2016 New York City Marathon Training – Week 18
I really cut down my mileage this week. And, I only had two workouts! I ran my long run as a dress rehearsal. My interval workout was hard but surprisingly chatty. I struggled with insomnia for most of the week but still ran well. I also started weather stalking for the New York City Marathon next weekend!
Training Schedule
October 23rd – October 29th
Sunday: Long Run. 17 miles.
Monday: 6 miles recovery.
Tuesday: 8 miles general recovery + strides.
Wednesday: 6 miles recovery.
Thursday: Interval Run. 9 miles w/3 x 1,600m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between.
Friday: 5 miles recovery.
Saturday: 7 miles general recovery + strides.
Mileage Total: ~58 Miles
Adaptations. I ran my interval workout on Tuesday instead of Thursday. I dealt with insomnia most of the week, so I ran easy on Thursday instead of making up the general aerobic run. The lack of sleep caught up with me by Friday. I over-slept and I had to take a rest day. Normally, I hate rest days but “the hay is in the barn”, so I was okay with it.
Goals. I forgot to set goals for this week. So… Outcome: Fail!
Workout Details
Long Run. 17 miles [Log Details].
I ran this run as a dress rehearsal. I wore the clothes I thought I would wear for the New York City Marathon and thought about how I might carry 6 gels, (even though I only carried 4 on the run.) I also contemplated whether I would carry my phone with me.
As usual, I listened to a podcast to keep the pace easy at the start. After the warm-up, I had to push to get down to 8:40, which is where I’ve been running “MP+20%” even though that’s much faster than my goal marathon pace. Even though it seemed soon, I had a gel 30 minutes into my run to test having them at shorter intervals.
By now, I was on the Mount Vernon Trail. I picked up the pace a little after crossing Humpback Bridge. I dropped down to low-8:00 pace. It felt hard but something I could hold! Soon thereafter, I was on the Custis Trail and was struggling a bit. When it flattened out, I tried to run “MP+10%” or close to 8:00 pace. I thought about my first leg of this year’s Ragnar Cape Cod and how I ran everyone in front of me down and quickened my pace. “I’m going to have to fight just like that.”
The belt felt fine but I worried about one falling out. I didn’t have the chance to test out arm warmers – although the temperature was in the mid-50s, the sun made it feel much warmer.
It was a good run. I tested myself physically and prepped myself mentally to run hard at the New York City Marathon.
MP+10% segments (6.6 miles) pace=7:58. Overall pace=8:26.
Interval Run. 9 miles w/3 x 1,600m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90% interval time between [Log Details].
I decided to run with the “fast club” again. Their coach had recommended 3 x 1 mile @ half marathon to marathon pace, so I went with that instead of the workout in Pfitz. Based on my time in the Army Ten Miler, McMillan estimates my half marathon pace would be about 7:40 pace. And, my goal pace for the New York City Marathon was 8:00 pace.
I ran with the woman I’ve run with the previous times I’ve joined them and another woman who had been planning to run NYCM but is injured. I messed up the first repetition since I was looking at the overall mileage and not the split. I was so busy talking with them about race experiences that I wasn’t paying much attention to pace or distance. They’re both a bit faster than me and I found myself running faster than I might otherwise but it didn’t feel horrible. In fact, I was talking more than they were!
I was pretty surprised by the splits when I got home and downloaded them. Am I being too conservative for NYCM?
Splits=7:36, 7:24, 7:23. Average=7:27.
Health
My hips, glutes, and hamstrings were still sore. The drills and strides are helping with mobility, though.
Sleep. I had a bout of insomnia this week. I stayed up late watching The Walking Dead on Sunday, which threw my sleep off. But I never recovered. Every day, I woke up between 3am and 4am and couldn’t get back to sleep. I slept like a baby on Friday night, though.
Weather
Glorious fall weather all week! There were a few days when I wore long sleeve shirts and light gloves but for the most part, I was comfortable in singlets and shorts.
Racing Schedule
Next race: 2016 New York City Marathon on November 6th! (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
I bought my Amtrak tickets last weekend. I’ll arrive in New York City late afternoon on Friday.
I checked the weather forecast for the first time on Thursday. It showed rain at that time but this morning, it’s showing almost ideal running conditions!
