California International Marathon Training Week 17

Hi there! How was your Thanksgiving? 

Less than a week until the California International Marathon! The weather is supposed to be perfect in Sacramento – in the 40s, no rain, and sunny! It’s been days since we’ve seen the sun here in Seattle, so Ryan and I are extra excited to enjoy a few rain-free days and soak up some California sunshine. And one week from now, we’ll be in Yosemite! 

Monday: 7 mile run with 2 x 10 minutes at tempo pace

I enjoy comparing the final workouts of a training cycle with the first workouts – I like being able to see my progress. The same effort back a few months ago, as I was coming off of my sprained foot and down time, was about a 7:30/mile. For this run, I averaged a 7:20-7:23/mile. 

Tuesday: 3 mile easy run

I spent most of the day on Tuesday touring the orchards and facilities of Rainier Fruit in Selah, WA. With a long day and a good amount of time on my feet ahead of me (and the need to reduce my mileage for the taper!), Ryan and I did a quick run at the hotel gym. Treadmill running passes by much more quickly when you have someone to talk to. 

I will share more with you soon about the Rainier Fruit tour, but let me say this: I am so incredibly impressed by this company and so honored to be partnering with them. Also, touring orchards and packing facilities made me crave apples like crazy (which is saying something, since I always have my daily apple).

Selah and Yakima were beautiful – different than Seattle, as they are desert, but still stunning!

Wednesday: 9 mile run with 2 x 4 miles at goal marathon pace

This was my last hard workout before CIM! I have a tune up workout on the schedule for this week, but the purpose of that is just to remind the mind and body what that pace feels like before the race. 

While I’m overall a huge fan of moderate mileage during marathon training, it was a bit tricky to balance the reduction in mileage with the final marathon specific workouts. I’m used to a much longer time to warm up and cool down, but I also knew that an 11 mile mid-week run wasn’t the best idea this week. 

I aimed for an 8:05-8:10/mile pace, but I ended up running 7:55-8:05/mile. My pace felt comfortable and controlled and the run went by quickly (especially since it wasn’t rainy!). 

Thursday: 3 mile easy run 

Since both of our families live thousands of miles away, Ryan and I keep Thanksgiving small and laidback. We went for our own little rainy turkey trot with Ollie (Charlie stayed home and slept), FaceTimed my parents for an hour, watched Star Wars (as our tradition goes), and enjoyed a homemade Thanksgiving meal. 

Friday: 6.2 mile hike

Ryan and I chose to opt outside again this year, and we chose a gentle hike since CIM is approaching so soon. We hiked to Talapus and Olallie Lakes, which were so pretty with a fresh snowfall. 

Ollie saw his first snow! Before we adopted him, he lived in Texas. Initially, he didn’t think much of the snow, until he realized that he could eat it and play it and then he loved it! 

Saturday: 10 mile long run

I felt sluggish on this run – a combination of indulging, hiking, and tapering. But this was just a run about time on my feet, so I kept it very easy and tried to not worry about my pace. Save the digging deep for race day! 

Saturday night we saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for the second time in two weeks. Have you seen this movie? I think I like it more than the Harry Potter movies. 

Sunday: Rest day

CIM Race Goals

• To nail my hydration and nutrition. 

Poor fueling and hydration were what led to a rough patch of several miles at the Portland Marathon last year. This year, my plan is similar to what worked so well for me at the Lake Sammamish half – to take fuel every 5 miles (and sip on it over the course of a mile or so using this EnduraPouch) and alternate between water and Nuun at each and every aid station. 

• To follow my pacing plan of starting slow and finishing strong.

I naturally start slow and finish fast. Almost every single long run in marathon training has gone like this. I ran my half marathon PR in the spring with a negative split and holding back for the first half of the Leaf Peeper Half Marathon allowed me to knock out my faster mile in a race yet.

So my pacing plan for CIM is to hold back for the first 5K, then ease into a comfortable pace – probably around 8:10-8:15/mile, which is slower than I’ve done for my goal pace workouts over the past couple weeks. If I still feel good around mile 15 (when the course begins to flatten out), that’s when I want to start pushing the pace ever so slightly. Then, I want to treat the last 10K like a hard progression run and focus on pushing a bit more with each mile until I can give my best effort at the end. 

• To enjoy the race!

Part of the enjoyment from racing does come from pushing myself to my limits. But I also want to smile and wave at the volunteers and spectators, encourage other runners, and soak in the atmosphere of the fastest race on the West Coast. 

• Time Goal: PR!

I know I have a PR in me, after how this training cycle went. I ran a 3:49 on a rough race at Portland last year, when my half marathon PR was 1:43. My half PR is now 1:38, so I definitely think I can beat 3:49 this time around, especially if I follow my pacing plan. I think a 3:32-3:38 is a good goal range, especially if I follow through on all of my other goals and have a good race day. 

How was your Thanksgiving?
How was your week in running? 
If you’ve ever been to Yosemite, which hikes would you recommend?