2018 New York City Marathon – Week 1
The thrill of starting my training cycle for the 2018 New York City Marathon was snuffed out quickly. Due to jet-lag and a cold, Saturday’s long run was my only workout of the week! Next week should be much better.
Training Schedule
July 1st – July 7th
Sunday: Off.
Monday: General Aerobic Run. 9 miles.
Tuesday: Recovery Run. 5 miles.
Wednesday: 2018 Firecracker 5K.
Thursday: Medium-long Run. 11 miles.
Friday: Off.
Saturday: Long Run. 15 miles.
Mileage Total: ~43 Miles
Notes. My training cycle started on Monday and was based on the 18 week, 55-70 miles per week plan from Advanced Marathoning, Second Edition by Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas (aka “Pfitz”).
Due to jet-lag, I skipped Monday’s workout. Then, I came down with a bad cold after Tuesday’s recovery run and missed the 2018 Firecracker 5K and Thursday’s medium run.
Workout Details
Long Run. 15 miles [Log Details].
Somehow, I managed to get out the door before 7am! The 70 degree temperature was tolerable but I could tell the wind was a little strong. I ran easy by heart rate to the Mount Vernon Trail near National Airport and headed north. Near Gravelly Point, I switched to running by pace and tried to find 9:05 to 9:20. It felt a little hard but I stuck with it. Four miles into the run, I started a Crank Sport e-Gel a little earlier than usual. The sun rising over the Potomac River had a calming effect.
At Roosevelt Island, I stopped to refill my 12 handheld before switching over to the Custis Trail. Eight miles in and after the long Lee Highway uphill, I started my second gel. Fueled and hydrated, I challenged myself to run the next 5 miles close to 8:48 pace. The terrain was rolling, so my pace didn’t drop, but I thought my effort was right. When I reached the W&OD Trail, the hills went away and I pushed hard until I was ready for the cool-down home. (I averaged 8:55 pace for those final hard miles.)
I thought it was a good first long run but I’ll need to improve a lot if I want to reach my time goal by November.
Overall pace=9:18.
Cross Training
I didn’t do any cross training this week. I barely did any training!
Health
Sleep. I returned home from an amazing vacation in Scandinavia and Russia late Sunday night and was too tired to run the next day.
Illnesses. After a recovery run on Tuesday, I thought I was suffering from allergies but by that evening, I realized I was coming down with a cold! I felt much better by Friday.
Weather
On Tuesday, I broke my “80 Degree Rule” – the temperature where I run on the treadmill – and ran outside for an easy run. The weather was an enjoyable 70 degrees with no humidity for my long run on Saturday!
Racing Schedule
Runner rankings. Potomac River Running’s Regional Runner Rankings – Spring 2018. I stayed in the age group (45-49 years old) rankings but fell to 34th place. But, only one race counted towards my score – Roosevelt Island Park Run 5K #7 on March 31. I also ran the 2018 Shamrock Half Marathon and the 2018 Boston Marathon this spring, but they didn’t count towards the rankings because they were outside the Washington, D.C. regions.
Next race: 2018 Navy Air Force Half Marathon on Sunday, September 16th (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
