2021 London Marathon – Week 12
It was a busy week but I turned in a 19-mile long run, a hard Yasso 800s workout, and 9 miles at goal marathon pace. I started to get excited that the 2021 London Marathon is only two months away and enjoyed Olympic Track and Field.
Training Schedule
August 1st – August 7th
Sunday: Long Run. 20 miles
Monday: 5 miles + strides
Tuesday: Interval Run. 7 x 800m @ 5K-10K pace w/400m recovery jog
Wednesday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Thursday: Marathon-pace Run. 12 miles w/8 miles @ goal marathon pace
Friday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Total: ~60 Miles
Notes. Thursday’s workout was closer to 13 miles but otherwise, I stuck to the schedule.
Training paces
| Recovery | Easy | Marathon | Threshold | Repetition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No faster than 10:15 | 9:45-10:15 | 8:55–9:20 | 8:30-8:55 | 7:40 – 7:50 (5K) |
Workouts
Long Run
I didn’t run long last week, so I wanted to run well today.
I polled my favorite running community about which direction I should run the “Arlington Loop“. They thought ending with hills was the way to go, so that’s what I set out to do!
After having some coffee and cantaloupe, I left the house at 7:30 am.
D.C.-area forecast: Occasional showers and storms today but superb tomorrow https://t.co/0groAieMYK
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) August 1, 2021
From home, I cut through neighborhoods to get down to the W&OD Trail. The water level on Four Mile Run was high so I went a mile before cutting over to the Four Mile Run Trail. At around the 5-mile mark, I ate a Gu Roctane Energy Gel. By then, I was cruising at around 10:30 pace.
In Alexandria, I sprinted across the George Washington Parkway to join the Mount Vernon Trail. The views of the foliage were beautiful.
I stopped at National Airport to drink some water and eat a Maurten Gel 100.
On the Custis Trail, I stopped again at a water fountain where I usually linger but just refilled my handheld and took a few quick sips. Exiting the trail and heading home, I ran by the spot where I fell a few months ago feeling triumphant.
Within an hour after my run, I had picked up my boyfriend’s birthday cake and attended a dog obedience class. It was a busy morning!
Distance=20.01 miles
Pace=10:31/mile
Interval Run
Two months out from the London Marathon, I don’t have any idea what time I should expect to run. I decided to do this workout as Yasso 800s to give myself some clue. I did a little reading on them and then headed out the door.
D.C.-area forecast: Cloudier conditions, but cooler-than-normal weather continues https://t.co/MmXzQaXVbn
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) August 3, 2021
With school in summer break, I decided to head to Wakefield High School Track. On the way, I came upon some deer on the trail.
Sure enough, it wasn’t very crowded – a few runners and walkers. I was a bit nervous about the workout and the first repetition started fast but I was able to reign in my speed and turn in a split close to goal marathon pace. It was fairly smooth sailing after that. After the sixth repetition, I decided I had enough in me to do a 7th repetition so I went for it.
I averaged 3:49, which would be a great time for the 2021 London Marathon – 6 minutes under my Boston Marathon qualifying time.
| Distance | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400m (time) | 3:50 | 3:50 | 3:47 |
| Set 4 | Set 5 | Set 6 | Set 7 |
| 3:51 | 3:48 | 3:47 | 3:47 |
Distance=5.65 miles
Pace=9:29/mile
Marathon-pace Run
On Tuesday night, my boyfriend and I went downtown for his birthday dinner but I had a relaxing day on Wednesday.
It was a beautiful 66 degrees in the morning when I left the house at almost 7:30 am.
D.C.-area forecast: Comfortably dry and sunny today, but heat creeps back in for the weekend https://t.co/I0bBj4uw1Z
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) August 5, 2021
I ran the same route as I did for the past two weeks but in the opposite direction. I started with an uphill warm-up to the Ballston/Virginia Square neighborhood. Before starting the marathon-pace segment, I started my 2021 London Marathon playlist and took a deep breath!
After a few blocks, I made it to the Custis Trail and rolled through the hills. Along the way, I realized that I wasn’t drinking much water and forced myself to drink. My arrival at the “Intersection of Doom” was timed perfectly and I didn’t have to stop! When I hit the Mount Vernon Trail, I was moving at a nice groove. I even cracked a smile listening to False Alarm, by The Head and The Heart. In Pentagon City, I finally had to stop for a light and ended the last segment a block or two later.
After two weeks of steady-pace runs, it was great knowing I could hit marathon-pace if I tried. But, the mile splits weren’t very even: 8:41 to 9:31.
Distance=9.00 miles
Pace=8:58/mile
Cross-training
Strides. On Monday, I did strides at Thomas Jefferson Community Center.
Clothing
Shorts. Oiselle Featherweight Roga Short. Last month, I had to delay a run because I didn’t have any clean shorts so I ordered another pair of my new go-to shorts. I have the same complaints, though. I’m between sizes so they aren’t ideal for me. Also, there isn’t a pocket to securely store my key so I end up safety-pinning it to my drawstring. Finally, the tags and seems are very itchy. Still, it’s the best training short I’ve encountered. Price: $56.
Media & Motivation
News. “Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir Is the 2021 Women’s Olympic Marathon Champion,” Runner’s World. What a great race?! As someone who has struggled with summer training runs, I can’t imagine trying to turn in the performance of my life in those conditions. Of course for Americans, Molly Seidel‘s bronze medal performance was celebrated widely.
Podcasts. “Episode 170: Noah Droddy,” The Morning Shakeout. Running enthusiasts are rarely given an inside look on the financial side of professional running, so I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I understand how running brands want contracts with athletes who they think are their customers but I also sympathized with his frustration with what that means for athletes who outperform but still can’t get signed (or, in his case, lose sponsorship).
Racing Schedule
Runner rankings. RunWashington’s DMV Distance Derby. My best times are:
- Teddy Roosevelt Island (1.4 miles): 10:08 (7:38 pace) on May 12, 2020.
- Custis Climb – Key Bridge to Glebe (3.1 miles): 25:47 (8:47 pace) on October 6, 2020.
- Hains Point (2.5 miles): 20:37 (8:13 pace) on November 26, 2020.
Next race: 2021 South Lakes 10K on Sunday, August 29th. Goal is sub-52:00 (8:20 pace).
