Training log - Week ending 12/1/2019

This week was 56 miles of running, 24 "miles" of pool-running, a tiny bit of swimming, and a whole lotta shoulder rehab work -- training log is here.

Second week post-Richmond.  I started easing back into faster running at the end of the week with some relaxed hill stuff on Friday, and then a moderately paced not-so-long run on Sunday.  Neither of these "workouts" are going to build fitness, but both serve as a nice bridge between race recovery and hopefully easing into workouts at the end of next week.

I'm definitely returning back from Richmond a bit faster than I did after my last marathon, CIM.    After CIM, I intentionally took a big rest break with the intention of losing some fitness - one step back to take two steps forward.  I think it worked well - I believe I was fitter a week before Indy Monumental this year than I was the week before CIM last year.  Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to show off that fitness due to life getting in the way, so no way to know for sure.

The benefit of taking a big step back is that you can then take a big step forward over time - it's a long term approach.  However, there is a short-term cost - it took me a while to get back in shape this spring.  This time, with the Houston Half-Marathon not too far off, I've decided to strike a different balance.  I'm not shorting the recovery from Richmond, but nor am I going to take a break the way I did after CIM.  I want to rest just enough to recharge and control injury risk, and then hopefully maintain what I had this fall so that I can have a nice race at Houston - ideally finally getting under 84:00, if not faster.

I've already decided on a spring marathon, which I'm now three months out from: the One City Marathon in Newport News, Virginia on March 1.   After my frustrations of this fall, I want another shot at a marathon with a better taper, ASAP.   However, the reality is that I started Richmond with half a gas tank, and then ran myself into the ground.  Running a truly fast marathon requires tapping into reserves that take a while to replenish.  And it's going to take me several months to get those reserves built back up.  So March 1 is realistically the earliest I can run a marathon with a complete gas tank, so that I can run a great race.  March 1 is ASAP.  

One City also works very well from a team coordination perspective - some women from my team are targeting the Olympic Marathon Trials (the day before One City), and so my long run schedule should mostly sync with theirs, though the paces will certainly be different.  Having everyone training for a marathon on the same weekend will make life easier for my coach.

We'll be going with a short training cycle again for One City - I don't need much to get into marathon shape.  So even though we're 3 months out, the training won't get marathon-focused for another few weeks.  I'll race Houston in January, which will work well as a hard marathon workout as well as a goal race in itself.  And then one or two 20 mile long runs, and we'll be good to go.   I don't need to improve my fitness to run a great marathon - I just need to get back to where I was a month ago, while making sure I don't get fried or burned out or peak too soon (or have an epically bad taper again). Hence the abbreviated cycle even though we have room for more.

As for the shoulder?  It's getting there.  I'm now working towards reintroducing lifting at the gym - albeit using machines instead of free weights until I'm more confident in the stability of my shoulder.  I'm using really low weights (have you ever used the shoulder press machine with the weight set to 0?  I hadn't.  Until this week).  But I'm seeing progress.  And on Sunday I actually tested a few short laps of freestyle swimming - it felt awkward, but also fine and even wonderful.  My hope is that I'll be able to swim a bit more this week.

It really would be nice to be done with this shoulder business.  I know I'm incredibly lucky and incredibly non-appreciative.  But at the same time I want my old fitness life back.  And carving out an extra 30 minutes each day for intricate shoulder rehab exercises with 2 pound dumbbells is getting tiresome (*whine*).

Dailies

Monday:  Light upperbody weights/core, shoulder work, and 10 "miles" pool-running. Foam rolling at night.

Tuesday: 4 miles very easy (9:21), yoga, 7 miles very easy (8:50), followed by drills and two hill strides.  PT session for the shoulder in the afternoon; foam rolling at night.

Wednesday:  6.5 miles very easy (9:18), yoga, 5.5 miles very easy (9:08), and some leg strengthwork and shoulder work.  Foam rolling at night.

Thursday: 10 "miles" pool-running, light upper body work and core, and shoulder work.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday:  10 miles aerobic (average 8:38), including drills, two strides, four 30 second hill repeats at 5K effort with full recovery, two 10 second sprints up a steep hill with full recovery, and 3 miles on a net uphill rolling hills route at moderate effort (guestimate 7:40 ish).  Followed with yoga and some shoulder work.  Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 7 miles very easy (8:58), drills and four strides, light upper body work, core and shoulder work, and then 4 miles very easy (8:40).  Foam rolling in afternoon.

Sunday: 12 miles aerobic (7:53) and then leg strengthwork and shoulderwork.  4 "miles" pool-running, a tiny bit of swimming, and foam rolling in afternoon.