Gettysburg Marathon Training : Week 9 Recap
Hi everyone! Another week of marathon training has come and gone, and unfortunately this was not a good week. I started to feel some pain in my left foot on my first run of the week, so I decided to take it easy and rest as much as possible. This was a step down week anyway (and I really needed some rest after the Spring Thaw race) so I was fine with lower mileage!
I'm hoping that resting up this week will prevent any injuries going forward! This upcoming week I have my longest training run ever- 20 miles. That number has always intimidated me and epitomizes the pinnacle of marathon training in my mind, so I'm nervous and excited to attempt it! Wish me luck, and let's get to a quick recap of the week. I'll share what I planned for my workout and what I actually did- enjoy!
I started to feel some pain in my left foot at the furthest place away from my apartment (of course), so I walk/ran back. I was hoping that it was my shoes, since I was wearing my oldest pair in my rotation. Better safe than sorry, though, so I decided to skip my speed workout on Wednesday.
This workout sounded extremely tough, so I was a little happy I didn't have to do it! I figured it would be a bad idea to do such a physically challenging workout after having a bad run the day before, so I just rested.
I went out for an easy 4 miler at lunch time (work from home days are the best!). I felt great at the beginning of the run, but started to feel some pain towards the end of my run. I just walked home at that point because I was only a few blocks away, and decided to take another rest day on Saturday.
I'm hoping that resting up this week will prevent any injuries going forward! This upcoming week I have my longest training run ever- 20 miles. That number has always intimidated me and epitomizes the pinnacle of marathon training in my mind, so I'm nervous and excited to attempt it! Wish me luck, and let's get to a quick recap of the week. I'll share what I planned for my workout and what I actually did- enjoy!
Monday
Plan: Rest
Actual: Group Core
Tuesday
Plan: 3 miles easy + 4 minutes of strides at the end
Actual: 3 miles easy
Wednesday
Plan: 1 mile warm up, 2x2 miles at tempo with 1/2 mile recovery, 1 mile cool down
Actual: Rest
Thursday
Plan: Rest
Actual: Rest
I nailed this workout! Whoo hoo!
Friday
Plan: 6 miles easy
Actual: 4 miles easy
Saturday
Plan: 3-6 miles easy
Actual: Rest
Sunday
Plan: 12 miles with 7 at marathon race pace
Actual: 6 miles run/walk with run portion at marathon race pace
I was worried about going out for my long run with my foot issue, so I decided to make this a shorter and easier run. I knew that my fitness was there since I ran 15 miles at marathon race pace last weekend, so I was more worried about causing an injury than having one week of lower mileage.
To play it really safe, I decided to break up the run into a 5:1 run to walk ratio. During my run portion, I tried to hit my marathon pace of 9:00 and that felt easy and pain free. I was hoping for a good run with no pain and I got that! I was considering finishing out the 12 miles with the run/walk but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry and set my sights on next week!
What do you do when you feel an injury coming on?
How was your week of training?
Does anyone follow a run/walk plan for training?
Absolutely--preventing a real injury by resting is so much more important than getting all the miles in! Seems like your rest helped, so fingers crossed you're completely back to normal this week.
ReplyDeleteCrossing my fingers as well :) We'll see how it goes today!
DeleteI'm so sorry about your foot, Gretchen! I feel like there's always gotta be a speed bump in marathon training, but you definitely did the right thing by scaling back and playing it safe! Injury is just not worth it at this point (or ever) and doing speed work with any glimmer of injury is really dangerous so good for you especially on Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteI knew SOMETHING would come up so I'm not surprised! I usually love challenging myself with speed workouts, so it was tough to sit that one out but it was probably the smart decision.
DeleteOh no!! injuries are the worst!! I hope some good stretching and rolling will help you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteI follow a run/ walk plan for long runs, but it's more like run until I can't run anymore, rest for a couple of minutes and keep running.
Thanks Ana! I'm hoping the same thing.
DeleteI hope the pain is nothing serious. Smart move by pulling back and taking it easy. What's a training cycle without the obstacles
ReplyDeleteHaha for real! I knew it was going too well :)
DeleteSadface. But you did the right thing resting it. Don't panic yet, and if you do, text me!
ReplyDeleteThanks girl :)
DeleteYikes! I hope this was just a minor setback caused by old shoes or a small tweak from the race last weekend. Resting sounds like it was the smart choice. Depending on the type of injury I sense might be coming up I usually go for some combination of rest, ice baths after runs, and KT tape.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way to prevent injury! I need to be better about icing and rolling after runs. I've been neglecting it and being lazy!
DeleteOh I google it, panic, over analyze it... haha! All the things you should not do!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry-- I hope some rest helps it. That is really the best thing you can do-- rest and yoga!
Lol I try to stay away from google as much as possible..chances are it'll say I have a broken foot and need to get it amputated haha!
DeleteI'm sorry about your foot! You did the smart thing to rest it up, especially by skipping a speed workout. I hope it feels better this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Laura!
DeleteI hope your foot feels better this week! I'm such an impatient person so I don't mind resting for a few days, but if it still hurts after that I get frustrated haha. You did the smart thing though by resting! And the fact that you did so well in your race last week should just confirm that you're able to do everything!
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way! Thanks Amanda :)
DeleteOh, dammit! I'm sorry to hear about your foot but it sounds like you handled it well. Whenever I start feeling pains pop up, I go to my physiotherapist or my massage therapist and they usually tell me exactly what's causing the problem, and they fix it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Suzy! I should go to a masseuse as well :)
DeleteI hope it's not anything too serious. Where was your pain on your foot?
ReplyDeleteYou are being very smart about your injury. I've had some pain on the inside of my left ankle for a few weeks now and have not been as smart. And also, my week of training didn't go well either, well, it was fine until the long run, which was a joke thanks to sleep deprivation. Keep up the hard work though, you are doing the right things as far as resting!!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that it was a bad week for you and I'm hoping your ankle heals up quickly!
DeleteSo smart to rest and take it easy if you feel something isn't right! Hope you are doing better today
ReplyDeleteThanks Meredith! We'll see how it goes :)
DeleteI recently sprained my knee (in yoga! And I'm a yoga teacher...seriously bad luck!) and I've had to modify my half marathon training. I sympathize with you and hope you heal up FAST!
ReplyDelete