Winter of 2019 – Week 3
After a long treadmill run on Sunday, I ventured back out to the roads on Tuesday and Thursday for some very light speed-work. And, my doctors subjected me to more medical tests to see what might be causing my fatigue.
Training Schedule
November 24th – November 30th
Sunday: Off
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Easy Run. 3-5 miles w/core strength exercises
Wednesday: Interval Run. 4-5 x 5 min. w/1 min. recovery jog
Thursday: Easy Run. 3-5 miles w/core strength exercises
Friday: Off
Saturday: Medium Run. 8-10 mile trail run
Total: 20-28 Miles
Notes. The day before the training week started, I officially withdrew from the 2019 Brazos Bend 50 Miler after a disappointing 2019 New York City Marathon. In addition to post-marathon lethargy, I started high blood pressure medication three weeks ago and I thought my body was still adjusting.
Workouts
Medium Run. 10 miles [Log Details, pt. 1] [Log Details, pt. 2]
I wanted to get back to endurance running but I was still a little fearful of running outside. If I felt poorly, I’d need to take a bus or Uber home. So, I opted for the treadmill and aimed to run the time I did last weekend – at least an hour and a half.
To start, I programmed the treadmill to the 5.4 setting (11:07 pace). I watched the television with closed captioning on and listened to some random playlists on Spotify for entertainment. After about 30 minutes, I started sipping on Crank Sports e-Fuel for hydration. During the final 20 minutes, I felt my stride loosen up a bit. By then, I had increased the pace to 5.8 (10:21 pace).
I finished feeling like I still could have gone a little longer but thought it was best not to push it.
Overall pace=10:22.
Easy Run w/Strides. 4 miles w/6 x 100m strides [Log Details]
Tired of all the easy, treadmill running, I ran a familiar route through my neighborhood down to the Four Mile Run Trail. and then west on the W&OD Trail. These days, 9:20 pace feeling “easy” is encouraging. After about 2.5 miles, I did some drills to work on my range of motion.
It’s been ages since I’ve run anything close to “speed” work. The sprints and strides felt fantastic!
Overall pace=9:21.
Threshold Run. 1.5 miles @ goal marathon pace [Log Details]
Thanksgiving Day! I had so much to be thankful for this year – a new relationship, a comfortable job, and even though it’ be flailing lately – my health! I didn’t feel well enough to run the Alexandria Turkey Trot and woke up with achy joints. Still, I decided to do a little speed work.
For a warm-up, I ran down to the Four Mile Run Trail. Then, I turned west and ran as hard as I could for the next mile. Unfortunately, this route was into the wind.
Winds gusting in the mid-30s to near 40 mph so far this Thanksgiving morning. Should see them increase somewhat into the midday and afternoon. Some gusts near 50 mph a good bet. Take it slow and keep an eye out for debris if out and about!
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) November 28, 2019
I ran hard but held back a little, telling myself the goal was to finish with enough energy to get home.
Goal marathon pace segment=8:50. Overall pace=9:23.
Health
Illnesses. On Tuesday, I revisited the nephrologist who she added a diuretic to my high blood pressure regime.
The next day, I went back to the cardiologist for a stress test. After an initial scan of my heart, I walked on a treadmill at an incline for about 10 minutes.
[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#05207D” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]“I just ran the New York City Marathon. This is not stressful!”[/dropshadowbox]
They took another scan of my heart and then I was free to go. The entire procedure took about 2 hours but I wasn’t told the results…
Clothing
Tights. New Balance NYCM Impact Capri. I purchased these pants at the 2019 New York City Marathon expo. Usually, I’m a small but for this pant, I needed a medium. The cut is mid-rise, which fits just below the waist. I prefer a high cut as it left my belly feeling exposed. The sides have deep pockets, which can fit a smartphone. Price: $64.99.
Gear
GPS watches. Garmin LiveTrack. I haven’t been feeling well and activated this feature on Garmin Connect so that when I push start on my GPS watch, my boyfriend can track me during my runs. It’s a little creepy knowing someone is watching my every move but reassuring, too. And, I have to remember to let him know when I stop, to take pictures for example. DC Rainmaker has a more extensive review of this feature.
Media & Motivation
Websites and Blogs. “Sports Technology Buyers Guide: Winter 2019-2020“, DC Rainmaker. With Christmas looming, this was a handy guide on running technology that make good gifts. Personally, I was interested in the GPS watches because I am still considering replacing my glitchy Garmin 625 Music with another model.
Racing Schedule
Future races. While mentally I knew I wasn’t prepared to run it, I officially withdrew from the 2019 Brazos Bend 50 Miler last Saturday. I began looking forward to the 2020 Boston Marathon / London Marathon / 2020 Wanda Age Group World Championships by considering my training plan but I haven’t locked in anything yet.
Next race: 2019 Fairfax Four Miler on Tuesday, December 31st. Cleared to run after my stress test this week, I’d like to start training again the week of December 15th.
(My Racing Schedule)
