2022 Erie Marathon – Week 8
Training Schedule
June 26th - July 2nd
Sunday: Long Run. 18 miles
Monday: Rest or cross-training
Tuesday: Recovery Run + Speed. 8 mi w/ 6 x 100 m strides
Wednesday: Medium-long Run. 12 miles
Thursday: Recovery Run. 5 miles
Friday: Lactate Threshold Run. 10 mi w/ 6 mi @ 15K to half marathon race pace
Saturday: Recovery Run. 6 miles
Total: ~59 Miles
Notes. The Pfitz “50-70” plan had a 21 mile long run while the “Up to 55” had 18, so I went with the lower mileage. The higher mile plan had a double on Tuesday, but I switched that out for a longer recovery run. The medium-long run was also longer on the harder plan, but I chose to run conservatively again.
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
Long Run
I had coffee and some toast with peanut butter before leaving the house. I left the house at 6 o’clock, but I realized I left without my Gu Energy Gels a half block from home. I scrambled back to the house for them and re-started my run.
I ran in silence for the first few miles, trying to see if I could pass as silently as possible – no heavy breathing or footfalls.
I was nervous about running 18 miles, so I kept the pace very easy – around 10:45 pace. Three miles in, on Four Mile Run Trail, I had my first gel (Campfire S’mores), and then 2 miles later, I stopped for water at the fountain on the Mount Vernon Trail near National Airport.
I stopped for a bathroom break at Gravelly Point. The porta-potties were disgusting so I didn’t linger. Before trudging up the Custis Trail, I ate my second Gu, which had caffeine (Sea Salt Chocolate). I thought about taking a bathroom break at Gateway Park in Rosslyn, but wanted to avoid a second stop. I was mindful to keep my heart rate under 162 beats per minutes as I had a few days before. I switched from This American Life podcast to Stuff You Should Know. (The episodes were on the Yuba County Five and surnames) On the W&OD Trail, I pushed my pace a bit. At Bluemont Park, I took another bathroom break.
I finished feeling fine, which made me wonder if I should have run harder. But given the 77-degree temperature and dewpoint of 65, a 20 seconds/mile off was good.
Medium-long Run
Getting dressed for my run, I realized this was probably the first time that I’d worn my Camelbak since my exhaustion episode back in September 2019. I thought, Good, It’s time to put that behind you.
I listened to a work life podcast about office culture and thought about my new job. I ran up the W&OD Trail, which was hard but I appreciated the challenge since I was feeling so good. I stopped for water on the Custis Trail, and spit out the mold from the mouth piece! Disgusting! After running down the steep downhill, I turned north to Georgetown. It had been ages since I’d run these streets, and I thought about the running club I had joined many years ago. Running on the National Mall, I reveled at how it was just a lovely day.
I saw my pace was at 9:45 before Capitol Hill and decided to power up that steep incline. This was a great run!
Threshold Run
It was my birthday! My schedule called for a threshold run but I didn’t want to run outside. I thought, Treadmill running feels like cheating. But, my mind countered, What does missing your goal pace feel like? So, I decided to run on the treadmill. I never got the Zwift Runn to work, so I would have to by feel.
I calculated that 8:00 pace for 6 miles would be 48 minutes. So, I set the treadmill at 6.2 and started running. By 15 minutes in, I had adjusted the setting to 6.6 (9:05 pace) and it still felt comfortably hard. In fact, in the end, I thought I probably could have pushed a little harder.
I did another short loop around the neighborhood for 10 miles total! (It was 78 degrees with a dewpoint of 70 when I finished.)
Gear
Hydration packs. Camelbak Circuit Vest. For my run commute to work, I faced the challenge of carrying two smartphones – my personal and my work. My Camelback Circuit Vest allowed me to take both phones in the side pockets with the bonus of a water supply. It was very comfortable, and the mesh meant good air circulation, so I didn’t get overheated. Price: $85
Nutrition
Recovery nutrition. Xtend. After feeling fatigued after so many runs last week, I drank this recovery drink after my medium run this week. I had purchased it at my local grocery store. It didn’t have BPI Sports Best Aminos, the drink with branch chained amino acids that I had tried before. Each serving has 7 grams of BCAAs. And the blue raspberry ice flavor is tasty. Price: $27.99
Media & Motivation
Podcasts. “Episode 535: Beyond the Run with Dave McGillivray,” Ali on the Run. This cast was another enlightening talk with Boston Marathon’s race director, who is also an accomplished runner. When he talked about getting work done early in the morning before his run, I told myself that I should get into that habit – I missed a 9 am meeting this week because I haven’t had meetings before 9:30.
News. “Ultramarathoner Michael Wardian Runs Across the U.S. in 62 Days: ‘I Feel Like I Was Made to Do This’,” People Magazine. I’d been tracking our local running legend, Michael Wardian, on his cross-country trek. I remembered how he wanted to do this in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic caused him to put it off. I was so happy that he could finally accomplish this dream that he had to defer.
Racing Schedule
Next race: Anacostia Parkrun #150 on Saturday, July 30th. Goal is sub-24:00 (7:42 pace).
