Nov. 26 - Dec. 2:
We: off
Th: 6
Fr: 5 plus 6 x 40 seconds hard (about 200m) with jog back recoveries
Sa: 9
Su: 9 plus strides
Mo: 7
Tu: 3 x 2 miles at 6:17/mi. average pace (2 min. jog recoveries), then 45 min. jog
Week total: 52 miles
Dec. 3-9:
We: off
Th: 7
Fr: 7
Sa: 4 x 2 miles at 6:16/mi. average pace (2 min. rests)
Su: 7
Mo: 7 plus strides
Tu: 13
Week total: 52 miles
Dec. 10-16:
We: off
Th: 6
Fr: 3 miles (3 min. rest), 2 miles (2 min. rest), 1 mile averaging 6:21/mi. pace
Sa: 5
Su: 6
Mo: off
Tu: 5 x 1k averaging 3:54 = 6:17/mi. pace (2 min. rests)
Week total: 36 miles
Thusly have I tapered my training for the Pisa Marathon this coming Sunday, Dec. 21. For most of the first week above I was recovering from my 15 mile marathon pace run on Nov. 25. The mileage dropped down that week mainly because of my planned off day on Wednesday. But then on Tuesday (at the end of that first week on my strange Wednesday-to-Tuesday schedule) I failed to complete a workout for one of the few times this training cycle. It was no big deal, though. My stomach was off from eating too many beans or something, so I neglected to take in any gels during the 3 x 2 mile tempo intervals, which otherwise went fine. Afterwards I was supposed to run easy for an hour, but I was wiped out and could barely jog at a much slower pace than I normally do easy runs at. I didn't see much point in continuing to run that slowly when my lower back started tightening up, so I stopped early. Evidently I didn't stop early enough, though, because I've been dealing with a tight lower back and sometimes upper hamstrings off and on since then. It was fairly bad for most of the second week above, even after I got a massage on Dec. 3 (thanks to the timing of my birthday and to my wife for giving me a gift certificate). By the third week, as the mileage continued dropping and my body really set about absorbing and healing itself from the past few months' training, I was feeling pretty crappy. My muscles continued aching and I felt generally heavy and sluggish...from running less. Only on Sunday, a week before the race, did I start feeling better. Now I'm in full rest mode and have four more days to continue gathering strength. At this point the weather forecast looks good: a bit humid early on but no threat of rain, light winds, and temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s. I haven't raced in six months, and my last race was a marathon for which I was not well prepared. This time I've never been better prepared: my training has gone very well (once my plan shifted from Turin to Pisa), and my last marathon is just fresh enough in memory that I'm both able to be realistic about how hard it's going to be and eager to push myself as much as I can. It feels like I'm ready for a breakthrough race. We'll see whether the stars align on Sunday, but in any case I intend to enjoy the experience.
We: off
Th: 6
Fr: 5 plus 6 x 40 seconds hard (about 200m) with jog back recoveries
Sa: 9
Su: 9 plus strides
Mo: 7
Tu: 3 x 2 miles at 6:17/mi. average pace (2 min. jog recoveries), then 45 min. jog
Week total: 52 miles
Dec. 3-9:
We: off
Th: 7
Fr: 7
Sa: 4 x 2 miles at 6:16/mi. average pace (2 min. rests)
Su: 7
Mo: 7 plus strides
Tu: 13
Week total: 52 miles
Dec. 10-16:
We: off
Th: 6
Fr: 3 miles (3 min. rest), 2 miles (2 min. rest), 1 mile averaging 6:21/mi. pace
Sa: 5
Su: 6
Mo: off
Tu: 5 x 1k averaging 3:54 = 6:17/mi. pace (2 min. rests)
Week total: 36 miles
Thusly have I tapered my training for the Pisa Marathon this coming Sunday, Dec. 21. For most of the first week above I was recovering from my 15 mile marathon pace run on Nov. 25. The mileage dropped down that week mainly because of my planned off day on Wednesday. But then on Tuesday (at the end of that first week on my strange Wednesday-to-Tuesday schedule) I failed to complete a workout for one of the few times this training cycle. It was no big deal, though. My stomach was off from eating too many beans or something, so I neglected to take in any gels during the 3 x 2 mile tempo intervals, which otherwise went fine. Afterwards I was supposed to run easy for an hour, but I was wiped out and could barely jog at a much slower pace than I normally do easy runs at. I didn't see much point in continuing to run that slowly when my lower back started tightening up, so I stopped early. Evidently I didn't stop early enough, though, because I've been dealing with a tight lower back and sometimes upper hamstrings off and on since then. It was fairly bad for most of the second week above, even after I got a massage on Dec. 3 (thanks to the timing of my birthday and to my wife for giving me a gift certificate). By the third week, as the mileage continued dropping and my body really set about absorbing and healing itself from the past few months' training, I was feeling pretty crappy. My muscles continued aching and I felt generally heavy and sluggish...from running less. Only on Sunday, a week before the race, did I start feeling better. Now I'm in full rest mode and have four more days to continue gathering strength. At this point the weather forecast looks good: a bit humid early on but no threat of rain, light winds, and temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s. I haven't raced in six months, and my last race was a marathon for which I was not well prepared. This time I've never been better prepared: my training has gone very well (once my plan shifted from Turin to Pisa), and my last marathon is just fresh enough in memory that I'm both able to be realistic about how hard it's going to be and eager to push myself as much as I can. It feels like I'm ready for a breakthrough race. We'll see whether the stars align on Sunday, but in any case I intend to enjoy the experience.
