2019 Boston Marathon – Week 5
The week started rocky after I stayed out late on Saturday night. I also had a humbling marathon-pace run on Wednesday due to sore quads. I did my long run on Friday in order to attend a get-away with my Ragnar teammates and it went very well.
Training Schedule
January 6th – January 12th
Sunday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Monday: Interval Run. 5 x 1000m @ 5K-10K pace w/400m recovery jog
Tuesday: Rest or Cross-Train
Wednesday: Tempo Run. 8 miles w/6 miles @ goal marathon pace
Thursday: Easy Run. 7 miles
Friday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 12 miles
Total: 47 Miles
Notes. I remembered to rest on Tuesday! I ran Thursday’s easy run on the treadmill. and moved my long run to Friday because I was going out of town.
Workouts
Interval Run. 5 x 1000m @ 5K-10K pace w/400m recovery jog [Log Details].
Thanks to the 2018 Fairfax Four Miler, I knew my 5K to 10K pace should be around 7:23, which meant I probably ran my interval workout in Week 2 and Week 3, too fast. (The fact that I had to walk the recoveries was another indication.)
After a two mile warm-up to the Four Mile Run Trail, the first split was a little slow but I thought I-385 might have interrupted the GPS signal. The second split was right on pace but the third was on a slight uphill on the Mount Vernon Trail. I thought the fourth split probably represented the true pace for the other repetitions. By the final split, I was beat!
1000m paces=7:34, 7:25, 7:50, 7:27, 7:22. Average=7:32.
Tempo Run. 8 miles w/6 miles @ goal marathon pace [Log Details].
Despite agonizing over goal marathon pace since last week, I still wasn’t sure what it should be. Before leaving home, I adjusted the pace range in my Garmin 645 to 7:55 to 8:10 pace.
The first mile went well but by the second mile, my legs were trashed! I thought about taking a break at the mid-point but I didn’t think it would help. I wasn’t winded, my legs were incredibly sore. I told myself, “Let it be what it’s going to be.” and pushed on. During fifth mile, it felt like my quads would burst through my tights they were pounding so hard. The pain eased up during the last mile but by then it didn’t matter.
Marathon pace splits=7:57, 8:25, 8:51, 8:34, 8:49, 8:51. Average=8:35.
Medium Run. 12 miles [Log Details].
I decided to do my long run during lunch because I was going out of town for “fauxnar”.
[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#e8a142″ rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]”Fauxnar”. noun. When a Ragnar team commits to gathering in a remote location for a weekend, stays in close van-like proximity, wears athletic gear, eats road-trip food, but doesn’t do any running.[/dropshadowbox]
I started the run at around 11:30am, knowing I’d have to take some annual leave in addition to my lunch break. Initially, I was going to cross into Virginia via the Key Bridge and run the Custis Trail but when I reached Georgetown, realized I could just do an out-and-back on the Capital Crescent Trail. Along the way, I noticed my pace was faster than usual – around 8:42 pace – but it didn’t feel hard so I didn’t worry about it. I crossed the Maryland line and then turned around at the water fountain. I thought my pace would drop a little now that I was running downhill, but it stayed the same. On The National Mall, I sped up a little and noticed a shooting pain down my left quad. I jogged easy the rest of the way.
Overall pace=8:40.
Health
Sleep. I stayed out late on Saturday night and had a miserable run on Sunday morning. I napped the rest of the day and felt recovered on Monday.
Injuries. Come Wednesday, my quads were trashed! Best guess? Speedwork and dehydration beat them up.
Weather
Morning temperatures were in the 40s to start the week but by Thursday, a cold front took hold of the region and snow was in the forecast for Saturday afternoon.
Routes
Art. Hou de Sousa Prismatic – Georgetown. During my long run on Friday, I noticed there was an art installation near the Georgetown waterfront. Apparently, this feature is best viewed at night but the colors were still striking because this area is so drab.
Gear
Headphones. Bose SoundSport Free Wireless Headphones. The downside of Aftershokz is that they don’t fit under a beanie. These headphones are completely wireless, which made me nervous but they’ve never fallen out – even during speedwork. At the end of a long sweaty run they did get lose. The battery life is 5 hours and the buds give a half hour warning before they die. And, the sound is phenomenal! Price: $199.99.
Nutrition
Electrolytes. Bonk Breaker Real Hydration Mix. I received this electrolyte drink mix in one of my subscription boxes. It was light tasting but I wasn’t a big fan of the pomegranate flavor. The manufacturer suggests pouring one packet into 16 ounces of water. The mixture is 70 calories and 16 grams of carbohydrate. For electrolytes, it has 300 milllgrams of sodium, 198 milligrams of potassium, and small amounts of calcium and magnesium.
| Product | Calories | Sodium (mg) | Potassium (mg) | Calcium (mg) | Magnesium (mg) | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Price's Electrolyte Mix | 5 | 200 | 330 | Trace | Trace | |
| EFS Electrolyte Drink Powder | 128 | 400 | 213 | 133 | 200 | The manufacturer suggests one scoop in 12 ounces of water. |
| Generation UCAN Hydrate | 0 | 300 | 100 | 0 | 50 | 1 scoop in 16-20 ounces of water. |
| Liquid IV | 50 | 500 | 370 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nuun | 10 | 360 | 100 | 13 | 25 | |
| SaltStick Caps | 0 | 215 | 63 | 22 | 11 | This product isn't mixed in water. The manufacturer's serving is 1 capsule. |
| SaltStick FastChews | 10 | 100 | 30 | 10 | 6 | This product isn't mixed in water. The manufacturer's serving is 2 tablets. |
| Vega Sport Electrolyte Hydrator | 5 | 92 | 115 | 50 | 50 | |
| Vitalyte Electrolyte Replacement | 80 | 136 | 184 | 4 | 2 | The manufacturer's serving is one tablespoon in eight ounces of water. |
(My Guide to Running Nutrition)
Media & Motivation
Music. “This Too Shall Pass,” OK Go. This song usually pulls me out of my bad patches but it didn’t work for this week’s tempo run.
(My “Songs of the Week” on Spotify)
Motivation.
[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#f4d83f” rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]”If at first you don’t succeed, you are running about average.” – M.H. Alderson[/dropshadowbox]
A lot went wrong this week, but a couple of things went right, so I guess I’m running about average.
Racing Schedule
Next race: 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon on Saturday, March 9th.
(My Racing Schedule)
