- Fueling my hard workouts with Generation UCAN
- Getting plenty of restful sleep
- Foam rolling almost every day
- Staying hydrated (I even got a new smart water bottle)
- Regularly doing my hip strengthening exercises (3-4 times per week)
- Staying mentally relaxed and not obsessing about my running
- Keeping my easy runs easy and not over-running the workouts
- Getting massages every two weeks
In addition to all the running I did this week, I also spoke at a local marketing conference about marketing technology. It was a great opportunity to share my experience and network with other marketers. Even though my mileage is at an all-time high, I'm still very focused on my work and I find that having a work/running balance is really important in staying sane. Running clears my mind from work stuff. Focusing on work ensures I don't spend too much time thinking (or obsessing about) running.
Monday: Easy
8.1 miles @ 8:39 average. It was insanely windy and rainy. And also dark. This run simply wasn't enjoyable but I got it done. I'd rather deal with wind than ice on the ground so I can't complain too much for late January.
Tuesday: Progression
11.7 miles @ 7:44 average. The plan called for a 90-minute progression run with the first 30 minutes easy, the middle 30 minutes medium, and the last 30 minutes hard. I've done this workout quite a few times now, so I know how each section should feel. Just six weeks ago I actually ran this same workout at an average pace of 7:51, so it was nice to see some progress. 30 mins easy @ 8:36 (3.49 miles), 30 mins medium @ 7:37 (3.94 miles), 30 mins hard @ 7:05 (4.23 miles). I struggled during miles 9-10 because they were uphill and into a headwind. Instead of worrying about my pace, I kept the effort strong and got the benefit of the workout.
Wednesday: Easy
8.1 miles @ 8:40 average. Just an easy run!
Thursday: Tempo + intervals
11.8 miles. This included a really long workout: 4 mile tempo run @ 6:56 pace. Half mile recovery
jog. 2 x 90 seconds with 90 second recovery jogs: (6:32, 6:24). 4 x 60 seconds with 60 second recovery jogs: (6:18, 6:17, 6:11, 6:10). 4 x 45 seconds with 45 second recovery jogs: (6:15, 6:13, 6:03, 6:02). 4 x 30 seconds with 30 second recovery jogs: (6:03, 5:55, 6:01, 5:58). 6 x 15 seconds with 15 second recovery jogs (6:18, 6:01, 6:18, 5:51, 6:19, 5:52). Including warmup and cool down I ran 11.8 miles total. This was a landmark run for me because it's the first tempo run I've done at a sub-7:00 pace. My coach gave me this workout five weeks out from Boston and my tempo pace was 7:02. I was also able to run the shorter intervals faster than I was last spring. At 50 degrees, I almost felt too warm at times!
Friday: Easy
7.1 miles @ 8:32 average. I was pleasantly surprised at how peppy my legs felt given the beating that they took on Thursday.
Saturday: Long Run
21.2 miles @ 8:18 average. Similar to last weekend, Greg parked his car at the W&OD trail and ran the first part of the run with me. He ran back to the car, I ran home. We started this run at a pace of around 8:27. I kept trying to get us to slow down, but we naturally kept logging fast miles. The
slightly faster paces just felt natural and easy. It was also quite cold, so I think trying to keep warm was partially why these paces felt comfortable. It seems like my body is naturally inclined toward negative splits; the longer I run, the better I feel and the more energy I have. I definitely could have continued on at this pace or faster for another five miles, and BQ'ed the training run. I need a 3:40 to BQ, but I'll be looking to run somewhere around 3:20. I finished this run with plenty of energy and there is no residual soreness in my legs.
Sunday: Recovery Jog
3.4 miles @ 8:42 average. Everything felt good and I'm looking forward to another hard week!
Total mileage for the week: 71.4
As the marathon gets closer, I have started to think about my strategy and goals. All of my workouts make me think that marathon pace of 7:30-7:40 is realistic on a good day, but there's still a lot of work to be done. I have a 10K tuneup race next weekend which I will not taper for. It will be interesting to see how much speed I can get on tired legs. Regardless of how I run in the marathon, I am really enjoying the challenges of this training cycle and the progress I have made in terms of handling the heavy load.
I'm running higher weekly mileage than I did when I trained for Boston, but my overall training cycle will end up being about one month shorter. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that February doesn't bring any severe weather-- we were definitely spoiled in January with mild temperatures and no storms.
Wednesday: Easy
8.1 miles @ 8:40 average. Just an easy run!
Thursday: Tempo + intervals
11.8 miles. This included a really long workout: 4 mile tempo run @ 6:56 pace. Half mile recovery
 |
| Thursday, January 26 |
Friday: Easy
7.1 miles @ 8:32 average. I was pleasantly surprised at how peppy my legs felt given the beating that they took on Thursday.
Saturday: Long Run
21.2 miles @ 8:18 average. Similar to last weekend, Greg parked his car at the W&OD trail and ran the first part of the run with me. He ran back to the car, I ran home. We started this run at a pace of around 8:27. I kept trying to get us to slow down, but we naturally kept logging fast miles. The
 |
| Saturday, January 28 |
Sunday: Recovery Jog
3.4 miles @ 8:42 average. Everything felt good and I'm looking forward to another hard week!
Total mileage for the week: 71.4
As the marathon gets closer, I have started to think about my strategy and goals. All of my workouts make me think that marathon pace of 7:30-7:40 is realistic on a good day, but there's still a lot of work to be done. I have a 10K tuneup race next weekend which I will not taper for. It will be interesting to see how much speed I can get on tired legs. Regardless of how I run in the marathon, I am really enjoying the challenges of this training cycle and the progress I have made in terms of handling the heavy load.
I'm running higher weekly mileage than I did when I trained for Boston, but my overall training cycle will end up being about one month shorter. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that February doesn't bring any severe weather-- we were definitely spoiled in January with mild temperatures and no storms.
Something you may want to consider is getting the Normatec Leg Recovery Compression System. I got it last November and it really helps your legs recover from your workouts and long runs. (www.normatec.com)
ReplyDeleteYou are crushing your training! I can't wait to see how you do in MB.
ReplyDeletePretty impressive speed/pace with those progression and tempo/interval run workouts. And very impressed with 21.2-mi LR that averages at 8:18 pace. This is "Boston-caliber" training and have to suspect with that training volume you at you are going to run a very fast MB Marathon if environ conditions favorable. Geez...those average paces for your "Easy" runs is looking like what I may be running my marathon at come next April....unless I make some better inroads as I head towards 2nd half of training cycle. I don't fare well on LR's in cold, Chicago winters...so hoping we get some more moderate breaks as the LR distance increases towards those 20's. Looking forward to seeing results of your training program when you run MB. Good luck! Leave you with my favorite quote from Arthur Ashe, "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can!"
ReplyDeleteYou're really crushing the mileage and workouts and I think you'll crush MB. Hopefully the weather's good for us, the course is definitely flat and fast compared to the DC area (which isn't flat). So crazy that you probably could have BQed in the training run with all those miles already on your legs too.
ReplyDeleteYou are kicking some serious butt! Your training week looks like what I dreamed about doing but could not do for my marathon training hahaha. Continued success on your training!
ReplyDelete