It took a few weeks, but I’m finally getting into the groove of training. Last week was a pretty good week, with a solid(ish) twenty mile long run, and an improving pace on my easy runs.
Winter is also (mostly) behind us. It’s still chilly in the mornings, but there shouldn’t be too many more frigid days to worry about. This has been a tough winter, so I’m excited about that. With the warmer weather, the trails will finally have fully thawed out.
The NYC Half Marathon is just over the horizon, and this is the final full week of training before I taper down a bit. I’ve got my fingers crossed that things continue to go in the right direction.
The Plan for the Week
I’m going to stick with 75 miles for one more week, and then I’m going to taper down for the half marathon. This week is probably my last good opportunity for a 20 mile long run, so I’m going to start with that Sunday. And I’ll wrap up the week with an I workout on Thursday.
Here’s how things broke down:
- Sunday: 20 mile progression long run
- Monday: 6 miles trails
- Tuesday: 6 miles trails, 4 miles PM treadmill
- Wednesday: 6 miles trails,4 miles PM treadmill
- Thursday: 5 miles treadmill AM, 8 miles PM I workout
- Friday: 8 miles trails
- Saturday: 8 miles easy
And here’s how things went.
Sunday: Another 20 Mile Long Run
I looked ahead at the calendar, and I likely won’t have a chance to do another twenty mile long run before Jersey City. So although I just did 20 miles last week, I decided to double up with another twenty miler today.
As luck would have it, it’s cold again – low to mid-20’s. I drank a second cup of coffee and lounged around till the sun got a little higher in the sky. Then I hit the road.
I felt pretty good on the way out. I dropped a small bottle of water at the top of the hill so I could drink it on the way back. As I ran downhill, I remembered there was a local 5k happening on my usual route. But the time I got there, though, the runners had all gone by and it was just the walkers.
I looped through Millburn and Maplewood, and as the miles ticked off I still felt quite comfortable. I passed the ten mile mark and looked at my watch: 1:23:41. Faster than I’ve been the last few long runs.
On the way back up the hill, the local 5k had given way to a massive dog walk. There were dogs everywhere, and it was super cute. I took it easy up the hill, and I when I got to the top I ate a Gu and took a drink from the water bottle I had stashed.
I got to the Reservoir loop at 13 miles. I planned to pick up the pace for the next six and then jog it in for the final mile.
This went a lot better than last week. The first mile clicked off – 7:50. Then 7:49 and 7:46. I took another gel and drank the rest of the water here.
The wind was kicking up around the Reservoir, but I still felt pretty strong. The next mile was 7:40. Towards the end of mile 18, the wind hit me in the face, and I only managed 7:50. But I got back on track and ran 7:41 for the final mile.
With one mile to go, I eased up – not quite to a jog but to an easier steady pace. Finished up with an 8:00 – for a total time of 2:44:35.
All in all, this was a much better long run than last week. I felt pretty strong throughout, and I was able to pick up the pace at the end. Things are definitely moving in the right direction.
Monday: An Easy Morning on the Trails
After yesterday’s long run, I just had an easy six miles on the schedule for today.
I slept in a little bit, and then I hit the trails. It was still chilly, but not nearly as cold as the day before. More like low 30’s and warming up.
The trails were indeed mostly thawed out, with just a few remnants of winter here and there. But thanks to the cold, the muddy spots were frozen solid, so at least there was that.
The first mile was pretty slow, but I loosened up as things went on. After the turnaround, the last few miles were around 9:20-9:30. Not bad for a recovery day.
Tuesday: Some Easy Doubles
Today called for some doubles to beef up the mileage.
In the morning, I started with an easy six miles on the trails. I felt better today than yesterday, but it still took a little while to warm up. After the turnaround, I felt like I was going much faster. But I was still running the same pace was yesterday – around 9:30’s.
After work, I was about to hop on the treadmill for an easy double. My wife asked if we could order some pizza, so I put the order in on Slice. It was supposed to take 45 minutes to an hour – so I figured I’d have plenty of time to get my 45 minute run in.
But I was only 25 minutes or so into my run when the doorbell rang. My wife went to the door, but there was an issue with the order. The pizza guy claimed he hadn’t gotten the money from Slice – so I had to stop and pull up the order on my phone.
I didn’t want the food to get cold, and I’d already been interrupted. So I cut things short once I hit four miles and called it a day. Felt good, though.
Wednesday: Some More Easy Doubles
I had to go down to the office today. I was originally planning to do eight miles in the morning, but I woke up a little late. After last night’s mix up, I needed to work in some extra miles anyway, so I decided to shorten this morning’s run and add in a short double after work.
Six miles on the trails was uneventful. Except after the turnaround, I actually sped up quite a bit. The final three miles were 8:54, 8:41, and 8:35. Not particularly fast – but much faster than I usually do on trails.
After work, I did a quick and easy four miles on the treadmill. I finished up with a quick yoga routine to stretch things out.
Thursday: Another Windy Workout
I had an early morning and a busy afternoon on Thursday. So instead of a workout in the morning and an easy double in the evening, I switched it around.
I woke up early and hopped right on the treadmill for an easy five miles. The time passed quickly, and I felt pretty good.
After a busy day of work, I headed out for an I workout at the Reservoir. The plan was 8 miles – with 7×3 minutes at I pace. Unfortunately, it was super windy.
I checked the weather app before I went out, and it said 15-20 mph winds. I thought about moving the workout to Friday, but the forecast said the wind would be worse. Eugh.
I ran down to the Reservoir, and it was indeed windy. The wind came and went, but when it kicked up it was super strong. No sense worrying too much about the pace – just focus on the effort.
After some strides, I did a few leg swings. The good news is my right hamstring – which has been bothering me – felt much looser. I launched into the first rep, and it took me a minute to get up to speed. But eventually my watch beeped that I was in the zone.
With each rep, I’d get one or two beeps that I was out of the zone – and eventually I’d find the pace. I figured I was going right around the upper end of the zone – 6:15/mi. I couldn’t quite get down in the zone and stay there.
When I got to the last rep, I pushed the pace at the end. My watch briefly flashed 6:00/mi – a minor victory that I was able to speed up at the end.
The full workout averaged 6:19/mi, which was slow. But with the heavy winds, I’m not too upset about it. I put in a good effort, and I felt good at the end.
Friday: An Adventure on the Trails
The hard part of the week was behind me, and today was just an easy eight miles on the trails. The wind was kicking up something fierce as I turned into the woods, and I was thankful that the trees would provide a buffer against it.
Not a half mile into the run, though, I slipped on a root and rolled my ankle. For a brief moment, I worried that I’d seriously injured something. But I walked it off for thirty seconds, and the momentary pain was disappeared. Thankfully, I felt great throughout the rest of the morning.
Later on, I came upon a downed pine tree. I had to stop and climb through the branches to continue along the trail. Eugh.
It was warm enough out that the ice had thawed, but it was still in the 30’s. So there were icy mud puddles scattered throughout the trails. I managed to avoid them for the first four miles, but after the turnaround I hit one. And that led to several more on the way back.
It was a rough day on the trails … but I felt great nonetheless, and my pace picked up in the back half. The last four miles were all around 9:00/mi – much faster than the recovery runs earlier in the week.
Saturday: A Speedy Easy Run
One final run to wrap up the week. I didn’t feel like climbing over the downed tree again, so I headed down to the Reservoir for four laps.
When I got there, the place was quite busy. There were a bunch of other runners out for a change, and I waved to one of the guys from my running club. It was still a little windy out, but it was much better than the previous two days.
The first two laps passed by quickly. I glanced at my watch at the end of mile 4, and I was surprised to see 7:44. I hadn’t tried to push the pace at all, and I was flying.
In the next two laps, I mixed in some strides. I still couldn’t quite hit my regular top speed, but my right hamstring still felt pretty loose. The last few miles were also under 8:00/mi.
I wrapped up, and when I went to stop my watch I was surprised to see 1:03:XX. For eight miles, that’s just under 8:00/mi. I’ve had some good easy runs where I end at under 8:00/mi for the last few miles. But it’s rare that I start out this fast unless I’m pushing the pace for a workout.
This was a great way to end the week, and I’m feeling confident and hopeful for my last long run tomorrow.
Reflections and Looking Ahead
This week was another mixed bag. It was definitely an improvement over the last few.
I started off with a pretty good long run – a solid 20 miles with a decent pace. The progression at the end didn’t get quite as fast as it should have, but it was strong nonetheless.
And in a few runs, I was able to easily speed up and hit faster paces at a high aerobic effort. Until this week, I haven’t been able to comfortably spend much time under 8:00/mi, and now it’s feeling natural again. I’m really starting to get my legs underneath me.
But Thursdays workout was a disappointment. The wind pretty much ensured that I couldn’t have a good workout, anyway. But this is another week where I’ve struggled to hit my usual fast paces.
The trend towards improvement has me hopeful that I’ll have a good time at next Sunday’s race. But my struggles in workouts also has me a little worried.
I’ve got one more long run tomorrow. I’ll cut back to 16 miles, and end with a progression for the last 6. Hopefully, I can get the last mile or two down near race pace. We’ll see.
After that, it’s just time to taper down, take it easy, and hope for the best.