Week 13: March 30 – April 5
Monday: 5 miles in 40 minutes
Tuesday: AM 7.3 miles in 52 minutes, PM 4.84 in 52 minutes with Nicole
Wednesday: 7.1 miles in 56 minutes
Thursday: 15.07 miles in 2 hours
Friday: 6 miles in 49 minutes
Saturday: AM 7.12 miles in 51 minutes, PM 10.43 miles in 90 minutes
Sunday: 20 miles in 2 hours 54 minutes
TOTAL MILEAGE: 82.9 miles
Week 14: April 6-12
Monday: REST!
Tuesday: 6.06 in 50 minutes + drills and strides
Wednesday: AM 8 miles in 66 minutes, PM 5.11 in 54 minutes
Thursday: 9.5 miles in 80 minutes
Friday: AM 8.25 miles in 65 minutes + abs, PM 6 miles in 49 minutes
Saturday: 5.11 miles in 42 minutes warmup, 1 mile TT in 5:00.14 (unofficial), 1.17 cool down in 10 minutes, PM 5 miles on stationary bike in 20 minutes
Sunday: 20.13 miles in 2 hours 52 minutes
TOTAL MILEAGE: 70.4 miles
Welp, I am writing this on Thursday, April 16th. Today I received the official word that the Vermont 100 has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sad and disappointed for sure but not all that surprising and in a way I think I have been preparing myself for this over the last couple weeks. When I got the email it was every easy to switch my focus and look at the opportunities that this presents. The past two weeks I got up to 83 miles and then 70 miles, which was fantastic volume but with all that volume and not having allowed my ankle to fully recover I have started to feel that this was lingering longer than it should have. This week I was able to adjust my training to incorporate time on a stationary bike instead of on my feet. Initially the plan was to continue training but simply convert my running time to biking time to allow my ankle/foot/Achilles a chance to rest and recover. Every time we take a stride, the force of around 8 times our body weight goes through our leg, this repeated force over hours and hours of training does take a toll. For me, my left ankle has been a weak point for many years. I am not sure if it is from an old injury or repeated straining from rolling that ankle a number of times. I am now focused primarily on strengthening my ankle, Achilles, calves, hips, glutes and core. Strength training in general is the priority and I will maintain my fitness level for the next couple weeks with aerobic training. When I am feeling 100% and can add in some volume and intensity again, I am going to tackle some local FKTs, see if I can set some new marks for others to chase. I was going to do a 50 mile challenge in late April/early May as my qualifier for VT, but with not being 100% I have decided to refocus now on doing 30 miles on my 30th birthday! A fun objective to work towards for the next two months! The highlights of the last two weeks would have to be a beautiful 20 mile run around the Arboretum, a few very nice runs with Nicole and a PR in the mile of 5:00:14. Unofficially timed and on a windy day with no competition, so I have full confidence that I would be closer to 4:45-4:50 on a good day. I will continue to write my blog, though I am not sure if I will chronicle my training or shift to writing about other things with my personal training taking a bit of a back seat. For now, stay safe and healthy, enjoy your running and prioritize your self-care.
