2021 London Marathon – Week 8
The weather was cooler than usual for my 18-miler on Sunday. On Tuesday, the temperature rose to the mid-70s for my 600m repeats workout. Due to near 80-degree heat, 7 miles @ goal marathon pace became marathon effort. After a check-up on Wednesday, I felt confident that whatever was negatively impacting my training in the fall of 2019 resolved itself but I have a long road back to my former fitness level.
Training Schedule
July 4th - July 10th
Sunday: Long Run. 18 miles
Monday: Easy Run. 5 miles + strides
Tuesday: Interval Run. 6 x 600m @ 5K-10K pace w/400m recovery jog
Wednesday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Thursday: Marathon-pace Run. 11 miles w/7 miles @ goal marathon pace
Friday: Easy Run. 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Total: ~56 Miles
Notes. This week, I hit my mileage goal but my recovery runs were slower than usual.
Training paces
| Recovery | Easy | Marathon | Threshold | Repetition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No faster than 10:15 |
9:45-10:15 |
8:55--9:20 |
8:30-8:55 |
7:35 - 7:45 (5K) |
Workouts
Long Run
Every week, I try to run a little better than I did the week before. My previous attempt at 18 miles was during Week 5, The “Arlington Loop” was a little short on the distance but I averaged 10:33 pace for the run. I ate peanut butter toast and drank some coffee for my pre-workout meal and the headed out the door.
On my way to the W&OD Trail through the neighborhood, I took a wrong turn and had to double-back to find the street leading to the trail. I didn’t stay on that trail for long before heading over to the Four Mile Run Trail, which would add a little distance to the route. In these early miles, I noticed my toe hurt at the spot where I got stung last week and my calves were a little sore from running in new shoes the day before.
When I arrived at the Mount Vernon Trail, I stopped for water at the water fountain near National Airport and had a SaltStick tab. As I continued running, I mostly thought about becoming comfortable with slower times now that I’m a grandmaster. It felt like giving up but I told myself I was being more realistic. I stopped for water again at Roosevelt Island with an average pace of 9:45.
I started my next segment, which would be the steepest hills of the Custis Trail. I stopped at the water fountain at Nelson Street and had a Maurten energy gel. I had been listened to podcasts but I turned on my birthday playlist – it wasn’t exhaustive but it had a few catchy tunes that lifted my spirits.
When I got to the W&OD Trail junction, I actually ran past the water fountain. At that point, I was running to well that I didn’t want to stop the momentum. I thought my pace would drop now that the trail was downhill but it stayed at 9:15.
During the cool-down, I saw people walking to the community Fourth of July parade. By then, the temperature was over 80 degrees!
Interval Run
It was going to be a hot day so I didn’t linger much in the morning – I got up at 6am and was out the door by 7:15am, which is early for me.
For a warm-up, I ran uphill on the W&OD Trail to Bluemont Park. Once again, my thoughts turned to getting older and how I might not set personal bests in races anymore. I told myself, “You could still be an age group competitor, though.”
After the warm-up, I took what was meant to be a short break to do some drills, but my Garmin malfunctioned and it took me a while to restart my smartphone to re-establish the Bluetooth connection.
The first two repetition were run on the trail towards Falls Church. The trail was slightly uphill so the slow splits made sense. On the return trip, my legs were able to stride out more and my pace fell accordingly. In fact, on the fourth repetition, the song “Club Can’t Handle Me” came on and I was inspired to run-danced down the trail.
For the cool-down, I rambled through the neighborhood feeling satisfied with myself. This grandmaster had a great workout.
| Distance | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
600m (pace) |
7:46 |
7:48 |
7:41 |
|
|
Set 4 |
Set 5 |
Set 6 |
|
|
7:26 |
7:23 |
7:24 |
Marathon-pace Run
When I woke up, it was already 79 degrees! I really didn’t want to slog a marathon-pace workout – I have a time goal for the London Marathon! I thought about heading to my gym but in the end, decided to run by heart rate instead. I programmed my Garmin based on some of my heart rate readings from the 2019 Boston Marathon – my last strong race.
I ran a warm-up to Crystal City and then started the marathon-effort segment.
More than a half-mile in, I made it to the Mount Vernon Trail feeling fairly good. I passed by the water fountain at National Airport without stopping and wondered if I would regret that choice later. However, my heart rate was in the desired range. By Mile 2, I was on the Four Mile Run Trail and continued on feeling great. In fact, my Garmin was giving me feedback that heart rate was lower than desired. At George Mason Drive, I needed to stop for traffic. I thought about stopping my Garmin but figured because the run was by hear rate, it didn’t matter. As I closed in on Columbia Pike and sped up thinking the workout was over, I realized that I still had another mile to go! I trekked over to Four Mile Run Trail, legs barely turning over, and then headed back towards my neighborhood at Glen Carlyn Park. When I finished, I finally checked my Garmin expecting to see something like 9:20 pace and was surprised to see a pace over 10:00.
After the workout, I pulled out my running books and read more about heart rate for marathon-pace. Advanced Marathoning, Third Edition, covered it (pg. 161) and said marathon-pace was “about 82 to 88 percent of maximal heart rate”. From looking at old workouts, I guess my maximum heart rate was around 190, although there are isolated readings higher than that. Overall, I ran this workout in the 83% range, which I took to mean it could have been a little harder.
Cross-training
Strides, form drills. On Monday, I did strides in the middle of my easy run. On Tuesday, I did form drills before my interval session.
Health
Hypertension. Since the fall of 2019, I’ve been taking my high blood pressure medication regularly. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I hadn’t visited a doctor since last summer and needed the prescription refilled. On Wednesday, I finally went in for a check-up. The next day, I got my blood test results back and almost everything looked good! Whatever was negatively impacting my training in the fall of 2019 seems to have resolved itself but I have a long road back to my former fitness level.
Clothing
Shoes. On Cloudswift. Last Wednesday, I went to my local running store for my birthday and was in a spending mood. I’ve been curious about the On Running brand and with the store employee’s help, settled on the Cloudswift. I’ve worn them a few times now and my legs don’t feel the spring that they do with some other shoes. It won’t be a favorite but I’m glad I tried it. Price: $150.00
Nutrition
Recovery nutrition. Without Limits Runners Essentials Long Run Recovery. I felt so depleted after Sunday’s long run that I tried this recovery drink that I got from a Stridebox. The flavor was birthday cake. “Does anyone want to drink cake?” The drink was actually very tasty – especially with a few ice cubes. Each packet has 270 calories, 47 grams of carbohydrate, 14 grams of protein, and is fat-free. It also has 5 grams of a BCAA blend and 1.5 grams of amino acids.
Media & Motivation
Podcasts. “Episode 394: Emily Sisson“, Ali on the Run. While I recognized her name, I wasn’t sure I had ever listened to an interview with the United States Women’s 10,000m Champion. Emily talked about her disappointing marathon trials race, where she dropped out after 22 miles, and the 18-month build-up to the track and field trials. She also confirmed how I feel about the heat – there’s a red line where you’re feeling good one minute and then not.
Racing Schedule
Runner rankings. RunWashington’s DMV Distance Derby. My best times remain:
- 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).
