2016 Boston Marathon Training – Week 12
Strong week! I ran a 22 miler on Sunday and a ran two easy runs on Monday. I had a rough interval workout on Tuesday and then cut-back my mileage in preparation for my first “tune up” race of this training cycle – the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon! I think I ran it pretty well. I finished in 1:38:03 – about a minute faster than I expected!
Training Schedule
March 6th – March 12th
Sunday: Specific Endurance Run. 22 miles w/last 11 miles moderate.
Monday: 6 miles easy + hill sprints (AM).
Tuesday: Specific Endurance Intervals. 3 miles easy, 6 x 1 mile @ 10K pace + 5 sec./mile w/3-min. active recoveries, 3 miles easy.
Wednesday: 10 miles moderate.
Thursday: 4-6 miles easy + strides.
Friday: 4-6 miles easy + strides.
Saturday: Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon.
Mileage Total: ~72 miles.
Adaptations. I followed the long run from the back-of-the-book schedule but then I departed from that plan pretty significantly. It had a lot of mileage in the days leading up to the half marathon but after reviewing my mileage before previous PRs, I cut my easy runs down to 6 miles in the days before the race.
Details
Specific Endurance Run. 22 miles w/last 11 miles moderate [Log Details].
I decided to start my run from home instead of Georgetown in order to compare this run with previous efforts on the same route.
The first hour was on a mostly uphill/rolling hills trail and was pretty tiring. I focused on keeping the pace comfortable. Listening to a podcast rather than music helped. At about 35 minutes into the run, I stopped at a water fountain for a few sips of water and started my first Crank Sports e-Gel – Salted Watermelon flavor. Again, I was surprised that I liked it. Before starting the moderate segment, I stopped to finish my e-Gel, put on some uptempo music, and took a picture:
Maybe it was the break, but I started the moderate segment on the fast side. (I’ve been using 8:25-8:45 pace as my range.) But, I didn’t really feel the need to slow down so I just stayed with it.
I was happy with the run. Reminding myself that I’m trying to learn to run hard on tired legs is definitely helping me power through the rough patches. I’m feeling really positive about the Hudson training plan. I’m enjoying it a lot more than Hanson’s and it’s pretty similar to Pfitz.
Overall pace=8:43. Moderate pace segment=8:29 pace.
Specific Endurance Intervals. 3 miles easy, 6 x 1 mile @ 10K pace + 5 sec./mile w/3-min. active recoveries, 2 miles easy [Log Details].
It was a strange workout. The warm-up was fine. I set my Garmin for 7:11-7:22 pace during the 10K pace segments. The pace felt tiring for the first two reps. But then, it felt too easy for the next two. I was feeling so confident that I was nailing this workout! Then, I struggled again on the final two miles. At the end of the run, I was angry. I’m not sure quite why – I can’t point to a “mistake” I made. I was just upset that this workout felt so hard. And, despite that last mile, the average of the 10K pace miles was still in range.
10K pace miles=7:13, 7:15, 7:19, 7:18, 7:22, 7:46. Average=7:22 pace.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. 13.1 miles @ half marathon pace [Log Details].
I’ll post a race report in a few days, but, I’m very happy with how it went! Going in, I decided to really try to run by effort since I had no clue what kind of shape I was in. And, I’m tired of flaming out during races!
During today’s race, there were certainly moments when I thought I started too fast or took the downhills too hard. But for the most part, I felt very strong – good form, nice leg turnover, mostly easy breathing… In the end, I finished in ~1:38:03 (7:30 pace). It’s a far cry from my PRs but it’s faster than the HM pace I’ve been using in my training (7:31-7:42). Bonus: I saw so many of my local running friends, which really kept me inspired to do my best.
Average=~7:30 pace.
Other Running-Related Activities
Racing Schedule. I booked my flight for the Boston Marathon! I’ll fly in late-afternoon on Saturday and come back early morning on Tuesday. My excitement for Ragnar Cape Cod also increased as my team started to assign runners to legs. It looks like I’ll be in Van 2 this time.
Gear. I started to have doubts about my Garmin 220. I was seeing wide pace variations during some of the segments during my run. I did some trouble-shooting but when I went to the RnR DC expo, I bought the 630. Squeee!
I also bought a new sports bra and some shoe charms.
Media of the Week
Song. “My Nation Underground,” by Julian Cope. This was one of my favorite albums as a teenager.
Podcast. I finally caught up on my podcasts. I listened to a lot of good ones so I couldn’t just choose one for the week.
Episode 42 of Pace the Nation. I listened to this episode during my long run. They interviewed a local elite, Kieran O’Connor, about his experience at the Olympic Trials. He seemed like a very down-to-earth and centered person.
Trent Morrow on Runners Connect. This had a pretty powerful impact on me – not so much for his accomplishments, which are very impressive. But, he ended the cast by challenging listeners to ask themselves two questions:
What will be your legacy? What do you want people to remember you for?
Will you be a warning for others? Or a shining example?
Sign on the Dotted Line by Jillian Michaels. Warning: there’s a lot of potty humor in this episode, which I normally don’t like. But Jill and Janice always make me laugh even when I’m slightly offended.
The Week Ahead
No rest for the weary – I’ll run long tomorrow. Two more hard training weeks until I start my taper!
Inspiration. “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
