May 2016 Running – Week 3
I ran Ragnar Cape Cod last weekend and skipped my weekly update on Saturday. This week, I took the Sunday after Ragnar off. I managed to get out of bed on Monday for a run but wasn’t so lucky on Tuesday. By Wednesday, I caught up on sleep and was back on track with my running.
Training Schedule
May 15th – May 21st
Sunday: Off.
Monday: 6 miles easy.
Tuesday: Medium Run. 12 miles easy.
Wednesday: 6 miles easy.
Thursday: 8 miles easy + hill sprints.
Friday: 6 miles easy.
Saturday: Medium Run. 12 miles easy.
Mileage Total: ~50 Miles
Details
I finally created a training schedule to keep me honest before training for the 2016 New York City Marathon in July. My goal is to run a long run on Saturday, a medium run on Tuesday, 6-8 miles easy with either hills or cross training a few times a week, and take Monday off. This week was a little different in that I took the Sunday after Ragnar Cape Cod off instead of Monday.
Medium Run. 12 miles easy [Log Details].
I managed to get up and run early on Monday but slept in on Tuesday. I decided to run the 12 miles I was supposed to run on Tuesday on Wednesday instead. I’ve been running pretty strong since Boston and this day wasn’t an exception. I felt great at the start of the run and purposefully slowed myself down during the first few miles. Usually, I slow a little on the rolling hills of the Custis Trail, but I felt like running hard so I did. Having just posted my race report, I thought a lot about my epic Ragnar run down and it was making me run harder. About 8 miles in, I felt a little tired and slowed down the pace a bit – but not by much. I enjoyed running for the sake of running.
Average pace=8:31.
Medium Run. 12 miles easy [Log Details].
Still trying to catch up on sleep on a rainy morning, I got a late start for Saturday’s run. I decided to run a different route than I did earlier in the week to avoid some traffic. Still, I found myself frustrated by car that rolled through stop signs. I rarely run in front of vehicles moving. At one point, I mouthed “Stop!” to a driver and did a breaking hand motion. But, the rest of the run was stress-free. Again, my legs felt like running but mentally, I held myself back. It was great feeling great. My training cycle for Boston ended with so much pain that I marveled at how easy and fluid running felt now.
Average pace=8:32.
Other Running-Related Activities
Racing Schedule. Racing keeps me honest in my training so I try not to go too long without racing. I added Lawyers Have Heart 10K to the Racing Schedule page. I may run the Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon but am not 100% sure. I’m not a fan of the course but I like the idea of running the distance. I also need one more race between now and June 30th to stay in the RunWashington Runner Rankings for the end of the year and would rather get it over with before the heat of June is upon us.
Looking further ahead, I added the Firecracker 5K and Rockville Twilighter 8K to my schedule. I’m excited about racing so much this summer!
Gear. I bought a new smartphone after the Boston Marathon – the Galaxy S7. It’s a little big for my SPI-belt so I’ve been running with the arm band from my April Stridebox. It’s a one-size-fits-all type of holder with holes to the left and right on the top and bottom for headphones but I’m still using my iPod Shuttle for music instead of my phone. It’s good but I may find something with more neoprene. I’m afraid the band may chafe in the summer.
Media of the Week
Songs. “NO,” by Meghan Trainor. I bought this song a few days before Ragnar Cape Cod and have been playing it non-stop since.
Podcasts, Books, Articles... I’m very behind on everything.
The Week Ahead
With Ragnar Cape Cod-related sleep deprivation behind me, I’m hoping to get back on a regular running schedule next week.
Inspiration. “Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is.” – Vince Lombardi
I really enjoy reading your blog and appreciate the detailed description of your training. I admire how well you create your own training schedules – that is something I’d like to get better at!
BTW, I live in the DC area also (Maryland suburbs) and have run both the Firecracker 5K and the Rockville Twilighter. You are probably already aware that this year’s Twilighter is going to be very different from past years – a completely different location/course and some different organizers. I’m not planning to run it this year but am interested to hear how it goes.
I didn’t know about the changes to the Rockville Twilighter but will read up… Thank you for the heads up!
I had a problem with a driver this week, too, when a driver drove through the intersection after what looked like a stop for me. I’m glad something made me wait – they weren’t really stopping for me after all!
I usually run behind cars. But, sometimes, I feel like I’m being paranoid and run in front even if I get the “California roll”. And, when I run behind, I worry cars don’t expect that either. Still, most times I figure it’s better safe than sorry.