Summer 2018 Training Recap

On Sunday, I'm registered to run the DC Road Runners Club 20 Miler. The race starts in Carderock and runs towards Georgetown and then back to the start. I've run on the C&O Canal both for training and races and feel pretty comfortable on the path and surface. I have never raced this distance, but it is a good tune up for the New York City Marathon on November 4. Plus it has a solid field of fast runners. If I can place top 3 in the masters division, I'll be pleased.

What makes this race different is that I am trying out a theory. I want to test to see if I can break 100 miles in a training week once more this summer while still giving a solid effort at the race. Depending upon the weather, I feel I am in 2:15-2:20 shape. This summer, I've registered some seriously high mileage weeks. I have had the time to up my mileage and train my body accordingly. Over the last 15 weeks, I have run over 80 miles 13 times, over 90 miles 10 times, and over 100 miles 5 times. I'm front-loading the miles as I ran 25 total miles Monday, 12 this morning, and plan to run 20 tomorrow, 8-10 Thursday with a pre race tune-up of 5 repeats of 4 minutes at slightly faster than race pace, 10 Friday, and 5-6 stroller miles on Saturday (just enough to get Miles to and from soccer practice). Including the race and warm up on Sunday, that should top 100 miles if my math is correct.

My training partner might think I am nuts. He is capping his mileage and tapering "properly." But I think I can do it due to the fact that I have run a lot of miles this summer - in fact, many of the long mileage days have been followed by speed work. In fact, last Thursday I put down 24 miles total (10 were stroller miles and it was a double) and Friday we ran 21 total miles with the middle 10 at marathon race pace around 6:50 (the last three miles I ran especially well and felt like I either picked up the pace or he slowed). We are both running New York City so this will be an excellent gage to see where we are. If I bonk, it will be okay since my goal is to run strong on November 4.

I know that this summer I have had a good training cycle. Through the heat, humidity, and rain, I think my body has responded well. A lot of stroller miles have proven to add to my endurance. I ran my son into daycare and home on quite a few days and ran him to and from the Zoo multiple times. Those days were typically doubles. I didn't abandon speed training in all these miles. I aimed to go fast twice a week: usually one tempo and one fartlek. The exception occurred near around my track mile attempt and my vacation. Some of my key workouts have included the mile training laps, fartlek, a fast finish tempo in St. Michaels, and a marathon pace workout with the middle ten miles at 6:50 pace on the C&O Canal.

My schedule changes next week as I start a new job and will have to figure out my new routine. This week is likely my last chance to break 100 miles in a week for the rest of the year and maybe foreseeable future. I wanted to see if I could do it. If I can, I'll have run over 100 miles a week 8 times. I'm on track to break 4000 miles for the year (last year I cracked 3600 and that was my personal record). I'm averaging 11.25 miles a day. I know this isn't sustainable, but it has been a neat experiment. Aside from the regular muscle soreness and a ganglion cyst on top of my left foot (which is not painful but I am treating), I've felt pretty good.

A new chapter of my life starts on Monday. Reflecting on this high mileage summer, I'm glad I was able to do it, but I am looking forward to a new routine and new challenges. And, I am hopeful that I can race strong in New York!