Richmond Marathon Training - Weeks 11 & 12

Monday October 15
Run 9.0 mi
My regular run commute to start the week. Tacked on an extra mile at the end, just because it was peak week.

Tuesday October 16
Run 8.5 mi
1600 (7:06), 1200 (5:20), 2x800 (3:23/3:20), 400 (1:35)
A solid track workout. It's always nice to show up and know that you are "only" doing three miles of intervals.  I was right on target with the pace chart, so I'm happy.

Yoga - 75 min

Wednesday October 17
Run 10.0 mi - AM
Run 5.15 mi - PM
Perhaps the last double run day of this training cycle. This was the first time I've tried this and it will definitely be a regular feature in the future. It makes it easy to get in some extra miles and I find this so much more manageable mentally than trying to do 15 at once mid-week.

Thursday October 18
Rest

Friday October 19
Run 8.2 mi
5k tempo - 22:47 (7:26/7:18/7:11)
I showed up planning to do a longer tempo (perhaps even five miles for the first time ever), but was told to stick with 5k and so that I could really focus on the long run the next day. I ended up with my faster ever 5k tempo (by a second or two).

Saturday October 20
Run 20.75 mi (avg pace - 8:52)
Our normal long run start was inaccessible because of a charity bike ride, so we met at what is normally the 7 mile point of the 21 mile loop. We decided to run the loop in reverse, because that would allow us to still have a downhill finish. What I didn't realize when I suggested this was that running that way would result in a several mile climb in the middle.

 

I felt like I didn't have my normal energy for the last few miles and didn't pick up the pace like I normally do. I was disappointed by this, but am blaming the long climb and the fact that I was at the end of my last big week. I'm not going to worry that this has any significance for the marathon. My tapered legs will be ready!

Sunday October 21
Elliptical - 45 min
For some reason I have just not been motivated to hit the pool for the last few weeks. So after I got home from cheering for teammates and family members running the Army Ten Miler, I went to the gym for the first time in ages. The elliptical was just as fun and exciting as I remembered!

Week 11 - 61.6 miles

Monday October 22
Run 8.5 mi
Run commute to kick off the week. I ran into two teammates while I was out (one running, one cycling), which was a pleasant surprise.

Tuesday October 23
Run 10.25 mi
10x800 (3:34/3:24/3:22/3:21/3:21/3:21/3:20/3:19/3:17/3:19)
I was a bit nervous heading into this workout because I knew that I wouldn't have company for all ten repeats and because I had struggled at the end of the long run a few days before. We were told to aim for eight and only do ten if we were feeling really great. As soon as I started I knew it was going to be a good day. I felt so much better than when I had done this same workout two weeks before and was able to hold the pace I wanted with relative ease. So even though most people stopped at eight, I decided to get in those last two. I left the workout on a huge high and felt like I was finally ready to start tapering.

Yoga - 75 min

Wednesday October 24
Run 5.15 mi
I was planning to keep with my normal schedule and make this my last double day of the training cycle, but when my coach heard that I had a massage on Tuesday morning, he told me not to run in the morning. I was a bit worried about dropping my miles too much in this first taper week, but I quickly realized I should just listen to him and not stress about it. Losing 8-10 miles this week isn't going to ruin 14 weeks of training.

Thursday October 25
Run 8.5 w/1 mile pickup (7:36)
Most of this run was done at a very easy pace, but I mile five was a hard effort, to prep my legs for Saturday's race.

Friday October 26
Yoga - 60 min
I don't like running the day before a race, so I opted for a yoga class instead. My legs felt nice and loose when I left.

Saturday October 27
Run 7.5 mi
There's No Place Like Home 5k - 22:02
A full race report is coming, but the short story is that this was a great race. I PR'ed by a large amount and was the second woman, my highest ever race finish! Post race I rushed off to get cleaned up and spent the afternoon and evening celebrating at my brother's wedding.

Sunday October 28
Rest

Week 12 - 39.9 miles

I finished out my last peak week feeling strong and started off the first taper week with a great workout. I tapered a bit more than planned in week 12, but at this point it is better to err on the side of extra rest. I'm looking forward to two more easy weeks that will give my legs a chance to recover and get ready to race. I can hardly believe that twelve weeks of this training cycle are done.