November 2016 Training – Week 4
I ran every day this week! Mostly easy miles but I introduced a little speed work and hill sprinting to wake up the legs. Physically, my hip felt a little better. But today, I wondered if I caught a cold… I’ve been working on my training plan for the 2017 Eugene Marathon (separate post to follow).
Training Schedule
November 27th – December 3rd
Sunday: 7 miles recovery.
Monday: 7 miles easy.
Tuesday: Speed work. 7 miles easy w/8 x 200m @ 5K pace.
Wednesday: 7 miles easy.
Thursday: 5 miles + 6 x 10 sec hill sprints.
Friday: 7 miles easy.
Saturday: Long run. 13 miles easy.
Mileage Total: ~53 Miles.
Adaptations. It was raining pretty hard on Wednesday morning, so I opted to run four miles in the afternoon. I planned to run to work on Friday but didn’t want the hassle and just ran four miles during my lunch hour again.
Goals. Do some type of speed work. Outcome: Success! I did an interval workout on Tuesday.
Workout Details
Interval Run. 7 miles easy w/8 x 200m @ goal 5K pace [Log Details].
I thought it was time to turn these legs over a bit. But, not too much. I thought 200m repeats might do the trick. I set my Garmin for goal 5K pace, which I thought would be 6:35-7:00 pace.
During the warm-up, there was a light rain and it was pretty windy, but it didn’t really bother me. I ran close to 4 miles as a warm-up before starting the intervals on the Four Mile Trail.
The first repetition was erratic. My Garmin kept telling me I was running too slow, which was annoying. (I’m running pretty hard, here!) But, my watch was happy more or less with the remaining repetitions and I knew it was just a matter of finding a groove. It felt good to run fast again!
After the workout, I did think it was a bit too easy and I should aim for longer repetitions next week.
Split paces=6:52, 6:52, 6:27, 6:37, 7:00, 7:07, 6:28, 6:41. Average=6:41.
Long Run. 13 miles easy [Log Details]
I woke up with a mild headache. I dismissed it though, and figured it would wear off sometime during the run.
The first few miles of the route I ran was mostly uphill. It was a bit of a chore but I focused on just running easy. (You’re not training for anything so just enjoy the run.) It helped that I had to reset my Garmin 630 the day before and hadn’t changed the settings to show overall or lap pace. After about 6 miles, I started doing math to figure out my pace. I’d been running low-8:00 lately and was surprised I was running slower. But, it was a very windy day. At times, I felt it was pushing me back! After about eight miles, I started wanting a break. I stopped for a picture.
In Crystal City, about 11 miles in, I reached at a water fountain and drank water. I appreciated the break but I really did need a drink. The next three miles weren’t as terrible as I thought they’d be. Still, 14 miles might have been too much for me right now.
Back home, I stretched out a little but wanted to get out of my wet clothes. My head was still achy and I realized… I might be sick!
Overall pace=8:49.
Health
Injuries. I saw my chiropractor on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I’ve noticed some improvement – the pain in my left hip isn’t as sharp as it was. My insurance is covering the first 20 visits, after all. Still, I thought I should prepare to treat myself. I bought a TENS machine and heat pad, and plan to stretch more frequently.
Weather
The week started cold – morning temperatures in the upper 30s – but clear. A warm front moved in on Tuesday and pushed temperatures into the 50s. It brought rain, which the area desperately needed, and wind on Wednesday morning but caused me to run during my lunch hour. By Saturday, it was cold again.
Racing Schedule
Next race: Fairfax Four Miler on December 31st. I don’t feel well enough to run the Jingle All the Way 15K tomorrow. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
