2020 Boston Marathon – Week 1
My 2020 Boston Marathon training plan started on Monday! There was only one workout this week – a progression run on Thursday. It was nice easing my way back into running regularly again since the 2019 New York City Marathon.
Training Schedule
December 15th – December 21st
Sunday: Long Run. 8 miles
Monday: Easy Run. 6 miles w/strides or hill bounds
Tuesday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Marathon-pace Run. 7 miles w/4 miles @ marathon pace+40 secs., MP+30 secs., MP+20 secs., MP+10 secs.
Friday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 6 miles w/strides or hill bounds
Total: ~39 Miles
Notes. My 2020 Boston Marathon training plan didn’t start until Monday, so I chose the distance for my long run on Sunday. For drills, I chose hill bounds on Monday and strides on Saturday.
Workouts
Long Run. 11 miles [Log Details]
I just wanted to have a consistent run and started after 10am. The sun was bright, so I opted for sunglasses. But, winds were blowing over 10 mph out of the west and gusting up to 24 mph!
I made my way to Clarendon and then snaked my way through Rosslyn, I thinking about starting another training cycle while running past the area where I walked back to my car after my first attack of exhaustion this summer.
Eventually, I arrived at the Mount Vernon Trail. The water fountain at Roosevelt Island was off, so I could not grab a drink. Coming off the bridge under Roosevelt Bridge, I felt a sharp pain in my left knee. “I’m injured before I can even start this training cycle!” I hobbled along and after about a half mile, regained my stride. On Humpback Bridge, my Garmin warned me that its battery was low.
I finished my 20 ounces of Gatorade leaving Gravelly Point.
I left the Mount Vernon Trail for Crystal City. I didn’t slow much on the final uphill home, which was confidence-building.
Overall pace=9:20.
Easy Run. 6 miles w/strides or hill bounds [Log Details]
The first official day of my 2020 Boston Marathon training!
D.C.-area forecast: Wintry mix this morning with slick spots possible north and west of District; periods of rain this afternoon into Tuesday https://t.co/SR1fFTdgCu
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 16, 2019
It was dark and rainy outside, so I wore a hat with a small blinking light attached. Conditions were a little sloppy – the air temperature was in the upper 30s but rain was falling as snow.
I ran west along the Arlington Boulevard Trail and turned south after a mile. I wound my way to the W&OD Trail. I headed up Columbia Pike but turned at Quincy Street so I would eventually reach South Walter Reed Drive. This road between Four Mile Run Drive and Pollard Street is a 105-foot climb over a fifth of a mile (9% grade). I ran “hill bounds”, which I took to mean “strides”, up a short segment of it.
During the day, my LHR Virtual Boston Training Group talked about the workout. I thought, “Training “with” people might be fun.”
Overall pace=9:25
Marathon-pace Run. 7 miles w/4 miles @ marathon pace+40 secs., MP+30 secs., MP+20 secs., MP+10 secs. [Log Details]
I telework every other Thursday so I had a bit more time in the morning and could wait until the sun came out to warm the temperature a bit. I left the house bundled up in my heaviest jacket, neck warmer, cap, and heavy tights. I even put hand warmers in my mittens over my gloves. It would be my coldest run of the year!
D.C.-area forecast: Today is the coldest of the season so far, starting with bitter wind chills. But not as cold this weekend. https://t.co/RPaCbk1Ebg
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 19, 2019
From home, I jogged down to the Four Mile Run Trail near Glebe run for my warm-up. During the marathon-pace segment, I started out too fast during the first mile.
I turned around just south of National Airport. I fared better on the way back into the wind. The last mile felt downright hard and I wondered if my goal marathon pace (8:08 pace) was too aggressive. I ran as slow as I could during my cool-down but my heart rate remained high on the uphill route.
Progressive goal marathon pace splits=8:40, 8:38, 8:31, 8:22. Average pace=8:31.
Routes
Sights. Arlington National Cemetery – Wreaths Across America. Last Saturday, hundreds of people helped volunteered their time to lay wreaths on the tombstones of soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery as part of Wreaths Across America. It’s a beautiful tradition and I got to see their work during my run on Sunday.
(My Guide to Washington D.C. Area Running Routes)
Media & Motivation
News. “History-Maker Eliud Kipchoge Returns to the London“. I’m even more excited that I’ll be running the 2020 London Marathon.
The greatest is back. 🇰🇪🙌@EliudKipchoge will return to the Virgin Money London Marathon in 2020. #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/GYrlJF8m7c
— Virgin Money London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) December 15, 2019
By “making history”, I hope he means running a sub-2 hour marathon on a legitimate course.
Movies. “Brittany Runs A Marathon,” I finally watched this movie. I thought it would be a comedy but it tackles some serious topics. It’s the story of a woman in her late 20s who works in a dead-end job, drinks too much, and has friends with shallow viewpoints. On her journey to becoming a “real runner”, she makes some changes. (My main quibble with the race scene was that she ran a 3:48 at the 26.1 mile mark. But, the real life Brittany O’Neill ran the 2014 New York City Marathon in 3:55:57.
Racing Schedule
Next race: 2019 Fairfax Four Miler on Tuesday, December 31st.
(My Racing Schedule)
