2016 New York City Marathon Training – Week 1
Start spreading the news – I officially started training for the New York City Marathon this week! The first workout was a little rough with 75+ degree temperatures and 90% humidity. But, the week ended well with a fun tempo run (I know, that should be an oxymoron) and an easy long run.
Training Schedule
June 26th – July 2nd
Sunday: 5 miles recovery.
Monday: 7 miles recovery.
Tuesday: Intervals. 3K @ half marathon effort/pace, 2K a tad faster, 3 x 1K @ 10k effort/pace.
Wednesday: 6 miles recovery.
Thursday: 6 miles recovery.
Friday: Broken Tempo. 2 x 15 minutes w 3 min. recovery between sets.
Saturday: 14 miles easy.
Mileage Total: ~55 Miles
Adaptations. I was good this week – I did everything my coach told me to do. No adjustments to her schedule for me. (On Sunday, I ran into my only running coach since high school. Years ago, I joined a 10K training group through D.C. Road Runners in hopes that I could (finally!) run sub-50. He was my coach and knew exactly how to coach a competitive person like me.)
Workout Details
Intervals. 3K @ half marathon effort/pace, 2K a tad faster, 3 x 1K @ 10k effort/pace. [Log Details].
I was excited to run my first workout of this training cycle! For the repetitions, I set my Garmin for the McMillan Calculator predicted race paces from my 2016 Lawyers Have Heart result on the fast end. On the slow end, it was very humid outside so I gave myself a cushion of 30 seconds slower.
I immediately noticed the humidity during the warmup – the air was thick and hazy. I thought I was taking off some speed during the first repetition but by the end, I knew I’d gone out faster than half marathon effort. Mid-way through the second repetition, I was even more confident of that fact and hoped I had enough left for the faster segments to come. By the time I started the 1K repetitions, my legs just wouldn’t run any faster. I was surprised by how miserable I felt so quickly! The humidity had taken its toll – sweat was streaming off of me. I considered myself lucky that I finished the workout at all.
Split paces=7:53 (3K), 7:46 (2K), 7:46 (1K), 8:25 (1K), 8:09 (1K).
Broken Tempo. 2 x 15 minutes w/ 3 min. recovery between each set. [Log Details].
It took me a few moments to understand this workout. Instead of running each 15 minute segment at tempo pace, the first 5 minutes were supposed to be at marathon pace/effort, the next at half marathon pace/effort, and then the final at tempo pace/effort. Based on Tuesday’s workout, I programmed my Garmin for 8:10-8:25 pace, 7:55-8:10 pace, and 7:40-7:55 pace.
For the first set, the pace felt very easy. At times, I felt the urge to run harder but I resisted. The conditions were slightly better than Tuesday – 87% humidity instead of 90% – but I was still concerned about going out too hard.
During the second set, I pressed the pace a bit more but the paces still felt pretty easy. After the workout, I was surprised that the paces between the sets were so similar. However, when I looked at the “grade adjusted paces” on Strava, I saw I actually did run the second set harder. Overall, I thought it was a fun workout! There was some hard running but it wasn’t exhausting.
5:00 segment paces= 8:20, 7:57, and 7:49 (set 1); 8:12, 7:57, and 7:49 (set 2).
Long Run. 14 miles easy [Log Details].
I drank about 16 ounces of water, coffee, and half a bagel before the run. I carried an Accel Rapid Energy Gel and my 8 oz. Nathan Handheld.
I felt a little tired at the start of the run. For some reason, my feet and ankles hurt. The workout notes from my coach said this was a “time on my feet run” so I thought it was okay if I didn’t feel so great. The weather wasn’t the problem – the temperature was low 70s but the humidity was low. I felt better about 3 miles into the run.
I stopped at a water fountain on the Custis Trail about 4.75 miles into the run. I downed my gel and drank water until my belly well full. The trail was crowded and I had the urge to pass runners but I remembered this run wasn’t about speed.
I saw some runners I knew about 8 miles into the run and that gave me an extra boost. By the 10 mile mark, I was running “hard” but after stopping for water again a mile later, I was ready to call it a day. Overall, it was a very easy run. A few hours later, I felt as though I could have run another 6-10 miles.
Pace=9:01.
Health
Illness. I suffered through a low-grade cold for most of the week. I had nasal congestion that required a lot of nose blowing and the occasional sneeze but I wouldn’t say I was “sick”.
Sleep. I started logging my sleep last Friday and am hoping that will help me get a handle on my insomnia. I slept well early in the week but was dragging by the end after broken sleep on Wednesday night.
Weather
Heat and Humidity. The temperature and humidity during Tuesday’s workout was unbelievable – 75 degrees and 90% humidity. I was sweating so intensely that there was a steady stream of it dipping off off my visor during the workout. Friday’s and Saturday’s workouts were better, but it’s going to be a rough summer.
Racing Schedule
Next race: Firecracker 5K on July 4th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.) New 5 year age category! W00t! W00t!
