This week’s stats:
88 miles
12M MLR
15M with 9M Wave Tempo in 6:03 average via 557/615 / 558/615 / 552/613 / 550/617/ 550
24.2M time on feet run in 2:54:29, with 21-23 splits of 630-601-600
8 runs, 0 days off
2 lift sessions
People, there is hope for Boston! After losing most of last week’s training due to the flu, it marked the third week total in a 9-week marathon cycle where I missed a key long run. But, after a solid 9 mile wave tempo on Thursday, followed closely by a super fun time-on-feet / carb depletion long run on Saturday, I am hopeful that I will be fit enough to merit my position in the Elite Women’s Start on April 15th.
On Thursday, I recruited Jay for company on my tempo. Even though he’s just over 2 weeks out from PRing at the Tokyo Marathon, he felt ready to help me out. I needed whatever I could get because I wasn’t quite sure how to workout would pan out, coming off of last week’s fever. The goal was to run 550-555 and 610-615. I decided that I could adjust the easy pace to 615-620 to just ensure I could complete the workout. This helped tremendously because it allowed me to relax more going into this and to trust that, with a few adjustments, I could complete this workout. The last couple miles certainly felt hard, but Jay and I did it!
Jay and Jeff have been super helpful this cycle!
Then, just two days later, I mapped out a course from my house, through the Los Altos Hills, to Stanford and back. The course mimicked Boston in some ways, except for the downhill start. But, for the first 4-12 miles, it was rolling, then flat through Stanford, with a nice downhill at the end. Jay and I start together, before JOB grabbed us 8 miles in so that he could finish the last 16 miles. I was super grateful that JOB decided to join me because I decided to drop the hammer on the last couple of miles because (1) I felt good and (2) it was downhill! It was pretty sunny and felt very hot towards the end, which I thought could be great practice for Boston, depending on the weather conditions. Overall, I was very pleased with this run because of just how freaking strong I felt. Additionally, I didn’t take any water or gels during the run and my body didn’t seem to react at all to the lack of calories. Afterwards, JOB and I grabbed some brunch together at Coupa to ensure we could re-coup our (my?) caloric losses.
All in all, I really feel like I’m moving in the right direction. Even though this cycle has been a rollercoaster ride of mileage fluctuations, I’ve somehow maintained my strength, which therefore has kept my own belief in myself and my abilities alive.