Things were starting to look up last week as I prepare for the Fred Lebow Half Marathon. Let’s hope things continue to improve this week.
After a patch of rough weather and some travel, I’m back home. The weather is still wintry – but quite bearable. So I’m excited to get out and put in a couple solid workouts.
Time is also ticking down. This race is so early in the season, there’s just not that much time to train for it. But as long as I can put in a good effort at the end of January, I’ll have more time to focus on the United Half in March – which is also an easier course.
The Plan for the Week
My plan this week was to stay at 70 miles for my overall mileage, run a tough hill workout on Sunday, and do a shorter speed workout on Thursday. I’ve also been planning to incorporate more strength training, and I will actually lift some heavy(ish) weights on Tuesday.
Here’s how things broke down for the week:
- Sunday: 16 mile long run, workout over hills
- Monday: 8 mile trail run
- Tuesday: 7 miles treadmill AM, 6 miles treadmill PM
- Wednesday: 5.5 miles treadmill AM, 5.5 miles treadmill PM
- Thursday: 8 mile R workout
- Friday: 7 miles easy
- Saturday: 7 miles easy
And here’s how things worked out.
Sunday: A Long Run Up and Down the Hills
My usual long run route includes a two mile stretch of road with a big hill in the middle. The hill climbs about 100 feet in a quarter mile. Usually, I go up and down this hill once over the course of my long run. But with Fred Lebow coming up, I had the bright idea to run intervals up and down this hill.
I started with an easy warmup of about six miles. The actual workout was 6×5 minutes at half marathon pace effort – targeting ~6:30/mi on the flats. Obviously faster on the decline and slower on the incline. About three minutes jogging recovery.
The first rep was downhill. I started out way too fast, and my watch beeped that I was going 5:45/mi. I pulled up, but I was still a little fast at the end of the rep. I jogged a three minute recovery and ran back up the hill. Much slower, and I couldn’t quite sustain the 7:00/mi I was hoping. But I got to the top, things leveled out, and I caught my breath. I was back to ~6:30/mi by the end of the rep.
So far so good. Another two reps – down and up. Paced the downhill better. The uphill was harder this time around. At this point, I was questioning my life decisions.
I recovered and did the five minute rep downhill. Not bad. The decline really helps open things up, and I was easily on pace at the end. I recovered, turned around, and attacked the hill – determined to get up it. It was by far the slowest of the three uphill reps – bottoming out around 7:45/mi – and I was only able to get back to 6:45/mi at the end.
But I finished. I was dismayed to see I still had ~4 miles to go to hit my mileage. Eugh.
I jogged it out for a couple minutes, took a walk break at the stoplight and up another hill. Jogged down to the Reservoir, and my legs felt like mush. I stopped for another walking break – about a minute. After that, I had the strength to carry on – and I jogged out the last couple miles at around 9:00/mi.
This was a tough workout. But I made it through successfully (enough). Feel really good about it. And I got home and instantly laid down for a nice, long nap.
Monday: Recovering on the Trails
I slept in a little bit on Monday, and then I hit the trails.
Eight miles. Uneventful. A little cold, but less windy than Saturday.
Slow start, and sped up to ~9:30-9:40/mi in the second half. Overall, 1:18.
I’ve had slower days. This was pretty good for the day after a tough long run.
Tuesday: Treadmill and Weights
Tuesday called for doubles. It was cold out, so I decided to stay inside and run both the morning and the evening on the treadmill.
The morning went smoothly. Seven miles on the treadmill. I followed that with my usual medicine ball routine focusing on legs and core.
But I’ve also been meaning to do some real weight lifting. So I moved over to the squat rack. I started with just the bar. It’s been a long time since I’ve lifted weights, and I wanted to practice the movement. That felt fine.
I put 25 pounds on each side – so a paltry 95 lbs altogether – and that was tougher. There’s a big difference between moving weight and doing basic bodyweight (or medicine ball) squats.
I did a couple sets and called it a day. It was good practice, and the movement started to feel more natural at the end. I’ll improve next week.
In the evening, I hopped back on the treadmill for an easy six miles. Uneventful. Successful day.
Wednesday: More Treadmill Doubles
Wednesday, I needed to drive down to the office. So I split my day up into two shorter doubles on the treadmill.
I was initially going to be a 6-5 split. But I was running a little late. So I cut the morning down to 5.5 miles (50 minutes).
I got stuck at work a bit late, but I eventually made it home. Started to prep dinner (kielbasa and sauerkraut). Then I went downstairs and got back on the treadmill. Another 5.5 miles and done.
Threw the frozen pierogies in the oven while I showered, then I sauteed them with some onions. Yum.
Thursday: A Windy Workout at the Reservoir
I was a little worried that the weights on Tuesday might leave my legs feeling a little jelly on Thursday. But I woke up feeling great. Probably in part due to the fact that I just did a small workout to get things started.
The plan for Thursday was an R workout – the same 4 sets of 200m, 200m, 400m that I’ve been doing. I warmed up with a lap around the Reservoir. It was still a little chilly, but the sun was up. The big problem, though, was it was windy. Like steady 20mph winds with 30-40mph gusts.
The wind came and went. A few reps, it was pretty calm, and I was able to get on pace. Others, the wind smacked me in my face. I threw all worries about pace out the window, and I just focused on keeping the effort level high.
Considering the wind, things didn’t go too poorly. I hit 5:30/mi in a few reps, and everything ranged from 5:30-6:00/mi. Not a great workout by the numbers, but fine given the conditions.
Friday: Easy Miles In the Morning
Friday I had to go back down to the office – for the third day in a row. I also needed to charge my car. There happens to be a fast charger at the Reservoir where I often run, so I woke up early and drove over there instead of jogging down.
I did a couple laps around. Seven miles. It was still quite cold, but the wind had died down considerably. As a result, it didn’t feel nearly as cold as yesterday.
The sun was taunting me. With every lap, it got closer and closer to the path. But on the last lap, it was just getting to the tops of the trees next to the path. If I had done one more lap, I likely would have gotten to bath in the warmth of the sun.
But not today.
Saturday: Snow Miles By the Canal
We were out of town Friday night into Saturday morning for a work meeting in Princeton. I got to bed late (around midnight), but I peeled myself out of bed at 6:15. Downed a cup of coffee and left for the canal trail – which was conveniently only a mile from our hotel.
I got to the door of the hotel and stopped in my tracks. It snowed?!? When???
It wasn’t bad. Just a light dusting – maybe a quarter to a half an inch. Enough to lightly coat the ground and make it slippery but not enough to make it unrunnable.
I jogged down the road to the canal trail. The trail itself had a slightly more heavy coating of snow, and it was pretty fresh when I started. I saw two guys leaving, and they were the only footprints on the snow.
I ran down 2.5 miles and turned around. I passed quite a few more people on the way out. By the time I finished, the footprints were all over.
It was a slow, slippery run. I finished up seven miles in 1:08, and my fastest mile was 9:20. But that’s what the snow does to you. My legs also felt quite a bit more fatigued than they usually would.
Reflections and Looking Ahead
Overall, this was quite a successful week.
My long run on Sunday was great. After last week’s long run over some more mild hills, I turned things up a notch with the big hill. And although it kicked my butt, I made it through. I also got over 900 feet of elevation gain – which is more than the course at the Fred Lebow Half.
My speed workout on Thursday went pretty well, although my paces were a bit subpar thanks to the wind. But the effort was there. I felt good at the end.
And I was also happy to get in some weightlifting on Tuesday. I’ve got a long way to go, but one of my goals this year is to incorporate squats, deadlifts, and some other targeted lifts into my routine. I’ve neglected that for too long.
I’ve got two weeks to go until Fred Lebow. I’m going to put in my last hard long run tomorrow, and I just hope the snow on Saturday morning doesn’t leave me worn out. Next week, I’ll still do 16 miles, but I’ll dial back the intensity a little bit to make sure I’m fully rested for race day.