2018 New York City Marathon – Week 12
I ran the 2018 Navy-Air Force Half Marathon on Sunday in 1:43:16 (7:53 pace). Hurricane Florence arrived on Sunday afternoon and it rained through Tuesday but morning temperature s stayed above 70 degrees. Despite the weather, I ran hard during all of my workouts.
Training Schedule
September 16th – September 22nd
Sunday: 2018 Navy Air Force Half Marathon
Monday: Recovery Runs. 6 miles (AM) + 4 miles (PM)
Tuesday: VO2Max Run. 9 miles w/5 x 600m @ 5k race pace
Wednesday: Recovery Run. 7 miles
Thursday: Medium-long Run. 14 miles
Friday: Off
Saturday: Recovery Run. 6 miles
Mileage Total: ~60 Miles
Notes. Mid-week, I realized it didn’t think it made sense to schedule an off day before a recovery run. I wasn’t sure how to correct it, so I let it be and stuck with the program.
Workout Details
2018 Navy-Air Force Half Marathon. 13.1 miles @ half marathon pace [Race Report]
This was my first time running this race, which has become a local favorite. During the first few miles, I felt winded – probably because I haven’t spent much time at threshold pace this summer. On the Hains Point section, I saw Kevin Hart out on a long run! By mid-race, my body adjusted to the effort. My time was 1:43:16 (7:53 pace). I missed the qualifying time for the 2019 New York City Marathon by over a minute, which means the pressure is on for November!
Overall time=1:43:16 (7:53 pace).
Recovery Runs. 6 miles (AM) [Log Details] + 4 miles (PM) [Log Details].
After the half marathon the day before, my legs moved slowly in the next morning. But nothing hurt, which was a good thing. I ran down to the W&OD Trail and then headed east to Shirlington. Listening to a podcast helped me keep my pace in check.
I brought running clothes in to work, just in case I felt good enough to run during my lunch break, and I did! From Capitol Hill, I ran down to the Washington Monument (where the race on Sunday started) and relived some of the race. It started to rain on my way back but it wasn’t too heavy. There weren’t as many tourists on the Mall, so it felt like fall was near.
Overall pace (AM)=10:12. Overall pace (PM)=9:35.
Interval Run. 9 miles w/5 x 600m @ 5k race pace [Log Details].
I slept poorly on Monday night and when I saw the weather outside on Tuesday morning – 70 degrees and rainy from Hurricane Florence – decided… I’m done! I couldn’t do another humid run. I ran during lunch instead.
From work, I made my way to East Potomac Park (“Hains Point”). I felt better than I did earlier and wished I could do more afternoon workouts. The atmosphere felt weird. I couldn’t tell if the rain had finished or was about it start again.
The workout was going great until the third set when the skies opened up! I forgot to pack a visor and had a hard time keeping water out of my eyes. The storm passed quickly and the rest of the sets were fine.
After the workout, I checked Daniels’ Running Formula 2d ed and based on my half marathon time on Sunday, my 5K race pace should have been 7:08 so I was pretty spot on!
600m repetitions=2:39, 2:37, 2:43, 2:36, 2:31. Average=2:37 0r 7:04 pace.
Medium-long Run. 14 miles [Log Details].
Three days after my half marathon, I thought I should be able to squeeze out a solid endurance run. I didn’t sleep well the night before and woke up early. Still, I found myself short on time, so I decided to do this run as a commute.
Needing a 14 mile route when my workplace is only 7, I ran easy from my house in Arlington, Virginia down to Alexandria. I took a long break to drink and use the restrooms at Potomac Yard Park on my way to the Mount Vernon Trail.
I hadn’t carried a water bottle – the temperature was a relatively cool 70 degrees when I left the house. But, soon, I realized I’d gone out too fast for the conditions. I stopped for a breather at National Airport and thereafter, about every mile on my way downtown. I finally drank water at the Jefferson Memorial. I drank so much that my belly ached when I restarted my run and I felt light-headed. I ran easy on the rest of the way to work.
Overall pace=8:45.
Cross Training
Usually, I lift weights on Sunday but skipped it this week because of the race.
Health
Sleep. Exhausted after the half marathon on Sunday, I slept well early in the week. On Thursday morning, I woke up much too early but it didn’t impact my run.
Weight. My weight dipped a little after Sunday’s race effort but by week’s end, I gained it all back, which made me think it was just dehydration.
Weather
While it was cooler this week, fall hadn’t really arrived – morning temperatures were still above 70 degrees. Remnants of Hurricane Florence arrived on Sunday afternoon and stayed through Tuesday. After the rain stopped, a light wind lingered.
Racing Schedule
Next race: 2018 Army Ten Miler on Sunday, October 7th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
