2017 Eugene Marathon Training – Week 16

2017 Eugene - Week 16 Infographic

Fantastic week!  I ran a great time at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and followed it up with some equally good training.  9 days until the Boston Marathon and 28 days until Eugene!

Training Schedule
Week 16: April 2nd – April 8th

Sunday: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Monday: Recovery run.  6 miles
Tuesday: Interval run.  7 miles.  Speed work with run club or ?
Wednesday: Recovery run.  8 miles
Thursday: Medium run. 14 miles w/10 miles @ marathon pace
Friday: Easy run. 10 miles
Saturday: Easy run. 6 miles

Mileage Total: ~60 Miles

Adaptations.  The week didn’t look anything like this schedule.  I felt pretty good after the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, so I did a medium run on Monday.  I didn’t plan on a specific interval run for the week, so I improvised.  I also cut the marathon pace workout down by a mile and did less easy running at the end of the week.

Goal.  Run the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in sub-1:16:30.  Outcome:  Success!

Workout Details

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler 10 miles @ 10 mile pace [Race Report].

2017 CB10M - Mile 9.75
2017 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler – Mile 9.75

The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler is one of the most popular and competitive races in Washington, D.C.  The weather was perfect, though, about 45 degrees.  I was seeded in the second corral this year since my race times have been slower.  In the early miles, I ran much faster than my goal pace.  I thought I was easing up on the pace but I ran even faster in the later miles.  I finished in 1:12:40 (7:16 pace)!  With a month to go until the Eugene Marathon, I couldn’t be happier with my performance.

 

 

 

Splits: 7:27, 7:20, 7:15, 7:22, 7:13, 7:21, 7:03, 7:03, 7:26, 7:14.

Medium Run. Recovery Run.  6 miles 15 miles easy [Log Details].

I felt great after the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.  In fact, I wanted to run more mileage that afternoon but held myself back.  So, the next morning, I decided to ride the good feeling and do a medium run.  During the first few miles, I thought it might have been a mistake.  All of my joints – not just my hips – hurt a lot.  After a good 4 miles, everything felt much better but I could still tell my body wasn’t liking this run.  I stopped to take pictures, which was also a time to rest and stretch.

Rowers on the Potomac at Dawn - 04032017
Rowers on the Potomac at Dawn – 04032017

The rest of the run was hard but not a struggle.  Afterwards, I thought it might have been better to have done a recovery day and then run longer.

Overall pace=8:44.

Interval Run.  10 miles w/10 x 200m @ 5K pace [Log Details].

I did this workout on my favorite 10 mile loop.  Instead of running the beginning of the run “easy”, I ran it “steady” to “hard”.  After running north through Arlington, I made it to the Custis Trail.  Usually, I take it easy on the hills between Lee Highway and Glebe Road but on this day, I ran them hard.  I stopped for water at the junction with the W&OD Trail for water.  Shortly thereafter, I started the 200m repeats.  It felt great running fast!  They were pretty uneventful.  I had a weird pain in my knee towards the end – not pain but more like a warm sensation – but it didn’t linger into the next day, so I assumed it was nothing.

200m splits=0:46, 0:47, 0:50, 0:47, 0:45, 0:49; 0:46, 0:47, 0:47, 0:48.  Mean=0:48 or ~6:40 pace.

Tempo Run.  13 miles w/9 miles @ marathon pace [Log Details]

I contemplated skipping this tempo run and doing my long run of 22 miles on Saturday since it would give me one more day of recovery before the Boston Marathon.  But, I decided I wanted more rest before tackling that distance.

I felt pretty good during the warm-up to the Mount Vernon Trail and part of me wanted to run the marathon pace miles in the 7:40 to 7:50 range to see if I might be in that kind of shape.  But, I decided against it since I did a lot of hard running this week.  I was motoring along pretty well and was quite impressed by how consistent my splits were – all around 8:00.  Then, shortly after I hooked up with the Four Mile Run Trail, I checked my pace and saw my Garmin had shut off!  I was frustrated but in the end it might have been a good thing.  By then, I was running into the wind and fading.  Still, it was a solid run.

Marathon pace segment=~8:05 pace.  Overall pace=~8:20.

 

Selfie in Concrete Tube - 04082017
Not just for kids! Selfie in Concrete Tube – 04082017

Health

Injuries.  My hips were sore for most of the week, but I was just thankful my left piriformis didn’t act up during the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler like it did during the Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon last month.  I saw my chiropractor on Tuesday.

Weight.  I stepped on the scale and weighed a little lighter than usual on Sunday.  I thought that was a bad thing since I wasn’t trying to lose any weight, but it’s only a pound or two here or there.

Sleep.  The week started off well – I got 9 hours of sleep before the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler!  I slept for at least 7 hours through Wednesday night and then, I didn’t sleeping as soundly for the rest of the week.  I slept in today and it felt amazing.

Weather

Temperatures in the upper 40s and low 50s to start the week – even warmer on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Then, it turned cold again and windy on Thursday but I got my run in before a rain storm.  It was still cold today, but the sun made it feel warmer.

Racing Schedule

Next race: 2017 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 17th.  Around this time next week, I’ll be heading to Bean Town! (My Complete Racing Schedule.)

How do you adjust your training after a race?