Winter of 2020 – Week 7
By Monday evening, my partner and I had moved into our new house! In anticipation, I ran long last Saturday but got back to training on Tuesday. Some severe eye pain caused me some concern, so I spend Wednesday resting and watching the inauguration but I was back running by Friday.
Training Schedule
January 17th – January 23rd
Sunday: Medium Run. 15 miles
Monday: Rest or cross-train
Tuesday: Threshold Run. 10 miles w/4 miles @ threshold pace
Wednesday: Medium Run. 14 miles
Thursday: Recovery Run. 5 miles
Friday: Medium Run. 11 miles
Saturday: Recovery Run. 7 miles w/10 x 100m strides
Total: ~37 Miles
Notes. Because I moved on Sunday, I ran long last Saturday. And, instead of workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, I just ran “hard” on Tuesday. COVID-19 cases in my area have started to decline, so my goal is to return to the gym next week.
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
General Aerobic Run
On Sunday, I moved out of my apartment. While I was excited, I also knew I would miss the sunrises from my apartment building.
My boyfriend moved into the new house on Monday and I spent that day helping him and settling in to our new living space.
When I woke up on Tuesday, in addition to some minor muscle pain from all the moving, I noticed my eye hurt a bit and was a little red. I felt fine to run though and ventured out into my new environment!
I ran up Glebe Road, which is a major north-south road here in Arlington County, Virginia. When I reached the Custis Trail, I headed west for about a mile until I reached the W&OD Trail. I left the trail before reaching Green Valley and climbed “Superman Hill” so I could run through my old neighborhood in Douglas Park.
I was glad to be running again but that evening, the pain in my eye was severe enough that I started taking ibuprofen and prescription glaucoma medication that I had been neglecting.
Distance=9.17 miles
Pace=9:16/mile
Medium Run
When I woke up, my eye pain wasn’t quite as severe as it was the day before and my vision was still good so I figured it was okay to run. (Last evening, I drove to a department store to return some curtains and the pain was so sharp that I wanted to vomit.)
The temperature was just above freezing when I headed out for my longest run in almost a week.
I chose a familiar 10.6 mile-route. From my new house, I made my way to the Arlington Boulevard Trail and took advantage of the downhill profile. In Rosslyn, I started running south on the Mount Vernon Trail and enjoyed the views of Washington, DC across the Potomac River. I eased up on the pace from Roosevelt Island to Humpback Bridge, where I stopped and took a picture.
About a mile from home, I saw a downed Columbia Pike banner in yellow! I’ve wanted one of these for years! (They blow down during bad storms.) I bundled it up and tried to carry it inconspicuously home.
I felt good at the end of the run but reminded myself that I skipped a lot of workouts this week and was well-rested.
Distance=12.18 miles
Pace=9:16/mile
Health
Glaucoma. One of my other health issues is glaucoma; however, I haven’t been taking my prescribed medication. On Tuesday, I started experiencing severe eye pain and some redness. By Thursday, I feared for my eyesight rushed to the ophthalmologist. I left with regular eye drops and a plan to have surgery but I also continued taking the eye drops for glaucoma.
I went to the business district of Washington, DC for the first time since the United States Capitol Building was stormed and the inauguration of President Biden.
Sleep. On the bright side, since moving to the house, I’ve been sleeping like a baby! I got 8 hours of sleep most nights this week. It could be that I was exhausted but I think reduced street noise is a contributing factor.
Media & Motivation
Podcasts. “Episode 574: Sophie Raworth“, Marathon Talk. The show changed format and is now biweekly. The beginning of the episode was a good discussion of the current state of running and the interview covered how the COVID-19 pandemic evolved from a rummer-reporter’s perspective.
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: ?
