2019 Boston Marathon – Week 10

This was a cut-back week, with only 50 miles scheduled in the Hanson Marathon Method.  Two stressful life events preoccupied my thoughts during my runs and led to an extra rest day.  But overall, my workouts felt much easier!

Training Schedule
February 10th – February 16th

Sunday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Monday: Interval Run. 3 x 1600m @ 5K-10K pace w/600m recovery jog
Tuesday: Rest or Cross-Train
Wednesday: Tempo Run. 10 miles w/8 miles @ goal marathon pace
Thursday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Friday: Easy Run. 10 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 10 miles

Total: ~50 Miles

Notes.  I went on a date on Tuesday night and, even though I got up early enough, felt completely unmotivated to run on Wednesday morning.  So, I moved my marathon-pace workout to Thursday.

Workouts

Interval Run. 3 x 1600m @ 5K-10K pace w/400m recovery jog [Log Details].

The weather was cold and damp but a cap and my Asics Storm Shelter Jacket kept me comfortable.  I ran a warm-up to the Four Mile Run Trail.  I missed goal pace for intervals last week and really wanted to have a good run despite the conditions.  During the first repetition, my Garmin 645 alerted me that my pace was slow.  But, I didn’t push harder because the effort felt right.  And by then, I was probably thinking more about the date I had the next day than the workout.  Sure enough, the second interval was slightly faster even though I didn’t think I ran harder. For the last mile repeat, I finally pushed a bit more knowing I had a long recovery ahead.

1600m paces=7:32, 7:29, 7:22.  Average=7:27.

Threshold Run. 10 miles w/8 miles @ goal marathon pace [Log Details].

Despite getting a good night’s sleep, I got a late start – 8am in the morning.  The temperature was just above freezing and I was comfortable wearing a thermal long-sleeve and light jacket on top and light-weight tights as bottoms.  For the goal marathon pace segment, I ran out-and-back on the Four Mile Run and Mount Vernon trails, turning around at Gravelly Point.

My pace was a little slow during the first two miles but after that, sub-8:00 pace came almost effortlessly.  I had an interview that afternoon and my mind was distracted by rehearsing how I would answer certain questions.   I crushed the workout (and did pretty well in the interview, too).  What a way to spend Valentine’s Day!

Splits=8:02, 8:09, 7:51, 7:50, 7:48, 7:46, 7:54, 7:55.  Average=7:54.

Long Run. 15 miles [Log Details].

Given the stressful week I had, when I left my house, I just wanted to get the run over with so I could get some rest that afternoon.  The temperature was a very comfortable 40 degrees so I wore a thick long sleeve and 3/4 tights.  From home, I ran through future Amazon HQ2 territory in Crystal City to the Mount Vernon Trail and headed north.  My pace felt easy but was well under 9:00 pace.  The geese basked in the relatively warm winter weather.

I hooked up with the Custis Trail in Rosslyn and easily handled the steep uphill climb on Lee Highway.  I carried a Gatorade Endurance Energy Gel with me in my tights pocket but decided not to eat it.  However, I drank water at Nelson Street.  I didn’t even notice the steepest climb and thought maybe it was a good sign that the Newton Hills might be easier this year.  After 3 miles, I reached the W&OD Trail and started a gradual 2 mile downhill.

My pace was in the 7:40s!  What an enjoyable run!

Overall pace=8:35.

Health

Sleep.  Between a date on Tuesday night and job interview on Thursday afternoon, I was stressed out all week and I didn’t sleep well.

Weight. Surprisingly, anxiety didn’t lead to over-eating. In fact, I missed a few meals as I scurried around trying to keep everything together.

Weather

It was cold but not miserable. Light rain made a short appearance during my interval workout on Monday. But, it was sunny for my run on Thursday. Winds picked up at the end of the week.

Routes

Websites and Blogs.  “Strava Rolls Out New Finger Dragging Route Creation Feature,” DC Rainmaker.  What an intriguing feature!  (Note: it’s only available for Summit subscribers.)  With just a few taps in the app, runners can create a course and save it to their account.  Unfortunately, the app isn’t smart enough to know when the course might sending the runner though a hazardous area.  Here are my tips on creating a running route.

Media & Motivation

Podcasts.  “Episode 112 – Ashley Rollins and the BQ DQ“, Running Rogue.  I really liked the format of this episode – Ashley Rollins talked about her training for the California International Marathon and the race itself before the host cut to Derek Murphy from Marathon Investigation, who explained her disqualification.   It was hard to hear the pain in her voice at the conclusion of the episode but there are a legitimate reasons for race directors to ban non-registered runners on the course.

Music.  “My Baby Just Cares for Me“, Nina Simone.  Coming off Valentine’s Day on Thursday, I listened to love songs during my long run on Saturday. This jazz classic had a good tempo for easy running.

(My “Songs of the Week” on Spotify)

Motivation.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#f4d83f” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ] “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet”. – Bob Unser [/dropshadowbox]

This week, I wrapped up the speed phase of the Hanson Marathon Method and my workouts felt much easier.  The hard training was paying off!

Racing Schedule

Next race: 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon on Saturday, March 9th.

(My Racing Schedule)