This entire training plan for the 2019 TCS NYC Marathon has not gone as expected and I have thrown so much of it out the window in the past few weeks. To be honest, I’ve run the gamut of emotions lately – some of it truly disheartening and painful – which is, I think, the main reason why I haven’t felt the desire to stay on top of my weekly training posts. But I’m a completist, damn it, so here I am.
This post will cover week 8 in my training for the 2019 NYC Marathon. It was a solid week, a good week, and my highest mileage week in the plan thus far.
Official disclaimer: I am following the 17-week marathon training plan of my awesome running club the New York Harriers. Their plans are only available to members and, although I’ll be writing about my training here, please know that my plan is specific to me and I’m actually choosing my daily and weekly mileage based on how I feel. Also, the strength workouts are all my choice. Every runner is different and every plan should be different, too.
WEEK 8: August 26 – September 1
Monday: Yoga (Yoga with Adriene: Heart & Hips Practice)
My day off from running has become just yoga, which is nice. I feel like I need more flexibility in my hips so I did this routine.
Tuesday: EZ (6 miles @ 10:05 pace) /// Upper body strength (Fitness Blender: Compound Upper Body Workout)
I ran the Central Park loop clockwise on this morning, a weird change from my usual counterclockwise. It feels like an entirely different course in this direction (and I guess it kind of is).
Wednesday: Intervals (7.82 miles w/ 3 x 400, 3 x 800 @ 10KP) /// Lower body strength (Fitness Blender: Build a Booty)
I ran these intervals with some Harriers and felt great today. I credit some decent sleep and more of a focus on breathing in through my nose.
Thursday: Yoga (Yoga with Adriene: Yoga for Runners; 15-Minute Sunrise Yoga) /// Upper body (Fitness Blender: Kelli’s Superset)
Since I’ve switched to running five days a week from six, I decided some more yoga and weights would be all I need today. This yoga for runners routine is great. And this upper body workout is solid as well. I usually use 8/10/15 lb. weights.
Friday: Tempo (10 miles w/ 30 min. @ tempo/8:04 pace) /// Lower body (Fitness Blender: Squats & Deadlifts)
I was pretty happy with this 30-minute tempo run with the Harriers. The rest of the ten miles in Central Park I ran easy. And squats & deadlifts are probably my favorite lower body strength workout.
Saturday: EZ (7.01 miles @ 11:02 pace)
Oof, this was a tough run. I was tired. Anything slower than 11:00 pace is TIRED. I stuck to the bridle paths, mostly, to give my legs a break. Maybe I just did a lot this week but this one was hard to get through. Sometimes there are just runs like that.
Sunday: Long Run (16 miles: 12 easy, 4 @ MP-ish)
I was a little nervous since the day before had been tough. In fact, there was a moment in the first mile where I almost turned around and went home. I didn’t feel hurt or sick, I was just… pooped. But I thought “Let’s stick it out for one mile and then see how I feel.” I started the run in Central Park and eventually ran over to the Hudson River Path for the last 8 miles. At that point I felt better and was glad I’d hung in there. I was planning on running the final 4 miles at marathon pace, but I couldn’t get up there. Still, it was faster than a jog. The header pic is me at the end of the two and a half hour run, relieved I’d gotten it done.
WEEK 8 MILEAGE: 46.84
