Less than 6 weeks to the Olympic Marathon Trials: Last week's training

Last week's weather in Portland brought some challenges, but fortunately things are now back to normal. We had snowfall of only a couple inches, but freezing rain turned this into ice and it was not possible to run outside for about 2 and a half days without risking injury. Because Portland rarely sees this type of weather, the city is not prepared to deal with it. They have very few plows and nobody goes out to shovel their sidewalks, so even walking to the grocery store can be an ordeal in weather that people from the midwest or northeast would scoff at. In the end, I had to push my long run back from Sunday to Tuesday and I had to spend some time on a treadmill and an indoor track, so no major setbacks. With all the cross training I've done the last 6 months, neither the treadmill nor indoor track felt like the torture that it has in the past.

The week consisted of only one workout since the long run had to be moved, but that workout was a 12 mile tempo with an average very close to marathon pace. Just 2 and a half weeks before I struggled through a 10 mile tempo at 5:16 pace, so I am hopeful that if I can maintain this consistent progression, I may just be able to come into form at the right time.  More important than the workout at this point is the fact that I put in over 110 miles in 6 days, making the average daily volume closer to a 130 mile week, and I am still healthy. I finally feel like I'm back in full marathon training. Time is running out, so I must remain vigilant and continue to focus on all the small things:  diet, sleep, strength, rehab, etc. My only chance at making the 2016 team for Rio is to have everything come together perfectly, and I feel that I'm doing what I can to make that happen.

Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out last week's training below.

Week 6	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	7	11.5	40 minutes	18.5
Tuesday	12	6 + drills and strides		18
Wednesday	12 mi tempo @ 5:01 avg.	off		18
Thursday	12.5	6	50 minutes	18.5
Friday	Cross training - XC skiing	off		0
Saturday	12.5	6 + drills and strides		19
Sunday	13	6	40 minutes	19
TOTAL				111