This session confirms that the post-marathon recovery phase can end. The run covered 8.8 km at 6:29 /km with 145 bpm average heart rate, normal legs and no meaningful fatigue signal. The session remained low-load despite the short strides at the end.
The interruption during the stride section and the missed first acceleration are not meaningful training losses. The remaining accelerations provided enough neuromuscular stimulus without turning the session into a demanding workout.
The broader pattern is now more important than this individual run: there have been multiple easy or recovery-oriented runs since the marathon, recent runs have been completed comfortably, and there is no current evidence that another generic easy session would provide useful information. The next phase should begin with objective baseline testing.
The development block will measure two complementary qualities: performance through a controlled 5K time trial, and aerobic efficiency through a repeatable submaximal benchmark. These measurements will later be repeated to determine whether sustainable pace, cardiovascular cost and perceived effort improved.
Takeaway. End the post-marathon recovery phase. Thursday October 8 will establish the 5K performance baseline with a controlled Time Trial. Sunday October 11 will retain aerobic volume and include the submaximal aerobic benchmark. From the following week, training should progress into structured threshold, interval, hill, stride and aerobic work according to the response to these baseline sessions.
Next step. 5K Baseline Time Trial. Establish the performance baseline for the new development block. Run a controlled but genuinely hard 5K with even pacing.