2017 Eugene Marathon Training – Week 13

I couldn’t train how I wanted this week.  Between post-RnR DC Half Marathon recovery and snow, I didn’t run a lot of quality miles until later in the week.  It’s 50 days until Eugene!  Oh, and one month until Boston!!!

Training Schedule
Week 13: March 12th – March 18th

Sunday: Recovery run. 8 miles + strides
Monday: Medium run.  12 miles w/5 miles @ MP+5-10%
Tuesday: Interval run.  7 miles. Speed work with run club
Wednesday: Recovery run. 4 miles + hill repeats
Thursday: Tempo Run. 14 miles w/5 x 0.25 mile @ marathon pace – 5%, 1 mile @ marathon pace + 5%.
Friday: Recovery run. 6 miles
Saturday: Long Run.  20 miles w/14 miles @ marathon pace

Mileage Total: ~70 Miles

Adaptations. There was about 3″ of snow and ice on the ground Tuesday morning, so I ran on the treadmill.  On Wednesday, driving to the gym for 4 miles seemed silly and it was still below freezing during lunch, so I took an off day.  On Thursday, I thought the trail conditions would still be sketchy so I decided to just run “steady”.  I tinkered with today’s workout, but it was a similar intensity.

Goal.  I didn’t set any goals so…  Outcome: Fail!

Workout Details

Medium Run. 12 miles w/5 miles @ MP+5-10% Steady [Log Details].

It was a beautiful, crisp morning and felt pretty spry out the door despite having run the RnR DC Half Marathon two days before.  But, my pace was inconsistent through the first 3 or 4 miles through neighborhood streets.   I had a close call with a car that left me a little rattled.  I was happy when I reached the Custis Trail.  I made a mental note of the detour leading to the Mount Vernon Trail.  I hit the long uphill and expected a lot of soreness in my legs.  Instead, I ran faster than usual until the hook-up with the W&OD Trail.  I took a break at the water stop and then ran “easy” for the rest of the run.

Not an impressive run but not bad two days after a half marathon.

Overall pace=8:47.

Interval Run. 5 miles @ MP + 10 sec. and faster Treadmill Run.  1 hour and 30 minutes [Log Details].

It snowed overnight and there was a good 3″ of snow and ice on the ground.  I didn’t think it was safe to run outside since most businesses and homeowners wouldn’t have had a chance to clear the sidewalks.  I checked online and my gym was opening at 8am.  I scraped the snow and ice off my car and drove the 2 miles to do a treadmill run.  (All wheel drive is fantastic!)

I didn’t try to make this run a workout.  I ran “easy” at first and then increased the speed every so often.  To my surprise, I found my stride opening up a bit.  It felt great!  Unsure of how far I was running, I ran an hour and a half.

The run felt amazing!  I wondered if I should run on the treadmill more often.

Overall pace=8:39?

Tempo Run. 14 miles w/5 x 0.25 mile @ marathon pace – 5%, 1 mile @ marathon pace + 5% Medium run w/8 miles “steady” [Log Details].

I waited until the sun came out so I could see icy spots.

I was averaging about 8:05 pace on the Custis Trail, which was nicely plowed to asphalt.  At the Mount Vernon Trail, I turned onto the detour I saw on Monday.  It was a short, though – maybe just a quarter mile.  Unfortunately, the terrain on the Mount Vernon Trail was inconsistent and I couldn’t run as hard as I wanted.

 

My pace dropped to around 8:10 until I started my cool-down.  Still, I ran a pretty quick cool-down until I slipped on two patches of ice in about a minute interval and decided to slow down considerably.

I felt good about the run itself but thought it wasn’t quite hard enough.

Overall pace=8:40.

Long Run.  20 miles w/14 miles @ marathon pace 20 miles w/10 x 0.25 mile @ marathon pace – 5%, 1 mile @ marathon pace + 5%. [Log Details].

I had a nice warm-up through my neighborhood and started the alternations on the Four Mile Run Trail near Shirlington.  The first few sets flew by effortlessly.  Half way though the workout, having double-backed after heading south on the MVT towards the Washington Marina, I was filled with doubt.  “I’m tired,” I thought.  But, immediately, my mind answered with, “You can absolutely do this workout.”  On Hains Point, I waivered again and repeated the mantra focusing on the word, “Absolutely”.  I ploughed through the next 3 sets by telling myself I could do this workout.  I did stop during the 9^th set to take a photograph.

 

 

I started the cool-down near the Humpback Bridge on the Mount Vernon Trail.  I was tired and wanted to stop.  I waited until after the George Washington Memorial Parkway crossing, to catch my breath.  I stopped a few more time on the mostly uphill journey home.

This was a hard core workout!  It was exhausting but confidence building.

Split paces=7:34/8:21 (set 1), 7:25/8:19 (set 2), 7:27/8:26 (set 3), 7:35/8:20 (set 4), 7:36/8:24 (set 5), 7:29/8:26 (set 6), 7:33/8:22 (set 7), 7:33/8:21 (set 8), 7:31/8:20 (set 9), 7:38/8:22 (set 10).  Mean=7:33/8:26.  Overall pace=8:39.

Health

Injuries.  The biggest disappointment of the week was the return of my piriformis pain.  It flared up during Mile 10 of the 2017 Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon.  But, Tuesday’s treadmill run seemed to relax it.  I went to my chiropractor on Friday, as usual.  I started thinking I could stop the appointments soon but I banished that thought from my head this week.

Weight.  My weight dropped last week and remained around 125 pounds for most of the week.

Weather

It was a very cold week.  It snowed Monday night and there was about 3″ of icy snow on the ground Tuesday morning, so I ran indoors on the treadmill.  There wasn’t any melt the next day, so I took the day off.  By Thursday, the trails were passable but with impacted snow and slick spots.  Friday and Saturday were warmer and with better running surfaces.

Racing Schedule

Next race: 2017 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on April 2nd. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)

How do you deal with snow?