I can make all sorts of grand plans for marathon training, but the truth is they never work out. Life always gets in the way. I didn't get nearly as many long runs as I wanted to in this training cycle, but it all worked out in the end! My primary goal for Boston was to feel "good" during the race, rather than feel like I was dying the whole time like I did at Pittsburgh. Despite my training hiccups (cough that lasted 3+ months), I DID achieve my primary goal! Hatfield McCoy still wins as the marathon I felt the best in (hello ALL the long runs, including a 30 miler), but Boston gets to go down as the 2nd best! The other three were mostly misery.
This training cycle came out to 22 weeks. I didn't actually know how many weeks long it was until I counted them the week of Boston. Basically, marathon training started the week when I knew I had achieved the proper fitness to run 10+ miles, 3 times a week (or 30 miles in 3 runs). The very first week I did this, I knew it was the right plan for me. My body felt so much better on each run, even though they were longer, because of the extra rest days I had. I was probably supposed to bike 1-2 times a week along with the 3 runs, but I rarely did. I did strength train 1-2 times per week though.
Week 1: 11/12-18
36.8 miles : 11, 12, 3.1, 10.6
The extra 3.1 this week was a women's 5k that I walk/jogged with the 7 year old. Made the last run of the week a tempo run : 3 up, 4 tempo, 3+ down. The tempo portion included hills and paces ranged from 7:04-6:50.
Week 2 : 11/19-25
39 miles : 12, 10.4, 16.6
First official long run of this training cycle. Not as easy as I'd hoped for, but I kept the pace under 8:00 the whole time so I felt pretty good about it! I completely ignored the fact that my knee started hurting 2-3 miles in, and just kept on going. Luckily, it turned to be fine and I didn't put myself out of training by being stupid in week 2.
Week 3 : 11/26-12/2
25.3 miles : 8.1, 8.7, 8.5
After the 16 miler, I decided I should back off for a week. The cold rainy weather also helped influence this decision.
Week 4 : 12/3-9
22 miles : 10, 12
The 12 miler was an impromptu 8 mile tempo, hills included, with paces from 7:31-6:59. Then the Snowpocalypse hit, the roads weren't clear, and the snow was too deep to run through. So I hit the bike trainer for an hour instead of getting my 3rd run.
Week 5 : 12/10-16
34.6 miles : 8.5, 6.3, 10, 9.8
Our road finally got plowed. I wasn't confident enough in the state of the roads in general to drive anywhere, so on Monday I ran laps around the neighborhood. ~1 mile figure 8 laps. I wanted 10 miles, but called it quits at 8.5 because I was losing my mind. I ran again the next day to make up for it. My legs complained the whole time because "I don't run 2 days in a row anymore." I probably would have quit for the week after the 3rd run, but some friends offered to run with me on Sunday.
Week 6 : 12/17-23
32.3 miles : 8.3, 14, 10
10 mile run was 3 mile tempo, 2 mile tempo, 1 mile sprint, with 1 mile up, recoveries, and down.
Week 7 : 12/24-30
8 miles : 8
I took 6 days off to spend time with family over the holidays, and to see if the random pain on the top of my right foot would go away.
Week 8 : 12/31-1/6
30 miles : 8, 10, 12
Developed a head cold somewhere around this time. Tried to run a marathon-pace 8 miles anyway (10 mile run). Paces ranged from 7:39-7:04 on mostly flat road.
Week 9 : 1/7-13
23.6 miles : 8.6, 15
New orthotics this week, hooray! Still dealing with the cough and trying to take it easy so as to get better.
Week 10 : 1/14-20
39.2 miles : 10, 5.6, 5.5, 18.1
4 runs this week because I revisited Track Tuesday and didn't want to run 10+ 2 days in a row. Ran the 18 miler with a friend and didn't feel too bad, although didn't feel super strong either, and it was slower than I would have liked. Cough still lingering.
Track Tuesday : 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400. 400 walk recoveries.
Week 11 : 1/21-27
26 miles : 6.4, 11.5, 8.1
The first run was short because it was a recovery run after the 18 miler, and because I forgot my inhaler... I felt great on the other two runs this week and was happy that both were around 7:35 average pace. Still coughing.
Week 12 : 1/28-2/3
31.2 miles : 10. 8.1, 13.1
Slower runs this week in frigid temps, debated about doing the half marathon on Saturday given my head cold/cough, but decided to do it anyway. Didn't push super hard but finished in 1:36:27 and felt great about it!
Week 13 : 2/4-10
17.6 miles : 9.5, 8.1
My legs/body were tired and dragging this week so I cut both runs short and didn't run a 3rd time. I did bike twice though, once outside on a random warm day, and the other on the trainer. Cough still not gone.
Week 14 : 2/11-17
40.7 miles : 11, 8.7, 21
STILL COUGHING. Woke up feeling even sicker on Saturday morning but was determined to get the long run anyway. Was afraid to put it off and never get it. Run didn't feel too bad, other than the random foot cramp that kept coming and going. Almost had to call it quits several times but then the pain would go away.
Week 15 : 2/18-24
0 miles
Took the whole week off, trying to get this stupid cough to go away! Also, I've learned that sometimes my legs really appreciate a week off. It's hard on my mental game, but it definitely never hurts my legs to get a break in the middle of a long training cycle.
Week 16 : 2/25-3/3
17.3 miles : 5.1, 6. 6.2
Gave up on every getting rid of the cough, went to the doctor. Got put on a steroid to help get rid of it. Was told I could go straight back to running if I felt like it. Could have run forever on Tuesday, but called it quits at 5 because I wanted to be smart. Cough still wasn't gone by the end of the week.
Week 17 : 3/4-10
26.1 miles : 9.5, 8.5, 8.1
On Monday my legs felt great for exactly 8 miles and then they not so politely requested that I stop immediately. I crawled through the last 1.5. On Saturday, I attempted a tempo progression run, but had the wind in my face going out, and at my back coming back, so that influenced my paces quite a bit... I killed the last tempo mile in 6:31. Still coughing.
Week 18 : 3/11-17
22.2 miles : 8.1, 8, 6
Legs were feeling sluggish, but then I ran a 4 mile race on Friday evening and it felt SO GOOD to run fast! Averaged 6:43 pace. Still coughing. I'll be coughing for the rest of my life.
Week 19 : 3/18-24
32 miles :14, 8, 10
I felt GREAT this week! 14 miler was under 8:00 pace, the 8 miler was a 2x2 mile tempo, and the 10 miler was an unplanned tempo run because I just felt so good. Yep, still coughing.
Week 20 : 3/25-31
30.7 miles : 8.1, 12.1, 10.5
On Wednesday, I decided to revisit the track. I was 3.5 miles in when I got to the track. I was thinking about doing 1 mile repeats. At the end of the first 1600, I felt like I could hold the pace for another 1600...so I kept going. And then I went down by 2 laps at a time, with my final interval being 800. 400 walk recoveries in between each interval. Cough is still here, but at this point I'm just pretending it's not. Life goes on.
Week 21 : 4/1-7
25 miles : 18, 7
I know it's awfully close to race day for a long run, but mentally I needed one more long run before the big day! I felt pretty good for this 18, and that made me feel much better going into Boston! Cough? Oh yeah, that's still here. Whatever.
Week 22 : 4/8-14
20.1 miles : 8, 6.1, 6
Trying to take it easy this week to be as well rested as possible for Boston!
April 15 : Marathon Day!
26.2 miles
3:34:37 What an incredible experience! Race recap coming soon.
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