eugene training by the numbers

One of the nice things about the first week post-marathon is that you suddenly find yourself with some free time, which was nice because I was able to write & post my race report (Part 1: My Race; Part 2: Logistical Details) before a geological age had passed.

As I was writing about my race, I kept thinking about how it felt like I didn't do a whole lot of running this training cycle (particularly since I was still spending a lot of time on the elliptical in those first few weeks), but then again my memory can be unreliable (hence the blogging) so out of curiosity I decided to go back and look at my training logs & reflect on what actually happened.

Behold:

• WEEK 1: 14, all easy
• WEEK 2: 20, all easy
• WEEK 3: 18, all easy
• WEEK 4: 23.8, all easy
• WEEK 5: 10.8 easy, 3.3 tempo, 10 long = 24.1
• WEEK 6: 16.5 easy, 4.3 speed, 6.2 race = 26
• WEEK 7: 16 easy, 14 long = 30
• WEEK 8: 14 easy, 4 tempo, 16 long = 34
• WEEK 9: 13.66 easy, 3 tempo, 5 speed, 18 long = 39.66
• WEEK 10: 13 easy, 6.4 tempo, 4.9 speed, 20 long = 44.3
• WEEK 11: 12.9 easy, 8 speed/tempo, 13.1 race = 34
• WEEK 12: 22 (all easy)
• WEEK 13: 17.5 easy, 2 speed, 20 long = 39.5
• WEEK 14: 19.5 easy, 8 speed/tempo = 27.5
• WEEK 15: 15.35 easy, 6.3 speed, 4.8 tempo, 16 long = 43.5
• WEEK 16: 25 easy, 9.7 speed/tempo = 34.7
• WEEK 17: 26.2 race

Weekly average: ~29.7 D:
Biggest week: 44.3 miles (week 10)
Longest run: 20 miles (x2)
Longest workout: 11.5 miles (2 warm up, 2 x (1600m @ 10K pace/1:30 jog), 30:00 @ marathon effort, 2 x (1600m @ 10K pace/1:30 jog), 1.5 cool down)

Lolololol. In some sort of weird, warped way, seeing all that made me feel even BETTER about my time, because except for all the speed workouts & the two 20s, this is kind of indistinguishable from, like, not training. (Then again, any amount of running kinda looks like training compared to being injured/not running/the elliptical queen for a few months.)

Indeed, looking back over past marathon training cycles, this is the least volume I've EVER run training for a marathon, in every possible way you could measure it. I am never going to be an 80 mile-per-week runner, but I do like to be consistently in the 40s with 2-3 peak weeks in the 50s. (Which, of course, requires staying healthy and also having some kind of aerobic base to build on.) So there is definitely a part of me going, oh, you're not fast again yet? Yeah; *nobody* can be fast on 30 miles a week. Fact.

So. That is...whatever is.

I also realized that I never posted training logs for my last two weeks, which to be honest seems kind of moot once the race report is posted, but I know the OCD part of me will not be at peace until it is done.

So here we go, my last two Eugene training logs (such as they are).

(Spoiler, it's only really one!)

~*~*~EUGENE MARATHON WEEK 16 OF 17~*~*~

Grand Total: 34.7 total miles

* 25 easy
* 9.7 speed/tempo

Monday 4/18: Karate

Tuesday 4/19: 1.75 warm up, 6 x 200m hard/200m jog, 2 miles @ marathon effort, 6 x 200m hard/200m jog, 1.75 cool down = 8.5 total. Last track workout before Eugene! There is a kids' track group that practices on Tuesdays around the same time I tend to be at the track, and after 8 years of this business the coaches and I recognize each other and nod but don't really talk. As I was leaving the track that day one of them said to me as I passed, "Man, I been watching you. You're consistent. Gettin' it done every day." I wanted to say, "You are generous, sir, but I will still take it."

Wednesday 4/20: Karate

Thursday 4/21: 2 warm-up, 10:00 @ marathon effort, 10:00 @ marathon effort + 0:30/mile, 10:00 marathon effort, 1.5 cool down = 8.2 total. The end of the week got shuffled because Don's birthday party was Friday night & I knew I'd been spending my usual running time prepping for it. Still, last workout!

Friday 4/22: Rest/throw a killer birthday party!

Saturday 4/23: 6 easy (Thursday's workout)

Sunday 4/10: 12 easy. Last double digits!

~*~*~EUGENE MARATHON WEEK 17 OF 17~*~*~

Let's be real, week 17 was taper/cation & the only running involved was the race. Which I think I worked out well, given how fresh & energetic I felt on race day. (Not working that week also meant I got a lot of sleep, and I'm sure that didn't hurt either).

Instead of running, there was a lot of this:

Even marathon non-withstanding, it was still a good week. :)