Winter of 2020 – Week 9
The week started with snow – about two inches and then we got two more on Tuesday. I ran loops on the salted roads in my neighborhood to avoid slick pavement but my mid-week was back on the trails. It wasn’t a bad week – I got my runs in despite the bad weather, but I missed the mileage goal by quite a bit.
Training Schedule
January 31st – February 6th
Sunday: Long Run. 20 miles
Monday: Off or cross-train
Tuesday: Easy Runs (Double). 6 miles (AM) + 4 miles (PM)
Wednesday: Medium Run. 15 miles
Thursday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Friday: Medium Run. 13 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 7 miles
Total: ~71 Miles
Notes. Due to snowy conditions, I only ran 10 miles on Sunday. On Monday, icy roads kept me away from the gym and then an accident at that facility had me rethinking rushing back. The rest of the week was a hodge-podge of cutting down mileage to avoid being outside for too long in slick conditions.
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
It’s been ages since we’ve had a good snow in the Washington, D.C. region and a good inch was on the ground when I left home. I decided to play it safe and do and out-and-back on the W&OD Trail. I was having so much fun in the fluff that I stopped at Bluemont Park for a selfie over the Four Mile Run.
Instead of continuing on the trail, I went around the basketball park searching for the trailhead for the Four Mile Run Trail. The roads were a bit icy so I slowed to a walk at points on my way to the East Falls Church Metro station. I struggled uphill a bit until I reached the construction near Washington Boulevard and decided it was a good point to turn around.
On the way back, there were more people out and I had to be careful navigating around dog walkers in particular. But, I was in a good mood and gave runners encouragement on my way back through Bluemont Park. In fact, I got down to 9:37 pace on the W&OD Trail before exiting into the neighborhoods.
Even though my mileage took a hit, I was glad I cut the run short because I would have been too cold if I’d stayed outside for 3 hours. (The air temperature was around 30 degrees.)
Distance=9.57 miles
Pace=9:56/mile
Easy Runs (Double)
The snow melted a bit over the course of two days and turned to ice. To avoid slippery sidewalk, my boyfriend suggested I could run loops around the neighborhood roads, which had been salted. It was boring, but I took his suggestion for the morning run of my double.
In the afternoon, I just couldn’t bring myself to do loops around our neighborhood again so I ran east on different neighborhood streets and gradually made my way south to the W&OD Trail near Shirlington. Popular with pedestrians, I figured this part of the trail would have been plowed and I was right. I crossed Columbia Pike and saw the trail was still in good condition if I wanted to run longer the next day.
I cut through the neighborhood south of mine (Barcroft) and made it safely home.
I was proud that I was able to fit two runs in despite the sketchy road conditions.
Distance=6.04 miles (AM)
Distance=4.19 miles (PM)
Pace=9:35/mile (AM)
Pace=10:01/mile (PM)
Medium Run
On Fridays, I work on-site and need extra time to get showered and dressed before heading downtown. I didn’t give myself enough time in the morning to fit in a true medium distance run in but figured I could do 10 miles.
From home, I ran over to Thomas Jefferson Community Center and took the pedestrian over to the Arlington Boulevard Trail. I ran through Clarendon and over to the Custis Trail. By now, the roads and sidewalks had been cleared and the going was easy. I sped down the W&OD Trail, happy that I could finally air out my legs a little after a week of treading cautiously.
Later that morning, I went to work in Capitol Hill. I had heard about the additional security but I shocked when I actually saw it. The streets are normally teeming with congressional staffers and tourists but now it was a dead zone. It was surreal.
I had been thinking I would like to start running to work again in the spring but was not sure that would be feasible.
Distance=9.84 miles
Pace=9:39/mile
Clothing
Tights. Sugoi Womens Firewall 180 Zap Tights. With so many things in disarray after the move, I decided I needed another pair of winter running tights in my rotation. I love the Sugoi Mid-Zero tights but they were sold out in my size everywhere I check so I bought this other model.
The fabric is less forgiving than the Mid-Zero and I found them less comfortable for running. However, I loved the side pocket for my phone and rear pocket for my house key. Price=$150.
Gear
Stridebox. This month’s theme was “I love running!” So true. On the gear side, it had Avanza Skincare for Athletes. On the nutrition side, it had Clif Nut Butter Bar, Without Limits Recovery Shake, B’Bites Raw Nut and Seed Mix, ZipFizz Immune Health, and Viter Mints.
Media & Motivation
Podcasts. “Episode 146: Nathan Martin“, The Morning Shakeout. In this episode, the host has a free-flowing chat with the man who broke Herm Atkins‘ 40-year-old record for the fastest marathon run by a black man born in the United States! The discussion touched on the lack of American born black representation in distance running early (10:02 mark) but the conversation was mostly about how Nathan Martin got to where he is now.
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: ?
