Total distance run this week: 62km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (7km)
Hill training: 1 (10 x 260 m hills)
Long run: 32km
Other activities: cycling (22km)
Total training time: 8:25
I put in a fairly heavy week of training after a laid-back week last week. It started with cycling to and from work on Monday, then an "easy" 9 km recovery run on Tuesday. (When did a 9km run start to feel easy? I'm not sure, but I like it!).
Wednesday morning, after a 5km warmup at a steady pace, I tackled 10 hill repeats at tempo pace on the Mooney's Bay hill. It's not a very long hill (only 260m) but it's steep enough to make running for a good workout. With a 3km run home to cool down, I logged a total of 14km that morning.
Friday was tempo run day. I was feeling tired and a bit listless when I headed out, but once I got going it was such a lovely cool morning it felt relatively easy to run 7km at my tempo pace of 6:00/km.
Because we planned to stay over at a friend's cottage last night and I didn't want to feel I had to rush to get back to the city early today, I decided to tackle my long slow run yesterday (Saturday). I almost changed my mind when I awoke to torrential rains and wind. However, figuring I couldn't call myself a "real" runner if I let a little rain discourage me, I put on quick dry shorts, a long sleeved shirt, rain jacket and hat, and headed out around 10:30.
It turned out to be a VERY wet run -- so wet that I saw only a handful of other runners and cyclists braving the elements. On the upside, the rain and wind kept me comfortably cool throughout, and it was nice having the paths along the canal and through the experimental farm pretty much to myself.
In the end, I completed the 32km in less than 4 hours -- a little faster than I planned -- although I was so soaked by the time I got home that I opted to undress just inside the front door rather than tracking water through the house! Am I real runner? You betcha!
With only a few more tough weeks of training before it's time to start tapering, my body seems to be holding up well, but I know this is a dangerous time when many potential marathoners find their dreams postponed by injuries. With that in mind, I'll be keeping close tabs on how I'm feeling and take extra rest days if I need them to ensure I make it to the start line healthy and ready to run.
My schedule for the coming week includes more cycling, an 8-9km recovery run, a tempo run, a fartlek (speed training) session and 34-36km long run next weekend. Here's hoping all continues to go well.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Week 14
Total distance run this week: 38km
Number of runs: 3
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (8km)
Hill training: 0
Long run: 22 km
Other activities: cycling (22km)
Total training time: 6:10
My plan for this week was to reduce the intensity of my training to give my body a chance to integrate all the work I've done so far -- and mostly that's what I did. However, mother nature made the week a little tougher than planned by supplying lots of hot, humid weather.
And, to make it more challenging, I had to run all my runs later in the day than I'd have liked, meaning I wasn't able to take advantage of cooler morning temperatures. By week's end, I was referring to it as my week of intensive heat training.
Even though today's "long, slow run" was relatively short at only 22km, it still felt tough -- perhaps because I spent Friday evening and all day Saturday (10.5 hours!) at the Ottawa folkfest. When the alarm went off this morning, it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed. Who knew folk music could be so exhausting!
It's back to more intensive training again this week. If my right foot continues to behave, I'll tackle an easy 8-9 km tomorrow or Tuesday, a final hill workout on Wednesday, a tempo run Friday, and a 32km long run on Sunday. I'm also hoping the weather cooperates so I can do some cycling to and from the office. The one day I cycled last week, I got caught in torrential rain on the way in, then fought heavy winds and high heat and humidity all the way back. It was so bad, I considered walking my bike the last few kilometres.
At any rate, the weather forecast is for more moderate temperatures this week so I shouldn't have any excuse for taking it easy. Only 7 weeks more until race day and I want to make the most of them!
Number of runs: 3
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (8km)
Hill training: 0
Long run: 22 km
Other activities: cycling (22km)
Total training time: 6:10
My plan for this week was to reduce the intensity of my training to give my body a chance to integrate all the work I've done so far -- and mostly that's what I did. However, mother nature made the week a little tougher than planned by supplying lots of hot, humid weather.
And, to make it more challenging, I had to run all my runs later in the day than I'd have liked, meaning I wasn't able to take advantage of cooler morning temperatures. By week's end, I was referring to it as my week of intensive heat training.
Even though today's "long, slow run" was relatively short at only 22km, it still felt tough -- perhaps because I spent Friday evening and all day Saturday (10.5 hours!) at the Ottawa folkfest. When the alarm went off this morning, it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed. Who knew folk music could be so exhausting!
It's back to more intensive training again this week. If my right foot continues to behave, I'll tackle an easy 8-9 km tomorrow or Tuesday, a final hill workout on Wednesday, a tempo run Friday, and a 32km long run on Sunday. I'm also hoping the weather cooperates so I can do some cycling to and from the office. The one day I cycled last week, I got caught in torrential rain on the way in, then fought heavy winds and high heat and humidity all the way back. It was so bad, I considered walking my bike the last few kilometres.
At any rate, the weather forecast is for more moderate temperatures this week so I shouldn't have any excuse for taking it easy. Only 7 weeks more until race day and I want to make the most of them!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Week 13
Total distance run this week: 59 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 0
Hill training: 9 x 270m
Long run: 32 km
Other activities: cycling (44km)
Total training time: 10:15
I wish I'd had it in me to run the extra kilometre I needed to make it a nice round 60km for the week, but my long run this morning was too tough. It was already 24 degrees and humid by the time I headed out the door a little before 7 am. By the time I was schlepping home 4 hours later, the thermometer read 29 degrees with a "feels like" temperature of 38. Needless to say, I was seriously toasted by the time I made it in the door.
On the upside, the first 20km of the run felt pretty good after a bit of rocky week. My foot which had been tight and sore for a couple of weeks finally felt more normal, and I ran through some of my favourite parts of the city -- across the Central Experimental Farm, down Island Park Drive, along the Ottawa River to Parliament Hill, and then along Sussex Drive to old city hall where I picked up the Rideau River pathway back home. Unfortunately, I had somehow never noticed there's not a single water fountain for a stretch of about 12 or 13km along the Rideau River so I ran out of water 5 or 6 km from any source of drinking water -- not a mistake I'll make a second time!
The rest of my training this week went well too, although I continued to struggle with finding the right shoes. It turned out the ones I bought last weekend caused more problems than they solved so they went back yesterday and I got others which seem to work better for me. I ran all 32km in them this morning without major incident. My right leg and foot were a little sore by the end of my run, but I immediately soaked them in an icewater bath and they are feeling much better tonight. Of course, the real test will be getting out of bed tomorrow morning. :-)
Because my foot was acting up, and hill training was tough on Wednesday (again because of high heat and humidity), I skipped my 6km tempo run on Friday and replaced it with a steady 9km run instead. A sensible choice as it turned out.
My plan for the coming week is to take it a easier and let my legs heal a bit before I start building again the week after next. If the weather cooperates, I may bike a little more, but I'll try to keep my total running to a maximum of 35-40 km.
I can hardly believe race day is now only 8 weeks away -- which means there's only 5 more weeks of really hard training ahead. Time is definitely flying by!
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 0
Hill training: 9 x 270m
Long run: 32 km
Other activities: cycling (44km)
Total training time: 10:15
I wish I'd had it in me to run the extra kilometre I needed to make it a nice round 60km for the week, but my long run this morning was too tough. It was already 24 degrees and humid by the time I headed out the door a little before 7 am. By the time I was schlepping home 4 hours later, the thermometer read 29 degrees with a "feels like" temperature of 38. Needless to say, I was seriously toasted by the time I made it in the door.
On the upside, the first 20km of the run felt pretty good after a bit of rocky week. My foot which had been tight and sore for a couple of weeks finally felt more normal, and I ran through some of my favourite parts of the city -- across the Central Experimental Farm, down Island Park Drive, along the Ottawa River to Parliament Hill, and then along Sussex Drive to old city hall where I picked up the Rideau River pathway back home. Unfortunately, I had somehow never noticed there's not a single water fountain for a stretch of about 12 or 13km along the Rideau River so I ran out of water 5 or 6 km from any source of drinking water -- not a mistake I'll make a second time!
The rest of my training this week went well too, although I continued to struggle with finding the right shoes. It turned out the ones I bought last weekend caused more problems than they solved so they went back yesterday and I got others which seem to work better for me. I ran all 32km in them this morning without major incident. My right leg and foot were a little sore by the end of my run, but I immediately soaked them in an icewater bath and they are feeling much better tonight. Of course, the real test will be getting out of bed tomorrow morning. :-)
Because my foot was acting up, and hill training was tough on Wednesday (again because of high heat and humidity), I skipped my 6km tempo run on Friday and replaced it with a steady 9km run instead. A sensible choice as it turned out.
My plan for the coming week is to take it a easier and let my legs heal a bit before I start building again the week after next. If the weather cooperates, I may bike a little more, but I'll try to keep my total running to a maximum of 35-40 km.
I can hardly believe race day is now only 8 weeks away -- which means there's only 5 more weeks of really hard training ahead. Time is definitely flying by!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Week 12
Total distance run this week: 56 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (9km)
Hill training: 8 x 260 m
Long run: 29 km
Other activities: cycling (20km)
Total training time: 7:30
There were lots of high points this week -- starting with a relaxed 8km recovery run and stretch on Tuesday that worked out all the kinks left over from my long run last Sunday.
Wednesday was hill training. I joined a group from the Slater Street Running Room that was tackling a steep 260m hill behind the Parliament Buildings and completed 8 hills at a consistent pace of about 5:45/km (going UP the hill) -- which is almost 20 seconds faster than I hope to run race day. Needless to say, I was pleased.
My tempo run on Friday was great too. I wasn't sure I was ready for it when I crawled out of bed at 6:30 am but, after a short warmup, I gradually increased my pace until my heart rate was where I wanted it, and settled into a nice groove for the next 6km or so. My goal pace was 6:00 min/km but because it was such a beautiful cool clear morning I had trouble running that slowly. In the end, I averaged just under 5:50 for most of the run and ran an extra couple of kilometres just because it felt so good.
I had a similar experience today. My plan was to run just 26km when I left the house a little after 7:00 this morning -- and that seemed plenty ambitious given that I'd had a few glasses of wine with friends last night and gone to bed late. But, as it turned out, it was another perfect running day -- cool and overcast with very little wind -- so I decided to make the most of it and ran 29km instead. To ensure I didn't overdo it, I ran at a comfortably slow pace throughout and focussed as much as possible on maintaining good form. I also stopped several times to stretch. Though quite tired by the end, I still felt I could have run a few more kilometres and, in fact, probably would have except that I was wearing old shoes and didn't want to risk injurying myself.
For those of you shaking your heads at the thought of me running 29km in old shoes -- I wore them as an experiment! As noted in my post last week, my right leg and hip have been acting up lately and my ART therapist thought I might need more arch support for my long runs. Turns out he was probably right. Though my old shoes don't have much bounce left in them, they do provide much more arch support than the Nike's I was wearing last weekend, and I could definitely feel the difference. I finished the run today with no pain in my right hip!
Good as they felt, I'm hoping today was my last long run in the old shoes since they really are pretty tired. I bought a shiney new pair of Saucony's yesterday which I'll try to break in this week. They're much like the shoes I had on today (also Saucony's) except that they have a bit more arch support and a cushier ride. They felt awesome when I tried them at the store yesterday but, of course, the only way to know for sure if they're going to work for me is to try logging some serious miles in them. Here's hoping.
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (9km)
Hill training: 8 x 260 m
Long run: 29 km
Other activities: cycling (20km)
Total training time: 7:30
There were lots of high points this week -- starting with a relaxed 8km recovery run and stretch on Tuesday that worked out all the kinks left over from my long run last Sunday.
Wednesday was hill training. I joined a group from the Slater Street Running Room that was tackling a steep 260m hill behind the Parliament Buildings and completed 8 hills at a consistent pace of about 5:45/km (going UP the hill) -- which is almost 20 seconds faster than I hope to run race day. Needless to say, I was pleased.
My tempo run on Friday was great too. I wasn't sure I was ready for it when I crawled out of bed at 6:30 am but, after a short warmup, I gradually increased my pace until my heart rate was where I wanted it, and settled into a nice groove for the next 6km or so. My goal pace was 6:00 min/km but because it was such a beautiful cool clear morning I had trouble running that slowly. In the end, I averaged just under 5:50 for most of the run and ran an extra couple of kilometres just because it felt so good.
I had a similar experience today. My plan was to run just 26km when I left the house a little after 7:00 this morning -- and that seemed plenty ambitious given that I'd had a few glasses of wine with friends last night and gone to bed late. But, as it turned out, it was another perfect running day -- cool and overcast with very little wind -- so I decided to make the most of it and ran 29km instead. To ensure I didn't overdo it, I ran at a comfortably slow pace throughout and focussed as much as possible on maintaining good form. I also stopped several times to stretch. Though quite tired by the end, I still felt I could have run a few more kilometres and, in fact, probably would have except that I was wearing old shoes and didn't want to risk injurying myself.
For those of you shaking your heads at the thought of me running 29km in old shoes -- I wore them as an experiment! As noted in my post last week, my right leg and hip have been acting up lately and my ART therapist thought I might need more arch support for my long runs. Turns out he was probably right. Though my old shoes don't have much bounce left in them, they do provide much more arch support than the Nike's I was wearing last weekend, and I could definitely feel the difference. I finished the run today with no pain in my right hip!
Good as they felt, I'm hoping today was my last long run in the old shoes since they really are pretty tired. I bought a shiney new pair of Saucony's yesterday which I'll try to break in this week. They're much like the shoes I had on today (also Saucony's) except that they have a bit more arch support and a cushier ride. They felt awesome when I tried them at the store yesterday but, of course, the only way to know for sure if they're going to work for me is to try logging some serious miles in them. Here's hoping.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Week 11
Total distance run this week: 42 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 0
Runs at race pace: 1 (7 km)
Hill training: 7 x 250 m
Long run: 20 km
Other activities: yoga
Total training time: 7:20
The week started slowly but ended pretty well.
Monday, I was feeling pretty tired after a big weekend of training, so decided I'd better take a rest day. Tuesday, I woke up feeling miserable and spent most of the day sleeping -- so missed running that day too. Wednesday, although still feeling under the weather, I was also itching to get back on the road - so I ran an easy 8km, then spent a mellow hour or so doing yoga postures and other stretches.
I managed to convince myself to take another rest day on Thursday, but couldn't resist doing some relatively tough workouts over the past three days. I ran a strong 7km at race pace on Friday, followed by 7km and 7 hills yesterday in high heat and humidity. Today, I ran 20km in heavy rain and wind for much of it. It should still have felt easier than last week's 26km but it didn't -- I suppose because I was tired when I started out and my right leg was a bit tight and sore after yesterday's hill training session.
My goals for the coming week are to begin building my total mileage once again (hopefully to 50 km this week), buy some new shoes, run 8 hills Tuesday or Wednesday so I have more time to recover before my long run, then run a comfortable 26 km next Sunday. I'd like also like to spend some time on my bike too if the weather cooperates. I just couldn't seem to find the time and energy this past week.
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 0
Runs at race pace: 1 (7 km)
Hill training: 7 x 250 m
Long run: 20 km
Other activities: yoga
Total training time: 7:20
The week started slowly but ended pretty well.
Monday, I was feeling pretty tired after a big weekend of training, so decided I'd better take a rest day. Tuesday, I woke up feeling miserable and spent most of the day sleeping -- so missed running that day too. Wednesday, although still feeling under the weather, I was also itching to get back on the road - so I ran an easy 8km, then spent a mellow hour or so doing yoga postures and other stretches.
I managed to convince myself to take another rest day on Thursday, but couldn't resist doing some relatively tough workouts over the past three days. I ran a strong 7km at race pace on Friday, followed by 7km and 7 hills yesterday in high heat and humidity. Today, I ran 20km in heavy rain and wind for much of it. It should still have felt easier than last week's 26km but it didn't -- I suppose because I was tired when I started out and my right leg was a bit tight and sore after yesterday's hill training session.
My goals for the coming week are to begin building my total mileage once again (hopefully to 50 km this week), buy some new shoes, run 8 hills Tuesday or Wednesday so I have more time to recover before my long run, then run a comfortable 26 km next Sunday. I'd like also like to spend some time on my bike too if the weather cooperates. I just couldn't seem to find the time and energy this past week.
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