2017 New York City Marathon – Week 16

After a huge mileage week, I “only” ran two workouts.  I was so tired after the 2017 Bourbon Chase that I took two extra easy days.  I was back on schedule by Wednesday, though.

Training Schedule
October 15th – October 21st

Sunday: Recovery Run. 6 miles.
Monday: Long Run.  22 miles.
Tuesday: Recovery Run.  6 miles.
Wednesday: VO2Max Run. 9 miles w/5x600m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between.
Thursday: Medium-long Run.  14 miles.
Friday: Recovery Run + Speed.  7 miles w/6x100m strides.
Saturday: Recovery Run.  6 miles.

Mileage Total: ~70 Miles

Notes.  I was too tired to run 22 miles after the 2017 Bourbon Chase and took two easy days.  I was back on schedule by Wednesday.

Goal.  Have a good final long run before starting my taper for the 2017 New York City Marathon.  Outcome:  Fail!  The 2017 Bourbon Chase took more out of me than I anticipated.

Workout Details

VO2Max Run. 9 miles w/5x600m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between. [Log Details].

After a couple of extra easy days, I thought I should be ready to run hard but I didn’t have specific goal paces in mind.  It had been cool the day before but the spiked to 74 degrees in the morning.  But the intervals were short, so I still thought I could have a good run.  I decided to do a loop around south Arlington rather than an out-and-back on one of the trails.  I did a casual warm-up through Crystal City.  I started the intervals on the Mount Vernon Trail near the Airport and headed south.  My Garmin was showing I ran the first repetition over 7:00 pace, which seemed a little slow.  But the second interval wasn’t much faster.  Running on the Four Mile Run Trail, I dreaded running through the bug field near the water treatment facility but it wasn’t bad.  But, it probably wasn’t a coincidence that I ran my fastest repetition in that area.  I did another speedy repetition on my final 600m in an area where the grass was being mowed.  Hmm..  Maybe I’d be a faster runner if I had to avoid more environmental allergens and hazards.  I was running late for work so I cut the cool-down short.

600m splits=7:07, 6:59, 6:49, 6:53, 6:50.  Average=6:56.

Medium-long Run. 14 miles [Log Details].

This close to my goal race, I wanted to have a good long-ish run.  I hoped cruising pace for a medium run might be in the 8:20-8:30 range.  The temperature was finally something close to good weather for running long, so that goal seemed achievable.

The course I ran was uphill at the start.  I managed 9:00 pace, which seemed pretty good.

Once I got to the Custis Trail, my pace dropped to around 8:30.  I felt like I was running much faster than what my Garmin was showing.  I stopped briefly for water twice even though I wasn’t thirsty.  It felt good not carrying a water bottle.  Cruising along on the flat Mount Vernon Trail, my pace dropped closer to 8:00 for about two miles but that was the most I could handle.  Along the way, I was thinking about all the things I had to do before the marathon!  Usually, I pay a lot of tension to details but it’s as if I’m in denial that I’m actually running the race and not just training for it.  I slowed down to an easy pace as I made my way through Crystal City.  It was my first long-ish run in my new Mizuno Wave Rider 21s and they felt pretty good.

Overall pace=8:32.

Health

Sleep.  I tried to catch up on sleep after the 2017 Bourbon Chase, but I was unsuccessful.  I was exhausted and restless at the same time.

Injuries. Early Tuesday morning, I woke up to severe pain in my hips.  I usually suffer through pain but I took two ibuprofen.  The pain went away and didn’t return.

Weight.  My weight bumped up a little since I ran a little less.

Weather

The weather fluctuated a lot this week.  I flew back to Washington, D.C. on Sunday and ran in 70 degree weather.  But, by the next day, the high was in the low 60s!  It peaked again on Wednesday.  There was a lot of moisture in the air in the mornings but dew points were low.

Racing Schedule

Future races.  Runners received their wave and corral information this week!  I’m still in Wave 1!  But, I got the green start so I’ll miss the stunning view from the upper-deck of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Next race: 2017 New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 5th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)