Fall of 2020 – Week 10
On Sunday, I completed a 16-mile run that included a stop at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. My Yasso 800 workout was slow and my medium run was cut short but considering it was roughly a year ago that started high blood pressure medication after showing up at my doctor’s office in hypertensive crisis, it was a good week.
Training Schedule
November 8th – November 14th
Sunday: Long Run. 16 miles
Monday: Easy Run. 6 miles + strides (AM) + Weight training (PM)
Tuesday: Interval Run. Yasso 800s. 7 x 800m @ goal marathon time (AM) + weight training (PM)
Wednesday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Thursday: Medium Run. 13 miles (AM) + Weight training (PM)
Friday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Total: ~62 Miles
Notes. This week’s schedule was essentially the same as Week 6 except the long run was a few miles longer. I fell short of my goals for the Yasso 800 and medium run, though.
Training paces
| VDOT | Easy / Long | Marathon | Threshold | Repetition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slower than 9:50 | 9:30-9:45 | 8:55-9:10 | 8:25-8:40 | 7:35-7:50 (5K) |
Workouts
Long Run
When I started this training cycle 10 weeks ago, one of my goals was just to be able to run a 15-miler again. Because I’ve been running well lately, I decided this was the day to try it.
D.C.-area forecast: Staying super nice until rain likely arrives midweek https://t.co/HAGIJtpyti
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) November 8, 2020
From home, I ran to Crystal City and for some reason the song “City of New Orleans” by Willie Nelson was stuck in my head so I played it on repeat. I thought a lot about the 2020 presidential election. Most news outlets had declared a likely winner but the President hadn’t conceded.
I met up with the Mount Vernon Trail and settled into a nice 9:30 to 9:45 pace range. I crossed the 14th Street Bridge into the District of Columbia and did a loop through Hains Point.
Exiting the island, I headed towards the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial where I took a long break in honor of the future first mixed/black female Vice President in American history.
On my return trip to Virginia, I stopped a few times to stretched out my legs after noticing they felt a little swollen – a side effect of my high blood pressure medication.
Overall, the run wasn’t as fast as I wanted, (by the end, it was 64 degrees outside) but I completed my mileage goal!
Distance=16.76 miles
Pace=9:50/mile
Interval Run
I rushed out the door at 7:30 am without looking at my workout. Having done Yasso 800s a few times now, I thought I knew how the workout should go.
D.C.-area forecast: Another day of nice, warm weather before rain returns https://t.co/B3om4IwNDh
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) November 10, 2020
After almost a 2-mile warm-up, I started the workout on the W&OD Trail in Barcroft. After the first repetition, something about the time just didn’t seem right. I realized that I made the mistake of running my goal marathon pace rather the goal marathon time. By the second repetion, I knew what I should be running as I crossed over to the Four Mile Run Trail but the time wasn’t there.
For some reason, I just couldn’t get into the right pace range for this workout.
During the cool-down, my Garmin malfunctioned again. It was frustrating but at this point, I was used to it.
| Distance | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800m (time) | 4:17 | 3:58 | 3:58 |
| Set 4 | Set 5 | Set 6 | |
| 3:55 | 3:53 | 4:04 |
Distance=5.20 miles
Pace=9:24/mile
Medium Run
A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I started the process of looking for a house to buy! We had a 9 am appointment to see one that we really liked. Unfortunately, I got a late start heading out into the cold rain.
D.C.-area forecast: Heavy rain tapers off this morning; skies brighten Friday through the weekend https://t.co/tFfGv2V4iZ
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) November 12, 2020
I eased down the Arlington Boulevard Trail into Rosslyn at about 9:30 pace. I was a little slow so I sipped Gatorade from a handheld water bottle a little earlier than planned to make sure I had the energy.
On the Mount Vernon Trail, I encountered a downed tree at the end of Trollheim Bridge. (I didn’t know this bridge had a name until this week!) Over the next few miles, I stressed about being able to finish my workout on time and potential detours that I could take home. I didn’t push the pace, though, and still averaged 9:30 to 9:45 pace.
Despite feeling rushed, I stopped for water near National Airport. It was so windy out that the blew sidways!
I exited to the Four Mile Run Trail as planned but headed home when my Garmin read 8:15 thinking that would give me enough time to shower before meeting the realtor. I felt disappointed that I didn’t get in the mileage I wanted but knew a mile wouldn’t make a difference.
Distance=11.62 miles
Pace=9:47/mile
Cross-training
Weight training. Once again, I went to my gym for weight training on Tuesday and Thursday during my lunch hour. This week, however, I didn’t do squats this because my knees were a bit sore. I did try some walking lunges, though in my living room when I was back home.
Health
Hypertension. This week, it occurred to me that it was roughly a year ago that I started high blood pressure medication after showing up at my doctor’s office in hypertensive crisis. It’s been a rough year getting used to what I know now are side effects of the medication while digging myself out of the over-training hole that I dug for myself.
Gear
Stridebox. This month’s theme was “Action Always Creates Focus”. For gear, it contained 2Toms Blistershield, Spidertech X-Spider Kinesiology Tape, and a flat funnel. For nutritionals, it had Jimmy Bar Immunity Bar, Supernola Nut Crunch, and Life Aid recovery and immunity drinks.
Media & Motivation
News. “County Seeking Feedback on Proposed Bluemont Trail Safety Improvements, ” ArlNow. This article was timely for me because I just wrote about this trail and how I don’t run it very often because of the intersections. (I thought it was interesting that, according to the article, the trail is more heavily used than the roads.)
Podcasts. “Episode 305: Keira D’Amato, ‘The Running Realtor’“, Ali On the Run. I always enjoy podcast episodes that feature runners in the Washington, D.C. area but this interview provided extra motivation for me when Keira talked about not wanting to have regrets when it came to her running career and accepting failure (47:46 and 57:40 marks). She will attempt to break the 10 miler record for women on Monday the 23rd but it could shift due to weather.
Racing Schedule
Runner rankings. RunWashington’s DMV Distance Derby. My best times and current standings are:
- Teddy Roosevelt Island (1.4 miles): 10:08 (7:38 pace) on May 12, 2020. 14th overall/1st female.
- Custis Climb – Key Bridge to Glebe (3.1 miles): 25:47 (8:47 pace) on October 6, 2020. 16th overall/4th female.
Honorable mention for the segment I ran in the wrong direction:
- Hains Point (2.5 miles): 19:28 (7:46 pace) on November 5, 2020.
Next race: ?
