2016 Boston Marathon Training – Week 9

A grueling week!  I relied on the treadmill and my new Yaktrax to deal with bad weather on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  It was so miserable that I was thrilled with 32 degree temperatures and heavy rain one day!  But, the different surfaces took a toll on my calves and they were terribly sore.  I also struggled with insomnia this week.  I barely slept more than 5 hours each night.  By Friday, I got more sleep and had what felt like a successful interval workout.

Training Schedule

Sunday: Specific Endurance Run.  18 miles w/30 minutes moderate.
Monday: 6 miles easy + hill sprints (AM), 4 mile easy (PM).
Tuesday: 8 miles easy.
Wednesday: Specific Endurance Run.  14 miles w/8 miles @ marathon pace.
Thursday: 6 miles easy.
Friday:  Specific Endurance Intervals. 3 miles easy, 2 x (10 x 400m @ 10K-5K pace w/1-min. active recoveries), full recovery between sets, 3 miles easy.
Saturday: 6 miles easy.

Mileage Total: ~74 miles.

Adaptations:  I planned to run the George Washington Birthday 10K on Sunday but it was cancelled due to cold temperatures.  (At least two other races went off as planned.)  So, I ran a long run indoors on a treadmill instead.  On Monday, the weather wasn’t much better so instead of doubling, I ran 10 miles as a single.  For Friday’s workout, I reduced the number of repetitions so I could get to work on time.

Details

Specific Endurance Run.  18 miles w/30 minutes moderate [Log Details].

The race I planned to do was cancelled due to cold weather.  I switched gears, took the day before off, and did a long run on a treadmill at my gym.  Since it’s hard to know distance and pace on a treadmill, I programmed my Garmin for time.

I ran 20 minutes as a warm-up with the treadmill set at 6.0.  Then, I took a 2 minute break and started my first Peanut Butter Gu.  I ran 45 minutes with the treadmill at the 6.4 setting.  It felt a little hard but didn’t allow myself to lower the speed.  Another break, another Gu, and then another 45 minutes but this time with the treadmill at 6.6.  Finally, I arrived at the moderate segment.  I didn’t really want a 3rd Gu but I ate it anyway.  I need to force myself to take fuel during my marathons!  I ran 20 minutes with the treadmill at 6.8 and since I was feeling good, increased the setting to 7.0 for the last 10 minutes.

For most of the run, I visualized running Boston and how I wanted to feel at specific points.  I thought about the RunnersConnect podcast where Tina Muir talked about visualization and actually throwing your arms in the air like you would at the finish line.  I wanted to do that but held myself back.

Overall pace=My Garmin said I ran the whole thing in 7:55 pace but I suspect it was more like 8:30ish.

Specific Endurance Run.  14 miles w/8 miles @ marathon pace [Log Details].

I decided that my endurance was improving and it was time to integrate some marathon paced miles into my schedule.  I didn’t sleep well the night before, though.  I woke up at 3am and couldn’t go back to sleep.

Of course, I felt terrible from the start.  I was exhausted during the warm-up and my lower legs hurt from the treadmill and YakTrax running earlier in the week.  I started what was supposed to be marathon pace miles and my body immediately rejected that pace.  Early on, I eased off the pace and decided to make this a progression run instead.  I drew inspiration from this past week’s Olympic Marathon Trials.  I kept thinking, I wanna be like Desi at Boston!  I want to run those last miles HARD!  It helped some but 6 miles into the moderate miles, I was pretty much done.

Marathon pace miles= 8:29, 8:17, 8:08, 8:22, 8:22, 8:11, 8:19, 8:18.  Average=8:18.

Specific Endurance Intervals. 3 miles easy, 2 x (10 x 400m @ 10K-5K pace w/1-min. active recoveries), full recovery between sets, 3 miles easy [Log Details].

After struggling with insomnia most of the week, I got about 6 hours of sleep the night before.  The warm-up went well and the first set of intervals felt pretty comfortable.  I didn’t have to work hard to hit 5K-10K pace, which is 6:51-7:17 based on recent races and the McMillan Calculator.  The workout called for 10 repetitions but since I was running late for work, did two sets of 6 intervals.  By the end of the workout, I felt like this was one of the best workouts I’ve had in a while.  I love 400m repeats!

400m intervals= 6:56, 7:12, 7:04, 7:00, 6:56, 7:04, and then 7:04, 7:08, 7:04, 7:04, 7:04, 6:52.  Average=7:02.

Other Running-Related Activities

Gear.  I bought a pair of Yaktrax when Winter Storm Jonas forced me onto the treadmill.

I ran with them for the first time on Monday.  The roads and trails weren’t very icy or hard snow-packed, but I appreciated the added traction.

 

 

On Tuesday, there was more ice on the trails after the snow melted and the water refroze.   The YakTrax worked great!  The only problem was that I had to run on sidewalks or asphalt to get to the trails and damaged some of the studs.

Nutrition.  I got my February Stridebox on Saturday.

I tried the MET-Rx Electrolyte Energy Gummies from my October Stridebox before my medium run on Wednesday.  They were pretty good but not better than other products.

Media of the Week

Song.  “It’s My Life,” by No Doubt.  This song come on during a run this week and made me feel empowered for a moment.

Podcasts.  RunnersConnect, November 18, 2016.   I’m so behind on one of my favorite podcasts!  This episode came at a good time, though, since I struggled with insomnia this week.  There was good advice and tips on sleep in this cast.  I was thinking about getting a wearable – maybe the Garmin 630 – but after listening to this show, I may get some type of monitor under the sheets.

The Week Ahead

Inspiration.  “Eighty percent of success is showing up“. – Woody Allen