2018 San Diego 50 Miler – Week 3

I ran my longest run in the early hours of a snow storm on Saturday!  During the week, I ran well but skipped Wednesday’s interval workout and thought I was getting sick.  I felt bad about it but knew it wouldn’t have gone well.

Training Schedule
December 3rd – December 9th

Sunday: Medium-long Run. 12-15 miles.
Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Easy Run. 5 miles + Core Strength Exercises.
Wednesday: VO2Max Run. 12 miles w/7-8 x 5 min. w/1 min. recovery.
Thursday: General Aerobic Run. 5 miles.
Friday: General Aerobic Run. 12 miles.
Saturday: Long Run. 28-30 miles.

Mileage Total: ~74-79 Miles

Notes.  Ever the over-achiever, I went with the higher mileage on Sunday and Saturday.  I over-slept on Wednesday and skipped my interval workout.  I felt sick during the day and knew it wouldn’t have gone well.

Workout Details

Medium-long Run. 12-15 miles [Log Details, Part 1 and Part 2].

I kept the pace similar to my long run the day before.  I felt very sore during the early miles on the Mount Vernon Trail.

I felt pretty fatigued on the rolling hills of the Custis Trail.  But on the mostly downhill W&OD Trail, I got down to 7:40 pace!  The burst of speed had me thinking if I could just figure out how to pace and hydrate in the early miles of the 50 miler, I would be fine at the end.

Overall pace=9:47.

General Aerobic Run. 5 miles [Log Details].

I didn’t feel well the day before and took in a lot of fluids before the run thinking maybe I was still dehydrated.  After the day off, I thought I’d head out the door like lightening but I didn’t really feel like running.  The pace was supposed to be “steady” so I tried to run a little harder than easy.  I picked up the pace a little on the Four Mile Run Trail after I passed a guy and he tried to pass me back.  The fire wasn’t completely out.

Overall pace=8:23.

General Aerobic Run. 12 miles [Log Details].

The run was my commute, which meant I got to sleep in a little.  Still, I woke up feeling like I could use another day off.  It was my coldest run of the winter so I wore a jacket, thermal long-sleeve, and heavy tights.  I was sweating from the start!  I thought about the upcoming 30 miler and not wanting to go out too hard, so I purposely slowed myself down several times as I made my way down to Alexandria.  The scenery was brown and gloomy along the Mount Vernon Trail.  I crossed the 14th Street Bridge into Washington, D.C.

Usually, I speed up around the Tidal Basin and Independence Avenue, but I stuck to my goal of keeping the pace easy.

Overall pace=8:40.

Long Run. 28-30 miles [Log Details].

There was snow in the forecast but when I woke up, the skies were clear.  By the time I finished my coffee, though, a light sleet had started.  I headed out the door at 8:30am.

I was running just over 9:30 pace along the Four Mile Run Trail and it felt easy.  My first stop was just short of six miles into the run on the Mount Vernon Trail under a bridge.  I thought it would feel nice to be out of the elements even for a minute.  I snacked on a Luna Bar.  Heading north and into the wind, icy snow pelted my face.  I thought, “If I’d just gotten up a little earlier, I would have missed some of this!”  My second stop was on Hains Point.  By then, the conditions were a little better.  I took two salt tablets and had another Luna Bar.  I didn’t like the flavor but forced myself to eat it.  I did a short loop around the Mall and Tidal Basin before taking my next break under the Whitehurst Freeway in Georgetown.  Now, it was snowing.

On the Capital Crescent Trail, I ate a banana and another salt pill.  I made an unplanned stop at Fletcher’s Boathouse to use the bathroom.

After crossing Chain Bridge back into Virginia, I took out Fig Bars – my last bit of food.  I still had 10 miles to go and realized in my rush to get out the door, I hadn’t packed enough to eat.  I stopped again on the Custis Trail and had two more salt tabs.  On the W&OD Trail, I slowed down to take a picture of the snow but my phone only showed half a screen!  “Uh oh.”   I remembered I dropped my phone struggling with my Camelbak when I used the bathroom at Fletcher’s.  Then, on the last stretch home, I noticed my Garmin had turned off!  All of my technology was failing me!  I managed to get my watch restarted, though.  Determined that my Strava file would show 30 miles, I ran an extra quarter-mile or so after arriving home.

Lessons learned:

• I need to eat more.  575 calories over 30 miles is not enough.
• I’m still starting off too fast.

Overall pace=10:40.

Health

Sleep.  I watched too much television on Sunday and only got six hours of sleep!  But, I was getting seven to eight hours a night by mid-week.

Illnesses.  On Wednesday, I woke up feeling tired and skipped my workout.  During the day, I thought I might have a stomach bug but felt better by the evening.

Injuries.  My left foot hurt so much Saturday evening that I wondered whether the pain was something more serious than plantar fasciitis.

Weather

The week started pleasant enough for December with temperatures in the upper-40s.  By Thursday, it was colder.  On Saturday, a winter storm hit the region and I ran a 30 miler in icy rain.

Racing Schedule

Future races.  I’ve been watching the news about the wild fires in California since I have so many friends and family there.  The Lilac Fire is in the northern part of San Diego but shouldn’t impact my race.

Next race: 2017 Fairfax Four Miler on Sunday, December 31st. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)