14week Marathon Training Plan: Week 7, Session 3: Long Run + MP

Twenty-first Session: Week 7 Session 3: Easy Run 2:00hrs + 9.6 km @ Marathon Pace (MP)
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

Unfortunately I had to attend to a family emergency in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Wednesday. I stayed overnight and returned just before dinner time on Thursday. Just in time to put on my run gear, and head out the door to meet my training buddy.  

Long Easy Run for 2:00hrs
Given the hamstring soreness, the last minute travel and stress of the family emergency I wasn't sure what to expect for this run. I told my training buddy that I would prefer to use the treadmill for the MP portion just in case I couldn't complete the hard part of this session. The long easy run took us from Tiong Bahru along the river to the Kallang Stadium, then around the back towards Gardens by The Bay East, passing the Flower Domes, crossing over the Helix bridge and back to Tiong Bahru. The route was a perfect 2 hours, covering 20.3km, averaging just over 6:00min/km pace. I was surprised my legs survived the 2hours without any tightness or complaints. I also made sure to take on nutrition, one gel at the 1hour mark so that I'm practising my nutrition strategy.

Marathon Pace Portion: 9.6km at 4:09 min/km (Target Time: 40:00mins)  

Straight onto the treadmill from the 2hr run, we set the speed on 14.5km/hr (4:09min/km pace) and 1% grade. I was not confident in finishing this portion, but wanted to give it a good go. My training buddy had found last week's treadmill session easier than mine, so he was happy to swap treadmills with me for luck. The first few kms started without any issues. Both of us were talking, taking our gels at the 1mile mark, and drinking regularly (the luxuries of being on a treadmill). At the 4mile mark (6.4km) my training buddy decided to call it quits to save his legs. Earlier in the week, he had run an extra 20km in addition to the training plan, and we believe the fatigue was still in his legs. Or it could have been the treadmill, as I was on a roll. I managed to finish the MP portion on 40:00mins with only one small stop due to the treadmill automatically shutting down at the 30min mark (which you can see in the HR data, a sudden drop in my HR). My legs were tired, but definitely not as tight as last week after completing the set.

During the 9.6km run:
Average Heart Rate: 160bpm
Max Heart Rate: 167bpm
Cadence: 189

Session Analysis / Review:

Was very surprised I managed to pull of this session given everything leading up to it. Skipping the Tuesday Yasso 800m session had definitely helped the recovery process, and also having a running partner definitely helps make this 2:40hr monster session pass so much faster. Nutrition and hydration was on point, and I think that helped with the positive outcome.

Success Criteria Checkpoints:
(20/42 sessions completed): 47%,  (1/42 sessions missed): 2%,  Total Plan (21/42): 50%

1. Did I hold the pace over the prescribed distance: Yes for the MP portion.
2. Did my heart rate stay in Zone 3: No, but my Zone data shows that I'm operating 61% in Zone 3 which is great news.
3. How well am I recovering: Skipping the previous Yasso 800m session paid off with no issues on this run. Will need to work recovering well as the next session is on Saturday morning.