2017 Eugene Marathon Training – Week 20

Greetings from Eugene, Oregon!  I think this was my most restful taper ever – I “only” ran 32 miles this week.  My workouts went well but I felt sluggish during some of them, which isn’t unusual for a taper.  My time goal for tomorrow…  I think 3:30-3:25 should be achievable.

Training Schedule
Week 20: April 30th – May 6th

Sunday: Medium run. 12 miles hard
Monday: Recovery run. 5 miles.
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Tempo run. 6 miles w/2 miles @ tempo pace
Thursday: Easy run. 4 miles w/sprints.
Friday: Off
Saturday: Recovery run. 3 miles

Mileage Total: ~30 Miles.  I reduced by 60% of 74 miles.

Adaptations.  I stuck to the schedule, more or less.  I ran a half mile or mile more here and there but nothing too drastic.

Goal.  Resist the urge to run more than scheduled.  Outcome: Mostly a success.

Workout Details

Medium Run.  12 miles hard [Log Details].

I felt a little sluggish during the first two miles of this run.  I chalked it up to the rest day and weather that was warmer than usual.  It was over 70 degrees and 90% humidity when I started!  Even though I didn’t feel great, I wasn’t running much slower than usual.  I was running in new shoes that I planned to wear on race day.  The laces felt tight.  At the intersections, I adjusted the Speedlaces.  It also gave me an excuse to rest a little.  On the Custis Trail, I struggled on the almost mile-long Lee Highway uphill.  I ran better during the flatter sections but still struggled.  I lingered at the water fountain at the junction with the W&OD trail and doused myself with water.  I was pretty tired at the end of the run.  “12 miles shouldn’t feel this hard,” I thought.

Overall pace=8:40.

Tempo Run. 3 miles @ marathon pace [Log Details].

Whoo hoo!  This was my last workout of this training cycle!

I checked the schedules Pfitzinger and Magness for guidance on when and what to do for this final workout.  I decided to do just a few miles at marathon pace three days out from the my goal marathon.

I didn’t feel great during the workout.  I chalked it up to not sleeping well this week and abstaining from carbohydrates.  For the marathon pace segment, I ran the first two miles at what seemed like a hard long run pace.

For the last mile, I thought I’d run close to my personal record pace to see how it felt.  And…  It didn’t feel too hard!

Everything considered, I felt confident about a sub-3:30 effort but wasn’t quite sure I should aim for sub-3:25.

Splits=8:15, 8:06, 7:46.  Average=8:02.

Health

Injuries.  I went to my chiropractor on Tuesday.  My piriformis has been feeling much better and I expect I’ll just go for one more treatment next week.  No matter what happens tomorrow, I’m happy with how it held up during this training cycle (with the exception of the Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon.)

Weight.  I lost and then gained a few pounds this week probably due to my carbo-load.  I started with a depletion early in the week by limiting my carbohydrate to about 30% of my diet.  For the load, I tried to get about 600 grams of carbohydrate a day and drank extra water.  By Friday night, I felt utterly bloated but hopefully my glycogen stores are full.

Allergies.  It was another high pollen week but I didn’t take anything for it.

Sleep.  On average, I got a little over 6 hours of sleep each night but I didn’t sleep soundly.  I napped a lot on my flights to Eugene, though, and slept in late today.

Weather

On Sunday, the temperature was 70 degrees in the morning with 90% humidity.  The temperature steadily dropped during the week but the winds picked up – gusting over 20 mph on Wednesday.  It cooled down to the mid-55s on Thursday.  Today, it was in the high 40s during my “shake out” run here in Eugene.

Racing Schedule

Future races.  I haven’t looked much past Eugene but I think my next race will be the Capitol Hill Classic 10K on Sunday, May 21st.

Next race: 2017 Eugene Marathon tomorrow! (My Complete Racing Schedule.)

What does your running look like the week before a marathon?