Training log - Week ending 12/17/17

This week was 61 miles of running, 17 "miles" of pool-running, and 3000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.

This week was heavy on the quantity of the quality, if that makes sense.  Tuesday's workout was a full 4.5 miles of fast running, run at a slightly slower pace than normal (with recoveries all taking less time than the intervals).  

It doesn't make sense to do this much interval work every week, or even regularly.  But I do think it's good to mix things up from time to time, and a high volume of 5K paced intervals with limited recovery is good half-marathon prep for me.

My last two weeks have alternated longer/harder and shorter/easier workouts - a 8K tempo (longer) last week was followed by a 14 mile long run (shorter) and then this week's long session of intervals.  I followed the intervals with a 4 mile tempo (shorter) on Friday and then a 16 mile Sunday long run (as long as I'll go this cycle).  I like balancing things this way because it lets me fit in some harder workouts without necessarily burying myself.

Me and my trophy.

So a good week training-wise.  But also a bit of a bummer.

To explain more, back in May I won a trophy at the Broad Street 10 Miler.  Not just an acrylic trophy, but a huge glass one.  Really impressive - possibly the coolest thing I've ever won at a running race.

I managed to get it safely back to DC, where I stored it, carefully padded, in a box under our bed until I could identify a safe place to store it.  This weekend, I extricated it and placed it on the shelf I had cleared, securing it with museum putty.

I then closed the door to that room, keeping the cats away until the putty could set.  

The aftermath.

A few minutes later, I heard a crash.  And I opened the door to see the remnants of my trophy on the floor.  Apparently the museum putty had shifted as it had settled, and the trophy fell off of the shelf, shattering on our porcelain tile floor.  

I'm trying to see the positive side here.  A few years ago, I broke a beloved mug from the evening before the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, and then had a major breakthrough race the next morning.  So this shattered trophy has to mean at least a few PRs this coming year, right?

(In the meantime, I've emailed Broad Street to see if there's anyway I can pay for a replacement.  If not, I guess I'll just load the shards into a shadow box and "display" it that way.)

Dailies

Monday: Yoga and 7 "miles" pool-running; foam rolling at night.

Tuesday: 13 miles, including 3x(1200, 800, 400) in 4:41, 3:06, 1:29, 4:36, 3:00, 1:32, 4:32, 2:59, 83.  Followed with injury prevention work and 1000 yards of recovery swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Wednesday: 8 miles very easy (9:18) to yoga, yoga, and then 4 miles easy (8:51), followed by drills and strides.  Massage in afternoon.

Thursday:  Upper body weights and core plus 10 "miles" pool-running.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 11 miles, including a 4 mile tempo in 25:51 (6:34/6:30/6:25/6:23).  Followed with injury prevention work and 1000 yards of recovery swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 10 miles very easy (8:49), followed by drills and strides, and then upper body weights and core. Foam rolling in evening.

Sunday:  16 miles progressive, split as first 5 averaging 8:45 pace, next 5 averaging 7:36 pace; last 6 averaging 6:52 pace. Followed with injury prevention work and 1000 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling in afternoon.