Vermont City Marathon Training – Week 6

Happy Spring! We had a cold snap at the end of the week and I’m hoping it was just the last gasp of winter. We also had a couple of close to 60 degree days during the week, which made me realize how much I’m missing the warm weather. Bring on summer!

My four year-old has been in daycare for two weeks now, so right on cue, he came home sick with a cold on Thursday. Which meant I woke up sick with a cold on Friday. I had already done my speed workout and a regular run, but I’d been saving my long run for the weekend (I’ve been shifting it forward a little so I can start doing it on a Saturday or Sunday from now on). It’s hard for me to decide when to run and when to rest when I’m sick. The general rule of thumb is to go for it if symptoms are above the neck (i.e. it’s not in your chest), but the last thing I want to do is prolong recovery from a head cold at this stage of training.

Current Goal: 

My goal for last week was to get my training done around a shifting schedule (nailed it!) and to run my long run at a slightly faster pace (didn’t nail it, but I’m giving myself a break since I wasn’t feeling well). My goal this week is to negative split my 16 mile long run.

Long Run:

I felt pretty ordinary, with a sore throat and a runny nose. I certainly wasn’t dying, though, so I set out to the trails (all bundled up back in cold weather running gear again). I had 12 miles on my program, but ended up cutting it short to 10 miles, because I didn’t feel like I could push it much beyond that. I was super happy that my fastest mile was mile 8 – it’s always a good sign when you can increase speed slightly when you’re already fatigued.

It seems like I made the right decision by running, because I felt better afterward, almost like the workout nipped my cold in the bud.

Next week I have 16 miles to do for my long run and I admit I am feeling intimidated by that number. Maybe it’s because I felt pretty miserable by the end of my 14 mile run? Hopefully it will go well and give me a confidence boost as I continue increasing mileage.

Speed Workout:

Originally I had hill repeats planned for this week, but due to a very tight window of time and a just-too-far-away hill, I switched it up and ran a progression run instead. This workout was awesome! I felt great, I focused on my breath, cadence and RPE to gauge my speed (didn’t look at my watch once) and I managed to perfectly negative split my miles at a fast speed for me right now. I was so thrilled with this run! 

Regular Run:

This was another really fun run. I did it in the early evening on St Patricks Day, starting down by Lake Champlain, running an out-and-back along the water, then running up the Batttery Street hill (which is mile 15 of the marathon) and back home. 

The lake was beautiful! It was windy, so there was a constant background noise of rolling waves crashing on shore as I ran and the sky was stunning. There were lots of people out running and walking on the lake trail, which made me feel part of a community for a change (usually I go out in the early afternoon, when I see a lot fewer runners out).

On the way back through Burlington, a group of runners intersected with me, led by a couple of leprechauns and dressed all in green. They quickly overtook me and were running just ahead of me. The problem was, I was wearing green as well, so it obviously looked like I was running with them, but just couldn’t quite keep up. This was made clear to me when some (sweet, well-meaning) pedestrians on the sidewalk cheered me on. “You can do it! You can catch up! Go, go, go!” Finally they peeled off in another direction and I felt a little less conspicuous – until yet again, the group came running toward me from a side road and I was once more in the group for a hot minute until they overtook me. Now it was passing traffic’s turn to be my cheerleader. Honking horns and, “Run! You can do it!” 

Despite my clearly not being able to keep up with leprechauns and their friends, it was a good, strong pace for me, with a fast finish – my last two miles were my fastest. 

Other Workouts:

Out on a family walk with the boys, I found a short, steep hill and used it for uphill walking lunges pushing Baby T in the stroller (so probably about 40 pounds worth of pushing). I did eight repeats and man did my butt feel it the next day! I also did a quick BOSU workout at home one afternoon, which was fun and stress relief all in one.

Notes From the Week:

While I had some strong workouts this week, my mileage was low, so I’m curious to see how this coming week pans out – whether I feel just as confident in my runs, or if the extra miles wear me down. Wish me luck!

Weekly Mileage:

22.18 miles

Total Mileage:

90.24 miles

Would you rather run less miles with stronger workouts, or a higher mileage week with so-so workouts?

What’s your personal rule for running when you’re feeling ill? When do you suck it up and when do you rest?