We’re getting down to the wire. At the end of this week, there will be just one week left until the Chicago Marathon.
I started this week on Sunday with the Jersey Shore Half Marathon. This was to be a final fitness check before the race, and with this race out of the way it’s just two weeps of full on tapering.
The race wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped. More on that later.
But on a positive note, it’s slowly turning into fall. The weather has been nice in New Jersey lately, and looking ahead to race day it looks promising.
Here’s the plan for the week and how things went.
The Plan For the Week
The primary goal this week was the half marathon. After that, it was time to take it easy.
For mileage, I planned to hit 60 miles. This is down significantly from my peak (85) and down again from last week (70). I’ll drop down to 45 next week for the final week of the taper.
Here’s the daily breakdown:
- Sunday: 15 miles, half marathon race plus warm up
- Monday: 6 miles easy, trails
- Tuesday: 5 miles easy treadmill AM, 5 miles easy treadmill PM
- Wednesday: 6 miles easy trails AM, 5 miles easy treadmill PM
- Thursday: 6 miles easy trails
- Friday: 6 miles easy
- Saturday: 6 miles easy trails
And here’s how things went.
Sunday: The Half Marathon Tune Up Race
Sunday morning, I woke up early and drove down to Sandy Hook for the Jersey Shore Half Marathon.
It’s the third time I’ve run this race. You can read the full race report here.
On a positive note, this was the fastest I’ve run the course. And it’s the first time that I’ve run the race and not subsequently injured myself.
So there’s that.
But throughout the race, I found that I just couldn’t get up to speed. My goal was to start easy, settle in to 6:25-6:30, and then push it home for the last three miles.
I started fine for the first three miles, but I couldn’t get up to speed in the middle. I ended up cruising along at around 6:45/mi, give or take, for the rest of the race. It wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t a total failure.
I ended up with a time of 1:28 – which is a little short of a PR, and several minutes behind what I had hoped to run (1:25).
But after the race, I checked the data in Garmin Connect, and I saw that my heart rate was relatively low throughout the race. Normally, I’m hovering around 165 for a half marathon. In this race, I was around 158-160. That intensity is more typical of a marathon than a half marathon.
So, the optimistic way to look at this result is that my legs were too fatigued to get up to speed … but aerobically I’m in good enough shape to run at a 6:45 pace without taxing myself too badly. Now, I just need to hope that the next two weeks of tapering lets my legs rest up and that I feel fresh come race day.
I felt decent after the race. Tired and sore for sure, but nothing out of the ordinary. We stopped for breakfast, I took a nap, and I walked the dog in the evening. Then I got a good night’s sleep.
Monday’s Slow Trail Run
I had a leisurely morning on Monday. I tried to sleep in, but I couldn’t. Instead, I woke up early and got some work done, then I hit the trails for an easy jog.
I was pretty stiff when I woke up, but after an hour or two of moving about I felt much better.
The first mile of my run was extra slow. Easing into things. Mile 2 was better. My focus this week is on fully recovering, so I made sure to keep things nice and relaxed throughout.
My final time was just over an hour for six miles. So pretty slow. But I finished up feeling good, just a little fatigued and tired.
Tuesday’s Treadmill Doubles
Monday I had trouble sleeping in. Tuesday, I didn’t.
I overslept a little bit, and by the time I woke up I wasn’t going to have time for the full 8 miles I had planned on doing on the trails. Instead, I decided to switch things up. I’d two easy doubles on the treadmill, and that would also let me reduce one of the later runs from 8 miles to 6.
I hopped on the treadmill around 9. Had a good 45 minute jog. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Enjoyed watching two episodes of Star Wars: Rebels, and I felt fine throughout. Less stiff than Monday.
Worked in the office all day, and in the evening it was time for round two. I got dinner going, and then I hopped on the treadmill for a second run.
This time, I was a little more tired. But I still got up to speed just fine, and my heart rate was under control. I finished up feeling good.
Wednesday: More Doubles
Wednesday morning, I woke up and hit the trails.
Typically, I’d go to the office on Wednesday, and that means waking up super early. This week, my car is in the shop. So … work from home it is. Take advantage of it while I can.
Today was better than Monday. The first mile was under 11 minutes, and the second one was just over 10. I got into the mid 9’s for the rest of the run.
I did cramp up and get a side stitch on my right side for a bit in mile 2. It was strange. I tried jogging through it, but it wouldn’t go away, so I stopped and walked for 30 seconds or so. Once I got going again, everything was fine.
Finish time was 59 minutes – so a little faster than Monday. Recovering in the right direction.
Wednesday night, I usually go to the track to workout with the team. I had thought about going, and my plan was to warm up and do alternating 400ms at easy pace and marathon pace.
But my training buddy – who also ran Jersey Shore this weekend – had car trouble, too. He wasn’t going, so I decided I’d stay in, as well. The rest of the team was going to be doing the main workout, anyway.
Instead, I went downstairs and did 5 miles on the treadmill. Again, felt good. Took a few minutes to stretch and do some yoga afterwards.
Thursday’s Easy Trail Run
Thursday morning, it was back up and out on the trails. Originally, this was going to be an eight mile run, but thanks to the adjustment on Tuesday I was able to cut this down a little.
And I’m happy I did. I’m feeling better every day, but no sense in pushing too hard. Six miles is good enough.
The run itself was uneventful. I threw in a couple strides in the final mile, just to loosen up my legs. These are never very fast on the trails, but they felt fine.
Finish time was again around 59 minutes. So I’m still a bit fatigued, but feeling better by the day.
Friday’s Hilly Run Through Weehawken
Thursday night, we went to see Pink at Metlife Stadium. It’s not that far from home, but we decided to stay the night at the Aloft down the street after the show. Just a little one night, mini-get away.
The show was awesome. It also started early (6:30pm), so I was able to get to sleep by midnight and enjoy a little shut-eye. Friday morning, I woke up and scouted out what looked like a good running route.
It was about 2.5 miles from the hotel to downtown Weehawken, overlooking the Hudson River. When I realized how close we were to Weehawken, I decided to look for the duelling grounds where Hamilton and Burr fought – and they were right where I was planning to run.
I hit the road, and the first mile was uneventful. Through the back of a commercial park and down a busy road. On the other side, I got to the busy streets of Union City.
Small, cramped, and packed with cars. I stuck to the sidewalk, stopped at a traffic light every once and a while, and battled up the hill. Oh, the hill was steep.
Once I got to the top, it was mercifully flat. I made it to the edge by the water, and there was a great view of Manhattan. I also noticed a series of steps leading down to the waterfront, and I took one look at them and said nope, I’m never walking down that super steep set of stairs.
The pace was uneven with the hills, and I was taking things easy. But there were a few moments when I had to speed up to catch a traffic light, and my legs felt great. I could feel the speed there, waiting for the right time.
Instead, I jogged through Hamilton Park, past the statue of Hamilton, and down into the fancy neighborhood. I hit three miles, reversed course, and made it back to the hotel.
My wife is a big Hamilton fan, so after she woke up, we took a field trip downtown.
We stopped at the Cuban bakery for cafe con leche, Cuban sandwiches, and guava pastries. Then, we drove down to the dueling grounds so she could check them out.
It was a fun little trip, and we were back home by noon. Vacation over.
Saturday: Another Easy Trail Run
I wrapped up the week with another six miles on the trails.
It’s definitely fall now. I left the house, and there were leaves on my front lawn. Leaves are starting to blanket the trail in the forest.
There’s a bumper crop of acorns this year, and with the wind blowing through the trees I could hear them falling. It was an interesting sound.
The run was otherwise uneventful. Just a little faster and smoother than Wednesday.
I warmed up a little more quickly in the first two miles, and I finished up with some more strides. Everything is feeling good.
When I got back to the house, I did a little yoga and light stretching.
Reflections and Looking Ahead
The week didn’t start out as well as I had hoped.
I was hoping for a solid 1:25 at the Jersey Shore Half. That would have given me all the confidence I needed to go for broke in Chicago and nail a sub-3 marathon.
As it is, I’m a little conflicted and anxious. I still think I’m in shape for it. But I’m worried I could crash and burn again. I’m going to go for a final short long run tomorrow – 13 miles, with the last three progressing down to marathon pace. I’ll see how that feels.
On the other hand, I was a little afraid to run a half two weeks out from my marathon. But my recovery has gone well. I finished up this week feeling pretty good. By the end of this taper, I think I’ll be more than ready to go.
I’ve got one week to go. I can’t believe it’s almost here.
This week, I’ll do a longer reflection on the entire training block to recap how things have gone. But overall, I’m pretty satisfied with them. There have been some ups and downs, but it’s been a successful twelve weeks.