Training Recap #9 as of Mar 24, 2019

Training recap #9 covers two weeks from March 11 to March 24, 2019. During the previous training session #8, I ran 35 miles on 10 days.

Training Period #9 Goals

To set my goals for this period, I reviewed what worked and what didn’t the prior period. I will continue to build my foundation, and increase mileage, number of running days, and distance of the long run. I fell short on a couple of goals last session, so these are still goals this session: add strides once a week, and continue cross-training on my spin bike.

Let’s review how I delivered against my goals this period. Spoiler alert: Tale of 2 weeks, first one not so great, but huge comeback in the second week!

Week 1: Another Down Week

• Goal was to run 20 miles on 6 days, and I ran 10 miles on 3 days. That looks like an epic fail.
• However, the week wasn’t quite as bad as it looks. Analyzing the week with the “glass is half full” perspective, I completed 2 solid workouts on Tuesday and Sunday.
• On Tuesday, I ran 3 miles on the Waveny trails, followed by my first strides (2x 100 meters on grass in 20 seconds).
• On Sunday, I reduced my long run to 5 miles, but ran 7:45 average pace on Waveny trails, with a nice progression from 8:20 first mile to 7:20 fifth mile. That was preceded by an easy 2 miles on Saturday.
• From Wednesday through Friday I did not run. After my Tuesday workout, I felt slight discomfort in my right foot where I had my metatarsals stress reaction. Being conservative, I took off 3 days.
• The week was emotionally exhausting for me, still healing from my separation and divorce, and by Friday night I fell down a hole and was alone and broken. I did not complete any core and strength sessions this week, nor did I cross-train on my spin bike after my Sunday run.

Week 2: 20-Mile Week

• After a weekend to reflect on the Friday night debacle, and recovering from being emotionally and physically banged up, I was motivated and ready to get back to training.
• Tuesday was a good day with a fast 3-mile trail run, again followed by 2x 100 meter strides on grass in sub-20 seconds (around 5:20 mile pace).
• Unlike last week, I ran Wednesday through Friday, and with temperatures warming up and the trail conditions improving, I was able to work on pace and form.
• It all came together on the weekend. On Saturday, I ran 3 miles on Waveny trails in 22:30 (7:30 pace), with miles 2 and 3 in 7:15 and 7:12, respectively. My Sunday 6-mile long run started as an “unintentional” tempo run for the first 3 miles in 22:20 (yep, faster than the previous day’s 3-mile run), and I realized the pace was not sustainable, so I slowed to average 8:10 pace for the remaining 3 miles. What happened? The weather allowed me to run in t-shirt and shorts, and with sun shining and adrenaline pumping, I completely lost track of my pace. It felt too easy!

More Failure, More Learning

• Overall I did not reach my goals for the 2-week training session. I ran 30 miles (10 miles and 20 miles) vs. my goal of 40 miles. 9 days of running vs. my goal of 12 days.
• However, unlike my training session #8, I bounced back the 2nd week in a big way. On Saturday and Sunday, I ran two of my fasted workouts. For both weeks, I ran 2x 100 strides on grass. At the end of the 2nd week, I cross-trained for 20 minutes on the spin bike after my long run. And I completed 3 strength and core training workouts (all the 2nd week).
• What can I learn from session #9? Listen to my body and take time off when something is not right. Run through emotional pain and let running motivate me and heal my pain.
• After taking 3 days off, and succumbing to anxiety and depression on the first Friday, I enjoyed 8 awesome runs in 9 days, and improved my fitness and rebuilt my confidence. Let’s see what training session #10 brings!