2017 New York City Marathon – Week 11

This was the highest mileage week in my training plan. The schedule had 87 miles with five workouts including a 24 mile long run today (which I didn’t complete.)  Looking ahead, I’m racing next weekend!  Oh, and I registered for next year’s Boston Marathon.

Training Schedule
September 10th – September 16th

Sunday: Recovery Run. 6 miles (AM) + Recovery Run. 4 miles (PM).
Monday: General Aerobic Run. 8 miles.
Tuesday: Medium-long Run. 15 miles.
Wednesday: Recovery Run. 6 miles (AM) + Recovery Run. 4 miles (PM).
Thursday: Lactate Threshold Run. 12 miles w/7 miles @ 15K to half marathon race pace.
Friday: General Aerobic Run. 8 miles.
Saturday: Long Run. 24 miles.

Mileage Total: ~87 Miles

Notes.  I didn’t hit 24 miles today, but otherwise followed the schedule.  My long runs will move to Sunday’s next week.

Goals.  Get 7 hours of sleep every night and run 7:45 pace for lactate threshold run. Outcome: Partial success!  I got the sleep but didn’t hit goal pace for the tempo run.

Workout Details

General Aerobic Run. 8 miles [Log Details].

The day before, I ran my recovery runs very easy – 10:00 pace in the morning and 9:40 pace in the afternoon.

I started the run pretty hard.  I knew the pace was a little fast but I didn’t slow down.  After only a mile, my route went uphill, which slowed me down a little.  Still, I was running a good 20 seconds/mile faster than I planned.

After 4 miles, when I got to the Custis Trail, I felt a little fatigue.  But when I turned onto the W&OD Trail downhill, I started running 7:40 pace!  I slowed down a little on the uphill home but it was a really fast run for me.

Overall pace=7:56.

 

 

 

 

Medium-long Run. 15 miles [Log Details].

I ran this run as my commute to work.  I only live 7 miles from work, though, so  my route went south to Alexandria, Virginia before heading to Washington, DC.

I thought the 3 mile warm-up fast but didn’t worry about it.  I started running “hard” about 8 miles into the run.  I thought running sub-8:20 pace would be good but I found myself going sub-8:00 for a while!  It was a warm day, though, and I started fading just before I went over the 14th Street Bridge into D.C.

I started my cool-down when I reached 15th Street.  The best part – when I got to work, the shower was vacant!

Overall pace=8:28.

Lactate Threshold Run. 12 miles w/7 miles @ 15K to half marathon race pace [Log Details].

I ran a double the day before.  I tried to set myself up for a good run like I’d done on Sunday by running both runs easy, including my afternoon run around the National Mall.

After the warm-up, I tried to tap into half marathon effort during the first mile of the hard running.  I didn’t check my pace until it was almost over.  My goal was sub-7:45, so I was a little disappointed that I was only running under 8:00 pace.  It was still pretty good, though.  I clocked a similar pace for the second mile, but things fell apart after that.  Mid-way through, I realized I probably ran my tempo earlier in the week with those sub-8:00 miles on Monday and Tuesday.  Even though I was hurting, I told myself I could slow down, but I couldn’t stop.

7 miles @ 15K to half marathon pace segment=8:09.  Overall pace=8:46.

General Aerobic Run. 8 miles [Log Details].

Even though I felt completely spent after the tempo run the day before, my legs actually had some spring to them.  I wasn’t pounding the pavement like I was on Monday but I was moving pretty well.  Knowing I had a 24 mile long run the next day kept me from running any harder.

Overall pace=8:21.

Long Run. 24 miles [Log Details].

I set off on a loop that would be a little short of 24 miles.  It took me south to Alexandria, Virginia through the Del Ray neighborhood before heading north on the Mount Vernon Trail.  The early miles were fine.  I caught up on This American Life and the pace felt comfortable.

I started to feel the strain when I stopped for water at National Airport.  It was hot!  By the time I stopped again at Roosevelt Island, I was splashing water on my head.  I had been running 8:40 paced miles but decided to slow things down significantly when I hit the Custis Trail.  The temperature had reach the mid-80s at that point with a dew point in the mid-60s, so it was pretty miserable.

I found myself running slower and slower and stopping at odd intervals.  I finally gave up on the run after 21 miles.  I walked over a mile before taking a bus home.  I noticed a sore spot on the bottom of my right foot that I hope doesn’t turn into a blister.

Overall pace=9:18.

Health

Sleep.  One of my goals this week was to get more sleep.  I got at least 7 hours each night.  I ran into work for Tuesday’s long run and was off of work on Thursday, so that definitely helped.  But, I was still exhausted by the end of the week.

Injuries. Some tightness in my hips but nothing terrible.  Mostly, I just had sore muscles and felt tired.

Weight. It was a taco-free week but I still gained a few pounds.  But, my stove broke last weekend so I have been eating out a little more than usual this week.

Weather

It was fall-like on Sunday and Monday.  Morning temperatures were in the upper 50s!  It rained on Wednesday morning, which cooled things off even more.  But by Thursday, the heat and humidity returned and climbed.  It was 80 degrees today at the end of my long run.  Hopefully, today was summer’s last gasp.

Racing Schedule

Future races.  I registered for the 2018 Boston Marathon this week!  My time from the 2017 Eugene Marathon gave me a BQ-20.

Next race: 2017 Dulles Day on the Runway 10K on Saturday, September 23rd.  Time to take these legs to a race!  (My Complete Racing Schedule.)