Good morning everyone. Today’s hoddle is the second in a short series on your hoddler-in-chief’s journey to run his fourth marathon in April. As I said last week, I decided to document my journey while out on an “angry” run following a Spurs defeat to Newcastle.
That anger wasn’t just from the defeat, but also from several weeks of the most brutal winter I’ve endured since living in Washington DC.
But after that period I am hopeful that what I see is the light at the end of the tunnel, and not an oncoming train. The temperatures are hospitable, but snow is forecast for Sunday. Who knows. I’ll get out there regardless.
(Catch up on Week 9)
I’m only doing this to document my own journey and to find some sort of outlet for the thousands of thoughts that run through my mind through every run. Some of them are good. Some of them are bad. I run through it all. Regardless the distance, the biggest struggle is carrying the dialogue and fears with you.
Week 10
I only have a few more weeks of serious running to go. This Sunday will mark my third 20-mile run. After that it’s a short break until I do my 22-miler before the taper. Now that the weather is getting warmer I’m wondering how much I should push myself. I’m trying really hard to take it one run at a time. Sometimes it’s difficult. It’s always difficult, actually.
Last week I was feeling pretty negative. The doldrum of winter really got to me. I was exhausted. Somehow I got through it. But the thing with running is you get through some hard times, and there are still more miles ahead of you. So I just have to confront those miles. I feel like I’m so close I’m going crazy. Steady eddie, fitzie.
Sunday run: 16 miles (8 miles easy, 8 miles slightly faster than target pace)
I was pretty happy with this. The roads were clear, the temps were warm enough that I didn’t have to wear gloves, and I finally got to really push the pace. The last eight miles were done at a 6:49/mi pace, slightly faster than my target pace. But here’s the deal: I DON’T KNOW MY TARGET PACE.
Part of the struggle with this winter is what do I trust? My half marathon time from November? My Garmin watch race predictor (which says a 3:01 marathon)? My last few months of icy running? My general pace?
All that said, 6:49/mi is probably pushing it a little too much knowing I’ll still have 10 miles to go on race day. That’s a lot, and it hurts. Even though I felt pretty dang good after my run, I knew I didn’t feel good enough to go another 10 miles like that. But can I do it at 6:52 or 6:55/mi? Maybe!
I do a lot of visualising when I’m out there on my long runs. When I’m on the Capital Crescent Trail I like to imagine myself in the final stretch of the marathon, totally alone and in significant pain, doing everything I can to push through those final moments. I know how much it hurts, which is kind of scary.
All of this is building to my run this coming Sunday, which will be my third 20-miler. The tentative plan is to take the first 16 miles at a comfortable pace and push myself the final four. I think my half marathon pace is a lot better than it was in November. If I can run the final eight miles of a 16-miler at a 6:49/mi pace rather comfortably, then I can probably get close to a a sub-6:30/mi half marathon pace. That’d be about six seconds faster than my current best.
Monday: Rest day
I cannot remember the last time I slept til 9am. It felt incredible. Sleep, coffee, oatmeal. Then some light stretching, more coffee, and eating whatever the heck I wanted. It’s not easy to eat on Sundays because my appetite feels so suppressed from the long runs, so I try to make up some of the calories the following day.
Tuesday: 7 mile recovery
An easy 7 mile run at a 7:50/mi pace. It’s probably still too “fast” for what a recovery should look like, but I mostly run by feel and not pace. I rarely look at my watch, actually. So this felt very good and I rewarded myself with some good stretching, lots of pasta, a whole carton of cookies and some wine later in the evening.
Wednesday: Track night treadmile
This isn’t totally set yet. I’ll probably aim for roughly 6 mile intervals. I like to go with what the track club posts and then modify it to make it a little bit longer. This’ll likely be a one mile warmup and one mile cooldown, with four miles worth of work in between.
Thursday: 10 miles easy
More time on the feet. It’s getting warmer and the sun’s out longer, but not that long. So let’s put on the LED lights and make sure I get home safely. This is still my least favourite workout. I hate how long it takes to actually get done. It’s after 5pm, the workout will take at least 72 minutes not including a cooldown or stretch. By the time I sit down for supper it might be time to watch The Traitors. But I can’t complain. There are far worse Thursdays than mine.
Friday: Gym
Deadlifts, some kind of chest press and split squat, plus three more exercises at a light enough weight to challenge myself but not push it. Again, this is all about injury prevention, flexibility and stability.
Saturday: 8 miles easy
Another easy 8 mile run to prepare myself for Sunday. Get out an enjoy the sunshine. Here comes the warmth. Here comes the sun.
(The forecast actually calls for snow.)
Expected total weekly miles: 47
Fitzie’s track of the day: Love Comes to Everyone, by George Harrison
And now for your links:
Alasdair Gold: “The one word Igor Tudor deliberately avoided while speaking about Tottenham and it’s not relegation”
BBC: “Real Madrid tie halted over Vinicius racism allegation”
Independent: “Five big names return to Lionesses squad as Poppy Pattinson earns first call-up”