Summer of 2019 – Week 9

On Sunday, I thought my legs would be tired after a hiking trip the day before but they were good for a 13 miler.  I planned a cut-back week anyway but didn’t run at all from Monday through Wednesday.

Training Schedule
July 28th – August 3rd

Sunday: Long Run. 15 miles
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Interval Run. 6 x 400m @ 5K pace w/400m recovery jogs
Wednesday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Thursday: Tempo Run. 8 miles w/4 miles @ marathon pace
Friday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 5 miles

Total: ~45 Miles

Notes.  I completely lacked motivation on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I took those days off.

Workouts

Medium Run. 13 miles [Log Details].

The day before, I went hiking near Colonial Beach, Virginia for three hours.  That evening, I enjoyed a tasty seafood dinner and a beautiful sunset at a local bar.

It was already pretty hot when I left my house at 7:30am on Sunday morning – about 73 degrees.  I ran through Crystal City to the Mount Vernon Trail.  I monitored my heart rate rather than pace – trying to keep out of threshold range until after the Lee Highway uphill on the Custis Trail.  I stopped for water but didn’t eat any food on the run.  I left the trail for the roads in Ballston and ran mostly downhill towards my neighborhood.  I finished the run with a very easy mile uphill home.  I paced it perfectly – not too hard but hard enough that I felt satisfied.

Overall pace=9:28.

Lactate Threshold Run.  30 minutes @ marathon pace [Log Details].

Monday was a scheduled off day but I just didn’t feel like running on Tuesday or Wednesday.  After taking three days off and going out the night before, I really just wanted to get in a good workout.  I wondered how so much time off may have impacted my fitness.  But then thought, “It was only three days!”  The temperature was already a steamy 76 degrees when I started the lactate threshold segment of the run.  I went out and back on the Four Mile Run Trail, turning around by the Route 1 underpass.  I made a goal of running just over 8:00 pace which has been my steady pace this summer.  There was a fair amount of traffic on the trail but I didn’t seem in the way.  The workout felt comfortable throughout.

Half marathon pace segment pace=8:06. 

Health

Sleep.  I was so lazy this week that I even took my Garmin off!  I suspect I got about seven to eight hours of sleep through Wednesday night.  Then, I got my normal – just under seven hours a night.

Weight.  My idea of losing weight this summer didn’t bear out.  In fact, I was a pound short of 140 pounds on Thursday. I just haven’t felt like tracking my meals.

Weather

The temperature was in the low 70s for my long run on Sunday.  It stayed mild through Thursday but cloud cover made it feel humid.  Morning heat climbed to the high 70s by week’s end.

Routes

Construction.  Arlington Presbyterian Church (Gilliam Place).  A construction project leading from my house down to the W&OD Trail is wrapping up.  The sidewalk has re-opened and I’m not limited to one side of the street.  The church that had been there was replaced by a familiar building format in this county – first level retail and upper floors of apartments.

(My Guide to Washington D.C. Area Running Routes)

Media & Motivation

Podcasts.  “Training on Vacation,” The Extra Kick. This podcast was timely because I was just starting to rethink my decision not to make the 2019 New York City Marathon my goal race this fall because I would be traveling at the end of August.  This trip would be early in my schedule.  And, I could maintain consistency with some treadmill running.

Music. “Crazy,” Gnarls Barkley.  The line, “You think you’re in control,” and then laughter and “Bless your soul” before the refrain resonated with me this week.

My “Songs of the Week” on Spotify)

Motivation.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#F11D9A” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going – Jim Ryan[/dropshadowbox]

The 2019 Cleveland Marathon felt like ages ago! Even though I still have some doubts about goals for the fall, I’m ready to start training again.

Racing Schedule

Future races.  In addition to the 2019 New York City Marathon, I’m looking at the 2019 Brazos Bend 50 Miler as my second race for the fall!  If I really want to do a multi-day stage race someday, I need to give long distance trail racing another shot.

Next race: 2019 Ragnar Sunset Washington DC on Saturday, September 21st.

(My Racing Schedule)