Training log - Week ending 12/15/2019

This week was 64 miles of running, 18 "miles" of pool-running, 2000 yards swimming, and a whole lotta shoulder rehab work -- training log is here.

Not much to write about here - just a normal week of training.  But...it is very nice to have a "normal" week again.  It seems like it's been forever since that's been the case.  My fitness is obviously not where it was this past fall, but it is improving nicely and quickly, and I'm pretty happy about that.

One thought that has popped into my mind - I wonder how much of my "loss in fitness" is not really a fitness issue, but more of a staleness.  I've known that I have to do something intense at least once or twice a week, or I get very flat and sluggish.  And of course, after a marathon, I take a period of a few weeks where I drop the intensity.  Perhaps when I come back, the slowness is not so much that I'm out of shape but that I've gotten very flat from a few weeks of nothing but easy jogging.

It's an interesting thought - I'm not sure it really matters one way or the other, since I wouldn't change anything about my post-marathon recovery habits either way.  You can't go hard year round.  At least I can't.

Dailies

Monday:  Yoga and 8 "miles" pool-running. Shoulder work and foam rolling at night.

Tuesday: 12.5 miles, including a track workout of 2x1200, 2x800, 2x400, 2x200 in 4:42, 4:38, 3:02, 2:58, 86, 83, 42, 41 (recoveries mostly between 2:38 and 2:50; 1:55 recovery between the 400s and 1:17 recovery between the 200s.  Followed with leg strengthwork and 800 yards recovery swimming.  PT session for the shoulder in the afternoon; foam rolling at night.

Wednesday:  7.5 miles very easy (9:13), yoga, 4.5 miles very easy (8:52), and drills and four strides.  Shoulder work and foam rolling at night.

Thursday: Upper body work and core, and shoulder work, followed by 10 "miles" of pool-running.  Foam rolling at night.

Friday:  12 miles, including a track tempo of ~4 miles (6400m) in 26:41 (6:47/6:39/6:39/6:36).  Followed with leg strengthwork and shoulderwork, plus 750 yards recovery swimming.  Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 10.5 miles very easy (8:47), drills and four strides, upper body work, core and shoulder work.  Foam rolling in afternoon.

Sunday: 16.5 miles mostly progressive, split as first 5 miles averaging 8:53, next 5 averaging 7:45, next 6 averaging 6:53 (plus a half mile cooldown) and then leg strengthwork and shoulderwork, plus 450 yards recovery swimming.