Training log - Week ending 10/13/19

This week was 60 miles of running, 30 "miles" of pool-running and 1000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.  

And that's the last week of this training cycle.  I feel fairly fresh, which as I observed last week is both disconcerting and a good thing.  My legs didn't feel very tired after Sunday's long run, which is reassuring that I've got the necessary strength to run 26.2 at a hard pace.  And I ran my fastest 8K tempo ever on Wednesday (including all those times earlier in my running history when I used to run my tempos too hard), while keeping the effort very restrained and controlled - another good sign of my aerobic fitness.

Saturday's long run was one of those days packed with minor annoyances.  Slow drivers everywhere, idiot parkers, hitting every single red light.  And all of that was independent of the long run itself, which featured extended bathroom stops due to lines at the bathroom and a planned route that ended up completely submerged under the Potomac.

(I've seen the road at Hains Point under water before.  This was the first time I haven't been able to tell where the road was at all).  

And all of that was before the drawstring got screwed up on my favorite pair of shorts so that they kept falling down during the run.

But...we got it done anyway.  I was very careful to limit the last 7 miles to marathon effort, which annoyingly meant that I didn't quite hit my goal marathon pace (I'd like to run 6:40s or faster on race day).  It definitely wasn't a bad run, and there were good reasons why my pace was slightly slow, including Garmin error and warming temperatures (it was in the mid-60s by the end of the run - not terrible, but enough to slow one slightly).  Annoying, though.

But...given the choice between hitting my preferred pace but working too hard, or sticking to the correct effort, I prefer the latter.  The quickest way to ensure that you DON'T hit a goal on race day is to try to force that goal in training.  And since I've got a half-marathon next weekend that I'd like to run well at, staying careful and conservative on Saturday was the right choice in my mind, even if it didn't look as pretty or reassuring in my training log.

Dailies:

Monday: Upper body weights/core, and 12 "miles" pool-running.  Foam rolling at night.

Tuesday: 8 miles (9:00), yoga, and then 4.5 miles (8:25), plus drills and 4 uphill strides.  Foam rolling at night.

Wednesday: 14 miles, including an 8K tempo on the track in 31:48 (6:28/6:26/6:21/6:22/6:11)  Followed with injury prevention work and 500 yards recovery swimming.   Sports massage in afternoon

Thursday:  Upperbody weights, core, and 12 "miles" pool-running in the morning.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday: 8 miles (8:50), yoga, and then 4.5 miles (8:22), plus drills and 4 uphill strides.  Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 21 miles progressive, split as the first 7 averaging 8:40; the next 7 averaging 7:18, and the last 7 averaging 6:44.   Followed with injury prevention work and 500 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling at night. 

Sunday: DIY yoga and 1 hour of pool-running.  Foam rolling at night.