June 2016 Running – Week 3
I flew back from San Diego on Monday and got down to work – I had an interval workout on Tuesday, hills on Friday, and medium run on Saturday. I missed Thursday’s easy run due to weather, though. New York City Marathon training starts tomorrow!
Training Schedule
June 19th – June 25th
Sunday: 5 miles recovery.
Monday: 6 miles recovery.
Tuesday: Intervals. 3 x (4 x 400m) with 1 minute between reps and 3 minute the sets
Wednesday: 5 miles recovery.
Thursday: 6 miles recovery.
Friday: Hills. 8 x 2 min hills with recovery jogs.
Saturday: Medium Run. 11 miles.
Mileage Total: ~45 Miles
Adaptations. I woke up to torrential rain on Thursday morning and decided to stay in bed. I took clothes in to work in hopes I could squeeze a workout in during lunch but it didn’t happen. I hate missing workouts!
Workout Details
Interval Run. 3 x (4 x 400m) w/ 1 minute between reps and 3 minute the sets [Log Details].
My coach didn’t put the speed of the intervals in the workout notes, so I assumed 3K – 5K pace and head out the door. During the warmup, my ankles were still sore from last Saturday’s trail race.
The first set was out on the trail and I struggled to find my rhythm. Speed came easy on the first quarter but I knew I shouldn’t be fooled and should hold back a little. I didn’t remember any guidance on the recoveries either so I did a combination of super light jogging and outright walking.
The first two reps of the second set had a little more variation in the terrain. I wasn’t obsessed with speed during the workout but after figured that was what accounted for the slower times. At the turn around, I thought maybe I should pick up the pace for the last set since the workout didn’t feel too taxing.
During the last set, I felt like my legs were flying. For the final rep, I actually tried to get under 1:40 and pressed hard. I missed it but it was fun trying. By the end, I was surprised by how well the workout went considering how badly I felt when I started.
Splits=1:47, 1:50, 1:46, 1:42 (set 1); 1:45, 1:52, 1:41, 1:45 (set 2); 1:45, 1:45, 1:41, 1:43 (set 3). Mean=1:45 or 7:00 pace.
Hills. 8 x 2 minutes hills with recovery jogs [Log Details].
Earlier in the week, my coach asked if I had a hill where I could run for 2 minute repeats. I was sure I could find one, but then remembered I struggled with this a little when I ran this workout training for the 2016 Boston Marathon. That hill wasn’t very steep and probably didn’t elicit the desired training effect. I decided to buck up and do a steeper hill this time – the Air Force Memorial hill.
I ran the warmup to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, which is a little more than a mile and a half from my house and then turned back for 2 miles.
At the foot of the Air Force Memorial, I started my repeats. I took the first two reps easy since I wasn’t sure how hard they should be but was running “moderate” by the third and fourth. Took a longer recovery after the 4th rep to take a picture. Increased the intensity for the last four reps. I tried to run each repetition a little harder than the one before. I could tell I was running them fast because I found myself progressing further up the hill. I felt great after the workout but took the cool down home very slow.
2:00 segment paces=8:09, 7:52, 8:02, 7:46, 7:47, 7:29, 7:32, 7:05. Mean=7:45.
Medium Run. 11 miles. [Log Details].
I emailed my coach earlier in the week to ask about the distance for this run. Of course, I wanted to run more than 11 miles.
I woke up feeling a little awful. I was really congested and thought these were the early signs of a cold. But, I thought I could still get a run in before the cold when full effect. I had coffee and some peanut butter toast before the run.
I started the run easy and was surprise to see just how slow that was. My legs felt heavy and my ankles hurt. I chalked that up to yesterday’s hill workout.
About 3 miles in and I hit the trail. I continued along at a slow pace. I stopped to change music and take some pictures. There was a layer of cloud cover and bright sunshine above it that was both eerie and beautiful at the same time. A mile or so down the road I stopped again:
All in all the run was uneventful. I tried to keep the pace easy since I was going a little farther than my coach recommended. I started to feel much better at the 10 mile mark.
Pace=9:12.
Health
Sleep. I got more sleep this week by forcing myself to go to bed a little earlier. I’ve decided to start logging my sleep – at least for a week or two – to see if I can get myself on a good schedule.
Illness. I woke up on Saturday with a raw feeling in my throat. I have a lot of allergies, so I’m never quite sure if I’m sick but I could be coming down with a cold.
Weather
Heat. All of my runs this week were in the low to mid-70 degree mark. In San Diego, it was a dry heat but in Washington D.C., the humidity was pretty fierce. Thunderstorms rolled in at the end of the week, which led to a missed workout on Thursday. I hate missing workout.
Racing Schedule
Next race: Firecracker 5K on July 4th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
The Week Ahead
I’ll officially start training for the New York City Marathon tomorrow! I’m ready to get my New York on! With a coach creating my schedule each week, I won’t know what to expect but I plan on taking my training more seriously.
