I knew this short build-up toward the Olympic Marathon Trials would fly by, but I am still surprised that we are down to 3 and a half weeks until race day. In a week and a half I'll be heading down to Chula Vista for my final preparation and heat acclimatization. I'm not sorry to be leaving the cold rain, but I am sorry to be down to my last couple long run efforts. Even though long run workouts are the most challenging part of marathon prep, they are also a chance to prove to yourself that training is progressing the way it should.
The timing pushed two long run efforts into this week's 7 day block, and they both went surprisingly well. Both workouts were in the middle of fairly intense downpours with temperatures in the upper 30s, and that weather can often be worse than snow. I'm always decked out in excellent rain gear, but you still end up carrying a fair amount of extra water with you when you're in it for a few hours. While the Monday long run was a solid overall effort, it was Thursday and Sunday that made me feel like my old self again. I have run both workouts faster in the past, but not by a lot, and not in this nasty weather. These efforts also came in the middle of a 140 mile week, which I did not think I would get up to this time around, but my body is handling it much better than expected. I think I am fairly close to being back to my pre-NYC and pre-London fitness with 24 days to go. This coming weekend will be a big test as I aim for 16 miles at sub-5:00 on the tail end of my last big mileage week.
Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out last week's training below.
The timing pushed two long run efforts into this week's 7 day block, and they both went surprisingly well. Both workouts were in the middle of fairly intense downpours with temperatures in the upper 30s, and that weather can often be worse than snow. I'm always decked out in excellent rain gear, but you still end up carrying a fair amount of extra water with you when you're in it for a few hours. While the Monday long run was a solid overall effort, it was Thursday and Sunday that made me feel like my old self again. I have run both workouts faster in the past, but not by a lot, and not in this nasty weather. These efforts also came in the middle of a 140 mile week, which I did not think I would get up to this time around, but my body is handling it much better than expected. I think I am fairly close to being back to my pre-NYC and pre-London fitness with 24 days to go. This coming weekend will be a big test as I aim for 16 miles at sub-5:00 on the tail end of my last big mileage week.
Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out last week's training below.
| Week 8 | AM | PM | Strength/Drills | Mileage |
| Monday | 25 miles, progressing to race pace and holding 18-22 @ 4:56 | off | 25 | |
| Tuesday | 12 + drills and strides | 6 | 18.5 | |
| Wednesday | 12.5 | 6 | 40 minutes | 18.5 |
| Thursday | 6 x 2km starting @ 6:00 and working down to 5:53, 1 min rest | 19 | ||
| Friday | 14 | 6 +drills and strides | 20 | |
| Saturday | 12 | 5 | 40 minutes | 17 |
| Sunday | 4 mile tempo @ 19:10, 10 mile run, 4 mile tempo @ 19:07, road | off | 22 | |
| TOTAL | 140 |
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ReplyDeleteKeep it up Ryan! Your running like a machine. I could see you making the team and possible PR because alot of runners who had the timing of your past injury have had the races of their lives because of the relative rest which helps heal the body. And, when you get some SUN finally,it will help greatly!
ReplyDeleteLA is a test of pure grit and toughness. Let your football past carry you through the pain.
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