2018 Boston Marathon – Week 5
I only ran three workouts this week – an 8 mile general aerobic run on Monday, a 15 miler on Tuesday, and a 20 miler on Saturday. I missed my lactate threshold run on Thursday because I overslept. Not great timing because I could have used the speed work. Otherwise, I feel pretty good!
Training Schedule
February 18th – February 24th
Sunday: Recovery Run. 6 miles.
Monday: General Aerobic Run + Speed. 8 miles w/10x100m strides.
Tuesday: Medium-long Run. 15 miles.
Wednesday: Recovery Run. 6 miles (AM) + Recovery Run. 4 miles (PM).
Thursday: Lactate Threshold Run. 10 miles w/4 miles @ 15K to half marathon pace.
Friday: Recovery Run + Speed. 7 miles w/6x100m strides.
Saturday: Long Run. 18 miles.
Mileage Total: ~74 Miles
Notes. The schedule entered the lactate threshold plus endurance phase. I didn’t notice there were strides in my schedule for Monday, so I didn’t do them. I overslept on Thursday and I missed that workout completely. I felt like I was overdue for a 20 miler and added some distance to my long run.
Workout Details
General Aerobic Run + Speed. 8 miles w/10x100m strides [Log Details].
Even though I was off work for the holiday, I couldn’t sleep in because the workman was coming to work on my bathroom remodel. The timing was good, though, because it had been raining and it just stopped. I ran a familiar route north from my neighborhood to the Custis Trail for one mile before hooking up with the W&OD Trail. I ran hard out the door. The first few miles were uphill and I pushed to keep my pace around 8:30, which is about how fast I want to run the Newton Hills at the Boston Marathon. I stopped for a couple of sips of water from the fountain where the two trails meet but didn’t stop for long. After finishing the run, I saw I was supposed to run strides. Oh well.
Overall pace=8:15.
Medium-long Run. 15 miles [Log Details].
I went to bed early the night before and woke up feeling pretty well-rested. I planned to do this run as my commute. When I ran it last week, I was inexplicably slow. I spent some time in the morning planning the paces I wanted to run – starting slow and finishing fast.
I ran slowly from my house to the W&OD Trail and through Shirlington – around 9:15 pace. When I reached Braddock Road, I quickened my stride a little and got down to 8:40 pace. Waiting at a stop light, I ran into a co-worker who was out walking with his daughter! We joked about who would make it to work first. When I finally reached the Mount Vernon Trail, I sped up to 8:20 pace after passing the junction for the Four Mile Run Trail. The pace felt very hard but I was able to maintain it all the way downtown.
In fact, I was running just under 7:50 pace along Independence Avenue! I finally took my foot off the gas when I reached Capitol Hill. It was a hard effort but I felt great.
Overall pace=8:48.
Long Run. 18 miles [Log Details].
I thought I was overdue for a 20 miler, so I added some distance to this workout. Even though it was misty out, it was a bit warm. I took a SaltStick FastChew before leaving the house and carried a handheld with Liquid IV to ward off dehydration. I ran the first 3.5 miles easy through my neighborhood before I hit the W&OD Trail.
I headed east on the Four Mile Run Trail. I tried to run faster but couldn’t get under 9:00 pace. One hour into the run, before doing an out-and-back to the Washington Marina, I took a Sword Energy tablet thinking it would give me a boost but it didn’t feel one. After heading north and crossing the 14th Street Bridge, I had the second caffeine tablet and felt a huge shot of energy!
During the four mile loop through Hains Point, I ran 8:25 pace! I ran hard for another half mile after crossing back over the bridge into Virginia before running easy again. I ran by the Pentagon on my way home and, as usual, took a moment to remember the victims of 9/11.
Overall pace=9:01.
Health
Sleep. It wasn’t a great week for sleep. For some reason, I fought it like a toddler on Sunday night. I thought I made up for it on Monday night but I overslept on Wednesday night and missed Thursday morning’s workout. I practically went to bed the moment I came home on Thursday.
Injuries. My body feels pretty good! I felt some pain in my left foot during my long run but it went away quickly.
Weather
The temperature hovered around 50 degrees for most of the week but conditions were damp. Wednesday was the exception. It was near 60 degrees in the morning and close to 80 in the afternoon!
Racing Schedule
Next race: 2018 Reston 10 Miler on Sunday, March 4th. I’m really looking forward to next weekend. I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve planned to run a race hard. I’m not expecting a great result but am looking forward to seeing where my fitness is. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)
