7. TWR 1 - Training Week Recap (3/20-3/26)

I’m starting these weekly training recaps to reflect on the previous weeks of training.

I think it’s really easy in marathon training, where the training cycles can be 16+ weeks long, to let the weeks just pass by. Once one training week is done, the next week becomes the immediate focus. And this is fine! This is what’s been natural to me.

I’ve realized, though, that I want to be mindful of how each individual week fits into the greater overall context of training. Training weeks aren’t isolated from one another; one training week might have impact on or inform the next week. For example, fatigue from one week can creep into the next and affect efforts and paces.

I want to use this space to take note of these kinds of factors, identify areas of improvement, document any lessons learned, and celebrate the day-to-day victories. I hope this will also provide some insight into the decisions, thought processes, and compromises I make during a training week. Although I do have a training regimen prescribed by my coach, oftentimes it doesn’t get executed perfectly.

I’m not settled on format for these posts, so it’ll be very brain-dumpy for now. I figure it’ll refine as I do more of these.

Let’s get started.

Total Run Mileage: 53.70mi / 86.42km

• Monday: Easy 4 mi + 6x20s Stride
• Tuesday: ~Rest Day. Leg Strength Work @ Equinox + 1 mi Treadmill Cooldown
• Wednesday: 12 mi Midweek Long Run + Neighborhood Night Walk
• Thursday: Full Rest Day - Date Night!
• Friday: Easy 8 mi + 10x20s Stride
• Saturday: 12 mi Fartlek Workout
• Sunday: Double. Easy 8 mi + 6x20s Stride AM. 4.6 mi Recovery Run PM.

Mileage for the week 3/20-26 was down from the previous week’s 64.5 mi, but that week was freakish. A lot of stars aligned to enable me to get that mileage down. Looking at overall trend from the previous several weeks, this week’s 53.7 miles are still a good bit up from the ~40 mi weeks I’ve sustained from January thru Feb.

Injury. I’ve been injury- and niggle-free for at least the past 4 weeks, something I’m super grateful for. (A “niggle” refers to some minor pain or soreness or discomfort that isn’t quite an injury. You can usually run through a niggle, but left untreated, it can worsen into an injury that takes you off your feet.) I think remaining injury-free is a direct result of the yoga and strength work I’ve been incorporating this year.

Rest Days. I try to align my rest days with social plans. For me, a rest day means no running, but I might do some yoga or a walk or some auxiliary strength work. Nothing too intensive. For my Tuesday rest day, I joined some friends at Equinox on a guest pass and did some light strength work for my legs. A few light sets of deadlifts, leg curls, back extensions, split squats, hip thrusts. I wanted to make sure not to go too hard since I had my 12 mi long run the next day. Thursdays are usually date night with my gf, Anya, so I didn’t plan to run on this day. This let me be very worry-free on Thursday and give my full energy and attention to our date :)

Sunday Double Day. I didn’t originally have a double day planned. The double was a result of a workout from the last training week getting pushed into this week and also a workout getting pushed to make room for date night. I didn’t want to be too strict on myself to get both runs in, so I decided I’d get the more “quality” workout in first and then feel out through the day if I felt good to do the remaining recovery run. And Sunday is my laundry+meal prep day and I wanted to make sure I prioritized those first. Ultimately I did feel good to lace my shoes back up in the afternoon. I had 6 miles planned, but stopped it at 4.6 mi because I felt like I captured the essence of the run: to put some light miles on my legs for active recovery. No need to belabor it by sticking rigidly to a mile count!

This upcoming week, I have 58 miles planned with only Monday as a rest day. So, I’m respecting tf out of this rest day and eating well and chilling out so I can go into this training week FRESH.

3/27-4/2 Planned

• Monday: Full Recovery Day
• Tuesday: Easy 6 mi + Strength Maintenance
• Wednesday: Easy 6 mi + 6x20s Stride
• Thursday: 14 mi Midweek Long Run + Strength Maintenance
• Friday: Easy 4 mi
• Saturday: 16 mi Long Run Interval Workout
• Sunday: 12 mi 2nd Long Run

Holy balls that’s a lot.

Note for future TWRs: compare planned routine vs. actual