Marathon Training – Week 3 – Galloping Goose

I’m currently up in Victoria for the Labour Day long weekend. Yesterday I did my long run along the Galloping Goose trail out from Victoria to Thetis Lake and back. The trail was great although there were portions with very little shade which was rough since it got pretty hot on the way back. My legs and feet held up well until mile 15 but after that it was a slog to get home. That means my leg threshold is moving up though and that’s what matters. I had 3 Clif shot gels and 20 oz of Gatorade out of the road. My energy was good throughout so I feel as though I have my nutrition needs pretty much under control. That’s one less thing to worry about!

25/08	XT	Pilates
26/08	6.5 miles	Tempo run: 4.5mi @ 8:34/8:31/8:33/8:33/8:21 min/mile
27/08	XT	Pilates
28/08	6.0 miles	Easy run: avg 159 bpm, 10:54 min/mile
29/08	-	Rest Day
30/08	18.0 miles	Long run: avg 170 bpm, 10:57 min/mile
31/08	4.0 miles	Recovery run: avg 156 bpm, 11:11 min/mile
Total	34.5 miles	YTD: 806.7 miles

I should also mention that I had a great tempo run on Tuesday. My last few tempo runs haven’t felt so good but this time I was able to tune into a “comfortably hard” pace and maintain it. I stopped after 4.5 miles (as was on my schedule) but I felt as though I could have gone for longer. Also check out my heart rates on Thursday and Sunday! They’re less than 160 bpm which is perfect for easy and recovery runs. My long run heart rate was ridiculously high (probably partly due to heat) but I’m choosing to focus on the positive here. It’s nice to have a solid training week in the bank!