’s comfortable. Tomorrow, I’ll be resetting the clock for a true quality session, getting out of that comfort zone, and hopefully setting the pace for bigger improvements ahead.