If I were running a business, I’d say that last week was the soft launch of marathon training. I keep changing my mind as to when marathon training “officially” starts. Since I’ve been calling the 5 weeks between Cabo and Oiselle Camp (which by the way starts next Wednesday!) my Pre-Season I’ll stick with that but really it felt like last week was the kickoff of marathon training.
I’ve decided going forward to start including two things in each of my weekly recaps to hopefully keep them more interesting and also help me reflect on the week. Similar to Daily Mile, the first thing will be a general summary of how I felt training went this week. Second, I’ll pick one highlight of the week.
So let’s get started:
Overall this week I felt GREAT!
The highlight of my week was: Running the Lusardi loop with Mike on Saturday. Being out on the trails felt amazing and it was incredibly peaceful and beautiful out there. I don’t worry about pace or listen to music on the trail and the time always seems to fly by. It was also incredible to see our favorite trail for the first time since the recent San Diego fires. A large section of it was completely torched. Most of it was black but there were parts where life had survived and bright green grass and leaves poked through the devastation.
Monday: I slept in and in the evening went for an easy run with Mike. It was the day after the Solana Beach Triathlon so I wanted to keep things easy. We ran about 4.2 miles and I didn’t bring my watch – just kept it easy!
Tuesday: In the morning I got up and did P90X3 “The Challenge.” This is the one where you pick a number of push-ups and pull-ups (assisted) and try to keep the same number throughout. I picked 17 push-ups and 12 pull-ups which was 2 more per set than the last time I did the workout. I made it through! For the final burn-out session I held plank and side plank instead of adding more push-ups and pull-ups.
After work I met up with Mike and Brooke to run at Torrey Pines. We ran easy up the road portion (which is steep so it’s not really easy) and then snaked our way down through the trails to the beach. We ran back to the start on the beach and then back to our cars for a total of just about 5.5 miles of running. It was absolutely beautiful and with two friends to run with, it barely felt like work!
Wednesday: Rest Day. I needed to sleep in and I had a late night at work.
Thursday: In the morning Mike and I set out to do our first Progression Run from the marathon training plan we’re loosely following in Brad Hudson’s “Run Faster” book. The book’s plan actually called for 10 miles with 5 at “moderate” pace but since in general the mileage is higher than I’d like in the plan (and 10 miles before work is typically not easy for me to fit in before work!), we ran to Fletcher Cove and back, for a total of 8.4 miles, with the second half being “moderate” pace. My goal for the moderate section was anywhere between 8:30-8:45 but I found even that pace to be a challenge at times. I just focused on keeping my effort harder than Zone 2 but not a tempo run. I finished the run exhausted! I think it was a combination of not having a big enough dinner, not eating more than a banana before the run and the heat and humidity (up to 90% humidity lately in San Diego). And possibly not being recovered from the triathlon yet. Either way, it wasn’t a great run but I reminded myself that I’ve been in this spot before – at the very beginning of any training cycle some of the workouts kind of really suck, but eventually they get easier.
Friday: Although my P90X3 schedule actually called for a leg workout, I switched it out for P90X3 Yoga. I didn’t think it would be wise to put my legs through more after the previous days’ run. I was so glad I did. I had worked a 12 hour day the day before and my back and hip flexors were incredibly tight. The yoga was just what I needed! After yoga was over, I put in P90X Ab Ripper and completed it for the first time in months. It was HARD! I forgot how hard that workout was! (and I was incredibly sore the next day as proof!)
Saturday: Mike and I headed out to Rancho Santa Fe for our favorite trail run called the Lusardi loop. It’s just over 10 miles with about 1,800 feet of climbing. There are plenty of steep ascents and descents and that mixed with 90% humidity and over 70 degree weather, it was a challenging run! I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor, knowing I wouldn’t be keeping it in Zone 2.
Overall I felt pretty good on the run and I really enjoyed being out on the trail. I took it easy on some sections and overall didn’t push the pace too hard but due to the nature of the course, it was a tough run. I was happy that Mike stayed with me for most of the time so we got to spend some quality time out on the trail together. We only saw one other runner the entire time!
Sunday:
Thanks to a 2 hour nap on Saturday and 9 hours of sleep that night, Mike and I felt pretty good on Sunday morning. We took our time getting ready and even went to a local coffee shop for bagels and coffee and relaxed a bit before heading out for our run. We decided we’d play it by ear but we wanted to run at least 6 miles. We were both feeling so good that we ended up running all the way to Fletcher Cove again for a total of 8.4 miles! I ran with my heart rate monitor and kept it all in Zone 2 to make sure I didn’t overdo it.
Weekly Totals:
- Totals Miles Run: 36.75
- Total Hours Cross-Training: 1.25
- Total Time: 6 + 1.25 = 7.25 hours
Do you run trails while training for a road marathon?
Great week!! Congrats on the “soft launch” of training!!
I like to run on trails while training for a marathon. I think that you can build strength in your ankles by doing that. I think doing a mix of road/trails are great for a road marathon!