I still haven’t figured out what to truly call this weekly training recap since I’m currently training for 3 events which all require a bit of a different focus.
- Mt Blanc 10k trail race – June 28th – Chamonix, France
- Geneva Sprint Triathlon – July 19th – Geneva, Switzerland
- Berlin Marathon – September 28th – Berlin, Germany
Regardless what we title it, this week’s post definitely shows how much I overdosed on training last week. I let the amazing weather, great friends, positive peer pressure, and new bikes lure me outside one too many times in addition to my actual marathon training plan. Monday morning was the first time that training for these 3 events at the same time stressed me out. In fact up until now I’ve looked at training for all 3 as a positive. I feel like both the trail running and triathlon training have helped be build a stronger than normal marathon base both physically and mentally. But, when I woke up Monday morning I realized just how much I pushed my body last week.
It’s Tuesday and my body still feels wrecked from last week’s workouts which isn’t the best way to start a new training week. I’m using this as a learning experience and making sure that I scale things back a little bit. At the end of the day, I want to enjoy these three races though Berlin Marathon is my primary focus.
Monday: The 6 mile tempo run plan was 2 miles easy – 2 miles at 8:53 – 2 miles easy In the end I ended up running 2 warm-up miles at 9:45, 1 mile at 8:46, 1 mile at 8:56, and the final 2 miles at 9:40. Even in the late afternoon heat I felt strong and really enjoyed this tempo run.
Tuesday: 1600 meter swim in the morning followed by 90 minutes of hot power yoga in the evening
Wednesday: My Speed workout plan was 1.5 mile warm-up followed by 4 x 400 at 8:08 pace sprints followed by a 1.5 mile cool down. I headed down to the lake for the speed portion since it’s convenient, straight and the views made it a perfect spot. I was able to maintain 7:40, 7:20, 6:59, and 7:52 pace. Everything clicked for this workout perfectly and I ran the whole thing with a ridiculous smile on my face even during the painful minutes.
Thursday: 2000 meter swim
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: An incredibly beautiful 10k trail run through Chamonix valley plus another 10k of trail running and hiking through Les Praz.
Sunday: A 29 mile bike ride including 3 steep climbs which definitely helped prepare me for the bike leg of the Geneva triathlon!
YOUR TURN: In preparation for this week’s long run, I’m on the hunt for new tunes. What song are you LOVING right now?
Awesome week of training! Question for you what did you do exactly for this – 4 x 400 at 8:08 workout? I always see speed work outs on training logs and never really get them. Hope you have another great week!
Thanks Michelle! There are a few ways you can do this – you can go to a track and make it your goal to make it around the track (if it’s 400 meters) in 2:02 or you can look at your Garmin and maintain an 8:08 pace for the 400 distance. Does this help? I can do a dedicated post on this too if you’d like!
Thanks for the response. So it’s 2:02 one time around the track and your do that 4 times total for the work out you described above? Any jogging in between or 4 times around at the 2:02 pace? I appreciate your expertise!
I would LOVE a post on speed workouts. I need to incorporate it, but I’m not exactly sure what to do. The above explanation helps a lot though 🙂
I’m loving the Jungle by X Ambassadors and Jaime N Commons used in the World Cup Commercial. It’s a little slower than I normally like, but damn, it pumps me up.
And as far as training, it’s why I have built in rest weeks into my marathon training (also have my first sprint triathlon and Spartan race before marathon) for in case stuff happens or if I pushed myself too much the week before.
I just want to say kudos to you for entering into 3 big events like that! You’re amazing!
XoXo Shea L. ☞☞☞ kissmychocolate.com