2018 New York City Marathon – Week 3

I attended a work conference in Baltimore to start what was a hectic work week.  I struggled to find running routes and my workouts weren’t as prepared as I wanted.  By Wednesday, I started to see my running paces drop and it felt like progress.

Training Schedule
July 15th – July 21st

Sunday: Recovery Run. 5 miles + Weight Training.
Monday: Medium-long Run. 13 miles.
Tuesday: Recovery Run. 5 miles + Drills.
Wednesday: Lactate Threshold Run. 9 miles w/4 miles @ 15K to half marathon race pace.
Thursday: Medium-long Run. 11 miles.
Friday: Off.
Saturday: Medium-long Run. 15 miles.

Mileage Total: ~58 Miles

Notes.  I switched the lactate threshold run to Thursday because when I woke up on Wednesday morning, I didn’t think I was rested enough for speedwork.  I neglected drill this week but otherwise, ran the rest of the schedule as planned.

Workout Details

Medium Long Run. 13 miles [Log Details]

Baltimore is only an hour north of Washington, D.C., but I had no idea where I could run.  Using the “route finder” tool on RunningAhead, I found a course that looped around Canton and then out to Fort McHenry and back.  It was in the mid-70s but there wasn’t much tree cover and I felt myself wilting.  I finished the Gatorade I’d been carrying after the first loop and about a mile down the road, stopped at a 7-11 for another.  I had a lot on my mind and forced myself to stop and admire the Fort.

Hurrying off to the work conference, I thought I ran well.  I really didn’t fade at all.

Overall pace=9:15.

Medium Long Run. 11 miles [Log Details]

It was good being back on my home turf!  But, all the extra activity left me feeling a little drained in the morning.  The temperature was around 70 degrees at the start of the run.  I felt great during the warm-up on the way to Clarendon.  It seemed as though I was running faster with a lower heart rate.  I thought that had to be a sign I was improving and told myself, “Time to stop f—ing around!”  I found myself running low-8:00 pace for the next 5 miles through Rosslyn and the Mount Vernon Trail.  When I finally slowed down at Gravelly Point, I thought, “I probably could have done the tempo run.”

Overall pace=8:37.

Lactate Threshold Run. 9 miles w/4 miles @ 15K to half marathon race pace [Log Details]

I didn’t review the workout beforehand so I left the house without considering goal paces. After two-and-a-half mile warm-up, I started the lactate threshold segment on the Four Mile Run and Mount Vernon trails. I didn’t feel tired until the third mile. I wanted to stop but remembering my marathon pace run from last weekend kept me going. After the workout, I thought if I I ran easier the day before, maybe I could have done those four miles faster.

Lactate threshold segment pace=7:59.

Medium Long Run. 15 miles [Log Details]

After a very long work week, I had a lot of my mind and didn’t sleep well the night before.  Earlier in the week, I thought about setting a time goal for this run but decided to just finish because I wasn’t feeling well.  During the early miles, I listened to podcasts to relax my mind and it get thinking about something other than work.  And, I ate a Crank Sport e-Gel earlier than usual to settle my stomach.  By the time I reached the Mount Vernon Trail, after about 4 miles, it started raining lightly.  Running by time once I reached Gravelly Point, I got down to 9:00 pace.  I finished a second gel after joining the Custis Trail and conquering the long and steep uphill on Lee Highway.  I finally stopped at the Glebe Road cross-over to switch from podcasts to music for a fast finish.  My overall pace was 9:25 at that point and I came close to finishing close to 9:18 pace, which is what I ran this course two weeks ago.

Overall pace=9:20.

Cross Training

The weight room for the national hotel chain where I was staying in Baltimore was sub-standard.  All it had was a set of dumbbells – the lightest of which was 25 pounds – some medicine balls, and kettle bells.  But, I improvised and did a half hour of random exercises.

Health

Sleep. I got seven hours of sleep every night except Friday.  But, I didn’t get them the way I wanted.  I went to bed well after 10pm most nights and woke up after 6am most days.

Weight.  It was a busy work week and I was away from home for part of it.  I struggled to eat healthy and didn’t log everything I ate.  I didn’t backtracked but I didn’t lose any weight either.

Weather

The week started warm in Baltimore but then a storm rolled in on Tuesday afternoon and cooled things down.  Back home, low dew points made for fantastic running weather for the next few days!  It even rained on Saturday.

Racing Schedule

Next race: 2018 Navy Air Force Half Marathon on Sunday, September 16th (My Complete Racing Schedule.)