Just as I was feeling like my fitness was improving, my body showed signs of over-training: fatigue during my speed workouts and piriformis syndrome. The weather also played a part in derailing my training when a storm forced me to run my threshold run in the afternoon.
Training Schedule
August 9th - August 15th
Sunday: Long Run. Lesser of 120 min. or 25% weekly mileage Monday: Easy Run. 6 miles Tuesday: Easy Run. 6 miles Wednesday: Interval Run. Repeated 1000m runs @ I pace w/3-min. recovery jog Thursday: Cruise Interval Run. 1 mile runs @ T pace w/1-min. rests + 4 x 200m @ R pace w/200m recovery jog Friday: Easy Run. 6 miles Saturday: Easy Run. 5 miles
Total: ~49 Miles
Notes. This week, I added strides to my easy runs on Monday and Tuesday but I didn’t do any cross-training.
Training paces
VDOT
Easy / Long
Marathon
Threshold
Repetition
38
9:56-11:06
9:15
8:33 (mile)
4:54 (1000m) / 0:54 (200m)
Workouts
Long Run
With the virtual Boston Marathon looming on my calendar, I wanted to have a solid endurance run this week to bolster my confidence that I could run 26.2 miles next month.
The weather was in the relatively tolerable mid-70s when I left home.
I ran down the Arlington Boulevard Trail to Rosslyn, Virginia. I kept my speed in check and ran just over 10:00 pace. I turned left at theCustis Trail and down-shifted my effort even more on the steep climb. At the water fountain near the beaver pond, I stopped for water and ate a Gu Energy Gel (Lemonade – not good).
When I reached the downhills, I felt a second wind. Listening to my Best of Latin playlist certainly helped and by the time I reached the W&OD Trail, I left amazing! I finished the run just a few seconds shy of 2 hours, which was fast for my recent long runs.
I didn’t think much about the workout before leaving home. I’d been running so well lately that I felt sure I could run “hard”.
It rained in the early morning hours but it was still 75 degrees and 90% humidity when I left my apartment.
I ran down to the Wakefield High School Track. By the time I arrived, I felt sluggish. I started the workout aware of a group of coaches and young runners in the middle lanes. When I hit the lap button for the first set, I thought, “That was short for 1,000m” and realized I hadn’t gone far enough. But the pace was solid. By the second repetition, my pace was completely off. I continued for a few more sets and then thought, “What’s the point?” and ended the workout early.
When I woke up, it was raining fairly heavily. I knew it was coming down too hard for a run because I could see the raindrops hitting puddles from my sixth-floor apartment!
I finally went out for my run 12:30 p.m. By then, the rain had stopped but it was hot and humid.
This was the same workout that I ran during Week 6 and Week 7 but I did this one on the roads rather than the track. After a warm-up to Crystal City, I started the threshold segment on the Mount Vernon Trail. I finished the first mile near the National Airport daily parking lot and walked the recovery. The pace was slow but I rationalized it was because I was running in the mid-day heat. The second set was on the flat terrain of the Four Mile Run Trail. It was also off-pace but consistent with the first mile. When the third was even slower, I stopped trying to hit T pace and switched to running the 200m intervals on the W&OD Trail.
Injuries. Piriformis Syndrome. During Friday’s easy run, I felt a familiar “pain in the butt” on my right side. It felt better the next day but I can’t catch a break when it comes to injuries these days.
Routes
Parks. Glencarlyn Park. I changed my easy run route so it passes this a nice little oasis near Mile 2.3 of the W&OD Trail in Arlington, Virginia. In addition to a water fountain, there is a bathroom open year-round.