Week 8: Pushing Through the Barriers
Week 8: August 19 - August 25, 2019
The volume and speedwork was picking up this week and I was excited for a shorter race after the previous week was about endurance. I had to pay attention to the speed prescription to get the most out of the training plan below:
Monday: 6 miles easy
Tuesday: 1.5 mile warmup, 4 x 1 mile @ MP-10 seconds pace w/ 400m jog, 1.5 mile cooldown
Wednesday: Rest/Crosstrain
Thursday: 1.5 mile warmup, 2 x 3 mile @ goal MP w/ 1 mile jog, 1.5 mile cooldown
Friday: 4 miles easy
Saturday: 8 miles easy (Percy Sutton Harlem 5k Race Day)
Sunday: 14 miles long
I didn’t run on Monday; it was a full and long day of clients so I cross-trained and worked on mobility.
My Tuesday speed workout felt great! Although I didn’t get many hours of sleep because of late clients on Monday and an early morning client, I was in a deep restorative sleep thanks to a little help from zzzQuil. I was mostly fasted before the workout except for a cold brew and a Clif Blok for energy right before. I had a little bit of an anxious stomach right before I left the gym to head to the East River track, but then it settled down once I was moving. The jogging portions were definitely jogs, but I found that my fast running pace was much closer to what I can do in a 10k rather than quicker-than-marathon pace prescribed. After the workout, I felt a crazy alertness from the caffeine and endorphins.
Wednesday should have been a rest day, but I needed to pick up my race bib from the NYRR Run Center for the Harlem 5k later that week so I followed what was prescribed for Thursday around the perimeter of Manhattan instead of the track. Because I wasn’t using a track, I think I mixed up which miles were supposed to be running and which ones were meant to be a jog. What mattered was that they were completed and that I still had an average pace of 9:05 for the 11 miles, which I need for the marathon. My legs felt really heavy from the previous day plus this hard workout, so I hit a wall when I was done and craved so much food for replenishment.
I did not have the aerobic energy for Thursday, so I made that a strength training day.
It was raining in the morning on Friday, but I wasn’t going to let that be an excuse. The rain actually felt quite refreshing for my 8 miles, and I surprisingly went very fast for an “easy” run. My back and neck felt good, but I was working on my Chi Running to get that perfect midfoot strike. In the afternoon, I had a photoshoot on Pier 13 in Hoboken, so I also managed to get a lot of strength work from all the squats, windmills, swings, Turkish Getups, overhead presses, and carrying my two 16 kilo kettlebells the 2 miles home wearing my mermaid leggings. As I farmer carried my heavy kettlebells on the stretch near Stevens, a guy was on a Lime rental scooter and admitted that I was showing him up with how lazy he is in relying on that machine to get him places. The carries kept my core engaged and ready for the next day, even though all my running, walking, amd strength work for the day probably seemed excessive for most people.
Saturday was the Percy Sutton Harlem 5k race, so I ran the 3.1 miles and did not do the other 5 miles. I treated myself to (a lot of) sushi after and wanted to save my energy for the next day's long run. I have more details on that course in my next Race Recap.
I wondered why the previous day I felt so tired, so I woke up with my oh-so-fun feminine fluids. I did NOT want to run for 14 miles feeling this way, but I couldn’t let this be an excuse. What if this happened on Marathon Day? I had to replicate race day variables of being a woman. I drank some Nuun water and just got out there on the Jersey side of the Hudson with my Fuelbelt. I had to stop for a minute to tie my shoes at one point. There was a strong headwind when I went north (and uphill), but I felt like I had more Chi on the way back. My feet and ankles felt heavy and were probably retaining more water because of the heat and that time of the month, but I still did it. I thought I was slow and steady, but I still averaged 9:12 around my marathon pace.
I had a lot of factors that could have derailed my training for this week, but I pushed through and came out strong. I was so proud of my persistence and keeping my eye on the prize. Even though my rest and strength days were out of order, I still got the work done. Training is meant to make Marathon Day easier, so I’m glad I was given a few obstacles.
I’m not joking when I say that I run errands around Manhattan. Can you see why I’m so hungry?!? 🏃♀️