Good morning everyone.
For those of you who haven’t checked the hoddle these last few weeks, then you might’ve missed that I’ve begun documenting my training for my next marathon, which is on 4 April. The goal is to smash by personal best and see just how close to a 3-hour marathon I can get (pretty close, I think).
The whole point of this is to almost document my anxiety from all this training. It’s a big commitment to run a marathon. The worst of winter has come and gone, although it could return
this week. Still, we’re counting down the remaining weeks until race day.
(Catch up on Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 here)
Week 14:
This week felt as big as race day itself. I had actually made that comment to another person who I ran with for about a mile during my Sunday long run. He gave me some kudos for finishing my training block, which began all the way back in December, which was a good boost to get me through the rest of the run.
This week took months to prepare for and culminated in my 22-mile run on Sunday. The big one. More on that shortly.
It’s strange to acknowledge that I actually ran 22 miles – there were a couple times when I didn’t think it possible. I eventually found visualisation techniques work very well. Perhaps the one I keep using is imagining myself feeling strong in the final stages of the race.
With the 22 miles up, I had a nice stretch, a very large lunch and a not-so good supper. And lots of water.
Now, with that over, I can finally look towards race day itself.
Before then I’d like to do a dress rehearsal. I’m due to fly out of DC on Sunday and, depending on the departure time, will either do a 14 or 16 mile run with a fair chunk of either of those being at target pace. The goal for these is to not only get used to my raceday shoes, but also determine if I can maintain target pace for the whole race.
Sunday: 22 miles
It was slightly colder than tank-top weather when I went out, so a long sleeve it was. If it’s cold on race day (which it could be), this is the top I’ll be wearing.
My goal today was to feel in control for the entirety of the run – and I did! I think my pace was slightly faster than I expected it to be (hovering around the low-7 mark), even though the effort was not quite that forced. That gives me a lot of faith that I can push for a sub-3 hour marathon.
What really frustrated me was the GPS on my watch, which went AWOL at about Mile 17. I did not run a 5:40 mile (definitely not!), and the subsequent miles around 6:40 felt pretty inaccurate. So I decided I was going to run for an additional four or five minutes after the 22 miles were up, and 2:40.00 later I was done with the run.
But I’m very happy with how this run went, especially considering these weren’t even in my raceday shoes. The New Balance Fuel Cell Supercomp trainers are a little bit too narrow in the toebox for me, which means blister city.
This is also the last time I’ll be running up Beach Drive for some time, which I’ll miss. It’s some of the most beautiful running sites in the city, so I tried to soak in every little bit of it I could.
Monday: Rest
And a proper one too with lots of sleep, water and stretching.
Tuesday: 8 mile recovery
Apparently there’s snow in the forecast again. Of course there is. Which sucks. But, hey, I’m still going to be putting in the miles regardless.
Wednesday: Speed workout TBD
It’s not so much fun doing these outside. They’re more fartleks and less intervals because of all the traffic lights. I’ll probably work out the exact details on Wednesday or, if I’m crunched for time, will do a bonus recovery run.
Thursday: 12 miles with a couple at marathon pace
The weather should be clearer by now and I want to do a few more workouts where I’m testing out marathon pace, because I haven’t had the chance yet!
Friday: Gym
Considering how last week’s gym session was more upper-body focused, I’ll probably do some deadlifts followed by some lightweight leg exercises. I’m not interested in pushing it too much.
Saturday: 8 mile recovery
Main goal here is to hang out and not bump into all the runners in the Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon. This should mean a new change of scenery as, of course, the race takes up a large chunk of my running route.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Ready, Steady, Go! by Harry Styles
And now for your links:
Alasdair Gold: Every word Igor Tudor said on what he told Tottenham stars before Liverpool and pre-match chaos
The Athletic ($$): “Liverpool 1 Tottenham 1: Richarlison rescues Spurs, Szoboszlai free kick not enough for Slot”
BBC: “Spurs answer Tudor’s call with show of fight in the face of crisis”
The Independent: “Tottenham summon admirable fight to leave Liverpool as the club in crisis”
