Summer 2017 Training – Week 8

 

It wasn’t a particularly hard week – two medium intensity days during the workweek and then a long run today that included the Fletcher’s Cove ParkRun.  I start training for the New York City Marathon tomorrow!  But, I’m not feeling mentally ready.

Training Schedule
June 25th – July 1st

Sunday: Recovery Run. 6 miles.
Monday: Maintenance Run. 10 miles moderate.
Tuesday: Recovery Run. 6 miles.
Wednesday: Medium Run. 12 miles.
Thursday: Off.
Friday: Easy Run. 6 miles.
Saturday: Long Run. 15 miles.

Mileage Total: ~55 Miles

Notes. I stayed pretty close to this schedule.  I ran easy on Thursday instead of Friday thinking I should push back my last planned off day for four months.  And today, I ran 13.5 miles instead of 15 out of fatigue.

Goals. Run 55 miles for the week and weigh 123 pounds.  Outcome: Fail!  I was a half mile short of 55 miles, which wasn’t a big deal, but I actually ended up gaining a pound this summer.

Workout Details

Maintenance Run. 10 miles moderate [Log Details].

I woke up with a bad case of the Mondays but made it out the door.  It was a nice morning – not quite 70 degrees and low humidity.

I ran a route that was mostly uphill for the first two miles until I reached Clarendon.  I took that section pretty easy.  Then, the course was a steep downhill, which my legs appreciated.  But, I still kept the effort “easy”.  I reached the Custis Trail a short while later.  The temperature was pretty comfortable so I ran past the first water fountain at Nelson Street.  I told myself that I needed to stop taking so many breaks during my endurance runs.  But, I stopped briefly at the second water fountain at the junction with the W&OD Trail.  Confident I hadn’t gone out too hard, I pushed the pace for the last two miles.

It’s amazing how much faster I can run when it’s not so humid outside!

Overall pace=8:47.

Fartlek Run. 5 x 3 minutes “on”, 2 minutes “off”.  [Log Details].

On Tuesday, I’d scheduled an easy run but decided to take advantage of the nice weather and mix in some hard running.  I thought a fartlek run would allow me to turn my legs over a little but not too much.  I didn’t have time to plan, though, so I just uploaded the workout I did late last May and ran that.  But this time, I wanted to run the “on” segments closer to 5K pace.

The workout went well.  I was happy to see I was able to hit the pace ranges.  In fact, for the last repetition, I got under 7:00 pace!  It was nice feeling like I probably hadn’t lost any fitness since spring.

Medium Run. 12 miles [Log Details].

I debated sleeping in.  With each day, marathon training was growing closer and I wanted to enjoy these relatively restful mornings while I could.  Soon, I’d want to get up earlier to beat the heat.  I knew I’d be even more tired later in the week and forced myself up and out the door.

I listened to podcasts during the run in an effort to keep the pace easy.  During one of them – an interview with a runner who was hit by a bus – I found myself thinking, “What is your problem?!  You get to run and are healthy!”  I started thinking about how I might training better this next marathon cycle.

Overall pace=8:55.

Long Run. 15 miles [Log Details – Part 1, Fletcher’s Cove ParkRun, Log Details – Part 2].

This morning, I ran with people!  I joined a local run club, composed of much faster runners, for my long run.  I thought it would be a good kick in the butt before I started training for the New York City Marathon.

As usual, I was slow getting ready and left the house with only 15 minutes to get downtown.  I parked in a garage in Georgetown thinking, “How expensive could it be?”

I met up with the group and we ran from Georgetown, across the river into Virginia, and onto the Custis Trail.  We made our way up Glebe Road and I lagged behind on the rolling hills.  We crossed back into D.C. and ran south on the Capitol Crescent Trail.  The plan was to hop into the Fletcher’s Cove ParkRun.  I tried to keep the pace a “jog” for the race but ran faster than I should have.  The final 2-3 miles back to our starting point were pretty slow.  We ended our run with a visit to the Georgetown splash fountain.  It felt so refreshing!

We hung out after the run.  It was my birthday and one of them bought cupcakes, which we shared.  the parking fee?  $22.95!

Pace=8:51 for 7.8 miles, 8:35 for 3.1 miles, and 9:30 for 2.6 miles.

Health

Injuries. My hips hurt after my workouts this week…  I’ve been focusing on running taller and engaging my core more during my runs and I think it’s engaging those muscles more than usual.

Weight. I wanted to lose 5 pounds this summer and in the end…  I gained a pound!  Things were going well until the end of last week.  I thought the two higher readings were a fluke but my weight kept going higher.  Oh well.  I gave it a shot.

Weather

Sunday was warm, but then the temperature dropped to the upper 60s with low humidity through Wednesday.  On Thursday, it felt like summer again and morning temps were in the high 60s.  Today, I ran in miserable 80 degree conditions.

 

Racing Schedule

Future races.  I start training for the New York City Marathon tomorrow!  I don’t feel ready but it’s 18 weeks out so I have time to get my head in the game.

Looking ahead, I also checked out the Tokyo Marathon.  It’s the only other world major I’m interested in running.  I’m starting to think my goal for next year might be running a multi-stage ultra event next year.

Next race: 2017 Dulles Day 10K On the Runway on Saturday, September 23rd. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)