14week Marathon Training Plan: Week 9, Session 3: Long Run + MP Run

Twenty-seventh session: Week 9, Session 3: Easy Run 2:00hrs + 9.6 km @ Marathon Pace (MP)
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

My luck keeps improving. As I was about to head out the door for this run, I was shocked to find my running shoes had been nicked. My 500km old, off white, smelly running shoes. But the funny thing is, I was going to replace them anyways, but just a week too early, Mr. Robber of dirty things. I hope you find speed and comfort with them, just like I had for the past 5 months.

Long Easy Run for 2:00hrs

My legs were still sore after 3 full days of rest and recovery! And my training buddy had a few choice words for my complaining, and simply said, "don't be a princess" (changed from another word I can't bring myself to type). So with that injection of verbal abuse (or motivation), we headed along the same route used during week 7's long easy run, as it is a perfect 2 hours jog from Tiong Bahru to the Kallang Stadium and back. In 2 hours, we covered 20.1km, averaging just over 6:00min/km pace. I took one gel around the 1:20hr mark, and we had one short break at the Barrage to refill our drink bottles. By the time we finished the long easy portion, my legs were definitely complaining, but I decided to suffer quietly.

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

The treadmill is starting to become an all too familiar sight, but has become one of my favourite tools, especially for runs I'm not sure I can complete (as I can hit the stop button, or decrease the speed at anytime) and it's ease of managing hydration. The overall soreness in my legs was weighing on my mind and confidence, so I just wanted to get this over and done with. Quickly setting the machine to 14.5km/hr and 1% incline, the first 10 minutes was bearable. But after that, it was a mental war. I decided to take a gel to try and perk myself up a little, but it was just about hanging on. We knew the treadmills would stop at 30mins, and we were glad they did as we had something to aim for and earn that little break before making a final push for the last 10mins. The final 10mins was just about being in the moment, feeling and eating the pain (dull muscle aches in the hamstring, quads and calves), treating it like a mental and physical dress rehearsal for the latter part of a marathon race. To hit the stop button after 40mins was pure delight. This was the last time we would run a total of 2:40hrs in a single session for this training plan (as next week reduces to 2:30hrs, and continues to reduce until race day).

During the 9.6km run:
Average Heart Rate: 166bpm
Max Heart Rate: 177bpm
Cadence: 188

Session Analysis / Review:

Tough session and I'm glad I pulled it off. My heart rate recorded the highest average HR (for the 9.6km) of this training plan (average of 166bpm), so it seems my body is still not back to where it was before the bout of food poisoning. The other factor that could be influencing this is the sudden ramping up of mileage from zero last week to 46kms this week (and counting). On the flip side, my training partner stops his treadmill and says, "that wasn't too bad", and who is also on track to hit 80-90km this week in run mileage.

Success Criteria Checkpoints:
(23/42 sessions completed): 55%,  (4/42 sessions missed): 10%,  Total Plan (27/42): 65%

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, and my heart rate is again heading north instead of south. Hitting a new average high of 166bpm. Hopefully it will decline and stabilise in the next few weeks as I stay on track with the plan.
3. How well am I recovering: Legs are absolutely shattered. Limped home from the gym (treadmill) and around the house. The longest MP run is on Sunday, so I have lots of rest and recovery to do.