Instead of noting how many weeks have passed in training, I’m going to start counting down because (gulp) there’s less than one month until Wineglass. A part of me keeps wishing I had a bit longer to train, but a bigger part is feeling like I’ll be ready come race day. A solid training week definitely helps ease the anxiety.
Wineglass training, week of September 2
Monday – rest, 50 minutes yoga
Tuesday – 11.25 miles: ~2 miles w/u, 6 x 3:00 pick-ups at goal 10K pace-ish (~7:20) with 1:30 rest, long cooldown w/ 5 x 30 second strides at end, strength (abs, arms, legs)
Had the day off due to working the holiday so took advantage and got a little extra mileage and strength in. Met Betsy at our usual time for the workout, and even though it was still obnoxiously humid, the workout felt pretty good and we hit all of our pick-ups. After Betsy and I parted ways I still felt pretty good, so I picked up the pace and did strides towards the end of the run.
lunch at Ellary’s Greens – chickpea burger with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower sides
Wednesday – 10 miles easy, strength (abs)
Thursday – 10.5 miles progression, strength (abs)
I’ve been trying to pick up the pace a bit on my Thursday runs with the goal of having somewhat of a progression run, and this one went really well. Started out easy as usual (9:00+/mile) and worked my way down to a little quicker than goal marathon pace (8:00/mile). I find runs like these work well close to long run day because they don’t totally destroy the legs but allow for some quickness and focus.
Friday – 8 miles easy, strength (abs, legs)
Saturday – 17.5 miles, 6 @ MP, strength (abs, arms)
Thank goodness for this run. After last weekend’s terrible 20, definitely needed a confidence booster. Woke up early and felt a little cranky, even into the first couple of miles. Stuck with it, and by the time I finished a Central Park loop and headed to the West Side Highway I felt good and got to work. The initial goal was 3 x 10 minutes at MP with 2:00 rest in between, but once I got going I didn’t really want to stop so just went with it.
Most of the MP miles were quicker than my goal MP (~8:10/mile), and I’m fine with that. They felt good and comfortable, which was a necessary reminder that this whole BQ thing just might be possible.
Sunday – 8 miles easy, strength (legs, abs)
Total: 65.25 miles
Talking with a fellow runner at the running store on Sunday about how we both thought between 60-70 weekly miles seemed like the “sweet spot” for training. Enough to get some serious work done but not too much to totally trash the legs (although I’d love to give an 80 mile week a whirl). I’ve had a bunch of 60+ mile weeks this training cycle – more than ever before – and have really been liking all of the miles. I’ve gotten used to workouts and long runs on semi-tired legs, which I think is really important to prepare for how it’ll feel during mile 20+ of a marathon or the end of any race. While I definitely think rest is a crucial part of any training plan, going into every workout or long run on “fresh legs” kind of defeats the purpose of training (in my opinion). But like always, everyone is different.
I’m curious – do you prefer higher mileage, or keep it low? What do you think the benefits of one over the other are?