2022 Erie Marathon – Week 17
Training Schedule
August 28th - September 3rd
Sunday: 2022 South Lakes 10K
Monday: Long Run. 16 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: General aerobic + speed. 7 mi w/8 x 100m strides
Thursday: Recovery Run. 5 miles
Friday: VO2maxRun. 8 mi w/ 3 x 1,600 m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to 90%
interval time between
Saturday: Recovery + speed. 6 mi w/ 8 x 100 m strides
Total: ~48 Miles
Notes. This was my first full taper week!
I made a lot of adjustments to this week’s schedule, so it didn’t look much like the Pfitz “Up to 55” miles/week plan or the “55-70.” After Sunday’s race, I planned to do a 16-mile long run. I gave myself two easier days before putting the VO2Max workout in both plans on Friday. Then, I gave myself a recovery day to end the week.
Training paces
| Recovery | Long | General Aerobic | Marathon | Threshold | 5K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No faster than 10:25 |
9:55-10:10 |
9:10-9:45 |
8:40-8:55 |
7:55-8:10 |
7:30-7:40 |
Workouts
2022 South Lakes 10K
Going into the race, I thought my likely time would be sub-52:00 (8:24 pace). Based on my time of 25:05 (8:03 pace) time at Anacostia Parkrun #150 during Week 12, Daniels’ Running Formula, Third Edition says this as an equivalent time.
I arrived at the race site with plenty of time before the start. A few details seemed different this year – registration was at the track instead of inside the school. And, the start and finish locations were different.
I ran the race by effort and didn’t look at my Garmin until after Mile 4, when I was surprised to see that I was averaging 8:03 pace!
Not only did I run a confidence-boosting time, but I finished 1st in my age group! Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure if my legs would want to run a long run the next day.
Long Run
I wasn’t fatigued after the 10K the day before but went to bed at 9:30 pm. I woke up at 4:30 am but felt I could have used more sleep. Still, after doing some math, I realized I didn’t have enough time to run 16 miles before work, even when I was leaving the house at 5:30 am. I could do 13 miles, though.
For the first 4 miles, I ran through Pentagon and Crystal City areas to the Mount Vernon Trail. I rarely ran this early and enjoyed watching the cities wake up. I ran what felt easy and was surprised to see that was 9:30 to 9:40 pace.
It was such a beautiful morning that I stopped to take several pictures. My pace slipped closer to 10:00 as my legs remembered the effort they had made the day before.
By the time I reached the Custis Trail, I was legitimately tired. By then, the sun had come out and I was wilting in the heat. I took the trail at 11:00 pace and exited in Ballston. I struggled on the slight uphills and knew my body was done. I ran/walked the final three-quarters of a mile home, swearing I wouldn’t run in the heat again.
VO2Max Run
It was a tiring week, and the prospect of doing one-mile intervals seemed daunting. With school back in session, I was hesitant to return to Wakefield High School Track after past experiences avoiding the football team. I decided I could do these on the trail.
I ran a 2.5-mile warm-up to the Four Mile Run Trail at 9:30 pace. Once again, I was surprised by how fast I was running given how tired I felt.
| Set 1 | Set 1 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
7:44 |
7:30 |
7:50 |
Health
Injuries. Perhaps it’s a case of “taper madness”, but my left knee hurt on my run on Sunday.
Clothing
Tops – Singlets. Rabbit EZ Tank. I love the Rabbit shorts and plan to wear them for the Erie Marathon. I thought it would be nice to have a matching singlet. I selected this one and was very happy wearing it. It feels like butter! I bought extra small and the cut is a little short on me, but overall it fits well, and would have been great for summer running. Price: $45.
Media & Motivation
News. “Man Is Exposing Himself, Trying to Grab Women and Girls on the W&OD Trail,” Washington Post, “Woman Kipnapped While Jogging Near University of Memphis, Police Said,” MSNBC. This week, there were two reminders about the dangers women face when running – one locally and one that caught national attention. Eliza Fletcher was ultimately found dead and re-ignited conversations but “running while female” – all the things women shouldn’t do to avoid being the victims of crime while out for a run.
Racing Schedule
Future races. The race organized made two helpful Facebook posts this week – the course map and a drawing that showed where the water stops would be.
Also, I started checking the 10-day forecast for Erie,
Pennsylvania; unfortunately, it showed showers.
Next race: 2022 Erie Marathon on Sunday, September 11th. Goal is 3:51:59 (8:52 pace).
