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Marathon Training: Week 11


If you're following along, here is the ELEVENTH week of training according to the 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon book.  The paces below are specifically for the 4-hour goal.  If anyone would like the paces for 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, or 5:00, I can start posting them alongside my plan if you let me know.

I am also posting on DailyMile, but everything (and more!) will be posted here as well.  This "Marathon Training" series is an experiment for me both in fitness and in blogging, as I am going to go into more detail than in previous training cycles, documented on my Training page.

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Last Week in Review:

Here is the original schedule from last week and my comments/modifications.

If I were to be hard on myself, I'd declare that I totally sucked this week.  Monday-Wednesday, I was feeling extremely fatigued for some strange reason, which I don't think had to do with last week's easy (or as "easy" as it can get) 19-miler, sleep, or food intake.  I don't think I was getting sick, either.  My theory is that I am having to rip myself out of bed almost every morning and have hardly taken any time off from work in months (since May, when I went to Fargo, which was a quick trip considering).  So naturally, my mind and body are rebelling.

While I don't think there's much I can do about that any time soon, I have been a bit worried that my marathon training will go down the scrapper just because of a few botched runs.  I am feeling a little bit better now, so let's hope I can continue to keep on trucking.  I have about 3 more weeks until taper, and then I won't care if I start running out of steam....

Week of Sept 19 (Week 10)
Monday - jog 40 minutes <-- I think I made it about 3.2 miles, because I walked some of this
Tuesday - cross-train 30 minutes <-- tried to do Wednesday's tempo run because of a schedule issue, but ran 2 miles at pace and walked 1 for a total of 3
Wednesday - 6 mi at 8:45-8:50 <-- I started on this and then felt very weak, so I walked the rest
Thursday - jog 30 minutes or rest <-- finally did something right... 6.2 mph
Friday - cross-train 30 minutes <-- rested with the exception of 20 min upper body weights
Saturday - 10 mi at 10:40-11:10 <-- 10:11 pace; track not open, so surface was concrete per usual
Sunday - rest

This Week:


This upcoming week contains the second-to-the-last monster run in this training program -- 21 miles.  Since I did 19 a couple of weeks ago, I shouldn't be daunted, right?  Something about the 20+ mile range that really gets me psychologically.  Plus, I mean really, it's a freaking long way.  But given that this is a 16-week program with the appropriate 3-week taper period, that means that the end is in sight....

All I can hope is that I can run on a track for the majority of this run.  I love tracks and don't really get bored by the repetition of the 1/4 mi laps.


Week of Sept 26 (Week 11)
Monday - rest
Tuesday - jog 30 minutes
Wednesday - 3 mi at 8:45/mi
Thursday - jog 30 minutes or rest
Friday - cross-train 30 minutes
Saturday - 21 mi at 10:40-11:10
Sunday - rest

Where are your favorite places to run?

Besides the track, I like running at the regional park near my house that has a 2.2 mi loop, but I don't like driving anywhere to run.  The park is nice because it has different surfaces -- packed dirt, concrete, soft dirt, and trail-y dirt.  The path from my house to the park is about 4 miles, but some of it is on a highway where I must run at the shoulder.  For this reason, I have not been back and in while and instead run around a local high schoool in 1.2-mi segments.

To be continued...

Comments

  1. I am so glad to read your updates about 4 months to a 4 hour - I have been so close to using this program a couple times! You are doing an awesome job and don't be hard on yourself for a rough week...it'll all come together and be an awesome race for you!

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  2. I have been on a treadmill almost exclusively since May. Im terrified to do a long distance outside!! So I have that going for me. At least you have all those running options near you to keep your mind and body guessing and challenged!

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  3. I'm at the taper now and feeling new pains I've never felt before. At the end of my 21 miler my hamstring was really bugging me. Hope this week goes well.

    I don't like driving somewhere to run. I typically run in my neighborhood or near/around the park/golf course just over a mile away. For long runs, I'll map a route that takes me to the beach and back.

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  4. I have to say, you may be the only marathoner I know (or "know") who lists the track as a favorite running location :)

    Good luck on the final push! You've had a great training cycle, so now it's just time for maintenance and preservation.

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  5. there is a time during every marathon training cycle when fatigue just becomes a big issue. i always get worn down in body and spirit right before the height of the training.

    hope that you make it through and start to feel more refreshed soon.

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  6. Hang in there, and good luck. Those later stages of training before the taper can be tough, but you are a veteran at this. Keep up the good work!

    My favorite place to run is a local county park. It is absolutely huge, very scenic, and has miles of trails. Love it!

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  7. 20 miles is a freakin' long way to run! You will do it and rock it. Have fun!

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  8. Don't be so hard on yourself - it looks like you're doing great. Good luck with the long run. My favorite place to run is the Croton Aqueduct, a dirt path that runs along the Hudson River just north of Manhattan.

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  9. That regional park isn't Legg Lake is it? Man that place was dangerous when I was growing up 30 years ago!

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