Training log - Week ending 1/26/14

This week was 58 miles of running, “15 miles” on the arc-trainer and 3,500 yards of swimming  -- training log is here. 

Yup – I’m in training again.  And it feels good, in that runner-specific masochistic way.  We had great weather for the Tuesday track workout, and it was a real confidence boost.  I started off very cautiously, but loosened up the reins a bit towards the end, and ended up with a 800 and 400 that were both sub-6 minute pace – a speed I didn’t think I’d be seeing for a few workouts.  Hammy felt a bit stiff afterwards, but nothing terribly concerning.

And then winter hit again.   Wednesday and Friday’s runs were done in single digit temperatures, under the Whitehurst freeway.

The Whitehurst Freeway in warmer times. 
Picture from Google Streetview; originally posted at beyonddc.com

[for non-DC people – the Whitehurst freeway is an elevated highway that nicely results in a covered  pavement stretch that’s roughly about 3/4s of a mile long. When everything else is ice and snow covered, you can run back and forth along this stretch to get some miles in.  The elevated highway itself interferes with GPS reception, so one has to run by time, and guestimate pace and distance]

Temperatures were slightly warmer (into the 20s) for the weekend, but still chilly.  And many of the trails were ice/snow covered.  On Saturday, I cobbled together a route that was mostly on the snow-free sidewalks of downtown DC (albeit with a mile or so on ice); for Sunday my group met in Rock Creek park and ran back and forth on a ~6 mile stretch of roadway that was mostly closed to vehicles.

By Sunday, I was feeling quite tired, and fairly beaten up.  And this makes sense.  I’ve been ramping up the running miles fairly aggressively the last few weeks (26, 38, 45, 52, and now 58).  Plus adding in workouts this week.  By itself, that would be a lot.  But then factor in the supercold temperatures and the occasional slipping on ice/snow, each of which take a toll, and you’ve got a substantial load.  

I can tell I’m right on the edge, with a bit of soreness/stiffness.  Nothing horrible, but a lot of aches in a lot of places, including the locations of the injuries I’m rehabbing.   So, in response, I’m going to play it careful and back off a bit for the next few days.  

Consistent with this plan, Sunday night was a sports massage (much needed) and a bedtime of 8:30 p (slept for 8.5 hours - fairly rare for me - I usually bounce out of bed at between 7:00-7:30 hours, no alarm needed).  This coming week, I’m going to sit out the Tuesday workout (intervals, in single digit temperatures with below-zero wind chill).  I think that for someone recovering from any injury, but especially a hamstring one, it doesn’t make sense to run fast in temperatures that cold.   

As for mileage, I’ll play it by ear.  If I’m going to make it to Boston, then my top priority needs to be staying injury free, followed by adequate mileage and the long run.  Fast running (especially intervals) is much less important in the overall scheme of things.

Dailies

Monday:   In the morning, injury rehab work, “5 miles” on the arc-trainer and 1500 yards of swimming.   Foam rolling at night.

Tuesday:  In the morning, injury rehab work, 9.5 miles, including a track workout of 400/800/1200/1200/800/400 (splits were 1:35, 3:09, 4:38, 4:37, 2:57, 1:26)  followed by 30 minutes on the arc-trainer.  Foam rolling at night.

Wednesday:   Injury rehab work and ~10.5 miles outside (90 minutes spent running back and forth under the Whitehurst Freeway – I’m assuming 8:30 pace)  Foam rolling at night.

Thursday:   In the morning, injury rehab work, “4 miles” on the arc-trainer and 1000 yards of swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday:  In the morning, injury rehab work, 10 miles running, including ~4 miles at approximately tempo effort, and 30 minutes on the arc-trainer.   Yoga class in the afternoon.

Saturday:   In the morning, injury rehab work, 11.5 miles easy (8:37 pace), and upperbody/core strengthwork.   Foam-rolling  in the afternoon.

Sunday:   In the morning, injury rehab work, 16.5 miles outside (7:58 pace), and 1000 yards of swimming.  Sports massage at night.