2021 London Marathon – Week 2
This week, I started what will be my typical schedule for this training cycle – long run on Sunday, speed work on Thursday, and a “medium” run on Thursday. It was a rough start, though, as high heat and humidity led me to run 18 miles on the treadmill! The other runs were outside, though, and went well.
Training Schedule
May 23rd – May 29th
Sunday: Long Run. 18 miles
Monday: Easy Run. 5 miles + Strides
Tuesday: Interval Run. 8 x 400m @ 5K-10K pace w/400m recovery jog
Wednesday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Thursday: Medium Run. 11 miles
Friday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Total: ~55 Miles
Notes. This week, I started what will be my typical schedule for this training cycle – long run on Sunday, speed work on Thursday, and a “medium” run on Thursday.
Training paces
| Recovery | Easy | Marathon | Threshold | Repetition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Workouts
Long Run
By the time that I was ready to run at 8am, it was already above 80 degrees – my limit for running outside. It wasn’t how I wanted to start off this training cycle but I was more afraid of starting a run outside and having to quit it far from home. So, I grabbed a few necessities and headed for the treadmill at my gym.
D.C.-area forecast: Summer-like heat through midweek, except for a cloudier and cooler blip tomorrow https://t.co/jPZpwxY4Wj
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) May 23, 2021
It wasn’t strange being at the gym during the COVID-19 pandemic – I weight trained two times a week last summer. But, it was odd being on the treadmill indoors. “Was it safe to breath in other people’s air?” My paranoia faded quickly, though, as I embraced an old familiar favorite activity – people watching at the gym. I also kept myself distracted with the televisions on the wall, music, and podcasts.
I set the treadmill speed low – going slightly faster and slower than 4.8. While I used to pay close attention to the settings and even calibrated a footpod, these days I run the treadmill by effort. During the 3 hour and 11 minute run, I stopped a few times to either get water or run to my locker to get more gels. By the end, my legs felt like mush but I did it!
Distance=18.00 miles
Pace=10:37/mile
Interval Run
I’ve been struggle to get up early and didn’t manage to fit a run in before I started teleworking at 9:30am. Luckily, it was only about 70 degrees in the afternoon so I headed out for a speed workout at 1pm.
D.C.-area forecast: Clouds linger today, then sunnier and hot on Wednesday with a chance of storms https://t.co/ri7k7MCzIA
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) May 25, 2021
For a warm-up, I jogged up the W&OD Trail to Bluemont Park. I ran 0.25 mile repetitions with an equal amount of time they took for recovery, I started the intervals running west from the park towards falls Church. The trail was slightly uphill so the first two repetitions were slow but it flattened out by the third. Just past the Custis Trail, I turned around and the terrain was mostly downhill. The workout went well but I cut the work-out short one repetition to make sure I was back home by 2pm, which is when our lunch band ends at work.
| Distance | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mi. (pace) | 8:01 | 8:16 | 7:28 |
| Set 4 | Set 5 | Set 6 | Set 7 |
| 7:43 | 7:45 | 7:19 | 7:21 |
Distance=3.00 miles
Pace=9:06/mile
Threshold Run
It was already over 70 degrees when I woke up – not the ideal temperature for a threshold run – but I decided to just see what would happen.
D.C.-area forecast: Very warm but much less humid today before a rainy start to the weekend https://t.co/4fbmzKINLq
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) May 27, 2021
For a warm-up, I took a winding tour through north Arlington County until I arrived at the end of the Lee Highway climb on the Custis Trail. It was a bit of a cheat to start a threshold run at the top of a hill but it was the best location I could think of to start 4 miles and end near my house.
I ran through Rosslyn and surprisingly, only had a short stop for lights. When I reached the Mount Vernon Trail, I was running just under 9:00 pace. I held that effort for a while but could feel the heat and humidity sapping my energy. I exited the trail at the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial and ran through the Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Park before cutting the run short.
I walked along the west side of the Pentagon before starting a recovery jog home. I noticed how full the parking lot looked and thought, “Yeah, it was time to get back to work.”
Distance=3.75 miles
Pace=8:54/mile
Cross-training
Strides. In addition to my runs, I did strides at Thomas Jefferson Park on Monday.
Health
Injuries. Achilles Tendonitis. After the long treadmill run, I noticed my left heel was sore. It’s lingered for a few days but I’m hoping it will go away soon.
Routes
Parks. Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Park. This has become one of my favorite ways to get to and from the Mount Vernon Trail. And, the park has a unique view of the Washington Monument. It’s accessible by foot from the north side of the Pentagon parking and from the west side of the Columbia Island Marina. There are drinking fountains in the park and a restroom near the Marina’s parking lot.
My Guide to Washington D.C. Area Running Routes
Media & Motivation
News. “12 Runners Killed When Extreme Weather Hits Ultramarathon in China“, Runner’s World. Although I’ve only done one ultramarathon, it was easy for me to imagine how this could have happened given the practice of only carrying what you need from drop bag stop to drop bag stop.
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).
