It is now week 2 into my 19 week marathon training plan. I’m quickly ramping up my miles and remembering that training for a marathon can quickly consume your life.
This week I’m following the plan to a T and trying something new with eating on my long run day. So let’s get to what I did this week.
This Week Training Plan
- Tuesday – Easy 30 minute run
- Wednesday – Tempo Run 3 miles
- Thursday – Easy 5 miles
- Saturday – Long 9 miles
- Sunday – Track 2 miles
This week I actually added an extra run to my week. Looking back…this was a bad idea. As I mentioned before I was going to follow this to a T however, I didn’t. Let’s get into the week.
My pace schedule
Here’s a look into my pace schedule for a better understanding of my timing:
- Easy 10:56-12:00
- Marathon 10:17
- Threshold 9:22
- Interval 8:26
- Repetition 7:54
Tuesday
This was an easy run, I was supposed to run either 3 miles or 30 minutes whichever came first. My easy pace is supposed to sit between 11-12 minute miles however, this is my biggest struggle…running at that pace. I ran 2.81 miles in 30 minutes which put my pace at 10:40. There was a lot of walking trying to keep my pace down.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a tempo run and boy did I make this a lot harder than it was supposed to be. I hopped onto the trail feeling really good. My first mile was a bit faster than it was supposed to. I ended up adding an extra mile to this run (oops). I ended up doing 4.16 miles in 37:14 which put my pace at 8:57. I felt great after but during this run and wasn’t so happy.
Thursday
This was my favorite run of the week. I was able to pop in my headphones and run on my favorite trail. I did 5 miles in 54:16. I focused on running comfortably and not “over doing” it. As you saw above, I struggle with easy runs so I took my time and allowed myself to run at a comfortable pace which ended up being 10:49.
Saturday
I’m back to long run Saturdays which means the rest of the day is me sitting with my feet up and eating! Years past I didn’t struggle with long runs but now that I intermittent fast my long runs are throwing me for a loop.
Today I tried eating 2 hours before my run. I had 9 miles scheduled. I struggled most of the time with cramping and feeling bloated. I didn’t bring any food or water with me since the temperature wasn’t too bad. As you will see this is a work in progress and I’m thankful for having a long time before my marathon to figure this out.
I didn’t complete the full 9 miles. I did 8.82 miles in 1:50:50 which puts this run at a 12:33 pace (can you tell I was struggling??).
Sunday
After Saturday’s run, I needed to burn off some frustration so I hit our local track and did some 800m sprints. I wanted to see how fast I could go without throwing up (sorry TMI). I was really proud of this. Normally when I run the track I do about 4 miles.
Since I had a long run the day before I only did 2 miles I was also starting to experience some ankle and knee pain. For this workout I did 1 800m fast and walked a lap. I ended up with an average running pace of 6:54mm. This does not include any walking, I did pause my watch for that.
My Thoughts
All in all, I felt like I did a good job. I did push myself too much by running 5 times and as you’ll need next week, it made a difference. The 2 things that I’m really working on are keeping my easy run pace down and continue to figure out the long run nutrition plan.
Next Week
My mileage is set for about 20 miles next week with a hill run scheduled too. I’ll be trying out a new trail next week for a change of scenery and will be posting my progress on my Instagram page.
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