Well, this is it. The final week. Those few weeks just zoomed by.
The training has been wearing me down a bit. It could be the long run workouts – which have been intense over the hills. It could also be a little too much beer – the after effects of holiday celebrations.
So I’m really looking forward to pulling back a bit, resting up this week, and – hopefully – having a good race come Sunday.
The weather is also looking crazy this week. Possibility of heavy snow Sunday, followed by a deep freeze and single digit temps for much of the week. So it looks like I’ll be inside on my Peloton Tread quite a bit.
The Plan for the Week
I’ve been consistently doing 70mpw for the past few weeks. This week, I’m going to drop that to 60 to rest up a bit. I’m still going to do a 16 mile long run on Sunday, but I’ll ease up quite a bit on the workout portion. The rest of the week will be easy, with some strides mixed in later in the week – weather permitting.
Here’s how things broke down:
- Sunday: 16 mile long run, easy workout
- Monday: 5.5 miles treadmill
- Tuesday: 5.5 miles treadmill AM, 5.5 miles treadmill PM
- Wednesday: 5.5 miles treadmill AM, 5.5 miles treadmill PM
- Thursday: 6 miles treadmill
- Friday: 6 miles easy, strides
- Saturday: 4.5 miles easy, strides
And here’s how things went.
Sunday: A Final – But Easier – Long Run Workout
The last two weeks, I’ve done a 16 mile long run with 6×5 minutes at half marathon effort up and down a big hill. The downhills have been fine, but those inclines have killed me. For the final workout, I’m doing the same route – but I’m only going at effort down the hills. I’m taking the inclines at a moderate steady effort.
We’re also expecting heavy-ish snow. But it won’t start until 12 or 1pm. So I hit the road around 9, knowing I’d have plenty of time to get back before the storm.
I jogged the first 5 miles easy, and then did some strides and leg swings. The first rep down the hill went fine. On pace down the hill, got a little fast at the bottom, but evened things out and got on pace (~6:25/mi) by the end. Nice.
Jogged to the bottom, then back up to the top – with a moderate effort up the big hill. Glad I wasn’t charging up that today. The second rep was a little slow. I struggled to get up to speed, but then felt ok on the downhill. At the bottom, I tried to reign it in – and I pulled back a little too far. Still managed to even out at ~6:30/mi at the end.
Final rep. I pushed a little harder. On pace throughout – 6:20-6:25/mi on the flat portion. it felt a little hard, but not too bad.
I jogged out the remainder of the run to hit my 16 miles. I was tired, but not nearly as beat up as I was at the end of last week’s workout. I think skipping the uphill reps was the right choice – especially with the race coming up in a week.
On the way home, there were a few snow flurries. I grabbed some firewood, and built a fire in the fireplace when I got home. It didn’t snow much during the day, and we had about an inch around 4pm when I took the dog for a quick hike. It snowed more later on, and we ended up with 4-5 inches by the end of the night.
Monday: On the Treadmill Again
I enjoyed being outside for a bit, but it’s time to stay inside on the treadmill this week. There’s a good amount of snow outside, so the trails aren’t easily runnable. And after today, the temperature will be dropping to a frigid level – single digits – for the rest of the week.
I woke up and jogged 50 minutes on the treadmill. A little tired from yesterday, but not bad. Much better than last Monday.
In the afternoon, I took the dog out for another quick hike through the woods. About a mile or so through the snow. Good, light, cross training.
Tuesday: Like a Rat In a Cage
I woke up, looked at the temperature, and thought, “Yup. Another treadmill day.”
Did about 50 minutes – 5.5 miles – before work. Felt good. I kept the pace a little slower than usual – 6.3mph instead of 6.5 or 6.6 – to make sure I wasn’t pushing too hard. One of the nice things about the treadmill is that you can more easily reign yourself in on easy runs.
After work, I did another 50 minutes. Uneventful. Total for the day: 11 miles.
Tuesdays have been my weightlifting day, but I opted to skip the squats with the race coming up. I initially planned on doing some light work with the medicine ball, but I was running a little late for work so I skipped that entirely. I’ll get back on track next week.
Wednesday – Inside Again
Like groundhog day, I woke up, looked at the temperature, and shivered. Did my usual 50 minutes on the treadmill to start the day. Felt good.
Unfortunately, I actually had to drive down to the office. That walk from the car to the office was cold. Definitely the right call to run inside today.
When I got home, I did another 50 minutes / 5.5 miles on the treadmill. I feel good, like the weight of the fatigue is lifting a little bit.
Thursday – One Final Treadmill Run
The overnight low was still frigid, but it’s going to warm up a bit today. One final morning indoors.
Extended the run a little bit to 55 minutes to log 6 full miles. I started on Season 4 of Umbrella Academy this week, and it’s a good way to pass the time.
But I’m looking forward to getting outside tomorrow.
Friday – Outside, Finally!
I was determined to get outside today. But when I woke up, it was still only ~10-12F. I waited as long as I could so the sun could come up, and then I hit the road.
I put on my heavy base layer shirt, gloves, and shorts. It was just a little too cold, but I survived. The first lap was quite chilly, and then the sun came out. I felt a lot better on that second lap through the sun.
I passed two women who were also out there running – and bundled up. One of them looked at me in disbelief and said, “Are you wearing shorts?”
“Yup.” And that was the entire conversation.
I did a few sets of strides, and I finished up with about 5 minutes at effort – progressing towards half marathon pace. I was a little slow at first, but I got down to 6:20/mi at the end. After a week of slow jogging on the treadmill, I definitely needed to get outside and stretch my legs a bit.
After the second lap, I still needed a little more to finish up. Instead of doing a full lap – and ending up a little over 6 miles – I jogged home and did the last 15 minutes on the treadmill. I had ice in my beard, and it felt good to get inside and warm up.
Saturday – A Shakeout in Central Park
We came into the city last night, and we’re staying at the Aloft in Harlem – about a mile north of the park. A perfect home base for this trip.
I slept in a little and woke up around 7:30. I left the hotel around 8:45, and the sun was up. It was in the 20’s – still a little chilly, but quite nice in the sun. I had on a long sleeve shirt, shorts, and gloves. Felt much more comfortable than yesterday.
There happened to be a girls basketball team from North Carolina staying at our hotel. The team was leaving at the same time I was. One of the coaches looked me, did a double take, and then called to another coach, “Yo, you gotta see this!”
We chatted for a sec, but I’m fairly sure he thinks I’m insane for wearing shorts.
I jogged down to the park, and I ran around the perimeter to 102 St on the East Side. That’s where the Fred Lebow Half Marathon starts. I turned into the park and followed the loop around to where the finish line is on the west end of the park.
I wanted to get a feel for the hills. It’s rolling at first – a small incline, a good decline, then another small incline. The “big” Harlem hill is fairly steep, but it’s nothing like the hill I run at home. And it’s followed immediately by a nice, long decline.
Those hills are going to be a challenge tomorrow, but they’re not terrible. Once I got warmed up, I was going at a good clip – 7:30’s on the decline and 8:00 to 8:30 on the inclines.
I turned west out of the park and headed north back to the hotel. I did a few strides to stretch my legs. Finished up at 4.5 miles. Perfect easy shakeout run.
Reflections and Looking Ahead
This short training block has been tough. The hill workouts were intense, and if I do them again I’ll probably alternate weeks. Doing those intense inclines week over week is hard. The long run this week, with just the downhill, wasn’t nearly as bad.
A week of easy running on the treadmill, combined with reduced mileage, was just what the doctor ordered, though. When I got back outside Friday, I was a little rusty. But I knocked off the rust, and I felt great on Saturday. I’m feeling hopeful for tomorrow.
My plan is to try and average ~6:30/mi. There are rolling hills, so I’ll ride some of the declines at a faster pace (~6:10-6:15/mi), and I’ll try not to give up too much time on the inclines. On the flats, I’ll see if I can maintain 6:25/mi.
I’ll check my pace after the first loop, and again after the second time through the Harlem hills. If I’m on pace, I’m going to push on and try and attack the 1:25 finish time. I feel like it’s possible, but a stretch.
If I’m not on track, though, I’ll ease up a bit on the inclines. No sense killing myself in this race. I’ll be just as happy with a 1:27:30 as a 1:25:30. I’ve got a better shot at the qualifying time in March at the United NYC Half.
Wish me luck – and look for a race report tomorrow or Monday.