Marathon Training Update - Week 5

Maybe it’s the new running shoes I got that was way overdue (holla if you’re an Asics GT-2130 fan!). Maybe it’s the new fall weather sweeping across our nation turning weekend long runs into gentle strolls in runners’ paradise. Or maybe it’s just the new attitude I’ve adopted to keep fast runs fast but easy runs slow. Whatever it is, my knee and ankles troubles have (knock on wood) seemingly disappeared this week, allowing me to record the first of my two high mileage weeks without much soreness or pain. On second thought, I’m thinking it’s gotta be the shoes…

Week #5 (9/29-10/5)

What I Planned:

Recovery Run: 6 miles at recovery pace

Tempo Run: 10 total miles with 8 miles at 6:42 min/mi pace

General Aerobic Run: 10 miles at 7:15 min/mi pace

Weekend Long Run: 20 miles at long run pace

Total week 5 distance: 46 miles

What I Ran:

Recovery Run: 6.1 miles at 7:40 min/mi pace

Tempo Run: 10.2 total miles with 8.2 miles at 6:39 min/mi pace

General Aerobic Run: 8.1 miles at 7:13 min/mi pace

Weekend Long Run: 20.66 miles at 7:21 min/mi pace

Total week 5 distance: 45.1 miles; avg pace – 7:17 min/mi

How I Ran:

Monday’s slow recovery run was fun because I got to run with the running group and speak face-to-face, step-by-step with a local elite who happened to be surprisingly friendly. I kept it at an even and easy pace because I knew I had speedwork the next day. The 8 mile tempo run was a definite killer. The weather was a bit humid in the morning because it had rained the night before. Although it got done, the effort was a bit harder to maintain than I had imagined. I felt the residual effects from that hard workout in my next run. My legs felt a bit sore even though I had taken off a day in between. As such, I only completed 8 out of the 10 miles scheduled. I didn’t want to push too hard knowing there was a weekend 20 miler coming up. As you may have read from my last post, the week ended surprisingly well as I rocked my 20-miler from the base of the Manhattan Bridge to Engineer’s Gate in Central Park.

All-in-all, I’m pretty satisfied by how my week went. The miles went by fairly innocuously and each run was kept within a few seconds of the designated pace. This coming week will be much of the same, with sporadic weekday miles culminating in a half-marathon on Sunday. After the race, I’ll be officially in taper mode so I’m pretty excited. My hope is to get there in one piece with no complaints from any smaller pieces, and I’ll be happy.

Here’s to a good running week, whether you’re training or tapering.