2021 London Marathon – Week 10
Sunday’s long run was the fastest long run of this training cycle! I followed it up with a solid 1000m repeat workout on Tuesday and 13-miler on Thursday. On Saturday, I ran the Roosevelt Island DC Parkrun instead of an easy run and enjoyed racing again!
Training Schedule
July 18th - July 24th
Sunday: Long Run. 16 miles
Monday: Easy Run. 5 miles + strides
Tuesday: Interval Run. 5 x 1000m @ 5K-10K pace w/3-minute recovery jog
Wednesday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Thursday: Marathon-pace Run. 12 miles w/8 miles @ goal marathon pace
Friday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Total: ~56 Miles
Notes. Thursday’s medium run was a little longer than 12 miles. On Saturday, I ran the Roosevelt Island DC Parkrun instead of an easy run!
Training paces
| Recovery | Easy | Marathon | Threshold | Repetition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No faster than 10:15 |
9:45-10:15 |
8:55--9:20 |
8:30-8:55 |
7:30 - 7:40 (5K) |
Workouts
Long Run
Starting a long run after 8 am in the summer is criminal but I found myself in that situation after getting up late. To ward off dehydration, though, I drank a glass of water and a SaltStick Fastchew before leaving the house.
I ran through Crystal City to get to the Mount Vernon Trail. Several runners passed me looking spent but I felt great! During these miles, I thought about the professional conference that I would be attending this week. I was excited at the prospect of re-engaging with the fundamentals of my profession.
By the time I reached Roosevelt Island, I was ready to think about something else and turned on my Liked Songs playlist on Spotify. It helped motivate me to climb the Custis Trail.
At Nelson Street, I switched to my Best of Latin Playlist on Spotify and ate a few Honey Stinger Energy Chews (Pink Lemonade). Down the trail a bit, I saw two baby deer in the brush but didn’t stop to take a picture. I was running so well and I’ve seen deer before!
On the Four Mile Run Trail, I stopped again at Bluemont Park before tacking the long downhill on W&OD Trail. I looked at my Garmin and knew if I held pace, I could get down to sub-9:00 pace for the segment.
I was truly surprised by how well this run went. It was the fastest long run of this training cycle!
Interval Run
The last time I did 1000m repeats was during Week 5. That time, I did four and averaged 7:39 pace. This time, before leaving home, I programmed a workout for five sets with the pace range for the 1000m segments in 7:50-8:20 pace going uphill on the W&OD Trail and 8:20-8:45 on the downhill. I also gave myself slightly longer recoveries – 3 minutes.
During the warm-up, I listened to a podcast about speaking up at work. It spoke to everything that I’ve been dealing with lately and I hated pausing it.
My first repetition on the way out on the W&OD Trail was solid but I stopped for a quick drink of water at the fountain near the Custis Trail. The second repetition was hard because it was the steepest and I doubted if I could finish the workout. I turned around just before the Brandymore Castle historical marker. Running downhill, the pace for the repetitions improved but I lost my concentration for a bit on the fourth and my pace fell off. I averaged 8:05 pace for the workout, which was disappointing.
I listened to the rest of the work-life podcast on the way home determined to find “psychological safety” at work.
| Distance | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1000m (pace) |
8:10 |
8:21 |
8:03 |
|
Set 4 |
Set 5 |
||
|
7:55 |
7:57 |
Medium Run
The night before, our dog howled off and on, so I didn’t fall asleep until after 11 pm. I woke up feeling tired and despite the nice weather – about 69 degrees when I started – decided to just do a steady distance run. I got a late start, leaving the house at 7:30 am.
I set off for Crystal City listening to my Easy Run playlist on Spotify, enjoying a lot of songs that I love but hadn’t heard in a while. My thoughts were mostly on work because I stayed online late the night before on a request due today.
I was running so effortlessly that I lost track of time on the Mount Vernon Trail. I marveled at how my fitness seemed to be coming back, as I was averaging about 9:25 pace!
In Rosslyn, I contemplated going up the Arlington Boulevard Trail but stayed straight up the Custis Trail instead and then cut through the Ballston/Virginia Square neighborhood to get home.
Roosevelt Island Parkrun #178
Before the race, I checked the most recent runner rankings for my new age group (50-54). It would be nice if I could run sub-25:00 (8:01 pace).
Weather. The temperature was around 76 degrees at 8:50 am with 64% humidity.
Pre-race. I parked in Rosslyn – there were lots of runners out! I thought about going to the bathroom in Gateway Park but there wasn’t enough time. I jogged to Roosevelt Island. I arrived at the race start. It was weird seeing runners gathered around. I could feel the humidity increasing as the 9 am start approached.
The race. I wasn’t sure where to line up now that I’m slower but settled in the middle of the pack. Some runners were making a sprinter’s start. Then, the race was off!
I tried not to get strung along by the people who started fast. Plus, the start of the race is slightly uphill. By the time the course flattened, I figured I had run about a mile. The leaders started coming back and I realized there was a turn-around ahead. I started counting women and thought I was in 4th.
I didn’t check my Garmin until 15:00 into the race. It showed 8:20, which was disappointing but I accepted it.
Oddly, at the second turn-around, I didn’t see any other women behind the lead woman and thought maybe I went the wrong way. By mile 3, I could feel myself fading but I resisted checking my watch. Cresting the final hill, I felt a little tightness in my chest and decided to slow down and avoid a heart attack.
Post-race. A friend of mine was working the finish line so I lingered behind to say “Hi.”
Result. My time was 26:27 (8:31 pace). I was the 5th woman and 1st in my age group.
Cross-training
Strides. I was so sore on Monday that I skipped the strides that I normally do during my easy run.
Bicycling. On Saturday, my boyfriend and I rode to a mini-music festival in the neighborhood just north of us. It wasn’t strenuous enough to call it a workout – about 5 miles total – but it was nice to be back on my bike again.
Clothing
Shoe charms. BeeCause Shoe Charms. For my birthday, a friend gave me some London-themed shoe charms. I put them on my shoes before the Roosevelt Island DC Parkrun for added inspiration. Price: $5.
Media & Motivation
Podcasts. “Episode 258: Malcolm Gladwell,” Running for Real. I am a big Revisionist History fan and knew Malcolm Gladwell is a runner. I looked forward to hearing the guest talk about running. There were several gems in this episode but my favorite was probably the discussion of discipline vs. toughness (64:25 mark).
News. Saturday marked the return of Parkruns in the UK! I was happy to see it and took it as a sign that racing was making a comeback.
Racing Schedule
Future races. London Marathon. I continued monitoring the situation in the UK. On Monday, COVID-19 protocols were eased in the UK despite concerns about the Delta variant.
Runner rankings. RunWashington’s DMV Distance Derby. My best times are:
- Teddy Roosevelt Island (1.4 miles): 10:08 (7:38 pace) on May 12, 2020.
- Custis Climb – Key Bridge to Glebe (3.1 miles): 25:47 (8:47 pace) on October 6, 2020.
- Hains Point (2.5 miles): 20:37 (8:13 pace) on November 26, 2020.
Next race: 2021 South Lakes 10K on Sunday, August 29th. Goal is sub-52:00 (8:20 pace).
