Sunday, September 21, 2008

Marathon Training Update - Week 3

Did you hear the joke about the fool who’s running the New York City Marathon for the third time this year? Well, they say the guy was a fool the first time because he didn’t know what he getting himself into. He was a fool the second time because he did know what he was getting himself into. And the third time, he’s a fool for knowing all that and still thinking he could run it in a faster time. Yeah, what a fool.

Well, I am that fool, and believe it or not, those were my exact thoughts during the last few miles of my long run today. It also pretty much summarized how my training has gone this week. On the bright side, at least my kinda, sorta injury is much improved, allowing me to contemplate running a half-marathon next weekend.

Week #3 (9/15-9/21)

What I Planned:
Interval Training: 7 miles with 3 x 1 mile at 6:03 min/mi pace
Recovery Run: 5 miles at recovery pace
Marathon Pace Run: 8 miles at 7:03 min/mi pace
Long Distance Run: 20 miles at long run pace
Easy Run: 6 miles at easy pace
Total week 3 distance: 46 miles

What I Ran:
Interval Training: 6.4 total miles with 3 x 1 mile (5:57; 5:55; 5:55)
Recovery Run: 4.1 miles at 7:26 min/mi pace
Marathon Pace Run: Skipped due to injury
Easy Run/Social Run: 6.7 miles at 8:55 min/mi pace
Long Distance Run: 20.3 miles at 7:29 min/mi pace
Total week 3 distance: 37.5 miles; avg pace – 7:40 min/mi

How I Ran:
Interval running was fast and fun, as I was able to complete each of the intervals at a sub-6 min/mile pace. The day after, the fun caught up with me as I had to limp to work with a painful and sore Achilles tendon. It didn’t recover during my recovery run so I had to scratch my M.P.R. in favor of rest. I survived three whole days without running during the week and only went out for a slow test drive yesterday with a friend. There was minimal pain after my 6 mile easy run so I dared to run much further today. The 20 mile L.S.D was completed with no physical complaints, only psychological ones, as my mind lost focus and quit on me with four miles left. I did all I could to hold it together until after the finish where I crashed on a park bench and couldn’t move to get food or water for a good twenty minutes.
Whoever said that marathon training gets easier the more times you do it either hasn’t run too many or obviously just was’t talking to me.

4 comments:

J said...

Hope your injury keeps getting better and good luck with the training!

Aron said...

WOW what a week!! i think it doesnt get easier because each marathon WE make it harder on ourselves by wanting to do better and go faster and train harder. if we didnt set those goals then maybe it would be the same or easier?? who knows :)

great job on another great week! hope the achellies doesnt bother you anymore. my husband had achellies tendonitis during SFM training and i know its a painful thing to deal with :(

Nitmos said...

I hear ya. Sometimes I walk out the door saying to myself that I'll just 'knock off my twenty miler' only get about 15 miles in and realize, hey, maybe I should have planned this out a little better.

sRod said...

Wow. Looking good, even if you have an injury!

 
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