2016 New York City Marathon Training – Week 18

2016 NYCM Week 18 Infographic

I really cut down my mileage this week.  And, I only had two workouts!  I ran my long run as a dress rehearsal.  My interval workout was hard but surprisingly chatty.  I struggled with insomnia for most of the week but still ran well.  I also started weather stalking for the New York City Marathon next weekend!


Training Schedule
October 23rd – October 29th

Sunday: Long Run. 17 miles.
Monday: 6 miles recovery.
Tuesday: 8 miles general recovery + strides.
Wednesday: 6 miles recovery.
Thursday: Interval Run. 9 miles w/3 x 1,600m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between.
Friday: 5 miles recovery.
Saturday: 7 miles general recovery + strides.

Mileage Total: ~58 Miles

Adaptations. I ran my interval workout on Tuesday instead of Thursday.  I dealt with insomnia most of the week, so I ran easy on Thursday instead of making up the general aerobic run.  The lack of sleep caught up with me by Friday.  I over-slept and I had to take a rest day.  Normally, I hate rest days but “the hay is in the barn”, so I was okay with it.  

Goals.  I forgot to set goals for this week.  So…  Outcome: Fail!


Workout Details

Long Run 17 miles [Log Details].

I ran this run as a dress rehearsal.  I wore the clothes I thought I would wear for the New York City Marathon and thought about how I might carry 6 gels, (even though I only carried 4 on the run.)  I also contemplated whether I would carry my phone with me.

As usual, I listened to a podcast to keep the pace easy at the start.  After the warm-up, I had to push to get down to 8:40, which is where I’ve been running “MP+20%” even though that’s much faster than my goal marathon pace.  Even though it seemed soon, I had a gel 30 minutes into my run to test having them at shorter intervals.

Honeysuckle by the Airport
Honeysuckle by the Airport

By now, I was on the Mount Vernon Trail.  I picked up the pace a little after crossing Humpback Bridge.  I dropped down to low-8:00 pace.  It felt hard but something I could hold!  Soon thereafter, I was on the Custis Trail and was struggling a bit.  When it flattened out, I tried to run “MP+10%” or close to 8:00 pace.  I thought about my first leg of this year’s Ragnar Cape Cod and how I ran everyone in front of me down and quickened my pace.  “I’m going to have to fight just like that.”

The belt felt fine but I worried about one falling out.  I didn’t have the chance to test out arm warmers – although the temperature was in the mid-50s, the sun made it feel much warmer.

It was a good run.  I tested myself physically and prepped myself mentally to run hard at the New York City Marathon.

MP+10% segments (6.6 miles) pace=7:58.  Overall pace=8:26.

Interval Run. 9 miles w/3 x 1,600m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between [Log Details].

Washington Monument - Dawn
Washington Monument – Dawn

I decided to run with the “fast club” again.  Their coach had recommended 3 x 1 mile @ half marathon to marathon pace, so I went with that instead of the workout in Pfitz.  Based on my time in the Army Ten Miler, McMillan estimates my half marathon pace would be about 7:40 pace.  And, my goal pace for the New York City Marathon was 8:00 pace.

I ran with the woman I’ve run with the previous times I’ve joined them and another woman who had been planning to run NYCM but is injured.  I messed up the first repetition since I was looking at the overall mileage and not the split.  I was so busy talking with them about race experiences that I wasn’t paying much attention to pace or distance.  They’re both a bit faster than me and I found myself running faster than I might otherwise but it didn’t feel horrible.  In fact, I was talking more than they were!

I was pretty surprised by the splits when I got home and downloaded them. Am I being too conservative for NYCM?

Splits=7:36, 7:24, 7:23.  Average=7:27.


Health

My hips, glutes, and hamstrings were still sore.  The drills and strides are helping with mobility, though.

Sleep.  I had a bout of insomnia this week.  I stayed up late watching The Walking Dead on Sunday, which threw my sleep off.  But I never recovered.  Every day, I woke up between 3am and 4am and couldn’t get back to sleep.  I slept like a baby on Friday night, though.


Weather

Glorious fall weather all week!  There were a few days when I wore long sleeve shirts and light gloves but for the most part, I was comfortable in singlets and shorts.


Racing Schedule

Next race: 2016 New York City Marathon on November 6th!  (My Complete Racing Schedule.)

2016 NYCM Forecast
2016 NYCM Forecast

I bought my Amtrak tickets last weekend.  I’ll arrive in New York City late afternoon on Friday.

I checked the weather forecast for the first time on Thursday.  It showed rain at that time but this morning, it’s showing almost ideal running conditions!