My immediate recovery after the Jersey City Marathon went well, but my transition back to training and racing has been a bit iffy.
The weird thing about the post-marathon period is that you never quite feel 100% … and then one day, you do.
In the past few weeks, I’ve gotten my mileage up. My legs have felt pretty good. I’ve had a few ok workouts and races. But nothing ever felt great.
But last week’s 10k was something of a turning point. I felt great at the start – although I faltered a bit in the middle. And my easy runs throughout the week felt better than they have in a while.
So maybe I’m about to turn the corner. Let’s hope this week is the week.
The Plan for the Week
I’ve got a 5k coming up next Sunday. So I’ll work in a decent workout in the middle of the week, and then I’ll try to frontload some of the miles so that the end of the week is a little lighter. I’ll stick with a 16 mile long to start the week and 70 total miles throughout the week.
Here’s how things broke down:
- Sunday: 16 mile long run
- Monday: 6 miles trail AM, 4 miles tread PM
- Tuesday: 8 miles easy
- Wednesday: 10 miles I workout AM, 4 miles tread PM
- Thursday: 6 miles trail AM, 4 miles tread PM
- Friday: 6 miles trail
- Saturday: 4 miles trail
And here’s how things went.
Sunday: The First Good Long Run
After a few warm days, the weather was fairly decent Sunday. A little warm towards the end, but nowhere near as bad as it had been.
At the end of last week, I noticed a little discomfort in my right knee. This had me worried, because I had a recurring knee injury before I got back into running five years ago. I’m always a little cautious when I feel anything, so I was ready to cut today’s long run short if it didn’t feel right.
The first mile or two, my knee felt kind of tight. But it loosened up, and after two miles I didn’t feel anything at all. I wanted to keep the pace easy for the first ten miles and then open things up for the last ten miles.
I ran out to Millburn, and the first four miles went great. Stopped at a portapotty near the trailhead for a quick pee break and then continued on. I shortened this section this weekend, so I’d be a little fresher going back up the big hill – and I’d have more flat mileage at the end of the run.
I looped through the park in Millburn – full of little kids playing soccer and people playing tennis like usual. I tried the water fountain again – and it worked! Finally. It’s about time they turned that on. I made my way back up the hill, and the 10 mile split was a little slow – 1:29 – but that was inclusive of a pit stop and a stop at a traffic light.
When I got back to the Reservoir loop, there was an event going on. It was a walk for Alzheimers or something. They’d already started, and they were partway through the loop. But there was a thick pack in the back, and it would have been difficult to run through them. So I decided to just double back on myself and run the part of the loop that they weren’t blocking.
I stopped to fill up my water when I got to the loop, and then I picked up the pace. My goal was to finish the last six miles under 8:00/mi. And it went great.
The final six miles were 7:49, 7:44, 7:44, 7:47, 7:52, and 7:57. My legs started to feel a little heavy at the end, but I wasn’t struggling. And my heart rate was comfortably in the upper aerobic zone (150-152).
Other than the annoyance of avoiding the walkers at the circle – this was a great long run. I felt so much better at the end than I have in the past few weeks, and this is definitely the best run I’ve had since Jersey City.
Monday: How’s the Day After?
I pushed the pace at the end of Sunday’s long run. So how would I feel the day after?
Pretty good, it turns out. I felt fine when I woke up, but when I hit the trails my legs felt heavy for the first mile. Gradually, they loosened up. I embraced the slow, waited for them to wake up, and then let it rip.
I went out for six miles on the trails. After the turn around, I pushed the pace. Finished up in 8:49, 8:55, 8:39. Not super fast – but decent splits for the trails.
After work, I hopped on the treadmill for a quick four miles. Felt great. Now that I’ve finished Andor Season 2, I’m rewatching Rogue One.
I’m really liking the slightly shorter doubles – 4 miles (~38 minutes) instead of 5 (~46 minutes). It’s not a big difference, but I feel fresher. I’m also focused on keeping the pace slow, and I think that’s made the difference in me being able to do three doubles in a week – and still feel great.
Tuesday: Back to the Reservoir
I had eight miles on my schedule for Tuesday, so I was a little crunched for time in the morning. I decided to stick with the paved route at the Reservoir instead of hitting the trails.
I took it easy for the first couple of miles, and I planned to pick it up at the halfway point. I wasn’t going to push the pace quite as hard as Sunday – but I wanted to finish up around 8:00/mi for the last few.
After the four mile split, I picked up the pace. First one was 8:06. A titch slow. Picked up the pace, and finished the last few in 8:01, 7:42, and 8:06 (uphill).
Great finish. And my legs felt super fresh. Better than they felt on Sunday.
Wednesday: Time for a Solid Workout?
With a race coming up Sunday, I wanted to get in a workout – but not stress myself too much. I decided to do an I workout – same as the one I did before. 10×2 minutes with 2 minutes jogging rest. In a normal week, I’d do a 3:2 work to rest ratio, but with the race coming up this should help keep me from doing too much.
I warmed up with four miles, and things felt good. Did some leg swings and then started the first rep.
The first couple reps went great. My watch beeped once or twice, but I was in the zone most of the time. I was happy enough to not hear the incessant beeping – and I didn’t look at my watch for the pace until the halfway point.
That fifth rep, I was right on pace – 6:05-6:10/mi – when I checked. Legs felt good, and I kept on rolling. For the rest of the workout, I checked my watch around the halfway point of each rep, and I was on track pretty much every time.
I hadn’t brought my water, but I was starting to get a little thirsty. The timing was perfect so that in between two reps (#6 and #7, I think), I was able to stop at the water fountain for a quick drink during the recovery and keep right on rolling.
The last rep I tried to push the pace at the end, and in the final stretch I got down to ~6:00/mi. It took me a minute to catch my breath after that, but I jogged it out for a half mile. I stopped for a drink at the water fountain, then I turned around and finished up with a mile back to the house.
When I looked at the data in Garmin Connect, I was really pleased. The overall average pace was 6:03/mi. The first three were a little fast (sub-6:00, the fastest was 5:42/mi), and the last seven were a little slower (6:05-6:13/mi). But only two reps were above 6:10/mi.
My goal pace for this 5k is ~6:05-6:10/mi, so that’s about perfect. I just need to flip that around and start slow and finish fast.
After work, I finished up with another double on the treadmill. I was a little slow to loosen up, but I felt decent for having done a hard workout in the morning.
Thursday: Trails and Treadmills
Thursday morning, I hit the trails – 6 easy miles. It was wet for the last few weeks, and earlier in the week, the trails felt like a slip and slide. Today, they were much drier. The mud and the puddles were starting to disappear.
The first few miles were nice and easy. Then, I picked up the pace after the turnaround. 8:50, 8:48, 8:39. Similar to Monday. Pretty good for the day after a workout.
In the evening, I did the usual double – the last one for the week – to keep things loose and pad my mileage. Four miles down, easy peezy.
Friday: A Quiet Morning on the Trails
I’ve been pushing the pace all week, but these last couple of days I’m going to take it easy. With a race coming up on Sunday, I’m going to focus on holding back – instead of pushing the pace at the end of my runs.
It was also super hot this morning. In the 70’s by the time I got out, and it’ll be in the upper 80’s later in the afternoon. This is one of the first truly hot days we’ve had.
As soon as I hit the trails, I took off my shirt, and I was sweating up a storm. But the run was easy. Kept things nice and slow – ~10:00/mi for the first three. Sped up a little bit on the way back, but not much. Kept it controlled – 9:30-9:40/mi for the last three.
Showered up and off to work. It was a nice change not having to do a double in the evening.
Saturday: Another Easy Morning on the Trails
This wasn’t a busy weekend, so I slept in a bit. I don’t think I actually got out on the trails until around 9AM. It was warm again – 70’s – but cloudy. It was also a bit drizzly, but you couldn’t tell inside the forest.
The trails were fairly busy. As I merged on to the main trail, one guy ran by in the direction I was going. I fell in behind him, and a third guy passed by going the other direction. It’s rare to see multiple groups of runners converge at the same time on this trail.
I eventually caught up to the first guy, and I warned him that I was coming up so I could pass. He asked if he could follow me for a bit, so he picked up the pace. He introduced himself (Andrew?), and we chatted for a few minutes before he diverged on a different trail.
Passed a few more runners on the way out. I was a little faster than yesterday – 9:30’s before the turn around. But I was still trying to take it easy.
I turned around at the halfway point and headed for home. Passed Andrew going the other way and gave him a wave. I passed a couple of the other runners I’d seen, too. I got back and felt refreshed. Those last few miles were 9:10-9:15.
I took a shower and then felt like cooking up a nice big breakfast. Scrambled eggs with some potatoes and kielbasa hash. Yum.
Reflections and Looking Ahead
This was one of the best weeks I’ve had since Jersey City. For the first time, I really feel recovered – like I’m back on my A game.
I had a solid long run Sunday, and I was able to finish up at a good clip at the end. The last few weeks, I’ve really struggled in the last few miles and I could not speed up at all.
My workout Wednesday wasn’t perfect. I started a little fast, and my pace was a little slower at the end. And the rest was a little longer than usual, so this was an “easier” workout. But the overall pace was more or less on point, and it’s a great first real workout for the season.
And then the rest of my easy runs have felt great. In my morning runs, I’ve been able to push the pace at the end – and I haven’t felt worn out at the end. I think my legs are getting used to this faster pace, and hopefully that’ll pay dividends when I get back to marathon training.
Tomorrow night, I’ve got a 5k race – the Fitzgerald’s 5k Lager Run. This is an annual race that’s fairly large. I ran 20:49 two years ago, and 19:33 last year. There’s a decent hill in the middle, but it’s mostly downhill after that.
The weather isn’t too bad – for a June race. Temps around 70, moderate humidity, and clouds. About as good as we can hope for for early summer, really.
I’m going to try to take it easy-ish for the first mile – 6:10-6:15. Survive the hill in the middle. Then hammer it home for the final mile in 6:00/mi or less. We’ll see how that goes.
If I can finish under 19:15, I’ll consider that a win. It’ll also be a PR (19:16 from the 2024 Rutgers Big Chill is my best). And if I manage to get under 19, that would be amazing. But that would require a really solid start and a strong finish.
Regardless, I’m feeling good about my chances. Much better than I felt before the Ridgewood Run 10k last week!