Friday, February 22, 2013

Request for Training Wisdom

Okay, so it's the home stretch.  I've logged two 20s.  This Sunday is three weeks out.  I'm a bit out of sync, in that I ran 20 last Saturday, so would usually run shorter next week and 20 the following.  On the other hand, the one time I ran 20 two weeks out from a marathon, it was a bad scene.

So, my current thinking is to do a last 20, and then start to taper.  I'm feeling pretty good, so the benefits of an extra 20 would seem to outweigh the risks.

Here's the puzzle.  The weather looks really lousy this weekend, cold and rainy both days.  Also, I'm signed up for a 4 miler on Saturday.  My plan was to run the 4 miler for fun, and then run long on Sunday.  But a 20 miler in 35 degree rain sounds really unpleasant.  What do folks think about racing the 4 miler, cross training on Sunday, and then running long Monday, when the weather is supposed to be nice?  I'm on sabbatical, so I can get away with it, I think.  What do y'all think?


5 comments:

  1. Go for it, dude...since your schedule has that flexibility, benefit from it!
    I am so pleased you are getting your 20s in. I have always believed that those runs are mandatory marathon prep and regret that a few things going on here are preventing me from doing mine AT ALL...I will explain in Rome...enjoy your race, cross train, or rest on Sunday, and enjoy a nice long LSD when the weather is better!

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  2. Looks like the snow and rain are going to hold off until after the race is over. So, that's the new plan. We'll see if the third 20 happens or not. . . :-)

    Speaking of which, are the two of us the only RunningProfs who are going to be running the full marathon?

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  3. I think that is it for the full marathon, si, but have to say I am so disheartened at the moment that am wondering whether I should radically revise down (or out) my PLODICUS ROMANUS plan. Things are just not coming together, my stamina over even 10 miles is rubbish and of course there is no time left to do anything about it. Snifficus.

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  4. Did the Monday long run go as hoped?

    Philip, are you still rowing daily? My guess -- and it's just a guess -- is that if you take a three week sabbatical from the river you will find some pop in your stride that has been missing. I can't believe that you can put in the work you are and not realize some great benefits to your running.

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  5. I agree! We are into racing season though - heads mainly, then bumps, then regattas, and so it is tough to step out of the boat after all the winter work. We are not on the water or erging every day, just hard on the weekends and some land/machine seshs mid week. Then I do my running alternate mornings. The rowing is helping areas I needed: core, glutes etc. and it is maintaining mental discipline and cardio. The problem is that an old twig like me finds it shattering amid the young oaks, and so that means I don't jog five miles home after ....lazy oldie! I am worried about Rome mainly because I think I am two months behind my usual curve...but any time I tried to ramp up my LSD I just deathmarched from 10 or so on. For the past two weeks a contributor has also been strong antibiotics and underlying infection...but now that is clear I feel a bit more like myself. I will thus start Rome, aim for an LSD and a finish, and with no return to PF. One issue will be mental discipline, as I have always had a time goal, and without one it may be hard for me to get through the bad patches. We shall see! Then if I come out unscathed I want to rebalance the rowing/running configuration, lay down some serious shorter races and training, hopefully dial up the speed to what it was several years ago, and make a disciplined, planned, serious set of attempts at sub3 before late 2015 when I will be FIFTY!! That is the plan anyway. Watch this space (and laugh or cry with me).

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