Training Log Entry 36

February 12 - 18, 2024

Monday February 12

Off

Tuesday February 13

Over the previous week, I thought that I had gone a bit too hard on my easy days, so I focused on holding back and maintaining a low intensity level during this run. I did a good job in this regard, focusing on keeping my stride short and compact, which helped reduce the impact on my legs. Although I felt like I was going easy, the pace ended up being faster than expected, but I mainly attribute that to how fresh I felt going into the run.

In total, the run covered a distance of 10.1 km.

Wednesday February 14

This day’s workout was a 5km tempo at steady pace, followed by 5x200m with 1 minute recovery. With my next race less than two weeks away, I aimed to keep the intensity level moderate, so I chose a relatively flat route and focused on maintaining a controlled pace.

At the beginning of the workout, I struggled to find a comfortable rhythm. It had been a few weeks since my last tempo, so it took me a little while to adjust to the pace. However, by focusing on keeping a high cadence and relaxed arms, I was able to settle into a good pace by the end of the first kilometer.

I maintained the pace comfortably for the next few kilometers, feeling strong and in control. In the final kilometer, the trail became rocky and uneven, requiring me to navigate through some rough patches. Nevertheless, I managed to pick up the pace and finish the tempo strong. My splits for the 5km tempo were 4:01, 4:13, 4:08, 4:08, and 3:59, averaging 4:05 per kilometer in a total time of 20:28.

For the 200m intervals, I was still running on the rocky terrain, so I prioritized feeling strong over worrying about pace. As expected, the uneven ground made it challenging to establish a consistent stride and rhythm, but I completed the intervals without issue. My splits for the 200m intervals were 37, 39, 38, 42, and 38, averaging 38 seconds.

Overall, I was pleased with how well this workout went and how well I controlled the intensity throughout.

Including the warm-up and cool-down, the total mileage for the day came out to 13.9km.

Thursday February 15

This morning I woke up feeling quite tired, and with my race coming up soon, I decided to the day off.

Friday February 16

With just eight days until race day, this Friday workout would be my last hard session before tapering. The plan was to do two reps of Nicole’s ascent, a 1km climb with approximately 175m of elevation gain. While I anticipated needing to hike certain sections, my goal was to run as much of the ascent as possible.

Initially, my legs felt decent, and I was making good progress. I reached the three-quarter mark of the first rep without any issues, but then fatigue began to set in. The steep grades in the second half of the climb proved challenging, and even alternating between hiking and running was still very difficult. Eventually, I completed the ascent, albeit with a couple of breaks and feeling extremely exhausted afterwards.

Given how my legs felt after the first rep, I decided to modify the workout and turn it into an up-tempo hill loop. The route began with a flat section, but it quickly turned into short, punchy climbs that were challenging given the condition of my legs. The downhill was no issue, and after another flat section, I finished the 6km loop.

In retrospect, I think my poor performance can be attributed to dehydration. I’m still adjusting to running early in the morning and need to work on drinking enough before my workouts.

My watch died early in the session, but I estimate the total distance was around 12km with 300m of elevation gain.

Saturday February 17

After the previous day’s disappointing workout, I was pleasantly surprised by how good I felt on this recovery run. Similar to last week, I accidentally went a bit too fast, but unlike last week, I managed to maintain a very relaxed effort level throughout.

Following the 6.1km run, I did 4x100m hill strides. Unfortunately, these didn’t go as well as I had hoped, with some discomfort appearing in my left calf.

Combined, the run and strides brought the daily volume to 6.5km.

Sunday February 18

As this was the final long run before my race next Saturday, the plan was to do a short and flat long run. However, after feeling a bit under the weather the previous day, this run turned out to be a real challenge.

From the start, my body felt tense, making it difficult to relax and settle into a rhythm. Things only got worse as my stomach began to act up around the 5km mark, forcing me to take multiple breaks over the next several kilometers.

Despite the setbacks, I managed to cover 15km, albeit feeling terrible by the end.

The long run brought my total mileage for the week to 57.4km with 456m of elevation gain.