Summer 2017 Training – Week 2

I didn’t miss running after the Eugene Marathon.  I think I was feeling a little burned out.  I forced myself to run a few miles on Tuesday and Friday.  Today, I actually wanted to run and completed 10 miles.

Training Schedule
May 14th – May 20th

Sunday: Whatever.
Monday: Whatever.
Tuesday: Whatever.
Wednesday: Whatever.
Thursday: Whatever.
Friday: Whatever.
Saturday: Whatever.

Mileage Total: Whatever.

Notes.  My “rule” when it comes to running after finishing a marathon training cycle has been to wait until I miss it…  Well, over a week passed and I still hadn’t missed it.  So, I forced myself to run on Tuesday and Friday.  I (finally) truly felt like running today.

Goal.  Whatever.  Outcome:  Success!

Workout Details

Easy Run.  [Log Details].

It had been 10 days since the Eugene Marathon.  The week after the race, it didn’t bother me much that I hadn’t felt like running.  But, a few days into the second week, it bothered me that the urge wasn’t there.  Even though I usually go by my “wait until you miss it” rule, I forced myself out of bed to run a few miles.  I thought 30 minutes of running would be a good showing.

The run went well.  In fact, my legs felt pretty good out the door and I was running much faster than usual.  Instead of slowing down, I held the pace since I wasn’t going far.  I was glad to check off this first post-marathon run..  But, it didn’t go any deeper.

Overall pace=8:04.

Easy Run.  [Log Details – Out and Back].

By Friday, I still didn’t feel the urge to run.  But, I willed myself out of bed to go for a run.  This was going past post-marathon recovery and I felt like my rule was failing me.  I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted this much rest.  What if I never missed it?

I headed south to the W&OD Trail for a warm-up.  Once again, I ran pretty fast straight out the door.  My legs still felt heavy and some of my joints were sore, but it wasn’t terrible.  After 15 minutes, I did some strides and sprints on the trail.  The strides felt awkward but I sprinted like I was finding my legs for the first time!  During the cool-down home, I still wanted to run hard even though it was uphill.  I finished happy that I ran but still worried that I didn’t feel as though it was better than sleeping in.

Overall pace= 7:55 (out) and 8:19 (out).

Medium Run.  [Log Details].

I was planning to run the Capitol Hill Classic 10K the next day, so I thought I should keep the pace for this run easy.  During the first few miles, I was running a little faster than usual – just as I had earlier in the week.  At the 4 mile mark, I reached the new water fountain on the Custis Trail and stopped for a rest break.  I allowed myself a complete recovery and started a gel before continuing.  Two miles later, I took another break at the junction with the W&OD Trail.  I planned to linger for a while but felt restless.  My running legs had returned!  Along the way, I noticed a group of walkers on the trail who weren’t observing trail etiquette by staying to the right.  I was a little annoyed.  I took a long break before the long uphill home.  I noticed a few people from the walking group using sign language and realized some of them were hearing impaired.  I felt bad for being so judgmental.  Everyone should be able to enjoy these trails! I finished the run a while later and thought it went a long way towards breaking my post-marathon funk.

Overall pace=8:38.

Health

Injuries. Thankfully, the ankle pain I experienced during the Eugene Marathon didn’t linger.  My legs felt heavy this week due to inactivity but nothing was injured.  I went to my chiropractor last Friday.  I’m on a maintenance schedule now and will only go every three weeks.

Weight.  For a few years now, I’ve been a little heavier than I was a decade ago.  I’ve wanted to lose them but it never seemed that important – I’m not overweight.  But, I’d like to spend the next month trying to (finally) lose them.

Sleep.  Ah, sleep!  Since I wasn’t training for a marathon, I could sleep in this week!  Unsurprisingly, I’m still waking up at 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning, but I would just roll over and go back to sleep.

Weather

It was unseasonably warm in Washington, D.C. this week.  In fact, it tricked some cicadas into emerging early.  Temperatures were in the high 60s or low 70s in the morning but the humidity was high – around 80%.  It dropped today to about 60%.

Racing Schedule

Next race: 2017 Capitol Hill Classic 10K on Sunday, May 21st. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)

How quickly do you start running again after a marathon?