Summer 2017 Training – Week 4
I ran two races this week – a half marathon on Sunday and a 5K today. By the end of the week, my body felt like it was training for a marathon again! I pushed through it and took Friday off. It was a pretty good running week.
Training Schedule
May 28th – June 3rd
Sunday: Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon.
Monday: 4 miles recovery.
Tuesday: Maintenance Run. 8 miles moderate.
Wednesday: 5 miles recovery.
Thursday: Medium Run. 12 miles.
Friday: Off.
Saturday: Belmont Bay Belmont Stakes 5K.
Mileage Total: ~45 Miles
Notes. I ran a little longer than 4 miles on Monday and went closer to 13 miles on Thursday, but otherwise, I followed the schedule.
Goals. Increase mileage to 45 miles for the week and get down to 127 pounds. Outcome: Success on both accounts!
Workout Details
Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon. 13.1 miles @ half marathon pace [Race Report].
It was nice running weather but a little humid. I had a quick first mile and then settled into a good pace. I held onto it until the last mile where I faded pretty hard. But, I still placed 12th woman overall and 2nd in my age group! It’s been a while since that’s happened! Overall, I enjoyed the race but wish they would change the course.
Time=1:42:55. Overall pace=7:52. Split paces=7:04, 7:40, 7:41, 7:36, 7:42, 7:58, 8:13, 7:53, 8:39, 7:48, 7:47, 7:46, 8:16, 0:53 (7:55 pace).
Medium Run. 12 miles [Log Details].
Even though I ran a hard half marathon on Sunday, I still wanted to do a longer run this week to keep my endurance up.
I ran a route that was mostly uphill until it reached the Custis Trail about 3 miles in. I ran that stretch pretty well. I wasn’t surprised, though – for some reason, I’ve been running hills well lately. On the Custis Trail, I still felt strong and was cruising at low-8:00 pace. By the time I reached the “Intersection of Doom” in Rosslyn, my overall pace was in the 8:teens. I crossed over to the Mount Vernon Trail and about two miles later started feeling a little tired. I allowed myself to stop on Humpback Bridge, Gravelly Point, and Crystal City to catch my breath. But, when I got to the long hill near the Air Force Memorial on my way home, I walked and kept my watch running. I didn’t want to fool myself into thinking this run was better than it was. In the end, I was disappointed that I walked some of the route but that’s what I should expect when I go out too fast.
Overall pace=8:43.
Belmont Bay 5K. 3.12 miles 2 5K pace [Race Report].
I tend to run “event” races with hundreds or thousands of participants so this was a refreshing change of pace. There were less than 40 finishers! I was 4th overall and 2nd woman! The organizers clearly love their community and their enthusiasm was infectious. The course was mostly on a golf course and now I understand why so many runners like running on them – it was flat, quiet, and had plenty of tree cover. The race is horse themed but it’s subtle. I definitely see myself running this race again.
Time=22:09. Overall pace=7:06. Split paces=6:44, 7:13, 8:15 (7:26 pace).
Health
Injuries. Generally, I’m feeling pretty good these days. I had my first chiropractic visit in three weeks yesterday. My piriformis has been feeling good but the doctor recommended a maintenance regime. It actually felt strange – like I was going there for the first time even though I’d been going there twice a week for so long!
Weight. My weight loss effort continued. My goal was to weigh in at 127 today and that was my weight this morning
Weather
It was a pretty great week for running. Air temperatures were consistently in the 60s in the morning with low dew points and overcast skies. Yes! On Thursday, I felt the effects of the heat a little during my medium run but it’s hard to know since I also went out too fast.
Racing Schedule
Future races. Looking ahead to the fall, I couldn’t find a marathon I wanted to run. I’m already registered for the New York City Marathon, but it’s not a fast course and I’d like to get under 3:30 again. So… I’m prepared to make the NYCM my goal race for the fall! I’ve been telling myself, “There’s no reason why you can’t run fast at New York.” Because, my marathon PR is at New York! I would start training for the race on July 2nd unless something changes my mind.
Next race: 2017 Lawyers Have Heart 10K on Saturday, June 10th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
Do you have a goal race for the fall?
I’m amazed you can run such a good 5K only 6 days after a hard half marathon race effort without even targeting the distance in training. A great week I’d say. Horse rosette fully deserved!
Q. Do you have a goal race for the fall?
A. I’m going to try to ‘do a David Willey’, ie dip under the 3h-30m BQ mark for M50. My target race is The Barnstaple Marathon on September 24th (same day as the Berlin Marathon). I need a 7 minute improvement from my Spring marathon (3h-36m-51s), so it’s a big ask. I’m going to attempt it off only 12 weeks of specific training. I’ll have a damn good try, but I’d prefer 18 weeks of preparation, so I put my chances at no more than 25%.
Thanks for all the hard work you put into this blog. I hope you enjoy your next race too.
I would be interested in seeing his training log. It sounded like he was injured the entire time but still pulled off that sub-3:30… Do you have a training plan in mind?
I’d like to see David’s training log too, but as far as I know it’s not in the public domain. I’d like to have all the Nike experts helping me too!
At the moment I’m 50/50 between two options;
1. The 12 week Pfitzinger & Douglas 55-70 mile plan, with just a few small modifications to fit it into my work/life schedule.
2. Condensing the Hanson’s Marathon Method advanced training plan from 18 weeks to 12 weeks. I’d do this by spending two weeks at each of their suggested weekly tempo run lengths instead of three, and choosing two out of three of the suggested speed and strength workouts.
P&D will probably be my choice because I think I wouldn’t be giving HMM a fair crack of the whip by rushing it. Perhaps I should wait until I can do the full 18 weeks for a Spring 2018 marathon. I was very pleased to go 3 minutes faster than my goal time after doing the 18 week P&D plan recently, but I feel success is much less likely off of 12 weeks.