Marathon Training Update Part Three
Picking up the pace
After getting some time to devote to writing over the weekend, I’m finally just about caught up with these marathon training posts.
This is for week four of my marathon training, using Hansons Advanced Marathon Training plan.
For me, the early returns on this program are mostly positive. When I’ve been able to follow the plan, I’ve felt good and been able to hit my goals. Holiday travel got in the way of things in week two, but I felt great about my running during week three.
Now, let’s see how things went in week four, the first full week of 2023.
Monday 1/2: 6 easy miles
This was my eighth straight day running, which is a lot for me. But all systems were still go for an easy run in the neighborhood.
Results: 6.01 miles, 54:15, 9:01 pace. So far, so good.
Tuesday 1/3: 800m intervals x6
Back to the indoor track on campus. This is where the 200m track really starts to feel different than a 400m track, to me at least. Four laps for each rep. With each one at a 6:40 mile pace, this was definitely a grind.
Results: 7.51 miles, 58:56, 7:50 pace. Hit all of them on time, and only took a couple of short water breaks, which were essential with the dry air. A hard workout, but a successful one!
Wednesday 1/4: Rest
Rest, sweet rest. I needed this rest day, and once again, #nailedit.
Thursday 1/5: 6 miles marathon pace (plus 1 mile warmup and 1 mile cooldown)
I was supposed to do my first marathon pace run of the program the week before, but sacrificed that to get in a few more miles overall. So, I was a bit apprehensive about this run. Could I hold this pace for six miles? Let’s find out.
Results: 8.01 miles, 1:02:41, 7:50 pace. Success! It did take me just a bit longer to ramp up to that 7:30 pace, as my second mile was 7:32, but after that, they were all between 7:22-7:27.
Friday 1/6: 6 miles easy
I’m still trying to find the best time to work in these Friday runs. Ideally, I’d do them right after work, but I’m finding that difficult without a nap. Then it becomes an issue of time. Anyway, I came up just a bit short.
Results: 5.06 miles, 45:47, 9:02 pace. Good pace, just a little short on mileage. I’ll keep working on this.
Saturday 1/7: 8 miles easy
This was a pretty good run, but I could feel myself struggling a bit more than usual. I wasn’t sure if this was just fatigue, or if I was starting to come down with something.
Results: 8.14 miles, 1:12:25, 8:54 pace. Solid results, if just a bit fast. I was hoping that if I pulled back on the pace the next day, I’d feel better.
Sunday 1/8: 8 miles easy
Well, I was defintely starting to come down with something. Even after a full 8 hours of sleep Saturday night, I was really fatigued Sunday morning, to go along with a stuffy/runny nose. Fortunately, it was “just” a cold, but that was enough to keep me from running. I decided to listen to my body here and take an extra rest day.
Results: 0 miles, #fail
For the week, goal: 44 miles. Actual: 34.73.
I was just about on track until that pesky cold derailed me. But I’m still happy with the week overall, as I was able to hit my goals in both the speedwork and the marathon pace run.
I’ll get competely caught up with these marathon training posts tomorrow when I share my week five results with you.
Happy running!
