2022 Erie Marathon – Week 15
Training Schedule
August 14th – August 20th
Sunday: Long Run. 17 miles
Monday: Rest or cross-train
Tuesday: Recovery + speed 7 mi w/ 6 x 100 m strides
Wednesday: VO2max Run. 10 mi w/5 x 1,200 m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90%
interval time between
Thursday: Medium-long Run. 12 miles
Friday: General aerobic + speed 8 mi w/ 8 x 100 m strides
Saturday: Recovery Run. 5 miles
Total: ~61 Miles
Notes. This was a high mileage week, and my boyfriend and I would be on vacation to Acadia National Park in Maine.
Instead of running a double in the Pfitz “55 to 75” miles a week plan, I ran a recovery run in the “Up to 55” plan. For the medium-long run scheduled later in the week, I split the difference between the two plans and set the goal of 12 miles.
By the end of the week, the Erie Marathon would be less than a month away!
Training paces
| Recovery | Long | General Aerobic | Marathon | Threshold | 5K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No faster than 10:25 | 9:55-10:10 | 9:10-9:45 | 8:40-8:55 | 7:55-8:10 | 7:30-7:40 |
Workouts
Long Run
I woke up tired from all the traveling. Even though it was 6 am, the sun was fully out. It was much cooler here and it had rained overnight. It was about 63 degrees when I left the house.
The house we rented from AirBnB was old and creeky. I tried tip-toeing around to get my stuff together without waking everyone else up. I consulted a route I found on MapMyRun – Strava’s Heat Map wasn’t as helpful because there’s so much hiking done in the area – and headed out the door!
I didn’t get a block down the road before I saw a deer crossing the road. I ran easy – around 11:00 pace – up a long, steep road until I found the entrance to the park.
The trail that I found looked more suited for hiking rather than running. I ran a few meters before conceding this wouldn’t work in the long run. Frustrated, I texted my boyfriend about coming back home. But, I consulted Google Maps and saw another trail system to the east that I thought I should try.
There was no shoulder on the road in the park, so I ran cautiously. I realized I hadn’t restarted my Garmin after the last location check. Grrr!
I reached the point where I should have encountered the trail but realized it was below me. I scrambled down to a road and headed north. There wasn’t a shoulder, but I didn’t encounter any cars.
I finally arrived at the carriage roads! Giddy, I talked to a cyclist – Don. He suggested I run to Eagle Lake, which was two miles away. I crossed a stone bridge and grabbed an Acadia Park Carriage Trails map just in case I got lost again. I averaged just over 10:00 pace to Eagle Lake. Passing other runners made me more confident that I was going the right way.
Eagle Lake was beautiful, but I didn’t waste much time admiring it. I decided to run counterclockwise around it. I passed some fast male runners speeding down the hill, but I was mainly alone again after they left me. I lost cell reception, so I couldn’t listen to the podcast I had been listening to. Instead, I ran in silence.
I stopped once more to determine that I was at least halfway around the lake and wouldn’t need to turn around to avoid going too far. I felt great, so I also decided not to eat the Gu on my handheld. On the back side of the trail, my pace dropped under 10:00! I credited the cooler temperatures and no humidity.
Back at the entrance to the carriage roads, I headed in what I thought was the right direction, only to consult Google Maps again and realize that I wasn’t. I saw a sign noting the road was for bicycles and walkers only and felt relief.
On the main road, some roofers complimented me on the run. I told them I did 17 miles, and they were impressed.
I finished feeling great and as though I could have gone longer. My shoes were filthy, though.
Distance=17.88 miles
Pace=9:53/mile
VO2Max Run
I thought about finding the local high school and running on its track, but 1200m intervals are relatively long. I thought they might be more enjoyable on the roads, so I headed back toward the carriage roads.
My log showed that I hadn’t done intervals this long in over three years, so I was nervous about the workout. left the house and this time was greeted by wild turkeys.
It was about 66 degrees when I left the house for a mile warm-up. I ran 2 miles to Duck Brook Road – the bike and pedestrian-only access to the carriage roads – and then kept going. I started the first interval at the bridge leading to the trails.
The stretch of Duck Brook Road was almost 0.75 miles exactly. I ran the first interval with plenty in reserve because the road was not flat. (The odd-numbered sets were down-hill.) For the second, I ran a little harder but not much. On the third and fourth, I had my confidence and went out at what felt like 5K pace. For the last, I went all out was happy that it was 5K pace.
The cool-down home was fast. I credited the cool weather and down-hill nature of the route.
| Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:22 | 8:36 | 8:03 | 8:19 | 8:00 |
Distance=5.58 miles
Pace=9:52/mile
Medium Run
Before leaving the house, I calculate that from our rental and around Eagle Lake would be about an 11.6 mile run. The route would be a little short but I could make it work. It rained overnight and the temperature wasn’t even 60 degrees when I left the house!
I felt rain on my shoulders when I got to the carriage trails. Luckily, it subsided, and I concluded it was just the wind blowing water from the trees.
Now that I felt comfortable with the carriage trails, I let my mind relax while my legs ran at a 9:20 pace. I started thinking about what the next stage of my life would look like. I’m over 50 now and should start thinking about retirement. What would that look like? Could I live somewhere like here? It was so peaceful! I also thought about work.
When I reached the entrance to the carriage trails, I felt like I wanted to do some extra mileage. I ran an extra half mile around one side of the loop and then an additional mile around another.
I felt so good that I did some extra mileage. It’s been so hot and humid back home that I often cut runs short. If the weather is nice in Erie, maybe I have a shot for a Boston Marathon qualifying time.
Distance=14.13 miles
Pace=9:58/mile
General Aerobic Run
This was the warmest running day during my trip – 66 degrees when I left the house.
I ran up to the carriage roads and decided to explore some other areas. Unsure of the distance, I took a chance that the loop would be almost exactly 8 miles exactly. When I reached the mid-point, I wondered, Are these the same lily pads I’d seen on Thursday? I thought they were and kept running rather than turning around. When I reached the guide post pointing to the exit to the park, I realized I had gone about a quarter mile too far. Not bad.
Distance=8.27 miles
Pace=9:26/mile
Cross-training
Hiking. On Tuesday, I joined my boyfriend and his daughters on a hike to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park instead of resting. It was sold as an hour and a half each way. We hoped there would be a shuttle bus at the top but there was not. Five hours later, we returned to our rental exhausted. But, the view from the top of the mountain was breathtaking. (Log Details, pt. 1. Log Detals, pt. 2.)
Health
Injuries. I strained a muscle in my right hip doing strides on Tuesday. And my piriformis hurt during the medium-long run on Thursday. I think the cooler weather and downhill running has lengthened my stride, and my hips aren’t ready for it.
Routes
Trails. Acadia Park Carriage Trails. These trails are the best place to run in the park. From Bar Harbor, reaching the trails on foot is not intuitive. If you want to run from town, take W. Street north and turn right onto Duck Brook Road, which is close to automobiles. From there, it’s roughly a mile to the carriage road. I didn’t notice any water fountains, but there are restrooms at the entrances near Duck Brook Road and Eagle Lake.
My Guide to Washington DC Area Running Routes
Racing Schedule
Future race: Collar Bomb Heist (Death of Brian Wells). I watch a fair amount of true crime television programs. While on vacation, I watched a Netflix show about this notorious crime and was surprised to learn it happened in Erie!
Next race: 2022 South Lakes 10K on Sunday, August 28th. Goal is sub-50:00 (8:01 pace).
