2019 Boston Marathon – Week 7
Wednesday’s 7 miles @ goal marathon pace surprised me – I didn’t expect much but I nailed it! Saturday’s long run went well, too. The weather was crazy this week – freezing temperatures one day and shorts weather a few days later.
Training Schedule
January 20th – January 26th
Sunday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Monday: Interval Run. Ladder – 400m to 1600m w/400m recovery jog
Tuesday: Rest or Cross-Train
Wednesday: Tempo Run. 9 miles w/7 miles @ goal marathon pace
Thursday: Easy Run. 7 miles
Friday: Easy Run. 8 miles
Saturday: Long Run. 14 miles
Total: ~52 Miles
Notes. I followed the schedule except added some miles to the long run.
Workouts
Interval Run. Ladder – 400m to 1600m w/400m recovery jog [Log Details].
Last week, I ran by heart rate to judge pace and felt the workout was too easy. So this week, I decided to go with the treadmill setting for 7:20 pace (8.2). I pre-programmed my Garmin for the ladder and how long it would take me to run each distance – 1:50 (400m), 3:40 (800m), 5:30 (12000m), 7:20 (1600,) and back down. After the first 400m, I realized I hadn’t timed out the recoveries, so they varied from 2 to 3 minutes. I felt pretty good mid-way through the workout so for the final 800m and 400m repetitions, I increased the treadmill setting to 8.4 (7:09).
Average pace=8:2 (7:20 pace). Interestingly, the paces from my Garmin were mostly 7:44 to 8:06 even though the treadmill was at the same setting each time.
Tempo Run. 9 miles w/7 miles @ goal marathon pace [Log Details].
There was still a lot of ice on the roads, sidewalks, and trails, so I thought it might be safer to run on the treadmill. But at the last minute, I decided to take a chance and run-commute instead, thinking, “If you really want to know marathon pace, you need to do it on the roads.” During the warm-up, I saw a thick patch of ice and braced myself that I might have to stop at points but when I reached the spots that typically are icy, they were clear. My pace was sub-8:00 and I asked myself, “Is this how fast you’d run in Ashland?”
The answer was,”No” and I finished knowing this was a faster than marathon pace workout.
Splits=7:47, 7:46, 7:51, 7:46, 7:33, 7:55, 7:51. Average=7:47.
Long Run. 18 miles [Log Details].
I’ve been adding about four miles to the long runs in the Hansons Marathon Method schedule. This run was going to be my longest so far – 18 miles. I ran the “Arlington Triangle“, which is a 15 mile loop covering the W&OD, Four Mile, and Custis trails, that is 1.5 miles away. I wanted to stay around 8:40 pace for the run and more or less accomplished that goal. During the early miles, I felt great and had to work to keep my pace down.
It was about 34 degrees when I started my run and my warm wool clothing felt a little itchy so I wasn’t completely comfortable. And, the gloves I wore weren’t think enough. I kept wishing the sun would come out to warm my body a little.
The fountain at Roosevelt Island is still broken, but I finally stopped for water on the Custis Trail. I didn’t push myself very hard on the W&OD trail downhill. I was pretty tired by that point. In fact, after the run, my Garmin’s recovery advisor suggested 3 days of rest!
Overall pace=8:44.
Health
Injuries. Last Saturday, I ran over several slick spots on the Mount Vernon Trail. My right ankle felt strained for a few days after that outing.
Sleep. My sleep was terrible on weekdays – only 6 to 7 hours a night – but, I made up for it on the weekends.
Weather
The temperature was low 40s and very windy on Sunday. Single-digit wind chills and ice drove me back to the treadmill on Monday. It rained during my 55 degree easy run on Thursday.
Routes
Hazards. Even though the “snurlough” was almost too weekends ago, the temperature has mostly hovered around freezing so there are still ice patches on running surfaces.
Gear
Anti-chafing. Pjur Active 2 Skin. Unlike other anti-chaffing products like Body Glide and Squirrel’s Nut Butter, this product is a liquid. (It seems the manufacturer makes lubricants for other activities. Ahem.) I’ve been experiencing some chaffing on my back from my Brooks Juno Sports Bra and spread this product all over my back before my interval run on the treadmill. It left a film on my hands but it worked – I didn’t get any hot spots. Price: $21.99
Media & Motivation
Podcasts. “5 Reasons Your Heart Rate Does Not Match Running Effort,” The Extra Kick. This episode was timely because I did last week’s speed workouts on the treadmill by heart rate and felt they were too easy.
“Episode 180 – Rock Creek Creek (Dave Dildine),” Pace the Nation. Two people were out taking pictures in Rock Creek Park during the “snurlough” – a runner and a traffic reporter for WTOP, a local radio station. Without spoiling the story, the WTOP reporter ended up saving her life. The best part of the episode, though, was learning this wasn’t the first time he’s rescued someone! He’s truly a hero.
Music. “Kiss Them for Me,” Siouxsie & The Banshees. I listened to my nascent 2019 Boston Marathon playlist during my workouts this week. Just hearing it takes me to the Scream Tunnel at Wellesley College.
(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” ] “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky[/dropshadowbox]
I’m glad I took a shot at running outside on Wednesday. It might have been the best run of this training cycle and I almost missed out on it.
Racing Schedule
Next race: 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon on Saturday, March 9th.
(My Racing Schedule)
