Week 13: BQ Training with Run Less Run Faster

Oct 21, 2013 by Greg Fowler

Here is my report for week thirteen of sixteen of my Outer Banks 2013 marathon training. I am following the 3:25:00 Boston Qualifier plan outlined in the book Run Less Run Faster.

To review past weeks, click here.

Short version: Very good week. I hit all targets (4 weeks in a row!), including the last and toughest twenty miler of the training.

For the long version, keep reading.

Cross Training. Wednesday and Thursday

Successfully completed the two prescribed swim workouts: 4 kick laps, 20 minutes non-stop freestyle, 4 kick laps.

Grade: Pass

Run workout #1. Sunday

Looking ahead at the week’s family schedule, I decided to knock out the track workout on Sunday again.  This week’s workout was 10 x 400m at 1:32 with 400m rest intervals.

Results:

• 400m #1: 1:30
• 400m #2: 1:31
• 400m #3: 1:28
• 400m #4: 1:26
• 400m #5: 1:28
• 400m #6: 1:29
• 400m #7: 1:26
• 400m #8: 1:28
• 400m #9: 1:26
• 400m #10: 1:22

Grade: A+. Very solid workout. Probably pushed a little too hard on the last one.  Might explain my sore foot this week.

Run workout #2. Tuesday

This week’s tempo run called for eight miles at a 7:49 pace, two miles shorter than last week’s ten miler but the same pace.

Result: Really solid run.  Felt easy.  Pulled off negative split and finished in 1:01:30

Grade: A. That’s a 7:39 pace overall.

Run Workout #3. Friday

This week’s long run called for twenty miles at an 8:04 pace. That’s five miles farther than last week’s 8:04 target run, which I ran at 8:01.

I viewed this run as the final dress rehearsal before show time.  This meant I followed the nutrition and fueling plan I will be using for the race and day before.

When I walked outside Friday morning, I can’t say that I was very confident.  The temperature was 70 degrees and the humidity was close to 100%.  If you’ve read these posts,  you know I’ll whine about the weather’s affect on me.  I have learned that I struggle on 70+ degree days with high humidity.  So, I knew this was going to be a long morning and probably hurt.

I intentionally dialed it back a bit on the first half, so I could have a good shot at the usual negative split goal. The weather also helped with that.  A few times I felt like I’d sped up only to see 8:15 or 8:22 pop up on my watch for the split time.  At mile ten, I was in a decent spot, though, with an 8:06 pace.

For miles eleven through seventeen, I hovered around the 8:04 mark average, and managed to bring my overall pace down to 8:05.  When my watch beeped after mile eighteen, I felt for sure I was still doing OK, but the mile split read 8:16 and my pace was still 8:05.  So, now I faced a decision.  I could pack it in and not get my fourth straight week of green and end the twenty milers two for five.  Or I could dig deep and give the effort that will probably be required at the end of the marathon to meet my goal.  I decided to dig.

I did my best to ignore the pain.  At mile nineteen, my watch beeped.  7:48.  I pressed the button to see my overall pace.  8:04.  One mile to go,though. Got to beat 8:04 to keep the average, I thought.  I kept pressing.  Lots of pain now.  Time seemed to be standing still.  My watch finally beeped.  7:59.  I quickly hit stop and then pressed the button to see the overall pace.  8:04.  Whew.

Grade: A. 20.06 miles in 2:41:48.  My fastest twenty miles ever.

Week Thirteen Summary

Very happy with the week.   Meeting the twenty miler target was big confidence booster.

Here’s a graphic showing hit or miss on the workouts throughout the training. For the tempo and long runs, I included mileage and pace targets (not including the easy warm up and cool down miles for the tempo runs). The actual pace result is in parentheses:

Up Next

Here’s what is in store for week fourteen.  The taper begins!  The workouts are still tough, but mileage is reduced to under twenty-five miles this week, instead of the thirty mile ballpark.

Run #1: Track work. 8 x 800m in 3:08. 90 second RI between each.  Yuck.
Run #2: 1 mile easy warm up, 5 miles @ 7:19/mile, 1 mile easy cool down.
Run #3: 13 miles @ 7:49/mile.

Cross Training: Swim – 3 x (1 length fast, 1 length slow; 2 lengths fast, 2 lengths slow;  3 lengths fast, 3 lengths slow; 2 lengths fast, 2 lengths slow; 1 length fast, 1 length slow) with 1 minute rest interval between sets.

 

Stay tuned and POFIFOTO!