Monday, October 6, 2008

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.

12 comments:

J said...

Great Week! Glad that your knee and ankle pain is gone!

Midwest said...

2130's rule!

Aron said...

i am a kayano girl :)

awesome job on the week! so glad you are running pain free - hope it stays that way! good luck in the half this weekend!

Felice Devine said...

Nice! I hope the knee and ankle pain continues to stay away. That would be great. I'm sure it's a combination of your shoes AND the attitude :-)

Julianne said...

Woohoo! I'm on my 2nd pair of Asics GT-2130 right now!! I love them. I felt like I didn't even need to break them in! Great job keeping to your plan. Sounds like you were very close this week! Oh I miss running in Central Park. My runs usually ended at the Engineer's Gate around E 89th. (I'm starting to forget the streets around the Park now.) *sigh*

M*J*C said...

Thanks for the encouraging words!!! I'm hoping to do the SI Half, about how long of a drive do you think it is from Secaucus to SI? I would be renting a car...easy drive? Thanks for any input!

joyRuN said...

SO glad the pains are gone - stay healthy!

Yes - I am LOVING my first pair of 2130's - don't forget to stock up!

Bill Carter said...

Hi Lam

A great week. I was kind of chuckling to myself because your week looks very similar to mine in that there is a tempo run and a long run and just some filler stuff in between. Like you, I have to force myself to do the slows slow. I really enjoyed your post about how to get through a 20 miler and breaking it up into manageable chunks is truly a must.

Best of luck and BTW you are getting really fast.... I'm a little jealous.

Unknown said...

Looks like a great training week. I have yet to run that fast, but very inspiring!

Nitmos said...

Holla! Another 2130 fan!

Meg said...

Good news on the comeback week!

Anonymous said...

Yay! Great training week. I also purchased a new pair of shoes (holla for the Brooks Infiniti!!) Maybe we should have a Bi-Coastal New Shoe Celebration?

Party favors would be new socks.

 
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