Winter of 2020 – Week 8
On Sunday, I belted out a 21-miler – my longest run by far since last April. I skipped Wednesday’s medium run, though. Now that COVID-19 cases in the county have dropped, I felt more comfortable returning to my gym. Next week might be interesting as the forecast calls for snow on Sunday…
Training Schedule
January 24th – January 30th
Sunday: Long Run. 21 miles
Monday: Rest or cross-training
Tuesday: Easy Runs. 6 miles (AM) + 4 miles (PM)
Wednesday: Medium-long Run. 14 miles
Thursday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Friday: Lactate threshold run. 11 miles w/6 miles @ lactate threshold pace
Saturday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Total: ~67 Miles
Notes. After Sunday’s long run, I took an extra rest day on Tuesday. Then, I didn’t give myself enough time to run 14-miles in the morning on Wednesday. However, now that COVID-19 cases in the county have dropped, I felt more comfortable returning to my gym and wenrt on Monday and Thursday.
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
Well this escalated quickly! I wasn’t expecting a 21-mile run this week but there it was!
I waited for the weather to warm up, so I got a late start. When I left at 11 am, it was 32 degrees but with 12 mile per hour winds, it felt like 23 degrees. (The temperature never got above 37 degrees.)
After an easy mile, I made it to the Arlington Boulevard Trail. My headphones weren’t working so I br0adcasted a This American Life episode. In Rosslyn, I cut over to the Mount Vernon Trail and then stopped for water near Roosevelt Island. Six miles in, my pace was just under 10:00.
At Gravelly Point, I took a bathroom break, which I took as a sign that I was keeping hydrated. I started a Huel Complete Nutrition Bar (Salted Caramel) but it was hard to bite into.
I plodded my way to Slater’s Lane in Alexabdria and then cut over to Potomac Avenue. I stopped at a park hoping the water fountain was working but it wasn’t. I slugged over to the switchback leading to the Four Mile Run Trail. By then, I was so tired that I wanted to quit but bargained with myself, “You can quit if your overall pace goes above 10:10.”
At the W&OD Trail in Shirlington, I had serious doubts about whether I could run another hour. Even though I didn’t think I’d be running much longer, I started a PowerBar PowerGel hoping for a carb boost. It was liquidy and went down well. I told myself to just run the mile that I was in. “Let’s see how you feel at Mile 16.”
Over the next few miles, I told myself that I wasn’t running poorly, I just wasn’t running as fast as I was earlier. I got a low battery alert for my phone, so I turned it off in case I needed it to call my boyfriend or an Uber. I made it to the Bluemont Junction Trail and with 2 miles to go knew that I could finish this.
While it wasn’t a fast run, I was proud that I finished 3 hours and 30 minutes of running!
Distance=21.00 miles
Pace=10:09/mile
Lactate Threshold Run
I’m starting to settle into a bit of a routine and managed to leave the house by 7:30am for this workout.
It was a cold morning with temperatures under 25 degrees when I started my warm-up over to the Four Mile Run Trail, which is now 2 miles from my house. My total mileage for the day was supposed to be 9, so I ran an additional mile before starting the threshold pace segment of the workout.
I ran out on the trail heading towards the Mount Vernon Trail. I reached it one mile in at 8:36 pace. I headed north on the trail and into winds that were out of the northwest 23-25 mile per hour gusts! My pace dropped to the 8:40s before I turned around. I thought, “This is what you want marathon pace to be in the fall”, and realized I had a tough 8 months ahead of me. On the way back, the winter wind felt as though it was pushing me backward and my pace fell off to 8:50.
The workout was much slower than I thought it should be and I entertained the idea of making my goal paces slower.
Distance=6.00 miles
Pace=8:44/mile
Cross-training
Weight training. Now that COVID-19 cases in the county have dropped, I felt more comfortable returning to my gym on Monday and Thursday. I picked up where I left off this fall and did leg presses, leg curls, bicep curls, and tricep dips on both days. On Monday, I added back work with cable rows and lat pulldowns and on Thursday I did shoulder presses.
Health
Glaucoma. The pain in my eye subsided for a few days (I’d been taking Travatan and Aleve for about a week) but it flared up again on Tuesday. By week’s end, it no longer hurt but was still a bit red.
Gear
Strava. As a reward for all my recent hard work, I treated myself to an annual subscription. Since I’ve been competing in the RunWashington’s DMV Distance Derby, I’ve wanted to see the standing for various segments beyond what was available for free. I’m looking forward to seeing if I use other features. Price: $59.99
Routes
News. “County Board Approves Columbia Pike Change, Bridge Safety Improvements,” ArlNow. Now that I live closer to the Four Mile Run Trail, I need to pay more attention to what happens south of that route.
My Guide to Washington D.C. Area Running Routes
Media & Motivation
Podcasts. “Episode 325: Mirna ‘The Mirnavator’ Valerio”, Ali on the Run. I never pass up an opportunity to hear from The Mirnavator. The entire episode was fun and inspiring but the part where she talks about auditioning to work with Will Smith (56:45 mark) was particularly hilarious.
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: ?
