Marathon Training – Week 10 – 20 miler #1
I took two days off after last week’s half marathon before jumping back into training with a killer speedwork session: 4x1mi with 0.5 mile recovery walk/jogs. My first repeat was slow but I was happy with the other three. Interestingly the first repeat was done in the pre-dawn dusk and I wonder if the darkness slowed me down. I’m more cautious of my footing and aware of my surroundings when it’s dark out. Usually this workout leaves me totally exhausted. This time around I felt much better possibly because I took a gel after the second repeat. Oh and maybe I’m fitter! I was still beat though so I cut Thursday’s seven miler down to a five miler.
For a fun little blast from the past I thought it would be a good idea to compare this week to April 9 – 15, 2007, Week 10 of my last marathon training cycle. What I recall most vividly from that week was how hard the 20 miler was. I quote “It is obvious to me that my leg strength/endurance is more of a limiting factor to me at this time than my cardiovascular fitness.” Yea, sadly 18 months later the same holds true. And I still haven’t worked up the nerve to have an ice bath.
Anyway the good news is that this time around the first 20 miler went much better! I was feeling a bit bored doing all my long runs on the marathon course so I decided to mix things up a bit. This week I combined a few laps of Green Lake with a run on the Burke out to Magnuson Park and back. As usual, my legs stiffened up as the run progressed and the last three miles were particularly tough. But I made it through and at this point that’s all I care about.
| 13/10 | - | Thanksgiving Rest day |
| 14/10 | - | Rest day |
| 15/10 | 8.0 miles | Speedwork: 4x1mi in 8:26/7:58/8:04/8:02 min |
| 16/10 | 5.0 miles | Easy run: avg 160 bpm, 11:23 min/mile |
| 17/10 | - | Rest day |
| 18/10 | 20.0 miles | Long run: avg 168 bpm, 10:57 min/mile |
| 19/10 | 4.0 miles | Recovery run: 11:42 min/mile |
| Total | 37.0 miles | YTD: 982.4 miles |
Looking forward, if everything goes according to schedule next week I should pass the 1000 mile year to date mark during my Saturday long run!