2016 New York City Marathon Training – Week 14
I ran in all three local jurisdictions – Maryland for a race, the District of Columbia during a few run commutes, and Virginia for my usual runs. I focused on endurance runs with a little faster stuff mixed in. By the end of the week, it was clear I’d pushed myself too hard.
Training Schedule
September 25th – October 1st
Sunday: DCRRC National Capital 20 Miler.
Monday: 6 miles recovery (AM) + 4 miles recovery (PM).
Tuesday: Interval Run. 12 miles w/6 x 1ooom @ 5K race pace; 50 to 90% interval time between.
Wednesday: Medium Run. 15 miles.
Thursday: 6 miles recovery (AM) + 4 miles recovery (PM).
Friday: Medium Run. 12 miles.
Saturday: 7 miles recovery.
Mileage Total: ~86 Miles
Adaptations. I ran the DCRRC National Capital 20 Miler with some goal marathon pace miles. It was a hard effort, so I did a single 6 mile run on Monday and cut the repetition distance for the interval run on Tuesday. I also moved my weekend long run to today so I could go out with friends tonight.
Goals. Run 8:15 as marathon pace pace on for the DCRRC National Capital 20 Miler.
Workout Details
DCRRC National Capital 20 Miler. [Race Report].
I ran this race – an out and back on the C&O Canal Trail – as a supported 20 miler with 14 miles at marathon pace. The hot and humid summer weather finally broke and temperatures were in the low 60s for the race. I thought Sub-2:50:00 (8:30 pace) would be a stretch but my time was 2:42:07 (8:07 pace)! The marathon pace segment was approximately 14 miles in 1:51:00 (7:56 pace). I was happily surprised by this result and felt better about running a marathon in 40 days.
Overall pace=8:07.
Interval Run. 12 miles w/6 x 8oom @ 5K race pace with 50-90% interval time between. [Log Details]
I ran this run as a commute into work. The training plan called for 6 x 1000m but, given the hard race I did on Sunday, I went down to 800m instead.
The warm-up was uneventful. I started the first 800m repetition when I hit the Mount Vernon Trail near Slater’s Lane. My legs weren’t turning over every well at all. During the first rest interval, I walked for two minutes and then jogged for one minute. The next repetition was hard because of the terrain but then they got a little easier. I followed the same rest pattern of walking for two-thirds of the interval.
After the intervals, I jogged to work feeling good about the workout. Although I did interval workouts this summer, the heat made it hard to run them very fast. It was good seeing my speed drop below 8 minute pace.
Splits=3:43, 3:47, 3:37, 3:39, 3:31, 3:43, 3:38. Average=3:40 or 7:20 pace.
Medium Run. 15 miles. [Log Details].
I woke up tired and thought about bagging the workout. The rain didn’t help motivate me. But, I hoped I’d feel better once I got out the door. It took a good 3 miles into the run before running felt comfortable. But, I listened to a podcast to keep the pace easy to moderate through 6 miles and then switched to music.
I started the MP+10% segments on the long downhill on Lee Highway. In a moment of levity, a woman came up to me when I was stopped at an intersection and pointed out that we had the same shoes. (I should have asked her if she’s worried about the Wave Rider 20s).
On the Mount Vernon Trail, I kept the pace but the effort was definitely hard to maintain.
I was surprised this run went so well considering how bad I felt when it started.
MP+10% segments (5.22 miles) pace=8:23. Overall pace=8:57.
Long Run. 18 miles. [Log Details].
Despite 10 hours of sleep, I was tired when I woke up. It had been raining for 3 days. I checked Doppler and waited for the last cell to move through before starting my run before 9:30am.
Not long into the run, I really needed to go to the bathroom. I reached a McDonald’s about 3 miles into the run and used their facility. As I was coming out, I saw another runner going in. I’m not the only one! And, since I always pay these establishments back, I had an excuse to get an ice cream sundae later.
I tried to increase the pace once I reached the Mount Vernon Trail. But, my legs weren’t willing. About 6 miles into the run, I see the McDonald’s Runner coming at me on the trail. How did he get ahead of me?
Once I reached Gravelly Point, about 8 miles in, I stopped and ate a Gu. This isn’t good. I’m exhausted and I’m not even half way through! I had been listening to a podcast to keep the pace easy but switched to music to motivate me to run harder.
I stopped quite a bit over the next 12 miles. Aerobically, I felt capable of running but my legs were dead.
By the end of the run, it was clear 20 miles was too much for me.
Overall pace=9:02.
Health
Physically, I wanted more sleep each day. I also experienced a sharp pain in the arch of my left foot on my second run on Thursday. I used my yoga ball to roll out the pain. It was fine by Saturday.
Weather
It’s been raining since Wednesday. At first, it was refreshing. But then, it was annoying.
Racing Schedule
Next race: 2016 Army Ten Miler on October 9th. Hoorah! (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
