2016 New York City Marathon Training – Week 11
I overdid it a little on Sunday and Monday by logging 30 miles in two days! I felt terrible every morning after that but strangely, I ran pretty well! I’m thinking 8:00 pace for the Parks Half Marathon tomorrow but the Accuweather forecast shows 74 degrees at the start.
Training Schedule
September 4th – September 10th
Sunday: Long Run. 14 miles.
Monday: Tempo Run. 8 x 1 mile with 2 minutes rest + WRC Run of Shame.
Tuesday: 8 miles recovery.
Wednesday: 7 miles recovery.
Thursday: Interval Run. 1 mile @ 10K effort, 4 minute rest, 8 x 400m @ 5K effort w/90 second recoveries.
Friday: 6 miles recovery.
Saturday: 5 miles recovery.
Mileage Total: ~66 Miles
Adaptations. I followed my coach’s schedule but ran some additional miles as part of the Washington Running Club’s 3rd Annual Run of Shame.
Workout Details
Long Run. 14 miles. [Log Details]
I ran with my club for a change in hopes of running a little harder than I might otherwise.
We ran mostly on the Capital Crescent Trail, which is uphill out and downhill back. I started the run with a good friend and a man visiting from Chicago, who were running 8:25 pace. I was breathing a little harder than I thought I should at the beginning but I stuck with them.
We stopped at Fletcher’s Boathouse. I ran with a friend running in the 8:00 pace group for about 5 minutes. The 8:30 pace felt hard after that. We stopped for water at the Washington Aqueduct and I caught my breath.
We slowed down a little for the next few miles. Chicago Runner turned around after 6 miles but my friend and I kept running until we reached Bethesda for 7 miles. We drank some water, chatted for a little while, and then parted ways.
I felt better after that break and ran hard alone on the way back. For inspiration, I thought about the time I ran this stretch covered in snow. I stopped for water again at the Aqueduct.
With less than a mile to go, I was startled by a deer that was being chased by a dog! I had a rush of adrenaline after that and finished strong.
Mentally, I felt good about this run. It was my fastest non-treadmill run over 10 miles since the first week of this training cycle. Physically, I was exhausted!
Overall paces=8:35.
Tempo Run. 8 x 1 mile with 2 minutes rest. [Log Details].
It didn’t occur to me that my coach would schedule a tempo run for me after a long run. I worried that my legs wouldn’t hold up. I also planned to participate in (and present for) my running club’s 3rd Annual Run of Shame at 8:30am in Georgetown. (I talked about the Georgetown Market.) So, I parked downtown and ran the mile repeats on the Mount Vernon Trail in Virginia.
My coach hadn’t given me pace guidelines but I did a similar workout a month ago. I ran the first few miles at an easy to moderate effort. They were around 8:20-8:30 pace. I didn’t feel as tired as I thought I would!
On the way back, I decided to let myself run a little harder. I tried to drop down to 8:15 pace. It felt hard but something I knew I could finish. In fact, my pace was close to 8:00 pace at the beginning of the repetitions and then I forced myself to slow down. On the last repetition, I ran all out.
I was proud of the effort I made considering how hard I’d gone the day before!
Mile paces=8:35, 8:30, 8:27, 8:26, 8:18, 8:13, 8:12, 7:44. Average=7:57.
Interval Run. 1 mile @ 10K effort, 4 minute rest, 8 x 400m @ 5K effort w/90 second recoveries. [Details]
I felt pretty bad when I woke up. I wasn’t sure I’d recovered from Sunday and Monday’s workouts.
I started the mile interval at a pretty easy pace and then progressively pushed the pace harder. I wanted to make sure I could finish this workout. I would say it was hard but not quite 10K hard since I didn’t hate running when I finished.
I couldn’t wait to start the quarters after the rest, though. I really wanted to let my legs fly and I ran them all faster than 5K effort. During the sixth rest segments, a man running with a prosthesis passed me. I told myself that I need to stop complaining about my workouts. I did my last two segments all-out.
I felt great by the end of the workout. I got some fast running in but not so much that I felt tired.
1 mile pace=7:51, 400m paces=6:47, 7:11, 7:13, 6:50, 6:51, 7:00, 6:45, 6:32.
Health
After a long run on Sunday, and then a tempo run followed by an easy run on Monday; I was completely exhausted. I felt terrible every morning for the rest of the week – like I hadn’t slept at all. I think I was also seriously dehydrated. But, nothing actually hurt.
Weather
The week started with temperatures in the low 70s. I could finally run some faster miles! By Wednesday, the heat and humidity returned. But hopefully, it was the last heat wave of this record-setting summer.
Racing Schedule
Next race: Parks Half Marathon on September 11th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
