Winter of 2020 – Week 4
Happy New Year! This year, my New Year’s Eve celebration was mild enough for a medium long-run the next day. While I managed to get my runs in this week, my thoughts were mostly on next week’s real estate closing. I was off from work this week, which enabled me to start some runs later in the morning.
Training Schedule
December 27th – January 2nd
Sunday: Medium Run. 15 miles
Monday: Rest or cross-train
Tuesday: General Aerobic Run. 9 miles w/6 x 10 sec. hill sprints + 8 x 100m strides
Wednesday: Medium Run. 14 miles
Thursday: Recovery Run. 5 miles
Friday: Medium-long Run. 12 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Total: ~59 Miles
Notes. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I was able to complete my first back-to-back hard days of the training cycle. On Friday, I didn’t quite hit 12 miles but 11 was pretty close. No cross-training this week as I wait until after the holidays to return to the gym.
Training paces
| Recovery | Long | Marathon | Threshold | Repetition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slower than 9:40 | 9:25-9:40 | 8:55-9:10 | 8:25-8:40 | 7:40-7:50 (5K) |
Workouts
Long Run
A couple of weeks ago, running 15 miles still felt a little daunting. Now, I approached the distance with confidence.
The air was a frosty 25 degrees when I started a little after 8 am.
D.C.-area forecast: Trending milder before another burst of cold midweek https://t.co/AqGvaqcTau
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 27, 2020
I ran very slowly to Crystal City – keeping my pace around 9:45/mile. From there, I ran north on the Mount Vernon Trail and thought about everything my boyfriend and I needed to do now that we were purchasing a home. Before reaching the Memorial Bridge, I stopped to take a picture of the treacherous ice patches.
Suddenly, a cyclist came riding through and almost skidded! I thought he saw the ice but clearly he hadn’t.
I continued to the Custis Trail and took the long uphill on Lee Highway so slowly that I was running close to 11:00 pace at the top of it.
About three miles later, I met up with the W&OD Trail/Four Mile Run Trail and ran south. I tried to push the pace a bit and successfully got it down to 9:15. But, that’s all I had. I ran very easy up Columbia Pike back to my apartment building.
I was disappointed with my pace but knew I wouldn’t have finished the distance it I had run faster. I was tired and looked forward to having the next day off.
Distance=15.00 miles
Pace=9:59/mile
Medium Run
On Tuesday, I did a fairly hard run with hill sprints near Arlington Cemetery. I figured my legs would be a little tired for this run.
It was just about freezing outside and since I wasn’t working, I waited until 10:30am to start my run.
D.C.-area forecast: Increasing clouds with seasonable temperatures today and tomorrow https://t.co/LTsisIBwsK
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 30, 2020
From home, I ran mostly uphill for four miles, averaging about 10:00 pace, making my way to Washington Boulevard. From there, my pace dropped to around 9:30 as I made my way to the Custis Trail. Just as I was getting into a groove, I got a low battery alert on my Garmin. Before starting the long downhill into Rosslyn, I saved the workout.
On the Mount Vernon Trail, I ran south to Crystal City. If I had to guess, I’d say I averaged around 9:30 pace until I reached Columbia Pike where I slowed down for the uphill running.
Distance=14.2 miles
Pace=9:42/mile
Medium Run
New Year’s Day! Typically, I would race the Fairfax Four Miler evening before the new year (or the day of) but with the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling so many races, I couldn’t continue that tradition.
I ran a very easy the day before and felt well rested. However, last minute details related to buying a home were stressing me out. The real estate closing was only three days away!
It was cold and in the mid-30s when I left the house just before 10 am.
D.C.-area forecast: New Year, new rain. 2021 starts damp and chilly. https://t.co/rcgfFrCGRW
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) January 1, 2021
From home, I ran south on the Arlington Boulevard Trail to Rosslyn, averaging a little faster than 9:30 pace. From there, I ran north on the Custis Trail, slugging up Lee Highway at 10:45 pace. Nearing the water fountain at Nelson Street, I spotted some new graffiti under a bridge.
After another two miles of rolling hills, I met up with the W&OD Trail/Four Mile Run Trail and ran south. Now on flat and downhill terrain, I was able to get my pace down to 9:00! And, I continued running fairly hard up Columbia Pike to my apartment building.
This was a relatively fast run but my legs felt pretty good afterwards. Hopefully, this is a good sign for running in 2021!
Distance=11.24 miles
Pace=9:30/mile
Media & Motivation
News. “2020 Was a Crazy Running Year. Here’s the Data to Prove It“, Runner’s World. According to the article, “We logged more miles, more people started running, and we continued to race – albeit virtually”. I thought I was seeing more runners out there and this data confirmed it.
Racing Schedule
Runner rankings. RunWashington’s DMV Distance Derby. My best times are:
- Teddy Roosevelt Island (1.4 miles): 10:08 (7:38 pace) on May 12, 2020.
- Custis Climb – Key Bridge to Glebe (3.1 miles): 25:47 (8:47 pace) on October 6, 2020.
- Hains Point (2.5 miles): 20:37 (8:13 pace) on November 26, 2020.
Next race: ?
