Lake Sammamish Half 2017 Training Week 6

T.S. Eliot mused that April is the cruelest month, but I disagree. February is the cruelest month. This week began with above average snowfall and concluded with spring storms. We experienced the extremes of two seasons within five days, which meant changing my workouts with each day to fit the weather.

This week was my first 40 mile week since December. I took it a bit cautious in building back up to make sure I didn’t do too much too soon after the marathon and while doing winter sports, so now it feels good to be back at that 35-40 mile per week range. With just a month to go until my half marathon, my workouts are becoming more specific to the half marathon. This week’s hard workouts included 10K pace mile repeats and a long continuous tempo run. 

Monday: 4 x 1 mile (8 miles total)

I really, really wanted to run outside today, but the couple inches of snow had fallen on top of a weekend’s worth of rain – which mean slushy, slippery snow. Unlike other parts of the country, we never get enough snow to warrant screws or crampons. The total amount of snow was too little for my YakTrak Pros (in my experience, those only work in powdery snow) and I don’t have any trail shoes (yet)…so the treadmill it was. At least by running inside, I was able to complete my first hard workout of the week: 4 x 1 mile at 10K pace. 

The treadmill simultaneously feels easier and harder than running outside. That’s contradictory, but I guess the best way to say is that my perceived exertion is higher during the run, but afterward I don’t feel as if I ran as hard as I would have outside. I averaged an 8.4-8.5 mph (7:04-7:09) for each of the repeats and kept the incline at 0.5-1.5% during those repeats. 

Tuesday: 30 minutes Pilates

Even though I took an extra rest day over the weekend, I didn’t want to change my training plan around. Besides, snow was still on the ground and I could not bear a third treadmill run in less than one week if it wasn’t necessary. So instead, I did my current favorite Pilates workout with the magic circle.

Even though Pilates is low impact, I wouldn’t always call it an easy workout. The rollovers with the magic circle added between the calves always make my core shake, and those come early in the workout. 

Wednesday: 7 mile easy run 

I did not want to run on the treadmill again, even though slush and icy patches still scattered the group. The trail was too icy to run fast on in my Kinvaras. I spent a mile trying to settle into half marathon pace, but as soon as I would accelerate, I would slow down to navigate a slippery spot. So I opted for an easy run instead to stay safe and try again for a better workout the next day.

For me, running is as much about the time outside and movement as it is training for a race. I enjoy training and racing, but I even more so enjoy running outside in any capacity. I really didn’t care that I had to delay my workout because it felt so rejuvenating and wonderful to run outside. The slush and cold don’t bother me and I relished the snowy scenery and quiet trail. 

Thursday: 6 miles at half marathon pace (8 miles total)

Temperatures did not dip below freezing overnight and rains melted any remaining snow and ice. It was pouring rain and windy outside, so it wasn’t exactly pleasant weather, but running outside in rain beats the treadmill any day. 

I lowered my expectations for this run and focused completely on maintaining a steady half marathon effort rather than worrying about my pace. The first 3 miles of the half marathon effort tempo were challenging, as I battled a headwind the whole time. Once I turned around, I was able to relax more while maintaining what felt like the same speed. 

Once I finished my run, I was pleasantly surprised with my paces. My average pace for the 6 miles tempo was 7:22/mile (7:29, 7:24, 7:28, 7:21, 7:18, 7:11) and I set an unofficial 10K PR, according to my Garmin. Not too bad for running in the pouring rain!

Also – thank goodness my Garmin is water resistant! I ended up getting a new phone as well for more storage and a better camera, and the iPhone 7 won me over because it’s water resistant also. 

I checked my training log from last year and my average pace for this tempo run was the same I averaged for the half marathon itself (and that run was done with a headwind also because that’s just February in Seattle). Hopefully this run is as promising for this year’s race! 

Friday: 12 mile long run 

The wind only worsened on Friday, but thankfully I was able to run early before the gusts increased.  I overdressed for this run – I wore capris, a long sleeve shirt, Buff, and my Patagonia Houdini jacket – anticipating rain and a nasty wind chill. It didn’t rain, and I quickly started to warm up with the extra layer. Then I remembered that I can fold the Houdini into the chest pocket and I stashed it in the side pockets of my capris. I probably looked like a pack mule with my jacket, Buff, water bottle, Knuckelight, and gel all stuffed into my shorts by the end of the run. 

I have been opting to run without fuel on most of my long runs this training cycle, but I opted to take my EnduraPouch with me, just in case I needed an extra little boost. My muscles were fatigued from the previous day’s tempo run and I was burning extra energy to fight the wind, so I decided to take my gel for an extra boost. 

Saturday: 5 mile easy run 

Ryan and I took both dogs out for a short, easy run. Charlie has gotten so fit and had no problem completing 5 hilly miles with us! My legs felt stiff and tight from the past couple days, so the company on this run definitely helped motivate me.

I was trying out the Google Pixel phone at this point (before switching to the iPhone 7), and it was a bit too big to easily fit in my Bullet tights pockets, so I left my phone in the car and didn’t take any photos. I always run with my phone when I run by myself and I really enjoy getting to completely unplug when I run with Ryan. 

Sunday: Rest Day

We decided to get some work done before the holiday weekend, rather than spend the day in the mountains.  We are going to Bend, OR next week and that means as much running and snow sports we can fit into a long weekend, so a rest day now isn’t too bad. I have to remind myself that a rest day is part of the training process. Plus, there’s a lot of miles and hard workouts to come next week! 

Instead of any formal exercise, we took the Ollie and Charlie to the 60+ acre dog park to run around and play. We spent over an hour playing, running and walking around, and soaking up the first sunny day in a while.

[Tweet “Lake Sammamish Half Marathon #training Week 6 via @thisrunrecipes #teamrunkeeper #runwithrainier #lakesammamishhalf”]

How was your week in running?
What’s your sweet spot for weekly mileage?