2023 New York City Marathon – Week 13
Training Schedule
September 24th - September 30th
Sunday: Medium-long Run. 14 miles
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Strength Run. 3 x 2 miles w/800m recoveries
Wednesday: Easy Run. 8 miles
Thursday: Threshold Run. 9 miles @ marathon pace
Friday: Easy Run. 7 miles
Saturday: Easy Run. 8 miles
Total: ~61 Miles
Notes. In the Hansons Marathon Method, Sunday would have been the second 10-miler of the weekend. Instead, I chose to do 14 miles.
Training paces
| Recovery | Aerobic | Long | Marathon | Strength | 5K-10K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No faster than 11:15 |
10:00-10:40 |
9:30-9:50 |
8:45-9:05 |
8:30-8:50 |
7:40-8:00 |
Workouts
Medium-long Run
It was a great day for running – 63 degrees and overcast.
From home, I headed northeast towards the Arlington Boulevard Trail, running at 9:40, which felt comfortable. My pace dropped by 20 seconds/mile once I reached that trail because it’s all downhill into Rosslyn.
I met up with the Mount Vernon Trail in Rosslyn and went south. I stopped for water at Roosevelt Island.
Mid-way through the run on Gravelly Point, I started a Crank Sport eGel. I didn’t carry water, so I wouldn’t have a way to wash it down.
After 5 miles at 9:20 pace, I turned westward on the Four Mile Run Trail. I expected to feel tired, but I kept a strong effort, and my speed didn’t drop over the next four miles.
Two hours in, I finally reached the W&OD Trail. I slowed through neighborhood streets a little, but overall, it was a speedy run!
Strength Run
The rainy weather from Tropical Storm Ophelia continued to make for cool but wet running weather. The temperature was just under 60 degrees when I left my house at 7 a.m.
I ran a cautious 2-mile warm-up on the W&OD Trail before starting the repetitions on the Four Mile Run Trail. At the end of the first set, I turned north on the Mount Vernon Trail for the half-mile recovery. I turned around during the second 2-miler and before reaching Gravelly Point. I had a grin– I was having so much fun running. And the third set was only 5 seconds lower than the first.
The workout felt easy, and I ran a relatively fast cool-down home.
2 miles/800m: 17:03/5:21 (set 1), 16:58/5:05 (set 2), 17:08/5:00 (set 3).
Average 2 miles=17:03 (8:32 pace)
Threshold Run
I had a sore throat when I woke up on Thursday. My boyfriend had been sick the past few days, so I guessed I might have caught his cold. I thought I felt good enough to run, though.
I didn’t feel great during my warm-up on the flat W&OD Trail, but my Garmin said my fitness level was +4 for the day, so my heart rate wasn’t elevated.
So, I went ahead and started my marathon-pace workout when I reached the Four Mile Run Trail. It wasn’t a mile in before I realized I was too tired to do 9 miles at this effort. Still, I pressed on and turned north on the Mount Vernon Trail. I turned around at the first pedestrian bridge near National Airport, still thinking I might do 9 miles, but I didn’t want to risk pooping out on Gravelly Point without a great way of getting home. But, two miles later, I stopped. I felt terrible.
I ran-walked easy for the next 4 miles home.
Health
Illnesses. After my failed workout on Thursday, I suspected I might have a cold or the flu. By Friday morning, I thought it might just be a cold. My boyfriend gave me a COVID test, but it was negative, which was a relief. But, on Saturday, when I still wasn’t feeling well, he gave me another test, and it was positive. Once again, a month out from my goal race, I’ve caught COVID.
Media & Motivation
News. “22,019 Qualified Athletes Have Been Accepted Into April’s Race,” Boston Athletic Association. This year, the buffer was 5 minutes and 29 seconds. My time from this year’s Boston Marathon was 3:49:36, which means I was only 5 minutes and 24 seconds under the standard, which means I will miss out on the race due to 5 seconds!
Given the large number (11,000+) the race organizers turned away, I hope they will concede that this system that leaves thousands of runners with a bitter taste in their mouth most years is not good for the running community. It turns runners against one another (e.g., older runners having it easier, the non-binary category, downhill races, charity runners) almost every year for no good reason.
I am not heartbroken, though. I see this as an opportunity to run another spring marathon and try again in 2025.
Podcast. “Episode #332: Nailing Race Day Execution,” Running Rogue. The podcast started with a discussion about the Boston Marathon buffer. I agree with the podcast host that the race organizers’ system is broken. And I like his proposal to have a guaranteed and a provisional standard, but I think it’s only a solution for those who are meeting the standard by a considerable margin already.
Racing Schedule
Next race
2023 Army Ten Miler, Sunday, October 8th. Goal is 1:20:00 (8:00 pace).
Future races
2023 New York City Marathon, Sunday, November 5th. Goal is 3:44:00 (8:33 pace).
