2017 Eugene Marathon Training – Week 16
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].
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.
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.
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?
I am so so glad your training has been going well! Me, on the other hand…crickets. I tried running twice this weekend (2 miles each) and the IT band was angry. Been doing PT, dry needling, massages, foam rolling, sticking, strengthening and stretching. Today I ran 2 miles and it felt better, but far from where it needs to be. I’m frustrated, sad, angry…sometimes optimistic. Was training so hard and really wanted to try for a BQ at Eugene. Now those goals are on hold. Just want to be able to run. I miss running ?
I will be stalking you on Monday while I am work! Weather is insane here – 85 degrees degree. Was 75 yesterday. Looking to be 60ish on race day, hope that’s not too warm for those of us who train well in the cold!