Week 6 is in the books and I had my first “bad” run. I was on the struggle bus for my long run today. It all started out well enough, but I hit a wall around mile 8. I pushed through for another two miles but then had to take some walking breaks during the last two miles. I am not sure if the fast-rising temperatures caught up with me, if I was just feeling some cumulative fatigue, or if I was underfueled (more on that below), but needless to say, it wasn’t my best run. But hey, I am still smiling.
If I am honest, I was kinda waiting for that to happen because things had been going way too smoothly so far. A friend commented that we’re bringing this on ourselves if we think that way, and maybe she’s right, but I also know from experience that there will always be good and bad runs and so when it happens, it doesn’t really throw me off that much. It’s just a bit of a mental struggle, but that is also part of training.
Focus for the week:
This week was for more base building and some speed intervals. I love speed intervals. They make the training session fly by and always leave me feeling accomplished in a way an easy run doesn’t (although I also like my easy run days. It’s hard to explain.)
WORKOUTS
Monday – 20 min yoga for runners + 20 min hip mobility + 10 min stretch
Tuesday – 5.72 mi easy @ 9:31 min/mi (morning temp: 57°F) + 30 min strength for runners + 30 min climb ride + 10 min yoga for runners
Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.
Wednesday – 6:09 mi speed intervals 6 x 400m run/400m jog @ 9:03 min/mi (morning temp: 57°F) + 20 min ride + 10 min yoga for runners
Fuel/water: Graham crackers pre-run, didn’t carry water.
Thursday – 30 min strength for runners + 20 min yoga
Friday – 4.79 mi easy @ 9:24 min/mi (morning temp: 61°F) + 10 min yoga for runners
Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.
Saturday – 12 mi @ 9:53 min/mi (morning temp: 66°F)
Fuel/water: Graham crackers pre-run, fruit crushers + electrolytes during the run.
Gear: Fasted, didn’t carry water.
Sunday – 5.8 mi easy @ 9:29 min/mi (morning temp: 63°F)
Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.
TOTAL: 34.4 mi/ 55.4 km
MARATHON TRAINING MILES: 187.1 miles / 301.1 km
Marathon Nutrition
I had graham crackers before I left (I really like them as a pre-run snack!) and decided to rely on the apple mango fruit crushers (from Trader Joe’s) during the long run. Like last week, I had one after 40 minutes and the other 30 minutes later. I thought it would work as well as last time, but maybe it wasn’t enough because I fell apart during the last few miles. Coco also mentioned in one of her recent posts that she feels the effects on her training depending on which phase of her cycle she’s in. The luteal phase is said to impact athletic performance. I never really paid attention to it (I am lucky to have not had any major effects from my cycle) but it could have played a role. I’ll have to take some notes from now on.
My daily macro needs per day (calculated from this marathon nutrition guide).
| Protein | 105 g | 4-5 servings | 25g/serving |
| Carbs | 462 g | 18-19 servings | 25g/serving |
| Fats | 66 g | 6-7 servings | 10g/serving |
This week I averaged 106 g of protein, 77 g of fat, and 237 g of carbs per day. I am continuing to intuitively hit my macros and I’ll take it :)
and are merely based on daily calorie intake.
How I refueled after my long run
TL;DR – summary of the week:
The week went well overall, but I had my first “bad” run this week. I struggled in the last few miles of my long run (12 miles) and had to take some walking breaks. Oh well. It’s not the end of the world and I am not trying to let this get me down because everything has really been going well so far.
coco
September 19, 2024 at 7:49 pmFor coach would say, always have gels that has more carbs than real food when it’s double digits. I think that may have been part of the fatigue you felt after 8 miles. Not only that, I also find that if I fuel properly (1 gel every 4-5 miles) no matter the speed, I recover way faster than if I run without fuel. It’s very noticeable. give is a try.
part of the training is the recovery process, how fast you recover to be ready for the next run, so speeding up the process with good fueling makes the training go way better and more enjoyable.
yet, I do think having bad runs every now and then is needed as to know whether you are pushing yourself. I read once that says 1/3 of training should feel normal, 1/3 of training should feel great, 1/3 miserable. For me the miserable share has been declining since I started my plant based vegan diet as I recover faster. My coach sees that from the stats.
San
September 21, 2024 at 2:33 pmThanks so much for your insights, Coco. I’ll be asking my coach about this, too… but I know that everyone is a little bit different and I have to figure out what works for me. Maybe I truly have to fuel more (I did have a better strategy this weekend and I felt much better today on my run!).
Michelle G.
September 19, 2024 at 8:12 pmWow! 12 miles is impressive! I need to look back to see how many miles the marathon is.
San
September 21, 2024 at 2:33 pmThanks so much, Michelle. A marathon is 26.2 miles – so many more miles to go LOL
Melissa
September 19, 2024 at 11:35 pmIt’s marathon training, so I suppose you would expect it to be hard at least some of the time otherwise everyone would be doing it. Keep up the fabulous work. I’m enjoying following along with your progress.
San
September 21, 2024 at 2:34 pmThank you, Melissa. Your support means a lot… and yeah, like you said “it’s marathon training!”, it supposed to be hard LOL
Elisabeth
September 20, 2024 at 2:35 amI wonder if having a tough run might make it easier to relax into training moving forward? As in: your brain knew you were going to have a hard run at some point so you were waiting – maybe even subconsciously – for that to happen? Now that you have a hard run behind you, you’ve crossed that item off your marathon training list.
Regardless, you are doing so well!!
San
September 21, 2024 at 2:34 pmI think you’re right that this could be a mental component of the training. Thanks for pointing this out!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
September 20, 2024 at 11:46 pmThese three eggs made me smile. I don’t think I have ever eaten three eggs at a time.
The bad run was bound to happen as you said and I am sure it’s pat of the training to get through it and adjust for next time. Step by step and you’ll run a marathon.
I am sure the cycle is having some effect here. Just doing bit of yoga I can feel that some times I am not doing to well. I have not kept track of it but it’s a reoccurring pattern.
San
September 21, 2024 at 2:35 pmHaha, I am not a big fan of eggs and eating three is like a big deal to me (I usually don’t eat more than two). LOL
I am definitely paying more attention to what could have influenced a good vs a bad workout… they’re just so many factors.
Lisa’s Yarns
September 21, 2024 at 11:57 amI do feel like bad runs are part of the training process and make us mentally tougher. But I can’t imagine running double digits without water! I would definitely need to drink often especially in the heat. I carry water if the run is longer than 5 miles. I can find water on most runs at fountains but I like to have water on me.
San
September 21, 2024 at 2:36 pmYes, I think you’re right… this is part of the mental training that we can bounce back from subpar runs! I do carry water now when the runs are longer than 6 miles. There are a couple of fountains that I could stop at, too, but I am practicing having water on me.