Training log - Week ending 3/3/2019

This week was 60 miles of running, 8 "miles" of pool-running and 2000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.

I started the week off with a good rock concert on Sunday night (Cruxshadows w/ opener Korine) and a day trip up to NYC on Monday for work.

[Video somebody took from Sunday's show.  One of the things I love about
this group: while other bands zealously police filming and photos

at their shows, the Cruxshadows embrace it, including regularly

collecting cellphones from audience members, taking selfies on stage, 

and then returning the phones, all while continuing to perform.]

If I had really wanted to, I could have squeezed in a pool-run on Monday - the pool opens at 5:30 am and my train left at 8:10.  But I just didn't see the point - I'd have to wake up early after a late night to fit it in, and I've discovered that whenever I need to choose between working out or adequate sleep, sleep needs to win. 

If I force myself to run/pool-run/whatever while sleep-deprived, I don't reap any benefits from the workout, since my body doesn't absorb it.  At the same time, I increase my fatigue and my injury risk.  Double whammy and pointless - better to take the day off.

[Of course, my type A instincts were screaming at me, but they always do.  It's funny how we runners are so terrified of undertraining, when it's overtraining that we should truly fear.]

My coach and I reworked stuff this week so that I would do 16x400m (at 10K pace with 100m floats), and then a marathon pace workout on Saturday.  Unfortunately, I ate something that disagreed with me on Monday (not hard to do, given my problematic GI system), and the lingering effects interrupted the Wednesday workout 11 reps in.  

After taking care of business, I jumped back in, thinking I'd extend the workout to another 10 reps to balance out the break (the whole point of this workout is very limited recovery).  But my large intestine had other ideas and spoke up again after another 6 reps, at which point I just called it a day.  Frustrating, but it was what it was.

I hoped that stuff was cleared out by Saturday, but unfortunately it was still an issue (albeit a lesser one).  I was able (with some discomfort) to make it through each 3 mile segment at marathon effort, but had to duck in and take a quick bio break during each recovery.  I kept my watch running, and was able to keep the bio break very quick (Shalane has nothing on me) but it still changed the workout, which was frustrating.  

When doing a workout, the duration of the recovery is just as important as the duration of the interval, and the nature of the recovery also matters - standing (*ahem sitting*) recovery is fundamentally different from jogging recovery.  So, my GI troubles forced me to modify the workout in ways that didn't totally ruin it, but did reduce the value slightly, and that was annoying.  Which is probably why I ran the final mile (ideally at half-marathon effort) too fast.

Nothing to do about it of course.  Except to make sure to avoid a recurrence and to hope this bout soon passes.  At least the workouts went well other than for these transient issues.

If anyone wonders why I eat nothing but food from home or tried-and-true Chipotle the last few days before a goal race, this week was a nice illustration of why.

Dailies 

Monday: Off.  Nothing but a bit of foam rolling

Tuesday: 8 very easy (9:11) plus drills/hill sprints, and then upper body weights/core, before another 2 very easy home (9:02)

Wednesday: 11.5 miles, including a workout of 11x400m and 7x400m averaging 94 seconds with 100m float recovery averaging 29 seconds.  Involuntary 2:30 break between sets.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 1000 yards recovery swimming.  Massage in the afternoon

Thursday:  Yoga and 8 "miles" pool-running in the morning.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 10 miles very easy (8:55) plus drills and 6 hill sprints, followed by upper body weights/core.  Foam rolling at night.

Saturday:  16.5 miles, including 3x3 miles at marathon pace plus 1 mile faster, split as: 

Set 1: 20:35 (6:53/6:48/6:54 - 6:52 pace) (9:03 recovery including bio-break)
Set 2: 20:41 (6:51/6:55/6:55 - 6:54 pace) (8:32 recovery including bio-break)
Set 3: 20:18 (6:45/6:54/6:39 - 6:46 pace) (10:08 recovery including bio-break)

Faster mile: 6:21

Followed with leg strengthwork and 1000 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling in afternoon.

Sunday: 12 miles easy (8:31), followed by yoga.   Foam rolling in afternoon.